Do Not Interfere with the Duel (2)
"And he said this as well. That a fellow named James was so scared of him he could only run around telling these old stories and would never actually do a thing. That he didn't even have the guts to issue a challenge."
Bang!
James could no longer contain his fury. He slammed the desk and shot to his feet.
"Where is he right now!?"
"Well… he hasn't been to school for the past few days. Apparently the classes here aren't up to his level. Still, he'll have to show up eventually to present the assignment the professor set, so he should reappear soon enough."
James ground his molars until they creaked.
"If you see him, pass this on. Tell him James Biswald is challenging him to a duel."
"A… a duel…"
"Just tell him!"
"Y-yes, sir. Forgive us for barging in like this."
"No. A bastard like that needs a thrashing."
As the vermin slipped out of the third-year classroom, oily little smiles curled across their faces.
The results had exceeded even their expectations.
True to their nature as mosquito families that had spent generations sucking blood beneath a great house, they possessed a remarkable talent for stirring up fights—even at their tender age.
They, too, had grown.
After the horse-dung incident last month they had been thoroughly scolded by the elders of their houses, and in the process they had been taught how a noble ought to conduct himself. This was the new technique they had acquired.
Even vermin had lessons of their own.
James Biswald had not the faintest idea that he was dancing on the ends of those vermin's strings.
From the day Roy returned to school, a rumor that only a handful of children had known spread like wildfire through the entire student body.
— James Biswald has challenged Roy Greenhilt to a duel.
Some students defended Roy, arguing that the gap in mana was simply too vast for the challenge to be fair. Others took James's side, dredging up the past and claiming he was only trying to restore his family's honor at last.
But those were only the surface stories.
Behind closed doors, every wild speculation imaginable was flying about.
"I heard the Margrave's house is planning to swallow Greenhilt whole."
"Come on, would the royal family ever allow that? Never. If they were going to do something like that, the crown would have swallowed them already. There's a food-supply issue tangled up in it."
"That Roy kid really does seem to be some kind of mutant. A few of the children are even fussing that a Hero might have been born."
"Ridiculous. What Hero is born into a baron's house?"
"Why not? There's that story about the Hero born in a stable."
"That's a novel for commoners. Who actually believes it?"
Anna, Chloe, and Jack diligently gathered these rumors and brought them to Roy.
Roy found them of little interest.
"Rumors with no substance vanish quickly. Before long the place will be full of stories that work in my favor, so don't worry."
Chloe asked, curiosity plain on her face.
"How do you know that? Are you going to spread them yourself?"
"No. I just have to beat that James bastard. Then every other rumor will dry up. In their place the whole school will be filled with praise for me."
Chloe looked as though she had no idea what this boy was talking about.
Even so, she found it hard to argue.
Not long ago she had watched him hunt that enormous giant worm. On top of that, he kept a high-ranking spirit so powerful it defied imagination.
She swallowed dryly.
"You're going to use an amulet? Wasn't that supposed to be a secret?"
"Of course. What if I take an Aura Blade the wrong way and lose an arm? I might not care, but you said yourself that side is out to kill me. You told me that with your own mouth—did you already forget?"
"Then everyone will find out about the amulets."
"It's just a precaution. You think I'm going to stand there and take a hit on purpose just to show it off? Don't be an idiot."
"So you're saying you'll win without taking a single blow?"
"Yeah. Well—assuming that's possible."
Roy was brimming with confidence.
The reason was right there: these protective goggles.
He intended to wear them for the duel.
If it comes to it, I'll just activate the Golden Eyes. If he comes at me with swordsmanship I'll use the first ability; if he wants a magic fight I'll use the second to speed up my casting.
Honestly, he was confident he could win without even needing the second ability.
And once he won this duel, neither the vermin nor the cockroaches would dare bother him again.
"This is a problem…"
"Why is it a problem for you, Chloe? I'm the one fighting the duel."
"Ah—nothing. Never mind."
Chloe did not want word of the amulets reaching the other children.
She herself still had not learned how to make them; if Roy became wildly popular, that day would only be pushed further away.
"Um… is there anything you need right now?"
"No. Nothing."
"Really…? Then how am I supposed to earn points? I want to rack them up fast."
Roy regarded the eager girl with deep satisfaction.
She has a surprisingly cute side, this one.
The coming duel had stirred the curiosity of far more people than just the students.
The teachers took an interest as well, and so did the central nobles whose main houses stood in the royal capital. The same was true of those staying in the capital residences of provincial houses.
"The whole street is buzzing that you're going to fight a duel."
"You're not interested, Grandfather."
"True enough. But what did you do to make a child of the Margrave's house challenge you?"
"I didn't do anything. That bastard's just twisted. Looks like he still can't forget the thrashing I gave him when we were little."
Terry still remembered the incident from Roy's seventh birthday.
For all his casual air, he was the former head of House Greenhilt. He grasped at once that the challenger was that same boy from years ago, and that neither Roy nor the family stood to lose face over it.
"So. What do you intend to do?"
"What else? Stamp him down so thoroughly he never tries it again."
"Hah. People are saying you'll end up forfeiting, but you don't seem to have the slightest intention of doing so."
"I'm confident, so don't worry. Will you come watch? The whole affair already feels like it's getting bigger and bigger—one more grandfather in the stands won't change a thing."
"Can you actually win? Difference in house rank or not, I refuse to watch my grandson get beaten black and blue."
"On second thought, maybe you'd better not come."
"I knew it."
"That's not what I meant. If I thrash that bastard within an inch of his life, it might put you in an awkward position."
Terry's eyes went round at his grandson's words.
He could not help being astonished that the boy was so certain of victory against a child who carried the blood of a margrave's house.
"Just don't get yourself hurt, you little rascal!"
"Don't worry. I've got amulets."
Terry had promised to take no interest in Roy's private affairs. The fact that even his ears had caught wind of the rumor meant nearly every noble currently in the capital knew about it.
As the talk snowballed, word inevitably reached the royal palace itself.
From the king's perspective, the duel was impossible to ignore.
He was already bound to Roy by close ties. If the boy were injured and it disrupted the supply of magic weapons or the production of amulets, the kingdom would be in serious trouble.
Barely a week earlier, a bout of illness had already delayed the magic-weapon delivery by a full seven days.
"Aaron. You'll have to keep an eye on this. If that child comes to any harm…"
"I shall attend the duel myself, then."
"Good. I'm counting on you. That boy is as precious to this kingdom as any treasure."
The king would have liked to go and watch in person, but dignity forbade it.
War was a hair's breadth away on the borders; he could hardly stroll off to watch a couple of Knight Academy children settle a quarrel. He had even hesitated to send the First Prince.
Only the sheer magnitude of the boy's value had forced him into so bold a decision.
The Steel Kingdom's confirmed heir to power.
The news that the First Prince would attend the duel sent high society into an uproar.
People whispered that the affair must be extraordinary indeed if the royal family itself was paying attention. Naturally, throngs of nobles burned to be present, and the inveterate gossips who could never miss such an occasion hastily contacted the Knight Academy.
When was the duel? Could they come and watch? If not, how large a donation would it take to secure a seat?
The professors were driven half mad by the endless stream of messengers who showed up at the school every single day.
And so, with the entire capital watching, the day before the duel arrived.
At Prince Aaron's urgent summons, Roy and James were pulled out of class and called to the instructors' office.
"Your Highness."
"Your Highness."
"That is enough of the formalities. Both of you, sit."
Roy had already heard the rumor that the prince would observe the duel. He still had no idea why they had been summoned the day before.
He and James waited, faces full of questions, for the prince to speak.
"A duel is, by nature, a sacred thing. I will not ask what drove you two to this."
"……"
"However. I will not allow a moment's youthful bravado to cost this kingdom a precious talent. Or is your grudge so deep that only mutual slaughter will satisfy you?"
"No, Your Highness."
"It is nothing of the sort, Your Highness."
"Then there is no reason to take a life."
"This humble one never harbored any such intent. As a senior, I merely wished to teach a junior who has been behaving without proper manners."
"……"
Roy was so flabbergasted he said nothing.
Given the relative standing of their houses, cutting in would have been awkward anyway.
Fortunately, Prince Aaron immediately turned to him and gave him the floor.
"Roy. What about you?"
"I am of the same mind, Your Highness. I have no desire to take my senior's life and earn the lasting enmity of House Biswald. From the beginning I only accepted a challenge that was issued to me; I never sought this out myself. If anything, I am more curious what grudge my senior could possibly hold against me."
At Roy's words, James's brow furrowed hard.