Chapter 66

A few minutes later, Noel and I were facing each other at the center of the arena.

The other freshmen were seated in the stands, watching us with excitement.

(Why did it come to this...)

I sighed inwardly, pondering the reasons that led to this situation.

If I had to guess, there were two possibilities. To confirm one of them, I asked Noel,

"Could it be that you used the Duke family's privileges to influence the Academy in some way—"

"This is an opportunity I did not seek. It must be due to her... the goddess."

"..."

Noel, seemingly oblivious to my words, had a distant look on his face as he gazed at Reina in the stands, offering a prayer.

By the way, what goddess is he talking about?

(Well, this idiot wouldn't do such groundwork, that's for sure.)

I changed my thoughts.

But if that's the case, there's only one remaining possibility.

I glanced at Noah, who was sitting in the highest VIP seat.

"..."

When she noticed my gaze, she gave a small smile.

Her expression carried an unsettling aura.

...So, it's probably because of her, then.

"...sigh"

To be honest, I really want to leave this place.

But since it's the headmaster's order, I can't just walk away like I did yesterday.

I took a deep breath and steeled myself.

From the stands, I could hear many voices cheering for Noel.

Among them, there were even some shouting about exposing the injustice of the [Void Emblem] holder.

I wondered if I could shock them by suddenly using a Dark Slash from here.

But because I'm not in the mood, such thoughts crossed my mind—

"Please do your best, Zeros-sama!"

"...Shuna"

In the midst of this, I heard Shuna's voice of encouragement.

Despite the atmosphere favoring Noel, her voice was strong and resonated deeply within me.

By the way, Reina, who was sitting next to Shuna, had a wicked smile on her face.

"Hehe, I'm looking forward to seeing everyone here today being shocked by my Zeros."

Her expression, unlike that of a sister (or perhaps, in a way, very Reina-like), made me chuckle involuntarily.

"...Well, there's no choice. I have to do it."

I resigned myself and faced Noel again.

His eyes still held the same fighting spirit as yesterday.

"Finally, I can test your true strength."

Noel's voice was filled with both anticipation and excitement.

"...Hmm"

Upon hearing those words, I pondered for a moment.

I had accepted the fight, but the biggest issue was whether to use my skills or not.

(If this mock battle was tomorrow, things might have been different...)

I feel bad for Noel, who is eager for a serious fight, but I've decided to fight without using my skills this time.

Still, I don't intend to lose, especially since Shuna had the courage to cheer for me.

"Alright, are you ready?"

The referee, a male teacher with black hair tinged with blue, gave the signal.

Other teachers were on standby in the wings, ready for emergencies. One of them was using the magic skill [Absorb Territory], which creates a barrier that nullifies damage within a certain range, similar to what my father Duke used during my duel with Dione. This allows us to fight without holding back.

And finally, the moment arrived.

"Begin!"

The referee's signal rang out, and Noel was the first to move.

"Haah!"

His movement was like that of a wild beast.

A powerful step forward and a sharp sword swing.

The gleaming blade came at me with great momentum.

However,

"Whoa"

"---?!"

I dodged it without fear, moving quickly.

A slight wind pressure brushed against my cheek. It was a close call, but the speed was manageable.

"To dodge that, you're better than I imagined."

Noel said this and immediately followed up with a series of attacks.

While dodging all of them, I began to analyze his movements.

In Creon, the key to winning a one-on-one battle is the level difference and the presence of skills.

Firstly, if the level difference is too large, it's difficult to win.

Considering Noel's powerful step and the fact that his sword test completion time was slower than mine, his level should be between 45 and 55. My current level is 46.

(Level-wise, he's probably higher than me. But this level difference is manageable—what's crucial is the number and type of skills he has.)

[Blade Emblem] holders gain growth skills at levels 15, 35, and 50.

Taking into account the initial skill, Noel should have 3 or 4 skills.

Uncovering these skills during the fight is the key to victory.

(It's quite troublesome, but since he doesn't have the inheritance skills from the Inheritance Shrine, the number of skills is limited. Compared to one-on-one battles in the Creon era, this is much better. Even without using my skills, it shouldn't be impossible to fight him...)

While I was thinking this, Noel's sword came at me again.

I quickly readied my sword and blocked his strike.

The sharp sound of metal clashing echoed through the arena.

In the midst of the clash, Noel glared at me with his sharp red eyes.

"That's enough observation—show me your true strength!"

And thus, the mock battle accelerated. Thank you for reading this far!

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