Extreme Flame Wizard c30

: The Dark Night and the Wizard

[Grandpa! Why is this person fighting even though she’s a princess?!]

This was when Igni was listening to Lucas tell one of his stories.

[What do you mean? People can have all sorts of reasons for fighting.]

[But she’s a princess! It’s definitely weird that she has to fight!]

<SLAP!>

[OW～! Hey! Why can’t you warn me before you hit me!!]

[Stop being so ignorant!!]

[G―grandpa…..!]

[You understand nothing……..!!]

[Wh―what do you mean……..?!]

[A princess fighting as a knight? What’s wrong with that!!]

[B―but…….!! But…….]

Igni: (Wait…what IS strange about that……….?)

[For her country, for her people, she places these things above her own well-being and fights…..! A Princess Knight is that kind of individual!! Do you still not understand, Igni?!]

[…………!!]

[They consider what they could do being born into royalty, and they chose the path to master their spells…..! Such innocent, undeterred passion………! How could you not understand that?!?!]

[B―but…..! When they get captured by the enemy, and they say, “*Ergh! Just kill me and be done with it!” Isn’t that insane?! If they die, what would be the point?!”

[YOU FOOL!! YOU STUPID FOOL!! I DON’T REMEMBER RAISING YOU TO BE LIKE THIS, IGNI………..!!]

[Igni, this is one of life’s wonderful, fateful <PRO•MI•SES> in your journey where if you search deep within the words, you will find a separate meaning………!]

[A….A separate meaning?!]

[DO YOU STILL NOT GET IT?! Beneath these words is an unblemished, dignified soul!! A soul that can’t be tainted!! THE PRIDE OF ONE BEING OF ROYAL BIRTH!!]

[S―soul………?!]

Igni trembles in awe.

[But Grandpa, doesn’t that mean they won’t die?]

<SLAP!!>

[OW!!]

[OF COURSE!! WHAT WOULD BE THE POINT IF THEY DIED?!?!]

[Huh………..???????]

<<<<>>>>

Igni: (……….the dignified soul………!)

Igni: (The pride of Royalty……..!)

I understand………!

I understand now why Grandpa slapped me across the face……..!!

A <FA•BLE> is different from the <RE•AL> thing…….!

Igni: (What’s right before my eyes is undeniable REALITY!)

AND SHE’S THE OLDER SISTER OF ALICIA……!

A BLOOD RELATIVE…….!

THIS IS INCREDIBLE………!!

Celia: “Let’s go home, Alicia.”

Alicia: “No! I won’t go back! I…I never want to kill anyone ever again!!”

……….hm?

A bombshell just dropped out of nowhere, and as if being splashed with a bucket of ice cold water, Igni’s head cooled immediately.

Alicia: “Igni! Please help me!!”

Alicia turns to Igni for help.

That’s why…

Igni: “[FLAME ARMOR – IGNITE]!!”

Igni initiates his spell with zero time lag.

Popularity Rule No. 5

ーー”Save any woman who is in trouble. If a woman asks for you help <ALW•AYS> help them.

Celia: “Oh?”

Celia reached out her left hand towards Igni’s [FIREBALL].

Igni: “[DETONATE – FIRE]!!”

Igni points the explosion in one direction!!!

Celia’s body blows away backwards a great distance!!

Igni: “Yoori! Take Alicia and run!”

Yoori: “Rーrun? But where….?!”

Igni: “To the school! Find a teacher!!”

With that Igni kicks the ground and dashes outside.

The heavy downpour immediately drenches Igni.

Celia: “………how long has it been since I was blown away like that….?”

Celia laughs as she gets up.

The rain drums heavily on the two bodies.

Celia: “I recognize you….You’re the one who won the tournament. You’re Igni…”

Igni: “Were you….at the Gladiator’s Colosseum?”

Celia: “Of course I was. I cannot NOT be there if anyone is trying to proclaim the title of [STRONGEST].”

Igni: “………..is that how you found Alicia?”

Celia: “A complete coincidence. As I was following and watching the winner, I saw her. I thought of taking her back quietly without causing anyone trouble, but……this was the result.”

Celia looks toward the raging storm above.

Just a few minutes ago, there was only a clear starry night, and now a violent thunderstorm flashed down lightning and poured down torrential rain.

An Epic-Scale Spell.

A spell that overwrites weather, and leaves not only a mark on humans, but also on the land they stand.

This was probably Alicia’s doing.

She cast it just to escape from Celia.

Celia: “I’m glad to see that Alicia’s improving.”

Igni: “……….Alicia…..doesn’t want to go back with you.”

Celia: “Whether she wants to or not is irrelevant. Under the circumstances, she is not free to decide such a thing for herself.”

Celia shrugs as she speaks to Igni.

Celia: “But <IG•NI>. Why is it that you interfere? I just want to take Alicia back home.”

Igni: “Because Alicia asked for help.”

Celia: “………..I see.”

Celia lets out a deep sigh.

Celia: “I am Alicia’s elder sister and her family. Do you dare interfere in our family business?”

Igni: “Even if you say family……”

The rain continues to pour down onto Igni as he answers.

Igni: “Family is your greatest ally, but they can also be your greatest <EN•E•MY>, no?”

Celia: “Ah, so you also have had some rough experiences in your past too, haven’t you?”

Celia roars and laughs in a predatorial voice.

Celia: “I’m sure you know who I am.”

Igni: “Yeah, I heard just now. SO <WH•AT>?”

Celia: “Then I will just force my way through.”

Igni: “Sorry, but I can’t let you do that.”

Celia: “………hmm…”

The next moment, the <DOR•MI•TO•RY WAS CUT IN HALF>!

Celia: “Oh, you dodged that.”

Igni: “You’re too obvious.”

Celia had drawn her sword and swung down in a blink of an eye.

Her speed and power was beyond imagining.

Igni: “[FLAME ARMOR – IGNITE]”

Igni: (……………not good. It’ll be hard to fight in a residential area.)

Igni mumbles to himself quickly and then…

Igni: “[SHOTGUN – SHOT]”

Igni increases the distance between him and Celia as he creates [FIREBALL]’s.

Igni: “[LAUNCH – FIRE]!!”

Celia: “Hmph!!”

Celia swings her sword once again.

VUUUUUUUUUUUN!! (*sfx strong swing)

An explosive wind erupts from her swing and scatters Igni’s [FIREBALL] in all directions.

Igni: “[FLAME ARMOR – ARMOR PIERCING SPEAR]!”

Igni’s [FIREBALL] gains <MA•SS•IVE WEI•GHT> as he poured his magic power into it as a noticeable <ZUN> (*sfx) sounds from it. It begins to accelerates rapidly and causes friction with the air around it!!

Igni: “[ARTILLERY – FIRE]!!”

Celia: “……………..SH!!”

<DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNN!!!> (*sfx explosion)

But Celia slices Igni’s artillery shell like [FIREBALL] with her sword!!

Celia: “Hmm…not bad…”

Celia smiles with ease as she watches Igni.

Igni: “Thanks.”

In that moment, Igni creates five [FIREBALL]’s behind him.

Igni: “[FLAME ARMOR – IGNITE]”

And all goes white――.

Igni: “[LAUNCH – FIRE]!!!”

ZUDODODODODO!! (*sfx rapid firing)

Several consecutive [FIREBALL]’s come after Celia!

She weaves through in between the [FIREBALL]’s and deflects the one which she could not evade with her sword.

Celia: “I’m impressed. It’s no wonder that you won the tournament. You use excellent spells.”

Igni: “[FLAME ARMOR – IGNITE].”

Igni creates <TW•O TY•PES> of [FIREBALL]’s!!

A solid [FIREBALL] in the front!

A softer [FIREBALL] in the back!!

Igni: “[LAUNCH – FIRE]!!”

DODON!! (*sfx two shots)

He fires a [FIREBALL]l that is 50 times more powerful than what he fired at the entrance exam!!

Panic lightly brushes across Celia’s face for a faint moment as she dodges the spell by the skin of her teeth.

Igni: “[EXPLODE – FIRE]!!”

Though Igni already shot the [FIREBALL], the spell is still a part of Igni.

Igniting it into an explosion mid-air is nothing to him.

Celia: “………….now that one was closer than I prefer.”

Celia’s voice came from <BE•HIND> Igni.

Igni: “……you’re fast!”

Celia: “Of course!”

Celia’s fist flies towards Igni.

But a [FIREBALL] appears in the path of her punch!

Igni: “[EXPLODE – FIRE]!!”

Igni let’s a [FIREBALL] erupt towards Celia and her arm!

Igni allows the resulting wind to carry him back away from Celia.

Celia: “Good response with close-quarter combat. Good tactics with mid-range combat. And as far as I can tell, you can defeat a Epic-Scale Spell. And although it’s right after the ‘Tournament,’ you are able to move this much. Incredible. Igni, why not come over to the Empire with us?”

Igni: “…………if I go, will I become popular with the girls?”

Celia: “…….huh?”

Igni: “I’m kidding………..!”

Although Igni did ask that last question pretty seriously, Celia gave him a what-the-heck-is-this-guy-saying look so Igni let the question pass unanswered.

Celia: “But what I don’t understand is why you only use [FIREBALL]. If you want piercing strength, use a [FIRE LANCE]. If you want a defensive spell, use [FIRE WALL]. Why only use [FIREBALL]?”

Igni: “Unfortunately, I’m a [Ultimate Single Spell Specialized ‘SPELL ONE’] so I can’t….!”

Celia: “An [Ultimate Single Spell Specialized ‘SPELL ONE’?] That sounds so cool.”

Igni: “……………!!!!!!!!!!”

Igni’s movements stopped abruptly.

Igni: “M―maybe she’s a good person underneath…….?”

Celia: “? What are you talking about?”

Celia returns Igni’s comment with a question mark.

Celia: “Well, whatever that is, it’s of no consequence. I’m just going to take Alicia back with me.”

Igni: “Alicia is………she’s not a child. You need to respect her will and decisions.”

Celia: “Ha! Her will? For Royalty? That kind of baggage is completely unnecessary. Especially if you’re the 3rd Imperial Princess. Besides, Alicia is not the person you think she is.”

Igni: “All women have secrets.”

Celia: “Even if it’s the fact that she killed a person?”

Igni: “And?” Celia: “……what.”

Igni looks at Celia completely brushing off the fact as inconsequential.

Igni: “A good man doesn’t get tied up in a woman’s past.”

Celia: “Oh yeah?”

Popularity Rule No. 14 ――― “Accept a woman’s past.”

Igni: “So it doesn’t matter to me.”

Celia: “……..ha!”

Celia also mocks Igni’s response.

Celia: “Are you saying that you will accept her no matter what’s she’s done?!”

Igni: “Yeah, <NO•NE OF IT MAT•TERS>!”

Celia: “………………….?”

Igni: “We can’t go back in time. We only have the future! <IT’S AB•OUT WH•AT YO•UR GO•ING TO DO>!! THAT”S ALL! No matter what Alicia’s doing, no matter what she’s about to do, ALICIA IS MY FRIEND! I COULD CARE LESS ABOUT HER PAST!”

His grandfather Lucas once said.

A man’s worth is determined by how much he can carry with the woman.

Igni: (Then…..if that’s the case….)

Igni thought.

Igni: (I’m going to carry it all. EVERY. LAST. BIT.)

From the day he decided to become popular, he already made this decision.

Quietly, Celia takes a stance and readies her sword.

Celia: “Then I will just have to defeat you, right here.” Igni: “I won’t be defeated, and I won’t let you pass.”

Celia: “I will pass through. That is what it means to be an [EXTREME].”

Both pierces each other with their glare in the midst of the thunder and pouring rain.