The Blue Mage Raised by Dragons

by Virlyce

  “For the ranged bracket, the test is no longer a one-on-one tournament. Instead, the competitors will be tested through these golems. As ranged attackers, it is their duty to stay behind and wreak havoc on the enemy’s frontlines. The three winners will be determined by the number of golems they destroy within an hour. This not only tests their strength but also their accuracy and mana management.”

  Lillian frowned. “Aren’t the golems physically sturdy? What if we don’t use magic?” she shouted at the referee. Paul sighed as the nobles around them snickered and commented on her interruption.

  The referee smirked. “Oh? There’s actually a hunter competing as a ranged attacker. I didn’t realize we had such a backwater noble who still used a bow. You’ll just have to adapt, I suppose.” The referee shrugged.

  Lillian ground her teeth, and her bow staff creaked as she tightened her grip. Paul put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed. Lillian exhaled and nodded, biting her lower lip. There were traces of tears in the corners of her eyes. Vur frowned.

  “As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted,” the referee said while glancing at Lillian, “it’s only the person who destroys the golems that gets the points. It doesn’t matter if you were the one who weakened it.

  “The healer competition is also going to be related to these golems. Once the golems are destroyed, the eight competing healers will restore them. Only restorations on a fully destroyed golem count. The warrior competition will continue as planned once the ranged and healing competitions conclude. I wish you all the best of luck.”

  The eighteen ranged competitors lined up side-by-side with Vur and Lillian on the rightmost end. Roy was on the leftmost end, his eyes staring straight ahead. The eight healers were on a platform behind the competitors.

  The referee climbed off the golem and positioned himself at the side of the field. “You have one hour,” he announced. The golems’ eyes lit up as their bodies moved. “Begin!”

  The majority of the students chanted while a few waved their staves, sending spells towards the golems. The golems dodged and blocked the projectiles with their arms in return. Vur raised his staff into the air, closed his eyes, and chanted in a low hum. Lillian bit her lower lip as she focused mana into her arrow and drew her bow. A loud twanging sound reverberated through the field as the arrow struck a golem, sending cracks through its head. It wobbled, but steadied itself before a ball of ice struck its already cracked head and knocked it over.

  The noble next to Lillian snickered. “That’s one for me,” he said as he raised his staff and chanted again.

  A green light enveloped the fallen golem, and its head reformed before it stood up again. The pope nodded his head and smiled at his daughter who had just cast a simple cure spell.

  Lillian stomped her feet and nocked another arrow, storing mana inside of it. A lightning bolt struck a golem, leaving a crack in its head. She loosed her arrow at the golem. It flew straight and true, approaching the crack in the golem’s forehead. An instant before the arrow made contact, a green light enveloped the golem and mended the wound. The arrow smashed into the golem, but it remained standing.

  Lillian wheeled her body around and glared at the healers. One of them grinned and scratched his head. “Oops,” he said. “I guess I healed it too early. Better luck next time.”

  Lillian ground her teeth together and inhaled as she closed her eyes. She turned back around and nocked another arrow, storing mana again. She didn’t come all the way to the capital to fail during the competition. Sweat formed on her brow as her face paled. Before she took another shot, the ground trembled underneath her and she paused, turning towards Vur.

  “The Lightning God’s Fury!” Vur shouted and swung his staff towards the ground. A vortex of air swirled around his body, silencing the whole region. All eyes, competitors’ and spectators’ alike, widened.

  “Aren’t all the competitors under twenty-five?” the pope asked the king. The king nodded with his mouth open.

  Hundreds of thunderbolts rained down from the sky, obliterating the golems and setting fire to the field. The competitors fell onto their hands and knees as the ground shook from the impacts. The children in the crowd of spectators wailed in their mothers’ arms.

  “This—,” Michelle said before shaking her head and scrambling to her feet. A white aura surrounded her body as she chanted, ignoring the ringing in her ears.

  Vur snorted and raised his staff, ignoring everyone’s gazes. He closed his eyes as low murmurs escaped from his lips.

  “That’s monstrous,” the pope said as he raised a barrier around himself and the king. “We need to have him.”

  The king chuckled. “Well, he’s clearly going to win.”

  “That’s not what I meant,” the pope said as he lowered his voice. “Imagine if a sacred spirit rested inside of his body instead of just blessing it.”

  The king’s eyes narrowed. “Your daughter and my son are part of this too,” he said. “I refuse.”

  “We can let the spirits bless all the winners normally,” the pope said as he waved his hand. “Then we wait a year for the spirits to recover and invite the boy back for some other reasons.”

  The king rubbed his chin as he narrowed his eyes at Vur. “Can the possession fail?”

  “The spirits aren’t that weak.”

  A white pillar of light rained down from the sky and crashed into the burning field, removing the fire and recovering the golems’ injuries. Their disintegrated bodies reformed, dust particle by dust particle. Michelle gasped and broke out into a cold sweat as she stumbled. Her face was pale, but her lips were drawn into a wide smile.

  A ball of lightning formed in the air above the golems, crackling, but not striking. Sweat rolled down Vur’s back as more and more balls of lightning manifested in the air. He tapped Lillian’s shoulder and pointed at the golems as he continued chanting. Lillian furrowed her brow before loading her bow. The other competitors glanced at each other and proceeded with their own attacks when they realized Vur wasn’t going to strike.

  Lillian loosed her arrow and cracked a golem. A noble smirked and followed up with a ball of fire. Vur snorted and a lightning ball tore the golem apart before the fireball reached it. The noble glared at Vur who didn’t even notice his gaze. Every time a noble was about to destroy a golem, a bolt of lightning would strike it. The only exceptions were Roy, who was able to destroy the golems with a single surprise hit from underground, and Lillian.

  Vur ignored the jeers and gazes for a full hour, continuously chanting and forming more balls of lightning. The lightning only dissipated when the referee called time.

  “For the ranged competition, first place goes to Vurdurr with a total of 97 golems destroyed,” the referee announced. “Second place goes to Roy with a total of 20 golems destroyed. Third place goes to Lillian with a total of eight golems destroyed.”

  “That wasn’t fair!”

  The other competitors shouted and booed the referee. Yells of agreement rang throughout the field. Vur crossed his arms as he focused on regaining his breath. Rivulets of sweat ran down his body, soaking the ground beneath.

  “Shut up!” Michelle yelled. “All of you, just shut up!” The students froze with their mouths open. Michelle’s face turned red, and she let out a cough. “I’m disappointed in every one of you. You should be ashamed. None of you wanted to fight Vurdurr in a one-on-one match, so you petitioned for a group competition where you could gang up on him and Lillian.” She put her hands on her hips. “Now you’re crying because the two of them beat you. This isn’t how nobles of prestigious households should act.”

  “Well said!” the king said and nodded at her. She smiled back.

  The referee cleared his throat. “And the winner of the healer competition goes to Michelle with a total of 83 golems healed.” The spectators applauded. “The warrior competition will begin in an hour after the field has been adjusted.”

  Vur turned to face the competing nobles. “I’
m sorry,” he said. “It must feel terrible to lose to a backwater noble. My condolences.” He turned around and walked out of the field, followed by a smiling Lillian.

  “That was amazing. I thought I was going to go deaf,” Paul said as he burst out into laughter. “It doesn’t matter if Lillian offended every single noble in the capital. You’re definitely worth more.” He thumped Vur’s shoulder. “Let’s celebrate; drinks on me.”

  Michelle cleared her throat next to the trio. “Hi,” she said. “Can I come too?”

  Lillian tilted her head and creased her brow. “You don’t hate me?” she asked as she edged towards Paul.

  “It was only a dress,” Michelle said. “And a shower got rid of the puke smell.”

  “Not completely,” Vur said.

  “Excuse me?”

  “Nothing. You’re not going to watch the warrior competition?”

  “Like I’d want to watch that obnoxious twit,” Michelle said as she glanced at Lillian and grinned.

  “I mean … if you don’t mind…,” Lillian said as she scratched her head. “I thought he was your boyfriend, you know, with the way he was acting and all.”

  Michelle rolled her eyes. “He’s not. He’s just very…. Ugh.”

  “Oh,” Lillian said as she placed her hands on Paul’s shoulders. “This is Paul. He’s my cousin.” She turned towards Paul. “You should know who she is, unlike someone.” Her eyes flitted towards Vur.

  “Um, hello,” Paul said, his face tinged with a faint red color. “What do I address you as?

  “Just call me Michelle,” Michelle said and curtsied.

  Paul nodded and wheeled around. “A-alright. Drinks, yeah?” he asked as he willed his face to cool down.

  Vur said to Lillian, “He seems to be unwell.”

  Lillian smirked.

  33

  “Lady Tafel, the young master from the house of Sinnlos has sent you another gift,” Retter said as he stood in front of an oak door.

  “Again? Didn’t I tell him to leave me alone?” Tafel’s voice came from behind the door.

  “He’s very obstinate, my lady. I’m afraid he’ll keep pestering you until you give him a chance.”

  Tafel sighed as she got dressed. She observed herself in the mirror and adjusted her hair before nodding to herself. “Can I execute him?” she asked as she strapped her sword to her back.

  “I-I’m just a sentry, Lady Tafel. It would be better to ask your mother that question.”

  Tafel opened the door and stepped out as Retter moved aside. “You’ve been in employment since my father was the demon lord,” she said and narrowed her eyes at him. “Surely you must have some opinion on the matter.”

  “As a sentry, my opinion should not hold any weight in the upper echelons,” Retter said as sweat rolled down his back. “But if my lady insists on knowing, I think you shouldn’t execute him. The Sinnlos family is a major backer of the capital. They contributed a lot to the reconstruction of the city after the zombie incident.”

  Tafel sighed. “Fine. Tell him he has to obtain three things before he can meet with me: the tooth of an infant dragon, the fart of a unicorn, and the hairs from the eyebrows of a phoenix.”

  “Understood,” Retter said as he nodded his head. “The tooth of an infant dragon, the fart of a unicorn, and the hairs from the eyebrows of a phoenix.” His brow creased. “Do phoenixes even have eyebrows?”

  “No,” Tafel said as she stretched her arms above her head. “I need a vacation from all this demon lord work. Tell my mom to substitute in for me. Thanks.” Her horns glowed silver, and she disappeared from the hall.

  “But it’s only your third day…,” Retter mumbled as he scratched his head. He shrugged and proceeded towards Mina’s living chambers.

  ***

  Lindyss rubbed her temples and sighed. She was sitting next to Grimmy with her legs dangling off the edge of a cliff. There was still no news on the location of the fairies even with her skeletons and bats searching in full force. Ten years of searching had been fruitless.

  “Just relax,” Grimmy said as he yawned and flapped his wings. “We can handle anything Stella throws at us.” The Awe-Inspiring White Flame, Little Miss Floofykins squealed as she was displaced and slid off Grimmy’s back.

  Lindyss sighed again and leaned back onto her arms. She frowned as she sensed a vortex of magic forming behind her. “Didn’t I tell Exzenter not to follow me?” she asked as she lobbed a small fireball over her shoulder without looking back.

  Lindyss’ eyes narrowed, and she tilted her head as the fireball shot back towards her, almost burning her hair. She turned her head around. “Sorry,” she said to the ten-horned demon. “I thought you were someone else.”

  Tafel lowered her sword. “Hi, Auntie.”

  “Tafel?” Lindyss asked as she raised an eyebrow. “You’ve grown.” A blue blur darted past Lindyss towards Tafel.

  Tafel’s body flickered, and she grasped Floofykins by one of her hind legs. “This is…?” Tafel asked as Floofykins snarled and snapped at her arm.

  “Vur’s granddaughter, The Awe-Inspiring White Flame, Little Miss Floofykins,” Lindyss said. “Her mother’s a phoenix.”

  Tafel flipped Floofykins onto her back and tickled her belly. “Let me guess. Vur named her.”

  Lindyss’ lips quirked upwards. “It was that obvious, huh?”

  Tafel nodded as Floofykins squealed in protest. For a while, only Floofykins made any sounds.

  “You’re not going to ask about him?” Lindyss asked, leaning against Grimmy’s belly.

  Tafel bit her lip. “Should I?” she replied as she tossed the protesting Floofykins up and down. “He never contacted me this whole time.”

  “He was comatose for ten years,” Lindyss said as she observed Tafel’s face. It froze. “He woke up three months ago and wanted to look for you, but I persuaded him not to.”

  Tafel knitted her eyebrows and frowned. “Then I guess I can’t be too angry at him,” Tafel said after a while and sighed. “Is he alright?”

  Lindyss nodded and caught Floofykins as she flew into her arms. “He was really miserable about the whole ‘almost killing you’ incident,” she said as she preened Floofykins wings. “Most likely still is. I sent him to the human kingdom to vent a bit.”

  “Is that fine?” Tafel asked and raised an eyebrow.

  “He’ll be alright.”

  “I meant for the humans.”

  “Oh. Probably. If there’s an incident, I can always play the ‘you stole a dragon’s baby’ card,” Lindyss said and smiled. “Are you going to go look for him?”

  Tafel lowered her head. “I’m not sure what I would say if I met him.”

  “How about, ‘hi, my name is Tafel. You almost killed me before. Please take responsibility.’ That sounds good, right?” Grimmy asked and grinned.

  “No!” Tafel protested and shook her head. Her face turned red. “Actually, that might work…”

  Grimmy chuckled. “Of course it would. I wouldn’t have suggested it otherwise.”

  Lindyss nodded. “His personality hasn’t changed too much after all,” she said to Tafel who was drawing circles in the ground with a stick. “You seem unsure.”

  “I’m not sure if I’m strong enough to not be a burden. What if someone dies for me again?” Tafel sighed. “I trained a lot at Fuselage. I’m stronger than Dustin and a few members of Swirling Wind, but Vur was stronger than them ten years ago. I was pretty confident in my abilities before coming back,” she said and glanced at Grimmy. “But seeing a dragon again just reminds me of how small I actually am.”

  The ground trembled as Grimmy laughed. “Everything’s small when faced with a dragon,” he said and puffed up his chest.

  Lindyss snorted and smacked Grimmy’s side. “Would you like to fight against me?” she asked Tafel. “I can tell you how close or far away you are from Vur.”

  Tafel raised her head. “Really?”

  “Of course,” Lindyss said and stood up
while stretching. “I won’t be going easy though.”

  Tafel flashed her teeth and unsheathed her zweihander. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  Grimmy placed Floofykins on his head and took a few steps back. “Use the new soul I gave you,” Grimmy called out to Lindyss. She made a face.

  “We’ll see,” Lindyss said. “Ready?”

  Tafel nodded as she exhaled and tightened her grip on her sword. “Ready.”

  Lindyss stamped her foot, and a spear of earth shot out of the ground underneath Tafel. Tafel slid backwards and slashed her sword downwards, breaking the earthen spear and sending a blade of wind towards Lindyss. Lindyss waved her hand and a wall of air disrupted the wind blade. Tafel disappeared and Lindyss whipped her body around, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

  Tafel’s blade cut towards Lindyss, but a black layer of mist on Lindyss’ arms absorbed the slash. The mist rumbled as if it was boiling, and spikes emerged from the darkness, shooting outwards at Tafel. A chill ran down Tafel’s spine as she held her breath and disappeared again, this time, materializing in the air above and behind Lindyss. A chain made of shadows rose out of the ground and wrapped itself around Tafel’s ankle as Lindyss whirled around, blocking the blade with her arms. Tafel’s body jerked backwards as the chain whipped her towards the ground. She tried to teleport, but the chain flashed with a black light and her spell failed. She summoned a cushion of air behind herself an instant before she slammed into the ground.

  Tafel exhaled sharply and gritted her teeth as the chain dragged her along the ground. The runes on her sword glowed with a white light, and she slashed it against the chain before rolling backwards and dodging a fireball flying towards her. The chain dissolved into a black liquid that merged back into Lindyss’ shadow.

  Lindyss raised an eyebrow. “Nice sword,” she said as thirty purple balls of fire materialized and circled around her body.

  Tafel grunted and stabbed her sword into the ground. A blue snake emerged from the sword’s edge and slithered towards Lindyss, leaving a trail of ice behind it. Tafel dragged her sword through the ground as she ran in a circle around Lindyss, surrounding her with snakes. Lindyss ignored them and threw lightning bolts at Tafel as the purple fireballs defended her from the ice autonomously.