Ideals and Reality

A blue-green card flew from Rhode's hand. It quickly transformed into a Soul Bird with its wings spread, soaring toward Marlene from behind.

Marlene didn't notice the unusual change at all. In her eyes, the Storm Guard she had cast could withstand any sudden attack. She didn't believe Rhode would refrain from attacking. Once he did, she could immediately switch from defense to offense and catch him off guard.

That was why, when a bird's cry suddenly sounded behind her, the first thing the girl felt was confusion.

What happened? What was that?

She instinctively tried to turn around and see, but the moment she turned her head, a tremendous blast of air came crashing toward her.

"Boom!!"

The Storm Guard could indeed block most attacks, but Rhode had chosen the simplest and deadliest method. To a spirit made of wind, even a raging hurricane was like a fish in the sea—no obstacle at all.

The tremendous force caught Marlene completely off guard and sent her tumbling to the ground. The violent impact made her vision go black, and she could barely catch her breath. But as soon as the external attack struck her, the Magic Robe she wore began to shine. Several golden beams appeared out of thin air, circling the girl and forming a sturdy Polyhedral Crystal Shield. Fighting back the churning in her stomach, Marlene turned around—and soon saw Rhode standing behind her.

When had he gotten there?

Marlene panicked, but forced herself to stay calm. She raised her Magic Staff and tried to attack Rhode again. This time, however, he gave her no chance at all.

The young lady was skilled, but she lacked experience.

After seeing how Marlene had dealt with the Soul Bird, Rhode had already given up on dragging out the fight. The girl hadn't tried to figure out what had attacked her; instead, she had focused on him. That showed her combat instincts were woefully inadequate. Since that was the case, Rhode didn't mind giving the proud young lady a crushing defeat to wake her up. Besides—at this thought, Rhode spared a glance toward the sidelines.

Besides, Lize was there.

At that thought, Rhode's lips curled into a smile. Then his right hand moved slightly.

Another blue-green card appeared in his palm. It flipped over, turning bright red.

At the same time, the blue-green whirlwind changed color.

Everything happening before Marlene's eyes was beyond her imagination. In the blink of an eye, a scarlet flame came roaring down with the wind, crashing against the shield. Under the tremendous force, the sturdy crystal barrier let out a strained groan. Just as Marlene was about to respond, a claw suddenly reached out from the flames and slammed into the shield.

"Clang!!"

The shield was only a low-level defensive spell and couldn't withstand a prolonged assault. With that blow, the girl's last line of defense shattered completely. Then the Black Hound leaped out of the flames, baring its fangs and claws as it lunged at her.

This time, Marlene was truly terrified.

From the very beginning, the fight had gone completely differently from what she had expected. She hadn't gained the upper hand as she'd planned. Instead, she had been on the back foot at every turn, unable to guess what the young man intended to do. Marlene had never practiced this kind of combat at the academy, but against Rhode, all her past experience seemed like nothing more than empty theory.

A mage should protect herself before attacking?

Use the strongest attack possible to intimidate and injure the enemy right away?

Of course I know that, but—but what am I supposed to do now?!

Faced with the Black Hound's attack, Marlene was nearly on the verge of collapse. But at that moment, her noble pride finally managed to pull her out of her confusion. Almost by instinct, she raised her hand and pointed at the dark shape lunging toward her, then shouted,

"Jir!"

A whirlwind gathered around the ruby atop her Magic Staff, then spun and burst forward. In response to the sudden attack, the Flame Slayer abruptly stopped in midair, then flew backward with a pained howl. Marlene felt a little more at ease. She steadied herself and raised her Magic Staff.

At that moment, the card in Rhode's hand had already turned white.

A flash of light.

Marlene felt a chill at her wrist. Distracted, she glanced down—but then the girl suddenly felt ice-cold all over.

Her once-gorgeous, elegant Magic Robe had been torn open, revealing her snow-white arm beneath. But now, bright red blood was slowly seeping across its pale surface.

It hurts.

That was Marlene's first thought. Her second was...

I'm injured?

I'm injured?

I'm injured?!

In that instant, the girl's mind went completely blank. All she could see was the drop of red falling from her arm. The defensive plan she'd just thought of, and her counterattack against Rhode, were completely forgotten. As if burned by fire, she reflexively threw away her Magic Staff and clutched her wrist. At that moment, she had given up on everything—fighting, dueling. In her eyes, only her injury mattered!

How did I get hurt? Why am I hurt? I'm injured now—what should I do?!

Marlene was a resilient rose, but she was still a flower raised in a greenhouse. A genius like her, so disciplined and confident in her daily life, had naturally been carefully sheltered and had hardly faced any setbacks. But now, she had encountered something she had never experienced before.

The cold brought the girl back to her senses. When she looked ahead again, the first thing she saw was a gleaming, immaculate white sword.

"Whoosh!!"

Star Trace stabbed past the girl's neck, then plunged into the ground.

Only then did Marlene crumple like a puppet whose strings had been cut, sinking to her knees. She stared blankly up at the sky, unable to think of what to do.

"Being able to combine multiple elements when casting spells shows that your understanding of magic is indeed quite deep."

Rhode's calm voice rang out. As he spoke, he raised his right hand. The white card disappeared from his palm, and the white sword that had been stuck in the ground beside the girl vanished as well.

"But this is how you perform in an actual fight... If you acted this way on a mission, I'd definitely give up on you. Lize, go heal her wound, then take her to rest. It looks like this young lady won't be coming around for a while."

"Ah, yes!"

Lize, who had been fretting on the sidelines, hurried over at Rhode's order and began healing Marlene's wound. Marlene sat on the ground as if her soul had left her body, letting Lize tend to her without saying a word. She looked like a puppet with no strings.

Seeing Marlene like that, Rhode frowned but said nothing. He was confident in the girl's mental fortitude. After all, if she would one day be known as the "Queen of the Mercenary World," then her resolve couldn't be too weak. Now it was up to her. After all, if the young lady went on a mission in this state, the whole party's death would be all but certain—and Rhode had no interest in getting himself killed.

Just as Rhode had said, Marlene understood magic itself very well, but none of that knowledge had been useful in a real fight. It was a common problem for many people, even players. It was like going into a dungeon: everyone could read the guide and learn the boss's weaknesses, but what happened once the fight actually began? If everything went according to plan, fine—but what if something unexpected happened? The adds spawned too early, the boss landed a critical hit, or your positioning wasn't sharp enough. If you didn't react properly, the whole party could wipe. Rhode was certain that if the fight had unfolded according to the young lady's expectations, she would have performed like a god of magic reborn, as mighty as a legend returned to life. But real battles weren't unchanging CG animations. The moment something unexpected happened, she became this unstable. That was the greatest liability of all.

After giving Lize her instructions, Rhode turned and walked back to the old house. Old Hank, meanwhile, looked utterly bewildered. He had never imagined that this young man could be so strong—that the magical prodigy who had been so highly regarded in the Golden City wouldn't last even a single move against him. At the same time, he was astonished that the young man could really be so merciless, able to lay hands on such a beautiful young lady. But now Old Hank was the one left in a bind. He looked helplessly at Rhode's retreating back, then at Marlene, who was slowly getting to her feet with Lize's support, her face as pale as a bird tossed about by a storm. He had no idea what he was supposed to do.

Sitting on the soft bed, Marlene quietly watched the window in silence.

After that, Lize had taken her to her room, where she had finally managed to calm down. There was no doubt that this had been the greatest shock of Marlene's life. It was like watching a beloved idol being yanked down from their pedestal, then kicked in the face several times.

She had heard Rhode's words. Though she was unwilling to admit it, Marlene couldn't refute them. It was true that she could complain that the man's fighting style was too strange, too underhanded, too shameless, and completely lacking in chivalry. But now she understood that this was what real combat was like: two people fighting for their lives, and whoever survived was the victor. If she put herself in Rhode's shoes, then if he had truly been her enemy, she would have been dead by now. Who could she have complained to then about his shamelessness and dirty tricks?

"How are you feeling, Marlene?"

Lize set a cup of hot tea in front of Marlene and asked softly.

"Much better. Thank you, Lize."

Marlene managed a stiff smile. It was truly wonderful to have run into an old friend by chance, but the fight had affected her far too much. She had lost before, but never so miserably. Besides, battles between mages were usually civilized, and practice matches rarely drew blood... Marlene shook her head. She realized she had been far too weak.

"To be honest, I really did make things too simple in my mind."

She let out a soft sigh.

"I thought that with my abilities, completing these mercenary missions wouldn't be difficult. But... I can't even handle an ordinary fight properly. I know what I should do, but my body simply wouldn't obey me. By the end, I didn't even know what I was supposed to do anymore."

As she said this, Marlene gave a bitter smile.

"I used to mock those useless fools, but now it seems I'm not much better than them, am I?"

"That's not true, Marlene."

Lize stood up, took her hand, and gazed intently into the girl's wine-red eyes.

"Real combat is different from what we imagine. I was the same. Marlene, before I joined the mercenary group, I was full of fantasies too. I hoped I could use my abilities to help everyone recover from their injuries. They took me in when I needed help most, and I wanted to do something for them."

As she spoke, a trace of sadness flashed in Lize's eyes.

"But when I first took part in a real battle and saw everyone covered in blood, I was so terrified that I could barely think. I didn't even have time to heal anyone, and so many people were seriously injured. The captain didn't blame me, but everyone looked at me with deep disappointment. I knew they needed my help, and that I had the ability to give it to them, but I still backed down at the most crucial moment... The captain told me that everyone had to face a trial like that. No one was exempt. After that, I worked hard, over and over, until at last..."

"I understand..."

Marlene lowered her eyes, a complicated look in her beautiful eyes.

"I understand what you mean, Lize. Just as that gentleman said, if I performed so poorly on a mission, it would be no wonder if he wanted to give up on me. But..."

As she spoke, the girl clenched her fists.

"I still want to try. I know I lack experience, and I understand that the things I was once proud of haven't brought me any gains. But I won't run away like a coward, because I'm Marlene Sennia. I carry my family's honor and pride, and I absolutely won't let myself back down. No matter how difficult or exhausting it gets, I'll grit my teeth and push through. I've made up my mind."

"Family honor..."

Hearing Marlene's words, Lize's expression darkened, but she said nothing more. Marlene seemed to notice that something was wrong. She quickly looked up and gazed at Lize in confusion.

"By the way, Lize, you still haven't told me why you came here to become a mercenary. Why did you leave the Golden City? I wasn't there at the time, so I had no idea what happened. By the time I returned, you were already gone. I looked everywhere for you, but couldn't find you. Why did you leave?"

At Marlene's question, Lize's expression grew troubled. She bit her lower lip tightly, but in the end, she spoke.

"Because... it was the decision of the family council."

"You were exiled?!"

Hearing the words "family council," Marlene rose in disbelief and stared at the girl beside her, shocked and furious.

"How could those old fogies do that?! They actually dared to expel you! Didn't Mr. Drakeman try to stop them?!"

"Father agreed with the council's decision."

"B-but..."

At that, Marlene seemed to lose all her strength, and her fury vanished in an instant.

"How could he..."

"It's not surprising."

Lize gave a self-deprecating smile and shook her head. She reached out and played with her golden ponytail.

"After all... I'm not like them. I'm no longer Lize Kalant Bellrade. Now my name is Lize Noelle... This is who I am now."

"Those self-righteous old fogies!"

Marlene furrowed her brows and sat back down, then soon turned to Lize with concern.

"Then what will you do from now on...?"

"Just what I'm doing now."

Lize answered calmly and gently.

"I'll stay with the mercenary group and keep living this way. It's dangerous, but I don't mind. Mr. Rhode promised to help the mercenary group grow stronger. I think that's far more meaningful than wearing fancy gowns and making small talk at balls and banquets, don't you?"

Looking at the composed girl before her, wearing a gentle smile, Marlene felt conflicted.

The little girl who used to cry so easily... had grown up too.