The Mage of the Abyss Episode 14: "Those Who Advance" | Creative Awards 2026 | Fantasy Novel Category | Light Novel |

After the first match, the atmosphere in the central training grounds had changed slightly.

The Lavy Christail team.

The quartet that was supposed to be called that was, before anyone knew it, being looked at in a different light.

Everyone knew of Lavy's firepower.
It had also spread a little after the first match that Heine Berserk was eerily bottomless.

However, that was not what the murmurs in the audience were really picking up on.

"Who came up with that strategy earlier?"

"Could Flower really do something like that?"

"Heine barely moved, did he?"

"No, he didn't move, but he still took one of them down."

Such voices could be heard from every corner of the corridor.

Flower Mandy gently touched the white flower brooch on her chest.

They had won the first match.

But the realization that she had won was still thin.

She had gone through the underground drainage channel and delivered the white flower to the enemy crystal.
She looked only at the one necessary point and channeled her magic.

She did it.

She certainly did it.

But it was a path she could not have found on her own.

"The next opponent has been decided."

Chloe's voice said.

Pale silver-gray hair.
Light gray eyes.

She stood in front of the bracket table and was already looking at their next match opponent.

"They are a high-speed maneuver team. They were eliminated in the second round last year, but they have changed their members this year. Their main path to victory is destroying the pendant through a surprise attack."

"You are quite well-informed, aren't you?"

Lavy crossed her arms.

"I watched them."

"When?"

"Before our first match."

"You were watching other teams' matches before our own first match?"

"It seemed necessary."

Lavy sighed, looking a bit exasperated.

"Are you really in the lower ranks for practical skills?"

"Yes."

Chloe answered calmly.

"I am slow at running. My attack magic is weak. My defense is also below average."

"It is actually refreshing to hear you say that so bluntly."

"But I can see."

That one phrase was a little heavy.

Flower looked at Chloe.

To see.

She, too, had been learning that for a long time recently.

Not to perceive everything, but to see the one necessary point.
Not to make a mistake about what she wants to protect first.

"In the second match, it is important not to be deceived by speed."

Chloe said.

"The opponent will try to scatter our gaze."

"Scatter?"

Flower asked.

"Yes. Two on the right, one on the left, one above. They disperse their movements to make us look at everyone. If you try to follow everything, you will definitely be late."

At those words, Flower's chest gave a small throb.

Because she looks at everything, she is late.

It was as if the words were directed at her.

"Then, what should we do?"

Lavy asked.

Chloe looked at Flower.

"Please decide on one point to protect."

"One point..."

"Around our own crystal. The opponent will also aim to destroy the pendant, but their main target is likely the crystal."

"How do you know that?"

"Fast teams thin out their defense by making the opponent chase them. Even if it looks like everyone is moving individually, they all gather at one place in the end."

Chloe tapped the edge of the bracket table lightly with her fingertip.

"So, please do not chase them. Decide on a place they will come to, and wait there."

Flower nodded.

It's scary.

Not looking at fast opponents is scary.

But if she tries to see everything, she will surely be swept away again.

"Lavy-san."

Chloe looked at Lavy next.

"Please do not fire large flames."

"You said that before, didn't you?"

"If you fire large flames at fast opponents, you will miss."

"Wouldn't it be fine if I just hit them?"

"That way of thinking is already the opponent's trap."

Lavy's eyebrows twitched slightly.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Before you use fire, you already feel like you have won."

The air stopped for a moment.

Lavy's red eyes looked at Chloe.

"...You certainly say things, don't you?"

"It is a fact."

Chloe's voice did not change.

"The stronger a person is, the later they react when the opponent comes at them with something other than strength."

Flower gasped.

She thought Lavy would get angry.

However, Lavy did not retort immediately.

She gently touched the gold-vermilion ear cuff on one ear.

The fire she learned at the Shrine of Light.
Fire not for burning, but for illuminating.

"...I see."

Lavy raised the corner of her mouth just a little.

"It is not amusing, but I will listen to what you have to say."

"Thank you."

"Being thanked makes me even more annoyed."

Chloe tilted her head slightly.

"Why?"

"You are saying that seriously, not on purpose, aren't you?"

"Yes."

Lavy laughed softly.

In that smile, there was a little bit of enjoyment mixed in, rather than anger.

*"

The field for the second match was a street at dusk.

Cobblestone streets.
Low roofs.
Narrow alleys.
A fountain plaza in the center.

Places where visibility is clear and places that suddenly become blind spots are mixed together.

It was favorable terrain for a high-speed maneuver team.

The bell for the start of the match rang.

The next moment, the opposing team's figures disappeared.

No, they looked like they had disappeared.

The wind blew.

On the roof to the right.
The alley to the left.
Behind the fountain in front.
The wall behind.

Magic reactions moved every second.

"Fast...!"

Flower gripped her staff involuntarily.

Something moved at the edge of her vision.
When she tried to follow it, the presence jumped to another place.
Trying to see everything, her mind began to go blank.

"Flower-san."

Chloe's voice flew.

"You are late because you look at everything."

Flower gasped.

That's right.

Don't look at everything.

Decide on one point to protect.

Flower returned her consciousness to their own crystal.

The crystal shining pale blue.
Three steps in radius around it.

Look only at that.

Gather water.

Draw the water from the fountain thinly and spread it thinly over the cobblestones at her feet.
Mix in the light of the white flower.

It is not a large wall.
It is not a barrier to stop the opponent.

Just a water film that picks up only the fluctuations of things that pass through it.

"...Only here."

Flower whispered softly.

"I will not lose sight of this place."

A single white flower floated on the water film.

At that moment, the wind blew through the alley on the right.

Fast.

She couldn't follow it with her eyes.

But the water film trembled slightly.

"They're coming!"

Flower shouted.

Faster than that voice, Chloe said.

"Lavy-san, three lights to the front left."

"Understood."

Lavy did not fire a large flame.

She lit small lights on her fingertips and placed them on the cobblestones.

One.
Two.
Three.

The fire did not spread.

It was just there.

It was not enough to block the path.
However, it was in a position where the magic reaction would definitely be disturbed if they stepped into it.

The opponent running at high speed avoided it.

There was a second light where they avoided it.

They avoided it further.

Beyond that was Flower's water film.

The water splashed.

The white flower swayed.

"I see them."

Chloe said quietly.

"Heine-san."

"Yes."

Beside their own crystal, Heine barely moved.

Basic wind magic.

He just flowed a small wind at the opponent's feet.

The feet of the opponent who stepped in at high speed slipped just a little.

Just a little.

But that was enough.

Lavy's lights illuminated the opponent's retreat path.

The direction to escape was narrowed down to one.

Flower's water film extended white petals there.

Not to entangle.

Just to touch.

The pendant floated slightly.

A small stone fragment thrown by Chloe hit it.

Clink.

A dry sound echoed.

One of the opponents was eliminated.

The audience seats buzzed.

"Who took that one down?"

"Chloe?"

"No, Flower picked up the movement."

"Lavy was guiding them with fire."

Flower caught her breath.

The match wasn't over yet.

But it wasn't as scary as before.

She didn't have to follow everything.

If she decided on one point to protect, she could see what came there.

"Next, above."

Chloe said.

Lavy laughed softly.

"You can see it, can't you?"

"Only within the range I can see."

"That is enough."

Lavy did not fire a large flame this time either.

She placed a small fire on the roof.
That fire illuminated the opponent's shadow.

Flower flowed water to where the shadow fell.

Heine moved the wind just a little again.

Chloe chose only the moment to take them down.

The second person.
The third person.

The last one rushed straight toward the crystal.

It was the real deal.

Flower's water film trembled violently.

"Ugh...!"

She couldn't hold it.

For a moment, she tried to protect everything.

The water film spread too much.

The outline collapsed.

"Do not spread it."

Chloe's voice.

"One point."

Flower bit her lip.

She shrank her water film.

It's scary.
She couldn't see the surroundings.

But she didn't have to see.

In front of the crystal.
Just one step.

She bloomed a white flower only there.

The opponent's foot touched that one step.

The water sank.

The white flower floated.

The opponent's speed dropped for a moment.

Lavy's light illuminated their profile.

Heine's wind swayed the pendant's string.

Chloe's stone fragment flew.

Clink.

The bell for the end of the match rang.

Second match, victory.

Flower almost fell to her knees on the spot.

However, she did not collapse.

The white flower brooch on her chest was faintly warm.

"I did it..."

"You did it."

Chloe said.

"You were able to protect the necessary one point, not everything."

Flower looked up.

Chloe was expressionless as always.

But her voice was a little gentle.

"Thank you."

"It is too early to thank me."

"Eh?"

"There is a next one."

Lavy laughed.

"My, you really don't let us enjoy the afterglow, do you?"

"There is no match you can win on afterglow."

"You really are like that."

*"

The third match was an attack-specialized team.

The field was an open rocky area.

There were few places to hide.
There were few things to block.

In other words, the attacks you see reach you directly.

Before the start, the opposing team's magic power was wildly expanding.

Fire.
Lightning.
Rock.
Wind.

Each attribute was different.
However, the aim was one.

Wear them down first.
Break them first.
Overwhelm them before they can think.

Simple and dangerous terrain where magic flew from the front.

Lavy's red eyes burned just a little.

"This kind of opponent is easier to understand, isn't it?"

They were an easy-to-understand opponent.

And precisely because they were easy to understand, the fire inside Lavy was about to step forward out of habit.

"Please do not try to win sloppily against opponents who are easy to understand."

Chloe said immediately.

"Again?"

"Again."

"You really are strict with me, aren't you?"

"Strong people need strong-person-specific warnings."

Lavy was silent for a moment.

Then, she laughed.

"That is not entirely bad."

The bell for the start of the match rang.

Immediately after, the opponent's fireball approached from straight ahead.

Big.
Fast.
And rough.

If it were the usual Lavy, she would have burned it down from above without hesitation.

That is the fastest.
That is the easiest to understand.

With the same fire, stronger.
From the same front, higher.

That is more like Lavy Christail.

However, Lavy made the flame that was about to gather at her fingertips small, as if crushing it.

Not for burning.
Fire for illuminating.

What she was taught at the Shrine of Light still remained deep in her chest.

"Flower-san, the footing."

"Yes!"

Flower flowed water into the crack in the rocky area.

She bloomed only one white flower there.

A water flower foothold.

It only lasts for a moment.
If you step off, it collapses.
The edges of the petals are scorched by the heat of the fireball.

But one moment was enough.

Lavy stepped on that foothold and moved to the side.

The fireball passed by where she had been.

The rock exploded.
The hot wind shook her hair.

Lavy did not look back.

She did not fire a large flame, but placed a small light at the opponent's feet.

The opponent avoided it so as not to step on it.

Beyond where they avoided it was the opening Chloe had read.

"Second from the right, slow to return to defense."

Chloe's voice.

"I see it."

Lavy fired a small fireball.

It was not flashy.
It was not big either.

However, it reached the opponent's pendant accurately.

Clink.

One person eliminated.

The opposing team's attack was disrupted.

"Opponents who only look at attacking are slow to return to defense."

Chloe said.

"While they are attacking, they do not think they will be broken."

At those words, Flower took a small breath.

Not just protecting.
Not just attacking.

What to look at is that moment of switching.

Bloom a small flower there.

Second strike.

This time, three rock spears extended while gouging the ground.

Flower almost spread her water film involuntarily.

She wanted to stop it.

The moment she thought that, the white flower water film began to grow.

She wanted to protect everything.
She wanted to stop everything that was flying at them.

However, that is slow.

That would mean trying to see everything again.

"Flower-san."

Chloe's voice flew briefly.

"Not the front. The feet."

Flower took a breath.

What she protects is not everything.

The place Lavy will step next.
The place Heine's wind will pass.
The field of vision for Chloe to give instructions.

Just a thin line connecting those three points.

Flower floated a water flower in the crack of the rocky area.

Lavy stepped on it and illuminated the path with quiet fire.

Heine shifted the opponent's trajectory with only the minimum wind.

One of the rock spears lost its angle slightly.
Another one cut through the air.
The last one bent as if to avoid the place where Lavy's light was placed.

Beyond that, an opening was created.

Chloe chose only the order to take them down.

Second person.

The opponent's expression changed.

Even though they were attacking, they were being worn down.
Even though they were pushing, their footing was being taken away.

Impatience made their magic power rough.

"Next, center."

Chloe said.

"This time it is lightning."

The opponent at the very back raised their staff.

Lightning flashed.

The audience seats roared.

The power was high.
However, the aim was rough.

Flower almost spread her white flower water film to the front.

She wanted to catch it.

The moment she thought that, Chloe's voice flew.

"You do not have to stop it. Deflect it."

"Yes."

Flower took a breath and set the water film at an angle.

Do not take it head-on.
Create only the angle to flow it.

The lightning hit.

The water film trembled violently, and white petals scattered.

However, the lightning did not pass to the front, but flowed to the side.

Beyond that was Lavy's light.

The small fire illuminated the trajectory of the lightning.

"Heine-san."

Chloe said.

"Just a little."

"If it is just a little."

Heine moved his fingers sleepily while holding his black magic book.

A small wind blew.

The angle of the lightning changed just a little.

The lightning shattered the rock wall beside the opponent's own crystal.

The defensive formula shook from the impact.

"Now."

Chloe said.

Flower's white flower reached them along the ground.

Lavy's small fire burned only the surface of the crystal.

Heine's wind pushed out the scattered petals.

The petals touched the cracks in the crystal.

Clink.

The bell for the end of the match rang.

Third match, also victory.

For a moment, the venue was quiet.

Then, the audience seats buzzed loudly.

It is understandable that Lavy wins.

But the way she wins is different.

Not crushing them with firepower, but guiding the opponent's movements and burning only the necessary one point.

It is understandable that Flower protects.

But the way she protects is different.

Not creating a large wall, but blooming flowers only where necessary.

Heine still looks like he is doing almost nothing.

But for some reason, the opponent's trajectory shifts at key points.

And Chloe.

She does not use flashy magic.

She does not run.
She does not shoot.
She does not protect.

She is just watching.

Even so, it looked like the entire match was moving according to her words.

*"

After the match.

On the way back to the waiting room, Flower was walking next to Chloe.

"Chloe-san."

"Yes."

"I think I understood a little bit today."

"What is it?"

"That trying to protect everything actually makes you late."

Chloe lowered her eyes slightly.

"Yes."

"But it's different from throwing everything away, right?"

"It is different."

Chloe stopped walking.

Evening light was shining through the window in the corridor.

"I did not say to throw everything away."

Her voice was quiet.

"It is a matter of not making a mistake about the one point to protect first."

Flower kept those words deep in her chest.

The one point to protect first.

If she doesn't make a mistake about that, the things she can protect later will increase.

If she makes a mistake, everything will collapse from the beginning.

"Do you always look at things that way, Chloe-san?"

"Not always."

"Then, only during matches?"

Chloe had eyes that looked a little far away.

"Perhaps since long ago."

"Since long ago...?"

"I don't know well. But sometimes the flow of things looks like it breaks a little ahead."

Flower tilted her head.

"Breaks, ahead?"

"If you choose this path, it will collapse here next. If you leave this here, you can save it later. It is like a branch like that."

Chloe said calmly.

"Rather than seeing, it is close to an unavoidable sense of discomfort."

Melstine was listening to those words from a little distance away.

Standing in the shadow of the corridor with a silver pocket watch in her hand.

Chloe did not notice.

However, the usual lightness had disappeared from Melstine's expression.

"...Brother."

Melstine whispered so quietly that no one could hear.

Chronos.

The brother who rewrote the history of magic theory at fifteen and disappeared beyond space-time.

The person who saw the flow of things not as a line, but as branches.

Similar.

Too similar.

However, Melstine shook her head immediately.

Impossible.

She tried to think that.

She tried to think it, but couldn't.

At that moment, Chloe suddenly looked out the window.

The light of the recording crystal was reflecting in the evening sky.

In those eyes, it looked like a silver ring floated for just a moment.

Melstine's finger pressed the lid of the pocket watch hard.

"...No way."

It did not become a voice.

However, that doubt did not disappear anymore.

Chloe turned back to Flower.

"From tomorrow, it will be a somewhat unpleasant battle."

"Unpleasant battle?"

"The next opponent is a team that has applied to use generated magic tools."

Flower's chest buzzed slightly.

Generated magic tools.

The moment she heard that word, for some reason, she imagined a fire without temperature.

"Generated magic tools..."

"Yes."

Chloe nodded.

"They are strong. They are rational. And, they probably do not look at humans."

At those words, Flower gripped the white flower brooch on her chest.

Lavy was also listening to those words from a little distance away.

The ear cuff on one ear was glowing quietly.

Heine was standing sleepily while holding his black magic book.

However, his fingertips were pressing the cover a little harder than usual.

"Generated magic tools, is it?"

Heine muttered low.

"I only have a bad feeling."

"Do Heine-san's bad feelings come true?"

Lavy asked.

"Relatively."

"That is the worst."

"Yes. It is the worst."

Flower swallowed her anxiety.

But she did not look away.

There is no need to see everything.

But she must not make a mistake about the one point to protect first.

The battle that comes next will surely be different from today.

It will be a battle where just winning is not enough.

Chloe was staring at the bracket table.

In those gray eyes, the evening light was faintly reflected.

"It starts from here."

She said quietly.

"The point where this tournament stops being just a match."

To be continued in Episode 15.

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