An Unexpected Defeat

"Saad..."

Born's eyes trembled like a sailboat thrown into heavy seas as he stared at the boy on the ground. A result he had never once imagined now lay before him.

Saad had clearly been a step above. He had to have been...

In raw power and weapon mastery, Saad had lived up to his name. Any ordinary student would have been blown apart by that unanswerable, destructive spearwork.

And yet Sierra Grimkeeper had run the match as if she had Saad sitting in the palm of her hand. She slipped every one of his attacks with near-textbook precision, as though she had seen them coming, and drove straight into the decisive opening.

"Hah. This bout does bring something to mind."

Gio Strandal murmured it in a voice that set the teeth on edge. He wasn't wrong. The match unfolding before them was almost a carbon copy of Born's own recent duel with Yohan — a duel in which Born had been thoroughly outplayed.

"S-Saad lost."

A spearman, beaten in close quarters by a dagger thief. For a lancer, it was the worst humiliation imaginable.

"Eeeek...! Sierra! I believed in youuu...!"

"Kh...! A variable..."

The two professors reacted in opposite directions. Unconscious, Saad was dragged off by students from the Spearman Department. And so the captains' match — the one nobody had expected to happen — arrived at last.

"Gio Strandal. That Yohan kid is dangerous."

"Looking out for me, are you? I'll take it to heart."

Gio answered Born in a silky voice and stepped forward. A chance to cross blades this soon with Yohan Baker, one of the people he'd been watching? An unexpected windfall.

Yohan Baker. He might even be a greater talent than Arsha Swordhorn or Sara Leoris. If at all possible, I want him recruited.

Every organization wanted excellent people, and Angra Mainyu was no exception. Bringing in outstanding fighters was the greatest mission Gio had been given.

Then perhaps I should leave a good impression here.

He couldn't have cared less about the exchange match. Whether the Spearman Department's honor soared to the heavens or crashed into the dirt meant nothing to a man who felt not a shred of belonging. Gio's goal right now was to open a positive relationship with Yohan.

Which meant he couldn't win.

This would be a hospitality duel, of sorts. Losing too easily wouldn't do either — that wouldn't leave a strong impression.

I'll just match his pace and take a graceful loss.

Gio wore the kind of composure you could only afford when you looked down on your opponent completely. He had sealed his power temporarily to stay off the Sun Order's radar, but his true ability had never been at the student level to begin with.

"Y-Yohan! You have to wiiin...! The honor of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠our Thief Department is in your haaands...!"

"Haha. That's a lot of pressure."

"Eeeek...! Don't get nervous nowww...!"

Professor Izumi wasn't the only one fidgeting. Professor Zenia was even more restless than she was.

"Kh...! Gio Strandal. I think very highly of you, personally. Even if your opponent is the Academy's top student, you can handle this, right?"

She had expected a clean two-win lead and a victory in the exchange match. Then a massive variable ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had appeared: Saad Vilt, defeated by Sierra Grimkeeper.

"I'll give it my all."

That was what he said. He had not the slightest intention of doing so.

Yohan and Gio faced each other.

"Gio Strandal. I look forward to a good match."

Gio dipped his head with a faint smile. Yohan returned a brief greeting of his own.

Can Gio Strandal actually beat Yohan Baker?

Sweat beaded in Born's clenched fists as he watched. Having experienced Yohan's skill firsthand, Born found the idea of Gio winning almost impossibly remote. Professor Zenia's grim expression said as much.

Time had no patience for burning hearts. The duel began.

Might as well start with a light probe.

Gio took the first move. Yohan did nothing, as if waiting to see what he would do.

"Lancer Dash."

Gio's body shot forward in a clean rush. Lancer Dash — a common, everyday skill among spearmen.

Yohan slipped the charge with a light shift of his body. It hadn't been a fast attack, nor an irregular one. It felt like a light jab, nothing more. Dodging it was hardly surprising.

"Light on your feet, I see."

Gio's spear spun a full circle and came for Yohan. It lacked the destructive flavor Born and Saad had shown earlier, but it was an extremely stable attack — stable enough that it wouldn't have looked out of place in a textbook.

Yohan didn't dodge. He stepped lightly and closed toward Gio instead. The dagger in his right hand caught the sunlight and flashed.

"Haste."

Yohan's movement accelerated — the effect of Haste. The sudden burst of speed wasn't more than Gio could track. He raised his spear at an angle and settled into a guard.

Ting! Ting! Ting! Ting!

Spear and knife clashed at point-blank range. A spear was supposed to have the advantage in close combat — but that was only true when you still had some reach. In a brawl close enough to feel the other man's breath, the faster knife actually had the edge.

Yohan had seized the offensive, but Gio didn't crumble in the slightest. He answered with solid, unshakable spearwork.

"Gio! Nice!"

"See? That Yohan guy's nothing special. Pretty face, that's all!"

"The Spearman Department's honor is in your hands!"

The Spearman Department students raised their voices, cheering Gio's strong start.

Elly and Sierra raised theirs just as loudly, refusing to be outdone.

"Yohan! You're doing great! Don't you lose!"

"Yohan! If you win, I'll do something ni— eeeek...! Sierra, please don't look at me like that! I was joking!"

Gio calmly deflected Yohan's attacks and thought.

Each blow lands with the weight of a heavy sword, not a knife. But...

The technique behind those swings was painfully monotonous. He wasn't exploiting the dagger's advantage in extreme close quarters at all.

Yohan's ability at the entrance ceremony duel had certainly been outstanding. But what he'd shown then hadn't been threatening, high-power skills like Born's or Saad's. What had made Yohan shine was his tactical mind.

Was that duel just luck, then?

Looking at Yohan now, little of that entrance-duel brilliance was visible. It felt like he was simply leaning on a powerful weapon and pressing the attack. If anything, Sierra Grimkeeper in the previous match had been closer to the genius Gio had been hoping to see.

In every respect, the Yohan in front of him fell short of a genius's evaluation. Gio docked a massive number of points on his mental scorecard.

His fundamentals are solid, but I don't feel that flash of genius. Hmm. Hard to say.

It was puzzling. Gio had wondered if this might be a genius who could even surpass Sara Leoris. Looking at him now, he just seemed like an ordinary upper-tier student.

Angra Mainyu had no use for mediocrity. If the boy had no special ability or quality, there was no need to curry favor. No need for this pathetic tribute of a duel.

Yohan took a step back and gathered his weapon. The instant a gap opened in that relentless flurry, Gio launched his counter.

"Lance Piercing."

This counter hadn't been in the original plan. He'd intended to lose this match, after all. But now that he'd revised Yohan's value, Gio's goal had become putting him down. There was no reason to play the clown for an opponent who wasn't even that impressive. Gio called curtain on a tedious performance.

The spear shot straight and true, aiming viciously for Yohan's chest. A dagger that had lost the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠offensive had extremely limited options for a counter. Gio's skill was far too heavy to stop with a basic attack.

In that instant, the corner of Yohan's mouth curved like a crescent moon.

Huh?

Yohan's dagger stretched out to meet Gio's thrusting spear. A frontal clash against a spearman's skill-empowered lance? It was a stupid strategic choice, a hundred and eighty degrees from what he'd shown at the entrance ceremony. The moment Yohan made that move, Gio was certain his assessment had been right.

That certainty lasted less than five seconds.

Clang!

Dagger met spear. By all rights, the spear should have won. And yet Gio's spear — the one that should have won — was forced back by Yohan's dagger.

Crack!

It wasn't just forced back. A hairline fracture spidered across Gio's spearhead, then burst into shards, scattering like glass dropped on stone. That wasn't something a normal attack could do. This was, without question, the effect of a critical hit.

A critical hit? At this timing?

Coincidence?

No. If this were coincidence, then that smile Yohan had shown just before the final clash...

"Duel's oveeeer...! The match can't continue due to weapon destruction — the winner is Yohaaaan...!"

The match was decided. From the Spearman Department's side came a chorus of groans and screams.