A bombardment-like barrage of magic shook the ground.
The vibration carried all the way to the waiting room beneath the stage.
Students covered their ears as the explosive sounds assaulted their eardrums.
I, however, had forgotten such concerns and only stared at the screen.
The words Lily had just spoken lingered.
– Chaotengu. Lord of Silver.
“It’s one of the Great Old Ones.”
“Great Old Ones? Surely, it hasn’t formed a contract like us, has it?”
I have occasionally thought about it.
From my conversations with Lily, I could infer that there were others who had formed contracts with outsiders like myself.
Even Lily had managed a few contractors in her time. There was no rule against contracting with different outsiders.
But I never expected to meet one here…
The sparring match ended in the blink of an eye.
It was an overwhelming display of force.
Naturally, Callisa emerged victorious.
As the results were announced, the crowd in the viewing stands began to stir.
The waiting room also grew chaotic.
It seemed everyone was surprised by such an unexpected outcome.
However, that’s one thing and this is another.
My next match was with Dennis.
I made my way out of the waiting room with Lily in my arms to find Dennis already waiting.
“Shall we go, Senior?”
“Yeah, let’s go.”
As I ascended the stairs to the stage, someone came barreling down from above.
“Senior!!!”
“Ahh!”
Callisa leapt at me like a street wrestler.
However,
Bang!
“Ow!”
A protective barrier erected by Lily blocked her charge.
Callisa groaned in pain, cradling her head after colliding with the transparent shield.
“Are… Are you okay?”
Upon hearing my words, Callisa quickly perked up.
“Did you see my match? Wasn’t it amazing?”
A few minutes ago, if I didn’t know about her connection to outsiders, I might have simply smiled and moved on…
But now, everything seemed suspicious.
Upon reflection, her words in the waiting room were strange.
“Warning – if you slight this cat, you might end up dead.”
Her tone was as if she knew the power of Lily.
Of course, she might have learned from seniors about Louis’s case…
‘God, is she really a contractor of an outsider?’
What if she realized the truth about Lily?
I have learned from Dreamland that not all outsiders get along well.
What if she decided to oppose Lily?
Anxiety began to creep into my mind.
My racing heart filled me with an unbearable unease.
Just then,
Clap!
Callisa clapped her hands right in front of my eyes.
“Ahh!”
Startled, I lost my balance but managed to regain it just in time.
“What the hell are you doing all of a sudden?”
“I saw you spacing out. This was to bring you back to reality.”
‘For whose fault?’
Ignoring my turmoil, Callisa flashed a bright smile.
“Good luck with your match. Fight well!”
I weakly returned the wave and quickly turned away.
– What should we do? Isn’t it dangerous that she has a contract with an outsider?
– Hmm…
Lily stroked her chin, deep in thought.
It was an unusual sight, yet the cuteness of a cat stroking her chin was undeniable.
– It should be fine for now.
– For now…?
– Yes. Chaotengu is relatively well-behaved among the Great Old Ones and won’t harm us without reason.
– That’s a relief.
A well-behaved outsider… Indeed, there are kind gods like Lily.
Not all outsiders are mad murderers.
Are there any who help humans?
‘Ah, are those Elder Gods?’
Anyhow, feeling reassured by Lily’s words, my mind now focused on the match.
– Lily, as we discussed yesterday, no excessive measures… uh, no blood.
– How about a condition?
– A condition?
– If this human insults Arthur, I won’t restrain myself.
– Lily…
– Don’t try to stop me. This is non-negotiable.
Lily’s eyes glinted firmly.
I silently regarded her gaze and then smiled faintly, stroking her head.
– Alright. If you offer revenge, that much should be returned.
I also had my own plans for vengeance, so it wasn’t wise to stop her.
Besides, a sane person wouldn’t insult someone with two years of seniority over them.
‘Eh, surely not…’
I slowly ascended the stairs and finally reached the top.
The vast expanse of the stage greeted me.
Even on the feed, it was evident the place was massive. Standing here, it was truly impressive.
It was almost too large for a one-on-one duel.
And then,
“Wowww!”
“Dennis! Dennis!”
“Catboy! Catboy!”
“Squeal! The cat is cute!”
The thunderous cheers of students filled the stands.
Most were words of encouragement…
“ughh~ peasant, go away!”
“Die! Envious brat!”
…but some weren’t.
With every disparaging comment, Lily’s head turned slightly to observe.
Regardless, the attention from the multitude made my chest tighten.
– Are you okay, Arthur?
– I’m fine. It’s better that they’re so far away, so I can ignore it…
There was a good distance between the stands and the stage.
Thanks to that, the feeling of being watched wasn’t as oppressive.
Standing there for a moment, a few figures approached.
They were student council members mediating the match.
They briefly explained the rules.
Primarily, no killing.
‘Well, what about Callisa’s barrage of spells earlier? If hit directly, even an elephant would be killed instantly…?’
The student council moved away after explaining the rules.
Dennis and I exchanged glances and distanced ourselves from each other.
Once we were far enough apart, the student council signaled us.
The moment they gave the final signal, the duel would begin.
Setting Lily down, I cracked my stiffened fingers.
I said I wasn’t nervous, but facing off like this, it was hard not to feel tense.
Just as my legs began to tremble,
– Don’t worry. I’ll protect you.
Lily’s voice echoed in my mind.
Strangely, upon hearing that voice, my trembling subsided.
Blood flowed back into my hands, and my complexion returned.
I nodded to Lily, who also nodded back with her crescent-shaped eyes.
At that moment,
“Start!”
“Hraaaah!”
Simultaneously with the signal, Dennis activated a spell.
A hazy something approached rapidly and disappeared with a loud friction.
A translucent barrier appeared around Lily and me, cutting off the attack.
“Tch.”
Dennis spat and launched another spell.
Squeak-squeak-kiiik!
Hard to see, but the characteristic friction sound helped identify the spell.
‘Breeze-cutting wind attribute.’
The wind attribute magic that excels in speed performed effectively in duels but,
– Pfft! Not a chance.
It couldn’t even scratch Lily’s barrier.
Realizing this, Dennis quickly prepared another spell.
Fire erupted from Dennis’s hands.
‘Is that fire magic?… No, it’s slightly different.’
The fireball that formed on Dennis’s hand hit the barrier with a hissing sound.
The flame licking the surface of the barrier swirled.
‘The combination of wind magic and fire magic, huh? Good thinking.’
An excellent combination that reinforced each other.
But of course, Lily’s barrier remained unscathed.
Even Chancellor couldn’t break through Lily’s guard.
And now, a freshman just entering school is going to penetrate?
Unthinkable.
Lily maintained her defense effortlessly and seemed to be pondering something.
– What are you thinking about?
– I’m considering how to finish this match. If I use the beam, this human will definitely die. As for curses, anything I do is either too mild or too overwhelming…
Thinking it over, there wasn’t anything suitable.
The easiest method would be magic, but…
Already restricted by beams, curses, and barriers.
It’s impossible to use them before so many people.
Something weak, something weak…
– Perhaps we could emit a very weak beam?
– Hmm… I think it’s possible.
– He won’t die, right?
– Let me try.
Trying nonetheless… This is life-and-death!
Closing her eyes in concentration, Lily focused on adjusting the beam’s output.
At that moment, the magic attack suddenly ceased.
As the inferno subsided, Dennis came into view, wearing a confident grin.
“What are you doing in there, Senior? Surely you’re not going to say you have no attack magic?”
“No, I do have it, but…”
“Then what are you waiting for, Senior?”
No, if you keep this up, you’ll die!
Beam’s direct hit: Physical death
Curse: Social death
In any case, I’m trying to save your life…
Unaware of my intentions, Dennis continued shouting.
“Senior, what exactly are you doing? It’s the first time I’ve seen such a dull duel. I’m amazed at how you managed to survive here with such limited skills.”
“Are your excellent grades the result of some unfair methods? All you can do is defense magic, right? So you waited inside the barrier until everyone else failed in the practical tests?”
“Speaking of which, I heard about you. They say you have no magic power, right? Clinging behind a protective summon like some coward, are you even a man?”
At that comment, Lily’s eyes widened.
-What?
-Lily, just wait a moment. That’s fine…
-Who does this person think they are, spouting nonsense? Arthur is extremely manly! He confessed and proposed first! If you see his naked body, it’s impressive-
-How do you know?!
Dennis’ words did not stop.
“To bring a pet to the battlefield like this, it’s an insult to a noble like me. Although it’s understandable that a commoner needs something to depend on, you should’ve brought something at least marginally useful.”
I could tolerate this much.
First, I need to calm Lily down-
“Red eyes, you even resemble something ominous. Did you just grab some mongrel cat somewhere?”
‘…Huh?’
I couldn’t help but doubt my ears.
‘Mongrel cat?’
‘Who, Lily?’
‘C’mon, there’s no way someone could say that about Lily…’
‘But he mentioned the red eyes…’
‘Then he really did say that about Lily?’
‘This… this guy must be insane!’
It felt like a snap sounded in my head.
My patience had reached its limit.
I could endure insults directed at me, but not against Lily.
I held back as much as I could.
But it was Dennis who crossed the line first.
-Lily.
-Yes.
-Let’s do it.
-Duly noted.
Lily’s eyes began to glow red.
At the sight, Dennis smirked.
“Hah, so you’re finally going to attack? I was beginning to think you’d never-”
Gulur…
Dennis’ words cut off abruptly.
His face contorted grotesquely.
“What… what is this…”
This, indeed.
The sound of your academy life crumbling.
