"No, I'm not confident..... confident in your ability to compete against me."
His eyebrows furrowed and his eyes blazed.
Wow. What an easy guy to anger.
I'm sure the audience felt the same as a few laughed.
With that, he charged me.
I put my hand on my sword.
I had left the 'Black Crown' with Aura, and asked for a 3rd circle basic wandsword.
She was quite confused, but acquiesced.
With the two swords on my waist, and Charles the fool charging me with his sword pointed right at me, I held my sword waiting for the right moment to brandish it.
As soon as he was within a few feet of me, I drew my sword deflecting his attack, while stepping back letting him fly past me.
"Barely deflecting my sword I see."
"You probably are a beginner or amateur swordsman at best. And you likely only know the basics."
"One could laugh. A ducal princess' knight, unable to wield an aura sword."
Aura began to stand, and I raised my hand to let her know I was okay.
Something we had communicated before the match.
Actually, we spent about 10 minutes together before the match with her roommate, but I'll explain that story after the match.
"And what do you think you're implying?"
"That you're incompetent."
"Well, you may be right, but what gives you the right to judge the duchy?"
"Shut up, when did I do that?"
"When you mocked my appointment as her knight."
"One should think you're a knight of the tongue rather than the sword."
A few laughs out of some nobles.
Grumbles from the rest of the crowd.
Well time for my offense, at least a little.
I sheathed my blade.
"Remember, we agreed to no surrender?"
I wasn't even bothering to acknowledge him. I drew my wandsword.
"Hey commoner who do you think you are to ignore me?"
I started to cast spells as he charged me again.
I started to launch 2nd circle magic at him as he deflected or destroyed them with his aura blade.
I casted some ice magic to slow him down.
"Ha, you think mere ice can stop me?"
He was a wind mage and swordsman and therefore faster than most, but for me who trained in harsh gravity and low oxygen everyday along with my superhuman-part dragonoid body and my wind and light magic, not only was dodging him easy, perceiving him was so trivial I diverted most my attention to the crowd and Aura.
"Not really, but you're still slowing down."
As I made more ice shackles, his once decently formidable speed had slowed to a reasonable running pace.
It was a joke to dodge him.
"Are you going to keep dodging?"
"No."
I silently casted.
His legs were frozen up to his thighs.
"Hahaha, you look like an ice sculpture."
I pointed my sword towards the ground and mocked my opponent while laughing.
He was red in anger and embarrassment.
"I will end you!"
"Yeah sure buddy."
I continued to mock his attacks.
"All that huffing and puffing, for what?"
I kept pelting him with attacks.
"Just let it happen man."
I froze his sword and legs again.
"You're really strong you know?"
I sent a wall of wind to push him back.
"Enough!"
He channeled mana to his aura sword, and began casting multiple wind arrows.
With that he charged at me firing his barrage of arrows.
It's time to put him in his place.
I watched as the arrows flew towards me.
And effortlessly I dismantled them.
He was a little disoriented seeing it happen so fast, but with him gaining speed so fast, it only freed up more mana to speed himself up more.
I sheathed my sword preparing to release a 4th star swordsman's blade.
Aura gasped.
I guess she knew what I was doing as she leaned over to her roommate seated next to her to explain.
I watched him inch closer.
Step by step he was quickening his pace at a frightening speed for a 4th star swordsman.
Not for me though.
I almost brought my hand up to yawn in mockery.
But I held firm waiting for him to step in range and parry his attack.
4 steps.
The distance was short.
3....
The distance was closing exponentially with each step.
2....
1....
I began to draw.
0.
I swung my aura sword out towards his extended blade crashing down.
He was sent careening down the arena floor.
"Ms. Rachelle were you aware that he was a 4th star knight?!"
"Yes, councilor."
"I couldn't tell during our evaluations."
"He likely has an artifact that hides his mana signature from those beneath the advance stage."
"Wow, but I can see why the Svarmet would choose to do such a thing with a talented child like him."
Perfect.
I had purposely revealed my stars to Rachelle in testing, but hid it from everyone else during it.
It seems my frequent usage of artifacts had finally begun to root into the minds of the faculty.
Soon I would be able to pass of odd abilities of mine as artifacts.
I'm seriously so thankful to Fiadh for the many uses of the diluted dragon blood elixir.
I watched as the dust from the area cleared.
Charles had blood coming out of his mouth.
"How could a commoner like you?"
I raised my mana sword and began to walk towards him.
He stood up and began to run again.
I slashed towards him.
He blocked the attack. Bad choice.
He was forced back again shredding through the arena ground.
He was kneeling from the force of the slash
He was close to the arena floor's end.
I raised my mana sword again and started to walk towards him again.
His arms and legs were shaking from the impact.
I spoke up, none of the childish tone of mockery could be found.
"You dared to antagonize the Svarmet Duchy with this?"
My voice rang coldly through the stadium, if there were oohs, and ahhs, or chatter and other things going on, they stopped.
I could feel all eyes on us.
The stadium was mum, hinging on my next words.
"You are useless, not even worth it as a duel partner."
I quickened my pace a little.
"D-Don't c-come near me!"
I went ahead and amplified my aura sword and began conjuring
The clouds began to darken as the lightning arrows began to prepare to fire down.
"I said to not come any closer!"
His eyes were shaking.
I stopped just out of his reach and pulled back my sword with one hand.
And....
He passed out.....
Is what I would have allowed if he didn't mock Aura and the duchy.
I froze him in a cast not dissimilar to the one displayed by the boy during the special cast test.
He sat there immobilized while I continued to lower the temperature.
He was alive, and this damage was certainly reversible.
He wasn't able to surrender, and the pain kept him awake, so he could understand the gravity of his mistakes.
His fingers and toes began to turn black and began to turn to ice.
And that's where I left it as, doing any more might antagonize the Iproline family, and dishonor the duchy.
As soon as there was room for his body to slip out he fell out of the ice block.
But he had long since lost consciousness and was immediately taken to the medical center to be treated.
Adjudicator Michael stood up.
"I declare Lucas the winner of this duel."
The crowd stood up and cheered.
Naturally there were your sour grapes, but it didn't stop me from using wind magic disguised as an artifact to fly to Aura.
I love dragon blood magic so much.
"Hey Aura, remind me not to mess with your boyfriend ever okay?"
"He's not my boyfriend!"
"Right, right, he's your knight!"
She bowed her head to Aura quickly, probably in fear of what would happen if she was displeased and decided to sic me on her.
"How was the fight?"
"Well your mockery was well received, but I'm not entirely certain how your honor looks."
"I meant for your viewing pleasure."
"Oh, it was fun watching that guy get taken down a peg or two. He was getting to all the non nobles in the crowd more and more agitated, and the nobles were quite disgusted with his treatment of you."
"Any particular reason why?"
"Well first you're a knight, second you're a highly ranked magician and knight, and lastly, as most people in our dorm found out, you're a decent person."
Well that was a good use of my morning.
***
*Vice-Dean Rachelle's Pov*
I watched as a boy who was known only as the princess' knight shoot up to one of the most valuable prospects of the school.
Fortunately the Svarmet duchy was too high a wall for most nobles to touch.
Aside from the royalties from each empire none would likely try to reach for him, and with the academy receiving transfers from the other academies next semester, I doubt they will kick up a fuss.
Well for now all I need to do is wait for that cradle he told me about, and be able to talk, at least when it came to his night job as a demon hunter.
Well the weapon selection day was tomorrow. I guess that's when I'd find out who had decided to side with, against, or stand neutral with the duchy and the talented Lucas.
When I was alerted that he had many artifacts, I was quite confused, but I see that it was meant to hide the duchy's secret weapon. Or so many thought. I knew that his demon hunting required a lower profile.
This action made people much more aware of him, but it actually did more than a few things for him.
It raised the prestige of the Ducal house, his demeanor towards the end of the duel deterring others from challenging him, and while gaining notoriety, he wouldn't be the forefront of every major event, as he only ranked 7th.
I'm sure that was by design as well.
That boy was playing with my academy.
I wonder if the dean likes him, but one thing's for sure, if that lemon head from the knight course tries to bring him to her department, I'll never allow it.
***
*Lucas' Pov*
Well that duel was interesting, but lets rewind to this morning with Aura.
***
I walked out of my room and down to the lobby and spied Aura with her roommate.
Her roommate looked like she had gotten no sleep.
"Aurelia, what are you doing out here?"
"She's waiting for you."
I nodded at her.
"So, why are you waiting for me?"
"Because you need this?"
She handed me a tassel for my sword.
Right I do need that.
"You really are lovers huh?"
Aura started to blush so I took charge.
"No, what gave you that idea?"
"All last night she kept me awake with her talking."
Oh no.
"What did she say?"
"I don't think it's appropriate for my knight to inquire about my affairs."
"She was calling out 'Lucas', 'Lucas', 'Don't leave me'."
Aura stared her feet in embarrassment.
I laughed as a smokescreen. Yes, definitely a smokescreen.
"We have a cat named Lucas, courtesy of the Duchess. He's a sassy cat."
"He often will take off from Aurelia's lap whenever he feels like it."
"She spends much time finding, and coaxing him."
Aura started to raise her head watching me defusing the situation with incredulity.
"Oh right."
I looked at Aura.
"Yes?"
"Do you have a spare wandsword, I'm not using my normal one for my duel."
"Yes here, give me yours."
I handed her the key as she gave me a quite normal looking broadsword.
I was used to the keydagger, but broad and arming swords, were alright too.
Also I decided to call Mother Alicia that night to get the pillow back from the duchy.
***
And that's how this morning went.
Now I had to deal with this crowd in front of me.
"Lucas!"
I recognized all of them, aside from one who had his back turned.
Many were my floormates, some were other magic course students, there were 4 imperial siblings, and one odd man.
"Lucas!" I recognized the voice.
I bowed and greeted her as a knight should.
"Knight of the Ducal house of Svarmet, meets the 3rd moon of the empire."
With that a opening in the crowd occurred like a parting of the human sea.
"Raise your head, knight captain Lucas. It has been a while, hasn't it."
"Yes it has princess Revonia."
Leo walked next to her and raised his hand as I began to greet him as well.
"You look good."
"I had heard you reached the 4th star some months ago, but I wasn't aware your skills were this defined."
I thanked him for his praise and turned to the other siblings.
"Charlotte? Marcus?"
"What no imperial greeting for me?"
She joked.
"Nope."
We laughed about it and Aura joined in this time too.
"Marcus, you traveled a long ways from the research side of the academy to congratulate me?"
"I was watching too."
"Wow thanks man."
This entire time the man was still facing away from me.
I had been sneaking glances at him, I guess Charlotte noticed.
"Hey you, who are you."
He turned around.
I knew him, of course I had to.
"Matthew."
"Lucas."
With that we walked towards each other and gave each other a handshake.
***
*Mark and the other's Pov*
Why does he know so many imperial siblings, and so close to the ducal ones?
***
*Lucas' Pov*
With that Charlotte grabbed my arm and said "Let's celebrate."
She pulled me along with the other imperial siblings, Aura and Matt, and a few of my closer friends, to a spot in the city.
As we reached the restaurant, Charlotte and Revonia pulled out a gift box, Marcus pulled out a painting, and Leo had a flat box.
"They're your gifts, for winning the duel."
"Then I dedicate these along with my honor to my Lady, Lady Aurelia."
I stood out of my chair before kneeling on one knee head facing the ground.
Aura turned red I could tell, and the table had a good laugh about it.
Surprisingly, Charlotte had pouted over my joke, how unlike her.
"Anyways Lucas," She started, "Open the gifts already."
I started with Leo's gift.
18 throwing knives. A practical gift, though not one used much by a knight.
"Thank you Leo, these will come in handy, when I have to put up with Andras."
More laughs.
I removed the canvas cover from Marcus painting.
It was amazing.
It wasn't done using regular paint, and looked much like an oil painting.
"Marcus, did you use oil for this?"
"How did you know?"
"Marcus you're going to revolutionize the art world with this."
"Please sign and date this."
I pleaded with Marcus, who shyly took to it.
Next I opened Revonia's gift. It contained the patches of Marcus, Revonia, and Charlotte, along with a ceremonial knife, and artifact box, which was clearly labeled 'Open when alone'.
"We talked it over with our family, and the duke's family, and of course Aurelia, and we agreed that your ceremonial garb could use some decoration."
We all laughed at that.
"So when you're free, take some time to have those patches sewn into your armor's banner sash."
"Got it thanks."
Charlotte on the outside was happy, and I had no doubt she was, but she also looked a little disappointed.
"And the best for last."
I said to save her mood.
As I opened the gift, there were three things, two of which were labeled like Revonia's.
And the last was...