Chapter 18

A crowd had gathered around the square of the examination venue.

At the center were two individuals: Louis, who was about to duel, and a young girl, the descendant of a hero.

The news of a duel between the mysterious boy and the hero's descendant quickly spread among the examinees, and almost everyone who was at the examination venue gathered to witness the battle. Of course, the examiners were no exception, and they observed the fight with great interest, given the extraordinary power of the two examinees.

However, Regas, one of the examiners, who had fainted after seeing Louis's magic up close, watched the two with a worried expression.

"Is it really okay to have a duel, Mr. Yurii? If someone gets hurt, I feel like my head will be on the line..."

In response to Regas's timid question, the handsome young man with golden hair, Yurii, smiled and answered.

"Don't worry, Mr. Regas. No matter what happens, I'll take responsibility. Besides, aren't you curious too? Who that boy really is?"

"Well, that's true, but..."

Regas recalled the examination.

That boy, Louis, had said "Superior Fire." Superior magic, which bears the name of superiority, cannot be mastered without innate talent and blood, sweat, and tears. It was hard to believe that such a boy could use it. And even more so, that an unknown boy, not a descendant of a hero, could use it.

He wanted to know.

His power.

Regas, who usually preferred peace, felt his heart leap at the mysterious presence before him.

"Alright, Mr. Yurii. I'll steel myself. But if something happens, you really have to lend a hand, okay!?"

"Hehe, understood. Then, Mr. Regas, would you please be the referee? Please be careful not to get hurt."

"Eh!? Me!?"

Regas was surprised by the sudden appointment. At first, he shook his head in refusal, but under Yurii's silent pressure, he reluctantly accepted.

"Damn, why me?"

Muttering to himself, Regas ran to Louis and the girl. As he approached them, he felt a cold sweat break out all over his body.

"I hope this is a joke... Is this the aura of battle from children...?"

The air around Louis and the girl was thick with a mixture of battle aura and killing intent. The dense aura was so intense that even the adult Regas felt like running away. The thought that such young children could emit such a powerful aura made Regas shudder.

However, Regas suppressed his urge to flee and tried his best to explain the rules of the duel as set by the academy.

"The match will end when one party concedes, loses consciousness, or I determine that they are unable to continue. Intentionally taking a life is prohibited by kingdom law, so don't do it. The use of weapons and magic is not prohibited. Now, fight with pride!"

With that, Regas stepped back from the two.

"Hehe, if you admit defeat now, you won't have to suffer."

"..."

In response to the girl's provocation, Louis did not speak but instead readied his fist. Seeing this, the girl smiled and drew her sword from her waist, pointing the blade at Louis. The blade, about the length of her arm, glowed with a pale pink light. Though it looked cute, Louis immediately recognized it as a famous sword.

"Draw your weapon."

However, Louis continued to stand with his fists ready, not drawing a weapon. In truth, Louis wanted to fight with a weapon, but he had promised Rio that he would only use the Dragon King Sword in life-or-death battles, so he couldn't use it.

"Are you saying you can defeat me with your bare hands? I feel insulted. If that's the case, I'll engrave the power of the hero in your body!"

Seeing that Louis was not going to draw a weapon, the girl, thinking she was being mocked, raised her sword and charged.

"I am the descendant of a hero, 'Charlotte Judeuria'!! In the name of my great ancestor, I will defeat you!!"

Charlotte's sword attack came at high speed. Except for a few, the examinees watching could not even follow the trajectory of the blade with their eyes. However, Louis, facing such a fast attack, did not even show any signs of casting a spell, only keeping his fists ready.

(Does he want to die!?)

Seeing Louis's completely open stance, Charlotte panicked. She had already committed her full strength to the attack and could not stop it. If this continued, she would kill Louis. She had thought he could handle this, given his outstanding grades. But she never expected...

...that he would be so weak—

The moment Charlotte lamented this in her heart, Louis's fist moved.

"Ki Gong, Defensive Form Five, 'Vajra Shell'!!"

Shouting this, Louis somehow blocked Charlotte's sword with his forearm, and with a metallic sound, deflected it as if he had parried it with a sword!

Surprised by the unexpected counterattack, Charlotte stared at Louis with a face full of shock.

He deflected my sword, which can cleave through iron, with his bare hand...!?

"Who are you...!?"

In response to Charlotte's question, Louis readied his fist again and answered.

"I am Louis Bardy. I am neither a hero nor a demon king, nor their descendant. I am just an ordinary person."

Louis narrowed his eyes and focused on his opponent.

Now, let's begin the hunt for the hero.