The symptoms of mana exhaustion are said to be similar to anemia. Your whole body gets cold, your head feels heavy, and you have no strength in your body.
Glenn, who has more mana than most people, has rarely experienced mana exhaustion. However, there was one time when he clearly ran out of mana and collapsed just like now. That was when he lost control of his magic in Minerva.
That time too, it was a magic duel with Hubert… No, what happened that time can't be called a magic duel. Glenn could do nothing but run away.
The current Glenn is different from that time… but in the end, he lost again.
For Monica's sake, he had to win this fight.
"……I wonder what happened to the outcome of the duel."
As Glenn stirs in bed, a familiar voice comes from above.
Glenn jolts up in bed in shock.
Sitting by the bedside, nibbling on dried meat and sipping from a wine bottle, is his mentor, Louis Miller.
"Why are you here, Master!?"
"Who do you think has been maintaining the barrier for this magic duel?"
Apparently, Louis was asked by his teacher, MacLegan, to come all the way here to maintain the barrier for the magic duel. In other words, Louis had seen all of Glenn's disgrace. Glenn dejectedly slumps his shoulders and looks up at Louis with a sidelong glance.
"I lost to that guy again…"
In front of his depressed disciple, Louis briefly chants a spell and lights a fire at his fingertips. While lightly roasting the dried meat, Louis says in a casual tone, as if it were an afterthought.
"Last time, it was just a brat who took life for granted and lost control of his magic. This time, it was a pure defeat after giving it your all. Make sure you understand the difference. Otherwise, you'll miss the point of reflecting on your mistakes."
"It wasn't bad that you held back and didn't use the pursuit technique from the beginning. You've grown, haven't you?"
Louis extinguished the fire at his fingertips and thrust the sizzling dried meat into Glenn's mouth. Apparently, this dried meat was a gift for Glenn's visit. Glenn chews on the dried meat, secretly thinking that it's strange for Louis to be using it as a snack for his wine.
"By the way, what do you mean by a draw?"
"The magic tool that Hubert Dee brought with him malfunctioned. This magic duel is a draw."
For the time being, it seems that there is no need to worry about Monica being taken away by Hubert right away. Glenn, who had been concerned about his friend, breathed a sigh of relief and chewed on the dried meat. After all, there's nothing like meat when you're tired.
"Ah, that's good… Monica was going to be taken away by that senior because of my loss, you see. Oh, Monica is my friend."
Glenn, unaware that Louis was inwardly clicking his tongue at the thought of what that incompetent witch had done this time, looked at the wine bottle that his mentor was holding in one hand.
"By the way, Master… I don't think it's a good idea to bring alcohol into the infirmary."
"Aren't rubbing alcohol and drinking alcohol both alcohol?"
"If you said that in front of Mrs. Rosalie, you'd definitely get scolded." (TL: She's Louis' wife)
Despite having run out of magic once, Hubert walked down the hallway with his usual attitude, his hands in his pockets.
In this magic duel, Hubert's magic tool had malfunctioned, and he had insisted that it was a lie. As a result, Hubert's reputation had plummeted, but he didn't seem to care. He was the type of person who was indifferent to the opinions of others.
Above all, he was in an extremely good mood.
The prey he had been chasing after a few years ago was still alive… No, she had become even stronger than before.
Who would have thought that she would jump into the hunting ground on her own?
When Monica was in Minerva, she had always run away from Hubert, crying and sobbing. And now, that same Monica had willingly jumped into the magic duel and confronted him! What's more, she had directed her anger at Hubert!
Ahh, that's great… That cold, expressionless face of hers, it's so tempting every time I remember it.
Thinking back, when Monica was in Minerva, she had always been alone, holed up in her laboratory, and had never tried to interact with anyone other than her teachers.
But now, Monica was surrounded by friends. She was attached to a place called the Student Council. That attachment was what drove Monica.
If I were to completely destroy the things she's attached to… Ahh, I wonder if I'll be able to see that merciless, cruel queen again. I'd like to try destroying one of them right in front of Monica's eyes.
For example, the man standing in front of him right now, Cyril Ashley.
With those words, Cyril began a shortened incantation.
An ice arrow was precisely aimed at Hubert's forehead. Despite the fact that the magic duel had just ended and he must have hardly any magic left, Cyril had already recovered enough to use magic.
Thinking that he was quite impressive, Hubert smirked.
"Mmm mmm mmm~, don't worry, I won't force Monica to do anything."
"You're not trustworthy."
"Seriously… For now." For more chapters visıt NoveI-Fire.ɴet
Once he was ready to hunt again, he could destroy this man in front of Monica as an example. Alternatively, it might not be a bad idea to obediently follow that merciless queen and wait for an opportunity to sink his teeth into her throat.
Ahh, this is fun. I thought Serendia Academy was a stuck-up school and that it would be boring, but now there are so many fun things to do.
Cyril watched Hubert, who was grinning, with a look of disgust, but then he muttered something.
"Do you know something… about the Silent Witch?"
"Mmm mmm mmm~, what are you talking about?"
"In the middle of that fog… I heard you blurted out the name of the Silent Witch."
I see. This man, who recovered quickly, must have remained conscious during the magic duel.
Even so, it seems that he hasn't reached the conclusion that the Silent Witch is Monica Norton.
Hubert approached Cyril, bent down his waist to look into his face, and said,
"Obviously, it's a s-e-c-r-e-t. If you want to find out, let's have another magic duel."
"You're sickening. Don't get so close to my face."
As Cyril wrinkled his nose and groaned, Hubert doubled over with laughter.
She may not be as good as Monica, but this man seems like he could be a good plaything as well.
Freed from Bridget, Monica returned to her attic room and immediately collapsed onto her bed.
When she called out to Nero, who was sleeping in the basket by her pillow, she heard a happy, meowing snore in response. It was a snore that was hard to believe came from a dragon.
"Lady Bridget found out about a lot of things… She doesn't know that I'm the Silent Witch, though…"
Bridget seemed to think that Monica was a "spy for the House of Kerbeck."
However, it was true that Bridget had discovered that Monica was not an ordinary person. Above all, she had learned about her left-hand injury.
"What does Lady Bridget want me to do for her…?"
Bridget had said that there was a "secret about His Highness" that she absolutely had to know. And she wanted Monica to help her with that.
I'm also curious about His Highness' secret, though…
Why does he obey the Duke of Crockford?
Does he know that the Duke of Crockford is involved in the Cursed Dragon incident?
Does Felix know that the Duke of Crockford may have been involved in the death of Monica's father?
There were too many questions to count.
Should I tell Louis about this? No, but when it comes to His Highness's secrets… I feel like it's better not to say anything.
Louis was a man who openly declared that he disliked both the Duke of Crockford and the second prince. Moreover, he seemed to hold a grudge against Felix for breaking the magic tool he had worked so hard to create in just three days.
If Louis were to learn about Felix's secrets or weaknesses, it was obvious that he would use them with glee.
Speaking of which, Lynn hasn't come by even once since the new semester started… She used to come much more often…
Monica was wondering if she was busy because her wife, Mrs. Rosalie, was close to her due date when she heard a tapping sound on the window.
Wondering if it was Lynn, Monica turned her eyes to the window and widened her eyes. Perched on the windowsill was a black cat. It looked a lot like Nero, but this cat had only white color on its tail and the tips of its paws. A letter with a rose emblem was tied around its collar. The cat also had a small cloth bag on its back. A carrot was sticking out of the bag.
When it came to a rose emblem and vegetables, there was only one person who came to mind—the Thorn Witch, Raul Roseburg.
Monica opened the window and let the cat in, then untied the letter that was attached to it and spread it open. The letter was written in bold letters.
‘Yo, Monica, how's it going? I'm doing great!
So, listen, I invited Ray to my place the other day. We harvested vegetables together!
Ray said the sunlight was too bright and he was melting, so I told him he was like an earthworm! …When I said that, he put a curse on me that made bugs swarm me, man, I was surprised. Don't you think it would be great if we could use that curse to make something like a bug repellent? Oh, and we could also use it to gather bees to pollinate fruits.
I'll have my familiar bring you some of the vegetables I harvested with Ray. The cabbages came out really well this year, and I really wanted you to try them, but my familiar can't carry cabbages, so I brought you carrots instead.
Come visit me sometime, Monica. I'll make you some of my special cabbage soup!
Oh, by the way, the Sheffield festival is coming up soon, right? Around that time, I'm going to be working on replanting the Duke of Crockford's garden.
Isn't this a chance to infiltrate the Duke of Crockford's mansion and expose his evil deeds?
Ray says he's sick of gardening and won't go, but will you come, Monica?
I'll bring a few of my servants with me when I go to replant, so if you blend in with them, I think you can infiltrate without revealing your identity.
Let's go undercover together!
From the Thorn Witch, Raul Rosenberg'
Just like that, she had been invited to go on an undercover mission as if she were being invited to a party. But this was a chance to investigate the Duke of Crockford.
The Sheffield festival mentioned in the letter was exactly one month from now, a day to celebrate the Wind Spirit King bringing the winds of spring. Serendia Academy would also be closed for three days, including that day.
After reading the letter once more, Monica sat down at her writing desk and wrote a reply, asking to be taken along on the undercover mission.