Gallery Shenanigans Are Serious Business #1
Ricardo Bardi's second dragon card quickly spread throughout the entire academy.
It was inevitable. Federico Academy was a facility founded by the progenitor archmage, a figure revered by all, but it was also a place where the children of dignitaries from every nation gathered. There were plenty of eyes watching and even more ears listening—that was reality.
The rumor first broke in the academy students' anonymous community, Gallerytia. The students called it [Gallery] for short. (No one actually called it that.)
Federico Academy distributes notebooks enchanted with Gallerytia magic to students every month. These notebooks have a somewhat outdated (the professors call it "vintage") communication spell, allowing real-time messaging only between students with the same type of notebook.
Of course, "real-time" comes with delays based on message length. The range is limited to academy grounds. And above all, you have to use the special pens provided to the students to write—that sort of thing. Students griped about it every year.
But.
To the lofty figures with similar or even older magic at their disposal, it was still perfectly usable, so student complaints never got addressed. Improving old spells or developing new ones all cost money!
Thanks to that, students with enough free time or those who'd somewhat given up on life had no choice but to use the gallery while grumbling. Nothing beat it for killing spare time, so they had to.
...Anyway.
Once the spark caught, the rumor quickly spread to the duel details.
...Of course, there was more mocking the loser Diego than duel analysis.
Anyway, it wasn't just students and the gallery fueling the blaze with Ricardo and Diego's duel as kindling.
The Federico Academy council chamber, where renowned scholars and dignitaries from various nations gathered, was the same.
Since they were often called sages in their home countries, outsiders might imagine the council's atmosphere as solemn and formal.
"What? A second dragon?!"
"Does that even make sense? Even Ardia Kingdom's progenitor commanded only one dragon!"
"What's unbelievable about it? That boy Ricardo seems to have greater caliber than Ardia's founder."
"Hey, watch your words!"
"Did I say something wrong?!"
"The dragon commanded by Ardia's founder was a ★6 creature from legend, wasn't it?"
"Indeed. We shouldn't jump to conclusions!"
Like anywhere in the world, the council was just another battleground for national and personal gain, so shouting matches were par for the course.
"A second dragon... So third, fourth possible too?"
"Even so, that's... Two is already unprecedented."
"If two is unprecedented, more is plenty possible!"
"Right. Shouldn't we check the boy's deck? What if multiple ★5 dragons rampage? We'd lose two or three countries at least!"
"Power too unstable for a seventeen-year-old lump of blood..."
"On what grounds? Peeking at another's deck outside a duel is taboo."
"Then lure him into one!"
"Ahem! ...Any suitable candidates?"
"I know someone..."
Cunning old foxes plotting schemes.
"If that boy joins the military, the demon realm investigation would progress. Sigh."
"What if he catches a powerful demon beast? Too much power in one person's hands is dangerous."
"Hmph! Jealous it's not just Ardia benefiting?"
"Hey, you!"
"Can we even say Ardia truly benefits? Controlling someone with two dragon creatures?"
"Ngh..."
Those wary of Ricardo's power growing too strong.
"Hmm, interesting. Our child in 1st year Nicola class?"
"Yes. Adella Rain Belluna."
"Adella... Adella... Ah, that one. The free-spirited dresser giving the family head headaches. Right?"
"Spot on."
"That's nothing. Yes... She'll handle it. Sleepy but top-tier affinity and looks among elves, no?"
"Precisely."
Those scheming to approach Ricardo through their own nationals.
"..."
And finally, those maintaining solemn silence, eyes flashing coldly.
With tangled interests clashing, the meeting devolved into chaos.
Meanwhile, the protagonist of all this commotion, Ricardo,
"I'll change your towel, young master."
"...Huh? Ah. Thanks, Bel... Urgh."
"Not at all. ...Ricardo."
was recovering from the backlash of wielding two dragons at once, under the devoted care of his maid Isabella.