Gunmage-Chapter 259: That was fast

The time had finally arrived. The event for which most of the people present had gathered. An odd event—one that wasn’t very common in the magic society.

Lyra Cross had challenged the patriarch of the Cross family—her father—to a duel for the position of head of House Cross.

Lugh glanced at her.

"Are you confident?"

"Of course I am,"

She responded breezily, her voice as calm as still water. Not a hint of doubt, not even a tremor.

She had changed her outfit. It still wasn’t fancy. It wasn’t meant to be. Everything about it spoke of practicality and ease of movement. After all, she was going to fight.

She wore long, loose-fitting trousers, dyed a deep black. Her feet were clad in lightweight shoes designed for quick movement and firm footing.

And then there was her top—a large, sleeveless garment of white silk. Fine and expensive, no doubt, but unusually airy for combat. It was a controversial choice—exquisite in material, yet simple in design. It moved like flowing water when she walked.

Lugh found himself mildly surprised. None of the noble scions he had recently become acquainted with voiced any concerns about her fashion—or the lack thereof.

But perhaps that made sense. Considering she had grown up alongside them, and had apparently been a menace since childhood, they were likely used to her peculiarities by now.

"Alright then, be careful."

"I will,"

She replied with a brief nod, then added with a cocky grin,

"Though I doubt it’ll be necessary. What could a family of spirit mediums possibly have in the way of combat?"

Lugh pondered that thoughtfully.

"You shouldn’t underestimate your opponents."

"True,"

She confirmed, her tone still light,

"But they’re definitely underestimating me."

Lugh had no real doubts about her chances. She would likely win. But there was always a margin for error. Always.

Humans were notorious for their magical weakness. That reputation didn’t help, especially since Lyra was also human.

Sure, they had both gotten some insanely valuable cheats from the Dark Island, but this battle—this duel—was one ruled by magic. The playing field favored the enemy.

He would have felt better if Lyra had a gun on her. He even briefly considered giving her the Ring of Nyx. But no. He dropped the thought immediately.

There were too many eyes on them. Even more eyes would be watching the fight itself, desperate to glean the secrets of House Cross’s unique magic.

If the danger were directed at him, that was acceptable. But never Lyra.

"Alright then,"

She said, stepping away,

"I’ll catch you later."

She skipped off, her movement light, unconcerned. Around them, the crowd had grown denser.

Hundreds of blue-blooded guests were being herded through the manor’s vast hallways, guided deeper into the estate where the Cross family’s training hall lay.

It was a curious detail—that their training hall also functioned as an arena. He found himself idly wondering if the Von Heim manor had something similar hidden away in its depths.

That curiosity, however, was short-lived. A far more pressing concern surfaced.

What would everyone’s reaction be once they arrived at the arena—the same one that had recently been the site of a chaotic battle between Lyra and one of Xhi’s... things?

The place had been wrecked.

Lugh banished the thought and quickened his pace, weaving through the crowd until he caught up with Cassius of House D’Aramitz, who was in the middle of a conversation with someone unexpected.

Lugh’s blind cousin.

Enji.

He heard the boy’s voice clearly as he approached.

"So you’re telling me these large guns—"

"Heavy ordnance,"

Cassius corrected.

"Right. So these things can attack from up to 20 kilometers away? You expect me to believe that?"

"It’s the truth,"

Cassius replied patiently.

The look on Enji’s face said it all—deep skepticism, laced with incredulity. Yet as he walked alongside them, Lugh noticed something odd.

Enji’s pace did not falter. Despite the crowd, his walking stick never brushed against another soul. His movements were fluid, confident, unerringly precise.

Enji possessed a spatial awareness that was more than a bit odd, considering his... condition.

"And how strong exactly is this attack we’re talking about? Give me an estimate I can understand,"

Enji asked.

Lugh slid into the conversation.

"Upper Surge Realm."

"More like Crown,"

Cassius corrected.

"Really? Nah. You guys are talking out of your ass,"

Enji chided.

"Well, I’m not so sure about Crown,"

Lugh said, his voice measured. That was supposed to be the highest realm a human mage could reach, after all.

Cassius explained further.

"Actually, I don’t think those systems are really suitable for describing this sort of situation."

"Why not?"

Lugh asked.

"Lugh’s kinda new to our systems,"

Enji offered.

"Give him a rundown."

"Gladly."

Cassius turned his full attention to Lugh.

"The Realm of Surge represents raw power. It’s strong and consistent, but volatile. Hard to control.

Then there’s Anchor. As the name implies, it’s grounded—focused. It provides a foundation, stabilizing otherwise chaotic magic.

And then there’s Crown. That realm represents complete mastery over the ability in question."

He continued, voice calm and explanatory.

"So while they’re divided into categories, they don’t actually measure strength directly.

Someone in the Crown realm is probably strong as hell just from how well they control their magic, but the realm itself isn’t meant to measure raw power."

"Ah, I see,"

Lugh nodded, enlightened. This was useful information—knowledge he hadn’t known before.

He asked,

"Then why did you rate the power of artillery as Crown-level?"

"That’s quite simple,"

Cassius replied.

"It’s stable. It’s consistent. And it performs its task exquisitely."

"Which is?"

"Blowing up stuff."

"Ah."

"Yeah. Blowing up stuff... reliably."

"I see,"

Lugh murmured again, glancing out the corridor windows. They were growing sparser now. Eventually, they disappeared entirely.

He asked,

"What level is the patriarch of House Cross?"

"The man is definitely at Crown,"

Enji replied.

Lugh raised a brow.

"And how do you know?"

"I can smell it."

Both Lugh and Cassius turned to stare at him.

"You can... smell it?"

Cassius asked, his face puzzled.

Lugh didn’t speak, but his expression mirrored the same confusion.

Cassius shifted focus.

"And what level are you personally?" ƒreewebɳovel.com

"Why would I tell you that?"

Enji retorted.

"I’ll tell you mine in return."

There was a pause. Then Enji relented.

"Fine. I’m at Surge."

"Oof. Seriously? I just broke through to Surge like last week."

"How old are you, Enji?"

"Seventeen."

Cassius visibly winced. Lugh couldn’t tell his exact age, but he was definitely older than seventeen.

Then, as if drawn by the same thought, both Enji and Cassius turned to Lugh.

"What?"

He asked flatly.

"You just listened to our ranks."

"So?"

"Aren’t you going to tell us yours?"

Lugh frowned slightly.

"I don’t know my rank."

"Huh?"

They stared at him, incredulous. But then memories of the ball seemed to resurface in their minds, dulling their surprise.

"Y-Yeah,"

Cassius muttered.

"That makes sense, I guess. You’re an Awakened, after all."

"Mr. Von Heim."

A new voice called out, crisp and deliberate.

Lugh turned to his left.

A familiar figure approached—Lord Vaire of House D’Aramitz, hobbling forward with purpose.

His cane of iron echoed loudly on the polished marble floor with each deliberate step.

Lugh fixed him with a quiet, inquisitive gaze.

"I’ve secured some names you might want to pay attention to,"

Lord Vaire said.

"They were most likely involved in your... unfortunate circumstances."

Lugh paused for a beat.

"Really?"

That was fast.

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