Chapter 70 70: Cold (5)

Once academy classes were all over, it was time for all students to return either to their dorms or to their homes. Ordinarily, students would be thrilled to be free of work for the day. Whether noble or anyone else, all students were the same when it came to that. Today was no different. Everyone was excited as usual, animatedly making their servants pack their bags to exit the classroom as fast as possible. However, as if under a spell, they all flocked to one place. It wasn't the student dormitories, and it wasn't the academy entrance, so where could it be? The answer was a place familiar to all students enrolled in swordsmanship classes. In one far corner of the Drakon-Rasa Royal Academy, there was a vast ground typically used for activities such as training and sports. Today, it turned into an arena. Because Lucretia didn't take said swordsmanship classes, I had never been here before, but something was odd... "I have confirmed both parties' approval. The stakes shall remain confidential." With the permission and supervision of the head of the swordsmanship department, as well as a number of other teachers, a mixed bag of amusement and concern plastered on their faces, it was not for the sake of us who were duelling. Rather, it was for the sake of the dozens... no, hundreds of students who had gathered to spectate today's abrupt duel. It was fair to say that nobody expected things to get this out of hand. Of course, that included me. Neither my opponent who proposed the idea, nor I who accepted, thought it would become such a big deal in the eyes of the academy's populace. More than anyone else, Lucretia seemed to be the most opposed, muttering my name with reproach at the edge of the area reserved for the participants. "Enki..." "What? You didn't think I would accept just to lose, did you?" "...I am not concerned for your health nor your victory. Merely, I struggle to find the precise words to articulate how utterly appalled I am." "Oh. Well, I'll win, so it's good not to worry." "That's not the point..." Sighing for what seemed like the nth time, she rubbed her temples which I guessed were beginning to ache. "Goodness... how will I excuse this to Father...? How inappropriate it is for the archduchess' personal attendant to be the participant of such a childish scuffle with the son of the Imperial Marshal..." Ignoring her complaints, I turned my eyes back to the crowd and narrowed my eyes. She didn't understand why this was something I had to do, but that's fine. "It's definitely a big crowd... I didn't tell anyone, and I don't think he did either, so I'm not sure how so many people found out..." 'It reminds me of the last Contract...' Not wanting to spend too long as the centre of attention, I waved my hand towards the teacher taking on the role of referee, positioned two dozen or so metres away, signalling that I was ready. Glancing over to the other side of the field, I spotted my opponent doing the same. Us combatants stood roughly thirty metres apart, each with our personal swords on our waists. I thought it was rather dangerous for students to be using real weapons, but well, there was a skilled healing magic user among the staff present, so I didn't think it was a big deal. It's not like anyone would have the opportunity to use a sword anyway. Seemingly reluctant, Lucretia stepped back to the surrounding crowd, a displeased look on her face apparent to anyone who saw it. 'Don't upset her, guys.' Confirming that everyone was now far enough away from the combatants, the referee raised his hand in the air. "Without wasting any time, let the duel..." Suddenly, my brows shot up. "Commence!" In the same instant the referee brought his hand down to announce the start of the duel, my opponent charged forward, hand firmly on the hilt of his sword. Simultaneously, exhilarating music resounded throughout the field. 'This is also a 「scene」...?' Watching the opponent fervently rush towards me like the furious bull he resembled, I casually measured the distance between us. 'How... I didn't see the Protagonist anywhere in the crowd, but maybe she's nearby somewhere... or is it the case that 「scenes」 can occur without the Protagonist present after all...?' I didn't know the answer, but there was no time to ponder. Raising my hand in front of me, something black began to materialise in my grasp. 'Well, whatever.' At this point, my opponent had already crossed roughly two-thirds of the distance between us. The magic enhancement of this world really was strong. In fact, it was so powerful that it could be said to even be cheating, nothing at all like anything I had witnessed before. But well. 'Too bad it's not enough.' Feeling the corners of my lips rising ever-so-slightly, I pulled the trigger. 'Because――I have a gun.' In the end, my cheats were the only ones that mattered. And, for the second time in my life, I cheesed the duel. ❖─────★★★☆☆─────❖ Before I pulled the trigger of the Black Wisp, I admit I was a little concerned. For starters, I obviously needed to hit the target, which in this case was the magically-enhanced Kran, zooming across the field at a speed I honestly didn't even know was physically possible. No, maybe the knight captain from the first Contract was faster, but that was practically teleportation and shouldn't be compared. The one time in my entire life where I had fired a gun before this moment was in the previous Contract, so although I wasn't absolutely confident I could hit him, I could only do my best to aim and trust Professionalism to carry me. However, even if I succeeded in hitting him, I couldn't kill him. Killing someone who wasn't the Protagonist, and the son of a powerful noble at that, simply wasn't a good idea when I still didn't know how long it would take to complete the Contract. Not to mention any other unseen consequences. Even if I'm under the protection of the Young Lady Archduchess, I still can't guarantee that it won't make things more difficult for me, and above all, I'm sure the Protagonist wasn't the type of person to appreciate a murderer, even if it was unintentional. That's why I waited, even after the start of the duel. For the charging bull to close the distance between us, allowing the precise shot I wanted to make become even just that much easier, no matter how slight the difference. '...Alright.' Once he crossed the halfway mark of the starting gap between us, I raised my hand up, and only then did I pull the Black Wisp from Storage. By the time the lightweight, suppressed pistol materialised fully in my hand, the opponent was already two-thirds of the way to reaching me. Just ten metres separated us at that point. My eyes weren't good enough to clearly make out the blur that was his body, and that fact didn't change even with the shortened distance. I was just a normal person, after all, but the humans in this world were all born with an innate source of mana which could be used for physical strengthening and enhancement. Really, it was just excused cheating. But, if he was cheating in that sort of way, then wasn't it fine for me to cheat too? If I were to assess it from a third-party standpoint, I thought there was no possible way to aim a gun accurately in this position. Hitting the opponent might be possible due to sheer luck, but intentionally? With the barrel pointed in his general direction, my hand subtly shifted. Not out of my own intention to aim for a specific part of his body, but rather because my body naturally did it. Then, although I intended to wait just a split-second longer... 'My hand' pulled the trigger. "Gah-- Woaaahh...!!" Hit by a tremendous force out of nowhere, the opponent's rush towards me was interrupted. In the middle of a dash comparable to the most famous sprinters on Earth, or perhaps even faster, the result was incredible as he was instantly knocked down, sent skidding a great length across the grassy field. The crowd of noble students and teachers around us went silent, but I was more focused on the result of the shot. It obviously hit him, so I could only hope it wasn't fatal. Even if he were injured badly, he could still be healed with magic; so long as he didn't somehow die within the following minutes, everything would be fine. At least, because the Black Wisp didn't use metal bullets as ammunition but mana, I didn't have to worry about anything like shrapnel getting lodged in his body. That might also be considered a form of cheating. "Khh! Ugh...!" Groaning incessantly through clenched teeth, the opponent slowly pushed himself up from the ground with considerable struggle. For some reason, he wasn't using either of his hands to help himself up, making his whole demeanour appear pitiful. Then, I realised. As I got a better view of his body, he seemed to be clutching his right hand tightly with his left. Drip. At the same time, fresh blood stained the grass at his feet, and my eyes widened.