“Very soon, Duel Academy, which had been in holiday mode, suddenly became lively.
The academy’s exclusive dueling arena was surrounded by layers of people, quickly becoming packed.
Bystanders, unaware of what was happening, asked, “What’s going on? Is it a practical test for the third-year seniors?”
“No, it’s a duel! First-year Edward Faulkner challenged Sonia Seth!”
“Sonia… the one who was expelled? She’s back again?”
“I heard she defeated a D-rank protector in the lower city and proved herself, and now she’s back for re-enrollment.”
“Huh? A D-rank protector? You’re kidding, right?”
“That lie is too fake.”
Just then, a quiet voice emerged from the crowd: “But I heard that incident was real…”
Upon hearing this, someone immediately said, sounding exasperated, “Are you stupid? This kind of thing must have been orchestrated by Tivia Hilo to help her friend, all to get Sonia Seth re-enrolled!”
“Among us, the only one who could defeat a D-rank protector while being an E-rank duelist is our third-year senior, Iloxue!”
“She’s one of the ‘Two Walls’ of the third year now; do you think just anyone can be like her?”
After complaining, that person returned to the main topic, looking at the stage.
“As for this woman’s duel with Edward, it’s probably going to end in a swift defeat.”
Neither the passersby who had been quietly listening from the start nor the person who had quietly argued earlier had any objection to this statement.
In their eyes, this was the only certainty.
Defeating a D-rank protector or anything similar was too far-fetched for them.
Even those who believed the incident actually happened wouldn’t directly compare defeating a D-rank protector with defeating Edward.
They only knew that Edward’s practical combat scores were among the top few in his grade before he even summoned a duel spirit, while Sonia’s practical combat scores had always been at the bottom.
There was already such a huge gap between the two of them before; it’s not possible that the gap would shrink or even reverse after Edward summoned his duel spirit, right?
It could be said that due to the huge disparity in strength between the two sides in this duel, everyone had already given up hope for Sonia before the duel even began.
“This is too much! Is there no one supporting Sonia?”
“Edward is usually so annoying, so why is everyone supporting him in the end?”
Tivia held Sonia’s head, constantly rubbing it, feeling indignant for her friend.
“Don’t be angry, Tivia.”
Sonia’s hair was being constantly ruffled, but her emotions were very stable, as if she had long been accustomed to her best friend’s actions.
“After all, the opponent is a super-elite student, and my practical combat scores have always been last.”
“Even if everyone dislikes Edward, they’ll instinctively lean towards the stronger side, won’t they?”
“Sonia, you…”
Tivia lowered her head and widened her eyes, as if doubting she had rubbed the wrong head.
Maintaining calmness before a duel is certainly a good thing.
But this is who? This is Sonia!
In the past, back at Duel Academy, Sonia would tremble and beg for hugs before every practical test!
This kind of calm tone, as if saying, “It doesn’t matter, I’ll handle it,” came from Sonia’s mouth?
“What’s wrong, Tivia? Is there something wrong with what I said?”
Noticing her friend’s actions suddenly stop, Sonia looked up at her friend, who was a head taller than her.
“No, I’m just a little emotional. Sonia has grown up so much and doesn’t need my protection anymore.”
Tivia sighed, then suddenly leaned close to Sonia’s ear and whispered, “Can you tell me the secret to your sudden surge of confidence?”
“(ーー;) W-what secret? It’s just that the opponent happens to be a fire-attribute deck like Enshir, so I have experience…”
It appeared again.
Sonia’s strange expression.
Tivia looked at the squinting Sonia, and couldn’t help but think.
So, her confidence must be related to her mysterious master.
But Sonia had been by her side the whole time and hadn’t contacted anyone, so she couldn’t have gotten any last-minute guidance.
Could it be that Sonia’s dueling strength really did advance by leaps and bounds in just these few days?
“Both duelists, please come to the stage and prepare in advance—”
Just as Tivia was still recalling the people she had seen on the way, on the dueling stage, the teacher who had been temporarily pulled in to work overtime announced the duel.
“Alright, enough talk, Tivia. I need to go now.”
Sonia broke free from Tivia’s embrace and ran onto the dueling stage.
On the other side, Edward, draped in a coat, also walked onto the stage with his arms crossed.
Seeing both sides ready, the referee teacher raised his hand.
“Alright, this duel is a private duel between Sonia Seth and Edward Faulkner.”
“Because Sonia Seth is currently an off-campus individual, this duel will not be counted towards the academy’s practical combat scores.”
“So, if you’re ready, we’ll begin directly…”
“Wait, I object!”
Just as the teacher’s hand was about to fall, Sonia suddenly raised her hand, interrupting the teacher’s chant.
The teacher wasn’t angry and looked at Sonia: “What is your objection?”
Sonia put on a stern face: “I object to the additional conditions of the duel!”
“Edward doesn’t get to enroll if he wins, but he doesn’t have to pay any price if he loses. That’s too unfair!”
Edward frowned.
Tivia also couldn’t help but frown.
Had she heard that sentence somewhere before?
“How do you want to change it?”
“Do you have any extra alchemy points now?”
Tivia’s eyes widened.
She had definitely heard that sentence before!
Edward, still unaware of what was happening, let out a disdainful laugh: “Heh, coincidentally, I happen to have five alchemy points saved up. It’s not impossible to use them as a wager.”
“But even if I bet them, can you get them?!”
“The duel hasn’t even started yet; who wins and who loses is still uncertain!”
Sonia finished her harsh words, then turned her head and said inwardly: “Alright, I’m leaving it to you, Mr. Yide!”
“You should have heard it just now; Edward, like Enshir, uses a fire-attribute deck.”
“As for his duel spirit, it’s called [Infant Dragon]. It’s not particularly strong on its own, just a 3/4 vanilla, but it gives a very powerful card, just like Enshir’s [Blaze Summoner].”
“That card deals four damage to the opponent and all their monsters as long as there’s a Dragon-type minion on the field, so remember not to leave any Dragon-type minions on his field!”
Sonia chattered on, then, as if issuing a “You’ve been buffed, go!” command, waited for Yide to take over her body.
But what she waited for was a sentence from Yide.
“—Sorry, I’ve decided, you’ll handle this duel yourself.”
“Good—Huh??”
Sonia instinctively responded, but after hearing what Yide said, she almost let out a confused sound in reality.
“Huh?! Huh?!”
She quickly reached for the Millennium Puzzle: “Mr. Yide, you’re not joking, are you?”
Yide shook his head in the mental space: “Not at all, isn’t this a perfect opportunity?”
“I just said that the remaining content would have to wait until a duel to teach you, and a duel opponent has just presented himself.”
Sonia was a little anxious: “But… but, couldn’t we pick another time?”
This duel was too important; it concerned whether she could re-enroll.
Is it really appropriate to let her handle this one?
“No, this one is the most suitable.”
Yide gave his answer: “Since you said the opponent uses a fire-attribute deck, it won’t be too different from the duels a few days ago.”
“Don’t worry, I won against a D-rank protector with this deck before, which means this deck has an advantage against fire-attribute decks.”
“Now that the deck has been strengthened, are you still worried about not being able to win against an E-rank protector?”
“But… but…”
Sonia lowered her head, still a little conflicted.
So, Yide gave the last reason.
“Don’t you want to personally prove that you’re no longer the last-place student you used to be?”
This sentence made Sonia fall completely silent.
After a long while, the girl mumbled softly.
“…I know, Mr. Yide.”
“What?”
“I said, I’ll duel!”
Sonia shouted inwardly, as if giving up on herself, and raised her head.
“Edward Faulkner!”
This was the first time Sonia had called out Edward’s full name, and her momentum was so strong that Edward, who was preparing, was startled.
What’s that noise?
He looked up, just meeting Sonia’s fighting gaze.
“I’m very unhappy right now, so you’re in trouble!”