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chapter 27
Marco Krav was the only son of the Krav Viscount family.
In his remote viscountcy, he had practically reigned like a king, but upon entering the Academy, he was confronted for the first time by “real” powers far beyond his own.
When he saw them, Marco felt an intense inferiority.
Although they were of similar age and talent, unlike him—destined only to inherit a rural viscountcy—they were the ones who would someday lead the empire.
Among them, two stood out above all.
The Crown Prince of the Crocus Empire, Daeon Grace.
And the sole daughter of the empire’s most prestigious magical family, who even the emperor respected, Kanis Escliff.
Normally, Marco might have felt inferior to them but would never dare show it outwardly.
However…
“What? Princess Escliff is a non-magician?”
“That’s right. The duke went absolutely berserk. Any noble in the capital knows about it.”
When someone seemingly untouchable has a fatal flaw…
“…is that so?”
It drives people to harbor even greater malice.
The reality that someone, no better—or even seemingly worse—than oneself could surpass you is not just frustrating—it awakens a desperate urge to crush them.
This was not limited to Marco alone.
At the Academy’s Department of Magic, where only the empire’s finest gathered, Kanis Escliff—a non-magician with merely a prestigious family name—was a prime target.
The shameful delight of seeing a highborn, untouchable woman placed beneath his feet consumed him.
He was intoxicated by that lowly pleasure.
Yet…!
“Number 1 is ln7. Number 2, csca = 4π. Number 3, 17. Number 4, 0.8185. The sum of t-values for number 5 is 6…”
“When a bullet approaches a magician’s hand, insulation breaks due to the high potential difference. When that happens…”
Kanis Escliff, once hopelessly incompetent, was gradually changing.
Her head, always bowed, was now held high; her back, once hunched, was straight.
Her previously despairing blue eyes now gleamed with confidence.
Marco Krav found her new demeanor unbearably irritating.
So when she became his first opponent in the tournament preliminaries, he made up his mind.
“I’ll give her a trauma she’ll never forget.”
Even after graduating from the Academy, she wouldn’t dare lay a hand on him.
After all, as a non-magician, she might be the duke’s daughter, but she wasn’t the target of his father’s wrath.
“Try crawling like a dog and begging for mercy.”
The vile smile he gave Kanis, the petty threats—everything stemmed from this emotion.
“Maybe I’ll go easy on you, knock you out instead of worse.”
He looked at her arrogantly. Surely, after this, she would tremble in fear.
Then he could feign mercy and drag her further into despair…
‘She… should be trembling by now, right?’
Something felt off.
Kanis Escliff was staring at him with an utterly calm expression.
When he met her icy blue eyes head-on, Marco instinctively took a step back.
‘W-what is this?’
Why am I feeling like this toward her?
While he was engulfed in confusion, a cheerful voice called out from afar.
“Sis!”
“Ah, yes. I’ll be there soon.”
Kanis turned immediately and walked toward the voice.
Only then could Marco breathe a little easier.
“What? You’re just letting her go like that?”
“Mm, well…”
He shrugged at his friend’s puzzled look. He refused to admit that even a momentary fear had overtaken him in front of the girl with nothing, at least in the Department of Magic.
“In a few hours, she’ll be crushed anyway, so I’ll leave her be for now.”
“Ah, so that’s it!”
His friend patted him on the back.
“Exactly! Remember last year? This is the last time, so I’ll make sure it’s done properly.”
As he spoke, Marco regained his confidence.
Yes, there’s no way.
What just happened was merely a misunderstanding, a fleeting illusion!
‘Damn it. She dares make me feel that way?’
Thinking this made him all the more resentful. Marco clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.
‘Escliff, you won’t walk out of here unscathed today.’
Someone once said:
“If there’s one of the most miserable beings in the world, it’s the non-magician in a magical family.”
Whether such a person is truly more miserable than a street beggar is uncertain.
But among proud nobles—especially those who have produced generations of excellent magicians—this was regarded as truth.
Of course.
For them, having a non-magician blood relative was an insult.
Non-magician families could not comprehend the exalted pride of magical families. The division between magicians and non-magicians in the empire’s social circles existed for this reason.
And if there was a victim of this magical elitism, everyone would point to Kanis Escliff.
“First match in the preliminaries is Escliff versus Krav, right?”
“Ah, can’t wait.”
“Damn it, Krav is insanely lucky. Last year and again this year, drawn to her first.”
Even now, all the Academy students eagerly anticipated how she would fare from the very first match.
Some students even placed bets—not on victory or defeat, but on how long she would withstand Marco Krav.
“Five minutes for Escliff—10 kron.”
“Then I’ll say one minute.”
“One minute? How can Escliff last one minute? I’ll bet she collapses in five seconds.”
The bets were cruel mockery, wagering on how long the princess would endure against Marco Krav.
And at the center of all attention…
“Yaaawn.”
Due to lack of sleep, she yawned lazily.
‘The principal’s speech is so boring.’
Chewing her lips, Kanis skillfully used the “in one ear, out the other” technique honed over twelve years of schooling. Mei, standing close behind, whispered.
With her white hair and petite frame, Mei resembled a cautious wild rabbit.
“Sis, people are staring at you.”
“Let them.”
“Shall I poke their eyes out?”
“No, that’s a bit…”
Mei’s defensive reaction provoked her.
“Why? Because they’re pitiful?”
“No.”
Kanis smiled lazily.
“I’ll do the poking myself.”
Mei’s eyes widened.
At that moment, the tedious principal’s speech ended. The students lining the stadium brightened.
“Everyone, quickly to the stands! Early-numbered students, wait in the preparation room!”
Kanis glanced at the paper in her hand:
[Number 1]
A number impossible to forget.
The first match attracted the most attention, and for Kanis Escliff, a non-magician, it was the cruelest number.
Of course.
“Time to stop playing weak.”
If she were the non-magician Kanis Escliff.
“Sis, what did you say?”
“Nothing.”
Kanis shook her head and waved her hand.
“I’ll go first, then.”
“W-wait…”
“Watch closely from the stands.”
“No!”
Kanis paused, surprised by Mei’s answer.
Tears brimmed in Mei’s eyes, and she declared resolutely:
“I don’t want to see you in trouble. So I won’t watch.”
“What?”
“My friends said… last year, you…”
Kanis chuckled softly at Mei’s bold words.
“Mei, wasn’t I your magician?”
“That’s…”
“Then trust me this once.”
At those words, Mei’s blue eyes wavered.
Kanis whispered so only she could hear:
“I’ll win in one second.”
In the preparation room, taunts echoed from all directions.
“Here comes a freebie.”
“Marco, take her down immediately.”
“So how fast will you surrender today? Last semester, you gave up right away, didn’t you?”
She didn’t respond.
‘No wonder it’s been so hard for her to endure here.’
When Kanis entered the Academy, she was only seventeen.
Growing up excluded like this from early adolescence, it was natural that she had given up on school life entirely.
[D Group, first match begins! Relevant students, please step outside!]
She rose slowly.
‘I’ll make sure you get your revenge, Kanis.’
Stepping onto the arena floor of solid sand, it made a pleasant crunching sound.
“I’ll end this in one move.”
The man across from her kept provoking her, likely to shake her mind.
She smiled wryly.
“Shall we make a bet?”
“What about?”
“How long it will take me to knock you down.”
“Huh?”
He laughed, utterly incredulous.
“Ha! You, me? Your role from now is to beg for mercy!”
“Really? Then you’ll bet on yourself winning? Fine…”
She pointed at him decisively.
“I stake my honor that I’ll knock you down in one second.”
“What?”
He frowned.
“You have no honor to stake!”
“Oh, right.”
“Now I do.”
The title of a historically unparalleled genius was about to emerge.
“What nonsense…”
A flame flared in his hand as the referee raised a whistle.
And…
–Beeeeeep!
The buzzer sounded. She raised one hand.
“Futile resistance…!”
[Current (A)]
Crack! A blue flash erupted. He fell, convulsing, unable to scream.
She glanced at the magical scoreboard and whistled.
[0.87 seconds]
“I win.”
Immediately, a chilling silence fell over the stadium.
It was a signal.
With that strike, everyone realized the ignored “Kanis Escliff” was no longer an inferior non-magician.
Moreover…
“Beg… like a… dog…!”
Those who had looked down on her would soon pay.
She approached him slowly.
“Crawl like a dog and beg for mercy.”
Then, she stepped on his writhing hand and smiled brightly.
“Maybe I’ll go easy on you, knock you out instead of worse?”
