The Final Theocracy Volume 1 Chapter 3

Volume 1 Chapter 3—Duel

Translator & Editor: SaltyTank

  Everyone's gaze landed on the two again. This time, the confusion in their eyes were even stronger. They had no idea what the attendant was trying to do.

  “Alice!” Loki said angrily in a low voice.

  Alice gritted her teeth, her canines revealing ever so slightly. Her golden red eyes seemed like they were really burning, and her sharp fingernails dug thin trenches on the wooden desk. She was never good at hiding her emotions. She was not sure why she was so angry and she simply stood up out of impulse, but she had never thought of what to do afterwards. Break everyone's neck and tear their mouths off their faces? What a wonderful plan… or maybe not. Alice knew that it would definitely cause troubles for Loki. They were here for something very important, and they cannot to waste all their previous efforts due to her impulsiveness. In the end, she lowered her head and silently sat back down with a look saying ‘don't mind me, just making myself comfortable.'

  The lesson continued after Alice sat down. The magic instructor was almost spewing saliva everywhere as he excitedly talked about the fundamentals of the elements.

  “Our world is very intriguing. Most people can only see things on the surface, thus it is us mages' mission to explore the truths of the world through observing what's on the surface. All of you should know that it is not matter, but the four basic elements, earth, water, fire, and wind, that make up the world. They are everywhere and inside everything, and are also an important source for using magic.”

  “If the basic elements form the world, then are our bodies made of elements as well?” Someone asked.

  “Of course. Be it our bones, blood, muscles, skin, or even fingernails, elements intertwine to form everything in our bodies.”

  “Then that's strange. If basic elements can be sources for spellcasting, then why can't we use our own bodies as a source for casting magic?” The person pressed on with another question.

Loki furrowed his brows upon hearing it. This involved the secret regarding the elements' states. Although the world was indeed full of elements, that did not mean that all of them were suitable for spellcasting. To put it briefly, elements could either be active or inert. The former were elements which had no physical form and could be gathered for spellcasting, while the latter, as it name suggested, would remain inert and unreactive due to having a stable physical form. This was basic knowledge for Inheritance Mages, but this problem had troubled countless Orthodox Mages as they lacked the knowledge and talent to a.n.a.lyse the world. Archmages could easily distinguish active and inert element with their sharp eyes, and naturally their disciples who would eventually become archmages could as well.

She was a slightly short young girl with smooth, glittering golden hair. Her hair was worn in a coil which made her look mature, though her delicate face made her seem like a doll. With long eyelashes and purple irides, she was definitely a beauty. What ruined it though, was her overwhelming arrogance. As if speaking through her nostrils, she was totally looking down on the magic instructor with disdain.

Loki then noticed that her uniform was different from the rest of the students, with only hers in white with a golden lining. She also wore two badges on her collar, one being the student badge while the other one could not be seen due to Loki's position.

The magic instructor seemed embarra.s.sed because he honestly did not know the answer to the question. Thus, he looked at the blonde girl and asked, "Now then, how about you tell us why?"

The girl stood up and walked up to the instructor as she spoke. "Generally speaking, inert elements could not be affected by spellcasting. Even archmages would have difficulty using inert elements. Also, the channeled elements have to be directly relevant to the spell casted. Humans are mainly composed of water elements. It is common sense that fire spells cannot channel water elements, let alone inert ones."

Sure enough…

Loki silently casted Breeze of Farsight, a wind element spell which could improve his eyesight by several-fold. He had a good look at the girl's other badge. On it was a symbol that consisted of seven intertwined silver snakes. It was an inheritance insignia, meaning she was an Inheritance Mage.

"She's the woman your teacher talked about right?" Alice asked in a low voice," She's pretty cute alright, but she's gonna be a pain in the… Ah, what's her name?"

"Mithian Magtroed Airdno. A direct descendant of the Airdno family and the beloved daughter of the Pope, Uriel Usirio Airdno."

"You fellas, your names keep getting longer and longer. Troublesome humans."

"Only n.o.bles have such long names. The first name is their actual name, while the middle and last name are the mother's and father's family names. We have to introduce ourselves with our names given by the church during the Christmas period, which makes it even longer… Your name is so long that it's absurd so why are you complaining?"

"I only have my first name left after becoming your contracted apostle anyways, isn't it quite convenient?" Alice pouted. "By the way, how's the Airdno family compared to yours? Well, in the past that is."

"Of course the Auzsasy family was greater, my family has been established ever since our country came into existence and had a solid foundation. The Airdno family only rose into power in the past century, but they are quite powerful anyways.

But their family is prospering while yours which was supposed to have a solid foundation just got demolished…

Alice really wanted to rebuke Loki but she did not want to upset her master. "She has the backing of her family and is also a disciple of an archmage. She's also the Pope's daughter, seriously. She could literally do whatever she pleases."

"Well she does have the capital to be arrogant, but it's nowhere near the level of doing whatever she pleases. Noegard is a lot more complicated than you think, even the Pope is restricted by numerous powers dwelling there and cannot help her too obviously."

Seemingly sensing his gaze, Mithian turned to stare back at him. Loki remained expressionless while Mithian sneered.

"Traitor Loki Davoral Auxsasy." Mithian spoke with an authoritative voice. "You dare return to this place?"

Loki stayed silent, waiting for Mithian to continue her speech.

"The Church might have forgiven you, but I haven't." Mithian suddenly removed her badge with the inheritance insignia and threw it at Loki. It landed cleanly on his desk. "Did you really believe this city thinks of you as a hero? No, they just couldn't be bothered to dirty their hands by killing you. But not me."

This was the standard way to challenge someone to a duel. For knights, if someone threw his own white glove to the ground and the other party picked it up, the duel would then be valid. Both parties had willingly given up on their lives and nothing would be protected by law anymore. For mages, throwing their badges had the same meaning.

The cla.s.sroom went into uproar; no one had expected such a development even in their dreams. Who would have thought that the Pope's beloved daughter held such a grudge against the Auxsasy traitor? Even the magic instructor beside her was so startled that he forgot he should be stopping this farce. To be fair, he probably did not dare to b.u.t.t into the situation. Mithian might not be someone with the most influential background, but she was certainly someone he did not want to get on the bad side with. If Mithian threw her other badge at him in rage, only G.o.ddess Tyran would be able to save him. However, to all the others in the cla.s.sroom, this was a good show they did not want to miss. They all turned to look at Loki.

As though pouring a bucket of cold water over their expectations, Loki shook his head and refused. "I have never, ever thought of myself as a hero. I am very thankful that the Church had forgiven my sins… Let the past be the past, this duel is unnecessary."

"Are you too afraid to pick it up?" Mithian gazed at Loki. "You're just the same as five years ago, choosing to be a coward and wagging your tail at others… What a shame, your sister doesn't have another head for you to present to the Church."

"Loki, this is not within our plans…" Alice whispered. She was somewhat embarra.s.sed that she had been the one who could not hold her temper not long ago, but now it was her turn to calm Loki down.

"She's right. There can always be another plan, but my sister doesn't have another head." Loki grasped the badge on the table and held it up high. "I, Loki Davoral Auxsasy, hereby accept your challenge to a duel."