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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Vine
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The special training grounds were packed.
It wasn’t even a holiday. There were many professors there too.
Even Professor Buckingham, who rarely took a day off, was here.
“That old geezer… If only he’d give us time off…”
In the VIP lounge, the Headmaster, Lemnos, and the Captain sat side-by-side, their exchange was…tense.
I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but the Headmaster’s frequent sighs were indicative of a strained conversation.
If Lemnos tried to argue, he would surely lose. There was a difference in power between him and the Captain.
She was a Master, while he was only an Expert.
The Royal Knights had a short history.
Unlike the Sky Knights or the Tiger Knights, who had existed since the founding of the Empire, the Royal Knights were only a century old.
So why were they considered the best? Because it was a Master-centric organization.
The Empire’s Masters had always come from the Five Pillars, either from Lemnos or Russell.
The families with Masters were the most influential, wielding as much influence as the Imperial family.
But… two generations ago, the Five Pillars stopped producing Masters.
A new Master had come from a minor noble family and the Royal Family created the Royal Knights, based around her power.
The Five Pillars never recovered from their loss.
They never had a chance.
That’s why Lemnos couldn’t win. The Captain had something he craved. His efforts would be nothing more than a pathetic attempt at revenge.
“It must be a heavy weight to be burdened with these expectations?”
“Yes… I won’t show a disgraceful figure this time.”
Edgar Lemnos stood before me, his magic sword, Flamberg, burning bright.
He was wearing armor this time.
He was very different from the time he was just wearing casual clothes, during our first duel.
[The duel will now commence!]
Five lights emanated from the arena, as a spatial dimension was created.
Lemnos disappeared.
When my vision cleared, I was in a strange environment.
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The special training grounds resembled a coliseum. The spectators sat surrounding the arena, but they could only watch through a hologram.
The arena was isolated by a spatial dimension.
In a private VIP room, the representatives of the Five Pillars had gathered once again. Alvion, Perda, and Frigia were there, as always.
Alvion, however, was missing.
He had greeted Edward, who had entered the Academy in the morning, before leaving the VIP room.
“Shara, you look upset, Does that mean you are betting that Lemnos will lose again?”
“How could he win after the last duel?”
Shara Frigia was irritated by Perda’s taunt.
She was worried, she believed in Atlas, and had no doubts about his victory.
But… that would mean another defeat for the Lemnos family, in front of everyone.
Why was he even doing this?
Lemnos was a symbol of the Five Pillars, and he kept tarnishing their brand.
“Where did Alvion go?”
“Heh, who knows… maybe he’s working behind the scenes?”
“The duel has already started. If he had the brains, he wouldn’t risk that.”
The duel had started. The spatial dimension had been created. What could he possibly do now?
Even if it was possible, would it be worth the risk?
The Headmaster and the professors were watching. Could he really get away with it?
‘Someone capable of making a rational decision would never do that.’
But Perda just smiled.
“Shara, people aren’t always rational. The definition of reason changes, depending on what’s important to them.”
“…I’ll look for Alvion, just in case.”
“Now?”
“If Lemnos loses, and they discover Alvion’s interference… the Five Pillars will be ruined!”
“Edgar just needs to win.”
“What?!”
“As long as he wins, it won’t matter. The Royal Knights Captain has nothing to do with us. Why would she care if we cheated? He just needs to win.”
“……You…!”
Shara was furious.
At herself. His logic was sound, from a purely rational perspective, if it wasn’t for the lessons I’ve learned, I may have sided with him.
It was best to minimize losses.
She wouldn’t have done it herself, she would have used pawns.
“……I wonder if anyone else is thinking like this? Not me, of course.”
Perda grinned.
She despised him.
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River and Amy, initially in the general seats, had been invited to a VIP lounge by Lucia.
“H-hello…”
“Hello, I’m Seymour.”
“Hello… I’m Parker.”
They looked awkward in the dimly lit room, strangers thrust together.
They didn’t know each other. Their connection was Atlas.
‘What… do I do now…?’
Lucia had been incredibly brave to invite them.
Atlas had been dividing his time, between seeing Amy and River and seeing Lucia.
She had been enjoying it but, at a certain point, her thinking shifted.
She was spending too little time with him.
After she had spent some time with him while the two of them were in the hospital, she realized how precious the time with him was.
She became incredibly sad after learning about their discharge, but that sparked an idea.
If she became friends with River and Amy… her time with Atlas would increase threefold.
Reaching out to people she barely knew was… hard, but the reward was worth it.
‘I should… explain why I invited them… that I want to be friends.’
But she had no idea how to continue.
The lack of social experience was a very real burden for her.
“I am very grateful for the invitation.”
River took the lead, sensing Lucia’s hesitation. She seemed like a genuine noble lady, nothing like her usual self, when she was covered in mud, carrying a wooden sword.
“It’s an honor to be invited by Russell. I look forward to a great relationship.”
“…Yes, same here.”
Lucia’s stiff response broke the tension somewhat.
‘I… should have said that…!’
River had taken charge. She felt… inadequate.
“The duel has started!”
The hologram shifted, showing a volcanic landscape.
Atlas and Lemnos were close together.
River frowned. “Atlas looks… strange.”
He was standing differently from his usual stance. He seemed tired.
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The special training ground was a volcanic landscape.
There was no lava, but the ground was scorching.
“A volcano… perfect.”
Edgar Lemnos was smiling. His family’s territory had a volcano.
He considered this a good omen.
“I need to sleep, finish this quickly.”
“I will!”
He raised his flaming sword. This was not the sword he had retrieved from the Captain.
This was a regular blade.
I had already destroyed several of these swords, but I hoped this one will last.
The Flamberg had to be avoided, it would instantly shatter my blade.
I had no ill will towards him now, so I just wanted to end this duel.
I felt… strange. It had all happened in that instant.
‘What is this…?!’
My body felt heavy. My breathing was labored. I felt like I had a boulder on my shoulders.
I had been fine before entering this space, but something was… wrong.
If it was this difficult for me… then ordinary people wouldn’t stand a chance.
“Did you do this?”
“What are you talking about?”
Lemnos looked genuinely confused. I couldn’t detect any deception from his face.
‘I dealt with all those goons last night.’
Could someone be interfering? And doing it right under the Headmaster’s nose?
I pushed all the thoughts aside.
“Whatever.”
The duel had already begun.
Worrying about it now was pointless.
I just… got screwed.
It would not matter, in the end.
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