The Duel
As soon as I answered, he flashed that smug, unpleasant smile and scanned the people gathered around us. “After the exam ended, I inspected Sector E. Do you know what I found there?” Having thoroughly enjoyed the weight of everyone’s stares, he continued. “Monsters that weren’t recorded as having been defeated by the freshmen. Their corpses. Altair Auvergne. Care to explain?”
“Simple. I took them down before the exam even started.”
My words triggered a wave of murmurs throughout the crowd.
“Why on earth would you do something like that? Were you trying to manipulate your grades? This is the sacred Delphiana Academy…”
“Manipulate my grades? Bullshit. Some idiot dumped a bunch of dangerous monsters on students without even knowing what level they could handle, so I cleaned them up in advance.”
“What would a freshly appointed instructor like you know? Do you have any idea how many years I’ve spent at this academy? Our students are more than capable of handling monsters of that caliber!”
I was honestly speechless. “The monsters you released were so overkill that even a brand-new instructor like me could tell at a glance, you dumbass. What were you going to do if the students got seriously injured?”
“Ridiculous! In any case, you’ve overstepped my authority! This is an abuse of power!”
Sigh. What a load of crap.
“Like last time, you’re about to get your ass bea—?”
That was when someone spoke up.
“Um… what kind of monsters were they, exactly?”
Perfect. I listed the names of the extremely dangerous monsters I had dealt with, one after another.
The murmurs grew louder.
Favorable public opinion was starting to form around me. Marius looked furious at the shift.
“Those weren’t real monsters! They all had safety measures in place!”
“Even with safety measures, one slip-up and those kids could’ve ended up crippled for life. You expect me to just leave that alone?”
Marius’s face turned beet red. I no longer saw any reason to stick around. As I turned to leave, he hurled a glove at me.
“I challenge you to a duel!”
Jean-Louis Lopez looked utterly stunned by the sudden duel declaration. He pressed a hand to his forehead.
“…Good grief.”
It seemed the inevitable had finally happened. Still, he hadn’t expected it to explode this quickly. He’d figured it would at least wait until after the semester started—not on the very day of the entrance ceremony.
Altair Auvergne.
The woman in black who had suddenly appeared at the academy. There was no question that Marius was detestable, but she gave off an equally unsettling vibe.
Who the hell am I supposed to root for?
Just then, a knock sounded at the door.
“Come in.”
The person who entered was the chancellor, Theodore.
“You look like you’re in a particularly foul mood.”
He greeted his old friend with a gentle smile. Jean-Louis Lopez replied in a gruff voice as he poured tea into a cup he had prepared in advance.
“Have some.”
“Don’t mind if I do.”
Theodore inhaled the aroma, then brought the cup to his lips. His eyes widened as he stared at the cup.
“You must have spent quite a bit on this.”
“I always do. I’m glad it suits your taste.”
The corners of Theodore’s mouth lifted ever so slightly.
“So, what brings you here?”
“Do we really need a special reason for me to visit you? Have we grown that distant?”
“Not at all. But it does seem like you have a reason this time.”
“You’re right.”
Theodore scratched his chin lightly. Lopez knew this was something he did when he was displeased.
“You placed Altair Auvergne in an instructor position. I had promised her a professorship, you know. I don’t know how I’ll face her recommender now.”
“…As you probably already know, putting her in a professor position carried considerable risk. Surprisingly, she accepted the instructor role without much resistance. She didn’t seem particularly disappointed.”
“Is that so? If she herself is fine with it, then there’s no room for others to interfere.”
Theodore moved the hand that had been scratching his chin back to his teacup.
“But why were you trying to accept someone like her as a professor in the first place? Did you know her beforehand? No, you just said ‘recommender.’ Whose recommendation did she receive, exactly?”
“Well. Take a guess.”
“I’ll pass. Sounds like a rather boring quiz.”
Theodore shrugged.
“The fact that you were willing to offer her a professorship so readily tells me she must be someone with considerable power or influence.”
“I thought you were going to pass? Changed your mind?”
“Let’s call it basic courtesy toward a friend.”
“Guillermo.”
“Guillermo?”
Lopez frowned and fell into brief thought.
“You don’t mean the Guillermo, do you? The one they call the Iron Saint…”
“Yes, that Guillermo. Commander-in-chief of Rosenburg. Now that a truce has been declared, he won’t be called by that title much longer. He might even retire. His age is still vigorous, though.”
“Good heavens.”
Lopez’s mouth fell open.
“Oh, and it’s best not to mention the ‘Iron Saint’ title in front of him. He doesn’t seem to like that nickname very much.”
Lopez remained silent for a while, only speaking again after he had emptied his teacup.
“How did Guillermo end up recommending her?”
“You already know that he and I exchange letters from time to time. Last time, I grumbled a bit about not having a professor to handle swordsmanship. He recommended the perfect person for the job. That person was Altair.”
“Hmm.”
“What is their relationship?”
“She apparently showed up in Rosenburg out of nowhere and started wiping out the monsters there.”
“Wiping out. Did you borrow that phrasing directly from Guillermo?”
Watching Theodore nod, Lopez lightly bit his lip.
“The monsters of Rosenburg…”
The monsters of Rosenburg were on a completely different level from the ones that occasionally appeared in the rear lines. Both in quantity and quality.
“Shouldn’t we stop this duel?”
“Why?”
“Because obviously…”
The outcome was obvious. Marius’s swordsmanship was impressive considering his personality, and he was skilled enough to hold a professorship, but…
He can’t possibly win.
If Altair had truly earned Guillermo’s recognition, then this duel wouldn’t even be a contest. He still had trouble believing she had completely overwhelmed Ditrua’s two escort knights, but it seemed time to set those doubts aside.
“Hahaha!”
Theodore burst into loud laughter upon seeing his friend’s anxious expression.
“Why are you suddenly laughing?”
“You seem worried about Marius. Even though he’s a detestable little schemer who only teaches his favorite students, you still care for him after all.”
Lopez’s face hardened with genuine displeasure.
“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m just worried that someone might actually die.”
“That probably won’t happen.”
Theodore smiled.
“How can you be so sure?”
“She’s the one who completely subdued two royal knights without leaving them any serious injuries. The duel with Marius could very well end without him getting so much as a scratch.”
That didn’t sit well with Lopez, who shook his head.
“I’d prefer it if he did get hurt.”
He recalled the face of his ill-tempered former student.
“A rather large one, preferably.”
There’s nothing more entertaining than watching a good fight. Of course, some people say watching a fire is more fun, but they don’t turn down a good brawl either. That’s why the area in front of the clock tower on the day of the duel was packed with people.
The swordsmanship students and freshmen were excited that such a major event had occurred just days after the entrance ceremony. The upperclassmen were excited simply because it was a duel. And then there were those who had come specifically to see Marius get beaten. On top of that, the opponent was the mysterious woman shrouded in rumors—Altair. It would have been more surprising if people hadn’t gathered.
Among them, as expected, were Rilke and Ditrua. There were also professors who had publicly declared they wouldn’t watch out of dignity, yet had secretly shown up wearing hoods.
Seeing them all, Marius wore a triumphant expression.
I’ll show them all.
My true skill as Marius. Then my fame would rise to another level.
Many will show me respect.
Not only would everyone look up to him, he might even catch the eye of Chancellor Theodore. If so, the next head of the swordsmanship department would be all but confirmed.
“Hahahaha!”
Marius laughed out loud at his pleasant daydreams.
The crowd’s reaction wasn’t particularly positive. Then, suddenly, a chilling aura made everyone shrink back. Those who turned their heads toward the source spotted a woman.
It was none other than Altair.
Clad in jet-black clothes, with hair of the same color and golden eyes. Everyone who saw her swallowed hard.
Marius, having spotted Altair, opened his mouth.
“You actually showed up instead of running away! I’ll at least praise you for that much courage!”
Marius shouted triumphantly. He had taken not one, but two of the usual pills he consumed before facing Altair. Thanks to the cost of the medicine, he’d have to survive on baguettes for a while, but he had no regrets.
A few students muttered among themselves. Although Altair’s aura was pressing down on them, they still had enough leeway to voice their complaints about Marius.
“Enough talk. Just come at me already.”
At Altair’s words, Marius frowned and drew his sword.
“You bitch!”
He charged forward.