The arena beside the main hall was enormous.
Several smaller platforms were spread around the edges while one massive arena stood in the center. Older Students filled the surrounding stands, whispering and pointing as duels happened one after another.
Lily stood on one of the smaller arenas, gripping her staff.
Her staff was old and worn down, the wood slightly faded from years of use. It was the same one she had used since childhood. It had no special enchantments, no amplification runes, and no rare materials.
But it had always worked.
And for Lily, that was enough.
Across from her stood her opponent.
Arlen.
He held a sleek wand loosely in his fingers. The wand looked expensive, polished to perfection with silver engravings along its length. Yet despite the valuable tool in his hand, his posture was relaxed, almost careless.
He looked at Lily as if she barely deserved his attention.
There was even a faint mocking smile on his face.
Arlen had been praised since the day he first showed talent for magic.
A prodigy.
A genius.
A student years ahead of others his age.
Teachers admired him, nobles praised him, and other students either envied him or avoided him.
After hearing those words his whole life, it had become natural for him to look down on others.
To him, most people were simply… slow.
Lily didn't know any of this in detail.
But she could definitely feel that he wasn't taking her seriously.
"Hey you!" Arlen suddenly called out.
His voice echoed across the arena.
"I warn you, you better take this seriously. Otherwise you're going to lose badly."
Lily blinked in surprise.
Then irritation quickly replaced it.
"Who needs your warning?" she shot back. "I can do just fine myself!"
She pointed her staff at him.
"You're the one who shouldn't underestimate me!"
A few students in the stands leaned forward, interested.
Arlen didn't respond to her words.
He simply lifted his wand.
"Well… we'll see."
His voice was calm.
Then he spoke the spell.
"Light Spear."
The moment Lily heard the words, her mind froze for a split second.
Light?
A bright spear formed beside Arlen, shining brilliantly as it floated in the air.
Lily stared at it with wide eyes.
A light user?
Light magic was incredibly rare.
It wasn't exactly that someone was born with it. Rather, they had a natural affinity for understanding the element itself.
The same applied to dark magic.
Unlike normal elements, they couldn't simply be learned through memorizing spells. The mage needed to truly understand the nature of the element.
Most people never managed to.
Lily herself had tried many times before.
But every time she attempted it, she failed.
She couldn't picture light becoming something solid.
Because of that, she had always given up.
Which was why she now looked at Arlen like she had just discovered a treasure.
"Wow! A light user!" Lily said out loud.
Arlen blinked.
"Can we be friends?" Lily suddenly continued.
He blinked again.
"Also can you teach me how to use it? And maybe help me with some tests? And maybe—"
She kept going.
"Please please please—"
The words kept pouring out like an unstoppable river.
Arlen stared at her in complete disbelief.
For several seconds he completely forgot about the duel.
The spear of light beside him simply floated there awkwardly.
Finally he sighed.
"I don't have time for your nonsense."
He pointed his wand toward her again.
"But how about a bet?"
Lily tilted her head.
"If you win," he continued, "I'll do anything you ask. Even teaching you light magic."
Her eyes sparkled instantly.
"But if I win," Arlen said, "you stop bothering me. You stay away from me… and never talk to me again."
Lily didn't hesitate for even a second.
"Okay! Of course!"
She raised her staff excitedly.
"This is the best day of my life! A real light user!"
Arlen sighed.
Then he flicked his wand.
The spear shot forward.
It cut through the air at an incredible speed.
Lily barely had time to react.
"Earth Wall!"
A thick wall of dirt burst upward in front of her.
The light spear slammed into it, piercing straight through before dissolving into glowing fragments.
Arlen didn't stop.
"Light Blades."
Several glowing blades appeared around him.
They spun rapidly before flying toward Lily.
Lily reacted immediately.
"Flame Blast!"
A wave of fire burst forward.
The flames collided with the blades of light, burning away their power and filling the space between them with smoke and heat.
At the same time Lily quietly cast another spell.
"Ice Road."
A thin layer of ice spread across the ground beneath Arlen's feet.
The flames blocked his vision just enough that he didn't notice.
Lily lifted her staff again.
"Earth Spike!"
A sharp spike of earth burst out of the ground and shot toward him.
Arlen jumped back instantly to dodge it.
But the moment his foot landed—
He slipped.
The ice beneath him caused his balance to collapse completely.
He fell flat on his back.
For a moment he simply stared upward.
Ice?
When was that there?
How did she do that?
Did she cast it earlier?
Why didn't I notice it?
Before he could figure it out, Lily calmly walked over.
Her staff pointed directly at his face.
She smiled brightly.
"I win."
Arlen stared at her for a few seconds.
Then he closed his eyes and slowly raised his hands.
"I concede."
The supervising teacher shouted loudly.
"Lily Aedile is the winner! Please proceed to the platform on your right for your next duel!"
Some students in the stands murmured.
A few even looked surprised.
Arlen remained lying on the ground for another moment before sitting up.
For the first time in a long while…
He felt something strange.
Excitement.
Lily had defeated him not with raw power—but with only basic spells.
He hadn't even noticed the trap.
She wasn't weak.
She was interesting.
Lily turned to leave.
Then she suddenly stopped.
"Oh! Hey Arlen."
He looked up at her.
"Remember our bet?"
Arlen let out a dry laugh.
"Ah… haha."
He stood up slowly.
"Fine. I always keep my promises."
He reached into his coat and pulled out a small card.
"That's a magic tool I made myself."
Lily blinked.
"It uses light magic to send messages. Just input mana and write on it. I'll receive the message instantly."
He handed it to her.
Lily stared at the card.
Isn't this really valuable?
She looked up at him again.
Arlen was now looking at her very differently.
The mocking arrogance from before had disappeared.
Instead there was something else in his eyes.
Respect.
Or perhaps admiration.
Lily didn't really understand it.
But she grinned happily anyway.
"Great! I'll send you a message later!"
Then she ran toward the next arena.
Arlen watched her leave.
It was the first time he met someone his age who was able to overpower him.
He smiled slightly.
"Interesting…"