Both in the classroom and in the hallways, things became much quieter.

It seemed like everyone was waiting for Flatta's reaction.

Would he back down or remain stubborn?

This young noble had to make an accurate judgment.

Obviously, there were third-year students present who could single-handedly challenge Dekan.

But no one was unafraid of being remembered by Dekan.

Students knew that Dekan's terrifyingness didn't lie in how strong he was in direct combat, but in how unpredictable he was and how difficult it was to defend against his underhanded tactics could be.

Offending him made even locking the doors at night unsafe.

Just as Flatta hesitated, he subconsciously glanced at Claire.

Her expression remained cold, but there was a hint of a shallow smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

It was as if she had just finished watching a circus performance.

This made Flatta's forehead throb.

He abruptly turned his gaze to Croix and shouted, "Croix! Are you willing to duel me? If you lose, you will have to accept reality, promise not to harm others anymore, and stay away from Claire and her sister!"

Flatta's action not only widened Croix's eyes, even Dekan was somewhat surprised.

This guy was really audacious.

He didn't dare to confront Dekan directly but couldn't swallow his pride, so he pretended to seek justice by challenging Croix to a duel.

This way, even if Croix was forced to stop going to the Shadow Worlds because of losing the bet, it would be due to a fair duel. If Dekan sought revenge on Flatta later, it would make Croix look bad.

Even if Croix chose not to duel and refused the challenge, Flatta could still use this opportunity to discredit Croix.

"I've never met a person like you who would seek out a through-and-through healer for a duel," Dekan said, shaking his head in amusement.

"So what? He's a tier 6, and I'm just a tier 5," Flatta replied with a snort.

If Croix agreed to a duel, his only viable strategy was to bring a group of summoned creatures with him to deal damage. Then, he could use his healing abilities to sustain a battle of attrition. However, Croix wasn't a summoner by profession and lacked the support spells, tactics, and deck configurations that summoners typically had. Even if he used a bunch of random summoning cards, he might not win against a tier 5 opponent. Once he fell behind, an attrition battle would become a form of self-torture, especially since healing himself was painful.

Flatta simply wanted to utterly humiliate Croix.

"I'll duel in his place, do you dare accept?" Dekan asked.

"I don't stoop to challenging the weak," Flatta replied sternly.

"Hehehe, so in your eyes, Croix is strong and I'm weak, huh? Your spirit of only challenging the stronger ones is quite admirable," Dekan taunted.

"Dekan, don't get too arrogant! I admit you are quite feared in skirmishes, but remember, you relied on the power of a woman and used all sorts of tricks to dominate in the Shadow World! There are ways to deal with you in a fair duel!" Flatta said with disdain.

Many students understood what Flatta meant.

Though Dekan's abilities encompassed curses, poisons, and mental attacks, they ultimately relied on destroying the enemy's consciousness through pain.

So, as long as the pain could be nullified, Dekan's combat abilities were no better than an average tier 3 mage.

There was a card called Pain Nullification.

Usually, it was carried by frontline professions like tanks or berserkers.

Mages never carried this card.

It took up a card slot and drained mana.

But if it was clear that your opponent was Dekan, then just bring this card along and, by continuously using this card during the duel, Dekan's deck archetype would be completely dismantled.

"Then I challenge you. Will you accept? If I win, you can't bother Croix anymore, and you have to apologize to him," Dekan looked like he hadn't even considered the "Pain Nullification" card and still had an air of confidence.

"What if I win?" Flatta asked with a sinister look.

"What you want, just name it," Dekan smiled.

He would decide how heavy-handed to be based on the conditions the other party proposed.

Flatta: "You can be my servant and that 'Ruined Poet' card of yours will be mine."

"Dekan, don't!" Croix quickly grabbed Dekan's arm.

But Dekan ignored Croix.

Cornelia, standing at the door, had already shown a pitiful look toward Flatta.

Was it that bad to be alive?

"Hmm hmm hmm."

Dekan chuckled with his head lowered.

He had already been quite merciful.

Originally, he only wanted to teach Flatta a little lesson.

But he didn't expect there to be someone in this world who was so clueless about their own mortality.

He was even more adorable than Baron Bacher.

"Alright, I accept. Let's set a time to meet at the Phantom Arena," Dekan replied.

While the school didn't allow students to engage in private duels, they permitted simulated combat training in the Phantom Valley.

"Then let's meet at the Phantom Arena this afternoon at two o'clock," Flatta said, not wanting to give Dekan a chance to prepare counter-cards. After all, Dekan's primary role was as a card maker. If he gave Dekan a few days, he might come up with a whole new sinister archetype.

"No problem," Dekan agreed readily.

Flatta: "Hehe, I hope you're a man of your word."

Dekan: "Of course, I'm a man who does what he says."

With that, Flatta snorted coldly and left the classroom with his entourage.

"Dekan, you shouldn't go this far for my sake... even if it's like this, I won't change my mind. I really can't harm you guys," Croix said, looking worriedly at Dekan.

However, Cornelia had already walked over to Dekan's side and was eyeing Croix with interest.

She seemed quite interested in her new companion.

"Wel-wel-welc..."

Cornelia tried very hard to convey her friendliness to Croix but failed, her face turning slightly red.

"She wants to say she welcomes you to the team," Dekan explained with a smile.

Croix looked at these two people and felt a strong urge to reach out to them.

But reason made him clench his fists tightly.

"Croix, your curse is like child's play to us. We're even hoping to adjust the difficulty of the Shadow Worlds so that the rewards aren't too poor."

"...In any case, please cancel the duel with Flatta. Your wager is really too heavy. This isn't a fair fight."

"Don't worry. You need to have faith in your teammates."

Dekan's words left Croix silent for a long time before he sighed in resignation.

Dekan kept referring to him as a teammate, as if he had already decided that he was one.

Croix felt a slight warmth in his eye sockets.

Just not minding him was already quite rare, let alone the fact that Dekan continued to appreciate him and protect him.

It had been a long time since he had felt such pure goodwill.

How could he refuse?