Chapter 10
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: Top Student (5)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"...Kuh...!"
Ferris ground his teeth.
What? Come at me?
"You insolent bastard...!"
Ferris didn't dislike Aren for being a commoner. Commoner? Noble? What did that even matter?
What truly mattered was magic.
The great magic that brought civilization's advancement and revolution to this world, elevating individuals to new heights.
Ferris, the illegitimate son of a minor noble house, had risen to become the Magic Tower Lord's disciple through his talent. And from there, he soared higher, ever higher.
The next-generation grand archmage whom everyone admired and revered.
That was Ferris's new name. And because of it, he couldn't accept it.
The idea that there was a mage among his peers who surpassed him.
He couldn't acknowledge that someone—even among the Golden Generation—could outshine him, despite studying directly under the Magic Tower Lord himself.
Especially since he hadn't witnessed Aren's feats with his own eyes.
"...Ha. Fine."
Ferris looked down at Aren with cold eyes.
"I'll do as you say."
"Hup...!"
"!!!!!"
"D-Does that mean...!"
The onlookers around them perked up, anticipating Ferris's next words.
And then.
"A duel."
Ferris removed the white glove from his hand and tossed it in front of Aren.
Lydia shook Aren's arm violently as she stared at the duel gauntlet that had landed before him.
A duel? A duel, of all things...!
With a noble...!
She knew Aren was strong, but that didn't mean he could just duel a noble.
And his opponent was the Magic Tower Lord's disciple, no less!
The Magic Tower Lord himself!
Lydia was seriously starting to worry about Aren's future. Oblivious to her concern, Aren gazed calmly at the gauntlet and smiled.
"You wouldn't dream of refusing, would you?"
"Of course not."
—I'd gladly accept.
His attitude seemed to treat the duel with Ferris as a mere trifle.
Ferris's temper flared once more.
But this time, he held it in check. The duel was set anyway—he'd just crush him with sheer skill.
'And prove that the true top student is me.'
Number one is me.
Only me, Ferris.
That's how it was destined to be.
"The duel will be in two days, with the student council's guarantee. And if you lose, walk out of this academy on your own two feet."
"......!!"
Everyone listening gasped in shock.
"A-Aren...! That's too harsh; you shouldn't accept...!"
This time, everyone sympathized with Lydia.
Quitting the academy upon defeat? That was far too cruel.
But Aren didn't flinch.
He just let out a soft chuckle, as if amused.
"Sounds good. But you're not planning to put conditions only on me, right?"
No way a Magic Tower Lord's disciple would be that petty, huh?
...Twitch.
"...Naturally. Not that it's ever going to happen, but if you somehow win, I'll grant you one special request."
"......!!!"
Everyone gasped again.
A blank check, of all things.
The Magic Tower Lord's disciple would grant any wish? For a commoner, that was basically a ticket to an easy life.
...Not that it means anything to me, of course.
But even so...
"Well, that sounds acceptable enough."
It wasn't a bad deal.
Sufficient to put that arrogant punk in his place.
"...Acceptable? Your insolence knows no bounds."
"We'll see who's the insolent one."
"...What?"
"Don't you really get it?"
Aren stood up for the first time.
Being taller, the perspective naturally reversed. Now Aren loomed over Ferris.
Everyone watched the scene tensely.
It was a powder keg ready to blow, plain as day.
...And Aren pulled the trigger first.
"I've proven I'm the top student. But... what about you?"
Like he said earlier—what gives you the right?
In Aren's mind, Ferris had already lost once, yet he wouldn't shut up.
They'd never clashed directly, but... he'd yielded the top spot, so a loss was a loss.
Thus—
"—Do you even realize you're the challenger here?"
"You bastard...!"
Ferris clenched his fist tight.
It was humiliating enough to make him want to blast Aren's face with magic right then and there.
For him to be looked down upon by some mutt whose origins no one even knew. What infuriated him more was that Aren wasn't wrong.
Either way, Aren was the top student, while Ferris was just another enrollee who hadn't claimed the spot.
Who needed to prove themselves... was obvious. Even who the challenger was.
...I'll crush you.
Just as you wanted, I'll 'prove' it.
And drive you out of this academy.
Calming his emotions, Ferris finally glanced at Veronica, who sat beside Aren.
"...Ha."
Veronica.
Veronica Adel Adler.
The genius mage he'd once seen as a rival and worthy adversary.
And now, that genius was meekly sitting next to some unknown mutt...
'How ridiculous.'
"...Losing to a loser and sitting there without a shred of pride—what a pathetic sight, Veronica."
Veronica's brow furrowed.
As she opened her mouth to retort at Ferris's sudden provocation—
Creaaak—
"Alright, everyone, nice to—...What's with the atmosphere in here?"
Sierra, the Magic Department professor, entered the classroom.
Her eyes naturally sought the source of the heavy tension...
"Hmm?"
She took in Aren and Ferris facing off, with Veronica nearby, and roughly pieced it together.
"It's great to see such passion on the first day, but can everyone take their seats first? We need to start orientation."
At her words, everyone in the classroom returned to their seats.
Ferris clicked his tongue softly and went back to his spot.
Thus, with the conflict left smoldering, the orientation marking the start of academy life began.
After orientation ended, as Aren rose with Lydia, Veronica grabbed him.
"...What on earth are you thinking?"
"Pardon?"
"I know you're strong."
She'd faced him directly, so she knew Aren was powerful. At her current level, victory against him was impossible.
She still couldn't forget the sight of her magic vanishing without a trace.
If that had been real combat... she wouldn't have mounted any defense before dying.
Aren possessed that overwhelming strength. Even Ferris, the Magic Tower Lord's disciple, stood no chance.
Having clashed with Ferris before, Veronica was certain of it.
But...
"That doesn't mean you should fight the Magic Tower Lord's disciple."
She wasn't about to spout nonsense like "commoners shouldn't fight nobles."
Everyone seemed to forget, but status meant nothing in this academy. Personally, Veronica didn't care if someone was commoner or noble as long as they had talent.
The problem was that the man was the Magic Tower Lord's disciple.
"...The entire mage society of the empire might turn against you. He's even in line to be the next Magic Tower Lord."
Barring surprises, Ferris becoming Magic Tower Lord was a given. He was a genius acknowledged by all.
...Even more so than her.
"So, don't do the duel."
"......"
For reasons she couldn't quite explain, Veronica didn't want Aren dragged into needless trouble.
If he just backed down now, there'd be no issues.
"Why escalate a minor incident into something bigger?"
...
Aren pondered her words before speaking.
"First off, Veronica, there are three things wrong with what you said."
One, Aren wasn't a mage. It might look like magic, but he wielded a distinctly different power called Shu Arts.
Thus, he didn't belong to mage society. Majoring in magic here was just a temporary measure.
Two, Aren had backing too.
...Sure, he'd left the mountain, but that didn't sever ties with his master, Karen. He was still her disciple, and Karen... was truly remarkable.
He just hadn't advertised it.
And finally, three.
"Even if I backed down now, do you think that Magic Tower Lord's disciple—Ferris—would leave me alone?"
"That's..."
"You don't think so either, right?"
Exactly.
With his lofty pride, Ferris would clash with Aren as long as he held the top spot.
Moreover...
"I have no intention of bending."
Was it right for a man to bend without ever acting on his convictions?
A man bends only twice in life.
Once to accept his wife's opinion.
And once to give love to his child.
"...You're serious?"
"Of course."
Naturally.
This world was survival of the fittest anyway—what was the harm?
Any obstacles that popped up could just be trampled.
"Even so, this is reckless—why—"
"—Veronica."
He cut her off.
And stared straight at her with his signature red eyes.
"Are you worrying about me right now?"
If so, that's actually touching.
"...No."
Liar.
Your ears are red as can be.