I posted another chapter earlier, too!
She watched Ermes collapse to the ground before her eyes, his declaration still hanging in the air.
(...I won.)
Gasping for breath, Niina thought.
Her assessment was roughly the same as Ermes'. If this battle had continued on an actual battlefield, she could have finished him off for certain.
The price would be taking a direct hit from his magic at point-blank range—she wouldn't escape serious injuries and removal from the front lines, but she'd survive with roughly even odds. That was her estimate, based on the destructive power of his magic so far.
In short, it was essentially a draw. If there were a judgment, it would barely count as her victory.
...But despite that outcome, she didn't have the slightest sense of victory.
To put it bluntly, it didn't feel like she'd won at all.
After all—this match had started under overwhelmingly favorable conditions for her.
First, the information advantage. Niina had a solid grasp of Ermes' abilities and tendencies, while he was seeing her for the first time. On top of that, the added edge from the surprise factor—he certainly hadn't expected her to be a swordswoman—must have played a definite role.
Crowning it all was their starting position. By mage-versus-mage standards, they were a bit close—and for her, it was barely two or three steps to close the gap. There was almost no time to Chant. It was practically within her striking range.
Against a mage student—no, against anyone in this school, faculty included—this was a situation where she could win with absolute certainty. Anyone who knew her would think the same, and she herself had the confidence to make it happen.
And yet,
it had been pushed
to nearly a draw.
That was the reality.
Faced with that fact, she felt a shock unlike anything she had ever experienced in her life—and
at the same time, admiration for him for having achieved it, and the exhilaration of having fought such a hard-fought match against him—these emotions swelled to fill her heart.
—— However, as if to douse Nina's mood with cold water.
"...Aha, ahaha, ahahaha!"
The sound of Albert's laughter rang out, cold sweat beading on his forehead as he watched the battle unfold.
"W-well, did you see that, everyone?! As I suspected, that commoner isn't just some loudmouth who borrows Trachea's name! I mean, he even lost to someone who can't use Bloodline Magic!"
His words drew murmurs of agreement from those around them — mainly from people who held Ermes in contempt — though their voices were laced with confusion.
Yes — let Nina defeat him, then use it to disgrace him. Whatever the process, when it came to the result, everything had unfolded perfectly according to Albert's script.
(...Hah.)
She couldn't help but let out a sigh.
They were classmates, after all. She understood that they had no choice but to do this — that it was the only way they had to protect themselves. As a noble young lady, she grasped the psychology behind their actions and the circumstances that had led them here.
...But even so, she really wished they could have held back, just this once.
And she felt sorry toward him. For dragging him into this ridiculous farce between nobles. Because of their malice and her own curiosity, this situation had been born — turning what should have been a magnificent contest into something sullied, tarnishing his reputation just as they had intended.
...That was why, at first, she hadn't been eager to go through with it.
It was because she knew she had enough ability — enough to be a natural counter to a mage. She had known from the very start that this outcome was the most likely one.
And yet, she had thought that maybe — just maybe — he could pull it off. In the end, he had fought far beyond anything she had expected — but, in a sense, this situation had come to pass regardless.
"...I'm sorry."
With guilt weighing on her, she withdrew her sword and extended her hand toward him.
"It's not your fault, El. Starting from that distance, and on top of that it was your first time seeing my abilities. If you factor in all those disadvantages, you basically won. I'll make sure to explain everything to everyone later — "
She had just finished offering this — her best attempt at support, however inadequate — when:
"? No, honestly... that's not really what's on my mind."
Unexpectedly.
Ermes wore a completely nonchalant expression — his face made it clear he was genuinely not paying any heed to the jeers around him or the voices denigrating him.
"More importantly. Nina-dono."
He took her hand, stood up straight, and—looking directly at Nina alone, his eyes shining brightly—
"—Could I trouble you for another match!?"
He had made a rather unexpected declaration.
"………Eh?"
She was stunned for a moment, but—perhaps this wasn't such a bad idea after all.
Even factoring in the new information, if they fought again, he would probably win with a decent probability this time. If that happened, the bad reputation of 'having lost to someone who doesn't use Bloodline Magic' might ease a little.
"R-right. Okay, then this time, same conditions as before, and maybe we start a little further apart—"
"Oh, no, not like that. ……I may be overstepping, but…"
However, Ermes lightly shook his head at her proposal, with a somewhat reserved demeanor.
"…This time, under exactly the same conditions. That is to say—
I also
won't use
magic
in that state, and I would like you to fight me."
"—Pardon?"
This time, she was truly caught off guard.
"No way… someone of your caliber can't possibly not understand? Under those conditions, I would almost certainly—"
"Yes, I would probably lose again."
To confirm, he nods calmly.
In other words, he already knew he would lose.
And he made this proposal knowing it would give those around him even more reason to mock him. What kind of person—
"But, um... I was truly moved by your sword. As someone who has trained for years as a mage, I'd somewhat dismissed the martial side of things — but you've truly mastered that domain."
Yet he spoke with a sincerity that was almost startling.
"That's why I want to see more. Your sword — this time under exactly the same conditions. In a way that makes the gap between us unmistakably clear."
"...Ah."
Only then did it finally click.
He truly didn't care. Not in the slightest — about any of it. The glory, the shame, all those things the people around him loudly proclaimed.
All that filled Ermes's mind right now was unreserved admiration for something genuinely exceptional. The curiosity to know more about it, and the drive to better himself through it. Really, that was all there was to it.
"...I see."
It felt like pushing away what everyone around her was saying, but the one who'd been trapped was herself.
And at the same time — the realization that this pure respect was being directed at her swordsmanship. In this magic-supremacist country, at this academy, it had been so long since anyone had regarded her skill with such genuine esteem. Embarrassment and joy welled up together.
"Yeah, sure. Honestly, I'd be the one asking you."
Once she realized that, her answer came without a moment's hesitation.
"You mainly do hand-to-hand combat, right? Those muscles are incredible — I genuinely want to see what you can do. — And of course, you'll get to see plenty of my sword, too."
"! Yes, absolutely!"
"Oh come on, stop giving me that look — it's embarrassing. ...I might start to fall for you, you know?"
In the end, she let a slightly mischievous grin return to her face.
The two of them clashed head-on once more. This time in a purer form.
Naturally, Ermes was even more overwhelmed than before. He was sent tumbling spectacularly, his sword thrust at again and again.
Yet despite his frustrated expression, he was clearly enjoying himself. Nina, too, had lost every trace of her initial reluctance and swung her sword with pure exhilaration.
"……What... what the hell is he...!"
Such was the state of the two of them.
The male student who had caused this situation — Albert — watched them with a bitter gaze.
To him, Ermes was a truly incomprehensible being.
Even if he had once been called a Prodigy, he was ultimately an excommunicated outcast. Albert had thought that was all there was to it and picked a fight on the first day, only to be repelled by overwhelming magical skill.
Ermes had calmly defied even the faculty's tyranny — something none of them had been able to do anything about — and what should have been a relief only made Albert more resentful.
And now. He had engineered a situation where any ordinary noble would curl up in shame, yet — far from that — Ermes was happily doing something that, from their perspective, was nothing more than piling humiliation on top of humiliation.
……Seriously, what was he?
Watching his attitude, his behavior, for some reason…
They started to seem trivial — the very ones who were supposed to be the chosen of magic, compared to him.
But he couldn't admit that.
He looked at Ermes once more. With irritation, with loathing — yet mixed faintly into his gaze was something that might have been admiration.
The other students wore similar expressions as they watched him… watched the two of them.
Sarah alone harbored a sense of something clicking into place, along with a stronger admiration than anyone else.
In the end, until the lesson was over.
Every member of the class would keep watching the two of them — their battle, which was quite literally a martial demonstration.
With all manner of emotions, they would keep their eyes on the spectacle.
I'm very happy that the new heroine Nina was received even better than expected…!
Also, I actually received two reviews the other day! Thank you so much!!
Next time, it looks like we'll be getting a story about Class A where Lady Katia is. Some dangerous characters are also scheduled to appear!
It would be an honor if you continue to look forward to what's next!