Chapter 60: The Duel

Chapter 60: The DuelThe crowd outside The Mcronald had grown to a size more fitting for a coliseum spectacle than a restaurant dispute. Students from the Royal Magic Academy filled the street, shoulder to shoulder in embroidered cloaks and enchanted robes. Murmurs and gasps passed like wind across wheat fields as the duel was announced. Inigo stepped onto the cobbled path, the midday sun casting his shadow long behind him. He stretched his neck casually, eyes scanning the gathered nobles with a tired kind of amusement. He wasn’t nervous. He wasn’t angry. He was simply annoyed. Cernan Vellmont stood at the far end of the clearing, arms crossed, his entourage keeping a respectful distance. The noble student’s cloak fluttered with mana-imbued silk, and his gloves pulsed with a soft cerulean light. Enchanted, of course. "I will state the rules," Cernan declared, voice laced with arrogance. "As tradition dictates: a single-round duel. Magic is allowed. Weapons permitted. The duel ends only when one participant is incapacitated or yields." Inigo nodded. "Fine by me." Cernan raised an eyebrow. "You accept without hesitation?" Inigo grinned. "I’ve watched enough anime to know how this goes." Cernan blinked. "Anime...?" But before he could press further, Inigo held out his right hand. In a flash of blue system light, a sleek, matte black Desert Eagle appeared in his grip. The gun materialized with a weighty clunk—magazine loaded, safety off, chamber primed. The metallic glint of the barrel caught the sunlight, drawing a gasp from the students. "What is that?" someone whispered. "A wand?" another speculated. Cernan stared at the weapon, confused for half a second before laughing. "This is your plan? That little stick? You wield no visible mana. No elemental crest. Not even a summoning circle. You’re hopeless." Inigo didn’t respond. He simply raised the barrel and pointed it downward—testing the aim. Then he looked back up. "You ready?" Before Cernan could respond, a new voice cut through the tension. "Wait!" Serina stepped forward from the crowd, concern clouding her noble features. "Please, stop this madness. This isn’t necessary!" "Silence!" Cernan barked, whirling on her. "This duel is my right. And once it’s done, you’ll learn your place too." Serina flinched. Inigo narrowed his eyes. "Not just a pompous brat," he muttered. "But a creep too." A nearby student raised a hand. "We’ll count you in! Three!" Cernan began charging mana in his palm. "Two!" Inigo’s finger rested gently on the trigger. "One—" BANG! The report of the gun shattered the air. It echoed like thunder across the stone buildings, startling birds from the rooftops. Students ducked and gasped, some even screamed. The spell Cernan had been preparing fizzled out as the bullet slammed directly into his right shoulder. He spun from the impact, crashing to one knee, clutching his shoulder as a crimson patch bloomed across his pristine academy uniform. "AAARGH!!" The noble’s scream was guttural, a raw cry of disbelief and pain. "It’s not... magic?" one of the mages whispered in horror. Cernan was shaking, teeth clenched. "What... what the hell was that...?!" "Just a magic item," Inigo said calmly, lowering his weapon. "Nothing special. But it works." "You—you bastard!" Cernan roared, fumbling with his left hand to conjure a glyph in the air. "I’ll burn you to cinders!" But before the spell could fully form— BANG! Another round exploded from the gun, striking Cernan’s left shoulder with surgical precision. The spell shattered. Cernan dropped to both knees, his entire upper body quivering, mouth wide as if trying to scream—but only breath came out. Inigo walked forward, one slow step at a time, as if approaching a piece of trash to be swept aside. "You done yet?" he asked, voice devoid of emotion. Cernan gritted his teeth. "N-No... I’ll never yield to a lowborn—!" Inigo holstered the Desert Eagle in a flash of light, then calmly delivered a swift kick to Cernan’s face. The noble’s head snapped back with a dull thud as his body collapsed flat against the cobblestone. Silence. Then—gasps. Whispers. "He... won." "That wasn’t even close..." "Did you see how fast that was?" Sёarᴄh the nôvelFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Cernan lay unconscious, arms splayed, blood soaking into the fabric of his clothes. Serina stood frozen in place, one hand over her mouth. Even Lyra, still holding the apron Inigo had handed her, could only blink. Inigo turned to the crowd and spoke plainly. "This shop is open to everyone. Nobles, commoners, adventurers, merchants—I don’t care. But inside my walls, you treat each other with respect. Anyone who can’t do that?" He looked down at Cernan. "Ends up like this." He dusted his hands and turned away from the unconscious noble, walking back toward the restaurant. As he passed Serina, he paused. "You alright?" he asked. She hesitated. Then nodded slowly. "Yes. Thank you." "Good. You shouldn’t have to deal with that garbage." Before she could respond, a small stream of light from a nearby rooftop glittered—capturing the moment in the lens of a magically enchanted monocle. A professor from the academy, unknown to most of the students below, lowered the device with a smirk. "Interesting..." he muttered. "Very interesting." Back at the counter, Inigo took his apron back from Lyra and tied it once more behind his back. The kitchen smelled like sizzling grease again. Just the way he liked it. "You alright?" Lyra asked. "Yeah," he said. "Just another entitled brat put in his place." "And you didn’t even mess up the lunch rush." Inigo grinned. Behind them, students began slowly re-entering the restaurant. Most still stared, still whispering, but none dared to speak too loudly. Even the ones who had initially scoffed now wore an expression of wary respect. One student—one of Cernan’s own group—shuffled forward and cleared his throat. "I... I’d like to order a Double Flame burger, please." Lyra smiled, tapping her quill. "Coming right up." Meanwhile, Inigo returned to his workstation in the kitchen, preparing the ingredients for the burgers and fries. While working on it, his mind was occupied with something. This event just now would be heard across the capital city and there will be repercussions. But if that meant saving a girl from potential abuse, it’s worth it. He would deal with those once they come.