"As I said, I may not be much of a fighter... but... I can promise you that I'll protect what needs to be protected!"
'Oh, it's even more embarrassing to say than I imagined...'
It was a pretty good line, as long as no one realized there was literally nothing for me to protect right now. Still, it was a line fitting for the child of god, a being that was not sent to fight but to protect. To protect the future of Tella.
Robert looked a bit shocked at the fact that I had suddenly conjured such powerful magic, it was, after all, magic befitting a [C]-rank mage, but he didn't allow it to stop him. So in response to my spell, he also began using his skills.
Feeling the movement of his tiny mana pool, it didn't take long until his sword started shining without color, showing that there was no semblance of an element in the enhancement. 'Looks like just an ordinary, boring enhancement skill that came with his Manual. Is it [Swordsman], or maybe it is even [Sword Dancer]? Not that it matters.'
Although the seemingly basic Manuals were quite uninteresting on their own, they had massive potential as long as the user had imagination and a suitable sub-Manual.
Needless to say, a student who had only attended the academy for a couple of days wouldn't have these, and although his rank itself made it so I had nothing to fear, this just added to the fact that he was, in my eyes, incredibly weak.
*Bam! Bam! Bam!*
Trying his best to pile up the attacks, it didn't take a genius to see that he had no chance of getting through my loyal shields, who were just taking turns defending. The only reason I bothered changing which shield was defending was so I could practice repairing them during the downtime.
Not to toot my own horn, but I had to say that I was quite the genius. The defense system I had created was quite basic but still ingenious. By having several shields up at the same time, I could choose if I wanted to use one, two, three, or even four shields to defend against an attack, while at the same time repairing the ones that didn't need to be used.
Though the mana cost was still pretty harsh, it was nowhere near when comparing it to having to reconjure the shields if they got 'shattered'. There was, however, another downside as well.
*Bam! Bam! Bam!
Because of the fact that elements were the most potent while the user was following their natural tendencies, I had to keep them moving around me if I wanted them to be as strong as possible.
It looked quite cool, which I deeply appreciated, but it made it so that if an attacker was strong enough to force me to use all four shields and fast enough to make it so I had to make them stationary, they wouldn't hold up for long.
*Bam! Bam! Bam!*
'Oh right, I was fighting. I should probably get back to that...'
Having been lost in thought, while luckily still wearing a focused expression, I got my head back in the game only to find an exhausted Robert looking like he wanted to scream in frustration.
"Huff, huff... Why... why aren't you attacking me?"
Retrieving the shields into my body as a means to regain some of my mana, I spoke with an innocent smile, the smile of someone who still didn't understand what he did to anger the young swordsman.
"Because I am not suited to attacking. I am someone who protects, not someone who injures others. This is my win, right?"
Naturally, I understood how incredibly insane this would sound to everyone around me as I had challenged Arthur to a duel with stakes, meaning that if I didn't attack that would mean I would lose no matter what. But I didn't care. A saint didn't need reason and logic, a saint needed only belief.
So, I turned around and started walking out of the ring, pretending that I thought the duel was over while taking into consideration Robert's current emotional state.
Whispers could be heard from the students around me, while I saw an incredibly nervous but dumbfounded Sophie that was lost for words, accompanied by a skeptical-looking Arthur.
'3'
"-What is he doing?"
'2'
"-Didn't he hear Mr. Brown earlier? That there will be no forfeits?"
'1'
"Zero! Watch out!"
A screaming Stella was the final cue I needed to confirm that my plan had worked.
"YOU FUCKER!"
'Bingo!'
Just as I thought, the young man wouldn't be able to control his impulses, quickly rushing to stab me in my defenseless back. Ignoring the slight pang of guilt I felt, I turned around and 'accidentally' used an offensive spell.
"[Water Orb]!"
'[Detonate]!'
*BOM!*
A cloud of dust emerged on the arena, with no one able to say a single thing about what had happened. Luckily, 'Zero' was the first one to react to his stupid mistake, running forward with tears in his eyes, "ROBERT!"
However, the pained youth was quickly stopped by a hand on his shoulder, "Zero, it's alright. Robert is fine."
As the dust cloud settled, everyone caught sight of the swordsman sitting on the floor, his face pale with fear for what could have happened if our teacher didn't intervene with her telekinesis.
What had happened was that when I detonated the water orb, Ms. Turner had redirected the explosion down onto the ground, making it so Robert came out unscathed. Naturally, I still wasn't finished with my act.
Shaking off her hand from my shoulder, I still sprinted forward and fell to my knees beside my classmate, tears gently rolling down my cheeks, "Robert! Are you alright? Does it hurt anywhere?"
Trembling a bit, he lifted his eyes from the ground and met mine. This was the moment where he would learn that he fucked up, the moment that he should realize that the boy he had so desperately wanted to bring down truly never had the intention of hurting him.
"I-I'm... I'm fine. I'm okay, Zero, so stop crying."
Throwing my arms around his neck, I didn't follow his orders, as I soaked the black uniform he was wearing, "Thank Theia! I was so scared! I was so scared that I hurt you!" 'Because that would mean Ms. Turner didn't do her job!'
Finally, I could feel his body relax in my arms, him fully accepting the situation at hand. Zero wasn't someone for a mortal to try and get the upper hand against. Zero wasn't a part of any political or social struggles for authority, nor did he want to be. Zero just wanted to protect the future.
At the same time, I could see the seed the real Zero had planted work wonders, with Sophie's face straining to keep herself from crying. However, there was also another seed that also seemed to be quite potent, with a certain princess sharing a similar expression.
*Thump!*
For the first time since I got this new body, I felt like I got back part of James's feelings, with my heart hurting from seeing her pained expression. However, unlike Zero's feelings, they remained muddled and distant. As if they were symbolizing the fact that the past could never be changed. As if they told the story of what could never become a Winter Bloom.
'Ah, I really need to get my shit together...'
****
[Sophie's Pov]
"Are you really going to duel him? Doesn't it seem like he isn't..."
"Isn't quite fit for this kind of life? I agree, there is no point in fighting him."
"Then are you..."
"Therefore, I am going to choose another way to fight. If his way of protecting is by defending, then my way of protecting is by attacking. That means there are other ways for us to conduct the duel."
Having once again moved to the side with my man, I was a bit disappointed by his answer, but not surprised. To be honest, I had also seen the determination of the boy called Zero, and even if he was a shitty fighter, his resolve was the real deal. Meaning he wouldn't give up on the duel either.
It had been such a wreck of a fight, ending in what could only be called a tragedy. To see the man who would lose his own life in the near future become so devastated because of the prospect of possibly having injured his classmate was heartbreaking.
'How can someone so weak be so strong?'
It was a mystery, yet it was a mystery that I had already seen twice before. First was Arthur when we got to the academy, and the other was a man that I would never be able to understand.
A man that was so frail, so small, and yet so incredibly powerful. Yet, they were two very different sides of a very bizarre coin. And in some ways, I felt like Zero was a lot stronger than James. Because at least he had the strength to show his feelings to others.