The Duel
"...Well then, I shall see you next time, Counselor Ophelia."
"Please, come by whenever you like. I will always be waiting."
"That is good to hear. It will make it all the easier to defeat you when I am in top form."
"I wonder. I think it is still too early for that. After all, I have already figured out all your habits, Your Highness."
"My habits?"
"Take your time and think about it. If you can figure out your own habits, you might actually stand a chance of beating me."
That should be enough. I dropped plenty of hints as I saw Stella out, showing her exactly what she needed to do to defeat me. It was fine if she dismissed it as nonsense for now. It was fine if she believed she had no such habits. In fact, it might even be better if she thought it was absurd. For a person to grow, self-realization was paramount.
No matter how much I pointed out her flaws, it would mean nothing if she didn't realize them herself. When others nag you about your own business, it just sounds like empty noise. What truly mattered was personal comprehension. She needed to feel the necessity to change on her own. Even if I forced her to correct her habits, she would revert to her old ways in no time if she didn't see the point of it.
"Is it over?"
"Ah, Leo."
"You are amazing, Counselor. To speak so naturally with the Princess..."
Leo looked at me with sparkling eyes. Was he really that impressed by how casually I conversed with the Princess?
"This is the Academy, after all. As long as you show a basic level of respect, it is perfectly fine."
"...Isn't that rule practically meaningless, though?"
"Not necessarily."
I knew exactly what Leo meant. Many students believed the rule of absolute equality within the Academy, regardless of status, was nothing more than ink on paper.
"But... even if no one says it out loud, the divide is still there."
"True. But that is simply because people choose to be cautious of their own accord."
Everyone was equal inside the Academy. But once they stepped outside? No one knew what kind of retaliation they might face. That unspoken anxiety loomed over everyone. Leo was pointing out the invisible divide born from that very fear. The vast majority of commoner students couldn't hold their heads high around the nobles.
Yet, the nobles had never once forced them to act that way. There was a law established by the decree of the late Emperor. The nobles, well-aware of the law, had no choice but to obey it, no matter how much they disliked it. If they were caught treating a commoner like a servant, they would face punishments severe enough to be deemed excessive.
"Being cautious isn't a bad thing. Orca isn't a noble, yet everyone treats her with extreme caution, don't they?"
"Th-that is... because they think she is dangerous..."
Leo glanced toward the curtained bed. Ah... I wondered where Orca had gone, but it seems she was sleeping in there.
"It is only natural for both commoners and nobles to find each other awkward. That is why as long as you maintain proper etiquette, everything is fine."
"..."
I was certain of it. Leo had a reason for reacting this way. ...It seemed his Main Quest had finally begun. The moment Leo started feeling uncomfortable around nobles always coincided with the start of his Main Quest.
"Do not worry too much, Leo. That noble won't try to harm you."
"H-how did you know that, Counselor...?"
"The rumors have already spread everywhere."
A complete lie. Far from rumors, I hadn't heard a single whisper about any recent incidents. The flow of students visiting the counseling room had started to dwindle lately, after all. Orca came to the counseling room every single day, but she had absolutely nothing to do with school gossip.
Then how did I figure it out without hearing any details? Simple. There was only one reason he would look at me with that expression while I was chatting with the Princess.
It had begun. Leo's main story.
No wonder he had been lingering in the counseling room for so long today. He must have been so anxious that he waited outside even while Orca and Stella were playing chess. He clearly wanted a counseling session.
"It is hard to grasp the exact truth just from rumors. Would you mind explaining the situation in detail?"
"Y-yes..."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The boy, Leo, was attending class as usual.
"Therefore, if you channel mana in this direction, the magic circle will..."
The lecture he was attending was an introductory course on magic. It was a class Leo, an aspiring knight, had no real need to take, but he had enrolled believing it would be helpful. He figured that understanding even the basics of magic would give him an edge if he ever had to fight a mage in the future. ...And, of course, since the Academy's tuition was astronomically expensive, he wanted to get his money's worth.
He had worried that the other students might gatekeep or look down on a swordsman taking a magic class, but fortunately, nothing of the sort happened. Everyone understood his reasoning and attended the lectures alongside him.
The problem arose from an entirely unexpected place. It happened during the lunch break right after the morning class.
A few male students, whose faces had now become familiar, approached him. A noble and his lackeys. They claimed to be just friends, but everyone knew that was a mere excuse.
"...Allen."
"It is Allen Miller. Use my family name."
"..."
"I am sick of repeating myself, Leo. Go eat in the cafeteria. I cannot stand this any longer."
"B-but I do not have enough money. If you could just wait a week..."
"I am telling you to resolve this right now! I said I cannot stand it anymore!"
Leo relied on food to replenish his depleted energy. With the Academy's grueling schedule combined with an extra introductory magic class he hadn't originally planned for, it was only natural that his physical stamina drained rapidly. Naturally, his food intake had increased significantly... and before long, he had run completely out of money.
"I am sorry. But I really do not have any money."
"Then at least eat that smelly meat of yours outside the classroom!"
It wasn't that he lacked emergency savings. He had worked tirelessly to save up before entering the Academy. Leo had kept an emergency fund tucked away just in case something happened. The issue was that the Academy was far more demanding than he had anticipated. As a mere commoner, Leo's savings weren't substantial to begin with, and because he had to eat far more than the average student, his funds vanished at an alarming rate.
Terrified by the speed at which his money was disappearing, Leo had managed to find a part-time job he could balance with his Academy schedule. ...If only his pay hadn't been delayed by a month, scheduled to be paid in full next week, this situation might never have occurred. When the Bar Owner had bowed her head in apology, he had laughed it off, saying it was fine. Now, Leo deeply regretted not asking for at least a small advance.
"It is distracting! Eat outside, I said!"
"But the school regulations state that consuming food anywhere other than the cafeteria or the classroom is forbidden..."
"Who cares about that! I told you, I cannot concentrate!"
There was a common belief that mages tended to be highly sensitive, and for the most part, it was true. Perhaps it was because they spent every waking hour staring at magic circles. Leo had heard the rumors but assumed they had nothing to do with him. He was dead wrong.
Eating in the cafeteria required purchasing meal tickets, as outside food was strictly prohibited there. However, since he was broke, he couldn't buy any tickets. Thus, Leo had no choice but to eat his meals in the classroom... and that was where the trouble began.
Normally, it was fine. Most of the classes Leo took were filled with less sensitive students. The problem lay with this specific class, which was heavily populated by aspiring mages and held in the morning. They often worked on their magic circles during the lunch break, meaning there was an unspoken agreement to keep the classroom quiet during that time. Yet, when Leo began filling the room with the scent of food during lunch, Allen lost his temper, claiming the smell was ruining his concentration.
"...Fine. I see you have no intention of listening to reason."
And today, Allen, finally unable to contain his rage, snapped.
"A duel, Leo. If you win, I will never utter another word about this. But if I win, you will drop this class immediately."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"...And that is what happened."
"Ah..."
It didn't seem like anything had changed from the original plot. Both the outline of the event and the opponent were exactly as I remembered. Resolving Chapter 1 was incredibly simple. Since the root of the problem was Leo's lack of food money, I could just lend him some cash and tell him to pay me back once he got his salary. Or, I could simply cover his meals for a few days. If he apologized and promised it wouldn't happen again, that noble kid would probably calm down too.
"...I know I was in the wrong, Counselor. But I had no choice. I didn't have enough money for food, so I had to prepare my own meals."
"I see."
"What should I do?"
"What do you mean, 'what should you do'?"
However, I didn't offer Leo any of those easy ways out. While they were undoubtedly simple solutions, they would do nothing to help Leo grow. I remembered hearing a saying somewhere: *Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.* If I solved this for him, Leo would never grow. Therefore, he had to resolve it himself.
"You have to knock him down a peg. All you have to do is win, right?"
"What? B-but my opponent is a noble..."
"If a noble resorts to underhanded tricks after losing a formal duel, their reputation will be utterly ruined. The retaliation you are worried about won't happen, Leo."
Fight. Fight, and keep on fighting. Even if you lose, I will make sure you keep fighting until you win.
I offered Leo a bright, cheerful smile.
"So, don't worry and go fight."