"Hey, did you hear? There's supposed to be a duel today."

"Who?"

"You know, that kid who eats a lot, and the second son of the Miller family."

"Really? That sounds interesting. When's it happening?"

"In a bit. We're close by, so want to go watch?"

"Sure."

So the word had already spread.

Well, it’s not surprising, given that the duel challenge was issued right in the classroom.

There’s a saying that the most entertaining spectacle is a fight. No doubt, a crowd would gather to watch.

"Uh, Sensei…"

Leo looked at me, his expression nervous.

Even though I had reassured him yesterday, the thought of people watching the duel made him uneasy.

"Don’t worry, Leo. All you have to do is win."

"But…"

Guilt was written all over Leo's face.

"I know I’m not completely innocent… Is there any way to avoid this without fighting?"

"No, there isn’t."

Sure, there were plenty of ways to avoid a fight.

But there were too many reasons why Leo needed to fight.

Even if he didn’t want to, I was going to make him. Because that’s how he would grow.

"If you think it’s your fault, just lose to Allen. Pathetically. The moment the duel starts, roll over and present your belly in submission."

"Th-That’s…"

"But do you think a proud noble like him would accept that?"

"…"

Maybe I went a bit too far with that?

Leo hung his head, probably regretting how things had come to this.

…To be honest, I don’t think Leo was blameless either.

Even if he technically didn’t break any rules, there’s still something to be said for etiquette.

Players in the game used to argue about this too—about who was more in the wrong.

I’m not sure who’s more at fault.

Maybe they’re both to blame, or maybe Leo is more at fault, or maybe Allen is.

From Allen’s perspective, Leo is an unwelcome presence.

A swordsman suddenly joining a class meant for mages must have been irritating, but Allen tolerated it.

Picking on Leo for that would have been beneath him, after all.

He probably just planned to ignore him.

But when Leo did something that crossed the line, Allen couldn’t hold back.

From his point of view, Leo was just an annoying pest.

Looking at it from Leo’s side, it’s hard to say what else he could have done.

He didn’t have enough money for food, so he hunted wild animals in the woods behind the academy and cooked them as best he could.

Of course, the makeshift cooking didn’t completely eliminate the smell, and Leo knew that, but…

The academy rules prohibited eating outside food.

Which makes sense—this is an academy that nobles attend.

Even though the media is well-developed, the class system still exists.

The gap in etiquette between commoners and nobles is vast.

To bridge that gap, the academy outright banned outside food.

What might be acceptable behavior for commoners could be seen as offensive to nobles.

As a result, the only places to eat are the classroom and the cafeteria. But the cafeteria doesn’t allow outside food.

So, Leo had no choice but to eat in the classroom, knowing it might be disrespectful to others.

"Tch. What a bother."

"Orca."

"He knows it's technically not against the rules, but he still picked a fight. That’s not entirely Leo’s fault either."

"…"

"Besides, wasn’t it just the mages who were annoyed? Then the answer’s simple."

I didn’t care who was more at fault.

I only cared about one thing.

That Leo would grow from this experience.

Didn’t I mention before that some things can’t be understood until you experience them yourself?

…This is one of those times.

The reason I didn’t give Leo money to prevent this situation was because of this.

Leo wants to become a knight.

So is it really necessary for me to step in and prevent this incident?

No, it isn’t.

Leo needs to learn from this.

He needs to understand, not just in his head, but in his heart, that some actions, even if not technically wrong, can still offend others.

He’s an orphan, so he hasn’t had much experience living with other people.

If I smoothed everything over for him, he might become a knight easily enough.

But is that really the right thing to do?

Becoming a knight without understanding the problems that arise in group settings—would that really be a solution?

I’m not so sure.

Leo’s dream is to become a knight.

In a game, it would be great if he could become a knight, and then the credits would roll.

But this is reality. It may resemble a game, but it’s real now.

There are no end credits. He has to think about what comes after becoming a knight.

"Fight, Leo."

"And win."

…Besides, this is a good opportunity for him to spar with a mage.

It won’t hurt him to experience it once.

If he gets beaten by a mage now, it’ll be easier to take them down later.

"Hmm, that’s right. But since this is a forced fight… You might not be motivated without a reward."

"A reward…?"

"If you win, I’ll give you something nice."

"?!"

"S-Sensei?! What do you mean…?!"

Huh.

Why are they reacting like that?

"Are you ready, Leo?"

"…"

"Tch. Ignoring me, huh?"

Leo couldn’t focus.

He barely heard Allen and his cronies speaking in front of him, their voices fading into the background.

Though he knew he had done something that bothered the other students, he was too preoccupied to worry about that now.

Because something far more shocking had happened.

"…"

He knew it wasn’t true.

Ophelia-sensei is a kind person. She helps Orca, she listens to my worries.

What she meant by "something nice" must have been something like a treat or something simple.

It couldn’t be what Orca and I thought.

After all, when we were startled, Sensei didn’t seem to notice why we were so surprised.

That’s definitely it. But still…

"Ahhhhhh…!"

"Has he lost his mind?"

His thoughts were a mess.

Thinking about it, Ophelia-sensei is incredibly beautiful.

The kind of beauty that makes you feel like she would hold you close and comfort you, no matter what happened.

The more he tried not to think about it, the more his mind filled with impossible fantasies, and he hated himself for it.

"…Whatever. I don’t know what you’re thinking about, but it’s none of my concern. You’re ready, right?"

"P-Please, start…"

"Alright. When the referee drops the coin, we begin."

Ah, he couldn’t concentrate at all.

What could that "nice thing" be?

His mind was flooded with the image of Sensei smiling as she promised him something nice.

…And that distraction cost him dearly.

"?!"

"Daydreaming, are we? Feeling confident, huh?!"

Leo noticed the sudden shift in the ground beneath him too late. He tried to dodge, but his reaction was too slow, and he ended up getting hurt.

"Are you trying to kill me…?!"

"Don’t worry. The medical facilities here are top-notch. As long as you’re not dead on the spot, you’ll live."

"…"

"This is a duel, Leo."

Suddenly, Leo’s mind cleared.

He looked around and saw that many students were watching them.

…A duel.

He looked down at his left hand, which had been injured. The wound was worse than he had expected.

For someone like Leo, who wielded a two-handed sword, an injury to his arm was dangerous.

If he fought normally, he’d lose quickly. And that was unacceptable.

He didn’t want to lose his first duel so easily.

"I’m hungry."

"What… nonsense are you spouting now?"

"I’m so hungry I can’t stand it."

His stomach growled loudly.

Allen looked at him in confusion, and Leo declared,

"Sorry, but I need to end this quickly. I need to eat."

"S-Sword aura…?"

The sword in Leo’s hand was enveloped in pure energy.

…Allen seemed to misunderstand, but this wasn’t sword aura.

Sword aura is a high-level technique that involves coating the blade with refined mana.

It requires skill in both swordsmanship and magic.

Leo didn’t have the ability to use sword aura. He wasn’t skilled enough in either swordsmanship or magic.

But he could mimic it.

It wasn’t mana, but pure energy that Leo had used all his life, as naturally as breathing.

Because of that, his growth had been stunted, making him appear like a child.

So while Leo couldn’t use sword aura, he could mimic it.

"You… You could use sword aura all along?! Then why…?!"

"…This isn’t sword aura. It’s a bit complicated to explain."

The problem was that, unlike sword aura, which could be used continuously, this was a one-time thing.

It wasn’t like circulating fuel within his body; it was more like forcing it out.

…He had to end this in one strike.

"If you block this, you win. If not, I win. Simple, right?"

"Haha… Fine. Simple enough."

A magic circle appeared before Allen, and a thick wall began to rise between them.

And all Leo had to do was swing with everything he had.

Without overthinking it, he put all his strength into one attack.