After the academy's lessons concluded, I made my way to the Student Committee Office to brief the discipline committee members.
As I entered, I could feel the eyes of the members on me, watching intently. But I chose to ignore their gazes.
"Hey, isn't that Raul? The guy who dared to act inappropriately toward Valeria?"
"Yeah, I heard he had the nerve to hug and hold Valeria's hand during class."
"Ugh… How disgusting. How could someone like him be appointed as the head of the discipline committee?"
Hearing them gossip about what happened earlier made my cheek, where Valeria had slapped me, sting all over again.
What was that woman thinking anyway? She slapped me with second-level enhancement magic! Does she really hate Raul that much? I don't know, and frankly, I don't care to think about it anymore.
Entering the Student Council President's office, I saw him sitting there, reading through some documents. He noticed my presence and immediately eyed my cheek.
I shot him a cold glance that clearly said, Don't bring this up. Yet, he smiled, as if finding amusement in the situation.
"Ah, isn't that Raul, the noble pervert who defiled Valeria's purity?" he said, mocking me.
I sighed in resignation. "Why does everyone keep exaggerating what happened? You saw it too, didn't you, President? I was just helping her from falling."
The President chuckled at my complaint. "So, you care about your reputation after all."
"Of course. What do you think I am?"
"A scoundrel?" He replied without missing a beat.
How can you say something so cruel while smiling like that, President? Did I accidentally set his personality to "sadistic" when I designed this game? Well… I only gave him traits of bravery and honor. I guess this new sadistic streak must have developed when I got trapped in this world.
"Putting that aside, weren't you going to officially announce me as the head of the discipline committee in front of the other members?" I asked, trying to shift the topic.
"Right. Follow me, Raul," the President replied, standing up and walking out of the room.
I followed behind him.
My goal in taking this position was to gather and train the students in this academy, preparing them to handle future threats. Beyond that, I also needed to start gathering a few loyal followers for my future plans.
I also have to figure out how to unlock Brian's Blessing. Without it, he's just a regular guy with an unusual amount of bravery. But how can I awaken his power without triggering a death flag for myself?
We arrived at the dueling arena, where the members of the discipline committee were already lined up, awaiting our arrival.
There were 30 members in total, split into senior and junior ranks. They would patrol in shifts, with junior members, who were first-year students, paired up with seniors during patrols.
The committee's job was to prevent any violations from occurring within the academy grounds. The academy authorities had given the students the freedom to set and enforce their own policies within the academy.
"Today, I will introduce the new head of the discipline committee," the President said as he addressed the members. "Some of you may already know him. He is Raul de Garcia."
I stepped forward beside the President. I noticed several senior members frowning, clearly dissatisfied with my appointment.
"President, why is this scoundrel the head of the discipline committee?" one senior member protested.
"Yeah! Many of us senior members are more deserving of that position than this weakling!"
Well… I guess their complaints make sense. Raul wasn't exactly known for his strength in the game. He was more infamous for his cruelty toward other academy students.
But I guess now's the perfect time to change how they see me.
"So, will you accept me as your leader if I prove I'm stronger than you?" I asked, my voice cold.
"Tch, what can a pampered noble like you do, other than hide behind your family name?" one senior member retorted, trying to provoke me.
"I could knock you out in under ten seconds, Senior," I replied, as if it were as easy as putting on clothes.
"What did you say?" The senior stepped forward, clearly irritated.
He removed his gloves and threw them at me.
I caught the gloves, understanding full well that this was a formal challenge to a duel, a custom among knights.
"Let's see if the rumors about Raul de Garcia being all talk are true," the senior sneered, intentionally insulting me.
Well, Senior… Let me give you a little lesson: when someone says they can beat you in a few seconds in a game or a movie, you should believe them. That line is usually only spoken by people who can actually do it.
Unlike sparring, a duel only ends when one combatant is either dead or unconscious. However, the academy strictly prohibits its students from killing each other.
We took our positions, preparing for a hand-to-hand duel.
I analyzed his stance.
No doubt, based on his footing, he planned to use a technique that relied on agility and power. But what variation of the technique?
Third-year students typically mastered three attack patterns: Charging, Striking, and Feinting. In this case, I suspected he would use Acceleration, followed by Charging, to surprise me with a burst of speed and knock me down in one swift blow, capitalizing on the momentum he'd create.
It seemed like the senior wanted to defeat me in less than ten seconds, to humiliate me for what I said earlier.
Elena positioned herself between us; she would be our referee for this duel.
"Are both duelists ready?" Elena asked, preparing to start the match.
We both nodded.
"Begin!"
As soon as Elena gave the signal, the senior dashed toward me, tiny sparks of light trailing from his feet. He stomped the ground hard and used Charging to close the distance, reaching me in just three steps.
A normal student would've been startled by how quickly the senior covered 30 meters in just one second, unable to react in time to his attack.
The senior threw a right hook aimed at my head. But I had predicted this move even before the duel started.
I parried his punch with my left hand, causing his fist to miss my ear.
The senior's face showed surprise as I deflected his super-fast punch. But he quickly followed up with a spinning elbow strike.
I ducked to avoid the attack.
"Temper…"
– Bam!
I delivered a punch to his solar plexus using enhancement magic, causing the senior to drop to his knees, clutching his stomach. He looked up at me with hatred in his eyes.
Blood dripped from his mouth. It seemed I had hit him harder than I intended.
"Y-you bastard…" he cursed weakly, struggling through the pain.
"I told you, didn't I? I can defeat you in ten seconds."
His face flushed red with anger, the veins on his forehead bulging. His eyes were filled with a desire to destroy me. But his body said otherwise.
A well-placed punch to the solar plexus can stun anyone for a few seconds, depending on their endurance and durability.
"Filthy noble ba—Burghhh!"
Before he could finish his insult, I punched him in the nose, knocking him out cold.
"Winner, Raul de Garcia!" Elena declared, announcing my victory.