"I'm so sorry, Big Brother. It's my fault things turned out like this..."
"What are you apologizing for? Didn't I just tell you? He’s the one in the wrong. Besides, you gave me something perfect for a situation like this, didn't you?"
"But! Blaster is an old model, and Armor-type Magic Items aren't necessarily strong—"
They stood in the courtyard plaza, a space specifically designed for duels.
A fair number of spectators had already gathered. Hugo affectionately ruffled the hair of the worried Fee, flashing a thumbs-up and wearing a confident smile to put the boy at ease.
To be honest, it wasn't as if he was entirely without anxiety. However, it would have been difficult to keep ignoring Marcos after he had gone so far as to drag his precious younger brother into this. Having witnessed the man's vile personality firsthand, Hugo was determined to do whatever it took to ensure he never laid a hand on Fee again.
"Trust me, Fee. As long as you believe in me, I won't lose. That’s what being a hero is all about."
"Eh...?"
Fighting against evil with everything one has for the sake of those who believe in them—Hugo had spent his whole life watching heroes do exactly that.
Steeling his resolve to fight not just to take Marcos down a notch, but to protect Fee, Hugo walked toward his opponent waiting on the Battlefield.
"How are you feeling, Hugo Clay? Have you prepared yourself to make a fool of your family in front of your brother and the gallery?"
"......"
Hugo didn't rise to the provocation. He simply stared silently at Marcos—or more specifically, at the object equipped to his left arm that served as both weapon and armor.
Seeing the gaudy, gold-colored plating covering the arm and the massive silver pincers extending from the end, Hugo’s first impression of Marcos was a dry internal comment that the guy looked like he had a crab’s claw for an arm.
"Is that your Magic Item? That’s some pretty poor taste in design."
"Hah! To think a peasant like you cannot comprehend the nobility of the Magic Item Giga Scissors, a treasure of the House of Borg. As expected of Hugo Clay—you truly are a man fit to be kicked out of a prestigious family."
Giga Scissors? Talk about literal, Hugo thought, deadpanning once more in his mind.
Well, even if it was only a partial set, it was still an armor-like Magic Item. Deciding it was essentially the same as his own, he exhaled lightly and clenched his right fist tightly to activate Blaster.
If I'm fighting a crab, I’ve gotta fire myself up with the right pose!
Swinging his clenched right hand as if throwing a hook, Hugo froze in a dramatic pose with his fist held beside his face.
Glaring straight at Marcos and setting his resolve for the fight, he shouted the same line used by the heroes on TV at the top of his lungs.
"Transform!"
A brilliant crimson radiance enveloped Hugo's body, and with that as the signal, the Armor-type Magic Item Blaster deployed.
Having changed into the form of a black knight in an instant, Hugo took a deep breath, clenched his fists again, and exhaled to pump himself up.
"Let's do this!"
"Haha! What a lot of wasted movement. I suppose that performance is meant to hide the pathetic specs of an old-model Magic Item?"
"You just don't get it... this is called a hero's aesthetic. Though I don't expect a guy like you to understand."
To Marcos's eyes, Hugo exposing himself with such a wide-open stance likely looked like nothing but idiocy.
However, Hugo understood that the transformation pose was one of the coolest parts of being a hero, and neglecting it was absolutely out of the question. He scoffed at his opponent’s remark and looked around at the audience.
"Get him, Marcos! Beat the crap out of Hugo!"
"I hate your guts, but I like Hugo even less! I'm rooting for you just for today!"
"I hope both of you get trashed! But Hugo better lose!"
"B-Brother, do your best! Don't lose!"
Fee's voice reached Hugo, drifting through the crowd's chorus of verbal abuse. Hugo waved to the only person cheering for him.
It seemed he was in a completely "away" environment, but Hugo nodded as he listened to the crowd's noisy jeers, thinking that it seemed Marcos was also quite disliked in his own right. He then turned his gaze toward his opponent and asked a question.
"Hey, has this match already started? How is the winner decided?"
"The duel began the moment we both deployed our Magic Items! The winner is whoever beats the other until they can no longer fight or they admit defeat!"
"Oh, I see. That's straightforward enough. Well then, let's get started..."
Hugo steadied his breathing, telling himself that while he hated using violence, this was necessary to protect his and his brother's safety.
Seeing Hugo swing his right arm to loosen up his shoulder and clench his fist, Marcos assumed he was going to launch a close-quarters assault, but—?