"This is your final duel, Elliott. Get up."
Dignitas knew this feeling. He just didn't think he would encounter someone who would be able to use it this early into the story.
His body was weakening, his mana was taking much longer to circulate, and he found it difficult to even utter a single word or move a muscle.
The voice belonged to someone he didn't know. Still, thanks to his original introduction, he was able to guess who their assailant was.
Elliott Serrano wasn't someone who was born in Regalian. His real continent of origin was the Beast Continent, and over there, he was a renowned bounty hunter.
While encounters with other intelligent species in Beast were far and few if you weren't part of the Wastelanders, there were still some notable individuals worthy of notice.
One of them was Cyrus Seville. Just like Elliott, he was a bounty hunter. The difference was… he was much, much more powerful.
"This feeling… Teacher warned me about this. It's a Mana Domain, alright."
In simple terms, a Mana Domain was an artificially created Mana Home that each individual could construct if they were strong enough. Here, their abilities were strengthened exponentially, and absolute control over their area of govern was easy.
Dignitas gazed at the changed environment. Instead of the wide, open field they should've been in, the landscape was now that of a flat, sandy desert.
The sun was blaring down, making it really feel like they had been transported to the Desertian region of the Beast. Dry, arid winds blew throughout the area, and a few tumbleweeds harmlessly rolled across the dune.
But while the environment was tough and clearly helpful in regards to weakening them, Dignitas could see an end point to it. At the edge of the horizon in the distance, he could see the world cutting off abruptly into a white void.
It wasn't because his eye couldn't see that far, no. It was simply because Cyrus couldn't completely change the area, possibly due to his insufficient mana pool or lack of concentration.
"I knew you'd come for me, Cyrus. You almost passed the two week mark. I thought you ran away."
To his side, Elliott stood up, seemingly unfazed by the oppressive desert heat. It made sense, as he had lived in places like this for as long as he could remember.
"Hah! You think I'd miss the chance to watch a bullet leave a hole in your forehead? Like hell."
Dozens of meters in front of them, the sand suddenly rose up to form a curtain. A few seconds later, it subsided, revealing a robed figure.
It was impossible to completely make out what the figure was wearing, as the white rob it donned just so happened to reflect the sun's rays in all directions like a bright star.
"You should leave Leader out of this. He has nothing to do with your petty whims."
"This puny, one-eyed wimp is your leader? What, did years of no training dull your judgement? Teacher would be disappointed. I mean, she already is."
"Don't lecture me about disappointment. You've done your fair share of that as well."
"I know. Teacher would most likely call us both idiots for doing this. In the end, it has to end the same way her discipleship did. The two subordinates fighting for the teacher's gift."
"Anyway, enough talk! I said draw, Elliott."
Dignitas could only watch in horror as both them brought their fingers close to their holsters.
Eyes clearly set on each other, they watched their opponents move, making sure neither hand was closer.
"Shit, I've gotta do something. I can't have Elliott die this quickly."
At the rate at this was going, Elliott would most definitely lose to Cyrus. What better evidence was there, if not the Mana Domain they were currently in?
Dignitas was sure the robed man didn't need to use Mana Domain to gain an edge. His normal state was more than enough to trump over Elliott.
"Don't backfire on me too much now, Log."
For the second time this week, Dignitas brought out the Author's Log, alongside the pen it was accompanied by. It was weird. He found it much too hard to even get his mana to flow properly, but he seemed to have no difficulty in bring out his secret weapon.
"Fuck, it's not here!"
Fate once again gave him the short end of the stick. The situation had sprouted too quickly that even it failed to write down what was happening.
What else could he do, what else? Elliott wasn't someone he was planning on letting go so early, especially with his skillset. If given time, he most likely would be able to reach even S rank.
They all could. Every single person he recruited had the potential. Losing them here would significantly lessen their firepower in the future.
"Shit, they're about to fir–"
Bang! Bang! Two gunshots rang out simultaneously. Dignitas shut his eye tightly, unsure if he would even be able to witness what had happened.
"Now that's neat. That shot should've pierced your brain and killed you, but it didn't."
"...huh?" Curiosity getting the better of him, Dignitas forced his eye open. The situation had unfolded differently.
He had expected Elliott to drop dead the moment they fired, but that didn't seem to be the case. Shwoom! The existence of a golden, translucent barrier soon came into view.
The barrier would expand and lessen in size every few seconds, giving the illusion of a balloon being fueled to the brim with air, only to lose said air a moment later.
"I knew you would have my back. How I've missed you, Navigator."
"Shut it." The familar voice of TGS' former Navigator resounded from the earpiece. Even Dignitas heard it, and his expression was colored with all sorts of surprise.
"I thought I'd finally be free from the pain of doing the club's paperwork, but I guess not."
"Andrea…? What are you doing here?" Dignitas asked.
"Oh, is that Leader? To answer your question… I'm here for a different reason now. Unlike before when I was bound by the contract to work as the club's Navigator, now I'm here under the orders of my mother."
Andrea's mother was Serena Bolkins, the leader and current head of The Unseen. Like her daughter, she was especially smart, and was the main reason behind the guild's slow but rising increase in earnings.
"I've been tasked with investigating the anomaly that is Dignitas Qwerdan."
"Me…? Anomaly? Who put the guild up to this?"
"We keep our clients' identities hidden, so I can't tell you that. Even if I did want to, they listed themselves as "Anonymous", so there was simply no way to know."
"You two should continue your talk later! I'm in the middle of a duel." Elliott raised his voice, interrupting the two.
"No, that's quite enough. My respect for you has gone down even more after this, Elliott. Using one of your allies to shield you… dishonorable. I will leave you this time, and will come to you when the town has both of us in it."
"After all, its big enough for the two of us. But not three, or four."
Without another word, Cyrus disappeared into the sand the same way he came. The next moment, the Mana Domain began to disappear, and the desert soon turned back into the same open field behind the Academy.
Dignitas and Elliott were left speechless. They stood in place for a few seconds, silently thanking whatever higher being was there for saving them.
Even Elliott knew the fool's errand he was going on. If he insisted the duel continue, then Andrea's Aegis' Benevolence would most likely shatter from the next bullet. He could feel that the skill used almost all of its power just to contain Cyrus' last shot.
"Come to the club room, you two." Andrea broke the silence first. "I'm sure you want to talk."
The last sentence was clearly aimed towards Dignitas.
***
"Didn't think I'd see you again, Andrea." Dignitas sighed as he leaned onto the couch and sipped on a cup of coffee.
"Navigator just can't resist my charms." Elliott joked, only to receive a smack on the head from Andrea.
"I'm sure you didn't. But the fact remains that I will continue to stay here as The Global Studies' Club's Navigator, albeit for a different reason."
"What was that, anyway? Why are you here to investigate me? I'm sure I've done nothing to garner the attention of The Unseen."
Dignitas knew that even in places such as the Hero Academy where most things couldn't get in or out, there were people who always managed to slip through undetected.
The Unseen had the abilities to do this easily. They simply needed to locate the people the Academy's invitations were sent to, and convince them to work as their "eyes" while inside.
There was practically no harm in doing so, as the person scouted would earn a generous amount of money and be guaranteed at least a good paying position in the guild once they left school. The Unseen saw no use in killing of their scouts, as that would only serve to hurt them in the long run.
"Do you really think so? Should I recount the extraordinary accomplishments you've made in just the first few months you've been here?"
"No, really, there's no need for tha–" Dignitas raised his hand to stop her.
"Firstly, ranking second place during the team segment of the entrance exam. While your party's time was indeed far off from John's, it was still notable. Secondly, portraying enough power to kill even an A rank demon. Normally, this would be impossible, but the guild has managed to obtain some knowledge as to how you were able to do this."
"Ooh, tell me. I'm interested." Elliott chimed in, feeding the beast.