CH 30.1

Stomping Duel (3)

Dusk Oltoise’s Point of View

My name is Dusk Oltoise. The Oltoise family, a Viscount family from the Empire with a 400-year history. I was born the second son of the family.

The Oltoises are one of the most prestigious families in the Empire in terms of martial arts and magic, and we have several dojos in the Empire and a lot of money. But the Oltoise family hasn’t had a wizard in two generations, and when my brother and I were born with pro-magic qualities, the whole family celebrated. But even though I had the disposition for magic, I couldn’t use any kind of ejection magic. At best, I could channel magic power into my weapons and body to strengthen them, but my brother had so little magic power that he couldn’t even do that properly.

Anyway, when they found out that I didn’t have what it took to be a magician, they all lost interest in me. I wielded my sword alone and tried to use my magic to make them see me for what I was, but my talent at magic swordsmanship was too high. No one of my generation could match me, and there was no one of my generation to train with me in the dojo.

Maybe that’s why my family treated me like I was a nuisance. They began to say behind my back that I would interfere with the succession of the family. Of course, I should be the next in line, since I’m better than my brother. Because my brother is not that strong, he can barely use magic, and his magic power is only half of what I have now. I don’t understand why I should let my brother take over the family, and the doctors say he won’t live long, so they should just let me take over.

However, my family still didn’t approve of me. “Your brother, who is a magician, will take over the dojo, the Master will take maintain it, so there will be no problem. You should study abroad.” That was the family’s decision. I was sent to this academy because I was a hindrance.

But I’m not giving up. I’m a genius. At my age, I have mastered the art of swordsmanship as much as the Master of magic swordsmanship, and I have even mastered a magic called Magic Armor.

Although Magic Armor uses my magic power and thus is classified as a high-class ejection spell, it’s one of the few spells that can be used by people with my constitution, and by using it, I can enhance my physical abilities to a higher degree than other physical enhancement spells, and strengthen my resistance to magic, etc. But it consumes a lot of magic power, and it can only last about five minutes at full power.

I did not disobey my parents. They were weaker than me anyway. I can study abroad, make contacts there, kick out my parents and brother, and become the head of the Viscount family. For now, I just need to endure and work on maturing my skills and connections.

And then I met Guiche Fleur. He looked more like a prince than a legitimate son of a Count, but his ability with a sword was enough to get him into the Advanced Class right away.

The Advanced Class is a class that provides advanced education to students with excellent grades and high potential, and it is even said that just being selected for this class can lead to certain positions in the future. Naturally, I would have been selected, but as a general rule, only students who have been enrolled in the class for at least three years are eligible to major in it, so as a first-year student, I hadn’t been selected yet, but I disapproved. I thought it was a mistake for a country bumpkin like Guishe to be chosen when even I wasn’t. So I challenged him to a duel.

In a duel, you can wager on anything. Rank, honor, women, etc. are common rules in any country. But he didn’t ask for anything, and he beat me handily. I ha’ve never lost to anyone my age. I thought he was just a frog in a well and was getting carried away, but he overpowered me without even breaking a sweat, I could not even damage his clothes. Naturally, I used my Magic Armor, but he didn’t even use his magic power. I was… completely defeated by him.

Since then, I have lost a lot. The Empire is a meritocracy. As a defeated man, I was looked down upon by the noble children of the Empire that I had worked so hard to develop friendships with.

I hated him, I must have made a mistake to lose, but I used my remaining connections to investigate him thoroughly, but his family background was average, or rather, not that famous in Arland. But I found out that he has a sister.

I got off topic, but I know she’s a strange one. And I wonder what Guishe will look like when I take her… take his sister and make her kneel in front of me. I can only imagine.

But his sister was far more than I could ever imagine. She made her own chariot, the likes of which I have never seen before, and came to this country in it.

The uncomfortable ride that all nobles and anyone who rides in a carriage is fed up with is of no concern if the carriage floats. But, how many people have thought of this and how many were able to accomplish this feat? I’m not too familiar with magic tools, but if all you need to do is cast levitate, then it’s easy. However, stabilizing it is what is the most difficult. It would be possible by using magic spheres created from magic stones, but controlling magic spheres is very difficult, and magic tool-fying magic spheres is no easy feat. In other words, a floating carriage that makes use of magic spheres is a magic tool that many people have dreamed of. Of course, the Empire doesn’t have such a thing.

I’m getting off-topic again, but his sister turned down the King’s request as a result. I think everyone would want that carriage. I don’t know where my family heard about it, but they sent me a letter with a Sonic bird. In any case, it’s disrespectful to not give the King what he asks for, so if you are not willing to part with it, you shouldn’t bring it to another country to begin with. In other words, his sister is here to show off her abilities and skills.

I can’t forgive her. I challenged his sister to a duel. For a barbarian from the countryside, his sister thinks the world is stupid. She must look down on me as an insignificant opponent.

As a result, I won.

She was definitely a strange lass. She would use magic without chanting when she produced a magic circle, or she would copy my magic and challenge me, a magic swordsman, to close combat. But she lacks the skill, the strength, and the power. That’s all what magicians amount to, after all. It’s true that I’m at a disadvantage if I’m at a distance, but there’s not much of an area to fight in a duel. So, I won by pure strength.

“Fuhahaha!! That’s all magicians like you amount to!!”

I walked up to her sister, who was still lying on the ground, and grabbed her by the hair and lifted her up… She was so light that even I could lift her up with one hand.

“You are my slave from now on.”

I have been planning to do this from the beginning. I’m going to enslave his sister and show her to him. Even though she’s the daughter of a noble, the Empire won’t say anything about enslaving a noble from a barbarian country, so even if Arland says something, there’s no problem. I just need to be able to stand above him.

Then his sister smiled. When I looked into her eyes, I felt something, but I didn’t know what it was.

“So much for your short but happy dream.”

And then, the world flipped.