The academy is a microcosm of society.

Especially in Hernan Academy, where all sorts of nobles gathered, it was no exaggeration to say it was already a small political arena.

The important thing in politics is not to be underestimated by the opposition.

One had to prove their superiority over others by any means necessary.

Add to that the adolescent boys’ inherent desire to appear strong, and “the incompetent second son of a count who failed to enter S-Class”—this subject alone was enough to satisfy all those needs.

‘And on top of that, he’s a second son of a count without succession rights. It’s only natural that I, the eldest son of a viscount’s family who will one day become a true noble, am considered above him, right?’

If the second son of a count survived the struggle for succession, he would generally end up as the lord of a suitable viscountcy. Should the second son of the Count of Traverse become a viscount, he would wield much more power than a usual viscount.

But Reducte Britel, the eldest son who lived like a king in Britel—a common viscountcy in the provinces—had no way of knowing this.

He was inexperienced, and all he saw was a second son with a lower class, so he looked down on him.

“Hey, what did you just say—?”

“Ottbo.”

The first to react was Ottbo.

He had stepped up, knowing that if Luca responded angrily in this situation, it would look like an A-Class student, feeling inferior to S-Class, was rebelling.

And Luca, for his part, appropriately held him back.

Someone needed to play the peacemaker.

However, unlike the two second sons who had learned the basics of getting by, Reducte Britel did not understand moderation.

So he thought such tactics were cowardly.

“You stay out of this, Ottbo Gress. There’s no need for S-Class students to fight among themselves.”

“There’s no need for academy students to fight at all. S-Class or A-Class, we’re all talented students who will work for the Hernan Empire in the future.”

“Ha! Are you defending him just because you’re both second sons of counts? There’s a world of difference between the incompetent who ended up in A-Class and the genius who made it to S-Class!”

The entrance ceremony would begin soon, so if they stayed put a little longer, it would all be over.

Besides, they were in different classes, so they wouldn’t cross paths much and the attention would fade in time.

But it seemed Ottbo had trouble keeping his cool.

Whack!

“?!”

“What did you say? Say that again!”

Ottbo punched Reducte in the face. Reducte, stunned for a moment, immediately pushed Ottbo in the chest.

“Are you out of your mind?!”

“Ugh!”

Crash!

Unlike Reducte, who was unscathed after being punched in the face, Ottbo was sent flying and tumbled to the ground with just a push.

It was obvious how a contest of strength would go between Reducte, who had entered Hernan Academy for swordsmanship, and Ottbo, a full-fledged mage who’d lose magical power from physical exercise.

“What, are they fighting?”

“Haha! Amazing, and it’s only the first day! Who are those guys?”

“Damn… damn it…!”

Ottbo struggled to his feet, but his whole body was already covered in scrapes.

Reducte jeered at him.

“What’s this, so fragile? Shouldn’t you be demoted to A-Class as well?”

“You bastard…!”

“That’s enough.”

At that moment, Luca stepped in between them.

Luca slung Ottbo over his shoulder as if carrying an object and stared quietly at Reducte for a moment.

Then, without another word, he headed for the infirmary.

Mockery followed in their wake from Reducte and his entourage.

“Oh~ so Luca Traverse was your subordinate? No wonder he cares about you!”

“Puhaha!”

“Those bastards!”

Ottbo struggled in frustration but couldn’t break free from Luca’s firm hold.

‘W-why is this guy’s arm so solid?’

He knew Luca was strong from his performance in the class assignment test, but actually touching him made it clear just how hard he’d trained.

Beneath that delicate exterior, there lay a body harder than steel.

With Luca walking silently, Ottbo, too, could say nothing.

In the end, they walked in silence for several minutes until they reached the infirmary.

“Oh my, did you two fight on the first day of the new term?”

“Please examine his condition.”

The infirmary teacher, Reyna, looked at them in wonder, then smiled at Luca, who all but threw Ottbo onto the bed.

“For people who fought, you seem to get along well?”

“It wasn’t me.”

“Oh, is that so? Let’s see…”

Reyna checked over Ottbo’s body and immediately took some medicine from the cupboard.

“They’re just scratches. His muscles are a bit stiff from tension. A little rest and he’ll be fine.”

“Please take care of him.”

“Oh my, aren’t you going to wait?”

Luca made to leave straight away.

Reyna, applying medicine to Ottbo, looked at him curiously.

“I’ll need to explain why I missed the entrance ceremony, so it’s better if I go ahead.”

“My, what a mature student. I could give the message myself, though.”

“It’s alright. Also, it’ll probably be better for him to calm down if I’m not here.”

Luca glanced at Ottbo.

Ottbo looked uneasy.

He was worried that his friend would be disadvantaged by missing the entrance ceremony because of his own mistake, and that filled him with guilt.

“It’d be better for you to worry about your own future than about me.”

Luca left the infirmary with a slight smile.

“Young master.”

Bella was waiting next to the infirmary door.

Beneath her expressionless face simmered cold anger.

“The entrance ceremony?”

“… It’s already started.”

“It wouldn’t look good to show up in the middle, would it?”

“No.”

“Tsk, this is going to be a bit of work. I’ll have to make excuses to my supervising teacher, lady Mother, and Lord Father.”

“… You won’t need to worry about the lord and madam.”

“Is that so.”

He could more or less guess this, given that his parents hadn’t appeared even after such a commotion, but hearing it confirmed it—Luca’s parents had not come.

Luca fell silent for a moment, then replied flatly to the anxious Bella.

“And do you know who those guys earlier were?”

“They’re Reducte Britel, eldest son of the Britel viscount’s house, and some illegitimate sons of House Epale. If I may say so, young master, they’re not worth your attention.”

“They still made it into S-Class, somehow. Unless…”

‘Could it have been deliberate?’

Luca swallowed the words.

To say that someone had intentionally put unworthy people into S-Class would cause quite a misunderstanding if overheard.

“What should I do, young master? Shall I contact their families?”

“No. I’m not doing something so graceless. What happened to me, I’ll handle myself.”

“Then…”

Luca pressed his lips together.

“Just find out where those guys go after the entrance ceremony.”

“Yes, young master.”

* * *

“Wow~ Being selected as the student representative in fourth year! Not only your sword skills but your charisma is amazing!”

“…”

“What are you looking for, Wylde?”

Blue eyes shining clear like a lake, and deep green hair.

Though he had the same eyes and hair color as Luca, the young man behind the stage at the entrance ceremony in the hall had a completely different aura as he looked outside.

“Didn’t you say that kid brother of yours is starting this year? Must be looking for your sibling, right?”

“Oh~ are you close with your brother? Mine is always out to get me.”

“Haha, your brother’s not Wylde Traverse, though. With someone like Wylde, there’d be no reason to fight no matter who the younger sibling is.”

“Well, it’s natural for Wylde to inherit the territory, right?”

“That’s not set in stone.”

“?”

To his joking friends, Wylde Traverse responded flatly.

“Luca’s swordsmanship grows sharper and tougher by the day. Even I can’t guarantee I’ll win in our final duel.”

“What the hell? We can’t even imagine you losing.”

“More importantly, I can’t see Luca anywhere. Maybe he went to the bathroom?”

Wylde Traverse looked all through the hall, but he still couldn’t find Luca.

Of course, that was because Luca was simply not there.

“The entrance ceremony’s about to start. Get ready.”

“… Understood.”

Wylde Traverse looked for Luca until the ceremony was over, but never saw him.

‘Has something happened?’

His face clouded slightly.

“Wylde, what’s wrong? Still couldn’t find your brother?”

“Looks like he couldn’t attend the ceremony.”

“Hmm? Oh~ there was some commotion earlier—I wonder if that was about your brother?”

Wylde Traverse’ trusted friend, mika Welch, suddenly seemed to remember something.

He was a handsome youth with luscious blond hair; anyone could see the noble grace in his appearance.

With a worried expression, he asked,

“Does it bother you?”

“… Luca doesn’t like me very much. So, even if I’m concerned, I can’t go looking for him.”

“That’s sibling relationships for you. Then, should I check up on him for you?”

At Mika Welch’ words, Wylde Traverse fell silent for a moment, then slowly nodded.

“Then I’ll leave it to you.”

Luca Traverse did not attend the entrance ceremony. He himself could not have guessed how greatly this small event would alter the future.

* * *

“Hahaha! Did you see their faces?”

“Counts are nothing. Who knew a second son could be that pathetic!”

“It’s time for a generational shift. Time to bring new blood into the Hernan Empire’s stale nobility!”

On the way to the dorms after the entrance ceremony,

Reducte and his friends were elated.

Today, they’d shown the whole student body how they crushed the second son of a well-known count.

It was an entrance ceremony debut to be envied.

Having been admitted to S-Class at Hernan Academy, they figured that, as long as they proved their talent until graduation, their future was assured.

Drunk on their own self-importance, mentioning even the imperial noble system, they were stopped in their tracks by Luca’s appearance.

“Well, look who it is. Isn’t this Luca Traverse, the one who tucked his tail and ran?”

“Haha! Here to get revenge?”

“Go ahead and try! Not that it’ll change the outcome.”

Seeing Luca, Reducte and his friends were thrilled.

The sight of the dog who’d run away returning was too funny.

But Luca calmly pulled gloves from his pocket and put them on as he spoke.

“For nobles, it is a duty to maintain dignity. Etiquette, honor, and reputation. Upholding these is the most important thing that distinguishes nobles from commoners. Tell me, have you upheld these?”

“What are you talking about?”

Not understanding Luca’s words, Reducte and his friends surrounded him as if they would jump him at any moment.

“What I mean is this: If our families pursue formal complaints over your mocking words at a public venue, and your assault on Ottbo Gress, you will be liable for damages.”

“W-what are you even saying?”

“So you’re threatening to tell your mommy at home? Puhaha! Like they’d do anything for some second son!”

Laughing sarcastically, Reducte was met with Luca’s indifferent remark.

“They would. A mere viscount’s son daring to lay a hand on the blood of a count could be seen as rebellion. Whether I am the first or second son doesn’t matter. What matters is that I am the blood of House Traverse. And that I was humiliated in public by someone of lower rank.”

“…….”

“H-hey, Reducte. Is that… is that true…?”

Reducte’s friends looked at him, suddenly nervous.

Seeing his friends’ stares, Reducte faltered,

but soon raised his voice in forced bravado.

“O-of course it’s a lie! Who—who’d believe such a thing?”

“You can ignore my words, but if you do, your families will face trouble.”

Luca’s dry tone made the pressure even greater, and Reducte bit his lip.

“S-so what do you want? Are you telling us to apologize?”

“No. Traditionally, there has always been only one way for those who wield swords to resolve matters.”

Tap.

Luca took off his gloves and threw them before them.

“In the name of Luca Melborne Traverse, I challenge you all to a duel.”

————-= Clacky’s Corner ————-=

Pathetic bitches that don’t know the rules…

【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep