Magic Academy Bans Harem

Chapter 406 The Day of the Duel
Although the territory of the Remer Elson lineage is closer to the fortress city than the Sloth Research Institute, Charlotte managed to persuade Uncle Remer in no more than half a day. This was assuming Remer stayed at home the whole time.

Therefore, it sounds less like Xia Luoluo persuaded Remo, and more like Remo himself wanted to help Rolande, and Xia Luoluo just happened to stumble upon it.

But will Remo Elson really make such a decision?

Ritas and Mint exchanged a glance, clearly not agreeing.

The current predicament of the Elson family lies in their inaction in allowing Floyd Elson to hold a public duel, which is essentially upholding and maintaining the rules that Roland himself established for the family. This is why people like Ritas and Mint, who are not particularly interested in such matters, are running around trying to ensure Roland's safety.

But Remer is undoubtedly one of the Elson family's "guardians".

So, although what Mint said earlier was harsh, Ritas also felt that Charlotte might be being completely fooled, or even being sold out and still helping to count the money.

"Dino, what about Charlotte?"

"Please rest assured, young master. Accompanying Miss Xia Luoluo are some of the most outstanding servants in the family. Moreover, even if Lord Lei Mo does not support your actions, young master, he will surely not make things difficult for Miss Xia Luoluo."

"That's what the butler, Dino, said."

Ritas also realized that he had become somewhat preoccupied with his concerns.

Just as he previously believed Remer was unlikely to side with Roland, it was equally unlikely that Remer would side with Floyd. Moreover, even in the worst-case scenario, if Remer inexplicably chose to side with Floyd, Charlotte would at most be placed under temporary house arrest.

After all, whether it was Freud or the other powerful figures in the West, they were all related to Charlotte by blood.

"She left the elite troops to Xia Luoluo? She had better have convinced Remer, otherwise she's just taking away our already limited manpower and causing us trouble!"

Minte, who already disliked Charlotte, was in a bad mood and her words were full of aggression.

Meanwhile, Ritas continued to ponder, and Charlotte had indeed found a possibility of helping him. After some consideration, he made a decision in his heart.

“Let’s change our target slightly. Although Zori Elson and Alec Elson’s bases are relatively close, they are unlikely to choose to ally with us. So, let’s go to the other side of the West. That desert.”

"what?"

Unlike Dino, whose reactions were somewhat slow due to his age, Mint clearly realized Ritas's target very quickly.

"Are you sure you really want to go there? It's true, they're quite similar to us in some ways; they're not bound by the traditional family rules. And they should be able to gather a lot of manpower in a short time. But do you know how you're perceived by them? Rather than being skinned alive by them, I'd rather go myself; at least it'll give me some satisfaction."

"They're not as barbaric as you say."

probably.

Although Ritas had an absolute "trump card," he couldn't help feeling uneasy when he thought about how he had provoked those people in the past.

"Little Lord."

Dino, who also realized Ritas's intentions, showed a worried expression.

"Don't worry, I chose that side out of necessity, not because I was desperate. So, let's hurry up and set off. Hopefully, we can make it before the public duel."

With a long sigh, Ritas reaffirmed his resolve and said this.

The few days passed in the blink of an eye.

The day of the public duel.

Located very close to the western border, in a place where one can see the deep, dark forest from a high vantage point, lies a very special city.

This city, now known as Horo, was originally built as a fortress to defend against monsters from the forest. However, as the people of the West drove the monsters away, they eventually drove them back into the forest and even leveled part of the edge of the Dark Forest.

No longer on the front line against monsters, Horo Fortress was abandoned for a time. Until, utilizing the fortress's original structure, Horo Fortress was transformed into a huge arena.

During the most glorious era of Horo City, the arena was filled with countless bloody and savage battles fought day and night, involving all sorts of combinations of humans, monsters, and demons.

In this era where demons have long since disappeared and monsters are difficult to capture, the Horo Arena, or rather the civilization of gladiatorial combat itself, has long been banned and abandoned. However, the enormous arena itself has not been demolished but has been preserved as a kind of cultural heritage.

Currently, Horo is in the hands of the Western Rebels led by Floyd. On this day, Floyd also reopened the long-sealed arena within the city, intending to seize all the power that "rightfully belongs to him" in the most primitive and direct way.

"It's almost time, teacher."

In the dimly lit dungeon, Roland's arms were suspended by iron chains, and he knelt in the cell, barely alive.

Before him stood a tall figure who required him to bend slightly to enter the cell.

"Don't call me teacher, Elson. I have no disciple like you."

Pale-faced, with cracked lips, and incredibly weak, yet his voice remained calm, Roland used these words to formally expel the man before him, Fernandez Elson, from the household.

"That's truly a pity. But please rest assured, I will always consider you my teacher."

With an expression as if he were looking at a dead man, Fernandez smiled and said, not really caring.

"You're really quite smug. Are you so satisfied with Fernandez and that immature child Floyd preparing to sell the West to those guys?"

In a slow, deliberate tone, Roland questioned Fernandez before him.

"When your real parents were torn apart by monsters, they could never have imagined that their child would one day be living with those who control monsters."

“You seem to have misunderstood something, Roland.” Although he didn’t care much about Roland’s sarcastic remarks, after Roland clearly stated that he “didn’t have a disciple like you,” Fernandez’s pride made him too lazy to “stick” to him anymore.
"The story about my parents being killed by monsters was just a lie I made up so I could be adopted."

"So your adoptive father died from a relapse of old injuries caused by monsters, and your doorman, who was with you in the Cross Hall, died at the border—are those also just lies?"

"Trying to influence me with this kind of emotion is such an outdated and antiquated approach."

Fernandez shook his head.
"If you want to win me over, at least give me what I deserve, like Lord Freud did. Not..."

Fernandez's expression suddenly turned ferocious.
"Instead of pretending not to see my talents because my birth has always suppressed me! I have served your Elson family for ten years, a full ten years! But what have I gained in return? All I see are incompetent good-for-nothings and weak trash, while those high and mighty look at me with the eyes of servants! What I need is fairness! What I need is..."

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

Roland suddenly burst into loud laughter, interrupting Fernandez's roar.

"why are you laughing?"

"Laughing at you, just like I sensed from your sword, it hasn't changed at all over the years."

Roland slightly raised his face, a sharp glint flashing in his cloudy eyes.

"Fairness? What is fairness? Even if fairness truly exists, how is it calculated? And have you truly acted fairly? Harrison adopted you, providing you with the right to live as a human being, instead of having to fight monkeys for food in the woods. How have you repaid that kindness fairly? Although you were my attendant, the training in the Hall of the Cross and my teachings never spared you, giving you your current power. And your betrayal is your definition of fairness?"

Roland questioned Fernandez, whose expression was grim.

"Even my intelligent son can't calculate the gains and losses in interpersonal relationships, so he concludes that he should cut off contact with everyone. What makes you think you can accurately calculate what you have gained and what you should give? Besides, who decided that it's fair to give as much as you should receive? Everyone is only calculating so-called fairness and acting according to this standard. You, who were born with only the value of an equal weight of flesh, why are you still alive and barking in front of me? Stop using words you don't even understand."

"It's not like we're making a deal. The idea that you should get exactly what you put in is arrogant. Besides, you're just masking your selfishness. The fairness you expect is for everything you want to be placed right in front of you every day when you open your eyes. And if it's even a little slow, you think it's unfair to you because others are targeting you!"

"And talent? Are you kidding me? Even if I'm blind and deaf, as long as I haven't relinquished the title of 'Sword Saint,' you should think carefully about who you're talking to. The smell of blood on you... it's quite fresh. So, this is the injury you sustained when you attacked Kurt at Erles Academy? Kurt has given up the sword for so long, and you're still injured like this, without even the courage to fight her? No wonder she can't quite remember if she actually slashed you."

Snapped!
Fernandez, who had already been cornered by Roland and was speechless, slapped the bound Roland across the face to stop him from speaking further.

Aside from the exceptionally loud slapping sound, Roland, whose head remained as solid as a rock and completely unshaken, simply watched Fernandez's increasingly grim expression and continued to burst into laughter.

"Get lost, Fernandez! Go and get Freud to come and get me. Otherwise... I'll blast these two eyeballs out and kill you. Hahahaha!"

As Fernandez's expression shifted between light and shadow, he watched as Roland's eyes suddenly widened, as if he were genuinely afraid.

In the shadows of the dungeon, a figure leaned against the wall, hidden in the darkness, and sighed softly as he looked at the scene inside the cell.

"What a pity, I can't fight the 'human' sword saint."

The figure in the shadows was extremely small, only the size of a human child. However, the voice emanating from his mouth was filled with a sense of vicissitude.

"Moo-"

Beside this figure was a gigantic figure, roughly three times the size of a human.

The figure was bald on top, with an apron large enough to be used as a curtain around its lower body, and iron plates nailed to its hooves.

Besides, although the tall figure's face was covered by a white cloth, the bull horns on his head, the protruding outline of the cloth, and other features could not completely conceal his identity as a minotaur.

Of course, this is on the premise that the minotaur intends to hide.

"Is it too late to fight now? No, he has already declined to this point, he is already in the twilight of his swordsmanship. Even if I were to defeat him, it would only feel like taking advantage of his weakness. Winning would only add to my emptiness."

"Moo."

"Since that's the case, should we go back? There's no need to rush. Since John is involved in this plan, we should at least witness it to the end for him. Besides, I also want to see how the human sword saint will ultimately meet his end. Moreover, in case a new human sword saint is born today, it's better to arrange it in advance so as not to miss his peak period like this, right?"

A hint of anticipation surfaced in the short figure's deep voice.

"Moo!"

“I know he’s one of our ‘fellow travelers.’ That’s why we need to make an appointment beforehand. Otherwise, we could just bow to him, give him our names, and then stab him with our swords.”

"moo"

"I'm not a battle maniac, I just possess the romance and pursuit of a swordsman. Besides, why can I understand your cries? Is that any of your business to ask me?"

The short, arrogant figure, who had been complaining about his minotaur companions, shook his head as he watched Fernandez call in more people to move Roland to the arena, and then vanished completely into the darkness.

same moment.

On the walls of Horo.

A middle-aged man who called himself a top salesman, along with a brown-skinned girl dressed as a dancer, gazed into the distance as various teams arrived in Horo City in batches.

"It smells a lot like mice, meow."

The white cloth wrapped around the brown-skinned girl's head swayed as she spoke.

"What's that smell, meow?"

The top salesperson took out a handkerchief, wiped the sweat that seemed to be constantly flowing from his forehead, and asked in confusion.

(End of this chapter)