"Hmph! I almost thought you chickened out."
At the training ground, those were the words that the future hero welcomed Rotsard as the bleached-blond-haired youth plowed through the crowd with no regard for his fellow students.
"Aww, puppy's first bark attempt! How cute~"
"...!?"
But Rotsard's lightheartedly mocking response took the commoner student by surprise.
"Seriously, though. Don't make me laugh. I was giving you time to come to your senses and reconsider the challenge. After all… you already know how things are, don't you?"
"..."
Alas, the next moment Rotsard's disrespectful smirk returned and caused Justin's expression to darken… especially since it was almost a blatant admittance to cheating during official duels.
"In that case, you won't mind that teacher Oltial will be the judge for our duel instead of the vice headmaster, would you?"
The future hero then straightened his back and pointed out, motioning at the teacher only now entering the training ground.
"Not. At. All."
Rotsard really didn't care much about that kind of detail, but he still acted as if it was something troubling that he had to bear with.
If anything, the change was making things easier for him.
Teacher Oltial being there didn't mean that vice headmaster Syon would miss the duel, and was watching everything, already mixed between the students…
The teacher began to remind them of the rules, and when he got to the part about the fae…
"I will be getting help from my contracted fae, Polaris."
Justin declared, and a golden bear cub showed up at his shoulder with a flash of light, clinging to it as if it was a branch it couldn't quite climb.
"!!!"
It took everything that Rotsard had to keep a straight face, but his eyes widened with awe and happiness over the sight of a cute little fae.
"I… don't have a fae and I will be targeting that one, as I did with everyone else."
He cleared his throat and declared, trying not to look at Polaris's adorableness.
"Then… about the use of spells…"
"I still won't be using them, just like with other students."
Teacher Oltial asked to clarify, and Rotsard nodded.
"No! You already fought one using spells!"
Justin was quick to point out, as if his pride was on the line there.
"I said, all the other students, you dimwit."
"...!?"
In response, Rotsard rolled his eyes and sighed, causing Justin's eyes to widen in shock as the realization about the possible identity of the challenger he had in mind finally dawned on him,
"..."
"...?"
Rotsard was pointing his finger at Justin while he delivered the sigh, but then almost immediately he looked away with a troubled expression and lowered his hand, causing the future hero to raise his brows…
"Hmm…?"
But it seemed that the answer was right by his face as his contracted fae, Polaris, was looking at Rotsard while intensely sniffing the air.
"Nraoo… Nnnrao!"
"Whoa there! You're going to fall, you need to hold on properly!"
The golden cub suddenly fidgeted and started climbing over Justin's shoulder, causing its master to flinch and call out while grabbing it and trying to make it settle down.
"Nraao!"
"Polaris! Calm down!"
But the golden cub wasn't keen to stay put and instead let out an adorably fierce voice as if it intended to oppose its master, making Justin raise his voice in disbelief that something like that was actually happening.
"...is something wrong? Do you need a moment…?"
Rotsard couldn't help but glance at the adorable cub again and again and ended up asking hesitantly in a small voice so that only teacher Oltial and Justin would hear him.
"Not at all! It's just that Pol… Palris can't wait to beat you up!"
Justin, though, was so agitated that he didn't notice that Rotsard's words were of genuine concern and not mockery, and responded with an angry challenge, pausing for a moment when Polaris was being particularly unruly.
"L-let's start already!"
"..."
"In that case… Get ready!"
Justin ended up gritting his teeth and calling out... and as Rotsard nodded at the teacher, the man breathed out before giving a command and making both students take their spots.
The two opponents faced each other, Rotsard quite relaxed and alone, Justin frowning with the golden fae leaning as far off his shoulder as it could, sniffing the air attentively as if it had lost the scent it was so interested in before.
"BEGIN!"
Teacher Oltial declared, dropping his hand as the signal… and Rotsard, with the circle of light beneath him and the ephemeral wings spread out above him, already closed half the distance between himself and Justin, literally flying with one massive leap!
"HA…! N-NOOO!"
Before Justin's brain even registered what was happening, he was already mid-swing with a spirited call… his sword swinging nowhere near Rotsard… and his shout turning into a panicked scream as he felt Polaris being scooped off his shoulder.