If it weren't for the fact that Laurie and Merlin the Dragon Knight were good friends, even Maggie would have misunderstood him and wondered if he meant no harm.
The fact that they deliberately mentioned dragons—was this a reminder to her?
Maggie could barely suppress the upward curve of her lips. Some people think they are the hunters, but little do they know that the real hunters have been watching him for a long time.
Originally, she wanted to find a reasonable and barely ethical way to pry out the elemental spirits, but now that Laurie has pulled this stunt, it has made it easier for her to steal them.
Maggie was in a good mood; this was the only thing that had really pleased her recently, and she could barely forgive all the bad luck that had happened before.
"You want to challenge me?"
She slowly stood up, her voice devoid of emotion, her calm tone echoing throughout the arena.
"It's not really a challenge, I just want to exchange and learn from Her Highness the Holy Maiden and see what kind of strength the temple should have."
Despite the various gazes from the audience, Laurie spoke sanctimonious words without changing her expression.
"I'd love to have a chance to spar with you, but unfortunately, you're not good enough for that yet."
Maggie suddenly curled her lips into a smile, her gentle expression mixed with an ambiguous emotion. Her voice, neither loud nor soft, seemed to resonate throughout the room, making the air even quieter for a moment.
Laurie's expression faltered for a moment upon hearing this, seemingly surprised that Maggie would reject him, especially with such an almost 'insulting' statement.
Based on the Saintess of Light's usual personality, she shouldn't say such aggressive things.
Maggie didn't care what Laurie was thinking. Her refusal wasn't a ploy; the temple's dignity couldn't be offended. If she accepted now, she might face the archbishop's harassment again when she returned.
Moreover, it's not appropriate to discuss compensation in this situation. If she were to directly ask for the elemental spirit, her reputation would be utterly ruined.
Maggie didn't want anyone to find fault with her, nor did she want Laurie to pull her into the fray so easily.
Otherwise... if any Tom, Dick, or Harry could challenge her, wouldn't she be swamped with work in the future?
"So, what does Her Highness mean...?"
Laurie, a young nobleman raised in a prominent family, was extremely well-mannered and naturally unaffected by Maggie's words. However, he did not give up and asked with a polite smile.
"If you can get into the top three in this competition, I can consider having a match with you. The temple never rests on its laurels and welcomes all challenges."
Maggie scanned the room and nodded slightly to everyone. This was less a direct address to Laurie and more a hint to everyone.
"Thank you for your encouragement, Your Highness. Since Your Highness has set such a threshold, I will have no choice but to do my best to win the championship and will not let Your Highness down. I hope Your Highness will not break your promise."
Laurie was not surprised. Having achieved his goal, he did not linger. After bowing once more on the field, he slowly retreated.
Maggie watched him walk off the stage, and couldn't help but sigh in her heart.
Merlin and Laurie have a really good relationship. Laurie even risked offending the temple to challenge her and avenge Merlin for having his dragon stolen.
Everyone knows that it would be a thankless and difficult thing for her to step down so easily.
Winning is a given, but losing would be a loss of face for the temple, inevitably leading to punishment upon her return, and would also damage her image as the Holy Maiden of Light.
If it weren't for her desire for his elemental spirit, Maggie probably wouldn't have agreed.
"What a bold magician."
Gillian spoke with a hint of surprise after Maggie sat down.
"No, it's because I'm too weak that people are willing to challenge me."
Maggie remained noncommittal, her tone gentle yet calm as she stated the facts.
She never concealed her strength; she was indeed a mid-level mage. If she weren't so young, her strength would be truly insignificant among the higher-ups of the temple.
If you want to humiliate the temple, challenging her is indeed the simplest and most effective way.
Unfortunately, such opportunities are rare; Maggie would never normally agree to such a request.
"I have a feeling that Her Highness the Holy Maiden will have the upper hand."
Gillian's tone was ambiguous, as if she were testing something.
"Who knows?"
Maggie neither agreed nor denied it. She couldn't afford to lose this battle, but her trump card was different from others'. Unless it was a critical moment, she would never reveal it to anyone.
Of course, even the part she showed might not be understood by many people.
For example, ancient magical languages.
"Sigh, I've misjudged someone again."
After hearing the farce, Burwin lost all interest in watching the duel and spent a long time wallowing in self-pity in the corner. Maggie could tell from his expression that the kid felt he had misjudged people.
Laurie's actions of provoking the Holy Maiden of Light make her completely unsuitable for researching magic in the tower.
Moreover, Burwin's impression of Maggie was ridiculously good.
Oh, by the way, Burwin also had a very unlucky trait: whoever he favored would run into trouble—either a bad guy or someone with poor character, a liar, or a thief.
For a time, even though he was the tower's chief mage, the sages refused to let him bring people into the tower, no matter how much Burvin praised him.
Maggie stroked her chin, pondered for a moment, and realized that Burvin seemed to like her quite a bit too.
So the rumors must be false, because she has a very high opinion of herself and is an absolutely good person.
The day's competition ended quickly. Before leaving the dueling arena, Maggie saw Susie and Witt again. When Susie passed by her, she greeted her excitedly and waved wildly across the crowd, acting as if she were a social terrorist.
Witt, standing to the side, kept trying to pull her arm down, while covering her face with her other hand, her whole body filled with resistance, as if afraid of being recognized.
Having just received a favor, Maggie very naturally raised her arm and greeted Susie.
This greeting had a significant effect. Susie realized that Maggie recognized her, and she jumped around even more excitedly, waving her hands as if she were about to take off, and chattering incessantly with Victor beside her.
"...."
Maggie admires Susie's personality; she can do whatever she wants, no matter the occasion.
Then look at Victor next to her; i people are indeed e people's toys.
Is this complementary or an enemy?
On her way back to the temple, Maggie was still thinking about her childhood sweethearts. Susie's face was full of joy, while Victor wished he could disappear into a crack in the ground. The two of them were a stark contrast.
"Ah, it's good to be young and energetic."
The more Maggie thought about it, the more envious she became, and she couldn't help but sigh.
Unexpectedly, a slightly cold, speechless voice came from behind.
"If a fifteen or sixteen-year-old is already lamenting how wonderful youth is, I'd wonder if you've had a different soul inside you."
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