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Davion asked,
"Everyone's already a pro."
"Yeah. They're trying to humiliate me. It's always like this. If anyone praises me even a little, they immediately try to crush me."
This time, Karin asked,
"Have you always lost?"
"Well, there's an age difference..."
"Latia, you're the eldest daughter of the direct line, right? What about your father or mother? Don't they protect you?"
Davion answered instead.
"I guess they want her to overcome it on her own."
"What is this? Are you Latia's spokesperson, Davion?"
"She's too shy to say it herself. If I let Latia answer directly..."
Karin imitated Latia's tone.
"She would have said, 'Not really.'"
Davion nodded.
"Or, 'Not much.'"
Latia glared.
"Are you guys making fun of me right now?"
"No."
"No, we're not?"
Davion turned to look at the collateral cousins.
"So, what are you going to do? Latia?"
"About what?"
"Those three guys. You need to show them the power of the eldest daughter of the direct line."
"It won't be easy. They're all cousins who have already secured positions."
"You've improved a lot this past year. You're different from before. It'll be worth a try."
Latia looked at Davion.
"You think so?"
"Why, don't you?"
"No. I have improved a lot, but..."
"Have confidence. Where did the confident Latia Meridiem go? You were so haughty at the academy. I haven't seen that side of you since yesterday evening."
"Is it that obvious?"
"Very."
A moment later.
Latia frowned.
"Damn it. Let's do it."
"That's the spirit, Latia."
The cousins and Latia's group stood facing each other, about 10 meters apart.
The cousin in the middle opened his mouth.
"Latia. It's been a while since a magic duel, hasn't it? Let's see how much you've learned at the academy."
The guy next to him chimed in.
"Didn't you just finish your first year? You've barely shed your rookie skin, right? You were a total rookie before you went there."
"They called her a genius, and she got so cocky, thinking the world was her oyster. You'll have to learn a lesson from your older cousins again today."
"Just because she's the eldest daughter of a duke's family, everyone fawns over her. Only family can teach you that the world isn't so easy. Right?"
Karin, who was listening to their taunts, asked,
"Latia, are you an outcast?"
Latia answered without turning her head.
"Something like that."
"Being the eldest daughter of a duke's family isn't all good, is it? Have you lived like this your whole life?"
"Yeah."
"Why are they so wary of you? Because you're a magical prodigy?"
"Because I'm a candidate to be the next head of the family."
"Ah..."
Davion slowly nodded.
'I think I might know who's behind the head of the family assassination attempt...'
The next head of the family is chosen based on skill, but.
Naturally, the direct line descendants have priority.
Latia's father also became the head of the family because he was the most skilled among the eight direct line descendants.
The current head of the family only has Latia and her younger brother as direct line descendants.
'If there isn't a direct line descendant capable of succeeding the head of the family, they'll expand the candidate pool to include the collateral lines.'
Davion said,
"Let's talk about that next head of the family candidate thing later, Latia."
"Why all of a sudden?"
Because I'm going to save your dad.
Let's take care of these guys first.
Davion looked at the men who were still taunting and slandering Latia.
They were in their mid to late twenties.
Even though they were from the collateral line, they had the Meridiem family blood, so their mana affinity would be high.
Besides.
'They must be skilled enough to be aiming for the position of next head of the family.'
But our side isn't easy to deal with either.
Not to mention Davion.
Karin was a secret project raised by the royal magic division since she was 4 years old, and.
Latia is also growing faster than ever.
Plus, since we've formed a 3-person party, the 'Leader's Dignity' trait is also activated.
"Okay, then, shall we begin?"
Flames erupted from the hands of the guy in the middle, and soon became a huge pillar of fire, engulfing Latia's group.
Just as Latia was about to create an ice shield.
Davion grabbed Latia's wrist.
"What?"
"Concentrate all your energy on attacking. You need to give those guys a good hit. You've been putting up with this for too long."
Crack.
The ice barrier created by Davion blocked their path.
Boom!
The pillar of fire struck the ice barrier.
But the ice barrier created by Davion didn't break or melt.
People watching could be heard murmuring.
The guy who shot the pillar of fire also seemed flustered, as he poured even more magic into it.
But Davion's ice barrier still didn't budge.
"Karin."
"Yeah?"
"I know you don't get along with Latia. But let's help out today. Let's both support Latia as much as possible. So that Latia can successfully land a proper attack on those guys."
"What do you take me for?"
"You're not going to help?"
"No. I was going to do that even if you didn't say anything, Davion."
Davion nodded and then looked at Latia.
"Latia. You know what I mean, right?"
"Huh? Yeah."
"Don't worry about anything else and just focus on landing a proper attack. Karin and I will take care of the rest."
"Okay."
"Give them a good hit. You can do it, right?"
After hesitating for a moment, Latia nodded fiercely.
"Yeah. I can do it."
"Good. Let's go."
Edgar Meridiem.
27 years old.
His mother is the second daughter of the former head of the family.
His father is also from a noble family, but he took his mother's surname.
This would be unusual in other families.
But if you become a member of the Meridiem family, it's a different story.
It is advantageous in every way to be affiliated with the Meridiem family, even if it means doing this.
"Damn it!"
He had the skills to enter the guard or the royal magic division.
But in order to not live far away from his family, he took a job as a soldier in the local defense force where the Meridiem dukedom is located.
He chose to remain by his family's side rather than taking a high-ranking position in the royal court.
He has never missed a single family event so far.
His mother and her eight siblings are commonly referred to as the first generation.
And their children are called the second generation.
Edgar Meridiem is one of the most skilled of the second generation.
He also maintains a seemingly amicable relationship with his collateral cousins.
"This, this is..."
Fortunately, the age gap between him and the magically gifted Latia Meridiem, who was born into the direct line, is 10 years.
If she were the same age as Latia.
He would never have been able to surpass Latia.
The crazy genius girl.
Latia Meridiem.
Whether it will be 5 years or 10 years from now.
It is only a matter of time before he is caught up by his 10-year-younger genius cousin.
"What the heck..."
He needs to solidify his position in the family as much as possible before that happens.
And he needs to suppress Latia as much as possible, who was born into the direct line and has a genius talent.
To the point where she doesn't even dare to compete with him.
Even if he does that, the position of the next head of the family is still much more likely to go to Latia.
No, it's almost certain.
But he can't just give up and do nothing.
But now...
"What's going on!"
Even the attack he poured all his magic into at once.
Even the rapidly fired attacks that were practically his specialty.
Even the unorthodox attacks that he sent out based on his combat experience in the defense force.
"How are you blocking them all!"
A certain guy who is Latia's first-year friend is blocking them all.
'What is that guy doing!'
It wasn't just Edgar who was flustered.
The other two cousins were also sweating profusely.
Their attacks are all blocked by Latia's friends.
And Latia's occasional attacks are...
Boom!
Extremely powerful.
'How much did Latia improve in just one year...'
What the heck happened at the academy?
How could she grow so much in just one year and come back?
He had been thinking that Latia might catch up to him by the time she graduated from the academy.
But if she improves this quickly.
'She'll catch up to me before I even graduate!'
No.
Maybe.
In today's battle.
'I might lose!'
Davion, who had offset the opponent's wind elemental magic attack with his own wind elemental magic, opened his mouth.
"Latia, not like that. Just take your time and unleash a big one. Those guys are blocking all your attacks anyway. Well, it looks like they're barely managing to block them."
"If I prepare a big attack, it will only give them time to prepare a bigger magic."
That's true.
"I see. Then Karin."
"What is it, again."
"Now you attack too."
"What?"
"I'll block everything. You just attack."
"I thought we were just supporting."
"That's right. So don't use big attacks. Just keep launching small attacks. So they can't prepare a big attack."
Karin nodded.
"I see what you mean. But can you block all of that alone, Davion? They're not ordinary."
"That's why you need to torment them more."
Suddenly Karin grinned.
"Torment them, you say? Got it."
"Good. Then Latia, you prepare a big one now. Don't worry about anything. An attack that those cousins or those petty guys can't block."
Latia nodded.
"Okay."
Karin raised both hands above her head.
"Mine takes a little time to prepare. Hang in there, Davion."
"What are you talking about! I told you to keep launching small attacks."
"I'm going to torment them properly, so just hang in there. You can handle it alone for a little while, right?"
"...Alright."
Boom!
At the same time as blocking a fireball that flew at him with an ice barrier.
With his left hand, he launched a wind elemental magic, offsetting the opponent's wind elemental magic attack.
At that time.
A sharp wind elemental magic that another guy sent, avoiding the ice barrier, flew in.
"Are you telling me to die if I can't block that? Sending something so big and sharp."
Swish.
With a light complaint, an ice sword was gripped in Davion's right hand.
Swoosh!
With a large slash from top to bottom from the ice sword.
The wind elemental magic was cut off.
Several members of the family who watched this scene gasped.
"Where did that sword suddenly come from?"
"That's not the point. Did that child just cut off the wind elemental magic with a sword?"
"Judging by the way he uses the sword, it seems to be that child who is doing a double major."
Boom!
Pow!
While Davion was barely blocking the attacks of the three people.
Karin's voice was heard from behind.
A somewhat excited voice for some reason.
"It's done!"
"If it's done, do something quickly. I'm too busy blocking all three attacks to think straight."
"Look forward to it."
Crack. Crack.
The ground in front of Karin began to crack.
Large and small stones and rocks floated up from the cracks.
Karin flicked a finger.
Swoosh.
With a sharp tearing sound, a fist-sized stone flew.
Latia clicked her tongue.
"Is she mixing earth elemental magic and psychokinesis right now?"
"She's really amazing. Karin Obelia."
One of the cousins quickly erected an ice shield.
"Those petty tricks! Not a chance."
Thud!
The flying stone was deeply embedded in the ice shield.
Karin grinned.
"Petty tricks?"
Even as she said that, stones and rocks continued to rise from the cracks.
Karin began to flick her fingers in succession, as if playing an instrument.
Whoosh!
Large and small rocks flew toward the three cousins.
With a suitable time difference and suitable size distribution.
It was such precise control that even the Meridiem family adults would be surprised.
The opponent was blocking Karin's continuous attacks and trying to counterattack from time to time.
But the magical attacks that were made by barely squeezing in a gap between Karin's frantic continuous attacks.
Were woefully inadequate to overcome Davion's wall.
The back-and-forth offense and defense continued for a long time.
From behind Davion and Karin, Latia's voice was heard.
"It's done."
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