"What...? Huh?"

"You heard me, I want a rematch!" Karl demanded.

"If you wanted to have a duel with me, you could have just politely asked me." Leon responded to Karl with a smug smirk on his face.

The way how Leon answered him really made his blood boil. He couldn't hold back his urges to punch him in the face. But he managed to keep them in check.

The other students were watching the confrontation between Karl Stuart and the peasant boy Leon. The atmosphere around Karl was different than how it always was on any ordinary day, but today there was a dark aura around him.

"Sorry, I can't. As you can clearly see I'm hanging out with my friends here... you're interfering." Leon said calmly to him.

"If you want, we can reschedule our duel for another time when I'm free." Leon smirked, as he suggested to Karl.

"No! I, Karl Stuart of the Stuart household commands you to have a duel with me right now!" He ordered.

'Whao, whao, whao. Using your Noble title to force me into a duel with you, huh...? That's kind of cowardly of you...'

Leon thought to himself as he tries to come up with an excuse not to duel with him. Karl Stuart stared at him, waiting for him to come up with an answer... oh, and the other students also was waiting for the duel to start.

"So, what's your decision, huh peasant? Are you ready to be defeated by a Noble?!" He burst out laughing evilly.

"I'm waiting but none of them aren't making any moves..."

"They are just standing there, and not doing anything! What's going on? Fight already!"

The students were getting frustrated with Leon and Karl, and by standing out in the sun, they got even angrier.

"Boo! Come on, fight!"

The students were getting inpatient. Leon couldn't help but to think how he ended up in a situation like this.

'This situation is really getting out of hand. I can't just back out of this... either way, things might end up bad for me....' (Leon)

The thoughts that was running through his head was trying to choose a decision that would end with a win-win for both him and his opponent. Imagine the thoughts that was running through his head in that moment.... he felt overwhelmed.

And to make things worse, is that Karl Stuart was pressuring him to have a duel with him. The other students were getting inpatient by the second.

Not hearing an answer from his opponent, Karl grabbed him by the collar and effortlessly lift him up with one hands, like a child.

Everyone that was there were left in shock and disbelief when they saw what Karl had done. Leon just remained calm.

'Okay, so he's bullying me into a duel with him....' Leon thought to himself, and tried to comprehend why he was in such a situation.

'I'm so pathetic, I don't have any such power to stop him from doing this to me... unless if I'm willing to blow my cover.' (Leon)

"....I have to regain my glory as a noble...." Karl was mumbling those words under his breath.

Leon couldn't hear what exactly he was saying. The only thing he heard were mumbling sounds.

"Huh... what did you just said, dude?" Leon asked.

'What the hell is he saying...? Not gonna lie, it lowkey sounds like he's being brainwashed by someone to fight me. ' Leon came to the conclusion that Karl Stuart was being manipulated to fight him.

"....I have to regain my glory as a noble.... I have to regain my glory as a noble..." Karl mumbled again.

As more and more other people gathered in the Second year student area to watch Leon and Karl face off each other, a chance that the teachers would come and break up everything was a possibility.

As Leon tried to get out of Karl's grip, he felt that something was strange about how Karl Stuart was acting. To Leon, it seemed like Karl was brainwashed or manipulated to fight with him.

But no one could come to mind of who wanted to see a duel between him and Karl Stuart.

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'....but if my suspicions are true, who could possibly want that... What conspiracies is going beneath? I have to uncover that... for my safety and peace of mind.'

"Alright. I'll have a duel with you," Leon said to Karl with a smug smirk. "What could go wrong with that?! It's not like you'll leave me alone if I refused..."

Karl let go of Leon's shirt collar and an evil grin appeared on his face. The atmosphere around Karl continued to bother some of the students who was there.

Leon fixed his clothes, while he stared down his opponent.

"You better agree to duel with me.... for a peasant you can think, huh?"

Keith and Samuel tried to do something about the situation, but couldn't due to the fact that Karl's "friends" stopping them.

"It would be better for you guys to stay out of this, Hehehe!"

"Yeah, it's for your own safety, peasants."

they both said with a Condescending look.

Oh, Sophie and Daniella was in the crowd of people gathered there to observe the duel between Leon and Karl.

"Then, we shall duel right now!" Karl declared to his opponent and the other students who was there. "The whole Academy will know that I'm no longer weak, after I've defeated this peasant, hahaha!"

"I will defeat you and prove to everyone that my family is a strong one! Just you watch..."

Karl started to laugh uncontrollably, like a stereotypical villain. Which caused everyone around to feel a chill down their spine.

"What's going on here?!" A stern voice asked. "And why is everybody gathered here?!"

All of the students started to make a path for the person who'd just interrupted the start of the duel.

"(Gasps) is that...."

"No, this can't be. Then why is she doing here?!"

Karl and Leon stopped and stared at the person who had just interrupted them. More specifically Karl Stuart.

The person who interrupted them is a member of the Student Body Council. Her name is Jessica Armstrong, a talented magician in the academy. She is in her senior years, to be more on point, in her final year in the Military Academy.

Jessica is well-known for her stern and uptight demeanor which gave her the nickname "The Ice Princess of the Student Council ".

She has long black hair that she had flowing behind her, and has narrowed eyes. Jessica was quite tall for a girl her age. She was wearing her uniform neatly, she had on her Student Council armband on the left side shoulder. All most all of the students in the academy is afraid of her, mainly because she "looks scary."

As she walked up to the two boys who, to her was about to fight right in the compound. Which she wasn't exactly wrong about.

Although her family has not been around for a long time like the other Noble families, her father holds power in the Empire.

"What's someone like her doing here? Now the duel is ruined...."

"She is well-known for being mean and uptight . That's why I'll stay away from her!"

The students were upset that the duel between Leon and Karl would be canceled because Jessica had come to check it out. So most of the students began to move away from the area and continued with their activities as usual.

"You are Karl Stuart, the eldest son in the Stuart family, right?" Jessica asked, with a serious expression. "And you. Your name is Leon, a peasant boy from Zulania. So why are you guys trying to have an illegal duel with each other for, without receiving permission from the Disciplinary committee?"

Both Leon and Karl was left puzzled to find out that they have to get permission from the "Disciplinary Committee".

"Disciplinary Committee...? What's that all about?" Leon asked her.

'There is a "Disciplinary Committee" at the academy...? I have never thought that this is real.. this is something that only existed in anime and manga for me!'

Leon thought to himself as he tries to comprehend the situation. This is the second time he was surprised.

'Well, this is the Military Academy... so I shouldn't be any shock. ' (Leon)

"The Disciplinary Committee....? And why must I inform them about the duel? You must be crazy!" Karl complained about the situation.

"I'll just flex my authority as the eldest son of the Stuart household...." Karl remarked, with a Grin appearing on his face.

Jessica glared at Karl for not listening to her. When he saw Jessica's stare, he kept quiet. Even though Karl Stuart was manipulated, he still was in control of his body for the most part. And knew when to stay quiet.

"So why is a noble like you picking on a peasant? Shouldn't the Nobles be protecting those who can't defend themselves...?" Jessica asked them both.

Karl just stared at her without saying anything. He just remained with his mouth shut.

Some of the students who was still standing around in the area were watching what was happening between Jessica, Karl and Leon.

"Fine. Then if you want to get reprimanded for having an illegal duel, then go ahead. You should listen to what I'm telling you." Jessica warned them.

'This girl seems to be a nice person... hopefully Karl will take the warning and back off from this duel situation. Phew!' (Leon)

Leon whipped the sweat off his forehead, thinking that everything would be fine now.

'Thanks a ton person.... I really appreciate you for ending this duel situation. ' (Leon)

But he had think too early. To Leon's dismay, he was taken to the "Disciplinary Committee " to notify them about the duel. Leon was shocked to find himself in an arena along with his opponent Karl Stuart, surrounded by almost all of the students who was present back then.

'Why is this happening to me... I should be living a normal life in the academy, not fighting a duel with an egotistical dude. ' (Leon)

'This is my time to prove myself to everyone that I'm no joke, that I'm a noble!" (Karl)

"I can't believe that Jessica allowed them to fight a duel? I literally thought that she would immediately reported them."

"Yeah! I thought of the same thing. So who are you betting on? For me, imma go with the peasant boy."

"Well, I'm betting on Karl Stuart then. Since you took the person who I was originally going to bet on."

The students were placing bets on which one of them was going to win. Most of the students placed bets on Karl.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Today we are here to watch a duel between Karl Stuart and Leon!" The person who was chosen to announce said to the crowd of students.

"Remember, magic is prohibited from using in this duel. Anyone who is caught using magic will be automatically disqualified. And if any of you manage to hit your opponent with your swords, the duel with end!"

"Ready, duelers? 3, 2, 1, fight!"

Both Leon and Karl stared at each other, as they ready their wooden swords and backing away from one another. They didn't shake hands, they just went to their corner.

The arena began to light up in a pattern of some sort, like a magical circle.

"Ready to be defeated, peasant?" Karl teased him.

"No... I'm not losing!" Leon smirked.