CH 93

The glowing dove pointed towards the outskirts of the capital.

A remote area devoid of people.

Luna ran alongside Professor Mcguire.

“Huff... Huff…”

Luna was out of breath from running for so long.

“Luna, we're almost there. Hang on just a bit longer.”

“Huff… Okay!”

Luna replied energetically to Mcguire's encouragement.

They approached a small forest located on the outskirts of the capital.

But the forest gave off a somewhat eerie vibe.

Perhaps because of winter, there were no leaves on the trees, just bare, withered branches.

Navigating through the trees, they spotted a decrepit hut that looked almost abandoned.

The glowing dove circled above the hut.

“Is this the place?”

Professor Mcguire reached out towards the sky.

The hovering dove flew into his hand and vanished.

Swallowing hard, Luna slowly approached the hut.

Just then, Mcguire extended his hand to stop her.

“Luna, wait for a moment.”

“Yes?”

Luna tilted her head in response to Mcguire's statement.

“Hmm…”

Mcguire intently observed the hut.

"A magical alarm, huh."

There was a magic setup.

However, it wasn't just one spell.

There were others as well.

The entire hut felt like it was enveloped in a magical circle.

It seemed to function like a magical artifact itself.

Mcguire reached out to feel the mana flowing within the hut.

He could discern two or three distinct magic circles inscribed within, but the mana flowing within was unusual.

“Hmm…”

Mcguire pondered.

If they entered the hut, Ian Astria would likely become aware of it.

And they didn't know what the interior of the hut looked like, but if they fought inside, it would be a greatly disadvantaged battle.

But the hut itself didn't seem to pose a danger.

Mcguire made up his mind.

“Luna, you should go in alone.”

“Huh?”

Luna looked at Mcguire, surprised.

"There is nothing inside that would threaten your life. There are no people inside either. So, you don't need to worry too much."

"But, Professor..."

"I will block the one who will come here."

Professor Mcguire opened his briefcase and took out several magic tools.

"Don't worry about me, once you find Rudy, escape quickly."

Luna found herself at a loss for words.

The only person she could think of who might approach the hut was Ian Astria.

Was Mcguire saying he'd fend off Ian?

Silent, Luna trusted Mcguire, but the idea of him taking on such a risk for her sake left her speechless.

Seeing Luna's conflicted expression, Mcguire grinned.

“Luna, what's the advantage of a wizard who uses magical circles?”

“Pardon?”

Luna was taken aback by Mcguire's sudden question.

“Understanding your opponent, knowing oneself, and preparing accordingly—that's where our true strength lies,”

Mcguire commented, gently tapping Luna's head.

"I'm in the best position to maximize that advantage right now. So don't worry."

Luna clenched her fist, looking up at him,

“Professor, please be careful. I'll see you later.”

She bowed gracefully, bending her waist in a neat 90-degree angle as a sign of respect, and then dashed into the hut.

Watching her retreating figure, a fleeting smile crossed Professor Mcguire's face, but it soon turned somber.

He began to take out one, then two magical tools.

Ian Astria.

He had observed the young man's abilities and temperament a few times when he was attending the academy.

Of course, at that time, he couldn't use space magic, but it didn't matter.

Even with the usage of space magic, there wouldn't be much difference.

After all, he wouldn't let Ian get the kind of environment where he could fight effectively.

Armed with his array of magical tools, Mcguire slowly rose from his seat, murmuring,

"Maybe it's time to deal with that brat."

---

---

At the Astria mansion in the capital, Ian was blissfully unaware of the unfolding events, enjoying tea with Princess Rie.

Their conversation seemed casual and relaxed.

Still, Rie looked somewhat uneasy.

Ian believed he had flawlessly hidden information about Rudy.

Rie, inside, was smiling, deeply satisfied.

She knew everything Ian was trying to hide.

She was merely putting on an act, a performance filled with her utmost dedication.

But Ian, oblivious, responded with a smile of his own.

"Heh..."

As he moved to take a sip from his tea cup,

Thud.

The noise wasn’t from their surroundings.

It was a resonation of his own mana.

The cabin where Rudy was imprisoned.

Someone had intruded.

Who could it be?

Ian's gaze met Rie's, who appeared just as bothered as before.

Ian was perplexed.

How could this happen when Princess Rie, who should be searching for Rudy, was sitting right here clueless?

But he quickly made up his mind.

The fact remained that someone had intruded on the hut, and regardless of their connection to Princess Rie, they had to be dealt with.

Normally, Ian would have sent Thomas or someone else, but something felt off.

The unexpected visit from Rie combined with the intrusion of the cabin felt too contradictory, increasing his sense of unease.

Ultimately, Ian decided he needed to personally investigate.

"Princess, I must step out briefly."

"You have to leave?"

Rie asked, as if clueless.

"Yes, a small matter has come up."

"Why would you leave me alone here?"

Rie frowned, clearly displeased.

Leaving a guest unattended, even for a bathroom break, was obviously considered rude.

"I apologize. Can I ask for just a moment of your patience?"

Annoyed, Ian bowed slightly.

"Is it something within the mansion you need to attend to?"

When Rie posed the question, Ian paused for a moment before nodding,

"Yes, I just need to briefly visit my office."

"Well, please be quick. I'll wait."

After giving a brief bow to Rie, Ian exited the room.

"What a hassle."

He muttered under his breath.

He couldn’t leave Rie alone for too long.

However, Ian figured a brief check wouldn’t hurt.

"Teleport."

Ian's space magic.

It allowed him to instantly move to a desired location.

With this spell, he believed he could quickly check on the cabin and return quickly.

No matter who the opponent might be, all Ian needed to do was suppress them forcefully and quickly return.

Ian's body emitted a faint light and attempted to teleport towards the hut.

No, he tried to move towards the hut.

"Huh?"

However, the place he found himself in was a white room.

There was no sign of the hut, nor any trees.

Even looking up, there was no sight of the sun.

He was simply surrounded by white walls.

An entirely empty, white room.

"What's going on?"

Ian's brow furrowed.

He had clearly intended to move in front of the cabin, there was no issue with that.

There was absolutely no reason he would've ended up in this peculiar room.

Then there was only one explanation.

"An illusion?"

Ian let out a sarcastic laugh.

With a low voice, Ian muttered,

"Just what are you trying to achieve with this kind of illusion?"

He then slowly approached one of the walls.

"Who's behind this? Are you with Princess Rie?"

As he approached the wall, something began to materialize from it.

A familiar face appeared before him.

"Principal McDowell?"

Suddenly, the image of Principal McDowell appeared and glared at Ian.

Taken aback by the unexpected appearance of McDowell, Ian's expression darkened.

McDowell looked at Ian and spoke with a hint of pity.

"You really haven't changed, have you?"

His gaze seemed a mix of pity and regret.

Ian clenched his fists in response.

"Who are you to say that?"

Ian's voice was thick with anger.

"I have changed. I've become strong enough to fight and defeat someone like you."

McDowell shook his head in response.

"Ian Astria. You may have grown stronger. But, that's not what's important."

Ian continued to glare at McDowell, fists clenched tight.

He was about to retort, but then he paused, a smirk forming on his lips.

"Sigh..."

Taking a deep breath, Ian quickly realized the situation.

This was an illusion.

This McDowell wasn't the real Principal McDowell he knew.

Ian came to a conclusion.

"A well-crafted illusion indeed. Created by someone who knows of my conversations with McDowell..."

Ian reached out his hand.

"However, an illusion remains just that."

Ian's mana surged powerfully, and magic erupted from his hand.

"Let's see if this illusion can withstand my magic."

Ian smirked confidently.

"Space Rift."

With a loud crack, the space around McDowell seemed to fracture.

Not only that, but the fracture began to spread, causing the surroundings to crack and split.

As if it was about to shatter the space itself.

It was a spell that directly damaged the very fabric of space.

The fracture continued to expand, tearing apart the image of McDowell and leaving significant cracks in the white room.

"Ha!"

Looking at the torn image of McDowell, Ian let out a triumphant laugh.

However, that brief moment of laughter was fleeting.

Something was wrong.

Only the illusion of McDowell had been shattered, and the surrounding environment remained unchanged.

Ordinarily, if such a powerful spell was used, the surrounding illusions would disappear.

Yet, they stayed.

"What's going on?"

Ian was puzzled as he saw the space rift gradually mending itself.

And then he noticed something even more peculiar.

The magic he had used, the space rift, had paused halfway through its mending process.

"Why is this happening?"

Ian frowned deeply.

The space rift spell, as its name suggested, momentarily caused a crack in space.

Even if this rift was made, the recuperative power of space was immensely strong, healing almost immediately.

Of course, anyone caught within this rift would have been torn apart by it.

Yet, the magic he'd just used seemed to be mending slower than usual, until it stopped, leaving a visible crack in space.

With a furrowed brow, Ian approached the crack, reaching out with a finger to touch it.

Crack.

"What the...?!"

Upon his touch, the crack expanded rapidly.

The entirety of the white room Ian was trapped in began to fracture.

The entire space trembled violently.

"Gah...!"

The ground and ceiling started to sway and shake drastically.

Ian, unable to maintain his balance, stumbled.

And then the ground beneath him began to fracture.

"No way...!!!"

The ground beneath Ian started to crumble, breaking apart from the center outwards.

Ian, disregarding the illusion and everything else, rushed towards the edges of the white room.

However, the ground was crumbling faster than he could run.

"Aghhh!!!"

Ian began to fall, plunging into a vast abyss of darkness.

---

---

Meanwhile, amidst this chaos...

"Phew..."

Around the area, broken trees littered the scene.

Next to it, Professor Mcguire let out a sigh of relief.

He had narrowly escaped being engulfed by Ian's spatial magic.

"That was close."

Mcguire smiled.

Lying around him were countless magic tools besides the shattered trees.

These were the tools he'd used to deceive Ian.

Fighting head-on would have risked his identity being exposed, and the damage could have been significant.

So, Mcguire's plan was to deceive Ian using illusion magic.

A very meticulous plan.

McGuire had a rough idea about Ian's space magic.

He knew it could allow for instant long-distance travel, and create a crack in space.

So, he decided to counter the 'Teleport'.

Mcguire had set up a magic tool that directed surrounding coordinates to one specific location.

To utilize the 'Teleportation' spell, one first designates spatial coordinates to specify the destination.

It's essentially magic that sets coordinates.

While space magic can set such coordinates, there are countless other magic that can do the same.

So, there's no shortage of magic tools designed to counteract such spells.

Next, he decided to counter 'Space Rift' magic.

To trick Ian into using this spell, he decided to project an illusion of Principal McDowell.

Ian held immense pride in his strength.

However, Ian had once been shocked when McDowell told him at the academy that strength alone would get him nothing.

It was a traumatic experience for Ian.

If the illusionary McDowell said something similar, it would provoke Ian.

Then Ian would use his strongest spell, as if to refute the notion that power alone wasn't everything.

And everything went as predicted.

In the end, Mcguire, activated a previously set magic tool.

This device was placed at the center of the area where the illusion spell was being cast.

It was a straightforward tool, engraved with the basic earth magic spell, 'Dig', designed simply to excavate the ground.

When Ian used his space magic, Mcguire would activate this device.

In an instant, the earth was dug up, and Ian found himself plummeting into the darkness.

"Little brat. What's the use of just being strong?"

Mcguire laughed, peering down into the pit.