I Got My Engagement Annulled… Even Though We Were Never Engaged - Chapter 33

“Whaaaaaaaah!!”

My left arm flashed intensely, causing the son of Count Canteloupe to cover his eyes and halt his movement.

Seizing that opening, I deployed my magic, first deciding to erect a barrier around myself.

However, the magic tool equipped on my left arm was a type designed to brightly illuminate dark night paths.

Though I had made some modifications, it was only bright enough to make it hard to keep one’s eyes open. It caused almost no actual damage.

Therefore, the son of Count Canteloupe quickly recovered and came slashing at me while still covering one eye with his hand.

The barrier I managed to deploy at the very last moment before his sword came down let out a sharp, metallic clang as it deflected his blade.

…That was close! Just barely…!

I had brought the magic tool to buy time, but it didn’t buy me much. The son of Count Canteloupe must be as excellent as the rumors say. I had thought I could gain a little more time.

But once I managed to erect a barrier, the advantage was mine.

This would secure me the time to refine my magic.

“That’s cowardly!”

The son of Count Canteloupe said irritably as he repeatedly struck the barrier, but since the use of the magic tool had been applied for and permitted in advance, it wasn’t a problem. Besides, the use of magic wasn’t prohibited. In fact, if magic had been forbidden, I would have appointed a proxy instead. I’ve never learned swordsmanship, after all!

So, I refuse to accept the word “cowardly.” If he wants to call me that, I’d like to ask what he thinks about attacking an unarmed woman.

Inside the barrier, I refined my magic and first tried launching a low-level spell to test the waters.

Since there were many spectators here, it would be better to avoid fire magic, so I attempted wind magic instead. But as expected of a knight, the wind blades I released were easily deflected. It seemed that sword of his wasn’t an ordinary one but rather a magic sword. A normal sword wouldn’t be able to deflect magical attacks.

I felt like clicking my tongue. If he had just fallen from that, it would have been easy but instead, the speed of his attacks increased sharply. It seemed he had been testing the waters too.

Faced with attacks that were now significantly faster and more powerful than before, I hurriedly layered additional barrier magic. If he had a magic sword, there was a risk my barrier would break under repeated assaults.

When I overlapped an advanced barrier over the initial one, the son of Count Canteloupe widened his eyes in surprise.

“I see, so you really did slay a griffon. You can even wield an advanced barrier.”

He smiled with apparent ease, but the corners of his mouth were tense. It seemed his magic sword couldn’t break through an advanced barrier.

Still, I couldn’t let my guard down. If the barrier broke, I would be at a severe disadvantage in an instant.

I proceeded to deploy intermediate-level magic in rapid succession.

The ground in the arena swelled, and earthen blades shaped like inverted icicles targeted his feet, but he evaded them effortlessly as well.

So, then I deployed multiple wind spells, but he either dodged or deflected them. I couldn’t land any damage.

However, I did see a hint of impatience in his expression, so I decided to keep up the pressure.

Even though this was a duel, I didn’t want to inflict any serious, life-threatening injuries.

There was a rescue team on standby, but that didn’t make it acceptable.

…In that case.

The best way to make him concede defeat without causing severe injury was to knock him unconscious.

If the duel dragged on, Lord Fevan would worry, so I wanted to end it soon.

While refining my magic, I waited for the right moment.

And then—

“I’ll blast you away, barrier and all!!”

Using wind magic to build momentum, the son of Count Canteloupe kicked off the ground and charged at me with tremendous force and at that moment—

“This is the end.”

I generated a massive water sphere with water magic, used wind magic to give it momentum, and slammed it into him with all my might.