Thanks for the Item!

The barrier stood firm in front of Rage, who was still facing me. Invincibility effect remaining time: 2:20.

Rage's eyes trembled, clearly shaken that I'd withstood his magic. Then both of his hands moved like a conductor's, and from his fingertips, dazzling blue lightning began to grow.

'Is lightning magic his last desperate move...?'

He'd been spamming fire magic this whole time. The guy had no consistency.

The sound of tearing lightning crackled from his fingertips, making the air itself tremble. The moment the lightning struck me, a powerful shockwave exploded with a deafening roar, but...

"Y-you... you... what the hell are you?!!!!"

...Of course I was fine.

I swung the spear in my hand with all my strength. Blue sparks flew where the spear tip struck the barrier, making it visibly shake. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Tiny cracks began to form across its surface, spreading wider and wider.

I didn't miss the opening and swung the spear again. The barrier rattled and grew increasingly unstable—

—BANG!!

—KWAANG!!

"H-hiiik!"

—Finally, after one more powerful strike, the barrier burst apart with a massive explosion. Shimmering fragments erupted like fireworks, creating a spectacular sight.

"W-wait...! I-I sur—"

Not a chance. I drove my fist straight into Rage's face as he tried to surrender.

Thud!

The sensation of my fist sinking into flesh rang out like the sound of wet cloth being slapped. Rage's glasses flew off into the distance as the intense force sent him sprawling backward.

"Hey... can you even take a hit like that...?"

"Looks brutal... the heat from here is no joke..."

The surrounding students were all stunned, having witnessed the punch land squarely on Rage's face. They murmured in disbelief about how I'd endured the magic.

"Ughhh..."

I briefly considered rushing over to the fallen Rage and pounding him further, but the protective magic on his bracelet had already activated. He was clearly incapacitated.

"Don't ever look down on the Knight Department again."

He might not have actually looked down on us, but hey—good is good, right?

I pulled Lunaris's Grace from Rage's pocket and waited for the professor to step in.

The professor's declaration echoed across the training grounds, followed by the students' cheers.

Waaaaah!!

"I-is that really Logue? No way!!"

"That felt so good! I've hated how that four-eyed bastard always looked down on the Knight Department during class."

In a single moment, my reputation was soaring. Not a bad feeling at all.

. . .

Once Rage was carried away on a stretcher, I slipped Lunaris's Grace onto my wrist.

Oh. I'd forgotten it also had a stat-boosting effect. My magic power, which had felt insufficient for body reinforcement, now had a bit of breathing room.

'Ow, that stings...'

The burned skin had blistered, and it kept prickling. I didn't have any health potions, so I really should head to the infirmary... but I didn't want to miss the show.

Other students had challenged the graduate students to duels as well, but since most had little experience fighting mages, they were struggling badly.

'The intention wasn't bad...'

The graduate students were all academy alumni who'd earned recognition for their skills, so it made sense that first-years were getting crushed without a chance. The exceptions were...

"Hey... look at that..."

"She's seriously battle-crazy... You don't think the rumors are true, do you?"

...Probably Hero or Isabelle.

"Kyahahahaha!!!!"

"Hiiiik!!!!"

The graduate student—Luke—backed away in terror. His specialty seemed to be water and lightning magic, but Isabelle charged straight at him without flinching, no matter how powerful the water pressure or high-voltage current.

'She really is a crazy bitch.'

The word fit her perfectly. In the end, Isabelle smashed Luke's skull. The graduate students, who had taken pride in their abilities, were starting to see their collective ego crack.

The final participant was Hero.

'Come to think of it, I've never checked Hero's status window before...'

'Huh?'

During the previous duel class, he'd easily overpowered Theo, so I'd thought, 'As expected of the protagonist.' But...

'His stats are lower than I expected?'

They were certainly among the best in the first-year class, but compared to the Hero that players raised directly, they felt a bit lacking. Plus, he'd gone ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the Spirit Swordsman route.

A Hero on the Spirit Swordsman path had slightly lower personal combat power in exchange for a sub-DPS support role. It was a somewhat disappointing choice unless the player was controlling him directly.

'He needs a spec upgrade.'

To face the enemies we'd encounter later, I'd need to make Hero stronger by guiding him toward the remaining opportunities in the academy.

While I was lost in these thoughts, the professor gave the signal and Hero's duel began.

From the graduate students' perspective, this was a battle of pride. They couldn't afford to carry the label of having lost to an undergraduate when it came time for faculty appointments.

When Hero waved his hand and summoned a fire spirit, flames swirled along his blade.

'...That's actually pretty cool?'

I hadn't fully appreciated it when watching the cutscene in the game, but seeing it in person was on another level. It was enough to make me believe Hero had chosen the Spirit Swordsman path purely out of romanticism.

...Though at that level, shouldn't he just be called a mage?

Spirit mages were already rare, and powerful ones even more so. The graduate student—Rizen—looked visibly shaken.

Hero began closing in on Rizen with swift movements. Thanks to the wind spirit's power, he moved even faster than normal.

...How do you even counter that?

"[Ice Wall]!"

Rizen hastily erected an ice wall to block Hero's advance, but the flames on his sword melted the ice in an instant.

"...I'm sorry. This might hurt a bit."

"Wha—?!"

As the ice wall vanished, Rizen tried to scramble away. But the earth beneath his feet had already bound him in place.

'Is that an earth spirit?'

Before Rizen—who'd been unknowingly immobilized—Hero's sword reached him. The protective barrier surrounding Rizen shattered like glass.

Crash!

The moment the barrier broke, Rizen's body, unable to withstand the impact, flew along with the dirt at his feet and slammed into the training ground's wall.

An overwhelming victory for Hero.

The real Hero, who thought and moved on his own rather than being a game character, possessed a strength that couldn't be judged by numbers alone.

'If I hand over every fortuitous encounter to this Hero...!'

...The path to a true happy ending was coming into view.

I began mentally mapping out how to pass opportunities on ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to Hero.

'The academy's underground dungeon, I suppose?'

It was a special labyrinth that only became accessible if Hero chose the Spirit Swordsman route. The door wouldn't open for a Magic Swordsman or Holy Knight route.

"Why does he win so cleanly...?"

Isabelle, standing beside me, muttered. Her uniform was in tatters from taking magic hits, and countless small wounds covered her body.

"You could've dodged those... but you just took them all, didn't you..."

You're plenty strong yourself, kid.

The duels against the graduate students, which had left them with nothing but injuries, finally came to an end.

"U-um..."

"...What is it?"

Rage, who'd lost to me and handed over Lunaris's Grace, approached with a timid expression. The swelling on his face hadn't fully gone down yet, so it was hard to tell if one of his eyes was even open.

"Shouldn't you receive healing magic?"

"......More importantly... that thing..."

Rage hesitated, pointing with a trembling finger at the bracelet on my wrist.

"...Didn't you say it yourself? If I won, I'd take this bracelet."

"It's a family heirloom... Please. I'll give you anything else you want, so please show mercy..."

Rage even dropped to his knees. He seemed truly desperate.

"...You really bet something so important on a mere class duel. Since you're a noble, I hope you'll take responsibility for your own words."

Rage silently bowed his head. The sight looked pitiful, but there was nothing I could do.

I'd already given this bracelet a name, after all.

'Right, Grace?'

I could almost hear the bracelet cheerfully reply, Yes!

. . .

"...Logue. What's with the bracelet?"

After classes ended, Kiene followed me on the way back to the dorms. Since the path to the girls' and boys' dormitories overlapped for a while, we naturally ended up walking together.

"This? I got it as a gift."

"...From which girl?"

Where did you learn to talk like that, Kiene?