I Became the Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess – Chapter 231

Edgar gasped for breath, lightly brushing off the dust that clung to his clothing.

He had almost been crushed by the debris from the ceiling.

It was hard to believe he could act so recklessly without a care for his own body.

If he hadn’t adapted swiftly to the unexpected situation, it would have been a complete disaster.

“Quick on your feet, like a mouse, huh?”

“Thanks for the compliment.”

Despite Albrecht’s obvious sarcasm, Edgar replied with a smirk, maintaining his playful demeanor.

However, beneath that facade of ease, he was still confused by what he had just witnessed.

‘What was that?’

His golden eyes scanned Albrecht from head to toe.

Even when recalling the scene, it was bizarre to say the least. What on earth was that?

Edgar inwardly pondered various hypotheses, but none of them felt right.

‘Healing magic? No, that’s not it.’

It felt more foreign than that.

There hadn’t even been a hint of mana condensing.

It was more appropriate to describe it as a phenomenon rather than magic.

Regardless, what mattered was that a mere scratch wouldn’t be considered an advantage.

The culprit could easily recover from what should have been a life-threatening injury without a hint of strain.

The real question was whether that mysterious healing had limitations or not.

If there were none, the situation would be truly dire.

But if there were some kind of limit, he could find a way to draw it out into a war of attrition.

‘The problem is finding a way to figure that out.’

Unless they stupidly revealed it themselves, it would be hard to ascertain, even if they engaged in reconnaissance.

Even if he witnessed them carelessly healing a light scratch, it was possible they were just putting on a show.

In any case, one thing was certain: he couldn’t just stand still.

Moreover, just as he was unaware of the other side’s tricks, they wouldn’t easily catch on to his either.

In this equal situation, he had to draw out at least one more card from the opponent’s hand.

Swish.

“……!”

As Edgar slightly leaned to the right while gripping his sword, the alarm bells rang loudly in Albrecht’s mind.

Before his brain could even issue a command, he instinctively waved his hand to retrieve the shadow lying on the floor.

Clang!

With a sound like metal clashing against metal, Edgar’s new model sword blocked Albrecht’s path.

The shadow that had solidified like a sturdy shield quickly morphed, beginning to slither and gradually engulf Edgar’s sword.

“Tch.”

Letting out a click of his tongue, Edgar immediately channeled mana into his sword.

The blue Aura Blade flared up, illuminating the surroundings and obliterating the encroaching shadow.

Watching this, Albrecht felt an inexplicable unease rise within him as his eyebrow twitched slightly.

“Lutior.”

‘An illusion spell?’

But for a moment, as Edgar opened his mouth and uttered the incantation, Albrecht widened his eyes in surprise.

Not every swordsman skilled in handling mana could wield magic.

Therefore, it could be said that very few swordsmen could seamlessly integrate magic into their combat style, barring exceptional cases.

Moreover, even those few would usually only use simple healing or augmentation magic to enhance melee combat, and they would not dare to delve into complicated magic like illusion spells.

Yet here was a young man, not even fully matured, employing both the Aura Blade and an illusion spell at the same time.

‘It makes my youth feel insignificant.’

Though he had heard tales of geniuses in magic that came along perhaps once in a lifetime, watching this young man made his own youthful prowess seem almost trivial.

What if there had been no gap in their ages?

They might have remained equally matched rivals.

Swish. Whoosh!

As Edgar continued his assault, Albrecht narrowed his eyes, narrowly avoiding the incoming strikes.

There didn’t appear to be anything special about the illusion magic he used.

Unlike the strange movements from before, Edgar’s attacks were straightforward and direct.

‘No significant changes. Well, it is true that such an abrupt change from a simple Lutior wouldn’t be likely.’

Lutior was a lower-tier illusion magic that merely altered nearby items or the environment slightly to create a mild visual deception.

Consequently, Albrecht maintained his moderate distance, engaging Edgar’s attacks without raising his guard too much.

‘Better not to widen the gap too much.’

Considering the bizarre move he had witnessed earlier, getting complacent just because he had increased his distance could backfire.

Besides, this distance would require a certain risk for Edgar to continue his attacks.

Thus, it wouldn’t be too unfavorable for Albrecht.

“Levis.”

However, given their proximity, Albrecht decided to utilize agility-boosting magic.

Even though high-level mages don’t necessarily have a weakness in close combat, it wouldn’t guarantee winning against a swordsman of high stature.

Just as the orange light was about to envelop him, Edgar—who seemed to be drawing back his sword—quickly dove into the effective range, aiming to strike.

He took advantage of the brief gap after Albrecht had just cast his spell.

From a standard perspective, that attack was well-formed, targeted sharply at a mage’s weakness.

However, the problem was that the opponent was the Empire’s top mage.

And that this tiny gap was intentionally left as bait by Albrecht.

Clink!

‘Double Incantation!’

At the same time Edgar plunged forward, a magic circle appeared above Albrecht’s head, and Edgar’s eyes widened.

A double incantation itself wouldn’t be astonishing. Of course, it was an advanced level that no amateur magician would dare attempt, but Albrecht seemed perfectly capable of doing so.

The real issue was that he hadn’t heard the incantation for the magic cast alongside Levis.

Using two spells simultaneously would be taxing, but to cast one without even uttering its incantation was absurd.

At this point, it could be called not a double incantation, but a double manifestation.

“Ugh!”

Grimacing, Edgar didn’t retract as he leaned forward.

Dodging magic fired from that distance would be nearly impossible.

Rather, he figured it was better to keep attacking with the plan of giving up a piece of flesh to claim a bone.

With a whoosh, the sound sliced through the air, and Edgar’s blade charged relentlessly toward the enemy.

That determination was something even Albrecht had to respect, yet it was clear that Edgar was out of range.

Although the magic might lag behind in speed, at this distance, the light spear would surely pierce his gut before the sword could even reach him.

Thus, Albrecht didn’t take a defensive stance.

In that instant, Edgar’s lips curled into a faint smile.

Swish!

With a sickening sound that sunk into flesh, fresh blood erupted forth.

Yet, peculiarly enough, it was Albrecht who was bleeding and not Edgar.

“Ugh…!”

The impact of the sword piercing his abdomen caused the mana that had been coalescing around Albrecht to disperse.

Consequently, the light spear that should have impaled Edgar vanished without a trace.

‘Indeed, Lutior. So that’s what it was.’

It was then that Albrecht realized the unease he had sensed earlier.

When their attacks crossed, he finally understood why Edgar’s strike had reached him first.

He now understood why the opponent had used an ordinary, low-tier illusion magic like Lutior.

And why there hadn’t been any visible changes.

To be precise, it was that he had intentionally refrained from creating any clear alterations.

Albrecht speculated that Edgar had likely meant to prevent him from gauging the right distance by employing Lutior.

In fact, because of the attack that had just struck him, the illusion magic may have dissipated, but despite there being no movement, their distance had inexplicably shrunk a bit.

A mere fraction of a gap.

To create that gap, Edgar had likely aimed to make the distance seem greater than it was.

Yet if the effect had been too pronounced, the deception would have been revealed too quickly, so it had to have been subtle enough to be nearly indiscernible.

‘Not a swordsman, but a strategist, huh.’

In such a tense moment, he had laid this much groundwork.

Thus, Albrecht decided to admit it straightforwardly.

The man in front of him was by no means his inferior.

Even considering the gap in experience and power, he needed to view him as an equal opponent.

Swallowing hard…

“……!”

Despite the sword being embedded in his stomach, Albrecht somehow wiggled his fingers to summon the shadow on the ground once more.

Edgar had no choice but to withdraw his sword and step back.

He had thought this time would be the end for sure, but it was indeed not easy.

The previous trick was truly a one-time use, and he wouldn’t get a second chance.

In the end, acquiring a third opportunity would be more challenging than ever.

Above all…

Creak. Creak.

‘So he still has some strength after all.’

The cracks that had gathered previously began to heal Albrecht’s abdomen again.

If this continued, it felt like they would be returning to square one, showing only their own flaws.

Now was not the time to feel triumphant about delivering a blow.

‘Moreover, something feels different.’

As Edgar sensed the changing nature of the magical power emanating from Albrecht, he narrowed his eyes.

The previously vicious sensation was still there, but something felt distinctly different.

It was thicker and darker. It gave off the impression that he was in the presence of something other than a mage.

Deep within his instincts, that sensation stirred a primal survival instinct, sending shivers down his spine.

Swish.

In that moment, the cloak draped over Albrecht’s shoulders fell away.

Edgar thought at first that he was simply discarding an inconvenient item, but as the next scene unfolded, he realized it was something else.

Growl. Growl.

Without a signal, the shadows creeping on the ground began to gather slowly toward Albrecht.

To Edgar, it looked more like they were returning to their original body rather than seeking out a master.

He began to pay even closer attention to his earlier conjectures, thinking perhaps he was on the right track.

Whoosh!

“!”

Finally, the shadows that had gathered from all around enveloped Albrecht’s body.

It was a bizarre scene that could easily be labeled as an anomaly, making Edgar’s shoulders tremble slightly.

‘Was it not just simple magic?’

A spell wielded by a mage was consuming its master.

At least within the scope of what he understood, this was incomprehensible.

Magic was not supposed to possess a consciousness. Then what was this? Could it truly be called magic?

“You, what on earth…?”

A voice filled with astonishment slipped from Edgar’s lips.

To his eyes, what had engulfed Albrecht’s body looked like another Albrecht.

Or perhaps he was beginning to think that this had always been the true Albrecht.

– I’ll admit it.

The following voice from Albrecht didn’t reach his ears; it echoed directly within Edgar’s mind.

And then silence fell. It was hard to believe this was the voice of a man who had just moments ago come off as eerie and dark.

– You have the right to witness this form.

The figure of Albrecht engulfed in shadows began to grow larger.

It was something that no longer could be called merely a mage.

A monster? If there were a suitable way to describe it, that would be it, but such a grotesque thing would be hard to find even in this world.

At his sight, Edgar recalled the tales of certain mages he had heard from Minette long ago.

Those who believed that life as a human alone could never lead to grasping the truths of magic, who desired not only eternal life but to surpass human existence and evolve into a higher form.

What sort of end had those beings met after reaching the pinnacle?

Now, he could finally grasp the identity of the unease he had felt earlier.

It was clearly not a healing spell, but merely a natural occurrence of the body returning to its true state.

Yet, this was a phenomenon that deviated from what one would expect from a human, thus it had eluded his understanding.

“…Have you given up being human?”

– I have never considered myself human in the first place. The title would be trivial to me who aims to awaken the truth of magic someday.

Albrecht Bertus, once a man, firmly drew the line in response to Edgar’s questioning voice.

If the title of being human were to hinder his ambitions, he would cast it off without hesitation.

For all he desired was singular and unchanging.