The Pleven Household is no different from other houses.
That's what the future head, that is, me, Oscar, knows better than anyone.
Like all noble families, we started as a knight household. Then we completed the 100 years of service required to become barons.
When we became nobles, our family was the worst of all at using swords or martial arts.
But one day, the current head of that time discovered he had a talent for magic.
Thanks to that, the Pleven Household managed to rise in a few years to become a count household. We needed to have more connections, so we became vassals of the imperial family.
We became a marquis household thanks to that. We swore to serve the imperial family, and they granted us a seat among the holy mages.
But thanks to my grandfather, our house became one of the most renowned and important.
For that reason, when I was a child, I was invited to a birthday party.
It was for Prince Regulux; I went with the most expensive gift. At that party, he was turning 9 years old.
While I was in line to leave my gift.
"Hello."
He spoke to me.
I didn't understand why he did it; I mean, he should have done it once he finished greeting the adults and then their children.
Only then could he strike up a conversation with us.
But one thing left me even more astonished.
"Hey, you're the son of the Pleven Household, right? I heard you are talented in magic. Would you mind showing me a bit of that magic?"
Those were the words that captivated me.
My grandfather never praised me.
I thought it was because of my talent with wind magic, the only thing I can use, according to my grandfather.
There are people who cannot use other magic spells because of their attribute. This one is so strong that, for some reason, their body rejects any other magical element circulating through it.
At the same time, thanks to that, there are people who can use something called dark magic.
Dark magic is supposed to be used only by demons.
But it seems there are humans born with it, and the ministry of magic secretly recruits them.
The world of magic is bigger than it is.
That's why I love magic; for that reason, I caught the prince's attention.
Therefore, I do not plan to lose.
For the honor of magic, for my own honor as a future holy mage, and above all. For the pride of the prince who no longer wishes to be with a woman as opportunistic as his fiancée.
"I do not plan to lose, do you hear me? Weird face."
◇
For some reason, the effeminate Oscar called me weird face.
Since he was the only one who hadn't mocked me, I decided to defeat him cleanly. But you ruined that; now I'll kick your ass really hard.
We were both ready to fly.
The referee looked at us both and said.
"The next duel is between Razel Bartlet vs. Oscar von Pleven!"
Oscar's steed was a mix between salmon and bone white.
It's supposed to be a fashionable color, since, like his steed, this one is from a company that makes customized Pegasus.
The one he had was called Bedivere.
It was very beautiful, but it seemed to be just that: beautiful, not fast.
(Well, that's just my opinion.)
(Anyway.)
(All set.)
"Begin!"
Said the referee.
We both accelerated.
Like with Jake, I flew straight to the mountain again.
Oscar was an expert in magical attacks, so I need to be more careful with him than with Jake.
As I moved away, I heard.
"Wind magic..."
He was reciting a spell.
Turning my head to look at him, I watched as he stretched out his hand while driving very slowly.
From his hand, a green magic circle materialized.
As always, his face didn't show that he gave importance to the opponent.
His lips moved to say.
"Arrow Gust."
A green wind crossbow materialized.
Like a real one, it pulled back to fire the arrow.
It was very surreal.
The arrow aimed at me; the time from when he recited the spell was 3 seconds.
The arrow, when fired, flew at great speed.
It cut through the air like a knife.
It made a slip sound.
I didn't activate my Eagle Eye, so I couldn't dodge it.
But it seems the attack missed.
The wind arrow grazed my cheek and crashed into the mountain, generating a large dust cloud and a loud sound.
Once again, the mountain was intact.
Oscar contacted me so I could hear him.
"That was a warning shot. The only time I'll do it." He said as he slowly approached me.
"Give up right now."
"I have no interest in someone like you. My only real threat is Prince Cidfert."
(It seemed like Lambert was speaking to me, but that boy's way of expressing himself was to belittle others.)
(Oscar just spoke with harsh honesty.)
(But, I'm sorry. I won't.)
"Unlike Jake-dono, I am not a confident fool."
(That's true.)
(You're not a fool, but you are conceited.)
(You liked to show off your skills in the game.)
"Give up right now, and you won't live with shame."
I looked at Oscar, then sighed and told him the truth.
"You were always like this in the game."
"What?"
He replied because of the strange thing I said.
"Believing you're better than others just because of your talent with magic, but that is your weakness."
I turned around to accelerate.
Oscar watched me and also sighed.
I was no longer heading to the mountain; I was circling around it.
Oscar prepared his attack again.
"... Truly, how foolish you are."
"Wind magic."
His voice was clear.
"Three Arrow Gust."
Just as he recited the spell, three arrows materialized in the center of the bow.
(This time my Eagle Eye was ready.)
(Bring it on!)
"You lost."
Oscar prematurely declared his victory.
The three arrows were fired at great speed.
(But I won't let any of them touch me.)
One arrow flew faster than the others.
That arrow was going to destroy my steed.
I dodged it by inches, and it impacted the forest.
The next arrow didn't change its course; I dodged it, and now it hit the mountain.
The next arrow seemed similar.
But Oscar cast a spell on it.
"Wind magic: air serpent."
The arrow turned into a serpent and chased me.
No matter where I went, it chased me.
I entered the forest, and the serpent wouldn't stop trying to bite me.
In the distance, I spotted a cave.
I entered, thinking I would lose it, but the wind serpent is just as stubborn as its summoner.
◇◇◇
In the stands, Lily and Elize talked.
"Will Razel-kun be okay?"
"He must be. Oscar is talented with magic, but Razel must be planning how to defeat someone who attacks from a distance."
"Will he win?"
Lily's innocent question made Elize briefly thoughtful.
"He said he would win. So, I'll believe him."
Lily looked at Elize; her eyes seemed to believe in her words, but she clutched her chest for some reason.
Both just watched the screen, which showed various sounds of explosions.
Meanwhile, in another part of the stands.
"The fight will end soon, don't you think?"
"I think so. No matter how you look at it, that boy has low chances of winning against his opponent."
"Will he lose?"
"It's a possibility."
"That's a shame."
They said, but then, an explosion was observed on the magical screens.
The girls, seeing that, shouted.
"Razel!"
◇
Somehow, I managed to escape thanks to the serpent crashing into the ceiling, generating an explosion.
Now that I came outside, Oscar was waiting for me.
His face still belittled me.
"It doesn't matter; if you survived, you'll lose now."
This time the spell was stronger.
"Wind magic: 18 arrows."
Six bows with three arrows each materialized.
(This time it was serious.)
I was near the mountain.
I flew at great speed.
The arrows also soared through the skies like missiles.
They chased me, but I said I would end this quickly.
I circled the mountain as the arrows chased me.
One after another, they reached me but impacted against the mountain.
Now only eleven remained.
But they were so fast that my Eagle Eye hurt a lot.
(My eyes hurt a lot.)
One arrow approached from the front as it had gotten ahead, another from behind.
I tried to use the classic maneuver of making them destroy each other, but it was useless.
Even flying towards the sky, I couldn't lose them.
So, I decided to show a bit of my magical power since this was very dangerous.
I took out a silver pellet I had stored in my pocket.
I concentrated a bit of magical power, and then I threw it.
A great explosion occurred.
But there were more left.
I couldn't stop; I grabbed more pellets and did the same.
Various explosions occurred.
Now only four remained.
They chased me, but once again Oscar used a spell.
"Wind magic: great anaconda."
The four arrows merged and became one.
The danger was certain, but that was what I was looking for.
I stood still for a moment as the great anaconda came to devour me.
Oscar gave me his final words.
"It's over."
He turned around to leave.
The great serpent approached; I grabbed my bat, and magical power ran through every inch.
Like a sword, it filled with a light glow, and when the wind anaconda opened its mouth...
I destroyed it by hitting it very hard.
A great explosion of air occurred.
Oscar was returning without looking back.
Then...
"Hey."
But when he heard me call him, he turned around, and his expression was one of panic.
"I told you, you're too conceited. That's why you'll lose."
His pretty face contorted into one of horror.
His last words were.
"Please."
As I watched my bat approach his face.
"Not in the face—!"
I did the opposite of what he said, and my bat hit him full in the mouth and nose.
I could see his handsome face deformed by the blow.
His nose was broken, and his teeth flew out.
Oscar fell from the Pegasus.
His steed, having no one to drive it, also fell.
The steed hit the ground first and exploded slightly.
While Oscar was caught in time by the rescuers.
Like with Jake, they took him away on a stretcher while I heard the referee say.
"The winner is Razel Bartlet! Oscar can no longer continue!"
I returned to ask for a break; you could only do it once, and now it was my turn against the most absurdly strong opponent of all.
The muscle brain.
I saw him smiling; I knew it was his turn.
The break would last only 30 minutes, more than enough.
It's not even midday yet, and I feel like I want to sleep already.
Truly, protecting the villainess just because she's my childhood friend is tiring.