CHAPTER 77
THE AFTERMATH
The swirling torrents spun Hans around and around, taking him on a wild ride as he felt himself losing consciousness. The world faded to black as he drowned in the raging waters. When he finally came to, he gasped for air, coughing up the water he had swallowed. He felt the cold edge of a knife pressed against his throat, and the sound of Rudolf's voice echoed in the silent battlefield, declaring Delimira the victor. Hans couldn't help but curse under his breath.
"Ah, damn it. This is embarrassing on so many levels"
As his vision cleared, he saw Delimira, his frenemy, aiming her knife at his neck, gasping for air as if she was on the verge of passing out. It didn't take long before she collapsed onto him, completely unconscious. Hans looked up to see the elders running towards him, and he couldn't help but overhear.
"It seems I have a genius disciple to teach."
He did not have to guess whose voice it was as he flipped Delimira over with utmost care. He stood up, trying to brush off the incident as if nothing had happened to him, while his wet clothes clung to his skin and his ears still ringing from the impact of the water, but despite this, he appeared unfazed.
Among the elders, the only person who was surprised was Aredhel. She couldn't believe her own eyes. Her daughter had used GurgesDomitor transformed for a second circle spell, and yet, what surprised her, even more, was that Hans seemed to be full of energy while the winner lay exhausted, contradicting her win.
Delimira regained consciousness with Sierra's help. Still exhausted, she fixed her eyes on Rudolf and said, "I do not need anyone to protect me." Then she turned to Hans and added, "I am stronger than you, got that?"
Hans realised that he wasn't at his best during the fight, with his spells not working as they should. However, he knew that claiming this as the reason for his loss would be nothing more than a feeble excuse. Delimira had given it her all in the battle, and he couldn't be so shameless as to diminish her hard work with a half-hearted justification that he himself didn't fully understand. And how could he say anything after being pummeled by her spell? He was boiling inside, not because she had won, but because he really did not have any counter for that huge spell. Even if he conjured the crying seed there was no guarantee that it won't attack him back.
As these thoughts ran amok in his mind, he looked at her, realising that she too was fighting for her pride, not just to defeat him. She craved Rudolf's approval for the Glory Wars just as much as he did. Despite his own disappointment in himself, Hans offered his hand to her in a gesture of respect and understanding.
Despite his initial thoughts that she will stick to her pride and reject his helping hand, she accepted it, and to her surprise, thin vines slithered from Hans's hand to hers, reversing the effects of his SugarDrain spell. Almost instantly, her breathing stabilized and she regained her energy, while Hans himself felt a bit exhausted from the transfer. But she was not the only one surprised as Rudolf grabbed his shoulder to get a better look at what was happening, "That's a new one." he remarked in amazement.
Hans, feeling the pain from Rudolf's overpowered grip, "Yeah, ss... because of that Chris calls me a mosquito," said Hans.
"But wasn't it the other way around?" asked Rudolf, as he removed his hand.
rotating his shoulder to relax his muscle from the grip, Hans chuckled as he said,
"It works both ways, gramps."
Rudolf couldn't help but shake his head, his confusion cleared, as he remembered not to measure Hans with ordinary standards, "You are really a surprise, brat." he said, grinning ear to ear like it was his own accomplishment.
As Hans and Rudolf kept talking, giving each jab with words, a sudden memory popped into Delimira's mind and she grabbed Hans's collars, interrupting the wordplay between grandfather and grandson. "Stop looking down on me! Why did you not use that odd spell?" she yelled. She remembered Hans using a scary spell that her mother had countered at the start of the year. Hans did not use that in their fight and this fact was like a bitter pill that she had to swallow, so she shouted, demanding an explanation.
Hans's pride was already hanging by a thread, but he found a way to save his face in her words. He concealed the fact that he tried and failed to conjure the crying seed and answered, "I don't hate you Winters." he said, attempting to pry Delimira's grasp off his collar, "Why will I kill you for no reason." His words sounded like he really went easy on her. Giving her a bitter feeling while feeling satisfied.
But before he could say anything more, Rudolf intervened and lifted Hans up by the back of his collar like a piece of a rack, causing Delimira to lose her grip. He fixed Hans with a stern look and uttered in a grim tone, "Only winners have the right to glee at losers, brat. so drop your lips."
Aredhel interceded to prevent any ill feelings between the children."Delimira has a remarkable perception. She had an edge from the start since she already knew all of your spells and had developed counters for them. She might have even anticipated the sequence in which you cast them." But in contrast to what she was trying to propagate, Hans felt a twinge of irritation at her words which only sounded like boasting about her own daughter, but he held his tongue and listened as she continued, "If you wish to defeat her in the future, you must use something she has never seen before. And you must succeed on your first try, or risk being countered."
As the words flew in the air, Delimira felt like a hollow victor, "Don't beat yourself up, child" Sierra said, putting an assuring hand on her shoulder as she continued, " Even if Hans wanted to, he can't use those spells on whims." Hearing those words, Delimira looked up, feeling that her victory was not as hollow as she thought. Grabbing her attention, Sierra added "He wouldn't be able to control them in such a confined space and probably could end up killing himself if he's not careful. So, You won fair and square."
The once-tense atmosphere began to relax as the parents calmed the children. Hans, however, couldn't shake off the feeling of defeat and kept looking towards his room where he had left his book of spells: Limitless. He had already made up his mind to master new spells during the three-month break, and this fight had only fueled his determination.
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Looking straight at Delimira, Hans said confidently,
"Just wait and see. Meet me after three months and I'll pay you back for this defeat."
"It seems like I have to prevent both of you from participating in the Glory Wars," said Rudolf, bursting their bubble with a stern remark,
This was not what Hans wanted, second book was on the line at that competition so he argued thinking of various excuses,
"If I didn't have that throbbing headache... and a bit more space... I would have won..."
"tsk, tsk," Rudolf clicked his tongue in disappointment, "If it were real, you could have easily died," he said.
Hans cursed, "Damn it". What Rudolf said was the truth, partial but it was still the truth. This, for some odd reason, made Delimira happy. Honestly, she was not so into Glory wars, she only was eager because both Hans and Chris were dead set on going. As Hans glanced at her, he noticed her grin and narrowed his eyes in irritation. In response, she playfully mouthed the word, her lips silently moved to form a word
"S.Q.U.E.A.K.Y."
Hans almost forgot the bet and the thought of wager came back biting him. It was not like he was some idiot that would fall for the same trick twice but this time, he was confident and eager to cancel out the first favour but ended up topping up one more, all because he had let his guard down and fallen prey to her cunning. Gritting his teeth, he asked confirming first, "What would you ask?"
"Im gonna collect a few more before cashing in all, in something big, that annoys you to death, Squeaky."
She continued chuckling, happiness evident on her face, pure and clear. As Aredhel observed her always composed and quiet daughter finally opening up with others. A relief came over her face knowing her daughter was enjoying herself in this company. Yet, a heaviness lingered in her heart, as it always did whenever she thought about leaving her daughter behind in Clandor. She knew it was safer that way, but guilt gnawed at her nonetheless.
Lost in her thoughts, she was jolted back to reality by Hans's sudden lashing out,
"Why are you stopping me?" he demanded, his voice raised at Rudolf.
"You're not fit for the preliminaries," Rudolf said, his hand held up in a calming gesture as he explained patiently, "I'm not saying you won't pass, but it's a team survival battle and you're a lone wolf."
Hans bristled at the remark.
"So what?"
"Having people around will restrict your style, brat. Earlier I did not pay any mind to this but I am concerned now."
"I have three months and the next half of the year to train." said Hans, undeterred and declaring arrogantly, "I have three months and the next half of the year to train." Then turning to Delimira, he added, "I'll have a match with you again, after three months - " Rudolf cut off in the middle, "Wait a minute, brat," he said, turning to Sierra. "What are your plans for the girl?"
Sierra paused thoughtfully before responding,
"She is quad-elemental, but honestly, she is more inclined towards water, ground, and a bit of wind mana. So I thought perfecting her wind abilities or teaching her fire mana would be the ideal first step."
"Hmm..," Rudolf considered for a moment, "Hold on," he said turning to Delimira and pushing Hans towards her. "Since both of you are so eager to go, " he paused a bit and said with a mischievous glint in his eyes, "How about we go camping first? Of course, a deadly place for at least a month."
Delimira was confused but Hans was annoyed at his suggestion. He had been looking forward to focusing on improving his skills, not going on an unproductive camping trip while babysitting a newbie. He lashed back at his grandfather, protecting his sacred holidays, "Gramps, your delusion is getting worrisome."
Rudolf knuckled Hans's head to shut him up and responded,
"That will be like training for the preliminaries. You have to learn to adjust yourself to your teammates, while this child will experience the place for the first time."
As Delimira furrowed her brows in confusion, Sierra stepped forward to clarify the situation for her new pupil, "Since I have taken you under my wing as a disciple, you will follow me wherever I go." she said, her tone gentle yet firm and Delimira listened, her eyes fixed on her new teacher while Sierra explained, "And while Rudolf calls it camping, the truth is it's a beast zone."
"Oh!," Delimira had initially thought that she would have to return to Clandor in a few days, but this turned out to be a pleasant surprise for her. She despised that place and wished to avoid it at all costs. Although she understood her mother's reasons for leaving her in Clandor, becoming Sierra's only disciple unexpectedly brought her independence.
Delimira's joy was palpable on her face, a contrast to her usual practice of hiding her true emotions. She had thought Rudolf was suggesting the camping trip as a personal teaching opportunity. Many would consider it an honour and a golden opportunity.
Excitedly, she asked,
"Will you be teaching us?"
However, his response greatly disappointed her. "No, you can only learn survival on your own. I will let you learn about the place before throwing you there, so - " Hans interrupted, "I am not a babysitter - "
Infuriated by Hans's interruption, Delimira retorted,
"Will you just shut up for a moment? The elders are talking here."
Hans stupefied, thought maybe today was not his day. He had already lost physically, and now it looked like verbal defeat was on its way. But he could not just back away from this. He sighed and pressed on, "His camping means he will throw us into a beast zone without any supplies, and we need to survive there for a month. I can't keep myself at full capacity if I have to constantly look out for you, YOU DENSE ELF."
Hans's insistence made Delimira unusually quiet and noticing the situation, Sierra reprimanded him,
"You are becoming increasingly disrespectful, young man."
Hans immediately countered,
"But Grandma, you know I need to learn new things too. My bitt just got handed to me, I can't afford to be complacent anymore."
"That still doesn't excuse your rudeness towards a young lady in front of her mother." Sierra chided him, "If I were in her position, I would have taught you a lesson you wouldn't forget." Hans just quieted down, accepting someone up above was teasing him today, nothing was going his way. His grandma usually allows him to do as he pleases but her stern gaze was clearly telling him that from now on, it won't be like this.
And Sierra was clearly aiming for that, she had spoiled him too much and his recent behaviours are going overboard which concerned her. So, she decided to discipline him with tough love, similar to what she used on Samson. On the other hand, Rudolf was taken aback by Sierra's sudden rebuke of Hans; she had never before disciplined or scolded him like this. Despite the satisfaction of seeing Hans being put in his place, He interrupted and addressed Hans, saying:
"Listen to me first, you brat. And yes, you are correct. I need you to babysit her throughout the whole month. You are not allowed to hunt by yourself or collect resources and definitely do not get smart with my arrangement. You only need to teach her what I taught you."
Hans retorted,
"What will I get by wasting my entire month?"
"You will get the chance to participate in the Glory Wars if you successfully manage to survive without me interrupting,"
"Hmm..." Hans thought for a moment and then said,
"Add a thousand gold coins on top of it, then I’ll do it."
"Forget your participation, then,"
Hans grunted,
"Fine, you miser. Where will you take all that money?"
"It's mine, not yours. You need to earn it yourself if you want to spend more," rebuked Rudolf once again.
Hans sighed, accepting the forced task and asked about the beast zone,
"When and where?"
Rudolf smiled, knowing well that it would irritate Hans on another level, "You are going to the four-star mountains “Dead Gorge”. Hans remembered and whined as Rudolf anticipated, "Ah! No! It's freaking humid there."
***