Chapter 12 : Hammer Of Judgement On Witches – (3)

Things had gotten out of hand.

How on earth did it come to this?

Just a week later, I was once again standing in the middle of the outdoor training grounds, on the verge of losing my mind.

Opposite me stood a woman glaring at me like she wanted to kill me—Luerin.

The moment she heard that I had been trained by Aila, she flew into a rage and challenged me to a duel.

At first, I thought it was just an extension of the usual initiation ritual.

I assumed she’d found out I broke a few seniors’ legs and wanted revenge.

But Luerin was angry for an entirely different reason.

I only found out later that Luerin was a prospective hunter recommended by Aila, and among the trainees, she was feared for her monstrous skill.

“This is insane.”

In other words, that woman—Luerin—got jealous after hearing I was personally trained by Aila.

I couldn’t understand it.

What was there to be jealous about?

Putting your life on the line to be taught by someone as foul-tempered as Aila was hardly something to envy.

It was incredibly unfair.

But the challenge had already been issued, and there was a crowd of nearly dozens gathered around us.

It was too late to back out now.

“You’ve insulted both me and my mentor, and disrupted the discipline of the academy. This is your punishment.”

“…”

Naturally, in a situation so close to exploding, everyone’s attention was on us.

Hunters and trainees alike were watching closely,
while my fellow classmates looked on with strange enthusiasm, eager to see me get knocked around.

Then Aila, the guildmaster, finally arrived after hearing the commotion.

But rather than stopping it, she just rested her chin on her hand with interest.

“Hoooh. Aiden, you’ve stirred up something fun.”

“Is this really the time to be joking? Can’t you help me out here?”

“And why would I do that? It’s just two prospective hunters from the academy having a dispute. Pure coincidence that you both happened to be trained by me.”

She even went as far as giving Luerin advice.

Thinking she had the backing of her mentor, Luerin was practically glowing with eagerness.

Well, from what I’d heard, Luerin was Aila’s chosen hunter.

Of course she’d take her side.

Blood is thicker than water, right?

Meanwhile, where was my support?

Nowhere.

Not a soul.

Even Camilla wasn’t around.

Come to think of it, I heard they were both out on a hunt.

In the end, I had no one in my corner.

With a deep sigh of crushing loneliness, I raised my wooden sword.

Aila, watching me, chuckled and spoke.

“Aiden, let me give you a piece of advice too.”

“What is it?”

“Luerin is the hunter I personally recommended.”

“I know.”

“Then let me finish. Do you know why I recommended her?”

“Because she’s talented, isn’t it?”

“Well, of course. But if it was just about talent as a hunter, I wouldn’t have bothered recommending her.
Luerin has something… special.”

“Something special?”

“What did I say I was before I was a hunter?”

“A witch.”

“I’m not a witch, I’m a sorcerer, you impudent brat. Do you want to be turned into a frog?”

“Ah…”

So Luerin is…

Fwoosh.

When she waved her hand, a whip made of flames shot up.

It was a weapon far too dangerous for a simple sparring match, but judging from the gasps of awe around us, it seemed she didn’t even care about that.

Could it be that Luerin was also a sorceress? It made sense, considering she was recommended by Aila.

As I hesitated in nervousness, Aila added one last comment.

“So just do what you’ve been doing.”

“…Even if you say that…”

“You’ve seen plenty of magic, haven’t you?”

Well, those were Aila’s own spells, after all.

They weren’t as dangerous as the flame whip Luerin was wielding, but…

I couldn’t afford to retreat.

“In the end, isn’t this a battle of pride between the Guildmaster and the Priest?”

“Hm? …Ah, I guess it’s something like that. Though the priest that old man doesn’t even care. But the hunters will certainly see it that way. So, on the surface, I’ll support my disciple, Luerin.”

“Then I must win.”

I couldn’t let the priest’s reputation be tarnished.

Since avoiding this fight was no longer an option, I steeled myself for the fight.

Gripping the wooden sword tighter, I stepped forward.

Luerin smirked and swung the whip in her hand in a wide arc.

The snow piled up around us melted into steam under the heat, and the ground became damp.

On the now muddy training ground, Luerin made another gesture.

Aila had said to fight as I had trained, but that wasn’t going to be easy.

Most importantly, not being able to use blood magic was a critical disadvantage.

Using blood magic here, with so many people watching, would be suicide.

That meant I had to block the whip with just the wooden sword.

Was that even possible?

If I didn’t have teeth, I’d have to make do with my gums.

And fortunately, my body was fairly sturdy.

I thought I had a good chance at victory.

“…If you kneel and apologize now, I’m willing to accept it.”

Hearing that, I kneeled.

Luerin’s face lit up with a look of victory.

I didn’t miss that moment of self-satisfaction.

The reason I kneeled was solely to push off the ground with all my might.

Bang! Snowflakes flew into the air.

At the same time, Luerin’s eyes widened.

She had thought I was surrendering, but seeing me charge at her like I wanted to kill her, she twisted her face in confusion and swung the flaming whip in her left hand.

The whip came flying at me at a terrifying speed.

I raised my wooden sword to block, but the whip coiled around it.

The intense heat was unbearable, and I had no choice but to throw the sword and stamp my feet on the ground once more.

“What?!”

Luerin, not expecting me to throw my weapon, took a few steps back in shock.

But there was something she had overlooked.

The heat from the flame whip had melted the snow beneath her feet, turning the ground into muck.

Because the mud had tangled her boots, she moved a step too late.

That brief moment was enough for me to close the gap and reach her.

Swish! The flame whip flew at me again, but I raised my arm to block it.

Hiss.

The pain of my flesh burning was excruciating, but I could handle it.

It would heal soon enough.

Besides, I was used to pain.

“W-What are you doing?!”

Luerin was in shock.

She hadn’t expected me to take the whip head-on with my bare body.

I ignored her and clenched my right fist.

Aila had once told me that all magic required immense concentration.

Which meant that if I inflicted enough damage, the magic would disappear.

I raised my fist.

Not having the wooden sword wasn’t a major problem.

My body was a weapon in itself.

I felt no guilt about hitting a woman.

She was the one who had challenged me to a duel.

Only my pride dominated my thoughts.

“Hah!”

“G-geh…”

Bam! My fist hit Luerin’s lower abdomen.

As expected, the moment she took the blow, the flame whip vanished.

She staggered, clutching her stomach, then fell to her knees and vomited.

Against my will, I now knew exactly what Luerin had eaten for breakfast.

“Tsk.”

I clicked my tongue at the filthy sight.

I grabbed a fistful of her hair.

“Ah, ahhh…”

Luerin, spitting up bile, looked up at me with eyes full of fear.

But what could she do? A hunter is a being that reigns over fear.

There was no room for mercy in a fight.

To be honest, I hadn’t expected her to surrender after just one punch to the stomach.

But the sense of indignation prevailed.

So I planned to thoroughly crush her.

I raised the edge of my hand and slapped her temple.

Like a doll with its strings cut, Luerin collapsed, but I had no intention of letting her lie down gently.

Before her body could touch the ground, I grabbed her by the collar and slammed her forehead against mine.

Her nose bled, and her lips split.

The pretty, graceful face was now a grotesque sight.

Another punch landed, and a broken tooth flew out of her mouth.

“Hah.”

Aila was right.

Sorcerers are weak in close combat.

After a few more punches, Luerin, with her face covered in blood, staggered across the floor, disfigured.

I couldn’t help but feel doubtful.

‘Why is she so weak?’

Except for the flame whip, Luerin was weaker than I had anticipated.

Her endurance was lacking, and she didn’t seem accustomed to close-quarters fighting.

But then I shook my head.

That couldn’t be true.

She’s Aila’s disciple.

In other words, Luerin is a witch.

She could be hiding a dagger, I wouldn’t know.

This might be an act to make me lower my guard.

It’s better to crush her thoroughly.

Survival of the fittest.

Didn’t Senior Camilla say the same thing?

Reflecting on it, it was similar back at Stormgate where I spent my childhood.

In the end, the strong possess everything.

“Ughh…”

I took a deep breath and lifted my foot.

I was about to stamp on Luerin’s beautiful face with all my might, but…

“I’m sorry to interrupt your fun, but…”

Aila intervened.

“Crushing an opponent who’s already unconscious… Well, I do think it shows a certain quality as a hunter…”

Aila smiled awkwardly, shaking her head as she looked at the fallen Luerin.

“If that hand of yours is turned against a fellow hunter… Your position might become a bit difficult, don’t you think?”

“Huh?”

“Well…”

Aila trailed off, and that was when I realized that everyone around me was looking at me with expressions full of shock.

There was a thug beating up a woman who had lost all combat ability in a duel with a senior at the academy.

That thug was me.

I reluctantly released my grip on Luerin’s collar, and she buried her face in the mud.

Luerin’s body twitched.

“Winner… Aiden.”

The hunter acting as the referee raised my hand with a blank expression.

Of course, no one cheered.

One week into the academy.

I had caused another incident.

That day’s event apparently became a legend at the academy.

A duel between an elite, recommended by Aila, and a rookie, recommended by a priest.

On the surface, everyone had predicted Luerin’s victory.

Magic was an unknown mystery. Even fellow hunters were fearful and in awe of it.

As a result, Luerin was an incredibly strong trainee at the academy, one who seemed untouchable.

But the result was disastrous.

Luerin was beaten so badly that it was impossible for her to recover.

I heard that they called a church priest to sprinkle holy water and performed extensive healing, but apparently, the mental trauma was the real issue.

“Did you hear? Senior Luerin… hasn’t come to class for a while.”

“Why?”

“Why, you ask? Apparently, she trembled all over every time someone raised their voice.”

“Is it some kind of trauma?”

“You didn’t see it, right?”

“No.”

“You should’ve. You have no idea how merciless he was. It felt like watching an executioner. He even focused on hitting her face. Now, Senior Luerin still has bandages wrapped around her head.”

“Insane… How could it be so brutal in a duel?”

By the way, I overheard all of this.

Thanks to my heightened senses from becoming part of the group, I could hear everything they whispered.

With a sigh, I turned my head towards them.

When our eyes met, there was an awkward silence.

Crash!

In less than a minute, I was the only one left in the annex.

…I miss Lily.

I had only done what was asked of me, yet I had become the academy’s demon.