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Oliver tapped on the door, hoping for a response.

Silence filled the air, and Oliver patiently waited before attempting another knock.

Once again, the door remained silent. Oliver maintained his composure and knocked once more.

This repeated several times.

Finally, Derick, consumed by apathy, annoyance, misfortune, and self-pity, erupted from his seat and forcefully swung the door open.

"Ah, enough…!"

Derick, typically neat and tidy, now sported disheveled hair and a slight beard, revealing his face to the world.

Upon seeing Oliver, a hint of surprise flashed across his face.

It was as if he hadn\'t expected to see that particular face, as if he believed he had a scheduled visitor.

Regardless, Oliver greeted him.

"Hello, Mr. Derick."

Perplexed by the situation, Derick rubbed his eyes in silence before uttering a question.

"…Why on earth are you here?"

Derick, his mind hardened by the weight of negative emotions, inquired with a strained voice.

It wasn\'t entirely surprising. There was little reason for Oliver and Derick to cross paths.

"I\'ve come to deliver a message from the professor."

"…Professor Kevin?"

"Yes, he mentioned that you\'ve missed too many classes. Normally, that would result in a fail, but he\'s willing to consider it if you start attending and take the final exam."

Derick pondered for a while, his eyes bearing dark circles, before shaking his head.

The grip of negative emotions influenced his thinking.

"…Don\'t lie."

"Pardon?"

"I said, don\'t lie."

"I assure you, I\'m not lying."

Oliver spoke the truth.

After Oliver conveyed his intention to meet with Derick and arrange his return to class, Kevin offered the concession.

He believed that in order to persuade someone, you needed at least a bargaining chip.

"Why do you think I\'m lying?"

"Because that professor despises us. And not only is he sending an employee, but he\'s also granting such a concession? It doesn\'t make sense."

"While he may be strict, he doesn\'t hate you… well, he might have a slight dislike, but he doesn\'t lie."

Oliver recollected Kevin\'s usual demeanor and corrected his words.

However, it appeared to have little effect.

Derick radiated disbelief, mingled with a glimmer of hope and fear.

The fear of failure.

As these emotions peeked through, Derick recoiled like a man threatened by fire, and his determination wavered.

"…Regardless, I don\'t care. You can leave now."

Derick attempted to nonchalantly shut the door.

Confronted with such a demeanor, Oliver unconsciously asked a question, driven by his curiosity. The question escaped his lips before he could stop it.

"What are you so afraid of?"

Oliver\'s words pierced directly into Derick\'s vulnerable spot, causing him considerable pain. Filled with anger, Derick forcefully swung the door open, his face inches away from Oliver\'s.

His imposing height and physique had no impact on Oliver.

"What did you just say?"

"I asked why you\'re so afraid."

Unfazed by Derick\'s rage, Oliver remained calm.

"I apologize if I upset you. However, I genuinely can\'t comprehend."

"What can\'t you understand?"

"To my knowledge, during the time you attended the professor\'s class, your skills improved dramatically. I don\'t understand why you\'ve suddenly become so passive… I thought you were remarkable."

"What do you know to speak like that?"

"I occasionally observe you in the professor\'s class and review the evaluations he gives to his students. It\'s written there that your skills have steadily improved."

That was an undeniable fact.

Derick didn\'t hold Kevin in high regard, and the feeling was mutual. However, Kevin acknowledged Derick\'s ability, talent, and unwavering determination.

"I, too, believe you are excellent."

Oliver spoke, recalling his encounter with Derick.

Those who witnessed their clash only remembered the vast difference in skill, but Oliver remembered Derick\'s growth and unyielding spirit.

It was genuinely impressive.

Yet, perhaps due to the lingering negative emotions within Derick, he rejected Oliver\'s words and struggled to misinterpret them.

Oliver wondered why he was subjecting himself to this torment.

"Do you think you\'re in a position to judge me…?!"

"…"

"Is it because you fought me on equal grounds and resolved the Mountain Pace incident? Is that why?"

"No, I don\'t consider myself qualified to judge anyone. Truly. If it came across that way, I apologize."

"I\'ve heard some rumors lately, and it seems you\'re not just an ordinary person. Especially since Professor Kevin brought you."

"Rumors?"

"Do you know nothing? Or are you pretending not to know? Don\'t you know how Kevin gained recognition as a certified wizard of the Magic Tower? Do you know who his Master is?… How did someone who doesn\'t even know this get hired?"

Derick\'s question struck a sensitive chord with Oliver, leaving him at a loss for words.

At that moment, answering these questions truthfully seemed difficult for Oliver.

While he had a prepared story in mind, once he started lying, he would have to maintain the facade consistently. Thus, remaining silent seemed like the best strategy.

But before Oliver could evade the question by using Kevin as an excuse, Derick cut him off, akin to a hunter closing in on its prey.

"You\'re not going to answer, are you? You don\'t have to. Instead, tell me this. You\'re mentioned helping Felix improve his skills. Is it related to all of this?"

It was a sharp question indeed.

Although it wasn\'t directly relevant, Derick had posed a question that was challenging for Oliver to answer.

Impressive how Derick\'s mind worked so keenly when he was a bit agitated.

"I\'m not certain about that."

"I\'ve heard that you assisted Felix significantly."

"I merely did what the professor requested. As a personal staff member of the professor, my role extends to helping you as well, Mr. Derick."

"Would it make a difference if you were honest?"

For the first time, Derick, who had been trying to avoid the situation, made a suggestion. Determination fueled his emotions.

There was a faint but unmistakable spark ignited within him.

Oliver believed it would be best not to extinguish that spark.

"Well… how about this?"

"What?"

"You have questions for me, Mr. Derick, and I want to fulfill my duties. What if we settle this with a duel? The winner gets what they want. If you win, I\'ll answer any questions you have, and if I win, you return to class."

Anger flashed in Derick\'s eyes at the reasonable suggestion, and the small flame within him began to grow slowly. It was a positive sign.

"Are you suggesting that you can easily defeat me right now?"

"No, I never assumed that anyone would definitely win. There\'s a possibility that you could defeat me, Mr. Derick, just as there\'s a possibility that I could defeat you… What will you do?"

"Wait, I\'ll retrieve my sword."

***

A resounding noise reverberated through the Elemental Magic Combat Training Room of the Tower.

Oliver closed the distance and delivered a swift kick to Derick\'s leg.

With a sharp sound, Derick staggered, feeling the pain.

"Damn…!"

Confusion, shock, and anger swept across Derick\'s face. However, amidst these emotions was a fighting spirit—a determination not to lose.

While this spirit was fueled by negative emotions, Derick, who had been trapped in powerlessness, was slowly regaining vitality.

"Damn you!"

Derick overcame the pain in his leg and swung his longsword at Oliver.

Ordinarily, one would instinctively retreat when faced with a sweeping arc from such a massive sword. However, instead of retreating, Oliver blocked the attack with a Tonfa infused with mana, using it as a shield, and followed up with a punch from his other hand.

Bang!

Derick swiftly retracted the longsword, which had been blocked by the Tonfa, and defended against Oliver\'s strike.

Impressive reflexes.

Undeterred, Oliver recalled Shamus and Duncan\'s fight, twirled the Tonfa in one hand, caught Derick\'s longsword with a hook-like motion, and pulled.

His intention was to disarm him. However, it seemed to be a miscalculation.

There was no resistance, and the blade simply followed the motion.

Oliver hurriedly blocked the incoming longsword with his other Tonfa.

Bang!

Once again, the clash of metal echoed. In that moment, Derick\'s emotions shone brightly.

Seizing the opportunity while displaying intense concentration, he saw through Oliver\'s precarious balance of power, exerted strength in his arm, yanked the longsword forcefully, snatched one of Oliver\'s Tonfas, and threw it aside.

The Tonfa flew into the air and landed on the ground.

Derick, who had been maneuvered without being able to utilize significant magic until now, had finally gained control.

In that brief yet seemingly eternal moment, Oliver observed Derick\'s actions.

Rather than charging forward, Derick took a few steps back and attempted to engulf his longsword in flames.

He was attempting to utilize his specialty—fire magic.

"I don\'t think that\'s a wise choice."

Oliver spoke up, then connected a thread of mana to the Tonfa that had flown behind Derick and swiftly pulled it back.

The mana thread didn\'t just fly back; it followed Oliver\'s intended path, colliding with Derick\'s longsword blade that was charged with mana and on the verge of igniting.

Bang!

Once again, Oliver\'s Tonfa and Derick\'s longsword clashed, causing the spell being cast to misfire due to the impact.

Flames and scattered mana filled the air.

Derick became flustered, and Oliver capitalized on that momentary lapse to close the distance.

Using both Tonfas as shields, he approached swiftly.

Zha-zha-jak-!!

Despite his flustered state, Derick thrust his longsword at Oliver as he closed in. Oliver formed a shield with both Tonfas, deftly deflecting the attack, and closed the distance even further.

He then choked Derick\'s neck with the Tonfa handle, lifted one leg, and knocked Derick down.

Derick lost his balance and fell.

He immediately discarded the useless longsword, drew a dagger from his back waist, and attempted to stab Oliver. However, Oliver had anticipated this move after reading Derick\'s emotions.

BAM!

When Oliver swung his Tonfa like an axe, the dagger fell helplessly from Derick\'s hand, and the other Tonfa was pressed against the unarmed Derick\'s neck.

It was clearly the end of the match.

Apart from the bet, Derick\'s pride may have been wounded, and he should have been angry. However, instead of anger, relief radiated from Derick.

"…So, the rumors are true."

"What rumors are you referring to?"

"You… the rumor that you\'re a mercenary or an experiment that the professor picked up during his war wizard days."

Oliver tilted his head at the unexpected words.

‘Huh? Well… isn\'t that technically correct? I met the professor for the first time during his war wizard days, and I was working as a solver at the time.\'

Although not entirely accurate, it was a somewhat fitting story.

Derick continued speaking.

"If that\'s not the case, then it doesn\'t make sense for you to be so strong. The story that you\'re a lazy kid from a wealthy family doesn\'t make sense either."

"What do you mean by a lazy kid from a wealthy family?"

"Only those who pay their way into the Tower spend their vacation like an employee of the professor."

"Ah…"

"What\'s your true identity?"

Derick inquired, but Oliver simply shook his head.

"Sorry, but it appears that I\'ve won the bet?"

Derick shook his head.

"Hey, do you know how the outcome is determined in a wizard\'s match without a referee?"

"No?"

"One side surrenders or is completely incapacitated!"

Derick shouted and released the mana inherent in his body, engulfing himself in flames, swiftly getting up.

He pushed Oliver away with a powerful burst of flame, and then took the opportunity–

–Thud!!

However, instead of achieving his goal, Oliver countered by striking Derick\'s side with his Tonfa, narrowly avoiding the intended target. This move was made possible by expelling mana from his body to counteract Derick\'s firepower.

"Ah, thank you for the lesson."

Derick winced in pain.

He attempted to cast magic once again, reigniting his fighting spirit, but Oliver preemptively disrupted the spell by striking the gathering mana source with his Tonfa, then struck Derick\'s leg with another blow.

Thump!

There was a dull sound. Thankfully, nothing broke, but it caused considerable pain.

While not an easy skill, Oliver had acquired the know-how while training with the Joseph family and the fighter crew.

The technique of inflicting pain while avoiding major injuries.

Oliver struck Derick\'s back, limiting his mobility, then targeted his shoulder when he attempted to counterattack, and finally aimed at his side, which had recovered.

Derick\'s body contorted in pain.

Oliver looked down at Derick and felt awkward. He had to knock him out because Derick wasn\'t the type to surrender, but he wasn\'t sure how to accomplish that without causing harm.

Striking his head could prove fatal… Eventually, after careful consideration, Oliver decided to continue striking Derick until he surrendered.

Thump! Thwack!! Bang! Boom! Thud-!!

After a prolonged assault, when Derick was exhausted, he asked a question.

"Why… did you hide your skills to this extent?"

"First, let\'s knock you out, and then we can talk… Ah…"

Oliver halted his attack when he noticed Derick\'s emotional state. Derick no longer possessed the will to fight.

It wasn\'t broken by fear or pain; rather, it seemed like he had accepted something.

"Um… I didn\'t exactly hide them. I merely acted according to my position and role."

"…You seem familiar with this kind of training. Have you done it often?"

"Um… a little?"

After contemplating for a while, Oliver answered. In truth, he had a prior arrangement to do it again tonight—with the Fighter Crew in District X.

(To be Continued)

OR

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