Chapter 204 - Aoi’s Power
Hedniz crossed his arms triumphantly and spoke.
"You claim you can do something about this pseudo-water dragon? Hmph, hahahaha! That should be entertaining!"
"I don't know if I can live up to your expectations, but I'll do my best."
Responding to Hedniz's question, I stood at the edge of the terrace and fixed my gaze on Hedniz, who stood on the bridge glaring back at me.
As if expressing Hedniz's emotions, the pseudo-water dragon raised its neck high above the bridge and looked down at me from overhead as though it were alive. Its intimidation was truly fearsome, it seemed utterly impossible for a flesh-and-blood human to stand against it.
However, in this world, I didn't feel the need to resign myself to death.
"...Silver Ice Frost."
I murmured those words, focusing my magic while directing one hand toward the massive water pillar.
The moisture in the air froze, and the flow of mana generated diamond dust as it streamed through the sky. The fine ice crystals irregularly reflected the sunlight filtering through the gaps in the mountains, creating a fantastical scene.
Then, the moment the freezing mana touched the water pillar, the pillar began to freeze as if the cold were penetrating from the surface inward. As though pouring white liquid into a glass of water, the entire water pillar froze solid in an instant, immediately becoming immobile.
In the meantime, the massive water pillar froze all the way down to its base, transforming into what could now be called a pseudo-ice dragon.
"Wha…"
While Hedniz let out a foolish-sounding voice, the now fully frozen pseudo-ice dragon succumbed to the river's current, tilting to the left and collapsing. Fortunately, it fell in a spot that didn't touch the earthen bridge. Hedniz, dumbfounded, watched with wide eyes as the pseudo-ice dragon disappeared into the valley below.
A few seconds later, a thunderous roar echoed as the massive ice crashed into the river. Various sounds reverberated, and the ground continued to tremble. Some of the ice must have struck the cliff walls. A chunk of ice larger than a house had plunged into the valley so deep its bottom couldn't be seen. Its mass and momentum had surely generated terrifying destructive force.
Amid the unending roar, Hedniz stared at me as if he had witnessed something unbelievable.
"...Wh-what was that just now... What did you... do...?"
Hedniz muttered, his voice cracking.
I couldn't hear him clearly, but his shock was unmistakable. As expected, instantaneous freezing magic didn't exist even amongst elven magic. I felt a slight satisfaction that my prediction had been correct.
I understood that heat was the movement of molecules. Depending on the substance, changing from liquid to gas increased the volume by hundreds or thousands of times, an order of magnitude difference. Density decreased correspondingly, but that proved the molecules composing the substance were expanding their range and moving actively.
Normally, when a liquid froze, its molecules lost energy, their movement slowed, and they transitioned into a solid state.
However, when using mana to freeze something, you could perform that transition more efficiently. Normally, the freezing would have to propagate from the surface, gradually slowing the movement inward, but when employing mana, you could apply the effect simultaneously to the entire target.
Moreover, as long as the composition was the same, contact at any point worked just fine. Striking the center remained the most efficient, but the difference was only a matter of one or two seconds.
The freezing mana, upon touching the target, spread to envelop the entire object instantly and rapidly freeze it. Unlike simple heat exchange, mana specialized for halting molecular motion penetrated deeper than the surface freezing, solidifying the target from the inside out as well.
As a result, the pseudo-water dragon composed entirely of water, the most susceptible target in a way, froze in the blink of an eye.
But explaining all that in detail would probably go over their heads.
So, I decided to keep my answer brief.
"...It's my original magic. I can instantly freeze any target."
When I said that, Hedniz fell into a daze.
He gave no reply. With no other option, I turned toward Edra to suggest moving on to the next magic demonstration.
However, the members of the Elder Council were also frozen with similar expressions. Glen, who usually wore a troubled look, gave a strained smile, while Strass, Eliza, and Shenley offered wry grins.
"...You showed off your power more than anticipated, but I suppose we'll let it pass."
I heard Owen mutter those words with an exasperated expression.
Then, suddenly, the sound of hands clapping rang out. It seemed to be Rivett's applause.
"Magnificent! This is an unexpected level of ability. Honestly, I thought that no matter how generously I estimated, you couldn't possibly defeat an Elder Council member. But Hedniz's water magic has been crushed utterly and completely. And in an instant so fast you couldn't even perceive the incantation... What does this mean? Hmm, Hedniz?"
Rivett, who had been laughing cheerfully, suddenly addressed Hedniz in a low voice. Responding to that, Hedniz finally moved his expression.
"...I-I don't know. As shameful as it is to admit, no ice magic we know of could produce such power..."
His voice came out hoarse. Hearing that, Rivett gave a vague reply resembling a nod.
"Hmm... Indeed, even with my magic, performing the exact same feat is impossible. Something similar would be possible, though."
When Rivett said this as if it were nothing, gasps of astonishment arose.
"Wh-what...?"
"Then, a human possesses magic on par with His Majesty's...?"
"Don't be absurd. There must be some trick involved. Look at that woman—she hasn't even lived for decades yet."
The Elder Council members began murmuring such conversations. Looking over, even the candidates excluding Owen wore surprised expressions.
"T-to think a human mage of such caliber exists..."
Langus muttered in astonishment, and Asor nodded repeatedly. Lenji, meanwhile, had abandoned the usual relaxed expression and replaced it with a serious one.
As the terrace suddenly erupted into commotion, a calm voice cut through.
"...Quiet down. Edra, have her demonstrate the next magic."
When Rivett said that, the place fell silent as if it were doused with water. Hedniz, who had been on the earthen bridge, returned without a word. For a moment, I thought he glanced at me, and I turned my gaze toward him, but he moved to the edge of the Elder Council group without facing my direction.