“Wait, what did you just say?”
“I said let’s have a duel, you idiot.”
The shock on the face of that guy, whether he was Kaspar or Castelar, was palpable.
But little by little, little by little, as he began to process what he heard, his expression twisted into a hideous grimace before he exploded.
Swoosh.
“You brat!”
“Stop! Are you out of your mind right now?”
Just then, another student, who seemed to be his friend, stepped in to block him, who had drawn his sword from the scabbard at his waist.
Kaspar shouted with bloodshot eyes.
“Put that down immediately! Didn’t you hear that rude scoundrel mock me?!”
“I told you to calm down! Have you forgotten where you are? Look around you!”
At that point, it seemed he finally noticed the other students whispering around us, which brought his movements to a halt.
If they were just onlookers from the streets, he might have acted as if it didn’t matter, but it wasn’t uncommon for high-ranking nobility and even actual royalty to study here at the academy, individuals who would have been treated like kings back in their own territories.
Since he was the type to throw tantrums just because someone was of lower status, he had no choice but to tread carefully in front of students of higher ranks.
And it felt only natural that my mood soured even further because of this duplicity.
As Kaspar calmed down, the male student in his mid-twenties, who had intervened, let out a sigh and addressed me.
“I’m sorry about this; it seems my friend here got a bit heated. Can we just let this pass without any further incident?”
I found myself slightly impressed by the sight of someone lower in age and status bowing their head in apology.
Whether it was genuine or a mere performance for the sake of surrounding eyes, it was indeed a more mature attitude compared to that wild boar beside him.
Thinking that if I had to clash, I’d prefer it to be with someone like him, I opened my mouth.
“Please lift your head. It’s not something worth apologizing for.”
Perhaps believing that we had reached an understanding, his expression brightened slightly.
Of course, one should always listen to words until the end.
“If someone is to apologize, it should be the person involved; what significance does it have if someone else does it for them?”
Seeing his friend bowing his head made Kaspar’s twisted expression crumple even further, and the expression of the student who had apologized also darkened.
I instinctively sensed what would follow.
He spoke.
“I understand that what that friend said must have come off as insulting to you. But at such a fiery age, isn’t it normal for anyone to make mistakes? How about just letting this slide?”
“Yes, anyone can make a ‘mistake.’ However, it’s the person who committed the wrongdoing who has to take responsibility. What’s the point of having someone else apologize in their place?”
“Look here.”
Ah, I clapped my hands together and added:
“Thinking about it, there may be times when that’s acceptable. When a clueless little kid makes a mess of things, their guardian often apologizes on their behalf, after all.”
The moment Kaspar was treated like a child needing a guardian, he aggressively shoved aside the friend who was blocking him and stepped forward.
His pushed-away friend, realizing that it would be futile to try and stop him this time, shook his head with a gloomy expression.
Kaspar glared as he opened his mouth.
“You’re throwing away your only chance at survival.”
I replied with a frown.
“Who actually threw it away is what you need to consider.”
Kaspar’s face twisted once more in frustration, but perhaps conscious of his surroundings, he didn’t immediately swing his sword this time.
“One hour from now. Meet me at the training grounds in the west. You won’t run away after challenging me, will you?”
<><><>
“Hey, did you hear? Kaspar Hundert and Chrome Midas are going to duel.”
“I get that Hundert is a name I know, but where exactly is this Midas from? He doesn’t seem like an imperial noble.”
“He’s a commoner. Apparently, he comes from a notorious merchant family known around Spero.”
“A duel between a noble from a knightly family and a commoner from a merchant family? Are you out of your mind?”
The reactions varied widely. Some students treated it as merely an interesting topic to chat about, while others, upon hearing about Chrome’s provocation, found it rude or considered Chrome reckless.
It was rare, but some students even contended that Kaspar had made a significant mistake, yet those students too, blinded by anger, lamented Chrome’s response.
This was, in many ways, to be expected.
Only a week had passed since classes commenced.
Physical training was intensifying for martial arts.
Understanding the characteristics of magical energy and mastering the basic structure of spells were the focuses of magic studies.
Neither side had really started learning the actual use of magic, which meant the students’ abilities remained largely unchanged since their entrance.
With Kaspar, already in his mid-twenties and trained in a knightly family, against Chrome, who barely met the entry requirements from a merchant family, it was clear who had the advantage.
Thus, students watching the two prepare to face off in the training grounds murmured among themselves.
“Wow, he actually showed up. He’s got guts.”
“He just doesn’t know his place. I heard the Midas family mistreats commoners within their reach – looks like he hasn’t shaken off that habit.”
“Don’t be too harsh. At least he came out without running away.”
“Shouldn’t someone stop this? Is it even okay to duel like this within the academy?”
Students recalling Chrome’s behavior during the entrance exams noticed something different.
“Wasn’t that Midas guy supposed to have a crossbow? Why are they both holding wooden swords now?”
“Guess he couldn’t find his special arrows in time since he was in a hurry. You can’t shoot real arrows in a duel; unlike swords or spears, once you shoot, you can’t just stop midway.”
“…Does someone who’s so concerned about that use poison during the entrance exams?”
“…I dunno.”
“Before anything, why did we have to fight for our lives just to get into an institution for studying?”
“Beats me.”
As some students faced these fundamental questions, Roto, along with Ligret and friends, grew frantic.
“Li-Ligret! We need to stop this now! The difference in physique is huge, and he can’t use his original weapon; this is way too unfair!”
Crow, who was listening from the side, interjected.
“Don’t be ridiculous. After all this buildup, if he suddenly runs away, that’ll be the end of his academy life. It’s better for him to take a hit head-on than to back down.”
Akasha then continued, “Fiore, what’s your brother thinking? He didn’t seem like the type to do something so reckless.”
Fiore replied, “Well, it seems like things didn’t go as planned and ended up here, but I honestly don’t know what he’s thinking right now.”
Pino chimed in.
“Around the neighborhood, reactions are about 30% blaming Chrome, 10% blaming Kaspar the noble, and the rest are neutral,” Rabaul frowned.
“It’s beyond me how you can think Chrome’s the one at fault for butting into someone else’s friendship and trying to suppress them with violence,” he said with incredulity.
Rabaul’s argument seemed valid at first glance, but the truth was that Chrome’s ambiguous position played a significant role in this. The Hundert family wasn’t particularly distinguished, yet they were still nobles from one of the strongest empires. Many students from noble backgrounds were less than pleased with a commoner like Chrome provoking Kaspar. On the flip side, was Chrome even endearing enough for common students to root for him? That, too, was a resounding no.
First impressions heavily influence judgment, and for students who didn’t know Chrome personally, the bad rumors about the Midas family were inescapable. And how Chrome performed in this duel would only cement that vague image even further.
“……”
While Rabaul tuned out the chatter around him, Ligret focused intently on the two facing off in the center of the training ground.
Kaspar smirked as he spoke up. “I’ll at least acknowledge that you showed up without running away.”
He appeared far more relaxed than before, clearly sensing that the public opinion was not against him. The Kaspar from earlier, who nearly sliced a commoner with genuine anger, had now transformed into a noble intent on delivering a harsh lesson to someone who was too brazen.
What hadn’t started as intent had ironically made him quite pleased with the current situation.
Kaspar arrogantly raised his head as he continued, “If you kneel and beg for mercy now, I might graciously forgive you. The result is all but certain; I wouldn’t want to bully a weaker opponent for no reason.”
Of course, it was not a sincere offer of mercy on Kaspar’s part. It was a performative display aimed at showing off how benevolent he was.
Chrome smirked. “Let’s just get started.”
“……Ha! You really are impertinent to the end.”
The annoying attitude that had bothered him just moments ago now seemed ridiculous in Kaspar’s eyes. He even felt relieved that Chrome wasn’t giving up so easily.
The insect before him had far too heavy a crime to simply overlook it with a few words.
“Don’t think this will be resolved easily. I will crush you step by step.”
Kaspar stepped forward, raising his wooden sword with a flourish.
He swung down a strike to announce the start of the “execution” aimed at Chrome.
Thwack!
A dull sound echoed.
As the wooden sword struck his right shoulder, Chrome reflexively smiled at the exhilarating impact transmitted through his palm—
“Is that all you have?”
Then he met Kaspar’s gaze, which was wide-eyed through his golden monocle.
With his vacant left palm, Chrome smacked Kaspar hard across the cheek.
—No, he slapped him.
Smack!
With a horrifying sound, Kaspar’s head jolted to the side violently, and he stumbled backward.
In the silence that suddenly fell over the audience, only Ligret’s quiet murmur was heard.
“……Why would you poke at someone who’s just hiding their nasty personality?”
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