On the day of the duel
As I was warming up and observing Raven who had stepped into the arena, I noticed him swallowing dryly while looking at me.
“I’ve heard rumors that Cradle students are exceptional, but I didn’t expect you to have already recovered from such injuries…”
“Well, this much is pretty normal.”
In truth, the necklace of the Sun God that Vidar had gifted me played a big part.
Its faint health regeneration effect sustained over a week had a surprisingly significant impact in the long run.
Of course, when you consider that even divine power or medicine eventually loses its efficacy, this was only natural.
“May I ask one thing? Where does your skill level stand among the students of the Cradle?”
“Among second-years, I’m probably the weakest.”
“That’s excessive humility.”
“Haha!”
I wish I was just being humble.
The students who had endured turbulent times were already far ahead of me. Having grown stronger recently made me realize the gap even more.
“You’d have to be able to beat someone like me with ease just to be considered average.”
“……”
Raven responded not with words, but by quietly drawing his sword.
It wasn’t out of contempt or denial. It simply felt like he didn’t concern himself with such talk and was focusing entirely on the fight.
As expected of a skilled veteran who had survived countless battlefields, trying to shake him with words was futile.
“Alright, shall we begin?”
Shling!
I drew my sword.
Naturally, a magic engineering battery was attached to the scabbard.
The moment it was drawn, the blade began to emit an intense energy.
Seeing the fully formed aura engulfing the entire blade and not just part of it, Raven narrowed his brows in tension.
“What…? That arrogant guy can wield sword energy to that extent?”
The smug-looking girl in the spectator seats gasped in disbelief.
Hmm, that kind of reaction. It was a refreshing change.
Up to now, whenever I showed this, the only responses I got were things like, “Oh wow, our kid is amazing!”
Sure, in the Cradle, full sword energy was treated like it’s something anyone can do. But honestly, this level would qualify someone to be the captain of a knight order in a mid- to small-sized territory.
“I’m coming.”
“Alright.”
With that, Raven charged straight at me.
His movement was more beast-like than human.
It felt instinctual. He was swinging with raw sensation, likely because he’d never received formal sword training.
Clang!
The moment our swords clashed, I could tell.
He was strong. His sword energy wasn’t fully complete, but it was close.
His swordsmanship was rough but instinctive and fierce.
It was definitely impressive that he had grown this strong without being in the Cradle.
Then again, he must’ve lived a life just as intense as the Cradle’s students.
Which is why it’s a shame.
“Grr!”
Even if I was considered the weakest, I was still one of the elites who had received structured training in the Cradle.
And it’s not like I’ve been slacking off. In fact, the past six months I’ve endured were just as intense as last year’s terror-filled chaos if not more so. There was no way a gap wouldn’t form.
Not to mention, the difference in education was huge.
“Oh, that’s not how you’re supposed to do that. Isn’t he using what he was taught all wrong?”
“Ah! If he’d slashed from the side just now, it would’ve ended right there!”
“Jeez! Johan…”
I mean, when you’re constantly surrounded by swordsmanship monsters, you end up getting good whether you like it or not.
Those guys were always giving unasked for advice to people quietly training on their own.
And they casually demand things that seem flat-out impossible.
What’s more annoying is that, somehow, once you keep trying, those impossible things actually start to become possible.
And yet, their ideals still soared far above mine. That’s why I was still categorized as someone who needed protection.
“You’re definitely a promising one. I’m looking forward to what’s ahead.”
“Humph!”
Of course, that doesn’t apply here.
I’d received a fair amount of preliminary education as a noble, took structured lessons in the Cradle, and had been tempered through all kinds of unjust trials.
I’m strong!
“Tch!”
Suddenly, Raven struck the floor of the arena with his sword, sending stone fragments flying.
A fighting style truly befitting a mercenary.
If this had been a typical duel between nobles, he’d have been booed for being dishonorable…
“Nice!”
“Well done!”
“Now that there’s dirt on the ground, scoop it up with your sword and fling it!”
This was the Cradle.
We didn’t care about means or methods. We only cared about victory.
And as for noble pretenses?
Anyone who clung to that nonsense is already long dead, no exceptions.
And since that kind of thing was so casually tolerated here…
“What?!”
You’d better always remember that I can fight the same way.
Even if I get hit, it’ll hurt, sure…but it won’t kill me.
So, in that moment, I kicked up the dirt exposed by the broken floor straight into Raven’s face.
Means and methods to win?
If I’d cared about that, I’d already be dead whether by Kult or someone else around me.
“How could you—!”
Raven looked utterly shocked, as if he never imagined I’d pull something like that.
However, true to his experience as a skilled mercenary, the moment I flung the dirt, he shielded his face and immediately stepped back.
“Cowardly…”
That transfer student had been getting on my nerves for a while now, criticizing only me.
Or maybe not? Perhaps she had taken a liking to Raven, who had defended her earlier.
Hmm, yeah. If this were a romantic comedy, I wouldn’t really have the right to complain.
“You’re full of confidence!”
“Ah—”
While I was distracted watching the girl who had just insulted me, I momentarily forgot about Raven.
Using the dust as cover, Raven silently closed the distance and swung his sword without hesitation.
Of course, though…
“What?!”
“Ah, my apologies.”
I had no reason to let myself get hit.
Did she call it cowardly? I’d show her what real cowardice looked like.
Raven’s sword seemed to slash deep across my chest, but it couldn’t harm me.
Illusion magic.
[Mirage]
“There wasn’t any rule saying we couldn’t use magic, right?”
“That’s…!”
I had kicked the dirt in the first place to hide the fact that I was casting a spell.
From the beginning, I hadn’t used magic and relied only on swordsmanship for this moment.
Senses, means, and strategy.
From the start, this duel had been a fight I couldn’t lose.
Raven had been far too complacent.
He must’ve assumed I wouldn’t use underhanded tricks because I was a noble.
In a way, that was rather naive.
“So, I win, right?”
“……”
Now that his decisive strike had failed, it was only natural that the risk turned against him.
I pointed my sword at Raven’s neck.
“I’ve lost…”
“That’s right.”
A clean victory.
And my first individual win here at the Cradle.
It felt strangely sentimental.
“I know I didn’t make the best first impression, but let’s call it even now.”
“……”
I reached out a hand toward Raven who was kneeling before me. It wasn’t because I particularly wanted some heartwarming development. It was just clear that this guy Raven was built differently from the start.
He would probably get stronger. And there was no benefit in getting on bad terms with someone who was clearly destined to grow more powerful.
“So be it.”
Raven nodded in agreement. Good, this made things perfect.
I figured it was safe to say we’d gotten at least a little closer.
So, I decided to ask something that had been bothering me since our last conversation.
“Is that way of speaking just… how you normally talk?”
“Ahem! I heard there were a lot of nobles at the Cradle, so I practiced a bit.”
“And have you ever actually seen anyone around here talk like that?”
“No, dammit… I even splurged on a book. Was I scammed or what?”
“There you go. Now you sound more natural.”
It had struck me as weird from the beginning.
For a mercenary, his way of speaking was way off.
Having a foul mouth was more normal.
“Alright, you over there, the one still giving me the stink eye. Yeah, you. It’s your turn now, isn’t it? Get ready.”
You’re dead meat when Yuna gets to you.
***
Before the second duel began,
I went to find Yuna so I could give her some encouragement.
“Yuna, you know what to do, right? Make sure she feels the difference in your skill down to her bones. Really crush her.”
“Johan, saying it like that makes you sound like a really awful noble.”
“I am an awful noble.”
“Uh… is there even a reason to go that far?”
“She pissed me off.”
“You really are an awful noble!”
Exactly. That’s what I said.
“Well, I’m half-joking. The real reason is….she’s the kind of person who won’t get it unless she’s put in her place.”
“Mhmm, she definitely gives off the vibe of an arrogant young lady.”
“Exactly.”
Her past as a former Class 1-A student might have turned into a burden because of everyone’s expectations.
That’s probably why she keeps trying to prove that she’s exceptional.
Others likely caught on to that pretty quickly, too.
Which would’ve made it even harder to deal with her.
If you go easy on her, she’ll just get mad; if you take her seriously, you’ll end up crushing her spirit.
Someone has to bring that arrogant girl down a notch.
“You know how many kids are basically suffering from ‘good kid syndrome’, right?”
“Yeah. It’s kind of sad, honestly.”
Most of the students at Cradle were good-natured.
They had to be.
If they didn’t keep some kind of kindness in their hearts, they’d have fallen for the sweet talk of one of the many terrorist groups that targeted Cradle and ended up betraying their school and their friends.
And there must’ve been quite a few who actually did betray them that way.
Half of those, Lobelia probably dealt with herself.
The rest were likely still involved with those terrorist groups even now.
“So let’s be the ones to handle it. I don’t want someone’s mental breakdown over this turning into a whole incident.”
“Wait, I’m the one doing it?”
“Well, yeah. That’s actually right.”
So go and teach that cocky little brat a lesson already.
***
Yuna and the other girl step onto the stage.
I took a seat next to some classmates and decided to finally ask something that’s been on my mind.
“So what’s her name, anyway?”
“Haha! Johan, if we told you that, what would that make us?”
“…No, seriously, what would it make you? I’m just asking for her name.”
“Eh, it just doesn’t feel right.”
Doesn’t feel right how?
“If we told you, it’d feel like we were selling her out or something.”
“Forget it. Whatever.”
At this point, I was starting to think maybe it was better for her not to be remembered by me.
Isn’t that actually true?
Most of the people I know have been swept up in all kinds of messes.
But the ones I don’t know?
They’re probably living peaceful, healthy lives.
Or maybe they had just died quietly somewhere I didn’t know about, without a sound or a trace.
Whatever the case, if it meant I didn’t have to worry about it, then that was good enough.
“How many seconds do you think it’ll take?”
“Well, Yuna’s nice, so maybe she’ll give her about five seconds?”
“It could take longer. She might fight by breaking down every one of her opponent’s moves.”
The students were in agreement.
Yuna would win in a landslide. The only debate was how she would do it.
Well, my thoughts were about the same.
Yuna was going to win. I’d already been thinking about the how of her victory from the start.
And finally, the duel began.
“I’ll go all out!”
“Then I guess I will too?”
Boom!
With a thunderous noise, the duel ended in less than a second.
It was too fast to even see.
“Wow, that was crazy.”
“What… what did I just witness?”
Even among her classmates, people were shocked.
But I had no idea what Yuna had even done, so I couldn’t tell what was so amazing about it.
Still, despite what had happened, it looked like Yuna had held back her strength. The other girl hadn’t passed out.
“Puhihihi! Wanna go again?”
“…I-I lost.”
The girl looked terrified.
What on earth had happened in that short moment to leave her like that?
“So, what exactly happened?”
I asked one of the other students who was watching in awe beside me.
Judging by his reaction, he must’ve seen what Yuna had done.
“Ah, I guess it was probably too fast for someone at your level to catch?”
“So what did she do, then?”
“She forcibly disarmed and subdued the opponent’s every weapon.”
“Huh?”
“First, she snatched the sword out of her hand, then pulled out every hidden blade and dagger from her wrists, thighs, and even inside her clothes and tossed them all into the air.”
“Hmm.”
“Then she slammed the now unarmed opponent into the ground about three times and pulled her back up.”
“Ah.”
Was I asking for a recipe or something?
The duel hadn’t even lasted a second…how had she managed to do all that?
Still, there was one thing I could say for sure now.
“Johan! I did good, right?!”
“Uh, yeah.”
“You’d better treat me well from now on, right?”
“…I’ll keep that in mind.”
If Yuna ever seriously tried to force something on me, I really wouldn’t be able to escape.
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