After Elena's sudden outburst, the trio stopped arguing, but Linen unexpectedly became the focus of the class yet again.
Only now did the other students realize—no matter how intense their squabble had seemed, weren't they just fighting over who got to be with Linen?
"Holy crap, I just realized—that blonde girl, isn't she Linda Elphie? I'm so jealous!"
"What, you have a crush on her?"
"No, not her—but definitely her mom."
"A princess from a neighboring empire arguing so fiercely with another woman over our prince? We've struck gold!"
"Your observation sucks. You're fired from the school newspaper. You forgot the son of the Duke of the Northlands was involved too. Prince Linen is clearly unstoppable—men and women alike!"
Linen's brow furrowed sharply.
Great job—I completely underestimated Elena. Compared to Hysteria, who only growls and never bites, Elena, usually so gentle and quiet, was actually far more dangerous.
Hearing these undisguised whispers around him, Linen—who'd initially been silently observing from the sidelines—now felt a headache approaching.
Elena, so this was your revenge against me?
Destroying my reputation with a scandalous headline in the campus gossip papers?
But I, Linen Norton, am no pushover!
His extensive experience as an internet dweller in his previous life taught him that explaining misunderstandings and suspicions was useless. The best way to suppress one embarrassing piece of news was to create an even more explosive headline.
Linen immediately turned toward Milian, the practical combat instructor currently doubting her existence:
"Teacher Milian, the cause of all this commotion was Farao's challenge. Since it's a practical class anyway, why don't we have the two of us demonstrate for everyone?"
"Eh? Are you asking me?"
"Of course—after all, this is your class, isn't it?"
Milian was instantly flattered. She hadn't expected the only person who remembered she was the teacher to be the source of all this chaos—Prince Linen himself.
Why do I suddenly find this prince rather charming?
I must act like a teacher—unless I really want to quit and go inherit the family business!
At that moment, an impatient voice cut in.
"Enough pointless chatter, Linen Norton! I'll take that as your acceptance of the challenge!"
It was, of course, Farao. Linen frowned, about to unleash some pointed remarks at this minor antagonist who never seemed to attack anyone else but himself, when suddenly a stern voice intervened.
"That's enough, Farao Oss! Repeated disruptions of class discipline—I must deduct one credit from you!"
"Damn it, this is all your fault, Linen Norton!"
Farao's face twisted as if he'd swallowed a fly. He might not respect a new teacher with no backing, but losing another credit would bring him perilously close to expulsion.
The rules of formal Arcane duels allowed winners to claim points from the losers, which was precisely why he'd targeted Linen.
Meanwhile, Linen found himself wordlessly staring at Milian, who was now smiling eagerly in his direction.
Though he wasn't sure why the teacher was suddenly being so accommodating, he distinctly heard the whispers of two student newspaper reporters behind him, already crafting headlines like "Even Teachers Fall for Prince Norton's Charm."
...
Under Milian's direction, the Arcane duel was swiftly arranged—but instead of individual battles, it was set as a team competition.
"Each study group sends out three members, best two out of three matches. Winners gain three points each from the losing group. They clearly came prepared."
Elena quickly grasped the strategy hidden within these rules.
Farao, meanwhile, wore a smug expression.
You've only just realized? Too late!
The rules did state that each winner could claim points from any loser, but they never said it couldn't be the same person repeatedly.
In other words, if Farao's team won, all three members could choose to take points from Linen alone. Linen, currently with the highest score, would instantly lose nine points and plummet into negative territory.
Farao had never aimed merely for temporary humiliation—his true goal was to put Linen at risk of expulsion, eliminating him completely!
Elena's heart sank as she grasped this fully.
Her specialty is [Illusion Arcane]. It was powerful when used cleverly in battle—she'd even fooled Ken multiple times—but in a constrained, one-on-one duel, her strength was severely limited.
Moreover, Illusion magic had almost no direct attack power in the early stages—a fatal flaw in duels!
As Elena struggled internally, a loud explosion sounded from the combat area. Hysteria had swiftly defeated her opponent in the first match, claiming an easy victory.
"Mwahaha! No matter how many small fries you send, they're still small fries. Why don't you three just come at me all at once?"
With one hand on her hip and the other proudly holding a flame, Hysteria gloated openly.
"Princess Hysteria, the match is over. Please leave the stage!" Milian reminded her gently.
Hysteria clicked her tongue irritably and stepped off the field.
Farao seemed unbothered by his teammate's defeat, merely flashing a cold smile. He gave a nod, signaling the girl next to him forward. Elena immediately bit her lip nervously.
She knew that girl. Though not yet a full [One-Ring Arcane Mage], she was nearly there—and crucially, her specialized in [Water Arcane]. While its power was limited, it drenched opponents and covered large areas—perfectly countering Elena's illusions.
They'd targeted her as the weakest link from the very beginning.
But she had no choice—she had to fight!
Just as Elena reluctantly moved forward, Linen blocked her with his arm.
"Going into an obvious trap anyway would be pretty foolish, don't you think?"
Linen said coldly.
If Elena had seen through their strategy, he certainly had too. Sending Elena into battle now was just gifting the enemy a free win.
Trying to trick me? Not a chance!
"But…then should we just forfeit?" Elena lowered her head, feeling defeated.
Linen didn't answer. Instead, he turned toward Linda, who had been gleefully spectating, and asked gently.
"Miss Linda, these duels seem awfully violent. As a temporary member of our group, will you be okay?"
Linda paused, stunned that Linen was initiating conversation. A second later, her expression turned pitiful as she leaned seductively closer.
"Oh, now that you mention it, Your Highness, I do feel quite unsuited for this. I'm so scared~"
As she said this, Linda moved even closer, stopping just short of pressing herself against Linen. Surprisingly, this time Linen didn't dodge her advances.
"I see, I understand. Come here, just a little closer."
Linen appeared thoughtful for a second before suddenly nodding decisively.
Then, abruptly, he pushed Linda forward, directly onto the dueling stage.
"Eh? Your Highness Linen?"
Not just Linda, even Milian didn't understand Linen's move.
"The best way to conquer fear is to face it directly," Linen explained earnestly. "Teacher Milian, to help our teammate Linda overcome her fears, we've decided she'll take part in this duel. It's a wonderful chance for her to become a true Arcane Mage!"
As he finished, Linen subtly winked at Elena.
"Thank you," Elena whispered quietly, lowering her head so only she could hear.