Chapter 27: Duel (2)

“……”

The classroom, which had been noisy just a moment ago, suddenly fell silent as I stepped in.

Since that tragic day when I couldn’t demonstrate my Baldo, no one had approached me. This has been the case ever since.

But there was nothing that could be done about it.

Those who hadn’t learned Baldo were physically and mentally weak, unable to withstand the killing intent of someone like me who had mastered it.

‘This too is a trial…!!’

Throughout history, those with great power different from others were always feared and ostracized.

Thinking of this as the price for obtaining such an overwhelmingly powerful skill like Baldo, I somehow felt I could endure it.

Yesterday, I couldn’t properly demonstrate Baldo due to the teacher’s interference, but today I had come prepared, so there was no problem.

‘…Draw the sword before they surrender.’

If they surrendered as soon as the duel started, I just had to unleash Baldo before they could surrender.

This was the strategy I devised, reducing the time it took to draw the sword by a whole minute.

Today, I must demonstrate Baldo. With that resolve, I eagerly awaited the dueling time, but….

“Starting today, we will slightly change the dueling rules. If you feel unwell or have overexerted yourself before the duel, you can surrender before entering the magic circle.”

“……”

Should I really kill this bastard?

Yesterday, he unfairly penalized me, making me consider drawing my sword on him from behind, but I held back because I might get expelled from the academy.

‘Hold it in, hold it in…!’

Learning from Adam Smith, the British economist who earned the nickname “Invisible Hand,” there are times when holding back Baldo is beneficial.

Baldo economics states that spreading Baldo always involves proportional risks.

Even though everyone knows in their heads that Baldo is amazing, killing someone with it would land me in jail because murder is a crime.

Therefore, one must accurately calculate the costs and opportunity costs of drawing the sword. In the case of this teacher:

Explicit Baldo cost: Gaining fame for defeating an academy teacher with Baldo.

Actual Baldo cost: Getting expelled from the academy and losing the chance to use Baldo on other notable figures.

No matter how I thought about it, it wasn’t worth it.

There were several notable figures and intruding demons in this academy. Getting expelled over such a minor character was not an option.

Weighing the explicit and actual costs of Baldo to perform the most efficient draw, that was the reason I came to this academy and the goal I aimed to achieve.

After spending a lonely time unable to duel anyone, I headed straight to the nearest training ground to Class G as soon as the class ended.

“Hey, that guy…!”

Several students were practicing inside, but they scrambled out in a panic as soon as I entered the training ground.

‘…Is Baldo that scary?’

Laughing at the weakness of those who ran away before I even drew my sword, I settled into an appropriate spot.

Though it was annoying how they fled as if they had seen a bug, it allowed me to have the training ground to myself.

While I was diligently training, consistently drawing my sword, I suddenly heard footsteps beside me.

Turning my head to see who dared interrupt my pleasant practice, I saw an enraged Jessica glaring at me.

‘Why is she here?’

Not knowing the reason, I looked at her, and she pulled out a glove from her bosom and threw it at my face.

“Pick them up! I challenge you to a duel!!”

“……”

What the hell is with this sudden outburst?

Although I hadn’t fully grasped the situation, I picked up the glove and stared blankly at Jessica.

I wanted to say something to her but then remembered our promise not to speak to each other for three days, so I kept my mouth shut.

However…

“Why aren’t you saying anything? Are you scared now?!”

Since she, the one who made the promise, was saying this, it seemed okay to speak now.

“……It hasn’t even been three days, can I speak now? Ah, Jessica, you’re always so cute! But are you serious about this duel? Can I use my sword?”

“……”

Seeing Jessica’s face twist with regret, I realized she had momentarily forgotten our promise.

“So, are you really going to duel? I won’t kill you, but I might hurt you.”

“Do you think you’re something special just because you took down a few weaklings?”

“I like that term! Could you just say ‘weakling♡ weakling♡’ once for me?”

“Be serious! The duel is starting now!!”

“No, I am serious enough. Isn’t it our cute Jessica who’s not serious?”

“What nonsense are you――.”

Jessica’s words, clueless to the situation, didn’t continue.

I didn’t cut off her head with my Baldo, but I did something similar.

-Thud.

Almost simultaneously with the sound of my sword returning to its sheath, a part of Jessica’s bun hair dropped to the ground with a dull sound.

I could have cut off her entire bun, but without it, she wouldn’t look like Jessica, so I let it go at that.

“Ah…!”

Seeing her bun hair on the floor, Jessica remained silent for a while, staring at her severed hair.

I understood her feelings.

I didn’t cut that beautiful bun just because I wanted to.

But the maids would probably thank me for reducing their morning work setting it.

“Jessica? Cute Jessica?! What’s wrong? Should I cut the rest of your bun too?”

“Ugh…!”

Only then did Jessica, snapping back to her senses, step back, waving the remaining bun that still reached her chest.

“You’re a coward! How can a Knight Department student do something so underhanded!!”

“Underhanded? What’s underhanded?”

Genuinely not understanding, I asked, but Jessica thought I was mocking her and frowned.

“Attacking without warning an opponent who challenged you to a duel—what else would you call underhanded?!”

“Right, our cute Jessica challenged me to a duel. And I accepted it. So? What’s the problem with that?”

“What did you say…?”

Jessica threw the glove to challenge me, and I picked it up.

From that moment, the duel was practically established. What’s wrong with taking advantage of an opponent’s unpreparedness?

A duel isn’t a sparring match or a sport. Jessica, who stood unguarded after issuing the challenge, was the one at fault.

“If you truly think it’s a cowardly act, you’ve never seriously thought about a duel.”

Moreover, given my reputation, shouldn’t she have anticipated an ambush?

If it were me, I would have broken her head the moment I picked up the glove.

“You should actually thank me. If I hadn’t held back, what would be lying there wouldn’t be your bun but your cute head.”

“…Thank you for that.”

Realizing what a duel truly was, Jessica distanced herself from me, her expression much more serious.

Then she took out the golden hammer that had been bothering me since earlier.

The golden hammer shone brilliantly, and even from a distance, its quality looked far superior to those sold in the market.

But a hammer is just a hammer.

Even an elementary school student knows that a sharp katana can easily cut through a hammer.

“Can I take that hammer if I win? I needed a hammer to nail something in my dorm room.”

“…Do you really think I’d fall for such a cheap provocation?”

“Yes.”

Although she was trying desperately to hide it, her eyebrows twitched slightly.

Still keeping her distance, Jessica watched for an opportunity without attacking. Before she charged, I made a suggestion.

“Jessica, let’s set a rule before we start. Besides killing, if a weapon breaks or drops from the hand, the owner loses.”

“Are you scared now that we’re about to start?”

“You can kill me if you want, but it’s a hassle if you whine about fighting without a weapon when I win.”

Even though I was serious, Jessica seemed to take it as a provocation.

“…Fine. First, I’ll break that cheap katana, then I’ll crush your head!!”

“Jessica! As a lady with bun hair, you should speak more elegantly!! That’s so vulgar!!”

“Shut up!!”

Filled with anger, Jessica charged at me like an arrow released from a bowstring.

The golden hammer, containing all her resentment, swung towards my head.

Before the hammer hit me, I stepped back and, aligning with the swinging hammer, drew my katana from my waist.

-Ting!!

In the sound of metal clashing, the decision was made in less than a second.

“Aaah…!!!”

Tears streamed down Jessica’s face as golden metal fragments scattered in the training hall.

Even though it was a back-edged sword, a katana is still a katana.

Though it didn’t cut since it had no edge, the outcome between the sword and the hammer ended as everyone expected—with the sword’s victory.

“……Ugh!!”

As the hammer broke, Jessica fell to the ground, staring at the broken handle and crying.

I approached her and spoke in a gentle voice.

“Jessica….”

“W-what is it…!!”

Her eyes, filled with deep resentment, looked up at me.

“Well, you see….”

Facing her resentful gaze, I drew my katana towards her cute crown.

“Kyaaah…!”

Though I controlled my strength, the strike knocked Jessica out, making her faint as if she had fallen asleep.

I stood beside the unconscious Jessica, looking down at her tearful face, and said,

“I said I wouldn’t kill you, not that I wouldn’t draw my sword.”

—