Hearts Like Reeds
“People’s hearts are like reeds, you know. And now that I think about it, that guy is so damn unlucky that I don’t feel like yielding to him.”
I saw Leo flinch when I pointed straight at him.
He came out even more aggressively than yesterday, probably because he believed every adult around us was on his side.
“Did you change your mind in a single day? You coward!”
“No? I told you from the start that I didn’t want to duel.”
“Just admit it already! You know you can’t beat me. That’s why you’re dodging my challenge with everything you’ve got!”
Master, those three are all in it together. They want to watch you lose in the most pathetic way possible.
Rai whispered quickly inside my head.
Listening to him, I decided Rai sounded pretty sly. Well, he is a snake.
“Whoa, whoa. Calm down, Leo.”
What the hell? The knight commander was soothing Leo. Wasn’t he the one who wanted me kicked off the delegation?
“A duel is, above all, a sacred thing. It must follow established rules.
If the two of you compete honorably for the right to represent us, I will personally serve as judge.”
Just as I thought. That old man’s motives were obvious. This was nothing but silent pressure to fight, wasn’t it?
I’d said I didn’t want to at least ten times, but he’d completely ignored me.
“I am a knight of considerable renown, so I am more than qualified to judge.”
“I guess you don’t actually know what ‘renown’ means.”
“Is tucking your tail and running at critical moments a mage tradition?”
“I’m a Spirit Master, actually.”
“Same difference.”
They’re nothing alike, you moron!
More than anything else, the thing that pissed me off most was lumping Spirit Masters together with mages.
Spirit Masters aren’t a subset of mages! It’s an entirely separate power!
“Come at me, Jeanie Crowell! I will duel you for the sake of my honor!”
“Haah.”
“I’ll defeat you and reclaim my honor!”
If Leo and I fought a duel, we would have to accept the result without question. Whatever was wagered had to be surrendered.
Even if the king himself showed up, the outcome could not be overturned. That was what honor meant in this world.
A duel was a battle staked on honor.
Honor was no different from life itself, and anyone who didn’t value it was treated like a corpse.
I don’t gamble my life on pride or honor… or at least I thought I didn’t. But being looked down on was something I hated.
Congratulations, Leo. You’ve successfully gotten on my nerves.
“What exactly do you gain from fighting me? The delegation spot?”
“I’ll restore the pride you cracked in me!”
“You don’t seem to consider the possibility that it might shatter completely. I can see exactly how much you’re underestimating me.”
I still had a scrap of pity for Leo—about as much as the dirt under my fingernails. I even understood him a little.
Even though he’d been removed from the delegation for political reasons, beating me would restore his status and honor.
Too bad. I had zero intention of losing.
“Fine. A duel ends when one side admits defeat or drops their weapon, right?”
“Yes! So you’ve finally found your courage!”
“Not really. I just figure you’ll keep annoying me if I don’t accept.”
“All talk to the very end! Draw your weapon, Jeanie Crowell. This is a duel!”
You’re the one who’s all talk with that big voice of yours.
If I was going to do this anyway, I might as well finish it quickly.
“A weapon, huh… Are we really doing this here?”
This was my first duel.
At Leo’s enthusiastic shout, I looked around. The dining hall was fairly spacious, but it had become cramped with all the kids who had gathered to watch.
When exactly did I turn into entertainment?
People must have taken my scanning of the room as consent, because they swept the tables and chairs away in seconds.
Only Leo and I remained in the middle of the now-empty hall.
The people in this world really do love watching fights. Maybe it’s just everyday life to them.
“There’s nothing left in the way now! Draw your weapon already!”
Drawing a weapon signaled the beginning of combat.
A mage would raise a staff, but a Spirit Master had no such thing.
I slowly looked over the crowd that had gathered.
The delegation kids with their eyes sparkling at this rare show, the knights, and the only ones watching with concern—Hansen and Philo.
They all clearly expected me to lose.
If Teacher Irito had been here, she would have stopped this pointless duel. Unfortunately she was at the tower handling the warp schedule.
Maybe they’d deliberately chosen a time when she’d be gone.
In any case, no one seemed inclined to stop the fight.
What a cold world. Stay quiet and this was the only treatment you received.
“Jeanie, if you look weak, you’ll get bitten. Become strong.”
Suddenly Arnel’s advice floated into my mind.
She had been the only woman in the Shabel Mercenary Band, yet no one dared look down on her. She carried herself with pride.
Arnel had chosen to protect rather than be protected.
The reason she could live that way was her strength.
“I don’t like fighting much… but I hate losing even more, you know?”
I walked slowly to the side of the dining hall and picked up the water pitcher that had been set there.
It was a large, transparent glass jug. Water sloshed inside, filling it nearly to the brim.
It was heavy enough that I needed both hands.
The water was so clean it almost seemed a waste to use it like this.
Since it was drinking water, it was practically a favor to Leo… but as I stared into the pitcher, he apparently found my behavior unbearable.
“What the hell are you doing? I told you to draw your weapon!”
“This is my weapon.”
“That’s a water pitcher, you idiot!”
“We’ll find out who the idiot is soon enough.”
People didn’t know much about Spirit Masters. And that ignorance could become my weapon.
“Undine.”
It was something I’d learned while experimenting endlessly on the Shabel Mercenary Band—there was no need to call a spirit out loud.
If I wished strongly for her to come, Undine would appear at my side no matter where I was.
A thought alone was enough to summon her.
I wasn’t sure if every Spirit Master could do it, though.
“Watch closely, everyone. This is a spirit.”
The only reason I deliberately called her name out loud was pure showmanship.
I wanted to show them exactly what a spirit was.
I wanted to teach a clear lesson to people who knew nothing about them.
Master.
While I smiled, the water inside the pitcher I held shot upward with a whoosh, defying gravity.
The water rippled and gathered, forming the shape of a transparent mermaid.
With the sound of gentle waves, Undine floated above my head.
This was also a recent discovery: when there was no water nearby, Undine appeared from thin air, but when water was present she used it as a medium.
Naturally, having a medium drastically reduced the mana cost.
“Whoa.”
“What is that?”
“I know! It’s a water spirit!”
A mermaid made of pure water floating in midair was a rare and beautiful sight. It was almost mesmerizing if you stared too long.
Cheers erupted from the crowd—mostly the kids.
As I stood there with a satisfied smile at their reactions, Leo apparently found the sight unbearable. He charged with a battle cry.
“Yaaaaah!”
Impulsive as always. Though I suppose calling the spirit counted as starting the match.
Leo raised his gauntlet high and rushed forward while the people who hated me watched with eager eyes. The atmosphere crackled with excitement.
I had learned to tell the difference between peaceful air and the air right before a fight began. Compared to the moment a monster appeared, Leo was nothing.
“Begin!”
The knight commander hastily declared the start. Shouldn’t he have paused for a moment? Never mind—he was already charging.
The spectators obviously wanted a good show, but I had no intention of giving them one.
I wasn’t going to lose pathetically, and I wasn’t going to make it a close fight.
Because I’m a lazy person who values efficiency.
“Undine, Water Breathing!”
At my whisper, the remaining water in the pitcher shot forward like a bullet.
Straight toward Leo as he ran at me.
He faltered, but the water moved freely, wrapping tightly around his head before he could resist.
It was simple. A perfect sphere of water formed around Leo’s face.
“Th… glub glub!”
Leo tried to say something, but the words dissolved into the water.