Chapter 5: Life Is Not Beautiful
by fnovelpia
Rachel Dragan, a professor of magic at Jeolip Academy.
She approached Abraxas purely out of curiosity.
‘He was unusual.’
He had an untrained body, yet a high level of skill.
If he truly surpassed others in skill solely based on talent, he would undoubtedly be the most gifted among the first-year cadets.
Among the numerous talented newcomers, less than 50 could use even the basic aura envelopment, let alone aura enhancement.
It looked like the cadets didn’t know whether he could use aura enhancement or not.
‘I need to confirm it myself.’
Unlike last time, she decided not to overpower him immediately, but to slowly assess his true abilities.
If he reached the level of Aura Ace without any effort, it meant he had an innate talent for manipulating aura.
If that was the case, he might be able to mimic movements with just a little hint, even without training.
This was why she decided to challenge him to a duel.
Obviously, a regular cadet wouldn’t engage in a duel with a professor, so she had to offer restrictions and attractive rewards for the duel.
However…
“Ultimately, it’s difficult to make a decision because there’s no precedent. So, why don’t you duel with me?”
“This time, it’s a real duel, right?”
He accepted the challenge immediately, without even hearing about the rewards.
“No, junior!? Didn’t you lose in a single move last time? Wouldn’t it be better to just give up?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
The referee tried to dissuade him, given the unusual situation, but he accepted the challenge as if it didn’t concern him.
“So, the rules are the same, right? The duel lasts for 5 minutes. The one who inflicts more damage wins.”
“Right. Let’s do it.”
Once more, he confirmed the duel rules and relayed his thoughts to the referee.
All the while, he smiled confidently, as if he had a plan.
‘Does he know his own talent, or did he conceal his true abilities last time?’
She was surrounded by questions but it didn’t matter.
Everything would become clear in the upcoming duel.
“So, the duel will last 5 minutes. The one inflicting more damage within this time wins, and if the damage is similar, it will be a draw. Do you agree?”
“Yes.”
“Of course.”
With that, they moved to their respective positions and prepared for the duel.
He still had an untrained, lean body, and a shabby-looking wooden sword.
She was curious to know if what she had seen was indeed the truth.
Before the duel began, she reassured him that she wouldn’t use her full strength.
“I’ll take it easy on you. Don’t worry, I won’t knock you unconscious.”
His response was more intense than when he first accepted the duel.
“Are you serious? Can you really keep that promise, no matter what happens?”
“Yes, I’ll definitely keep it.”
Naturally, she couldn’t bring herself to knock out a cadet who was significantly weaker than herself.
After signaling to the referee that she was ready.
The referee, trembling, got ready to start the duel.
“Alright. The duel starts now. 3…2…1… Begin!”
As the duel started, she unleashed her mana and started to create a magic circle.
She did this to observe how he would react when various spells started.
While watching to see what Abraxas would do,
“Don’t move! If you move even a bit, I will cut my arm off!”
The words that came out of Abraxas’s mouth were enough to fluster her.
“Huh…?”
She couldn’t help but doubt the words that came out of Abraxas’ mouth.
Logically, she thought he would use some creative method to deal significant damage to her, as he seemed so confident.
‘Blackmailing with self-harm… There’s no reason I can’t attack, so why is he doing this?’
Abraxas, with his right hand wielding a wooden sword enveloped in aura, was targeting his own left arm.
But this was a duel.
Injuries sustained in a duel situation aren’t a big deal since they can be addressed after the duel ends.
However, his following words forced her to stop her attack.
“If you, Professor, decide to attack or move, I’ll cut off one of my limbs, either an arm or a leg. Naturally, the duel will be canceled if I sustain a serious injury.”
“So, that means I’d win, right?”
Of course, if one gets seriously injured during a duel, it would be canceled, and the injured party would lose.
But he countered her reasoning.
“What damage have you inflicted on me, Professor Rachel? If that happens, wouldn’t the damage I’ve caused to myself be greater?”
“Why can’t I attack?”
“Because if you attack me, you would naturally inflict more damage, which might eventually lead to me fainting. But you said you wouldn’t knock me out, right?
Breaking that promise wouldn’t count as a win, would it? Oh, and if fainting due to self-harm isn’t recognized, I’ll just stand still until I pass out from excessive bleeding.”
Hearing his argument left Rachel feeling as though she had been struck hard in the head.
If what he said was true, then she couldn’t attack him at all.
Thinking from the perspective of a duel, not actual combat, it was a viable strategy against her.
Yet, she still had a question.
“What if I hadn’t promised not to knock you out?”
He had shown confidence even before she imposed any restrictions.
It was hard to believe he anticipated the restrictions.
If she had only limited the level of her attacks, it would have ended there.
She could have conducted the duel without knocking him out.
Not knocking him out would have likely made him more aggressive, and his true abilities would be revealed in his aggression.
That’s why she imposed such a restriction.
But again, he surprised her with his response.
“I would have threatened my own life. I’d put the sword to my throat.”
If there had been no restrictions, he would have gambled with his life.
Learning that such an absurd strategy was his plan, Rachel felt her mind reel.
“What are you…”
As she muttered to herself, bewildered by such a ridiculous tactic, in a moment of distraction—
“I told you not to move!”
Whoosh—
At that moment, his right hand made contact with his left arm.
The left arm was rendered useless.
Seeing his actions were genuine, Rachel’s face was painted with horror.
“You…”
“Let’s just dissolve the magic and wait for the 5 minutes to end, shall we? It seems like the best option for us both. If you were thinking of knocking me out, then…”
Then, he simply placed the aura-wrapped wooden sword against his throat.
His left arm hung uselessly, devoid of strength.
His right hand was trembling, yet his eyes remained as determined as ever.
‘He might actually stab himself if I’m not careful.’
Obviously, she had no intention of killing Abraxas.
Aside from her responsibilities as a professor, his misbehavior didn’t quite compare to that of real troublemakers.
Real troublemakers are outright unpleasant from the start, but from her perspective, Abraxas, at least, didn’t resemble them apart from being disobedient.
‘And unlike most troublesome cadets who are all talk, he actually stabbed himself. It’s unusual for a noble to willingly harm themselves.’
Indeed, Abraxas was different.
Whether compared to other troublemakers or regular cadets, even from the perspective of nobles and commoners.
Meanwhile, Abraxas kindly explained the situation to her.
“If you use magic to knock me out, the shockwave will slit my throat. And since it will be caused by your attack, it will surely cause controversy.”
If she attacked, she would lose.
Without retracting her declaration of not causing a knockout, there was no chance of her winning.
After all, any attack from her would be outdone by his even greater self-inflicted attack.
‘Clearly, It’s my defeat.’
Although he didn’t win with actual skill, he had creatively outmaneuvered her.
His approach was like exploiting a weakness in real combat, and she had no desire to contest it.
“You win.”
Her surrender came out crisp and clear.
Abraxas.
It was the moment of his victory.
“Ha ha ha.”
Abraxas showed a pleased smile.
Rachel simply watched him.
“So, is there anything you’d like to request? I’ll grant it if I can.”
Rachel offered him a reward, suggesting he make a request since he went through with the duel, which he could have refused.
But Abraxas appeared confused, as if he hadn’t thought about it, then fell into thought.
‘So, he didn’t do this for a reward. Then, what was the purpose of the duel?’
The question crossed her mind, but it didn’t matter much.
Based on his actions so far, understanding him seemed difficult.
It’s hard to predict the actions of a genius or a lunatic.
“Since I won the duel, perhaps I could ask to be moved to the top class.”
“Could I make another request, if you’re willing?”
“Yes.”
Then Abraxas joyfully shouted something surprising.
“Then!! Expel me!!!! Please!!!!”
Rachel was baffled once more.
“Ugh…”
At the top floor of the Academy’s staff-only building, in the chancellor’s office.
There, Sergei Darmore, the chancellor of Jeolip Academy, was groaning.
‘Such trouble already. Tsk. He’s no ordinary cadet.’
Abraxas had caused all sorts of incidents, clearly serious about wanting to be expelled from the academy.
It hadn’t even been a week since he enrolled, and he had already caused several incidents.
Although the nature of these incidents was less severe than those caused by other troublemakers, the frequency and intention behind them were worse.
Even if Sergei wanted to keep him at the academy due to personal grudges and connections with the Duke of Mentuhotep, the future was unpredictable.
However…
“Is this a good or bad omen…”
The situation shifted with the arrival of a letter from Professor Rachel.
The content of the letter was ‘For unspecified reasons, ensure that Abraxas Mentuhotep does not relinquish his cadet status at Jeolip Academy.’
The specific reason wasn’t explained even to the chancellor, leaving Sergei with no choice but to sigh.
‘I wasn’t planning to expel him anyway. But I can’t fathom the reason behind this request.’
The content of the letter was problematic, but even more so was the recipient.
The letter was addressed not to Chancellor Sergei of Jeolip Academy, but personally to Sergei Darmore.
This meant that the instructions in the letter were to be executed by Sergei Darmore as an individual, not in his official capacity, and that Abraxas should not be informed of this.
‘Do not let him leave the academy. This also means preventing him from dropping out voluntarily.’
Since the sender of the letter promised political support, most political issues could be resolved as long as there was a justification.
However, what justification could Sergei use?
Sergei found inspiration in Abraxas himself.
‘He’s a madman. It doesn’t seem like an act, but even if it is, I should outwardly treat him as such.’
The best way to handle a madman is to become one.
It wasn’t his preferred method, but when left with no choice, one must adapt.
Sergei smiled, a rare pleasant one, as he thought this.
‘Now that political concerns are out of the way… it’s time to respond with an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.’
Following the contents of the letter, political schemes and public opinion can be mitigated.
Even his recent outrageous request for expulsion could be buried.
Thinking of the troublemaking Abraxas, Sergei called his secretary.
“Akane. I have a message for Cadet Abraxas.”
“What is it, Chancellor?”
“When you deliver this, Cadet Abraxas will likely react strongly. Tell him this.”
“Yes. What should I say?”
Tell him that despite winning against Professor Rachel, the final decision for withdrawal or expulsion lies with me.”
“Yes.”
“Explain that it’s beyond Professor Rachel’s authority. If he wants to leave, he’ll have to defeat me.”
“Understood.”
The best way to handle a madman is to become one.
So, Sergei decided to become a madman himself.
“So, that’s the message. Cadet Abraxas.”
“Is it okay to curse at you even though we just met?”
A showdown with the Chancellor.
It was the only way I could be expelled.
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