The Absolute Beings Obsessed with My Defeat Addiction

Helen hurriedly followed Yuris, who was disappearing somewhere.

She ran into the alley without taking a break, clearly in a rush.

“Haah, haah, where on earth are you going?”

Unable to keep up with Yuris, who was almost walking at a run, she used a slight bit of her spirit power to chase after her.

She had heard from Beron.

The victorious knights from the mock battle were supposed to have a gathering for unity.

It was definitely time for a celebration after winning the mock battle with her subordinate knights.

But Yuris was heading towards the outskirts of the capital.

What on earth was going on?

Why was she rushing here with such an urgent expression?

Could it be that she was running off to do something she shouldn’t be caught doing?

Perhaps a hidden lover.

Or maybe she was using some forbidden substance.

If that were the case…

‘This is an opportunity to catch the Iron-Blood Knight Yuris off guard.’

It felt cowardly to exploit someone’s weakness to achieve victory, but she couldn’t just let her brother, who was always defeated, remain in such a state.

How long could they endure being the shame of the Silvesta family?

It was time to shed the disgrace of being the commander of the 2nd Knights who always lost.

“Haah, I’m suffering because of my useless brother, what is this?”

But she was curious.

What kind of weakness could the always perfect Iron-Blood Knight Yuris possibly have?

Helen knew Yuris well.

A perfectionist who only focused on training.

She didn’t allow even the slightest flaw, to the point where people joked that she must have a heart made of iron.

There were even knights who trained closely with her who said she had no hobbies other than swordsmanship.

Perhaps she would be the first to observe Yuris’s private life.

Yuris entered a small shop in an alley on the outskirts of the capital.

Looking around cautiously to see if anyone was watching, she knocked on the door and waited with a flushed face for it to open.

– Hall of Illusions.

“What’s that…?”

She had heard rumors that it was a place that showed users’ desires.

It was said to be a shop created by a genius magician who had mastered illusion magic and gathered the essence of it.

She had heard that it was promoted to nobles.

– Don’t you want to taste the desires you hesitate to share with others? We will make it happen for you. Since it’s not reality, you don’t have to worry about getting hurt or exhausted.

She remembered that the rumors among the nobles weren’t particularly good.

– Achieving desires sounds strange.

– They say only weird people learn illusion magic.

– Honestly, what can you even do with illusion magic?

– I don’t want to waste my time.

Everyone’s distrust stemmed from illusion magic.

Among commoners, it was rumored that if experienced incorrectly, one’s body could become distorted.

Hadn’t they said that someone who saw an illusion of a werewolf later became a real werewolf and attacked humans?

Helen knew that was nonsense.

Illusion magic wasn’t that kind of thing.

It was about distorting reality to show illusions.

That was the essence of illusion magic.

But why was the Iron-Blood Knight Yuris there?

‘Could she be doing a combat simulation there?’

As soon as the door opened, she entered as if she had been waiting for that moment.

Whatever it was, her flushed face and excited breath.

Helen’s brow furrowed as she watched.

“Could it be…?”

Surely she didn’t go there for that reason?

“Is she doing a real combat simulation with illusion magic?”

She had heard that among the types of illusion magic that distort reality, there were also those that slowed the flow of time.

Perhaps her overwhelming strength was born from such a space.

“This might be my chance to uncover a huge secret.”

She summoned the spirit of darkness to hide her body.

‘I haven’t figured anything out yet. Let’s wait until Yuris comes out.’

It wouldn’t do to corner her with mere guesses.

Helen quietly hid and waited for Yuris to emerge.

It wasn’t until after 9 PM that Yuris rushed out of the shop.

Surprisingly, she looked quite fresh.

Compared to how she had entered the shop without even wiping the sweat from her battle, she came out looking impeccably clean.

‘There’s definitely something going on. She wouldn’t stay in there for that long otherwise.’

Going into the shop now would be pointless.

All the evidence would likely have disappeared.

In that case, she would confront her directly.

She would observe Yuris’s reaction.

Helen withdrew her spirit power and stood in front of Yuris as she exited the shop.

“Hello, Iron-Blood Knight. What a surprise to see you here.”

“Uh, uh? Lady Silvesta?”

Helen quickly assessed Yuris’s reaction upon seeing her.

The moment she saw her, Yuris’s startled eyes lost their way.

Her face turned as red as if she had been caught stealing, and Helen’s keen senses felt Yuris’s heart racing rapidly.

“Where are you coming from?”

“W-What about you, Lady Silvesta? What brings you out at this late hour?”

“Well, I was taking a walk to calm my troubled heart after my brother’s defeat. But… you just came out of that shop.”

“Uh, uh?”

As she asked while looking at the Hall of Illusions, Yuris’s expression of panic grew even more pronounced.

“W-Well, you see…”

“That shop is said to fulfill desires, so could it be…?”

“N-No! The owner of that shop was worried about the security around here…”

“A magician is worried about security?”

“W-Well, illusion magicians have almost no combat ability…”

“I see.”

Just by having this conversation, she could feel it.

This woman was hiding something.

She had done something in that Hall of Illusions.

Something she shouldn’t have done.

“Well, I should be going now. It’s getting late.”

“Could you escort me? It’s too late for a lady to be out alone.”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t do that. You’re a remarkable spirit mage, Lady Silvesta. I believe there’s no ruffian who would dare attack you.”

With that, she left in a hurry.

Watching her retreating figure, Helen twisted her lips into a smirk.

“Indeed, there’s something going on there.”

The Hall of Illusions run by an illusion magician.

She thought it would be necessary to visit at least once to catch Yuris’s weakness.

“Iron-Blood Knight, you will never defeat anyone from our Silvesta family from now on.”

***

– The mock battle between the Empire’s 1st and 2nd Knights, victory for Iron-Blood Knight Yuris Beletaon.

– Spirit Mage Helen De Silvesta, first undergraduate student of the Royal Academy to contract with a high-level dark spirit.

– 100-Minute Debate: God vs. Hero, who would win if they fought?

I read today’s royal newspaper.

It summarized the major events that occurred in the Empire yesterday.

Most of the content focused on events in the imperial capital, and it was filled with praises like “The Empire is amazing!” so there wasn’t much to see.

There were some interesting topics like gossip and the 100-Minute Debate, featuring essays and comments from experts within the Empire.

Still, it was the only newspaper that provided a brief overview of the imperial situation, and since it occasionally reported on wars in the provinces or the circumstances of other races, it was a newspaper worth reading.

In fact, it was the only daily newspaper published in the Empire.

“A high-level spirit…”

I saw the news about Helen De Silvesta contracting with a high-level dark spirit.

I had heard that usually, one needed to be at least a professor level to contract a high-level spirit.

It was said that one needed a mana core capable of receiving spirit sensitivity and spirit power.

If one didn’t have these two, they couldn’t contract with a spirit, so the more experienced a spirit mage was, the higher-level spirit they could contract with.

Moreover, that was only for the so-called four elemental spirits: fire, water, wind, and earth.

I had heard that the conditions for contracting special spirits like dark and light spirits were even more stringent.

But for an undergraduate student to contract with a high-level spirit.

Especially a high-level dark spirit.

“She must be exceptionally talented.”

That’s how she achieved such results at this age.

Suddenly, I thought of my mentor, Meiko.

She was also a genius who became a professor at a magic school before reaching adulthood.

The Royal Academy and the magic school were essentially separate institutions.

The royal family, which couldn’t fully trust magicians, had created separate classes, right?

Because of that, magicians learned at the magic school, while all other subjects were taught at the Royal Academy.

So I had heard that there were still some areas within the royal palace where only spirit mages could exert their power.

Well, since I had never been allowed into the palace, I didn’t know the truth.

“The Royal Academy, huh. I’m envious.”

Everyone must be feeling like they’re in college.

It must be a fantasy version of university life.

Do they go on MTs together too?

It would be fun if they had clubs and such.

The magic school felt like a strict educational institution that only focused on studying, so there was no fun in attending.

It was like being forced to study until midnight, like in the military.

“Ugh, enough. They say not to even look at trees you can’t climb.”

I folded the newspaper and checked the magic circle once more.

Right now, I only had one regular customer, but I needed to be prepared since I never knew when another customer might come.

Since Yuris, who had been satisfied two days ago, probably wouldn’t come for a few days, I had to remember to continue my research on the magic circle and potion-making for funding.

Bubbling.

Just as I was heading to my workshop to make potions after a long time.

Knock, knock.

I heard someone knocking on the door.

“Huh?”

A customer at this hour?

There was no mention of a postman, right?

“Is it really a customer?”

Could it be Yuris again?

She seemed to be in heat lately, but surely not?

Thinking that, I opened the door.

“Nice to meet you. Are you the owner of this place?”

A beautiful woman with silver hair and striking blue eyes was glaring at me with her arms crossed.

Her sharp tone.

Her luxurious outfit made of high-quality fabric.

And the blue epaulettes symbolizing her status as an undergraduate student at the academy.

It was the same woman I had seen in the newspaper just moments ago.

“Helen De Silvesta?”

“Oh, you’re quite perceptive, aren’t you?”

“What brings a talented spirit mage like you here?”

“I came to ask for a favor.”

A favor.

What could a successful spirit mage and noble lady possibly want from me?

“What did Yuris do here?” 

Hmm, starting with a difficult topic.