A win is a win, and a loss is a loss.
Stuart Fawn hadn't sunk to the point of being a sore loser.
But duel matches ultimately involved an element of luck; victory and defeat weren't a complete display of one's true strength.
He'd already admitted that Dark Demon possessed a level beyond that of a first-year—but in the next match, he wouldn't necessarily lose!
"I hope I'll meet you again in a future match."
Stuart Fawn left those parting words, then lowered his head and shut off the card table.
For the time being, he needed to think long and hard about how to handle President Jeffrey's reproach.
This unexpected defeat might have an extremely negative impact on his standing in the Noble History Research Society.
...
"A future match?"
After hearing Stuart's parting line, Dark's expression turned odd.
He couldn't shake the feeling that the senior's words carried a flavor of "the tides always turn—don't look down on a poor youth."
But isn't the one in the higher grade you, senior?
He rubbed his chin, hesitated for a moment, and—too lazy to bother responding—set about recalling his Magic Guide Spirits.
His victory in this duel owed a great deal to his Magic Guide Spirits' performance.
Espeon and Drifblim in particular had laid the foundation for the outcome.
Stuart Fawn had probably believed that if he could just drag things out past this turn, he'd reclaim a chance at victory. But in truth, the moment Drifblim took the field, this duel had already been declared over.
The only reason he'd been given the illusion that he could still cling to life was that Dark had chosen to "hold a card in reserve," and hadn't let Drifblim unfold its "Nightmare Space."
Once the "Nightmare Space" was deployed, Drifblim would only need to use "Field Exchange" to swap its own position with the "Shadow Play Ninja," delivering a fatal blow to that Magic Sphere.
But in duel matches, the less information one revealed, the more advantageous it was for later contests.
Take Espeon's "Magic Mirror" and the Magic Guide Scribe's "Auto-Summon"—after this duel, they'd most likely be seen through and countered.
So learning to keep one's trump cards in reserve was extremely important.
...
By the time Dark had gathered up his Magic Guide Cards and walked down from the competitors' stage, First Prince Charles—who'd come to the audience seats specifically for him—was already growing somewhat impatient.
While the previous duel had been reasonably enjoyable to watch, his attention had never really been on the duel itself.
"Where's that Hero Cat I was promised?"
The First Prince's voice carried a threatening edge.
The confidant at his side hurriedly chimed in, "The next match—it'll definitely come out in the next match!"
The First Prince crossed his arms over his chest and continued to gaze silently at the arena.
He knew full well that being unable to summon a specific Magic Guide Spirit in a single duel was perfectly normal; just now he'd merely been venting his own dissatisfaction.
But the next duel…
The next duel, of course, was not Dark's stage.
At Senior Judy's beckoning, he made a brief appearance up on the stage, then stepped down.
After that, the two competitors from the upper-grade group took the stage and began their duel.
The two competitors appearing in the first round of the upper-grade semifinals were the fourth-year Noble House student who had defeated a fifth-year competitor, and the lone sixth-year student.
After exiting, Dark didn't head to the ring-shaped strip; instead, he stayed at the entrance of the competitors' passage, replenishing the magic in his Magic Guide Cards while watching the match.
The remaining competitors who hadn't yet played were all in the same competitors' passage.
The two remaining competitors in the upper-grade group, the "Dragon-Slaying Warrior" Luke Bechi and the "Dark Night Baron" Noah Sharp, were in the same grade and clearly knew each other well—but they didn't seem to get along, standing far apart.
Then again, that made sense: one who "used dragons" and one who "slew dragons" could hardly be expected to mesh.
The atmosphere in the lower-grade group, by contrast, was a touch more harmonious.
Dark was on familiar enough terms with Senior Ma Li to exchange a few words.
As for the other one, the third-year Fool's House student Tom Nixon, he kept his eyes lowered and his manner meek, saying little.
It was amid this atmosphere that the duel began.
...
Although the outcome of the upper-grade duel had nothing to do with him, Dark still watched intently.
That said, the two competitors in this duel were vastly mismatched in strength.
From the "Battle Phase" onward, the situation settled into a one-sided rout.
The fourth-year Noble House student was never able to pull off an underdog upset the way Dark Demon had; from start to finish he was relentlessly suppressed by that sixth-year.
It was as if, by the time anyone came to their senses, the fourth-year Noble House student was already finished.
...
"Didn't expect my turn to come so soon."
Ma Li Bond drew a slight breath, straightening up a little from where she leaned against the wall.
Dark asked with concern, "Senior, do you have a shot at winning?"
Ma Li glanced at Tom Nixon across the way, then pumped her fist. "As for my odds…"
Dark: "Hm?"
Ma Li broke into a smile. "Zero, of course." Then she turned and strode out of the competitors' passage.
Dark opened his mouth, but for a good while no words came out.
"She's certainly carefree."
Dark shook his head and reined in his thoughts.
Although Senior Ma Li had defeated Elsie Kevin in the previous duel, a careful look at that match would reveal that her raw strength was actually slightly inferior to Elsie Kevin's.
Her win had been the result of many factors combined.
But facing the third-year honors student Tom Nixon, those advantages of hers would most likely fail to manifest.
Just as she herself had said—no chance of winning.
Yet a duelist never admits defeat.
Even if the road ahead is pitch-black and impassable, one must believe in oneself, believe in miracles, and ultimately carve out the light!
...
Although that notion sounded a bit chuuni, the power of the heart truly could create miracles.
And besides, the opponent might suddenly do something stupid, right?
Dark gave a slight smile and turned his head toward the other competitor about to take the stage.
And so his gaze happened to cross with Tom Nixon's.
Tom Nixon was a third-year, which meant he was fourteen.
In this world, fourteen was originally an age at which one could marry, have children, and shoulder the responsibilities of a family.
Although the rapid changes of the era had given children more time to grow up, Tom was a child of the slums, more keenly aware of the world's warmth and cruelty.
This was Dark's first time interacting with this Fool's House senior, so he couldn't help but study him closely.
From his features, Tom's hair was somewhat split-ended, his overlong bangs covering his eyes, giving him a very low-key look—but without the gloominess of Stuart Fawn.
He looked natural, and ordinary.
Like a boy you might see anywhere.
Yet it was this very boy who, in an earlier duel, had defeated Senior Winnie Skadi, a descendant of the Sage of Winter.
From the very beginning, Dark had regarded Winnie Skadi as an opponent he'd need to overcome on the road to the championship, never expecting she'd be eliminated in the very first round of the main tournament.
The Tom Nixon who had defeated Winnie Skadi naturally drew his attention as a result.
Just as the two were sizing each other up, Tom Nixon suddenly raised his hand, spread all five fingers toward Dark, then drew them in slightly, tucking his thumb beneath his index finger.
Before Dark could voice his confusion, he quickly turned and walked out of the passage exit.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Dark replayed Tom Nixon's gesture in his mind, utterly baffled.
But the "Dark Night Baron" Noah Sharp, who was also there, suddenly spoke up: "You know him?"
"Me and him?"
Dark glanced at Tom Nixon's retreating figure and shook his head. "No."
"Then that's strange." Noah Sharp rubbed his chin, pondering.
This fifth-year Knight House senior was only sixteen, yet already quite tall; though plain-featured, he gave off a very steady, dependable air.
Dark didn't know him personally, only learning from the earlier introductions that he had once saved his homeland and had thereby been granted the title of baron.
But since Noah Sharp had struck up the conversation, there was no reason for Dark to hold back, so he asked, "Excuse me—what did Senior Tom Nixon's gesture mean?"
"That's a custom of certain minority tribes."
The "Dragon-Slaying Warrior" Luke Bechi, who had barely spoken until now, suddenly chimed in to explain: "Tom is telling you that he's going to eat you."
"Eat me?" Dark grew even more puzzled.
Noah Sharp shot him a sidelong glance. "That's why I asked whether you knew him. This isn't an ordinary greeting—it means he's marked you as prey he's about to hunt."
Dark wore a look of utter bewilderment.
Seeing that the junior seemed startled, Noah Sharp let out a hearty laugh and reassured him: "Don't overthink it. For a first-year to beat two third-years in a row, you're really quite impressive. Even if you lose next, you'll still gain plenty of popularity. At St. Marian, popularity points can genuinely be converted into credits. You'd better give it your all."
With that, Noah Sharp stepped a little way out of the passage to watch the match.
He showed no particular eagerness toward Dark on account of his status, though.
In essence, this was the typical attitude of a Magic Guide Master with a boundless future toward the nobility.
Although Noah Sharp held the rank of baron, he presumably placed little value on the noble system.
Right after, the "Dragon-Slaying Warrior" Luke Bechi also walked out of the passage exit.
Inside the passage, only Dark remained, deep in thought.
But unable to make sense of it no matter how hard he thought, Dark could only set the matter aside for now and watch the match attentively.
Zach Wilson, who had returned to the commentary stand, had already launched into his impassioned commentary.
After swapping commentary duties with the upper-grade group earlier, he had returned to Angus Jeffrey's side, stealing glances at Jeffrey's vexed expression while feeling an inexplicable little glee inside.
Of course, laughing on the inside was one thing—he could never laugh to Jeffrey's face.
Now that he was back at the commentary stand, he could once again let loose with bold, sweeping flair.
This duel between Ma Li Bond and Tom Nixon showed a slight gap in strength on paper, but having just witnessed Dark Demon's underdog upset, the audience had instead grown all the more enthusiastic about these cross-grade duels between lower and upper years.
What's more, both competitors on the field had rather distinctive dueling styles, and had indeed accumulated a number of niche fans.
And so the duel opened to a fine atmosphere.
After taking the competitors' stage, the two skipped right past the exchange (trash-talk) segment and entered the preparation phase.
Then came shuffling, drawing, summoning—and the duel erupted in full!
...
"So the winner between these two will be Dark's opponent in the finals?" At the ring-shaped strip, Diana asked with wide eyes.
Pandora nodded with a smile. "That's right. If Dark wants to claim the ultimate victory, he'll have to defeat whichever of them wins."
Diana couldn't help saying, "It looks so hard."
The duel between Ma Li Bond and Tom Nixon was unexpectedly fierce.
Or rather—Ma Li Bond was unexpectedly strong!
In this duel, she strongly displayed the aptitude befitting a Psychic Magic Guide Master.
Her Magic Guide Spirits didn't possess the sentience Dark's did, but in their performance they came extremely close.
"Diana, she looks a lot like you," Rose said, also surprised.
But Diana wore a puzzled look. "Eh? Where do we look alike?"
Rose shook her head. "I can't quite put it into words either."
Pandora stared at Diana's face for a moment, then said, "Watch the match closely—you'll get something out of it."
Diana: "Oh."
...
"Quite the impressive aptitude."
Elsewhere along the ring-shaped strip, the "Lia Goethe" who had taken on a different appearance revealed a look of approval.
But what she was paying attention to wasn't Ma Li Bond—it was Tom Nixon.
...
While Ma Li Bond displayed the aptitude of a "Psychic Magic Guide Master," Tom Nixon revealed another kind of aptitude that only a few could discern.
It was the aptitude of a "Blood Source Magic Guide Master"—utterly different from that of a "Psychic Magic Guide Master"!
To explore the origins of one's bloodline, to forge a blood-to-blood connection with one's Magic Guide Spirits, to let the instincts of the bloodline saturate the Magic Guide Spirit's core and unleash power beyond imagination.
This was the "Blood Source Magic Guide Master."
Unlike the system of "psychic power," the "Blood Source Magic Guide Master" wielded "Blood Source power."
Neither was inherently stronger or weaker than the other.
But "psychic power," in a certain sense, was actually a system that could be popularized and spread widely.
"Blood Source power," on the other hand, was the exclusive privilege of a select few.
Tom Nixon, of mixed blood, seemed to possess the key that opened the door to "Blood Source power."
...
On the dueling field.
The battle between Ma Li Bond's and Tom Nixon's Magic Guide Spirits gradually broke free from the framework of an ordinary fight.
It was like a warrior skilled in combat and a bloodthirsty beast locked in a desperate fight to the death; the stats on the panel seemed to have become little more than a barely relevant garnish to them.
Ma Li Bond, who had known from the start she had no chance of winning, fully savored the exhilaration of the duel.
And Tom Nixon, who had victory firmly in hand, gradually settled his mind after meeting unexpectedly fierce resistance.
The beast within his heart, hidden beneath that ordinary exterior, slowly bared its fangs.
The intensity of the battle stirred the crowd into a frenzy.
...
Dark Demon's gaze sharpened, his full attention fixed on the match.
The duel between the two on the field had completely captured his attention, setting his recently-cooled blood boiling once more.
As for the gesture Tom Nixon had made at him before the match, he'd long since flung it to the back of his mind.
There was no point fretting over something like that.
Next, if Tom Nixon were the one to win—
then he'd simply defeat him in the finals.
That would be enough.
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