episode_0049

“..So I lost after all.”

The person muttering while lying on an infirmary bed was Ropel Teufel.

The injury from the recent duel was extremely severe, and such an injury, if treated rashly and instantly with healing potions and magic, could lead to side effects. Thus, he had to remain in the infirmary for the time being.

But putting that aside, that he had been defeated. What on earth did that mean?

“Don’t be too disheartened. That incident… it really was… something utterly unavoidable…”

“Well, I half expected it, so it’s alright.”

“…It seems you really don’t remember that time.”

“I guess not? I remember it being incredibly painful and difficult… but at the end, my memory’s like a film that snapped, I don’t remember it at all. Well… still, I did my best, so I suppose I have to be satisfied with that. And there are still opportunities left, aren’t there? That Mark guy… I really don’t know what he’s thinking. He suddenly changed the condition to the result of your duel with me, not the result of my duel with him.”

In that prolonged duel, the one who had clearly defeated the opponent was Ropel, yet the victory and defeat of that duel were recorded as a victory for Mark Bissos.

To understand the reason for this, one must understand the method for determining victory and defeat in this duel examination.

The number of students taking the duel examination at the academy now is by no means small.

Judging the results of so many students’ duels one by one was a task close to impossible, and they soon had no choice but to use the power of magic.

That was the detection magic, another magic inscribed in the sub-space where the duel took place.

This magic detects when one side becomes incapacitated and unable to fight during the duel, or when an action violating the rules occurs, and it immediately determines the victory and defeat of the duel.

It was true that Mark had tampered with several magics inscribed in the sub-space, but it was only the part detecting incapacitation; the part detecting rule violations was perfectly fine.

In other words, from the moment Seraphina intervened in the duel in the middle, the detection magic inscribed in the sub-space judged the result of the duel as Ropel’s disqualification.

Of course, for both the students and the academy, this duel examination is an important event where unexpected situations often occur every year, and objections can be raised regarding the judgment.

However, Mark had also damaged the part corresponding to the record in the duel arena, making it difficult to prove that Ropel had defeated Mark.

Although there was a testimony from the sole witness remaining there, Seraphina Serion, because the reason this duel happened lay with her, her testimony was difficult to consider credible.

Certainly, if an artifact that confirms the truth, stored at the academy, were used, the accuracy of her testimony could be known, but this was close to impossible.

Because that artifact which confirms the truth, namely ‘Dominas Puj’, was a treasure discovered in an ancient dungeon and was an item with a limited number of uses.

Therefore, it was a precious artifact that could only be used, if at all, when interrogating individuals involved in major incidents that would cause chaos to the country and continent, or when royalty asserted their innocence. Even the reason the academy stored it was more for the item’s own protection and research purposes than for actual use.

Thus, the duel between Mark and Ropel, though involving a Ducal family, was ultimately related to determining the head of a mere single family, and the academy could not possibly permit the use of the artifact for such a reason.

Consequently, regardless of the truth, the duel was ultimately recorded as Mark’s victory, which meant that Seraphina would not only lose her position as a candidate for the head of the Serion family but also be reduced to a tool to bind a man named Mark to the Serion family, instead of becoming a knight.

However, strangely enough, Seraphina was still acting freely despite the outcome of that duel.

Of course, it was true that she felt tension and anxiety, but at least for now, she had enough mental composure to enjoy the time with the man in front of her eyes.

Just as the duel’s result was recorded as Mark’s victory, to explain the reason, one must return to immediately after the duel between Mark and Ropel ended.

. . .

Thud.

After a single clash that was like a massive explosion passed, the one who ultimately won that duel was Ropel.

Remaining standing on two feet until the end, he collapsed as if to fall over the moment he confirmed Mark had fallen.

“Ropel!”

Seraphina hurriedly approached Ropel and helped him up.

His condition, having poured out all his might until the very end, was extremely serious.

If it were his usual self, he would have been carrying a healing potion received from his friend, but bringing potions or tools related to recovery was fundamentally not permitted in the duel arena, so he couldn’t bring it.

Whether Mark had tampered with it or not, the return magic inscribed on his body also didn’t activate to this extent, so rather than waiting for its activation, he had to move to the infirmary directly.

She helped the almost corpselike Ropel and tried to exit through the portal leading outside.

She feared that if she delayed even a little, Ropel might lose his life.

“..Wa..Wait..! H..Hold on…!”

The voice heard belonged to the man who had just been lying face down, Mark Bissos.

His injuries were also tremendous, but for some reason, all his vital points had been avoided, and the injuries were only enough to incapacitate him, so there was no danger to his life.

Since Ropel’s life was critically urgent, Seraphina ignored him calling out to her and tried to leave the sub-space, but she couldn’t help but turn back due to the words that followed.

“He..Healing potion..! I… I have a healing potion…!”

Just as he cried out, there was a healing potion in Mark’s hand.

Moreover, it was a high-grade healing potion that could even save someone who was on the verge of death.

Considering the aftermath of the recent duel, she had doubts about why he was in such a fine state.

Soon, a small pouch he had on his waist.

Seeing the small magic tool, a ‘4-dimensional pouch’, which was a small-scale realization of sub-space magic similar to that of the duel arena, resolved that doubt.

‘..But why does he have this? Especially since it’s an item not allowed in the duel arena.’

This was also connected to Mark’s malicious plan.

In fact, he wasn’t satisfied with just inflicting pain on Ropel once; he was also planning to repeatedly heal and torment him in a way akin to torture using the healing potion.

Of course, that opportunity had been utterly ruined, but what was important now wasn’t that.

Mark took a sip of the high-grade healing potion he was holding, right in front of Seraphina.

Then, as expected, the wounds on his body regenerated at an astonishing speed, and he soon returned to a perfectly fine state.

“See, it’s genuine, and I haven’t done anything strange.”

“…Mark Bissos, what is your ulterior motive?”

“Regarding the result of this duel, let’s make a deal.”

..! You mean to make this victory and defeat disappear?”

“Yes, I’d like you to testify well about what happened today later.”

“How dare you do such a thing in the academy’s historic and sacred duel examination…! You are despicable until the end, Mark..!””

In a way, perhaps the optimal choice for Mark in the current situation would be to simply stand by and watch.

The winner of the duel would lose his life, and Seraphina, who would be the witness, has unreliable testimony, so everyone would accept the lie that he won.

However, Mark is acting to persuade her like this for a reason.

If Ropel were to die like this, Seraphina would insist on his victory until the end and would even request the use of the Dominas Puj to confirm the truth…

Of course, the academy would absolutely never permit the use of that national treasure, the Dominas Puj.

But if Regulus Serion, the head of the Serion family, were to intervene, the situation might change.

Having served him as a master, he knew well his stubborn and ruthless nature, like a fortress of iron, and his method of ensuring everything is finished thoroughly.

If Seraphina were to persistently claim Ropel’s victory, whether he believed her words or not, he would exert force to verify the truth, in other words, to permit the use of the Dominas Puj…

Perhaps he would push through with such actions with the aim of showing Seraphina the cruel reality, but the direction of reality is far too different.

What if, against all odds, however small the chance, the use of the Dominas Puj is truly permitted?

The fact that he denied the result of the sacred duel due to his pride, and furthermore, allowed a talented individual stronger than himself to die, would become known.

This means that everything he had built up until now would collapse in an instant!

Therefore, for now, even if he had to suffer a small loss, he had to act this way.

“If you want to feed him a healing potion, first give him this potion. It’s a potion that makes you forget memories for a certain period of time. …Don’t ask where it came from..”

It was only natural, but his memory had to be erased.

Mark thought it fortunate that he was able to obtain such a potion, even though it was expensive.

“Mark… are you planning to defile even this man’s honor?”

Seraphina’s cold face distorted endlessly.

“Ha! Then what will you do? Choose. Will you let him lose his life for the sake of that meager honor of victory or defeat, without even asking Ropel’s opinion? Or will you at least save his life…!”

For a moment, Seraphina considered forcibly taking the potion from Mark in front of her eyes.

But right now, Ropel’s life was truly like a candle in the wind.

If she were to rashly engage in combat with Mark, who had drunk the high-grade healing potion, regardless of the outcome of that confrontation, Ropel’s breath might cease first.

‘Damn it..! If only I were stronger, such a 고민…’

She gritted her teeth inwardly, but she had no choice but to agree to that dirty deal.

Because right now, Ropel’s life was more precious.