After having a chat with the Mermaid Princess, Ethan looked at his reflection in front of the mirror and sighed deeply.
‘If great power requires great responsibilities then why do people use it to hurt others?’ Ethan thought as he helplessly shook his head.
He had a feeling that Wizards and Witches, who were born with magic, took things for granted. Since they were born with this powerful and wonderful gift that not everyone could use, some of them thought that they were superior to others.
For the first time in his life, Ethan was able to use magic. It was an amazing feeling, and the only word that the young man could describe this feeling of casting his first spell was surreal.
However, before he could even fully enjoy his new-found power, he would be using it to fight against one of the most powerful Wizards among the First Years in a duel.
Even so, Ethan knew that this was a battle that he had to fight. Not only for his sake, but for Chloe’s, as well as the other Duds in the academy.
‘Can I really win?’ Ethan mused as he looked at the wand in his hand.
This was a wand whose magical core was made up of the rainbow scale of a Mermaid Princess. The same mermaid that told him that there were times when people needed to make their stand in order to protect those they held sacred.
The mermaid didn’t reply to him, and all that answered him was silence.
Fortunately, this silence didn’t last because he heard a loud knock on the door, and a voice of one of the important people in his life, called out to him from the other side of the door.
“Ethan, are you okay?” Chloe asked. “You don’t have to force yourself to fight Langston. I will fight him for you.”
Ethan smiled before walking towards the door in order to open it. When he saw Chloe’s anxious expression, the teenage boy lightly patted her head.
“This is a battle between men,” Ethan replied. “Don’t worry. I will not be defeated so easily.”
As the handsome teenager tried to reassure his cousin, Professor Violet, who was still inside the Headmaster’s office gazed at Professor Rinehart with a solemn gaze.
The Headmaster of the Academy was looking outside of the window with his arms behind his back.
Ever since Professor Violet had told him about the duel between Ethan and Langston, Professor Rinehart had been deep in thought.
There were also other Professors inside his office, including Professor Njal, and Sir Lionel, who all had a good relationship with Ethan.
After several minutes of silence, Professor Rinehart turned around to inform them of his decision.
“I agree to this Magical Duel,” Professor Rinehart declared. “Tell everyone to gather at the Plaza of Beginnings. We will hold the duel there, and I will be the referee.”
“““Yes, Headmaster!”””
After receiving his reply, all the Professors left the room in order to carry out the Headmaster’s order.
When he was the only person remaining inside the room, the Headmaster of Brynhildr Academy let out a long sigh of helplessness.
“Ethan, it seems that I have underestimated your conviction,” Professor Rinehart muttered. “I guess, you really didn’t care about your position as one of the Pillars of the Academy. Are you perhaps feeling guilty that the position you currently possess was something that didn’t belong to you in the first place?”
After Ethan cleared the Initiation Ceremony, Professor Ophelia went to talk to Professor Rinehart in private, and discussed Ethan’s true situation.
Professor Rinehart wasn’t shocked about Professor Ophelia’s confession.
In fact, it only confirmed his suspicion from the very beginning that Ethan was someone who wasn’t supposed to be in the Academy.
But, the Headmaster had decided to let him stay because he believed that Fate had played a part in making this event a reality. 𝒐𝒱𝔩xt.𝗇𝓔t
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Professor Rinehart thought that a mysterious magic was at play, allowing Ethan to release a faint spark of magic, when he was being tested by the Appraisal Stone.
“Since you have already made your decision, so be it,” Professor Rinehart said softly as he walked towards the door. “I’ll do my best to protect you if the worst comes to worst.”
Just like the other Professors of the Academy, Professor Rinehart didn’t believe that Ethan had a chance of winning against Langston in a magical duel.
Nearly an hour later, all the students and Professors of the Academy had gathered in the Plaza of Beginnings.
The place where everything begins, and to a certain extent, a place where everything ends as well.
Everyone looked at the handsome young man, who was holding a pitchfork in his left hand, and a wand in his right.
This may look funny in the eyes of others, but for Chloe, this was a scene that she wanted to etch in her memory.
Those who treated Ethan as a friend also felt the same.
While the majority laughed at Ethan’s stupidity, others prayed for his safety.
Langston stood several meters away from the hateful Dud with a confident smile on his face. He was even thinking of whether he should finish the battle early, or toy around with his opponent, making him understand the folly of fighting against him.
“We are gathered here today to witness the Magical Duel between Ethan Gremory and Langston Kerr,” Professor Rinehart declared. “Although Magical Duels are allowed in the academy, let it be known that you shouldn’t make fighting against each other a priority whenever you have a disagreement.”
Professor Rinehart then waved his hand and created a magical barrier in the surroundings, protecting the Professors, as well as the students from the battle that was about to start.
“I will serve as this match’s referee,” Professor Rinehart declared. “If I see that there is no point in continuing the match, I will end it if I see fit. My decision will be final, and I will not take no for an answer. Do both of you understand?”
“Yes, Headmaster,” Ethan replied.
“Of course,” Langston stated while his gaze was locked on the annoying young man in front of him. “Just start this duel already.”
Professor Rinehart gave Ethan a glance, and the latter nodded his head to confirm that he also wanted to start the match.
“Whoever loses this duel will have their title as one of the Pillars of the First Years stripped from them,” Professor Rinehart said. “The benefits that they enjoyed will be given to the victor, doubling the stipend they will receive each month. Since both of you are ready, I will now start the duel.”
Professor Rinehart raised his hand with a determined expression on his face.
“Duel Start!”
As soon as these words escaped the Headmaster’s lips, Langston immediately unleashed a giant black fireball that flew towards Ethan without mercy.
Since this opportunity was rare, he decided to play around with his prey at the beginning. Defeating his opponent was simply too easy, so he decided to have a bit of fun.
More than anything else, he wanted to see the despair in Ethan’s face after discovering that the difference between them was like heaven and earth.
Langston also wanted to use this opportunity to make a statement to everyone.
He wanted everyone to know that those who dared to defy or antagonize him in the Academy would suffer the same fate as the handsome young man, whose expression became grim as soon as he saw the blazing black fireball fly in his direction.