Chapter 18 - The Inter-year Exchange Competition (3)

The duel between Penel and Apollon proceeded as expected.

Boom boom bang! 

Numerous spells are cast on the dueling arena.

Wind bullets, sudden flame explosions, ice spears continuously attack Apollon, but.

Thud! 

All of them are swept away by a single sword strike from Apollon.

"Hmm. Well, this is similar to usual, isn't it?"

Apollon smiles sleazily.

He looks at Penel while swinging his flamberge back and forth.

"......"

"Your struggling appearance is so beautiful. It's truly a pleasure to watch."

Penel bites her lip, and Apollon smiles at her doing so.

However, Apollon's smile doesn't give a refreshing impression at all.

Rather, it's much more slimy and dirty, carrying a man's desire.

"Penel. Every time I duel with you, my heart becomes excited, but it also hurts to injure you. Do you feel the same?"

"Ha... Why don't you stop with the unnecessary talk?"

Penel frowns and immediately brushes off his buttery words.

"There he goes again. That bastard."

Penel's friend watching the scene.

Berry, sitting next to me, growls.

"He always plays with Penel. As if he's something special."

"Has he been like this for a long time?"

"Yes!"

Berry recites rapidly as if she's been waiting for someone to listen to her.

The ill-fated relationship between Penel and Apollon.

"It's been like this since first year. Every time Apollon wins against Penel, he asks her to date him."

"That guy's a bit crazy."

"Right? Being caught up with such a trash... Poor Penel."

Even from my perspective, Apollon's gaze doesn't seem normal.

The way he looks at Penel's body is extremely sticky.

I could fully understand why she was disgusted.

'In the original work, he was the guy who intimidated with the flamberge.'

He was a knight who instilled fear by tearing skin with his wavy sword.

Other than that, he was just a third-rate villain without much significance.

Knowing that such a guy was targeting Penel, it wasn't a particularly pleasant feeling.

"......"

The battle situation flowed one-sidedly, just like Berry's troubled expression.

The magic Penel conjures disappears with Apollon's sword strikes.

Finally, when Apollon's sword approaches Penel, the duel ends.

[ Duel over. The winner is Apollon Simon. ]

At the instructor's announcement, the stands heat up.

Mainly with the cheers of the Knight Department students.

─Woooah!

─As expected. There's no way Apollon would lose.

─Does anyone not know that the Knight Department will win anyway?

They were grinning from ear to ear.

Not a single person doubts the Knight Department's victory in the 2nd year division.

It's a battle between the top students, after all.

Logically speaking, there's no way the Magic Department can win.

─Ah, shit... We lost again.

─Damn it. We're going to get scolded by the seniors again.

In contrast, the Magic Department students are like at a funeral.

They're already depressed, not only because of the sense of defeat continuing from their first year but also because they're worried about getting an earful from their seniors for losing again.

"I'll go first."

Berry, who had been watching this scene, immediately stood up.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to see Penel. That girl, she must be very heartbroken right now."

She's not called a friend for nothing.

Anyone can see that the atmosphere is not favorable to Penel, so she must be quite discouraged.

Worried about this, Berry left directly.

"......"

I remain in my seat and watch the next match.

Knights and mages continue to come out one by one, but the results are similar.

Most are victories for the Knight Department. Even when the Magic Department occasionally wins, it's not enough to change the overall trend.

Because of this, the faces of the Magic Department students become increasingly rigid, with some even leaving their seats, when─

[Next. Knight Department 2nd year Jackson Percival, Magic Department 2nd year Herak Leonhardt. Please come to the dueling arena.]

Finally!

The person who will reverse this atmosphere at once─ I am called.

***

The dueling arena was quite well-maintained.

A shiny square arena that seems to have been recently polished.

As I slowly climb the stairs onto it, I see someone coming up from the opposite side.

A vicious-looking impression, contrasted by muscles clearly attached to his body. And a sword at his waist.

'Jackson.'

He came onto the dueling arena with an extremely arrogant expression.

While looking around, he opened his mouth with a mocking tone.

"You've got guts. What's a loser like you doing in a place like this?"

"Why are you making such a fuss? Like a small fry."

"Shut up! ...You seem to have forgotten, but I'm the 7th rank in the Knight Department. It's not a level a dead last like you can aspire to."

Jackson's expression is already full of confidence.

Eyes firmly believing that there's absolutely no way he could lose.

"Can't you hear? The reaction of the spectators watching us."

"......"

"If you have ears, open them. The students are already predicting who will win!"

Jackson says this while waving his hands around.

His fingers point in turn to the Knight Department stands, and then the Magic Department stands.

As he said, when I casually lend an ear, I can hear the spectators whispering.

─Who's this Herak or whatever? Why is he coming out?

─I heard he's the loser of the Magic Department?

─A guy like that is facing Jackson? There's no need to even watch this.

─How many minutes do you think it'll take Jackson to take him down? I say 5 minutes.

─3 minutes.

On the Knight Department side, there's not a shred of doubt.

An absolute belief that Jackson will definitely win.

─Ha, shit. Why is that bastard Herak going out there to embarrass himself?

─If he's a loser, he should stay put like one. Why is he coming out for the Inter-year Exchange Competition?

─Ah... Just thinking about those bastards getting all cocky again makes me angry.

The Magic Department side also has no doubt.

A firm belief that I absolutely cannot win.

The reactions from both sides are completely opposite, but the underlying belief is the same.

'Herak can never beat Jackson.'

This single sentence is the common opinion of all students in the Colosseum.

Yeah, I get it.

I understand what they're all muttering about, and I understand that because of it, Jackson's shoulders are raised.

However…

"So what?"

"...What did you say?"

I raise a finger to pick at my ear.

These conversations are really not worth listening to at all.

To the point where I regret wasting time listening to Jackson's words.

"If they say you'll win, you win, and if they say you'll lose, you lose? Is that all you amount to?"

"You fucking..."

Crack─

A vein pops on Jackson's forehead.

Just as he was about to open his mouth again, full of anger─

[ I have an additional announcement to make. ]

This time, it was the voice of Vice Chairman Chiron, not the instructor.

"...?"

Jackson's eyes widen.

This hasn't happened in any of the matches so far.

I too looked towards the instructors' seats with an interested gaze.

Click, click... 

A woman was walking there.

A woman in a dress with long, braided golden hair.

Princess Helene had taken her seat here.

"...Hehe."

As Helene was approaching the seat next to Chiron, she made eye contact with me looking up at her.

Then she smiled brightly and waved her hand.

'She's still like that.'

That destined person thing.

She still seems to have a lot of interest in me. It's really burdensome.

Hop!

As Helene sat down next to Chiron, Chiron continued speaking.

[From this match onwards, Princess Helene will be specially observing. It's a sudden decision, but don't worry too much about it and focus on the duel.]

The Colosseum stirs at Chiron's words.

It's because of the impact of the sentence 'Princess Helene will personally observe'.

─Wow, shit. The Princess is watching?

─Damn, I should have participated too. I regret it now.

─So fucking envious. Jackson, that bastard hit the jackpot, didn't he?

Helene watching means that she's paying attention to that person.

Especially with the words 'from this match', all the students' attention focused on one person.

...On Jackson.

"Hah...! For the Princess to watch me...!"

The corners of Jackson's mouth rise as if they might reach his ears.

He's fallen into a sea of delusion that Helene is paying attention to him.

His mouth is gaping open, about to drool, which looks quite pathetic.

'Give me a break.'

Why would Helene care about a guy like you...

[Now that the Princess has just arrived, I'll explain the rules once more. The victory conditions are the opponent's declaration of surrender, or forcing the opponent outside the dueling arena. Now, begin.]

As soon as Chiron's words end, Jackson grins fiercely.

He draws the sword at his waist, points it at me, and shouts while baring his teeth.

"Hey, loser. Want to make a bet?"

"What?"

When I ask back with a disinterested face, Jackson reveals the content.

A bet where the only outcome is my humiliation.

"Will you declare surrender yourself, or will you be driven out of the dueling arena? I bet on you saying it with your own mouth."

"Huh."

What a cute idea.

It's really the kind of thought only a bully who picks on the weak would have.

I could see the caliber of this guy called Jackson.

"Do as you like."

As I smile slightly and shrug my shoulders.

"...Arrogant bastard. I'll teach you a lesson."

As Jackson takes his stance while gripping his sword.

The duel began.

***

A strange current is flowing in the Colosseum.

Both the Knight Department, which lacked tension, and the Magic Department, which lacked expectation, are now showing questions on their faces.

It's because neither side has moved at all.

"......"

Knight Department 2nd year, 7th rank, Jackson Percival.

He was currently maintaining his stance without moving an inch.

His eyes are fixed on Herak, not moving.

His hand is gripping the sword as if about to draw it at any moment.

His feet are planted on the ground, ready to dash forward at any time.

"......"

Yes, that was natural.

It's a knight's combat method to rush in before a mage can cast a spell.

Therefore, just by excellently executing the basic stance, Jackson was raising his momentum, but─

'...What is this?'

Something is strange.

Drip. 

A bead of sweat rolls down Jackson's cheek.

However, he doesn't even notice it, continuing to stare at Herak.

But the situation remains the same.

Since the start of the duel, Jackson hasn't been able to advance a single step.

'...Why.'

Herak doesn't move.

Eyes that glance at Jackson as if bored, as if tedious.

That indifferent expression is so infuriating.

He wants to rush over and knock him down right now.

But…

'...I can't... move...?'

He can't see an opening.

It's an incomprehensible situation.

Usually, when a knight can't estimate how to attack a mage, it's in cases like these:

When magic is already exploding, slowing them down.

Or when a magic shield is too solid to penetrate.

But Herak isn't doing anything.

He's just standing there calmly, watching Jackson in a natural posture.

Yes, it's a posture full of openings.

A posture that can't help but have many openings.

Nevertheless.

'What the hell is this...!'

Jackson can't see any angle to break through Herak!

─What's going on? Why is he like that?

Jackson isn't the only one who's realized the anomaly.

As the incomprehensible standoff continues, questioning conversations start to erupt from the stands.

─Why is he just standing there? Is he an idiot?

─He could just rush in and swing his sword, what's he doing?

─Didn't they say that guy can't even use magic? Why is he chickening out?

Jackson agrees.

He thought so too.

Herak can't use magic. He's actually not using any.

But…

If so, then how can one explain that Herak's physique over there

looks stronger than Jackson's own...!

"What are you doing?"

"...Huk!"

Jackson's consciousness, which had been floundering in thought.

Herak's nonchalant words wake him up.

Huff, huff─ 

Jackson breathes heavily as if he's just fought an intense battle.

Looking at him tediously, Herak mutters.

"I know your characteristics well. A body noticeably sturdier than your peers."

"......"

"I'm not unaware of that ability that got you to 7th place just based on physical prowess."

Words incomprehensible to Jackson.

But to Herak, it's a plain truth.

Because in < Song of Sword and Magic > that he played, he could know Jackson's settings.

"But you know what?"

"W-What are you saying...?"

"Recently, my stats went up to 2. I also have a physical cheat."

Stats? Physical cheat?

He doesn't understand what it means.

But Jackson clearly realized one thing.

Herak has something that no one knew about.

A special power that can beat him...!

"So, are you not coming?"

"Ugh..."

But Jackson can't even respond.

Just as he tries to move his body, frozen by a situation beyond his understanding─

"Then."

Herak loosens up.

"Shall I come?"

─And with that, he plants his foot and rushes towards Jackson.