I cannot believe my eyes. What the heck is happening here?
“Wait, let me ask someone,” Aeson says. He taps the shoulder of one of the angry students to inquire what’s going on.
“Ah, Aeson. Good that you’re here,” the student says, looking excited to see Aeson for some reason. “You need to teach that cocky dark elf some manners!”
“And why do I need to do that?” Aeson asks with a frown.
“Look at her! She just barged into the training area, sat there on the platform, and challenged everyone in the academy to fight her. She claimed that all of us present here are weaker than her, and that if we don’t accept that fact— she will gladly make us.”
“She said that…?” Aeson looks surprised.
Fuck, that’s bold of her. Good plan, though. If only she can keep winning the fights.
“Yeah, we couldn’t let that slide, so everyone’s been gathering around and duelling her non-stop for the last half an hour. But as you can see…” the student looks ashamed. “… it hasn’t been going too well. She’s too strong for us, so we’ve been waiting for the golden badge holders to come. You need to show her her place, Aeson!”
…
“Y-Yeah…”
One look at Aeson’s pale face, and I can tell that he has no plans to show anyone their place.
“Hey, Jacob, maybe we should come back later…” he whispers to me as the student steps back, making way for us to go forward. “You know, after this whole fiasco is over.”
Sorry, we can’t have that.
“But why? It’s so fun! Let’s go!” I put a hand around his shoulder and drag him ahead with me.
“Hey! You can stay, but let me leave! I don’t wanna go!” Aeson protests.
Can’t have that, either. You’re my ticket to the front.
All the students excitedly part way for Aeson and me, clearly assuming he’s going forward to challenge Leena.
“You are my escort. I cannot go anywhere in the academy without you,” I remind him. “Especially here in the training area. It’s dangerous.”
“Damn it… I cannot even defeat Saria; how are they expecting me to go against Leena? I don’t wanna add my body to that pile!” He whimpers as we finally reach the front.
Leena notices the small commotion and looks in our direction. She gives me the tiniest wink, and I return a discreet thumbs up.
“Here for your turn, Aeson?” Leena asks with a carefree smile.
“N-No, I am fine here. Just came to watch,” Aeson replies quietly, probably hoping no one except Leena hears him.
But unfortunately for him, everyone went quiet to listen to his answer. And they’re all giving him dark looks now.
“Pity, I was hoping to get some challenge finally,” she says with a shrug. “Same as Saria, then. If you refuse to fight, I will consider you defeated.”
Leena looks to her side, and following her gaze, I see Saria standing there with her arms folded. She’s got a neutral expression on her face.
Just seeing her makes my blood boil. Of course, she declined to fight! This is all being orchestrated by her after all!
Saria, you just wait till I get some proof on you. This won’t end well for you.
“I am so fucked… nobody will let me forget this,” Aeson mutters miserably.
“Anyway, is there no one else who dares to come!? I am not sitting here all day waiting!” Leena shouts. “Or are you guys ready to accept the fact that we Dark Elves are simply stronger than you?”
No one steps up to the platform. After seeing two golden badge holders refuse the fight, everyone’s confidence hits rock bottom. Who will dare to step up now?
“Will I do?” A calm voice asks.
Everyone’s head instantly turns towards the speaker. And who else could it be? It’s Ilyrana. The person we’ve been waiting for.
Unlike with Aeson and me, no one saw her coming or gave her way, but she’s already at the front somehow.
And the reaction from the crowd is… mixed. Let’s just say not everyone looks as excited seeing her as they did when they saw Aeson.
As for Leena… oh!
She is shooting me slightly panicked glances while trying to maintain a calm, smiling face. And I know what that means. If this continues, Leena may have to actually fight Ilyrana, and obviously, she would lose. That is the worst-case scenario.
So, it’s time for me to step in!
“No, actually, you won’t do, Ilyrana,” I say, pushing myself up the platform’s boundary to climb up.
“What are you doing, Jacob!? Get down!” Aeson hisses, trying to grab my leg, but I dodge him.
As soon as I stand up on the elevated duelling platform, I feel everyone’s gaze fall on me. It’s quite intimidating, but I have no choice but to carry on.
“This is between Leena and me. Please don’t interfere,” Illyrana says sharply. With a gentle tap of her feet, her body floats up, and she gracefully lands on the platform.
“Why? He is basically my student. He’s allowed to say whatever he wants,” Leena says, looking full of confidence now that I have made my entry.
If everything goes perfectly, we will end this without fighting. All I need to do is insult Ilyrana a bit, do my exit strategy, and this task is done.
“Why don’t you want me to interfere, Ilyrana? Are you scared that I might beat you up again?” I ask mockingly.
…
…
Pin-drop silence.
I sneak a glance around, and everyone without exception is taken aback. It’s one thing to pass snide comments near her, but to say something insulting directly to her face? Nobody has the guts.
“You didn’t beat me,” Ilyrana says, surprisingly maintaining her calm. “Miss Naomi just had a misunderstanding. If she hadn’t interfered in our match, I would’ve won without question. Don’t mistake that as your accomplishment.”
This draws a burst of whispers from the crowd.
Ahh… I see, she is also taking this opportunity to explain what she thinks actually happened.
“What a sore loser you are, Ilyrana. Cannot even accept your own defeat with grace,” I say with a snort. “Anyway, get down from the platform. I have already defeated you, and that automatically makes you lose against Leena— the person who taught me how to beat you.”
“He’s right, Ilyrana,” Leena supports my argument. “I am not wasting my time fighting someone who lost to a human I barely trained. Stop embarrassing yourself and step away.”
Barely trained? Control your bragging, Leena. Don’t make this too unrealistic.
“I see…” Ilyrana glares at both of us, her cheeks red with anger. I can tell she’s finally feeling some humiliation, but she’s still trying not to show it.
“… then why don’t we do this? You can challenge me for a duel, Jacob. And if I win against you this time, I can challenge Leena. Is that fine?” She asks with a forced smile.
Nope! Not fine at all! Do I look like a fool?
[Asking me? Yes!]
No, you fucker, I am not asking you.
[Hehe]
Anyway, I am not stupid enough to challenge her to a duel. I remember what Aeson told me; nobody in the academy can challenge a guest to a duel, but the guest can do so if both parties agree.
“There’s no fun in doing that except breaking your ego again, Ilyrana,” I tell her cockily. “Just back off and be glad that I am not a white Elf. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have that lofty title of a princess to begin with. I really feel bad for Queen Ilsevel, though. Her poor self is stuck with a weak-ass loser like you as her heir.”
There are a ton of gasps all around, and I instantly know that I’ve somehow crossed an invisible line.
“How dare you…” Ilyrana says quietly. Her face has darkened, all efforts to show a calm face thrown out of the window.
Woah… I do feel a bit guilty saying this, but it worked very well. Let’s continue with this.
“How dare I!? How dare you show your face to Queen Ilsevel after letting a human defeat you? She must be really ashamed of you.”
“…”
“She must really regret giving birth—
Bright light erupts from Ilyrana’s fists, blinding my eyes. Whatever spell she has summoned, the sheer power that it is emanating is making every hair on my body stand up.
“Die.”
I hear her soft voice before the light engulfs me.
