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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Vine
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“Duel… invalid… The ugly truth about the little… person…?”
The Academy had betrayed her expectations again. Lucia’s cheerful mood evaporated as she saw the newspapers plastered everywhere, filled with slanderous accusations against Atlas. Every student holding a copy seemed to be condemning him.
“It’s… it’s all lies.”
She couldn’t bear it any longer. She retreated to a less crowded area, but the whispers followed her. Was this the kind of attack Atlas had warned her about?
I promised… to protect him…!
She had failed. The attack had already begun.
“Atlas didn’t cheat… He won fair and square… Why can’t they see that? We all saw it…!”
She felt a pang of sympathy, then anger. It was unfair. Atlas, having rightfully won the duel, was now being vilified.
I won’t forgive them.
She had to confront the newspaper club, demand a retraction and an apology. But the thought of entering an unfamiliar place, speaking to strangers, terrified her. She hesitated. Just the thought of the stares made her tremble.
No… Atlas has it worse…
She imagined the pain he must be enduring. The stares alone made her nauseous, and now, everyone was condemning him. He must have felt this way all morning. She had promised to protect him, and she had failed. And now, she was hesitating because of her own fear?
I’m… a Five Pillar!
It was time to use her family’s influence.
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Arriving at the newspaper club, Lucia was greeted by a bizarre scene. The office was in ruins, desks overturned, papers scattered, students clutching their injured legs. And Atlas, holding the editor-in-chief by the collar.
“A-Atlas?! What are you doing here?!”
“Complaining about their lies.”
“I… I see!”
She nodded vigorously, then turned to the editor-in-chief, her gaze firm.
“Atlas Nemea is under my protection. An attack on Atlas is an attack on me. Why did you publish that article…!”
Malcolm Dunmore, the Earl of Dunmore and editor-in-chief, sweat profusely, cornered.
This was what I wanted to do.
I had planned to talk to him privately, explain that the article wasn’t authorized by the other Five Pillars, and demand a retraction. I had brought my sword, just in case. But then that guy pushed my head, and… I got angry. I didn’t want to talk anymore. And this happened. I had anticipated the possibility, of course.
“This is… problematic…”
“How problematic? More problematic than losing your legs here and now? Your guard can get his arms reattached if he goes to the hospital now. Think carefully.”
He dared to complain about his own problems when I was being slandered throughout the Academy? This article had ruined my plans. I had intended to maintain a low profile, focus on my studies, help Amy and River, and hunt demons. Now look at me. I had injured countless students in less than a week. And now, with this article, everyone knew my name. The professors, the students, even the stray dogs probably knew who I was. And my reputation was tarnished. This would follow me throughout my time at the Academy.
Malcolm hadn’t anticipated a united front among the Five Pillars. He probably assumed one of them had ordered the article, without consulting the others. He hadn’t considered the possibility of being caught between two Pillars.
“Alright… This might not be enough, but… I’ll do my best… A retraction… or perhaps some… positive articles about you… in the future…”
He finally surrendered, overwhelmed by Lucia’s unwavering support. His hasty obedience to yesterday’s order, without properly gauging the dynamics among the Five Pillars, had been his downfall. But this was just correcting a mistake, something he should have done from the start. The real battle between me and the newspaper club was just beginning.
I adjusted my grip on my bloodless longsword.
“You haven’t told me who gave you the order.”
“What will you do if you know? Do the same to them?”
“It’s not impossible.”
Malcolm’s eyes darted around. He was no longer surprised.
“You… you’ll regret this…”
“That’s not your concern. Did you forget what I said?”
“Right…”
He didn’t get to decide whether I lived or died. Lucia looked at me, startled.
“Regret? What do you mean…?”
“I’m going to find out who gave the order. I need to know who I’m dealing with.”
“Right! Who ordered this article?!”
Malcolm hesitated. I wished she hadn’t spoken. I could have… extracted the information more… persuasively. But he surrendered easily.
“Very well… It was… Golden. They contacted me immediately after the duel.”
Golden, among the Five Pillars, could only mean one thing.
The Golden Phrygia.
Shaara Phrygia, that psychopath, was behind this. My blood boiled.
“Good. Let’s go crush Phrygia.”
“W-we’re going to… fight again…?”
I wanted to tie her up and beat her senseless, but I kept my desires to myself.
The Academy, unlike ordinary schools, had a fully equipped hospital. Students were constantly being admitted, injured in duels, dungeon explorations, or magical experiments. Duels were a frequent cause of hospital visits.
Edgar Lemnos, having lost the duel, was recovering in a private room. He regained consciousness after half a day.
“Ugh… everything hurts…”
He felt a sharp pain, not muscle soreness, but the throbbing ache of bruises. He hadn’t realized it yesterday, but he had taken quite a beating from that little person.
“I’ll win next time…”
It was his first defeat against a peer. After reaching mid-level Sword Expert, he had been unmatched among his age group. The Lemnos family’s secret technique, the Flame Blade, gave him an overwhelming advantage.
But he had lost, utterly defeated, without even landing a single blow.
“Once I recover… No, I need to train harder…”
He decided to focus on training. He wouldn’t stand a chance in a rematch. His leg felt fine. The bruises remained, but the deep cut had healed completely. They must have prioritized that injury. He was testing his leg’s mobility when something caught his eye.
A newspaper.
Today’s edition, distributed to every room. The front page featured an article about his duel.
“What’s this? Duel invalid…?”
He crumpled the newspaper.
“They think I’m a joke?!”
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