Chapter 242: A Rival Worth Having [2]

By lunchtime, news of Tristan Bellacourt’s victory had already spread throughout the Magic Department.

Considering how many students had gathered to watch their match, Ilya wasn’t particularly surprised. What amused him was how quickly the story had changed. According to Garen, someone was claiming that Tristan had defeated him without casting a single spell.

Ilya wondered whether that person had been watching the same fight.

Still, he had no intention of correcting every ridiculous rumor circulating around the academy. Tristan had won fairly, and the defeat had given him several things worth thinking about.

Besides, the Magic Department’s practical assessments were scheduled to begin the following morning.

Their group had gathered around one of the dining hall’s larger tables to review the examination rules. Garen was concerned about the restrictions on higher-Circle spells, while Wolfram and Lisbet had been comparing the announced objectives with their previous assignments.

Solveig had already finished reading the notice and seemed more interested in making sure everyone understood the scoring system.

"They’re evaluating how much mana you use, too. If you exhaust yourself completing the first exercise, you’ll lose marks even if you succeed."

"Then I’ll just finish it quickly," Garen replied.

Ma?lle gave him an unimpressed look.

"That doesn’t solve the problem."

Their discussion continued while Ilya finished his meal. The assessment would test magical control, efficiency, and the ability to respond to unfamiliar conditions. Students would receive exercises suited to their current Circle, although certain restrictions would prevent them from relying entirely on their strongest spells.

For Ilya, the arrangement was rather favorable.

He had spent months experimenting with First Circle magic, learning to compensate for his limited conventional spellcasting ability through better control and creative applications. Even after improving his abilities, he remained far behind someone like Tristan when it came to theoretical knowledge and access to higher-Circle spells.

Fortunately, the instructors weren’t asking them to compete in raw magical output.

After lunch, Ilya headed toward Professor Hakon Vinter’s office.

His latest defeat had exposed a weakness in his fighting style, and he wanted to address it before the assessments began.

During their engagement, Tristan had placed one of his translucent planes directly in front of Ilya’s fist, redirecting the momentum of his attack and leaving him vulnerable to a follow-up spell.

It was an effective countermeasure, especially against someone accustomed to using sudden acceleration to close the distance.

Ilya had relied on that approach for quite some time. His unusual cold magic allowed him to move through the air at extraordinary speeds, while his years of martial training gave him an advantage against wizards who were inexperienced in physical combat.

The combination had worked remarkably well during the previous examination.

Unfortunately, Tristan was no longer unfamiliar with it.

Hakon listened to his explanation before accompanying him to an empty training courtyard.

"Show me what happened."

Ilya approached a reinforced practice construct and reproduced the movement he had used against Tristan. A rush of freezing wind carried him forward, allowing him to close the distance almost instantly before driving his fist against the target’s protective barrier.

The impact was powerful, but withdrawing afterward required him to redirect the force carrying his body forward.

Hakon immediately identified the problem.

"You’re accelerating too much before you’ve confirmed that your attack will connect. That makes it difficult to respond when something interferes with your movement."

Ilya understood the criticism. He had grown accustomed to relying on his speed, but committing too much momentum against a skilled opponent could be dangerous.

Hakon instructed him to repeat the exercise, this time stopping just before reaching the construct.

The first few attempts were awkward. Ilya either moved too far or forced himself to stop so abruptly that maintaining his balance became difficult. However, after adjusting the flow of cold air surrounding him, he began reducing his acceleration before reaching the target.

The change was simple enough, although applying it while moving at high speed required practice.

Once he became comfortable with the movement, Hakon activated the construct’s defensive functions.

Ilya approached, struck its outer barrier, and withdrew before its counterattack could reach him. When the construct increased its speed, he shortened his approach and began using brief bursts of acceleration instead of launching himself across the courtyard with every attack.

The results gradually improved.

By reducing unnecessary movement, he could conserve mana while maintaining enough speed to threaten an opponent at close range.

It also gave him more freedom to change direction when an attack failed.

"Better," Hakon said after another successful exchange. "Your mobility is one of your greatest advantages. Learn to control it properly instead of relying on speed to solve every problem."

Ilya accepted the advice.

There was still plenty of room for improvement, but he had already developed a more reliable approach than the one Tristan had exploited.

He spent the remainder of the session practicing against the construct until Hakon finally called an end to the exercise.

With the assessments beginning tomorrow, exhausting himself any further would accomplish little.

After thanking his instructor, Ilya returned to the Magic Department to collect his remaining assignments.

He encountered Elise near the western corridor.

She was carrying several books beneath one arm and appeared to have finished her preparations for the day. Upon noticing him, she approached without paying much attention to the students passing nearby.

"Ilya. Have you finished training?"

"Just now. I was with Professor Vinter."

"I thought so. You usually disappear somewhere around this time."

She had apparently heard about his match against Tristan, although her first concern was whether he had suffered any injuries.

Ilya assured her that the arena’s protective formation had absorbed most of the impact. Aside from some bruising, he was perfectly fine.

"Good. I’d rather not start visiting you in the infirmary again."

Ilya smiled faintly.

There had been a time when Elise visiting him in the infirmary had become an almost weekly occurrence. Back when he still belonged to the Knight Department, his inability to use Aura had left him at a terrible disadvantage against the other students.

He had endured more injuries than he cared to remember.

Elise had never been particularly happy about it.

Fortunately, his circumstances were much better now.

Their conversation soon turned toward the upcoming practical assessments. Elise had been reviewing several advanced spells and wanted to know what Ilya expected from the first stage.

He explained that he intended to focus on efficiency rather than attempting anything elaborate. The instructors were evaluating fundamental skills, and there was little reason to complicate an exercise that might have a straightforward solution.

Elise agreed.

She had also heard that the department was considering cooperative engagements during the later stages, allowing students to demonstrate how effectively they could work with others.

"If they let us choose our partners, we should work together," she suggested.

Ilya considered the idea.

Elise’s lightning magic offered powerful offensive options, and she had already demonstrated an ability to coordinate other students during the Basilisk examination. His own mobility would allow him to exploit openings created by her attacks.

The arrangement could work quite well.

"Sure. I’d like that."

Elise seemed pleased.

"Then I’ll speak with the instructors when they announce the arrangements."

They continued discussing a few possible strategies while walking toward the western courtyard.

Elise suggested using her lightning spells to restrict an opponent’s movement while Ilya approached from another direction. He agreed that the combination had potential, although they would need to coordinate their timing carefully.

His movements could change abruptly, and neither wanted to risk interfering with the other’s attacks.

They also considered the possibility of encountering opponents capable of defending against lightning or resisting freezing temperatures.

Rather than developing an elaborate plan around an assessment whose rules hadn’t been announced, they agreed to revisit the matter once they knew what the instructors expected.

It was a sensible decision.

Their conversation ended near the courtyard entrance, where Elise had arranged to meet several classmates.

Before leaving, she reminded him to get some rest.

Ilya assured her that he intended to.

By the time he returned to the Belozersky residence, the afternoon was already drawing to a close.

He had completed his training, collected his assignments, and reviewed most of the examination requirements. There was little reason to continue practicing when the first assessment would begin tomorrow.

Unfortunately, his plans for a quiet evening ended the moment he entered the residence.

Anastasiya was waiting near the staircase, holding a letter bearing the seal of House Belozersky.

"Ilya."

He recognized her expression.

Something had happened.

"Come upstairs," she said. "We need to talk."

Ilya set aside his bag and followed her toward the study.