Although I had never seen Felis win in defense training, there was something about him that made me feel he was capable of more. Despite his losses, he never appeared discouraged and faced each challenge in his own way, so I didn’t see it as a big deal. It takes time to see results when trying new things, especially for someone who isn’t yet an adult going up against a professional.

I watched Felis closely, unable to do anything for him or fully comprehend his actions. The purpose of the ceremony wasn’t necessarily to win, but rather to demonstrate one’s power. Plus, it was questionable whether an aspiring craftsman needed to display martial prowess. My plan was to stop the match once Felis had shown he could hold his own against Sasetto.

But Felis exceeded my expectations. As he wielded his weapon, I couldn’t help but tremble. His weapon’s craftsmanship was impressive, and his posture reflected his martial arts training. Male nobles from aristocratic families were required to wear a sword at ceremonies, so Felis likely possessed the basic skills to avoid shaming his family.

Once relieved of that burden, Felis’ movements were simply stunning. He effortlessly defeated Sasetto without even breaking a sweat and faced Mitzy with the same composure.

Watching him, I regretted not raising my hand to face him as his opponent.

 

““““`

Hmm.

Captain Mitzi, huh?

Although I have decided to face her, she is not an easy opponent. Both captains do not underestimate their opponents and simply attack. Moreover, they will come up with countermeasures to some extent after my previous moves.

Now then, for the time being.

“I don’t mind fighting, but please treat Sasetto first.”

It’s in the way being positioned in the center. At my voice, the members come to their senses and carry her out.

Confirming that the situation has been settled, I turn to Miru-nee.

“Is it okay to assume that this is the final battle?”

Miru-nee doesn’t answer immediately, which is unusual for her. However, after a little thought, she gives her answer.

“The conclusion when Felis Kluoren departs is based on the victory just now. Of course, it is in the form of granting your wish. Whatever the outcome of the remaining battles, it will not be overturned.”

Well, that’s natural.

“And Mitzi, I appreciate your enthusiasm, but I won’t accept the fight.”

“Hmm, why not?”

With the unexpected rejection, Captain Mitzi voices her dissatisfaction. I also didn’t expect her to reject it, so I’m honestly surprised.

However, Miru-nee stopped our thoughts with her next words.

“Yes. If the exhausted Felis is the opponent, I can’t show my full strength… I’ll do the final battle.”

… Huh?

I feel like I heard words I shouldn’t have heard. My lord, her tone has returned to normal and I don’t really understand what she’s saying.

“If you’re not satisfied, Mitzi. Will you fight me instead of Felis? Then Felis and I will each have one battle, and the accounts will be settled.”

This is bad.

I don’t know what touched her nerves in the previous match, but it’s clear that Miru-nee is serious. Captain Mitzi seems to sense that and tries to say something, but stops repeatedly.

Hang in there, Captain, don’t lose. My safety is in your hands.

 

“I understand, I understand. Watching is fine, right?”

“Of course.”

It didn’t work, Captain. And Miru-nee is smiling with a refreshing smirk that I’ve never seen before.

Realizing that it would be pointless to argue, I give up and sigh.

What I know is Miru-nee from two years ago, before she became the lord. She hasn’t had a chance to fight since then, but she must have continued to train, and her skills should have improved.

Miru Kluoren, the treasure of the Degline Kingdom, wasn’t she currently ranked eighth in the world as a magician?

I have been training based on the principle of being able to escape from any opponent in a one-on-one situation, no matter who it is. But now that I am unable to escape, where is my path to survival?

“…I have no margin for error.”

 

“That’s good. This might be the last chance to see the real Felis.”

A surge of magical power hits my cheeks. Miru-nee might have also been frustrated by not being able to go to the scene.

“Why are you so fixated on my true strength?”

“……It’s unbearable.”

“What is?”

In response to my question, Miru-nee raises her lips and smiles.

“Various things. The fact that you are underestimated and that you are ignoring it. I understood it when I saw that earlier, you can always win, but you didn’t. There must be a reason why you didn’t win…… well, there must be a reason.”

That’s right. It wouldn’t end well, so I didn’t show my strength. And all the training in public places was spent on overcoming my weak points. I might have appeared to be someone who gives up easily to those around me, as my actions kept changing. As a result, I realized that my skills would improve to some extent if I worked on them, and I don’t particularly regret it.

“It’s a lie. I’m not that great of a person.”

“That statement insults Sasetto, you know?”

“That woman insulted my masterpiece. And I get angry about things too, you know?”

Miru-nee’s magic clinging to my skin is annoying. She deliberately provokes me by dripping very weak wind magic.

However, she’s not the type of opponent that I can lose my composure against.

“Yes. Then, don’t you understand? I get angry too. Once I became the territory lord, I couldn’t go out to the field anymore.”

That’s probably because of me and Jito-niisan. The lord is the one who gives orders from above, not the one who hunts demons on the front lines. Despite being an excellent magician, Miru-nee lost most of the opportunities to showcase her abilities.

“Everyone’s so cruel, you know? When I get a little serious during training, they refuse to spar with me, saying it would be troublesome if something happened to the lord. Jito doesn’t hang out with me much either. So, you know? I want to see you seriously. And I want to be serious too.”

How many things did Mir-nee-san keep in her heart? Including myself, everyone around her was too inadequate.

If that’s the case, it’s my minimal duty to stick with her in this dire situation.

I take a deep breath.

Unlike before, this time I’m going all out.

“I can’t guarantee your satisfaction, but I’ll join you.”

“Ahaha!”

If it’s a magic battle you want, there will be an appropriate distance between us. We both fly backward as if agreed upon and lean against the wall.

I glare at Jito-niisan. He nods once and takes a deep breath too.

he shout.

“I will be the witnesses of this contest! State your names!”

“–Miruka kluoren, ‘Flame Demon,’ territory lord of the kluoren Viscount family!”

What should I call myself? I’m lost.

Claiming something that is not in one’s title goes against the rules of dueling.

But even so.

If one is serious, they should raise something that represents themselves and aim for it.

“–Magic Core Craftsman, ‘Freely Flowing’ Felis kluoren!”

Our school, known only to my master and me.

I will show its true value.

“You roared well! Entertain me!”

Little balls of light float around Miru-nee. Her basic tactics are a combination of solar magic, fire magic, and wind magic, which create light bullets and heat rays.

It’s not impossible to defend against them, but once you fall into a defensive position, it’s hard to keep up.

“As I said earlier, I have no room for error.”

So, I first, created a mist to block the field of view. Then I jump with all my might.

A moment later, a light bullet pierced the spot where I had been just a moment ago.

“Don’t get hit or you’ll die.”

I don’t want to die, so I created a hole in the ground and move underground. At the same time, I created a water puppet to make it look like I’m running around on the surface. Since I had been hiding my strengths until now, the opponent shouldn’t know how much I can do.

I can only tell that the attack hasn’t stopped due to the successive vibrations. It’s terrifying, and it’s not something that can be handled by just anyone.

“Shish!”

If I know the general area, then I can launch a ranged attack from underground. I created countless stone spears and throw them at my opponent.

“Sweet, sweet, sweet!”

I feel the disappearance of magical power as if the stone spear had been melted.

I know that this is not something that can be decided by such a thing, but the conversation cannot begin without first reducing the opponent’s attack.

As I continue, the vibration has decreased from before. Has the decoy not been noticed yet? It’s tough not being able to see the opponent.

Moving on to the next move. To reduce the heat even a little, I throw a water ball into the air and make it rain lightly. This further blocks the opponent’s vision and scatters their aim.

“Annoying!”

With a roaring sound, Miru’-nee’s magical power bursts. Everything was probably blown away. I wait until the sound stops and return to the ground for now.

The distance is about half of what it was at first. At this distance, my partner can also function.

“You’re getting impatient?”

“Yes. But most opponents don’t go that far. So… it’s just what I expected.”

Well, if you’re an ordinary person, you’d probably be killed instantly by the first light bullet. I can handle it because I know.

I imbue both hands with Yinjutsu and blur the outline of my weapon. Jito-nii might mistake the distance, but it’s an act that Miru-nee, who doesn’t engage in close combat, probably won’t understand.

It may be meaningless, but I’ll do what I can. It has an effect of reducing the power of Yang-jutsu.

“Yinjutsu… It’s rare for someone to use it.”

“It’s suitable for a disliked person, isn’t it?”

“Well, it’s not a very popular attribute. But before that, there aren’t many people with the talent to use it, are there? I think that if you can use something, you should use it.”

I take a breath during the small talk. Miru-nee seems to be willing to keep up with me even though she knows what’s going on.

“…I used to think that too.”

“Hmm?”

“There were times when I wanted to master magic that was easy to understand and powerful like Miru-nee.”

Since I can remember, Miru-nee has been a magician who attracts people. Light and heat run through the battlefield, destroying monsters that everyone struggles against.

 

That’s obviously cool.

But before I was born into this world, I had already been informed about my own attributes by God.

“I had never said it before, but my magical attribute is the complete opposite of Miru-nee’s. Miru-nee has yang, fire, and wind. I have yin, water, and earth. I admire you, but I could never imitate you.”

It feels dazzling.

However, I can never reach that.

“So, I stopped being so fixated on it.”

A famous saying, I once heard. I have no choice but to play the hand I was dealt.

Stand straight, hold your weapon, and unleash your abilities to the fullest. Continue to catch the opponent’s movements with “observation” and “concentration.” Maintain the best possible condition with “health.”

Even if it’s not cool, even if it’s plain and hard to understand, I will silently do what needs to be done.

“I don’t have the power to fascinate people or overwhelming strength. But well… I’m starting to feel like I can handle Miru-nee to some extent?”

“That’s some good talk.”

We laughed together. The break is over.

I swung my hatchet straight down and sent a water blade flying. Miru-nee’s fire wall easily evaporated it, and a counter-attack heat ray licked the ground.

This time, I won’t hide and move forward.

Weaken the fire wall with scattered water pellets and scatter poison made by Yin-jutsu. It’s a dirty trick that’s not often used, so it’ll be difficult to deal with, right?

“tsk”

“Not yet.”

This is the true essence of Yin-jutsu, and the reason why it is hated is because it weakens the enemy. If I cannot rise to the top, then I will drag my opponent down.

Rather than being neutralized by Yang-jutsu, Yin-jutsu continues to create poison. Shifting my body left and right, I close the distance. Miru-nee, whose martial arts strength is low, should dislike being approached.

However, I don’t intend to get too close. The forward posture is more of a stance to put pressure. This distance, where the axe and stick seem out of reach, is my most proficient distance.

–When the magic core is filled with magic, it can be transformed. This is the free-flowing style that comes from controlling it.

I extend the stick in my hand all at once. Miru-nee hastily dodges to the side, avoiding the blow aimed at her head.

“That’s a bad move.”

I extend the stick further in the direction she dodged. She couldn’t avoid it completely and was hit in the right arm, causing Miru-nee to frown.

The curved stick doesn’t have much power, but I succeeded in imbuing it with Yin-jutsu. Her strength was reduced and Miru-nee’s right arm dropped.

Without giving her a chance to undo the curse, I launch a follow-up attack.

“Guh!?”

A wave of heat from outside of my field of vision burns my left side for a moment. “Health” which I had already released, slowly heals the non-trivial burn.

“That’s good, very good. It’s been a long time since I felt pain.”

It was faster than expected, but did she get carried away after taking a hit?

The swirling flames fill the training ground.

“Defenders, fall back! More!”

Jiito’s anxious voice echoes. The hearing on the left side is strange, probably because I was burned deeply.

Even so, I can still fight.

“Are you enjoying this?”

“Yes, very much. This isn’t the end, is it?”

“There’s more I want to show you.”

“Felis is really wonderful.”

I’m tired, but I also received praise, so I’ll do my best a little longer.

Tap the screen to use advanced tools Tip: You can use left and right keyboard keys to browse between chapters.

You'll Also Like