Chapter 30

【Felter】

At first, I thought he would be a magician with a genius-level talent and skill, so I didn't really care.

This magic academy is less influenced by status or connections. I can't say it's completely unaffected, but it's abnormally so from the perspective of the outside world.

If a commoner understands magic quickly, they can even skip grades over royalty. If students fight, they are punished regardless of their status.

However, it also depends on the teacher's discretion. If a teacher is biased towards the nobility, they might favor royalty or high-ranking nobles.

However, the new teacher, Aoi Konominato, was a special presence among them.

From what I could see, she didn't create a difference between nobility and commoners, and she scolded anyone harshly if she thought they were in the wrong. This was true not only for students but also for senior teachers, showing her thoroughness.

If a teacher were to be forced to resign because of this, it would be the opposite. Despite being a new teacher, she was treated as a senior teacher, and the other teachers couldn't even comment on her.

Especially when she scolded Rox Kilbegan, a member of the royal family of this country, and even summoned the king to the academy, it was a significant event.

A proper noble would have trembled at the thought of being in the same situation. Whether the king would respond to the summons or not is another matter, but it would certainly tarnish the family name.

Ordinarily, one would be too concerned for their own safety to do such a thing. Nobles, who have the strongest sense of self-respect, would consider hiring an assassin for revenge if they were humiliated.

Still, she could do it, perhaps simply because of her strong sense of justice and confidence in her own abilities.

However, the magical skill that backs this up is well-known. What is most astonishing is that no one has ever heard Aoi chant.

She can deploy magic at a speed that almost seems to have no delay before activation. I confirmed this with my own eyes.

In the middle of a conversation, she instantly cast a spell when Rox suddenly moved.

In other words, she can activate a spell with a chant of at most one measure.

I thought a magician who could be grabbed by the neck would be helpless, but if she can use magic in such a short time, it's a different story. She could even fight in close combat.

Furthermore, when I asked her, she said she could even fight with a sword. Impressive.

I haven't been this excited in a long time. Perhaps it's been since I fought my father in earnest before coming to the academy.

Thinking this, I approached the match with Eliza Woodford as a preliminary battle.

But the fight I thought would end as soon as I got close didn't even allow me to get close. My vision was taken away, and my movements were restricted. Moreover, my feet were immobilized by an unpredictable quicksand.

Until now, the fighting style of all the magicians I've faced has been long-range attacks that spread over a wide area. Therefore, once I defended an attack, I could close the distance before the next chant.

Once I got close, no one could beat me.

Perhaps it was this assumption that led to my downfall. The situation was reversed, and as I tried to chant, I felt frustration and anxiety with the continuous sandballs flying at me every few seconds.

In the end, I chanted despite the risk of being hit, and managed to activate my magic just in time to win, but it was a close victory at best.

Under normal circumstances, I shouldn't be asking to fight Aoi in such a dire situation, but Aoi understood my intention.

"Let's fight."

For some reason, my body trembled at those words. It wasn't out of fear. I just wanted to fight Aoi. That was all.

However, as soon as the battle began, I noticed something strange.

When I moved seriously, my previous opponents would be shocked, looking around frantically or desperately trying to follow my movements with their eyes.

But Aoi didn't move. Was she saying she could handle being taken from behind? Despite her sword being a thin wooden stick, there was no hesitation in her stance.

The unpredictability of Aoi's actions made me increasingly frustrated.

If I could react, that would be good. If not, so be it.

With that in mind, I decided to attack. If I could make her block my punch with her sword, I would win. A wooden sword would shatter with one hit.

That was my judgment as I charged, but my punch was easily deflected. She hit my wrist with the flat of her sword and kicked me with a sideways stance.

Immediately, a sharp impact hit my stomach.

A heavy, piercing kick. Without time to twist my body, I was blown away straight.

My breath stopped for a moment, and the taste of blood spread in my mouth.

"...Body reinforcement? I didn't notice because the light was too dim, but you're enhancing your leg strength, right?"

"Leg strength, defense, and arm strength."

I said this in desperation, and Aoi nodded easily. Then she said something unbelievable.

There's no such magic.

I thought about saying that, but Aoi was already moving.

She approached me in a straight line, sword at the ready, sliding along the ground. She wasn't running, yet her speed was extraordinary.

Moving backward would only reduce the distance. So, considering the next move, I jumped to the side. If she lost sight of me, I could take her from behind.

I thought all of this instantly and moved to the side. Despite the sudden distance, Aoi followed easily.

As Aoi continued to swing her sword sideways, I managed to twist my body and thrust my fist. I received a terrifying impact, stumbled, and barely managed to keep from falling.

I couldn't afford to lose sight of her.

Glaring at Aoi, I jumped backward to create distance.

From the brief exchange, I understood Aoi's skill as a swordsman. Sadly, I couldn't win with simple combat techniques. Even with magic, I couldn't match her speed.

Then, I had no choice but to challenge her with strength.

Even while receiving attacks, I would land a full-power blow. If I did, her frail body would surely not withstand it.

I provoked her with unfamiliar words, trying to make her come at me head-on.

She probably saw through it easily. Aoi smiled.

But, was it the confidence of a strong person? She still came straight at me.

"...Thank you."

I muttered quietly to myself.

It was a head-on battle. I would throw everything I had at her.

"Huff!"

I punched her straight on with a clenched fist.

But it didn't reach. My fist was caught by a thin wooden branch that should have broken.

Then, the moment I thought Aoi had turned her hands, a terrifying impact hit my abdomen.

My vision blurred. I saw the ground and the sky, and then my back touched the ground, rolling over.

I lost in a head-on punch.

The moment those words appeared in my mind, everything went white. I struggled to put myself back together, broken and scattered.

I couldn't counter with magic. I lost in close combat.

What should I do?

How can I win?

My mind spun, and in a desperate attempt, I threw a rock.

But the rock was cut by the wooden sword.

Monster.

The moment I thought that, the excitement and anxiety of the battle turned into fear in an instant.

I threw rocks. I kept throwing them.

But Aoi cut them all and steadily approached.

"...You've resorted to long-range attacks, haven't you? Do you understand? You are the weakest right now."

The sudden words cut my heart like a knife. No, they pierced my heart so deeply.

"Raaaaah!"

I looked down at the approaching Aoi, sharply exhaled, and swung my arm from above, delivering my maximum blow with my full weight.

I felt a solid impact spread through my entire arm.

No, the impact was too strong. Even breaking a rock wouldn't cause this much shock. What happened?

Thinking this, I looked down at Aoi and saw an unbelievable sight.

Aoi, having let go of her weapon, had her palms facing me.

Her frail female hands were holding my fist!

That's where my memory ends.

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