Lina stood across me with an excited expression, her eyes glowing with fighting intent.

“I don’t plan to hold back, brother.”

I nodded and held my short sword in a standard stance.

Unlike me, Lina was not holding any weapon in her hand, but that did not make her less dangerous.

“Lina Steerl, mage candidate. Please take care of me.”

“Linsley Steerl, guardian candidate. Likewise.”

After the two of us went through the standard greetings, our duel started.

But none of us attacked immediately.

We just walked slowly around the field, observing each other.

Lina and I are siblings, so we spar against each other regularly. We know a lot about each other’s moves and our battle tactics.

That means that we won’t underestimate each other.

After almost one minute, it was Lina who made the first move.

“Hah!”

With a shout, she cast a spell on herself, making her body glow with a silvery hue.

I recognized the spell immediately.

First circle magic, [Body Strengthening]!

Under the effects of the spell, Lina accelerated until her body was just a blur. At the same time, a different spell manifested on her fists.

First circle magic, [Impact]!

The effect of this spell was to release a powerful shockwave upon hitting the target.

Aware of the power of Lina’s spell, I did not dare to receive it head-on.

Taking a step aside, I dodged Lina’s charge as my sword cut toward her neck.

But before my sword could hit her, a silvery barrier appeared around her skin.

First circle magic, [Barrier]!

The most basic spell in the barrier category, but one that Lina had honed almost to perfection.

Her speed of casting and accuracy were astonishing, managing to cast the barrier precisely in the path of my sword.

At the same time, she spun her petite body, unleashing a roundhouse kick toward my waist.

Her kick was coated in the glow of the impact spell, showing how dangerous it was.

I jumped backward, distancing myself from her.

Bam!

As her kick hit the air, a shockwave was released, demonstrating the power behind that attack.

I felt cold sweat flowing down my back.

If that kick would have landed, it would have meant my instant defeat.

‘This little girl. She sure is strong.’

Lina was a mage candidate. Unlike guardians, mages form their core in their heads, and their specialization is spells.

Their control over mana is one of the finest, but in exchange, their bodies tend to be quite weak and unable to hold much mana.

But Lina is an outlier in that group.

The Steerl House is a family of guardians, and all their descendants train in close combat since they are children.

But Lina’s talent leaned more toward the mage profession, just like her mother.

However, this little girl insisted on continuing her combat lessons, and slowly, she built her combat style.

In simple terms, she was a close combat mage. A rare branch in the mage profession.

Unlike most mages, who keep a distance from their opponents while releasing magic spells, close combat mages mix close combat with magic, using magic to enhance their fighting abilities.

And Lina is very good at this.

Moreover, Lina’s control over her mana is at the genius level.

Most mage candidates could only unleash three spells before finding themselves out of mana. But I have seen Lina use dozens of spells during our spars without showing any signs of fatigue.

“Brother, if you don't get serious, you won’t have a chance, you know?” She smiled innocently, although her smile was rather scary considering that one of her punches could create a hole in the ground.

But she was right. Unlike Theo, Lina was not someone I could defeat with just a half-assed effort.

Taking a deep breath, my gaze became serious.

Likewise, Lina’s eyes glowed in excitement.

“Here I go again!” She exclaimed and charged toward me.

Just like before, her body was coated in a silvery layer, and her fist shone with the glow of magic.

I put my sword in front of me and squinted my eyes.

“Darkness,” I muttered.

And my sight was taken away.

Likewise, Lina was completely blinded, her eyes losing their light.

But unlike my previous opponents, she did not panic.

“I was waiting for that!” She shouted as a spell materialized around her.

First circle magic, [Perception].

An almost useless spell whose only function was to give the user a vague image of their surroundings.

But this spell was the perfect counter to my technique.

Relying on this vague image, Lina continued her attack.

But I was not done yet.

“Confusion.”

As that word left my mouth, our sense of direction was messed up.

Right became left, and up became down.

Anyone facing this for the first time would find themselves unable to continue moving normally.

But Lina only staggered slightly before adjusting her balance.

Surprisingly, she had rewired her brain to adapt to her new senses.

“That won’t work easily, brother!” She shouted as her fist flew toward my face.

I moved my head aside, my sword stabbing toward her waist.

Lina was about to cast a barrier to stop it, but at that moment, I tweaked the effects of Confusion slightly, confusing her sense of distance slightly.

The change was so sudden that Lina did not have enough time to adapt.

But as expected of my sister who was used to my tactics, she noticed the fluctuation of mana and reacted immediately.

“Go away!”

First circle magic, [Wind Blow]!

The sudden gust of wind pushed my body slightly, making my sword deviate from its intended target.

At the same time, Lina cast [Impact] on her right foot and stomped the ground.

The blow created a hole in the ground, making the stage shake violently.

I lost my footing for a brief instant, and Lina used that opening to rush toward me, her petite body changing toward my chest.

At this distance, it was impossible to avoid her.

But just at that moment, I opened my mouth.

“Silence.”

Following that word, our ears stopped working.

The lack of sound messed up our sense of balance. I was ready for it so it did not affect me, but Lina staggered slightly, allowing me to avoid her charge and counterattack with my sword.

But before my strike could land, she stomped the ground again, creating another hole in the stage and using the rebound to jump away.

Once more, the distance between us returned to the initial distance.

I let out a bitter smile.

“As expected, it was not going to be so easy.”

Lina grinned.

“I’m not planning to lose this time, brother.”