Second Place (2)
Whether it was because the original author was Korean or not, Elprime Academy was dead serious about ranking people.
The prime example was the ranking system — the kind of thing that would feel incomplete without it.
Every student, without a single exception, held a rank from first to two hundred and fiftieth, assigned the moment they enrolled. Naturally, the initial rankings were set by entrance exam scores. From there, the entire first semester became a frantic scramble to climb, fall, or cling to whatever place you held.
In the Martial Arts Department, ranks could be adjusted through duels. Simple, but the most decisive method there was, wasn't it? When it came to settling superiority among people who strutted around with weapons, a fight was always the best way.
There was another reason Leon had thrown his handkerchief at Esabel without so much as a word of warning.
The critical point was keeping Billy from facing her.
As he had said more than once, Billy possessed the strongest talent in the entire setting. What would happen if a man like that ran headlong into the perfected imperial swordsmanship — the culmination of every sword style accumulated across the continent?
Considering the flimsy techniques Billy had learned back at his baronial house, the encounter itself would be an enormous stroke of fortune. At first he would struggle against advanced swordsmanship he had never seen before. Later, he would soak it all up like a sponge and his skill would leap forward overnight.
In the original story, that was exactly how he had grown so dramatically. Billy was the textbook example of a protagonist who leveled up in moments of crisis.
Leon had clawed his way through hell to obtain a demonic talent and close the gap. He would never tolerate that gap opening back up. It was half the reason he had acted on impulse.
Back in the present, the scene had fallen into a silence so thick with shock and chaos that not even a breath escaped.
"……"
Esabel quietly lifted the handkerchief that had slid down her face. Embroidered on Leon's handkerchief was the red eagle crest that symbolized House Crusif.
"……Crusif?"
"Leon Crusif, Your Highness."
The name of a ducal house that could not be ignored shattered the silence, and the crowd began to murmur. So that was the young master of House Crusif who was supposed to enroll this year? The lunatic who had just flung a handkerchief straight into the Imperial Princess's face? Except this lunatic wasn't just any lunatic — he was a lunatic of very high standing.
Had Leon been a commoner, he would have been beaten half to death on the spot. But given his status, the students could not easily interfere.
"……"
Esabel, who had spent her entire life being admired by others, first wanted to fly into a rage. Even if he was a Crusif, how dare he cut into a conversation she was having — and with such insolence, no less?
But she herself had just declared that here, everyone was a student of equal standing. She was not the sort of vulgar person who would reverse her own words the moment they left her mouth. She had to choose her language carefully so as not to appear authoritarian.
"Your Highness, I apologize for my rudeness. Confronted with a moment I had only ever dreamed of, I must have gotten carried away without realizing it."
That gave Leon the chance to strike first.
"……A moment you had only ever dreamed of?"
Her pride thoroughly bruised, Esabel made no effort to tell him he could speak more casually. She folded her arms, emphasizing her full chest, and jerked her chin as if to say, Go on, then. Let's hear it.
"Indeed. The noble swordsmanship of Princess Esabel, which I have heard of until my ears wore thin! The tales of Your Highness reaching such heights at so young an age have always set my heart racing. And to learn that you are of the same age as myself…… I have always trained with the sword while regarding Your Highness as an idol."
Of course, every word of it from start to finish was a lie. But Leon knew that Esabel was, surprisingly, a woman weak to praise.
"……"
The tension in Esabel's eyes eased, just a fraction, without her meaning it to.
"To enroll in the Academy in the same year, and to have the chance to cross blades with that very idol — it was something I had only ever pictured in dreams. When I learned that, as third rank, I could challenge Your Highness, the second place, I came looking for you at once."
That was right. Anyone in the top ten could only challenge the person one rank above them. As third rank, Leon had every justification.
"In the heat of the moment, I failed to rein in my excitement…… My lack of self-discipline led me to commit an irreverent act, and for that I apologize once more."
Leon bowed his head deeply again.
"Hmm."
By this point, Esabel's anger had begun to ease. In the original story she appeared as a heroine, and her temperament was genuinely good — straightforward, fair, the type of woman who carried herself like a warrior. Even with the massive backing of the Crusif ducal house behind him, if he came at her with that much humility, she could let it slide once.
Looks like that about does it.
As Esabel's presence softened, Leon smiled inwardly.
"Very well. I'll forgive the discourtesy this once."
"Thank you."
"However, I must decline the duel for now. I was in the middle of speaking with Billy here, and……"
Esabel turned her head, and her expression went blank all over again. The space beside her was empty. While everyone's attention had been fixed on Leon, Billy had slipped away with remarkable speed.
"……"
Are these people mocking me right now?
She lost control of her expression and furrowed her brow.
Nice one, Billy.
Knowing Billy's personality — a man who loathed bothersome affairs with a passion — Leon had fully expected him to do exactly that.
"What a shame. He must have gotten scared and run off in the meantime."
Shall I needle her a little?
Esabel's competitive streak ran deep, after all……
Leon murmured under his breath, just loud enough.
"Hmm. So he was nothing special. In that case, first place is as good as mine……"
"Ha!?"
But Esabel, a mid-to-low Expert with sharp ears, heard every word. He had just called her an idol, and now this? A remark that so blatantly dismissed her — the second place — sent heat surging through her all at once.
Shiiing!
A silver blade slid free of Esabel's scabbard.
"Leon Crusif. Draw your sword."
Her crimson eyes blazed.
"The duel begins now."
Leon no longer bothered to hide the grin spreading across his face.
"Gladly."
His eyes, thick with fighting spirit, burned a deep, searing red. If Esabel's crimson eyes were like glittering rubies, Leon's were closer to the thick, wet color of blood.
The untimely uproar on the very first day drew a steadily growing crowd. After all, it was a duel between second and third rank — and one of them was the Imperial Princess, the other the third son of the Crusif ducal house. First-years poured in, of course, but so did instructors, upperclassmen, and even magic department students from the building next door. The throng grew so large that many students climbed into nearby buildings just to look down from the windows.
A restless murmur filled the air.
"……"
Esabel glared at the man before her and adjusted her grip on the sword. Sweat had dampened her palm, leaving the hilt clammy.
How…… how can he be so calm?
An Imperial Princess inevitably lived under the concentrated gaze and attention of others. Even she felt a flicker of tension now. It was the first day of enrollment — the period that would decide her reputation for the rest of her Academy life. Facing a duel before hundreds of people at a time like this would weigh on anyone.
But Leon showed not the slightest hint of it. No — he was enjoying himself.
"Haha."
Beaming. Grinning as if he could not be more delighted.
……Creepy.
Looking into his eyes, Esabel felt an instinctive revulsion. With most madmen, you could tell something was off just from the look in their eyes. This was one of those moments. An unconcealable mania was overflowing from his gaze — not the eyes of a normal human being. She had seen every kind of person in the capital, but she had never once seen eyes like these.
His demeanor had changed completely from when he had apologized to her earlier. The polite young nobleman's bearing had vanished in an instant, as if a mask had been peeled away. She almost doubted whether this was even the same person.
Esabel felt a wave of bewilderment. If she had ever met someone like this before, there was no way she would have forgotten him. And as a child of the Crusif ducal house, he should have crossed her path at least once at a social gathering or banquet.
She cast her mind back. The most likely occasion was last year — her father's birthday banquet.
She had approached a boy her own age, pleased to find another who had reached the Expert realm.
"Sir. What a remarkable achievement. Might I ask your age? Ah — my name is Esabel. Like you, I walk the path of a martial artist."
"Uh, uhh…… uh……"
A boy with shaggy bangs hanging halfway over his eyes.
"Le—Leon Cruci…… sif…… is my name."
Having stammered his name twice, the boy had simply edged backward and fled the scene.
"What was that……"
Something had clearly been wrong with his personality, so Esabel had not bothered to stop him. That had been the end of it. His high achievement had been impressive, but the meeting had been brief, and a name stammered out like that was never going to stick in her memory.
And yet that same boy was now……
"Hahahaha!!! Would you look at that — quite the audience we've drawn!!!"
That's…… the same person?
"My blood is boiling over!!!!"
……Had he taken a severe blow to the head?