Chapter 26: Duel Request
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 26: Duel Request
There was an anomaly in the familiar landscape.
“Don’t mind me~”
The afternoon sun was shining brightly.
Since our last class was canceled today, I had headed to my usual corner of the Butterfly Garden earlier than planned to practice my magic.
Then, out of nowhere, Dorothy Heartnova had jumped out from behind the trees.
She decided to lean against the trunk right behind me, watching my every move. Needless to say, having an audience made it incredibly difficult to concentrate on my training.
How am I supposed to not mind you?
As if sensing my discomfort, she pulled a book out from who-knows-where and began to read. But even with her nose in a book, her mere presence was enough to keep me on edge.
“…Senior, are you planning on staying there the whole time?”
“Yeah. I’m bored.”
“Why here, though?”
“Mm, because I’m bored~”
“Then why did you ask to see me today…?”
“Hmm, because I’m bored.”
Dorothy gave a series of non-answers, her eyes never leaving the pages. I wondered if she was just going to keep looping that same response, so I tested her.
“What are you having for dinner tonight?”
“Chicken,” she answered normally.
Anyway… as her junior and a fan of her character, I couldn’t really complain.
Self-hypnosis time. Let’s just ignore Dorothy.
I told myself she was just another part of the scenery—like a rock or a particularly talkative tree. If I believed it hard enough, it might actually work.
“Haa.”
I took a deep breath, conjuring [Frostfire] in both hands, and dove back into my training.
*
Forty minutes passed. The sky was beginning to bleed into the hues of sunset.
“Ugh…”
Blood trickled from my nose. A violent ache throbbed through my entire body, and my mana output was becoming dangerously erratic. My body was starting to scream in protest; even the simplest spark of magic triggered a wave of internal rejection.
It had become a daily routine.
I knew that if I pushed myself just a little further at this point, I would grow stronger. It was the same logic as weightlifting—when you feel like you can’t possibly do another rep, that’s exactly when the real muscle growth happens.
Since I had been focusing on high-consumption spells today, I had hit my limit much earlier than usual.
I wiped the blood from my face and forced myself back into a casting stance.
“Are you okay?”
“…!”
Dorothy was suddenly right beside me. Startled, I spun around to find her staring at me from inches away.
“Don’t overdo it. You’ll damage your mana circuits if you keep going like this.”
Dorothy offered a soft smile and began to wipe the bridge of my nose with her handkerchief. Her touch was surprisingly gentle, almost tender.
I was so caught off guard that I just stood there in silence, watching her.
“Do you always push yourself this hard?”
“Oh, yeah. I guess so.”
“Mmm.”
Once she finished cleaning up the nosebleed, she pulled the handkerchief back. The pink fabric was now stained with dark red spots.
Suddenly, a vibrant green mana began to radiate from my chest. It was flowing from Dorothy’s outstretched hand.
Wait, what?
A surge of vitality rushed through me. The stiffness in my limbs vanished, and the crushing fatigue evaporated in an instant.
“A buff. I gave you just enough so that you won’t be a wreck tomorrow~”
Whoa, this is incredible. It feels like a massive caffeine hit right when my brain was about to shut down from overstudy. My mind is crystal clear.
I can definitely go a few more rounds today!
“Don’t get any ideas, President. No overdoing it, okay?”
…It was like she could read my mind.
“Thank you, Senior.”
“Hehe, back to work!”
Slap!
Dorothy laughed and gave me a stinging thwack on the back before skipping back to her tree.
Ow, that actually hurt… but still.
Thanks to Dorothy, I had an incredibly productive session. If she was going to be around every time I trained, maybe I could get used to these buffs. I wouldn’t ask for them outright, but I certainly wouldn’t turn them down if the opportunity arose.
*
There was something out of place in the familiar landscape.
Luce Eltania sat atop a stone wall, watching the silver-blue-haired man training in a secluded corner of the Butterfly Garden.
She was quite a distance away, and the trees partially obscured her view, but with her heightened senses, she had no trouble keeping her eyes on him. This area was rarely frequented, making it the perfect vantage point.
The man’s magical proficiency had improved significantly since she last saw him. His rate of growth was nothing short of remarkable.
Every time she watched him, she felt a strange spark of inspiration. Seeing his relentless effort made her want to push herself even harder. He was the reason she had recently found a new passion for refining her lightning magic.
“…Eh?”
But then, a woman appeared—a girl with light purple hair wearing a witch’s hat. Squinting, Luce noticed the blue brooch on the girl’s uniform ribbon. She was a second-year Senior.
The woman chatted affectionately with the man before leaning against a tree to watch him practice from her "reserved seat."
Who is she?
Luce had never seen her before.
Is she a friend? Or… something more?
Luce couldn't tell if the woman’s interest was platonic or romantic, but the way she wiped his nose with her own handkerchief was certainly intimate.
“Hmm.”
Whether the man had a lover or not wasn't really Luce's concern. She simply wondered if it was impolite to keep watching.
As she observed the scene, a fragment of a childhood memory flickered across her mind.
— Gretel, look at this! Yah!
— It’s so cool, Big Brother…!
A life of poverty. The image of a young boy swinging a wooden stick like a sword, and a small girl sitting against a tree, watching him with endless admiration.
It was a name she had discarded along with her past.
Her heart sank as the memory resurfaced.
“…”
Luce gently closed her eyes.
One, two, three.
It took only three seconds to bury those unwanted memories deep within her heart and lock her emotions away once more.
*
“I will now announce the details for the upcoming performance evaluation.”
The next morning, inside the Class D classroom.
Professor Fernando stood at the podium, addressing the students. The room went quiet; usually, the contents of these evaluations were kept secret until the last moment.
The time had finally come. This was a staple of every semester.
“‘The Duel.’ A one-on-one match. We will be evaluating your combat intuition and practical application of magic in a live fight.”
The word "Duel" sent a ripple through the room. Some students cheered, their eyes lighting up with competitive fire, while others looked like they wanted to sink into their desks.
Personally, I was thrilled. This evaluation would be the perfect yardstick to measure exactly how much I had grown.
I’m ready for this.
I could now use both offensive and defensive spells. I even had the 5-star [Frost Explosion] in my arsenal. My confidence was at an all-time high compared to back during the class assignment exams.
Man, I’ve really come a long way.
“The tickets I’m handing out are for the duel applications. Take two each.”
Two small slips of paper drifted toward each student, guided by Professor Fernando’s telekinesis. I tucked mine into my pocket.
“You may use one ticket to challenge an opponent of your choice. If they accept, the duel will take place on the day of the evaluation. If they refuse, the ticket is returned to you, and that’s the end of it.”
But there was a catch.
“However, if you use both tickets to challenge a single person, that opponent must accept unconditionally.”
To get a high score, students needed to demonstrate a variety of combat techniques. Therefore, the evaluation favored those who participated in multiple duels. A student would only burn both tickets on one person if they were absolutely desperate to fight them. The academy created this "mandatory acceptance" rule to respect the students' initiative.
In the original story, Ian Fairytale used both of his tickets to challenge Luce Eltania. His reasoning was simple: he wanted to fight the strongest person there. It was a move that showed his incredible spirit—or his utter recklessness, depending on who you asked.
Still, he was the protagonist, so it worked out. When I played ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱, that was one of those scenes that made me think, ‘Yeah, if you’re the main character, you need that kind of ambition.’
“Each student can participate in up to four duels. If you have someone in mind, I suggest you make your move quickly.”
This was to prevent a backlog of matches at the end.
“Challenges can be made to any first-year student in the Magic Department, regardless of class. However, keep in mind the scoring: if a high-ranking student defeats a low-ranking one, their score will be penalized based on the gap in mana and grade. Conversely, a lower-ranking student who upsets a higher-ranking one will receive a massive point bonus.”
Because of this, most people stuck to their own class. They were too afraid to pick a fight with the elites, and there was no profit in bullying the weaker students.
That was why Ian’s challenge to Luce had been so shocking.
“Once you’ve secured an opponent, report to me. I’m leaving the rest of this period open. You are free to move within Orphin Hall. Use this time to find your opponents. Dismissed.”
The moment Professor Fernando finished speaking—
Bang!
The classroom door slammed open. Every head in Class D turned in unison.
A loud, arrogant voice filled the room.
“Ha! So this is Class D? I wondered what the air at the bottom of the barrel smelled like!”
Standing in the doorway was Tristan Humphrey, the vain blond noble.
Long time no see. I’ve been waiting for a chance to settle things with you since the placement exams.
“Tristan Humphrey?”
“He’s from the upper classes, isn’t he?”
“What is a Class B student doing here…?”
Tristan was at the top of Class B, and his presence brought a mix of curiosity and dread to the room.
“There you are.”
Tristan scanned the room until his eyes locked onto mine. He marched toward me with a predatory stride.
What now…?
“I, a nobleman, hereby challenge you—a lowly Grade E commoner—to a duel.”
Thud!
He slammed his hand onto my desk and flashed a sneering, arrogant smile.
“Be grateful for the opportunity.”
You bastard, were you just waiting outside the door for the announcement to end?
“What? He’s challenging a Grade E?”
“There’s no point… how much does he have to hate the guy?”
“When did Isaac get on Tristan’s bad side?”
“He’s going to refuse, obviously. How is a Grade E supposed to beat him?”
Professor Fernando watched the scene with an intrigued glint in his eyes, ignoring the whispers of the students. Tristan kept his gaze fixed on me, looking far too pleased with himself. He was clearly savoring the thought of crushing me.
I thought back to how frustrated I would have been if he had managed to beat me during the placement exams. At the very least, I had to give him credit for trying to harass me through the official curriculum this time.
“…”
Wait a second.
Hold on, hold on.
I might have gotten a bit cocky lately from hunting demons and fighting illusions, but wasn't this actually bad? Tristan was weaker than the demons I’d faced, sure, but he was still significantly stronger than me on paper.
I focused my eyes.
[Tristan Humphrey]
Lv: 76
Race: Human
Elements: Wind
Danger: X
Psychology: [Delighted at the thought of beating you to a pulp.]
When the hell did he level up this much? He was Level 71 last time I checked.
Clearly, he hadn't been sitting idle after I embarrassed him. Knowing his personality, he must have trained like a madman to get stronger. He’d likely picked up some defensive magic to counter my tricks, too.
Well, damn…
“I won’t take no for an answer! Hahahaha!”
Tristan laughed and pulled out two tickets, flicking them at me. The thin slips of paper brushed my cheek before fluttering down into my lap.
“…”
You’re really asking for it, aren’t you?
Fine. Even if I have to step in some horse shit to do it, I’m going to beat the living hell out of this guy.