The moment classes ended, the halls flooded with students. Some were heading for the cafeteria, some headed for their dorms. However, the majority of them were pulling towards the announcement boards strewn about in the halls.

Curiosity pulled me in, and I split from the others and headed for a look.

And there it was. The one piece of parchment that had caught the attention of anyone who passed it. An announcement for an academy-sanctioned duel in a few days’ time.

With how often duels take place in the academy, a duel happening on school grounds should come as no surprise; heck, maybe even be expected. However, what caught the students’ attention, and also mine, were the participants in the duel.

Ricent, First-Year Mage Class.

Vs

Mirabelle Vareid, First-Year Mage Class.

I froze on the spot. My jaw was all but physically on the floor.

 Murmurs around me reached both sets of my ears. 

“A duel between mages! I can’t wait to see it!”

“I haven’t seen a mage duel since last year! Is it always the first years, though?”

“It’s tradition at this point. But I’m sure it’ll be as much of a spectacle as last year’s.”

This was supposed to be a private duel, wasn’t it? A quiet moment to settle scores? Why was this announcement here, acting like a promotional poster for a boxing match?

How.

How in the world did it turn out this way?

“Ah, Lady Carine!” an energetic voice called out. I turned to find the same face being sketched on the announcement board. 

Mirabelle, still perfect in her mage uniform. She had a cheeky smile as if she had just done something to be proud of. “I see that you’ve noticed the event,” she said with a grin.

“Mirabelle.” My voice came out low. I closed the distance between us in three strides, stopping just short of her.

Her smile faltered. “W-What’s wrong?”

“Come with me for a moment.”

I didn’t wait for a reply and turned on my heel. The crowd parted for me, giving me a path.

“A-Ah! Lady Carine, wait!”

The frantic patter of her footsteps followed me down the hall.

…

The courtyard was a relief after the packed hallways. We sat at one of the marble pavilions overlooking the well-cared gardens. The view was nice, the air was fresh, but the atmosphere was anything but.

I leaned forward, arms locked on the cool tabletop. Mirabelle fidgeted, twisting a strand of her twirly hair around her finger.

“Why did you bring me out here, Lady Carine?” she asked, her eyes darting to my face and away again. “Is it… about the duel?”

I let out a silent sigh as I eased my posture. 

“Why did you challenge him?” I asked directly.

“Why?” She blinked, then seemed to gather herself, squaring her shoulders to face me fully. “It’s simple, really. I’m going to teach him his place!”

So he heard that part correctly.

“And why do you think he needs that lesson?”

“Because he was rude, obviously!” she said with a look of disgust. “He arrives late, chats with everyone like he knows us, and when I was practicing my chanting and motions, he jumped in and clapped my hand.” She said the last part with utter horror, miming a high-five.

“…That sounds like him, alright,” I mumbled hopelessly.

Ricent’s nice and all, but growing up in a rowdy tavern doesn’t exactly make you polite. Annoying Mirabelle was probably inevitable. Part of me had hoped their bickering was just a strange form of bonding between classmates.

However, after reading today’s announcement, that delusion was murdered in cold blood. Things had gotten way out of hand.

“I heard you meant to duel him privately today. Is that correct?”

Her eyes widened. “How did you know? I didn’t tell anybody besides that buffoon.”

“Let’s just say I… heard from a friend.” I shut that line of questioning down. “Well?”

“Well, yes, you heard right.” She nodded. “I wanted to duel him after school in private today, but when I asked Instructor Cowell if I could reserve a place for a duel, her eyes lit up… When she finished filing the papers… This came to be.”

I lowered my head into my hands. This was worse than I’d thought.

If this went on, Ricent was finished. His words from yesterday during our tour echoed in my head. 

“—I don’t know any spells yet, you know?”

A mage student with one week of formal training versus a complete novice who high-fived during practice.

I have to admit…

He’s screwed.

He wasn’t just going to lose. He was going to be annihilated. Utterly and hopelessly annihilated. And in front of the entire gossip-hungry academy, no less. With all the missteps he’d already made, this duel wouldn’t just be a defeat. It would be the final, resounding nail in the coffin of his life here, not to mention the potential injury he might face.

At this point, he needed all the help he could get.

I cleared my throat and turned to face Mirabelle again, hoping to sound less confrontational this time.

“Mirabelle… given the disparity in experience… would you consider holding back on him?”

She blinked in silence, utterly surprised. “Holding back? But why? He was the one who started it, and besides, he agreed to the terms himself!” she said, her chin lifting with pride.

He probably agreed without knowing what he just signed up for.

“Of course,” I said, shifting course. “But you know the power of your spells… A serious injury could reflect poorly in your image and the academy’s. They might see it as excessive force.”

“Oh, don’t worry! That’s all covered! He already signed on the liability clause too..”

“He what?”

She nodded, still with the same proud smile, “It was all in the contract. It’s the same contract for all duels in the academy, too.”

Read before you sign, you idiot!!

“But it bring sme pleasure to see that you care about me so much, Lady Carine! You even complimented my spells! I assure you, I will do my best in the arena! I’ll show the crowd what true magic is like! Ohoho!”

Then the word ‘crowd’ seemed to echo in her own ears. Her smile stiffened. “A… crowd. Oh. Oh, dear.” 

Her confidence slowly fizzled away, replaced by fluttering anxiety. “Instructor Cowell did say these duels draw attention… How many will there be, do you think? What does one even wear for such a thing? Are dresses allowed…?”

Welp. So much for that. 

Asking her to pull her punches was a dead end. Her pride and sudden nervousness about performing in front of a crowd guaranteed she’d come out swinging with everything she had.

I was at a complete loss.

My only hope was that Ricent could put up a decent fight. But that was a joke. He didn’t know any spells, and I doubted he would learn a significant amount in time, not enough to go against Mirabelle at least, who had learned a week’s worth.

Ricent was still my friend. I couldn’t just stand by, watching his peaceful life in the academy fleet away. 

But what can I even do now?

As Mirabelle was wondering if she was allowed to bring her fan into the arena, a thought occurred to me.

Why?

Why had I been reading so many books for?

That’s right. To gather knowledge. Knowledge about Talents, magic, and this world.

And… I just so happened to have the knowledge on how a basic spell was cast and how a basic spell was learned. I couldn’t apply it myself, or at least I tried, but it didn’t yield results, probably because of my lack of Magical Talents…

But Ricent had one. And he needed to learn some spells, quick.

If there was anyone who could use my knowledge right now, it was probably him. 

I must be out of my mind, trying to masquerade as an instructor despite only being a student for a week, and not even in the same class as him, but I couldn’t help but get weirdly excited at the prospect of teaching him.

Is teaching… my passion?

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep