I Returned with the Cheat Holy Sword

"...Excuse me, but who are you?"

"I'm this man's wife."
Vespa’s answer dropped like a stone in front of Caleb’s flustered voice.
"Wouldn’t it be best if you stopped now?"

"......"
"Let’s be honest, you’re just picking a fight."
Caleb’s lip twitched.

Now even this sort of absurdity was getting in his way.
"…This is a conversation between mages. I’d appreciate it if an outsider would step aside."
He spat the words without even meeting her gaze, but Vespa stood firm, looking him straight in the eye.

A far cry from the usual Vespa—this was someone with backbone.
"I can use magic too. I studied at Yoram."
"..."

"And honestly, the way you’re speaking is pretty unpleasant."
At that, Caleb looked at her in disbelief.
Was this girl seriously thinking she could stand on equal ground with someone working inside the Mage Tower just because she studied some magic at a school?

Even if he was treated like a piece of furniture here, he still had the skills to be accepted into the Tower.
But the next words out of Vespa’s mouth made it crystal clear she didn’t give a damn about any of that.
"You might get seriously hurt if you’re not careful."

"..."
Caleb stared at her, dazed.
"Are you… picking a fight right now?"
"And what if I am?"

"..."
***
"...I really didn’t expect things to spiral like this."

Letty rubbed her temple and looked around.
As expected of a place filled with a job class notorious for birthing lunatics, the inner chambers of the Mage Tower included a special area specifically built to handle disputes peacefully.
The so-called "Magic Exchange Arena"—meant to let them settle their shit without causing a nuisance to others.

...Though “exchange arena” was just mage-speak for a formal duel.
"I-I mean, logically speaking, this actually makes sense!"
Vespa was sweating bullets under three simultaneous pairs of concerned eyes.

"Carlyle’s pretending to be Letty’s uncle right now, so he can’t step in. But I can use magic, so doesn’t it make more sense for me to be the one to act?"
"..."
"..."

Even after all that, the worried gazes didn’t let up one bit.
Mostly because the current Vespa was back to her usual self—nervous, unconfident, hesitant.
A total contrast to the girl who had just casually picked a fight with Caleb.

Now she was the one entering a duel? It’d be weirder not to worry.
"...I can use magic too," Letty muttered, half-heartedly.
But Vespa shook her head.

"But regardless of your reasons, you really don’t want to fight that guy, do you?"
If she had, she would’ve already stepped up.
"..."

Letty fell silent, as if struck right in the heart.
Vespa gave a soft smile and nodded.
"I’ll do it. I’m the only one who can, right?"

...Yeah.
Carlyle remembered this side of her.
No matter how timid or unconfident she was—no matter how much she hated fighting—

If no one else would step up, she would. Without hesitation.
And so, they all watched with anxious eyes as Vespa shuffled nervously into the Magic Exchange Arena.
"...Are you sure she’ll be okay?"

Letty asked in a deeply worried voice, unable to shake her unease.
"She’ll… probably be fine. But I can’t say for certain."
Honestly?

Even Carlyle wasn’t sure.
"But is it really okay to just send her up there like that? She seems close to you—what if something goes wrong?"
"...Excuse me?"

"...Huh?"
Carlyle and Letty blinked at each other.
The kind of reaction you only get when both sides realize they’re talking about two completely different things.

"Hold on. Just to clarify—what exactly are you worried about?"
"Well, I mean… she’s clearly handling some incredibly dangerous potential with magic. But I also heard she’s never been in a real fight."
Letty scratched her cheek, looking uneasy.

"Caleb’s an asshole, sure—but he’s also from a prestigious mage family. He’s competent enough that I avoid him too because I’m not sure I’d win in a fight."
...Ah.
So that’s why she hadn’t stepped in, even when provoked that hard.

"But he’s just… ‘competent for his age,’ right?"
"What?"
"I mean, he’s good for someone his age. That’s all."

"...?"
"I mean, yeah, that’s still concerning, obviously."
"No, I’m saying—even if she’s got huge potential, throwing her into a fight right now is still reckless—"

"Nope."
Carlyle cut her off flatly.
He didn’t blame her concern.

It was true that Vespa wasn’t used to combat. She actively avoided conflict.
But because of that, when she did fight—she held nothing back.
She threw everything she had, without hesitation.

That’s what made an angry Vespa dangerous.
When you attached the word magic to Vespa, reducing her abilities to “talented” or “promising” was nothing short of insulting.
Even the Hero inside the Holy Sword never tried to condense Vespa’s skill into a single line.

Unreasonable. If ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) it's purely magic, I wouldn’t win either.
She hadn’t ended up as a core member of the Hero’s party in the future for nothing.
No matter how she looked on the surface—Vespa Luciana, when she reached her full potential—

Was one of humanity’s protectors.
So really…
The one everyone should be worried about wasn’t her.

It was the “competent for his age” mage who had to fight her.
"That Caleb guy," Carlyle sighed.
"If he’s not careful, he’s gonna die."

And what followed, indeed, proved those words right.
***
A mage duel wasn’t like your average sword fight. To an outsider, it looked like complete nonsense.

As the name "exchange" implied, the structure was more graceful than just punching each other to death.
The mages stood at either end of the arena, on top of mana amplification circles, and channeled their mana.
Without moving from their spots, they tried to extend their mana field to reach the other side.

In short: magical territory capture.
And Caleb, in his own mind, was pretty confident at this sort of match.
—What a joke.

He snorted as he looked across the arena at the girl stepping up.
A no-name woman picking a fight with the Valeria heir himself.
…Now even worms like her think they can look down on me?

He’d already been in a terrible mood lately—everyone kept messing with him.
And now even some mistress-clingy sidepiece of a popular guy thought she could get in his face?
"......"

Caleb smiled thinly and began projecting mana around himself.
Casting magic was, in essence, a conversation.
A dialogue with the governing wills of each domain, where the mage offered their mana in exchange for power.

And in that regard—
—!
The magic that began to unfurl around him was strong enough to back up his arrogant demeanor.

Mana surged like golden smoke, saturating the area near his circle.
By Tower standards, it was below average—but for a Valeria heir, he was clearly brushing elite level.
And he wasn’t done yet.

—!!
He wrapped his arms in enchanted artifacts granted by his family, and the mana surrounding him intensified.
The Eyes of Quiria.

A legendary artifact composed of four bracelets.
It exponentially increased the wearer’s mana sensitivity. Even a third-rate mage could duel with a master if they wore these.
All noble houses worthy of their name had their secret techniques and treasures. This was Valeria’s prized heirloom.

Rumor had it the only reason the Tower let him in was because they wanted to study this thing.
Normally, using this in a duel would get you mocked even by other mages for having no shame.
But Caleb didn’t care.

At worst, his mana would invade her circuit and leave her with permanent damage. Not like she’d die.
She’s not even part of the Tower anyway.
He had backing.

He was a Tower member, and the Valeria family’s head always protected him thanks to his mother.
The girl was just a student from Yoram. No connections.
Even if Alistair got mad, he could cover it with his status.

—!!!!!!
His mana, amplified by the artifact, swept outward with precision and force.
"…What an asshole. Too bad he’s actually good."

Letty muttered as she watched. The pressure was undeniable.
Meanwhile—
"Hmm…"

Vespa tilted her head, hesitant, as she stood on the circle.
"Letty—how do you use this thing?"
"..."

"Do I just start right away?"
"..."
Letty and Caleb both stared at her in blank disbelief.

Was she seriously unable to even do the basic mana resonance every mage could?
Caleb gave a disbelieving snort. Letty rubbed her temples.
"...Draw your mana out from within. It’ll start spreading out according to its total volume."

"Oh, got it."
Vespa nodded calmly and closed her eyes.
She brought her hands together like in prayer.

And what followed was a whisper only she could hear.
"Hmm… so..."
She gave a sheepish smile, as if even saying this was embarrassing.

—I’m sorry for calling on you for something like this.
I know you’re always helping me.
I still don’t know who you are or what you are—but I’m always grateful. And always sorry.

"But."
Just this once, I have to ask again.
"...That man insulted someone precious to me. Made things hard for him."

Her voice, low and calm, washed gently through the room.
A small blue wisp of smoke popped into existence before her.
When Vespa held out her hand, it danced around her fingers, following her lead.

She gently placed it down on the magic circle.
"Let’s protect Carlyle together."
And at that moment—

"...Huh?"
Caleb blurted out without thinking.
From the opposite side—

Something began to pulse.
—…
—………

—………………..!!!!!
The entire chamber began to collapse inward.