THE DAY AFTER the party, Marie perched on her bed with her knees pulled up
to her chest, chewing on her thumbnail. "Who the hell is that background
character? Why is he ruining my perfect plan?!"
Since the party, she had cooped up in her room, begging off on spending time
with anyone. The love interests accepted her withdrawal, assuming she was in
shock from having a duel thrust upon her.
"It's going to be fine," she reassured herself. "There's no way those five are
going to lose. Besides, he's a background character. He looks absolutely puny.
I'm sure they'll be fine. Ugh, but his face really pissed me off. Reminds me of my
dead older brother."
Someone knocked on her door, interrupting her mumbles about her
worthless excuse for an older sibling. Before she could respond, Kyle stepped
inside.
"H-hey. At least wait for me to tell you to come in!"
Kyle snorted. "Fine, I'll be more careful next time."
"I gave you the same warning not that long ago."
From the outside, Kyle looked the perfect servant; he briskly and efficiently
prepared her breakfast. The problem was his slightly twisted personality. He
was a leftover at the slave market no one else wanted. According to his
backstory in the game, his foul attitude ensured purchasers always returned
him.
"I packed today's breakfast full of vegetables," he said.
"I hate vegetables."
"Please eat them anyway. You sound pitiful whining like that, Mistress."
The way Kyle spoke to Marie, people would hardly believe he was the servant.
In the game, he always did his job properly and seemed like an adorable littlebrother-
type character, even though he could be cold and prickly. But living
with him every day, he really got on Marie's nerves.
Well, at least he's cute, so I'll forgive him.
The two had only been together for a couple of weeks, but Marie did
appreciate how much he looked after her. She would have had a much easier
life in her previous world if she'd had a guy who would take care of the
household chores and treat her right.
"How are things with the duel progressing?"
Kyle poured her drink and slid the cup over to her. "It seems His Highness and
the others won't have any trouble borrowing the arena for the event. The
academy was reluctant to agree, but Mister Jilk and Mister Brad worked
tirelessly to persuade them. Judging by what I heard from the other servants,
Leon's grades are barely in the bottom of the top tier. Everyone says it won't
even be a competition."
"Oh yeah?" Marie's shoulders slumped in relief, and she dug into her
breakfast.
"You could stand to praise me a little bit more." Kyle scowled. "It was a lot of
work for me to go around collecting information from all the other servants."
"Right. Thanks."
For some reason, Kyle enjoyed doing favors she hadn't asked for, then
demanding her gratitude. Marie had to remind herself he was capable and
good-looking, so it was worth enduring his strange behavior.
She was so compassionate. Any other girl would have thrown him out by now,
but here I am being generous and forgiving.
That background character might have slightly derailed her plans, but she
would still be able to get rid of Angelica.
What an idiot. All I had to do was push her buttons a little, and she challenged
me to a duel.
Marie knew about Angelica's short fuse, and so had intentionally set her off at
the party. First, Marie kept standing incredibly close to Prince Julius. Then,
when she was sure Angelica was watching, she glued herself to the other guys,
holding hands with them and flirting.
After the duel, all that remained before the academy recessed for the
summer was to make preparations for the long break. Marie would spend some
time in the capital's dungeon collecting items, then she'd go off and collect the
last pieces she needed for her plan.
These "last pieces" were equipment intended for the protagonist, of course.
They featured heavily in the game's story moving forward.
I'm really looking forward to this. Just a little bit longer, and they'll be calling
me a saint!
***
"It's not even been twenty-fours and look at this mess." I crossed my arms
over my chest, surveying my room. It had been completely trashed. I glanced up
at the ceiling.
Luxion, who had evidently gone invisible during the madness, rematerialized
and drifted down until he was eye level with me. With his built-in projector, he
showed me a short clip of what had happened.
"While you were out, other students slipped inside and vandalized the place,"
Luxion explained. "The culprits are from your usual group, though their
ringleaders represent a higher social set."
In the video, I could see a group of wealthy boys ordering around others with
less cachet. The crony brigade included Daniel and Raymond.
"So those two were a part of this," I muttered.
"That friendship didn't last long."
"They just prioritized their own futures. Look at those gloomy expressions.
You can hardly blame them." I shot Luxion a look. "You're heartless."
He seemed annoyed. "You're the last person I want to hear that from, Master.
Anyway, you might want to know, some students are taking bets on the
outcome of the duel."
Considering the clip Luxion showed me, I suppose I could be considered the
underdog. But that would do no good for the gamblers; absolutely no one
would be betting on me, which meant no odds to speak of.
"Seems like I'm not very popular."
"You expected otherwise? By the way, preparations on my end are complete.
What you requested will arrive the day of the duel. What will you be doing until
then?"
I paused to think. "Can you get me ten thousand gold coins? Wait, would five
hundred platinum coins have a better impact? Regardless, I need to bet it all on
me. We've gotta make this a bit more fun for everyone."
"You really are a cruel new human. Wouldn't you have been better off
mediating between them instead of going out of your way to participate in this
duel? I don't see the point in fanning the flames."
After a moment of silence, I said, "Are you telling me to sit by and watch as
Marie dates all five of them? I'm the type that'd rather solve all my problems in
one sweep."
"In other words, the type that fails often."
"I don't plan to involve myself any longer than I have to. Just let me clean it
up. I only stepped in because I felt like it. It was a whim… Seeing the way they
looked down on everyone pissed me off."
"If you say so."
Despite my flippancy, I was a little troubled. The academy was its own little
world, and it had its own opinions about how things would inevitably end. But
word of the duel between a duke's daughter and the prince and his friends
would spread to the rest of society soon enough. That could be trouble.
I shrugged it off. "After I get those coins, I'll go find the bookies and make my
bet."
If I bet that much on myself, the other students would unanimously put their
money on the prince and his crew. None of them would question why I had so
much to squander—they would just assume I was using the money I'd earned
during my dungeon adventures.
Now if anyone found out how easily Luxion could produce gold and rare
metals, they wouldn't hesitate to kill me to steal him away. That was the last
thing I needed.
Those concerns aside, I was actually looking forward to this duel.
"I'll get it ready for you immediately," Luxion said. "Please come to the harbor
to pick it up. Oh, and it seems your two friends are waiting outside."
He was right. When I stepped out of my room, Daniel and Raymond were
standing there, eyes turned to the floor, looking quite pale.
Raymond's voice was barely a whisper. "S-sorry."
Daniel looked full of remorse. "We were told not to go near you anymore…
And we can't disobey them."
Both of them looked about ready to break down in tears.
I walked past them. "You two should bet on me for the duel if you want to
rake in the cash. Just so you know. And…I'm sorry for causing you trouble."
I left quickly, saying nothing more.
***
Five men gathered in the academy's cafeteria.
"What are we going to do? We finally get a duel, but the betting is a moot
point if no one puts their money on the other guy."
"Yeah, but everyone knows the prince and his friends are going to win."
"If only the other side could get five people together… Or wait, maybe we
could change it a little? Have people bet on how many of the heirs that moron
can take down before he's defeated?"
These were the bookies trying to set up bets for the duel. I strolled up to
them, pulling a wagon behind me. They looked up, dumbstruck.
"Sorry you boys are having such a hard time setting this up," I said, sliding into
their conversation. "Let's keep the bets simple, okay? Either I win or I lose. And
while we're at it, I'd like to bet all of this on my win."
I opened the box behind me to reveal a glimmering mountain of platinum
coins—far more valuable than gold. The five bookies sucked in a collective
breath at the sight.
"You'll have no problems with getting other people to bet now, right?"
No skin off my back, either way. I had nothing to lose, here. And everyone
knew the odds weren't in my favor. Once they realized they could bet against
me and make a fortune, plenty of idiots would dip into their savings or go into
debt to participate.
One of the bookies approached to inspect my money. "This is all platinum,
isn't it? Are…are you sure you want to bet all of this?"
In my previous world, it was the equivalent of ten to twenty million yen.
Impressive, no doubt. Far too much cash for any student to be handling.
"Of course," I said. "I am the man who cleared a dungeon on my own. What's
wrong with me betting every last coin I have on myself?"
The bookies swallowed hard before setting about the task of making sure my
coins were authentic.
"We'll definitely have people coming out to bet now!"
"I'll let everyone know immediately!"
"This is going to be an exciting match!"
It was good to see them enjoying themselves.
A voice suddenly cut in from behind me. "Bartfort? I'd like to talk to you."
I glanced over my shoulder. I was expecting Nicks, or maybe Jenna, but to my
surprise, it was Angelica.
The whole cafeteria went silent.
***
Angelica guided me to an empty room, far from anyone else.
This is where the boys usually have their tea parties. Did she…rent the place?
"When I told the professor I needed a room so I could speak to you privately,
he happily obliged," she explained. "It seems you two have a good
relationship."
No way! My master went out of his way for me? Not that I could be surprised.
As the living embodiment of gentlemanly behavior, it was only natural for him
to show such consideration. Nevertheless, I was so touched I nearly cried.
"Bartfort, I want you to withdraw from this duel," Angelica finally blurted. Her
face had grown gaunt, heavy with exhaustion.
"Backing out this late in the game is only going to make me look bad," I lied. I
wasn't worried about my reputation. I wanted to participate, so I was going to.
She gave a dry, empty laugh. "You've already been hit by the repercussions of
this, haven't you? They made a mess of your room, and they plan to keep
hitting us as hard as they can until the day of the duel."
Apparently "they" were going to do their best to make sure we didn't stand a
chance of winning. Prince Julius and his friends were, in my estimation, blissfully
unaware. Their flunkies were carrying all this out on their behalf.
Wow, such impressive loyalty from the goon squad!
Unfortunately for those schmucks, they were messing with the wrong guy. I
was a background character, but I was also an extremely petty man. Thus, I
planned to return everything they threw my way in full, with interest. Normally,
I'd be inclined to wait for all the storm and fury to die off, but I'd already
decided I wasn't going to take this lying down.
"I don't have any power. Not anymore," Angelica confessed. "Whatever
you're expecting from me, there is nothing I can do for you."
I sighed. "Let me guess, your family had some harsh words for you, didn't
they?"
She wrapped her arms around herself, squeezing tightly. "They called me
reckless for demanding a duel. But I…I had to do something! I didn't care what.
All I could think about was getting that woman away from the prince. My mind
went blank. When I told my family that, they ordered me to stay put and keep
quiet. It's all over for me. If I'm lucky, I'll be sent off to stay under house arrest
in one of the border regions. If I'm unlucky—"
She'd be forced to take her own life. Suicide in the name of repentance. Not
that I was going to let it come to that.
"You seem to have the wrong idea," I said. "I don't care that you come from a
duke's household."
Angelica jerked her head up and stared at me in surprise.
"Then why in the world did you volunteer yourself?! Are you an idiot? You
must be an idiot! Listen to me, whether you win or lose, your life is already
over. Our opponents are the future king and other high lords. What good will it
do to provoke them?" she finished, breathless.
I gave her an enigmatic grin. "Who cares? I don't need status or honor. Do
you know what it's like for those of us at the bottom of this caste system? I
poured my blood, sweat, and tears into becoming independent, but now I have
to spend every day trying to suck up to girls I don't even like. I'm tired of it. If
this is what my life's gonna be, I figure I can at least give the people I hate the
most a sock in the face before I drop out and leave."
"But what of your family?!"
I shrugged. "I'm an independent knight. Well, a provisional one. Regardless,
my family is of a separate house."
"Pr-provisional?" she echoed. At last she seemed to understand what I was
trying to tell her.
"You want to keep Marie away from the prince. I don't like him or the other
high lords, so I want to punch their lights out. See? We're a perfect team."
And if I was honest, much like Angelica, I just didn't care for Marie.
She took several steps back. "Are you insane? Your opponents are at the top
of our grade."
That wasn't going to be a problem. If we were in our third—no, even our
second year—then it might have been a different story. But at their current
level, I could handle the love interests no sweat.
"It'll be fine," I assured her. "I might not seem it, but I'm fairly strong."
"You expect me to believe you?!" Angelica huffed. "I've heard adventurers
who clear dungeons end up with a few screws loose. You must be one of
them!"
"Hey, rude much? I'm not an idiot. I'm doing this because I know I have a
good chance of winning. Besides, you're the one who started this whole duel!"
She averted her eyes. "Th-that's why I'm telling you to back down! I'm sorry
about this, and I'll take responsibility for my actions. You can stay here at the
academy. I can't get you involved. It was enough that you volunteered yourself
at the party."
From her perspective, I jumped in to help her without regard for the
consequences while everyone else looked at her like she was the enemy. She
might even see me as some kind of hero. Oops?
"Nah… I've come this far. Backing out now would be kinda…embarrassing."
"You realize Greg and Chris will be two of your opponents, right? All jokes
aside, they're terrifyingly strong."
She was right. And it wasn't just the two of them; the other three also stood
head and shoulders above the rest of our grade. The in our grade bit was an
important qualifier, however.
"One more thing," she said. "What are you thinking, betting all that money on
yourself?"
I wanted to explain that I actually hated gambling, but instead…
"Why don't you do it, too?" I grinned. "You'll make a ton."
"Ridiculous! Do I look like I'm in desperate need of money to you?"
This is exactly why spoiled rich girls like you are…! You know what, never
mind.
"Their harassment has an expiration date. Only a few more days until the
duel." And I left to return to my room.
***
At last, the day of the duel arrived.
The academy's arena was enormous. A magical barrier protected spectators
to ensure their safety. Countless students had battled each other on these same
grounds. The charged atmosphere probably should have worked me up into
some kind of lather, but I felt nothing.
I changed my clothes in the waiting room and peeked in the mirror.
"It looks good on you," Luxion said. "Not that you should expect any less. I
prepared it for you, after all."
My dark gray suit perfectly matched the color of the Armor I was about to
pilot. The undergarment clung tightly to my skin. Over that, I wore pants and a
vest. It came up high around the neck, offering extra protection. I wasn't too
crazy about the spandex-like clothing that showed every line on my body,
though.
"This wasn't what I was expecting." I frowned. "Make me a new one."
"Denied," Luxion said without missing a beat. "The design and color may
differ from your request, but they serve the same function. Don't make extra
work for me purely on account of an imperfect match with your little
preferences. Now swallow your complaints and get to work."
Scowling, I started out the door, only to find Olivia waiting there for me.
"Oh!" She stood up from leaning against the wall and rushed over, so close
hardly any space was left between us. "Um, so…there's nothing I can do to help,
but I'm rooting for you, Leon! I mean it!"
It felt strange having the protagonist of the game cheer me on. In truth, she
was supposed to be the one on the other side, surrounded by Prince Julius and
the other love interests.
"Did you bet on me? If so, you made the right decision. We'll make a killing
after I win." I flashed her a thumbs-up and started to turn away.
"Huh? I haven't bet anything. Gambling is wrong."
I froze. "Oh…okay."
She looked up at me with those innocent eyes, and I couldn't help but
remember how much money I'd coughed up for my bet. Suddenly I felt
embarrassed for myself.
Is this the true power of the protagonist?
My heart was so tainted that her innocence was blinding. It almost looked like
the sun was shining behind her.
The two of us left the waiting room and headed toward the arena. Five people
waited on the other side. They proudly displayed their Armors, showing off to
the audience. More accurately, these powered mobile suits were "robots"
rather than Armor, especially since they were each nearly three meters tall.
They could even fly through the air.
"Those are some flashy paint jobs, I guess," I said, making sure to sound
unimpressed.
Lined up next to each other, starting with the prince's white Armor, each suit
was more gaudily decorated than the last.
The crowd booed the moment I stepped into the arena. I glanced up at the
stands to see Daniel and Raymond mixed in with the crowd. They made sure no
one saw them before they flashed their red notes at me—proof they bet on me.
Those who bet on the prince and his friends carried blue notes.
"Those two…" I mumbled. "Guess I better give it my all."
Angelica rushed over the moment I stepped up, no longer showing any
restraint. "Hey! Why don't you have an Armor?! You acted all smug and
confident, so you better not tell me you've come unprepared!"
The arena had no ceiling, so when I looked up, I could see the clear blue sky. I
pointed a finger up, drawing her gaze to a black point in the sky. "Don't worry.
It just arrived."
Luxion was tucked inside my vest, hidden from view. He spoke in a quiet voice
only I could hear. "Arroganz is here."
An enormous box came plummeting through the air. It slowed at the last
second, gently settling on the ground. The large panel on the top fell off first,
and the side panels followed in a domino effect, revealing the full majesty of
the suit within. I had last used this armor in a test run while doing work around
my island, but here in the arena, it looked like the grim weapon it was intended
to be. I suddenly felt guilty for having used it to dig holes.
"What exactly does 'Arroganz' mean?" I asked Luxion quietly. The word had a
familiar ring to it. I felt like I'd heard it somewhere before. It sounded
impressive though, so I personally liked it.
"A play on a foreign word that suits you perfectly," he answered.
"Really? Huh. I guess you are considerate sometimes."
Modern mainstream Armor trended compact and lightweight. Arroganz, on
the other hand, was built sturdy—twice the size of a normal Armor. Since its
main purpose was combat, it lacked all the snappy decorations covering the
others. It looked plain, in other words. Furthermore, where the prince and the
other high lords' Armors were slim and built for speed, mine was slow and
heavily armored.
The moment the crowd saw my Armor, they burst into laughter.
This was an enormous event, attended by students from each year. All who
could had come for the opportunity to bear witness to our majestic crown
prince. Thousands filled the seats, yet the arena could have sat tens of
thousands more, so empty rings reached up to the sky.
Angelica regarded me with skepticism. "You really intend to fight them in
that? Is it a Lost Item? You do know that doesn't necessarily mean it's strong,
right? Lost Items are called that because they can't be replicated, not because
they're inherently powerful."
Olivia clapped her hands over her cheeks, tilting her head. "But it's actually
kind of cute!"
"You have a strange sense of beauty, then." Angelica frowned at her. "It may
not be completely boorish, but it's still unsuited for battle."
Modern tactics favored offense over defense, aiming to swiftly take out your
enemies before getting hit. Simply put, heavily armored suits like mine were
outdated.
Personally, I prefer them, though.
"You'll understand once you see me in action." I left the two of them and
stepped out onto the field, approaching my suit.
A purple, lightweight robot with several lances on its back landed in the
center of the ring. Thanks to the color scheme, I knew this was Brad.
The hatch on its chest popped open to reveal the man himself. "I admit,
you've got guts to show up here, but do you really think you can beat me in that
decrepit piece of junk? My Armor was crafted by a skilled artisan. Know how
much platinum I paid?"
He rambled on and on about how impressive his Armor was, as I opened the
hatch of my own suit, hopped inside, and grasped the controls, which
resembled joysticks. The hatch closed and my vision of the outside world was
cut off.
"Arroganz, activate," Luxion said, booting up the robot.
The screen in front of me came to life, the image so clear I could've still been
outside. The robot's interior adjusted to fit my body, securing my head, neck,
and torso in place. Once all ignition sequences completed, I looked ahead to see
Brad, evidently still bragging.
"Is he still going at it?" I asked, exasperated.
"According to his explanation, the objects on his back are drones," Luxion
informed me. "Shall I prepare a counter for them?"
"With his skills, there's no need. Purple-man generally always goes down the
second he gets hit." Seriously, he caused me so much trouble in the game.
Arroganz stepped forward, prompting Brad to sneer. Maybe he was upset I
didn't seem to be paying attention.
Not a problem. Luxion heard everything, so I already know all your special
abilities.
"Your attitude really pisses me off," Brad spat, then slammed his hatch closed
and took up a battle stance.
Time for me to ready my weapon as well. "Okay…let's go with Blade One."
Unfortunately, when I reached into the storage box on my back to retrieve
said weapon, I found myself holding…a shovel. Well, back when I used my suit
primarily to dig holes, this had been the most appropriate tool for the task. It
was enormous, too, since I specifically made it for Arroganz. But no matter how
impressive its size, it was still a mere shovel.
"What?!" I yelped.
"Last time you used Arroganz, you registered the shovel as Blade One," Luxion
said dutifully.
"Give me a sword!"
"You asked for Blade One."
That little jerk is doing this on purpose.
I took a stance with shovel in hand, and the crowd broke out into laughter
once again.
Brad, on the other hand, was enraged. "Bastard, you dare condescend to
me?!"
The referee on the field spoke, their voice echoing. "Combatants, first you
must make your duel oaths—"
Too late; Brad leaped forward and couldn't be stopped. He flew at me, his
spear aimed straight for my torso, making it clear he intended to kill me. The tip
of the spear glowed with activated magic.
Luxion was impressed. "That was an incredible charge."
"Okay, you…" I muttered in annoyance.
The outside world couldn't hear our exchange. I couldn't let anyone find out
about Luxion, after all.
My Armor instantly obeyed my command. Though it looked heavy, it easily
sidestepped the incoming blow and captured Brad by the arms.
"Let go of me!" he howled.
"Sure, but calm down for a bit," I said. "Oaths first, my guy. Let's do this
properly so it's not a huge headache later."
***
As Arroganz moved, Angelica felt cold sweat dripping down her forehead.
Olivia stood beside her, hands clasped as she cheered Leon on. She was
completely ignorant about Armor and how it worked. "Miss Angelica, it looks
like he's really trying his best!"
All Angelica could do was give the girl an uneasy nod. Inwardly, she was
confused. What was that just now? How can he move so fast, like it's nothing?
That shouldn't be possible, not with that weight. The heavier the Armor, the
greater the burden on the pilot. What is that?
The speed surprised her, but the power did, too. It blew the mind to see that
Armor restrain Brad with only one hand.
Brad's Armor was specifically prepared by the Field House for its heir. It's not
some mass-produced suit. And Leon was able to stop it one-handed?
Angelica watched the two combatants exchange oaths as proxies in someone
else's duel, basically agreeing there would be no grudge even if someone died
in the course of the match. Her eyes were glued to Leon's Armor, but she still
caught the voices of the crowd echoing around her.
"Come on, hurry up already."
"I bet my entire fortune on the prince. Best way to get rich quick."
"I know what you mean, I even borrowed money from home to bet with!"
Everyone was desperate for Leon to lose quickly. Some of them had gone into
great debt to put bets on Julius and his friends' victory, hoping to make some
extra cash.
A grin spread on Angelica's lips. "Ah ha…ha ha ha!"
Startled and perhaps somewhat frightened, Olivia glanced over at Angelica.
"Um, is something the matter?"
"I can't help but laugh," Angelica confessed. "That man truly is cruel."
Olivia immediately retorted, "He is not! Leon is a very kind person!"
"Indeed. You're right," Angelica said placatingly.
But why did he align himself with me? I understand he's confident in his ability
to win, but there's nothing for him to gain by taking my side in this. He's too
smart not to realize that, surely.
***
Brad was panicking.
The inside of the suit was cramped, and as Brad gasped for air, he felt his own
warm breath pour right back over his skin. "What the heck was that?"
The plating of his Armor warped where Arroganz had seized him. Brad's suit
was made with a tough metal imbued with magic to protect it. Most attacks
couldn't even leave a dent. No other Armor could have put a scratch on him just
by grabbing him.
Worse, when Arroganz restrained him, Brad was unable to move. He
struggled to fight against it, but it didn't look like Leon was even trying that hard
to immobilize him.
Now that the match was about to officially commence, Brad no longer
possessed the calm confidence of before. "Guess I have no choice but to use
these…"
Several small spears with no handles were affixed to his back, long, narrow,
and cone-shaped. They could float through the air with magic. Brad wanted to
use his regular spear to beat Leon so he could show his bravery to Marie, but he
was painfully aware of his lack of skill in close combat, hence the magic spears.
I'm going to lose if I don't do something. I can't let that happen… Not in front
of Marie!
The ace up his sleeve was his skill with magic. He had developed a special
technique with the four spears that allowed him to assault opponents from all
directions at once.
"All right, combatants, begin!"
The moment the referee gave the signal, Brad released the four spears.
"No matter how impressive his Armor might be, he won't be able to take a
simultaneous attack from four sides," Brad mumbled.
But no sooner had he spoken those words than the dark gray suit flashed
through the air and appeared right in front of him. Brad watched as Leon lifted
his shovel, then swung it down.
"Wha—?"
***
The harsh clang of metal echoed through the arena as I sent Brad flying into
the arena wall.
"Wow, that had some power behind it," I mused.
The overwhelming capability of my own Armor ended the battle before Brad
could even launch a single attack. One smack with my shovel broke the spiked,
purple helmet on his head.
"That's not even Arroganz's full power," Luxion said. "I'm impressed with the
new humans' ability to move their Armor with magic, but that's the only
technique they have that warrants any attention. They have too many
ridiculous adornments to take seriously."
Is he holding a grudge because they laughed at Arroganz?
Well, it made sense; Luxion created the suit, after all.
I approached the damaged purple Armor that lay smashed into the side of the
arena wall. Brad still managed to move it somehow, so I slammed my foot down
on him. His suit creaked under my weight.
"St-stop! It hurts! Someone, help!" he cried.
His robot was an absolute mess, but my shovel was still in fine condition.
Maybe this thing actually is suited for battle.
Ignoring Brad's cries, I said, "Careful, I might squash you. You better hurry up
and admit defeat."
"It's so like you to completely overpower your opponent and twist their arm
into yielding, Master," Luxion said. "The word underhanded has never suited
any person as well it suits you."
"Are you being passive-aggressive again?"
"Not at all. I'm praising you," he assured me. "Calling someone underhanded
in battle is a compliment. You don't fight unless you think you can win. I aspire
to be like that as well."
That's right. I volunteered myself for this duel because I knew I could win.
I balanced the shovel on my shoulder and pressed my foot down on the
purple bastard below me. Honestly, I wanted to punch him in the face.
Memories of my past life were telling me, Pound those annoying jerks into the
ground.
I gradually leaned more weight into my foot until the suit beneath me gave a
strange sound as it warped under the pressure.
"Don't have all day. You better hurry up and admit defeat now or it'll be your
life instead."
"I admit it! I admit defeat!" Brad cried, nearly in tears.
I gently lifted my foot off of him, glancing back at the arena. The four spears
Brad launched at the beginning of the battle had fallen, embedding themselves
in the ground.
The crowd was silent.
I turned my gaze to the referee. "Brad admitted defeat."
That brought them out of their daze, and they finally exclaimed, "Th-the
victor is Leon Fou Bartfort!"
The applause was faint, coming from only a few people in the seats.
"There's actually clapping," I remarked in surprise.
I understood why Angelica and Olivia would be, but to my shock, a few others
joined them. My headcam scanned the crowd, where I found my master
standing with his head high as he proudly applauded me.
Even in the middle of a duel, this man is the perfect gentleman.