Duel of Hunger and Pride
"Hey, did you hear? There's a duel today."
"Who?"
"Uh, what was it... That kid who eats a ton, and the second son of the Miller family."
"Really? Sounds fun. When is it?"
"In a bit. We're close by, want to go watch?"
"Sure."
The rumors had already spread. Well, it made sense, considering he had openly challenged him to a duel right in the middle of the classroom. They say there's no entertainment quite like watching a fight. A massive crowd was bound to gather just to spectate.
"M-Miss Ophelia..." Leo looked up at me. Even though I had assured him yesterday that it would be fine, he seemed anxious at the thought of so many people watching.
"Don't worry, Leo. All you have to do is win. Just win."
"But..." Guilt was written all over Leo's face. "It's not like I'm entirely blameless... Is there really no way to resolve this without fighting?"
"Nope."
Well, of course there were plenty of ways to avoid a fight. But there were far more reasons for him to fight than not to. Even if Leo didn't want to, I was going to force him into it. That was the only way he would grow.
"If you really think it's your fault, then just lose to Allen. Pathetically. The moment the duel starts, roll over on your back and show him your belly in submission."
"T-That's..."
"But do you really think a proud noble would ever accept that?"
"..."
Did I scare him a bit too much? Leo hung his head low. He was probably regretting whatever led him to this point.
...To be honest, I didn't think Leo was entirely innocent either. Even if there was no technical violation of the rules, basic etiquette still existed. Back in the game, players used to argue endlessly about who was in the wrong. Personally, I didn't know who was worse. Maybe they both were, or maybe Leo's fault was greater, or perhaps Allen was the one truly to blame.
From Allen's perspective, Leo was an uninvited guest. He had tolerated the sheer annoyance of a swordsman suddenly showing up to a class meant for mages. Bullying someone over that would have been pathetic, so he probably intended to just ignore him. But when Leo started acting in a way that grated on his nerves, Allen lost the patience he would normally have maintained. To him, Leo was nothing short of an eyesore.
But looking at it from Leo's side, he really had no other choice. First of all, he had no money for food. To survive, he had to hunt wild animals in the mountains behind the Academy and cook them roughly. Since they weren't prepared properly, they inevitably smelled, and Leo was well aware of that...
By Academy regulations, eating outdoors was strictly forbidden. It made sense, considering nobles attended this school. Even with advanced media, the class system was still very much alive. The perception of etiquette between commoners and nobles was as different as heaven and earth. To bridge that gap, the Academy banned outdoor eating entirely. Walking around while chewing food might be normal for commoners, but to nobles, it was a sight that made them scowl.
In the end, the only places left to eat were the classrooms and the cafeteria. However, the cafeteria banned outside food. Thus, Leo was forced to eat in the classroom, even though he knew it might be rude to others.
"Tsk. What a pain in the ass."
"Orca."
"That guy knew there wasn't any actual rule against it, but he still picked a fight. He's not innocent either."
"..."
"Besides, didn't he say only the mages found it annoying? Then there's only one answer."
I didn't care who was more in the wrong. My only interest lay in one thing: Leo's growth through this incident. Had I mentioned this before? There are some things you can never understand just by being told. Some things can only be understood by experiencing them firsthand. ...And this was one of those times. This was the exact reason why I hadn't simply given Leo money to prevent this situation in the first place.
Leo wanted to become a knight. In that case, was there any need for me to stop this? No, none at all. Through this event, Leo would realize something. He would understand not just with his head, but with his heart, that some actions can deeply annoy others even if they don't technically break any rules.
Since he was an orphan, his experience interacting with others was practically nonexistent. If I backed him up, he could easily become a knight, sure. But would that really be the right path? Would it solve anything if he became a knight without ever understanding the friction that arises from living in a community? I doubted it. Leo's dream was to be a knight. It would be nice if he could just become one and watch the ending credits roll like in a game. But this was reality. It was incredibly similar to the game, but it had become real. There were no ending credits. He had to think about what came after he achieved his dream.
"Fight, Leo."
"And win."
...Besides, this was an excellent opportunity to spar with a mage. It wouldn't hurt for him to experience it now. Getting beaten up by a mage today would make it much easier for him to beat them down in the future.
"Well, yes. But since I'm forcing you to fight... you probably won't have much motivation without a reward."
"A reward...?"
"If you win, I'll give you something good."
"?!"
"M-Miss Ophelia?! What are you suddenly saying...!"
Huh. Why are they reacting like this?
"Are you ready, Leo?"
"..."
"...Tsk. Ignoring me, are you?"
Leo couldn't focus at all. Allen and his lackeys were saying something right in front of him, but the words barely registered in his ears. He had been plagued by all sorts of worries, knowing that even if he had no choice, he was indeed the one who had acted in a way that annoyed the other students...
But then, something so shocking had happened that all those worries were instantly blown away.
"..."
He knew it couldn't be that. Miss Ophelia was a good person. She helped Orca, and she listened to his counseling sessions so kindly. The "something good" she mentioned was definitely a snack or something similar. It couldn't possibly be what he and Orca had imagined. After all, when he and Orca had gasped in shock, Miss Ophelia didn't even seem to realize why they were so surprised. That had to be it. And yet...
"Ughhhhhhh...!"
"Has he lost his mind?"
His mind was a chaotic mess. Come to think of it, Miss Ophelia was incredibly beautiful. The kind of beauty who looked like she would warmly embrace you no matter what happened. The more he tried not to think about it, the more his mind drifted into absurd fantasies, and he hated himself for it.
"...Well, whatever. I don't care what you're daydreaming about, nor do I have any reason to. You're ready, I assume."
"P-Please start..."
"Fine. Then, we begin the moment the referee drops the coin."
Ah, he couldn't concentrate. What on earth could "something good" be? His mind was completely filled with the image of his teacher smiling gently as she promised him a reward. ...And he paid a heavy price for his distraction.
"?!"
"Distracted already? Are you really that confident? Huh?!"
Belatedly noticing the earth suddenly rising beneath his feet, Leo threw himself aside, but his delayed reaction left him unable to escape unscathed.
"A-Are you trying to kill me?!"
"Don't worry. The medical facilities here are world-class. As long as you don't die instantly, they'll keep you alive."
"..."
"This is a duel, Leo."
Leo's mind instantly went cold. Glancing around, he saw countless students watching them. ...A duel. He looked down at his left hand, which had been torn open because he failed to dodge in time. ...The wound was deeper than he thought. For Leo, who wielded a greatsword, an injury to his arm was highly critical. If he fought normally like this, he would suffer a pathetic defeat. He hated that idea. He didn't want to lose his very first duel.
"I'm hungry."
"...What kind of nonsense is it this time?"
"I'm so hungry I can't bear it."
A loud growl echoed from his stomach. As Allen stared at him in sheer bewilderment, Leo made his declaration.
"I'm sorry, but I'd like to wrap this up quickly. I need to eat."
"S-Sword Qi...?"
The sword in Leo's hand was shimmering, enveloped in a gathering of pure energy. ...Allen seemed to be mistaken, but this was not Sword Qi. Sword Qi was an advanced technique where a swordsman coated their blade with refined mana—a skill that required deep mastery of both swordsmanship and magic. Leo had no talent for magic, let alone the mastery of swordsmanship required to manifest true Sword Qi. However, he could mimic something similar. He had spent his entire life wielding pure energy as if it were an extension of his own limbs, rather than mana. It was the very reason his growth had been stunted, leaving him looking like a small child. Because of this, even if he couldn't wield actual Sword Qi, he could replicate its effects.
"Y-You... You could use Sword Qi?! Then why...!"
"...This isn't Sword Qi. It's a bit complicated to explain, though."
The only problem was that, unlike Sword Qi which could be sustained once manifested, this was a one-time use. It was essentially forcing the fuel out of his body rather than circulating it. ...He had to end this in a single strike.
"If you block this, you win. If you can't, I win. Simple, right?"
"Ha, haha... Right. Simple indeed."
A magic circle materialized in front of Allen, and a thick wall of earth instantly began to rise between them. Standing before it, Leo had only one thing left to do. Without a single second thought, he swung his blade with everything he had.