The next morning, I woke up feeling like my body hadn't rested at all.
Bright sunlight was already spilling across my face through the window, stabbing straight through my half-conscious state.
...
After going through my morning routine, I left home and headed toward the academy.
As I walked, my thoughts naturally drifted.
Although I still hadn't fully sorted everything out...
I was beginning to see a rough shape.
My intuition played a major role, but with enough information, I could gradually turn that shape into a proper framework.
A clearer picture of the people around me.
The kingdom.
The academy.
And everything moving beneath the surface.
--------
On the way to the academy, I passed by a beautiful fountain.
Water flowed gently from the pot held by four angel statues, the morning sunlight striking its surface and scattering soft reflections across the stone.
Normally, just looking at it would have been enough to make the place feel peaceful.
But today...
There were people gathered nearby, shouting in a heated group.
"Catch the criminal!"
"What are the Knights of Order doing?!"
One knight stood in the middle of the commotion, trying to calm the crowd.
A second knight arrived moments later and unfolded a letter, most likely sent by a commander, noble, or perhaps someone from the royal side.
He read it aloud.
"We are doing everything possible to catch him."
"The Royal Committee of Justice has decided that the sins he has committed deserve the death penalty."
"Since the criminal is too dangerous to keep alive for even one more day after being captured..."
"The Knights of Order have been ordered to execute him on the spot the moment he is apprehended."
"His head will be displayed atop the execution grounds."
...
Rather suspicious.
As a former assassin, I could say this much.
This might be because the criminal possesses information that would be dangerous for those in power.
Though...
That was only one possibility.
What I really needed to consider was whether this affected me or my family in any way.
...
I may need to be cautious.
As far as I knew, the criminal hadn't targeted the Common Class yet.
But one never knew when the chain of events might reach that far.
--------
Before entering the academy, I noticed Ravian Edevane standing nearby, staring at a cat as it ate fish.
For some reason...
The moment he noticed me, he turned his head.
...
Can he sense his surroundings that well?
Hmm.
Could he be hiding his real abilities?
Ravian began walking toward me.
For some reason, I didn't sense a peaceful day coming.
"We meet again."
"I was just waiting for ya, my friend."
He placed an arm around my shoulder and his previously distant expression shifted into a cheerful smile.
...
When did we become friends?
I don't know much about friendship...
But do two people become friends after just one conversation?
I thought it would take far more than that.
Or...
Maybe Ravian's intentions should be doubted.
He continued walking with me, his hand still resting on my shoulder, smiling as though this were perfectly natural.
People nearby began noticing.
Some stared.
Some whispered.
At this point, I already had enough things to think about.
This one had joined the list too.
...
I honestly wouldn't have been surprised if—
Reinhardt Elthorn appeared right in front of me before I could even enter the academy building.
...
Ah.
I really needed this today.
What a wonderful morning.
"Oi!"
"Your name is Katsuhito Kurogane, right?!"
Reinhardt shouted loudly while pointing his spear at me.
I wondered why I hadn't used teleportation today.
I paused for a moment, thinking about whether there was any way to escape without causing consequences.
...
Where was Shirohana today?
"Yeah."
"I'm Katsuhito Kurogane."
"Can I help you with something?" i replied.
"I challenge you to a duel for your seat as Student Council President!"
Reinhardt shouted, his spear still pointed at me.
...
Where were you when I was being crowned against my will?
I really couldn't afford to lose this seat now.
Wait...
This guy was the one who put up a decent fight against Ashrune.
I didn't know much about his background, though.
How was I supposed to determine whether someone like that would remain loyal or not?
Before I could continue thinking...
Edevane leaned close and whispered into my ear.
"You know..."
"His family has a history of producing some of the most loyal servants to the royal families."
...
How did he know what I was thinking?
More importantly...
Did he know what we were up to?
I'll think about that later.
For now, if his information was correct, then there were two possible outcomes.
And to secure both possibilities in my favor...
I needed to push the negotiation in the right direction.
"So..."
"What do I get in return if I win?"
"Is this how a noble warrior fights against a Common Class student?!"
I raised my voice on purpose so others could hear.
Whispers immediately spread through the crowd.
"Do you know the words dignity and pride?"
Edevane said calmly.
...
Yep.
That was exactly why I was using them.
Reinhardt looked slightly bewildered.
That reaction told me something.
He wasn't well-versed in political exchange.
Still...
I would be in trouble if he said something that implied he merely doubted my competence as Student Council President.
Before that could happen...
I had to push forward.
"How about an equal exchange, then?"
"Since I'm giving away one of my most precious opportunities..."
"...the chance to serve this academy and protect its order..."
"...you should also bet your most precious thing."
I shouted loudly enough for everyone around us to hear.
Reinhardt smiled.
...
Did I fail?
"An equal fight."
"That's what a warrior wishes for."
"Fine then."
"If you win..."
"I, Reinhardt Elthorn, will give you my absolute loyalty."
...
Ah.
I...
Miscalculated.
What am I supposed to do if his family learns that he pledged loyalty to a Common Class student?
--------
"Oi, oi..."
"Isn't something interesting going on without me?"
"...Or should I say, without my permission?"
Ashrune's voice cut through the courtyard from nowhere.
He had clearly been waiting for this exact moment.
Every head in the crowd turned toward him as he casually walked up to us.
Without saying anything else, he placed both hands on my shoulders and pulled me a little farther away from Edevane.
"Well, you see..."
"I don't have the authority to stop this fight unless I can prove that it's disrupting the academy's order or stagnating the students' progress."
He spoke in a low voice, almost as if he were sharing a secret.
"And besides..."
"You're the Student Council President."
"So even from a raw authority standpoint, I can't really intervene."
Ashrune paused, then lowered his voice even more.
"...But if you lose, that'll be a pretty heavy blow to the principal's goals and plans."
"So..."
"You understand, don't you?"
...
I already knew that.
But the fact that he had come all the way here and said it like that made the whole thing feel suspicious.
"Then why didn't you try to stop it?"
"Aah..."
Ashrune slowly lifted his hand from my shoulder and started walking away.
"Well then..."
"Good luck."
And just like that, he ran off.
...
Why did he come all this way just to say that?
Wait...
I sensed something at the back of my coat.
A seal.
It was suppressing my mana and preventing me from using skills.
...
Though I highly doubt Ashrune was foolish enough not to know I could easily nullify this kind of seal.
Still...
I decided to go along with it for now.
"Oi."
"Are you ready or not?"
Elthorn shouted while taking his stance.
"Ah."
We made our way to the duel grounds.
It was a training area specially built for students of the academy to duel and practice combat.
By the time we arrived...
Too many students had already gathered there.
...
Is there some kind of force in this world that exists solely to oppose whatever I want?
I stepped toward the center of the arena.
Reinhardt stood behind me, still cheering me on as if he were already invested in the result.
The sun was shining brightly overhead.
And most of the people gathered around us...
Were not on my side.
Some of them simply didn't want a Common Class student to win.
Others just wanted entertainment.
A thrill.
Something to stir their boredom.
A barrier had already been erected around the arena.
"You know the rules, right?"
Elthorn shouted from the opposite side, spear in hand.
...
How would I know the rules?
Still...
I could guess.
"Fight with everything you have."
"Isn't that it?"
"Exactly."
Elthorn grinned.
Anyone could probably infer that from his personality.
"Enough talk."
Ashrune stepped into the center of the arena in the role of referee.
Even when I set aside whatever strange force seemed determined to interrupt my peace...
His mere presence was enough to disturb it.
"As of now..."
"We will begin this year's first duel."
"Reinhardt Elthorn versus Katsuhito Kurogane."
He raised one hand.
"Start."
Ashrune shouted...
Then immediately coughed.
"...Ah. I shouldn't have shouted that loudly."
...
Then don't.
--------
"Kakugo! (En garde) ."
Elthorn charged at me with his spear raised.
The moment he closed the distance, he thrust the weapon toward me.
I dodged to the side and caught the shaft with my hand.
He immediately tried to swing it sideways.
"It's not moving!"
Elthorn's expression shifted in surprise.
I looked him straight in the eyes.
"Are you underestimating me?"
At this point...
There was no reason to hide my strength from him anymore.
Elthorn smiled.
"Fine by me."
Using the spear as support, he instantly pivoted and launched a stone-coated kick toward my head.
I grabbed his spear and used it to block the kick.
The force disrupted his balance while also taking the weapon from him.
To recover midair, he planted both hands on the ground and vaulted to the other side.
"You think taking my spear will cause me any trouble?"
Elthorn said with a smile.
I gave a faint smile of my own and closed my eyes for a moment.
Then I let go.
The spear dissolved into dust.
At the same time, the particles swirled and gathered back into Elthorn's hands until the spear reformed completely.
...
Oh.
So that's how it is.
He hurled the spear at me again and immediately moved to the side, closing in from another angle.
I have to admit...
His speed was impressive.
I dodged the spear.
He was already in close range before the weapon even finished its arc.
As if the spear had never left his hands, he attacked again.
The spear I had avoided dissolved into dust once more and returned to his grip as he pressed forward.
He threw the spear at me from above.
Then dropped low and rushed in underneath.
"Hmm..."
"I think you made one mistake."
I spoke quietly as I slipped past the punch he tried to throw from below.
Using the opening, I moved behind him.
Now he was trapped between his own spear and my kick.
He dissolved the spear at once and attempted to dodge.
Too late.
My kick struck, and he took the impact with both hands raised in defense.
He slid back across the ground.
He had taken damage, but he hadn't lost his balance.
...
Interesting.
I had been holding back.
But he was using every bit of power he had to its fullest.
I wonder...
What would happen if I helped expand his base potential?
Elthorn stood up, brushing dust and a little blood off himself.
He was still smiling.
"You were holding back even against Ashrune, weren't you?" he said .
He dissolved the spear again.
So he figured it out.
For a moment, he went silent.
Then...
He took a deep breath.
This time, he raised his bare hands.
"Here I come!"
His shout echoed across the arena as he charged at me with completely different speed than before.
The distance closed instantly.
That surprised me a little.
We began exchanging attacks and evasions at a speed only a handful of people could properly follow.
He was nowhere near my full speed.
Nor Shirohana's.
But it was still enough to keep me fully alert.
If I pushed any further...
I would probably break a bone or two.
That didn't mean I couldn't change my approach.
I slipped past his punch and created a little distance.
Elthorn immediately closed in with a kick.
I took the force and redirected it back through his own motion, causing him to lose a bit of balance.
Using that opening, I launched another kick.
He had no choice but to block it with both hands, given his current position and the speed of my strike.
But just before the kick landed...
I pulled it back.
Then I grabbed his arm, redirected his momentum toward himself, and then back toward me.
Before he could respond, I pinned him down by the shoulder with my other hand.
His arm was folded backward.
I forced him flat against the ground with my knee.
He tried to summon a weapon with his free hand.
He couldn't.
My clothes were directly touching his bare skin.
The cloth seal that was preventing me from using mana or skills.
A pause followed.
Then...
"Katsuhito Kurogane wins."
Ashrune announced the result, using a skill to amplify his voice.
A loud wave of cheers rose from the audience.
Some of them had clearly begun to respect me.
Others still clung rigidly to class hierarchy.
But that was exactly the kind of thing that kept this system alive in the first place.
Even after I stood up from Elthorn...
He remained on the ground for a while.
"Oi, oi..."
"Trying to kill him would make the whole kingdom turn against you."
Ashrune whispered into my ear.
I sighed.
"You and I both know he's alive and conscious."
"Ah..."
"Joke didn't land."
Elthorn slowly started pushing himself back up.
Then he turned toward me.
He stared directly into my eyes with a serious expression.
I smiled faintly.
He lowered himself onto one knee in front of me.
"From now on..."
"My absolute loyalty belongs to Katsuhito Kurogane."
His voice was completely different from the loud, reckless one he normally used.
It was sincere.
Steady.
Entirely without hesitation.
The crowd's noise on the arena floor grew even louder the moment he said it.
...
Hmm.
Up until now, I had been predicting the duel.
Now the real question is...
How am I supposed to deal with the drama this is going to create?