Chapter 26: You Want to Have a Battle of Wits with This Monarch?

Leon watched Fiora on the field, lost in thought.

What is Fiora planning?

From his usual observations, Leon had always felt that Fiora was a silly girl.
But in truth, she was the ruler of the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Mountain—the King of the Ice Dragon Clan—a supreme existence that transcended humanity.

Perhaps I’ve… underestimated Fiora.
Or perhaps she’s simply been pretending all along?

“Lord Sword Saint, what do you think regarding the cooperation…?”

Catching the Grand Sage’s puzzled gaze, Leon decided to push Fiora’s plan forward, a business-like smile curling on his lips.

“Lord Grand Sage, it’s nothing.”
“Please take care of us in the future.”

“Oh, oh! Wonderful! This old man couldn’t ask for more.”
The Grand Sage’s wrinkled face relaxed.

Just then, a mage entered from outside the training grounds and came to the Grand Sage’s side.

“Lord Grand Sage, I have something to report…”

He whispered into the Grand Sage’s ear.
The Grand Sage’s expression shifted slightly. With a nod, he dismissed the mage.

“What’s wrong?” Leon asked.

“The King has returned to Sunrise City,” the Grand Sage replied.
“He will be receiving envoys from other countries today. My subordinate was simply informing me of the news.”

“Oh.”

Leon feigned indifference, shifting his gaze back to the training grounds—though his heart churned.
This was significant news.

Whether it was the King the Grand Sage spoke of or the one the dragon-slaying team had mentioned, they were one and the same: the monarch of the Donghui Kingdom—the Donghui Emperor.
He ruled with an absolute iron fist, crushing all resistance through sheer military might.
A cold, arrogant man whose mind was impossible to read… and the originator of the dragon-slaying plan.

Leon had a feeling that for Fiora’s sake, he would one day have to face the Donghui Emperor—and when that time came, it would likely be…

While Leon was lost in thought, the crowd suddenly erupted into cheers.
The training ground test had reached its final stage: actual combat.
And the two opponents? None other than the ones everyone had been watching—Fiora and Roland.

***

In the final round, Fiora was unexpectedly matched against Roland.

By etiquette, the two had to shake hands before the duel to show goodwill.

Fiora, avoiding Roland’s fierce stare, stiffly walked forward.
“Please… take care of me…” she said, extending her hand. She was not used to facing strangers.

“…”

“Ouch!”

The instant their hands touched, Fiora flinched, a grimace flashing across her face.
Roland had covertly cast an electric shock spell, sending a jolt through Fiora’s palm and numbing it briefly.

“You—You! What are you doing!”

Roland, knowing she’d broken the rules, simply pushed her glasses up and smiled wickedly.
“Little b*tch, you actually dare to seduce Lord Leon. How shameless.”

“Little b*tch? Seduce?” Fiora froze.
It was hard to imagine such words coming from someone who seemed so quiet.

“Hmph… still trying to play the pitiful damsel in distress? Disgusting.
Don’t think you can do whatever you want just because you’re cute.
I’ve sealed a portion of your magic power—let’s see how you plan to cast spells and fight me now.”

“That’s too despicable!”

“Despicable? Who cares.
As long as I beat you and make Lord Leon see that the only one who can stand by his side is me.”

Roland put on a polite smile for the audience, nodded to Fiora, and stepped back to her position.

“…Leon is really unlucky to be fancied by this kind of girl.”

But Roland’s spell had no real effect.
With the bloodline of a Dragon King, Fiora recovered immediately.

Returning to her starting position, the silver-haired girl’s irritation was clear.
She had planned to simply put on a show and lose—yet now, she felt the urge to teach this woman a lesson.

“Now, let the actual combat test begin!” the staff announced.

Even so, Fiora, under the weight of so many stares, felt as though she were bound in steel chains, her movements restricted.
She spotted Leon in the crowd, and at that moment, their gazes met.
He suddenly began making hand signals.

[Leon: Go easy.]

“Eh? Eh? Go easy—?”

Fiora tried to interpret his meaning, gesturing back.

[Fiora: Are you sure?]
[Leon: I’m sure! You must go easy!]

She understood.

The Grand Sage beside Leon gave her a mysterious smile.

Too strange.

Wh-What does all this mean?

Her thoughts tangled.
It was as if the audience, the staff, and Roland were all in on some plan—while she alone was left in the dark.

For a moment, she had no idea how to judge the situation.

“Hmph, I’ll finish you in an instant, little b*tch.”

Roland began to chant.
Her stance and the familiar magical fluctuations sent a chill down Fiora’s spine.

This is… Meteor Disaster! A legendary world-ending spell!

She’d seen it before—her mother had once spoken of certain legendary spells, and the opening motion was exactly the same.

A wave of unease welled up.
Then she remembered Leon’s earlier words—part of my plan—and the pieces fell into place.

I get it!

Fiora clutched her forehead, astonished.

Because I froze Leon’s ○○ before, he’s holding a grudge!
He deliberately brought me here, colluded with the Grand Sage and Roland, and set me up.
The Grand Sage rigged the matchup so I’d face Roland.
Roland pretended to be Transcendent-level to lower my guard.
Leon even told me to go easy—so she could unleash some overpowered spell and defeat me.

No wonder Leon had been so hesitant about the plan, had whispered with Roland, and why the Grand Sage seemed suddenly so familiar with him.

Oh, is that so? You want to have a battle of wits with me?
Too bad for you—your little scheme has been completely seen through by me, the Ice Dragon King.

“Eat my strongest spell and be defeated! Transcendent-level spell, Molten Flame—”

Roland’s chant cut off mid-sentence.
She felt fear.

The girl who moments ago seemed so meek now radiated an overwhelming, terrifying pressure.

“Hehehe… hohoho… HAHAHA!!!”

Fiora unleashed a three-stage laugh, her pitch rising dramatically.

“You unruly commoners dare to plot against this monarch? Absolute Zero Cage! Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Coffin! Chains of the Ice Dragon King!”

Thanks to her bloodline talent, Fiora skipped casting delays, compressing the spell’s power and speeding its release.
A blizzard howled, an ice coffin erupted from the ground, and icy chains wrapped around it, sealing Roland inside.

“Witness my strongest spell—the Judgment of the Ice Dragon King!”

She chanted rapidly in the dragon tongue, magic power surging to terrifying levels.

Then someone in the audience shouted, panic in their voice:
“The sky—what is that in the sky?!”

All eyes turned upward.
A black speck hung in the heavens, growing larger by the second.
Its shadow spread until it blanketed the entire royal capital.

It was a massive iceberg—summoned from the skies.
If it fell, it would obliterate the capital.

Fiora leapt onto the ice coffin, closing her eyes to avoid the weight of the crowd’s stares.
She spoke one of the hundred grand lines she’d memorized, trying to look as dignified as possible.

“Shh. During a judgment, one must be serious.”

[Author’s Note: Fio’s “The Strongest Spell” is her personal catchphrase. She shouts it whenever she casts a powerful spell because it looks cooler.]