Chapter 204: First Match

The moment the announcement of the duel spread across the academy, the arena became one of the busiest places on campus.

Most students had not even known a duel was happening until Corwin and his friends started talking about it. At first, it had only been discussed among their own classes. Then someone mentioned that Corwin had challenged the troublesome students from Class 7-D, and another student heard that the match had already been approved by the academy. Before long, the news had spread through almost every department.

By the time the duel began, nearly everyone who had managed to get a seat was already talking about the same thing.

"They’re really serious this time."

""Fuck, if I’d known they were gonna set up a duel in the arena, I would’ve brought something to snack on! This is better than anything on the holo-feeds."

"But why did they want to fight in front of everyone?"

A boy sitting near the middle rows leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he repeated what he had heard from one of Corwin’s classmates. "Apparently, the four from 7-D offended Corwin first. They got into an argument with him and ended up challenging his group."

Another student snorted. "Those four are always stirring something up."

A few people laughed.

Many of them didn’t know Kane, Sabel, or Vesper personally, but their reputations had already reached them through rumors. Class 7-D was the lowest class in the academy, and most students had long considered it a place for troublemakers, misfits, and people with little hope of advancing. That alone was enough for many of them to assume the result of today’s duel before it even started.

Corwin’s group consisted of high-ranking Sentinels, with one B-rank and two C-ranks. Their opponents had an awkward combination of ranks. Only Vesper stood out as an A-rank Sentinel, while the others ranked far below Corwin’s side.

"What about the A-rank?" a girl asked.

The students around her exchanged knowing looks.

"Vesper?"

"That guy’s an A-rank Sentinel, but he’s weird."

"Weird is putting it nicely," another student laughed. "How many times has he been dragged to the disciplinary office? I lost count. I heard he smashed like three training dummies ’cause he couldn’t hold back his strength, and he hurt a classmate too. That Reign guy, wasn’t it?"

"Yeah."

The girl raised her eyebrows. ""Then why’s he still here? If he caused that much trouble, wouldn’t they have kicked him out already?"

"Because he’s an A-rank. An A-rank Sentinel is too valuable to simply throw away."

Someone behind them muttered, "He’s still an oddball. What’s the use of having that rank if he keeps making mistakes?"

The discussion spread naturally through the seats, with each student adding whatever rumor they had picked up from someone else.

Elsewhere in the stands, a few people had even started a betting game on the duel. It wasn’t officially organized by the academy, but that hardly mattered. A few students had already pooled their money and placed bets on Corwin’s side, and others joined after hearing the odds.

"Ten thousand on Corwin."

"Ten? Come on, put twenty, don’t be cheap."

"You’re that sure?"

"Have you seen their ranks? Corwin’s team only has to fight seriously, and they’ll win."

Another student leaned over and whispered, "What about the other side?"

"They only have one A-rank Sentinel, and the rest are low-rank Guides and a weak Sentinel. They probably don’t even know how to fight properly, unlike Corwin’s team."

That earned several laughs.

The betting continued as more students entered the arena. Most chose Corwin’s side, and soon the total had reached a staggering three hundred thousand star credits!

A few brave students placed their money on Aisha’s team, but even they weren’t confident enough to bet heavily. Some of them hesitated for a long moment, then ended up placing a larger bet on Corwin’s team anyway. It was simply more reasonable to believe that Corwin’s team would win.

Above the student seats, several professors and instructors had gathered in the designated viewing area.

The atmosphere there was different from the excitement below.

Rather than treating the duel as entertainment, they watched with detached expressions, and at the center of them stood the academy’s dean, his attention fixed on the arena.

"It’s unfortunate that things have reached this point," one of the professors said, adjusting the cuffs of his uniform. "From what I understand, Aisha Novalis and her group were the ones who kept provoking Corwin and his companions."

The man beside him gave a small scoff. "That entire group is troublesome. They’re all misfits, and almost every incident involving the lower classes somehow leads back to them."

Another instructor quietly agreed. "They’ve already caused enough trouble during their training sessions. Now they’ve dragged the academy into a public duel."

Professor Griffin stood among them, his eyes fixed on Aisha. The sight of her standing below, surrounded by her three classmates, brought back the irritation he had carried ever since he began teaching her former class.

"I never approved of her staying in the elite class all those years," Griffin said coldly. "Her grades were the only reason the academy allowed it. A D-rank Guide among the elite students... it was ridiculous from the start. Thankfully, she’s no longer in my class."

His words were met with a few murmurs of agreement.

Griffin’s lips curled faintly.

At last, everyone would see it for themselves.

Today, she would have to stand in front of the entire academy and fight, and when her group inevitably lost, there would be nowhere left for her to hide. For years, she had carried herself with an arrogance Griffin had never tolerated, and after today’s humiliation, he doubted she would still have the face to act that way in front of him.

Another instructor, who had never taught Aisha personally, suddenly remembered something. "Aisha Novalis... Isn’t she the former fiancée of His Highness, Prince Soren?"

When someone nodded, the instructor frowned slightly. "What exactly is she trying to do this time?"

Someone beside him gave a knowing smile. "Perhaps she’s trying to attract attention again after the annulment ceremony. You know how she was."