The Academy’s Weakest Became A Demon-Limited Hunter
chapter-253

“Duel ends! Isaac wins!”

The observer declared.

With Gerald's declaration of defeat, the duel ended.

“...”

Gerald Astrea turned his back and walked off, glancing sideways at Isaac.

Isaac. It was astonishing to see such an innately talented yet humble mindset in someone of his age.

Moreover, his unconventional combat style was remarkable.

Gerald inadvertently sensed that Isaac had not been indulging in his talent but had undergone rigorous training.

The reason Gerald had pressured Isaac was because he had taken a liking to him. He didn't think Kaya's judgment of men was wrong.

Gerald had no intention of admitting that he liked Isaac. With his defeat confirmed, there was nothing more to be said.

Gerald left the dueling arena, and Isaac's eyes followed his back.

“Crazy.”

“How is that possible with a practice sword...?”

“Did you see the way he subtly released mana every time the swords clashed? I've never seen such precise mana mastery.”

“But did he really have to do it that way?”

“It seemed like he was intentionally adjusting the force to keep clashing swords because If he used a big spell, it might have backfired.”

The students were excited. The duel between Isaac and Gerald taught them that such feats were possible at a high level of magic and swordsmanship.

Even if the practice sword Gerald held didn't last long.

It was certainly a high-level duel that was rarely seen anywhere.

“Ugh...”

Kaya looked back and forth between Isaac, who stood motionless in the dueling ground, and Gerald, who was leaving. She was troubled.

Who should she go to?

Realizing her feelings, Isaac nodded and gestured in the direction Gerald had gone. It meant she should talk to Gerald first.

Kaya said, "I'm, I'm sorry...! I'll see you later!" and bowed to Isaac before chasing after Gerald.

The fat purple cat, Phantom Cat Cheshire, made eye contact with Isaac and raised its paw. It was a gesture of appreciation for the spectacle. Soon, Cheshire turned into smoke and disappeared.

The [Ice Wall] crumbled into powder, leaving only the cold wind which lingered like an echo.

Isaac also left the dueling ground shortly after.

He cut through magic.

Isaac replayed the duel in his mind.

In ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱, there was no occasion to fight Gerald.

There were many characters with various titles who didn't play significant roles in the game. Gerald was one of them.

He could only visit the Astrea Ducal house and display the status window.

So, he knew Gerald was strong, but he never imagined he could cut through magic so easily.

As he recalled the duel, Gerald's reprimands pricked at his heart.

He had made a contract with Düpfendorf. As someone they served, he had not fulfilled his responsibilities properly.

His self-deprecating behavior was tantamount to disrespecting Düpendorf. Gerald's criticism surely meant just that.

He never forgets what he realizes.

I won't forget this lesson, no matter what.

Isaac put his glasses back on.

***"Senior Isaac!"

"White?"

As he left the dueling grounds, White approached.

White spread her arms wide, smiling brightly like a blooming flower. Though she wasn’t usually in the habit of hugging, White often mimicked asking for one. It seemed to be a habit.

Then, "Ah," she said, lowering her arms.

It seemed she remembered the time she was severely scolded for hugging me before.

Even as an academy student now, there was a dignity she had to maintain as a princess. She always had to show modest behavior, but it seemed difficult for White to adhere to it.

Merlin was accompanying White. She looked incredibly serious for whatever reason.

“You came back early.”

“Yes, it's been a while!”

“Have you finished your assignments?”

“Hehehe. Senior, it's still vacation.”

She laughed, but the firm nuance was that she didn't want to discuss assignments any further. It was also an indirect way of saying she hadn't finished them yet.

It was my mentee's way of making sure she got the most out of the deadline.

“More importantly, Senior Isaac! You were incredible earlier! Both the Duke of Astrea cutting through magic and your skills were amazing! But how did you two end up dueling? Did two strong individuals recognize each other and head to the dueling ground...!”

White showed an excited and curious expression.

In White's imagination, Gerald and I had gone to fight in style, just like the great martial artists in a martial arts novel.

In reality, it was more like a battle of love and war to see if I was suitable as a son-in-law.

“Just, it happened by chance.”

I answered evasively.

“Sir Isaac.”

Just as White was about to press further, Merlin suddenly spoke up.

White and I looked at Merlin.

“Can I ask you just one question?”

“Go ahead, Lady Merlin.”

“Do you perhaps have any relationship with Kaya Astrea...”

Merlin couldn’t continue her sentence.

“…It’s nothing.”

Finally, she averted her gaze, giving up on speaking. It seemed she wasn’t ready to hear the answer yet.

Merlin must have had a rough idea of the situation.

In time, she was going to hear about it from Kaya or Gerald. It wasn’t something to worry about now.

White stared at Merlin with a curious expression.

“Well then. White, do you have time?”

White turned her head back to me and smiled again.

“Yes. Senior Isaac, since it's been a while, how about some tea…”

“Change your clothes and come out. Let’s train.”

“What?”

White froze on the spot.

The smile on White’s face turned into confusion. Cold sweat started to trickle down her face.

“I thought mentoring sessions were on break during vacations?”

“If you start the second semester in your current state, you won’t avoid being in the lower ranks. You need to train whenever you have time.”

I sounded like a bossy elder, but it couldn’t be helped. White had to get stronger.

“Senior Isaac, wouldn’t it be okay to rest a bit during the vacation…?”

“No.”

White had endured the tough training during the semester because she had established a routine. Besides, she had a desire to grow.

But when vacation started, White left for the Imperial Court, and her training routine was broken. Therefore, she couldn’t help but feel reluctant about the tough training.

It’s like going to the gym. A person who’s not a gym enthusiast might go to the gym every day, but if they stop for some reason, they find it hard to return to the tough workouts. White is the same.

However, that isn’t an option. We can't rest.

Of course, I planned to adjust the intensity of today's training. She had a long journey, after all. I just wanted her to get back into the training routine as soon as possible.

“Oh, right. Merlin, there are pressing matters we need to discuss urgently and thoroughly with the Imperial Knights…”

“Phew.”

Merlin sighed. She seemed to be collecting her thoughts.

“Let’s go, Princess White.”

“What?”

“There’s nothing as effective as training under Sir Isaac.”

“Merlin…”

White tried to find an escape, but the way was blocked.

White sent Merlin a pitiful look as if asking why she wasn’t taking her side.

It seemed Merlin wanted to help me with White's growth and to keep an eye on my movements.

I appreciated it.

White took a step back.

“I, I didn’t escape from the Imperial Court for this…!”

“Princess White, there is no paradise where you can escape to.”

Princess White, there is no paradise you can flee to after arriving.

“Eeeeh…!”

Tears welled up in White’s eyes.

***It was night.

Bang!!

In a corner of the Butterfly Garden, I set up a rock target and repeatedly fired the 7-star Ice spell [Icebolt].

Today’s mentoring session went well. White had whined, but once she resigned herself and started training, she showed focus. When she reviewed, she realized her growth, which seemed to motivate her.

It's the same with anything.

It was before entering the Judicial Research and Training Institute, during a meeting with the successful candidates.

Someone who had taken a year off due to a major slump said this. They almost fell into despair, thinking they had forgotten everything they studied for the exam, but when they started preparing again, studying went smoothly.

You can do it if you try.

Someone who had passionately and diligently done something before could do it again, even after a break.

So I forced White, who showed reluctance, to train. Fortunately, she was motivated.

After that, I hoped to have a conversation with Kaya, but it seemed Gerald wasn’t making it easy for her.

So, I focused on my training for the past four hours.

“This damn thing won’t aim right.”

I sat down on the ground. I had overexerted my mana. After learning 7-star magic, the intensity of my training definitely increased.

I decided to take a five-minute break to catch my breath.

At that moment, I heard footsteps behind me.

“…This time, there's no killing intent.”

I said after realizing the identity of the one approaching me.

I turned around. As expected, it was Gerald Astrea.

It seemed he had come looking for me.

“Your mana is significantly different from when we dueled.”

During the duel, I was buffed by [vs. Human Combat Power].

I didn't bother to answer. It was well-known that manipulating maximum mana was the domain of an archwizard. There was no need to lie and explain.

I stood up and turned towards Gerald.

“You’re treating Princess Snow White quite harshly.”

“Well... as her mentor. There's something we do at the academy, and I'm in a teaching position.”

“I see.”

When did he see…?

“More importantly, you came to talk about Kaya, didn’t you?”

There was no need to read his psychology. What other reason would he have to seek me out besides Kaya?

But Gerald shook his head.

“I thought we were done talking about Kaya.”

...Then why did you come?

As I quietly looked into his eyes, Gerald continued.

“I have one question.”

Gerald stood in front of me, looking down at me.

“You could rely solely on magic, so why did you learn such combat techniques?”

So it’s about the duel.

By “such combat techniques,” he seemed to refer to my fighting style that didn’t rely solely on magic.

“Because I can’t rely on magic alone.”

Gerald narrowed his eyes.

“A person who has reached the level of archwizard doesn’t trust magic? How ironic.”

Then Gerald came up with a new idea.

“No... rather, is it because you know magic better than anyone that you can’t trust it? If that’s the case, it makes sense. I didn’t expect to learn something here.”

My future father-in-law was having a self-dialogue.

It was simply because I couldn't safely clear this journey with just one type of magic.

One couldn’t just have magic to get them through this journey.

Since I couldn’t explain such things, I was glad he understood on his own.

“I will give you a gift.”

“...?”

I blinked, and Gerald vanished without a trace.

Only the sound of footsteps on the grass could be heard.

I sensed a presence behind me. When I turned my head, I saw Gerald’s back.

Was it that incredible movement I saw earlier during the duel... which looked like magic?

It wasn’t even magic. It was just an extraordinary movement, and I found it fascinating how he could do that.

“It’s Footwork.”

As if answering my question, Gerald turned his head towards me and spoke coldly.

“Footwork?”

“I’ll teach you this while I’m staying here for a few days.”

“What?”

“It will surely help your combat techniques. Whether you can master it depends on your ability. Will you accept it?”

My jaw dropped.

I hadn’t expected this at all.

“Are you serious?”

Gerald nodded.

Joy surged up. I was incredibly happy.

“Yes, if it’s such a gift, definitely…!”

A wide smile spread across my face.

I bowed vigorously to express my gratitude.

“Thank you for looking after me, Father-in-law!”

“Don’t call me Father-in-law.”

Gerald frowned.

He was still sensitive about being called “Father-in-law”.