Chapter 85 : Chapter 85
Volume 2
Chapter 9 : The Reward of Effort
“The student council…”
Faced with the choice Selicia had offered him, Muen fell silent for a brief moment.
Saint Maria Academy was known for its free-spirited atmosphere, and the student council had been granted tremendous authority.
The fact that even attendance for the first class had to be checked by the student council was enough to show that.
Moreover, the student council carried enormous prestige among the students.
If he joined it, the “scumbag” halo hanging over him would certainly fade quite a bit.
It might even truly allow him to completely cast off the prejudice others had attached to him in the past and become the “good student” he had always longed to be.
That was probably exactly what Selicia had in mind.
No matter how one looked at it, it was a good choice.
But…
“Does the current me really have the qualifications to join the student council?”
Looking into Selicia’s eyes, Muen asked seriously:
“Or is this special treatment you are giving me?”
“…Whether you are outstanding right now is not what matters.”
Selicia lowered her gaze and stared into the coffee in her cup.
“What matters is whether you have the heart to become outstanding. Muen Campbell, do you think you do not have that?”
“Of course I do, but that has nothing to do with what we are talking about right now, does it?”
The student council’s special standing meant that every year, countless people practically broke their heads trying to get in.
Thus, everyone who made it into the student council was bound to be among the elites of their year.
Take Ariel Bugarde, for instance. If she joined the student council, no one would object, because anyone who had once objected to her had basically already been beaten up by her last semester.
But Muen Campbell was different.
Muen Campbell was the year’s famous scumbag, failure, and playboy.
He had spent an entire year learning just one spell, and it was the simplest Light spell.
He had scored only three points in Introduction to the Fundamentals of Magic last term.
If someone like that suddenly joined the student council, everyone would think it was an underhanded arrangement.
Not to mention that he and the current student council president, Selicia, were bound by a betrothal.
That would only provoke even more resentment and hostility from others.
“It would become a stain on you, Selicia.”
“You think I would care?”
Selicia raised a delicate brow, the corner of her lips curving into a faintly teasing smile.
“Let others say whatever they want. Since when have I ever—”
“But I care.”
Muen interrupted her, his voice serious.
“I care.”
“…”
Sunlight filtered through the pale blue curtains, tracing bright lines across Muen’s face.
Selicia stared blankly at the man before her, and for the first time, a look of such obvious astonishment surfaced in her eyes.
“I already stained you once, so do not make me carry that kind of guilt again, alright?”
Muen gently set his now-empty coffee cup down on the table and praised sincerely:
“The coffee was delicious.”
“…Thank you,” Selicia replied.
“Then I will be going now. Goodbye.”
“Mm.”
Muen walked out of the student council room and softly closed the door behind him.
The light dimmed slightly.
Which made the flickering in Selicia’s eyes stand out all the more clearly.
“Ha…”
Selicia let out a soft breath, rested her cheek against her hand, and gazed into empty space.
Then, suddenly, a faint smile bloomed upon her beautiful face.
Like spring snow melting.
“Muen Campbell…”
“You really have changed…”
…
…
“President! President!”
Selicia drew back her gaze and saw Veir, with her bun-shaped hair, hurrying in from outside at a run.
“I brought what you asked me to look into.”
After saying that, Veir braced herself against the desk, panting hard, before noticing the coffee cups on the table.
“Hm? Did someone just come by?”
“People come to the student council all the time. Is that so strange?”
Selicia tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
“So where is it?”
“H-here!”
Veir handed a stack of newspapers to Selicia, excitement gleaming in her eyes as she exclaimed:
“This issue is unbelievable. I was stunned out of my mind reading it. I never imagined that behind Muen Campbell stepping on thirteen—no, fourteen—ships, there were actually this many hidden details!”
“…Did I not tell you not to read those things so much?” Selicia accepted the papers, her tone carrying a faint reproach. “The contents are not nearly as true as you think.”
“Hehe, the headline was just too eye-catching, so I accidentally glanced at it.”
Veir scratched her head sheepishly.
“…”
Selicia knew perfectly well that this girl’s curiosity was impossible to suppress, so she did not pursue the matter further and lowered her eyes to the paper.
— “The Sinking of the Dreadnought-Class Battleship! The Mighty Counterattack of the Virgin-Slayer!”
“Do they even dare write things like this about a teacher? That person really does have a lot of nerve.”
After only a glance at the headline, Selicia completely lost any interest in reading further.
She rose to her feet and headed outside.
“Huh? President, are you going out?”
“I have something to do.”
“But what about all these documents?”
Veir slapped the mountain of paperwork piled on the desk and asked in some panic:
“These are all urgent.”
Selicia turned back, her expression calm.
“Secretary?”
“Huh?”
“You are the student council secretary, are you not?”
Selicia said,“Then I will leave them to you for now.”
“Hah?”
Veir froze on the spot with an expression as if the sky were collapsing.
That many documents…
It would kill her!
“Do your best, Secretary.”
Selicia patted Veir’s shoulder and leaned close to her ear, speaking in a gentle voice:
“And by the way, if I come back and find that you handled them carelessly… then from now on, you will never again see your beloved Domineering Evil God Falls in Love With Me novels.”
“…You are going to throw my novels away?” Veir asked pitifully.
“No. I will simply ban the publishers from printing those sorts of books at all.” Selicia was cold as iron.
“…Too cruel! The president is too cruel!”
…
…
Newspaper Society.
“Mingote! Senior!”
Ariel slammed a stack of newspapers onto the desk and roared at the flamboyantly dressed man lounging in a recliner:
“Can you explain what exactly the meaning of the things written in your paper is?”
“Oh my, is this not the illustrious Ariel Bugarde?”
The president of the Newspaper Society, Mingote, whose hair had been dyed green, was carefully polishing his nails. He only lifted his eyelids a little when Ariel shouted, still looking utterly unconcerned.
“What is this? You actually had the time to honor my humble Newspaper Society with your presence today. It truly brightens the place.”
“Stop pretending to be stupid!”
Ariel snatched up a paper, pointed furiously at the red-highlighted report on it, and shouted:
“What is this ‘dreadnought-class battleship’ supposed to mean? And what do you mean by Muen Campbell’s ex-girlfriend? And abortion? And stealing another woman’s man? Is this how irresponsible your Newspaper Society is when writing reports?”
“Oh, that.”
Mingote glanced at it and sneered.
“Tabloid news. Do normal news publishers not all have some of that?”
“Even for gossip, there still has to be some basis in fact, right?”
Ariel slammed a hand against the desk.
“But yours is entirely made up!”
“And that is exactly why…”
Mingote finally straightened slightly in his seat, picked up the newspaper before him, flipped it over, and pointed to the final line of the tiny text with a smile.
“Did I not remind everyone right here?”
Ariel leaned closer and widened her eyes, only then noticing the sentence:
“The above content is purely the Newspaper Society’s subjective speculation for amusement and does not represent any real situation.”
“Who is supposed to be able to see that!”
Ariel stared blankly for a second, then roared even more furiously:
“You obviously did that on purpose!”
“Oh? Then it sounds like Miss Ariel has some sort of issue with me.”
Mingote sneered.
“So what is it you want to do?”
“Recall every paper and publish an apology statement telling everyone the truth!” Ariel said through gritted teeth.
“I see. I understand what Miss Ariel wants.”
Mingote nodded solemnly, then said:
“But that is impossible.”
“Why?”
“Recall the newspapers? Apologize? That would be the same as destroying my Newspaper Society. How could I agree to that?”
“So you can just trample all over my personal rights like this?”
“Mm, perhaps that part was indeed a little improper.”
Mingote stroked his chin, pondering for a moment, then suddenly said:
“How about this? I can give you ten percent of the profits from these newspapers.”
“…”
“What do you think? To tell you the truth, these papers are selling very well. Even just ten percent would be a considerable sum.”
Mingote raised his brows theatrically and smiled.
“With only a tiny bit of useless reputation as the price, you can earn piles and piles of money. Is that not a fantastic bargain?”
“You… what exactly do you take a person’s reputation for?”
Ariel’s fingers dug visible marks into the desk. She glared at Mingote, leaning forward like a beast ready to pounce at any second.
“I do not want a single coin of your filthy money! But you must recall all the newspapers, and then apologize to everyone whose lives were affected by the false rumors you spread!”
“Sorry, I cannot do that.”
“You—”
“Oh? Is Miss Ariel planning to attack me?”
Seeing that Ariel looked as though she might throw a punch at any moment, Mingote remained perfectly calm.
The corners of his lips even held a mocking smile.
“Go ahead then. A second-year junior challenging me, a sixth-year senior, would itself make a splendid bit of news. And when it comes to news, I never refuse it.
But…”
Mingote looked at her and laughed coldly.
“Miss Ariel had better think carefully. Can you really… beat me?”
“…”
Ariel looked as if she wanted to devour him alive.
But in the end, she still did not strike.
Because for the time being, she really was not this hateful man’s match.
After all, Mingote was a sixth-year, and a famous one even among the sixth-years.
Ariel was indeed capable of fighting above her rank, but even that had limits.
At present, four years above her was her absolute ceiling.
Unless…
But using that power on a scumbag like him was clearly not worth it.
“Do not get too smug…”
Ariel trembled with rage. Staring at Mingote, she bit out each word:
“Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river—never bully a young g—”
Knock knock.
The knock at the door interrupted the fierce speech she was in the middle of delivering.
Without waiting for any reply, a silver-white figure walked in.
“What is going on? Did I not say no one was allowed in without my permis—”
Mingote turned his head in annoyance, ready to scold the lackey stationed outside the door, but the moment he saw that silver-white figure, he froze.
“P-President?”
“Hello, Senior Mingote.”
Selicia gave him a cold nod, then looked to Ariel and greeted her as well:
“Good afternoon, Ariel.”
“Selicia, what are you doing here?”
Ariel blinked, then immediately became aware of the gracelessness of the desk-slamming posture she had just been in.
She straightened up at once, coughed twice, and asked with great concern:
“It is the beginning of term. Is the student council work not important?”
“It is fine. Someone is taking care of that work for me. As for why I am here…”
Selicia turned toward Mingote, her tone cooling.
“Surely Senior Mingote understands.”
“Uh…”
Mingote’s cheek twitched.
Even he found it hard to remain composed before the woman as cold as an iceberg standing before him.
Of course he knew why Selicia had come.
And of course he had known she would come sooner or later.
He had simply not expected her to come this quickly.
Should not the beginning of term be the busiest period for the student council?
How did she have time to bother with him?
But no. Stay calm. No need to panic yet.
He had anticipated this long ago and made preparations in advance.
He had reviewed the academy rules more than ten times.
He was absolutely certain he had not yet crossed any line that violated them.
The Newspaper Society accounts had also been falsified, so even if she looked through them, she would not find anything wrong.
He had even already spoken to all his subordinates, and the apology gifts for the teacher in question were already on their way.
All he needed to do was hold steady.
Even if she was the student council president, even if she was the Empire’s princess, inside the academy she was still only a fourth-year brat.
As long as he had not broken academy rules, what could she possibly do to him?
At that thought, Mingote’s somewhat tense heart finally calmed a little.
Do not panic. The advantage is mine.
Let us see what move she makes first.
“Since you already know why I am here, I will speak plainly.”
Selicia dragged a chair over to sit directly opposite Mingote.
Crossing one leg over the other, fingers interlaced on her lap, waist held perfectly straight, she looked as precise and elegant as some exquisitely programmed machine.
In the suffocating silence that followed, Selicia fixed Mingote with her cold gaze and said:
“Mingote Raymond.
Do you… want to die?”
“What—”
Even Mingote, a sixth-year, could not help leaning backward at that moment, because the pressure Selicia released in that instant was overwhelming, and because her words were so completely beyond anything he had expected.
In one stroke, they shattered every prepared tactic he had been holding ready.
But Mingote was no weak-minded fool. He quickly recovered and said angrily:
“Is the president saying that to me as the student council president, or as Her Highness the princess?”
“What is your identity? Does that question even matter?”
Selicia’s gaze remained cold, her expression utterly calm. It was hard to imagine that the person sitting there so composed could be the same one who had just uttered the word “die.”
“What if I am the princess? What if I am the student council president? What if I cast aside both identities and speak to you merely as Selicia herself? Would it matter? No, it would not. Because no matter which identity I speak from, I have every right to say it to you. And not just once. I could say it over and over—until you no longer wished to hear it.”
Word by word, as if she meant to carve them in blood into the deepest part of Mingote’s heart, Selicia said in a voice sharp with frost:
“Mingote Raymond. Do. You. Want. To. Die?”
At that moment—
The girl sat in the fading light.
Radiating cold.
…
…
“As expected of Selicia!”
Out in the corridor, Ariel looked at Selicia with unhidden admiration and praised her sincerely:
“When you said those two lines just now, you were incredible. Just two sentences, and you made a sixth-year senior give in and apologize to me. Hmph, that was unbelievably cool!”
“It was nothing.”
Selicia brushed back her silver-white hair and said lightly, “When dealing with someone like Mingote, if you try to reason with him, he will only twist you into his own pace instead. So the only way is to be forceful.
Besides, part of it was because he himself already felt somewhat guilty. Otherwise he would not have been frightened so easily.”
“But it was still unbelievably cool!”
Ariel felt as though stars were about to shine from her eyes.
This is bad. Selicia has somehow become even more attractive to me. What am I supposed to do when all I want right now is to cling to her?
Come to think of it…
The fact that Selicia had appeared at exactly the right time—could it be because…
Touching her slightly warm cheeks, Ariel began indulging in all sorts of delightful fantasies.
“Ah.”
Lost in her thoughts, Ariel suddenly bumped into Selicia from behind.
“What is it?”
Rubbing her nose, Ariel followed Selicia’s line of sight.
And then she saw the person she least wanted to see.
The golden-haired Muen was sitting beneath the shade of a nearby tree, holding a book whose title could not be made out, reading with complete seriousness.
From time to time, he frowned, apparently encountering some difficult problem, then took out a small notebook and scribbled something in it.
Or else he would seem to resolve some question that had troubled him for a long while and reveal a heart-stoppingly handsome smile.
Through the entire process, he remained utterly absorbed, unaffected by anything around him. Even when people passed by, he stayed lost in the world of the book.
“That guy is actually reading? And with that much concentration?”
Looking at the scene, Ariel wore an expression of utter disbelief, as though she had just seen a pig climb a tree. Then she curled her lip disdainfully and mocked:
“With his personality, it is probably only a burst of enthusiasm that will last three minutes.”
“Ariel.”
Selicia withdrew her gaze and glanced coolly at her.
“He is working hard. You should not speak of him that way.”
“But that is Muen Campbell. Do you not know what sort of person he was last semester, Selicia? How could he possibly be genuinely working hard?” Ariel protested.
“That has nothing to do with who he is, and nothing to do with how he used to be.”
Selicia turned and continued walking forward.
Only her footsteps seemed to grow softer.
As though she wished not to disturb the boy who seemed like a newly reborn person.
“If it is effort, then it should not be mocked.”
…
…
“So today is martial skills class?”
After another morning run, another cold shower, and another simple breakfast at the dining hall, Muen headed for that day’s lesson.
This time, he felt far more at ease.
Compared to a theoretical subject like Introduction to the Fundamentals of Magic, for which he had no foundation whatsoever, a practical class like martial skills was something he could handle with much more ease.
After all, even though he had wasted a good deal of the previous year, the foundation that his “cheap father” had laid down for him was not weak.
And besides—
“I have not slacked off in the slightest during this time.”
Muen clenched his fist, a sharp light flashing in his eyes.
“This is perfect. I also want to know what level my physical abilities as a warrior alone have now reached among my peers.”
…
…
Naturally, martial skills class was not held in a classroom, but in a huge martial training ground.
These training grounds—or rather, these arenas—were mostly set aside by the academy for students to duel on. Teachers were always present to oversee them, and the grounds were enhanced with magic arrays so that the duelists could use their full strength without restraint.
When Muen arrived, quite a few people were already there.
To Muen’s relief, because this was a rather “rough” sort of class, there were hardly any girls around. And with fewer girls, gossip naturally had less room to spread.
But that breath of relief was quickly sucked right back in.
Because Ariel was there too.
This time, however, she merely cast him a cold glance and said nothing.
Muen scratched his head and gave up on the idea of going over to greet her. She seemed to be in a bad mood.
“Oh, it seems everyone is here.”
Once class time arrived, the martial skills teacher Cade, built like a gorilla, swept his gaze across everyone present.
“The usual rule. The first lesson of the new term means drawing lots for duels. Let me see whether you little brats have slacked off during the holidays!”
“Yay!”
A small cheer rose from the students, because this sort of duel not only gave everyone a free show to watch, but also let them slack off while others were fighting. Compared to tediously practicing martial skills, this was one of the students’ favorite kinds of class.
“Heh, laugh while you can. If I find out any of you have regressed, just wait and see how I deal with you!”
Cade sneered and threw out a threat, then produced the box for drawing lots and had the students come up one by one to pick.
“Number one?”
Looking at the number in his hand, Muen paused.
Was his luck really that bad?
He had hoped to watch a few other classmates fight first and gauge the general level before stepping into battle himself.
“But forget it. It will not really affect anything. I will just do my best.”
Muen smiled easily and stepped onto the stage when Teacher Cade called his name.
Opposite him stood a broad, powerfully built classmate whose massive pectorals looked as though they were about to burst through his uniform.
“I remember you are—”
Muen searched his memory. The man looked familiar.
“My name is Rein.”
The burly classmate answered.
“Oh, so it is Rein.”
Muen remembered.
In the original owner’s memories, Rein had been one of the strongest students in the entire year.
Particularly those powerful muscles, built through years of training.
Even Teacher Cade had often praised their strength and explosive force.
Not to mention that Rein had already broken through to the second rank as early as last term.
By now, his realm as a warrior had to be at least around the mid-stage of the second rank.
“He feels like a formidable opponent.”
Muen scratched his head, then smiled wryly.
“Then please take it easy on me, Rein.”
“Please take care of me too, Muen Campbell.”
“Go easy on me for a while, alright?”
Rein froze for a moment, then nodded hard. “I will.”
…
…
“That guy is actually first?”
Seeing Muen Campbell step onto the stage, Ariel raised a brow.
Then a cold smile spread across her lips.
“Perfect. Let me see how badly you get crushed.”
So he had been acting cool, reading books in front of Selicia?
Effort?
Very well, let me see how earthshaking the fruits of your effort really are.
“Place your bets, place your bets!”
Among the students behind Ariel, a monkey-faced boy rubbed his hands together excitedly and called out to those around him:
“Muen Campbell versus Rein. A thrilling match you cannot miss. Does anyone want to put money down?”
“Come on, man, you are seriously opening bets on a match with a completely obvious outcome?” a nearby student asked, looking at him strangely.
“Exactly. That is Rein. As for Muen Campbell, that watered-down fish who spent all last semester slacking off—even if he has some natural foundation, he still could not beat Rein even if Rein only used one hand.”
“Be more confident. He could not win even if Rein only used one hand and one foot.”
“Be even more confident. Even with both hands and both feet gone!”
“That is too much. Are you saying Rein would have to fight by headbutting Muen Campbell?”
“To be honest, I am not sure even headbutting him would lose, haha…”
“…”
“Do not worry, do not worry.”
The monkey-faced student gave them all a look that said he had planned for this from the start and grinned.
“I know the difference in strength is huge, but when did I say I was taking bets on who wins?”
“Oh? Then you mean—?”
“On time. On time. How long can Muen Campbell last? Or rather, how long until the duel ends? Five minutes? Ten minutes? Whoever guesses closest wins. Winner takes all. Simple rules. Anyone playing?”
“I am in!”
Someone immediately responded.
Life in the academy was dull enough, so when an opportunity arose to have some fun, why would anyone pass it up?
“I bet one hundred Amiel in five minutes!”
“Five minutes is too conservative.”
Someone tossed over a crumpled fifty Amiel note. “Three minutes.”
“You call that conservative? Then only put in fifty?”
A noble-looking young man sneered in disdain and waved his hand grandly. “One thousand. One minute.”
“Wow, you bastard. Weren’t you trying to cozy up to Muen Campbell before? And now you are betting against him this hard?”
“Hehe, I never got the chance, did I? That bastard Muen Campbell only ever accepted lackeys from the higher years.”
…
“Should I play too?”
Looking at the classmates enthusiastically placing their bets, Ariel suddenly felt tempted as well.
She could watch Muen Campbell make a fool of himself and earn some spending money at the same time. What was not to like?
Still, being poor at the moment, Ariel remained extremely cautious about money, so she immediately called upon her all-knowing master in her heart.
“Master, what do you think?”
“Muen Campbell’s strength? I do not know much about warriors, but I can tell that he seems somewhat different from last term.”
“Different?”
“He seems to have… advanced?”
Her master’s voice sounded in her mind, tinged with uncertainty. But very quickly, that uncertainty turned into certainty.
“That is right. He has advanced.”
“I see. So he really has advanced. Despicable Muen Campbell. You nearly fooled me.”
Ariel ground her teeth and glared viciously at Muen on the stage.
This guy must have been planning to secretly advance and then amaze everyone all at once.
Good thing I have Master. Otherwise I would definitely have bet one or two minutes too, and then I would have lost even my meal money!
“I bet ten minutes!”
Now that she knew Muen had already entered the second rank, Ariel stepped forward and boldly wagered her entire meal budget for the next week—two crumpled hundred-Amiel notes.
She could not help it. The black market was still shut down, and all her money had already been spent on materials. She was poor.
But—
Looking at the idiots around her who had failed to notice that Muen was hiding his true strength and were still happily betting on one or two minutes, Ariel could not help letting the corner of her mouth curve upward in a smug smile.
Even if Muen Campbell could not beat Rein, as a second-rank warrior he should have no trouble dragging things out to around ten minutes.
Which meant that when the time came, the winner would definitely be her.
“Hehe.”
Thinking of that, Ariel rubbed her little hands together excitedly.
“My days of adding a chicken leg to every meal are coming~”
…
“Both of you, choose your weapons.”
Since this was a duel, and they wanted a realistic display of strength, Cade had both boys go to the prepared weapon rack and select what suited them best.
Naturally, Muen took the pair of short blades he had grown used to, while Rein chose a massive horse-chopping saber that looked imposing enough to terrify anyone.
“Short blades?”
Looking at the weapon in Muen’s hand, Cade showed a trace of surprise.
“Weren’t you still using a sword last semester?”
“Haha, a sword does not suit me, so I changed.”
Muen laughed it off.
He could hardly say, I learned new moves from an assassin and forgot all the sword forms you taught me, could he?
“Forget it. What weapon you choose is your own business.”
Cade did not pay it much mind, because last semester Muen had only ever used the sword casually anyway.
If it was all play either way, why bother caring?
“Get ready.”
Cade instructed them to warm up while he himself retreated, giving them plenty of space.
“Alright.”
Muen stretched a bit, then looked toward Rein, who was some distance away, testing the balance of the horse-chopping saber in his hand.
“Rein.”
Muen suddenly spoke up.
“Hm?” Rein looked at him in confusion.
“That physique of yours is enviable. You must have trained for a very long time to build muscles like that.”
“…I have been training since childhood.”
“I see.”
Muen nodded, then continued,
“There is no special meaning behind my asking. I was just curious about one thing.”
“?”
“I remember someone once said that moderate exercise attracts the opposite sex, while excessive exercise attracts the same sex. So I was thinking—with muscles like yours, Rein…”
Leaning forward slightly, Muen asked with a smile:
“You have never had a girl like you in all your life, have you?”
Crack.
Something seemed to shatter.
Rein froze, then the veins on his forehead bulged and his eyes instantly reddened.
Damn your mother, if you want to fight then fight. Why are you stabbing people where it hurts?
So what if no girl has ever liked me? I still have my beloved dumbbells!
Do you know the joy of lifting every day?
At that exact moment—
“Begin.”
Teacher Cade gave the order to start.
In an instant, Muen shot forward like a hunting leopard.
Shadowstep!
Muen vanished from where he stood.
When he appeared again, he was already directly before Rein.
His twin blades flashed out like shadows that clung to their prey.
Rein’s eyes widened sharply.
The momentary delay in his mind caused by his burst of anger made him lose the initiative from the very start.
And so, faced with Muen’s slashing blades, he could only hurriedly raise his horse-chopping saber to block.
At that moment, the giant size of the saber worked to his advantage. With that one motion, it nearly sealed off every possible route of attack.
But not all of them.
A glint flickered in Muen’s eyes.
He suddenly changed moves. One foot stepped onto the broad surface of the saber.
Using it as leverage, he sprang backward, while at the same time hurling one of his short blades straight at the portion of Rein’s face left exposed by the weapon.
Rein snapped his head aside, barely evading the thrown blade.
But Muen slammed a foot into the ground and charged once more.
Panic finally flashed across Rein’s face.
He knew that if he let Muen continue pressing him with such relentless, storm-like attacks, defeat would come sooner or later.
He had to drive him back and regain his footing.
So he sank his qi into his core.
His battle aura began to gather.
Martial Skill: Iron Mountain Shock!
With a sudden burst of battle aura, it could knock away all enemies around him. It was a highly effective martial skill for being surrounded or entangled at close range.
Its only flaw was that the battle aura needed a moment to gather.
A brief opening.
And just before that charging phase was completed, Muen closed in.
Yet he did not strike with a blade.
Instead, he extended the hand that was now empty, all five fingers curled.
Like the claw of a wild beast.
The next moment, thunder roared!
A violent shock struck, and Rein immediately felt his blood and qi churn wildly inside him.
The battle aura he had nearly finished gathering scattered in an instant.
The move caused little real damage, but it threw Rein into a brief state of confusion.
“As expected of a perfect interruption skill.”
Muen murmured in admiration. Then, almost as casually as though strolling through a garden, he walked up to Rein.
And slammed his fist into Rein’s cheek.
The match was decided.
The arena fell silent.
Every face was filled with shock.
Only when Muen looked at him in puzzlement did Teacher Cade finally come back to himself. Glancing at the stopwatch in his hand, which he had instinctively stopped, he shouted:
“Ten seconds. Winner… Muen Campbell!”
The arena remained silent.
Muen, however, paid no attention to the crowd’s lack of enthusiasm. He placed a hand over his chest, bowed elegantly toward Rein on the ground, and said:
“Thank you for the match, Rein. Everything I said earlier was nonsense, so please do not take it to heart. Even if no girls have ever liked you, I am sure you are still a very attractive man.”
Muen smiled.
“Isn’t a life devoted to training still a happy one?”
Rein: “…”
If you do not know how to talk, then please do not.
That hurt even more.
Muen turned and began walking back toward the waiting area.
“Wait.”
At that moment, Teacher Cade called out to him. His eyes blazed with a heat they had never held before, as though he were seeing this blond youth for the first time.
“Um… aren’t you going to say something? Your impressions or something like that?”
“My impressions?”
Muen thought seriously about how the fight had felt and answered honestly:
“I think… that battle was easier than I imagined.”
“…”
Rein, who had just been struggling to sit up, heard those words, rolled his eyes, and collapsed back to the ground.
…
…
Only after Muen stepped down did the crowd finally explode into noise.
“No way. Muen Campbell actually won?”
“I am not dreaming, am I? Punch me. Ow—okay, not a dream!”
“Ten seconds? Even a sixty-year-old grandpa lasts longer than that. Is Rein for real?”
“One holiday later and Muen Campbell is already this strong? Did he take drugs?”
“Wait, then who wins the bet?”
Someone asked that, and instantly all eyes turned toward the monkey-faced boy.
He swallowed hard, then looked down at the notes in his hand recording everyone’s wagers and said:
“Well, since the bets were placed on the end time, then it has nothing to do with who won or lost. So of course the winner is whoever guessed closest to ten seconds.”
Thus, the final victor of the whole betting pool was some random student who had thrown in one coin on the absurdly unlikely time of fifteen seconds simply because he thought watching was not as fun as joining in.
At odds of one to five thousand, the result became a legend within Saint Maria for a very long time.
…
After Muen, the duels of the other classmates followed.
Compared to the ruthless precision and efficiency of Muen’s match, the others were far more ordinary and flamboyant.
The sort of battle where dazzling techniques flew everywhere but did not really accomplish much nearly made Muen want to rush up and shout, Stop it, all of you! If you keep fighting like this, nobody is ever going to die!
The only thing that truly surprised Muen was Ariel.
She defeated her opponent even faster. It only took seven seconds.
And somehow she seemed to be holding back a huge amount of pent-up irritation. Every move she used looked lethal enough to make even Teacher Cade nervous.
“Have I really become this strong without even realizing it?”
Resting his chin on his hand, Muen watched the fierce battles unfolding on the stage, his expression turning somewhat wistful.
When he had first transmigrated here, he had been so weak he could do nothing at all.
He could only endure the mockery of fate like a coward, powerless to resist.
But after this past month of fighting and learning day and night against the records within the black book, he had finally, in this moment, felt genuine progress.
He was no longer that useless young master.
He had grown stronger.
And he would only grow stronger still.