The Fist That Wouldn't Stop
I had perfectly reasonable reasons for accepting the duel.
Setting Terun aside, it was no exaggeration to call Serena one of the strongest students at the Academy.
She was on the petite side, and her physical strength was weak. She lacked power even compared to girls her age, let alone ordinary male students.
So was she just a typical villainess who swaggered around relying solely on a beauty that made anyone look twice and the might of her family?
In the original story, that might have been true.
But Serena had been born with one more thing that set her apart.
The Ardel Magic Circuit.
It was the secret art that had elevated the Ardel family to the rank of ducal house, a talent said to appear in only a tiny fraction of the direct bloodline.
And Serena had inherited that magic circuit at the highest level in the family's history.
That was why, at least this early in the story, there was no reason for her to fall behind any of her peers except Terun.
Even if she did fall behind, she could fight just enough and then surrender while still saving face.
That was how it should have gone.
Yet—
KWA-A-AANG—!
An overwhelming surge of mana exploded from Terun's body.
The floor cracked into fine fissures, and his figure vanished from sight.
I reflexively thrust out my hand.
Silver magic circles bloomed one after another before my eyes, unfolding into a triple-layered barrier. It was the Ardel family's defensive magic, strong enough that ordinary attacks couldn't even scratch it.
But then—
KWA-JIK!
The first barrier shattered.
KWA-JI-JIK!
The second and third barriers followed in rapid succession, exploding into fragments.
Far from slowing down, Terun used the rebound from smashing through the barriers to close the distance even faster.
I can't stop this.
I narrowed my eyes slightly.
It would still be fine.
Terun wasn't the kind of person who would keep beating someone after they surrendered.
At least, not in the early-to-mid parts of the story I had read.
Watching him close in right in front of me, I hurriedly raised one hand.
"Wait, I surrend—"
Right up until the moment those words left my mouth, I believed Terun would stop.
No matter how angry he was, he wouldn't attack someone who had declared their surrender. At least, the Terun I knew wouldn't.
That was why, even when I saw his shoulder move right before my eyes, I didn't dodge.
More precisely, the thought of dodging never even occurred to me.
Puk!
Before the words could finish, his fist drove deep into my abdomen.
"Hrgh…!"
All the air in my body was wrung out at once. Pain like my insides flipping over hit me, and my waist folded on its own.
Both feet left the floor, then I tumbled limply.
Thud!
My back and shoulders slammed against the cold ground, but I barely felt the pain there. The spot where the fist had landed burned as if seared by fire, and even the slightest breath felt like it was forcibly tearing open ripped muscle.
"Haa… ha, ugh…"
I needed to breathe, but my breathing wouldn't return to normal. Every time I opened my mouth, only short, thin gasps leaked out.
Even so, the first emotion that rose wasn't fear.
It was bewilderment.
Why?
That single word was all that surfaced in my mind.
I had clearly tried to surrender. Terun must have heard it. And yet he hadn't stopped his fist.
Something was wrong.
No matter how much of a villainess Serena was, she shouldn't have been beaten this badly during a duel… right?
The story I knew and the events unfolding before my eyes had diverged.
Before I could even process that fact, delayed humiliation surged up.
The students were all watching.
The fact that I was rolling on the floor with my waist folded in front of them was as hard to bear as the pain in my gut.
I wanted to get up right that second and pretend nothing was wrong. I wanted to sneer that something this minor was nothing.
But no strength reached my arms, and my body trembled finely against my will.
Serena was a mage. And not just any mage—a mage smaller than most girls, who had barely ever trained her body.
Taking a swordsman's fist head-on with a body like that, there was no way she could stand up unharmed.
I gritted my teeth and pressed my hands to the floor.
At the very least, I didn't want to be seen on my knees.
But just lifting my upper body a little made my abdomen twist, and I collapsed back down.
Then heavy footsteps drew closer.
One step.
Another step.
The closer the footsteps came, the more vividly the earlier impact revived.
I forced my head up.
Surely he wouldn't hit me again.
Maybe the last one had been a mistake born of uncontrolled anger. Terun would have realized he had gone too far.
I wanted to believe that.
Terun strode over and roughly seized my hair.
"Ah…!"
My scalp pulled tight as my head was forced up.
For an instant my mind went blank white.
No apology. No hesitation.
All I could see was Terun's face, cold and set.
I reflexively grabbed his wrist. I wanted to shove him off and tell him to let go, but not even a shred of strength reached my fingers.
My limp hand hanging onto him looked more like I was clinging and begging, so I desperately wanted to let go.
But there wasn't even room for that.
"I know you're the one leading the black magic incident."
Terun spoke in a low voice.
"Tell me your comrades' locations. Now."
"What… are you talking about?"
My voice wouldn't come out properly.
Every breath made my abdomen throb, and every word made my voice tremble finely.
Not wanting him to hear the shake, I bit my lip hard.
Had Serena been involved in black magic at this point?
No matter how hard I searched my memories, nothing like that came up.
More than that—
Had the protagonist always been this rough?
When I just stared blankly without answering, Terun's eyes sank even colder.
Then he released my hair.
My head dropped limply.
My scalp burned, but I carefully let out a breath of relief so he wouldn't notice.
Is it over?
No—it should have been over.
I couldn't give him the answer he wanted, but at least the fact that I knew nothing should have gotten through.
Contrary to that thought, Terun didn't step back.
Out of the corner of my vision I saw his fist rising again.
My heart plummeted.
This was different from before.
This time I knew exactly how much that fist hurt.
The first impact still lingered fully in my abdomen. Just breathing hurt; I didn't even want to imagine what would happen if the same spot was hit again.
The humiliation that had remained until a moment ago was rapidly driven out.
What took its place was clear, vivid fear.
"W-wait…"
Clutching my aching stomach, I frantically tried to scramble backward.
But no strength reached my arms, so only my palms slid across the floor.
I didn't want to show myself retreating like this. I didn't want to wear a frightened face either.
But my body was more honest than my pride.
Every time Terun took a step closer, my shoulders flinched, and without realizing it I curled myself smaller.
"I really don't know."
A trembling voice spilled out.
I bit my lip once, then forced more strength into my words.
"I truly don't know anything…!"
I tried not to sound pathetic, but the end of the last word cracked miserably.
That fact was humiliating.
Yet Terun's fist didn't stop.
Puk!
A deeper impact than the first drove into the same spot.
"Augh…!"
My body heaved hard.
Pain exploded as if my insides were being crushed by a solid lump of iron. I opened my mouth, but even a proper scream wouldn't come. Only a blocked groan leaked from my throat, and my vision flared pure white.
I collapsed onto my side, arms wrapped around my abdomen.
"Hhh… ugh…"
My knees pulled up to my chest on their own. I tried curling up somehow to block the pain, but it was useless. Holding my breath hurt; exhaling hurt.
When I was hit the first time, my head had been full of questions.
I had tried to figure out why Terun was doing this, what had gone wrong.
But after the second fist, I didn't even have room left to continue those thoughts.
Only one thing filled my mind.
I don't want to be hit again.
Just admitting that thought felt like my pride was being trampled.
I clenched my teeth.
At the very least I wouldn't cry.
But moisture gathered at the corners of my eyes.
It wasn't because I wanted to cry.
It was tears my body had shed on its own, unable to endure the pain.
The surroundings were strangely quiet.
The students were holding even their breath, as if they couldn't believe the scene unfolding before their eyes.
No one openly cheered, afraid of the ducal house's retaliation. But in the eyes of those Serena had bullied, unconcealed satisfaction lingered.
On the other hand, the students belonging to Serena's faction only watched each other with ashen faces. Their feet twitched as if they might rush out any second, yet not a single person actually stepped in front of Terun.
"So the day Serena gets what's coming finally arrives."
"Still, isn't that a bit much?"
"Shh. What if we stick our necks out and end up getting it too?"
"But even so…"
Low whispers leaked out here and there.
I tried not to hear them, yet they reached my ears with unnatural clarity.
Satisfaction.
Fear.
Pity.
Any of them was hard to bear.
I lowered my head to escape their gazes.
I hoped someone—anyone—would stop him, yet I didn't want to admit I was hoping for that.
No matter how hated she was, a girl was being one-sidedly beaten by a sturdy man. Even if they couldn't step in themselves, they shouldn't be happy about it, should they?
That comfortable thought lasted only a moment.
Terun looked down at me soaked in pain and murmured quietly.
"Serena's main casting hand… was the left one, wasn't it."
In that instant a chill raced up my spine.
It didn't take long to understand what the words meant.
A fear of a different kind from the two punches to the gut washed over me.
Terun didn't wait for an answer. He seized my left hand where it lay on the floor and began slowly unfolding my fingers one by one.
"W-wait…"
The moment I realized what he intended, my breath caught in my throat.
I reflexively tried to yank my hand free. But my body, strength drained by pain, wouldn't move properly, and Terun's grip didn't budge an inch.
My heart pounded madly.
Until now I had thought that if I just endured, it would end.
Being hit was something I could endure, as long as I didn't lose consciousness.
But a hand was different.
Once broken, it might never return to normal.
"Let go."
A cracked voice slipped between my lips.
I swallowed a trembling breath and spoke again.
"This… isn't right."
I wanted to tell him to stop.
The urge to beg him to please let go rose all the way to my throat.
But the last scrap of pride forcibly crushed those words down.
Terun didn't answer.
The longer the silence stretched, the more terribly vivid the warmth of his hand against my fingertips became.
I gritted my teeth.
I tried not to show fear, yet the captured fingers trembled finely against my will.
I didn't want to act this pathetic either.
But there was no choice.
This body was far more fragile against pain than I had thought, and I had never imagined Terun would turn out this cruel.
Even so, Terun didn't stop.
Slowly, strength entered the hand gripping my fingers.
"Ah, wait…!"
To the very end I tried to hold back at least the scream.
I clenched my teeth and bit my lip.
But the pain that spread through my fingers couldn't even be compared to the agony in my abdomen.
"Kyaaaaah!"
A scream so desperate I couldn't believe it had come from my own mouth burst out.
The desire to endure, the shame of the other students watching—everything vanished in an instant.
My vision flared white, and the students' screams and murmurs that had been ringing in my ears gradually receded.
The last things I saw were the teachers hurriedly ending the duel and Terun's expressionless face watching it all.