After the academy's learning activities concluded, I made my way toward the Academy Student Committee Office to conduct a briefing for all members of the disciplinary committee.
As I entered the office, I could feel the members present fixating their gaze on me. Despite the pressure, I tried to pay their stares no mind.
"Hey, isn't that Raul? The guy who dared to act like a pervert toward Valeria?"
"You're right. I heard he had the nerve to embrace her and grab her hand during the lesson."
"Ugh... how disgusting. How could someone like him be appointed as the leader of the disciplinary committee?"
Hearing them gossip about this morning's events made the cheek Valeria had slapped earlier burn with a phantom pain.
Honestly, what was that woman thinking? She hit me with a second-tier reinforcement spell! Does she really hate Raul that much? I didn't know, and I didn't want to dwell on it any longer.
Entering the Student Council President's office, I saw the President sitting there, poring over several documents. She soon noticed my arrival, and her gaze immediately drifted toward my cheek.
I gave her a cold look that signaled, 'Don't you dare bring this up.' However, the President merely smirked, looking as though she had found a new source of entertainment.
"Ah, if it isn't you, Raul? The lecherous noble who snatched away Valeria's purity?" she said with a mocking lilt in her voice.
Hearing this, I could only let out a resigned sigh. "Why does everyone exaggerate what happened? You saw it too, didn't you, President? I was only helping her so she wouldn't fall."
The President let out a soft chuckle at my complaint. "So, it turns out you actually care about your reputation."
"Of course I do. What kind of man do you think I am, President?"
"A scumbag?" she answered instantly, without a moment's hesitation.
How can you say something so cruel while smiling like that, President? Did I set her personality to 'Sadistic' when I was making this game? Well... I only gave her character a 'bold and honorable' trait; I suppose this new side of her emerged randomly when I entered this world.
"Setting that aside, didn't you want to officially appoint me as the Disciplinary Committee Leader in front of the other members?" I asked, attempting to change the subject.
"You're right. Follow me, Raul," the President replied as she stood up and walked out of the room.
I followed closely behind her.
My goal in taking this position was to specifically gather and train the academy students to handle the coming threats. Furthermore, I wanted to start recruiting several Loyalists I could rely on in the future.
I also had to ensure Brian could use his Blessing. Without that power, he was just an ordinary man with an excess of courage. But how could I awaken Brian's strength without inadvertently triggering a Death Flag for myself?
We eventually reached the dueling arena, where the members were already lined up, awaiting our arrival.
There were 30 disciplinary committee members in total, divided into Senior and Junior ranks. They would patrol in shifts. The Junior members—those in their first year—would be paired with Seniors during their rounds.
The committee's duty was to prevent violations within the Academy grounds. The academy brass gave the students the freedom to regulate their own policies internally.
"Today, I will introduce the new Leader of the Disciplinary Committee," the President announced, speaking before the assembled members. "Some of you may already know him: Raul de Garcia."
I stepped forward to stand beside the President. I could see the dissatisfied expressions on the Senior members' faces regarding my appointment as their new leader.
"President, why is this scumbag allowed to lead the disciplinary committee?" one Senior member protested.
"Exactly! Many of us Seniors are far more entitled to that position than a weakling like him!"
Well... I suppose their complaints were understandable. Raul wasn't a character who stood out in terms of strength within the game. He was more famous for his cruelty toward other students.
I figured now was the perfect time to shift their perception of me.
"So, you'll accept me as your leader if I'm stronger than you?" I said, my voice dropping to a cold tone.
"Tch, what can a spoiled noble brat like you even do besides hide behind your family name?" one of the Seniors replied, clearly trying to provoke me.
"I can knock you unconscious in just ten seconds, Senior," I answered as casually as if I were talking about putting on clothes.
"What did you say?" The Senior stepped toward me, his face twisted in annoyance.
He pulled off his glove and threw it toward me.
I caught it. It was clear that this gesture was an official proposal for a duel among Knights.
"Let's prove it then. Is the rumor about Raul de Garcia being nothing but a big mouth actually true?" the Senior said, intentionally insulting me.
Well... listen, Senior. Here is a lesson for when you're in a game or a movie: when someone says they can defeat you in seconds, you should really believe them. That's because such dialogue is only ever spoken by those who are truly stronger.
Unlike sparring, a duel only ends when one fighter dies or loses consciousness. However, the academy did not permit students to kill one another.
We took our positions. This duel would be fought with bare hands.
I analyzed the stance he took.
No doubt about it—judging by his footwork, he was going to use an attack technique based on Agility and Power. But which variation would he choose?
Third-year students have three mastered attack patterns: Charging, Striking, and Feinting. In this case, I suspected the Senior would activate Acceleration followed by a Charging technique to catch me off guard with a burst of speed, then take me down with a single strike using his generated momentum.
It seemed the Senior wanted to defeat me in under 10 seconds to humiliate me for my earlier boast.
Elena positioned herself between the two of us; it appeared she would act as the referee for this duel.
"Are both Duelists ready?" Elena asked, preparing to give the signal.
The Senior and I both nodded.
"Begin!"
The moment the President started the match, the Senior lunged at me. Grains of light flickered around his feet. He stomped the ground hard, using Charging to close the distance and reach me in just three steps.
An ordinary student would have been stunned by such speed—covering 30 meters in a single second—leaving them unable to respond in time.
The Senior launched a right hook toward my head. However, I had already predicted his movement before the fight even began.
I parried his right fist with my left hand, causing his attack to whistle past my ear.
The Senior looked shocked that I had deflected his high-speed strike. Nevertheless, he pressed the attack, spinning his body clockwise to follow up with a Spinning Elbow.
I ducked low to evade the strike.
"Temper..."
— Bam!
I drove a punch into his solar plexus using reinforcement magic. The Senior dropped to his knees, clutching his stomach with both hands. He lifted his head to glare at me with pure hatred.
Blood leaked from his mouth. It seemed I had hit him quite hard.
"Y-you bastard..." he cursed, his voice strained from the pain.
"I told you, didn't I? I can defeat you in ten seconds."
The Senior's face turned red with mounting rage, the veins on his forehead bulging. I could tell by his eyes that he wanted to tear me apart. His body, however, had other ideas.
A clean hit to the solar plexus inflicts a stun effect for several seconds, depending on one's endurance.
"You filthy nob—Burghhh!"
Before he could finish his sentence, I punched him squarely in the nose, knocking him out instantly.
"The winner, Raul de Garcia!"