Chapter 110
Thanks to Polo's brilliant performance, we'd successfully made contact with the Drak salesman. Watching from my hiding spot far away, I let out a sigh of relief—but damn, it was so realistic that it threw me off a bit.
"Is this the rumored drug...?"
"It doesn't look any different from a regular pill on the outside."
Princess Astraia and Saintess Hertia examined the Drak Polo had received from the salesman, turning it this way and that. Sure enough, it looked like an utterly ordinary pill that no one would ever suspect was dangerous. I remembered it being just like the cold medicine imperial physicians prescribe—nothing flashy about the color, no weird smell. That was Drak's first impression: a plain, everyday tablet.
"I don't sense anything unusual with my holy power either. That means it doesn't have any harmful effects on the human body."
If it were bad for humans, the holy power that purifies negativity would have reacted instantly. But as we could see, Hertia's holy power showed no sign of change in the pill whatsoever.
"Maybe its effects only show up after you take it. Everyone who's actually used it has shown some insane growth, right?"
Lady Celine had a point. It was impossible to get a clear read on it in solid pill form. Drugs are made to be ingested into the body, after all, so to judge accurately, you'd have to swallow it. But the problem was not knowing what might happen if you did...
"Then I'll try it."
The one who boldly stepped up to take the pill was Polo.
"You idiot. Are you nuts? People have turned into monsters from this stuff, and you're gonna eat it?"
"I heard that guy got addicted to Drak and overdosed like crazy. If it turned everyone into monsters, we'd have seen at least one or two at the academy by now."
"Urgh..."
Polo had a point, sure. But I couldn't just feed some mystery pill of unknown composition and purpose to my friend. I was about to firmly refuse his request when—
Shak!
"Nom."
"You bastard!"
While I was hesitating, Polo had snatched the pill from Lady Celine's hand and popped it straight into his mouth. I quickly pried his jaws open in shock, but he'd already swallowed it—his mouth was empty.
"Doesn't taste like much. Just kinda bitter, like regular medicine?"
"Polo, what the hell are you—?!"
"Saintess, could you check if there's anything wrong with my body?"
"Y-yes, of course!"
Ignoring me, Hertia hesitated at Polo's request for a check-up, then enveloped his body in holy power. As she scanned him thoroughly, she tilted her head in confusion.
"Is something wrong already?"
"No, it's not that... I sense a foreign energy, but it's not malicious. If anything, it feels... similar to the source of holy power...?"
Hertia probed Polo's insides with her holy power for a good while longer but found nothing. If even her ability—which was basically a fantasy MRI—couldn't detect anything, then he was probably fine.
"How is it...? Anything weird?"
Prazia seemed secretly curious about the drug's effects. She'd been munching on snacks and staring blankly through the whole ordeal, but now she poked Polo's forehead and asked about his condition. It was her awkward way of showing concern, not being used to dealing with people.
"Yeah, nothing weird. Actually, it feels like my senses are awakening? Hard to put into words."
Polo had clearly experienced an overall boost in physical abilities from the pill. He described improvements in strength, reaction speed, even charisma, but it wasn't obvious to the naked eye.
"It's different from typical aura or body-enhancement magic. Hmm, how to describe it... Ah, the examples I gave are just physical boosts, but this strengthens your core soul itself?"
"What're you even saying...?"
Luna, no swordsman or mage herself, looked baffled. But somehow, Polo's words rang true to me. Strengthening the soul was essential for swordsmen or mages to evolve to the next stage.
"Mars."
"...What."
Polo had been standing there, swinging his arms, spinning around to adapt to his heightened reflexes. Then suddenly, he called me out.
"Spar with me. A formal duel, in front of everyone."
* * *
"Hey, you hear? Young Master Helios challenged Mars Noctus to a public duel!"
"For real? Aren't those two best bros? Public duels are usually for humiliating someone."
"Dunno. Maybe it started as a casual spar that blew up, or there's some backstory we don't know."
By the time Bellier returned from gathering the last of the Drak stock outside the academy, the rumor had reached his ears.
'Is that legit? Polo Helios challenging Mars Noctus?!'
Polo had always harbored an inferiority complex toward Mars, but Bellier hadn't expected him to act so fast. Shocked as he was that this had happened while he was out, another thought bubbled up in Bellier's mind.
"If... Young Master Helios beats Mars Noctus here... the ripple effect would be huge, right?"
Mars Noctus, an Aura Lord with immense prestige. Polo, son of the Lord-level Count Helios, still carried the label of failing to live up to his father's name. But if Polo awakened with Drak and defeated Mars? People would get curious about his "growth," and Bellier could use that to snag a massive customer base.
Grinning at the money-printing future ahead, Bellier bolted to the arena to watch the duel.
A crowd had gathered at the arena. Who could resist? The academy's two most famous swordsmen suddenly dueling out of nowhere.
Bellier grabbed an empty seat and settled in to watch.
"Here they come."
Two men with grim expressions emerged from opposite entrances, locking eyes as they approached the center. The spectators murmured at the tense silence—no chit-chat from the usually close friends, even right up to the start.
"Weren't those two childhood friends?"
"Yeah, I've seen 'em hanging out a lot..."
"Did they fight or something...?"
"Nah, I bet Mars Noctus takes it easy."
Dismissing the last bit as nonsense, the two just fiddled with their swords at the starting signal, observing each other's every move to gain the upper hand.
"... "
"... "
Ping—clang!!
In a blink, they clashed at impossible speeds, trading fierce strikes.
Clang! Cliiing! Kang!!
Mars Noctus's main strength was speed. He'd even edged out Count Helios in velocity during their past duel, showing overwhelming prowess. Bellier figured Polo would struggle, but—
"—!!"
Kang! Graaaah!
Surprisingly, Polo parried every incoming blade from Mars without losing momentum.
"... "
Mars switched his grip to reverse, twisting his sword's trajectory completely. Mid-attack pattern shifts were common, but this reverse grip was rare, sending erratic strikes from all angles. Polo started getting pushed back.
Shwoosh—! Kang!
Then Mars hurled his sword like a thrust. Polo desperately slashed upward to deflect it—but—
Thud!
"!!"
Mars caught the airborne sword mid-flip and slammed down. Bellier thought Polo was done for. But—
Kwaaaang—!
...Tremble!
Polo forcibly retracted his upward swing, blocking Mars's overhead strike with raw arm strength alone. His bulging muscles hinted at the insane overload on his arms.
"Grrrrr!!"
Thud!
Mars was finally shoved back. He clearly hadn't expected Polo to hold out this long—panic flickered on his face.
Shwoosh!
"!!"
Polo pressed the attack while Mars faltered.
Bang! Kwa-kwang!
'Too textbook. But...'
Even to Bellier, whose swordsmanship was rusty, Polo's style was straight out of a manual—pure, honest defense. Normally, Mars's unpredictable strikes would dismantle it, but Polo's sword was too straight. The Helios family's blade, embodying "protection," had always been for guarding others. And Polo was living that ideal perfectly now.
Mars probed for gaps, but every thrust was blocked. Now it looked like Mars was challenging a massive boulder named Polo—some spectators noticed.
... Shiiik! Shiiik! Shishik! Shik! Shik! Shik! Shik! Shik! Shik! Shik! Shik! Shik! Shik! Shik! Shik! Shik! Shik! Shik! Shik! Shik! Shik!
Finally, Mars unleashed the technique from his duel with Count Helios: blinding high-speed movement, attacks from unpredictable angles. Amid the sword storm, Polo simply closed his eyes.
——!
Not missing the opening, Mars lunged diagonally, thrusting at Polo's armor.
'!! When did he—!!'
Polo's sword was inexplicably raised high. Downward strike. In the most perfect overhead form in history, he'd been waiting—and he brought it down.
Thukwaaaaaaaaang!!!!!!!!!!
"...Huh?"
"Hey, look over there..."
As the towering black dust settled, the crowd beheld an unbelievable sight.
"...Ha. Looks like I need to rush more shipments. Triple this month's order, at least."
Bellier slipped away from the arena, leaving the shocking scene that held everyone's gaze.
'...'
And a certain figure who'd watched Bellier from start to duel’s end rose silently, vanishing from the stands.