My Magical System

Eman glanced around the courtyard and could not help but marvel at how quickly news had spread throughout the Imperial Palace.

Only a few minutes had passed since Marco challenged him to a mock duel, yet the entire palace seemed to have learned about it.

Even the Emperor had heard the commotion.

Curious about what was happening, the Emperor personally left his office and made his way to one of the palace verandas overlooking the spacious courtyard. Standing beside him was the Imperial Knight Captain, his arms folded behind his back as he silently observed the growing crowd below.

From their elevated position, they had a perfect view of the arena where the sparring match would soon begin.

"It seems this little duel has attracted more attention than I expected," the Emperor remarked with an amused smile.

The Knight Captain nodded.

"It appears so, Your Majesty. Word spread remarkably fast."

The Imperial Knight Captain looked calm outside, but deep inside, he was actually curious about the outcome of the duel. Maybe heroes blessed by extraordinary powers, but…

Their opponent this time was not an ordinary person as well. A young commander who led an army of insignificant numbers of 100 in a very hard mission and successfully completed it with zero casualties.

The reports even mentioned that they were against high-level demons. Something like that could only be possible if the person leading the mission was a monster himself.

The soldiers who went to that mission wouldn't stop praising their commander. To the listeners who had not seen the actual battle, their words seemed like they were full of exaggerations.

There were even rumors stating that they were actually just against a few lawless bandits. However, the reports that his majesty received couldn't be falsed.

There was even one time when his majesty was almost assassinated. And that very young man was the one who saved him.

Even his majesty couldn't understand how or what the young man did. According to the emperor, everything happened so quickly. In just a blink of his eyes, the assassins turned into cold corpses.

Looking at Eman, the Imperial Knight Captain looked curious and excited.

The Emperor chuckled.

"Well, it has been quite some time since something entertaining happened inside the palace."

Below them, some servants, palace guards, nobles, and a number of heroes gathered around the courtyard.

As the seconds passed, the audience only continued to grow.

Eman noticed something else as well. Besides the summoned heroes who were with Eline and Marco, more familiar faces began appearing one after another.

He immediately recognized every single one of them.

Although their appearances remained engraved in his memory, many of their names had become blurry after so many years.

Still, that was hardly a problem for Eman. His vision was unlike that of ordinary people. The moment his gaze landed on someone, translucent information quietly appeared before his eyes.

Their names, levels, titles, special abilities, and even affiliations, everything floated in the air like invisible windows that only he could see. Because of that unique ability, forgetting someone's name was practically not an issue.

At present, there were already more than ten summoned heroes gathered in the courtyard.

The moment they saw Eman, their reactions were almost identical to Eline's earlier response: Shock, confusion, and disbelief.

Several of them even rubbed their eyes, wondering if they were hallucinating.

"Wait… isn't that…?"

"No way…"

"He looks exactly like him."

Their whispers spread among themselves.

However, after Eline's group explained the misunderstanding, the confusion quickly disappeared.

"So that's what happened."

"I honestly thought he was him."

"Yeah… I almost had a heart attack."

The heroes laughed awkwardly before turning their attention toward the upcoming sparring match. Soon, excitement replaced their earlier surprise.

Most of them became eager spectators. Some even started placing friendly bets among themselves regarding the outcome. Not everyone supported Marco's decision, however.

Several heroes quietly criticized him.

"Marco really loves showing off."

"Seriously."

"Picking a challenge with an academy student?"

"Isn't that a little embarrassing?"

Everyone present knew one simple fact.

The magic taught inside the academy was considered inferior compared to the Divine Powers possessed by summoned heroes.

The blessings granted by the heavens were simply on another level.

From the perspective of most heroes, this duel looked less like a fair sparring match and more like a performance that'd favor Marco.

"He just wants attention," one hero muttered while crossing his arms.

"I can't disagree."

"He probably wants everyone to see how amazing he is."

Of course, others thought differently.

Rather than criticizing Marco, they envied him.

"If only I challenged the academy student first."

"What a wasted opportunity."

"Yeah."

They glanced toward the spectators standing near the front. Two beautiful young women immediately caught everyone's attention.

Princess Liya.

And beside her stood another beauty.

The two young women were like blooming flowers among the crowd. Their elegant figures only made them very attractive.

Several of the male heroes secretly sighed.

"What terrible luck…"

"If I were the one sparring today, I'd definitely show them what a real hero can do."

"You wish."

The group burst into quiet laughter.

Meanwhile, Mina had been staring at Eman the entire time. Her beautiful eyes were filled with confusion. She still couldn't understand how a simple visit to the Imperial Palace had somehow turned into a duel.

And not just with anyone. One of the summoned heroes. How exactly had things escalated into this?

Before she could organize her thoughts, Princess Liya suddenly leaned closer with a mischievous smile.

"Big Sis, who do you think will win?"

Without even taking a second to think, Mina answered.

"Eman."

Her immediate reply surprised the princess. The corners of Liya's lips slowly curled upward.

"Hehehe…" She covered her mouth before giggling. "As expected of my Big Sis." She tilted her head teasingly. "You chose your crush without any hesitation."

Mina's entire face instantly turned bright red.

"W-What are you saying, Princess?"

She hurriedly touched her burning cheeks.

"I… I didn't choose him because of that."

"Oh?"

Princess Liya blinked innocently.

"I never said why you chose him."

Mina froze.

"…"

Realizing she had walked into the princess's trap, she became even more embarrassed. Princess Liya laughed softly.

"I'm only teasing you."

"T-That's not funny…"

Still smiling, Liya turned toward another familiar face.

"Eline."

"Yes, Princess?"

"Who do you think will win?"

Unlike Mina, Eline answered after giving it some thought.

"I believe Marco will win."

Her answer sounded calm and confident. The surrounding heroes nodded in agreement. That was the logical conclusion. After all, Marco possessed Divine Power bestowed directly by the heavens.

No matter how talented an academy student might be, overcoming that overwhelming advantage would be extremely difficult.

"I think so too," Princess Liya said.

She then glanced back at Mina with an amused smile.

"But Big Sis still believes Eman will win."

The princess remembered the day she personally crossed paths with Eman during the assassination incident.

At that time, she had disguised herself as one of the assassins.

No one knew about that side of her. To the public, Princess Liya was merely a gentle princess who disliked violence and feared getting hurt.

Having personally fought Eman before, she already had a rough understanding of his strength. There was no denying his extraordinary talent.

However…

Even assuming he had improved significantly since their previous encounter, the amount of time that had passed simply wasn't enough for him to surpass a summoned hero blessed by divine authority.

At least…

That was what logic suggested. Yet Mina remained completely confident. She believed Eman would win. Even if his opponent was a hero favored by the heavens.

Princess Liya secretly smiled. Love truly had a mysterious way of influencing a person's judgment.

Meanwhile…

Eman and Hero Marco stopped several meters apart. The atmosphere instantly became silent. Hundreds of eyes focused entirely on them. A palace soldier volunteered to serve as the referee.

Standing between the two fighters, he stated the rules and reminded the two that it was merely a friendly duel. Seeing their nods, he slowly raised one hand high into the air.

"Both combatants prepare yourselves!"

Marco rolled his shoulders before flashing a confident grin. He had been waiting for this moment. His excitement was written all over his face. His confidence grew even more after noticing Princess Liya and Mina watching from the front row.

He unconsciously swallowed. The two young women were unbelievably beautiful. Even the most famous models back on Earth couldn't compare to them.

A surge of motivation filled his heart. He would make his victory spectacular. The referee looked at both fighters one final time.

Seeing that they were ready, he swung his raised hand downward.

"Fight!"

The moment the command echoed throughout the courtyard, Marco immediately extended his right hand.

A brilliant crimson flame erupted above his palm.

The blazing fire danced wildly, radiating intense heat that instantly caused the surrounding air to distort. Gasps spread through the audience as the fire grew brighter, illuminating Marco's confident smile.

The duel had officially begun.