Conquest (3)
Ian Ternado.
The current head of the 2nd year students and the chief assistant working directly under Kadel.
He didn't like the boy named Judas.
"How have you been, Senior Ian?"
That unique atmosphere, you could say.
That laid-back impression was irritating.
A mere brat who hadn't even been enrolled for a few months, acting as if he had some ridiculous bravado.
From the start, he had the urge to crush him.
"Did you all hear? They say a legendary new student has arrived."
"If you're talking about that... You mean Young Master Snakus?"
"I saw his duel last time, and he really has deadly skills."
"As expected, there's a reason why the professors are so eager to scout him."
The foolishly chattering students were also annoying.
They were just 1st year cadets.
What was so special that they were making such a fuss?
Whenever he heard rumors praising Judas, he couldn't help but feel irritated.
Perhaps it was inferiority.
'Who does this guy think he is?'
Every time, Ian scoffed at the rumors.
Unable to accept the fact that there was a talent superior to his own, he would readily belittle his opponent.
He thought Judas was just a nobody acting cocky.
No matter how skilled Judas was, he thought it was obvious that he wouldn't be a match for him, the top student of the 2nd year.
In Gallimard, the difference in grade level was like a huge wall.
[T/N: Changing Galimar to Gallimard as recently mentioned by the author, it is the name of the Book publishing company which published ‘The Little Prince’ book. Similarly, the Headmaster will be Gaston Gallimard, founder of the company.]
'Tsk... What does the professor see in this guy?'
As the days went by, he only felt more disgusted.
Especially after Kadel started showing interest in Judas, it became noticeably worse.
It was a crisis where his position could be taken away at any moment.
The position of chief assistant was too much for a brat to handle.
But what made Ian go crazy more than that radical recruitment offer was...
"Well, I'm not really interested."
"Thank you for the offer."
"I'll think about it. I'll visit you later."
The indifferent response of that guy.
Judas kept postponing his answer to the recruitment offer, dangling the possibility in front of him as if testing the waters.
To Kadel, one of the most prominent professors in Gallimard, no less.
It seemed like he didn't know his place.
He wanted to throw a glove in his face, but if he rashly challenged him to a duel, he didn't know what kind of reaction would come back.
The picture of a senior crushing a junior wouldn't be very pretty.
"Be grateful that you're a junior. If you were in the same year, I would have challenged you to a duel several times already."
Ian had to cool down on his own.
But then.
"That's a great idea."
"What...?"
"A duel, I mean."
A completely unexpected situation unfolded.
Judas suddenly had a bright smile on his face.
He took off the glove he was wearing and threw it at Ian without any hesitation.
Thwack-!
"I, Judas Snakus, challenge Ian Ternado to a duel in the name of honor and order."
A single blow that hit his chest.
His voice echoed clearly in his ears.
As he stood there dumbfounded, his gaze met with half-closed eyes that were suddenly smiling brightly.
The snake flicked its tongue.
"I trust you won't run away."
Ian was caught off guard and accepted the duel challenge.
***
The story of the duel spread quickly.
Perhaps it was because of the empty schedule until the school trip, but the students went crazy with excitement at the dopamine-inducing news.
The attention of the academy quickly focused on them.
-I accept the duel.
-The price of defeat... will be fulfilling one wish of the opponent.
-The date will be two days from now.
Ian seemed a bit flustered, but since he had been waiting for a chance, he agreed to the duel.
It seemed that he was a bit offended at the thought of being underestimated.
His face was red for a while.
The way he glared with his eyes wide open was quite a sight.
Anyway.
The news of the duel between us shook the academy.
The students were busy talking about this stimulating topic, and even though it was only two days away, its impact could not be ignored.
More than half of the conversations I heard while walking down the hallway were about the duel.
-Who do you think will win?
-Senior Ian, of course, right?
-There's a reason why he's considered a candidate for next year's student council president.
-Really? I think Young Master Snakus has a good chance of winning too.
-Of course, Young Master Snakus is an overwhelming freshman... but wouldn't it be difficult against Senior Ian?
-Well, I guess so.
Different opinions were divided.
The overall atmosphere seemed to favor Ian's victory.
Of course, there were children who supported me, but most predicted that I wouldn't be able to overcome the difference in grade level.
They said Young Master Snakus was still inexperienced.
Actually, I understood to some extent.
The opponent was Ian Ternado.
The current leader of the 2nd year students and the chief assistant working directly under Kadel.
A talent considered the best when it came to lightning magic.
He received a considerable amount of admiration from the students and was a name that was always mentioned when discussing the candidates for next year's student council president.
In short, he was the epitome of an elite.
'Besides, the students don't know my true strength.'
At best, it was the last duel.
That was the only time the students had properly witnessed me fighting.
Of course, I did put on an unforgettable performance, but if you asked me if it was explosive enough to overwhelm Ian, well...
That's why they came to that conclusion.
That Young Master Snakus wouldn't be able to reach Ian Ternado.
-I'll also bet on Senior Ian winning.
-Honestly, I think Young Master Snakus would easily win a year later... but there's still the difference in experience.
-Senior Ian definitely feels like he's on a different level.
This kind of reaction was the same among our main characters.
While quietly working on assignments in the library, Regia, who was sitting next to me, whispered.
"Yo, Young Master... Are you alright?"
"Of course I'm fine, Miss Regia."
"But I heard your opponent is very strong. O, Of course, I'm rooting for you, Young Master..."
"You mean you're worried about what might happen?"
"I, I think so."
"That's thoughtful of you. As expected, Miss Regia is the only one who cares about me."
"Uh, uh..."
The pink creature melted at my touch.
It seemed like she was worried because of me.
The feeling of being worried about by the main character was the best.
It really felt like we had become close friends, and it made me feel proud for some reason.
As I was smiling warmly like that.
"No way."
Someone who was hovering nearby intervened.
A boy with blue hair.
It was none other than Emilia's younger brother, Ruska Vanity.
He had come to consult with his sister and had settled down in a nearby seat.
Ruska subtly joined the conversation.
"Senior Ian is strong, you know. You won't be able to beat him this time."
He pretended to be taciturn and dignified, but now that he knew what we were talking about, he couldn't help but open his mouth.
He was a fervent follower of Ian.
"Even if you're the best in the 1st year... there's always another sky above the sky."
"I, Is that true? Is he that amazing?"
"Commoner, stay out of it."
"..."
"Anyway, you better prepare for defeat."
Ruska chuckled to himself.
Like the villainous noblewoman's blood relative, he also exuded the aura of a third-rate villain.
I just nodded, too lazy to answer.
Both sides were noisy.
One was worried, the other was mocking, they were making a fuss all by themselves.
In that situation, the only one who remained silent was Emilia.
"..."
Having seen my true self, she seemed to think the outcome was obvious.
The villainess slowly approached me.
She whispered softly in my ear.
"...Don't kill him."
She seemed to be concerned about a completely different scenario.
I let out a short laugh.
"Of course, I have no intention of doing that."
I wasn't lying.
Even if it was a duel, I didn't want to see any bloodshed.
To reassure her, I added.
"I don't plan on being too harsh. I'm not going to play around like last time."
I'm a gentleman.
-Ding!
[A small amount of lies has been recovered.]
[Current remaining output: 96.4%]
Of course.
There are always exceptions.
***
And so the day of the duel dawned.
The venue was once again the public arena.
A scenery I was becoming familiar with.
As I stepped onto the vast circular arena, the numerous spectator stands surrounding it came into view.
Every seat was packed.
"Hehe."
Perhaps I was getting used to it.
The scale of the arena, which had been overwhelming at first, was now familiar enough to laugh it off.
I prepared for the match with some light stretching.
"Judas."
Selena stood beside me.
She had rushed over after hearing about the duel.
The woman, who had been silently staring at me, soon removed the bottle of alcohol from her lips and asked, her question laced with the scent of alcohol.
"Haha... Are you really sure about this?"
"What do you mean?"
"The duel. I can stop it even now if you want. I still have enough power to cover this up."
"I appreciate the offer."
"I thought you hated getting involved in troublesome matters."
"But I do enjoy interesting ones."
"You're hard to read."
Selena sighed once more.
"I don't really think you'll lose, but I'll be rooting for you anyway."
"You can look forward to it, Master."
"Hmm."
Her red eyes gleamed with interest.
I turned away from her gaze and headed towards the stage where the duel was about to take place.
Someone was already standing in the center of the arena.
"You came."
It was none other than Ian.
He was waiting for me with his arms crossed sternly.
The two of us faced each other.
He opened his mouth sarcastically.
"I didn't think you'd actually show up."
"Running away isn't my style."
"I don't know what you were thinking when you challenged me to a duel. You didn't actually think you could beat me, did you?"
"That remains to be seen, doesn't it?"
"Don't be ridiculous."
He let out a scoff as if it was absurd.
Ian briefly rotated his wrist and then glared at me with cold eyes.
"I've been waiting for this. I'll crush you this time."
Crackle-!
Small sparks flew into the air.
Ian's specialty, lightning magic.
The boy was charging lightning at his fingertips. The lightning roared fiercely.
Just gathering mana alone created a menacing aura.
"I'll burn that smug look off your face."
Crackle-!
Perhaps it was meant to be an intimidation tactic.
It only looked like a pathetic provocation.
The snake showed no signs of flinching.
Instead, it only smiled faintly. As if it was enjoying this whole situation.
"Don't talk too big."
It flicked its tongue.
"You look weak."
"What...?"
A chill ran down his spine.
"?!"
An unknown coldness.
As he shivered from the strange sensation, the voice of the announcer was heard.
The duel was about to begin.
Ian, startled, regained his composure.
《Contestants, please stand by at your designated positions.》
《The duel will proceed as a sparring match. The duel will end when one opponent subdues or incapacitates the other.》
《Additionally, the duel will also end if one side forfeits.》
The rules were the same as the previous duel.
Soon after, the referee tossed the coin he was holding into the air.
The golden afterimage hit the ground.
Clang-!
The signal announcing the start of the duel rang out.
Immediately after.
"Haah!"
With a short breath, Ian leaped forward.
The boy's body, which had flashed as if teleporting, quickly charged towards me.
Lightning spread in all directions.
Crackle-!
He seemed to be aiming for electrocution.
The distance closed in an instant.
I stared at the seemingly slow-motion moment and uttered the lie that was hanging on my lips.
The resonance calmly spread out.
"Shatter."
Illusion magic.
The world turned upside down.
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shatter kyoka suigetsu
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