episode_0040

A duel was underway, betting on the expulsion of an academy freshman and a top third-year student.

From academy students to professors, countless people had come to the dueling grounds to watch the duel.

The students were gathered in groups, waiting for the duel to begin.

Joden Adelien, the student council president, was with the student council members.

“President-nim, we received a call from the Arschen Kingdom. They wanted information about Loki.”

“Ignore them.”

“Yes.”

The Arschen Kingdom probably suspected that Loki was sent by another country.

Because of Loki, the prince of the Arschen Kingdom had overnight become someone who insulted the imperial crown prince.

And now, he was about to fight a freshman who had just entered the academy, with expulsion on the line.

From the Arschen Kingdom’s perspective, they would think another country sent Loki to sow discord between the kingdom and the empire.

That’s why the Arschen Kingdom would have investigated Loki.

‘They wouldn’t have found anything.’

The Ducal House of Adelien had also investigated Loki’s past. But as a result, they found nothing.

Johanna Freya, the head of the disciplinary committee, sat with the disciplinary committee students, waiting for the duel to begin.

The special class students naturally gathered, looking forward to how Loki would fight.

“I should have been over there, too.”

Lucas murmured to himself, sitting alone.

Lucas had originally planned to watch the duel with the special class students, but because Yerika had asked him for something, he sat separately.

“[Brother-nim, a little more to the left.]”

Lucas heard the voice coming from the communication device and adjusted its position.

“[Stop, stop. You went too far. Just a tiny bit more to the right.]”

“Haa… alright.”

“[You’re going through a lot of trouble.]”

Besides Yerika, two more people were watching the dueling grounds through the communication device.

The Emperor and Empress were watching the dueling grounds through the communication device next to Yerika.

It was clear that if other students noticed this, it would cause a commotion, so Lucas sat alone.

“Huh? Someone’s here!”

A student entered the dueling grounds and shouted, looking at someone.

“[Is that Clown-nim?]”

Yerika asked Lucas who had entered.

“No.”

Contrary to Yerika’s expectations, the person who entered the dueling grounds was not Loki.

The first person to appear in the dueling grounds was Ropri Alpseo, the prince of the Arschen Kingdom.

“[Why is that person so angry?]”

Just as Yerika said, Ropri entered the arena, breathing heavily as if enraged.

“It’s probably because of the newspaper the newspaper club put on the bulletin board yesterday.”

The newspaper produced by the newspaper club yesterday stated that Loki would only swing his sword once while fighting Ropri.

“[But is it really possible for Clown-nim to win by swinging his sword only once?]”

He thought after hearing Yerika’s words.

Win against a top third-year student by swinging his sword only once?

‘Of course, it’s impossible.’

Nevertheless, Lucas didn’t say it was impossible.

For some reason, it felt like Loki really would win that way.

Time passed after Ropri entered the arena, but Loki didn’t appear.

“But when is the freshman going to show up?”

“It’s obvious without even looking, isn’t he scared and running away?”

“It seems strange to say all that in the newspaper and then run away.”

“What can’t you say with words? If that’s the case, I could say I’ll catch a dragon too.”

As Loki didn’t appear, the students whispered amongst themselves.

Among them were people speaking ill of Loki, and most of them were from the Arschen Kingdom.

To be exact, they were Ropri’s subordinates among the Arschen Kingdom students.

From their perspective, Ropri must never lose.

Currently, there are two princes in the Arschen Kingdom.

It hadn’t yet been definitively decided who would become king.

However, Ropri, who maintained a top rank among third-year students even in Croa Academy, the continent’s best academy, was closer to the throne.

But to not only insult the imperial crown prince but also lose a duel to a freshman and get expelled from the academy?

It was obvious what the outcome would be without even looking.

“Did he really not come because he’s scared?”

A student who, upon hearing Ropri’s subordinates’ words, truly thought Loki was scared and wouldn’t come, muttered in a low voice.

“Oh, no way.”

A voice was heard from thin air. Everyone looked towards the dueling grounds where the voice came from.

Suddenly, smoke appeared in the arena, and Loki made a spectacular entrance.

“Judging by the atmosphere, it seems I’m a little late.”

He spoke leisurely, but it had been a close call.

This was because one of the items he had requested from Professor Idra had only just been completed.

“I’ll commend you for not getting scared and running away. But even so, you’re just a…”

“Just a moment.”

He cut off the bug’s words and walked to a spot where as many people as possible could see him.

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome! For all of you who have come to see my stage, I will present the greatest show today.”

Before stepping onto the stage, he greeted the people in the dueling grounds like a stage actor.

“I shall officiate.”

The person who stepped forward to officiate was Professor Gedra, one of the older professors.

“Begin!”

Professor Gedra announced the start of the duel, and Ropri immediately drew his sword.

“What’s that guy doing?”

“Does he not intend to fight?”

The students murmured, watching Loki’s actions.

This was because Loki ran in the opposite direction from Ropri without even drawing his sword.

It was the first time something like this had happened during a duel, so everyone was bewildered.

Loki, heedless of the students’ bewilderment, went to the edge of the dueling grounds and pulled something out of his subspace.

“What’s that?”

“A chair?”

The murmuring grew louder as they saw the chair Loki pulled out of his subspace.

What Loki pulled out of his subspace was a chair.

However, it wasn’t an ordinary chair from its appearance.

The chair was more ornate than other ordinary chairs.

And it was much larger than a typical chair.

“Oof!”

Loki sat leisurely on the large chair.

“Aren’t you going to fight?”

Loki, sitting in the chair, crooked his finger at the bewildered Ropri and spoke.

At the blatant provocation, Ropri charged at Loki.

A creak. A swish.

But Ropri’s leg caught on a string, and a dagger flew towards Ropri’s head.

Clang.

Ropri batted away the suddenly flying dagger with his sword.

“Do you think you can defeat me with such petty tricks!”

Ropri shouted at Loki, who was half-reclined in the chair.

“Don’t rush. There’s still plenty left.”

Loki, still seated in the chair, threw a dagger at Ropri.

The dagger flew quickly towards Ropri, but Ropri, who had even blocked a surprise attack dagger, casually dodged the incoming dagger.

Snap.

The dagger Ropri dodged flew straight past him and cut the string behind Ropri.

Swish, swish, swish.

As the string snapped, three daggers lunged at Ropri.

Ropri threw himself back, dodging the incoming daggers.

“You’re quite good at dodging. Then how about you try dodging this?”

Loki threw three daggers simultaneously.

Ropri tried to dodge the daggers, but then, considering the possibility of them cutting a string behind him as before, he batted the daggers away with his sword.

Clang.

All the daggers bounced off.

“What will you do now!”

Ropri shouted confidently, but everything was exactly as Loki had expected.

The deflected daggers collided with each other and fell to the floor.

They cut the strings laid out on the floor.

As the strings on the floor snapped, dozens of daggers hidden by illusion swarmed Ropri from all different directions.

“No way, did Ropri lose?”

“Just how far did that guy plan ahead?”

As dozens of daggers flew towards Ropri from all different directions, the students thought Ropri had been defeated.

Clink clink clink clink.

However, the dozens of daggers that flew at Ropri all fell to the floor as if blocked by something.

A blue barrier had appeared around Ropri, enveloping him.

“An artifact, I see.”

“You have an eye for it. Yes, it’s an expensive artifact that a bug like you could never earn, no matter how hard you work.”

Ropri said, facing Loki, who was no longer throwing daggers.

“Your petty tricks are useless in front of me.”

Loki trembled after hearing Ropri’s words.

Just as the other students watching thought Loki had run out of options.

“Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!”

Loki burst into maniacal laughter.

Only Loki’s laughter echoed through the dueling grounds.

At first, the students were bewildered by Loki’s sudden laughter, but as his maniacal laughter continued, they trembled as if scared.

“Shall we see if it truly doesn’t work?”

Loki stopped laughing and threw just one dagger at Ropri.

“I’m sorry, but your crude tricks won’t work anymore!”

Ropri trusted his artifact and didn’t dodge the dagger, and the dagger was blocked by the blue barrier.

“This one looks a bit different, though?”

Ropri picked up the dagger that had fallen to the floor and looked at it.

“Didn’t you learn not to pick up other people’s belongings?”

Snap.

Loki snapped his fingers while speaking to Ropri.

A blinding flash and a deafening shriek!!!

An immense light and noise engulfed Ropri.

“Gaaaaah!!!!”

Ropri, having been hit by a flashbang right in front of him, covered his eyes and writhed in pain.

Even if it was an artifact, it couldn’t block light and sound.

Ropri suddenly recalled what Loki had said in the newspaper.

He would only swing his sword once.

Recalling those words, Ropri swung his sword wildly to prevent Loki from approaching him.

Ropri, who had been swinging his sword wildly, opened his eyes as soon as they felt better and checked where Loki was.

Contrary to Ropri’s expectations, Loki was sitting in the chair, resting his chin on his hand, and watching him.

As if watching a clown.

“I’ll kill you!!”

Rage dominating his mind, Ropri charged at Loki.

Click.

As Ropri took a step forward, his foot stepped on something.

Ropri, his mind consumed by rage, didn’t care and lifted his foot,

Boom!!!!!!

As he lifted his foot, a landmine exploded.