Chapter 17

"Descendants of the hero... here...!?"

At that moment, a dark emotion welled up in Ruisa's heart.

But it was understandable; the hero was the one who sealed away two people dear to Ruisa. Although she knew the descendants weren't responsible, she couldn't help but be overwhelmed by negative feelings.

"Wh-What kind of person is this descendant of the hero...?"

"Huh? Are you that interested in her? Well, it's understandable. The legendary hero 'Oga' is someone every boy has once admired."

"That's true..."

Of course, Ruisa was one of those boys who admired the hero.

The admiration for strength made his feelings even stronger than those of other children.

But it's different now.

For some unknown reason, the hero defeated and sealed away the Demon King and the Dragon King.

While in old tales they were described as embodiments of evil, in reality, they were not evil at all.

This fact was enough to change a boy who admired the hero.

"Hehe, don't worry, I think she'll come to you. After all, the modern hero is quite a tomboy."

"Tomboy?"

It was hard to associate the words "hero" and "tomboy."

The legendary hero Oga was said to be gentle and noble.

"Oh! Look who it is."

Yuri, who noticed something, pointed behind Ruisa.

Ruisa turned his gaze in that direction and saw a figure running towards him.

The person was a beautiful girl with long pink hair.

She had well-defined features and lips like cherries. She was slightly shorter than Ruisa, but her figure was well-proportioned.

"Is that her?"

"Yes, she is the descendant of the legendary hero."

The girl came to a sudden stop in front of Ruisa and observed him with a high-handed attitude.

"Wh-What is it?"

"Hmm, so you're the rumored examinee? You look weaker than I thought."

"Wh-What...!"

Ruisa, taken aback by the sudden rudeness, was about to retort, but Yuri stopped him.

"That's quite a way to speak to someone you just met, Yudelia."

"It's not Yuri. Why are you with this guy?"

It seemed that Yuri and the pink-haired descendant of the hero knew each other, though the nature of their relationship was unclear.

"You seem pretty angry. What's the matter?"

"You know why. This guy is getting higher scores than me, and I might lose my top position as the top examinee. That's a disgrace for me, the descendant of the hero. And to such a weak and cowardly guy."

For such a reason. Ruisa was perplexed.

But to the girl in front of him, it was a significant issue. She continued to glare at Ruisa with a murderous look while talking to Yuri.

"But the exams are already over, right? Even if you confront Ruisa now, it won't change the scores."

Yuri was right; all the exams were over, and they were just waiting for the results.

Yuri thought she was just here to pick a fight, but she said something unexpected.

"Hehe. You're not as smart as I thought, Yuri."

"...What do you mean?"

"It's simple."

She said this and threw a glove at Ruisa's feet from her chest area.

Even Ruisa, who grew up in the countryside, understood the meaning. This was a challenge to a duel. Picking up the glove meant accepting the challenge.

"If I win, you'll give up on entering. If you win... well, I'll become your slave or anything you want."

The girl glared at Ruisa provocatively.

Her expression was filled with absolute confidence, as if saying, "I won't lose."

"There's no point in accepting this. Give it up, Ruisa."

Yuri grabbed Ruisa's shoulder and tried to stop him from picking up the glove.

Indeed, from an outsider's perspective, there was no reason to accept this challenge. But Ruisa had a reason to accept it.

(If I win, I might be able to get information about the hero...!)

Ruisa didn't want a slave, but he thought she would at least give him some information if he won.

With this in mind, Ruisa shook off Yuri's restraint and picked up the glove with a swift motion.

"I accept this challenge."

"Wow, you have some courage. I apologize for my rudeness earlier. But I won't hold back."

Ruisa returned her gaze head-on, not backing down from her assertive stance.

He couldn't afford to lose. If he couldn't beat the descendant of the hero, there was no way he could break the seal of the legendary hero.

Ruisa, with renewed determination, prepared for the duel.