Extreme Flame Wizard

Ch. 177: The Misdirection and the Wizard

Igni took the hand of the younger sister and shook her hand.

Igni: “.......so, what’s this ‘Heaven’s Flame’ about?” “YーYou don’t know?! It’s your Wizard’s Title, Mr. Igni!!”

Igni: “What? My Wizard’s Title….?” Estea: “Rita, that’s not a Wizard’s Title. It’s a moniker.”

Rita: “What? Really?”

Estea: “Yeah, Wizard’s Titles are usually bestowed by Royalty or Nobles.”

What? Igni tilted his head to think through Estea’s words, but soon recalled a similar scenario from his memory and nodded in agreement.

In other wordsー

A notable Wizard will be bestowed a Wizard’s Title by the Royal Family or Nobles.

For instance, titles like the [Ultimate Light] and [Legion].

It was an honor for a Wizard to receive a title, and it also showed to the public that a certain Royalty or Noble family had a prestigious Wizard under their care.

But there are plenty of Wizards without titles.

They would reside in areas outside the influence of Royalty and Nobles or would simply be <disconnected> from them.

Those kinds of Wizards will never receive a Wizard’s title.

That’s why the public just began to give certain Wizards a nickname or moniker.

It was to show either fear or respect towards that Wizard.

Igni: “Wait, I’m known as [Heaven’s Flame].....?”

Rita: “Yes, you are! You didn’t know?!”

Igni: “Since…..when….?”

Rita: “It started about a month or 2 months ago….!”

Igni: “I wasn’t aware……”

Igni was shocked at the revelation, but now that he thought about it, he was at Elina’s house ー which was in the middle of nowhere ー and was traveling with Lucas to the Empire last month, so he was not around the Kingdom at the time.

Igni: (Since that’s the case, is it normal for me to not know that people started calling me that….?)

Rita: “Estea! How are you friends with someone so famous?!”

Estea: “Oh, um. ThーThat’s…..”

Rita suddenly veered the conversation back to Estea, and Estea could not think of an immediate response.

Igni: (I see. She wasn’t prepared for this question.)

Estea glanced several times at Igni who took that as a signal for help, and Igni stepped forward towards Rita with a bright smile.

Igni: “No, I was the one who approached her. I’m not very good with studying, and Estea was helping me.”

Rita: “Oh, right. Estea is the head of class after all….”

And clapping her hands, Rita nodded with understanding.

Igni: (Looks like that worked.)

If you want to be Popular, don’t be afraid of showing your weaknesses.

The memory of those words suddenly came back to Igni.

It was unforgettably his Master, his grandfather, who told him so.

Yes, that was when they were training inside the lava pits in the volcanic region……

<<<<>>>>

[Oye, Igni. What do you think is necessary to be Popular?]

[What? Isn’t it just to show how cool you are?]

Trapped inside a pit of extreme heat, the young Igni acts as though nothing is bothering him.

It was because his grandfather had told him the other day to always keep up appearances, or one day, he will mess up in front of a girl.

[I see. I see what you are saying. But that alone will not be enough. No matter how much you show how cool you are, you will end up being <only> a cool guy…..!]

[ThーThat can really happen…….?!]

The shock of the news almost made Igni stumble.

If he actually did stumble and fall, all that awaited him below was lava.

He almost died.

But for Igni, not being able to become Popular after this much effort was a fate worse than death.

[The important thing is to remain human…..! To be the same……!]

[WhーWhat do you mean……?]

[In other words, you let your guard down………..!]

[YーYour guard…….?!]

Igni was thrown into a storm of confusion.

He could not comprehend how showing your uncool side would lead to Popularity.

[Yes, it all comes down to……adoring the gap in your personality……!”

[TーThe gap…..?!]

[In other words…… you see a girl in class who seems plain at first, but taking a closer look, she was cute…..! Or you find out a girl with an abrasive personality actually loves very cute things….! These kinds of gaps pull at the heart strings!!]

[Wait, grandpa. I’ve never been to school, so I don’t know what you’re talking about.]

[Why can’t you understand this passion burning in my heart!!!]

<SMACK!!!> *sfx slap

The air rang as Igni’s body flew into the air.

[AHHHH!! Wait! I’m gonna fall!! I’M GONNA FALL!!]

As Igni let out a shriek, he fired a mediocre {Fireball} and managed to redirect back to land.

[It’s heart, Igni. What’s most important is HEART!!]

[I….I see…..]

[And this attraction to gaps…..is not just us men…..! Women are the same! If you are human, it makes no difference who you are!!]

[RーReally…..?]

[Have you not heard…..?! Women who are attracted to dangerous men who show a glimpse of their kindness…….!]

[No, not really……]

[Then work harder at gathering information!!]

[AGH?!?!]

Igni was slapped once again without understanding why.

[In summary, that’s how it is….! A man who seems to be perfect in all aspects suddenly shows a glimpse of clumsiness….this will create an opportunity……!]

[WーWait…..but…..wouldn’t that make them like you……les?]

[What are you saying?! If you were a man who couldn’t do anything, then I understand, but a man who can practically do anything slips up for a moment…..that moment will grip their heart tight…..!!]

[PーPractically…..do anything…..?!]

[Exactly! What I’m trying to say is, Igni! You must learn to do all things perfectly while you train here at the <Demon King’s Realm>!]

[BーBut…..if I learn to do everything perfectly……wouldn’t I not mess up any more…..?]

[What are you talking about?! Everyone has things they can do and things they can’t! No matter how much they try, there are just some things people cannot do…..!”

[IーI see….! Then, what are things that I won’t be able to do?!]

[You know yourself best! Think about it!]

[......like….studying?]

[Yes.]

[..............doesn’t that mean…..I’m an idiot?]

That was when Igni arrived at the truth.

<<<<>>>>

[EーEstea, you’re tutoring someone so amazing….!]

Rita’s eyes were now overflowing with adoration and respect towards her sister, Estea.

Igni: (Wait, did she not respect Estea before today?)

Igni: (Well, my brother didn’t respect me at all either.)

And Igni related to Estea’s situation very well.

Then again, Igni has completely forgotten about his younger brother’s existence many times, so when it comes to disrespecting siblings, Igni was just as guilty as his brother.

Estea: “ThーThat’s right. Mr. Igni asked me to tutor him andーー!”

Rita: “You’re studying today too?”

Estea: “No. Today, he just came over to visit…..”

Rita: “To do what?”

Estea: “......huh?!]

Rita’s innocent eyes pierced Estea.

And Estea completely froze at Rita’s question.

Estea brought Igni for the sole purpose of showing her family that she had friends at school and that was it. Even if she told her family that Igni came to visit, she had no idea what they were supposed to do.

Estea: “ThーThat’s……”

Rita: “If you need help with something, I can help you!”

Excited, Rita stood up from the table.

Estea: “He……he came to………do a practice match.”

Igni: “Hey, Estea?” Igni: (What is this girl saying?)

The words Estea finally squeezed out of her mouth caught Igni off guard.

But Estea had no intention of taking back her words.

Estea: “LーLike I said, we’re doing a practice match!”

Igni: (.........why?)