The duel was agreed upon, but because I was no longer a student, I couldn’t use the official dueling grounds.
So, we settled on holding it in an empty lot on the outskirts of the academy, where I usually sparred with Itsin.
“Are you really sure about this? If you kneel and apologize to me now, I might let you off. How about it?”
The sky is so clear today.
‘It’s rare to see a day without a single cloud, so why do I have to fight this nuisance on such a beautiful day?’
The heavens truly are indifferent.
“Hey! Are you even listening?!”
I ignored her—she wasn’t worth responding to—when suddenly Azuki stepped between us.
She seemed to have made a big decision, placing a hand on her chest and urgently exclaiming,
“I-I’ll apologize on your behalf! So, could you please call off the duel?”
“Huh? You don’t need to apologize. I accepted this duel because I wanted to.”
“Wha—? B-but!”
“So you ignore me but react to that beast’s words, huh?”
I redirected the arrow of anger meant for Azuki toward myself.
She could’ve left by now, but she still followed me, trembling.
It was pitiful seeing her try to sacrifice herself to soothe a heart wounded by harsh words.
“If you’re worried about me, don’t be. I may not look it, but I went four years at Wellton without a single incident. I know how to handle troublemaking students.”
To reassure her, I approached Azuki and placed a hand on her shaking shoulder.
Then, I subtly brought my lips close to her ear.
“Besides, you know how strong I am, right?”
“O-oh…”
Finally, her trembling subsided.
I deliberately made contact so she could use her special eyes to look at me.
She must’ve seen my past self, the one who endured endless training over the last three years.
She’d realize there’s no way I could lose after surviving such insane training.
***
“H-how…?”
“Shh.”
I could tell what she wanted to ask just by looking at her eyes.
She probably wanted to know how I endured three years of grueling hardship.
I’d have answered, but with another pair of ears listening, I pressed a finger to my lips.
“I’ll tell you the details later. For now, can you wait quietly?”
“O-okay. Hmph…!”
Azuki nodded repeatedly, biting her lip.
She didn’t need to say anything, but her effort to stay quiet was adorable.
I’d already revealed my secret—’maybe I should seriously pursue her.’
Before, I’d held back because I feared irreversibly altering the future.
But now, even that didn’t seem like a big deal.
This duel itself was a situation that didn’t exist in the original story, a result of my actions.
Though I do remember something similar happening in the original.
“You lowlifes ignoring me together? Fine, let’s see how long you can keep it up!”
Ayla, unable to wait, began casting magic before the duel even started.
Flames bloomed above her head, slowly compressing into a sphere.
For a Wellton student, she managed a 3-star fire spell, Fireball.
‘Too slow and sloppy.’
Three seconds to cast—considered fast by most, but painfully slow by my standards.
As Bjorn would say, three seconds is enough time to punch through someone’s stomach.
Of course, Ayla, oblivious, smirked arrogantly.
“Well? Ready to bow down to me yet?”
“No.”
“Think carefully! The moment this spell leaves my hand, you’re dead! Understood?”
“But it’s all flash and no substance.”
Snap!
I flicked my finger, sending a wisp of mana into Ayla’s flames.
My mana twisted the spell’s foundation, causing it to dissipate entirely.
‘Had she structured the Fireball more carefully, it might’ve weakened but not vanished.’
But her focus on appearance over substance made it easy to dismantle.
“Huh?”
Ayla paled as her confident spell disappeared.
Without the ability to see mana like Azuki, she had no idea what happened.
Predictably, she immediately began preparing another spell.
“T-that was just a warning! This time, I’ll use a proper—!”
Since I’d already pointed out her flawed structure, it was time to show her how slow she was.
I rushed past Ayla, circling to her back before she could react.
Then, I swept her legs out from under her.
****
“Kyaa?!”
This time, I controlled my strength perfectly, leaving her sprawled on the ground.
The half-formed flames flickered unstable—ready to explode.
So, I grabbed the fireball barehanded.
My mana coated the flames, turning them a warm green with regenerative properties.
The searing pain in my charred palm faded as new skin began to form.
“Higher-tier spells aren’t always better. What matters is speed and precision. I’d recommend starting over and building from the basics.”
I repeated the advice Sherthia had given me early on.
I, too, once chased only high-tier magic—until I learned the hard way.
It was shocking when Sherthia’s 1-star spell overpowered my 4-star one.
Seeing my past self in Ayla, I’d unintentionally given her the same advice.
Well, no harm in being generous to someone you dislike.
‘Though I doubt she’ll humbly accept it.’
As expected, Ayla screeched in rage.
“Shut up! Don’t act all high and mighty, you corpse-handling freak!”
“Wow, even advice sets you off.”
“I don’t need a commoner’s advice!”
“Then die.”
“Guh—!”
I punched her square in the jaw, knocking her out instantly.
I briefly considered burying her alive but held back.
Killing a student would cost me my job and future.
‘Was it worth throwing away my life over an extra?’
To leave the arrogant noble with unforgettable humiliation, I summoned a wind spirit.
“Could you toss her into a trash bin near the academy?”
The spirit answered with a gust of wind, lifting Ayla’s body and flying toward the cafeteria.
Seems it plans to dump her straight into the garbage.
***
Clapping at the efficient cleanup, I turned to Azuki.
“Now that the nuisance is gone, let’s have a proper talk.”
“Ah…! Yes!”
A minor mishap had finally concluded, and at last, the time had come for me to converse with Azuki.
She seemed tense about meeting me, her ears standing stiffly upright.
Still, the way the tip of her tail wagged gently suggested her mood had improved somewhat.
“Shall we start by introducing ourselves?”
“Yes, that sounds good…!”
“I’m Shin Tao, the cemetery caretaker at Wellton Academy. Nice to meet you.”
“I-I’m Yuzuriha Azuki, a new student from a distant eastern land! Pleased to meet you!”
I ended my greeting with a slight nod, while Azuki bowed deeply at a 90-degree angle to show utmost respect.
It might seem excessive, but that’s just part of Azuki’s charm.
Moreover, when she bends over, her fluffy fox tail becomes fully visible.
A bewitching tail so irresistible it makes you want to hug it.
Just facing her made me feel like I was being enchanted by a fox spirit.
“Sigh…!”
“Wh-what’s wrong?”
“I think we should stop at introductions for today.”
***
Not far away, a voice calling Azuki’s name could be heard.
Azuki’s ears perked up at the sound of someone anxiously searching for her.
Since I’d seen who was looking for her before, I didn’t bother mentioning it.
“Th-then I’ll visit the cemetery again tomorrow!”
“Are you sure? Didn’t your older sister tell you not to go near the cemetery?”
“It’s fine! You helped me twice, and I still haven’t properly thanked you. My sister’s words are important, but repaying kindness matters even more to me!”
Azuki clenched her fists and spoke with conviction.
Her usual timidness vanished when it came to doing what she believed was right—a dual-sided charm that made me smile.
“Alright. I’m almost always at the cemetery unless something comes up, so visit whenever it’s convenient for you.”
“Yes!”
Azuki nodded vigorously before turning to leave.
As I waved goodbye, she suddenly rushed back toward me.
With surprising boldness, she grabbed my arm and pressed something into my palm.
“H-here! It’s a small talisman made from my tail fur! It might seem strange or off-putting, but in my homeland, it’s said to bring good luck. Please accept it!”
“Th-thank you.”
“See you tomorrow!”
“I don’t consider this enough to repay your kindness. Even putting gratitude aside, I’d like to get to know you better—Eek!”
Azuki’s face turned beet red as she stammered, then ducked her head in embarrassment.
She was unbearably adorable.
Even her clumsy stumble as she hurried away was endearing.
My lips curled into an unstoppable grin.
It seemed my desires were reaching their limit.
‘Can I consider this a spoil of war?’
I brought the talisman Azuki had given me to my nose and inhaled.
Even though it was just a single strand of tail fur in a pouch, it carried a faint, sweet fragrance.
Now this is true kokkuri.
‘Luke, it’s happened………….’
***
With Tao gone too, the clearing was left completely empty.
A lone female student, now that the coast was clear, threw off her invisibility cloak and revealed herself.
“Scoooop!!”
She set down the crystal orb she’d been holding and pulled a memo pad from her pocket.
Then, with an ink-stained quill, she began scribbling furiously.
“This is huge! HUGE!”
Watching the scene recorded in the crystal orb, the girl—whose student ID necklace read “Miriam”—couldn’t contain her excitement.
“I’m on fire! The words are just flowing!”
Miriam was a member of the academy’s newspaper club, known for publishing The Wellton Issue, a periodical covering campus events with rigorous fact-checking.
Her specialty was reporting on academy scandals, and she was infamous for her relentless pursuit of the truth.
“Mysterious man defeats the second daughter of the Brittany family in a duel—his identity? The cemetery caretaker? Heh~! The content’s so good the headline writes itself!”
Miriam had been wandering the academy aimlessly, desperate for material after a long dry spell.
Just as she was about to settle for a minor incident, she overheard Ayla Brittany challenging someone to a duel.
Sensing a scoop, she donned her expensive invisibility cloak and tailed Tao’s group.
‘At first, I thought it’d just end with another noble’s tyranny.’
‘A common caretaker facing off against a noble-born student?’
Miriam had assumed the caretaker stood no chance.
She’d already drafted a headline in her mind: [Noble Student’s Bullying Escalates.]
‘But who’d have thought the caretaker would not only crush her with sheer skill but even offer advice like it was nothing?!’
Witnessing it left Miriam reeling.
But soon, the sheer inspiration of the event had her buzzing with excitement.
She had to be the first to break this story.
“Agh! I can already imagine the students’ reactions! This news has to come from me!”
With her draft complete, Miriam grinned triumphantly and sprinted toward the newspaper clubroom.
Unbeknownst to her, four heroes trailed closely behind, invisible to her senses.
“This girl’s hilarious. Without our help, she’d have been caught by her junior and silenced ages ago.”
“Let’s overlook the small stuff! The point is, we finally have a chance to let the world know of Tao’s deeds!”
Though he claimed to dislike attention, a hero needed fame to thrive.
“An unrecognized hero’s fate is tragic.”
“After all his struggles under our guidance, I hope Tao can now spread his wings and soar.”
They’d orchestrated everything:
Luring Miriam to the scene.
Concealing her presence where the cloak would’ve failed.
Ensuring Tao’s image was captured clearly in the crystal orb.
This was the heroes’ masterpiece.