Resolve

"How rude. Didn't your teacher teach you how to behave around others?"

An instant before Duncan's attack struck, defensive magic appeared around Charas and blocked the ferocious onslaught.

Maintaining defensive magic over the entire body would be somewhat taxing even for a great demon with an enormous amount of mana.

Deploying it this way not only conserved as much mana as possible but also greatly increased the strength of the defense.

With his masterful control over mana, Charas effortlessly neutralized Duncan's relentless, storm-like assault. He stood in the same spot without moving an inch, graceful and upright, like a young noble dressed for a lively palace ball.

It was as though the things flying toward him were not dangerous spells, but cheers and celebratory fireworks welcoming his arrival.

What a monster...

Watching from the side, Galan and Reed both cursed inwardly.

If they had been standing where Charas was, facing Duncan's full-force assault, they would have had to retreat from its edge even if they weren't driven into a desperately sorry state.

Yet the demon before them looked as relaxed as if he were casually waving away a fly.

"A more direct approach like this seems better when dealing with demons, doesn't it? You're not things we can communicate with."

Seeing yet another of his killing moves vanish beneath a lazy wave of Charas's hand, Duncan stopped casting, but kept his wand raised and his full attention fixed on the man before him.

He had just tried concentrating a barrage of spells on Charas, hoping to find a weakness or force him to reveal his magic.

But it seemed to have been a waste of effort. Aside from gaining a deeper understanding of the gap between them, he had learned nothing useful.

"Ha! Young Duncan, looks like we're going to meet our end here today."

Under Duncan's cover, Reed had recovered somewhat. He got to his feet and came to Duncan's side, facing Charas alongside him.

Even though he thought he might die, there was not a trace of fear on his face.

Just how much pride did a man have to hold in his heart to laugh so heartily in the face of death?

Is there really no way out of this...?

No!

After calmly going over the battle again and again, Duncan's stern eyes suddenly lit up.

Come to think of it, Charas did have a weakness—he was too strong, so strong that he paid neither Duncan nor Reed any heed.

He could have killed them without holding back from the start, but he disdained doing so. Instead, he wanted to torture them to death slowly.

What a nasty pastime... But it's precisely because of that that this game of cat and mouse still gives me hope of winning.

"How strange. The humans I met before would realize the gap between us as soon as they saw me. Is there something wrong with your mana perception? Don't you understand that you have no chance of winning?"

Charas stroked his chin thoughtfully as a mountain of terrifying mana surged from him.

By comparison, although Duncan and Reed were both among the finest human mages, their combined mana was less than a quarter of Charas's.

"Growing one's mana takes years upon years of training. I have lived for nearly four hundred and fifty years, and the level I have reached is a reality you could never attain in your lifetimes. Even so, do you still refuse to surrender? If you put down your weapons and obediently let me study you, I might even spare your lives."

"Do you say that before you kill everyone?"

Reed looked as though he had heard it all far too many times and had no desire to listen to any more nonsense.

If demons really could refrain from killing people, the slaughter between them should have ended a thousand years ago.

Even the human words Charas was speaking now were, from the beginning, no more than a skill learned to lure and slaughter humans.

Seeing that the two were still full of fighting spirit, Charas once again showed that eerie smile.

"It's been a long time since I met such strange humans. The three of you are really interesting. You make me want to learn even more about you."

"Three of us?"

This is bad.

I let my presence slip when I lost focus for a moment just now. Did this demon pick up on it, even though it was only for a brief instant?

Looking utterly puzzled, Reed glanced at Duncan beside him, unable to understand where the third person Charas had mentioned was.

Duncan, meanwhile, cast an almost imperceptible glance at the bushes beside him and said nothing.

Come to think of it, ever since he first stepped forward, he had felt an indistinct gaze watching him, making him deeply uncomfortable. Now it seemed someone really was hiding here.

Galan pushed aside the bushes in front of him and walked into the clearing with steady steps.

He had already thought about running away several times. No matter how he looked at it, he didn't think he could deal with Charas.

Charas was a great demon, one who could even contend with the Seven Sages of Destruction. He was not someone Galan could challenge at his current level.

Yet no matter what, he couldn't convince himself to leave like this.

Duncan, according to the original story, would still be active in the empire and the main storyline decades later.

But if he died here, would it affect the original timeline?

Perhaps the Golden Land arc would never happen, and Duncan would be unable to fulfill the wish he had cherished for so many years.

How many more chain reactions would follow?

Galan didn't know.

His steps finally came to a halt beside the two men.

He had been a little afraid before, but when he actually stepped out, he seemed to grow more composed. His frenzied heartbeat gradually settled, and his expression was grave as he remained on guard.

"Oh, it's really lively today."

Reed whistled at Galan.

Should I call him carefree, or something else...?

That flippant behavior made Galan feel as though he had joined a mahjong game that was one player short, with the three of them playing fanatical gamblers about to lose everything.

But the frightening thing was that the stakes they could wager were not money, but their lives.

"Here we go."

Duncan said nothing unnecessary to Galan. Once again, he took the initiative and attacked without warning.

Chaotic winds suddenly formed a towering tornado that reached into the clouds, surrounding Charas.

As the razor-sharp blades of air spun, they seemed ready to slice even space apart, while the raging gale tore the surrounding terrain to pieces.

The turbulent air swept great clouds of sand and dust off the ground, making it hard to keep one's eyes open.

It was an extremely powerful form of elemental magic he had previously learned from ancient texts preserved in the empire, and it was also a new field of research for the harsh, hidebound old fellows at Magic University.

Humanity's research and development of magic would never end.

Perhaps in another thousand years, many more astonishing and marvelous spells would emerge, pushing this magical world to the height of its prosperity.

Perhaps that would be an age when everyone could use magic.

—The age Flamme had dreamed of.