MTLNOVEL Ch. 21
Chapter 21
Not tall, but not short either.
Gentle-looking yet steadfast brown eyes.
His hands still bore calluses and scars, as if he had been training until just now.
“You……”
It was the black-haired student, Duke Ren.
Ren’s gaze showed his discomfort at running into me.
I was the one who had completely fallen from grace for tormenting cadets like him.
‘A victim meeting the punished perpetrator.’
He seemed conflicted over what words to offer me.
‘But that goes the same for me.’
What exactly should I even say?
My mind was nothing but a blank white sheet.
‘Never thought I’d end up facing Ren this close.’
The moment I looked straight into his clear eyes, my past of playing
As a player of Yggdrasil, there were actually countless things I had wanted to say to Ren.
I knew his entire life story.
Of course, I knew he had lived a life without a trace of shame.
‘Ren is a truly admirable guy.’
His once peaceful hometown had been destroyed by a horde of monsters, and from a young age Ren had lost everything.
Even so, he rose back up like a roly-poly doll.
Since an early age, he had walked the line between life and death, pouring in relentless effort.
‘He barely managed to enter the prestigious Yggdrasil, even at the very bottom of the class.’
Though everyone dismissed him as incompetent, he stubbornly pushed forward and eventually broke through the wall of impossibility.
A will that refused to bow to injustice.
A path of growth into a hero, stepping over pain and scars—every part of it was remarkable.
Truthfully, I wanted to encourage him during such a difficult time.
I wanted to praise him for not giving up and fighting desperately to live even after losing everything and becoming an orphan.
I wanted to give him hope that the people of his hometown in heaven, as well as his parents, would be proud of him.
I wanted to give him courage that his unseen efforts would one day be recognized.
‘But I must hold it in.’
I clenched my teeth.
I had to suppress these unnecessary emotions.
‘Right now, I am Villed.’
As his sparring opponent, I needed to stir his rage for the sake of his awakening.
I took a small breath and regained the composure of a noble.
“Well, if it isn’t the little minnow hiding under the Princess’s skirt.”
I raised the corner of my lips with a cold gaze.
Crunch—Ren’s brows twitched at my scorn.
In those eyes, determination ignited.
“……You haven’t changed at all.”
Ren confirmed for himself that I had shown no remorse whatsoever.
“How dare you look me in the eyes. Know your place and show respect, you insect.”
“As I’ve always done, I will never bow to you.”
Ren’s eyes fixed on me even more firmly.
He too was thinking of this sparring match.
He must have trained like his life depended on it just to defeat me.
“Ren!”
From afar came the voice of Princess Arlhardt.
Forgetting even her royal dignity, she rushed toward us.
“Your Highness the Princess, I hope you are well.”
I greeted her with a leisurely smile meant to provoke, but she stepped in front of Ren as if to protect him.
“Spare me your empty courtesies. What have you done to Ren?”
“There’s no need for such anger. I was simply having a brief conversation of deep friendship with an old friend.”
“Leave…… this instant.”
The Princess’s breathing quickened, as if she had just witnessed a nightmare.
There was no benefit in provoking her further.
It was time to retreat quietly.
“As you command.”
I bent my waist, with my left arm behind my back and my right arm bent in an L-shape.
With the courtesy of a noble’s bow, I prepared to withdraw swiftly.
“Villed.”
Behind me, Ren called my name.
When I turned to face him, our eyes met.
“I will, without fail, defeat you.”
Confirming the burning resolve in his gaze, I walked away as if nothing had happened.
‘That’s right, Ren.’
A fine mindset.
I too hoped he would continue that way.
‘To truly anger this soft-hearted fool, this was the only way.’
Had I not scorned him, he would have cautiously asked how I had been.
Even if we had once been on bad terms, he was the kind who believed we could get along if I truly changed.
‘Yes, because that’s the kind of guy he is.’
Shaking off Ren’s hand and spewing harsh words felt heartbreaking as a passionate fan of
But to preserve the future episodes, I had to distance myself from Ren.
Not just now, but from here on as well.
‘That’s what I must do as Villed.’
I made that resolve.
After walking and walking, I stopped in front of a blonde girl holding a lamb.
“What are you doing?”
Hearing my voice, Lapin lifted her head.
Shaking the lamb’s front leg, she spoke to me.
“Hello.”
Baa~.
She was greeting me together with the lamb.
I sat down next to Lapin and pointed at the lamb.
“So why did you bring this thing out?”
When I asked, Lapin answered as if it was nothing.
“This kid said it wanted to come outside.”
Of course, animals couldn’t talk.
Other students might see Lapin as a little strange.
But I didn’t.
‘Lapin is a chimera, a being made from all sorts of animals.’
She could communicate with animals.
Maybe what she said was actually true.
Still, bringing it out on her own wasn’t right.
“I’m the one managing the livestock shed.”
“So?”
“If you want to take a lamb out, you always need my permission.”
Lapin looked down at the lamb and gave a small nod.
“Sorry.”
Did she realize she was being scolded?
Her expression didn’t change, but somehow her voice sounded deflated.
I hadn’t meant to snap at her.
‘Maybe because of this body’s influence, sometimes my words come out harsher than I intend.’
Sighing, I spoke.
“Next time you bring one out, get my permission first.”
“Okay.”
Her expression stayed the same.
“But next time, I’ll definitely do that.”
Instead, her eyes were sparkling.
She was an easy one to read.
‘But seriously, what is she doing.’
Lapin was still just playing with the lamb.
She wasn’t paying any attention to the sparring at all.
If she couldn’t grasp the other cadets’ information, Lapin would fall behind even further.
“Watch the sparring. You’re not here just to play.”
“No.”
Lapin shook her head slightly from side to side.
“I don’t like fighting. I don’t understand why we have to fight.”
Lapin asked in a genuinely curious tone.
Then she asked me back.
“Do you like fighting?”
“Neither like nor dislike.”
I said, and followed up right away.
“If it’s a necessary fight, I won’t avoid it.”
“A necessary fight……?”
Lapin tilted her head left and right, as if puzzled, when it happened.
A voice rang inside my head.
“Next contestant, please get ready!”
It was a kind of announcement using telepathy.
Hearing that, I stood up.
The time I’d been waiting for was approaching.
“I’m going.”
“Okay.”
Lapin just nodded without saying more.
But after I had taken a few steps, she spoke belatedly.
“Don’t die.”
“I won’t.”
The system would automatically protect me from any fatal attacks.
It wasn’t a life-or-death duel anyway.
‘Still, it’s a little endearing that she worried.’
As I thought that and kept walking, Lapin clarified her intention.
“If you die, you won’t be able to give me permission to bring the lamb out.”
So that was why?
“Please follow this tunnel straight ahead.”
I turned my eyes to where the safety officer guided me.
This was the waiting room located on the first floor of the Colosseum.
At the end of the dark tunnel, a bright white light could be seen.
It was about a hundred meters away.
At the end of the tunnel, the very center of the Colosseum—the sparring arena—was waiting.
Step.
As I walked toward that light, I rechecked my abilities.
Riz Villed Dedencman Ludwig
Health: 6
Mana: 7
Strength: 5
Willpower: 5
Agility: 7
My overall stats had reached an average of 6 points.
But that wasn’t all.
‘I’ve also grown accustomed to using weapons.’
On top of that, I had even come up with my own combo attacks.
Casting card abilities was something I had already adapted to, and I could now draw out powers at a fast pace.
■■■■ : 4
Even such a stat existed.
Though due to an error, I couldn’t clearly read the letters.
But since I had been using the ability already, I roughly grasped what it was.
‘It means I was given a maximum cost gauge of 4.’
One cost was restored every 10 seconds.
Since it was such a small amount, I had to use it only in the right situation.
With that in mind, I had already prepared a strategy.
Though my stats were lower than Ren’s.
‘If I think of this as a game, I have more experience than Ren.’
I would seize the advantage of matchups and keep a favorable flow.
‘Anyway, with this, I’m ready to face him.’
When I reached the end of the tunnel, a dazzling light welcomed me.
‘From here, it looks quite high.’
Countless students seated in the stands were looking down at me.
Turning toward the other side, I saw someone else emerging from the tunnel.
Even from afar, I could tell it was Duke Ren.
As soon as we appeared in the sparring arena, the cadets’ voices erupted as if they had been waiting.
“It’s starting, the weakling showdown!”
“Ren, I bet 100 gold on you! Don’t you dare lose!”
“If you’re scared, you can run away right now, minnow Ren!”
“A no-attribute versus a one-attribute fight, this is gonna be fun!”
“Puhahahahaha!!”
Ren, the bottom-ranked entrant, and Villed, the one infamous as the academy’s worst and weakest.
The fight between the two drew jeers from every direction.
‘Still, I’m the son of a noble. Aren’t they a bit too fearless?’
Though I felt a little doubtful.
It was easy enough to understand why the cadets looked down on me.
Rumors had already spread far and wide that Villed was abandoned by the Dedenkman family and ruined.
There were also rumors that the troublesome second son was cast aside, while all authority was given to the eldest.
And I hadn’t bothered to deny any of it.
Even the evidence—like my support and dorm privileges being cut off—backed the rumors up.
‘Well, whatever the case.’
I stepped calmly onto the sparring arena.
‘He’s here.’
About 20 meters separated Ren and me.
Thud!
Looking toward the sound, I saw a wad of paper fall to the ground.
They were even throwing trash now.
‘This is harsher than I thought.’
For a moment, I worried Ren might lose his nerve.
“……”
But looking into those unwavering eyes of his, I knew others’ pointing fingers meant nothing to him.
He was focused only on me, intent on victory.
‘As expected, Ren, who reached this point with willpower alone, won’t falter.’
On the sparring ground, the two of us faced each other.
“Cadets, the duel will begin shortly. Prepare yourselves.”
The jeers no longer reached my ears.
I focused on Ren’s movements.
“……Begin!”
Just as the referee raised the flag.
“Villed……!”
Ren took his stance and drew the wooden sword at his waist.
Whoooosh!
Starting from the wooden blade, waves of wind spread up to his shoulders.
Whish!
I calmly drew my wand.
Because of Ren’s wind, the white petals attached to my wand began to flutter lightly.
“Come, minnow.”
Yes.
Come at me with everything you have.
This stage belongs to you.