A Failed Knight Who Went to the Academy To Get Married

005 Curse for a Dark Heart

In the Kingdom of Altoria, a duel was a sacred ritual.

Those who fled from a duel were stripped of their noble status.

Moreover, matters decided by a duel took precedence over all other national laws.

In essence, a duel was both a privilege and a duty directly linked to a noble’s honor.

“But I’m not a noble, is that alright…?”

Train stood in the middle of the dimly lit stadium.

This side features Jeez, Prince Shiran, and Train.

The opponents are senior students from the second year of the Magic Department.

Among them, a senior who had cursed Train shouted,

“If we win, you guys have to run naked around the academy, squawk!”

To which Prince Shiran retorted,

“If we win, all of you must bow your heads and greet us whenever we meet.”

…Such a thing, a sacred duel?

While Train grumbled, Jeez took the lead and shouted,

“I’ll take the vanguard! Who’s my opponent?”

Then, one of the students from the Magic Department stepped forward.

Jeez, wielding a halberd with an axe blade attached to the spear end, exclaimed,

“I’ll finish this in one fell swoop!”

No sooner had he spoken than Jeez charged at his opponent.

But as the opponent pulled out a small iron cross, Jeez suddenly collapsed to the ground.

“This, this guy, to think he’d be carrying a Yumano Church relic…”

“Hmph. This is why you can’t trust those demon clan guys.”

And so, the first round ended in an absurd victory for the Department of Magic.

Prince Sirian kicked Jeez out and stepped forward.

“I’ll be your opponent next.”

Then, another student from the Department of Magic stepped forward.

As the male student tapped his wand on the ground,

A spherical, transparent shield unfolded around him.

“Your weapon is a magic gun, right? Think you can break through this shield with that?”

Prince Sirian shrugged and drew his own gun.

“You can’t use any other magic while you’re using a shield, can you?”

“Is that so!”

The male student, shielded, hurled small fireballs.

Using two spells at once,

It was a feat not even Train could mimic…

“Pointless.”

Prince Shiran fired his gun at the fireballs.

In mid-air, the fireballs and electric bullets collided and exploded.

“This guy!”

Despite the dazzling barrage of fireballs pouring down,

Prince Shiran didn’t miss a single one, hitting them all.

Impressive dynamic vision and shooting skills.

And the boldness not to flinch in front of the onslaught of fire.

Even Train admired his finesse.

Eventually, the male student tired and dropped his shield.

Seizing the moment, Shiran shot a bullet at the opponent’s forehead,

and the opponent jerked violently before fainting.

“For such a weakling to be an academy student, it’s embarrassing for me.”

Prince Shiran returned, mischievously smiling as he playfully tapped Train’s shoulder.

“It’s your turn.”

Finally, Train stepped forward, muttering as if taking turns with Prince Shiran.

“I really don’t want to fight.”

Honestly, whether he won or lost, there was nothing good in it for Train.

Sure, wandering around the academy naked wasn’t appealing,

But even if he won here, those seniors would only look down on Train even more.

Especially after the newspaper incident, he wanted to avoid attention as much as possible.

“…But what are you doing?”

Train glanced at Prince Shiran as he spoke,

Who, by now, had pushed a camcorder into his hands and replied nonchalantly.

“Don’t mind me.”

“How can I not mind?”

“I just have someone to show this to, so try to look cool.”

Train, not knowing how to respond, just flapped his lips,

When suddenly, a voice shouted from afar.

“Train! Hang in there!”

For some reason, the female seniors he had tea with earlier were there.

Before they knew it, dozens of onlookers had gathered.

With a heavy sigh, Train muttered at the sight.

“Wow… I suddenly don’t feel like fighting.”

Then his opponent confronted Train.

“You must be thrilled, being so popular for a commoner, huh?”

“What? No, it’s not like I wanted this…”

“Don’t make me laugh. You were the one flirting with my Serbia first, weren’t you?”

“Are you and Senior Serbia dating or engaged?”

The opponent flinched for a moment, then burst out in anger.

“Ah, not yet, but we’re going to be married, you hear!”

At those words, a few in the crowd snorted, turning the senior’s face beet red.

Feeling a pang of pity for the senior,

Train quietly suggested to him.

“I’ll apologize, so can we just call it a draw?”

“Don’t be ridiculous! Did you think you could insult me like this and just walk away, you commoner scum!”

“I never had any interest in Senior Serbia to begin with—”

“How presumptuous of a commoner to come to the Academy, thinking we wouldn’t know you’re just trying to marry into nobility to raise your status, squawk!”

As Train’s expression slightly hardened, the senior shouted even more gleefully.

“What’s wrong, squawk? Did I hit a nerve, squawk?”

“It’s not like that.”

“You spout such nonsense in the newspapers just to gain popularity, don’t you, squawk?”

“That’s not true.”

“If I win, I’ll make sure the newspapers portray you as a playboy who seduces other men’s women, squawk!”

The opponent had finally touched Train’s raw nerve.

Thanks to that, Train now had one more reason he couldn’t afford to lose.

“…Even if the body perishes, the knight’s honor will be eternal.”

As Train summoned his magic sword, the opponent smirked and said,

“Look, that inefficient magic sword you learned just to show off to women, right? Squawk!”

“……”

“I’ll show you my secret move, just for you! Squawk!”

As the opponent extended their staff, a black mist spewed forth.

Suddenly, the mist enveloped Traine, and soon his vision was steeped in darkness.

“Whoa! What’s this!”

“Muahaha! It’s a curse that blocks your sight! A fake swordsman like you can’t do anything if you can’t see, squawk!”

While Traine floundered, the opponent launched a fireball.

“Eat this and drop dead, squawk!”

But Traine calmly twisted his body and dodged it.

“Tch, lucky brat, squawk!”

The opponent poured out a series of fireballs.

Yet, even blinded, Traine evaded them with minimal movement.

The adversary fired off magic more frantically.

“Damn it, do you have some kind of special vision or what, squawk!”

“It’s nothing so grandiose.”

Traine had forcibly learned from Yuril’s butler the way to fight using all senses rather than relying on sight.

After all, the butler’s sword strikes couldn’t be followed with the eyes anyway,

Traine refrained from visibly following it with his eyes, for fear of a counterattack with paint.

Thanks to that, dodging such a flamboyant fireball with just sound and heat was hardly a challenge.

As the meaningless fireballs poured down, the people around began to murmur.

“Even without sight, he’s that good!”

“That’s our Knight Department head for you.”

“Traine! Give him a taste of his own medicine!”

But the situation wasn’t any better for Traine.

As long as there was no guarantee that his opponent wouldn’t use magic other than fireballs,

closing the distance with his eyes closed was akin to a suicide mission.

‘Damn, I should’ve asked Prince Shiran to teach me how to deflect curses.’

Sure enough, his opponent soon shouted in an overly confident tone.

“Let’s see if you can dodge this too, quack!”

With that cry, dozens of small fireballs were simultaneously summoned.

“Muahahaha! If you don’t want to burn to death, surrender now, quack!”

Traine hesitated for a moment.

No matter what, avoiding it to such an extent is too much.

‘I don’t particularly have to win this fight, so maybe it’s time to start giving up and surrender…’

…Train felt a sense of dissonance with his own thoughts.

Give up?

If I can’t overcome even a curse as minor as this, how can I ever break Yuril’s curse that could last a lifetime?

“What are you hesitating for, quack! I’ll give you exactly 3 seconds to declare your surrender, quack!”

Don’t make me laugh, Yuril’s curse is much stronger than this trivial one.

“Three, quack!”

After all, Yuril is hundreds of times stronger than this riff-raff.

“Two, quack!”

If I lose here, I’ll never be able to save Yuril.

“One, quack!”

I will never give up.

-It was at that moment.

For some reason, the grimoire that Train held in his arms grew a bit warmer.

He instinctively realized something and let out a small laugh.

“So this is what a grimoire is all about.”

At Trine’s murmur, his opponent shouted in frustration.

“What are you laughing at! Do you want to become a lump of coal that badly, squawk!”

Trine pulled out the grimoire from his bosom and opened it.

Then, a massive, red-lipped maw of magical energy burst forth from the book.

“It’s too late for anything now, squawk!”

His adversary poured a barrage of prepared hexes at Trine.

Almost simultaneously, Trine’s curse lifted, and his vision returned.

A spell to break a weak curse.

That was the answer ‘The Frog Prince’, the grimoire, gave to Trine.

“…You’re not my enemy.”

Trine suddenly leapt into the rain of flames.

And he dodged them all, never once touched by the fire.

“What the- what on earth-“

And then, she lunged at her opponent, thrusting the sword at their throat.

A reversal that took less than a second.

In the end, the opponent, taken aback, fell backwards.

“How, how did you…”

“Do you surrender?”

“Don’t make me laugh, quack!”

“Your senior’s name was Megryu, right?”

“So, what about it-“

“To be honest, I can somewhat understand Senior Megryu. I’m in the position of unrequited love myself.”

But Train pressed the sword even more firmly against the senior’s throat, trampling on their heart.

“But now, you’re just a nuisance to Senior Serbia, a stalker, aren’t you?”

At those words, Megryu’s pupils shook violently.

Then, as if resigned, they raised both hands and muttered.

“I surrender, quack.”

Only then did Train deactivate the magic sword and put the grimoire back into their embrace.

At the same time, the onlookers began to cheer.

“Indeed, the Knight Academy’s class president is different!”

“To remain so composed even when blind!”

“I’ve never seen someone who can use a grimoire before!”

In the Kingdom of Altoria, dueling was a sacred ritual.

Those who fled without accepting a duel were stripped of their nobility.

Moreover, the decisions made through duels took precedence over all other national laws.

In essence, duels were both a privilege and a duty directly linked to a noble’s honor.

“But I’m not a noble, is that alright…?”

Train stood in the middle of the dimly lit stadium.

On this side were Jeez, Prince Sirian, and Train.

Their opponents were the second-year students from the Magic Department.

Among them, the senior who had cursed Train shouted.

“If we win, you’ll have to run around the academy naked, quack!”

To which Prince Sirian retorted.

“If we win, all of you must bow your heads in greeting whenever you face us.”

…Such a thing, a sacred duel.

While Traine grumbled, Jeez took the lead and shouted.

“I’ll take the vanguard! Who’s my opponent?”

Then, one of the students from the Department of Magic stepped forward.

Jeez, brandishing a halberd with an axe blade at the tip, cried out.

“I’ll finish this in one fell swoop!”

No sooner had Jeez finished speaking than he charged at his opponent.

But as the opponent pulled out a small iron cross, Jeez suddenly collapsed to the ground.

“This, this guy, to think he’d carry a holy relic of the Yumano Church…”

“Hmph. This is why demonkind can never win.”

And so, the first round ended in an absurd victory for the Department of Magic.

Prince Shiran kicked Jeez out and stepped forward.

“I’ll be your opponent next.”

Then another student from the Department of Magic stepped forward.

As the boy tapped his wand on the ground once,

A spherical, transparent shield unfolded around him.

“Your weapon is a magic gun, right? Think you can break through this shield with that?”

Prince Shiran shrugged his shoulders and drew his gun.

“After all, you can’t use other magic while the shield is up, can you?”

“Really? Let’s see!”

The boy, still encased in the shield, hurled small fireballs.

Using two spells at once,

It was a feat Traein couldn’t even begin to imitate…

“Futile.”

Prince Shiran fired his gun at the incoming fireballs.

In mid-air, the balls of fire and electric bullets collided and exploded.

“This guy!”

Though countless fireballs poured down dazzlingly,

Prince Shiran didn’t miss a single one, shooting them all down.

With remarkable dynamic vision and shooting skills.

And the audacity not to flinch before a barrage of fireballs.

Even Train couldn’t help but admire such finesse.

Eventually, the male student grew tired and dropped his shield.

Seizing the moment, Sirian fired a bullet at the opponent’s forehead,

And with a great jolt, the opponent fainted.

“To think such a weakling is a student of the academy, it’s embarrassing for me too.”

Prince Sirian returned, teasingly laughing as he playfully slapped Train’s shoulder.

“It’s your turn.”

Reluctantly, Train stepped forward, taking Sirian’s place, and muttered,

“I really don’t want to fight.”

Honestly, whether he won or lost, there was no benefit for Train.

He disliked the idea of wandering the academy in his birthday suit,

But winning here would only make the seniors despise him more.

Especially after the newspaper incident, he preferred to avoid attention whenever possible.

“…But what are you doing?”

As Train glanced at Prince Shiran,

He nonchalantly pushed forward the camcorder in his hand and replied,

“Don’t worry about it.”

“Wouldn’t you be concerned if you were me?”

“I just have someone I want to show this to, so try to look cool.”

Train was at a loss for words, his mouth twitching,

When suddenly, a voice shouted from afar,

“Train! Hang in there!”

For some reason, the senior girls he had tea with earlier were there.

And before he knew it, dozens of other onlookers had gathered.

Seeing this, Train sighed deeply and muttered,

“Wow… I suddenly don’t feel like fighting.”

Then his opponent taunted him,

“Must be nice being so popular for a commoner, huh?”

“Me? No, it’s not like I wanted to…”

“Don’t make me laugh. You were the one who hit on my Serbia first, quack!”

“Were you dating or engaged to Senior Serbia?”

At that, the opponent flinched for a moment before getting angry.

“Ah, not yet, but we’re going to get married eventually, quack!”

Some of the audience snorted at this, turning the senior’s face beet red.

Feeling somewhat sorry for the senior,

Train suggested in a quiet voice.

“I’ll apologize, so can we just call it a draw?”

“Don’t be ridiculous, quack! Did you think a commoner like you could insult me and just get away with it, quack!”

“I never had any interest in Senior Serbia in the first place—”

“You think I don’t know that a commoner like you came to the academy to marry into nobility and elevate your status, quack!”

As Train’s expression hardened slightly, the senior shouted even more excitedly.

“What’s the matter, quack? Did I hit a nerve, quack?”

“It’s not like that.”

“You’re spouting such nonsense in the newspapers just to grab some attention, aren’t you? Quack?”

“There’s no way that’s true.”

“If I win, I’ll make sure the newspapers portray you as a womanizer who flirts with other men’s ladies. Quack!”

His opponent had finally touched Traein’s raw nerve.

Thanks to that, Traein now had one more reason he couldn’t afford to lose.

“…Even if the body perishes, the knight’s honor remains eternal.”

As Traein summoned his magic sword, his opponent smirked and said,

“Look, that inefficient magic sword of yours, you learned it just to show off and pick up girls, right? Quack!”

“……”

“I’ll show you a secret technique reserved just for you! Quack!”

As his opponent extended his staff, a black mist spewed forth.

Suddenly, the mist enveloped Traein, and soon his vision was completely obscured by darkness.

“Whoa! What is this!”

“Muahahaha! It’s a curse that blocks your sight! A fake swordsman like you can’t do anything if you can’t see. Quack!”

While Traein floundered, his opponent launched a fireball.

“Eat this and pass out, squawk!”

But Train deftly twisted his body, dodging it with ease.

“Tch, lucky brat, squawk!”

His opponent unleashed a barrage of fireballs.

Yet, even blinded, Train evaded them with minimal movement.

The adversary fired off spells more frantically.

“Damn it, do you have some kind of sixth sense, squawk?”

“It’s nothing so grandiose.”

Train had been forced to learn a way of fighting that relied on all senses but sight from Yuril’s butler.

Initially, the butler’s sword strikes were too fast for the eye,

and if Train showed any sign of following them with his eyes, he’d be met with a counterattack of paint.

Thanks to that, dodging such noisy fireballs with just sound and heat was no big deal.

As the meaningless fireballs continued to pour out, the people around began to murmur.

“To fight like that without sight!”

“He truly is the captain of the Knights’ Academy.”

“Train! Hit them with a blast!”

But the situation was no better for Train.

As long as there was no guarantee that the opponent wouldn’t use magic other than fireballs,

Closing the distance with his eyes shut was tantamount to suicide.

‘Damn, I should’ve asked Prince Sirian to teach me how to deflect curses.’

Sure enough, the opponent soon shouted in a voice laced with triumph.

“Let’s see if you can dodge this too, quack!”

With that cry, dozens of small fireballs were simultaneously conjured.

“Muahahaha! If you don’t want to burn to death, surrender now, quack!”

Train hesitated for a moment.

No matter what, dodging something like that was impossible.

‘I don’t necessarily have to win this fight, so maybe it’s time to give up and surrender…’

…Train felt a sense of dissonance with his own thoughts.

Give up?

If he couldn’t overcome even a curse of this level, he would never be able to break Yuril’s curse in his lifetime.

“What are you hesitating for, quack! I’ll give you exactly 3 seconds to declare your surrender, quack!”

Don’t be ridiculous, Yuril’s curse is much stronger than such a petty one.

“Three, quack!”

After all, Yuril is hundreds of times stronger than this riff-raff.

“Two, quack!”

If I lose here, Yuril will be unattainable forever.

“One, quack!”

I will never give up.

-It was at that moment.

For some reason, the grimoire that was in Train’s embrace warmed slightly.

He instinctively realized something and let out a small laugh.

“So this is what a grimoire is all about.”

At Train’s murmur, his opponent shouted in frustration.

“What are you laughing at! Do you want to become a lump of coal that badly, quack!”

Train took out the grimoire from his embrace and spread it open.

Suddenly, a massive blob of magic in the shape of giant, red lips burst forth from the book.

“Now it’s too late to do anything, squawk!”

The opponent relentlessly unleashed a barrage of prepared spells at Train.

Almost simultaneously, Train’s curse lifted, and his vision returned.

A spell to break a weak curse.

That was the answer given to Train by the magical tome ‘The Frog Prince’.

“…You are not my enemy.”

Train abruptly leapt into the rain of flames.

And he dodged every single flame without being touched.

“What, what on earth-“

He then charged at his opponent, thrusting his sword at their throat.

A reversal that took less than a second.

In the end, the opponent, taken aback, fell backwards.

“How on earth did you…”

“Do you surrender?”

“Don’t be ridiculous, quack!”

“Your name was Megryu, wasn’t it?”

“So what if it was—”

“To be honest, I can somewhat understand Megryu. I’m in the throes of unrequited love myself.”

But Traein pressed the sword even closer to the senior’s heart, trampling over it.

“But now, you’re just a stalker causing trouble for Senior Serbia, aren’t you?”

At those words, Megryu’s pupils shook violently.

Then, as if resigning himself, he raised both hands and muttered.

“I surrender, quack.”

Only then did Traein deactivate the magic sword and tuck the grimoire back into his embrace.

Simultaneously, the onlookers began to cheer.

“The class president of the Knight’s Academy is really something else!”

“To remain so composed even when blindfolded!”

“This is the first time I’ve seen someone who can use a grimoire!”

Ignoring the cheers around him, Traein left Megryu with one last remark.

“To like someone… means you wish for their happiness, right?”

And with that, he turned away in displeasure and left his seat.

Prince Shiran and Jiz hurriedly followed after Train.

The place they left behind.

The audience began to chatter excitedly.

“That guy is super cool.”

“The head of the Knight’s Academy this year is definitely different.”

“What should I do, I think I’m really falling for him.”

In the end, Train’s popularity had unknowingly doubled,

and as a result, it only led to the adverse effect of making the news once more.

Prince Shiran and Jiz hurriedly followed after Train.

The place they left behind.

The audience began to chatter excitedly.

“That guy is super cool.”

“The head of the Knight’s Academy this year is definitely different.”

“What should I do, I think I’m really falling for you.”

Eventually, Train’s popularity had unknowingly doubled,

and as a result, it only led to the adverse effect of making the headlines once more.