I Escaped the Exile Story Only To Find It Was a Regret Trope

55 – 11# Their Resolve (3)

The preparations were proceeding smoothly.

Yuri and Hayeong were also working diligently to become a reliable force. According to Seolyeon and Banserin, their growth was faster than expected.

This was certainly good news for Yushin.

It meant that Mephisto hadn’t anticipated the increase in their forces. And that would undoubtedly become a variable in the upcoming final battle. A variable, indeed.

The problem was that it had also become a variable that Yushin hadn’t anticipated.

The current situation could be cited as a prime example. In the now familiar academy’s training ground, Yuri and Hayeong were glaring at Beris, who was preparing in front of them.

Simply put.

Yuri and Hayeong were teaming up to duel Beris in a 2:1 match.

It was a sudden proposal, but surprisingly, Yushin and Beris accepted it readily. This was to see how much Yuri and Hayeong’s strength had increased.

‘But even so, I didn’t expect them to propose a duel first.’

It was just surprising that an unexpected variable had appeared. Yushin never dreamed that they would directly propose a duel to Beris.

“Challenging me to a duel, huh? You’ve got guts.”

“To be honest, you seemed the easiest.”

“What?”

“Sorry, but you seemed easier than Athena or Yushin.”

Following Yuri’s blunt remark, Hayeong also spoke with an awkward smile. Watching them, Yushin clicked his tongue. Who knew Hayeong had a talent for provocation?

Outwardly, she was pretending to be relaxed.

In fact, the only times Beris showed a lot of emotion, aside from conversations with Yushin, were during verbal fights with Athena. Because they didn’t get along.

But Hayeong had blatantly scratched that part.

In other words, she boldly declared that Athena seemed stronger than Beris. For Beris, who already disliked Athena, it was the ultimate provocation.

For the first time, a smile disappeared from Beris’s lips.

“You’re crossing the line, aren’t you? For a bunch of rookies.”

“Does it sting because I’m telling the truth?”

“You really are hopeless.”

Judging that further conversation was useless, Beris moved first. Kicking off the ground, Beris closed the distance and swung his fist.

Supporters positioned in the rear are often thought to be less capable in combat.

That’s not entirely wrong. In fact, it’s the norm. But the saintess of the hero’s party is different. A hero is someone who defeats the demon king.

Therefore, they are exposed to far more threats than one can imagine.

It’s problematic to think of them as an ordinary adventurer party. In that world, there were unimaginable threats, and the front line couldn’t always protect the rear.

Simply put,

The rear of the hero’s party needs the strength to protect themselves.

Not just any strength, but enough to overwhelm the average front line. But Yuri, as if she had anticipated it, reacted to Beris’s movement.

Boom!!

Even though Beris is in the rear and, in terms of combat power, the weakest in the hero’s party. As a member of the hero’s party, she is a rear saintess capable of fighting.

To not only react to but also block the saintess’s punch. It was an incredible improvement, to say the least. But at the same time, it raised questions.

No matter how talented she is, she only trained intensively for about two months. Could she grow this much in that time? Is that even possible?

But Yushin soon figured out the trick without much difficulty. And Beris, who clashed directly with Yuri, had already realized it. Beris smiled and said,

“Enhancement magic… Five? No, seven?”

“What nonsense are you talking about?”

“Even if you deny it, I can see it all. The number of spells cast on you.”

“Tsk, you’re unnecessarily perceptive.”

That’s right. Yuri’s sudden strength was partly due to the training over the past two months. But more importantly, Ha-young, who was beside her, had cast enhancement magic on her.

‘To cast and maintain seven enhancement spells… She surpasses most ordinary mages.’

‘Usually, skilled mages use extreme efficiency to draw out such power, but I don’t sense that level of control here.’

In other words, she has enough mana to handle seven enhancement spells at once. That amount of mana surpasses most great mages.

“You haven’t been just playing around, have you?”

“Of course not.”

“Impressive, indeed.”

It feels a bit odd to say this, but Beris hadn’t considered Yuri and Ha-young as full-fledged forces. He acknowledged their talent to some extent.

But could they grow so strong in such a short time?

He had to answer that question negatively. However, that thought has largely disappeared now. To grow this much in just two months.

‘This is a pleasant miscalculation.’

The fact that she had more useful pawns was a good breakfast for Veris. However, her expression was not good, and the reason was provocation.

How dare they compare Athena to me.

I don’t know about anything else, but I need to make sure that mouth knows its place. Thinking so, Veris brought out a bit of her power that she had not intended to use.

“Don’t think that enhancement is your only trump card.”

Veris could also fight through enhancement buffs. No, rather, support through buffs was her main strength. It was not a power to be underestimated.

“I already anticipated that.”

“? !”

The buff that had made Veris strong disappeared in an instant. Taking advantage of that gap, Yuri rushed towards Veris. A brief moment of hesitation caused by surprise.

But.

It was more than enough to land a blow on Veris.

‘Excellent! My advice worked!’

Athena, who had been watching from behind, cheered inwardly.

Just seeing Veris getting hit right in front of her eyes.

It felt like a decade-old congestion was clearing up.

* * *

Yuri and Ha-young did not challenge the duel simply because they thought they could handle it.

Veris, being a comrade of her brother and Athena, was expected to have corresponding strength even if her combat ability was relatively lower. And this was true.

However, Yuri and Ha-young also prepared thoroughly.

First, they approached Athena, who had the worst relationship with Veris and seemed most likely to cooperate. As expected, Athena told them everything she knew.

No, she was so proactive that.

Yuri and Ha-young were rather taken aback by her enthusiasm. Thanks to Athena, they learned that Veris’s basic combat style relied on buffs.

[You want to erase the buff?]

[Yes, is it possible?]

[It’s easy but difficult.]

[What do you mean?]

[Erasing the buff itself is easy. You just need to overwhelm it with more magic. But, to erase the buff, it takes at least twice the magic power. Sometimes it can take ten or twenty times the magic power.]

In other words, it’s usually more advantageous to use other magic rather than erasing the buff.

And they took this information to Principal Banserin for advice. Banserin said it was better to use other magic to attack rather than erasing the buff.

However, Yuri and Ha-young chose to target Veris’s buff instead. The reason was Athena’s advice. That without the buff, she was just a fool.

And the plan worked perfectly. Veris, who had never expected her buff to be blocked, was greatly flustered, and they easily landed a blow by taking advantage of that gap.

“Isn’t it just thrilling?”

“Haha, this old half-god b*stard till the end.”

Indeed, if one is a strategist, they should act like one. The moment Veris was struck by Yuri, he could grasp how things had progressed. Veris glared at Athena.

But Athena did not avoid Veris’s burning gaze. Rather, Athena had nothing to hide. Originally, a duel is about respecting your opponent.

Even if the opponent is several steps below you.

Engaging in the duel with all your might.

That is respect and consideration for your opponent.

But such things did not exist for Veris. Rather, he had a strong tendency to disregard his opponent. This is the result. All his moves were blocked, and he even allowed a strike.

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“I hope you gain something from this.”

“Ah, okay. Now I get it.”

Those guys are still beneath him. This is not arrogance, but an objective fact. However, it is also true that the thought of openly ignoring them has disappeared.

Yuri and Ha-young tensed up at Veris’s sudden change in demeanor.

They recalled the advice Athena had given them.

[Although I personally dislike that guy, I have to acknowledge his skills. So be careful.]

If he starts coming out with full force, the chances of winning will greatly diminish.