Truly...
Rotsard limiting his strength and speed to that point was the correct choice for the duel to go just like it did in the story.
And now, the only thing left for the teacher was to notice the empty vial he dropped while charging at Justin, so that he would want to stop the duel, but the future hero would insist on continuing…
"..."
"?!"
But as Rotsard glanced over at the teacher, who indeed stepped forward and picked up the handy glass vial, his eyes widened in shock.
Instead of calling attention to it, the teacher simply pocketed the vial, acting as if nothing happenned!
If one paid enough attention, they would even pick up on the murmurs amongst the audience, pointing out such clear bias and injustice!
For a moment, the bleached-blond-haired student and the teacher made eye contact, and the unamused look in the man's eyes told Rotsard everything he needed to know.
It would appear that the fact that his natural mana barrier hasn't recovered became widespread knowledge amongst the Royal Academy's staff…
No mana barrier, or someone constantly in physical contact who could supply a replacement, meant no augmenting potion could work.
"HAAAA!"
The moment of his hesitation was used by the future hero to launch a counteroffensive with great gusto.
After that point, the scales shifted heavily towards Justin, with his wooden weapon clearly enveloped in a thick sword aura. There was not a single student watching the duel who would question which of the two was better.
Justin simply outclassed Rotsard in every possible way, and after lasting no more than a minute or so, the bleached-blond-haired boy's offense was reduced to a panicked and awkward defense, barely able to withstand each consecutive blow.
Putting the pair locked in combat aside, the teacher overseeing the encounter unknowingly became the target of scrutiny.
The teacher picking a suspicious vial dropped by Rotsard did not go unnoticed, and his decision to not stop the duel then and there sparked an outrage.
For all those youngsters watching, everything was clear. The teacher was already bought off by the Vallhall family and would help Rotsard cheat.
That's why the sight of the teacher's pale face dripping with sweat as he watched the duel go in a direction disadvantageous to his favorite made many laugh and sneer.
The righteousness would prevail after all!
Justin would defeat nepotism and corruption in front of the very eyes of his adoring audience!
Such was the sentiment of the students watching the duel.
…as for the experience of the unfortunate misunderstood teacher…
|How… how can anyone control the flow of combat to that degree…?!|
Pale as a ghost and drenched in sweat, the man was forced to face an existential crisis upon witnessing a mastery he did not believe possible.
Only that his fearful awe was not directed towards the clearly winning Justin…
…but towards the barely defending Rotsard instead…
The poor man began to seriously question his competence.
Would he be able to choreograph a combat so splendid without ever rehearsing it?
No.
Would he be able to imitate Rotsard's uncanny skill of making everyone believe that he was losing so badly, all while correcting his opponent's mistakes and guiding them towards proper moves and stances without being noticed?
Of course not.
He would not even dream about it.
With all that the teacher heard beforehand and witnessed himself today, a dreadful realisation sent chills down his spine.
Rotsard Vallhall could most likely kill anyone in the Royal Academy with his opening move alone… maybe with the exception of four people. Two advanced swordsmanship teachers, the vice headmaster, and the headmaster himself.
Well, apparently, the missing practical magic teacher, Joshua Karlasth was also quite the duelist, able to hold his ground against the vice headmaster, so he should also be counted as one of those exceptions.
Usually, it took a student all five years of the basic course just to get close to the level of normal teachers. Some had a hard time competing against them even after finishing the additional two years of advanced courses… but to think there was a first-year student who already outclassed all of them…
"...!"
The man shivered at his own thoughts, which the students watching immediately misunderstood as him realizing that Rotsard has no chance.
As for Rotsard's side…
Justin's attack felt like nothing to him.
Although there was clear improvement, and the power of those strikes should be impressive, all of them were just brushing off the bleached-blond-haired boy like droplets of water off a duck's plumage.
And it didn't FEEL like it was Justin's fault, the problem seemed to lie with Rotsard somehow…
Rotsard believed his acting to be quite believable, but it all could be for naught if he wouldn't suffer at least a minor injury… right…?