Everything happened too fast, so fast that Avery, who was outside the arena, hadn't even agreed with the others on what to bet before the outcome was decided.
Bernard lay on the ground, propping himself up just enough to see his severed legs still standing.
The visual shock combined with the excruciating pain in his legs made him forget all about gentlemanly demeanor, and his agonized and disenchanted screams echoed throughout the dueling arena.
"This... this..."
The scene left everyone outside the arena dumbfounded. No one had expected the duel to end this way.
Especially those who had believed Bernard would win, their minds were now reeling from the shock.
Not only did Bernard not win, but he couldn't even withstand a single attack before falling to the ground, losing both his legs.
Even in a world where the transcendent exists, and where there are transcendent medical methods, reattaching severed legs would still be no easy task, and it would come at a considerable cost.
"Miss White..."
Even Avery, who had thought Carlotta had a chance to win, was greatly surprised. She hadn't expected Carlotta to win so easily.
What she didn't know was that this duel had been destined to be a short one from the very beginning, as both sides had the same goal, and the attack was only meant to be a single, explosive moment.
Carlotta shook the bloodstained Rose Cross, her gaze falling on the fire-breathing bear, which was now spewing flames continuously towards the area in front of it.
She stepped forward and patted the fire-breathing bear's head, causing it to stop spewing flames, and then she picked it up in her hand.
"According to the duel's wager agreement, this fire-breathing bear now belongs to me."
After saying this, Carlotta turned and walked out of the dueling arena, not giving Bernard another glance.
Suddenly after Carlotta left, news of the duel quickly spread throughout the academy.
Most duels didn't attract much attention, as the culture of dueling was too prevalent and too common in the Wendell Empire.
But a duel that directly severed the opponent's legs was rare, and it had never happened before in Caerwyn Academy, instantly making Carlotta's name known to all.
Many who heard about the duel's outcome couldn't help but think: this girl named Carlotta White is quite ruthless.
The duel had ended with just one explosive exchange, so naturally, it couldn't be said that Carlotta had intentionally harmed him.
After returning to her dorm, she took out the fire-breathing bear and studied it, quickly mastering the use of this alchemical item.
When the fire-breathing bear was thrown, no matter how it was thrown, it would always land on its feet and then start spewing fire.
This reminded Carlotta of cats. In her previous life, it was often said online that no matter how a cat fell, it would always land on its feet, but in reality, this wasn't absolute.
Cats simply had excellent balance adjustment abilities and could adjust themselves during the fall. For example, if falling from a very low height, a cat wouldn't have time to adjust.
But the fire-breathing bear could guarantee that no matter what height it was thrown from, it would always land on its feet, which was somewhat miraculous.
The fire-breathing bear also has a second way of spewing fire: just pat its head three times in a row, and it will start spewing flames.
To make it stop spewing fire, just pat its head once.
"Quite interesting."
Carlotta quite liked the fire-breathing bear.
Seeing that the little brown bear looked a bit plain, she specifically saw a red ribbon and tied a red bow around its neck before storing it in her collection card.
Alchemical items of this design were rare, and Bernard had only managed to acquire it with great difficulty, intending to give it as a gift to Delfin. Now, it has become Carlotta's trophy.
With an item like the fire-breathing bear, Carlotta began to let her thoughts flow, considering how to incorporate it into her battles.
All sorts of ideas began to emerge in her mind.
She wasn't someone who could leisurely study knowledge at the academy without a care in the world. She faced not just one but many troubles, so turning her gains into combat strength was a very necessary thing.
As she thought, Carlotta's attention shifted to card magic. At this stage, although most cards were only useful for daily life, even cards used in daily life, if used properly, couldn't they also be used in battle?
Carlotta thought of a card that even first-tier apprentices could make, called the Oil Creation Card.
This card can quickly absorb various elements from the world and, through the conversion of magic, transform them into various types of oil in a miraculous way.
Generally, this card was used for household life, most commonly for storing cooking oil for use in the kitchen.
Carlotta thought she could also make an Oil Creation Card and use it to spill oil during battle, then combine it with the fire-breathing bear to create a massive blaze, which could significantly boost her combat power.
This was a very feasible idea. She immediately took out the "Complete Guide to Card Magic" from her collection cards and flipped to the page about Oil Creation Cards to study them.
An Oil Creation Card can condense oil, but not all types of oil. Each card could only correspond to one type of oil.
Chefs in restaurants often had many Oil Creation Cards, choosing olive oil cards, peanut oil cards, palm oil cards, etc., depending on the dish they were preparing.
To condense different types of oil, the methods for making the cards were also different. After carefully studying the related content on Oil Creation Cards, Carlotta made a decision.
She wanted an Oil Creation Card that could condense kerosene, also known as a Kerosene Card.
...
In the Caerwyn Academy infirmary, a pair of red-eyed middle-aged parents stood there.
They were Bernard Dias's parents, Lucius Dias and Jemima Dias.
Although they weren't of noble status, they were both civil servants who worked at the city hall, making them somewhat well-off.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to send their son to Caerwyn Academy.
At this moment, Jemima, the mother, was very emotional and loudly said to a director who had come to check on the situation: "Director Lloyd, you must stand up for our child. He was cruelly severed of both legs by Carlotta White. She is truly vicious. Please have the security bureau arrest her."
Nelson Lloyd, the academy director, was a middle-aged man with gold-rimmed glasses. He waved his hand and said, "I have already looked into the situation. Dias was injured by White in a fair duel. White did not intend to harm him, so we will not impose any punishment on White. Please accept the situation as it is."