The morning of the Duel Evaluation finally arrived after the weekend.
Kizen had significantly increased the number of outside observers for this evaluation. Nobles from various kingdoms, representatives from different institutions, and even scouts had come all the way to Roke Mountain to observe the public Duel Evaluation.
"The arena is this way!"
"Please follow the regulations!"
Naturally, the ones suffering the most from the sudden influx of visitors were the aides assigned to manage the nobles.
Rena, a veteran dormitory manager in her fourth year, was also part of the event staff, and for her, it was hell.
"Hey now! Do you know who this is!?"
"Can't I just chat with my student for a moment?"
"I'm sorry, but no! Absolutely not!"
Rena forced a smile onto her face with all her might while screaming in agony inside.
Ugh! These old geezers are so damn stubborn. Seriously!
The nobles hated being told what to do by aides and often looked down on their instructions. They flaunted their status and wealth nonstop, and if they felt even slightly disrespected, they would raise their voices so much that everyone's ears nearby would start hurting.
She honestly felt it was easier dealing with bratty students.
Wait.
Just then, Rena spotted a middle-aged man twirling his mustache while trying to sneak away from the line. She immediately moved in front of him and spread her arms wide, completely blocking his path.
"You can't go in! It is strictly forbidden for civilians to enter areas outside the arena!"
"Hmph, don't you know who I am? I'm Count Soriot. I just want to see my son's face for a moment..."
"Count, I'm sorry, but that is absolutely not allowed! Please follow the formal visitation procedure!"
"My, my. Must you be so rigid?"
Count Soriot slipped a pouch of gold coins from his sleeve and pushed it toward her chest.
"I can't accept this! Eeek! P-please stop, Count!"
"Come now, just take it."
While the two were bickering, Count Soriot gave a subtle signal with his eyes.
Whoosh!
Two men who had been standing behind him suddenly dashed toward the first-year campus.
"Two intruders!"
"Stop them!"
The aides and instructors screamed and immediately took off in pursuit. However, the two men weren't ordinary civilians. They instantly activated their Cores and transformed their bodies into a spectral state, causing the instructors' hands to pass straight through them when they tried to grab hold.
Necromancers!?
If they managed to break through, all hell would break loose!
The instructors shouted and continued their pursuit, but the spectrally transformed men didn't slow down. Just as the two reached the outskirts of the first-year campus, the sound of metal suddenly rang through the air.
Clank! Clank!
Chains flew out of nowhere and wrapped themselves around the two men's bodies.
Huh?! H-how did that work on someone in a spectral state?
There wasn't even time for anyone to question it. The chains tightened, and the two men were suddenly pulled backward with tremendous force, drawing large arcs through the air before crashing into the ground just behind Count Soriot.
Thud!
A cloud of dust exploded from the impact. Moments later, the two men could be seen with their heads buried in the ground, their bodies trembling briefly before finally going limp.
Murmur, murmur.
The surrounding nobles immediately began whispering among themselves. Some chuckled at the ridiculous sight, while others covered their mouths with their fans as they watched Count Soriot's face turn bright red.
"How dare you do this to my retainers! Who... who are you!?"
"That would be me."
Step, step.
The moment that voice was heard, all the nearby instructors and aides stiffened before immediately standing at attention. They quickly cleared a path through the crowd, and a woman calmly walked through the opening.
Her short, precisely cut hair and cold violet eyes gave off a solemn air.
T-that's Vice-President Jane Olivia of Kizen...!
Jane strode straight toward Count Soriot and stopped in front of him.
"There's no need for concern. We're taking very good care of your son. However, this kind of contact is inappropriate."
It was the first time Count Soriot had ever seen such a great Necromancer up close. The anger that had filled his face only moments earlier disappeared almost instantly, and with his body trembling slightly, he forced himself to speak.
"I-is it really so wrong for a father to want to see his son?"
"Once enrolled, he is no longer just your son, but a Necromancer of Kizen. And also..."
Jane casually held out her palm.
Two potions immediately floated out from the cloaks of Count Soriot's retainers and flew into her hand. Seeing them, the Count's face instantly turned pale.
"Even if you handed these to him now, they wouldn't change the outcome of the duel."
"...!"
"Since you've come all the way to visit our school, please enjoy your time here."
Jane turned around and walked away without giving him another chance to respond, leaving Count Soriot with no choice but to bow his head in resignation.
Just then, an excited voice called out from the crowd.
"Jane! Jane!"
"Hmm? Oh, Princess."
Jane's stern expression softened slightly as she turned toward the young noblewoman waving at her.
"You came."
"Yes! Attending Kizen's events is the highlight of my life! Especially watching Senior Knox Aznable's duel!"
The princess spoke excitedly before suddenly remembering something. She quickly moved closer to Jane and lowered her voice.
"Ah, right. I heard that besides Senior Knox Aznable, the other Special Entry No. 1 is also insane? Of course, what I mean by insane isn't crazy in mentality."
Jane gave her a wry smile.
"Shouldn't you at least ask how your brother is doing first? After all, your 'Senior Knox Aznable' was the one who beat him up like that."
"Ugh, whatever! That guy's weird!"
The princess immediately began grumbling.
"He's always forming strange factions even though he's a noble and a prince! He hasn't changed one bit since we were in the palace! Moreover, he dug his own grave. To think he actually dared to threaten Senior Knox Aznable! Even if Father and Mother support him, I won't!"
Her cheeks puffed up slightly as her complaints continued.
"Not to mention, the impact is still ongoing and making my parents really headache!"
Jane could only look at her for a moment before the princess quickly returned to the topic she was far more interested in.
"So, do you think the other Special Entry No. 1 will do well? His duel is one of the few duels between Special Entries, right? I'm super excited!"
"Yes, you can look forward to it."
Jane gave a faint, serene smile. "It can be said, he's a student I personally oversee."
"What?"
The princess blinked, clearly not expecting that answer, but Jane was already preparing to leave.
"Well then, I'll excuse myself for work."
Jane gave her a small bow before walking away.
For a moment, the princess simply watched her retreating back. Then, she opened her fan and giggled quietly behind it.
"Jane said something like that? That's rare."
Just what kind of power did that student possess for Jane Olivia herself to say something like that?
With her heart fluttering in anticipation, the princess headed toward the arena together with the rest of the crowd.
Of course, there is no way this Special Entry No. 1 is surpassing Senior Knox!
***
Wow.
Peeking into the arena from the student waiting room, Simon couldn't help feeling startled. He had already heard that today's Duel Evaluation would be attended by a large number of outside guests, but he hadn't expected this many people to actually show up.
From the lowest rows of the spectator seats all the way to the upper sections, almost every seat was packed. Kizen students occupied most of the lower area, while beyond the partition sat nobles, representatives from various institutions, scouts, and countless other outsiders who had come specifically to watch today's matches.
"Just so you know," Rick suddenly said from beside him while casually chewing his gum, "most of those people are here to watch your duel."
"Huh?"
Rick had come to hang around in the waiting room before Simon's afternoon match, and seeing Simon's confused expression, he grinned before pointing toward the crowded arena.
"The hottest topic in Arena 2 right now is, without a doubt, the duel between one of the Special Entry No. 1 students and Special Entry No. 10. Looking at the bracket, both of you can already be called 'named' students. Everyone wants to see what the mysterious other Special Entry No. 1 beside Knox is actually capable of."
Simon gave him a wry smile. "Hey, what the hell? Why are you suddenly trying to make me nervous?"
"Because you're the type who performs better under pressure." Rick shrugged without the slightest guilt. "Besides, I'm just helping you face reality properly."
He raised two fingers before pointing them toward his own eyes.
"This is basically a match at the edge of a cliff with nowhere left to retreat. If you lose in front of this many spectators, rumors will spread all across the continent that one of Kizen's Special Entry No. 1 students is nothing special! People might seriously start underestimating you, and even Knox might get mocked because of it~"
"Hmm."
Simon crossed his arms and fell into thought for a moment.
"Well, I don't really care that much about myself, but if Knox gets dragged into it because I lose..."
"Simon!"
"Haha! I'm joking."
Seeing Rick's horrified expression, Simon chuckled playfully before lightly tapping his forearm.
"More importantly, tell me something. You placed a bet too, didn't you?"
Rick visibly flinched. His gaze immediately wandered somewhere else as an awkward laugh escaped his mouth, which was more than enough to answer Simon's question.
"Be honest. Who did you bet on?"
"Ah! Of course I bet on you!" Rick hurriedly answered. "The whole thrill of gambling is betting on the under... I mean! I trust my friend no matter what!"
Simon immediately giggled at the suspicious correction.
"Don't worry. I'll make sure your money stays safe."
"Hehe, I knew I could count on you! I'm counting on you, Simon!"
As Rick spoke, however, his eyes suddenly shifted toward the back of the waiting room. The playful expression on his face faded slightly as he looked toward the corner.
"But who's that, anyway? Come out."
There had been another presence nearby for quite some time. Simon had noticed it as well.
After a brief hesitation, a female student slowly emerged from behind the wall.
"Cami!"
It was Camibarez.
She had been leaning against the wall while timidly peeking into the waiting room, and seeing that she had finally been discovered, her shoulders stiffened slightly.
Remembering that Cami also had an afternoon match scheduled today, Simon looked at her in surprise.
"Why are you here this early? Showing up too soon will only make you more nervous."
"Si-Simon!"
Cami suddenly squeezed her eyes shut before hurriedly walking up to him.
"G-Good luck!!"
"...Huh?"
"No matter who your opponent is, I know you'll win! Of all the people I've ever seen, Simon is...!"
Her voice gradually trembled as she struggled to finish the sentence. She repeated the beginning several times, desperately searching for the words she had probably practiced beforehand, until her voice finally dropped into an embarrassed whisper.
"B-Because you've worked harder than anyone else!"
The moment she finally blurted it out, Cami seemed to use up every bit of courage she had gathered. Her face turned bright red as she immediately crouched down and covered it with both hands.
Simon blinked.
Her intended line probably wasn't simply because you've worked hard, but strangely enough, those clumsy words were more than enough. The tension that had been quietly lingering in his chest before the duel seemed to melt away almost instantly.
Simon lowered himself onto one knee in front of her.
"Cami."
He called her name gently and waited.
After several seconds, Camibarez slowly peeked through the gaps between her fingers. Her cheeks were still flushed red when their eyes finally met.
"Thank you!" Simon smiled brightly. "That really means a lot to me. I'll definitely win this Duel Evaluation."
"...Yes, Simon!"
For a moment, neither of them said anything else.
Even Rick could tell that this probably wasn't a scene he should casually interrupt. Holding back a chuckle, he quietly tiptoed toward the exit and slipped out of the waiting room.
"Hm?"
The moment he stepped outside, however, he found someone else waiting there.
Meilyn stood against the wall with her arms crossed, her eyes fixed absently on the opposite side of the corridor. Judging from the complicated expression on her face, she had probably been standing there for quite some time.
Only after noticing Rick did she finally look toward him.
"Is Simon alright?"
"Hmm? Meilyn?" Rick glanced back toward the waiting room before answering. "If by alright you mean whether he's nervous, I don't think he is."
He then jerked his thumb toward the door.
"Why don't you go inside too?"
Meilyn's gaze briefly shifted toward the waiting room.
For a moment, she seemed tempted. In the end, however, she let out a small sigh and leaned back against the wall again.
"Forget it. It might be better to let him have some time for himself rather than have everyone constantly talking to him before the duel."
Rick looked at her for a moment before giving a small, knowing grin, but wisely chose not to comment.
Rick's grin widened as he watched Meilyn stubbornly remain outside the waiting room.
"Hehe, is this what Knox mentioned in his novel as a 'tsundere'?" he asked while giggling at her.
"What?!" Meilyn immediately snapped her head toward him. "Who's a tsundere?! You're the tsundere! Your whole family is tsundere!"
Her reaction was so explosive that she looked exactly like a cat whose tail had just been stepped on.
"Hehe, alright, alright. Stop hissing at me!" Rick raised both hands in surrender, though the sly grin on his face only grew wider. "Besides, I know there's at least one person you're not really 'truly tsundere' toward, hehe~"