episode_0065

Ian Ternado.

He was currently the head leading the second-year students as the top student, and a chief assistant working directly under Cadell.

He did not like the boy named Yuda.

“-Have you been well, Ian Senior-nim?”

Perhaps it was his peculiar aura.

His relaxed demeanor was irritating.

He felt like a mere freshman, who had only been enrolled for a few months, was putting on a ridiculous show of bravado.

From the start, he had wanted to crush him.

“-Did everyone hear? They say an unprecedented freshman has arrived?”

“-If it’s that… you mean Young Master Snakers, right?”

“-I went to see him duel last time, and his skill was truly terrifying.”

“-As expected, there’s a reason why the Professor-nims are so eager.”

The idiotic chattering students also annoyed him.

He was just a first-year student, after all.

What was so special that they had to make such a fuss?

Whenever he heard rumors praising Yuda, his mood inexplicably soured.

Perhaps it was inferiority?

‘What is this guy, anyway?’

Ian scoffed at the rumors every time.

He couldn’t accept the fact that a talent superior to his own existed, and he would freely belittle his opponent.

He thought that someone insignificant was acting cheeky.

No matter how excellent Yuda’s skills were, he knew he would be no match for himself, the top student of the second year.

In Gallimard, the difference in years was akin to a massive wall.

‘Tch… what could Professor-nim possibly like about a punk like this?’

Day by day, his feelings became more unpleasant.

Especially after Cadell started taking an interest in Yuda, the extent of his annoyance visibly worsened.

Because his own position was immediately at risk of being taken.

Chief assistant was too grand a position for a freshman to hold.

But what truly made Ian lose his temper, even more than such an extraordinary recruitment offer, was…

“-Well, I’m not really inclined.”

“-For now, I thank you for the offer.”

“-I’ll consider it. I’ll visit you later.”

It was the fellow’s indifferent response.

Yuda always withheld his answer regarding recruitment, dangling the possibility in front of him as if testing the waters.

Against none other than Cadell, one of Gallimard’s most renowned professors.

He seemed to have no grasp of his place.

He wanted to throw a glove in his face, but he didn’t know what kind of reaction he’d get if he rashly challenged him to a duel.

The sight of a senior trampling a junior wouldn’t be very pretty.

“Be grateful you’re a junior. If we were in the same year, a duel challenge would have already been sent several times.”

Ian had to cool his anger alone.

But then.

“That’s a very good idea.”

“What…?”

“A duel, I mean.”

A completely unexpected situation unfolded.

Yuda suddenly wore a bright smile.

He took off the glove he was wearing and, without any hesitation, threw it at Ian.

Thud!

“I, Yuda Snakers, challenge Ian Ternado to a duel in the name of honor and order.”

A single striking sound against his chest.

The voice echoed clearly in his ears.

As he stood there, stunned and frozen, his gaze suddenly met a pair of smiling, narrow eyes.

The snake flicked its tongue.

“Surely, I trust you won’t run away.”

Ian inadvertently accepted the duel challenge.

***

News of the duel spread quickly.

Perhaps it was due to the empty schedule before the school trip, but students went crazy over the dopamine-inducing news, rushing towards it.

The academy’s attention quickly turned towards this.

-I accept the duel.

-The price of defeat… shall be to grant one wish of the opponent.

-The date shall be in two days.

Ian seemed somewhat flustered, but since he had been waiting for an opportunity, he accepted the duel.

It seemed he was a bit angered by the thought of being underestimated.

His face was flushed for a while.

The sight of him glaring with wide eyes and seething was quite something to behold.

Anyway.

The news of their duel hit the academy hard.

Students were busy chattering about this provocative topic, and even though it was only for two days, its impact was not to be underestimated.

When walking through the hallways, more than half of the conversations were about the duel.

-Which side do you think will win?

-Isn’t it obviously Ian Senior-nim?

-There’s a reason he’s being talked about as a candidate for next year’s student council president.

-Really? I think the Young Master also has a good chance.

-Of course, the Young Master is an overwhelming freshman… but it might still be tough against Ian Senior-nim.

-True, that’s also the case.

Opinions were divided.

The overall atmosphere seemed to predict Ian’s victory.

Of course, there were some children who sided with me, but most of the predictions were that I wouldn’t be able to overcome the difference in years.

They said Young Master Snakers was still unripe or something.

Actually, I somewhat understood.

The opponent was Ian Ternado.

Currently the head leading the second-year students, and a chief assistant working directly under Cadell.

A talent considered the best in lightning magic.

He received considerable admiration from students, and his name was always mentioned when discussing candidates for next year’s student council president.

In short, he was a prime example of an elite.

‘Besides, the students don’t know my full power.’

At most, it was the previous duel.

That was the only time students properly witnessed me fighting.

Of course, I displayed an unforgettable performance, but if you asked if it had enough explosive power to overwhelm Ian, well, that was debatable.

Thanks to that, such a calculation emerged.

That Young Master Snakers would not be able to reach Ian Ternado.

-I’ll also bet on Ian Senior-nim winning.

-Honestly, in a year, the Young Master would probably win easily… but there’s still the difference in experience.

-Ian Senior-nim definitely feels like a different class.

Such reactions were the same among our main characters.

As I quietly worked on my assignments in the library, Regia, who was sitting next to me, whispered.

“Y-Young Master-nim… are you perhaps alright?”

“Of course, I’m perfectly fine, Miss Regia.”

“But I heard your opponent is incredibly strong. O-Of course, I’m cheering for the Young Master-nim, but…”

“You mean you’re worried about a hypothetical situation, right?”

“Y-Yes, I think so.”

“How admirable. As expected, only Miss Regia thinks of me.”

“Ugh, ugh…”

The pink creature melted under my caressing hand.

It seemed she was fretting over me.

The feeling of being worried about by the protagonist was the best.

It truly felt as if we had become close friends, and I felt a strange sense of pride.

Just as I was gently smiling.

“That’s impossible.”

Someone lurking nearby interjected.

A boy with blue hair.

It was none other than Emilia’s younger brother, Ruska Vanity.

The fellow, who had come to discuss something with his sister, just plopped down in a nearby seat.

Ruska subtly added his thoughts to the conversation.

“Ian Senior-nim is strong, you see. This time, it’ll be difficult to defeat him.”

He had been acting reserved and serious, but as soon as a familiar topic came up, his mouth seemed to be itching to speak.

Because he was an ardent follower of Ian.

“Although you might be overwhelming in the first year… there is always a sky above the sky [a proverb meaning there’s always someone better].”

“R-Really? Is he such an amazing person?”

“Commoner, stay out of this.”

“……”

“Anyway, you’d better prepare for defeat.”

Ruska snorted alone.

As if to show he was from the same bloodline as the villainess, he too exuded the distinct aura of a third-rate villain.

Feeling too lazy to reply, I just nodded.

Both sides were noisy.

One was worrying, one was mocking, and they were drumming and beating their own gongs [an idiom meaning making a fuss on their own].

In that situation, Emilia was the only one who remained silent.

“……”

Since she had witnessed my true abilities, she seemed to think the outcome was obvious.

The villainess subtly approached me.

The girl whispered softly into my ear.

“……Don’t kill him.”

It seemed her concern lay in a completely different area.

I let out a short laugh.

“Of course, that’s my intention.”

I didn’t lie.

Even if it was a duel, there was no need to draw blood.

I added, to reassure her.

“I don’t intend to treat him too harshly. Nor do I plan to play around with him like last time.”

I am a gentleman.

-Ding!

[A small amount of lies has been recovered.]

[Current output remaining: 96.4%]

Of course.

There are always exceptions.

***

Thus, the day of the duel dawned.

The venue was once again the public training grounds.

It was a scene I had faced several times now.

As I stepped onto the wide circular arena, numerous spectator stands encircling it came into view.

Every seat was packed.

“Heh heh.”

Was I gradually getting used to it?

The scale of the training grounds, which had initially been daunting, was now familiar enough to be laughed off.

I prepared for the match with some light stretching.

“Yuda, student.”

Selena stood beside me.

She had rushed over after hearing the news of this duel.

The woman, who had been silently watching me, soon removed the liquor bottle from her mouth and asked.

Her question was laced with the scent of alcohol.

“Pffft… Are you really going to be alright?”

“What do you mean?”

“The duel, I mean. If you want, I can stop it right now. I still have enough power to cover this much.”

“I appreciate the offer.”

“I thought you disliked getting involved in troublesome matters.”

“But I like interesting things.”

“As expected, you’re hard to figure out.”

Selena sighed once more.

“I don’t think you’ll lose, but I’ll be cheering for you anyway.”

“You can look forward to it, Master-nim.”

“Hmm.”

Her red eyes sparkled with interest.

Leaving her lingering gaze behind, I proceeded towards the stage where the duel was about to take place.

Someone was already standing in the center of the arena.

“You’re here.”

It was none other than Ian.

He was standing gravely with his arms crossed, waiting for me to arrive.

The two faced each other.

His opponent spoke with a sneer.

“I really didn’t think you’d show up.”

“Running away isn’t my style.”

“I don’t know what you were thinking when you challenged me to a duel. You didn’t seriously think you could win against me, did you?”

“Who knows? Wouldn’t you agree?”

“How ridiculous.”

He let out a scoff of disbelief.

Ian, who had been briefly rotating his wrist, soon fixed his gaze on me, his eyes chillingly cold.

“I’ve been waiting for this chance anyway. I’ll make sure to crush you this time.”

Crackle!

Small sparks flew into the air.

Lightning magic, known as Ian’s specialty.

The boy was charging a flash of light at his fingertips. The lightning raged fiercely, roaring.

The mere act of gathering mana created a formidable presence.

“I’ll burn that bland face of yours.”

Fizzle!

Was his goal to gain the upper hand?

It looked like nothing more than a ridiculous provocation.

The snake showed no signs of flinching at all.

Instead, it merely smiled subtly. As if this entire situation was enjoyable.

“Please don’t use such strong words.”

It flicked its tongue.

“You’ll look weak.”

“What…?”

Shiver—.

A chilling aura swept down his spine.

“……?!”

An unknown coldness.

As he shivered from the strange sensation, the announcer’s voice soon rang out.

The duel was about to begin.

Ian flinched but adopted his stance.

《Heroes, take your positions.》

《The duel will proceed as a sparring match. The duel ends when one opponent is subdued or incapacitated.》

《Additionally, the duel also ends if one side forfeits.》

The rules were the same as the last duel.

Shortly after, the interim judge tossed the coin he was holding into the air.

A golden afterimage struck the ground.

Clink!

The signal announcing the duel echoed.

Immediately after.

“Hup!”

Ian leaped with a single sharp breath.

The boy’s body, which had flickered as if blinking, soon rushed towards me at high speed.

The lightning spread in all directions.

Sizzle!

It seemed he intended to induce electrocution.

The distance closed in an instant.

I gazed at the moment, which seemed to pass in slow motion, and whispered the lie caught between my lips.

The reverberation spread calmly.

“Shatter.”

Illusion magic.

The world flipped.