Chapter 81: War (1)

As the trial concluded, we gathered in a separate room the Academy had prepared to discuss the duel’s details.

The judge and Marina were present along with the involved parties – myself and Ponpon’s mother and daughter. This was likely because the trial’s outcome would be reflected in the duel’s result.

Only the mother came from the duo, as two people weren’t necessary to agree on the terms.

From what I overheard, it seemed the daughter had already been sent back to their domain, probably preparing for the duel.

‘They won’t find someone easily, though,’ I thought.

To face me alone, after I’d defeated Lobo, they’d need someone whose skills far surpassed even the Royal Knights Commander.

But no renowned swordsman would risk their life for this inglorious dogfight with no honor at stake.

Well aware of this, Ponpon’s mother initially looked relieved, as if she’d put out an urgent fire. But as time passed, her expression gradually reverted to one full of anxiety.

“Now, about the details of the duel…” the judge began.

“I believe the right to decide the method belongs to the one who accepted it,” Marina interrupted, her eyes closed.

Sensing things were going against her, Ponpon’s mother shouted hysterically.

“O-outsiders, stay out of this!! This is between our two families, the duel’s participants!!”

“I’m the headmaster responsible for Ian’s safety, and the administrator of the Academy that’s become the court. So strictly speaking, I’m not an outsider.”

When Marina stated she couldn’t yield on this matter for the student’s safety, Ponpon’s mother looked toward the judge, as if pleading for help.

However, the judge said nothing and turned away, avoiding her gaze. Marina smirked.

“Kugh…!!”

“It seems the judge agrees. Ian, please decide on the method for your duel.”

“Alright, then…”

Inwardly thanking Marina, I voiced what Ponpon’s mother would likely want most, contrary to her expectations.

“Let’s make it a war, not a one-on-one fight.”

“…What?”

Everyone except me froze, looking at me in disbelief.

“I-Ian!! What on earth are you saying?!”

“Did I say something strange? It’s obvious I’d win one-on-one, so I’m suggesting we settle this fairly with a war.”

“Fair? That’s nonsense…!!”

While everyone tried to dissuade me, Ponpon’s mother seized the opportunity and shouted.

“F-fine!! Let’s settle this with a war!! Since he suggested it himself, you all have no objections, right?!”

Her face, which moments ago looked suicidal, brightened so much that she might have danced if she were alone.

However, that expression didn’t last long, freezing again at my next words.

“But I have two conditions.”

“C-conditions?”

“Yes. First, conscripting ordinary citizens is forbidden. Only knights or paid mercenaries can participate.”

I had no interest in cutting down farmers, and I didn’t want innocent people dying because of this b*tch.

However, I had no hesitation in using Baldo against the knights who’d been exploiting citizens under these b*tches, or mercenary groups who’d taken money.

“Obviously, appointing conscripted soldiers as knights and putting them on the front lines is prohibited.”

I didn’t think they’d go that far, but with those b*tches, it wouldn’t be surprising if they put a five-year-old child on the front lines, calling them a knight.

“Tch…!”

It was just in case, but as I thought, she must have been planning something like that, as Ponpon’s mother clicked her tongue.

“The second condition is this: The loser must accept any request the winner makes.”

“A-anything…?”

“Yes, anything.”

If one had to choose the scariest word in the world, it would undoubtedly be ‘anything.’

The more one has, the more they should be wary of the word ‘anything,’ but unfortunately, she didn’t have that luxury.

“A-alright… Let’s do as you say.”

As her complexion turned ghastly pale, as if sensing her approaching future, I secretly smiled with satisfaction.

The date of the duel: two weeks from then.

The location: the domain of the Pierre family.

The time had finally come to reap the seeds of Baldo I’d planted when I defeated Lobo.

—
Raei  Translations
—

I don’t know who spread the rumor or how, but within days, the details agreed upon in the separate room had spread throughout the Academy.

As a result, I found myself running away from idiots who wanted to join the upcoming fight, claiming they wanted to avenge Pierre.

‘Which bastard thinks I’d let them join…?!’

She would have surely gathered forces numbering in the thousands, maybe even tens of thousands, to protect her family. I couldn’t hand this over to others.

The seeds I’d sown, the harvest was solely my role to reap.

‘But when is she coming?’

Last night, Hori said she’d made a potion good for use in duels, so I was waiting at the promised place, the Class S Knight Department training ground.

I was about to start practicing Baldo while waiting, thinking it might take a while since she’d be sneaking in to avoid others’ eyes.

“I-Ian…!”

Hori appeared, teary-eyed and held by Nana.

“She looked suspicious sneaking into the Knight Department building, so I caught her. She says she’s your friend, is that true?”

“Yeah, we promised to meet here, so let her go.”

Everyone had become overly sensitive lately, probably because an intruder had appeared in the Academy for the first time in decades.

Moreover, with rumors circulating that Ponpon’s mother and daughter might try to assassinate me before the upcoming duel, I could understand their overreaction.

“Ian, I’m sorry for treating your friend like this,” Euclid said.

As he was about to bow his head, I hurriedly waved my hand.

“Everyone’s on edge, so it’s understandable. But Hori, what’s this potion you wanted to give me?”

“Ah, yes! This!!”

Hori, hearing her name called, pulled out a white powder wrapped in paper from her bag.

At first glance, it looked no different from flour, but the unique herbal scent irritating my nose indicated it was medicine.

“What is this?”

“It’s a potion that relieves fatigue when you drink it! I thought it might be effective if you use it during battle, so I brought it!”

Since Hori made it, its effectiveness was certain. However, thinking about the side effects that always came with it made me hesitant to accept it readily.

“So what are the side effects?”

“W-well… This potion doesn’t exactly eliminate fatigue, but pushes it back. So the more you drink, the more it accumulates and…”

“You mean you could die from overwork if you keep using it, right?”

“Yes!! And this side effect isn’t something I deliberately created, I can’t even remove it!! While you were training, I researched hard and finally managed to create a potion with side effects without using poisonous herbs!!”

“That’s nothing to brag about, you little sh*t!!”

As I grabbed Hori’s head and smacked it as usual, Nana and Euclid, who had been watching, asked.

“Um, Ian… What is that child saying?”

“Your Highness, there’s no way this guy’s friend could be normal. She’s just spouting nonsense, so you don’t need to pay attention.”

“Hori is indeed a weirdo, but by that logic, wouldn’t Euclid, who’s friends with me, also be a weirdo?”

“Shut up.”

“Your Highness…? Euclid?”

Hori, who had been muttering those words, suddenly turned pale and asked me.

“I-Ian…!! That knight definitely said ‘Your Highness’ earlier, right?! A-and you called him Euclid…”

“Ah, I hadn’t told you yet? You should roughly know who he is, right?”

“Ah, aah…!!”

Finally realizing who was standing next to her, Hori immediately knelt and bowed like characters in historical dramas.

“I-I didn’t realize you were royalty, please forgive my great disrespect!!”

It was quite an exaggerated action, but in this world where insulting royalty was a serious crime, this was the correct etiquette for commoners.

While Nana nodded as if this was only natural, Euclid offered his hand to Hori, who had her head to the ground, and said.

“Right now, we’re just fellow Academy students, so you don’t need to show me such respect. Come on, stand up.”

“Aah…! So kind, unlike Ian…!”

As Hori hesitated to stand even though Euclid said it was okay, I spoke up from the side.

“He says it’s fine, so just use informal speech. By the way, I plan to do the same outside the Academy too.”

“…You’ll be executed for insulting royalty someday.”

“Nana, don’t get too worked up. It means he considers me that close. More importantly, Ian… about that duel…”

“No. I won’t let you join in.”

As that was the only thing Euclid could say to me about the duel, I immediately answered. Nana nodded as if she had expected it, while Euclid looked shocked.

“She’ll surely come at you with an army of thousands. No matter how strong you are, Ian, if you get tired from continuous fighting…”

Unlike Nana, a fellow warrior who could somewhat gauge my strength, to the mage Euclid, this fight must have seemed reckless.

“I don’t know how many will come, but by the time I’m exhausted, everything will already be over. If you really can’t trust me…”

As I calmed Euclid down, telling him to trust not me but Baldo, the day passed.

Time flew by, and after the promised two weeks, I stood on the plain right in front of the city governed by the Pierre family.

On the plain, besides Marina and the judge who participated as observers of the duel, numerous students including Jessica, each accompanied by their attendants, were watching from a distance the land that would soon turn into a battlefield.

‘Even if there’s a lack of entertainment, coming all the way here to watch a war?’

While the students might be excused for being immature, even nobles who had heard the rumors from somewhere had set up tents as if on a picnic.

Sighing at how low the nobility’s standards in this country had fallen, Karn, standing beside me, said.

“Really… Anyone watching would think they came for flower viewing.”

“From my perspective, you guys are no different. But I’ll have something for you to do after everything’s over, so wait nearby.”

“Yes. I’ll tell everyone to be prepared.”

Although they were despicable rapier users, we shared an understanding when it came to avenging Pierre.

As Karn and his group bowed their heads and left, I turned to face the front where the enemy was waiting.

With the Pierre family’s emblem-bearing knights at the center, and dozens of flags bearing what seemed to be mercenary emblems on the left and right wings, the sight was truly spectacular.

As I was feeling elated at the sight of this enormous army that easily surpassed several thousand, Marina, who was standing far away as an observer of the duel, was seen flying towards us.

“The Pierre family’s side has sent a messenger saying they want to start the battle now.”

“I thought they’d be coming soon. I don’t mind starting anytime, so please tell them we can begin.”

Marina nodded, but instead of leaving immediately, she stood beside me, looked at the Pierre family’s forces, and let out a deep sigh.

“Despite all those forces soon to become enemies, you don’t seem flustered, Ian. By the way, according to what the Pierre family reported, the enemy forces amount to about 7,000 strong.”

The total enemy force, consisting of the Pierre family’s exclusive knight order of all magic swordsmen and 27 mercenary groups, numbered 7,142.

In other words, it meant I could use Baldo 7,142 times.

“It seems they were quite desperate not to die. Looking at how they gathered such numbers in this short time.”

“…It appears so. Ah, and Jessica asked me to relay a message.”

“Jessica? What did she say?!”

“She said she hopes the crazy swordsman wins, rather than the fraud claiming to be a hero’s descendant.”

“Heh…! She could have just honestly said she’s cheering for me…”

Shortly after Marina left with those final words, the sound of trumpets announcing the start of the battle was heard.

Unconsciously smiling at the sweet fanfare heralding the Baldo festival, I placed my hand on Wolffang’s hilt and charged towards them.

“I’ll kill every last one of you without leaving a single one alive!!!”

—