Students collectively refusing to attend a class in protest against a professor—it was an unprecedented event in the history of the academy.
And anything new was inherently interesting.
News about Ellie and Rachel spread like wildfire throughout the academy, and since nobles were easily identifiable by their colors, everyone recognized Rachel.
“Oh, that’s…”
“Hey, hey, look over there.”
As Rachel walked out of the academy courtyard, the students’ gazes followed her every step.
“Ugh…!”
She wanted to yell at them—”what are you staring at?” But shouting at students from an academy filled with high-ranking noble heirs was practically a death wish.
Rachel wasn’t that stupid.
Being strong against the weak and weak against the strong was one of the reasons she had managed to become a professor, even if only temporarily.
***
“Rachel Vermi.”
Hearing her name, Rachel turned around, her expression twisting in irritation.
Ellie stood before her, her black eyes blazing with fury.
According to Rachel’s own philosophy, this was the person she should act the weakest toward—but she failed to realize that.
“What do you want, you orphan wench?”
Ellie glared at her in silence before forming a ring of mana and tossing it at Rachel’s feet.
Bang!
With a loud sound, the mana scorched the grass and dirt.
The watching students gasped, some covering their mouths in shock.
The reaction was universal.
A mage had just challenged another mage to a duel.
“…Hah.”
Rachel clenched her teeth.
“Are you joking right now? You know you’re the headmistress’s personal favorite, and you think I’ll accept this duel?”
“If anyone’s talking nonsense, it’s you,” Ellie sneered.
“So what do you think happened? That the headmistress secretly transferred mana to me? Is your reality so fragile that you have to cling to such ridiculous ideas to keep yourself from falling apart?”
The surrounding students began murmuring.
“What? So the headmistress did what?”
“That doesn’t even make sense…”
“Even if that’s not how it happened, that bitch Skaha—”
“Are you going to fight or not? Stop running your mouth and give me a straight answer, you damn bitch.”
For the first time, Ellie openly spat out profanity, sending another wave of shock through the crowd.
She didn’t like cursing.
But she had no choice.
Lies could destroy a person’s reputation.
Just look at how modern conspiracy theories never truly disappear.
To ensure that no one even remembered Rachel’s accusations, Ellie needed to leave an impact.
She strode forward.
“To be honest, I don’t care either way. You still haven’t apologized to me. I’m going to drag you by the hair and make you apologize to me. And after that, you’re going to apologize to the headmistress, too.”
Rachel instinctively stepped back, but with more students gathering, escape was becoming increasingly difficult.
“So whether you accept the duel or not, I’ll still be slapping you across the face in ten seconds.”
***
“Interesting.”
A young man stepped forward.
“If you’re going to duel, allow me to be the witness. I believe both of you will find that acceptable?”
“…Professor Teleman.”
It was Teleman, the instructor for Ellie’s magic dueling class.
With practiced ease, he cleared a space and put distance between the two potential combatants.
It was as if he was used to commanding crowds and managing people.
“What are the rules? To the death? Or just until incapacitation?”
Ellie’s eyes narrowed slightly as she observed him.
‘As expected.’
This man was hiding something—or at least harboring something in his heart.
But for now, he would serve as a fair and impartial referee.
“…The conditions are as follows: incapacitation, death, or surrender. A single round. And if I win, Rachel Vermi will apologize to me twice.”
“And what about you, Miss Vermi—oh, my mistake, you’re not a professor anymore—Lady Vermi?”
“…I accept those conditions. But,” Rachel said, pointing a finger at Ellie, “If I win, I get to decide what happens to her life.”
A chilling silence spread through the students, who had until now been watching out of curiosity.
But Ellie, unfazed, nodded without hesitation.
“Fine. As long as you also accept my conditions if I win.”
“I swear to it.”
“And so do I.”
“As the official witness, I solemnly swear to judge this duel fairly. Now then—”
***
“Wait! Please, wait!”
A shrill voice rang out.
It was Stella.
Her face had gone pale.
“What are you saying!? How is that a fair condition!?”
Teleman shot her a cold look.
“Miss Blaze, both duelists have agreed. A third party has no right to interfere. Step back.”
“B-But even so—”
“Stella.”
Ellie called her friend’s name.
“Trust me. Just wait for me.”
“…!!”
Stella looked like she was about to cry.
And truthfully, she wanted to.
“…Understood.”
However, she forced herself to hold back her tears.
“I’ll do as Ellie says.”
She had an instinctive feeling deep inside.
If she wanted to be Ellie’s friend, not just someone who received one-sided consideration, she had to endure.
Even if they couldn’t be equals, she had to at least make the effort.
This was the same reason Clea had immediately risen to her feet after the Emperor passed by and why she chose to step forward instead of accepting Ellie’s offer to rest.
***
Teleman swiftly drew lines with mana, creating a dueling arena.
“The number of spectators doesn’t matter, but if you step inside this boundary, I cannot guarantee your safety.”
The children who had been hovering near the edge of the golden line quickly retreated.
“I will signal the start by lowering my hand. Both of you, prepare yourselves…”
Whoosh.
“Begin.”
Rachel immediately drew her wand.
There were two main ways for a mage to injure or kill another mage: directly casting magic on their opponent’s body or manipulating the surrounding environment to attack them.
For example, casting a spell to break someone’s leg fell into the first category, while picking up a large rock and striking them with it belonged to the second.
To defend against the former, one had to ensure their opponent’s mana never reached their body.
Because of this, both Ellie and Rachel immediately erected barriers.
Thus, the battle seemed to hinge on environmental manipulation—an extremely common scenario in duels between mages.
And in such situations, there was a particularly useful strategy.
Rachel suddenly shouted a magic incantation, leaving the surrounding students bewildered.
“5, 8, Aron, 3!”
The strategy was to attack using an incantation unfamiliar to the opponent.
If one used a common magical phrase like “Rock, move and strike my opponent,” their opponent, not being a fool, would immediately recognize the spell and react accordingly.
However, if the same command was given in an unknown incantation, the opponent would only be able to respond after the spell had already taken effect.
In the worst-case scenario, they would get hit outright.
This was one of the reasons why older mages, who knew a variety of incantations, had an advantage in battle.
Indeed, the ground beneath Ellie’s feet suddenly caved in, forming a pit.
She had been unable to neutralize Rachel’s spell.
Ellie’s gaze dropped to the depth of the hole.
“Emar-Kog-Va!”
Another spell.
This time, blue flames flared up around the pit.
By blocking her escape route, Rachel had confined her movements.
Now, all that remained was the finishing blow.
“Mag… Hum…!”
A massive blade materialized in the air.
If it fell, it would slice Ellie’s body in half.
Having already solidified her victory, Rachel spoke.
“I’ll give you three seconds. Three… two…”
She could kill her now if she wanted.
But Rachel wanted Ellie to experience true despair.
She wanted Ellie to beg for death, to curse her own existence.
Well, if that didn’t happen, she could always just kill her anyway.
“One!”
The blade plummeted from above.
Ellie, who had remained silent until now, calmly reached up with one hand.
“Fortifia.”
A common magic word meaning strengthen.
She deliberately chose to use a standard incantation—one that Rachel had once taught in class.
Not as a final courtesy, but as an insult.
The blade struck Ellie’s palm.
Several students, regardless of gender, let out screams and squeezed their eyes shut.
But instead of cutting her in half, the blade shattered into pieces.
“…Huh?”
What left Rachel’s lips wasn’t an incantation or a word, just pure disbelief.
‘Why? How? That was just a simple strengthening spell…’
But the shock didn’t end there.
Ellie reached into the flames surrounding the pit.
The fire flickered violently, then died out.
“Kh…?!”
She had smothered Rachel’s mana with her own.
Rachel had once been appointed a professor, even if for political reasons.
The idea that a mere student could suppress her magic with raw mana alone was unthinkable.
Or at least, it should have been.
But it had just happened.
“P-Professor Teleman! What is going on—?”
“As the appointed overseer, I declare that no foul play has occurred in this duel.”
“B-but, that—”
“The duel will not be halted. I repeat, no foul play has been committed, and the duel will not be stopped.”
Meanwhile, Ellie had already closed the distance to Rachel. Her hand was clenched into a tight fist.
She had planned to settle for a slap.
But now, she decided to go for something much, much worse.