Chapter 9: Duel (1)

“Selenaaa!!!”
“Ugh…”

Selena let out a short groan as she stood up with Angela’s support.

“Are you okay, sis?”
“…I’m fine.”

Selena leisurely dusted off the dirt from her skirt.
But despite her calm demeanor, her mind was anything but.

‘What… was that just now?’

[3-Star Spell: Psychokinesis.]
A mid-level magic that manipulates physical force using mana.

The glasses were clearly within Selena’s control range.
In other words, to retrieve the glasses, one would have to break through Selena’s mana and reclaim control.

Control over mana is essentially a power struggle.
It’s a fight where the one with a larger mana capacity inevitably wins—a battle with a predetermined outcome.

‘I… lost?’

The rare sensation of defeat made Selena’s emotions surge.
For Selena, who had never once been overpowered in raw mana capacity, this was a completely unfamiliar experience.

‘I didn’t sense anything…’

The process of having the glasses taken from her hand,During that entire process, Selena hadn’t felt any mana flow at all.

She didn’t even recognize the formation of any spell.
The entire process happened literally in the blink of an eye.

“Did you see that, sis?”

Angela was still staring at the direction Luke Richter had left.
Selena cautiously asked her.

“Did you sense anything at all?”
“Nope! Nothing at all!”

Selena couldn’t believe her ears.
It wasn’t Angela’s carefree attitude that shocked her.

Angela’s ability to detect mana was unmatched.
She could perceive mana as colors.

And yet, Angela hadn’t noticed any mana movement?
There was only one possible conclusion.

“…At least a Master-level.”

A nearly perfect mana control that could fool even Angela’s perceptive abilities.
A spellcasting speed too fast for the naked eye to perceive.

And then…

‘Dispel.’

Selena couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.

“Stella, you crazy woman… What kind of monster did you bring here?”

Even if the Disciplinary Committee was known as a collection of troublemakers,
shouldn’t they at least bring in someone manageable?

But despite everything, Selena couldn’t help the sense of admiration budding within her.
It was inevitable, considering she had just witnessed an embodiment of her ideal right before her eyes.

“Angela.”
“Yeah?”
“Luke Richter… He was warning us, wasn’t he?”
“Probably? Most likely, yeah.”

Why did he suddenly reveal his power when he’d been hiding it so well?

To simply show off?
No, that couldn’t be it.

Luke Richter was giving a clear warning.
Not to cross the line.

“Interesting.”

Selena brushed off the goosebumps that had risen on her arms.

The Next Day, First Period.

“The first practical assessment, as announced, will be Duel Combat Training!”

Just as Selena had mentioned, the first assessment was a duel.

Of course, I already knew that.
Right after the entrance ceremony, the next event is always duel combat training.

The professor in charge of the lesson was none other than our homeroom teacher, Louise.
Today, I would be assisting her as an aide.

“Now, I’ll explain the detailed evaluation criteria for the duel combat training.”

The students gathered in a wide, circular formation in the center of the spacious training ground.
Louise stood at the center, explaining the first practical assessment.

“Duel combat training will follow the basic rule of [one-on-one matches] The purpose of the lesson is to enhance practical combat senses.”

At Louise’s announcement of one-on-one duels, the students cheered.
Surprisingly, not a single one of them showed signs of dislike—except for me, of course.

“The evaluation criteria are [magic application, accuracy, and combination]—a total of three aspects. Don’t worry about having bad matchups; scores will be given regardless of victory or defeat.”

This practical assessment is a necessary event for advancing the episode.
It also serves as the branching point where the S-Class hierarchy is determined.
Most importantly, it marks the beginning of the special event [Inferiority Complex].

Prince Van Beonar of the Velkin Empire.
He would undoubtedly choose Saint Odette as his opponent for this duel.

However, to enroll in the academy, Saint Odette is currently using an alias.
Moreover, she’s registered as a commoner.

There’s no way the prince would know this.
He’d simply pick her because she seems like the easiest target—a commoner girl.

The result is obvious—Prince Van will face a crushing defeat.
He’ll be thoroughly humiliated and lose miserably.

As a result, his reputation will plummet, and a seed of inferiority will take root in his heart.

‘This must be prevented at all costs.’

The prince is strong.
It’s just that his opponent would be completely out of his league.

If he doesn’t choose Odette as his opponent, he would most likely win or at least have a close match.
In that case, we can avoid the worst outcome.

“Duels will proceed only with mutual consent. Both challenging and refusing are allowed.”

The strategy to counter the [Inferiority Complex] event is simple.
I need to challenge Odette to a duel before the prince does.

“The duel combat training will take place over three days. Each student gets one duel per day. Once used, you can’t participate in another duel that day.”

A total of three opportunities, one per day.
I plan to use all my chances to challenge Odette.

If I do that, there’s no way the prince will get a chance to face her.

“For safety reasons, despite me overseeing the training, one member of the Disciplinary Committee will also assist.”

As soon as Louise finished speaking, the students’ gazes all turned toward me, who was standing next to her.

“Luke Richter, even as a committee member, skipping lessons will not be tolerated.”
“I understand.”

Louise nodded briefly at my response, then moved away from me and walked among the students.
Suddenly, she turned back and shouted.

“The first duel will be Luke Richter! Choose your opponent!”

Wow, she’s really putting me on the spot as the Disciplinary Committee member.
The students started murmuring in confusion.

“Isn’t he that guy? The one who destroyed the exam hall.”
“He doesn’t look like much…”