Duel
Nothing particularly special happened after that.
They ate, walked the streets, and sat in cafes, chatting idly.
Of course, even that much was enough to make them happy.
After finishing dinner, the two of them were walking back to the academy.
“Come to think of it, Rudell.”
“Hmm? What is it?”
“You said you’d been hunting down Cultists for a while now.”
“That’s right.”
What was there to hide now?
He had already told her most things, including the fact that he used Shadow magic.
Rudell nodded at her question.
“Hmm…”
Leje seemed to ponder his answer for a moment, then narrowed her eyes at him.
“So. How strong are you?”
“Huh? What’s that all of a sudden…?”
Rudell trailed off, then let out an “Ah,” as if realizing something.
A faint smile touched his lips.
“Hmm… Maybe you and I wouldn’t be a match right now?”
Considering her strength in the original story, Rudell's current abilities wouldn't even qualify as a proper fight against her.
However, it would still take a few more years for her to reach that point.
The title of "World's Strongest" wasn't something she was born with; it was earned through countless trials and tribulations.
“Oh…? Is that so? You seem pretty confident.”
Leje’s eyes crinkled with amusement as she looked at him.
Such a reaction was only natural, given her competitive nature.
Watching her, Rudell chuckled softly.
“Want to spar if you’re so curious?”
“Oh? Confident, are we?”
Generally, in a duel between a swordsman and a mage, the swordsman had the upper hand.
However, Rudell had something he could rely on: Shadow magic.
It didn't require complex spells, its activation was near instantaneous, and unlike typical magic, it possessed physical properties, allowing him to effectively counter a swordsman’s attacks.
“I can’t back down after you said that, can I?”
As Rudell expected, Leje's competitive spirit flared.
“Let’s go! I can’t wait any longer!”
“Yes, yes. Let’s hurry.”
Rudell quickened his pace towards the academy, watching Leje rush ahead.
* * *
A little later, late at night.
The academy training grounds.
“Come to think of it, is this alright?”
“What is?”
Leje, tightening the straps of her leather protector, tilted her head at Rudell’s question.
“Are we allowed to use the training grounds like this? Don’t we need permission?”
“I already got permission. We just need to clean up after ourselves.”
She had already secured permission to freely use the grounds after hours, so it wasn’t a concern for her.
“Hmm…”
He couldn't help but feel tense.
Even if he was a user of the incredibly powerful Shadow magic, his opponent possessed the potential to become the strongest in the world.
Knowing her personality, she wouldn’t hold back, so he had to be more serious than ever.
“So, shall we begin?”
“Alright.”
After a moment, having finished her preparations, she pulled a wooden sword, from the weapon rack at the side of the training grounds.
Rudell let out a short sigh and nodded as he watched Leje point her sword at him.
“What rules should we use? First Blood? Or Knockdown?”
“We don’t need to go as far as Knockdown for a spar.”
Knockdown, unlike First Blood, which only required drawing blood, demanded completely incapacitating the opponent—a much more extreme rule.
Naturally, there was no need for them to go that far.
“That’s true. Then First Blood it is.”
With that, Leje slowly took her stance opposite Rudell.
He watched her, drawing up his mana.
“You know, it’s a bit boring, isn’t it?”
“Huh? What is?”
What could be boring about a spar?
Rudell tilted his head in confusion at her unexpected words.
“How about we make a bet?”
“A bet? Now?”
“The loser grants the winner one wish. What do you say?”
“Hmm…”
Rudell groaned softly, looking at Leje who winked playfully.
It was so sudden, and he had no idea what kind of wish she might ask for.
Of course, there was no reason for him to accept the offer, but…
“Don’t tell me you’re scared of losing?”
“No way.”
Influenced by Leje, Rudell was also quite serious about winning.
“No take-backs later.”
“Obviously.”
Leje, sword in hand, assumed her stance. Rudell, facing her, drew upon his mana.
“Should I give you time to cast a spell?”
“Not necessary.”
“Oh~ Confident, aren't you? No mercy even if you regret it later?”
“I won’t regret it.”
Rudell estimated her current skill to be slightly above that of a Duke.
With his abilities, he had a decent chance of winning, roughly a 40/60 split.
“That’s the spirit.”
A faint smile played on Leje’s lips as she tightened her grip on her sword.
A brief silence fell between them.
The moon, previously hidden behind clouds, emerged, bathing the surroundings in its light…
“Ha!”
Taking that as her cue, Leje dashed towards Rudell with surprising speed, swinging her sword.
“Haa!”
The Sword, imbued with the glow of blue mana, aimed for Rudell’s waist.
He pushed off the ground, his shadow exploding outwards, forming a flurry of thorns.
“Tch…!”
Clicking her tongue, Leje leaped back, putting distance between them, a look of surprise on her face as she stared at him.
“Not bad!”
“I’ve been practicing quite a bit, you know.”
No matter how good the equipment, its value diminished if the user was unskilled.
While Shadow magic was undeniably powerful, the skill to wield it was purely the result of Rudell’s own efforts.
“Alright! Then I’m going all out!”
“Bring it on.”
Leje’s body began to glow with mana, signaling her intention to get serious.
With a determined expression, she charged towards Rudell again.
Her speed, significantly faster than before, forced Rudell to wave his hand in the air.
Following his gesture, thorns of shadow shot up, aiming for her, but she deftly dodged and parried them, closing the distance.
“…”
Unease crept onto Rudell’s face as the distance between them shrunk.
Close-quarters combat against someone with monstrous physical abilities like her put him at a severe disadvantage.
He needed to create distance, somehow.
“Hah…!”
Drawing upon his mana once more, Rudell extended his hand.
Responding to his movement, a wave of shadow, far larger than before, surged forth, forming a shield in front of him.
Leje’s sword clashed against the shadow shield, sparks flying with a metallic clang.
“You can’t stop me with just that!”
With a shout, Leje channeled more mana into her sword.
It pulsed with an even brighter light, and the wooden blade began to slice through Rudell’s shadow shield.
“Damn it…!”
Rudell clicked his tongue, observing the scene.
The only weakness of Shadow magic was light. While the light produced by ordinary mana wouldn’t affect his magic, Leje’s mana was overwhelmingly powerful.
The Sword, now radiating like a blade of pure light, was steadily overpowering his shadow shield.
At this rate, his defeat was certain.
‘Damn it all…!’
Racking his brain for a solution, Rudell decided to go for broke, pouring all his remaining mana into a desperate gamble.
As the shadow shield, starved of mana, cracked and splintered…
“Haaaa!”
With a final cry, Leje cleaved through the remnants of the shadow shield.
However…
“Huh? He’s gone!?”
Rudell was nowhere to be seen.
Then, in the next instant…
“Looks like I win.”
Rudell’s voice came from behind her.
At the same time, Leje felt something cold press against her cheek.
And so, the outcome was decided.
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