The AI Archmage - Chapter 67

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

AI Grand Mage Episode 67

The condition was simple: if Hayden won, they’d grant three victories.
Regardless of his opponent, if Hayden emerged victorious, the duel would count as a win for the Red Tower.
‘Lumia is the Tower Master, not a student. She can’t participate.’
That meant the pool of candidates from the Blue Tower was severely limited.
And among them, there was no one to match Lumia.
In other words.
‘There’s practically no one who can beat me.’
Hope bloomed in Hayden’s chest.
He was a 5th Circle mage.
One who already had a foot planted firmly in the 6th Circle.
Of course, it was suspicious why Sion would propose such an obviously doomed offer now…….
‘I have to accept this.’
Whatever Sion’s intentions, this was the only method that offered any real chance to turn the situation around.
“So if I really win, you’ll end this duel…….”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Sion, are you sure about this?! Really?!”
Lumia’s voice came from beside him, thick with unease and pressing urgency.
That meant Lumia hadn’t been consulted on this.
She didn’t even seem to be acting.
“Very well.”
After weighing his thoughts, Hayden nodded.
He’d considered every candidate who could fight, but none of them could match him.
Excluding Lumia, Vice Tower Master Serentia was perhaps the only one capable of facing him, but she couldn’t participate in this duel precisely because she held that rank.
“Then who will be my opponent?”
“Tult.”
“……Tult?”
“He’s a student I teach.”
At those words, Hayden’s gaze shifted to where Sion was gesturing.
What stood there was…….
“Me?”
Tult, his face drained of color, stared back at Sion.
And seeing that reaction, Hayden broke into a wide grin.
‘This victory is already mine!’

* * *

‘What is this.’
Tult briefly wondered if Sion was planning to socially bury him.
And he laid that worry out directly to Sion.
“Teacher, did I do something wrong to you?”
“Not particularly.”
“Other than that time I picked a fight with you?”
“Then no.”
“Then why am I…… I mean, the odds of me beating Hayden are basically zero.”
True, Tult’s recent growth had been remarkable.
From his Incantation speed to the very level of his magic itself, the progress had been meteoric.
He’d risen from 3rd Circle to 4th Circle through Sion’s instruction.
But that didn’t mean he could actually defeat Hayden.
“Tult, have I ever asked you to do something impossible?”
“……!”
At those words, Tult’s eyes wavered.
Soon after, he shook his head as if entranced and continued speaking.
“No, you haven’t.”
“This time is no different.”
Normally, he would have pressed further with questions.
But Tult chose not to ask anything else.

‘I’ll find out soon enough once I step into it.’
If Sion had come this far, it meant he believed in something with absolute certainty.
“Hmm.”
Tult took a shallow breath and asked simply.
“What should I do, then?”
“Just for a moment, hand over control of your physical body to me.”
“How?”
“Take my hand.”
Tult studied Sion quietly.
He’d never heard of magic that could manipulate another person’s body at will.
But with Sion, it seemed entirely possible.
Ordinarily, such a proposal should have filled him with resistance, yet Tult merely nodded and grasped Sion’s hand.
“Your only task from now on is this: watch the duel unfold before you, and make it your own.”
“Is there nothing else I need to do?”
“Nothing. The experience of this duel itself will be invaluable to you.”
Tult nodded quietly at that.
“Yes, I understand.”
Once you’ve decided to trust, you must trust completely.
By his own principle, Tult resolved to place his faith entirely in Sion.
In that moment, Sion’s mana began to flow slowly into Tult through their joined hands.
And with remarkable naturalness, Sion’s mana started to seize control of Tult’s physical form.
Tult neither resisted nor tried to obstruct it—he simply accepted.
After a moment, Tult’s stiffened body began to move again.
Click.
“Ah, so this is what it feels like.”
Sion moved through Tult’s body, assessing its approximate capabilities.
“Tult, say something.”
– Uh… is this how I should speak?
“Excellent.”
As Sion nodded in satisfaction, Akasha’s voice sounded in his mind.
[So this works.]
“Of course it does.”
Marionette was not magic conjured on the spot, but rather a ‘theory’ he had devised back when he was Altair.
He’d run countless simulations and felt confident in it, yet it worked far more smoothly and naturally than expected.
– Um… Teacher? Did you say something?
“Nothing much.”
Sion brushed it aside casually.
Akasha’s voice couldn’t be heard by Tult anyway.
‘I designed it that way from the start, after all.’
In any case, what this was amounted to the so-called Marionette.
By temporarily redesigning another person’s body’s mana, it granted temporary control over that body.
“I’ve pushed your consciousness aside for now, but don’t worry. I have no intention of abusing this.”
– Ah, I wasn’t worried about that.
Tult was resolved on that point, at least.
– But… wouldn’t it be fine for you to step in directly? After all, you were only a student not long ago.
“I have no desire to expose myself to the Red Tower and the Council just yet.”
– Ah, I see the reasoning behind that…
“Besides, this will benefit you as well.”
– …What do you mean?
“Your family. You need your own reputation, don’t you? Your reputation as a mage.”
At those words, Tult stiffened despite himself.
– …Did you know?
“Understanding a student’s circumstances is a teacher’s responsibility.”
Tult is the eldest son of the Bazhenia Commercial Company.
The Bazhenia Commercial Company is a merchant house of considerable scale.
Yet it remains unable to overcome the barriers of birth and station.
The relationship with the noble families in the city where the company’s headquarters was located had never been favorable.
And that was why Tult came to the Blue Tower.
A powerful mage holds value equal to nobility.
That is—a mage’s strength and connections and power could provide what the company lacked.
When Tult absentmindedly nodded, Sion smiled and spoke.
“That’s exactly what I’m about to create for you.”
Defeating the Red Tower’s successor would be more than enough to cement his reputation.
At those words, Tult found himself nodding again in a daze.
– W-well, yes, I, I suppose… I’m grateful for it, then.
“Good. Then there’s only one thing left to do.”
Sion moved Tult’s body and stepped onto the Duel Arena.
“Crush him.”

* * *

“H-hang in there, Tult!”
“You can do it! Probably!”
Tult stood in the Duel Arena, listening to the cheers of the Blue Tower students.
Or rather, observing would be the more accurate word.
‘…Can he really do this?’
Honestly, he had no sense of what was about to happen, but he decided to simply watch quietly for now.
Truth be told, he was curious to see how far his teacher could push his own body.
Soon, Hayden stepped up onto the arena.
The moment he spotted Tult, he flashed a smile and spoke.
“Hayden Kaul. I trust we’ll have an excellent match.”
His measured movements and courteous bearing painted the picture of a true nobleman and mage.
Sion took his extended hand.
“T-Tult. A mage affiliated with the Blue Tower.”
…Delivered with extraordinary timidity.
– Teacher, surely I’m not quite so spineless in my usual manner.
Tult gently objected to Sion’s performance, but Sion simply continued his act without missing a beat.
“I’m, I’m honored to duel with the Red Tower’s successor, s-sir…”
“Haha, there’s no need to be so nervous.”
Hayden responded with effortless composure and continued.
“After all, this is merely a duel. Since the aim isn’t to take a life, I assure you I’ll do nothing to harm you.”
“Th-that’s a relief.”
Watching Sion’s act, Tult found himself quietly reconsidering his own conduct.
Perhaps it wasn’t quite that extreme, was it?
Regardless of Tult’s thoughts, the duel pressed forward.
“Then let’s begin.”
Hayden stepped back lightly and prepared his magic.
Fully aware of Tult’s shortened Incantation, he meant to start the duel with a brief Incantation formula.
But in that instant.
– …What?
Tult couldn’t help but freeze in shock.
– No, why is Mana wrapping around my fist?
A brilliant surge of Mana coiled around his fist.
And immediately after, that fist drove straight into Hayden’s jaw.
– …?!
“Gah?!”
Generally speaking, a mage of Hayden’s caliber could deflect ordinary physical attacks.
However, if that physical attack carried 3rd Circle Mana or higher within it, the story became quite different.
And besides, Tult had a sturdy build and respectable strength to match.
His jaw wrenched around from the impact, and Hayden spun through the air before crashing hard to the ground.
“W-what, wh, what in the—!!”
He could barely form words, but the expression on Hayden’s face was pure bewilderment as he glared up at Tult.
“What in blazes are you doing?! Th-this is a sacred duel, and you’re—!!”
“As you can see, it’s a magic I designed: Fist.”
“…?”
At those words, Hayden’s jaw hung open.
What in the world was this bastard babbling about?
“No, wait—this isn’t right! Why would you use your fist in a mage’s duel?!”
“Oh, isn’t that allowed?”
“Of course it’s not allowed!”
Utterly dumbfounded, Hayden gripped his reddened cheek and shouted.
“What mage uses fists instead of magic? This is a Magic Duel!”
“Well, as you can see, I’ve channeled Mana into my fist just fine. It’s systematized, perfectly magical in every way.”
“……?”
In that moment, Hayden’s words caught in his throat.
Tult, who had been observing the spectacle calmly, found himself equally speechless.
– Is that… is that so?
It did seem to make some sense…
Meanwhile, Hayden’s mind raced frantically, searching for a way out.
‘How am I supposed to counter that?’
The fundamental rules of a Magic Duel were simple: combatants would duel using magic.
Naturally, fists were forbidden.
But if magic had been woven into the fist, wasn’t that a form of magic itself?
“Well, that is to say…”
It was a genuine quandary.
After running through a rapid series of philosophical considerations, Hayden cried out again.
“Regardless, fists are not permitted!”
“They’re not?”
“They’re absolutely not!”
At his words, Sion spoke through Tult’s mouth, shaking his head with a look of regret.
“Well then, I won’t use them anymore. Shall we continue?”
“You punch me in the face and then ask if we should keep going?”
“Yes.”
Sion answered simply.
“Or if you prefer, we can call this match to an end with me taking one victory.”
“…….”
At those words, Hayden glanced behind him.
No matter how he looked at it, there wasn’t a single opponent left that he could reasonably beat.
‘Damn.’
Hayden fixed Tult with a murderous glare and spoke through gritted teeth.
“Fine… let’s… continue.”
Crack-crack! Crack!
The sound of Hayden’s teeth grinding filled the silent arena.
‘I’ll kill him.’
Abandoning all pretense of courtesy, Hayden began to gather his magic.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————