Chapter 20 – Sometimes, Beating Them Up Yourself Is Also the Answer. (2)
“What? What did you say?”
At the abrupt mention of his younger brother, Ri’s expression hardened.
Befitting a house of fire mages, white steam began rising from his shoulders and head.
Even so, Sid’s story did not stop.
Rather, it seemed he was deliberately prodding this fiery temperament.
“On the first day of admission, he mistook me for a southern noble. Then, upon realizing I was an orphan, he told your father and protested……. For a second son of a famous house like yourself, Teacher, isn’t this a bit petty?”
“Hah!”
At the clear, deliberate answer, Ri’s mouth fell open.
He had thought Sid would make some half-hearted excuse, but who knew he would come back with such a counterattack!
Steam billowed from his reddened face as if it would burst into flames at any moment.
Ruel, too, who hadn’t expected Sid to speak like this, couldn’t close his mouth.
“Haa, tch……. I really have no words.”
Ri pressed his forehead, which was spewing steam.
An uncontrollable anger could be felt from the corners of his mouth, where a hollow laugh was rising.
He twitched the tip of his nose and continued speaking.
“Fine. I know well that my brother has his arrogant sides despite his skills. But quite apart from that, I find the very fact that you were chosen as a scholarship student suspicious. It’s not like I grabbed onto this solely based on what that brat said.”
A growl reminiscent of Diallo’s exploded forth.
Some timid students might have trembled from head to toe, but Sid was different.
Sid responded to his threat with a calm face.
“Then please watch. I’ll prove it with skill.”
“Yes! Skill!”
The heavily bearded man glared with bulging eyes.
He pressed his ferocious face close and pressured the boy.
“I’m not a patient man. If that’s the case, why don’t you show that skill quickly? Ah, yes! There’s this mock combat that only third-years do, right? How about you beat my brother unconscious there? Then I think I’ll easily acknowledge that skill of yours.”
“Ri! That’s a class where even third-years get injured, to do that……!”
“It’s fine, Sunbae-nim. A friend promising enough to become a scholarship student makes grade irrelevant. You were like that, and so was I. Didn’t we take down third-years when we were second-years?”
Despite his sunbae’s worry, the man was resolute.
He revealed his fiery temper and continued the pressure.
It was a distance where their foreheads seemed about to touch, but Sid didn’t avert his eyes.
“And this is also a matter of house honor. I know my brother’s skills. If my brother loses, I’ll personally bow my head and apologize. I’ll make that brother of mine bow his head too. How about it? Isn’t this the perfect opportunity to receive an apology?”
Under golden eyebrows, azure eyes shone.
His blazing gaze was closer to a knight’s than a mage’s.
Sid, who had been organizing his thoughts for a moment, nodded.
Just when it seemed the conversation was ending, Sid’s finger went up.
Thanks to that, only the Wayne siblings and Ruel, who were watching, grew anxious.
“And there’s one more condition.”
“What?”
At the bold addition to the conversation, Ri’s features twisted.
He had gone along with the bet, so was Sid now raising the stakes?
But the words that came from Sid’s mouth were even bolder.
“Jii and the other famous houses have stuck together in groups, tormenting many students. If you lose, I would like you to apologize not just to me, but in front of all the students.”
“What?”
Ri’s voice changed.
It was a flustered voice, not the savage one he had maintained throughout.
At the sudden situation, Ruel cut in.
“What is it? Why are you like this?”
The atmosphere that seemed about to explode subsided.
Perhaps because it was truly an unfamiliar story, Ri’s expression changed.
He had stayed still when told his younger brother was pressuring Sid and scheming behind the scenes, but at the news that Jii tormented other students together with other famous houses, his expression hardened.
Ri blinked and turned to his sunbae.
“Excuse me… Sunbae-nim? Is this story true?”
“What? Why are you acting like this?”
“No, did Jii torment students? What do you call it… abuse of power! Did he do such things together with other houses?”
What difference could there be between tormenting Sid personally and tormenting other students?
But his contemplative expression showed he was sincere.
Whatever he had heard from his younger brother until now, he clearly had been ignorant of many things.
“That’s a problem no matter where you go, even beyond our academy. Even if teachers know, they can’t cause friction with famous houses. You know that too. At that age, they weirdly get into contests of pride and bully the weak. You didn’t seriously not know, did you?”
“Haa, tch… so that’s how it is……. That’s why.”
The man’s bewildered expression turned into one of embarrassment.
Even this embarrassment soon changed into apologetic eyes.
Sid was also puzzled to see the man change in an instant, as if a boiling pot had cooled.
“Fine! I will……! No, the condition is the same! If you crush my brother, I’ll bow my head in front of the whole school! Jii, of course, and I’ll apologize on behalf of the entire house! I hope the great rumors about you being a scholarship student or whatnot aren’t lies. Ahem, Sunbae-nim! Let’s go have lunch! It’s on me!”
“No, I mean, you should apologize for picking a fight with Sid…….”
“I’m sorry for picking a fight with you out of nowhere! Use this to buy yourself lunch!”
The man who had flipped like the back of his hand shoved five gold coins into Sid’s hand.
And one could feel embarrassment in the way he strode away.
Ruel also looked troubled seeing such a junior.
“Don’t worry too much. I’ll handle it. Got it? Then enjoy your lunch!”
“Y-yes? Teacher, please enjoy your meal as well.”
Once the noisy teachers left, silence returned.
The Wayne siblings, who had been waiting since a while ago, watched the man who had stormed in like a gust of wind and disappeared just as quickly.
“What’s with that new teacher? Hammond alone is tiring enough, but if we get someone like that too, ugh…….”
“Firepou… I hate them. Annoying…….”
The siblings’ resentful voices flowed out.
As if that weren’t enough, thanks to Hammond, who was already favorable only to certain students, they had no shortage of troubles, and now even Jii’s older brother had come—there was nothing more dreadful than that.
But recalling the brother who changed the moment he heard of his younger brother’s actions, Sid tilted his head.
Though he was Jii’s older brother, a strange feeling lingered.
“That person… somehow seems like a good person?”
* * *
The festival-like duel was arranged a week later.
At Ri’s request, the principal approved the duel without hesitation.
Thanks to that, only Ruel, who had been trying to stop it, was put in an awkward position.
Moreover, at the news that the rumored “first-year scholarship student” and the famous house “Firepou” were clashing, the academy turned into a festival atmosphere.
No matter what anyone says, there’s nothing as enjoyable as watching a fight.
“Killing is forbidden. It goes without saying, but black magic is also forbidden! Furthermore, when the protective necklace is destroyed, victory is decided! You must not attack an opponent whose necklace has been destroyed. Got it!”
“Yeeeees!”
“Waaaah! Fight!”
Starting with Hammond’s voice, cheers spread.
A voice amplified by magic filled the arena, and in response, all the students shouted.
A place reminiscent of the Colosseum of ancient gladiators.
Fire roared in the arena that was only occasionally used by third-years.
The arena was packed with teachers and students who had skipped class.
Cheering for different people, the arena was filled with scorching heat.
Of course, the one receiving the loudest cheers was the second son of Firepou, Jii.
“Crush that ugly scholarship student!”
“Show him the difference in class, Firepou! You can’t lose to an orphan, can you? Puhaha!”
“Thank you for creating this opportunity, Hyung-nim. I’m so nervous thinking about crushing him in front of the whole school. Hehe.”
Waiting at one end, Jii smiled triumphantly.
Ri, who was serving as the assistant, twitched his thick beard as he looked down at his younger brother.
Having insisted on getting the duel approved and being Jii’s older brother, it was Ri Firepou himself who took on the role of his younger brother’s assistant.
“Just watch. I’ll break him beyond recovery.”
“Jii.”
“Yes?”
Jii examined his brother with trembling eyes.
Ri, a former combat mage of the kingdom, was an object of admiration even to this boy.
At the moment he was expecting what kind of encouraging words such a brother would offer.
Harsh words leaked from between his thick mustache.
“When the duel is over, you’re dead by my hands one way or another.”
“What? W-what do you mean, Hyung-nim?”
“Shut up and focus on the duel. We’ll talk after it’s over.”
At the sharp gaze, Jii’s expression hardened.
Since he was a brother known for being especially stubborn in the house, various thoughts ran through the boy’s head.
That threat of killing him was probably not a lie.
“Haa, do you really have to do this? There are many other ways.”
Across from the Firepou brothers were Sid and Ruel.
Ruel, who was serving as Sid’s assistant, examined only the protective necklace with worried eyes.
Having opposed this dangerous duel, worry was etched on his face.
“It’s alright, Teacher. Isn’t this all something I have to handle? Sometimes, beating them up yourself is also the answer.”
But Sid had a bright expression.
A golden chance to crush the Firepou brat who had been a nuisance since the beginning of the semester.
His heart pounded just thinking about it.
“Haa… it’s also our responsibility for failing to stop this atmosphere…….”
Sid surveyed the spectator stands.
A short distance away, the Wayne siblings were waving their hands.
Leir, who was expecting him to deliver a blow, and Leia with a pitiful expression, and the few students who had suffered at the hands of elite houses silently cheered for Sid.
“Then both contestants, to your positions!”
At Hammond’s voice, the two contestants’ footsteps began.
Ri Firepou, who was thoroughly heated up.
Ruel Halfman with worried eyes.
The contestants’ expressions were as different as those of the two standing in the assistant positions.
*Huu, alright.*
Donning a blue robe, Sid walked toward his opponent.
With hundreds packed into the arena, the boy’s heart pounded.
Unlike when he had briefly clashed in the previous “Table Duel,” only a pounding thrill could be felt in this place now.
“Noona. What’s my remaining mana?”
[Contents] Balance Inquiry
[Amount Withdrawn]
[Amount Deposited]
[Balance] *31,963 (Eirena Academy)
[There is no better moment than this.]
*Great.*
Sid’s current pure mana capacity was about 790 mana coins.
The mana accumulated over a day approached 18,960 coins, and when combined with interest, it became an enormous number.
The boy’s heart pounded with confidence, embracing a huge number close to “32,000.”
[16,316]
In contrast, Jii’s mana capacity appeared before his eyes.
Above the blond hair of his stiff expression floated quite an embarrassing number.
The two glared at each other’s necklaces and closed the distance.
“Now, now, you heard the precautions? Focus on subduing each other rather than pouring out lethal magic! Attacking an opponent whose necklace is destroyed is forbidden! If not that, magic artifacts or scrolls aren’t bad either. It’s an unlimited duel! Then both contestants, ready!”
What was so enjoyable about two fledglings fighting? Hammond smiled brightly and swept his gaze across the spectator stands.
Perhaps he was simply happy to be able to garner attention through the fight of the two.
“Three! Two! One……!”
The nerves of the spectators and both contestants were focused on the slowly decreasing number from three.
The moment Hammond’s hand dropped.
The grudge accumulated between the two boys over two months exploded.
“Begin!”
“Flame Wheel!”
Magic manifested immediately at the start.
As expected, he seemed to have finished casting while walking, as flames soared with Jii’s incantation.
Wrapped in flames that climbed around his body like a whirlwind, spewing out vigorous fire, Jii charged at Sid.
However, contrary to this tremendous preemptive attack, the one to succeed in attacking first was Sid.
“Huhhp……!”
A short breath escaped between his greatly puffed cheeks.
It was because of Sid’s fist that had dug through the fierce flames.
Wrapped in his Steel Fist, Sid instantly struck the abdomen, and Jii’s abdomen, left wide open while preparing a massive spell, helplessly allowed the fist through.
Thud!
“Wh-what?”
“Did he just punch him?”
It happened in an instant.
When Firepou, who had been the first to ignite flames, knelt down, silence flowed through the arena.
And as Sid finally exhaled, he smiled arrogantly.
“Get up. We just started.”
“You cowardly……! What kind of mage uses their fists!”
“I’ll use magic too. But your stomach looked so tempting, I couldn’t help myself.”
A sly glint in his eyes signaled the start of the duel.
He had merely landed one punch, yet he already felt his mood lifting.
The long-term ability he couldn’t show during the Table Duel, the monk’s “Steel Fist” accumulated over fifteen years, was enough to become an enormous joker in such an unlimited duel.
\- To be continued in Chapter 21 -