OHNIR – Chapter 17
Chapter 17: Attack
By now, a crowd had gathered. The young men looked at the brown-haired girl under the willow tree with disdain and contempt, declaiming in aria-like tones, “She must be a wind mage, right? So shallow and malicious, to think she’d steal from the esteemed Miss Charles…”
Magic was a curious thing. Amidst the chorus of discussion, no one seemed to question how the fan had crossed such a great distance and ended up at Kelusta’s feet in an instant, completely unnoticed by everyone.
The young ladies in their magnificent dresses covered their lips with white-gloved fingertips. Girls, in many situations, tended to think more deeply: if she were a wind mage, stealing something would naturally be effortless… However, no one present admitted to having ever seen this person before—which meant not a single one of them knew what kind of magic the girl possessed.
If she didn’t command the power of wind, then how did the fan get there?
They exchanged a silent, knowing glance, and after conveying their profound thoughts to one another, they turned their gazes back to the two figures in confrontation.
Avia crossed her arms, her crimson eyes narrowing slightly. Seeing Kelusta remain silent, she repeated in that same tone one might use to pity trash, “Speak up. Tell everyone your surname. A thief like you, with such deplorable character, surely you can’t have any sense of family honor left, can you…?”
With that, she let out a cackle as loud and ostentatious as a crow’s. Those around who sought to curry favor with the Charles family echoed her with smiles, whispering amongst themselves and beginning to point at Kelusta.
In contrast to Avia, who was laughing like a madwoman, the brown-haired girl who had become the target of public scorn stood quietly in place. She was neither trembling with fear as they expected, nor did she show a hint of humiliation from being falsely accused. She simply stared at Avia with her amber eyes. After a long moment, the corner of her lip curled up, and before anyone could react, she suddenly lifted her foot—
Avia’s eyes widened as she watched her calmly bring her foot down on the feathered fan. The thin heel, though old, was still sharp. The delicate surface of the fan could not withstand such a vicious stomp. With a tearing sound, a hole was punched straight through it.
“You—!”
“Me?” Kelusta’s voice was full of mirth. She toyed with the ends of her hair and lazily pressed the fan’s frame with the sole of her other shoe, grinding the exquisitely crafted, expensive accessory into the damp earth by the lake. Then, she wrenched the heel that had pierced the fan’s surface outward. Black feathers scattered as the fan let out a mournful, tearing cry, utterly reduced to a pile of mud-caked rubbish.
Avia hadn’t expected her to do this and was momentarily stunned. It wasn’t until the surrounding whispers died down, silenced by Kelusta’s shocking act, that she snapped back to her senses in the quiet, flying into a rage. “Are you insulting me?!”
On the Nobili continent, to publicly destroy another’s possession was a sign of provocation, hostility, and humiliation.
Even in the remote Seaside Town, this custom was known. Kelusta’s mocking smile didn’t falter. Her deep golden eyes glanced at the filthy black trash on the ground as she said coolly, “If I were going to steal this piece of junk, why would I destroy it? Miss Charles, your methods are far too old-fashioned. Next time… please try to come up with something new.”
The noble young masters, who had been slow on the uptake, finally reacted and began to whisper in astonishment again, only to fall silent after receiving a harsh glare from their female companions. They watched the situation unfold like cowering quails.
Avia stared at Kelusta as if she wanted to eat her alive, her pretty face twisted into a ferocious expression. She gritted her teeth, her eyes as red as blood, and every word she uttered was filled with barely suppressed rage.
“What does it matter if you stole it or not? You’ve destroyed it now—that’s a fact set in stone!” she said sinisterly. “Causing a disturbance at the tea party meticulously arranged by Her Highness the Second Princess, and attempting to humiliate a descendant of the Charles family—either of these two crimes is enough to ensure you won’t have a ‘next time’!”
Before her words had even faded, a scorching heat wave seemed to erupt around her. The green grass at her feet visibly turned black, and a few nearby willow leaves curled up, rapidly turning from fresh green to withered yellow—
Fire magic!
The surrounding nobles cried out and scrambled backward. Kelusta couldn’t help but purse her lips and take a step back as well. Powerful fire magic held a natural advantage over her element. The brown-haired girl had to control every muscle in her body to keep from acting on the impulse to flee.
But Avia must have seen the flicker of instinctual fear in her eyes.
The noble with long, wine-red hair smiled with excitement. As if licking fresh blood, the girl’s nimble tongue darted out to touch the corner of her scarlet lips, her eyes revealing a cruel and dangerous mirth.
“May you rest well in hell, my dear commoner miss.”
As soon as the whisper fell, a raging flame shot up from her fingertips. The temperature was so high that the outer flame showed a faint blue hue, twisting in her hand into a roaring beast. Kelusta’s eyes tightened, her nails digging into her palms. She bit the tip of her tongue and cried out urgently in her mind:
“System!”
“Acknowledged, temporary host.” The cold, electronic voice sounded, but this time, unlike before, it carried an unexpected hint of gentle reassurance. “Please rest assured—I will not allow you to suffer the slightest harm, even if I have to stake my protection protocols.”
The next second, as the beast formed of flames lunged at the brown-haired girl, Kelusta felt as if she were covered by an invisible veil. It was light and soft, yet it gave her an immense sense of security.
“Beep. Confirming request… Request approved. Confirmed: Mission reward item 【Anti-Magic Halo】 is now in effect.”
The scorching, high-temperature flames burned a large, charred crater into the willow tree beside them. The beast’s blue-white claws revealed a burning, golden-red core. Not far away, the fire mage wore a demonic smile, watching with great interest as the magical beast she had created raised its forelimbs and mercilessly swiped down at the girl who stood there, dazed and seemingly scared stiff!
“Oh—!”
Some of the noble girls covered their eyes and ran behind the young men beside them. However, these young masters, who had seen little of the world, were so frightened they felt they’d lost their wits. Anyone could see that under such a powerful fire magic attack, the girl caught within it was unlikely to survive.
She was probably not going to make it.
Some were terrified by Avia’s ruthless and audacious methods, while others began to worry for themselves, knowing too much. A few shrewd and opportunistic individuals hesitated, beginning to calculate how they could help the daughter of Marquis Charles with the aftermath, hoping to secure a future for their own families.
Even the smallest trifle that slipped through the fingers of the esteemed Marquis would be enough for these minor nobles to live in luxury. The crowd, whether mesmerized or intimidated by profit and power, did not care if Kelusta lived or died in the flames.
The girl was plain and unadorned; even the display mannequins in the dress shops were better dressed than her. At most, she was a low-ranking noble, and whether she even held a title was debatable.
Besides, she was the one who had publicly insulted a noble first—they had already selectively forgotten who had first slandered the brown-haired girl with accusations of theft. With the power of the Charles family, not even the centuries-old rules of the Holy Light Magic Academy could save her.
For a moment, no one spoke, no one moved. They were like the numb and indifferent onlookers at an unjust execution, seemingly not lifting a finger, but in reality, they had already joined the ranks of accomplices.
Avia’s flame was powerful, and the attack had drained nearly half of her own magic. She bit her lip discreetly and glanced to the side, as if searching for someone, her eyes sweeping across the terrified faces of the nobles.
Not him… none of them… damn it, why isn’t he—
“Ah—she, she…!”
Avia’s gaze landed on a noble lady at the very front. Her beautiful face was pale with fright as she pointed a finger, her eyes staring blankly in the direction of the flames. Her face was ashen with shock, and she stammered, unable to form a complete sentence.
Avia frowned. What, was she so frightened because she thought the commoner had been burned too horribly?
She scoffed and turned her head with confidence. As a second-year honor student who had practiced magic since childhood, she didn’t believe that an attack she had nearly exhausted her magic to conjure would fail to deal with a mere commoner—
“...!”
“Surprised, milady?”
After the flames dissipated, Avia saw, without obstruction, the brown-haired girl standing in the middle of the scorched earth, nonchalantly patting the dust from her skirt. She smiled at Avia’s terrified expression, which looked as if she’d seen a ghost, and seemed to be in a particularly good mood.
“You… how are you unharmed!” Avia was both frightened and furious, her voice trembling. Her once arrogant expression had vanished completely, leaving only a face full of indescribable confusion and horror.
How could someone be completely unscathed after being hit by a tangible magic attack!
Is she a monster—?!
This time, it was Avia’s turn to take an involuntary step back. Her face was deathly pale, her body stiff, but Kelusta noticed that even in this situation, her attention was divided. Her eyes, carrying a hint of a plea for help, instinctively glanced toward the crowd.
The brown-haired girl frowned and subconsciously followed her gaze, but she missed the moment Avia’s expression suddenly relaxed upon seeing something. Seeing Kelusta distracted, a cold glint flashed in Avia’s eyes. With a wave of her left hand, a palm-sized fireball was conjured in the blink of an eye—
“Let’s see if you can dodge a second time after dodging the first!”
Avia shouted sharply, hurling the new ball of fire at her. Kelusta was startled and quickly turned back. As magic flowed through her, a great splash sounded from Swan Lake. A large sheet of lake water rose with the gesture of her hand and shot toward her like a missile!
“Faster…” Cold sweat trickled to the corner of Kelusta’s eye as she focused all her effort on manipulating the water magic. But she was still half a beat too slow. The fireball Avia had just thrown was now mere inches away from her.
She gritted her teeth. Realizing she couldn’t dodge in time, she had no choice but to shut her eyes tightly amidst the red-haired girl’s malicious laughter.
As long as she didn’t die, she would make the other girl pay in blood.
Sizzle—
In a flash, Kelusta heard the distinct sound of flames being extinguished upon hitting a specific substance. At the same time, Avia’s laughter stopped abruptly. The expected searing heat did not land on her. The brown-haired girl slowly opened her eyes and found that the lake water she had summoned had frozen into a massive sheet of ice, standing firmly to her side and front, reflecting the sunlight with crystal clarity.
At the edge of the ice sheet, the part that had blocked the magical flame had melted into water droplets, which were now trickling down the ice’s contours onto the scorched earth below.
The water she had drawn was originally still some distance from extinguishing the flames, but someone had used magic to freeze it into solid ice, expanding its area in an instant to perfectly block the fireball’s attack for her.
Perhaps it was a trick of the light refracting off the ice, but Kelusta thought she saw Avia’s expression twist for a moment. After a long pause, she slowly lowered herself and called out weakly in a certain direction, her voice trembling:
“Your Highness…”
Without much surprise, Kelusta turned to see a golden-haired girl walking out from among the respectfully bowing nobles. She wore a silver gown, and her beautiful face had lost its usual gentleness and benevolence. Her deep purple eyes were not filled with the smiles Kelusta had seen last time, but with a raging fire.
“Avia, what is going on!”
Kelusta lifted her eyelids, casting a cool glance at the massive, slowly melting block of ice.
Starangui Nobili, Her Highness the Second Princess of the royal family, the host of the noble tea party, and the most hypocritical arch-villain in Oceanum.
At the same time, she was also a very powerful… ice mage.
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