Chapter 209 - A Sudden Battle
A heavy atmosphere began to settle among the members of the Elder Council. The reason was simple—deep vertical creases had etched themselves into Rivett's brow.
"...Langus. Do you understand that every word you have spoken thus far has belittled the royal family? If you are speaking with that understanding, then I shall mete out punishment myself. And if that punishment costs you your life, understand that it will be your own responsibility."
With that, Rivett raised one hand before his face, pointing it at Langus's face as if aiming a gun. At this, Edra and the others turned pale and stepped forward.
"O-Our king! That would be far too rash a move...!"
"To strike down your own son would leave a stain of infamy unlike any in history!"
"Your Majesty, please wait! We will persuade Langus ourselves!"
As Edra and the others crowded around Rivett, he shouted in irritation.
"Enough, you're in my way! Move!"
He did not resort to mindlessly firing off magic, but even so, it would not have been surprising if he had begun chanting at any moment. Even Glenn and the others, who had little stake in the kingdom's future, grew anxious.
"C-Could you please calm down? For now, let's just have a rational conversation—"
"No, Aoi clearly doesn't want this, so I don't think the marriage will happen anyway—"
"I don't care about any of that, but I'm not letting Aoi get married off!"
"A-Aoi-sensei becoming an elven princess... wait, queen...?"
Glenn, Strass, Eliza, and Shenley raised their voices in varying degrees of confusion. Rivett's fury had sent the chaos in the room to its peak.
Amidst all this, the other candidates, who had remained silent until now, also moved. With a sleepy-looking expression, Lengi spoke.
"...I personally don't object to that human marrying Langus. If he doesn't want to be king, he doesn't have to be, and if he wants to marry, he should. If both of them wish for it, they should be free to do as they please."
For some reason, Lenji accepted Langus's stance positively. Rivett was left dumbfounded. While that stance was fine in itself, I couldn't agree with the content. After all, I felt that my own feelings were being misunderstood. I needed to make them understand first and foremost that I had no intention of marrying anyone.
But before I could open my mouth, Asor gave a small nod and agreed, adding fuel to the fire.
"Y-Yes, that's right. It's sad not to be able to be with the one you love. I-I was fortunate enough to get engaged to Miss Charlotte, so it turned out well for me..."
Not just Langus, but now Lengi and Asor had also made statements that disregarded royal tradition, and Rivett glared at the candidates with eyes wide in anger.
Then Owen chimed in with a scowl.
"Ridiculous. Even if the royal family collapses, the kingdom won't be destroyed. At worst, a new state led by the elves would simply take its place. Clinging to bloodlines while risking the extinction of the elven race itself is the real problem—and you can't even see that."
With a dismissive air, Owen made the most radical statement yet. At that, Rivett's patience finally snapped.
"...I see. It seems my education has been lacking. Very well, I shall mete out appropriate punishment to all of you, and this gathering is over."
"O-Our king! Please calm yourself...!"
"P-Please wait!"
"J-Just give us a moment—"
The same exchange as before began again, but this time, Rivett had already started chanting his magic.
At this point, I could not simply stand by. I activated flight magic without chanting and moved to stop Rivett's rampage.
"Flight."
The moment I spoke, Rivett's body soared into the sky. I then applied the spell to myself and rose into the air as well.
"Wha—Your Majesty...!?"
Someone shouted from below, but their voice quickly faded.
I ascended to the height of the clouds and stopped. There, right before my eyes, was Rivett, trembling with rage.
"Stop this! There is nothing more irritating than being flung about by another! I understand what you are trying to do, so cancel this magic!"
"My apologies. I've kept it to a minimum, so please, go ahead and chant."
"...Tch."
Rivett clicked his tongue at my words, then chanted a short phrase and cast his own flight magic. I couldn't say whether it was fast, but it was a smooth flight. Floating lightly, Rivett glared at me with unmistakable hostility.
"I thought I might overlook some of your transgressions due to your youth, but no more. I shall show you the difference in our power."
Muttering, Rivett began to chant. But if we were to fight, I would not take the slow approach as before. Even in kendo, speed and spacing largely determined the advantage. Moreover, as the challenger, seizing the initiative was key.
Drawing from my own experience and theories, I chose what I believed to be the optimal course of action and commenced the fight.
"...Water Prison—Aqua Jail."
The moment I spoke the spell's name, water instantly engulfed Rivett. This served both to block his fire magic and to obstruct his chanting. As intended, Rivett, suddenly plunged underwater, shut his mouth and could not chant.
He glared at me from within the water prison, then opened his mouth and muttered something beneath the surface.
Moments later, the water prison burst apart from the inside.
"...You play clever tricks. Do you intend to keep me from using my stronger magic? But if you think such tactics will bring you victory, it would be an insult to my honor as king."
With a savage grin, Rivett said this.
Then, he extended one hand toward me and opened his mouth.
The moment I heard what sounded like a spell name, wind began to swirl. I could feel with my skin that invisible blades of wind were approaching with tangible mass.
"Wind Shield."
The moment I spoke, a violent updraft rose like a wall before me. The wind blades, which had been heading straight for me, were easily deflected due to their simple directional force. Caught off guard, Rivett froze for an instant.
Before he could say anything, I opened my mouth.
"Ice Twin Blades—Assassin Edge."
The moment I spoke, massive ice blades appeared on Rivett's left and right—thin, curved ice swords whose tips aligned beside his face. This was a replication of the magic from the magical tool belonging to Queen Lea, Locks' mother, but Rivett's shock was unmistakable.
"What..."
He couldn't move recklessly. If he realized that, then good.
In the meantime, I layered another spell.
"...Sacred Flame Spear—Phalarica."
Relieved that I had bought a moment to focus my mana, I cast fire magic. The moment it activated, pale blue flames erupted from my fingertips all the way to my elbow. Controlling that flame, I aimed it toward Rivett.
Instantly, a spear of pale blue fire shot from my fingertips at super-high speed.