Chapter 26

What? Pervert? Lecher?

You’re really going to do it, aren’t you?

I never thought I’d hear such crazy words in real life.

It’s like a world where even passersby react like they’re in a light novel.

Just because someone looks a bit like a thug, they’re called a lecher.

I put my hand to my forehead.

My stomach churns, and I feel like throwing up.

It’s all because of Olivia.

Ah, how embarrassing, really.

“Ugh... What kind of rumors are these...!!”

Olivia’s face turns red.

She bites her lip and her hands tremble.

“It’s your own fault.”

So, who told you to spread such nonsense?

Olivia shouts.

“Be quiet!!”

Who’s talking to whom?

I can’t communicate with her.

A sigh escapes me.

Indeed, tsundere characters are only good from a distance; being close to them is nothing but a tragedy.

Then.

[Next. Rin Shinazaki, Deok-sung Kim. Please enter the sparring arena.]

I hear the announcement in my ear.

Finally, it’s my turn.

I stand up.

“Hey, you.”

I hear Olivia’s voice from behind.

I turn my head.

There stands a platinum blonde girl with trembling blue eyes, her face flushed.

Her lips part.

“You have to win! If you lose, I’ll never forgive you! I’ll never see a guy like you, the biggest trash in the universe, again! So win!”

Olivia’s voice echoes through the audience.

Ah, how embarrassing. Damn it.

I sigh.

But she did worry about me.

“Alright.”

I need to respond.

Olivia, hearing my words, folds her arms and turns her head.

“Hmph. Do your best.”

No kidding.

She really does this.

Again.

I shake my head and walk down the silent audience stands.

I see the entrance to the arena.

There, I see another black-haired guy, Yuki Kurosawa, standing in front of me.

He smiles as if he’s glad to see me and waves his hand.

I sigh.

Although it’s out of necessity, meeting the protagonist is not very pleasant.

I don’t like that he’s a manipulative, annoying male character.

Especially when I think about how the protagonist saw the wrong heroine naked, which is the reason I’m in this mess, I still feel a chill.

“Hey, Kim!”

“What are you doing here?”

“Just... I wanted to see you? Hahaha.”

The protagonist scratches the back of his head.

Ah, damn it.

How disgusting.

Who said they wanted to see me?

The katsu curry rice and mochi that Olivia forced into my mouth at the school cafeteria as a victory wish are trying to come back up.

I shouldn’t have eaten the katsu curry rice.

It feels like a typical Japanese school setting.

I take a deep breath to calm myself.

Still, I need to get along with the protagonist.

If I can’t become the Crown Prince, I’ll need to use the protagonist to find a way back to my original world.

“Just get to the point.”

“Indeed, Kim is so cool.”

Cool?

I can’t believe it.

My patience is reaching its limit.

“Just get to the point.”

Please.

Don’t make me lose my cool.

“I’m sorry!”

The protagonist suddenly clasps his hands together.

You’re really going to do it, aren’t you? Damn it.

I didn’t come here to see such a crazy scene.

The only answer is a quick escape.

Father, Mother, I’m a disgrace.

“What are you sorry for?”

I barely hold back the curses rising in my throat.

I really feel like I’m going to throw up.

If my condition worsens, who’s going to take responsibility?

Ah.

“It’s because of me that you have to fight Shinazaki. So, I’m really sorry!”

He speaks quickly. Sigh.

He’s like a sweet potato protagonist.

Just watching him makes me feel suffocated and my blood boil.

I need a refreshing drink.

I need a refreshing drink to clear my mind.

I just realized how good the soda pass is.

“Alright, got it. If you’re really sorry, don’t clap your hands together. It just makes me angrier.”

“Alright.”

Yuki unclasps his hands.

Now I feel about 1% better.

“I’ve defeated Ishihara.”

“I saw it all, no need to repeat it.”

Why did you have to say that?

“Hang in there, Kim. This time, I’ll cheer for you, not Shinazaki.”

He pats my shoulder and laughs.

I just got goosebumps. Crazy.

“Don’t touch me. I’ll really kill you before that happens.”

Don’t touch me, you guy.

Death penalty. Death penalty.

“I’m sorry!”

“Don’t clap your hands together either!”

“Alright, sorry, Kim.”

The protagonist finally takes a normal apology gesture.

Phew.

I take a deep breath.

Now, before a big match, getting flustered won’t do any good.

Come on, find your inner peace. I need to control my mind.

“I’m going.”

Being with you is disgusting. Let’s not see each other unless it’s necessary.

“Hang in there. Fighting!”

I enter the arena, hearing the protagonist’s words, which sound like both encouragement and a curse.

Under the semi-transparent magical barrier to protect the audience.

Rin Shinazaki stands there.

Her cold indigo eyes are fixed on me.

[The teacher believes both of you know the sparring rules. Just in case, I’ll repeat them: The match ends when one of you surrenders or is deemed unable to fight and is teleported to the waiting room.]

In this world, hero candidates are crucial forces to defend against invasions from another world.

The amount invested in training a single candidate to become a hero is more than the cost of a fighter jet.

Losing a life in a sparring match is considered a significant loss to human civilization.

Therefore, the sparring class is set up to automatically teleport a candidate who is deemed unable to fight.

‘A typical academy setting.’

This is a common setting not only in Japanese school battle stories but also in Korean academy stories.

[Before the sparring, please activate your combat mode.]

Mr. Mayuzumi’s announcement echoes in the arena.

Swish.

Rin Shinazaki draws the Totsuka-no-Tsurugi.

The blue blade of the Japanese sword glows under the lights.

Flash.

A blue flash erupts from the blade of the Totsuka-no-Tsurugi.

Clank, clank.

A blue full-body armor reveals her curvaceous figure.

I channel mana into Durandal.

[Durandal Online]

Psssh.

The sound of steam escaping accompanies the alert.

A black flash erupts, and the full-body armor covers my entire body.

[You’re ready. Then, battle start!]

The moment the sparring starts.

“Freeze.”

The world turns completely white and freezes at Rin Shinazaki’s words.

It’s cold.

Mind-numbingly cold.

The cold penetrates the magical barrier.

‘Damn it.’

The curse slips out.

It feels like the bone-chilling winter mornings when I stood guard with the deputy squad leader in front of the latrine during my military service.

I look around.

My body is completely frozen white.

“Gah!”

I groan and try to move my body.

It doesn’t budge.

Rin Shinazaki smirks as she looks at me.

“I thought you were so confident in suggesting a dogeza, but that’s all you’ve got?”

Rin Shinazaki walks alone on the frozen sparring arena, like a military training ground where snow keeps piling up despite the snow removal.

The blade of the Totsuka-no-Tsurugi, held at a slant, burns with blue mana.

“Boring.”

Rin Shinazaki, acting like a light novel heroine, doesn’t even swing her sword but instead delivers lines with a relaxed demeanor.

You’ll regret it.

While she’s not looking, I use the mana circulation technique of the White Flame Sword Style that I learned while enduring Olivia’s tsundere behavior.

Rumble.

The mana channels heat up and release mana.

The mana flows through my body following the White Flame Sword Style’s circulation paths.

Sizzle.

The fire attribute mana rises and melts the frozen body.

Not yet.

Come a bit closer, Rin Shinazaki.

“Now, this ridiculous game is over.”

When Rin Shinazaki raises her Totsuka-no-Tsurugi.

I use an ability.

[Indestructible]

The moment the absolute defense of the indestructible magic sword envelops my body.

Clang!

Her Japanese sword collides with my shoulder, making a metallic sound.

“What is this?”

Rin Shinazaki’s face stiffens.

Her indigo eyes show a flicker of surprise.

Sizzle.

Black flames rise and completely melt the frozen body.

Ah, now I can survive.

If I hadn’t learned the White Flame Sword Style, what would I have done?

“Indeed, you had a hidden ace up your sleeve.”

Rin Shinazaki, narrating like an e-sports caster.

Everything is fine, but can’t you just shut up?

Are you not going to start the match?!

It’s annoying.

“But even so, it’s a situation I predicted. The outcome of this match won’t change.”

Whoosh!

Her Japanese sword, burning with blue mana, flies towards my chest with a whistling sound.

Clang!

I block her sword with Durandal.

The strong recoil travels up the blade to my hand.

“Damn...”

It hurts.

It really hurts.

My grip feels like it’s about to tear.

I clench my teeth.

“Hm?”

Rin Shinazaki’s eyes show interest.

It seems she finds it intriguing that I blocked her attack.

“You’re better than I thought.”

Whoosh!

Her Japanese sword swings again.

Clang!

I block her attack again.

Maybe because I used synchronization three times, swinging Durandal feels more proficient than before.

I can’t see my status window, so I don’t know how much my sword mastery has improved.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

I barely block her consecutive swings.

Black and blue mana mix, creating sparks and shaking the barrier.

But in pure swordsmanship, Rin Shinazaki is a step above me.

It’s getting hard to hold out.

My hands are really hurting from blocking her attacks.

[Synchronization]

I use the second ability.

The memories and experiences of the Black Prince upload to my mind.

The usual headache.

But the pain is weaker than before.

I can endure it.

My vision turns red.

My heart races, and a new combat sense awakens.

I can see how crude my sword swings were just a moment ago.