She thought back to a lecture where she’d faced Mercuria in a practice battle. The professor had countered Claudia’s spells by reading the situation and her pattern of attack. In doing so, the magic available to her had been severely limited, putting her at a heavy disadvantage.
“No opponent is easier to read than one whose spells favor efficiency. Upping the humidity of your surroundings will prevent the use of fire spells, just as upping the heat will save you from ice-based attacks. High-powered magic battles are all about having command over your opponent’s behavior and leading them to choices that benefit you.”
Mercuria’s advice applied broadly to the way Arcus fought. There was no need for sour grapes.
“I see,” Claudia said. “It is clear to me now that you have great magical talent.”
“Glad to hear it.” He seemed relieved—prematurely so.
“Be that as it may,” she continued firmly, “this duel is not yet over.”
“Huh?”
“A duel is not over until it produces a winner and a loser.”
“Seriously?! I thought the point of this was for you to ascertain if I was good enough or not?”
“Yes, that is indeed the question that sits at the root of our contest.”
“Right, so—”
“So, nothing. This is a duel. Now, let me think... I shall remove the condition that your loss requires that you leave this place. However, should I win, you are to become one of my followers.”
“Wh— You can’t just change the conditions in the middle of a duel!”
“I am doing you a favor. Besides, you should be honored to have this opportunity.”
Arcus looked unimpressed. “Could you explain why? I’m not sure I understand.”
“Do you not know who I am? I am—” Claudia cut herself off. She was getting ahead of herself. “Oh, I see. The House Raytheft has a history almost as long as our own. It has turned down several offers of promotion, remaining staunchly as the vanguard that protects the east. I can see why you would answer solely to His Majesty.”
“Erm...”
In fact, the Raythefts held an even longer history than their masters, the Cremelias. As a vassalage to the royal family, they had returned to the east once the kingdom had found its footing. This was not done out of contempt for the Crown, however. They had hastened to join in the wars since, sometimes serving at a great cost to their own fighting power.
This boy’s house was the very embodiment of loyalty, exemplified first and foremost by state magician Craib Abend. A former member of the house, he had now dedicated himself in service to the king.
House Saifice may have had royalty marry into it, but it meant little these days now that it counted as an entirely separate family. What reason would a Raytheft have to serve Claudia? Having said that, Arcus’s confusion was most baffling.
“It matters not. I will have you begging me to accept your loyalty soon enough.”
“Huh?”
“The more difficult something is to obtain, the more one longs for it.”
“Wait, I’m really confused. Where’s all this coming from?”
Claudia contemplated the prospect of Arcus as her follower, a suggestion she had made somewhat impulsively. His adorable features meant she would only have to dress him up appropriately to make him look good by her side.
“Clothing... Yes, I can see that working... You know, you have such a sweet visage that I think anything could make it shine.”
“Ack!” Arcus’s cry was louder than any noise he’d uttered at the hands of her magic. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, but that hit me right in the heart!”
“You’d better not lose now, Arcus!” Susia called from the crowd. There was something different about her countenance. Given how she shouted, she was probably rather fond of him. Claudia hadn’t forgotten how insolent she’d been before either. It amused her to think that Arcus wouldn’t be the only one frustrated by his defeat.
“An inconvenient truth. A midsummer heat haze. The moon on the water’s surface. An afternoon campfire. Render the gold worthless and disintegrate it into fragments. May your glimmer diminish...”
She laid down another round of Suppress. Gray artglyphs and a magic circle extended out across the ground around her, and the hair of which she was so proud lost its shimmer.
“That’s a really troublesome spell.”
“It stems from my innate ability.”
“Innate...?” Arcus frowned as he spoke the word repeatedly. All of a sudden, his face lit up. “Wait! That’s it!” He clapped his hands together, and his delighted expression gradually transformed into a grin.
“Oh? Have you come to a realization?”
“I know how that spell works.”
Claudia faltered. “Ridiculous.”
“There are only so many ways you can weaken your opponent’s magic. You can interfere with their spells directly, or create an area of effect. But, if it’s part of your innate ability...”
“Arcus Raytheft. You will hold your tongue,” she said without thinking.
It sounded like he was missing the salient point. Still, it unnerved Claudia to think he was about to grasp something that no one else ever had.
Arcus said no more, and the time soon came for him to keep dodging spells. His realization did not change the fact that Suppress was still in effect. His only option was to wait for it to wear off before casting again. When that time came near, Claudia prepared to renew the spell. That was when Arcus began to overflow with more aether than she had seen from him so far.
“An inconvenient truth. A midsummer heat haze. The moon on the water’s surface. An afternoon campfire. Render the gold worthless and disintegrate it into fragments. May your glimmer diminish...”
He incanted too, but she missed the contents of his spell.
“Why bother? Your magic has already lost its potency.”
“That doesn’t render it completely ineffective. Though it did mean I used up more aether to make sure the effect was strong enough...”
He was right in that Suppress weakened spells, but did not cancel them out. Nevertheless, it also meant that the caster couldn’t bank on their magic having the intended effect. He seemed to have consumed a considerable amount of aether just now. Claudia guessed he only had enough left for one or two casts.