NOVPUBChris Bennimore, seated in his private office, received a letter. He skimmed through it once and immediately incinerated it with a flicker of flame.
“So. Just as I expected.”
The report had come from a Seorn Academy servant.
The contents concerned Ludger Cherish.
“So he’s busy teaching that commoner brat? Acting like he doesn’t care, but he’s desperate to win this bet.” 𝑛𝘰𝑣𝑝𝑢𝑏.𝘤𝑜𝘮
Muttering to himself, Chris sneered at Ludger’s frantic efforts. But that didn’t mean Chris Bennimore was going to sit back and do nothing.
He turned his head toward the boy standing stiffly before him.
“Jeban Pellio.”
“Y-yes, sir!”
“I think you know what I want to say to you.”
Jeban nodded firmly with a resolute expression.
“Yes. I understand. I have to beat that arrogant commoner in the upcoming public duel.”
“Just beating him isn’t enough. Use overwhelming force to clearly display the gap between nobility and commoners.”
It was an unreasonably harsh demand, one that might overwhelm an ordinary student—but Jeban Pellio didn’t believe he would fail.
He had felt a hint of unease upon hearing that Aidan was being taught by Ludger Cherish. But he had someone even more reliable—Chris Bennimore.
“Take this.”
Chris tossed a vial to Jeban.
Startled, Jeban hurriedly caught it, then looked at the blue liquid inside with a puzzled expression.
“Wh-what is this?”
“A mana amplification tonic. Drink it before the duel begins.”
“Is this really okay? Wouldn’t I be disqualified if I take this?”
“No. You’ll be fine. It’s a special product of the Bennimore family—one that leaves no trace if consumed beforehand.”
“This...”
“It’ll give you a temporary surge in mana, but it won’t last more than five minutes.”
“Five minutes. That’s short.”
“Yes. Very short. Which is why it won’t show up in the pre-duel inspection. It doesn’t amplify your mana reserves—it expands your output limit. It’s closer to pulling out your full mana all at once. The drug leaves behind no evidence aside from the effect. Just be careful: mana exhaustion will hit about 30 minutes later.”
At Chris’s words, Jeban swallowed hard.
It was more like a potion that let him unleash all his available mana at once.
Needing to take such a thing just to face off against a mere commoner was a serious blow to his pride.
‘Still, for a guaranteed victory...’
After all, with Ludger backing the other side, they might’ve given that commoner something too.
Because that guy was a filthy commoner.
Who knew what kind of dirty trick he might try?
With that in mind, Jeban tucked the amplification tonic into his pocket with a grim expression.
Chris smiled at the sight.
“Wise decision. Now then, shall we go?”
* * *
The stands surrounding the second training ground were already more than half full with spectators, all gathered to witness the freshmen’s magic duels.
Most of the first-years were present, and this time, unusually, second-years and other faculty members had joined as well.
If it were just a duel between first-years, no one would’ve paid it much mind—but this duel had been officially sanctioned and would be observed by two instructors.
That changed everything.
Ludger Cherish.
Chris Bennimore.
Both instructors had only just joined Seorn Academy and both happened to teach the Manifestation class.
However, one was a fallen noble.
The other came from a prestigious count’s family.
The difference in status was immense.
And on top of that, Ludger was known to support commoners, while Chris Bennimore openly backed the nobles.
This duel, soon to take place, had grown beyond a simple match between two students. It had become a symbolic clash between commoner and noble.
“I wonder who’ll win?”
“It’s still just a freshman fight, right? Then obviously the noble has the advantage. They’ve been trained since they were kids.”
“Still, I’ve heard the commoner student this year isn’t so easy to deal with. They say he played a big role during the werewolf incident.”
“Even so, it’s not like he’s the one who actually defeated them. He’s no match.”
“You never know. Word is that Ludger-sensei is helping him.”
“Well, Chris-sensei is on the other side, you know?”
“I don’t know much about him. Isn’t he in charge of the first-years?”
“Yeah. And apparently, since they’re both teaching the same subject, Chris is pretty worked up about being compared to Ludger-sensei.”
“He’s definitely out for blood.”
As the chatter continued, attention gradually shifted toward the instructor-only seats in the stands.
“Hey, look. He’s here.”
“Oh. You’re right.”
Chris Bennimore entered the faculty seating area with the poise and dignity of a noble and calmly took his seat.
His intellectual appearance drew adoring glances from many of the female students.
Chris accepted their admiration with mild amusement.
The way their eyes looked up at him only confirmed what he already knew—that he was someone greater.
But then, the murmuring of the students grew louder—much louder than when Chris had arrived.
‘What is it now?’
Curious, he looked toward the source of the noise—and then he saw him.
Ludger Cherish.
A man with long black hair tied into a low ponytail.
Sharp jawline, high nose bridge, striking features—and those calm, deep eyes that seemed to stir something in every woman’s heart.
Black slacks, a black dress shirt, a black tie—and even the long coat draped over his shoulders was black.
Everything about his appearance evoked the image of a raven—sleek, cold, and commanding.
With a cane in his right hand, he looked like the head of a prestigious magical household.
“Wow. Look at Ludger-sensei.”
“His presence is unreal.”
All eyes that had been focused on Chris now turned to Ludger.
But Ludger paid no mind to the attention, walking quietly to the empty instructor’s seat and sitting down without hesitation.
“Did you see that?”
“Yeah. That aura is insane. Now I get why everyone talks about him.”
“Is he really a fallen noble? He seems more noble than most of the actual noble instructors.”
Hearing the students whisper, Chris clicked his tongue.
He didn’t bother to hide his irritation as he shot a sharp glare at Ludger, seated a few seats away.
Ludger didn’t even look his way, his expression unreadable as he stared out across the training ground.
As though Chris didn’t even exist.
Grinding his teeth, Chris sneered.
‘Hmph. That arrogant attitude ends today. I’ll make sure he feels the sting of defeat—right in front of everyone.’
This match would end in Jeban Pellio’s victory.
Aidan? Just another commoner.
Chris didn’t even know who that student was. He hadn’t bothered to check the list of commoner students.
Wasting his time on that would’ve been beneath him.
‘A commoner is still a commoner. No matter how many special privileges they get, without proper training, they’re all the same in the end.’
Just as he was lost in thought, the noise in the stands hit its peak.
Even louder than when Ludger had arrived.
Chris turned around to see what the fuss was about—and immediately understood.
“Headmaster. You’re here.”
At the arrival of Elisa Willow, Chris stood up from his seat and bowed.
The Headmaster returned the greeting with a bright smile.
“Hello, Chris Bennimore. Wow. So many people here today!”
“To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit, Headmaster...?”
“I heard something exciting was going on, and I just happened to have time, so I came by.”
“I see...”
Following behind the Headmaster were two faculty members.
Marie Ross, the long-serving pharmacology professor at Seorn, and Hugo Burteg—the de facto leader of the noble-aligned instructor faction, including Chris.
With Seorn’s most prominent figures all gathering in one place, the students began whispering in surprise—they hadn’t realized today’s duel was going to be such a major event.
Chris was equally caught off guard. He’d thought it would just be a simple student match.
He hadn’t expected the Headmaster to show up in person.
‘So even the Headmaster felt compelled to come because it’s a duel between a noble and a commoner?’
The Headmaster was officially neutral, favoring neither side—but Chris knew better.
The Headmaster valued commoner students more than nobles.
That was, in fact, the very reason Hugo often clashed with her.
‘Will this be okay...?’
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
If the Headmaster decided to interfere with this matter, it might cause trouble—but there didn’t seem to be any reason to worry.
After all, the Headmaster had no grounds to get involved in a situation like this while maintaining her neutral stance.
‘Ludger Cherish.’
Even with the Headmaster's appearance, that man didn’t so much as turn his head—he simply sat still in place.
An utterly arrogant gesture.
And yet, somehow it felt so characteristic of him that Chris found himself irrationally irritated.
“Ludger-sensei! It’s been a while!”
The Headmaster smiled brightly as she greeted him first.
Only then did Ludger finally turn to look her way.
He rose slowly and offered her a slight bow.
“Good afternoon, Headmaster.”
“Yes, it’s good to see you, Ludger-sensei. Have you been well?”
“Yes. I’ve been doing well.”
“I was so surprised, you know. I heard you and Chris-sensei were both going to observe a student duel today. I was wondering what brought that on.”
“It’s just a simple wager.”
“A wager, hmm. And who did you bet on, Ludger-sensei?”
Though ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) she clearly already knew, the Headmaster seemed intent on hearing the answer directly from Ludger himself.
“I bet on Aidan.”
“A bet only works if both parties choose opposing outcomes. That means, Chris-sensei, you must have placed your bet on Jeban Pellio?”
“...Yes. That’s right.”
Chris had no choice but to answer reluctantly.
The Headmaster clapped her hands together with a cheerful smile.
“I’m really looking forward to this. Of course, ensuring the students don’t get hurt comes first, right?”
“You needn’t worry. We’ve prepared sufficient safety measures,” Marie Ross replied from beside her.
Even in a mock duel between students, the potential for injury was significant.
That’s why all participants wore light protective gear before entering the match.
Metal guards strapped to their chest, shoulders, and knees would resonate together and create a thin magical barrier over the student’s body.
This magical barrier absorbed incoming magic damage, consuming mana in the process.
In other words, if the energy was fully depleted, the student would be deemed defeated. A safe system that posed no threat to their lives.
“Then that’s a relief.”
“Ah, and just in time—looks like one of the participants is entering now.”
The first to step onto the center of the training ground was Aidan, wearing an intensely nervous expression.
It was clear he wasn’t used to the spotlight shining on him from all directions. His face already looked like he might throw up.
But given the setting, he forced himself to endure.
“Aidan! You got this!”
“Go smash that arrogant bastard Jeban’s pride!”
With Teishy and Leo yelling enthusiastically from the stands, Aidan managed to crack a small smile and nodded in their direction, waving at the crowd.
The commoner students were cheering loudly, hoping Aidan would raise the prestige of commoners.
Then, from the opposite entrance, Jeban appeared.
“Jeban! We’re counting on you!”
“Show them the pride of nobility!”
The noble students cheered him on. Jeban, clearly used to this kind of attention, responded with his usual smug grin and nodded.
The two students stood facing each other. Jeban smirked toward Aidan.
“Surprised you didn’t run away.”
“...”
“Nervous, are you? Tsk tsk. I guess this kind of spotlight is unfamiliar for a commoner. You should’ve fled. Then you could’ve avoided the humiliation of being crushed in front of everyone.”
“...If I win.”
“Huh?”
“Apologize to Teishy for what you said. And to Leo, too.”
“What? Hahahaha!”
Jeban burst out laughing, genuinely caught off guard that Aidan would say something like that.
“Sure. If you win, I’ll gladly get on my knees.”
“I heard that. I’ll hold you to it.”
“But you should save that until after you beat me, don’t you think?”
Jeban was full of confidence.
That overwhelming mana surging inside him—it was from the mana amplification tonic he had drunk just before stepping on stage.
With such a short duration, it was the kind of potion that left you wondering whether it even worked—but that also made it undetectable.
The duel had to be decided within five minutes, but with this power, that didn’t seem too difficult.
‘If we use the same spells, I’ll win with sheer mana output alone.’
In a mage’s duel, having superior firepower was an undeniable advantage.
Even if the two cast the same spell at the same speed, he could overwhelm Aidan through brute force.
And right now, Jeban was in the perfect condition to do that.
Five minutes might be short—but it was more than enough.
Before the duel began, the referee approached to check both Aidan and Jeban’s status.
This was to ensure there was no cheating involved.
Jeban, trusting Chris’s words, complied without hesitation.
Sure enough, the referee didn’t detect anything unusual.
But as the referee moved on to check Aidan, his eyes widened at the object hanging from Aidan’s waist.
“Student. What is this?”
“Oh, that’s my personal staff. I’ll be using it for this duel.”
Aidan answered with a smile, but the referee still looked confused.
The staff Aidan was holding didn’t resemble the usual ones mages carried—neither in material nor in shape.
It was...
A sword.
