【Felter】
Was he really that kind of man?
With these thoughts running through my mind, I followed the group and moved to the courtyard.
Rox, fueled by anger, began using magic while his entourage supported him. Even though they weren’t particularly skilled, they were still students at a magic academy. Everyone used at least intermediate magic, and spells were cast one after another.
Fireballs, ice arrows, wind blades, rock spears… Various attack spells flew towards Cote, who was defending himself with one arm while carrying that beastkin woman in the other.
Although he was mostly dodging, Cote skillfully blocked the magic attacks. He seemed to excel in earth magic and quickly used beginner or intermediate spells to defend himself.
However, there was a limit.
Unless it was a teacher, there was no way someone could handle being outnumbered by so many opponents.
"Ugh!"
A rock he conjured to counter an attack shattered right in front of him, sending fragments into his leg and causing him to tumble to the ground. The woman fell with him.
"Guh, ahh!"
Seeing Cote bleed, the entourage turned pale as if they had been doused with cold water. It made sense. Despite his appearance, Cote was the heir to a prestigious family that had produced representatives for the Cote Highlands Federation.
Injuring someone of his status could escalate into an international incident.
When they realized that, their legs began to shake.
"You cowards."
If they were going to be intimidated by that, they shouldn't have started in the first place.
"Step back." I shoved them aside, causing a couple of them to fall.
At the edge of the courtyard, Cote was protecting the woman while bleeding from his leg.
Rox looked down at them and clicked his tongue. "To think you'd defy someone stronger without any real power. Cote Hedge Butler, I thought you were a smarter man. Did you fall in love with such trash?"
Rox laughed, but my assessment of Cote wasn't low.
"… Cote, you can actually fight quite well, can't you? Your movements show actual combat experience. Your usual demeanor deceived me, but you're quite capable one-on-one, aren't you?"
Cote's face twisted into a bitter smile. "You're overestimating me."
He stood up. Given the wound on his thigh, it must have been quite tough, but he showed no weakness.
Rox folded his arms, glared, and jutted his chin forward. "I'll forgive you now, Cote. Swear not to defy me again."
He spoke as if he was offering mercy.
This was who Rox Kilbegan was.
He genuinely believed it was only natural for everyone to obey a royal like him. He was even willing to forgive Cote's mistake.
But that wasn’t something that you should say to a noble's child.
Cote had no way out now, and a smart man like him surely understood he couldn't just smooth things over now.
This had become a matter of noble pride.
Watching with interest, I saw Cote laugh fearlessly, draw a dagger, and point the blade at Rox's face. "Kneel and apologize. If you do it now, I'll forgive you, foolish prince."
Rox lost his mind in rage.
He drew his wand and began chanting a spell.
【Barel Black】
As I stepped into the courtyard, I heard a series of noises, including some shouts, so I went to see what was happening.
I saw Rox-senpai continuously casting various spells at a wall of rock.
At first, I thought it might be some sort of practice, but judging from his yelling, that didn't seem to be the case.
"Is that all you have after defying me? Pathetic, Cote!"
Rox-senpai's shouting and continuous casting of intermediate spells sent a chill down my spine. I had heard that royalty had exceptional magical aptitude, and indeed, Rox-senpai was special.
After all, he was the only student who had reached the advanced level in all four major elements.
A bit farther away from him stood Felter-senpai, known for his prowess with non-attribute magic. He was a monster who could use almost all magic above the intermediate level.
He was famous for having spars with teachers, and he had remained undefeated since joining the academy. Essentially, he was a student who was stronger than the teachers.
"Who would dare challenge those two? Probably some commoner who doesn't understand noble ranks… Wait, did I hear someone say Cote?"
Suddenly, the rock wall shattered. It couldn't withstand Rox-senpai's fierce assault any longer.
On the other side of the wall was a girl with white hair and beast ears.
It was Shenley Lu Rosenstiel, a beastkin girl who had skipped a grade to join the senior section with me. I remembered her because she was a rare beastkin who had skipped a grade.
"[Water Bullet, Aqua Shot]!"
Shenley cast a water spell targeting Rox-senpai. However, he easily neutralized it with an earth spell.
He probably used an easy to use beginner spell due to the urgency, but he angled it well to deflect the attack. With that, both would start chanting from scratch. Rox-senpai's victory was certain.
At that moment, a figure appeared from the opposite side of Shenley.
"[Earth Shot, Rock Shell]!"
He was a tall man with vermillion hair. Using Shenley's spell as a distraction, the man launched an intermediate earth spell. He must have prepared the spell while the two were fighting.
Regardless of the skill gap, the situation was now in their favor. Rox-senpai would have to twist his body to minimize the injury.
But reality was different.
Rox-senpai's figure suddenly vanished. Felter-senpai, who had been standing a short distance away, had dragged him away to dodge the spell.
It was an incredible move. Even I, watching from a distance, couldn't grasp what had happened. It must have been completely invisible to Shenley and her companion.
"… Are you joining in too, Felter Cairn-kun?"
Hearing the voice of the man, I finally realized that it was Cote Hedge Butler.
His usual expression was so different that I hadn't recognized him.
"I judged it was life-threatening. Also, the number of spectators has increased." Felter-senpai placed Rox-senpai on the ground and stood up.
I was caught.
Thinking that, I tensed up, but Felter-senpai looked in the opposite direction.
Everyone's eyes followed his gaze.
The sound of someone stepping on pebbles echoed, and a figure appeared in the setting sun. "What are you doing?"
It was a low, feminine voice.
Despite the lack of volume, the voice resonated well and carried a terrifying pressure that made my skin crawl.
Everyone froze, except Shenley, who burst into tears and called out the name of the figure. "Aoi-sensei!"
Shenley’s desperate voice sounded like she was coughing up blood and caused terrifying anger to come from the figure.
Pathetically, my legs trembled and wouldn't move. Although I hadn’t done anything, I was scared as if I had been caught in the act of grave wrongdoing.
However, Rox-senpai stood up calmly and glared back at the figure. "You again. What do you want this time? We're past the point of backing down. If you interfere now, know that you're involving yourself in a national dispute—"
Rox-senpai's angry words were cut short.
Aoi-sensei had appeared in front of him in an instant and slapped him.
I could only see her raised hand, indicating she had just slapped him. However, Rox-senpai was sent flying as if he had been struck by a runaway horse and rolled across the ground.
"If you intend to fight me as a representative of your country, I will oblige," Aoi-sensei said in a low voice and looked down at the fallen Rox-senpai. "Come at me if you dare to perish."
Rox-senpai looked as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.
And Felter-senpai grinned gleefully.