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After months of relentless physical training, their bodies were well-balanced, and they had all reached the second circle.

“Commander, what do you mean by a duel?”

“Shut up.”

I glared at the apprentice who couldn’t hold his tongue and continued my assessment.

The body of the apprentice who just spoke, Palge, was a bit, no, quite unusual, but it was just his natural constitution.

It was amazing to see him run as well as others with that body.

Anyway, everyone had a good foundation.

But a fight is not determined by the basics alone. The one with the higher skill is more likely to win, but you can’t be sure of winning.

What is a fight?

In the words of my former vice-commander, Azeta, a fight is about smashing the opponent’s head.

It’s a harsh expression, but it’s also accurate. After all, the essence of all this training to become stronger is to see if I can kill the opponent before I die.

Of course, the apprentices may not think so.

They may want to become stronger to avoid being ignored.

Or they may want to become a great mage and be recognized by others.

But that’s all secondary.

Once you set foot in this world, you can’t avoid fighting even if you don’t want to. It’s just something that happens naturally.

No matter how grandly you package it, the essence doesn’t change.

A noble mage?

A knight who commands the world with a single word?

It’s nothing but superstitious nonsense.

Even the divine families that shake the continent…

Behind them flows the blood of enemies piled up like mountains.

The knights who often duel among themselves or participate in real battles for absurd reasons are all the same.

Knowing the essence of a fight and not knowing it is a world of difference.

Frankly speaking, a mercenary with no basic training but only real-world experience could beat the apprentices here.

Because they know how important it is to break the opponent’s head before their own is broken.

In fact, in the past, it wasn’t uncommon to see young apprentices die from stray blades in their first battle.

That’s why real-world experience is important. Especially at similar levels.

Right now, I was unbeatable among the second circle mages. I even won against five of them at once.

Not to mention, I had even beaten a few third circle mages, so there was no need to elaborate further.

…

…

…

I’m that kind of guy.

* * *

I had the apprentices stand facing each other in pairs.

“Think of the person in front of you as your enemy. What did I say?”

“Think of them as our enemy!”

“Good. Now, start the duel.”

One of the apprentices, who didn’t understand my words, asked,

“Did you mean to spar, Commander?”

“Didn’t I tell you, they’re the enemy? What did you hear? Are you going to leisurely time your spells with the enemy? Are you trying to get your head smashed in?”

I was getting annoyed while speaking. None of them seemed to grasp the importance of real combat. I looked around and warned them,

“This is real combat. Real combat. Don’t hold back and give it your all. You can use magic or anything else. Think of him as someone trying to kill you, aiming for your head. Fight with that in mind. Got it?”

At the apprentices’ level, even with their full power, they couldn’t inflict fatal injuries on each other. They nodded hastily and replied,

“Yes, Commander!”

With a wave of my hand, the apprentices charged towards their respective opponents.

‘Hmm.’

As I expected, their fighting didn’t go beyond the level of sparring.

Each of them chanted spells in sync with their opponent’s timing and waited when the other retreated.

After watching this chicken stew without chicken for a while, I looked around and shouted,

“Stop!”

“…”

“Stop and gather around, you idiots.”

The apprentices gathered with puzzled expressions.

“I’ve seen enough of this sparring that’s perfect for getting your heads smashed in. Zion, come out.”

“…Me?”

Zion slowly walked forward with a sour expression.

As expected of a quick-witted guy, he seemed to have a bad feeling about this.

I pointed at Zion and then myself, saying,

“Watch closely, because Zion and I are going to have a duel.”

Zion’s face darkened as he remembered the experience of being beaten by me.

“Come on, just say you want to hit me. What kind of duel is this, between the commander and me?”

I held up one finger and replied,

“I’ll only use one circle of magic. So, you’ll be at the second circle, and I’ll be at the first. How about it?”

“…What? Are you sure?”

“Of course. If I break my promise, I’ll become your subordinate. How’s that?”

Zion thought for a while and then nodded.

“Alright. But a match is a match. Even if you lose, Commander, there are no hard feelings, right?”

Seeing the glint in Zion’s eyes, he seemed to think he had a chance of winning.

I forced back a laugh and said,

“Of course.”

I created some distance and turned around again. The other apprentices had already moved away.

Zion had a clear smile on his face.

“Wow, you’re smiling? You seem confident?”

“Commander, you seem to be underestimating me. You think you can win with just the first circle?”

“I’ll say it again, this is a duel. Think of me as your enemy.”

“Alright. Don’t regret it.”

“Then let’s start.”

As soon as I finished speaking, I charged towards Zion.

‘Wind Push.’

Zion waited until I got close enough, then chanted and conjured the form of ‘Fire Spear’. It now had the power befitting the second circle.

Fwhoooosh—

The moment the spear of flames came right in front of me,

‘Wind.’

As soon as I saw the trajectory of Zion’s fire spear slightly shift upwards, I did a forward roll on the dirt floor and picked up a pebble.

Fwhoooosh—

The heat from the fire spear grazed the top of my head, making my scalp tingle.

I inwardly smiled as I saw Zion creating distance again.

As expected of a young one, he instinctively tried to maintain a safe distance, which was a poor decision.

“You idiot.”

I kicked off the ground, charged towards Zion, and launched a fireball.

In the moment Zion hurriedly created a Wind Barrier to dispel the fireball, I wrapped wind around the pebble in my hand and threw it again.

Crack—

The Wind Barrier shattered, and Zion stumbled backward…

I used the momentum of my run to strike Zion’s chin with my elbow.

Thwack—!

“Ugh, that’s cowardly!”

Even then, Zion rolled backward and tried to regain his stance. Thanks to his diligent basic training, his body’s resilience had improved significantly.

But I had no intention of waiting.

I wrapped wind around my feet and continued to strike Zion, blocking his escape routes with fireballs whenever he tried to create distance.

Thud— Thud— Thwack—

“That’s cowardly! It’s cheating! Argh!”

Zion’s body quickly became a mess, and dust rose from the ground. I could feel the gazes of the watching apprentices wavering.

“Zion, next time you meet an enemy, make sure to call them cowardly after your head is smashed in. Got it?”

Zion’s writhing and struggling gradually subsided…

And as I was about to slowly withdraw,

“Yaaaaah!”

Zion suddenly kicked off the ground and threw a handful of sand with his right hand.

‘Oh?’

As soon as I cleared my vision with a wave of my hand, something else flew at me from the opposite direction.

A pebble infused with wind.

It seemed he had hidden a trick up his sleeve even while being beaten.

“Wow.”

As I dodged with a nod, I felt the mana around us gathering towards Zion.

“Solid and…”

I looked up to see that Zion’s spell was almost complete.

“…Hard wind, Wind Barrier.”

Seeing Zion charging at me with a Wind Barrier on his elbow, as if to smash my face, I finally felt a bit satisfied.

“That’s it.”

I didn’t bother to dodge.

I intended to teach the remarkable Zion a high-level technique.

I quickly wrapped wind around my chin and temples to protect my vital points, and as soon as I felt a powerful impact on my face, I focused and aimed a fireball at his face.

The so-called ‘Give flesh to take bone’ technique.

Kaboom—!

“Ugh!”

I seized the moment when Zion’s jaw was thrown back and struck him down once more. Then I continued to stomp on him.

Amidst the rising dust, blood splattered intermittently. I stopped only after Zion was half-buried in the ground.

Only then did I notice the apprentices staring with their mouths half-open. Feeling a bit awkward, I kindly explained to them,

“See? This is a high-level technique. What did I say?”

The dumbfounded apprentices unknowingly responded,

“…H-High-level technique!”

“Excellent.”

The apprentices shivered in unison.

* * *

The highest-grade potion was indeed effective.

As soon as I fed Zion a few drops, he regained consciousness, and the moment I applied it to his wounds, they bubbled and healed instantly.

“Eeek!”

I nudged the startled Zion to his feet and sat down next to him.

Zion and I sat on the railing of the training ground, watching the apprentices duel.

Zion didn’t say anything, so I remained quiet as well. As it got dark, I called the apprentices together.

“Let’s have dinner together.”

For the first time in a while, all of Samael’s mages gathered in one place for dinner.

It wasn’t a fancy meal.

As always, it was just rye bread, watery stew, and a few chunks of tough meat.

But the apprentices and I devoured it without complaint. Eating together somehow made it taste better.

Once we were somewhat full, I spoke to the apprentices.

“We’ll have night training today. Everyone, wash up and gather.”

Their faces were full of discontent, but I didn’t feel like scolding them. I was in a good mood because I was full.

I went back to my room, washed up slowly, and stood in front of the mirror.

Looking closely at my face, the dark circles under my eyes had faded a bit.

‘Damn water buffalo bastard.’

This is why it’s important for people to get enough sleep.

After leisurely changing clothes, I went out to the training ground, where the apprentices were already waiting.

The training ground was already dark. Evenings in the mountains are naturally darker than in the city.

I personally walked around the training ground and lit the scarecrows placed on the edges.

Fwoosh—

The edges of the training ground blazed like a bonfire. It created quite an ambiance.

Standing on the railing and looking at the apprentices…

Their faces flickered in the firelight, like soldiers preparing for battle at night.

I opened my mouth, looking at the soldiers.

“Tonight’s night training will be…”

I sensed a wave of anticipation rising on the soldiers’ faces.

“…duels.”

‘That bastard is doing it again.’

‘Crazy son of a bitch.’

“The soldier who just swore will step forward. I will execute you on the spot.”

I tried my luck, but no one came forward. It seemed they had all come to understand my intentions and held me in high regard.

I felt a sense of pride, like a general who had earned the respect of his soldiers.

“Ahem.”

Clearing my throat to establish authority, I paired the apprentices up again.

“Start the duel!”

The apprentices kicked off the ground and charged towards each other.

“Yaaaaah!”

“Die!”

Zion’s movements had changed. It was a shift in his mindset. Whenever he saw an opening in his opponent, he would try to exploit it and pin them down.

Iron, who was facing Zion, already had his training clothes torn, and blood was flowing from his nose.

The other apprentices were also trying their best to imitate a real duel.

‘Hmm.’

But as time passed, the apprentices’ weaknesses became increasingly apparent.

Makan fought well but couldn’t finish his opponents off.

Palge was too afraid of getting hurt and fought defensively.

Iron’s body was stiff, as if he was scared of fighting itself.

Of course, the same went for the others.

…These useless bunch.

Somehow, there wasn’t a single one I liked.

I suddenly felt like a general who had to go to war with incompetent subordinates, and I sighed.

I don’t know why I suddenly thought of Pelleer.

Maybe this is how the lord felt when he first saw me.

———