Chapter 145: Favoritism Hurts A Bit (3)

Chapter 145: Favoritism Hurts A Bit (3)

Just as Iona had said, the one-on-one duel with Iona didnt end with just one occurrence but continued every day.

And every day, I got thoroughly beaten.

No. As I got used to Iona and learned various things, the intensity of the duels increased, making the beatings I received more severe as the days went by.

But today would be different!

Blast Burn!

A massive flame of mass exploded upon the command word.

Sharp fragments of flame scattered. Each moved fast and on an irregular trajectory, but their destination was the same.

The flame materialized during a demonstration of elemental combination magic that Iris had shown before.

A combination of flame and earth magic developed into a more violent form, prepared especially for today.

However, Iona simply smiled brightly in the face of the magic aimed at her vital points.

Amazing! Amazing! This must be a secret of the Sylvan Mana Tower, right? Last time, you used a wide-area attack, but this time, you prepared a spell for personal combat! Good job, student Yandel!

Would you mind getting hit a bit if you know!

I dont want to! It seems like it would hurt!

Iona playfully retorted, waving her hand from left to right. Following her trajectory, several ice spikes were formed.

Was this a consecutive casting of Icicle Spear? Or multiple chants?

Ice Arrow!

No, it was Ice Arrow.

Being able to create several at once or control their trajectory to some extent after shooting them was a characteristic of arrow-type magic.

But why were these arrows so thick?

While I internally panicked, Ionas Ice Arrow swiftly intercepted and annihilated the fragments of my Blast Burn.

Bang! Boom!

And then, one remaining arrow pierced through the steam and, as a bonus, pierced through my heart as well.

Cough

A clear fatal wound. Of course, thanks to Blood Shift, there was no actual injury apart from a hole in my clothes.

Only the pain clinging like an afterimage reminded me that Id been hit in return.

Even though Blood Shift absorbed a certain level of pain along with wounds, I couldnt get used to this sensation of being on the brink of death.

All the magic I prepared over the past few days with Iris through the communication crystal gets blocked like this.

Not just exploding, but I still vividly remembered struggling to add a homing feature to the fragments.

At this point, I started to get angry.

Argh! Let me stab you just once! Please, just once!

Of course, I couldnt even graze her clothes when I was fine, so what would change by charging in with my eyes flipped?

No! No! No matter how angry you are, a magician shouldnt charge in so foolishly, student Yandel! And saying you want to stab Tsk! You shouldnt say such naughty things to a professor!

This time, I got beaten down personally by Iona, who had strengthened herself with support magic.

An event that had happened several times, something that could even be considered part of my recent daily routine.

But perhaps the mental exhaustion from enduring only the shocks I could withstand was inevitable.

As soon as I lay down on the ground, my eyes began to close.

As my vision narrowed, I saw Iona, startled, rushing towards me, and then I lost consciousness.

When I woke up, I was in the infirmary bed.

It felt a bit less plush than the intensive care unit I was admitted to after defeating Edmerek.

As I absentmindedly thought this, a grumpy-looking middle-aged priest approached from afar.

He must be the priest in charge of this infirmary.

Have you awakened?

Ah, yes. I

Dont worry. Theres nothing wrong with your body. Professor Iona is unnecessarily thorough in these matters.

Ah, but Iris, is that padding?

-Is it that obvious?

Yes.

Iriss chest could only be seen to be plump when completely exposed or touched.

It wasnt something you could tell just by looking at her wearing loose clothes, like now.

-I was too greedy Next time, Ill have to go for a more moderate size.

Iris, looking slightly disappointed, took something round and jelly-like from her chest and tossed it away.

Now, she was back to her usual self.

So, theres no straightforward method, then?

-At least, from what I can see, thats the case. If I had to say, creating a new elemental combination magic and combining it with the elemental resonance youve recently succeeded in would be

So, the reason Im getting beaten by Professor Iona isnt a matter of power, so increasing power wont really make a difference, right?

-Exactly. But Im surprised. I knew Professor Iona was great, but shes a top-tier magician like me, after all. Honestly, I wouldnt be confident enough not to get hit at all if I limited my power that much.

Well thats why she teaches the magic combat subject because she fights so well.

It was not only because Iona had always been good at fighting, but also because the vampire race itself was strong.

Iris might not be aware, but if we were to compare the combat abilities of Iris and Iona, Iona would likely be far superior.

Of course, someday Ill become stronger than Iona but how do I wait until then?

If there was no other way, then I guess I just had to work very hard.

As I sighed deeply in disappointment, Elisha, perhaps feeling sorry for me, stroked my neck while trying to look into the communication crystal.

Dont get too down. Anyway, you just need to land a hit on Professor Iona, right?

Yeah. Its so unfair to just keep getting hit.

Then, although it might be a bit underhanded, how about looking for a weakness?

A weakness?

Did Iona even have a weakness?

Wait a minute.

Thinking about it, I realized I surprisingly didnt know much about Iona.

That was because Iona was a character who couldnt be romanced in H&A.

Since I couldnt add Iona as a companion, Id never seen her status window, and there was no event where I directly dueled her 1-on-1, so I didnt really know how she fights.

If anything, there was only a brief moment where she fought in the latter part of a full-frontal battle, but it was so brief that it was hard to fully grasp.

You couldnt know everything about a magician just by seeing one spell.

Knowing your opponent is the very foundation of winning.

Had I been neglecting even that, just moping around?

First, I need to find out what Iona likes, dislikes, and any small habits she might have.

Elisha, youre a genius!

Eh? Me? Ahem. I am indeed! Please praise me more!

Elisha is pretty! Your thighs are even more scandalous than Carlas!

What about other parts?!

Your long ears are cute!

Good! Ohohohoho!!

Elisha didnt quite understand, but she enjoyed the praise as she fanned herself with a hand fan.

The sight of her blue bun hair bobbing was incredibly reassuring.

Was this what it felt like to have a competent subordinate by your side?

I silently planned to stalk No, observe Iona, with a content smile on my face.

This was my chance to find out things not mentioned in the setting book.

I felt my fan heart for H&A reviving after various experiences.