"Ow, ow, ow, Anji, that hurts!" Leon cried out as Angelica began pulling on both of his ears.
"I can't take my eyes off you for a second!" the girl exclaimed, clearly frustrated, without letting go of his ears. "I should've dragged you around with me! You promised your father you wouldn't cause any trouble in the capital… or at least that you'd try! How in the world did you already end up in another duel with Greg just a few hours after arriving at the academy?!"
"He didn't accept his defeat," Leon shrugged, wincing slightly from the pain, "and challenged me again. Honestly, that made me pretty mad, so I accepted."
He smirked, a mischievous glint flashing in his eyes.
"But don't worry, Anji. I won't just beat him. He'll be the one running after me, begging to give me more than he offered last time." Leon's cocky grin made it obvious—he was thoroughly enjoying the whole situation.
"Wipe that smug look off your face," Angelica said sternly, finally letting go of his ears. "He already lost, Leon, whether he likes it or not. That's a fact. You beat him. Just because he refuses to acknowledge it doesn't change anything. If anything, it only brings shame on himself and his entire family. Everyone saw what happened. His words mean nothing now."
Watching the scene unfold with quiet amusement was Olivia, who was comfortably seated in a nearby armchair. She chuckled softly as Angelica scolded Leon.
"Haah…" Angelica let out a long sigh a few minutes into their heated exchange. "Alright… in the end, he challenged you."
She sat down beside him and accepted the cup of tea Leon had thoughtfully prepared in advance.
"Leon," Olivia asked suddenly, setting her cup back onto the saucer, "are you sure you can win without your armor?"
Leon looked at her in surprise, raising an eyebrow.
"You think I'll lose?"
"No, no, not at all," she quickly replied. "I've seen how easily you handle monsters in the dungeons—especially when you're in armor. You're really strong. But around the academy, people say Greg isn't just stubborn—he's actually quite powerful physically. And on top of that, he's good at body-enhancing magic."
"Ah, so that's what you meant…" Leon leaned back in his chair and gave a slight smile. "He might be stronger in raw physical strength, sure. He's spent most of his life bulking up, after all. But I've trained both physically and magically since I was a kid. I surpass him in other areas. In magic—absolutely. And in swordsmanship… well, you'll see for yourselves."
He paused briefly, then added with a mysterious smile:
"And today, I think you'll all get a good show. I've got something… unique. A personal magic I haven't really shown anyone yet."
The two girls exchanged curious glances.
"Unique?" Angelica repeated. "What, like blue flames or something?"
"You'll see," Leon replied with confident ease.
After that, their conversation naturally shifted to more casual topics as they sipped their tea. Soon, Clarissa joined them. At first, she seemed worried upon hearing about the new duel, but Leon quickly assured her that everything was under control. Calmed, she joined the chat and happily participated in their little tea party.
The atmosphere in the room was warm and almost homely… until the door suddenly swung open and a young man in an academic uniform stepped inside.
"Your duel is about to begin," he said politely, giving a slight bow. "May I escort you?"
Upon hearing that, the girls all stood up from their seats, following after Leon.
"We'll see you off," one of them said with a smile. "And then we'll cheer for you from the stands at the training arena!"
"Thanks so much," Leon replied sincerely, smiling in return. His eyes lingered briefly on the girls' faces—he could see not just their support, but also concern. Then he turned and followed the escort—a thin man in a formal academy jacket bearing its emblem.
---
"Your duel will take place on the training field this time," the escort explained as they walked, not turning around. "The arena's too large for a match between two people without armor or magical amplification. You'd just get lost in it."
"What about the spectators?" Leon asked with interest, quickening his pace. "There were probably more than five thousand last time!"
"This time, many chose not to attend," the escort shrugged. "You'll have maybe three hundred at most."
"Hmm… much less than I expected," Leon noted to himself. "Maybe the stakes just aren't as high. Or maybe the crowd's still upset about the last match…"
He could feel the eyes on him. Some were wary. Others openly hostile. Many of these people had likely lost a good amount of money betting against him in the previous duel. He was the reason for their losses—and they hadn't forgotten.
---
A few minutes later, they arrived at the training field. It was a fairly modest arena.
Greg was already there, standing in the middle of the field. He looked grim, tense, and at the same time, irritably confident. Behind him stood four other idiots, crowding around a girl Leon recognized instantly—Marie.
She was here. And she looked exhausted.
Her hair was slightly disheveled, her clothes wrinkled, and dark circles hung under her eyes. It seemed she had spent all this time desperately trying to come up with the money. And yet, despite her weary appearance, her eyes glowed with a strange mixture of fear and hope.
Leon quickly understood the situation.
If he won, Greg would be forced to pay 1,200 gold over 30 years. That was an enormous amount of money, even for a wealthy noble, and he'd likely use it to support Marie—giving her a life of comfort and safety.
But if Greg won, Leon would have to pay 750 gold—but only over the course of a single year. Annoying, yes, but nowhere near what Marie's future was riding on.
That's why her eyes shone with hope.
Some spectators in the stands were still glaring at Leon. He was almost used to it now—after the last duel, many considered him the "bane" of their betting records. Some whispered, others just stared, a few looked like they were barely holding in their irritation.
Then suddenly:
"Bartfort!" Greg shouted sharply, snapping Leon out of his thoughts. "Get over here and let's get this started!"