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"What is this? Isn't that Bonita Fortis, the upperclassman?"
The red-haired upperclassman approached the center of the training ground.
"I'm asking you, you little punk. Are you the one who did that to Lieber?"
Only then did I realize what was going on.
It seemed the red-haired Bonita wanted to leave her share.
As the ringleader.
'This changes things...'
Werner Dyke rolled his eyes, scanning the area below the training ground where the third-year students were gathered.
Davian had already returned to his seat and was calmly watching the arena.
'My opponent wasn't that monster Davian Naone?'
Werner's lips curled up into a bitter smile again.
"Are you going to spar with me separately, senior?"
"Yeah. You'll be different from those guys who foamed at the mouth after getting hit five times by Davian, so be prepared. The ringleader deserves special treatment. Hold your sword properly."
Bonita Fortis raised her sword and took a stance.
Werner also adjusted his grip on his sword.
'I saw her sparring with Psyche Herries earlier. Her swordsmanship is clean, but not so much that I can't handle it.'
Bonita had already been on the arena once today.
Before Davian came up, she sparred with Psyche Herries, the second-ranked swordsmanship student, and now she was back up.
'I can definitely do this.'
She didn't move at speeds that were invisible like Davian.
Nor was she as overwhelmingly strong and defensive as Nubes.
'The fact that her sword path was too clean is a bit concerning, but I can handle it with my speed. I'll go first!'
Following the Dyke family's swordsmanship style, he thrust a quick sword forward.
The tip of Werner's wooden sword shot towards Bonita at high speed.
'Got it!'
Bonita's wooden sword, reacting belatedly, was clearly visible.
With such ordinary movements, she wouldn't be able to block the Dyke family's quick sword.
Clang!
"Huh?"
Werner was sure his sword was faster.
But somehow, it had been blocked by Bonita's sword.
'Somehow? Must be a coincidence.'
The Dyke family's quick sword wasn't just about making one thrust faster; it was a swordsmanship that had been passed down for generations.
Werner's sword twisted in a strange path, aiming for Bonita's side again.
Clang!
Bonita Fortis easily blocked it again.
"You're from a prestigious swordsmanship family, right? Is that all you've got?"
"Tch!"
It was frustrating, but it wasn't like when he first faced Davian's sword.
Werner launched a rapid series of attacks.
Clang! Clang!
But each time, his path was blocked by Bonita's wooden sword.
'If I keep pushing...!'
Senior Bonita seemed so busy blocking his attacks that she hadn't been able to counterattack even once.
If he could just find one opening, he could land a storm of consecutive attacks all over her body.
Whoosh.
Werner's sword swung wide.
Swish!
Bonita laid her sword flat, deflecting Werner's sword.
She used Werner's strength so precisely that he almost lost his balance.
"What is this? You're worse than before I even enrolled? You dared to think you could take on a third-year senior with that skill?"
"You can't even counterattack."
"Oh, our little freshman was thinking that?"
Swish.
Bonita's sword swung simply.
'What, what is this!'
It was so fast and simple that he didn't even think to raise his sword to block.
He hurriedly created distance, barely avoiding a direct hit.
The tip of Bonita's wooden sword grazed the front of Werner's uniform top.
'Whew, that was close... Huh?'
Riiip.
Werner's top was sharply torn, fluttering in the wind.
"How... How did that happen? She just swung a wooden sword. And I clearly dodged it."
"Dodge? You? You really think you dodged my attack by taking a step back with wide, startled eyes?"
A stream of cold sweat ran down Werner's back.
If Werner hadn't dodged, that meant Bonita had adjusted her distance to only cut his clothes.
Calculating even Werner's backward step.
And doing it with a crude wooden sword.
Werner wasn't the only one surprised.
Gasps erupted from all around, regardless of whether they were first-years or third-years.
"What just happened? She cut the uniform with a wooden sword?"
"Did the wooden sword even touch the clothes?"
"Is that even possible? Our uniforms are made of reinforced fiber, how could it be cut like that by a wooden sword?"
Even if it wasn't the fabric specially prepared by Elton Academy.
It was impossible to cleanly cut the clothes a person was wearing with a wooden sword.
At least, that was the common knowledge of the students gathered here.
Leo Martiang, the head of the Swordsmanship Department, turned to Professor Stella Cloud and whispered.
"You'll have to swing your sword like crazy if you don't want to be caught up to by that kid."
"I'm already doing that."
"If the wooden sword had gone in just a little deeper..."
"That freshman's torso would have been cut in half. Very cleanly."
Werner's breathing started to become rapid.
A habit he had when he was training in swordsmanship as a child, when he got too nervous.
He thought he had completely fixed it now.
"Hey, hey. Breathe properly. What kind of breathing is that for a swordsman? You're going to hyperventilate. There's still a lot of time left in the duel."
The scheduled duel time was 30 minutes.
"You're going to get hit for the full time, so be prepared. Take care of your breathing."
After speaking, Bonita swung her wooden sword.
A simple diagonal downward strike.
Werner raised his wooden sword to block Bonita's path.
Wobble.
Bonita's wooden sword wobbled like a gentle wave on the beach, then rode over Werner's wooden sword.
Thwack!
Bonita's meticulous and calculated beating, which was scheduled to fill the full 30 minutes, began in earnest.
Thwack! Thwack!
He could definitely read her movements if he concentrated.
But he couldn't even properly block or dodge, as she kept twisting and slipping away in directions he couldn't even predict.
Had about five minutes passed?
"St, stop! I su..."
Slap!
The side of Bonita's wooden sword struck Werner's cheek.
"Cough!"
Bonita lowered her head and muttered.
"Just try to say the word 'surrender'. I'll tear your body in half like this training ground floor."
Bonita swung her wooden sword wide beneath her feet.
Crack, crack.
The hard and flat stone floor of the training ground split apart as it was.
Even though the tip of the wooden sword had just grazed the floor.
'If I mess up, I'm going to die today...!'
He didn't know how, but Werner was certain that the moment the end of that wooden sword touched his body, his torso would be split in half on the spot.
Now, all he could do was.
Endure until the duel time was over, giving up the least painful parts of his body.
"Here I go again."
Thwack!
Bonita Fortis's beating lasted exactly 30 minutes.
"Stop, that's enough."
At the same time as the head of the swordsmanship department's voice announcing the end of the duel was heard.
Thud.
Werner's body collapsed.
'That was a hellish 30 minutes...'
He hadn't fallen for 30 minutes despite the agonizing pain.
Because Bonita had adjusted her strength to just that extent.
Above all.
When he had given up everything and simply crouched down, Bonita's low muttering had been heard again.
"I know you can get up. If you keep lying there, I'll split your torso in half right now."
When he grabbed his trembling knees and struggled to get up, another precise beating began.
If there was a hell, would it be like this?
Werner felt like he had really been to hell.
The assistant carried Werner on his back and headed towards the infirmary tent with Medium Frill.
"Oh my. He's completely battered. It's a miracle he's still breathing. Bonita is a scary kid."
"Hey, Livert! You should have come to see it."
"I'm in the Magic Department, how can I go to the Swordsmanship Department's exam site?"
"That's what I'm saying! It's a shame. I've been thinking deeply about something this time."
"What is it, Bellum?"
"I'm really glad Bonita is on our side. That was the most systematic and thorough beating I've ever seen."
Nubes chimed in.
"What about Davian? I couldn't even follow Davian's movements properly while he was taking down all twelve of them."
"That's true. Anyway, I'm really glad they're our friends."
Latia, who was listening to the conversation, asked.
"Anyway, did you properly avenge Lieber?"
"Yeah! Totally. Now, just looking at our third-year emblem will make them sweat all over."
Nubes shook his head.
"At this point, they might be dripping with something other than sweat."
Latia frowned for a moment and slowly nodded.
"Then that's fine. Anyway, thanks for your hard work. Davian, Bonita."
Bellum asked.
"But that first-year, Werner Dyke, was it? He's from a marquis family, right? Won't he use his family's power to retaliate outside later?"
"Ah, don't worry about that. I've already talked to my dad about it."
"Latia, you? Latia's dad is..."
"Yeah. I told the eldest son of the Dyke Marquis to convey that I won't hold him responsible for daring to touch my friend, but to keep a close watch on his kids in the future. A letter has already arrived at the Dyke family."
A surprised Bellum opened his mouth wide.
"So, in other words... the Meridiem ducal family sent a letter to the Dyke marquis family? Telling them not to cause trouble and to keep a close watch on their kids."
Latia nodded briefly.
Latia is the eldest daughter of a ducal family with autonomy that even the royal family can't easily treat carelessly.
The most powerful noble family on the Pax continent.
"Goodness... I forgot for a moment. Who Latia is. I'm really glad you're all my friends. Right, Livert?"
Lieber smiled brightly and nodded.
"Yeah. I'm so glad you guys are my friends. Since it's the weekend tomorrow, let's go to See-Booze and eat something delicious! And have some beer! I'll pay!"
"Oh, Livert. What's the occasion."
The unprecedented, terrible act of insubordination at Elton Academy was thus concluded.
"Oh right, Davian."
"Why? Bellum."
"The student council seniors want to see you."
"The student council seniors?"
"Yeah. They said you should go to the common space during vacation and get close to the seniors."
"So, you're already close to them?"
"Yeah! Of course. The seniors adore me."
Davian stared intently at Bellum's face.
"You're really amazing, Bellum. You've already become close to the student council seniors?"
"Yeah. That's nothing. If I, Bellum Amandria, set my mind to it, it's easy. Anyway, they want to meet you soon. They said they have things to discuss regarding this year's festival and matters to discuss about the future."
Davian nodded.
"If the student council seniors want to see me, I should go visit them."
There will come a day, though no one knows when, when the entire academy must unite to face the demon wave.
The current Elton Academy has too closed a structure by grade.
He thought that grade-integrated command and communication systems were needed for the day when the entire academy would have to join forces.
So, he told Bellum to try to get close to the seniors first.
But already, the seniors are biting the bait.
Bellum Amandria's human affinity is truly beyond imagination.
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