The day of my duel arrives.

I don’t know how one is supposed to be in the hours preceding a battle that will very much decide my future going forward but the mood of the house is rather cheerful. Kierra and I are having breakfast on our balcony, having taken to eating outside after her surprise dinner.

“What is your plan for this duel?” Rather than worry, her tone is full of excitement. “If your goal is embarrassment, beating him with your bare hands is sure to break his ego but a weapon would be erring on the side of caution.”

“From what Mano has told me, Peter is a second-year acolyte, advanced water caster. That should put his mana coefficient between 150-250. Judging from the fact that he has been here for three years and an assistant teacher doesn’t know him, he’s probably on the lower end of those numbers. Not to mention he’ll also be hindered by the field. No water means he’ll have to conjure up water for his spells. That’ll burn through that mana faster than a drunk emptying his mug.”

I sigh. The clink of porcelain makes me look up. Geneva stands at my shoulder, passing over a cup of tea. “Ah, thank you.” Really would prefer something stronger but got to keep sharp.

“Of course, that’s assuming he’ll only use his own abilities. He probably won’t cover himself in artifacts for appearances sake but I’ll wager anything he has a trump card or two hidden on his person. No, brawling is out. I’m not confident enough to win without revealing a secret. The best thing is to let the succubi pummel him. I’ll shoot an arrow into him, just to keep him on his toes.”

“The bow.” She smiles. “Reminds me of our time in the forest. You’ve grown so much from that shivering creature I found cowering in a tree. To think you would already be sowing discord amongst your peers.” Her face just screams pride. Such a battle freak but I love her anyway.

I raise my teacup in a toast. “It’s only just begun. Here’s to fun and chaos. Praise, Cosmo.”

“Praise, Cosmo?”

“I heard that’s what people used to say while worshipping the old gods.” He’s the one who changed my future and made all of this possible. If anyone deserves my adulation, it’s that glorious, glossy elemental.

“Then praise, Cosmo.” I sip my tea, enjoying the beautiful morning.

-

My plan worked better than expected.

With Geneva and Kierra at my sides and Bell in my arms, I make my way to the dueling field. Other students are still arriving and they cheer me on. Judging from their ages, it must be mainly initiates in the crowd. As expected, but I underestimated how many there are.

That doesn’t mean there aren’t a decent amount of acolytes present. Really, all I’d need to destroy him are a handful.

The dueling field is as its name suggests, a circular field of manicured grass between the dorms. Simple wooden raised benches are placed around it for spectators. All of them are filled with curious onlookers, eager for the show.

In the middle of the field is Peter. Oh, good for him. He looks prepared in his dark leathers, chest plate, and gauntlets. The armor pieces are most likely artifacts. Wow, such a surprise. He looks pretty confident, especially when he sees me.

I can understand. Compared to him, I must look pretty unthreatening in a simple shirt and dark pants, both my quiver and bow hanging off my shoulders.

Beside him is a welcome sight. Miss Talia, looking breathtaking in another simple robe of white, brilliant under the bright sun. What a treat, having her watch over this duel personally~

Oh, and Aurelius is standing beside her but I’m ignoring him to maintain my good mood.

At the edge of the field, Kierra leaves me to proceed, her fingertips briefly tracing the back of my neck in encouragement as I step onto the grass. Peter’s brows furrow as I stand across from him. “What is this? This is meant to be a duel. Why are those creatures accompanying you?”

“You really are stupid. I’m a summoner. What kind of summoner fights without her summons?”

“Damn right! Hahaha!”

An especially loud cheer followed by hoots draw my attention to the crowd. I find Kristoff sitting rather close by. Heh, I told him about the duel, not really expecting him to come. Looks like he turned up and brought a few friends. Are they all summoners? I raise a fist and the cheering grows.

Oh, comrades! I will win this for the glory of all summoners!

“A contracted elemental shares the mana of their summoner. As such, the elemental is a part of the summoner’s strength and each contract is a representation of the summoner’s skill, the same as any practiced spell or warrior’s technique. Their presence is permitted,” Miss Talia carefully explains.

Peter is looking really unsettled now but he quickly hides it with a scoff. “It matters not. I will dispatch you and your little monsters.”

Aurelius clears his throat. “The duelists will take their space from each other. When the seventh bell strikes, combat will begin. As overseers, we will be here to ensure there is no outside influence. The match will only be stopped when one combatant is unable to fight or verbally surrenders. Now, to your places.”

Following his direction, Peter and I stand fifteen feet apart. These duels might be rough for foundation acolytes who have to close the gap but I guess that much is expected at the center of magic. Besides, this is a distance easily covered by my bow.

Giving her a quick kiss to the brow, I set Bell on the ground beside me. “Who’s my little killer, hm? You’re going to destroy him, aren’t you? Yes, you are!”

“Coo!” She plays to the crowd, standing up and bearing her little fangs at him. He doesn’t seem impressed. Idiot. Geneva, just as we discussed.

[There is no need to worry. Toying with worms is a favorite past time of mine. Would you like to listen in?]

Of course. Who would miss such a good show? I smile as I take hold of my bow. Finding my stance, one hand lightly rests on an arrow as I wait for the signal to strike.

There is a long moment of everyone collectively holding their breath. Then…the sweet toll of the bell.

Peter’s eyes light up as he channels his mana, raising an arm. One of his gauntlets flares with an engraved enchantment briefly before bright lightning surges outward from his knuckles.

At the same moment, Geneva moves in front of me, crossing her arms, and I notch my arrow. In the moment the lightning flares, I shut my eyes and fire, not needing my sight to hit a target standing still.

The lightning hits Geneva, pushing her back a little by her own design but not getting past her. My arrow is similarly blocked, his chest plate flaring to life as the arrow is deflected. Air enchantment then.

Tricky, tricky. They must all have stones on their insides to hide their purpose. Who knows what the other gauntlet does?

Another fork of lightning is shot towards me but I’m already moving. Staying constantly in motion as I fire off arrow after arrow. At his head. The further away from the artifact that wind barrier needs to extend, the more mana it’ll take, I bet.

Not to mention it’s got to be unnerving seeing those points get so close before finally being deflected. I see him flinch more than once. His aim is absolutely terrible. The enchantment must shoot it on a straight trajectory, which means it relies on the wielder’s skill to hit.

Probably thought he didn’t need more than that as the attack itself is incredibly fast. Far faster than me. Too bad he’s holding his arm out and broadcasting exactly where it’s going.

Even if he could catch me, Geneva remains in front of me at all times, ready to receive any attack.

Bell is closing in on him. Once she’s close enough for him to notice, he brandishes his second gauntlet. It lights up and a wave of fire extends out in a circle around him. That’s useful…except against his current opponent.

Bell runs right through the flames, unhindered. Peter is clearly startled. He stumbles backwards and lashes out with his lightning gauntlet but another deflected arrow makes him flinch, throwing off his aim. Bell throws herself at him, her little fingers now tipped with dangerous claws.

Like the arrows, she is deflected, but she anticipates it. Rather than backward, the angle she jumps at him makes the enchantment throws her upwards. Twisting her body, she swipes her claws downwards. The wall stops her again and she falls to the ground. The second she does, she runs through his legs, her tail wrapping around his ankle. She yanks and Peter falls with a startled yelp.

He hastily throws another wave of fire at her. She could of course ignore it again but she dances away, circling around him. I lax my attacks, waiting until he gets back to his feet before firing again. Poor man’s chest is heaving as each arrow is deflected. I’ve got plenty more, something he realizes as well from his nervous twitches as he tries to decide which threat to focus on.

[You’ve messed up now, little boy.]

His head whips around, trying to find the source of the voice. His inattention costs him. Bell runs at him again. This time when he throws the fire, she leaps right over it. Rather than throwing herself at him, she grabs onto him and climbs, rendering his enchantment useless. Her tail goes around his neck, choking him despite his attempts to claw her off.

[What an ironic situation. You thought to lure my master into a duel to kill her off in an accident. Now, you’re the one who’s going to die in an accident. Haha! How do I know? You shouldn’t hire such simpletons. They are not the most adept at keeping secrets. Ah, but you won’t have a chance to learn from your mistakes.]

With a growl, Bell twists her little body, showing off her incredible strength as Peter is twirled like a top. He hits the ground face first with Bell on his back. Using both hands, she raises his head up. I fire and he shuts his eyes as the enchantment deflects it.

“I—gaggghh!”

[Don’t you think it’s curious? The instructors were very clear that they would only recognize a verbal surrender. And I guess technically you still have the ability to fight, despite being completely overwhelmed. I think these duels are the Grand Hall’s way of getting rid of undesirable trash. Trash like you. You can forget about one of them coming to save you. No one’s going to save you. You’re going to run out of mana and an arrow is going to pierce your skull. Be grateful you get a quick end.]

The next deflected arrow makes him whimper.

[Are you begging? How disgraceful. What kind of man is so eager to reap lives but turns into a wailing child in the face of death? You sealed your fate the moment you targeted my master. Know your place, insect!]

[Hoh? Anything? What can you possibly offer that will make us suffer the inconvenience of leaving trash lying about? Gold? Status? Are those yours to offer? No. Waving around your family’s possessions won’t help you now. You have nothing. You are nothing. You’ll die as nothing, remembered as a fool.]

His eyes look upon me with true fear, silently pleading for his life. I coldly notch another arrow and fire it. Again. And again.

[Hmph. Rejoice. My master has come to the conclusion that you aren’t even worth killing. You want to know what you can offer? A confession of your crimes and an apology. The sincerest apology you can imagine. Dig deep, Peter Pottoculli. You only get one chance. Now, stand up!]

With a loud cry, Peter struggles to get to his feet. Bell allows herself to be thrown off, rolling back to her feet.

My opponent quickly backs away. Eyes bouncing between all of us, his chest heaves as he takes in quick, strained breaths. Sweat beads down the side of his head as his hands shake.

Smirking, I lower my bow. “What’s the matter, Pete? You already done? I won’t mind if you surrender.”

His lips tremble.

[Then you die.]

“I’m sorry!”

Peter quickly falls down to his knees, putting his head to the ground. “Please forgive me for challenging you, Lady Tome! I p-p-plotted a-against you, t-t-trying to e-extort you for profit. W-when that f-f-failed I…I…” I can hear his sniffles from here. Praise Cosmo, this is better than I expected.

[Don’t forget your accomplice.]

He takes a deep breath to collect himself before continuing. “Lavern Newster told me that taking an advantage of your wife to form trade relations with the elven nation would lead to immeasurable fortune. It would be enough to finally catapult their family above the Guiness. As the one who initiated it, he could become the successor of his family and would support me to succeed my own.”

“Quiet, you damn fool!” Lavern stands up in the crowd, fists balled and face pale from fear. The nobles around him shy away from him, wanting nothing to do with the soon-to-be social pariah. The rest of the crowd jeers him, telling him to shut up. I agree. We need to hear the rest.

[Speak quickly if you want to survive, worm.]

“At first, I didn’t agree. The noble faction sees you as a threat. I heard my father talking about eliminating you to destroy the connection to the elven continent and stop the Guiness from expanding. I thought I could receive his recognition if I handled it myself! So, I sent an assassin after you, knowing it’d be harder to get rid of you once you were in the Grand Hall!”

“That was you?” Surprise, surprise. I thought that had Lavern written all over it.

[You lured her into a duel so you could kill her.]

“I baited you into accepting a duel so that I could kill you. I know my wrongs. Please, have mercy on me!”

I want to give him a round of applause for such a marvelous performance. The crowd is hushed, many with their jaws dropped in shock. Not only has he publicly executed himself, but he’s also doomed Lavern, the Newster family, and his own family.

This doesn’t quite give me the same fearsome reputation as killing him but my hands remain relatively clean, shielding me from vengeance, and everyone here will remember that the man who challenged me received a fate worse than death.

[Surrender.]

“I surrender!”

“Sure thing, pal. Haha, it’d be in bad taste to keep going at this point.”

Miss Talia steps forward. “Peter Pottoculli has surrendered. The winner of this duel is Lourianne Tome.”

The summoners, led by Kristoff, give me a fierce round of applause, which spreads to the rest of the crowd. Except the nobles. Majority of them look a little sick. Probably imagining themselves in Peter’s situation or lamenting their connection to him. I doubt he’ll be staying at the Grand Hall after this but if he does, he’s not going to have a pleasant time.

But who cares about him? I won! Raising my bow to my comrades, I enjoy the moment. Bell comes running up to me, leaping into the air. I catch her and raise her high, getting more noise from the summoners.

“Quite the conclusion.”

I lower Bell as Miss Talia comes to stand beside me. Still with that tiny smile. “I had predicted this would end with you killing him. To think a noble son would so easily break down.”

“Ah, well. Danger makes people do strange things, I guess.”

“Indeed. Even lose all reason, such as forgetting he had the option of simply surrendering to escape it. Unless he didn’t have the option. My knowledge of summoning is rather limited but I do believe all succubi have both the physical and mental affinity.”

Before I even have the chance to feel anxious about her words, Geneva is at my side, reassuring me. Miss Talia also notices her appearance. “It was only the beginning of this year that I was recognized as a higher adept. Not even the kingdom’s Head Interrogator could ply his trade without me noticing. Yet, a mere thrall broke a man before my eyes without me feeling even a fluctuation.”

Somehow, her eyes bore into me from behind her closed lids. Phew. My tolerance against beauties may be lacking but my tolerance against scary glares is real. You’ve got quite a presence but it’s nothing compared to Morgene Atainna, the dreaded mother-in-law.

“Don’t really know about that. I’m going to get going now. I’ve got a bit of celebrating to do if you don’t mind.”

“I won’t keep you. Be sure to visit the Gold Dorm more often.”

“You do have the best food—”

“Not for food.” Reaching into a pocket I hadn’t noticed, she removes a small medal. “This is a personal token. It will allow you to come and go as you please through the Gold Dorm. I would like you to come and visit me. You and your…companion.”

She’s talking to me but her face is turned toward Geneva.

She knows.

No, that’s impossible. If Bell couldn’t be discovered, there’s absolutely no chance she’s seen through Geneva. She must suspect though. Is this an opportunity or another enemy?

Reaching out, I clasp her extended hand but don’t take the medal, stepping closer and bowing my head. “And why would you want that?” I whisper. I stare up at her coldly, using her body to shield me. Trying to silence her here would be a pain but I don’t need my secrets being spilled. “Be honest with me, Miss Talia. Otherwise, you’re going to break my heart, getting my hopes up.”

She leans down as well. I can’t stop my heart from beating harder as her eyes slowly open. Holy saints, they’re inversed. The whites of the eyes are pitch black, her pupils white, and the iris a smoky gray.

“Those who come to the Grand Hall seek power above all else.”

I swallow heavily. “I thought it was to learn.”

“Knowledge is power when used correctly. Besides, my…instincts tell me that through you, I can obtain both.” She puts the medal in my hands, closing my fingers over it. “Do consider my offer, Lourianne. There is much we can offer one another.”

She closes her eyes again, releasing her spell on me as I take a deep breath. Another one of those tiny nods and she’s on her way, leaving her token in my hand. I watch her as she goes to Aurelius, who is currently helping Peter to stand. “Saints. Don’t suppose you know what that was?”

“No.” Geneva’s tail whips behind her. “How intriguing. And she sounds like a succubus with that attitude.”

“Oh, great.” I’m a thousand times more nervous about meeting her now. I’ll still considering going though.

I mean, maybe.

Probably.

Sigh. Who am I kidding? I’m going.

The crowd is starting to thin out. Kierra is waiting on the edge of the field where I left her, smiling broadly. I skip over to her, shamelessly falling into her embrace. Still a little embarrassing but it’s not quite as off-putting. I’m slowly turning into a bigger and bigger deviant. “How about it? Did I meet your expectations as your wife?”

“I haven’t seen a male squeal so loudly and pathetically since I was a girl.” She gives me a brief kiss, grinning that bloodthirsty grin of hers. “It was beautiful.”

“Thank you, thank you. Now that this mess is handled, I’m looking forward to enjoying the rest of my day off.”

“Then you should say your goodbyes quickly.” She looks over her shoulder. A small group has gathered a small distance away. Alana, Kristoff, and surprisingly both brothers along with Marthe.

“Be right back.” I move over to them quickly.

“Way to go!” Kristoff is the first to greet me and rather enthusiastically at that. “Can’t tell you how good it feels watching a summoner slap one of those elitist idiots around. And that imp of yours is awesome! Where’s it from?”

“Yeah. We’ll have to discuss it one of these days when I visit the Summoning Hall. Tonight, I’m laying down and not going anywhere.” I turn to Marthe. “Did you enjoy the show?”

“You’ve got some skill, noble.” Wow. I think this is the first time she’s looked at me without hostility. “You’ve screwed yourself royally this time. None of them are going to want anything to do with you now that you’ve embarrassed them so bad.”

“Pah. I’m not missing much anyway.”

“Heh.”

“It was a good fight!” Mike practically yells. Looking at him, the boy is full of nervous energy. Hm? Saints give him guidance, is that…admiration I see in his eyes? No, no, kid. That’s a terrible idea. I’m the last person anyone should use as a role model.

He always seemed more fearful of those with status than respectful like Abel. He might have enjoyed that as much as Marthe. Though his brother seems as unresponsive as always.

“Thanks, kid.”

Last but not least, I turn my attention to Alana. My grin is unstoppable and feels a little too large. “What’d I tell you? You can count on me.”

Her stoic expression doesn’t break but her eyes are shining. “Never doubted you, Lou. Go and celebrate with your wife. You deserve it.”

“Hah! Don’t think you have to tell me twice. I’ll see you all later.” Waving goodbye, I walk back to Kierra. Putting Bell on my shoulders, we walk away from the dueling field, arm in arm.

Not a bad debut for my time at the Grand Hall.

Not bad at all.