Chapter 26

EP.26 Sparring Request

An unusual presence appeared in the familiar scenery.

“I don’t need to pay attention~.”

It was a sunny afternoon.

Since today’s last class was free, I had gone to a corner of the garden earlier than usual to practice magic.

Suddenly, Dorothy Heartnova popped out from between the trees.

She decided to sit against a tree behind me and watch me practice.

However, the mere fact that someone was watching made me extremely uncomfortable, and I couldn’t concentrate on my practice at all.

‘How can she not pay attention?’

Perhaps she noticed my discomfort. Out of nowhere, Dorothy started reading a book.

Even though she was reading, her presence still made me uncomfortable.

“...Senior, are you going to stay here the whole time?”

“Yeah, I’m bored.”

“Why did you come here?”

“Yeah, I’m bored.”

“Then, did you ask to meet me today...”

“Yeah, I’m bored.”

Dorothy, who was reading the book, answered casually. Out of curiosity, I asked her what she would have for dinner tonight, and she gave a normal answer: “chicken.”

Anyway, as a junior and a fan, I couldn’t say anything.

Mind control. Ignore Dorothy. Even if she’s in my line of sight, I’ll just treat her as part of the ordinary scenery. That should do it.

“Phew.”

I took a deep breath, summoned [Frost Flowers] in both hands, and started to focus on my practice again.

...And 40 minutes later, when the sky was tinged with the colors of sunset.

“Ugh...”

Nosebleed started. My whole body began to feel sore, and my magic output was off. Moreover, even a slight use of magic caused a strong rejection reaction inside my body.

This is now a daily occurrence.

If I push a little harder at this stage, I can get stronger.

It’s like when you’re doing strength training and you think you can’t do one more rep, but if you manage to do it, your muscles grow.

Today, I used high-mana-consuming spells, so I reached my limit earlier than usual.

After wiping my nose, I got into the stance to cast a spell.

“Are you okay?”

“...!”

At that moment, Dorothy, who had somehow moved next to me, spoke. I turned to her in surprise, and she was looking at me closely.

“Don’t overdo it. You might damage your mana circuits.”

Dorothy smiled faintly and started to wipe under my nose with her handkerchief.

Her touch was gentle and kind.

I was so taken aback that I just stood there, watching her.

“Do you usually push yourself this hard?”

“Ah, yes. I guess so?”

“Hmm.”

After wiping my nose, Dorothy took back her handkerchief. A red bloodstain appeared on the pink handkerchief.

Suddenly, green mana started flowing from my chest. It was the mana flowing from Dorothy’s extended hand.

‘Oh, what’s this?’

Suddenly, I felt a surge of energy...! The soreness in my body disappeared instantly!

“Buff. I only used enough to not affect your condition tomorrow~.”

Hey, this is amazing? It feels like getting a caffeine boost while studying.

I can do more intense training...!

“Don’t overdo it, President?”

...Did she read my mind?

“Thank you, Senior.”

“Hehe, resume training!”

Smack─!

Dorothy giggled, gave me a strong pat on the back, and headed back to her original tree.

Her touch was a bit rough... but thanks to her, I got a lot of help.

Maybe I can rely on her buffs when I train. I won’t bring it up for now, but I should ask her for help when the opportunity arises.

* * *

An unusual presence appeared in the familiar scenery.

Lucia Eltania was watching a silver-haired man practicing in a corner of the garden.

She was sitting on a stone wall. The location was quite far from the corner of the garden, and trees obstructed the view, but she could still see the silver-haired man clearly.

This area was rarely visited, so she hadn’t seen anyone pass by for a while. It was a good viewing spot.

The silver-haired man seemed to have improved his magic proficiency since the last time she saw him. His growth was noticeable.

Watching him always gave her a strange sense of stimulation. She felt more motivated to work hard, and his efforts kept catching her eye.

The reason she recently became enthusiastic about lightning magic was entirely because of him.

“...Huh?”

Suddenly, a woman appeared from the opposite side.

A woman with lavender hair and a witch’s hat. With her excellent eyesight, she noticed that the woman had a blue brooch on her school uniform ribbon. She was a second-year senior.

The woman had a friendly conversation with the silver-haired man and then sat against a tree behind him.

She started watching his practice from a prime seat.

‘Who is this person?’

She had never seen such a person before.

A friend of the silver-haired man? Or a lover?

She wasn’t sure, but the woman seemed interested in the man.

Whether that interest was out of friendship, affection, or some other emotion, she couldn’t tell.

The fact that the woman wiped his nosebleed with a handkerchief was definitely not ordinary.

“Hmm.”

It didn’t really matter if the man had a lover. She was just worried that it might be impolite to watch.

As she watched, a memory from her childhood flashed before Lucia’s eyes.

─ “Gretel, look at this! Ya!”

─ “Cool, big brother...!”

A poor household.

The young brother swinging a wooden stick like a sword.

The young her, sitting against a tree, admiring him endlessly.

Her previous name, which she had discarded along with her past.

The memory resurfaced, squeezing her heart.

“...”

Lucia closed her eyes tightly.

1, 2, 3.

Just 3 seconds.

The time it took for her to push the memory she didn’t want to recall deep into her heart and compose her emotions.

* * *

“I will now announce the content of the next practical evaluation.”

The next morning, in the D Class lecture room.

Professor Fernando stood in front of the podium and began to announce the news to the students.

The students were all surprised. This was the first time the content of the practical evaluation was announced in advance. Previously, it was always revealed on the day of the evaluation.

The time had come. The mandatory event that took place every semester.

“The ‘Sparring’. It’s a one-on-one duel. We will evaluate your combat sense and practical abilities.”

Sparring. Some students were delighted, thinking, “Finally, the time has come,” while others were apprehensive.

I was on the happy side. This sparring evaluation would be a good indicator of how much stronger I had become.

‘I’m confident.’

I can now use both offensive and defensive magic. I can even use the 5-star spell [Ice Burst].

My confidence soared. Compare me now to when I was assigned to the class. How much more impressive am I now!

“The tickets I just distributed are sparring request cards. Each of you has two.”

Two small tickets floated next to Professor Fernando, levitated by telekinesis.

I also had two sparring request cards in my pocket.

“You can use one card to request a sparring match with the person you want. If the opponent accepts, the sparring will take place on the evaluation day. If the opponent refuses, the used sparring request card will be returned to you and that’s it.”

That’s not all.

“However, if you use two sparring request cards to request a sparring match, the opponent must accept it.”

To get a particularly good score from the evaluators, it’s best to show a variety of combat styles. Therefore, the more sparring matches you have, the better your score will be.

Using two sparring request cards to request a match means you really want to face a specific opponent. The academy respects the student’s intention and has a rule to enforce the sparring.

For reference, Ian Fairytail uses both sparring request cards to request a match with Lucia Eltania. He wants to fight the strongest person. It’s either bravery or recklessness, depending on how you look at it.

But since he’s the protagonist, it’s portrayed as cool. In “The Magic Knight of Merchen,” this scene makes you feel pumped, thinking, “Yeah, the protagonist should have this much courage.”

“You can have a maximum of four sparring matches per person. It’s best to request sparring matches as soon as possible if you have a good opponent.”

This rule was created to prevent a rush of sparring requests.

“You can only request sparring matches among first-year students in the Magic Department. Class doesn’t matter. However, if a top student wins a sparring match against a lower-class student, they will receive fewer points proportional to the difference in mana and grades. Conversely, if a lower-class student wins a sparring match against a top student, they will gain a large number of points.”

Due to this rule, most students request sparring matches with students in their own class. It’s scary to challenge a student in a higher class, and it’s not worth the points to challenge a student in a lower class.

That’s why it was unusual for Ian to request a sparring match with Lucia.

“Once your sparring opponent is decided, report it to me. I will soon make this time slot free. Stay within the Orphen Hall. Do whatever you want, but focus on gathering your sparring opponents. That’s all.”

As soon as Professor Fernando finished his announcement,

Bang─!

The door was roughly opened, and the eyes of Professor Fernando and the D Class students turned to the door.

A confident voice followed.

“Ha! Is this D Class? This is the air of the bottom!”

The person who suddenly burst in was the arrogant blonde noble, Tristan Humphrey.

Long time no see. I wondered what he had been up to since the class assignment evaluation.

“Tristan Humphrey?”

“He’s in the top tier?”

“Why is he here...?”

Tristan is a top student in B Class. The students seemed to feel both interest and fear.

“There you are.”

Tristan looked around the students and his gaze landed on me.

He approached me confidently.

Could it be...?

“The noble me, requesting a sparring match with a lowly E-class commoner like you.”

Bang─.

He slammed his hand on my desk and smiled arrogantly.

“I’ll take it.”

This guy, he’s been waiting for this...?

“What? Requesting a sparring match with an E-class?”

“There’s no merit...? How much does he hate him?”

“When did he offend Tristan-sama?”

“He’ll definitely refuse. How can an E-class beat him?”

Amidst Professor Fernando’s interested gaze and the students’ curiosity and whispers,

Tristan, who was staring at me defiantly, was grinning.

He seemed very pleased at the thought of beating me up.

How miserable must he have been during the class assignment evaluation to act like this...

At least he’s trying to legally torment me through the curriculum, which is somewhat commendable...

“...”

...Wait.

Wait, wait.

I’ve been feeling a bit arrogant lately after defeating some demons and monsters. Is this going to be a disaster?

Tristan is weaker than the demons I’ve fought, but he’s still much stronger than me.

[ Tristan Humphrey ]

Lv: 76

Race: Human

Attribute: Wind

Danger: X

Psychology: [I’m looking forward to knocking you down.]

When did his level go up? It was 71 last time.

Of course, he didn’t just sit around after losing to me. Given his personality, he must have gritted his teeth and worked hard. He must have learned defensive magic as well.

‘...This is bad.’

I’m definitely going to get thrashed...

“I won’t accept a refusal! Hehehe─!”

Tristan laughed and took out two sparring request cards, throwing them at me.

The thin paper brushed against my cheek and landed on my lap.

“...”

...This is embarrassing.

Even if I’m going to get thrashed, I have to knock this guy down.