episode_0039

Usually, students would stare and whisper about me, but today, their murmurs felt particularly loud.

“That’s the guy who challenged Prince Ropri to a duel, right?”

“They say the loser gets expelled.”

“My younger sibling is a first-year, and they said he was amazing in the entrance exam.”

“Still, Prince Ropri is a top-ranked third-year. Prince Ropri will win, won’t he?”

There was probably no one in the academy who didn’t know that I was fighting a duel against that worm, with expulsion on the line.

While there had been many duels with something at stake at the academy, this was the first time expulsion was on the line, which made it even more chaotic.

Most students said I would lose.

But some also considered the opposite scenario.

“But what if, hypothetically, Prince Ropri loses?”

“Oh, no way that would happen.”

“No, I mean, what if. What if.”

“If Prince Ropri were to lose to a first-year and get expelled….”

What if a first-year defeats a third-year?

What’s more, what if a prince loses to a commoner?

If that happened, a third-year prince, on the verge of graduation, would lose to a first-year who had been admitted less than a month ago, and be expelled.

That worm, stuck in such a situation, would surely be annoyed.

It wasn’t something other students needed to worry about.

“Honestly, considering what he did to the Crown Prince-nim, it might be better if he got expelled.”

“That’s true.”

Furthermore, students also knew that the worm had recently spilled a drink on Lucas, so some students wished for the worm to lose.

“Ugh, what’s the point of such delusions? Prince Ropri will win anyway.”

Numerous students whispered about me until I arrived at the special class.

The students’ gazes didn’t particularly embarrass or displease me.

Even if this hadn’t happened, they probably would have whispered because of my handsome face.

After I arrived in the special class, I no longer heard any whispering.

That’s because the students in the special class could ask me directly.

The special class students surrounded me and said various things.

They said it was too reckless, that my opponent was a third-year, and that fighting with expulsion on the line seemed wrong no matter how they thought about it.

Their words were all different, but.

I could tell that they were all worried about me.

The reason they didn’t speak yesterday when I challenged him, but spoke today, was probably.

Because yesterday was too chaotic.

Just as I was about to open my mouth to reassure the students.

“Everyone, take your seats.”

Professor Alicia opened the door and entered, speaking.

The students, hearing Professor Alicia’s words, all sat down.

“Does anyone have anything particular to say? If not, everyone attack.”

“I have something to say!”

I raised my hand high and said.

“Yes, Loki, what do you have to say?”

“As you know, Professor-nim, in two days, it’s an important day when I’ll be fighting with expulsion on the line. If I get injured before then, I might not be able to fight properly during the duel.”

The other students nodded, seemingly thinking my words made sense.

“Haa… Loki.”

Professor Alicia sighed and said.

“Yes!”

“I don’t think that’s something you’d say while targeting my back.”

What, I was found out.

Since I was found out anyway, I stopped erasing my presence.

I put strength into my legs and charged at Professor Alicia.

Clang!

My sword was easily blocked by Professor Alicia.

The me who had raised my hand and asked Professor Alicia a question had vanished.

To be precise, it was an illusion that looked like me.

“How did you know?”

“Because your tongue was too long.”

Professor Alicia answered my question briefly.

I was found out for a really absurd reason.

“Seeing as you swung your sword, I suppose that means I can have classes as usual until the duel?”

“Haha, could I perhaps cancel that?”

Professor Alicia didn’t answer my question and instead charged at me.

. . .

I was now at the newspaper club after having lunch.

This was because Simon Nicholas, the head of the newspaper club, had requested an interview.

Since Simon had made it easy for me to duel that worm, I readily agreed to the interview.

“Thank you for coming.”

“What’s so difficult about an interview? I can do this much anytime.”

Currently, there were three people in the newspaper club: me, Simon, and one newspaper club student holding a camera.

“Are you not interviewing the person I’m fighting?”

“I don’t plan to interview him, as I don’t think any interesting stories would come out of it.”

Simon Nicholas waved his hand and said.

“I’m quite shy, so I don’t know if I can do well with this.”

The student holding the camera looked dumbfounded upon hearing my words.

“Senior-nim.”

I called out to the student holding the camera in a serious voice.

This was because what I was about to say was important.

“My left side is more handsome than my right, so please take a lot of pictures of my left side.”

“…Huh? Okay.”

“Hahaha! You’re really an interesting kid, aren’t you?”

The newspaper club student with the camera looked bewildered, but Simon laughed, perhaps thinking it was even better.

“I suppose I am a bit handsome.”

“Shall we start the interview now?”

I thought he would ask about the duel from the beginning, but he didn’t.

“Name?”

“Loki!”

Is he starting with simple questions like these to ease my tension?

“I know you use both a sword and unique magic. Do you consider yourself a Swordsman, or a Mage?”

Swordsman, or Mage.

Frankly, neither of them suited me very well.

“Although I use a sword, I’ve never thought of myself as a Swordsman.”

“Then are you a Mage?”

“Rather than a Mage, I’d say I’m closer to a Magician.”

“A Magician, huh…”

Simon muttered the word, “Magician.”

“Can you tell me why you think that?”

“In two days, you’ll understand why I said I’m a Magician.”

Simon smiled, seemingly satisfied with my answer.

After that, surprisingly uneventful questions followed.

What my favorite food was, what I did during breaks, what kind of girls I liked.

“In two days, you’ll be dueling Ropri Alpseo with expulsion on the line. What are your thoughts?”

Simon finally asked a question related to the duel.

“Although I am part of the special class, my opponent is a third-year senior-nim, so I will fight my best without getting too nervous… you don’t want to hear such a cliché, do you?”

Simon’s eyes gleamed as he smiled, as if he sensed a scoop.

I extended my index finger forward.

“Only once, I will swing my sword just once during the fight!”

. . .

That day, the newspaper club posted a new newspaper on the bulletin board.

Until then, there had been two newspapers posted on the bulletin board.

One was a photo of the worm spilling a drink on Loki.

The other was a photo of me challenging the worm to a duel.

And today, a new newspaper was put up.

[Magician Loki: One Sword Swing Is Enough Against Ropri Alpseo…]

The newspaper photo showed me extending my index finger.

Ah, so handsome.

. . .

My daily routine didn’t change much just because I was going to fight that worm.

If there were minor changes, the first was that Johanna was by my side during morning training.

“Meditating again today?”

“I’m not sure if what I’m doing can be called meditation…”

“It is meditation.”

Johanna said decisively.

Mostly, when I was sitting and controlling my emotions, Johanna would ask various questions.

She also taught me how to deal with swordsmen.

It seemed she was concerned about me fighting that worm.

“What’s important for a swordsman is their footwork.”

Footwork, huh.

“Loki, your movements are excellent. But the act of swinging a sword itself is still unrefined.”

Johanna said, stroking my head.

“That stings.”

I learned how to fight from Duke Adelian.

From the Emperor, I learned Shadow Step.

But I hadn’t specifically learned swordsmanship.

“It’s tomorrow.”

As Johanna said, tomorrow was the day I would fight that worm.

“I don’t think I’ll be able to come for morning training tomorrow.”

“Because of managing your condition?”

“Not that, but I have a few items to receive.”

Tomorrow morning, the items I requested from Professor Idra would be ready.

“Make sure to win.”

“Hahaha, of course!”

Johanna continued stroking my head for about thirty more minutes after that.

. .

If the first minor change was Johanna being by my side during morning training.

The second was that the time I spent talking to Yerika on the phone increased.

I contacted her earlier than usual, and we talked until just before I fell asleep.

[Finally, it will be decided tomorrow.]

“What do you mean?”

[Whether you become my escort knight now, or after you graduate.]

Yerika meant that if I lost the duel, she would immediately make me her escort knight, and if I won, she would make me her escort knight after I graduated.

“Well, either way, I’d be happy, wouldn’t I?”

“Hehe, still, you should win.”

Yerika laughed upon hearing my words.

“Of course.”

“Don’t get hurt.”

Yerika said firmly.

“I will absolutely not get hurt.”

Thanks to Yerika, I would be able to sleep peacefully tonight too.

. .

Time flowed on, and before long, it was the day of the duel.

Everyone in the academy gathered to watch the duel.