Yoni pulled out a crystal-clear gemstone from his Mage Robe, emitting a faint cyan light, and one could almost see the cyan breeze swirling within, he said:
"Then I'll put up this Sky Blue Gemstone as the wager for the duel, how does that sound?"
Lis glanced at the gemstone in Yoni's hand, then swept his eyes over Yoni, and said methodically:
"Since you want to give me a gift, I naturally won't refuse."
"Good!" Seeing that Lis finally agreed, Yoni said excitedly, "Then let's go to the training ground."
"No need, let's just do it here, after all, it will be over soon," Lis said nonchalantly, waving his hand.
Yoni didn't care, so he agreed.
Passersby who saw that a duel seemed about to take place also gathered around, most of the onlookers being Academy Mage apprentices, naturally confident they wouldn't be affected by the remnants of the battle, and the crowd formed a circle, leaving the middle ground to the two duelists.
"You talk tough, just produce your qualifications honestly and all will be well."
Seeing that Lis had finally taken the bait, Yoni said confidently, accepting his own Magic Wand from a friend's hand, after all, he did not possess a precious piece of equipment like a storage ring.
"o(*￣︶￣*)o Hehe," Lis was in a good mood and even gave Yoni a Mage's duel salute with a smile.
"You won't be laughing soon!" Yoni controlled his Magic Power, reciting the Magic Spell proficiently, and Wind Element began to gather in front of him, it appeared he was casting the Second Circle Magic Vortex Wind Blade.
But what surprised the onlookers was that Lis made no movements to cast a spell, instead standing still waiting for Yoni to complete his casting.
A crescent-shaped cyan Wind Blade appeared in front of Yoni, cutting towards Lis.
Looking at the solidity of the Wind Blade, Yor was indeed one of the more outstanding students in their group, mastering the Vortex Wind Blade quite proficiently.
Lis appraised in his mind as he watched the Wind Blade come towards him, still without any movement...
Just as the Wind Blade was about to slash Lis, suddenly, a figure flashed, and the Wind Blade was directly shattered, the broken wind dissipating around.
Welf, clad in armor, stood in front of Lis, his Longsword still flowing with the remnants of a gentle breeze which proved that it was he who had just destroyed Yoni's Spell.
Although the onlookers did not recognize Welf, the sword that dispelled the Spell and the gold badge on his chest both revealed the intruder's identity.
Golden Warrior!
Yor naturally knew that the person in front of him had been following Lis from the start, but it was only now that he realized this Guardsman was a top-tier powerhouse among the Warrior profession.
Although not standing at the pinnacle of the continent like a Legendary Strongman, easily dealing with a Basic Mage like himself was naturally a matter of ease.
Yor hastily stepped back several paces, looking nervously at Welf, and tilting his body towards Lis he shouted:
"Lis, what do you mean? Why did your guard intervene in the duel, could it be you're planning to renege?"
"Of course not, I am a law-abiding good citizen who keeps promises," Lis shook his head and said to Yor with a look of helplessness.
"But you might, it seems, perhaps... have forgotten my identity."
"Your identity?....!" Yor seemed to realize something, his face suddenly stiffened, unable to utter another word.
But by this time, the surrounding spectators had already spelled it out: "Lis is a Court Viscount, right? I remember the Royal Family has a rule that unless previously restricted, nobles holding titles can have their guards participate in duels!"
"Exactly, this is recorded in the laws of the Kingdom, so I have not broken any rules, have I?"
Lis looked at Yor with a smirk, but at that moment, Lis's smile in Yor's eyes was akin to a grinning Demon, mocking his own foolishness.
Actually, this rule was specifically left as a loophole for the nobles; after all, even among those enthusiastic about honor duels, few nobles were willing to risk their own lives to fight. Generally, they let the guards trained by their families fight in their stead.
Damn it, how could I have forgotten this?
Yor agonized over his oversight. He was inclined to concede, but the thought of losing the Sky Blue Gemstone caused him an unbearable heartache. It was a treasure Camus's brother had specially lent him to facilitate this duel. Was he supposed to just watch Lis win it from him?
But he saw absolutely no chance of defeating Welf!
"Lis, you coward, always letting your guard fight for you. Do you dare to face me in a one-on-one duel?" Yor could only try to provoke Lis with words, hoping to secure a chance for a solo fight.
Lis couldn't be bothered to respond. Although he could easily take down Yor himself, why should he bother when Welf was there to do the work?
As for the insults, Lis considered them to be nothing more than the impotent rage of a loser. Such attacks were like kindergarten level compared to internet trolls from his previous life. He didn't even feel like retorting; he found it beneath him.
"Welf, finish him and take the bet back."
"Yes, young master." Welf felt speechless too. What were these people thinking, challenging a prodigy like his young master?
Welf completely forgot about his own actions of tattling the day before.
Having received the command, Welf moved swiftly, appearing in front of Yor in a flash, and kicked out.
"Ugh!"
Yor couldn't react in time and collapsed to the ground, clutching his stomach in agony.
Welf took the Sky Blue Gemstone from Yor's chest and, almost as an afterthought, delivered his favorite smack right across Yor's face.
Young Master Lis might ignore the man's insults, but as the Guard Commander, he couldn't pretend he didn't hear them.
After consecutive heavy blows, Yor passed out, and it seemed that one could even see pieces of teeth flying from his mouth.
It wasn't until Welf returned to Lis's side that Yor's companions dared to come forward and check his injuries.
"Repair Moderate Wounds!"
Suddenly, a man clad in a black mage robe stepped forward from the crowd. A Healing Magic spell landed on Yor, whose complexion improved a bit; then he turned to Lis and said:
"Viscount Kane, don't you think you've gone too far? Why did you have to strike so hard?"
"Oh? And who might you be?" Lis asked, tilting his head as he looked the man over. He was not one of the group that came with Yor, and he possessed a somewhat refined appearance with a smile on his face, yet there seemed to be a hint of darkness in his eyes.
"I am Camus. Don't you think you owe me an explanation, Viscount Kane?"
Lis remembered. This Camus was the leader of Yor's little clique, considered outstanding throughout the academy and admired by many of the teachers.
"Who do you think you are that I owe you an explanation?" Lis responded to Camus, unabashed.
"This is the Royal Magic Academy. Letting your guard hit him so hard, are you trying to kill a fellow student?"
"What, now you're trying to pin this on me!" Lis shot back at Camus, who was standing righteously indignant, and said:
"First, this was a duel; I haven't violated any rules."
"Second, injuries are to be expected in a duel; this is merely a lesson. Do you really think a Golden Warrior can't control his own strength and could accidentally kill him?"
"Third!" Lis narrowed his eyes at Camus, "you hid away at the start of the duel and only came out to spout sanctimonious nonsense after seeing your side lose. Do you really think I didn't see that? Are you asking for death?"