The Inevitable Outcome
The battle was over.
It ended so fast I could die from disappointment.
No cheers, no murmurs.
Just silence, as time slowly passed.
That was how shocking the result of this duel had been.
Most predictions had placed me at a disadvantage, yet when it was all said and done, the right hook I had intended as just a greeting ended up deciding the match.
I had won, but according to my original plan, I still had about eighty percent of my work left to do.
Now, I was left struggling to deal with the excess emotions I hadn’t yet processed.
"Wait, wait a second!"
I hurried toward the academy staff, who had already begun cleaning up.
"I’m not done yet! That guy still has plenty left to spill!"
My plan had been to expose the Mertzalo family’s hidden crimes in front of the entire school.
But that plan was now on the verge of collapse due to an utterly absurd miscalculation—
Walton was simply *too* weak.
Brushing past the staff, I approached him.
His eyes had rolled back, and he was twitching uncontrollably.
On top of that… he had wet himself.
But that didn’t matter.
I didn’t care what he was leaking—he needed to hold on just a little longer.
"Get up! The duel has only just begun!"
"Calm yourself, Lake Gallard! Walton Mertzalo is in no condition to fight!"
"You’ve already won!"
"…! I—I won…?"
Hearing those words, I froze.
That’s right.
Claire was safe now.
She must have been watching this match.
As the crowd gradually regained their composure, the students' attention shifted to Walton—
A man who had been utterly destroyed in the most humiliating way possible.
Disgusted murmurs spread through the audience.
"That was way too fast."
"Pissing himself? Seriously?"
"He acted all high and mighty, but one punch put him out of commission?"
The heated enthusiasm from earlier—especially from the girls—had vanished entirely.
Now, only cold, indifferent gazes were directed at the unconscious Walton.
There was no way he’d be able to strut around like before after this.
On top of that, he wouldn’t have the magic herbs to rely on anymore.
Maintaining his grades would become difficult.
If that happened, he’d be too busy struggling to survive to bother messing with me.
As the storm of emotions inside me began to settle, Student Council President Tricia approached, clapping her hands.
"A most splendid performance."
"To be honest, it was so anticlimactic that I feel completely let down."
I sighed, and Tricia let out a small chuckle before continuing.
"I must admit, I never expected him to be *that* weak."
"Even with the magic herbs, he couldn’t fully draw out their power."
"Claire would have fought much better, you’re saying?"
"That’s what I believe, at least."
That was my honest opinion, and Tricia shared the same sentiment.
"In the future, Claire will be the one to wield that power to its fullest."
"That’s right… Now then—"
"You’re going to the archive, aren’t you?"
As expected of the president—or rather, my intentions were pretty obvious given the situation.
"Yeah. I need to see Claire."
"The archive should be unlocked now. You should be able to enter without issue."
"Got it."
Leaving the cleanup to the president, I took Lucina and Connie with me and headed toward the archive.
What do you think about this chapter?
