Lake’s Plan
The coliseum was ablaze with excitement.
With the enthusiastic cheers of the male students behind me, I stepped onto the stage.
Standing in my way, Walton appeared brimming with confidence.
It was obvious he had never even considered the possibility of losing.
Despite the fact that his strength was essentially stolen from Claire, he mistakenly believed it to be his own.
But looking at it another way, it meant that the power Walton wielded was equivalent to what Claire could produce.
Walton himself wasn’t a threat—but the magic herbs Claire had cultivated certainly could be.
"Now then! The duel shall begin!"
At Student Council President Tricia’s call, the great bell of the academy’s iconic clock tower rang out.
The moment it did, the coliseum erupted with even louder cheers than before.
"Alright… let’s see how he moves first."
During this fight, I planned to provoke Walton as much as possible and make him slip up.
Of course, just saying I had heard things wouldn’t be enough to make it credible.
That’s why I had prepared a recording crystal—just like the one I used with Craig.
However, if I used the same type as before, he’d catch on immediately.
That’s why I had Lucina work on miniaturizing the crystal for me in advance.
It was fortunate she had finished it before this whole mess with Claire started.
With this, I could perfectly record his misdeeds.
As for the battle itself… While I had sealed my magic gun for this duel, I still kept it concealed just in case.
Meanwhile, Walton dramatically took the yellow flower he had tucked into his uniform’s breast pocket.
"With this single flower, I will defeat you."
The moment he made that annoyingly theatrical declaration, the girls in the audience screamed even louder.
That flower… It was one of the ones Claire had been cultivating in the archive courtyard.
It resembled a rose.
Still, how could he so shamelessly flaunt something like that?
"Thunder Flower—I imagine a merchant like you wouldn’t be familiar with this bloom?"
As he tossed the flower into the air, it flashed for an instant—then transformed into a fierce bolt of lightning that came streaking toward me.
"Too bad… This isn’t over yet."
Walton pulled out another flower, this time a green one, and tossed it just like before.
That one looked similar to an anemone.
"Can you evade the invisible onslaught of the Storm Flower?"
Lightning and wind in combination.
—It looked flashy, at least.
The sound was loud, and the power was certainly there.
As expected of Claire’s magic herbs.
They were far stronger than the elemental magic cast by mediocre mages.
It only made me want her talents even more.
"What’s wrong?! Are your legs frozen in fear?! It’s too late to regret picking a fight with me now!"
He sure talks a lot.
He didn’t used to be this chatty.
It seemed Claire’s magic herbs had emboldened him quite a bit.
That magic of his was flashy and looked impressive—but that was all it was.
If the user’s own skill didn’t match the power, there was nothing to fear.
What do you think about this chapter?
