What a pity for the little prince's first attempt at love.Failure means heartbreak, and heartbreak is already a painful affair; losing in front of a crowd, to a rival, adds to the humiliation. The more people there are, the more awkward it becomes!
"Alright, enough of the spectacle! Give them some space!" Charlie began to disperse the crowd. Perhaps out of sympathy or influenced by the fierce looks shared between him and Colin, onlookers gradually moved away.
David took a deep breath, trying to suppress the heat rising in his throat, "Why him?"
"I need money, I need points."
David spread his hands, excited, "I have plenty! My father is the Marquis of Haynes; we have a lot of money! Points? That can be solved with money! Why choose this way?"
Mia closed her eyes, tears streaming down her face as David shouted, "But I don't want to earn your money; that would make me unable to hold my head up."
David gave a bitter smile, two streams of tears sliding down his cheeks, "So, you earn his money, and then you can hold your head up in front of me?"
"I didn't want to… but…" Mia covered her eyes, sobbing uncontrollably. She shook her head, wiping her tears, and softly said, "Forget it, it's already happened. You wouldn't understand! Don't come looking for me again; I'm not worthy!"
Mia covered her face and ran away.
Watching Mia stumble as she left, David gritted his teeth, biting down hard, his whole body involuntarily trembling, his breath hitching painfully.
David slumped to the ground, drowning in regret. If only he had approached Mia with a more aggressive stance from the start, with a broader perspective and more mature behavior, identifying some practical issues to solve, could today's situation have been avoided? But could love, tainted by secular values, still be pure? Did it still hold value? Was the Mia he loved still the same Mia?
David had no answers.
When young, people often cling to incomprehensible beliefs that can turn beauty into tragedy. In hindsight, perhaps it all seems immature, yet it touches one's heart—this must be the price of maturity!
Charlie patted David's shoulder and mused, "David, I can sense Mia's feelings; she should like you. It's just that there are too many constraints. Not everyone has a background like yours. In many ways, the rules of the Arcane Ring are very harsh. The lower-ranked apprentices feel it even more intensely. Many are powerless. I was once a low-tier apprentice, so I empathize with the struggle."
"I believe she has her own difficulties. What happened today seems to be part of a conspiracy. This meeting was likely premeditated with the purpose of striking you down, and Mia was just a pawn in the game; she's caught in it and helpless.
So, for her sake and your own, David, you must pick yourself up. If you want to regain your dignity as a man, you must defeat your opponent in the duel. Otherwise, you will not only lose a woman, but your life as well, causing pain to those dear to you and joy to your enemies! You wouldn't want Jacob to fully achieve his goals, would you?"
Colin nodded, "Yes! Charlie makes a lot of sense! Little brother, take him down! You can wash away the humiliation you faced today!"
Charlie's encouragement had an effect.David nodded, gritting his teeth, "I will make him… pay with his life!"
In a man's life, there are three great hatreds: the hatred of a murdered father, the resentment of a stolen wife, and the pain of a slain child. Jacob's actions today had undoubtedly crossed the lines of morality.
Colin expressed his concern, "This Jacob isn't a simple character. In terms of background, the only one in our group who might surpass him is Qian Jue, and his strength is notable as well. He ranks among the top fifty in the second-year points, which proves his prowess. I worry that David may not be his match."
"Leave that worry to me!" Charlie replied confidently, sneering, "If he truly agrees to duel you this afternoon, the timing will be too rushed. Perhaps I won't be able to help much. But if he's feeling guilty and subconsciously asks for some time to prepare, he won't realize he's digging his own grave!"
Thus, Charlie took a three-day leave from Master Nahr and brought David to Anthony's apprentice laboratory.
The silent magic technique was Charlie's current trump card, and he couldn't expose it. Even if he wanted to teach it, David might not learn it. This technique requires mental power to simulate magical frequencies, demanding even higher mental strength than stellar meditation. If one's mental power doesn't meet the requirements, they can't even touch the threshold, and David didn't have a chip for assistance.
Stellar meditation wasn't a secret; it could be taught. Qing Tong had already learned it from Master Nahr, but Charlie wasn't certain David could master it. Moreover, in a short time, it wouldn't greatly enhance his combat abilities.
After ruling out various options, Charlie clarified some strategies and devised a series of training plans for David....Three days passed quickly. The events had fermented and spread among the freshmen, even reaching the ears of upperclassmen.
Honor duels are a tradition on the Vagrand continent, with thousands of years of history. They are the most popular way for nobles to resolve disputes, exerting broad influence in the millennial empire. Out of respect for tradition, its rules have been written into the laws of the millennial empire and protected by law.
"Lower-year students challenging upper-years," "unrestricted rules of honor duels," and "rivalry battles"—once the news of David and Jacob's duel spread, it quickly became a hot topic among students. Many were curious enough to come watch, with several even forgoing some classes.
By nine in the morning, the Libra Arena of the Arcane Ring was packed.
"Wow! When did the honor duel for freshmen draw such crowds? Last year's third-year battle didn't even have this high of an attendance!"
"It's not all freshmen; one side is a second-year student. I'm just saying, this duel might not be suspenseful! The upperclassmen should understand—it's not that entertaining to bully a newbie. The level difference is so vast; it's shameless to agree to such a duel."
"Heh! You don't know! People are not just here to watch a fight!" someone said mysteriously, raising their eyebrows at the crowd.
"Then what are you here for?"
"I heard this duel is quite interesting. It started because two boys were pursuing the same girl. The newcomer tried to be romantic, sending flowers, paintings, and writing love poems, even signing up for Master Nahr's drawing course; the second-year just threw money around and used tactics typical of rich kids to win over the common girl, sleeping with her the night before the first boy was about to confess. Apparently, the girl used to quite like the first boy.
I don't know how it escalated, but the three ended up arguing in the points market, and the second-year student publicly humiliated the freshman. The two nearly fought on the spot, and the freshman, furious, challenged the second-year to a free-rule honor duel today."
"Holy crap! Isn't that guy insane?"
"Yeah! This feud has escalated! It seems today might end in a life-or-death situation!"
"Isn't that the case?"
"Wow! Looks like the upperclassmen really know how to charm the ladies! The freshmen are so pitiful!"
"That second-year upperclassman is a bit too much! Rubbing salt in the wounds! And in front of everyone! Is he trying to completely ruin someone?"
"Now I'm a bit curious—what does that girl look like? What could make two guys go crazy? Will the leading lady show up today?"
"I don't know; she should come, right?"
As the appointed time approached, the audience's excitement grew even more palpable. After some time, those who didn't understand the situation had essentially grasped the background story of the duel, and their curiosity was piqued.
At exactly ten o'clock, under the eager eyes of the crowd, the iron gate on one side of the duel pool swung open with a loud bang, revealing a slender figure stepping out steadily and calmly.
"Whoa! This student seems very confident! Not carrying any equipment? Doesn't he know this is a life-and-death battle? He should grab any factor that can improve his winning odds!"
"Yeah! He's not even bringing a wand? How arrogant! Is he that second-year upperclassman?"
"No! That's not him! Just looking at that hopeless expression, he must be the freshman!"
"If he's a freshman, isn't he asking for death?! His opponent is a second-year student, someone who has gone through at least three major missions, with combat awareness and skills leagues ahead of him."
As the audience buzzed with discussion, the gate on the other side of the arena opened, and Jacob stepped in, brandishing a knight's sword and wearing a complete set of light armor—standard equipment from the academy, providing a certain level of resistance against magical attacks.
"Shameless!" Some freshmen couldn't help but curse at the sight of Jacob's gear.
"You can't say it's shameless; thissecond-year student's equipment is quite standard for a life-and-death duel. After all, as a combatant, one must rely on gear to withstand magical impacts.However, compared to a freshman from an entirely different year, his preparation looks quite cowardly! It's too cautious and shows too much scheming!" a student provided a neutral assessment.
"This freshman is being too careless. How can he treat an honor duel so lightly? Doesn't he care about his life?"
Regardless of how the audience evaluated the situation, both combatants had entered the arena. According to the rules, they would not have any opportunity to change gear or resupply; this duel was now unavoidable. Whether they could preserve their lives would depend on whether the victor was willing to spare the loser.
Jacob looked David up and down, shaking his head with a smile, "Looking at your outfit, I can't help but feel you've already given up hope. If you kneel down and surrender, I might consider sparing your life."
David retorted coolly, "Oh! You better not do that, because I have no intention of letting you leave here alive today!"
"Ha! This is interesting! You're truly hopelessly stupid!" Jacob lifted his knight's sword with one hand, chuckling lightly, "Do you know the magical properties of this standard light armor? Do you understand what a year's difference in experience means? Can you even imagine what I've gone through in the past year? Ha! Yet you stand there looking so self-assured!"
David scoffed back, "Only the weak need to boast about their equipment and experiences to compensate for their pitiful confidence."