How a Catastrophe-Level Magician Lives

The first magic duel between first-year new students has occurred!

This rumor spread in an instant.

People with spectator-like intentions gathered at the academy’s dueling grounds in the blink of an eye.

The faces among them were all different.

Some were those wearing yellow and green ties, different from the first-years, appearing to be second and third-year students.

Others were even those with the status of academy teachers.

It was proof that even teachers couldn’t help but be interested and curious about an event caused by first-year students.

“Oh, that first-year. Isn’t that young Rekas? From the Buster family?”
“Indeed. I can’t believe young Rekas from the Buster family was the student who requested this magic duel.”

The Buster family.

A prestigious family among prestigious families, a prominent ducal house known to have shared a long history with the Orwen Empire.

Rekas was the only male and heir of such a place as a member of the family.

“Haha, I heard that Rekas’s sister, who is one year older than him, went to study abroad in the Argen Empire long ago.”
“Come to think of it, there was such a story. A girl with such outstanding talent that it was said she might become the first female family head of the Buster family.”
“But it was impossible. The Buster family is a traditional noble family. They’ve always insisted that only a man, not a woman, could inherit the family.”
“It’s not easy to change long-standing policies built up with history, even with outstanding talent, isn’t it?”
“By the way, who is that child on the opposing side? It’s a face I’ve never seen before.”
“Ah! You must not know because you’re in charge of the second-year students. This child is said to have come to study abroad in our country from the Argen Empire. I believe his name was…”

A young teacher clapped his hands as if he had just remembered.

“Ah! Free von Betelgeuse. I remember that was definitely his name.”
“Free von Betelgeuse… It’s a familiar name I’ve heard somewhere before.”
“It should be. I just remembered that Betelgeuse is known to be the only place in the Argen Empire where the family name and surname are different. As befits its reputation, I know that many of their specialty products are exported and imported through commerce to our empire as well.”
“Hahaha, come to think of it, even the teacup I use was one of their exported products. It’s a teacup I’ve come to favor recently because of its quite sophisticated shape.”

House Phoenix was one of those wealthy noble families with a deep reputation, known for having wide connections in commerce across various countries for generations.

Usually, the containers or items they use often have the family mark or name of the exporting country written in small letters on the bottom or some inconspicuous place.

That’s why, as just now, there are cases where one might not know which country the teacup they’ve been using recently was made in.

“Hmm, it looks like it’s about to start.”
“Indeed. No matter what, young Rekas, the sole heir of the Buster family, will win, right?”
“That’s not necessarily true. You can’t easily predict the outcome of a magic duel between nobles.”
“But isn’t it just a family that seems to excel in commerce? Wouldn’t he be far from defeating young Rekas, who comes from a ducal family?”
“Haha, you seem to know one thing but not two. How can you jump to such conclusions? Didn’t you yourself mention that they’re excellent in commerce to the point of exporting to our empire?”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“Tsk tsk, that’s why you still have a lot to learn as a teacher. Are you going to make such foolish remarks to the students as well?”
“…I’ll listen attentively. Please broaden this junior teacher’s limited knowledge.”
“Hmm, alright. Buy me a meal later.”
“Didn’t I treat you last time too…?”
“That’s that, and this is this. Hahaha!”

The young male teacher, who seemed to be a junior teacher, shook his head with a sigh at the words of the older teacher who appeared to be a senior teacher.

It seemed that the two were close enough to have such exchanges regularly.

“I guess I have no choice. So? What was the connection between being proficient in commerce and that child named Free?”
“Hmm, it’s not really something to think about so deeply. Just that the child, belonging to such a family, must have lived a financially comfortable life.”
“And so?”
“Then what do you think? He might have gotten his hands on all the magical items that can be bought with money. Also, he might have acquired and learned quite remarkable magic books, more than you’d expect.”
“Hmm, now that I hear it, that makes sense. But aren’t most artifacts that help with magic usually restricted from being brought into the academy?”
“Well, that’s true, but you never know.”
“Pardon?”
“That child named Free might have read and learned various magic books of his family from a young age. He might even have considerable talent and quite outstanding magic skills. That’s probably why young Rekas requested a magic duel with that child who’s just a foreign exchange student. Though I don’t know the reason why.”
“…Does that make any sense?”
“The match has started! Let’s watch the game!”
“……”

The senior teacher, who had still dismissed it with ambiguous words, unilaterally cut off the conversation and focused on the duel before the junior teacher could argue further.

Eventually, as it was a magic duel between middle school students, the duel began with their grimoires restricted.

“…What are you doing? You.”

Rekas, standing on the dueling ground, asked incredulously as Free was just standing still in his place without showing any preparation or response, even though the duel had just started.

However, Free was still just standing still without showing any action.

“What? You. Don’t tell me, are you trying to insult me?”
“You misunderstand. I have no such intention. It’s just that, as there’s such a big difference, I’m thinking of giving you the first move as your ‘senior’.”
“…That’s what I call insulting me! You damn cocky bastard!”

An angered Rekas fell for the light provocation.

In fact, this was Free’s intention.

‘A magician should originally suppress their emotions well. To fall for such a simple provocation so easily. He’s still very lacking.’

He watched as Rekas, standing at a certain distance in front of him, took out his dark red grimoire, gathered magical power, and shot fireballs at him in one breath.

“Die! You cocky bastard-!”
“……”

However,

Whoosh!

“…What!?”

The multiple fireballs that Rekas had shot towards Free’s front disappeared and dissipated instantly right in front of him, without even touching the hem of his clothes.

“Wh-What happened…!?”
Looking at Rekas’s expression that seemed to wonder what on earth had happened.

Free just quietly raised one hand towards Rekas in front of him.

And then the magic that followed from in front of his outstretched palm,

Was one of the same low-level magics as Rekas’s, gathering at the front of his open palm. It was the magic to launch a fireball.

The problem was that it wasn’t the size of a small ball that children play with, like the multiple fireballs Rekas had just shot at him.

What was notable was that its size grew enormously, with flames leaking out and surging around, forming a giant fireball.

“It seems you were trying to probe. Using such low-level magic as your first move is what becomes your decisive factor for defeat.”
“…!”

Free was proficient in fire attribute methods. At least in knowledge.

Because the Phoenix family he belonged to was a family that mainly insisted on using the fire attribute system.

“Don’t worry. Even if you’re hit by this magic, you won’t die in one shot thanks to the Life Protector magic of this place.”
“You cocky bastard…!!”

Whoosh-!

Finally, Free’s giant fireball magic was shot forward from in front of his palm.

Rekas, receiving the magic, quickly drew out all his magical power in an instant and deployed a semi-transparent shield magic in front of him.

Eventually, Free’s first magic that collided.

Kwaaang─!

It hit Rekas’s shield in front and created a loud sound of explosion upon impact.

All the students saw this series of events that happened in an instant.

Even Aina, sitting in the audience with her eyes wide open, couldn’t help but be surprised with her mouth open.

Even the teachers. Even more so than the other surprised students in the audience.

Because the magic that he had just shot at Rekas was Flame Ball, classified as exactly the same low-level magic that Rekas had shot at Free.

However, its size was on a completely different dimension from what Rekas had used.

The magic school students, teachers, and Aina watching couldn’t help but notice the reason for this phenomenon.

‘It was completely the size and power of a ‘full chant’ level with silent casting!’

That’s right.

The magic that Free had just shot, exactly the same as Rekas’s, classified as the same low-level category.

Flame Ball was shot with silent casting, but it was equivalent to the form and power of a complete full chant.

To that magical common sense system that made no sense,
As if making some kind of complaint or objection.

Free quietly said to Rekas, who was slowly revealing himself covered in wounds with a frown amidst the billowing smoke.

“Is it over already?”

As if saying, we haven’t even started yet.

Free still hadn’t moved from his spot even once since the start of the duel.

Before long,
A blue magic circle with six points begins to appear and float in one of Free’s eyes.

The fight was still not over yet.