Nice weather today. Why not liven things up with a duel?
Dark looked at Jeffrey. Somehow, that was exactly what the senior seemed to be saying.
So he didn't treat it as a formal challenge and said casually, "A Magic Guide duel?"
"Of course." A natural smile surfaced on Jeffrey's face. "We're Magic Guide Masters, after all."
Dark smiled back. "But Senior, you're a fourth-year and I'm only a first-year. If you slip up and lose to me, how will you ever show your face in public again?"
Jeffrey broke into a cold sweat, though he kept smiling. "It's just for fun. It won't come to that."
Dark shook his head. "Other people won't see it that way."
Jeffrey ground his teeth. "You're a first-year and I'm a fourth-year. Why does it have to be me who loses?"
"Aren't I just looking out for you?" Dark grinned.
"Well, thanks so much!" Jeffrey said.
In truth, judging by the strength Dark had shown in the last match he'd entered at the Academy, Jeffrey was confident he could win.
As Dark had said, he was a fourth-year, after all.
Even if dueling wasn't his strong suit, he had the resources of the Noble History Research Society at his back. There was no way he could be weak.
Besides, he was dueling Dark in this clubhouse on First Prince Charles's orders. If he really lost, the news would race through the entire noble circle.
So he was going in determined to win.
Even though the First Prince had never actually demanded a victory.
So what was the First Prince after, exactly?
Jeffrey had no one to complain to.
He was not a man who liked charging at the front lines.
*
In a secluded private room of the clubhouse, First Prince Charles was drinking strong liquor he'd picked up from the dwarf tribes, and he was in a foul mood.
The Holy Church's upcoming Ritual to execute the Demon King was entirely outside his control.
When the Holy Church had discussed it, they hadn't even let him in the room.
That had suddenly given him a much clearer sense of how deep the alliance between himself and the Holy Church really ran.
It was only a partnership for mutual profit, not a meeting of minds.
And it never could be.
Since he couldn't rely on the Holy Church completely, he needed someone more trustworthy.
But to stand toe to toe with the Valkyrie…
He'd need at least the combined weight of Court Grand Magic Guide Master Niels Bohr and Grand Duke Telunsu Grinton.
The military would also have to be won over, whatever it took.
Yet last month he'd received the dreadful news that House of Greatbear leaned toward the Valkyrie, and the olive branch he'd then extended to the Doron family hadn't been accepted right away, either.
As things stood, he was running into walls everywhere.
He couldn't get his hands into whatever the Holy Church was plotting, either.
The Archbishop had promised to share the credit with him if it succeeded.
But what if it failed?
Now the Eldest Princess's faction was using this very matter as an excuse to station defenses all over the capital, while he sat here like an outsider with nothing to do, drinking alone. Words couldn't describe how bitter that tasted.
"Why can Eliza win the Valkyrie's trust and I can't? Is it just because she's a woman?"
The First Prince grew more and more irritable. He gulped down a huge mouthful of liquor, choked, and coughed without end, his face blood red.
In the capital as it stood, the Valkyrie was at the very peak in power, prestige and personal might alike.
Only the deeply rooted Holy Church could match her.
Any other faction that wanted a seat at the table had to join forces with several others.
Like the alliance of Niels Bohr and Telunsu Grinton.
But none of that mattered.
If Charles wanted supporters, he could still dig up a whole pile of them.
But that bunch of old foxes each harbored their own schemes. Turning to them would be carving flesh from his own body, a bad trade.
In other words, someone as uncomplicated as the Valkyrie simply didn't exist among them!
"No, I have to think of something."
As the drink rose to his head, the golden-haired boy came to mind again.
Dark Demon, the Valkyrie's most doted-on only son, really was an excellent point of entry.
If he could be won over, the resistance the Valkyrie brought to bear would surely weaken.
That was why the Archbishop had once considered recruiting him as the Holy Son, a policy of gentle persuasion.
But the appearance of DemiDevimon had killed that idea halfway.
Then at the Easter Dueling Festival, Dark had shown the potential to be named a "Hero candidate."
But the status of "Hero" had two sides.
It stood for boundless glory.
And it carried the curse of destiny.
Charles had long been weighing whether to invest in Virt Gold, the previous generation's Son of the Hero.
After all, a "Hero" was both useful and unlikely to turn on you. "Heroes die young" was hardly a secret within the inner circle.
But until now he'd fixed his eyes on "the glory of the Hero" and overlooked "the destiny of the Hero."
In this world, nothing was beyond use.
A wild idea struck Charles.
What if he built up Dark Demon as the Hero?
Would the Valkyrie be too swamped to spare a thought for the political situation?
Once the thought took root, there was no stopping it.
"Let me confirm it once more!"
Charles looked down at Dark Demon on the circular corridor, and at the Gatomon among the group of Magic Guide Spirits around him. His heart churned.
*
Afterward, at his instruction, the female swordswoman playing the "Hero" had issued a challenge to Dark Demon.
Charles had assumed Dark would send out a "sword-wielding Magic Guide Spirit" in his place.
He hadn't expected that the one who finally stepped up would be neither Gatomon nor Leomon, but Dark's maid.
Still, a small surprise like that didn't matter.
Charles immediately had word passed to Angus Jeffrey.
Jeffrey's family was tied firmly to his ship, so he counted as one of his own.
Surely one of his own wouldn't mind doing him a small favor?
Charles popped a special sobering pill into his mouth.
It was the same type as the sobering potion Sister Carian had prepared for him at Christmas.
One pill down, and no matter how drunk you were, you'd be sober in an instant.
The price was being twice as drunk afterward.
But he'd be lying flat anyway. What was double lying flat but lying flat?
That was why these sobering pills were so popular in noble circles.
"Angus is a fourth-year, at least. He should win, right?"
Charles muttered to himself as he went over Angus's record.
*
Inside the [Yearning Dreams] clubhouse, it was not unusual for nobles to step into a duel themselves.
The war was over, but the older generation still carried a stubborn love of combat in their bones, and the martial spirit hadn't faded with the coming of peace.
So nobles dueling in person were not considered rude. They were seen as brave.
Of course, winners and losers were treated very differently.
Especially in a fourth-year versus first-year duel like Jeffrey's and Dark's. Even as entertainment, a loss would mean disgrace.
Dark had simply thought it unnecessary, which was why he'd offered that warning.
But since Jeffrey was so confident, Dark wasn't someone who would go easy in a duel.
He didn't turn down Jeffrey's invitation. He accepted it.
"Good timing for a warm-up. I've been cooped up in the manor long enough."
Dark made a "pat the Miltank" gesture at Trina.
Trina gave a slight nod, with no objection to his decision.
In a duel with such a lopsided gap in years, the young master, a first-year, wouldn't suffer any bad consequences even if he really lost.
Besides, she didn't think the young master would lose.
Anyone who'd spent some time around the young master's Magic Guide Spirits probably wouldn't think so either.
Only Aurora, who didn't know much about the strength of St. Marian's fourth-years, asked Diana with some worry.
Diana thought about it. "That senior is a fourth-year, but he doesn't seem to have been in many dueling matches. I don't know much about him. But he probably isn't that strong, right?"
Aurora frowned. "But if he isn't strong, why would he challenge Dark?"
"Ummm…" Diana thought harder and guessed, "Maybe his hands were itching? Mine itch all the time, too."
Dark shook his head at the sight of them huddled together so cozily.
Jeffrey was clearly someone who never got out of bed early without a reason. This invitation obviously had another purpose behind it.
But precisely because the other side had come with an agenda, Dark had the motivation to win.
"A duel after so long."
Dark clapped his hands.
The Magic Guide Spirits, long since poised and ready, turned to light one after another and darted into his portable card case.
Only now did some of the people who knew little about Magic Guide technology realize that the whole flock of "fantastic creatures" were actually Magic Guide Spirits!
In the blink of an eye, only the Vampire Young Lady and the Phoenix Maiden remained at Dark's side.
The Vampire Young Lady was going to enroll, so it wasn't wise to leave people with too strong an association between her and "Magic Guide Spirits."
Dark didn't mind exposing her identity, but if it spread too early, she'd likely get a cold reception when she first arrived.
It would be better to reveal it after she'd blended into the group.
As her guardian, Dark naturally hoped she'd have a normal school life.
But it was still too early to think about that.
After leaving the Vampire Young Lady there, Dark followed the attendant's guidance to… well, to a protruding section of the circular corridor!
Looking closely, one would find that the corridor had two raised platforms, perfect for use as player stages.
Whether the design was deliberate, no one could say.
In any case, Dark and Jeffrey soon reached the two platforms, and the attendants on each side pressed a button. Sure enough, a card table rose from the floor.
"I need a little time," Dark said.
He activated the card table and spoke to Senior Jeffrey across the way through the amplification device.
Naturally, Jeffrey didn't refuse.
So Dark took out his deck and recharged the cards with mana, one by one.
Since there was no partition behind the platform, Diana and the others walked over.
On the other side, quite a crowd had gathered around Jeffrey as well.
Everyone was in high spirits. There was no sign of tension between the two sides, as if it really were just friendly entertainment.
But as the two squared off and more and more people noticed the commotion and came to watch, the so-called "entertainment" could hardly stay entertainment.
Angus Jeffrey was a regular at [Yearning Dreams], and most of the noblemen and noblewomen who lingered there knew him.
Even without his father's standing as a backdrop, Jeffrey was an outstanding talent in his own right.
He was not only a fourth-year admitted to St. Marian's Academy but also the president of a large society made up mostly of noble heirs, and all of that earned him high marks in other people's eyes.
So when they saw Angus Jeffrey was the one dueling, many people turned curiously to look at the other side.
One look, and they couldn't tear their eyes away.
Dark Demon might be visiting for the first time, but among the nobles who frequented [Yearning Dreams], especially the older ones, who wouldn't recognize his face?
Dark himself was practically a walking label. His face was as famous as his character.
"Isn't that Alvit's son? What's he doing here?"
"I heard he was invited to St. Marian's Academy too. It's been almost a year now, hasn't it?"
"Fourth-year against first-year? Is this a teaching match?"
"Who would have thought. That naughty child from back then has grown so much. He actually looks rather gentlemanly."
"I heard he turned thirteen just last month. And House of Greatbear's Pearl in the Palm was invited to their private dinner too…"
"House of Greatbear's Pearl in the Palm. You don't mean the one over there, do you?"
"Over where? Which one?"
"Well, I can't tell which one either…"
"What's going on? Since when did House of Greatbear's Pearl in the Palm become two?"
*
Before the onlookers' chatter could drift off into the clouds, Dark finally finished recharging his cards and began to build his deck in an orderly way.
In a standard duel, the default Magic Sphere Life Barrier for both sides was Level 4, 8,000 points, and the deck had to hold at least forty cards.
He hadn't properly built a deck since the Easter Dueling Festival. Today was a good chance, so he'd just throw one together.
First, he added all of his Magic Guide Spirit Cards.
"Not counting [Vampire Young Lady], that's sixteen Magic Guide Spirit Cards in all."
▼
① [Magic Beast (Eevee)] ✪
② [Magic Beast (Ditto)] ✪
③ [Trash Slime] ✪
④ [Curse Cage: DemiDevimon] ✪
⑤ [Popplio] ✪✪
⑥ [Magic Guide Scribe] ✪✪
⑦ [Shuckle] ✪✪✪
⑧ [Hawlucha] ✪✪✪
⑨ [Meowth] ✪✪✪
⑩ [Misdreavus] ✪✪✪
⑪ [Gatomon] ✪✪✪✪
⑫ [Miltank] ✪✪✪✪
⑬ [Sylveon] ✪✪✪✪
⑭ [Honedge] ✪✪✪✪
⑮ [Leomon] ✪✪✪✪✪
⑯ [Primordial Dragon Egg] ✪✪✪
▲
"Then I'll add the necessary [[Major Sin Card]]s."
▼
① [Pride I]
② [Pride II · Old]
③ Pride II · New
④ [Greed II]
⑤ [Pride III]
⑥ [Lust III]
⑦ [Greed III]
⑧ [Lust III - Moon]
⑨ [Lust III - Moon] (Improved)
⑩ [Lust III - Moon] (Improved)
▲
"After that, four Armament Cards."
▼
① [Wishful Die]
② [Moon God Spirit I]
③ [Sourman]
④ [Granzort]
▲
"Then three Magic Cards."
▼
① [Fusion]
② [Flying Charm]
③ [Zoo]
▲
"Finally, I'll cram in whatever Magic Cards and Item Cards are usable to make a round forty."
▼
① [Blink Spell]
② [Blink Spell]
③ [Energy Potion]
④ [Energy Potion]
⑤ [Energy Potion]
⑥ [Silence Potion]
⑦ [Revealing Powder]
▲
"And that completes the deck."
Dark smiled faintly.
There wasn't much technique in how the deck was built, but at least it was far easier on the eyes than any he'd put together before.
That was because he'd almost run out of Magic Guide Cards to pad it with.
Once he Forged three more Magic Guide Spirit Cards, he could replace the three [Energy Potion]s.
And for a more important occasion, he could add [Vampire Young Lady] to raise its strength.
Only then would he truly own his first complete deck.
With this deck as a foundation, he could go on to develop other series of decks.
Like a Pride deck, a Lust deck, an Armament deck, and so on.
He might even build an entertainment deck centered on the [Wishful Die] and [Sourman]~
After all, the spirit at the heart of Magic Guide dueling was to bring smiles.
"I'm looking forward to those next three Magic Guide Spirit Cards more and more."
"But for now, let's focus on the duel and see how strong this basic deck is."
Dark stacked the forty Magic Guide Cards neatly, set them in the card table's slot, and said to Angus Jeffrey, "Senior Jeffrey, I'm ready for now."
"Good." Jeffrey drew a deep breath.
He had sharply noticed that Dark's deck was much richer than at the Easter Dueling Festival.
And Dark hadn't put the Vampire Young Lady and the Phoenix Maiden, who were probably high-star Magic Guide Spirits, into the deck. That alone put pressure on him.
Generally, there was only one reason for that.
The current deck didn't need such high-star Magic Guide Spirits. It was already strong enough.
"Jeffrey, are you going to be all right?"
Felice Laman had keenly noticed the subtle change in Jeffrey and asked offhandedly.
As the Pearl in the Palm of Earl Rex Laman, himself one of the Thirty-Two Councilors, Felice Laman didn't like to stand out, but within this little circle her standing was no lower than Jeffrey's.
And at this point, Jeffrey could hardly say he wouldn't be all right.
He nodded and said gravely, "At St. Marian's Academy, the gap between third-year and fourth-year is a threshold. My Magic Guide skill is certainly above his, but his Magic Guide Spirits are rather special."
Felice Laman looked surprised. "I was sure you'd win. If you lose this, won't you have to crawl out of here? Come to think of it, what are you even getting out of this?"
"I'm not my own master," Jeffrey sighed inwardly.
He wanted to ask himself the same thing. What was he getting out of this?
But not everyone could act on a whim without a care, the way Dark Demon did.
Standing at a height that was neither high nor low, you could be shoved down at any moment.
If you didn't climb up, others would pass you by.
After repeatedly failing to take on Dark, he'd learned his lesson.
That hadn't made him give up treating Dark as his imaginary rival, but he could have been more careful and more discreet about it.
Pity that just when he'd been hiding his blade in the forest, he'd been forced to bare the spear himself.
Win or lose, this duel would do him more harm than good.
Unless it earned him the First Prince's trust. In that case, the gains would cover the damage.
In other words, he was already standing at the edge of a cliff where he could only win, never lose.
"Let's begin!"
Jeffrey slid his deck into the card slot and went all out!
____
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