I AM A MAGE BUT WITH MILF SYSTEM

Chapter 827: The two roads

“It was entertaining to fight you, Lady Elara.” He straightened, studying her with something closer to respect than mockery now. “Your summon caught me by surprise, more than I would like to admit. It pushed me to my absolute limit.”

Before either of them could say anything further, the Countess reached them at last. She was breathless and wild eyed, having sprinted the moment Olivia’s grip finally slipped. She pulled her daughter into a fierce embrace, not caring of the ash and grime still clinging to Elara’s skin.

“You foolish, foolish girl,” the Countess choked out, her voice thick with relief and lingering terror. “Do you have any idea what could have happened to you in there?”

“Mother, I’m fine,” Elara murmured against her shoulder, though the exhaustion in her voice betrayed just how close that had truly come to being untrue. “Truly. I am only tired.”

The Duke and the Count finally allowed the last of the reinforced barrier to dissolve. The both men lowered their hands with visible relief now that the danger had passed. The Duke turned first, his sharp eyes settling on his son with an expression that was difficult to read.

“Phoenix Dance,” he said slowly, “in a bounded courtyard. What exactly were you thinking, Kraven?”

“I was thinking I did not want to lose,” Julian replied simply, and though there was no real defiance in his tone, there was no apology in it either.

The Count, for his part, allowed himself a small, satisfied smile as he watched his daughter finally straighten out of her mother’s embrace.

“A duel worth remembering,” he said, more to himself than to anyone in particular. “The both of them have grown far stronger than I expected.”

The Count then turned to face his daughter fully, his earlier satisfaction tempered by genuine concern.

“Elara,” he said, his voice low enough that only those nearest could hear. “You know how risky using the Guardian was, right? That technique has always taken a heavy toll on you. You could have seriously injured yourself today.”

Elara lowered her gaze. She nodded slowly, her fingers still trembling slightly from the residual strain of the summon.

“I know, Father,” she said softly. “I… I lost myself in the moment. I wanted to prove I could stand against him. I’m sorry.”

The Count exhaled but his expression softened. “I understand the desire to show your strength. But strength means nothing if it destroys the one wielding it.” He paused, then added more firmly, “You should apologize to Lord Kraven as well. You forced him into a position where he had no choice but to respond with serious force.”

Elara lifted her eyes toward Julian. There was no resentment in them… only respect and embarrassment. She stepped forward and offered a small, formal bow.

“Lord Kraven,” she said, her voice clear despite her exhaustion. “I apologize for pushing the duel so far. I was reckless. Thank you for not letting it end worse than it did.”

Julian regarded her for a moment, then smiled.

“It’s okay, Count,” he said, glancing briefly toward the older man before returning his attention to Elara. “There is nothing to forgive. You fought with everything you had. That is something to respect, not to regret. Just… be more careful next time. Talent like yours should not be risked lightly.”

The Countess, still hovering protectively near her daughter, let out a shaky breath of relief at Julian’s words. The Count gave a small, approving nod.

Olivia and Vanessa finally reached them. Vanessa wasted no time closing the distance, linking her arm through Kraven’s with a familiarity that would have seemed impossible only a few weeks ago.

These past few days, Vanessa’s habit had definitely shocked Julian. She had suddenly turned from a cunning and dangerous piece in his plans into someone openly supportive. The shift had been so abrupt that for the first few days Julian had seriously pondered whether it was real or carefully manufactured. But the more he observed her, the clearer it became that the change was genuine.

He still could not pinpoint exactly what had caused it, but he was not complaining. She had become a far more useful and stable piece on the board. Still, he would continue to observe her carefully. Trust was a currency he spent sparingly.

A short distance away, the Count and Countess were locked in their own private storms of thought, neither aware of just how differently the other was interpreting everything they had just witnessed.

The Count stood with his arms folded, his gaze still fixed on the young man now being fussed over by Vanessa.

If he were being honest with himself, the only reason he had agreed to this duel in the first place was because he trusted his daughter’s strength. Elara had trained tirelessly for years, and her magic had grown formidable enough that he had genuinely believed, perhaps arrogantly so, that she would destroy the young lord of the Astran Duchy.

Instead, Kraven had overpowered her completely.

And it was not merely a matter of raw power. What struck the Count far more deeply was how composed Julian had remained throughout the entire exchange.

Every single decision he made was calm and precise as if he had already calculated for a dozen of possible outcomes before his opponent had even finished casting her first spell. From the very moment he had stepped onto that field, everything about the duel had unfolded entirely on his terms.

That kind of transformation, in someone so young, was nothing short of astonishing. Whatever rumors had once painted the boy as reckless, cruel, even unstable, the man who had just fought his daughter bore little resemblance to them. He had become someone entirely different in what felt like an impossibly short span of time.

Having now witnessed that change with his own eyes, the Count found himself more certain than ever that Elara’s betrothal to Kraven was the best decision. he could ever make. Strength like that, paired with such discipline, was rare. He intended to make the most of it.

But beside him, his wife’s thoughts moved down an entirely different path.