2000 Years Of Magic History In My Head-Chapter 45
Episode 45: How to Deal with Nemeses (1)
The life-and-death duel training was deemed the most controversial at the conception of joint classes. A one-on-one confrontation between a fortified warrior and a wizard could be a dangerous event, and it had always been inevitably advantageous to the reinforced warrior. For a wizard who takes at least a few tens of seconds to cast, to stand against a warrior who casually traverses hundreds of meters in that time, the odds are stacked perilously against them. Therefore, opinions were divided on life and death duels being fundamentally meaningless, even in the early days. Still, the first president of the Hunter Academy showed a determined attitude despite dissenting opinions.
“It is a fight against the wizard, and I admit that the fortified warrior is the magician’s natural enemy, but that is why I think a more life-threatening duel system is needed. Reinforced warriors are wizards, and wizards are reinforced warriors. We have to deal with the academy, where mistakes are still tolerated, but will we respond to any situation outside the world in the future? There is no such thing as an easy fight. It may be harsh to the magicians, but they must learn to deal with the natural enemies that will always be present in their world.”
Everybody knew the wizards were at a disadvantage. However, the president’s opinion had validity, and in the end, life-and-death duels became one of the joint classes. There was a specific reason for the name ‘life and death duel.’ In order to be realistic, no restrictions were placed on the training. You could stab or cut the opponent, or a wizard could burn a swordsman with powerful flame magic – real injury was not just a potential, but a probability. As the setting of a life-threatening fight was laid, reinforced warriors and wizards strove to win by any means. There were minimal safety procedures in place to prevent serious injuries.
Reinforced warriors were automatically defeated when they suffered more than a certain amount of damage by wearing a protective device that created immunity to magic, and their weapons were crafted so that a strike wouldn’t lead to actual blood loss. Although there was no real risk of fatality, the atmosphere of life and death is famous for being harsher and more desperate than any other training exercise since the pain from the attack is transmitted head-on.
A few days before the training, the magic students trembled with anxiety. A century after the training was brought into play; its meaning had faded.
“No matter his strength, a wizard can never beat a reinforced warrior.”
One student’s words echoed the thoughts of many. The Hunter Academy president hoped that the sorcerer would learn how to deal with natural enemies through life and death duels, but that progress didn’t seem to occur. In the natural world, frogs – the prey of snakes, occasionally eat their predators. However, such a miracle was not established in the relationship between the reinforced warrior and the wizard.
...
