I Was Reincarnated as a Duke as a Matter of Course, So I Bought a Slave on a Whim and Now There’s No Turning Back - 24

Chapter 24: Do They Even Need Me for This?

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The starting bell rang. The final exam of the elementary division—team-based mock battles. Apparently, it was a tournament format, and the first round was about to begin.

“Begin!”

Our opponents were a three-person team centered around the fire attribute. When everyone shared the same attribute, their magic didn’t repel each other, so they probably had good synergy. Thinking about it that way, our team was rather unusual.

“Serena, from the right. Elysia, the opposite side.”

“Understood.”

“Got it.”

The opponents began chanting simultaneously.

“Ignis!”

“Flare Shot!”

Two small fireballs flew toward us.

…Flare Shot, huh? That had pretty good speed. The command role had been decided for me right before the match, but wasn’t I pulling it off fairly well?

“Ice Lance.”

A spear-shaped shard of ice shot from Elysia’s hand. It struck the fireball directly, knocking its impact point off course.

“Air Slash.”

Serena’s blade of wind shot forward in a straight line. The opponent barely dodged, but their frontliner lost balance.

“Now. We can take them.”

“Lightning Shot.”

A thin bolt of lightning flashed straight ahead. A pendant shattered and emitted light—one opponent eliminated.

Ohhh, so they really don’t die.

Just as their coordination broke apart…

“Wind Push.”

A gust of wind slammed into them all at once.

“Ice Lance.”

Another precise ice spear and this time, two at once. It didn’t even take a few minutes.

“Victory: Team Luka Noctire!”

As cheers washed over us, we headed toward the waiting room. I let out a small breath.

“…Aren’t you two way too strong?”

“It was only the first round.”

That probably didn’t matter. At Elysia’s calm words, Serena nodded as well.

“Next is that team.”

Following her gaze, I saw a trio standing with no wasted movement. They looked strong (just a gut feeling). The boy standing in the center looked our way. That magic power—earth attribute, maybe?

It was so characteristic that it was easy to tell. He had been staring at us the whole time during the break. It was honestly kind of scary. 

If you have something to say, just come say it directly, okay?

He hadn’t spoken to us until just before the match began. Then he opened his mouth.

“Luka Noctire-sama.”

He called my name.

“I observed your previous exercise.”

That was awfully polite.

“It was tremendous magic. I only saw it from afar, but the sight is still burned into my mind.”

…Someone here knew about my dark history?

“So this time, I will test myself against you.”

There was little hostility, but unmistakable rivalry. This was that kind of stage. Of course I’d accept a challenge thrown my way.

Mainly the two behind me would, though!

“…Yeah. Do your best.”

We moved to our starting positions. The terrain was the same as before, a simple open plain.

Come to think of it, isn’t this academy way too big?

The bell rang.

“Begin!”

The opponent moved immediately.

“Earth Wall!”

A wall of earth rose in front of them, completely concealing the three of them.

That’s huge. It’s basically “On that day, humanity remembered.”

“Gravel Shot!”

Pebbles shot out from the wall like buckshot. A mixed offensive and defensive move. That was pretty unfair. Still, maybe because they couldn’t see clearly, their aim wasn’t precise.

“Wind Push!”

Serena deflected the pebbles’ trajectory with wind.

“Freeze Patch.”

Elysia froze the ground beneath us. At times like this, we created a field tailored for ourselves, just as planned.

But…

“Of course you’d do that.”

The boy peeked out, said something, and at that moment I heard a quiet chant.

“Earth Bind.”

The frozen ground cracked. Earth surged upward. Ice and earth clashed. Our restraint was neutralized. Field control reset for now.

“Don’t spread out. Serena, can you knock them all down?”

I gave instructions. The three of them maintained a formation constantly hidden behind the wall. Unlike the first round, this was a tightly coordinated team.

“Serena, don’t chip at the front. Aim for the right rear guard.”

“Air Slash!”

The wind blade shaved off the edge of the wall, forcing a girl to duck back.

“Gravel Shot!”

Immediate cover. This was tough… There were hardly any openings.

“Ice Lance.”

Elysia targeted those peeking from either side, but as long as they pulled their heads back, the wall protected them.

“Earth Wall.”

The wall itself wasn’t that durable. But it was reinforced quickly, and a frontal breakthrough was difficult. Earth attribute, used to its fullest in a nearly perfect strategy. With only beginner-level spells, there was only so much you could do. Through a gap in the cracked wall, I saw the boy’s eyes glint.

“Your instructions really are precise.”

A pebble grazed my foot.

“Whoa—”

“But that alone won’t let you beat us.”

A provocation, huh? He seemed confident. I calmly surveyed everything. The large earth wall. Frozen patches. Ground carved by wind.

The terrain’s getting rough. A frontal assault is hopeless.

“Serena, conserve your lightning.”

“Got it.”

“Elysia, freeze the entire left side.”

“…Yes.”

“Freeze Patch.”

This time, instead of spreading wide, the ice extended thinly in one direction. The boy narrowed his eyes.

“Limiting our footing again?”

“Wind Push!”

Serena pressured the right rear guard. Their three-man formation distorted slightly. In that slight distortion, the boy noticed.

“—This is bad.”

I muttered quietly.

“Now, Serena.”

Serena’s eyes sharpened.

“Lightning Shot.”

Lightning ran across the ice. The moisture-laden ground conducted it, but control of the magic was still Serena’s. Electricity spread in an instant. Now the left side was ours. That didn’t make the wall disappear, but now we could attack from angles we hadn’t been able to pierce before.

“Ice Lance.”

From the left, ice shot forth. The rear guard, stunned by the lightning running across the ice, was struck directly as the spear gouged through the wall. That made one eliminated. The earth wall collapsed. As expected, that size required all three of them to maintain. But the boy didn’t seem ready to give up.

“You really are incredible.”

In his eyes, just a hint of frustration. I thought his indomitable spirit was more impressive. And besides…

“It’s still three against two, right?”

The real fight was just beginning or at least, there was a time when I thought that. Contrary to my thoughts, it ended almost instantly. Once the left side collapsed, Serena dropped the right with a spark, and the leader-like boy in the center was pierced by Elysia’s Ice Lance.

…Without the wall regenerating, it was over in a flash.

“Victory: Team Luka Noctire!”

Our second win. It felt so quick that there wasn’t much sense of accomplishment.

A win’s a win, though!

“The second round posed no problem either.”

“Yeah, it was easy.”

“Y-Yeah.”

I thought it had been fairly close, but neither Elysia nor Serena had even a speck of dirt on their clothes.

I’m really glad I teamed up with these two. I’m so glad I ditched Allen! (garbage-tier ethics) If we keep this up all the way to the championship, I should get a pretty good evaluation too. In for a penny, in for a pound! I mean, since I’ve boarded this luxury cruise ship, I might as well make full use of it.

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