Chapter 30
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 30
A scorching heat blanketed the Izelin Academy grounds.
Amidst the deafening cheers of the students, Elena’s voice rang out across the arena.
“The third match! Representing Izelin—Roen Devalis!”
“…”
“And representing Jerome—Chepesi Jerome!”
Woooah—!
The crowd had been deathly silent when my name was called, but the moment Chepesi’s name left Elena's lips, a roar erupted from the Jerome side.
Of course, the subject of those cheers was currently gritting her teeth, her eyes fixed on me in a murderous glare.
“Tch.”
Two losses already.
From her perspective, she could never have imagined the battle would unfold this way.
Jerome’s greatest asset, Crowlin, had been defeated by the opposing academy’s princess, a blow that had sent Izelin’s morale skyrocketing.
On top of that, Josephine—whom they had sent out as a sacrificial pawn—had not only failed her objective but had backstabbed Chepesi, utterly crushing Jerome’s spirit instead.
Even their plan to gain a tactical advantage by pairing me with their own mercenary had gone up in smoke.
It was only natural for her to be this furious.
Well… if there was a silver lining to her misfortune, it was that the "Izelin mercenary" she’d been so worried about turned out to be me, Roen.
But at this point, even that could hardly be called good news. After being outplayed this badly, she surely suspected I had some hidden card up my sleeve to have the gall to step up as a representative.
Ignoring the hostile cheers, Chepesi asked in a low, dangerous voice.
“…You bastard, just how much of this did you calculate?”
Izelin’s two victories were by no means a coincidence. Chepesi suspected that this entire stage might have been of my own design.
Her guess was spot on.
I answered her calmly.
“At least so far, everything has gone according to plan.”
That’s right.
From the moment I received Eleina’s letter and accepted her request for aid, to this very instant as I set foot on this dueling ground. There had been a few minor variables, but up to now, everything had unfolded exactly as I intended.
This wasn’t because I was particularly brilliant, nor was it because Chepesi was incompetent.
‘The information gap.’
What created this situation was purely the disparity in knowledge. While I possessed a deep understanding of the Myrillin Saga, Chepesi knew nothing about the person named Roen—nor about the man who now inhabited his body.
This wasn't something Chepesi could have countered on her own. In a way, this outcome was inevitable, regardless of her response.
All that was left for me was to win this match and conclude this Territory War.
At my answer, Chepesi’s clenched fists trembled.
“…Then you knew I would be the third representative?”
“Of course. I knew you’d send Josephine out as a sacrificial pawn in the second match, and I knew you’d step up yourself to turn the tide.”
“Does that mean you came here believing you could actually beat me?”
Chepesi’s voice was soft, vibrating with suppressed rage.
I declared my confidence openly.
“Yes. I will defeat you in this match and lead Izelin to victory. And you, Jerome, will take responsibility for your defeat. You will cease all provocations and infringements against Izelin Academy and compensate for all damages incurred. Furthermore, Jerome’s invasion of the Izelin Kingdom ends here.”
“…”
Fundamentally, there is a clause prohibiting war between the Union’s member nations. This, along with various educational, diplomatic, and trade benefits, is why many smaller kingdoms go to great lengths—even at the cost of bleeding resources—to have their academies admitted into the Union.
Of course, that doesn’t mean every kingdom and family on the continent is a member. My own Devalis family, for instance, doesn’t own an academy. Instead, the Devalis family compensates by owning shares in other major academies.
In some cases, like Voltimir, various races and families form an alliance to create a single academy. In others, like Eredor or Ishtal, suzerain states or like-minded kingdoms rally around a great power to form a unified entity.
However, relatively new powers like Jerome, or small to mid-sized kingdoms like Izelin, are unable to join these historic alliances and are left to fend for themselves. It is a chaotic state of affairs with no set rules—a microcosm of the Myrillin continent's international community.
And in the midst of this chaos, I had perfectly blocked Jerome’s ambitions of invasion.
“You have been utterly defeated, Chepesi Jerome.”
In response to my declaration, Chepesi slowly shook her head.
“It’s too early to speak of defeat. All I have to do is win.”
Whoosh, whoosh—.
Chepesi drew the steel bat from her waist and swung it through the air.
“All I have to do is beat you and claim the remaining two victories!”
The steel baseball bat in her hand was her unique weapon, an Epic-grade artifact.
[Physical Therapy Device]
The effect of that weapon was simple: when used by a ‘direct descendant of the Jerome bloodline,’ it possessed the ability to penetrate 50 percent of any armor’s protective effects. The Aegis Shield, my personal protection item, was no exception, which was why I had lent it to Eleina.
Chepesi’s eyes glinted fiercely. The way she looked at me was no longer the way one looked at the academy delinquent, Roen. I could feel her resolve to acknowledge me as a worthy opponent—a threatening ‘enemy’—and to fight with everything she had.
“Hoo.”
Combat is always nerve-wracking. I let out a slow sigh to calm my racing heart and shoved both hands into my pockets. Then, making full use of my [Shamelessness] trait, I tilted my head slightly and spoke with practiced arrogance.
“Come at me.”
At that moment, Elena’s voice rang out, signaling the start of the duel.
“The third match… begin!”
Waaaaah—!
A deafening roar erupted. Amidst the tidal wave of cheers, Chepesi moved.
Fwip—.
She kicked off the ground and shot forward like a bullet, swinging the steel bat straight at my head.
Fzzt—.
Purple lightning coiled around the surface of the steel. This was Chepesi’s unique trait, [Purple Haze Flash Flow].
‘If I get hit by that, my head will literally explode.’
Roen’s pathetic body was the perfect target for a home run. I watched the steel bat draw closer and focused.
‘The flow of this battle won’t be much different from the one with Handol.’
A battle between a warrior and a mage. The only difference was that Chepesi was significantly stronger than Handol, and she wasn't underestimating me. This meant I needed more delicate movements and a more calculated strategy.
If there was one saving grace, it was this: I knew far more about a named character like Chepesi than some extra like Handol.
I glanced at the crackling purple electricity. The combat art she used was [Jerome-style Combat Art - Purple Haze Flash Flow], a unique skill Chepesi had developed herself. It was stylish and had a satisfying impact; I knew it well, having favored it myself when I played a one-handed sword character in the game.
“Die!”
Chepesi’s powerful vertical slash aimed for my skull. I mapped her action to the skill’s opening move in my mind and predicted the follow-up.
‘Five steps forward. Then, the initial strike.’
With minimal movement, I twisted my body and dodged the bat.
“Where do you think you’re going!”
Crack—.
As the initial strike missed, Chepesi’s bat defied the laws of physics, bending its trajectory to pursue me.
Whoosh—.
‘One of three variation patterns. A rightward curve.’
Having anticipated this, I leaned my head back further to evade it while backpedaling to create distance.
Tat—.
“Tch!”
Frustrated, Chepesi clicked her tongue, retracted her bat, and aimed it at me from where she stood.
Swoooosh—.
Mana gathered at the tip of the bat.
‘Mana accumulation confirmed. A 0.5-second casting time. [Purple Light True Sky Cannon].’
It was a powerful skill that damaged all enemies in a straight line, stunning them for three seconds. The duration of the crowd control effect increased based on the caster’s intelligence. It was a dangerous skill, nearly impossible to counter if it hit, but since it had a wind-up, it wasn’t hard to dodge if you knew it was coming.
Flash—.
A purple flash filled my vision.
KABOOM—!
The moment I rolled to the side, the flash exploded where I had been standing. The purple electricity completely vaporized the dueling ground’s floor.
Fzzt—. Fzzt—.
Residual currents sparked dangerously in the crater. If that had hit me, I would have been bidding this world a permanent farewell.
‘…Thirty-second cooldown. There’s a brief moment of stiffness from the recoil right after casting, but…’
Whoosh—.
‘She can cancel the motion by using a movement skill.’
Chepesi did exactly that, canceling the recoil and immediately rushing me.
Tat—.
I watched her footwork.
‘…[Killing Step]. After moving to a designated spot, the first basic attack can instantly kill an enemy with a certain stat difference in vitality.’
In other words, with Roen’s vitality, it was instant death.
Shashak—.
Chepesi appeared behind me as if she had teleported. Her bat came crashing down.
BOOM—!
The floor of the dueling ground exploded as if hit by dynamite. Shrapnel scattered, and a cloud of dust rose.
Tat—.
Of course, I had already dodged and widened the gap. And so, the one-sided exchange continued.
“Die!”
Whoosh—.
Swoosh—.
Her bat flew at me relentlessly. To the crowd, it looked like I was desperately on the defensive, but I was dodging every strike with minimal movement. Considering the difference in stamina consumption between attacking and defending, this was an excellent trade for me.
Occasionally, strands of my hair or the sleeve of my uniform would get caught in the electricity and singe, but none of the attacks made direct contact.
“Grr!”
As I continued to deftly dodge with my hands in my pockets, Chepesi’s face turned a deep, furious red. It was understandable; hitting nothing but air is exhausting for the ego.
‘For the last week, I’ve run image training for this duel dozens of times.’
Image training might sound like a joke, but its effectiveness was proven. The current result was the proof.
“You slippery little bastard!”
“Thanks for the compliment.”
Swoosh—.
I watched the steel bat graze the tip of my nose.
‘…Well, it’s been proven that I can dodge her.’
The effects of the Agility Enhancement Stone and the Haste Magic would last for about another thirty seconds. I had to seize victory within that window.
I had already finished my preparations. I infused mana into the crystal orb fragment in my pocket.
Vwoom—.
With a strange hum, the fragment began to glow. Unlike a normal mage, Roen was a half-measure; he couldn’t use any magic other than alchemy, so he needed the help of support artifacts.
Chrr—.
Chains of mana appeared in the air. [Mana Chain].
Chepesi noticed the mana and swung her bat, shattering the first chain.
CRASH—.
“Such a pathetic trick!”
“…Pathetic? That’s harsh.”
Fwip—.
As I raised one hand, chains of mana shot up from all over the dueling ground.
Chrrrr—.
There were dozens of them. This was the result of me scattering fragments of the crystal orb all over the arena while dodging her attacks.
“!”
Chepesi’s eyes went wide. I clenched my fist, and the storm of chains shot toward her all at once.
Chrarara—.
“Tch.”
Chepesi dodged with flashy, nimble movements. Her evasive maneuvers were spectacular, like something out of an action movie. But no matter how fast she was, she couldn't dodge them all—her stamina was flagging from her relentless assault.
“Grr, enough of this!”
Faced with a forest of mana chains, Chepesi yelled in frustration and leaped into the air.
‘Now!’
Ch-chak—.
While she was airborne and unable to maneuver, a single mana chain snaked around her ankle and slammed her back to the ground.
“Kuh!”
Clatter—.
Chepesi lost her balance. The moment she hit the floor, the remaining chains pounced like a spider wrapping its prey, binding her limbs one by one.
Crrrk—.
“Kugh. Let… go of me!”
Fzzt—!
She unleashed purple lightning, shattering a few chains, but she couldn't break them all.
Chrr—.
I manipulated a separate chain to snatch the steel bat from her grasp. With that, Chepesi was completely disarmed.
Ssk—.
Using my fingers to control the chains, I forced her to her feet.
“Ugh.”
She writhed, trying to break free.
Step—.
I walked up to her and spoke in a calm voice.
“The match is decided, Chepesi. With this, you… no, Jerome has lost. I’ll hear you out if you have any last words.”
“…”
As if sensing her defeat, Chepesi stopped resisting and lowered her head.
“Why…”
Her voice trembled.
“Why! Why are you standing in my way! Is Izelin even worth it? Or did you fall for that pathetic princess!”
She cried out as if howling at the sky.
“Do you have any idea how many people’s fates will change because of your petty schemes? Why… why the hell are you, an outsider, interfering in our affairs and ruining everything!”
It was a scream of pure anguish. Everything she had built had been dismantled. She had been outread and utterly defeated by Roen—someone she had considered less than the dirt beneath her boots. This failure would ruin her position in the academy and her standing in the royal succession.
I shrugged.
“That’s none of my business. It’s only natural for the loser to lose everything. This is the 'law of the jungle' that you and Jerome were always screaming about.”
The winner takes all. Chepesi had succumbed to the very principle she championed.
“…”
I leaned in and whispered quietly in her ear.
“And… if you’re asking why I got involved, the reason is simple.”
Step—.
I pushed Chepesi’s shoulder, sending her tumbling out of the dueling ring.
Thud—.
“Because I am the Student Council President—the sole public authority in this Union.”