Moreover, Ron hadn't forgotten about the Wizard's curse unique to this continent. There was a reason he was being manhandled by them like this, although most of it was because he was too wary of Ian's strange ability.
"Grand Slash!"
However, before Ian could respond, a massive sword attack appeared in Ron's path, staggering him and causing his mana shield to fluctuate slightly, further depleting his mana reserves.
"Damn it! Fuck you piece of shit."
Ron cursed in anger and frustration. If not for this barren place, he would have shown them what it meant to be a wizard.
He really should have trusted his gut before heading out this time. Even a mere knight was striking him with a sword, showing blatant disrespect.
"Heh, finally got some relief. It's uncomfortable relying on your son," Duke Eldric said with a smile, while swiftly returning to his group.
Although this slash with the full power of a Grand Knight didn't kill Ron, it still made Eldric refreshed. Having to defend against Ethos passively made him frustrated, so he took this opportunity to attack with all his strength.
"Dad, what are you doing here?"
Ian asked in surprise as his father appeared mid-fight unknowingly.
"Haha, I felt stuffed from the beginning, so I took a chance for a surprise attack," Eldric replied, laughing.
"But it's dangerous!" Ian frowned.
"Hey, I'm not so fragile. Didn't you see how powerful I was? You don't need to worry about me, kid. When I was fighting on the battlefield, you weren't even born."
Eldric waved dismissively, annoyed at being fussed over by his son. Seeing him acting nonchalant, Ian could only smile bitterly at his father's attitude.
"Okay, then stand at a distance. Morgrave ordered the legion commander to fire the arrows. We cannot waste any more time."
With the troops in place, Ian didn't want to risk close combat with a wizard on guard. Though mortal arrows smeared with regular poison might not harm Ron, they could at least drain his mana.
While Ian gave his order, Ron scanned his surroundings with his mental power and realized Ian's plan.
"Sigh!"
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He cursed his bad luck. He shouldn't have meddled, knowing this family hailed from that land. One wrong decision had ruined everything.
"Since you don't want to talk, let's fight."
Abandoning thoughts of retreat, Ron began chanting spells again while retrieving something from his ring.
"Mist Veil!"
The remaining water elements from the previous battle gathered and merged with a white mist from the spell, spreading outward with Ron at the center.
"Let's see who will survive. Do you really think I'm weak?" Ron smirked as his figure strangely disappeared into the mist.
Ian, who was closely monitoring Ron's movements, immediately noticed Ron mixing something in the air while casting the spell.
"Hold your breath and move away from the mist."
After guessing his motive, Ian didn't delay and warned both Morgrave and Father while he tried to move away from the mist.
However, the speed of spread of the mist was too fast and since there were already water elements abundant in the surroundings, it didn't take long for it to cover them completely.
'Chain spell again!'
Ian found out that both Ethos and Ron were using chain spells.
Although the first few spells appeared dangerous, their motive lies in their ultimate trump card at last. The only difference he saw between them was the chanting speed and the spell power.
Ron was noticeably faster and more accurate.
As the white mist spread around him, the vision ahead was completely impaired while Ian lost track of Ron, Morgrave, and his father.
"Boom!"
However, before he could devise any plan, he heard a particularly loud boom followed by the dense field of blood a few meters behind.
The dark red blood rain was so dense, that it directly separated the mist in that area opening a field.
"Morgrave!"
Ian instantly understood that Morgrave was using Blood rain spells to deflect the mist and show his position. Moreover, since he was near his father, Ian could rest assured.
"Heh, futile struggle. How much can you last in my illusory mist?"
Suddenly, Ian heard the voice of Ron seemingly from everywhere but nowhere as if it was trying to confuse him.
Ian also finally noticed that the mist was trying to interfere with his mind but due to his relatively high mental power, he wasn't affected yet.
'Fortunately, Morgrave reacted fast.'
After knowing the effect of this mist, Ian breathed a sigh of relief. If Morgrave was affected by this mist and attacked his father in confusion, that would be a tragedy.
"Young man. You seem talented. How about we make a deal? Let me go and we will forget this grudge, what do you think?"
Ian once again heard the voice from his surroundings. However, this time he paid special attention using his keen perception and realized that the voice came from the mist itself as if it was an extension of Ron.
"Heh, you are a wizard and you are asking for a deal? How about you let us go from this mist first?"
Ian didn't care about his persuasion as he believed only a person with similar strength could come into a valid deal.
If he truly let go of this chance, who knew when would this person retaliate? He didn't have the strength to engage in a fight with a wizard yet.
"Sigh! This mist is mixed with Three-pronged illusory flower pollen. Even if those two survive that spell, it won't take much for them to be affected.
Young man, you are already a Wizard apprentice and might want to take the trial of Ignisia Tower. I am actually the proxy sent by Calvora Continent this year. There is no need to go to the end."
Ron said everything in a short breath first giving a warning and then persuading Ian with reason. The main thing he was afraid of was the wizard curse, then the strange power of Ian, and finally his unknown background.
'That asshole Ethos really screwed me over this time.'