**Chapter 134: The Foolish Prince Gets What He Deserves**
(As I thought, I can’t defeat him like this…)
While exchanging magical attacks with the Third Prince Rodel, Rest sighed inwardly. Rodel and the rebel soldiers charged toward the main camp… Despite unleashing **Amaterasu**, he was unable to take them down. Rodel constructed a wall of stone for defense, inflicting damage on the soldiers behind him, but he couldn’t finish them off.
**Amaterasu** was indeed a powerful spell, but it had the drawback of requiring sufficient ‘charge’ to unleash its full potential. To activate it on a scale capable of scattering an army, he needed to gather sunlight for at least a minute.
(There wasn’t enough time, and I couldn’t plunge the battlefield into darkness in this situation. The sunlight gathered was too little, and it seemed I could only muster the power of an advanced spell at best.)
That was the weakness of **Amaterasu**. There was room for improvement in the future.
“**Fire Bolt!**”
“**Water Wall!**”
Rodel cast his spell, and Rest defended against it. It was a one-on-one battle—a duel. Although there were soldiers from the royal army around, they did not intervene. For nobles and royalty, a one-on-one fight—a duel—was sacred. Unless Rest called for assistance, they would not interfere.
“**Fireball! Amplification! Compression! Accelerator!**”
“**High Accelerator!**”
They unleashed their spells in a quartet, but Rodel significantly enhanced his physical abilities to evade. He circled behind Rest, attempting to strike at his neck, but Rest activated **High Accelerator** to dodge the attack.
“Impressive… Truly, who are you?”
“That’s what I should be asking you… Honestly, I underestimated you, thinking you were just like Cedric.”
Rest distanced himself from Rodel, sighing. In truth, Rodel’s strength was considerable—worthy of admiration. He had thought him arrogant and selfish, akin to Cedric, but fighting him directly revealed that he was genuinely strong. Although he belonged to Class D at the academy, if he had studied properly for the written exams, he would have likely ranked among the top of his year.
(His magic capacity is quite substantial, and in terms of output, he surpasses me… He casts advanced spells as if they were second nature. If only he weren’t so deranged, he could have easily become a hero.)
“I’m surprised. You’re not just all talk; you’re genuinely strong.”
“…You, too, are stronger than a mere viscount. Just how much magical power do you possess?”
On the other hand, Rodel seemed to have noticed Rest’s capabilities and was growing more cautious.
“The light magic from earlier… You unleashed enough power to sweep away an army, yet you show no signs of running out of magic. It’s frustrating, but… in terms of magical capacity, you surpass me.”
“It seems you’ve improved enough to admit that… You should have become a decent person sooner.”
“…”
Rest provoked him, but Rodel merely smiled self-deprecatingly, refusing to take the bait.
“**High Accelerator!**”
“**High Accelerator!**”
Rest and Rodel simultaneously enhanced their physical abilities, colliding on the battlefield. In terms of physical prowess and fighting sense, Rest had the upper hand, while Rodel excelled in magical output. As a result, their speed was evenly matched.
“Hmph! Haah! Yah!”
(He’s really strong…)
Rodel ducked to evade a kick from Rest, countering with a punch. Rest attempted to grab Rodel’s arm and throw him, but Rodel pulled back just in time, stepping back to create distance. Despite using advanced magic repeatedly, Rodel showed no signs of running out of magic. Rest was certain he had the superior fighting sense, yet he couldn’t press the attack. Rodel seemed to possess excellent natural athleticism as well. His reflexes were sharp, and had he trained properly, he could have excelled as a magician, swordsman, or warrior.
(What a waste of talent… It’s truly regrettable…)
Had he not gone astray, Rodel could have thrived alongside Rest as a key figure of the next generation. It was a genuine shame to see such a person fade away as a rebel without achieving greatness.
“Cedric and that Celery… Why do they ruin their own futures? They could have made better choices.”
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”
With a scream, Rodel charged at Rest. Accelerated punches, kicks, and body slams powered by magic came at him, and Rest deftly dodged them while preparing his own spell.
“**Thunder Storm!**”
“What…!”
Rest unleashed a wide-area spell centered on himself. Lightning rained down in a frenzy, striking Rodel’s body.
“An exchange of blows… You must be joking…!”
“You think it’s a joke? That’s what you deserve.”
Rest gritted his teeth, enduring the heat and shock of the lightning. He was holding on thanks to body enhancement magic, but it still hurt. However, he didn’t believe it was a wrong decision.
(I’ll acknowledge it… Rodel Aiwood. You are strong.)
Strong. Quite strong. It felt nearly impossible to win without sustaining injuries.
(But… you lack experience!)
In terms of overall talent, Rodel might even surpass Rest. However, compared to Rest, who had fought monsters since childhood and had been trained by Diable and the Marchioness of Rosemary, Rodel lacked practical experience. He would never have thought to attack with a spell that could take out both himself and his opponent.
(If we had fought five or ten years from now, the outcome might have been different, but… that future will never come.)
“Ugh…!”
Even while being struck by lightning, Rodel instinctively fell back, escaping the range of attack. His rapid retreat through magic was impressive, especially in such a dire moment.
“**Amaterasu!**”
However, Rest wouldn’t let him escape. He conjured a minuscule **Dark Star**, creating a brief moment of light absorption. A thin laser shot forth, piercing Rodel’s abdomen. No matter how much Rodel accelerated with magic, he could not exceed the speed of light. Although **Amaterasu** lacked the power to incinerate Rodel due to insufficient light absorption, it could still create a hole the size of a pen if concentrated to its limit.
“Cough…!?”
Struck precisely in the liver, Rodel spat blood. He hastily activated healing magic, but it was far too late.
“Ha!”
Now, Rest accelerated, closing in on Rodel. For the first time, he drew his sword and slashed from Rodel’s chest to his neck.
“Ah, gagh…!?”
“It seems you’re not accustomed to healing your wounds… Compared to your other spells, it’s far too rudimentary.”
Rodel’s healing magic lacked the finesse of his other spells. If he had mastered advanced healing magic, he could have held on a bit longer.
“It’s over. Rodel Aiwood.”
“…!”
With one final strike, Rest brought his blade down. Rodel fell, bleeding profusely from the X-shaped wound on his chest.
“I have slain the enemy commander…”
As he spoke those words, cheers erupted from the surrounding soldiers. His allies, encircling him, offered their congratulations. Unbeknownst to him, the majority of the battlefield had already concluded. The rebel forces had been suppressed.
Despite the unexpected struggle, the battle between the royal army and the rebels had come to an end.
The royal army suffered four hundred dead and eight hundred fifty injured. The rebel forces lost twelve thousand five hundred lives, with over thirty thousand injured. Countless soldiers had scattered.
Though Rodel’s unexpected resistance had caused significant damage, in the end, the royal army achieved a decisive victory in just half a day.