Chapter 105: Duel
Chapter 105: Duel
It goes without saying, but you can't just have a duel whenever you feel like it.
If that were the case, people would just kill someone they didn't like in a dark alley and claim it was a duel to get away with it.
First, you have to announce the intent to duel, prove its validity, and then hold it publicly in front of witnesses and the general public.
The people of the Eurelia Continent are sensitive about their honor, and by extension, they are quite particular about dueling—the last resort for defending that honor.
Well, other than that, the regulations are actually quite loose...
But where was I?
This was the Academy, a place where the most talented youths from across the continent were gathered and taught during their most hot-blooded years.
Even the students in the lowest-ranked Class C were considered prodigies back in their hometowns.
Since most of them possessed immense pride, friction and conflict were inevitable when they were all crammed together.
That was why the Academy had organized a Duel Committee.
Every duel between Academy students had to go through the committee; ignoring this rule resulted in disciplinary action as severe as expulsion.
In other words, even though I had made a grand declaration in the middle of the market street, the duel wouldn't be official until I filled out the relevant paperwork and submitted it.
"This is surprisingly mundane."
"That's just how life is, I suppose."
True. Unless you're planning to settle things right then and there, this is how it has to be.
I chuckled and submitted the completed forms along with the recording crystal I had prepared in advance.
Since every moment in the alleyway had been recorded, there was no way the duel would be rejected.
...Thinking about it this way, it felt like I was filing a formal civil complaint.
Actually, it was kind of similar, wasn't it?
"But Master, who is Frank Miller, and why did he suddenly appear? Is he really the one spreading the rumors?"
"Hmm? Who knows? I'm not entirely sure."
"...Pardon?"
"But one thing is for certain: that guy is a cultist."
"Ah."
I didn't mention exactly which cult he belonged to, but Carla, catching on immediately, widened her eyes.
In reality, I didn't know if he was currently involved in the rumors or not.
However, if I won the duel, I could at least request a proper investigation into him.
Once it was revealed that he was a string of silence for the Boiling Silence, the rumors surrounding me would naturally die down.
The moment someone tried to bring up the gossip, an atmosphere would be created where people would say, 'I heard those rumors were started by cultists... Are you one of them, by any chance?'
Well, from Frank's perspective, this must be incredibly baffling.
Someone he had never even met was suddenly pointing him out and claiming he was a cultist.
"You might actually know him, Carla. He's a third-year in the Magic Department."
"I only know the name. When I reached the rank of Intermediate Magician, the professors asked me to give a lecture to the juniors, and I remember seeing his name on the list then. ...I don't really remember his face, though."
"That makes sense. Whether it's an Authority of sensory distortion or something else, he's likely suppressing his presence."
He was skilled enough to infiltrate the Union of Good Gods. Even Carla wouldn't be able to see through that easily.
Fay, who had come to help me with the duel application and overheard our conversation, poked me in the side, looking flabbergasted.
"Junior! Junior! Don't you know how dangerous that kind of talk is?! If you just point at someone and call them a cultist without proof, you're the one who's going to get in trouble!"
"Hey, don't worry. I have a plan for everything. More importantly, tell me about Pelop."
"Pelop?"
Fay's face scowled at the mere mention of his name.
I reached out and pressed down on the furrow in her brow to smooth it out as I nodded.
"Yes. Surely he won't be participating in the duel himself since he's in the Production Department, right? According to Academy regulations, he'll probably bring in a champion from among the students. I'm curious who it might be."
In the past, people apparently used family members or outside mercenaries as proxies.
That lasted until these childhood squabbles started escalating into full-blown family feuds.
Just as students were banned from leaving the grounds on weekdays, the Academy had placed its own restrictions on duels.
What starts in the Academy, stays in the Academy.
"...I'm saying this now, but can't you just send out a champion too, Junior? You said you have a lot of money! I don't even need my next sponsorship, so let's just hire someone. Please?"
"Come on. That wouldn't have enough impact. This is a warning. That's why I applied for back-to-back duels and why I dragged them out of the alley to declare the duel in the middle of the market street."
"Ugh... I can't really argue when you put it like that... but I'm honestly fine, you know? This is already enough, so I just don't want you to get hurt, Junior."
"I told you, Senior Fay. This is a warning."
It was a way to show people what happens when they mess with me or my people.
If I, who wasn't even in a non-combat department like Pelop, backed down? That would just become more fodder for gossip.
And that would eventually become a weakness for the people around me, if not for myself.
Fay stared blankly at my firm attitude for a moment before nodding, her face turning red for some reason.
"O-okay... if you're that determined. But if you need anything for the duel, just say the word. I'll make it all for you. Anything."
"Oh! Then please make me a Philosopher's Stone!"
"...Only things I can make!"
"Then a life-sized homunculus of you, Senior Fay..."
"I can't make that either! Besides, what would you even use a homunculus that looks exactly like me for?!"
"To use as a body pillow and cuddle every night, obviously."
"Gasp! Master, was I not your body pillow?!"
Fay looked horrified, and Carla was equally startled.
Elisha watched the scene for a moment before whispering softly.
"They really do play together quite cutely, don't they, darling?"
"They're both older than me, but they are cute. By the way, aren't you interested? In the position of my body pillow."
"Oh my? Did you think I would cling to your ankle like Carla?"
Snap!
Elisha unfurled the fan I had recently bought her, hiding her smile as her eyes curved into a gentle crescent.
"You promised me before, didn't you? That one day you would take me as your spouse. Since the position of wife is already promised, why would I be envious of a body pillow?"
"Heh..."
Look at that confidence.
I did say those words, but isn't she being a bit too literal about it?
Well, I do intend to keep my word, but still...
Anyway, we continued to bicker and joke around for a while.
Fay, looking much more relaxed than before, finally spoke up.
"Pelop Brondel is the young lord of the Barony of Brondel."
"Eh? Only a Barony? Based on the way he talks, I thought he was the son of a Grand Duke or something..."
A high title doesn't always mean a powerful family. However, that was generally the trend.
Since a Count is considered a high-ranking noble, the title of Count is nothing to scoff at.
Still, it shouldn't be enough for him to act like a common thug in the Academy, which was overflowing with even higher-ranking individuals.
"Count Brondel is also an exceptional alchemist. To the point where he holds the position of Vice-Guild Master of the Levantine Empire's Alchemist Guild."
"So that's why he was acting so high and mighty."
A young lord at home, and the son of the Vice-Guild Master abroad?
It made sense that his habits hadn't been fixed even after coming to the Academy. Most people probably bowed and scraped before him.
Come to think of it, there was a storyline in the Fay Route that involved the Alchemist Guild.
To summarize, it was a classic tale of regret, obsession, and ruin where the guild ignored Fay, claiming her work was impossible, only to be stunned when she started churning out masterpiece-grade equipment.
The representative executive who gave Fay a hard time and was later demoted was none other than the Vice-Guild Master.
Good grief. To think it would be connected like this.
While I was marveling at the coincidence, Fay continued cautiously.
"Anyway, because of that, there will be more than enough champions willing to step up for him. No matter what we do in the future, what the Academy ultimately teaches is how to fight..."
"And when you fight, you can't exactly separate yourself from potions."
"Yeah. ...Ah! But since Pelop is clearly in the wrong this time, acting as his champion is bad for one's image."
"I get the gist. The rewards will be plenty, but since it'll damage their reputation, mostly students who are desperate for money will show up."
This was a system implemented in H&A as well. Occasionally, while playing, you'd find yourself in a situation where you had to duel.
Combat classes could just step up themselves, but if you were playing a non-combat production character, a proxy fighter was essential.
At that time, if you had the moral high ground, it was easy to recruit characters who valued honor. Conversely, if the opponent had the justification, it was easier to find characters who prioritized rewards.
Since the criteria was money, it usually split between nobles and commoners.
While noble-born students were distributed across various departments, the commoner side had an overwhelmingly high proportion of students from the Knight Academy.
On top of that, their skills tended to be slightly inferior.
Predicting and preparing for the opponent's champion like this was the charm of the duel system.
Back when it was a game, the pool of characters was limited, so you could even predict exactly who would show up, but now that it was reality, that was difficult.
Still, being able to deduce the general type was something.
Of course, with my current strength, I was confident I could win no matter who showed up, as long as it wasn't someone exceptional like Carla or Elisha...
But since I had to duel Frank right after Pelop, and I needed to look as overwhelming as possible, it didn't hurt to know.
*
The day of the duel.
The moment I saw the champion Pelop had brought out to face me, a hollow laugh escaped my lips.
"Jackpot."