Laura’s magic is fierce, intricate, and shows a sharp edge at every moment.
It wasn’t unreasonable to predict Chloe’s defeat. However, I continued to watch the monitor without giving up.
I don’t only wish for Chloe’s victory. However, I began to feel that Chloe had become a representative of me. I had projected myself onto her.
The arrogance of the strong and the resolute spirit that doesn’t get swept away by the unreasonable waves that define the world. It is something so dazzling.
There is a saying.
– A genius cannot defeat a person who strives, and a person who strives cannot defeat one who enjoys.
A person of talent cannot overcome an average person who puts in effort. People always focus on this point.
Some say it is nonsense. It is only natural that those with talent display excellence in their respective fields, and the phrase “a gem will eventually shine” exists for a reason.
Others say that saying is correct. Ultimately, those with talent will have their futures diverge sharply depending on how they utilize that talent, and cases where a brilliant talent goes unnoticed are frequently seen.
A genius is like an eagle.
They are the masters of hunting. With their large physique, sharp eyes able to catch prey, and sharp beaks and talons.
They can reign as the top predator in the ecosystem solely by their inherited physical superiority from their ancestors.
However, this must be accompanied by some effort. To become a majestic predator that cuts through the vast skies, they must learn to fly from their mother’s harsh teachings from a young age.
Geniuses often become lazy. They waste time believing only in their talent and leisurely observe those who are striving from below. They believe they can take flight at any moment.
No matter how much of a genius they may be, if they only show off their golden lineage and natural talent, eventually that talent will collect dust and rust.
Those who strive are like unhatched eggs of a mysterious creature.
Unlike geniuses who are born as eagles or hawks from the start, the types of eggs can be vastly different, and until they hatch and grow, no one knows what they are. Not even themselves.
Hatching requires effort. Moreover, the learning to flap their wings is often a slow process.
However, they eventually find their own paths. Even if it isn’t the act of hunting prey, those who continue to work hard to find the field where they can wield their talent the most can certainly be examples of hard workers surpassing geniuses.
So, yes. The path of talent is not given to just one person, but is given to everyone.
However, the difference between a genius and a hard worker is simply whether one knows from the beginning what talent shines within them or not.
The process of seeking that talent is what we finally call effort.
And to go through the process of seeking that talent, we must become those who enjoy.
We must feel good about that process to seek knowledge about it, and then, only then can we truly enjoy the process of striving with all our might.
Of course, just enjoying is not enough to surpass the other two types of people. Because the sole purpose is to enjoy the act, they eventually hit a certain wall.
And if one solely enjoys, they will not endeavor to cross that line, because they won’t feel the need to do so.
That means, simply enjoying won’t lead to progression.
Yet, if those earnest workers seeking talent also find enjoyment in that work.
The geniuses will look down on it. They will wish for them to quickly return to being cogs that support society, calling it a worthless act. They will gaze at them with derision and consider them fools.
There exists a bird called the albatross.
They cannot fly with just their own flapping strength, and in contrast, their large wings make them look clumsy when they walk on the ground.
Thus, they are also referred to by some as foolish birds.
The albatross cannot fly on its own strength, so they must leap off cliffs by the sea and ride on the updrafts to achieve flight. In this process, weak fledglings may fall into the cold and deep sea and perish.
However, when an albatross does take to the sky.
With a single flap of its wings, it can soar for as much as 120,000 kilometers. It does not rest even once and remains airborne without ever touching the ground.
With that one flap, it can fly over the ocean for years. It can soar farther and longer than any other bird.
“Professor Lucio…”
Professor Esther let out a soft sigh. I looked at her and then turned my gaze back to the practice field.
“It seems that Student Adelheit has won…”
“No.”
The foolish bird that people talk about needs just one flap.
So, Chloe.
“…If it’s Student Chloe, you can do it.”
Now, it’s time for you to show your wings.
*
Chloe struggled desperately to suppress her surging heart. Her breath was impossible to calm.
In a frantic attempt to avoid the sharp shards of ice flying through Laura’s blizzard, she had been running and rolling countless times.
Just when Laura’s blizzard magic began to gradually subside, Chloe found no energy left to evade Laura’s spells.
I’m tired. My eyes keep wanting to close. The sharp ice shards that grazed Chloe’s shoulders left a stinging pain that barely kept her consciousness intact.
Before Chloe stood Laura von Adelheit, still standing proudly and intact. Chloe glared at her and gritted her teeth.
Seeing Chloe’s demeanor, Laura let out a low sigh.
“You. It’s time to surrender.”
Chloe squeezed her pained shoulder, furrowing her brows.
What did that person just say?
Is she telling me to give up?
“…Ha.”
A sneer escaped Chloe’s lips. It was an unusual smile for her, and it suited Laura much more.
Hearing Chloe’s sneer, Laura furrowed her brow even more.
“Why are you laughing? I’m showing consideration for you.”
“Hah, haha…”
Even after hearing Laura’s words, Chloe continued to laugh. No, it was actually spreading uncontrollably even more than before.
“Ahahaha…!”
It hurts. My head is hazy, my shoulder hurts, and my chest is racing painfully as if it will burst.
“Ah, ahahhaha!!”
The bruises that Chloe herself was unaware of blossomed in various shades of blue, and her shoulders, which had been grazed by the icy crystals, were succumbing to frostbite, turning black.
Yet, why is that?
‘I feel happy.’
Chloe could not comprehend her current state. She understood better than anyone else but could not accept the fact she understood.
The process of dueling with Laura; forming magic circles, calculating the distance to her opponent and the power of the spell, and deploying the magic circle as quickly and precisely as possible.
Chloe found that process to be exceedingly enjoyable. It even suppressed the pain that spread through her whole body.
“…Am I finally losing my mind? I’ll give you one last chance. Surrender.”
Suddenly, Laura’s words drifted into her ears. Chloe seemed unable to immediately grasp what Laura was saying and slowly mulled it over.
Surrender. Surrender.
To surrender is to acknowledge the opponent’s victory and humbly accept one’s own defeat.
In doing so, end this duel.
The first thing that came to Chloe’s mind was.
– Then, we cannot help but pose a question here.
‘…Why?’
– Why? Why is that?
Surprisingly, it was the question of ‘why.’
The attitude of questioning anything. Thus, the result of finding the pearl buried within it. And she knew very well the person who had explained this in the most meaningful way.
Professor Antorelli. His words, which he often repeated, had begun to bloom with a blue flower within Chloe.
‘Why should I end this duel? Why must I put an end to this enjoyable, delightful endeavor?’
In Chloe’s mind, complex branches of thought began to sprout with that question. This too was thanks to Professor Antorelli, who had shattered her preconceptions once.
– To explore on one’s own and derive one’s own answers. Without walking the path laid by others, arriving at that being the correct answer.
Yes. My own answer, my own path.
At that moment, something like lightning swept through Chloe’s mind.
“……”
Chloe lifted her head. Laura, standing in front of her, looked at her with a somewhat bewildered expression.
“Are you okay?”
“Okay, you ask?”
Are you okay? Are you okay?
“…I’m feeling quite fine right now?”
The corners of Chloe’s mouth lifted. Seeing that, Laura couldn’t help but swallow dryly, filled with tension.
‘Her eyes…’
Chloe’s eyes, looking at Laura, contained a strange heat.
I have to bring this to an end. Laura began to form a magic circle and issued her ultimatum toward Chloe.
“So, are you willing to surrender?”
“Puhah…! Surrender?”
Chloe laughed bitterly. There was a strange conviction in her smile.
“Of course not.”
A shudder ran through Laura’s body. Her pupils, dilated and wide, were fully focused on Chloe.
Even at this stage, she would not give up. Yet, she had pushed Laura into a tight corner with unexpected moves.
But there would be no surrender.
This was truly an attitude not found in any of the other challengers. It was indeed the egg that had started to break free of its shell.
Seeing that, Laura could not help but applaud Chloe in amazement.
– Clap. Clap.
“Miss Chloe. I acknowledge you.”
A genuine admiration rose on Laura’s face.
“Out of all the opponents I’ve faced so far, you are the strongest.”
A cold chill settled in Laura’s eyes. Shadows deepened on her expression.
“However, it’s time to truly end this. I have no interest in playing with a rival like you.”
Laura formed a larger magic circle. Bigger, bigger. Yet, short and intense.
“Liquid, transformation, amplification, amplification, enlargement, absolute zero.”
This was a spell containing respect for Chloe’s unexpected resurgence.
The deployed magic circle was huge enough to cover half of the practice field.
“Blizzard (χιονοθύελλα).”
The raging winter would also adorn Chloe’s end.
A bright light sparkled. Massive shards of ice, born from the deployed magic circle, rose on the fierce wind and began to violently spin toward Chloe.
Chloe merely gazed at them.
And slowly, she raised her staff.
“At the center, the spark.”
She recalled her magic practice with Elin.
How much had she worked up to this point? How many arduous hours had she spent to spread her wings of talent?
A small spark. A very faint light began to flicker, igniting a fire in Chloe’s heart.
A fire that was truly hot, burning with a blue flame.
“On the outside, merge with the environment.”
The spark born from the magic circle spewed forth a red breath, swiftly inhaling the surrounding air.
“Ignition, and compression. Further compression. And….”
The spells she had previously used were all whirlwinds of bright red flames that had flared up massively from the sparks. But Chloe shattered that common notion, the rigid milestone of her learning.
She decided to carve her own path.
The spark began to condense into a point. It carried a hue unlike the typical flames of fire magic.
“What, what is that…?”
Laura’s pupils widened slightly as she watched. The fire magic reflected in her eyes was neither red nor yellow.
‘A blue flame…?’
A concentrated flame glowing in blue, burning hotter than anything else. The core of that impending destruction quietly illuminated as it became increasingly distinct.
When Laura’s blizzard reached right before Chloe.
Chloe opened her eyes.
“Burn (Κάψτε το).”
After Chloe’s magic circle finally successfully formed, what appeared was.
– Kuuooo—!
It was the primordial explosion. An unprecedented destruction. And the lord of flames that devoured even the cold blizzard.
Flames that surpassed the limits of destruction, nestled within the blueness of the sky.
Laura’s blizzard was instantly consumed, transforming into a storm of blue flames—an image no one had ever witnessed. Laura’s expression turned blank as she beheld it.
“That’s… impossible….”
Everyone realized it.
It was the foolish bird that had begun to soar through the skies.
Chloe had finally spread her grand wings and taken flight.
