There was an anomaly in the familiar landscape.
"You don't have to worry about me~"
The sun was shining in the afternoon.
Today we had the last class off, so I went to the corner of the garden earlier than usual to practice my magic.
Suddenly, Dorothy Heartnova jumped out of the trees.
She decided to lean against the tree behind me and watch me train.
However, the fact that someone was watching me made it difficult for me to concentrate on my training.
'How can I not care?'
I wondered if she realized I was uncomfortable, as she began to read a book she got from who knows where.
Even if she was reading a book, the mere fact that she was there made me uneasy.
"…Senior, are you going to stay here forever?"
"Yeah, because I'm bored."
"Why are you here?"
"Mm, because I'm bored."
"Then why did you ask to see me today…"
"Hmm, because I'm bored."
Dorothy gave a weak answer that didn't really explain anything at all, while reading the book. I wondered if she was going to keep answering that way, so I asked, 'What are you having for dinner tonight?', and heard the normal answer of 'chicken'.
Anyway… As a junior and a fan, I couldn't say anything.
Self hypnosis. Let's ignore Dorothy. Even if she did come into view, I would just regard her as another piece of the landscape. Then it would work somehow.
"Whew."
I took a deep breath while conjuring [Frostfire] in both hands, and began to intently focus on my training again.
…Forty minutes later. The time when the sky was dyed by the color of the sunset.
"Ugh…"
Blood flowed out from my nose. My whole body began to violently ache, and my magic output was becoming erratic. In addition, even the slightest use of magic triggered a strong rejection from within my body.
It was now a daily routine.
If I pushed myself a little harder at this point, I would get stronger.
It was the same logic as strength training when you feel like you couldn't do it anymore, but then you did one more rep and your muscles would stretch.
Today, as I mainly used spells with high mana consumption, it seemed that I had reached my limit earlier than usual.
I wiped the blood from my nose and got into a preparatory stance to cast a spell.
"Are you okay?"
"…!"
Dorothy, who suddenly came beside me, asked. Startled, I spun around to find her staring at me from up close.
"Don't push yourself too hard. Won't you damage your mana circuit otherwise?"
Dorothy smiled softly and began to wipe the bridge of my nose with her handkerchief.
It was a kind and gentle touch.
I was dumbfounded, so I just stood there and watched her in silence.
"Do you usually do this?"
"Oh, yeah. I guess so, huh?"
"Mmm."
When Dorothy finished wiping my nosebleed, she took the handkerchief back. The pink handkerchief was stained with red bloodstains.
Then, suddenly, green mana began to flow from the side of my chest. It appeared to be coming from Dorothy's outstretched hand.
'Oh, what?'
Suddenly, I felt a surge of strength, and the stiffness in my body disappeared in an instant!
"A buff. I used just enough so that your body won't be overwhelmed tomorrow~"
Woah, isn't this the best? I feel like I've just gotten a caffeine fix after studying and my mind was flashing.
I could be a little more intense with my training today!
"You can't overdo it, President, okay?"
…As if she could read my mind.
"Thank you, Senior."
"Hehe, resume training!"
Slap—!
Dorothy laughed and slapped me hard on the back, then headed back to the tree that she was leaning against.
Ah, that hurt a bit you know, but… Anyway, thanks to you, it was a big help.
If Dorothy was around every time I trained, I wonder if it would be okay to get some more buffs.
I wouldn't say anything overtly, but I thought it would be a good idea to ask for it when the opportunity arises.
* * *
There was something out of place in the familiar landscape.
Luce Eltania was watching the silver-blue haired man training in the corner of the garden.
She was seated on a stone wall. It was quite the distance from the garden's corner, with trees obscuring the view. Nonetheless, she had no trouble keeping an eye on the man with silver-blue hair.
This area was sparsely populated, so she hadn't seen anyone come and go for a while. It was one of the best vantage points.
The silver-blue haired man seemed to have improved his magic proficiency since the last time she saw him. It was a remarkable rate of growth.
Every time she looked at him, she felt a strange stimulus. It made her want to work harder and harder herself, and maybe that was why she couldn't help being mesmerized by his hard work.
He was the reason why she had recently become passionate about her lightning magic.
"···Eh?"
But at some point, a woman appeared on the other side – a woman with light purple hair wearing a witch's hat. Upon closer inspection with her excellent eyesight, she was wearing a blue brooch on her academy uniform ribbon; she was a Senior in the second-year.
The woman chatted affectionately with the silver-blue haired man, then leaned against a tree behind him and began to watch him practice from her special seat.
'Who is that person?'
Luce had never seen such a person before.
Was she a friend of the silver-blue haired man? Or maybe his lover?
She had no idea, but the women appeared to be interested in him, although Luce couldn't tell if the interest stemmed from friendship, a crush, or something entirely different.
But the way she wiped his nose with a handkerchief was certainly unusual.
"Hmm."
For the man to have a lover was a matter of little concern. She just wondered if it would be impolite to observe.
As she watched the scene quietly, memories from her childhood suddenly flashed in front of Luce's eyes.
─ 'Gretel, look at this! Yap!'
─ 'It's cool, big brother…!'
A poor family.
The figure of a young older brother who wielded a wooden stick like a sword and the image of herself as a child, sitting against a tree and admiring him endlessly.
Her former name, which she had already thrown away along with the past.
Once again, her heart sank as she sifted through her memories.
"...."
Luce gently closed her eyes.
1, 2, 3.
Only 3 seconds.
That was how long it took her to bury the memories she didn't want to recall deep in her heart, and to put her feelings under wraps.
* * *
"I will announce the contents of the next performance evaluation."
The next morning, inside the Class D classroom.
Professor Fernando stood at the podium and started making announcements to the students.
The students were taken aback as this was the first time the contents of the performance evaluation were announced from the beginning, since it had never been revealed before.
The time had come. It was something that must take place every semester.
"'Duel'. A one-on-one fight. We plan to evaluate your combat sense and practical skills in combat."
Duel. As soon as they heard that, some students rejoiced and exclaimed, 'The time has finally come,' while others despised it.
If I had to ask, I was happy. This duel evaluation would be a good indicator to judge how strong I had become.
'I'm confident.'
I was now able to use both offensive and defensive magic spells. I could even use the 5-star spell [Frost Explosion].
My confidence soared. Comparing myself now with the time of the class placement evaluation. Ah, how amazing I am now!
"The ticket I just handed out is to apply for duel. Take two each."
Two small tickets floated next to Professor Fernando. They floated with the help of telekinesis magic.
In my pocket were the two dueling application tickets that had been distributed earlier.
"You can use one ticket to challenge the opponent you want. If the other party accepts, the duel will proceed on the day of the performance evaluation. If the other party refuses, the spent dueling application right is returned to the person concerned and that is the end."
And that wasn't all.
"However, if you use two tickets to request a duel, the opponent must unconditionally accept it."
To get a high score from the judges during the duel, it was best to demonstrate a variety of combat methods. Therefore, the dueling performance evaluation was structured in which it was advantageous to receive good grades as the number of duels you participated in increased.
The only time a student would use up two tickets to request a duel was if they really wanted to fight a specific opponent. The academy made the mandatory duel rule to respect the student's will.
By the way, Ian Fairytale used both of his tickets to challenge Luce Eltania to a duel. His reasoning was that he wanted to fight the strongest person. In a good way, it showed his spirit and passion; and in a bad way, it showed his recklessness and bravado.
Still, since he was the protagonist, it worked out. When I was playing ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱, it was one of those scenes that made me think, 'Oh, if you're the main character, you have to have this level of ambition.'
"Each person can engage in up to 4 duels. If you have a good opponent, it would be better to apply as soon as possible."
This rule was implemented so there wouldn't be a backlog.
"Applying for a duel only needs to be done between first-year students of the Magic Department. Classes are irrelevant. However, if a high-ranking student wins a match against a low-ranking student, the score will be reduced by the difference in mana and grade. Conversely, if a lower-ranking student wins a match against a higher-ranking student, he or she will get a large number of points."
Because of these rules, most people would only duel students in their own class. They would be too scared to pick a fight with a student in a higher class than themselves, and they don't get points for picking a fight with a student in a lower class.
That was why it was unusual for Ian to request a duel with Luce.
"Once you've decided on an opponent, report to me. For now, I will leave this time slot empty. Move only within Orphin Hall. Do as you please, but focus on gathering your opponents. Over."
The moment Professor Fernando finished making the announcement.
Bang-!
The door slammed open, and the gazes of Professor Fernando and the Class D students turned toward the door in unison.
A confident voice followed.
"Ha! This is the Class D! So this is what the air at the bottom feels like!"
Suddenly, the door burst open and the person who appeared was Tristan Humphrey, a conceited blond aristocrat.
Long time no see. I had been dying to do something with him since the class placement evaluation.
"Tristan Humphrey?"
"He's from the upper classes, isn't he?"
"Why would someone like that be here…?"
Tristan was at the top of Class B. Maybe that was why all the students seemed intrigued and fearful at the same time.
"There you are."
Tristan looked around at the students, then his eyes fixed on me.
He charged toward me at a brisk pace.
What the…?
"I, a nobleman, challenge you, a lowly Grade E commoner, to a duel."
Bang-
He slammed his hand on the desk in front of me and flashed me an arrogant smile.
"Be grateful."
You bastard, were you waiting…?
"What? Did you just ask for a duel with a Grade E?"
"There's no merit at all… How much do you hate him?"
"When did you get on Tristan's bad side, dude?"
"Of course he's going to refuse, right? How can a Grade E beat him?"
Professor Fernando's eyes were filled with intrigue amidst the students' interest and whispers.
Tristan smiled as he stared at me steadfastly.
He seemed very happy at the thought of beating me up already.
I wonder how frustrated I would have been if he managed to beat me up that time during the class placement evaluation…
Still, I had to say that I was glad that he was trying to legitimately harass me through the curriculum.
"…"
…Wait a minute.
Wait a minute, wait a minute.
Lately, I think I've gotten a little cocky from hunting demons and fighting demonic creature illusions, but wasn't this a sign of trouble?
Although Tristan was much weaker than the demons I fought so far, he was still much stronger than me.
[Tristan Humphrey] Lv: 76
Race: Human
Elements: Wind
Danger: X
Psychology: [Delighted at the thought of beating you up.]
I wonder when he leveled up like this. He was probably level 71 last time.
Of course, he wouldn't have stayed still after being beaten by me. Given his personality, he definitely put in significant effort to get stronger. He must have learned defensive magic as well.
'…I'm in big trouble.'
I'll be damned…
"I won't take no for an answer! Hahahaha─!"
Tristan laughed, taking out two tickets and throwing them at me.
The thin sheets of paper brushed past my cheek and fell onto my lap.
"…"
…You're really trying to make me lose it, aren't you?
Even if it means stepping on horse shit, I'm definitely going to beat the shit out of this guy.
T/N: Isaac referred to 'Duel' as PvP until now because of his background as a gamer, but the official term within the world is 'Duel', which he began using last chapter.