The long meeting between the six elites ended in a three-to-three draw. However, because one of the parties involved in the duel refused to participate, the outcome of the meeting was no different than a defeat for Lichtalia. Which means there will be no duel next month.
At that moment, as Lichtalia clenched her fists in annoyance and Desmond stared at her with a triumphant smile, a magic circle suddenly shone in the middle of the round table in front of the six of them.
Their eyes were all focused on the hologram figure that appeared right in front of them. The figure of an old man in a robe who was the most respected figure in the Zephyr Magic Academy, Merlin.
"Principal Merlin!"
Everyone was surprised and said the same name when they saw the hologram figure in front of them.
Through the hologram, Merlin was seen smiling as he said, "I've heard the commotion you guys created. About the duel agreement and such."
Fang and Reinhardt looked panicked when they heard Merlin's words and were about to apologize for causing a commotion and were about to say that they managed to prevent the duel from happening, but before they could say a word, Merlin continued, "How interesting! A two-on-two duel involving two of the six elites, one former elite, and a student from the Hall of Combat. I allow it! More precisely, next month, I will also watch and be the judge in the fight. You are indeed hot-blooded young souls, hahaha, do as you please, but remember, all agreements in the duel must be obeyed because if not, then it's the same as violating the sanctity of the duel itself!"
Without waiting for a response from the elites, the hologram immediately disappeared before them.
Because of Merlin's unexpected appearance, the final decision changed drastically. The duel will still be held even without the approval of all the elites and teachers. That's because the one who will oversee and be the judge in the duel is the highest figure in the Zephyr Magic Academy, Merlin.
Desmond and Lichtalia's expressions also changed one hundred and eighty degrees. This time it was Lichtalia's turn to look at Desmond with a face full of smiles.
Even so, as one of the six elites, Desmond was able to control his emotions very well. Looking at Lichtalia with a face full of undisguised hostility, he said with an arrogant tone, "At first I didn't want to accept your duel because even though your reputation is ruined, at least you are still one of the six elites. But since you insist on dueling me, then I will end your history as a student in this academy with my own hands."
Desmond immediately walked out of the meeting room after saying what he wanted to say, Meanwhile, in the Hall of Combat, I had already started my training and my teacher focused my training on sharp weapons.
Before starting the training, my teacher asked me first what weapon I was most comfortable using and after practicing using several types of weapons, I said without hesitation that I was most comfortable using a sword.
My teacher quickly gave me a choice of different types of swords to use and I chose a one-handed sword.
It was at that moment when I was holding the sword that my teacher suddenly attacked me and my first training with sharp weapons began.
Because previously I had undergone training using blunt weapons, I had mastered several combat techniques using weapons, especially swords. Although at first I was a little stiff because I was nervous, considering that even the weapon I was using could hurt me with its blade, but after being hit one or two times by my teacher, my mentality and courage increased. It made my movements smoother and more agile.
Every time my teacher saw me hesitating in this training, he always said, "Even losing a limb or two in a life-and-death battle is far better than losing your only life."
This training not only improved my physical abilities and fighting techniques, but also sharpened my mentality to become a brave person who is not easily intimidated by fear.
After training until night, my teacher asked me to stop and clean myself before resting to recover my energy.
The next day while we were having breakfast, my teacher started teaching me other lessons besides sword techniques.
"Ace, your biggest problem in learning spells is the very small amount of mana that you can store in your body. That is also what makes you unable to progress in the Hall of Conjure, because you have great difficulty in controlling the elements of nature."
I nodded because everything my teacher said was the truth.
My teacher let out a big grin while he said, "But did you know that even with a limited amount of mana, you can still control the elements of nature with a small amount of mana?"
Hearing that, my eyes widened. Even though I had lost hope of being able to control elements of nature like any spellcaster in general, there was still a desire for me to be able to control an element of nature.
Obviously, it looks so cool.
"P-please tell me how to do it, Teacher!"
Letting out a small laugh, my teacher began to explain, "After studying the three basic spells of the Hall of Combat yourself, I'm sure you understand. What we control is not an element, but our bodies. Power-up, Acceleration, Coating, these three are spells that allow us to manipulate the state of our bodies."
"If it is impossible to control the elements of nature that come from nature, then we only need to control the elements of nature that are in our bodies."
This time I looked at my teacher in confusion. As if understanding the reason why I was confused, my teacher continued his explanation, "Humans are created from various natural elements that combine and form various substances such as blood, bones, organs, and so on. If you still don't know, the human body is created from soil, inside the human body is dominated by water, to live humans need air, and human emotions are created from fire."
"Mana is the pure form of the natural elements. By manipulating the mana in your body, you can control the natural elements just like other spellcasters. It's just different from other spellcasters who can control various elements with just the amount of mana, the natural elements that you can use are only natural elements that have an affinity with your body. To awaken it, you must meditate and learn to control the mana inside your body. Flow the mana throughout your body and feel the sensations throughout your body. The sensation will show what elements you can control afterwards."
"From today on, every morning, you will meditate to awaken the natural elements in your body, and during the day, you will train your sword techniques. At night, you must rest fully to restore your energy, and this activity will continue until you can master both well."