The Principle of a Philosopher by Eternal Fool “Asley”

rself more and more distinguished with all this.”

The rest of the crowd have yet to make their way to the answer we found.

Even Idéa, who had fought at close range, still hadn’t realized what had happened.
But I suppose that’s fair, considering her level.
Chances are the only other ones to see it through were a portion of the Student Council and the faculty.

And that’s with me evaluating them humbly.
Well, I shouldn’t be too far off.

“Ah, there’s Midors, sir.”

“Even with these battles being consecutive, it looks like Lina has an overwhelming advantage.”

“Huh, why is that the case, sir?”

“The effect of her spell hasn’t worn out yet, that’s why.”

“Aha…”

“She’s got increased speed right off the bat, so…”

“Engage!”

Slower than Idéa, and with a shorter range than Idéa and Lina’s zoning… Midors had absolutely no means of evading what he got coming for him, let alone launching a counterattack.

“Match over!”

So one-sided.

“So one-sided, indeed, sir~~~”

“Had Midors realized that Lina’s spell was still active and somehow survived the beginning of the match, then he might have had a good chance, but I suppose a Freshman wouldn’t be able to process that while being so nervous.”

“Are you suggesting that you can, Master?”

“If I didn’t realize it beforehand, then I wouldn’t be able to.
But I would if I did, of course… Now, the spell’s effect will wear out soon.
In the end, the real roadblock’s gotta be our top student, Hornel.”

“Ah… But sir–“

Oh, looks like Midors is protesting the decision?

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A reasonable reaction, I suppose.
With the match ending without him getting to do anything, it might have felt like a lot of wasted effort.

Still, the crowd is so loud that I can’t even hear him.

“Pochi, can you make out what he’s saying? Might be hard though, since you couldn’t hear Lina’s chanting just now…”

“I might just be able to at this volume… eh, well, ‘I demand the match to be reinstated,’ I think that’s what he said.”

And the referee, Billy, was now shaking his head.
That was definitely a ‘no’.

“Now he’s saying something like, he couldn’t accept how it played out since his opponent was fighting like a warrior, unlike a mage… Are you sure things won’t take a bad turn from here, Master?”

“No, I’m sure it’ll be fine.
He should be at the limit of his anger soon.”

“Aha, so that’s where you’re coming from…”

While Pochi was mid-sentence, Irene stepped forward to address the dispute.
Seems like she’s scolding Midors.

“Let’s see, ‘it’s unsightly for you to make such excuses.
Your enemies and monsters won’t give you another chance.
You lost, and that’s final.’ …that’s what she said.”

“Hahaha, now those are some harsh words.”

Hornel, after taking a sidelong glance at Midors as he hung his head down in shame, took one step forward, then another.
Looks like he’s quite nervous too.
I suppose expecting anything different in this situation would be unreasonable.

And although Lina wasn’t showing any fatigue, it was apparent from her face that she wasn’t perfectly fine, either.

“So this battle here will decide your opponent half a month from now, in the Friendly Match, yes?”

“With how Hornel is now, he may very well overpower those two that Lina has beaten.
But Lina was also able to conserve her stamina and mana in preparation for facing Hornel.
There’s no telling how this fight will turn out…”

I had been observing Hornel’s movements during the practical exercises in class, and his speed wasn’t much different from the common soldiers.
Idéa’s unique skills aside, he was the top of the class,

With his mastery of basic-level magic, he surely would be able to invoke them even in unfavorable situations.
Moreover, he had one unique power that most others didn’t.

Namely, the power of financiers.

Hornel was rich, for he belonged to quite an affluent aristocratic household.
It was immediately apparent from his high-quality clothes and expensive accessories.

There were some among the aristocrats that lived in poverty, of course, but that was not the case for him.

Being rich was inherited talent, so to speak.
Having just that would make a great difference in the rate of acquisition of knowledge and magic.

But the most noticeable effect it had was… most likely, the “staff”.

As I had checked with Irene beforehand, the most expensive staff currently in the market was the ‘Damascus Rod’ which was crafted from a special alloy.

It costs as much as a large mansion… which would make one think no man would dare to buy it, but there were some who would, even if it cost them their house.

And the reason would be for its capacity in storing Swift Magic.
Five spells at once.

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My Star Rod could fit no more than two.

If I had one of those staves, I could create a well-balanced loadout of two support spells, one recovery spells, and two attack spells, all ready to invoke immediately.

That was the very reason why most mages would want it.
I want it too, as a matter of fact.
After all, even if I had a large mansion, it wouldn’t do me any good if I were dead.

One’s strength was what elevates one’s chances of survival, so in desperate times, anyone would be willing to sell a mansion if they wanted a higher chance of staying alive.

But of course, Hornel didn’t own a ‘Damascus Rod’.
Even the rich have their limits, after all.

Still, the staff Hornel did have was one with the capacity for four Swift Magic spells, the ‘Blazing Dragon Staff’.
It was also quite expensive and required the precious horn of the A-ranked giant red dragon, the Lord Dragon, to craft.

The market price for it was 200,000 Gold, approximately 200 times the enrollment fee of the Magic University. 

Even after being promoted to Rank A, I wouldn’t expect to see that much gold in my pockets anytime soon… Which means even if I defeated a Lord Dragon, I still wouldn’t be able to get my hands on a Blazing Dragon Staff.
Besides, it would take more than a single horn to make the staff.

The artisans’ skills were also an important factor, but even the most renowned craftsmen would still need at least three horns.

Moreover, the Lord Dragons weren’t exactly common.
Perhaps the materials could be substituted with those of other Dragons.

Still, four slots, huh…

If I had that many, I’d put in two support spells, one recovery spell, and one attack spell, I guess?

Now, Hornel… let’s see what setup you’re bringing to the table, eh?

“It’s beginning, Master!”

“Engage!”

Silavin:  A little bit of a team update here.

Xemul will be joining us as a proofreader and Anna will be busy for a while with exams.

Meanwhile, p4553r, will be focusing more on Rebuild World.

On a side note: I’ll be posting on Patreon again.
If you wish to support us or read ahead, click here.

Index