Duel (2)

“Hey, did you hear? There’s a duel happening today.”

“Who?”

“That, uh… the kid who eats a lot and the second son of the Miller family.”

“Really? Sounds fun. When is it?”

“Soon. Since we’re nearby, wanna go watch?”

“Sure.”

So the rumors had already spread.

Well, they did openly challenge each other to a duel in the classroom.

As they say, the most entertaining spectacle is a fight.

No doubt a crowd would gather to watch.

“T-Teacher…?”

Leo looked at me.

Though I’d reassured him yesterday, he seemed uneasy knowing people would be watching.

“Don’t worry, Leo. Just win. That’s all that matters.”

“But…”

Guilt was etched across Leo’s face.

“It’s not like I’m completely blameless… Can’t we resolve this without fighting?”

“No.”

Truthfully, there were many ways to avoid combat.

But the reasons to fight far outweighed those to walk away.

Even if Leo didn’t want to fight, I’d force him to.

This was necessary for his growth.

“If you truly believe you’re at fault, just lose to Allen on purpose. Grovel pathetically the moment the duel starts-bare your stomach and assume a submissive pose.”

“Th-that’s…”

“But do you think a prideful noble would tolerate such humiliation?”

“…”

Perhaps I’d scared him too harshly?

Leo hung his head low.

He might be regretting how things had escalated.

…Truthfully, I don’t think Leo was entirely blameless either.

Even if it wasn’t against regulations, basic etiquette exists for a reason.

Players in the game used to argue endlessly about who was more at fault too.

I don’t know who was more wrong.

Both might share blame, or Leo might bear more, or perhaps Allen was more at fault.

From Allen’s perspective, Leo was an unwelcome guest.

He’d tolerated a swordsman suddenly attending a mage’s class despite finding it distasteful.

Bullying over such a thing would’ve been beneath him.

He’d planned to simply ignore Leo.

But when Leo committed an irritating act, Allen’s patience snapped.

To him, Leo was the epitome of annoyance.

From Leo’s perspective, he’d had no choice.

He lacked meal funds, so he’d hunted wild game in the academy’s mountains and cooked it hastily.

Of course, improper cooking inevitably caused odors. Leo knew this, yet…

Academy regulations prohibit outside meals.

Understandable, given nobles attend this academy.

Though media has advanced, class divisions remain stark.

The etiquette gap between commoners and nobles is vast.

To bridge this, the academy banned outside meals entirely.

While commoners might eat while walking, nobles frown upon such behavior.

Thus, the only permissible eating areas were classrooms and the cafeteria-but outside food couldn’t be brought to the cafeteria.

So Leo had no choice but to eat in the classroom.

Even knowing it might inconvenience others.

“Tch. What a pain.”

“Orca.”

“He picked a fight knowing full well it wasn’t against regulations. He’s not blameless either.”

“…”

“Didn’t he say he was annoyed by the mages? Then there’s only one answer.”

I don’t care who was more wrong.

Only one thing matters to me:

Leo growing through this incident.

Remember what I said before? Some things can’t be understood through words alone.

Some lessons must be experienced firsthand.

…This is that moment.

I could’ve stopped this by giving Leo money earlier, but chose not to for this reason.

Leo wants to become a knight.

Should I really prevent this conflict?

No. Absolutely not.

Because Leo will learn through this.

He’ll understand-not just intellectually, but viscerally-that even regulation-permitted actions can offend others.

As an orphan, he’s had limited experience interacting with people.

With my backing, he could easily become a knight.

But would that be right?

Could he truly succeed as a knight without understanding group dynamics?

Hmm.

Leo’s dream is knighthood.

In a game, becoming a knight would trigger ending credits-perfect.

But this is reality. Though eerily similar to the game, it’s become real.

There are no ending credits. We must consider life after knighthood.

“Fight, Leo.”

“And win.”

…Besides, this is good practice against a mage.

Getting beaten by one now will make future battles easier.

“Hmm, alright. But since we’re forcing you to fight… You’ll need motivation without rewards.”

“Rewards…?”

“If you win, I’ll give you something nice.”

“?!”

“T-Teacher?! What are you suddenly-!”

Huh?

Why are they reacting like this?

***

“Ready, Leo?”

“…”

“…Tch. Ignoring me now?”

Leo couldn’t focus at all.

Though Allen and his lackeys were taunting him, their words barely registered.

He’d been wrestling with guilt over inconveniencing classmates, despite having no choice…

But now something shocking had overwhelmed those concerns.

“…”

He knew better.

Teacher Ophelia was kind-she helped Orca, listened to his counseling sessions.

Her “something nice” surely meant snacks or similar.

Not… what Orca and he had momentarily imagined.

After all, Teacher seemed genuinely unaware why we’d been startled.

Definitely. Yet…

“Uwaaaaaaah…!”

“Did he snap?”

His mind was in turmoil.

Come to think of it, Teacher Ophelia was breathtakingly beautiful.

The kind of beauty who’d warmly embrace you through any hardship.

The harder he tried not to imagine, the wilder his fantasies grew. He hated himself for it.

“…Whatever. I don’t care what’s on your mind. Ready?”

“L-let’s begin…”

“Good. When the referee drops the coin, we start.”

Ah, he couldn’t concentrate.

What could that “something nice” be?

His mind flooded with images of Teacher’s smiling face promising a reward.

…The cost of distraction proved high.

“?!”

“Distracted? That confident, are you?!”

Leo noticed the earth erupting beneath him too late. Though he dodged, his delayed reaction guaranteed injury.

“Are you trying to kill me…?!”

“Relax. This academy’s medical facilities are world-class. You’ll survive anything short of instant death.”

“…”

“This is a duel, Leo.”

Leo’s mind instantly cooled.

He glanced around-countless students watched.

…A duel.

He examined his torn left hand. …The wound was worse than expected.

For a dual-wielding swordsman like Leo, arm injuries were critical.

Fighting normally now meant certain defeat-unacceptable.

He refused to lose his first duel.

“I’m hungry.”

“…More nonsense?”

“I can’t stand it anymore.”

A loud stomach growl echoed.

As Allen stared bewildered, Leo declared:

“Sorry, but I need to finish this quickly. I have to eat.”

“S-Sword Aura…?”

Pure energy rippled around Leo’s blade.

…Allen seemed mistaken-this wasn’t Sword Aura.

True Sword Aura coats blades with refined mana, requiring mastery of both swordsmanship and magic.

Leo lacked magic knowledge and hadn’t mastered swordsmanship enough for genuine Sword Aura.

But he could mimic something similar.

Pure energy itself-not mana-was something Leo had wielded his entire life.

(So thoroughly that it stunted his growth, leaving him childishly short.)

Thus, while unable to wield true Sword Aura, Leo could imitate its appearance.

“Y-you… could use Sword Aura all along?! Then why…!”

“…This isn’t Sword Aura. It’s complicated to explain.”

The catch? Unlike sustainable Sword Aura, this was single-use.

Rather than circulating internal energy, he’d forcibly externalized it.

…He had to end this in one strike.

“Block this, and you win. Fail, and I win. Simple, right?”

“Ha, haha… Fine. Straightforward enough.”

A magic circle appeared before Allen as a thick wall erupted between them.

Leo had only one option now:

Swing with everything-no hesitation.