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Chapter 13: The Strongest Onmyoji, Duel
A magical training ground illuminated by moonlight.
That place, some distance from the mansion, was the stage for the late-night duel.
“You’re being a bit hasty, aren’t you? Grey nii-san.”
I say to Grey, who is standing while clenching his staff and glaring at me.
“Couldn’t you wait until tomorrow? Father said he would be present.”
“—-shut up”
Grey distorts his expression.
“Shut up, shut up! When did you start planning this!?”
“What? If it’s a magic school, I’ve always wanted to go there since I was seven years old. Grey nii-san taught me so happily. Don’t you remember?”
“You 

! Don’t get your hopes up

 you just got lucky! If the monster happened to show up and you didn’t happen to defeat it, it would have been you who would have been thrown into the army!!”
“By chance.”
I smile wryly.
“Then you should have defeated it. Instead of screaming and running away.”
“Father told me not to leave the mansion!”
“Then why don’t you say that directly to Father? Or rather, in the first place, you were abandoned for your bad behaviour from long ago.”
“My behaviour doesn’t matter! As long as I have the ability as a magician.”
“That’s what you’re going to show me tomorrow, isn’t it?”
“Father’s conditions are lukewarm
”
Grey grips his staff.
“No offensive magic above the medium level? That’s no way to show your ability. No conditions. Seika, it’s either one of us surrenders, or must be unable to fight. If one of us loses, he will tell father that he’ll quit the match tomorrow. And get out of the house.”
“Magic above the medium level is dangerous, right? Tomorrow

I wonder if I can be in a state where I can talk.”
“What’s wrong with that?”
“
”
“I have always hated you, Seika.”
“I know, brother. I don’t know why, but you’ve always been my enemy.”
Come to think of it
I don’t know why?
I thought it was because I was a concubine’s child, but is that really all it takes to make you like this?


Well, whatever. I don’t care.
“I’m sleepy, so let’s hurry up.
“Damn it!”
Power swirls around Grey’s staff.
“―――flame note! ! ”
A thick crimson belt gushes out from the staff.
The fire that illuminated the night swallowed me with its force.
“What do you think! It’s like the magic that the slave used, I can handle it much easier!!”
“――――If you say so,  why don’t you make it a little more powerful?”
The space where the flames were has cleared.
Seeing me standing in the same place unharmed, Grey opens his eyes in shock.
“
.wind cone spear Windlance!! ”
A spear of wind is released.
But it did not reach me.
When the spear of wind hit the empty space, it disappeared, leaving behind a ripple of light.
I didn’t even feel a breeze.
“Ku- barrier!? Light-attribute magic!?”
“Well, the barrier is a light attribute.”
I muttered absentmindedly.
It’s a simple barrier using eight pieces of Hitogata, but it doesn’t look like it’s going to be broken by Grey.
I picked up a new Hitogata.
—the human shaped one with Grey’s hair pressed into it with wax.
“Wind lance! Wind cone spear! ”
“You’re noisy. No more magic.”
I draw a mark on Grey’s hitogata with a spell.
Grey again swung his staff down with the vocalisation of the name of the Jutsu.
But this time nothing happens.
“
? Wind Lance! Damn, Flame Note! What’s with the magic 

? What did you do?”
“Do not move further.”
I hit Hitogata with a hand filled with spell power.
Then Grey, who was trying to close in on me, suddenly stopped moving.
“Hey, move
 this is a dark attribute
?”
“Is this a dark attribute?”
It’s certainly dark, though.
It seems that the light and dark attributes here don’t correspond to the yin and yang of the yin-yang path at all.
“Haa
”
With a sigh, I casually approach Grey.
Then, slowly, I crushed Hitogata’s right leg.
“Gaaaaaaaaaa!”
Grey screams, kneels on his right knee, and falls to the ground.
His face was covered in dirt because he hadn’t been able to cover it properly.
“Hey Grey nii-san. If you say no conditions, I think you should have brought a sword. You’re a little good at swordsmanship, right? Well, it doesn’t matter now.”
While saying that, I crushed his left hand.
Grey screams again.
“Ah, ah, you 

what is this, this magic 

I’ve never heard of such a thing

.”
“That’s right. Don’t you think it’s funny?”
I talk while walking around Grey, who is lying on the ground.
“Magic can do anything, you know? It is, after all, a technology that interrupts the logic of the world. It can curse people to death from afar, it can tell where things are and what the future holds, it can heal any wound or disease, and in some cases, even death and the soul are at its will.”
While talking, I crush Hitogata’s left leg and right hand.
“But when it comes to the four magic attributes, fire and wind

 how can you use them in such a trivial way? It’s such a waste, don’t you think? Are you listening to me, Grey nii-san?”
When I looked at him, Grey seemed to be out of breath.
As expected, he didn’t even scream after the fourth one.
By the way, right now it’s just pain and there’s no damage, but if I leave him like this, his limbs will rot over the next few days.
This is the curse.
“What do you say, Grey nii-san. Will you surrender?”
“I surrender
 forgive me
”
“I forgive you.”
I stroke the human hitogata.
Then, all the wrinkles that had been crushed were stretched out, and it was restored as if it were brand new.
I peel off the hair that was attached with wax and throw it away.
The curse is now completely broken.
“Ugh
”
“Well, I guess you can’t move for a while
 But I’ll have you keep your promise. Tell father that you’re quitting the match tomorrow, and that you will leave home and join the army as soon as possible. That’s it.”
Without looking back, I left the training ground.
Well, that was a lot of work.
“Hmm. To challenge Seika-sama like that, you’re a completely ignorant person.”
A fox-like Yuki peeked through my hair.
“But is it alright? You’ve shown a glimpse of your power, Seika-sama, and you let him live.”
“I promised Luft that I would be moderate.”
Moderate.
I hope he’ll learn his lesson from this, as my brother predicted.
****
The next day.
Grey stayed in bed and did not wake up, so the duel was declared an uncontested victory.
Incidentally, it was not my fault that he developed a fever.
So, Grey was accepted into the army in due course. 

 Well, after what he went through, I’m sure any training would have felt lukewarm.
I hope he will be grateful.