The next day after the lectures, the crowd that gathered at the training grounds dwarfed the one from the day before. It actually equaled that of the one from when Justin was the one to duel and defeat Rotsard Vallhall.
But it wasn't the commoner student who would be facing the detested problem child.
The challenger this time was none other than the best friend of Henry Treedor, a tall sixth-year student hailing from the Berdons family, subservient to Treedors, Oliver Berdon.
While some knew him as a good student and one of the direct disciples of one of the advanced swordsmanship teachers, most knew him from outside the Royal Academy.
Because Oliver Berdon was the youngest person to be knighted in the past hundred years, at the age of just sixteen, when he was barely a second year. He won several smaller-scale tournaments, but his biggest achievement was winning the preliminary stage of the Royal tournament organized every four years, earning himself the right to face off with some of the best of the best warriors in the entire Nordenthele.
True, he never won a duel of that level, being eliminated in the first round of the actual tournament, but many who witnessed the skirmish wrote it off as purely bad luck. For that duel, Oliver ended up facing the second princess of Nordenthele, Isla-Louise Nordenthele, who in that very tournament proved herself to be the third strongest warrior. Losing only to living legends like hero of the Crown's Mountain Pass, the Mage Blade, Micheal Earnest, and the General of Nordenthale Army, the current only Sword Prince from outside of the Vallhall family, Larry Grievouson.
Nevertheless, Oliver's loss back then was deemed a close one by the audience and earned him the unofficial title of potentially the fourth strongest warrior of the kingdom…
…which earned him quite the scorn amongst many contestants who, although they did admit the youngster's potential, had a more realistic take on his actual skills…
As for the teacher chosen to be a judge for the current duel within the Royal Academy…
Despite Rotsard's commendation, or maybe because of it, it wasn't Sir Otlial.
After what happened to the advanced swordsmanship teacher, the vice headmaster volunteered for the role and indeed was the one explaining and confirming the rules with the two opponents.
"Are you sure about that, student Vallhall? I WILL be able to tell the difference between the mana manipulation and an actual spell and I WILL end the duel then and there. Unlike Jerome, whose brain is overtaken by muscles."
The man tilted his head and pointed out while carefully observing Rotsard's face.
To prove his point even more, the vice headmaster even took out his treasured personal magic artifact. A monocle-type artifact that allowed for almost instantaneous identification of spells.
After all, before agreeing on the position of a vice headmaster in the Royal Academy, Syon Gemleware, was the renowned magic scholar despite his young age and an apprentice to the Royal Magician himself. He certainly wasn't lacking in either skills nor funds.
...the thing was, the monocle itself was just a useless trinket... Rotsard, with the knowledge of the story, knew that Syon wasn't just an apprentice to the Royal Magician, and that the Royal Magician had actually transplanted his own eye to him, sharing his mana sight with him...
Alas, there was no need to mention that at the moment, so the bleached-blond-haired youth remain silent.
"There's no need to go over it again. I won't change my mind. Just… don't forget to account for my meditation method. From what I've seen, it's a rather unique one."
"..."
Rotsard rolled his eyes before shrugging his shoulders and saying with a voice heavy with disrespect, earning himself a rather displeased glare from Syon.
Only someone dense like a brick would be able to miss how dismissive Rotsard was of Syon, and Syon himself certainly noticed it, too.
"Student Vallhall, if you have a problem with me overseeing the duel, please do state your mind."
Even so, Syon still at least attempted to take the higher ground and asked proudly while glaring down at the dismissive bleached-blond-haired youth.
"..."
Rotsard turned to him… but then paused, looking to the side.
…was it the right place to bring out Syon's secret identity…?
The Royal Magician's greatest work, the so-called perfect homunculi with a mind of their own… Well... not so much, as the mind of Syon was that of a fae that the Royal magician managed to capture in its ephemeral form, the moment before it created and rooted itself into its new physical body, and put it into one of his creations.
That's why, despite looking like a twenty-five year old well kept and slightly feminine man, Syon was in fact a fae residing within a golem created mere seven years prior.
Syon's identity would be hinted at within the 3rd volume, but he wouldn't join forces with the hero and his party against the deofol's invasion until the 5th volume.
He would become one of the indispensable party members and a huge help with saving the world in the end.
…therefore, after careful consideration and very begrudgingly, Rotsard decided to keep his mouth shut to not mess with the progress of the story by revealing such a juicy secret then and there to mess with the smug-faced homunculi…
...for the time being...
Oh, but the temptation was definitely there, at his core, Rotsard was a petty third-rate villain after all~
"Perish the thought, vice headmaster. Only a FAE would hold such an ARTIFICIAL emotion towards another."
"!!!"
…well… he was a third-rate villain after all, so Rotsard let out a mocking sneer, shaking his head from left to right and causing Syon to straighten his back and stare at him wide-eyed, visibly shaken.