How to Survive as a Mage Inside a Game-Chapter 55: Altius Summons (5)

Karl grinned cheekily and said,

"If you’d like, I can participate in the friendly duel as well."

"...Regardless of the result of the duel, we’ve already secured the distribution rights to the mana stone mine. If it’s just about the duel, there’s no reason to include you."

"Hmm, is that so?"

Karl glanced at Sharon, who was still staring blankly ahead.

"But for something that supposedly doesn’t matter, both she and that other guy earlier—seems like quite a bit of effort went into selecting the participants."

"......"

"Not sure what Sky Sword Castle is thinking, but from Altius’s side, the goal is probably to win the duel first and figure things out later, right?"

Hurst was quite surprised by how sharply Karl saw through the situation.

Karl gave another faint smile and said,

"No matter how I look at it, bringing me along won’t hurt you in any way."

"...Even without you, we’ll win the duel."

"Yes, of course you will. But in life, there’s always an ‘if,’ isn’t there?"

Kgh!

Hurst let out a pained groan and shook his head.

Personally, he really didn’t like the idea—but as Karl said, there was no real downside to bringing him along on the Sky Sword Castle trip.

They didn’t yet know what form the duel would take, but regardless, a 5-circle like Karl was practically a guaranteed win in any scenario.

In the end, Hurst gave his permission.

"Fine. You’ll be included in the lineup."

"Haha, thank you."

"...You’re craftier than your master. You’re more like Elder Seindal."

At the mention of Seindal again, Karl finally realized.

He’d been so caught up in the Sky Sword Castle business that he forgot to ask about him.

"How is Elder Seindal doing?"

"Nice of you to finally ask. Come to think of it, ever since you visited the main branch, he’s been holed up in his lab and hasn’t shown his face."

From that, Karl could tell Seindal was continuing Jeron’s research.

‘Now that I think about it, I’m kind of curious. What exactly was in the research Jeron left behind?’

It was tied to the Main Quest, so it definitely wasn’t ordinary.

Karl soon set the thought aside.

It wasn’t something he’d figure out by pondering it, and it wasn’t a pressing issue anyway.

Right now, he only needed to focus on finding the Fragments of Dimension.

‘Oh, right. I wonder if those two made it safely.’

Fluren and Barrett, the two disciples—images of them briefly crossed his mind.

If they moved quickly, they might have arrived at the main branch by now.

‘Well, I’m sure they’ll handle the rest just fine.’

After a few more exchanges, the conversation came to a close.

"When do we depart for the Blade Ridge?"

"The day after tomorrow. If you need to prepare or pack anything, do it before then."

Elder Hurst stood up first.

Karl gave a small bow, then looked over at Sharon as she stood up.

[Lv.48]

[Disciple of an Altius Elder]

She had clearly grown stronger compared to the last time he saw her.

She only needed two more levels to reach 5-circle.

Of course, gaining those two levels would be very difficult.

"You too. Good work. Keep training hard."

"...!!"

She glared at Karl, trembling with rage.

Karl also realized—just a little too late—that what he said might’ve sounded like he was mocking her and pointing out the gap between them.

‘Well, if it fires her up, it’ll help her improve.’

Hurst gave Karl one last disapproving look, then led his granddaughter away.

Left alone, Karl crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair.

‘That settles the Sky Sword Castle trip.’

Now all that was left was to meet the Lord of Sky Sword Castle in person and get the Fragment of Dimension.

Karl fell into thought.

He had no interest in the duel itself, but the one who arranged this whole setup—he had no choice but to pay attention to him.

What exactly was the reason for proposing this friendly duel with Altius?

* * *

Blade Ridge.

Just as the intimidating name suggested, jagged rocks jutted across the entire range like massive sword blades embedded upside-down into the earth. Sharp-cut gorges and cliffs were strewn across the terrain, adding to its menace.

Even in this seemingly unscalable place, a few relatively passable trails existed.

Following one of them led to a towering fortress built atop a high peak.

Sky Sword Castle.

One of the Five Great Martial Sects of the continent.

At the top of the castle’s central tower, a red-haired man stood with his hands behind his back, overlooking the landscape.

The aura he gave off—subtle but undeniable—carried the dominating presence of someone who had reached the peak.

He was none other than the current Lord of Sky Sword Castle: Bashon Hexer.

"Lord, a report."

A martial artist approached silently from behind, bowed, and spoke.

"Altius has accepted the friendly duel proposal. The Dakin siblings stayed behind to guide them here."

"Is that so? Good work."

Bashon nodded and let out a faint chuckle.

"The old men must’ve debated that one for a while. Probably stirred up all sorts of useless suspicion."

The martial artist cautiously replied,

"People might think that Sky Sword Castle is trying to kick off some grand movement across the continent... starting by defeating Altius."

"That’s likely. And that’s fine. It means they’ll take the duel seriously."

Altius had brought what they considered their top talents for the duel.

That was exactly what Bashon had hoped would happen.

Sure, he could’ve pressured them by saying they’d only hand over distribution rights to the mana stone mine if they won.

But Altius was one of the greatest magic schools on the continent.

Even for an insular group like Sky Sword Castle, openly antagonizing Altius would’ve been troublesome.

The true purpose of this friendly duel?

Altius had guessed wrong.

Preparing for Sky Sword Castle’s expansion? Broadening its influence?

Bashon didn’t care about any of that.

Some previous lords had dreamt such ambitions, but not Bashon Hexer.

He was a warrior, through and through.

There was no sinister plot behind this proposal.

Only one reason.

"Also, the young lady..."

At the continued report, Bashon’s brow furrowed.

There was exactly one person in this world capable of shaking his iron-like mental composure.

Just hearing her name from his subordinates made exhaustion rise within him.

"She’s been quiet lately. What is it this time?"

"...She crossed the Belter Gorge alone and just returned to the castle. Brought back a Trihop horn—said to make some tonic for the warriors."

Bashon pressed his forehead with a hand.

Beyond Belter Gorge was a danger zone where even Sky Sword Castle’s senior warriors could die if they slipped up. And Trihops, of all things?

"...Was she hurt?"

"She came back covered in dust, but otherwise unharmed."

"Then tell her to come see me. Now."

The martial artist hesitated.

"She... already slipped out of the castle again."

Meaning she’d run off, knowing she’d be summoned.

Bashon let out a deep sigh.

Akion Hexer.

His one and only child. Sky Sword Castle’s sole heir.

And the reason for Bashon’s current headaches.

Visit freewёbnoνel.com for the best novel reading experience.

‘What am I supposed to do with that girl?’

Calling her unruly would be a massive understatement.

Sometimes, she’d hole herself up in her room for days like the dead or lay on tree branches, spacing out. Other times, like now, she’d sneak out and wander the dangerous mountain ranges like it was nothing.

When was the last time he saw her holding a sword in the training hall?

The heir to Sky Sword Castle, wasting her days without any purpose or discipline.

No one—not even Bashon himself—could control her.

Forced suppression wasn’t a solution.

Bashon understood the root of the problem.

Where her indifference and chaos came from.

"Even too much talent can be a curse... sigh."

Heaven-blessed sword talent.

Before even reaching adulthood, she had already bested Sky Sword Castle’s top warriors—overwhelming strength.

That absurd level of talent was what ultimately drained her will.

Bashon had gone through something similar in his youth, but he hadn’t been able to offer her any guidance.

Her potential far exceeded his own.

What she needed was a rival.

Of course, there were plenty in Sky Sword Castle stronger than her.

Her father, the lord himself. The elders and executive officers. Many others.

But no one her age.

Not just her age—there wasn’t even anyone slightly older who could match her.

That was the problem.

You might wonder why age matters when choosing a rival, but it wasn’t so simple.

Especially for a genius like her.

Sure, they might be stronger now—but with just a bit of time, she’d easily surpass them. So why bother feeling competitive or impatient?

It was an absurd arrogance... and yet, an undeniable fact.

That was how monstrous her talent was.

Even Bashon couldn’t predict how far she’d climb ten years from now.

While deep in thought, he received a message from Altius about the mana stone mine.

And then a thought crossed his mind.

Perhaps—just perhaps—one of the continent’s top magic schools might have a genius to rival her.

Even if not a perfect match, someone strong enough to light a fire in her again.

It would be her first time facing a mage, too. The duel could be a fresh kind of stimulus.

‘I really hope this becomes a turning point for her.’

As he wished for that outcome, Bashon also felt quietly confident.

Not as a blindly doting parent—but as the head of Sky Sword Castle, making a cold, objective judgment.

Among her age group, there was no one on the continent stronger than her.