“Are you spineless? To try and back out of an accepted duel, do you have no honor?"Iris asked. She was oh so dissatisfied and vexed by the current situation.
The boy did not move from his seat; his legs were frozen stiff. He, along with everyone in the hall, could feel the vast difference between them and Iris. Like a raging mana storm staring down, they felt hopeless in front of her.
Iris, for the most part, had complete control over her presence. Unless someone was sensitive to Mana’s nature, like Hecate, she appeared ordinary. Now, she was not controlling her mana, and her presence was suffocating and painful, as if thousands of razors were scraping against their skin.
“He is not backing out; your demand for his life is absurd. His life is worth much more than that of a runaway slave. The duel is invalid." Reed's face was ghastly; his voice did not have as much power as earlier, lacking the prior pride.
“No, an accepted duel must be upheld; that is the dignity of a mage; to let you back out is the same as letting you spit on my face.” Iris turned to the boy who had challenged, “You will either have a duel to the death with me now, or I will kill you after the tournament; there is no in-between.”
“WHAT DID YOU SAY?" Reed roared. Iris was becoming tired of this farce.
“Get on the stage,” Iris ordered. She could mindlessly engage in dialogue with Reed, but that is delaying the inevitable. The only way the boy was going to live was if he could make her believe he had something that was worth letting him live for. The duel can end before death if the winner lets the loser keep his life. She would not do that, she saw no worth in him that was deserving of kindness.
His brother moved with shaky steps. Like a possessed zombie, he walked. Reed looked at him, then at her, then at where his lady was sitting. Iris could see the panic; he had not hoped for this situation. Perhaps he was hoping for immunity from any consequences due to the non-violence treaty she was not bound to.
“Wait! If you attack him, you’ll break the treaty—your lord will lose right now.” Reed said he was full of hope. Iris could imagine the relief he had; she almost felt cruel doing this to a desperate man like him.
“I don’t care—duel should be above any treaty, law, or regulation. Above influence any entity that includes this empire.”
“What are you saying?! If you attack him, you will break the treaty.” He wished that to be true.
“If it is,” Iris's voice changed, much calmer yet dangerous. “If this barbaric nation believes itself to be above our belief in Mother, who blessed us with Mana, then, before next dawn—I will make its existence of the past.” It was not a threat; Iris meant every word she spoke. She was willing to destroy this very empire if its laws, beliefs, and people prevented her from upholding her dignity.
All mages are children of Mana; only in duel are our lives and deaths equal.
We, who are blessed by Mother, our creed is to accept every duel, show benevolence, and Die with Dignity.
You, who are blessed by Mother of Mana like myself, when puts life on the line for something; how am I worthy of denying you?
“Mr. Reed, No, Treaty will be unaffected by a duel between two mages. As such, please let the audience enjoy the show. We are all getting tired of your loudness and lack of etiquette."A man, well dressed, wearing a glass. A white glass that contrasted with his black hair like night and day.
Iris did not know who he was, but Reed sat down. Iris's attention went to Inspector and Diantha.
“My Lady, Might I pray? How will you explain to the Emperor about killing Viscount’s son for no apparent reason?" the Inspector asked through his clenched teeth. He was tense and looked like he was about to pass out. Iris wondered why he, the highest authority in this room, was in worse condition than others.
“I don’t need to explain anything if someone tries to provoke A level 6, proceeds to challenge them to a duel, and dies,” Diantha replied, very pleased with the current situation.
“And, if you don’t mind explaining, how will you provide that?”
“The whole world will read everything that has and will transpire here as well as in colisuem; the esteemed inspector need not be worried about falsities.”
"And if something were to happen, like, they might see the event differently than you do, what then?”
“World News Journal is still under Roundtable’s policy; shall their individual bias prevent them from stating the truth, Ilona will personally visit them, of which you can be assured.”
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The inspector went quiet after that. His face was red and wet; Iris couldn't help but imagine his face bursting and coloring Laurent’s dress in red goo.
Little Reed, as Iris decided to call him, finally reached the stage. She did not feel pity for him, but it was unfair to have him fight her on an equal turn.
“Three spells, I’ll give you time to cast three spells; if you can make me move from my spot or impress me—by any means, then I’ll let you live. And I’ll drop my level to 3." This was benevolence. A fair chance, even in all seriousness, it was not.
“R-really?” This might be the first thing. Little Reed spoke of his own will.
“A fair chance, even if you’re unworthy of such a thing. State your name, and we shall begin.”
“Henry Reed, Level 3 Gale Mage.”
Mage was not a class; it was something adopted by anyone who did not have a specific class. Gale was Henry’s element. A glorified way of saying he could conjure strong wind.
“Iris”
Little Reed clasped both his hands, and the rings on all his fingers started to glow. They were artifacts to boost casting time and power. A strong wind cyclone formed in the center.
“Take this!” He waved his hand, and Cyclone started to move towards Iris. The hall shivered with its might. Even the decorations around the hall started to sway. “Tempest”
Iris almost sighed in disappointment. Even after being given time to cast his best spell, he created something that she would have destroyed at level 2. Iris turned to Hecate; of course, she was super excited about this. Iris smiled. She was sure if Hecate had something to say, it would be—use a new spell.
Iris summoned the Weaver’s orb and reweaved it into a sword. A purple aura rose around it; a visible part of her hand glowed as the vines on it turned violet. She did not have her katana with her. Since the tournament would not be a battle with any stake, drawing her blade was unnecessary. It was still in her room back at Lancaster’s mansion.
“Violet Fiend,” Iris whispered as she swung her sword. The air turned purple, and the aura on the blade stuck to the air like sticky glue on a board. The aura started to spread like a liquid.
Slowly, yet faster than Cyclone could reach Iris, it formed into a wolf-like phantom beast, followed by an eerie growl. The beast raised its sharp paw and tore the cyclone into shreds, scattering it into nothingness. The beast turned his glowing red eyes at Little Reed.
“Hiii!” Little Reed fell on his back, turned, and tried to crawl away. Slowly, the fiend turned into a wisp and vanished.
“That is one spell; two more, and I’ll kill you.” Iris’s voice brought Little Reed back to the world. “Go on,”
The second spell he created was Wind Blades. Iris was so disappointed by it that she did not even defend it. As the blades reached her, they clashed with lightning sparks and dissipated. It was her passive ability; a capable level 2 would have broken it at her current level.
Iris did not say anything; she just waited for him to cast his final spell and die. At this point, she had no hopes of him doing anything impressive. She knew that even at level 2, people could be much more creative and better. He was no mage; he lacked the capabilities to be one. He was casting spells using his artifacts; then how did he get to level 3? Iris could not believe he was capable of such a feat.
Little Reed started to create another cyclone, this time much more powerful. His face was red, and his breath was haggard. Cyclone continued to grow bigger and bigger until Little Reed lost control and burst, flinging Little Reed into the wall. His expensive clothing was torn into pieces, and only a few articles remained, as if to protect the last bit of dignity that he did not have.
“That’s three; I want to know, what were you thinking when you decided—to utter the word duel—are you not aware of its weight? Or did you think I was really just a runaway slave?” Iris laughed cruelly. She had hoped it would be fun after restricting her strength to level 3. A thrilling battle, honestly. She was disappointed.
“Please…. Please… spare me."
“Why should I?”
“Henry!!” Older Reed, like an unhinged maniac, flipped the table and started to run toward the stage. His eyes were red. Iris assumed he cared about his little brother.
Iris made a pulling gesture, and purple strings were conjured into existence. For the first time, they were completely visible. How they were wrapped around her fingers and spread throughout the hall, and finally how they chained the Reed. Like a web woven into the hall using the pillar and the ceiling. A few people fell off their chairs in shock as the strings manifested in front of them.
“You are safe, Reed. I cannot harm you, but he is going to die. I'll allow you to look away." The string around his face and neck vanished.
“No! Please... please don't."Tears fell from his quivering eyes as he begged, unable to move.
“Hm… After this much drama, you might deserve a second chance. I will spare him if you take his place, challenge me to a duel to death, and come to the stage. If you do, he can leave.” Iris was very pleased with the situation—not to kill Reed, of course. She found it fascinating that someone so murky could give off a warm feeling. She wanted to see how warm it was. Is this like hers and Winny's? Will he give up his life to save his brother?
Iris waited patiently; she knew it was a hard decision. Iris was downhearted, as she gave up after five minutes of stillness.
“I’m still waiting for an answer. Will you or not?”
To Iris’s disappointment, he turned his head. She knew this was an outcome, yet it did not lessen her disappointment.
“A disappointing outcome indeed. I’m, of course, no villain that revels in blood. Have you decided to give up your life? I was going to let both of you live. After all, even a bond strong enough to give up life is impressive. It would have impressed me. But now this is the end of performance.”
She tapped the sword on the ground, and a purple magic circle formed in the air. It had six layers, one spinning clockwise and the other counterclockwise. She tapped the floor again—twice—creating two circles, above and beneath the sixth-layered one.
“Let the Mother embrace you." Iris tapped the sword, and it turned to dust.
[Moonlight Whisper]
All the circles light up, creating a giant pillar of pure lightning. Henry vanished without a trace; the circles beneath and above the six-layered circle swallowed the pillar to not harm the castle.
“You’ll Pay!!!” Reed shouted. Iris did not pay him any mind.
“Let this be a lesson; as it seems, the mages in this hall have forgotten the creed of us blessed; the weight of the duel is of the highest order.” Everyone in the hall felt a shiver as Iris whispered those words.