Chapter 8 – Duel
Part 1
It was the day after the party.
Marie was on top of her bed, holding her knees under her arms.
She chewed on the nail of her thumb while muttering to herself.
“Who the hell is that mob?! Why did he get in the way of my perfect plan?”
Yesterday, she said that she had felt sick and shut herself in to her room, but the capture target boys agreed on their own that it was likely due to the shock of being challenged to a duel.
“Everything will be fine. Those five can’t lose, and that mob seems unreliably weak, so it’ll be fine. Actually, just looking at him makes me irritated. He makes me remember my dead older brother.”
While she muttered about how worthless of a brother he was, her exclusive servant, Kyle, knocked and soon entered.
“H, hey, please wait for me to answer first!”
Kyle, who displayed a disgruntled attitude towards a cautious Marie, sighed.
“I’ll be careful next time.”
“You didn’t follow my warning this time either.”
Kyle, who was promptly preparing breakfast, had no problems in terms of his appearance or work. However, he had a small peculiarity in his personality.
Due to that, he remained unsold, and even when he was sold, he was returned to the slave firm. That was his setting.
“There’s a larger portion of vegetables for today’s breakfast.”
“…I hate vegetables.”
“Please eat at least this much. You’re being a miserable master.”
He spoke as if his master wasn’t really his master.
(Despite being a stuck-up in the game, I thought of him as a cute little brother character, but being with him everyday is getting irritating. Well, I’ll forgive him since he’s a pretty boy.)
After being with him for several weeks, Marie thought it was good that the pretty boy cared after her.
She thought about how swell things would be if males who could do housework and treated females with utmost cruciality existed in her previous world.
“So what happened with the discussion about the duel?”
Kyle poured a drink into a cup and offered it to Marie.
“It seems we got permission to use the arena. It appeared that Jilk and Brad had a hard time persuading the academy. I only heard this from fellow servants, but it also seems that Leon boy’s marks are at the low end of the upper range. Everyone has been saying that he won’t win.”
“I, I see.”
With that, Marie felt relieved and ate her breakfast.
“Please recognize my efforts. It was tough going around listening to other servants.”
“Th, thank you.”
Her exclusive servant acted under the expectation that he would receive gratitude in return, but she put with it since he had good looks and did his work.
(*sigh*, I’m quite commendable. If it were any other girl, they would have sent this boy away by now. In my generosity, I’ll tolerate him.)
Marie thought of herself as an open-minded person.
(My plans have gone slightly askew, but Anjelica will nevertheless be driven out. That woman really is an idiot for challenging me to a duel after just slightly provoking her.)
Knowing Anjelica’s violent character, she purposely agitated her at the party venue. She made a display of herself by approaching Julian, and then afterwards clinging to a different boy and holding his hand.
(Now I need to make preparations for the summer vacation. I need to gather items in the dungeon, and also collect that.)
By that, she was referring to equipment that the protagonist normally would have.
Marie knew it would be the key to the future of the story.
(I’m really looking forward to this. It’s only a little bit more until I’m praised as a saint…)
“Today and the day before have been really cruel on me.”
Inside my devastated room, I folded my arms and looked up to the ceiling.
Luxon, who had disappeared, then showed up.
Luxon descended into my field of vision, and then projected an image onto our surroundings. I looked into a video which was floating in the air.
[Master, while you were out, some students had barged in and laid waste to your room. The perpetrators were from a group you belonged to, and the one who gave the orders was from a different group.]
It seemed that since I picked a fight with Julian, the rich group employed the lower caste group to wreck my room.
I came back from the school building, only to come across this cruel situation.
In the video. I could see the figures of Daniel and Raymond being ordered around.
“Those two were forced to do it?”
[It seems your friendship was short-lived.]
“They were just prioritizing their own future. Looking at how gloomy their expressions are while being ordered, I can’t blame them. You’re being narrow-minded.”
Getting agitated, Luxon talked back as if angry.
[I don’t want to be told that by you, master. Anyways, there are already students trying to start a bet on this duel within the academy.]
When looking at the image, it turned out that I was becoming the underdog. However, the bet hadn’t been established. The reason was that nobody was betting on me.
“I’m overwhelmingly unpopular.”
[Did you think you were popular in the first place? Anyways, I’ve completed my preparations. That item will arrive on the appointed day, but what will you do until then?]
I thought for a bit.
“Can you prepare ten thousand gold coins? No wait, perhaps five hundred white gold coins will leave a greater impact. There’s no point if I don’t have fun with it.”
[You really are a heartless person. Besides, was it fine to just arbitrarily accept a duel when you intervened? I didn’t feel the necessity in riling them up either.]
I was a silent for a bit before answering.
“…So you saw those five associating with Marie, right? I’m the type of person that likes to resolve troublesome things all at once.”
[The type that makes many blunders.]
“It’s just that I’m not interested in being involved with them for long. I want to finish this quickly. That’s why I felt like agitating them. Those were my feelings. I got angry with their attitude of looking down on others.”
[…Is that so?]
The academy is isolated from the outside, so it’s kind of like its own world. That principle also served as an unspoken rule within the academy.
To many students, this seemed like a duke woman picking a fight with the prince, who belong to the most prestigious family. It was obvious which side was stronger.
However, the trouble lies in when the talks about this don’t remain within the academy.
“Well, once I get the white gold, how about I head towards where the bookmakers are?”
If I bet this much, then all of the students in the academy will bet on the prince and the others.
It was good that since the people around me knew I had earned money from a dungeon, it wouldn’t be suspicious if I held a large amount of cash.
If they knew that Luxon could prepare gold or rare metals, there would definitely be the danger of them trying to kill me and snatch Luxon.
…Well, enough thinking about that. I’m really looking forward to this.
[In that case, I’ll prepare them at once. Please come and pick it up at the harbor. Oh, and your two friends are waiting near your room.]
Sure enough, once I exited the room, Daniel and Raymond were standing there with their eyes cast downward.
couldn’t blame them, seeing them so blue.
Ray whispered.
“S, sorry.”
Daniel also seemed frustrated.
“We were told not to get close with you anymore…we can’t oppose those orders.”
I passed by the two, who seemed like there were about to cry, and called out to them.
“There’s a bet involving this next duel, but if you place your wagers on me, you’ll be able to profit…I’m sorry, you two. I caused trouble for you guys.”
I left the scene at a fast pace.
I was in the academy’s dining room.
There were about five boys gathered there.
“What do we do? We’ve waited so long for a duel, but now it’s not even a bet at this point.”
“It’s obvious that the prince and his crew will win, after all.”
“There’s five of them at least…so perhaps we could change the bet to be about how many people that guy will be able to gather.”
They were the bookmakers in control of the bet.
I appeared before them while pulling a wagon. The five made a startled expression upon seeing me, but I acted indifferent and continued their conversation.
“Here we go, sorry about how troublesome the bet has been. Deciding whether I’ll win or lose is simple, right? Oh right, and this entire pile is what I’m betting.”
I opened a crate, and inside was a mountain of white gold that shined stronger than regular gold. The five gasped in front of the mountain of white gold, which was worth more than regular gold.
“With this much, the bet is established, right?”
Nobody was placing any wagers on me, so there was no bet. That being the case, I thought it would be good to bet a large sum on myself.
This was a match with a victor that everyone was sure about. However, even when people can predict how to profit from the match, there will always be that one idiot who will make an illogical bet.
That one person would definitely be me.
“Is this all white gold? I, Is this really all white gold?”
Speaking in terms of the modern age, this would be worth about one billion to two billion, I believe? Well, it amounts to just that much.
It’s way too big of an amount for a student to deal with.
“Of course. I’m the guy who captured a dungeon. What’s wrong with betting all I have on myself?”
The five people were breathless and began to check that everything was indeed authentic.
“W, with this much, we’ll have people that will place bets.”
“We have to make this public at once!”
“People will get excited this time!”
What mattered most was that things were looking fun.
While thinking so, I heard a voice from behind.
“…Baltfault, we need to talk.”
I looked behind me, thinking for a second that it was my older brother or older sister coming to address me, but it turned out that Anjelica was taking the lead for some reason.
The place fell silent.
The place where I was called to was an unpopulated room.
It seemed that it was normally a place that boys could borrow to hold tea ceremonies.
“I said that I wanted to use this place to hold a discussion with you, so they gladly lent it to me. I’m on good terms with the teachers.”
Could it be that teacher’s, no, mentor’s doing? If it were that instructor, who was the embodiment of a gentleman, then he certainly would be this considerate towards her.
The pleasantry of it, makes me shed a tear.
“…Baltfault, you will withdraw from this duel.”
Anjelica had a slightly haggard face while telling me to drop out of the duel.
“Even if I back down now, I won’t be able to save face anymore.”
I don’t really care about honor. I was participating because I wanted to.
Anjelica made a feeble smile.
“You don’t want to do it anymore, right? They turned your room into a mess. It seems that they’re planning to thoroughly threaten you like this until the time of the duel.”
It appeared as if they were trying hard not to give her even the one in a million chance of winning.
It seemed that Julian and the others weren’t aware of this.
This was a move made by the followers surrounding the prince.
What wonderful loyalty!
However, I won’t forgive them for picking on me.
I’m a small guy. A mob, furthermore.
So, I’d like things to return to normal if possible.
I usually wait for turmoil to calm down, but I decided not to give in to the pressure this time.
“I have no power anymore. I can’t do anything you expect me to do.”
I sighed.
“Did your household say something to you?”
Anjelica strongly clutched her arms, as if hugging herself.
“…They said that it was imprudent of me to propose a duel. But, but…I had to do something. Anything. I wanted that woman to stay away from his Highness! My thoughts turned fuzzy because of that. When I wrote back to them saying that, they told me to be docile. It’s over for me. I’m being sent to a remote region under house arrest. In the worst case scenario──”
──It seemed that it was an internal decision. It appeared that she had to make up for her mistake with her livelihood.
I didn’t think that such a thing will happen, though.
“You’ve got it wrong. To be honest, I don’t really care about a duke household.”
Anjelica lifted her head and made a surprised expression.
“Th, then why did you come forward at that time? Are you an idiot? You’re definitely an idiot! Listen, it’ll be over for you whether you lose or win in the upcoming duel. To start with, your opponents are his Highness the crown prince and other prestigious nobles. What do you plan on doing in the future now that you’ve picked a fight with them?!”
In response to Anjelica, who kept talking until she was out of breath, I made small, meaningful smile.
“I don’t care. I have no need for noble status or honor. Do you know how people in the lower caste are treated in the advanced class? Each day, they’re working their hardest to be self-sufficient, trying to earn the favor of girls. I’m sick of it already. So in that case, I thought that I’d rather beat up all of the guys I hate.”
“You’re going to get your family involved in this trouble as well!”
“Though things may appear that way, I’m an independent knight. It’s just temporary, though. Well, it’s the kind of thing where I’m considered separate from my parents’ household.”
“T, temporary?”
I planned on being independent. When I said that it was temporarily, Anjelica made a awkward face. However, it seemed that my point got through.
Well, I was implying that it was to vent out my stress, but…just like Anjelica, I wasn’t fond of that Marie girl.
“So, you want Marie to stay away from his Highness. I want to beat all those guys up. You see, I think this calls for us to join forces.”
Anjelica hesitated while taking several steps back.
“Are you mad? They’re powerful people at the top of the year.”
That wasn’t a problem.
It may have been tough if this duel happened in the third──no, second year, but at this grade, anything could still happen.
“It’ll be fine. Though I may not look like it, I’m quite strong.”
“Are you even trustworthy?! C, come to think of it, I did hear that many of the adventurers who capture dungeons have a few screws loose in their head. Are you one of those types of people?!”
“How rude! I stepped in because I have a chance of winning. In the first place, you were the one that initiated the duel!”
“L, like I said, that was my mistake. I’m taking responsibility for it. You can stay at the academy. You don’t need to get involved…well, coming forward at that time was plenty enough.”
She might have thought that while everyone was seeing her as the enemy, I was coming to help her without considering gains or losses. Anjelica likely thinks on the inside that I was playing the hero.
For small mobs like me, a hero is something far out of reach.
“No, withdrawing after coming this far is kind of…embarrassing.”
“…Do you realize that your opponents include Greg and Chris? Those guys are seriously strong.”
It was as she said. Not just those two, but the other three also stood out as the strong ones within the grade.
Right, within the grade.
“In addition…just what are you planning to do by betting a large sum on yourself?”
Did I have reason for why I bet a large amount? I did.
I should also mention that I don’t like gambling.
“Would you like to place a bet, then? If you bet on me, you’ll make a profit.”
“I have no need! Does it look like I’m troubled with money?”
It’s things like this that make me remember she’s the daughter of high-class family…well, whatever.
“The harassment will also end soon. There’s only a few days left until the duel.”
I left the room while saying that.
It was the day of the battle.
The area in the academy was very spacious.
The audience were protected by a magic barrier, ensuring perfect safety.
I was in the academy’s arena. When thinking about about how many students came here to duel…well, I didn’t really feel much.
While changing clothes in the waiting room, I looked at my figure.
[It matches you. Well, that’s a given considering that this is an article I prepared for you, master.]
I wore pants and a vest over the dark grey main suit that clung onto my body, which was of a color that matched with an aircraft.
There was a part that guarded the neck.
As expected, these clothes emphasize the outline of my body, which is something I’d rather overlook.
“It’s different from what I had thought. I demand you remake it.”
[I refuse. Even if the color and design aren’t what you expected, that doesn’t change its performance. It’s a bother if you demand me to change it because you don’t like it. Please bear with it.]
Does this thing really think of me as its master?
When I wore a jacket and exited the waiting room, it turned out that Olivia was waiting there.
“──Ah!”
Perhaps leaning on the wall while waiting, she got into a panic and then moved closer to me. I felt that the distance between us was exceedingly close.
“U, um──I can’t do anything, but I’ll cheer you on! I’ll be rooting for you, Leon!”
It was a strange feeling being cheered on by the protagonist.
Normally, she’d be on the side of Julian and the others.
“Did you place a bet on me? If so, you’ve made the right choice. You’re about to make a large profit.”
When I made a thumbs-up and was about to leave, Olivia denied involvement with the bet.
“Huh? I didn’t place a bet. I don’t think people should gamble.”
“O, oh.”
Being told that with her pretty, tranquil eyes, I started feeling ashamed about betting a large amount.
Could this be the power of the protagonist?
It was as if a halo was glowing behind Olivia, too dazzling for those of a crooked heart.
Once the two of us headed from the waiting room to the arena, the five opponents were already present there.
They were already wearing the armor they were proud of and made a display of it to the audience.
Rather than calling them armor, they were more like robots, and their sizes spanned almost three meters. They were items akin to a powered suit, wonderful weapons modelled after a human, and could fly in the air.
“Oh~, what flashy coloring.”
A row of armor with flashy ornaments attached were lined up, starting with the crown prince’s white one.
A unified booing erupted once I appeared.
When looking at the audiences’ seats, I could see the figures of both Daniel and Raymond. When I looked over at them, I could see their red tickets that they were hiding from the people around them, meaning that they had placed a bet on me.
Those who were betting on the prince and the others got a blue ticket.
“So they went through with it…well then, I’ll also do my best.”
Once I appeared, Anjelica came rushing over.
“Hey! Why did you come without preparing armor?! Don’t tell me with a confident face that you don’t have any!”
She wasn’t holding back on me.
I looked through the roof-less arena, into the sky.
The blue sky had spread out today.
“It’ll be fine…it’s arriving right now.”
I pointed with my finger towards a black speck in the sky. Luxon, who was hiding inside my jacket, called out in a voice that only I could hear.
[Arroganz is here.]
A large box descended from the sky and then its speed slowed down before it hit the ground.
Once the front portion of the box opened, the side and top portions also opened to reveal a suit of armor.
When I used it before, it wasn’t for battle, but for a test ride. However, it’s appearance right now had the style and dignity for something to be used in combat. It was the perfect armor, which made me feel sorry when I first used it to dig a hole in the floating island.
However, I was concerned about the name.
“…What meaning does Arroganz have?”
I felt like I had heard it somewhere before…a dreadful name, but I personally liked it.
[It’s the perfect word for you.]
“Is that so? I suppose you can tasteful every once in a while.”
Unlike the currently commonplace stylish armor, the dark grey armor was built to be tough. The main body itself is larger than regular armor.
It was suited for combat, didn’t have any decorations, and looked like a rugged robot.
The armor belonging to the prince and the others were of the slim type for high mobility, while mine was the heavy type that looked slow.
There were people in the audience that made a roar of laughter when seeing my armor make an appearance in the arena.
They were third year students who had gathered.
In any case, with this large of an event──I felt it was quite possible that students were gathering here to see the gallant figure of Julian and the others.
Thousands of people had gathered, but the audience seating was enough to accommodate them since the number of people it could hold was in the ten thousands.
Anjelica looked at me in doubt.
“Do you plan on fighting with this? Could it possibly be a lost item? If it is, you probably think that it’s strong, right? Though lost items are impossible to reproduce, just because it is one doesn’t mean it’s strong.”
Olivia rested her hand against her cheek and tilted her head to the side.
“Though, it’s kind of cute.”
“You’re sense of beauty is strange. Not only is it unrefined, but it’s unfit for the current battle.”
In the current trend of emphasizing offense over defense, it was common to have something move quickly to kill the enemy.
In other words, heavy armor appeared obsolete, behind the times.
I liked heavy equipment, though.
“If you take a look, you’ll understand.”
I went up to the stage inside the arena.
When I approached the spot where the armor was, violet armor descended onto the arena. It gave the impression of being long and narrow, and it carried a number of weapons resembling lances on its back.
Judging from its color, it was Brad.
The chest of the armor opened, revealing the figure of Brad.
“I’ll commend you for coming here and not running away. However, did you plan on winning against my armor with that old, outdated one you have? The manufacturing of this armor by a skilled craftsman alone requires white gold coins to──”
Ignoring his boasts, I opened the chest of my armor as well.
As I slipped inside, I placed my arms into the two compartments in front of me. I clutched the joysticks within. They were like joysticks from a game.
When I grasped them, the chest closed, obstructing my field of vision, but──
[Arroganz is activating.]
Arroganz started booting up in response to Luxon’s words. In front of me was an image that made it seem as if I was practically outside.
The interior mechanisms moved around and fastened onto my body. They protected the head, neck, torso, and so on.
Now that the preparations were complete, I looked ahead and found that Brad was still boasting about his armor.
“That guy is still bragging on?”
[Based on his story, the weapons he’s carrying on his back are like drones. Should we deploy measures against them?]
That’s not necessary for this person. After all…that purple guy is basically weak at hitting, right?”
In the game, he really was a pain to deal with since he would quickly go down.
When Arroganz took a step forward, Brad made a face as if he lost his temper. It seemed that he wasn’t pleased about me ignoring his speech.
It was fine…I knew about the characteristics of his armor since Luxon had listened to him.
[…He took offence at your attitude.]
While Luxon said that, the chest closed and he took a position ready for battle, so I took out my weapon.
“Let’s see…we’ll go with the best blade.”
Upon which, a shovel from the storage box of this thing’s backpack popped out. Though it’s main use was for digging holes, it was the best shovel-blade.
Since it was to be used with armor, it was definitely large, but…a shovel is still a shovel.
“Huh?!”
[We placed this top-tier shovel in storage after using it from last time, didn’t we.]
“Take out a blade!”
[You’re the one who has to specify that first, master.]
That thing definitely did this while actually knowing what I wanted.
While I readied the shovel, I could hear laughter from the audience, but Brad got enraged, perhaps thinking that I was mocking him.
“You, are you making fun of me by doing that?!”
I heard the voice of a teacher acting as a referee within the arena.
“Both of you, first on the agenda is to take the oath of a duel and──”
However, Brad, who was grandly rushing ahead, didn’t stop himself.
Brad was holding a spear in both of his hands, pointing it towards me to try and pierce me. He aimed at my torso. It seemed that he was planning to kill me.
The tip of the spear was engulfed in light from an outburst of magic.
Luxon was impressed.
[What a magnificent rush forward.]
“You──”
The people outside couldn’t hear the conversation between Luxon and me. It would definitely would be troublesome if someone knew about Luxon.
I operated my armor, and moved it according to my mental image. The heavy armor lightly stepped to the side, immediately seized Brad’s arm, and held it down.
“L, let go!”
“Alright, calm down. Look, we have to do the oath of a duel. If you don’t do it, you’ll get into lots of trouble, so follow through with it.”
Anjelica was in a cold sweat while watching the movements of Arroganz.
Next to her was Olivia, an amateur who knew nothing about armor and was cheering him on.
“Anjelica, it seems like Leon can hold out!”
Seeing Olivia like that, Anjelica could only nod along while going “S, sure.”
However, on the inside, she thought that what she was seeing was impossible.
(What were those movements just now? Can armor that heavy make such light movements? Impossible. Just what in the world is that armor? There more weight there is, the more burden its supposed to have on the pilot.)
Going by the theory about armor, Arroganz’s weight seemed impossible.
Furthermore, not only were its sudden movements surprisingly light, it also had power. There was no way it could have the power to hold down Brad’s armor with a single arm.
(That armor was specifically arranged for the heir of the Field family. It’s not one of the many mass produced ones. It’s a custom made armor. Is it really something that can be pinned down with one hand?)
The two people in the arena, the representatives in the duel, then spoke the oath.
It was an oath where no grudges were to be made, even if death occurred.
Anjelica couldn’t keep her eyes off of Leon’s armor and didn’t pay attention to what the two were saying.
A voice from somewhere around her had called out.
“What’s going on? Hurry up and start.”
“I betted everything I had on his Highness. Wasn’t this supposed to be where we get rich quick?”
“I even borrowed money from my parents’ house!”
Many in the audience wanted Leon to quickly lose.
Some of the students even went as far as to get a loan to bet on the victory of Julian and the others. It was the opportunity for both boys and girls alike to earn money.
Anjelica smiled.
“Ah hah, ah hah hah!”
When Anjelica laughed, Olivia glanced at her as if frightened.
“W, what’s the matter?”
“I suppose I can’t help but laugh. That man is a really cruel individual.”
Olivia replied.
“He’s not cruel! Leon is a kind person!”
“I suppose. I suppose.”
While indifferently brushing Olivia aside, Anjelica pondered.
(Though, why did he side with me? I certainly understand that he has a chance of winning, but now that I think about it, being my ally seems like a bad plan. It don’t think it’s because he has a poor head.)
Brad was losing his patience.
Within the narrow interior of his armor, the lukewarm condensation from his breathes were bouncing back to him.
“What the hell, what the hell.”
When he looked at his armor, there were dents shaped like fingers where his arm was held down. His armor had a metal-like strength, but was further protected by magic. A number of attacks wouldn’t give it a scratch.
──It normally shouldn’t be affected by how much it had been through.
Furthermore──it couldn’t move at all.
He couldn’t move to resist, and it didn’t seem like his opponent was straining himself either.
Now waiting for the signal to start the duel, all his composure from before was gone.
“Now that it has come to this, I have no choice but to use them.”
On his back were long and narrow cones, spears with no handles, which he could use as a soaring weapon through magic.
He really wanted to kill him using a spear to make a display of his prowess towards Marie. Brad was concerned about his lack of martial arts, and pondered while holding back from using the spears behind him that were meant for magic.
(I’m going to lose at this rate. If that happens right in front of Marie…that will be grave!”
Brad’s high talent in magic was his last resort.
He had a killing move that could create an assault of four spears and pierce the enemy from four different directions.
“Now then, the two of you──begin!”
Once the duel started, he unleashed the spears behind his back There were four of them.
“No matter what armor that is, there’s no way it will withstand four simultaneous attacks from──”
While Brad was speaking, the dark grey steel giant was approaching him.
Just then, he could see it grandly brandishing a shovel with both of its hands.
“──Huh?”
The violent sound of metal clashing against metal could be heard throughout the arena.
The two of us initiated an assault at the same time as the duel began, but when hit with a shovel, he was blown away to the wall of the arena.
“What power.”
The overwhelming difference in the performance of our machines caused everything to be over before my opponent could attack.
Even though it was just a strike with the shovel in a straight path, he had already reached the point where he couldn’t attack using his pointy hat things.
[The full potential isn’t being utilized. I’m impressed about moving armor using magic, but that’s the only technique noteworthy. It isn’t smart for him to have so many pointless decorations on his armor.]
…Does this thing bear a grudge about the fact that Arroganz was laughed at? Well, Luxon is an manmade creation, so perhaps it minds quite a bit.
I approached the purple armor that had been bent after hitting the wall.
My opponent tried to move, but I stomped on him.
A creaking sound could be heard.
“S, stop! It hurts──help!”
Though my opponent’s armor was dented, my shovel had not a single scratch. Perhaps it would be good to keep battling like this using the shovel.
I ignored Brad’s pleas for help.
“Listen here, I might just end up flattening you. So, you better admit defeat, and make it quick.”
[Forcing someone to yield using overwhelming power…as expected of my master. There aren’t many people who resonate with the word coward as much you do.]
“…Do you hate me or something?”
[No, I’m praising you. After all, the word coward is a compliment in a competition. One doesn’t fight unless they think they’ll win. I’d like to be where you are as well.]
──Right, I got involved because I could win.
While holding the shovel in my right hand, I trampled on the purple bastard.
I should mention that it was true when I said that I wanted to beat these guys up. I remember saying in my previous life that I would knock the daylights out of these tiresome bastards.
As I gradually strengthened the power in my trampling, I could hear a strange sound, perhaps from the important part of Brad’s armor, the main frame, turning crooked.
“Hey now, you might end up dying if you don’t hurry and admit defeat.”
“I admit it! I admit defeat!”
I stopped my movements once Brad, on the verge of tears, shouted out the recognition of his defeat.
Then, I slowly lifted the right foot I was using to trample on Brad, and turned my head around to look at the arena. The spears he had fired were laying on the ground of the arena or had pierced into it.
The audience in the arena fell silent.
I looked in the direction of the referee.
“Referee, announce Brad’s defeat.”
When saying that, the referee shouted my full name.
“Th, the winner is Leon Fou Baltfault!”
Only the sounds of a few people clapping could be heard in the spacious arena.
“It seems there are some people who are clapping.”
I’d understand if it were just Anjelica and Olivia clapping, but there were several more that were clapping as well.
When looking at the people through the camera in the machine’s head, I saw a teacher, my mentor, straightening his back while clapping.
…My mentor was a gentleman, even at times like these.
She chewed on the nail of her thumb while muttering to herself.
“Who the hell is that mob?! Why did he get in the way of my perfect plan?”
Yesterday, she said that she had felt sick and shut herself in to her room, but the capture target boys agreed on their own that it was likely due to the shock of being challenged to a duel.
“Everything will be fine. Those five can’t lose, and that mob seems unreliably weak, so it’ll be fine. Actually, just looking at him makes me irritated. He makes me remember my dead older brother.”
While she muttered about how worthless of a brother he was, her exclusive servant, Kyle, knocked and soon entered.
“H, hey, please wait for me to answer first!”
Kyle, who displayed a disgruntled attitude towards a cautious Marie, sighed.
“I’ll be careful next time.”
“You didn’t follow my warning this time either.”
Kyle, who was promptly preparing breakfast, had no problems in terms of his appearance or work. However, he had a small peculiarity in his personality.
Due to that, he remained unsold, and even when he was sold, he was returned to the slave firm. That was his setting.
“There’s a larger portion of vegetables for today’s breakfast.”
“…I hate vegetables.”
“Please eat at least this much. You’re being a miserable master.”
He spoke as if his master wasn’t really his master.
(Despite being a stuck-up in the game, I thought of him as a cute little brother character, but being with him everyday is getting irritating. Well, I’ll forgive him since he’s a pretty boy.)
After being with him for several weeks, Marie thought it was good that the pretty boy cared after her.
She thought about how swell things would be if males who could do housework and treated females with utmost cruciality existed in her previous world.
“So what happened with the discussion about the duel?”
Kyle poured a drink into a cup and offered it to Marie.
“It seems we got permission to use the arena. It appeared that Jilk and Brad had a hard time persuading the academy. I only heard this from fellow servants, but it also seems that Leon boy’s marks are at the low end of the upper range. Everyone has been saying that he won’t win.”
“I, I see.”
With that, Marie felt relieved and ate her breakfast.
“Please recognize my efforts. It was tough going around listening to other servants.”
“Th, thank you.”
Her exclusive servant acted under the expectation that he would receive gratitude in return, but she put with it since he had good looks and did his work.
(*sigh*, I’m quite commendable. If it were any other girl, they would have sent this boy away by now. In my generosity, I’ll tolerate him.)
Marie thought of herself as an open-minded person.
(My plans have gone slightly askew, but Anjelica will nevertheless be driven out. That woman really is an idiot for challenging me to a duel after just slightly provoking her.)
Knowing Anjelica’s violent character, she purposely agitated her at the party venue. She made a display of herself by approaching Julian, and then afterwards clinging to a different boy and holding his hand.
(Now I need to make preparations for the summer vacation. I need to gather items in the dungeon, and also collect that.)
By that, she was referring to equipment that the protagonist normally would have.
Marie knew it would be the key to the future of the story.
(I’m really looking forward to this. It’s only a little bit more until I’m praised as a saint…)
◇
“Today and the day before have been really cruel on me.”
Inside my devastated room, I folded my arms and looked up to the ceiling.
Luxon, who had disappeared, then showed up.
Luxon descended into my field of vision, and then projected an image onto our surroundings. I looked into a video which was floating in the air.
[Master, while you were out, some students had barged in and laid waste to your room. The perpetrators were from a group you belonged to, and the one who gave the orders was from a different group.]
It seemed that since I picked a fight with Julian, the rich group employed the lower caste group to wreck my room.
I came back from the school building, only to come across this cruel situation.
In the video. I could see the figures of Daniel and Raymond being ordered around.
“Those two were forced to do it?”
[It seems your friendship was short-lived.]
“They were just prioritizing their own future. Looking at how gloomy their expressions are while being ordered, I can’t blame them. You’re being narrow-minded.”
Getting agitated, Luxon talked back as if angry.
[I don’t want to be told that by you, master. Anyways, there are already students trying to start a bet on this duel within the academy.]
When looking at the image, it turned out that I was becoming the underdog. However, the bet hadn’t been established. The reason was that nobody was betting on me.
“I’m overwhelmingly unpopular.”
[Did you think you were popular in the first place? Anyways, I’ve completed my preparations. That item will arrive on the appointed day, but what will you do until then?]
I thought for a bit.
“Can you prepare ten thousand gold coins? No wait, perhaps five hundred white gold coins will leave a greater impact. There’s no point if I don’t have fun with it.”
[You really are a heartless person. Besides, was it fine to just arbitrarily accept a duel when you intervened? I didn’t feel the necessity in riling them up either.]
I was a silent for a bit before answering.
“…So you saw those five associating with Marie, right? I’m the type of person that likes to resolve troublesome things all at once.”
[The type that makes many blunders.]
“It’s just that I’m not interested in being involved with them for long. I want to finish this quickly. That’s why I felt like agitating them. Those were my feelings. I got angry with their attitude of looking down on others.”
[…Is that so?]
The academy is isolated from the outside, so it’s kind of like its own world. That principle also served as an unspoken rule within the academy.
To many students, this seemed like a duke woman picking a fight with the prince, who belong to the most prestigious family. It was obvious which side was stronger.
However, the trouble lies in when the talks about this don’t remain within the academy.
“Well, once I get the white gold, how about I head towards where the bookmakers are?”
If I bet this much, then all of the students in the academy will bet on the prince and the others.
It was good that since the people around me knew I had earned money from a dungeon, it wouldn’t be suspicious if I held a large amount of cash.
If they knew that Luxon could prepare gold or rare metals, there would definitely be the danger of them trying to kill me and snatch Luxon.
…Well, enough thinking about that. I’m really looking forward to this.
[In that case, I’ll prepare them at once. Please come and pick it up at the harbor. Oh, and your two friends are waiting near your room.]
Sure enough, once I exited the room, Daniel and Raymond were standing there with their eyes cast downward.
couldn’t blame them, seeing them so blue.
Ray whispered.
“S, sorry.”
Daniel also seemed frustrated.
“We were told not to get close with you anymore…we can’t oppose those orders.”
I passed by the two, who seemed like there were about to cry, and called out to them.
“There’s a bet involving this next duel, but if you place your wagers on me, you’ll be able to profit…I’m sorry, you two. I caused trouble for you guys.”
I left the scene at a fast pace.
◇
I was in the academy’s dining room.
There were about five boys gathered there.
“What do we do? We’ve waited so long for a duel, but now it’s not even a bet at this point.”
“It’s obvious that the prince and his crew will win, after all.”
“There’s five of them at least…so perhaps we could change the bet to be about how many people that guy will be able to gather.”
They were the bookmakers in control of the bet.
I appeared before them while pulling a wagon. The five made a startled expression upon seeing me, but I acted indifferent and continued their conversation.
“Here we go, sorry about how troublesome the bet has been. Deciding whether I’ll win or lose is simple, right? Oh right, and this entire pile is what I’m betting.”
I opened a crate, and inside was a mountain of white gold that shined stronger than regular gold. The five gasped in front of the mountain of white gold, which was worth more than regular gold.
“With this much, the bet is established, right?”
Nobody was placing any wagers on me, so there was no bet. That being the case, I thought it would be good to bet a large sum on myself.
This was a match with a victor that everyone was sure about. However, even when people can predict how to profit from the match, there will always be that one idiot who will make an illogical bet.
That one person would definitely be me.
“Is this all white gold? I, Is this really all white gold?”
Speaking in terms of the modern age, this would be worth about one billion to two billion, I believe? Well, it amounts to just that much.
It’s way too big of an amount for a student to deal with.
“Of course. I’m the guy who captured a dungeon. What’s wrong with betting all I have on myself?”
The five people were breathless and began to check that everything was indeed authentic.
“W, with this much, we’ll have people that will place bets.”
“We have to make this public at once!”
“People will get excited this time!”
What mattered most was that things were looking fun.
While thinking so, I heard a voice from behind.
“…Baltfault, we need to talk.”
I looked behind me, thinking for a second that it was my older brother or older sister coming to address me, but it turned out that Anjelica was taking the lead for some reason.
The place fell silent.
Part 2
It seemed that it was normally a place that boys could borrow to hold tea ceremonies.
“I said that I wanted to use this place to hold a discussion with you, so they gladly lent it to me. I’m on good terms with the teachers.”
Could it be that teacher’s, no, mentor’s doing? If it were that instructor, who was the embodiment of a gentleman, then he certainly would be this considerate towards her.
The pleasantry of it, makes me shed a tear.
“…Baltfault, you will withdraw from this duel.”
Anjelica had a slightly haggard face while telling me to drop out of the duel.
“Even if I back down now, I won’t be able to save face anymore.”
I don’t really care about honor. I was participating because I wanted to.
Anjelica made a feeble smile.
“You don’t want to do it anymore, right? They turned your room into a mess. It seems that they’re planning to thoroughly threaten you like this until the time of the duel.”
It appeared as if they were trying hard not to give her even the one in a million chance of winning.
It seemed that Julian and the others weren’t aware of this.
This was a move made by the followers surrounding the prince.
What wonderful loyalty!
However, I won’t forgive them for picking on me.
I’m a small guy. A mob, furthermore.
So, I’d like things to return to normal if possible.
I usually wait for turmoil to calm down, but I decided not to give in to the pressure this time.
“I have no power anymore. I can’t do anything you expect me to do.”
I sighed.
“Did your household say something to you?”
Anjelica strongly clutched her arms, as if hugging herself.
“…They said that it was imprudent of me to propose a duel. But, but…I had to do something. Anything. I wanted that woman to stay away from his Highness! My thoughts turned fuzzy because of that. When I wrote back to them saying that, they told me to be docile. It’s over for me. I’m being sent to a remote region under house arrest. In the worst case scenario──”
──It seemed that it was an internal decision. It appeared that she had to make up for her mistake with her livelihood.
I didn’t think that such a thing will happen, though.
“You’ve got it wrong. To be honest, I don’t really care about a duke household.”
Anjelica lifted her head and made a surprised expression.
“Th, then why did you come forward at that time? Are you an idiot? You’re definitely an idiot! Listen, it’ll be over for you whether you lose or win in the upcoming duel. To start with, your opponents are his Highness the crown prince and other prestigious nobles. What do you plan on doing in the future now that you’ve picked a fight with them?!”
In response to Anjelica, who kept talking until she was out of breath, I made small, meaningful smile.
“I don’t care. I have no need for noble status or honor. Do you know how people in the lower caste are treated in the advanced class? Each day, they’re working their hardest to be self-sufficient, trying to earn the favor of girls. I’m sick of it already. So in that case, I thought that I’d rather beat up all of the guys I hate.”
“You’re going to get your family involved in this trouble as well!”
“Though things may appear that way, I’m an independent knight. It’s just temporary, though. Well, it’s the kind of thing where I’m considered separate from my parents’ household.”
“T, temporary?”
I planned on being independent. When I said that it was temporarily, Anjelica made a awkward face. However, it seemed that my point got through.
Well, I was implying that it was to vent out my stress, but…just like Anjelica, I wasn’t fond of that Marie girl.
“So, you want Marie to stay away from his Highness. I want to beat all those guys up. You see, I think this calls for us to join forces.”
Anjelica hesitated while taking several steps back.
“Are you mad? They’re powerful people at the top of the year.”
That wasn’t a problem.
It may have been tough if this duel happened in the third──no, second year, but at this grade, anything could still happen.
“It’ll be fine. Though I may not look like it, I’m quite strong.”
“Are you even trustworthy?! C, come to think of it, I did hear that many of the adventurers who capture dungeons have a few screws loose in their head. Are you one of those types of people?!”
“How rude! I stepped in because I have a chance of winning. In the first place, you were the one that initiated the duel!”
“L, like I said, that was my mistake. I’m taking responsibility for it. You can stay at the academy. You don’t need to get involved…well, coming forward at that time was plenty enough.”
She might have thought that while everyone was seeing her as the enemy, I was coming to help her without considering gains or losses. Anjelica likely thinks on the inside that I was playing the hero.
For small mobs like me, a hero is something far out of reach.
“No, withdrawing after coming this far is kind of…embarrassing.”
“…Do you realize that your opponents include Greg and Chris? Those guys are seriously strong.”
It was as she said. Not just those two, but the other three also stood out as the strong ones within the grade.
Right, within the grade.
“In addition…just what are you planning to do by betting a large sum on yourself?”
Did I have reason for why I bet a large amount? I did.
I should also mention that I don’t like gambling.
“Would you like to place a bet, then? If you bet on me, you’ll make a profit.”
“I have no need! Does it look like I’m troubled with money?”
It’s things like this that make me remember she’s the daughter of high-class family…well, whatever.
“The harassment will also end soon. There’s only a few days left until the duel.”
I left the room while saying that.
◇
It was the day of the battle.
The area in the academy was very spacious.
The audience were protected by a magic barrier, ensuring perfect safety.
I was in the academy’s arena. When thinking about about how many students came here to duel…well, I didn’t really feel much.
While changing clothes in the waiting room, I looked at my figure.
[It matches you. Well, that’s a given considering that this is an article I prepared for you, master.]
I wore pants and a vest over the dark grey main suit that clung onto my body, which was of a color that matched with an aircraft.
There was a part that guarded the neck.
As expected, these clothes emphasize the outline of my body, which is something I’d rather overlook.
“It’s different from what I had thought. I demand you remake it.”
[I refuse. Even if the color and design aren’t what you expected, that doesn’t change its performance. It’s a bother if you demand me to change it because you don’t like it. Please bear with it.]
Does this thing really think of me as its master?
When I wore a jacket and exited the waiting room, it turned out that Olivia was waiting there.
“──Ah!”
Perhaps leaning on the wall while waiting, she got into a panic and then moved closer to me. I felt that the distance between us was exceedingly close.
“U, um──I can’t do anything, but I’ll cheer you on! I’ll be rooting for you, Leon!”
It was a strange feeling being cheered on by the protagonist.
Normally, she’d be on the side of Julian and the others.
“Did you place a bet on me? If so, you’ve made the right choice. You’re about to make a large profit.”
When I made a thumbs-up and was about to leave, Olivia denied involvement with the bet.
“Huh? I didn’t place a bet. I don’t think people should gamble.”
“O, oh.”
Being told that with her pretty, tranquil eyes, I started feeling ashamed about betting a large amount.
Could this be the power of the protagonist?
It was as if a halo was glowing behind Olivia, too dazzling for those of a crooked heart.
Once the two of us headed from the waiting room to the arena, the five opponents were already present there.
They were already wearing the armor they were proud of and made a display of it to the audience.
Rather than calling them armor, they were more like robots, and their sizes spanned almost three meters. They were items akin to a powered suit, wonderful weapons modelled after a human, and could fly in the air.
“Oh~, what flashy coloring.”
A row of armor with flashy ornaments attached were lined up, starting with the crown prince’s white one.
A unified booing erupted once I appeared.
When looking at the audiences’ seats, I could see the figures of both Daniel and Raymond. When I looked over at them, I could see their red tickets that they were hiding from the people around them, meaning that they had placed a bet on me.
Those who were betting on the prince and the others got a blue ticket.
“So they went through with it…well then, I’ll also do my best.”
Once I appeared, Anjelica came rushing over.
“Hey! Why did you come without preparing armor?! Don’t tell me with a confident face that you don’t have any!”
She wasn’t holding back on me.
I looked through the roof-less arena, into the sky.
The blue sky had spread out today.
“It’ll be fine…it’s arriving right now.”
I pointed with my finger towards a black speck in the sky. Luxon, who was hiding inside my jacket, called out in a voice that only I could hear.
[Arroganz is here.]
Part 3
A large box descended from the sky and then its speed slowed down before it hit the ground.
Once the front portion of the box opened, the side and top portions also opened to reveal a suit of armor.
When I used it before, it wasn’t for battle, but for a test ride. However, it’s appearance right now had the style and dignity for something to be used in combat. It was the perfect armor, which made me feel sorry when I first used it to dig a hole in the floating island.
However, I was concerned about the name.
“…What meaning does Arroganz have?”
I felt like I had heard it somewhere before…a dreadful name, but I personally liked it.
[It’s the perfect word for you.]
“Is that so? I suppose you can tasteful every once in a while.”
Unlike the currently commonplace stylish armor, the dark grey armor was built to be tough. The main body itself is larger than regular armor.
It was suited for combat, didn’t have any decorations, and looked like a rugged robot.
The armor belonging to the prince and the others were of the slim type for high mobility, while mine was the heavy type that looked slow.
There were people in the audience that made a roar of laughter when seeing my armor make an appearance in the arena.
They were third year students who had gathered.
In any case, with this large of an event──I felt it was quite possible that students were gathering here to see the gallant figure of Julian and the others.
Thousands of people had gathered, but the audience seating was enough to accommodate them since the number of people it could hold was in the ten thousands.
Anjelica looked at me in doubt.
“Do you plan on fighting with this? Could it possibly be a lost item? If it is, you probably think that it’s strong, right? Though lost items are impossible to reproduce, just because it is one doesn’t mean it’s strong.”
Olivia rested her hand against her cheek and tilted her head to the side.
“Though, it’s kind of cute.”
“You’re sense of beauty is strange. Not only is it unrefined, but it’s unfit for the current battle.”
In the current trend of emphasizing offense over defense, it was common to have something move quickly to kill the enemy.
In other words, heavy armor appeared obsolete, behind the times.
I liked heavy equipment, though.
“If you take a look, you’ll understand.”
I went up to the stage inside the arena.
When I approached the spot where the armor was, violet armor descended onto the arena. It gave the impression of being long and narrow, and it carried a number of weapons resembling lances on its back.
Judging from its color, it was Brad.
The chest of the armor opened, revealing the figure of Brad.
“I’ll commend you for coming here and not running away. However, did you plan on winning against my armor with that old, outdated one you have? The manufacturing of this armor by a skilled craftsman alone requires white gold coins to──”
Ignoring his boasts, I opened the chest of my armor as well.
As I slipped inside, I placed my arms into the two compartments in front of me. I clutched the joysticks within. They were like joysticks from a game.
When I grasped them, the chest closed, obstructing my field of vision, but──
[Arroganz is activating.]
Arroganz started booting up in response to Luxon’s words. In front of me was an image that made it seem as if I was practically outside.
The interior mechanisms moved around and fastened onto my body. They protected the head, neck, torso, and so on.
Now that the preparations were complete, I looked ahead and found that Brad was still boasting about his armor.
“That guy is still bragging on?”
[Based on his story, the weapons he’s carrying on his back are like drones. Should we deploy measures against them?]
That’s not necessary for this person. After all…that purple guy is basically weak at hitting, right?”
In the game, he really was a pain to deal with since he would quickly go down.
When Arroganz took a step forward, Brad made a face as if he lost his temper. It seemed that he wasn’t pleased about me ignoring his speech.
It was fine…I knew about the characteristics of his armor since Luxon had listened to him.
[…He took offence at your attitude.]
While Luxon said that, the chest closed and he took a position ready for battle, so I took out my weapon.
“Let’s see…we’ll go with the best blade.”
Upon which, a shovel from the storage box of this thing’s backpack popped out. Though it’s main use was for digging holes, it was the best shovel-blade.
Since it was to be used with armor, it was definitely large, but…a shovel is still a shovel.
“Huh?!”
[We placed this top-tier shovel in storage after using it from last time, didn’t we.]
“Take out a blade!”
[You’re the one who has to specify that first, master.]
That thing definitely did this while actually knowing what I wanted.
While I readied the shovel, I could hear laughter from the audience, but Brad got enraged, perhaps thinking that I was mocking him.
“You, are you making fun of me by doing that?!”
I heard the voice of a teacher acting as a referee within the arena.
“Both of you, first on the agenda is to take the oath of a duel and──”
However, Brad, who was grandly rushing ahead, didn’t stop himself.
Brad was holding a spear in both of his hands, pointing it towards me to try and pierce me. He aimed at my torso. It seemed that he was planning to kill me.
The tip of the spear was engulfed in light from an outburst of magic.
Luxon was impressed.
[What a magnificent rush forward.]
“You──”
The people outside couldn’t hear the conversation between Luxon and me. It would definitely would be troublesome if someone knew about Luxon.
I operated my armor, and moved it according to my mental image. The heavy armor lightly stepped to the side, immediately seized Brad’s arm, and held it down.
“L, let go!”
“Alright, calm down. Look, we have to do the oath of a duel. If you don’t do it, you’ll get into lots of trouble, so follow through with it.”
◇
Anjelica was in a cold sweat while watching the movements of Arroganz.
Next to her was Olivia, an amateur who knew nothing about armor and was cheering him on.
“Anjelica, it seems like Leon can hold out!”
Seeing Olivia like that, Anjelica could only nod along while going “S, sure.”
However, on the inside, she thought that what she was seeing was impossible.
(What were those movements just now? Can armor that heavy make such light movements? Impossible. Just what in the world is that armor? There more weight there is, the more burden its supposed to have on the pilot.)
Going by the theory about armor, Arroganz’s weight seemed impossible.
Furthermore, not only were its sudden movements surprisingly light, it also had power. There was no way it could have the power to hold down Brad’s armor with a single arm.
(That armor was specifically arranged for the heir of the Field family. It’s not one of the many mass produced ones. It’s a custom made armor. Is it really something that can be pinned down with one hand?)
The two people in the arena, the representatives in the duel, then spoke the oath.
It was an oath where no grudges were to be made, even if death occurred.
Anjelica couldn’t keep her eyes off of Leon’s armor and didn’t pay attention to what the two were saying.
A voice from somewhere around her had called out.
“What’s going on? Hurry up and start.”
“I betted everything I had on his Highness. Wasn’t this supposed to be where we get rich quick?”
“I even borrowed money from my parents’ house!”
Many in the audience wanted Leon to quickly lose.
Some of the students even went as far as to get a loan to bet on the victory of Julian and the others. It was the opportunity for both boys and girls alike to earn money.
Anjelica smiled.
“Ah hah, ah hah hah!”
When Anjelica laughed, Olivia glanced at her as if frightened.
“W, what’s the matter?”
“I suppose I can’t help but laugh. That man is a really cruel individual.”
Olivia replied.
“He’s not cruel! Leon is a kind person!”
“I suppose. I suppose.”
While indifferently brushing Olivia aside, Anjelica pondered.
(Though, why did he side with me? I certainly understand that he has a chance of winning, but now that I think about it, being my ally seems like a bad plan. It don’t think it’s because he has a poor head.)
◇
Brad was losing his patience.
Within the narrow interior of his armor, the lukewarm condensation from his breathes were bouncing back to him.
“What the hell, what the hell.”
When he looked at his armor, there were dents shaped like fingers where his arm was held down. His armor had a metal-like strength, but was further protected by magic. A number of attacks wouldn’t give it a scratch.
──It normally shouldn’t be affected by how much it had been through.
Furthermore──it couldn’t move at all.
He couldn’t move to resist, and it didn’t seem like his opponent was straining himself either.
Now waiting for the signal to start the duel, all his composure from before was gone.
“Now that it has come to this, I have no choice but to use them.”
On his back were long and narrow cones, spears with no handles, which he could use as a soaring weapon through magic.
He really wanted to kill him using a spear to make a display of his prowess towards Marie. Brad was concerned about his lack of martial arts, and pondered while holding back from using the spears behind him that were meant for magic.
(I’m going to lose at this rate. If that happens right in front of Marie…that will be grave!”
Brad’s high talent in magic was his last resort.
He had a killing move that could create an assault of four spears and pierce the enemy from four different directions.
“Now then, the two of you──begin!”
Once the duel started, he unleashed the spears behind his back There were four of them.
“No matter what armor that is, there’s no way it will withstand four simultaneous attacks from──”
While Brad was speaking, the dark grey steel giant was approaching him.
Just then, he could see it grandly brandishing a shovel with both of its hands.
“──Huh?”
◇
The violent sound of metal clashing against metal could be heard throughout the arena.
The two of us initiated an assault at the same time as the duel began, but when hit with a shovel, he was blown away to the wall of the arena.
“What power.”
The overwhelming difference in the performance of our machines caused everything to be over before my opponent could attack.
Even though it was just a strike with the shovel in a straight path, he had already reached the point where he couldn’t attack using his pointy hat things.
[The full potential isn’t being utilized. I’m impressed about moving armor using magic, but that’s the only technique noteworthy. It isn’t smart for him to have so many pointless decorations on his armor.]
…Does this thing bear a grudge about the fact that Arroganz was laughed at? Well, Luxon is an manmade creation, so perhaps it minds quite a bit.
I approached the purple armor that had been bent after hitting the wall.
My opponent tried to move, but I stomped on him.
A creaking sound could be heard.
“S, stop! It hurts──help!”
Though my opponent’s armor was dented, my shovel had not a single scratch. Perhaps it would be good to keep battling like this using the shovel.
I ignored Brad’s pleas for help.
“Listen here, I might just end up flattening you. So, you better admit defeat, and make it quick.”
[Forcing someone to yield using overwhelming power…as expected of my master. There aren’t many people who resonate with the word coward as much you do.]
“…Do you hate me or something?”
[No, I’m praising you. After all, the word coward is a compliment in a competition. One doesn’t fight unless they think they’ll win. I’d like to be where you are as well.]
──Right, I got involved because I could win.
While holding the shovel in my right hand, I trampled on the purple bastard.
I should mention that it was true when I said that I wanted to beat these guys up. I remember saying in my previous life that I would knock the daylights out of these tiresome bastards.
As I gradually strengthened the power in my trampling, I could hear a strange sound, perhaps from the important part of Brad’s armor, the main frame, turning crooked.
“Hey now, you might end up dying if you don’t hurry and admit defeat.”
“I admit it! I admit defeat!”
I stopped my movements once Brad, on the verge of tears, shouted out the recognition of his defeat.
Then, I slowly lifted the right foot I was using to trample on Brad, and turned my head around to look at the arena. The spears he had fired were laying on the ground of the arena or had pierced into it.
The audience in the arena fell silent.
I looked in the direction of the referee.
“Referee, announce Brad’s defeat.”
When saying that, the referee shouted my full name.
“Th, the winner is Leon Fou Baltfault!”
Only the sounds of a few people clapping could be heard in the spacious arena.
“It seems there are some people who are clapping.”
I’d understand if it were just Anjelica and Olivia clapping, but there were several more that were clapping as well.
When looking at the people through the camera in the machine’s head, I saw a teacher, my mentor, straightening his back while clapping.
…My mentor was a gentleman, even at times like these.
Source: 2slow2latemtl.icu
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