Chapter 84: The Mage Slayer
Ethan was very tempted to go to the infirmary to visit his senior, but in the end, he decided to stay.
The last match between the Schwartz Manor and the Dud Manor was about to take place, and he wanted to see the battle until the end.
Henry, who had seen how his best friend was brutally defeated by his opponent, walked up the stage with a calm expression on his face. He was the leader of the group, and he wanted to show everyone that everything was going to be fine.
However, for some reason, Ethan could tell that with every step that his Head Prefect took, the air around him seemed to crackle, and distort, due to how angry he was.
'Am I just imagining things?' Ethan thought as he observed his Head Prefect with a critical gaze.
After staring at Henry for nearly a minute, the blue-haired boy concluded that he was just seeing things because the distortion that he had seen earlier disappeared without a trace.
"Henry Weiss and Axel Daniels, are you ready?" Professor Barret asked the two Fourth Years, who had stepped onto the arena.
Instead of answering his question, the Head Prefect of Schwartz Manor smiled and talked to Henry, who was looking at him with a deadpan face.
"Henry, I know you're angry, but don't vent it out to me, okay?"Axel said. "I don't like pain, you know?"
"Okay," Henry replied with the same deadpan face, which made Axel's face turn grim.
"No, seriously, I didn't order him to hurt George that badly. I just told him to win."
"Okay."
Seeing that Henry was just replying with a word, Axel knew that he was in for a hell of a fight.
"Professor Barret, I would like to surrender now," Axel said, which made all the First Years of the academy, especially the First Years of Schwartz Manor, cry out in shock.
They didn't know why the Head Prefect of Schwartz Manor had chosen to surrender instead of fighting the Head Prefect of the Dud Manor.
For them, this was simply inexcusable, but to those who really knew who Henry was, all of them thought that Axel made the right decision when he chose to concede.
"Are you sure, Axel?" Professor Barret.
"Yes," Axel replied. "I mean, just look at Henry. That is the look of someone who is very impatient to kill people. This is just a friendly match, you know? I don't want to get killed, okay?"
"As a referee, I find your decision to be disappointing," Professor Barret stated. "However, as your Professor, all I can say is that you made the right call."
"I know, right!" Axel sighed. "This guy is a madman."
Professor Barret nodded before looking at Henry with a serious expression on his face. He was the Professor that taught all the Fourth Years, and he knew that Henry was someone that carried grudges with him.
"Henry, this is just a friendly competition, okay?" Professor Barret. "Don't go attacking people outside of the arena later. Especially Luna's elder brother. She's one of your members, so can you look the other way?"
"Okay," Henry replied. "I'll just leave him half dead."
"See? This is why I don't like fighting this guy!" Axel complained to Professor Barret. "Henry should be banned from Magic Duels. This is why Axel said see you next year. He already knew that I would surrender before the fight even started."
Professor Barret shook his head helplessly before raising his hand to catch everyone's attention.
"Winner of the final match, Henry Weiss!" Professor Barret declared. "The Dud Manor will now go to the semifinals!"
Henry, who had just been declared as the winner didn't look too happy at the results, which made the corner of Axel's lips twitch.
Under everyone's gazes, the Head Prefect of Schwartz Manor left the arena without giving his opponent a second glance.
Henry, the Mage Slayer.
That was the nickname that the students of the academy had given the Head Prefect of Dud Manor.
To his members, he was a very easy-going and good natured person.
However, those who knew him well understood that the moment Henry went on his missions, the chances of his target "accidentally" dying was very high, making him one of the students that the Third, and Fourth Years in the academy, didn't want to provoke no matter what.
There was only one person in the entirety of the Academy that could beat Henry in a duel, and that was none other than the Head Prefect of Terra Manor.
Anyone else who fought him would be in a world of pain, including Luna's brother, Rowan, who had just hurt Henry's best friend.
Ethan, who was just as surprised like the other First Years, couldn't comprehend the victory they snatched without even a fight.
"I'm sure you are confused right now, and that is perfectly understandable," Luna said with a conflicted look on her face. "Just know that Sir Henry is like a demon when he starts to fight. What you saw on our camping trip was just him being carefree."
"Is he that strong?" Ethan asked with great interest.
"Strong… well yes, he is strong," Luna replied. "But, his strength is due to his Origin Magic, which completely nullifies all magic in his surroundings. Even if he was facing a Magical Beast, as long as they use magic, it will have no effect against him. That is why he is called the Mage Slayer of Brynhildr Academy."
Ethan, who was hearing all of this for the first time, looked at his easy-going Head Prefect who was always very supportive of him.
For some reason, deep inside his heart, he wanted to see how Henry fought.
That way, he would gain some insight on how someone, who could effectively nullify all magical spells in his surroundings, handled a Wizard or Witch who had lost their ability to defend themselves.
'Mage Slayer,' Ethan thought. 'I guess, you can't really judge a book by its cover.'
For Ethan, Henry was still Henry.
Although he might have a bad reputation among the students in the Academy, for the blue-haired boy, his Head Prefect was a role model, who wouldn't hesitate to help any member of the Dud Manor, in their times of need.