Aiming to be the perfect butler for my lady

Chapter 21- Sacrificed

[Alatia's POV:]

Kyle is getting a little too cocky these days.

Just now I was going to refuse the proposal of this battle since the competitors were not even evenly matched.

From what I have heard from Collen, I knew Kyle is a formidable fighter until his opponent is a nonmagician. And even if it is a magic user, he would be able to deal with a low-ranking magician with the help of some artifact.

However, Radolf was a bonafide magician who had been trained under one of the retired professors of Starfall Academy. Although I am not certain, from what I have obtained from my observations, Radolf was at least in his third awakening.

It means he can conjure a three-diagram spell that carries the destruction power to plummet a small town. Someone like Radolf can get easily admitted to the Starfall Academy as a student but he is stuck up with the stubbornness to serve me.

Quite foolish and delusional that person is.

"Collen, what is your invocation time?" Standing beside me was the security in charge who might be the only one in this mansion that could defeat me. If a threat looms on Kyle I want the best person to defend him.

"Two dot three seconds, my lady."

"Hmm...when I command, stop the match immediately."Collen is almost two seconds faster than me when it comes to magic initialization.

"Understood, my lady."

My gaze narrowed at the battlefield. I didn't say anything after that. Kyle and Radolf stood there in silence with Collen marching toward them to start the duel.

Although I was a little worried about Kyle's safety, I wasn't going to turn down his decision to battle Radolf and make his position as my butler, permanent.

Kyle is...fighting to be with me.

*******

[Kyle's POV:]

"Begin!"

The moment I heard the declaration, I marched toward my enemy with my weapon held from its middle.

I unleashed my speed without restraint, and in an instant, I stood before Radolf. My spearhead hovered mere inches from his chest, intending to incapacitate him with a single strike.

However, the moment my eyes landed on his curved lips, I felt something approaching me from beneath.

*SHUAAAA*

I deftly evaded the surging water erupting from the ground with enough force to topple a medium-sized tree in its wake.

I jumped back and regained my footing. The water that drenched me was making my clothes heavy...but not enough to restrain my movements.

I chewed on my lower lip before dashing toward my left, flanking Radolf and intending to attack him again.

However, my feet soon slid across the muddy field as I witnessed the vacant spot where Radolf stood once.

"Fall."

My ears received a command and the next moment I found myself jumping forward.

*BOOOM*

The ground where I had stood was now marked by a small crater, formed by a concentrated stream of water that could easily fit inside a water tube. The stream was so precisely directed and dense that it created a web-like pattern of force around the crater.

*Ba* *Dum* *Ba* *Dum*

My heart leaped in beats as I again dodged another attack from my adversary while trying to detect his location.

'Wait...these streams are descending from the sky....which means!'

Leaping forward while using my spear as a pole, I got myself enough time to assess the high-rising fountain that Radolf created initially to defend against my attack.

There he stood, on top of the geyser with an aloof expression on his face and his grimoire lazily held in his hand. By his stance and the way he was waving at me upon finding my eyes on him...it was clear as day that he was trying to rile me up.

'If only I could have used Beta...' The moment I reach him this farce would be over. However, using those cursed dolls here would be nothing but ridiculous.

The use of Cursed magic was prohibited amongst humans and no one was exempted from that rule.

"Meteor fall!"

Hearing Radolf's voice I realized what he was going to do. I have seen this spell in the game as well.

Although it's called 'fall', the meteor of water would emerge from the ground. As such, there wouldn't be any place I could run to.

....however, if I could detect from where the meteor is about to emerge.

*BOOOM*

*BOOOM*

One after another, many large boulder-like aqua meteors began emerging from the ground and rising toward the sky.

This was the first phase of the Meteor fall—a third-degree spell. They rise high in the air one after another before following the nature of the spell name and raining down on the surface like a meteor shower.

I was continuously on a run while minimally avoiding the boulders. My arms and body have received numerous bruises by now but I wasn't paying attention to it.

'Beta!' I called forth the secondary doll before. I felt it attaching to my chest.

It may have been foolish, I admit. Yet, as the only option left, I closed my eyes and surrendered to the guidance of 'Astral Vision' to navigate through the onslaught.

The next place from where the bluish-green fragment was about to emerge was about fifty meters to my left. I didn't think twice before charging toward it.

*BOOOM*

Like a canon, the ground shattered and a water boulder emerged from the ground with me, on top of it

"Huh?!"

I heard someone exclaiming but I didn't have the time to bother with it.

Consciously, Radolf cannot manipulate the meteors. He can only set a perimeter and hope for the target to fall for the trap. That's why, the moment I ascended high enough and leaped toward him, his face went extremely pale.

My physical strength was higher than any average-enhanced soldier. That's why leaping more than seventy meters to target the prey was not a big feat.

However, what I didn't anticipate was,

"Aqual!"

I forgot that a mage can chant numerous spells at the same time if they are experienced enough. And for Radolf to conjure a simple water ball spell was nothing to be amazed about.

"Khuk!!" My chest was slammed by the water ball and air was knocked out of my lungs. Mid-air it was impossible for me to dodge that.

"Kyle!" It may be my imagination but I think I heard Alatia's voice as I fell backward—allowing gravity to pull me back to the ground.

However, it wasn't just me who was falling.

"Ehehe~" I couldn't help grinning with my eyes half closed as I saw the water spring on which Radolf was standing, disappearing in an instant and Radolf falling to the ground along with me...

...with his chest pierced with the spear I threw at him.

'I can't dodge your attack...but that doesn't mean I can't attack you either....' The moment I realized that I wouldn't be able to reach Radolf, I threw my spear with all my strength. Resulting,

*Dhak*

*Dhak*

Our bodies fell to the ground from almost twenty feet height.

I felt the bones of my left arm and somewhere around my lower back cracking at the impact. However, Radolf's condition was worse than mine.

"KHUOOOKKK!!" He grunted in agony and puked a lot of blood.

I had the option to consume the potion which Alatia gave me. However, I decided otherwise and slowly lifted myself from the ground.

"Agh...I...I am good..." I gestured toward Alatia while slowly advancing toward Radolf.

Alatia was on the verge of losing it, however, seeing me get up helped her calm down a little.

I slowly made my way toward Radolf who was bleeding from his chest and head. However, given the durability of a magic user and also the presence of healers in the mansion, I knew he would recover from these wounds in no time.

I have deliberately targeted his right chest plate to avoid wounding him fatally.

"..I..guess *cough* this is my victory..."

As I stood while looking down at him, I stated the obvious.

Radolf parted his lips to say something with a pained expression contouring his face.

I waited for him to either curse me or probably accept his defeat. What? At least I can hope, right?

However, soon an evil grin extended his lips and dark miasma began radiating around the boy.

I knew this sensation. I could feel this. This was Curse Magic. The same source with which my cursed dolls are made.

The ominous sensation enwrapped Radolf as I instinctively stepped back and saw his body repairing itself at an inhumane pace.

'This is so not good...' Radolf was an asshole I knew...but to think he would sacrifice his humanity to defeat me?!

Ridiculous!

"You think..you can win against me? Do you think you have the right to take the spot beside Alatia?!" As he spat those words, his figure levitated in the air and his blood-red eyes gazed at me with nothing but hatred,

"Are you worthy to even breathe in the same air as her?! You, a non-awakened trash who was-Khuk!!"

The trash-talking came to a sudden end as a golden sword pierced Radolf from behind.

Before Radolf could have looked behind his back to realize who stabbed him, his body was shredded into pieces...

....literally.

And with that, the small episode of Butler vs Butler came to an end. Phew.

*****

A/N:- Drop a comment.