The Final Duel and the Shadow of Corruption

The final stage of the comprehensive evaluation. The boisterous cheers and shouts of the crowd, the commentator's voice echoing through the magic amplification tools. Yet, on the arena floor, a desolate tension hung thick in the air. I could see and hear nothing but the target right in front of me. My mouth felt bone-dry.

"You look incredibly tense. Are you alright?"

"Tense? Me? I am simply shivering with the sheer ecstasy of impending victory."

The Crown Prince burst into a hearty laugh.

"Hahaha! I have thought you an oddity ever since we first met, but very well. Let us see what you can do."

The Crown Prince's gaze shifted. At that exact moment, the blood in my veins began to pump with fierce vigor. Opportunities to beat down this lunatic did not come often, and a smirk tugged at the corners of my lips before I could stop it. And then—

"Start!"

The referee's signal echoed across the arena.

Clang!

The moment the match began, the Crown Prince and I clashed blades. Neither of us used Aura. This was a pure test of swordsmanship.

"I heard your swordsmanship is quite extraordinary."

"A swordsman is, after all, someone who lives and dies by the blade."

Whoosh!

I deflected the Crown Prince's incoming sword, redirecting it upward. Then, I channeled Aura into my blade, conjuring a sudden gale.

"Ugh."

The swirling dust storm forced the Crown Prince to squint. Combined with the sunlight reflecting off the brilliant surface of Aeterna, it was no exaggeration to say his vision was completely compromised.

"Hup!"

I swung my sword with more gravity than ever before, sparing no Aura. And then—

Boom!

The Crown Prince unleashed his magic.

"Phew, that was a close call. Close-quarters combat with you is indeed perilous."

"..."

This is exactly why magic swordsmen are so troublesome. The inherent weakness of magic is close range, but when an opponent can hold their ground in melee while simultaneously casting spells, there is no foe more vexing.

Usually, magic swordsmen are the epitome of mediocrity.

But the problem was that he was a main character. Magic swordsmanship was not a path just anyone could tread. Just as double majoring in university is notoriously difficult, the same applied here. Illuminating two entirely different paths at once was no simple feat.

"Whew."

I let out a long breath. My eyes locked onto the Crown Prince. Driven by a burning desire to beat the living daylights out of this psychopath pretending to be jovial, I focused with absolute intensity.

"Your gaze is incredibly sharp. Did our past encounter cross your mind?"

"...I am not one to dwell on the past."

That was a blatant lie. I held grudges longer than anyone, and I never, ever forgot when someone crossed me.

'A gentleman's revenge is never too late, even if it takes ten years.'

That was one of my favorite sayings. Moreover, I preferred to repay my debts twofold. I was going to pay back the bastard who had tried to feed lethal poison to Line with interest.

I fell into the stance of the Flowing Water Sword. I would cleave through his magic and deflect his blade. And I would toy with him as much as possible, handing him an utterly humiliating defeat. I was going to drag the prestigious title of Crown Prince through the mud.

"...Inferno."

The moment the Crown Prince spoke, six magic circles began to manifest around me. Activating his Aura, he lunged forward.

Is his Aura at four stars?

Clash!

My Aura collided with his. However, the Crown Prince's sword was instantly deflected. It was only natural, given the gap between a 4-Star and a 6-Star. But that was not his true objective.

"Inferno Rise!"

The 4-Circle spell, Inferno Rise. The magic circles surrounding me simultaneously erupted into pillars of fire—top-left, top-right, front, back, bottom-left, and bottom-right.

"Flowing Water Sword, Full Moon."

A pure white trajectory of light traced the shape of a full moon, slicing through the magic circles. The pillars of fire erupting from every direction were extinguished in an instant.

"Ha! You can even cleave through magic coming from all directions?"

"It has become somewhat of a specialty of mine."

Step!

I closed the distance instantly. Finding me right in front of his nose, the flustered Crown Prince hurriedly began to chant another spell.

"Flame Wall!"

Whoosh!

A barrier of fire materialized around him. It was scorching hot. Just getting close felt like it would sear my skin. Nevertheless, I thrust my hand straight through the wall of flames.

"Urgh! You breached the barrier with your bare hand?!"

Grabbing the Crown Prince by his collar, I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠slammed him hard into the ground. Skidding across the dirt, he scrambled to his feet and desperately began drawing another magic circle.

"Aura, Inferno."

Flaroo!

His Aura fused with the magic circle, generating a fire-attributed Aura.

Damn, I really wanted to do that.

Seeing it with my own eyes made me regret it all over again. I should have bought the Archmage package.

"Do you have time to be distracted?"

Ah. Before I knew it, magic circles were forming around me once more—far more numerous than before. It was too late to dodge. I had to use the Flowing Water Sword again, this time with a grander technique.

"Inferno Rise!"

"Flowing Water Sword, Full Moon!"

Clash!

The trajectory of Aeterna drew a pure white full moon, shattering the magic circles. Immediately after, I saw the Crown Prince charging at me, his blade cloaked in raging flames.

Clang!

Despite the massive gap between a 4-Star and a 6-Star Aura, he was actually holding his own against me. Was this the power of a magic swordsman? This was way too overpowered.

"To think you can withstand this! Impressive!"

"You are quite impressive yourself, Your Highness!"

I infused Aeterna with Aura, unleashing a tempest. Though the fierce gale only fanned his flames, it was more than enough to push the Crown Prince back. I gripped my hilt tightly once more.

"Flowing Water Sword, Crescent Moon!"

A massive crescent-shaped wave of sword energy cleaved through the air. However, the Crown Prince deflected the trajectory of the energy wave with his flame-shrouded blade.

No matter how I look at it, magic swordsmen are incredibly broken.

Magic covered the weaknesses of the sword, while the sword covered the weaknesses of magic. His raw rank might have been lower, but he was on an entirely different level of difficulty compared to the opponents I had faced so far. Just then, the Crown Prince spoke to me.

"You are aware that I frequently trade with the East, correct?"

"Of course. Why bring that up all of a sudden?"

"There is a certain spell I managed to acquire from there."

The Crown Prince raised his sword high and roared.

"Inferno, Fire Annihilation!"

A colossal wave of fire surged toward me. This was absolutely not a mere 4-Circle spell. Was Eastern magic really this potent?

"Flowing Water Sword, Full Moon!"

My blade traced a full moon, cleaving the fiery wave in half. But right behind it, the flame-clad Crown Prince was already lunging at me. Yet, such a straightforward attack could never hit me. A bright red line was clearly visible in my vision.

An upward diagonal slash to the upper right.

Swoosh.

Bending my waist back with fluid flexibility, I evaded his blade. The heat singed the very tips of my hair.

"To bend your waist to such an angle... How is that possible?!"

The Crown Prince gasped in shock. Seizing the opening, I channeled the power of my 6-Star Aura into the muscles of my right arm and the edge of my blade.

"It is time to end this, Your Highness."

Crash!

As I swung my sword, a violent tempest erupted. A brilliant, pure white light shattered the blue barrier, completely blinding the entire arena. When the thick cloud of dust finally settled, I was the only one left standing. The Crown Prince, having successfully defended at the last second, had been blown clean out of the arena, though he appeared largely unharmed.

"..."

The arena fell dead silent. Not a single cheer, not even a whisper could be heard. Even the commentator holding the magic amplification tool was left speechless.

"Referee, aren't you going to call the match?"

The referee, snapped out of his daze, shouted at the top of his lungs.

"H-Hound Egil wins!"

The moment the referee's declaration ended, the arena erupted into deafening cheers.

Winning was great, but it was a bit of a shame. The Crown Prince was a tougher opponent than I had anticipated. I had planned to take my time and toy with him, but I ended up fighting too seriously.

Who knew fighting a magic swordsman would be this troublesome?

As cheers and confetti rained down on me in the arena, ding-dong! Message windows popped up.

Perhaps they were highly satisfied with the outcome, as I received three separate coin sponsorships. I immediately opened my perk window.

"Whoa, three hundred?!"

As I gasped in surprise, the referee approached me.

"Is there a problem? The match is over, so you may step down."

"Ah, yes."

Leaving the ruined arena behind, I walked down the steps toward the exit. Mikaris was waiting for me there, a pleased smile on her face.

"That's my exclusive knight."

Mikaris extended her right hand. Accordingly, I dropped to one knee and kissed the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠back of her hand.

"Of course. After all, I am the Special Scholarship Student who will slay a dragon."

"I look forward to your graduation."

Mikaris pulled me up by my hand.

"Let's head back. We must throw a victory party, shouldn't we?"

"Indeed. It's been a while since I exerted myself like this, and I've worked up quite an appetite."

"I figured as much, so I've already summoned the Marquis's personal chef."

Mikaris pulled my hand, her face beaming with smiles.

"Congratulations on your victory, Lord Hound!"

Ronia popped a bottle of champagne, her face blooming with a radiant smile.

"Haha, I told you, didn't I? I told you I'd win."

"Of course I believed in you. But..."

Mikaris glared to my right.

"Why is Lady Estupina here?"

"Is there some reason I shouldn't be?"

"First of all, I think it would be best if you stepped away from him."

Line was tightly hugging my right forearm. For some reason, the looks they were exchanging were incredibly ominous.

"Haha, let's not ruin such a wonderful day! A toast, everyone! Cheers!"

I raised my glass and downed it in one go. At that, Line spoke up.

"Indeed, it is a wonderful day. Seeing the Crown Prince get blown away was so incredibly satisfying. It felt like a massive weight was lifted from my chest."

"Oh, my. Come to think of it, you did break off your engagement with His Highness, Lady Estupina."

While Ronia and Line were chatting excitedly, Mikaris alone remained silent.

"Lady Mika? Is something the matter?"

"..."

Suddenly, Mikaris downed her glass of champagne, stepped right up to me, and said,

"Open your mouth."

"Pardon?"

Mikaris tilted my head back and kissed me deeply. Once again, her tongue slipped in. It was so soft...

"Wait a minute!"

"W-What do you think you're doing?!"

Ronia and Line gasped in sheer shock. They were so startled that their glasses slipped from their hands, shattering on the floor with a loud *clink!*

"Hound is mine..."

Ronia and Line yelled back.

"We should hear Lord Hound's decision on that!"

"Exactly! Hound is going to become our family's exclusive knight and my husband!"

"Husband? Lady Estupina, I won't say anything harsh out of respect for your status, but get your hands off my man!!"

It seemed Mikaris had gotten completely drunk off just a single glass of champagne. This was on the verge of turning into absolute chaos.

What about my victory party...?

And so, the celebration concluded in utter pandemonium.

Forne Gillette spoke, his voice trembling on the verge of tears.

"Lady Verdia, is there truly no chance for me?"

"I am sorry. I cannot give my heart to anyone."

"Is it because I am lacking? Please, tell me!"

"..."

Seri Verdia turned her head away, avoiding his gaze. Just then, Winston ran over from a distance.

"What's going on? Seri, are you alright?"

"It's nothing. Let's go."

Seri Verdia pushed Winston's back, guiding him away as they departed.

Left with no choice but to watch her retreating figure, Forne Gillette whispered softly.

"If only it weren't for the Gillette family..."

He collapsed to the ground, gritting his teeth. Compared to the men who surrounded her, Forne Gillette was an utterly inadequate man. Lacking in skill, family background, and appearance, he had no ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠choice but to gaze longingly at a flower he could never possess.

Right at that moment, a dark mist began to envelop Forne Gillette.

"What is this? What on earth is happening?!"

"Could this be... the Corruption's Whisper? Are you trying to turn me into a Demonic Human?!"

"..."

He squeezed his eyes shut. Blood trickled down his bitten lower lip. After an agonizing moment of hesitation...

Forne's heart was dyed pitch-black.

"I don't want to feel this wretched misery anymore. I will achieve my desire, no matter what."