"Oh my goodness! I completely forgot I''m so sorry!" Incha says as he hovers his hands around mine looking at it, but avoiding contact
Confused at the message I received and his sudden panic I simply look at him skeptically.
"I was born with a curse... it hurts those that I come in contact with. It is so rare that I make friends that I had forgotten about it." Incha says with a sorrowful look
His face... looks genuine, but I can''t help but remain skeptical. Regardless, thanks to my new resistances it doesn''t seem to have affected me, so, for now, I''ll just go with it.
"It''s alright, I feel a tad wheezy, but I should be fine before the fight," I say attempting to look a bit sickly
This is a complete lie. The first time he touched my hand I will admit I felt a little woozy, but I figured it was just because of how hungry I was. That fight really took it out of me. This time, however, I feel completely fine.
"Is that so? Thank goodness. Not to put myself first, but if you had dropped out of the fight as well I probably would have been kicked out on suspicion of fixing my fights. Are you sure your okay?" He asks again as he hovers around me in a doting kind of way
I suppose he does have a point. It would look suspicious if his second round opponent dropped out as well, plus with a curse this weak there is no way he would have been able to take down Afeuro using this method. He would have just been defeated next round instead if he was relying on some cheap method like that.
"I''ll be fine. If you really feel guilty about it, just treat me to some ramen after the fight." I say with a smile
"...Pfft, is that all?! You must be fine after all. Alright, it''s a deal, I''ll treat you later." Incha says as he goes to put out his hand to shake on it
He jerks it back before he fully extends it though, clearly remembering what happened.
"Sorry, I''ll be more careful," Incha says with a nervous smile
The attendant standing next to us is beginning to look a tad irritated, however.
"This. Way. Please." She says as she points with irritation towards the prep rooms
"Shall we?" I say as I follow her instructions
Incha gives a nod and we separate into our prep rooms.
While I wait for my our fight to begin I give my stats a thorough inspection to make sure the curse hasn''t affected them. Although I can''t seem to find anything wrong I cast "Restore" on myself just in case.
I receive no visitors while I wait this time, and I spend my time waiting enjoying my peaceful boredom. It doesn''t last however as after a short while the attendant pokes her head in yet again to lead me to the Arena.
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! We have yet another amazing fight for you today! I''m sure you are all excited to see our one-hit wonder in action again after her last fight, but today she is matched up with another new face to the tournament. Due to a drop out in the first round, it is still unknown what kind of fight we have ahead of us today. Will it be a one-sided slaughter, or will the unknown element turn the tables? I suppose the only way we will know is if we get down to it. LET THE MATCH... BEGIN!" The announcer excitedly says as I take up my place across from Incha
I begin to draw my sword, but before I can even get it out of my Scabbard, my vision goes white.
MTY: Chapter 119
I can''t see anything. Everywhere I look all I see is smoke, it''s as if the entire arena has filled to the brim with a bright white fog.
I draw my sword and keep up my guard as I fish for more information.
"What''s this?! It seems that one of the competitors has filled the arena with smoke! While a smoke bomb is considered a tool, I always hate to see someone use a strategy like this. I suppose we will just have to wait until the smoke clears to see the fight unfold." The announcer proclaims in a disappointed tone
So the crowd can''t see much either then?
Swish!
While I try to think of a strategy a gash opens up on my arm.
I instantly swing in the direction the attack must have come from, but my sword finds nothing but smoke.
How can he find me in this smoke? Perhaps he memorized my location before the smoke went up. In that case, I''ll need to reposition.
With a strong backward jump I manage to make some serious distance between me and my starting location, however, as I flew backward several more gashes appeared across my body.
Can he really see me clearly in this smoke, and what''s with that ridiculous speed?! Not only did he manage to keep up with me while I repositioned, but he managed to land several attacks quickly enough that I couldn''t even see him.
In this kind of zero visibility situation, isn''t the solution usually sound?
I strain my ears to their utmost limit trying to listen for Incha.
MURMUR MURMUR MURMUR
It''s no use. Any kind of subtle sound is completely lost in the loud disgruntled murmuring of the crowd denied it''s show. Could someone really manage to hear something as subtle as the air rushing past me or even footsteps in this kind of noise?
"INCHA! Enough of your tricks! Face me!" I yell growing irritated
The gashes around me aren''t deep, but they are bad enough to slow me down. Is his intent to draw the fight out and slowly weaken me? Surely the smoke would clear before then.
whistle THUNK!
"AGH!" I let out as a knife quickly flies through the smoke and buries itself in my thigh
The pain is intense, far more than a simple stab wound should be.
Due to repeated exposure, you have gained:
Poison resistance II
Poison?! Is that even allowed?!... Thinking about it, there didn''t seem to be many rules or restrictions on what kind of weapons one could use during this round. As much as it seems like a cheap cowardly dirty trick, he is simply using the rules to his advantage.
He did give me an idea, however. If throwing weapons are okay, then I have a surprise or two of my own up my sleeve.
I quickly search through my inventory for every dagger and cooking knife that I managed to filch from the castle I started in.
First I throw one in the direction the knife buried in my thigh came from, and then randomly around. With the speed and power in which I release them, they resemble an arrow or possibly even a bullet. Even if he can see me, he shouldn''t be able to avoid all of these.Stolen story; please report.
"Oh dear! Knives have begun to fly out of the smoke at high speed! I encourage you all to take cover! Our medical team has already started helping those hit. What in the world could be going on in there that could explain this sudden storm of knives?!" The announcer excitedly reacts
The crowd? How could they be hitting the crowd? I''m sure I''m throwing them level to the ground... are the curving upward because I''m throwing them too hard?
tink
Still trying to figure out the previous mystery, one of my knives fall back at my feet. Less than thrown, it seemed to be dropped. Immediately I look up, and what I see faintly in the smoke sends a chill down my spine.
A web. A faint glint reflecting off the cords shows the familiar sight of a spiders web in the smoke only a foot or two above.
Scared, I throw a knife directly at the center to cut it down, but much to my surprise the net sends it back to me like a trampoline. When I look at the tip of the knife, however, you can tell it didn''t come out unscathed. The part that impacted the web looks shredded to bits.
This is bad! That thing is centered right above me, which means he knows exactly where I am... if he manages to close those threads in around me it''s my loss for sure. What can I do to stop that though? I can''t risk using my sword against it, after all, if it gets destroyed I''ll never stand a chance in the next round. If only I could use magic this would be a breeze.
...If these things have been what''s been cutting me, then that would mean he can''t actually see me right? He must have figured out where I was when I yelled out for him, but aside from that, he must be as blind as I am... In that case, I have an idea.
"Fine, I can always just wait out the smoke!" I yell out
When I receive no response I carefully and quickly I begin digging at the ground beneath me, trying to stay quiet about it. I dig a small trench, just large enough for me to fit in lying down, and start to cover myself in the dirt directly below the center of the web. I do my best to cover my entire body, leaving a space directly above my face to see and breath. I''m sure the disguise could be easily seen through in almost any circumstance, but in this, near zero visibility arena, it just might work.
I wait... what I''m sure are minutes I feel drag by as if hours. Should my plan fail and he discovers me I would have served him victory on a silver platter. I strain my eyes to their limit to monitor the wires now far above overhead. Although entirely invisible in the smoke at this distance, the occasional glint reassures me they are there. The job of spotting them becomes easier however as time passes. The occasional glint becomes a light show not only above but all around as the wires silently become denser.
The sound that came next could come to haunt my dreams. The sound of thousands of wires as sharp as blade sliding against one another as the constricted around what was once my location. As the wires grew close enough for me to see clearly I realized the sheer scale of the trap that was set for me.
A wall resembling orderly steel wool passed over my head. The previous image in my head of being chopped to bits turns to that of being Pur¨¦ed.
"KRYAAAAAAAAAAAAGHhhh-...." I channel that fear into a blood-curdling scream as the wires finish their constriction
Then again... I wait.
After several more minutes of silence pass, he finally arrives to check the scene. My previous gamble paid off, but this one is far riskier. If he manages to notice that there is no Maou-paste at the center of his web before he gets into range he will disappear back into the smoke and my trick won''t work again.
Slowly he approaches, I can see the confidence on his face, the lack of regret. Not only does he think he killed me, he is proud of his achievement. Perhaps it''s that pride that blinds him long enough for me to grab ahold of his leg as he treds next to me.
I pull his leg and knock him to the ground before springing from the dirt to mount him and keep him pinned to the ground.
"Your trap was clever, but now-" I start as I draw back a fist to smack his smug face with, however, I''m interrupted
"I SURRENDER!" Incha yells in a clear concise, and annoyingly not panicked voice
"Wha?! What do you mean?!" I nearly yell in his face
"You heard me, I surrender, you win. Good match friend?" He says as he puts out his hand to shake giving a knowing grin
"You are unbelievable!" I yell as I get up, kneeing him "accidentally" in the ribs as I do
As I get up, the smoke begins to rapidly clear, and the wires begin to move like snakes towards Incha, who has started forming an odd hand gesture. In mere moments the arena is perfectly visible, and not a wire is in sight. It happens so quickly it feels as if the entire fight from a moment ago could have just been an illusion.
I look back to Incha to see that he still has his hand outstretched.
"You are going to help me back up aren''t you?" He asks in a smug tone
In response, I take his hand as if I am, and instead pull hard enough to toss him to the ground again.
cough "So you are immune to it." He says with a smile as he just lays there
"WELL FOLKS, IT SEEMS YOU DON''T HAVE TO SEE IT TO BELIEVE IT! It looks like Contestant number 34 Mano will be moving into the semifinal round! The mystery newbie continues to amaze, but how will she face off against her next opponent? How did she even face off against this opponent?" The announcer excitedly riffs now that he can finally see what he is talking about
MTY: Chapter 120
After the fight was over I searched for Incha. I wanted answers from him. Unfortunately, however, he was nowhere to be found. He all but disappeared into thin air after he left the fighting area apparently.
I still don''t know if he was the one who rigged our fight, but I do know that I underestimated him. He had the upper hand in that fight. He was more prepared than I was, and I can''t let that happen again.
There at the end, Incha definitely tried to poison me, even after having surrendered. Why would he do that? Incha had been acting friendly to me leading up to the fight, but perhaps he was just trying to make me lower my guard.
...Is this even what I should be spending my time thinking about? Shouldn''t I be thinking of tactics for my next fight? Even if it was close Incha was still clearly weaker than me in a direct fight, so what happens when someone that is my equal stacks the cards in their favor the same way he did? I have to think of a trump card before this next fight.
"Wow, he really must have gotten under your skin for you to be so deep in thought. What happened in that great big ball of smoke?" I hear aimed at me
As my focus turns back to reality I notice Juire standing in front of me with a vaguely familiar face. It doesn''t take long before I pick his face out from the few that I have come to memorize in these past few weeks.
"Your name was Faurch wasn''t it? You''re the old head of the merchants guild up in Jin right?" I ask
"I''m happy that you remember me. I had heard that you were participating while I was doing some business in the area. Since I had some free time left before I needed to return I figured I would stick around and watch." He explains with a smile
Even though I know he used to be the head of the Merchants guild, all I can see when I look at him is a kindly old butler.
"Sorry I couldn''t show you a better fight then, I can''t imagine it was all that fun to watch smoke for 10 minutes," I say apologetically
How did he get in on a whim like that though? Weren''t the tickets meant to be super expensive and sold out already? What kind of pull does he have exactly?Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.
"Oh, it''s no matter. Though I am left curious what exactly went on in there as well. Between the storm of knives, and the fact that when the smoke cleared you were covered in dirt and standing over your opponent, one would assume it was quite something." Faurch says with a warm smile
GRooOWwll
For a few moments, there is silence between us, and my face can''t help but redden slightly. Why did my stomach need to pick now of all times to growl?
"Well... I''m just about starving, so why don''t I tell you all about it over lunch?" I say as I try to keep my composure
"Sounds great, I wanted to talk to you about something anyway," Faurch says with a slightly more serious face
Since I haven''t had a chance to visit in a while I decide to go to the ramen place I found before. This time, however, I have a secret weapon.
I guide Juire and Faurch to the run down shop. Both give the shop a tentative look as we enter.
"Oh! Girlie! Nice to see you bringing in more customers!" The old pops that runs this shop cheers out as I enter
As the rest of his family notice my arrival he is quickly shuffled off to another room.
Confused I look on, but he doesn''t seem to resist at all.
"Sorry about that, my husband just becomes a little excitable around his favorite customers. Will you um... be eating a lot tonight?" His wife as with a worried look
"Just one bowl for me, though I can''t speak for either of these two," I say as I sit at the counter
I can understand her worry, but I have already figured out a countermeasure to make sure I don''t frenzy again. When I cooked for everybody earlier I discovered that food made by me seems to satiate me almost completely. After experimenting I learned that so long as I snacked on something I cooked before I eat I will no longer frenzy. A good thing too, I was really starting to miss the taste of ramen.
The wife breaths a sigh of release at my statement, and dons a gracious smile.
We order, and I begin to snack on a piece of Borka jerky I made earlier from my inventory while we wait.
"So what did you need to talk about?" I ask Faurch
"Well, it''s about the clients you arranged for us to trade with." He says with a serious look about him
A chill runs down my spine at those words. I try not to look shaken as I respond.
"Oh, what about? Were they unhospitable to you in some way?" I ask trying to remain calm
"Oh no, of course not! In fact, they have been incredibly gracious to us. Our relationship has been plenty beneficial. So much so that I would very much like to keep the relationship going for a while. That is why I''ve come to you actually. I fear the deal may have to end soon." He says in an apologetic tone
"What, why?! Didn''t you just say it was beneficial to you? Why would you end it?" I ask confused by his statement
Should those supplies stop before the monster village can become self-reliant the goblins will be forced to steal or starve. That powderkeg does not need to be jostled.
"Well, to put it simply, because the kingdom knows about the goblin village," Faurch says with a smile.
MTY: Chapter 121
There is silence between the three of us. The gravity of his statement lingers on the air.
In the silence, the woman behind the counter places our food in front of us, then returns to the kitchen area. Perhaps the mood between us was enough for her to understand that the conversation could use some privacy.
"...Explain." I say without looking away from my food
I choose my words carefully... or rather fearfully. Without knowing what information he has, anything I say could give away an even more damning piece of information. Maou or not, my involvement with the goblins will not be looked over lightly. If I''m unlucky the hunt for my life has already started.
"Relax, I wouldn''t have brought him to you if he was against you. Whether you want to believe it''s because we are business partners, or that our deal isn''t done yet is up to you." Juire says attempting to lighten the mood a little
His words do little for my nerves, however. I wait in silence for the answer I demanded.
"Let me start from the beginning then," Faurch says in a resolved tone
I finally look up from my food to see that his face is serious, but devoid of Malice. In response to his words, I simply nod and continue to listen.
"There is an area completely devoid of life north from the village of Jin. No monster, animal, or human dares reside there. Even the most simple of creatures can feel an inexplicable sense of danger from it." Faurch begins
North of Jin... wasn''t that around where the goblin chief said they planned to set up?
"The reason why is unknown, but the phenomena is strange enough to be under investigation from the local adventures guilds." He says as he begins to eat his noodles
Should I be happy that he seems to be enjoying them in this kind of situation?
"I''m sure you know what they ended up finding there in their most recent expedition. From your reaction, I can assume that I was right and that these are the same goblins we asked you to take care of before?" He continues
Silence lingers again as I consider how I should answer.
This isn''t a situation lying can get me out of, is it? At this point shouldn''t I just be grateful that is all he knows? If I give him any more reason to dig things will end quite badly for me.
"That is correct," I say simply with resolve
I''m simply going to have to trust him, even if it''s a gamble.
"Brilliant! I had a feeling you would exceed my expectations when we sent you." Faurch says with a genuine smile
Rather than the wicked or conniving smiles so many of my associate wear on their faces, this is the smile of someone truly having fun.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
"Pardon?" I ask, caught off guard by his answer
"Sure, annihilating the goblins might have saved us from future losses, but it does nothing to return what we have already lost. Turning a problem into an asset is one of a merchant''s greatest tools." Faurch says regaining some of the dignity he showed earlier, but still unable to hide his good mood
"I don''t understand. Does this mean you like the deal with the goblins? Why? Wouldn''t most people despise associating with monsters?" I ask almost upset at his glee
Why have I been trying so hard to hide this if he was going to react like this?! Give me back my hard work!
"Your not wrong, this one just has something loose in his head." Juire chimes in, tapping his own head with his chopsticks
"I''m simply someone who knows better than to put the morals of others before their own assertions. The goblins are able to obtain materials that adventurers would hardly dare to go after in such a rural region, asking only for food and tools, which are easily obtained commodities on our trade routes." Faurch says with a stern glance at Juire
They seem so familiar with one another. They feel as though they are old pals of one another.
"Regardless of how I feel about it, however, the kingdom views this as a possible disaster scenario. Monsters organizing means they become more powerful, and thus a greater threat. Should they find out about our connection to this village we will be treated as enemies of the kingdom." Faurch continues with a completely serious look
"...So what''s the plan?" I ask grasping the gravity of the situation
I''ve not only put myself in danger, but I''ve also dragged them into this as well. Even if they didn''t know what they were doing, the kingdom will still likely punish their crimes all the same.
"That''s where I come in." Juire chimes in
"Remember that plantation I told you about? The one the king promised me for winning? Well, I might have fibbed just a tad." He says with his usual wicked grin and playful tone
Sigh
Of course he did.
"Rather than a single farm, what he promised me is more of a fief. I didn''t lie about why, however. Near the center of my territory are several large fields, and I plan to convert each of them to Taurch production." He continues
"And how exactly does this relate to what we were talking about?" I ask annoyed
"Simple, you need a place to hide your friends, and I could use some strong workers to till and work the fields. We had intended to keep our fields out of public view in the first place to hide our sugar making method. Since the fields belong to us the kingdom will steer clear of them." He explains
"... I suppose that could work. They would need a field or two to produce food for themselves, but if your willing to shelter them I could probably convince them to work in return." I begin to say aloud as I mull over the idea
The goblins certainly wouldn''t be fond of this plan. They still seemed to hold a lot of resentment towards humans the last time I was there. Maybe the chief would be able to do something to convince them?
"Wait, what would you get out of this Faurch? With the goblins leaving you would lose all of the materials that you were getting before. Why protect them if they are no longer useful to you?" I ask
Protecting them only serves to deepen his crimes against the kingdom. Coming to us about this doesn''t really seem like it works to his advantage.
"Aside from this being a quick way to make the problem disappear, it also serves to indebt you to me. I''m afraid I''m not doing this out of the kindness of my heart, I am a merchant after all." He says with a gentle smile
My image of him being a kind gentle old man is slowly fading.
"Don''t forget that none of this will matter unless you can win though. I''ll start making preparations to smuggle your friends out of the forest. I can hide them in some old warehouses we own until we can start setting up the farm." Juire says as he writes something onto a piece a paper and hands it to me
"Whats this?" I ask as I pretend to read it
"The bill. I''m not a hotel. I''m gonna charge you for every day I shelter them, so you better win me that fief quickly." He says with a wicked grin
MTY: Chapter 122
After splitting off from Juire I return to the Inn I was staying at and retreat to my room to have a private conversation. I need to convey the situation to the goblins and convince them to accept the deal Juire proposed.
"Hey Hierch, you there?" I ask as I activate the com-stone
"...If it isn''t our patron herself, what can I do for you?" He answers after a few moments as the sounds of him fumbling to get the stone out of a pouch play out
"It seems we have a problem. The kingdom discovered your village in a recent expedition through that area, and apparently, they are gearing up to send a raiding party." I say getting straight to the point
This entire situation put quite a few wrenches in our previous plans. Not only am I looking to make them accept the deal, but I''m hoping for their input on the matter as well.
"...sigh I figured it was a matter of time, but I thought we would have a bit longer to get set up. Wierd though, usually we are good about spotting humans before they spot us. I wonder how they managed to find us unaware?" Hierch lets out in disappointment
"I negotiated a deal with an associate of mine to hide you guys away for a while. If you work his far-"
"Oh, that won''t be necessary." Hierch interrupts
There is confidence in his voice, which only makes the realization of his meaning that much scarier.
"...What? Don''t tell me you plan to stay there even though they discovered you?" I ask in disbelief
That would be suicide, to say the least. Goblins might be stronger than a normal human, but if the people fighting in the tournament are any indication they don''t stand a chance against a decently armed adventurer party.
"I told you didn''t I? I knew this would happen. Our village was bound to be discovered eventually. The only reason why other monsters don''t try to make villages themselves is that they are usually acutely aware of the fact that it''s only a matter of time before humans come along to wipe it out." Hierch explains
"Then why even make one in the first place? Whats the point of painting a target on yourselves?" I ask with a bit of anger seeping throughSupport the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.
I made a decision back in that forest that I wouldn''t harm these goblins unless they became a threat to me or people I care about. If this entire village idea was just an extended suicide then I would have been responsible for helping them. That does not sit well with me.
"Because we have something that other monsters don''t. Protection." Hierch says confidently
"If you''re talking about me then I''m going to go ahead and cut you off there. I''m not in a position where I can fight against the humans out in the open like that." I argue back growing increasingly irritated
"No, I''m not talking about you. Remeber how I told you there were a few monsters that humans have learned to avoid? Well, we happen to have one nesting just below where we are building the village. Before I ever came up with the idea to make a village for us I struck a deal with him. He''s kind of the whole linchpin of the plan actually." He continues
"A powerful monster? What exactly is he?" I ask confused
Why didn''t he tell me about all this before? Did he still not fully trust me, or did he just not feel like I needed to know?
"A dragon. A geezer of a dragon, but a dragon all the same. He''s got a weak spot for alcohol, so we made a trade where he will let us nest in his territory, and in exchange, we regularly supply him with booze. That''s one of the main reasons why we set up our initial camp on the trade route. Along with resources to support a large number of goblins, we needed to secure some wine for a down payment from the traders." He explains
Hmm, I suppose it was a bit odd. Even if they needed resources why choose such a public location? Had it not been me that swung along, and had instead been someone hostile their plan would have ended right there. A dragons favor would certainly be worth the added risk.
"That''s why we can''t accept your friends deal, whatever it is. We promised a dragon booze. Whatever danger humans could offer, it would pale to what breaking a deal with a dragon would bring about. We have to be here to make sure that the harvest and fermentation happen as soon a possible." He continues
Damned if they do, damned if they don''t eh?
"The humans are aware that there is something odd keeping creatures out of the area, but they don''t know exactly what it is. Are you sure his presence will be enough to shield you all?" I ask as I remember the details Faurch gave me
"Ahh, that would make sense. I don''t think the old coot has moved a muscle in over a decade. He might need to put on a bit of a show... that isn''t in our deal though. You might need to secure a large amount of booze for us. If we have enough we should be able to get him to make his presence more known." Hierch says in a concerned tone
sigh "I''ll see what I can do." I say as I cut off the call
Now... how in the world am I going to get a ton of booze? Money is out of the picture considering... well, I hardly have any. Between food expenses, our inn rooms, and various other expenses I certainly don''t think I have enough left over to buy enough booze for a dragon. Kera got a share from selling all of the hides we got from hunting monsters, maybe she still has some left to lend me?
Perhaps I can convince Juire to sell me some good booze on the cheap instead of hiding the goblins. I''m pretty sure he had a nice selection back while we were negotiating for the tournament, so I''m sure he can get his hands on it. I''ll need to let Faurch know what is going on as well.
MTY Chapter: 123
I discussed the alcohol situation with Juire, and he gave me a rather troubling deal.
"I''ve got some connections with a few breweries in the area that owe me some favors anyways, I''ll go ahead and make a large order for some of their best stuff. In return, however, I want you to supply me with some workers for my fields. Oh, I nearly forgot! Should you lose all of this and I don''t win my fief, you will be paying for the alcohol in full with interest. Better fight hard, this stuff is worth about as much as a castle." He said with a grin as he made his demands
With little room to argue I set out to start making my countermeasures for the next round.
Afeuro isn''t an opponent I can hold back on at all. Hide my trump cards for the final battle? That kind of thinking will make me lose for sure. Even my current skills probably won''t be enough to make up for the difference in experience, there is no way I could hope to hold back here. There are a few things I will need before the next round if I want to stand any chance of winning.
Before me now stands the "Royal magic academy". The same one that the bishounen in the Yuusha''s party applied for. The key to my plan for the next round lies here.
Dozens of students are passing me as they enter and exit the academy with leisure.
Before entering I slink into a nearby alleyway and use "Status" on the students that are passing through the front door.
Skills obtained:
Create water
Meditate
Unfortunately, after about an hour, I realized that there only seemed to be small fry coming and going at this time. None were high enough level for me to obtain skills from, but eventually, I managed to get the two skills that almost every person seemed to have.
I''m going to need to go in there if I want to find anybody powerful enough to have the skill I need, but there is a problem with that. The students all seem to have the same robes. They are probably a uniform for the school. I imagine if I don''t have one I probably won''t be allowed to enter. Juire could probably figure out a way for me to get a set, but that would take too long and I wouldn''t want to explain why I need them. With the fight tomorrow I can''t afford to waste a single second that I could be looking for this skill. Especially so since I''m not even sure it exists.
"Umm... can I help you?" I hear suddenly from behind me
Startled I whip my head around to see who it is, but when I do I''m met with an unfamiliar face. A young man dressed in the academy''s robes is standing there with an equally confused look on their face.
"Oh, this is... well, I uh... was thinking of applying! Yup, that''s it, I didn''t know how though so I, uh..." I nervously stumble as I attempt to find an excuse for stalking the entrance from a dark alley
"Oh? That''s fantastic, in that case, follow me!" The young man says as he grabs my hand and pulls me forward
Is he taking me to apply?... This could work. It should get me into the academy after all. The Yuusha''s party member said that the test was just to produce a small fireball, so I should be able to enter.
Looking at him closely though... aren''t his robes a bit different? I suppose it''s worth a shot.
"Status" I whisper while looking at the young man
Name: Henry Orwell
Species: Human
Level: 15
Skills:
Dual casting
Speed castingUnauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.
Mana refinement
Water bullet
Fire circle
Earth elemental
Create liquid
Mana regeneration
The knowledge of others fills you:
Dual casting
Mana refinement
The skill "Mana refinement" has been absorbed into "Royal Mana"
.
Well... that''s a new one. I suppose it''s because Royal Mana is a higher tier version of that skill. Still, this boy is quite a bit stronger than his pears. Perhaps a different set of robes indicates different capabilities. Unfortunately this one no good too, he doesn''t have the skill I''m looking for either.
The young man pulls me by the hand to the entrance. In viewing distance from the gate is a courtyard which I am promptly led to.
"Welcome to Teslgar''s official royal academy. I am Henry Orwell. I am an instructor here. Typically we don''t accept applications outside of a few specific periods throughout the year, but after an incident recently quite a few students withdrew so we are somewhat desperately looking for new students." The young man explains with a jovial attitude after he leads me to the center of the courtyard
He was a teacher? He looks younger than me. Looking at his stats I don''t think he''s some kind of genius so are young teachers just considered more normal here?
"The entrance test is simply to cast a small fireball. If you don''t know how to we also offer a 2-week course for a nominal fee." He says with a nervous expression
I know they are desperate for students, but can the "royal" magic academy really be training people up from such a basic point? Aren''t schools like this usually used to train up the military grade mages?
"That''s alright, I''m plenty capable of casting that. Fu-Tei-Fier Fireball!" I say with authority as I focus my magic
My goal lies with the most advanced mages they have here. I need to show off my abilities right away if I want to get close to them, so I cast a serious fireball spell.
When I do 3 fireballs of a pinkish hue appear above my head. I don''t need their color to tell me the intensity of the flames, however, as the heat they give off is so intense that I have to distance them from myself immediately.
I have fire resistance, don''t I? Just how hot of a flame am I producing exactly? Still, I was hoping they would be a bit more flashy. This is still a normal fireball no matter how you cut it, even if it''s hotter than normal.
After the fireballs are far enough away that I''m no longer worried about my clothes catching, I look to the instructor for his reaction.
"..." He simply stares in silence at the distant fireballs, however
The look on his face is one of awe as he stays that way for an awkwardly long amount of time.
"Um... hello? Did I pass?" I ask trying to snap him out of it
"Hm... OH! Yes, I''m sorry! It''s just... those flames are beautiful. I''ve never seen such mana refinement before. I felt like I was staring at a miracle for a second." He says as he adjusts himself and attempts to regain his composure
"I''m sorry but... what exactly did you hope to learn here? Most of our course goes into mana refinement and magical language lessons. You seem to be a master of both." The young man says with a disheartened look
Ah, I went too far didn''t I?
"Actually, I know very few spells. I don''t know any of the magical language at all either." I explain
"What?! But your pronunciation was perfect! How are you even casting spells if you don''t know the magical language?!" The instructor asks with intense enthusiasm.
"I, uh, just memorized each spell?" I explain nervously
I forgot how dangerous it could be to let people know too much about how magic works for me. My body runs on auto-pilot when I select a skill from the list. I don''t have to do half as many things as those around me do when it comes to casting.
"Your pronunciation is that good despite not even knowing the language?! In that case, try this one! Tei-Va-Proct Barrier!" the young man demands happily as a thin blue bubble appears around him
Despite his enthusiasm, it takes me several attempts to get my pronunciation of the final word down properly. There seems to be a lot of nuance involved. After a while, however, I manage to successfully do so.
"Tei-Va-Proct Barrier." I say as I imagine the same bubble I saw around the instructor
I don''t know how to manage my power on this just yet, so I try to hold back a bit on each attempt.
When the spell finally activates I am surprised to see a very different result from that of the instructors, however. Rather than a thin blue bubble, my barrier looks closer to a roughly 1-inch thick glass sphere.
...
Again the instructor stares in silence at the result... or so I thought. Looking closely his mouth is moving? Is this thing sound-proof?
"-Absolutely amazing! With this, we might just make it! We will need to arrange special courses! I''ll need to get you enrolled immediately!" As I deactivate the barrier I find him blathering to himself, completely in his own world now
"...Actually, I won''t be able to enroll for some time, I only came here today to figure out how." I explain as I realize the situation is quickly spiraling out of my control
I''m only here to try to mooch a few mage skills. Though, since spell construction uses the magical language it might be in my best interest to study here after the tournament is done. For now, however, my strategy for tomorrow relies on me finding this skill. I can''t afford to have someone else set the tempo.
"What?!... At least come to meet the headmaster! Nobody would believe me if I told them about your mana refinement without witnessing it themselves! She needs to know!" The young man pleads
...The headmaster would be the most powerful person here, wouldn''t she? If anybody were to have that skill it would be her.
"Alright then, please lead the way," I say with a smile
MTY: Chapter 124
The young man leads me through the halls of the academy, which are somewhat barren. Although there are the occasional students and teacher that pass by, most of the classrooms are not in use. Nobody that is here seems to be focusing on magic or their studies either, they are simply talking to their friends. Did I arrive on an off day or something?
"Here we are... please don''t say or do anything until I give you the signal. She can be... irritable to say the least." The young man cautiously advises as we stand at the door
After thinking for a few short moments, I give a simple nod.
I don''t like that he dragged me to meet this person, and then told me to follow strict rules while doing so, but this might be my best chance of getting the skill I need to beat Afeuro. If I have to swallow my pride a bit, then that is just what I will do.
knock knock
"Come in already!" I hear an irritated voice yell out following the boys cautious knocking
"Headmaster! I''ve brought you someone incredible! She has the greatest mana refinement I''ve ever seen!" The boy gushes as he barges into the room, pulling me along after him
FWOOSH
As he does a whirling and wild fireball flies towards him, and only passes overhead by a small margin.
"Hm?!" I let out in surprise
"I said come in, not act like you own the place! and for the last time, I don''t care about every time a student manages to set a new record in something minor so stop dragging them into my office!" The voice from before angrily bickers
I almost don''t believe my eyes in regards to the source of the voice, however, as the only other person in this room is a dark-skinned young girl. If I didn''t know any better I would say she was no older than 8. She does not have the demeanor of a young child, however.
Are children mages common or something? All of the students seemed to be of a reasonable age though. I mean even if this academy had a thing for hiring young teachers, onethisyoung just seems a bit excessive.
"You''ve got it all wrong! She isn''t even a student yet, and the other student wouldn''t even come even close! She is even better than y-"
FWOOOSH!
Another fireball comes flying at his face, but this time there is no attempt to miss and the young boy takes it directly.
A look of worry flashes across my face as I watch the boys head ingulf in flames for a moment.
"Tei-la-war! Create water!" The boy says at an incredible speed as he manifests a ball of water over his head which promptly drops and puts out the flames
Is that faster than usual chant do to the "speed casting" skill he seemed to have? It cut down on the casting time by nearly half I would say... a chant that short would be a pretty significant advantage. I might start looking around for that skill if the one I am looking for isn''t here.
"You better watch your mouth boy. Speaking without thinking is the fastest way to get yourself toasted in my office." The young girl says in a genuinely intimidating fashion
Her head snaps to me after she finishes scolding the boy, and she appears to be sizing me up.
I can''t act carelessly here. I''m almost certain she has the skill that I am looking for now... but my gut is telling me I need to be wary of this woman. I have to wait for the right moment.
"You. Cast something. I don''t care what." She snarls in a demanding tone
Wait, what?! She wants me to cast something in here?! Is she testing me? We are inside her office though! Just about anything I could cast at full power would destroy something... maybe that barrier spell I just learned?Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.
"Tei-Va-Proct Barrier" I say calmly as I attempt to put my full power into it this time
Much to my surprise, I can hardly see the barrier this time around, though the sudden quiet all around me assures me it is just as thick as it was before. Why did adding in more mana make the barrier more clear? I wonder how tough it is? If it doesn''t hinder my vision to use it at full strength then perhaps I can use this in my fight with Afuero.
As if thinking the same thing as me, the young girl on the other side of the barrier starts to tap on it lightly. She then steps back and holds out her hand towards me as if readying a spell.
Oh? Is she going to test its strength? Since we are indoors her spell choice must be limited though? I really wish we had done this outside instead so I could see-
FWOOOOOOOOSH!SHUWA SHU!
Mid-thought a stream of fire engulfs the entirety of the barrier. The silence left by it before has been replaced by the loud sounds of the roaring flames, a sound only comparable to a jet engine. The world around me has become pure fire, and although the barrier seems to be holding up, the heat inside of it is rising rapidly. The heat quickly becomes so much that I can''t stay on my feet anymore, and I slump over as the hot air fills my lungs, making it harder to breathe.
Again, how hot are these flames exactly?! My fire resistance should be helping me way more than they seem to be here?!
After what feels like an eternity the flames stop, and I drop the barrier in desperation as I gasp for air.
There is no ventilation in the barrier it seems, and at this moment I am both grateful and cursing that fact as I would have certainly been scorched if there were any gaps at all in it, but having none also means I have to drop my barrier in the face of this monster.
Screw the skill, it''s not worth it!
"You really are interesting. Not only do youactually have better mana refinement than myself, but you also managed to survive being cooked alive in your overly perfect barrier..." The girl says as she looks down at my gasping for air with a curious look on her face
She wasactually trying to kill me.
The girl walks back to her desk and begins to root through some papers while I continue to catch my breath.
It is at this point that I notice that the room seems to be undamaged by the jet of flames she just produced. Neither the ground nor the walls around me have the faintest hint of scorch marks, and even the papers on her desk seem undisturbed.
"Fantastic. We have been needing someone like you. If you want we can hire you on as an instructor with a limited contract. If you want to enroll as a student, however, I am willing to wave the first year''s fee''s so long as you help in some ''extra curricular activities'' for the sake of the school." The girl begins to explain as she becomes far more serious and organizes some papers on the desk
"You... you''re insane you know that?" I say as I stand and clear my dry throat
"You didn''t? That boy really does skip over details when he gets excited doesn''t he?" The girl asks in a mocking tone
"Ya, I suppose I could have prepared you a bit more, Grandma can be a bit much for people sometimes." The boy says in an apologetic tone with a smile on his face
A bit?! Wait... did he just say ''grandma''?
FWOOSH!
"How many times do I have to tell you to call me ''Headmaster''! Impertinent brat!" The girl yells out as she lobs another fireball at the boys head
Is that just a normal interaction between them?
"... I am wanting to enroll as a student. Before that, however, can I make a request?" I asks attempting to move the conversation along
The sooner our deal is struck, the sooner I can get away from this maniac.
"You want more? We are hurting on resources at the moment because of the student deficit, so please understand that we don''t have much to offer." The girl says with a noticeably irritated tone
"Oh, no, it''s nothing like that. Today I realized the heights magic can reach because of you. More than anything I want to know just how strong you are. May I please use ''status'' on you?" I ask
In case my request is denied, I sneakily activate status while I ask. As far as I know, it shouldn''t be easily distinguished. Several menus pop up, including gained skills, but I quickly close them to not seem too distracted. I will need to check if I got the correct skill later.
"If you want to know how strong I am I will be sure to drill it into you after you start your studies. Now I grow impatient. Sign, leave, or keep making stupid request, your call." The girl says with genuine fury
Although I activated it in case my request was denied, I didn''t think it would be denied with such anger? The status skill is rather useless outside of learning the general strength of monsters for most, isn''t it? Is there any reason for her to get so angry?
"...In that case, I will gratefully accept. Although I won''t be able to begin my studies until the tournament is over with." I explain
"You are a contestant?... The tournament has gone rather downhill, hasn''t it? Whatever, just sign here then." The girl says as she pushes forward one of the papers and points to a line towards the bottom
I follow her instructions and sign my name.
She gives it a sharp look as I write it in what must surely be unfamiliar text, but after a moment she shrugs and tucks the paper away.
"Now get out of my office. I was working before this little interruption and I would like to get back to it." The girl says as she shuffles us away
Almost as soon as the door closes behind us the boy burst out happily.
"Wow! Grandma must really like you! She only tried to kill you once that whole time!" He happily cheers turning to me
Although I want nothing more than to rebut that ridiculous statement, I have priorities before that. I quickly skim my skill list, looking for anything new frantically.
... I got it.
MTY: Chapter 125
"So, with your enrollment secured, how would you feel about a tour of the campus? With so many of our students absent I''ve got plenty of time to spare!" The young instructor asks me as we walk away from the crazy dean''s office
"Perhaps some other time. Why exactly is the academy so devoid of students?" I ask out of curiosity
I remember him talking about something happening that spooked them all away, but he never said what it was exactly. If I''m going to be returning here in the future I should probably figure out what it was that started this whole mess.
"...I suppose there is no harm in telling you. Even if something like this happens again i''m sure you would have little to worry about." The boy says as his look turns a bit sour
This idiot just put me in the same room as that psychopath. As beneficial to me as that may have been, I''m not exactly going to trust his measure of "safe" at face value.
"During the entrance exam, one of the students magic went wild. She was only supposed to produce a small fireball but instead, she produced a military grade fire spell that almost wiped out the academy. Much of our student body is made up of the children of nobles, so some have taken to calling the incident a purposeful attack against the nobles." The young instructor explains with a pained look
Wait... isn''t that story familiar?
"What happened to the student? I imagine the nobles wouldn''t let something like that go easily?" I ask
"We denied the student entry to the academy, but it seems the nobles wanted more of a punishment than that. Until a little while ago there was a huge rush among the nobles to track down the young girl, but it seems she ended up joining the Yuusha''s party before anybody found her. Now she is basically untouchable." The boy continues
So it was him after all. I suppose I shouldn''t be surprised. It''s not like I didn''t already know that kid was a dangerous wackjob. That Yuusha sure knows how to pick ''em doesn''t he?
The instructor still seems to be misunderstanding his gender though... Meh? Not really my problem at the end of the day.
"So everybody left because they were scared of another attack? Wouldn''t increasing security solve the issue then?" I ask
I don''t know exactly what it is that they intend to have me do, but it should be pretty easy to up the security if the students are mainly nobles. I don''t see why I''m even needed?
"That''s just it, nobody is really scared of the attack. With my grandma here just about anything short of the Maou isn''t really a threat. No, the reason why everybody is gone is the nobles have begun to boycott the academy." He answersThis book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.
Is that loli-baba really that strong? I mean I know she had me on the ropes, but I''m still far from the strongest thing out there. Heck, I don''t even know if I''m the strongest thing fighting in this tournament. If someone like Afeuro attacked the academy would the dean really be able to beat her?
"Like I said before, they think that our punishment was far too light. They claim that less harsh punishment is a direct insult to the honor of the nobles. The more influential families have started boycotting the academy and forced even the more reasonable nobles to withdraw their children." He explains as he clenches his hand in frustration
sigh "I think I''m starting to see the issue here." I say
So it''s another matter of the nobles causing issues then?
bzzt "Hey, princess. Got a moment?" I hear Kera''s voice say through the comstone in my inventory
There is a hint of urgency in her voice.
I pretend to pull the comstone out of my pocket as I remove it from my inventory to make the sight of me responding less weird.
"Kera? What''s up?" I respond in an anxious voice
"The adventurers guild has put out an urgent request. You and Kiel should be exempt from accepting since you are in the tournament, but it sounds like something you should check out." She continues in the same urgent tone
"What do you mean? What''s up with it?" I ask hoping for more info
"We can talk later" she sharply responds before the call ends
"I''m sorry, but it seems like we will have to pick up this conversation another time," I explain to the boy as I shove the stone in my pocket and quickly dash away
The look on his face is also one of worry, which is probably why he didn''t try to stop me at all.
I swear if this all turns out to be some prank by Kera, I''m going to finally beat some sense into her.
On Kera''s instructions, I rush to the adventurers guild, where a large group of what seem to be armed adventurers have assembled out front. I suppose it would be more accurate to say that there are so many of them, that they are pouring out onto the streets.
With so many people here I can''t even make my way through the crowd to see what the commotion is about.
"Oi! Princess!" I hear Kera call from behind
When I turn to see her I am surprised to see that she has already gathered everybody, and they are waiting as a group nearby.
"What is all of this about? Did people learn about me?!" I whisper in a panic to her after rushing up to them
How big of a large scale subjugation does this have to be to need this many people? I didn''t even know this many adventurers lived in the capital? It''s only several hundred, but even still it seems like a rather ridiculous number.
"Don''t get scared, you''re still in the clear... well mostly. Here, this is what everybody is freaking out about." Kiel says as he hands me a flyer
I take it from him and begin to carefully read it.
The flyer describes a large army of undead that has started moving as a group towards the capital. It seems the reason why this is such a big request is due to how quickly the undead gathered, and the fact that they seem to be moving with a purpose. Undead are a rare occurrence, and they lack most forms of basic sentience. The signs point to something raising them and controlling them.
At first, I feel a sense of relief as I read the flyer. It doesn''t mention anything about the possibility of it being the Maou at fault. Until the last line...
"...An unknown pink ball of light has also been seen with the horde on multiple occasions, caution towards it is advised." I read aloud
Kiel gives me a knowing nod.
Great, the first tragedy that I''m actually the cause of is a result of me trying to make something as harmless as possible.
MTY: Chapter 126
After much deliberation, we all decided we should join the subjugation force. To the best of my knowledge, none of the people that gathered to join should have the capacity to defeat my Wil o¡¯ wisp, but it will likely be investigated further during this subjugation. I can¡¯t afford to let others learn more about it, but I also need to find out for myself what exactly is going on with it.
None of the abilities I gave it should let it raise or control the undead, so why is it traveling with a horde of them? Did it evolve these abilities on its own? If so, how? I¡¯ve not gained any EXP since I created it, and it doesn¡¯t have any offensive capability to gather any itself. It should still be floating around at a measly level 1.
All of these questions compounded my worry when I made my first attempt to answer them.
Summon Failed
The target has resisted summoning attempt
So apparently that can happen. When I told Kera about it she seemed just as flabbergasted as I was. It seems a contracted monster resisting a summoning attempt is completely unheard of. That only made me even more sure that the Wisp must have evolved on its own somehow. Even if I can''t handle the power inside of it yet, I have to absorb it back into me before it becomes a serious threat. Something with half my total power that refuses to obey me could become something truly fearsome, even for me.
Unfortunately, that will all have to wait, however. The subjugation force will move out in three days time to intercept the undead horde, whilst they wait for backup from nearby towns and cities to gather together. Undead are a weak and terribly unintelligent monster, but their strength lies in their number. In a group as large as this the threat is considered top class it seems. Though I have my suspicions that the delay''s true reason is to avoid interfering with the tournament. After all, most of the adventurers around are already in the city for the festivities.
With the daylight quickly fading, I spent what little time I had after registering for the quest training with the new ability I received from the headmaster. With the worry about the wisp still fresh and weighing heavily on my mind, I managed to do little but confirm that the ability worked before turning in for the night.
The next day came before I knew it, and now I am sitting in the waiting room for the next fight wracking my brain trying to think up a strategy to win the next round.
knock knock
A cold chill goes down my spine as there is a knock on the door.
Is that the attendant coming to tell me it''s time? I''m not prepared yet!
"You alive in there? Figured you could use a pep talk." I hear Shishou''s voice say from beyond the door
"Oh, it''s just you. Come in!" I yell back as I let out a breath of reliefThis content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
At this point, I''m just stalling. My confidence in my old strategy has been slowly falling since last night. I''m untrained in magic, and completely new to this new ability. A lifetime of training isn''t going to fail just because I throw what amounts to a mere gimmick at her.
"Wow, I''ve never seen that look on your face before. Not even when I was beating the tar out of you. I didn''t figure you would be this shook up." Shishou says as he enters
I say nothing in return. Honestly, I can''t think of what to say.
I don''t even know why this matters so much to me. Even if the Yuusha wins I can just follow his party to the previous Maou''s castle. Even the deal with Juire doesn''t matter to me that much since I could just threaten him if need be.
I don''t even care about winning, it''s just that the idea of losing here scares me. I''m not even facing the Yuusha yet. The monster I''m about to go out there and face is nothing but a small human child. Despite that, I can''t help but think it would take a miracle for me to go out there and win today.
Up to now, I had been thinking that my only real threat was the Yuusha, but slowly I''m coming to realize that there are those that could kill me any time they wanted to. With my enemies numbering so many, do I really have any chance of surviving all of this?
"Oi! Head out of the clouds!" Shishou shouts startling me out of my deep thought
When I look up at him I see an expression of frustration and anger. His teeth gritted together, and his hand balled into a fist.
"You are strong. Stronger than any warrior I''ve ever trained, stronger than anybody I''ve ever known, and as much as I hate to admit it you are stronger than me. How could someone so much stronger than me give up on a fight before it''s even started?! How could you be content to believe you would lose before you are anything short of a bloody mess that has put forth everything you have to win?! Have I not managed to beat even a little sense into you yet?!" He says with a tone that starts softly, and ends with him all but screaming at me
As he speaks his tone becomes more ferocious as anger and determination fill his eyes.
"What are you talking about?! You told me yourself you didn''t think I could win!" I yell back
"Who cares what I think?! You will always have people telling you that you can''t do something! I think your some sniveling brat who doesn''t deserve the power she''s been given. I think you''re going to waste it! It''s your job to prove me wrong! At the very least your not allowed to give up until you''re the strongest there is!" Shishou snaps back furiously
knock knock knock
"Um... sorry to interrupt, but the fight will be starting in a few minutes. It''s time for Mano to make her way to the arena." The attendant says as she pokes her head into the door
The poor girls face is full of anxiety and embarrassment. She must have heard a fair deal of this through the door.
With the mood interrupted Shishou''s anger begins to deflate, and he starts to look as though he regretted what he was saying.
sigh "Before I fight the Yuusha you really need to work on your pep talk Shishou. Treat me to some ramen when I win, okay?" I say as I walk past him to follow the girl
"...I will" The proud old man says after a short pause just before I''m out the door
He''s right though. The odds were stacked against me from the very start, so what''s the point of growing all meek here?
"AND AS OUR CONTESTANTS WALK ONTO THE STAGE IT IS JUST ABOUT TIME FOR US TO START THE SEMI-FINAL ROUND OF THIS YEARS TOURNAMENT!" I hear the announcer scream over the intercoms yet again as I walk into the open arena
It doesn''t seem to bother me as much this time. Perhaps it''s because the ringing in my ears doesn''t even begin to compare to the volume of the heartbeat in my chest.
As I stare across the way to the other entrance I can see Afeuro walking out. As her distant eyes meet mine I see something that shakes me to my core. Her usually plain unchanging expression turns into a wicked smile.
MTY: Chapter 127
Seeing that tiny devil walking towards me, my body screams at me to run away. It''s not like the pressure she has been giving off has changed at all, but it is clear as day that her smiling is a red flag. I fight my legs to stay where I am as she grows closer and closer.
From what I''ve seen watching the other matches, it seems like poor etiquette to get too close to the opponent before the match starts, and yet she continues closing the distance between us until she is standing right before me.
"You... stronger now... how?... no, don''t care... this will be fun." She says as she fights back an even bigger smile
Is that what it is? She is just happy to have a good match? Just how much must she have been looking down on me before then?
"I''m glad this seems to be entertaining you. I have no intentions to lose today, I will be coming at you with everything I have." I respond trying to muster courage into my words
How did she instantly grasp my power? Most of the reason why this fight has had me so on edge is that I can only guess at how powerful this little girl really is. My only clue has been that everybody that''s seen her fight in the past is confident I will lose. Yet, she seems confident that she knows exactly how strong I am at only a glance. Even if she is using magic or some kind of skill what could she be measuring? Neither my stats nor my level has risen since the last time we met, they have probably gone down since then actually.
"Mm... good... Let''s kill each other... give it your all!" She says with slow excitement
The girl before me looks like a child delighted to death to have a new toy to play with. To be able to request a fight to the death with such a cheery look... what must this girl have experienced up until this point.
"It seems our fighters have wrapped up their introductions with one another! The tension down there is palpable! This is bound to be exciting!" The announcer starts to excitedly rave, raising the crowd''s excitement with every word
Afeuro takes the queue to return to a reasonable distance. I suppose I should start my preparations now.
"Here to help me commentate on what I''m sure is going to be an amazing match we have a surprise guest!" The Announcer enthusiastically yells out
"I''m so excited! I finally get to see the master swordsman lady fight!" I hear in a dreadfully annoying voice
They brought the Yuusha out to commentate?! Why?!
"Oh? Did you not catch any of Afeuro''s previous matches?" The announcer asks in a curious tone
"Hm? Oh, no not her! Mano! I''ve only had the chance to see her sword skills in action once, but it was soooo cool! She saved me from a monster!" The idiot barks out
How in the world am I going to focus during this fight while I have this moron spouting nonsense the whole time?
"What is that?! To think Mano was a master of the sword enough to even impress the Yuusha! Although we have seen her bring a sword to the last match we never got to see her in action! To think such a swordsman will be going up against the ''Monster Slayer''!" The announcer reacts with surpriseA case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
great, now everybody is going to be paying attention to my horrible sword skills. Wait... maybe once the Yuusha sees that I''m just an amateur with a sword he will finally leave me alone. I wonder if it will be worth it though? I can already here Shishou''s mocking remarks after I embarrass myself out here.
"I think we have kept the people waiting long enough don''t you esteemed Yuusha? Would you like to do the honors?" The Announcer asks coyly
"You bet I do! Ahem.... Let the fight begin!" The Yuusha yells out signaling the start of the fight
As much as his babbling irritates me, I am ready at his signal. Without wasting a moment both Afuero and I start moving.
Afeuro, of course, came dashing straight towards me, while I dashed as quickly as I could away.
While I have already set the preparation for my strategy, I''ve got to get a read on how she moves before I can spring it. How exactly is it that she attacks though? I''ve heard rumors of her wielding tremendous weapons, but she is currently unarmed. She was also unarmed when she lobbed off that massive orcs head, however, so I can''t let my guard down.
"...Don''t run." I can hear her faintly say as she stops in place and points her hands to the sky
As she begins to chant something too quiet for me to hear at this distance the air above her begins to swirl.
"Sorry, but I''m not the kind to let my enemies charge up their attacks. Now!" I yell out as I focus my Mana
In response to my command, a dozen metallic hands rupture from the ground and grab onto Afeuro.
"?!... how! no... chant!" She lets out in surprise and she tries to wrangle herself free
Perhaps because her chant was interrupted the spell above her begins to fade.
It seems like my gamble paid off, my lack of chanting made her let her guard down against magical attacks. It seems like it was worth all the trouble and danger I went through to get this.
Chantless casting: The ability to omit the chanting process before casting a spell.
Simultanious casting: The ability to cast up to 3 spells at once.
I suppose I should thank that granny from the Mages guild next time we meet.
"This won''t... stop me!" Afeuro says angrily as she begins to strike the hands
"That''s not going to work! I''ve transmuted those golems dozens of times! At this point, they should be dozens of times stronger than iron!" I say as I begin casting a small fireball
While we were waiting for the match to begin I poured as much mana as I could into those golems. Not needing to chant means being able to silently set traps like this even when I wasn''t technically allowed to. I probably would have been disqualified if they had anybody trying to detect magic before the fight, but thankfully it looks like they didn''t. The kingdom is rather sloppy in how they manage this tournament, aren''t they?
CTRCHT!
I continue to refine the fireball I cast moment ago, making it hotter and more dense by the moment. Even with my fire resistance, the heat becomes too much for me to handle, and I have to cast a barrier between me and it. Since I managed to get her to stand still long enough to charge up an attack I''m not going to waste it. I''ll aim to finish this in one move.
"...You have got to be kidding me." I say in disbelief as the small girls strikes manage to shatter one of the metal hands grabbing her
"I suppose this will have to be enough!" I yell out as I throw the fireball at her as fast as I can manage
As it streaks through the air the light around it begins to distort, and the ground beneath it begins to scorch.
Seeing this Afeuro changes her attention from the hands to my attack.
CRTCHTA!
Just as I think my attack has hit its mark, I see it split into two and land either side of Afeuro. As the two halves of the fireball hit the ground they erupt into a fire that swiftly covers large portions of the arena.
In the midst of the fire and the smoke stands Afeuro still in the grasp of my golems... wielding a tremendous blue sword... smiling.
MTY: Chapter 128
I hardly have enough time to even ask myself where she could have pulled such a massive sword from before she begins to free herself by stabbing each of the now glowing red hands still attached to her. She works quickly and efficiently despite the burns that have begun appearing on her. As each of the hands falls away they leave a dark hand-shaped mark on her skin.
As injured as she is I expect to see a look on anguish or anger, but instead, she looks about ready to hum with pleasure.
¡°What an incredible fight! I have never seen such clever usage of magic before! To think that the surprise victor against the Kolossaal was a mage this whole time! However, will magic be enough to stop Afeuro now that she has drawn her signature weapon? What do you think Yuusha-sama?¡± The Announcer excitedly breaks down his thoughts about the fight
¡°Tsk, tsk, tsk. Don¡¯t be fooled. Mano is actually far more skilled in the art of the sword than magic! Now that Afeuro has drawn her sword the fight is about ready to finally begin!¡± The moronic Yuusha barks in response
As he says this suddenly I can see anger suddenly wipe across Afeuro¡¯s face. Now free from her bonds, she begins to slowly walk towards me. However, what¡¯s odd is that she isn¡¯t brandishing her sword. Not wanting to let this battle become close-range I begin to panic.
¡°That is close enough!¡± I yell out as I prepare another fireball above my head
Not wanting to waste mana on an attack I¡¯m not confident will hit, however, I use the bare minimum to maintain a threatening appearance.
She stops dead in her tracks and begins to stare daggers into me.
¡°You¡ why haven¡¯t you¡ drawn your sword?!¡± She angrily yells, her voice cracking as she tries to raise its volume to reach between us
¡°¡I¡¯m not nearly the swordsman that idiot claims I am. I just got off a lucky strike in front of him the first time we met.¡± I answer honestly
Is she insulted? I suppose if you thought I was some great swordsman, then refusing to draw my blade would be as if I wasn¡¯t taking her seriously.
¡°You¡¯re¡ lying!¡± She yells as she begins rushing towards me readying a strike
She¡¯s fast! I can see the attack coming, but there is no time to dodge!
I quickly throw up a small barrier between me and her large sword, with only a moment to cast it however it cracks as it absorbs the blow.
There is hardly enough time to react however as she whips the sword around as if it were weightless and begins a flurry of blows from every direction. I dodge what I can, but I¡¯m forced to block most of the attacks.
I repeatedly cast barriers, each time breaking instantly, but with every strike, the delay between attacks grows faster. I can feel my reaction time begin to slip as my barriers begin to fall behind.
If I don¡¯t do something quick her attacks are going to begin to land!
¡°Fine, I give up! You want me to use my sword so badly, then here it is!¡± I say as I quickly draw the sword from my side and lunge towards her
As I do she deftly avoids my strike with a small leap backward.
The anger clears from her face, as she is clearly happy to have gotten her way.
I take up the stance beaten into me be Shishou. He always seemed so indomitable when he took up this stance, as he would toss aside my heavy strikes as if they were nothing. I need that more than anything right now.
Afuero takes up a fighting stance as well. I brace myself for another assault, but instead, there is silence between us. We stand there on guard, reading each other, and waiting for an opportunity to strike.
I want to spend this time setting up traps, but if I get distracted she will pounce for sure.
¡°¡The tension down there is legendary, as possibly the greatest swordsman of our generation size each other up. I fear even commentating for fear of breaking their concentr-¡± the announcer says in a low voice
¡°You can do it swordsman lady! Ma? Mano? Right! You can do it Mano!¡± The reprehensibly Yuusha yells out interrupting him
¡°You forgot my name?! And stop ruining the mood, you moron!¡± I yell out, unable to control my rage at his stupidityUnauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
For a moment I think my rage has started to blind me, as a darkness sweeps into my field of vision.
¡°Distracted,¡± Afeuro says plainly as she brings down a strike towards my off guard self
I jump backward in a desperate attempt to avoid the strike but to little avail. The strike lands across my chest and creates a large gash that instantly starts spewing forth blood. Although landing with such a wound hurts, I jump back again immediately to gain some distance so I can heal.
That¡¯s it, I¡¯ve decided, I will kill that idiot someday. For now, however, I would be delighted if he could shut up before he gets me killed!
I immediately start casting restore on my wounds, but upon seeing my wounds begin to close Afuero rushes towards me yet again.
¡°I¡won¡¯t¡let¡you!¡± She says between massive swings of her weapons, that I can barely stop with my barriers at all
As I block her relentless attacks my wounds quickly close, but I can already see her attacks beginning to grow in power and speed. It seems she still isn¡¯t warmed up yet, as her attacks grow more ferocious by the moment.
It isn¡¯t long before the barriers cease to even stop the blows, instead only managing to slow them down on impact. I am forced to dodge the remainder of each strike.
Not wanting to be backed into a corner again, I repeat my previous strategy of lunging at her with my sword whenever I find an opening. Much to my surprise, however, she simply lets me do so. Unless the blow is aimed at a vital location, Afuero simply takes the blow without so much as flinching and continues her assault.
Even a blow that she is forced to dodge does little to slow her, as she always dodges with the minimal amount of movement prioritizing keeping me under pressure.
This won¡¯t work for long¡ I can hardly keep up with the mental load of trying to find gaps in her defenses whilst continually casting magic to defend myself. It¡¯s like trying to move four hands at once, and worse¡ it¡¯s becoming less effective by the second. If I don¡¯t start setting up a finishing move then I¡¯m toast. I don¡¯t even know if I can cast multiple spells at once while keeping up with close combat, but it¡¯s the only plan I can think of.
with that decision made I begin to push myself even further as I begin pouring every ounce of the mana I have left into my final gamble.
The world begins to fade away, as all I can afford to think about is ¡°Attack, defend, refine¡±
I repeat it like a mantra in my head to help me focus.
Attack, defend, refine.
Attack, defend, refine.
Attack, defend, refine.
As the blows grow faster, and my dodges become more narrow, I can see death growing nearer and nearer with every strike. My mantra turns into a single word. A plea to myself to ignore my fear.
Focus.
Focus!
FOCUS!
FOC-
A surprise attack from Afeuro ends my mantra. Unbeknownst to myself, in my hyper-focused state, she had sneakily turned her blade sideways and opted to instead smash through the barrier¡ and several of my ribs.
My thoughts come to a halt as I am sent tumbling away, desperately trying to breathe with the air knocked out of me. When I finally stop rolling I am left gasping pathetically on the ground as I nurse my ribs.
Afeuro, now well aware of my ability to recover, begins walking towards me to finish this. The look on her face is not one of joy or victory, but one of disappointment.
In one last hail mary attempt, I drag myself to my feet, still fighting to fill my lungs with air, and use earth manipulation to create a long stone spear. I turn it into iron using transmutation before picking it up and throwing it with all of my remaining strength.
Afeuro doesn¡¯t so much as slow her approach, and simply lifts her blade gingerly in front of her face to block the incoming spear¡ However, the clash of metal she was obviously expecting never came. As she lowers her massive weapon that obscured her vision she sees the spear suspended there in front of her, in a thick barrier that wraps around her.
She immediately attempts to swing her sword to break it, but her weapon is too massive for the small barrier cast around her. There is no space to swing it. She drops the sword and immediately starts beating on the walls of the barrier, cracks forming with each attack.
Thankfully she focused on the wrong part of my trap.
I thrust my sword towards her and yell out with all my might
¡°Ai-Fa-Aer Stun!¡± and as I do a stream of lightning shoots out from my blade and into the iron spear
Although I can not hear a peep through the thick barrier I created, as the lightning passes through the rod into Afeuro she looks as if she begins to writhe and scream in pain.
For a moment I think I¡¯ve won, and she stops beating on the barrier, but with the lightning coursing through her and a new anger on her face, she resumes her assault on her prison.
What is she?!
I attempt to raise the power of my lightning, but my mana has already reached the bottom of the well. Desperate I try still, hoping that she goes down before I fall from mana-loss.
As I feel my consciousness begin to fade there is a change in the lightning. It begins to shift from a bright purple to an ominous black color. As it does Afeuro reals back in pain once more.
More desperate than before she begins to punch the barrier with all of her might, but just as it looks like she is about to escape her strikes begin to slow until finally¡ she falls to the ground.
Unable to keep them going any longer I release both spells, and as the harsh crackling of the lightning stops, silence sweeps the arena.
¡°¡It¡¯s¡ IT¡¯S OVER! The upset of the century has happened, and Mano was progressed to the final round!¡±
Hearing the official words my strengths seeps out from me. I fall to the ground, wincing at the pain in my ribs. My mana is gone in its entirety, there is none left to heal myself.
¡°That was an absolutely incredible match! If I didn¡¯t know any better, I would actually say she could give you some trouble in tomorrows match Yuusha-sama!¡± The announcer excitedly continues, ignoring my collapse
That¡¯s fine. I don¡¯t need help or anything. I only have several broken ribs and can¡¯t move due to my lack of mana.
¡°Hard to say¡ She was clearly hiding her true strength. She hardly used her sword in the match at all after all. I¡¯m sure she will pull out an even more surprising move during our match.
No? Nobody is going to acknowledge the fact that I¡¯m not moving? I could be dead you know? Also, stop focusing on my sword skills so much!
MTY: Chapter 129
It wasn''t long after that, that Tea and Juire came out to carry me out of the Arena. The whole way they were excitedly talking about something... but as soon as I knew they were taking care of me, I allowed myself to lose consciousness. Running out of mana again after so long hit me hard, and it was a struggle to stay awake once the adrenaline faded.
After passing out from sheer exhaustion, I expected my sleep to be more sound. A dream, a moment of fogginess as my consciousness returned, a grogginess that makes me want to stay in bed, anything at all. Instead, however, I wake up in what feels like a mere moment full of energy in a strange room I''ve not seen before surrounded by a white curtain.
"Hello? Is anyone there?" I ask out as I start to rise from the bed
I wave of pain shoots from my chest, which stops my attempt.
Oh, right, broken ribs.
I cast restore on myself, and slowly begin to feel the pain fade. As I do I begin to hear a commotion growing louder.
THUMP THUMP THUMP
"Lass! Are you alright?!" Tea yells as he storms into the room and pulls back the white curtain
When he does so I finally understand what room I am in. After I passed out they must have taken me to a clinic, as there are several other beds surrounded by white curtains in the same room. It is possibly even one specifically for competitors as I recognize two others who are resting on the beds as those I saw in the waiting area.
"Ya, I''m fine. I had a few broken ribs, but I just healed those up." I say as I begin to get up from the bed
After running out of Mana I didn''t have any left to recover from the final blow Afuero gave me. I suppose I must have looked pretty busted up for him to be this worried.
"Not that! I mean that sounds pretty incredible, but they tell me you ran out of mana?! I thought you might never wake up! How could you be so stupid?!" Tea angrily yells as he tries to stop me from getting up
I''ve never seen Tea angry before. Looking at his face full of anger and worry I freeze in place. Guilt begins to well up inside me.
Right... Gero said that running out of mana can be fatal.
My thoughts are thrown into a jumble as I try to find the words to apologize. Although I''ve run out of mana before without dying, there is no guarantee it will be non-lethal every time. I did put my life at risk here, and there is no way I could tell Tea why.
As I sit there silently, grasping for the words to say, Juire walks in behind Tea and places a hand on his shoulder. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
"Oh leave the poor girl alone. She clearly looks like she regrets it, though if I know her at all she still hasn''t learned her lesson." Juire says in a rather strict tone as well
"The important part is that she seems to be okay now. Come, we should let her companions know that she woke up. I''m just glad it happened before they ended up doing too much damage." Juire continues as he begins to pull Tea out of the room
"Wait! What do you mean?!" I yell out, but neither stop to answer me
They leave me alone in the room with several others who are resting on their beds, while giving me strange glares and stares.
Why couldn''t they have taken me with them? I already told them that I was healed up. I feel like I lost my opportunity to leave now... I hope they get here soon.
"MAAAANOoooOOoo~" I hear suddenly down the hall in a young girls voice
As it grows louder, Mana comes busting into the room and slams into me with a hug.
"They said you were hurt! Mana didn''t know what to do!" She says into my shirt refusing to release me from her hug
Stunned, I try to find the right words or actions, and instead end up frozen there.
"You know, we all know you are a special case, but you shouldn''t be so reckless," Kera says as she walks in the with the rest of the group
The imps scamper in and rush to my side. Gero stands in the doorway, not moving at all.
"You can come in now," Kiel says to him, and almost as soon as the words leave his mouth Gero appears at my side
...I still couldn''t even see him move there. Just how fast is Gero?
"Strange. I figured if anybody was going to be waiting here for me to wake up it would have been Gero." I say jokingly trying to break the tension
"He would have been, but he was starting to freak out some of the other patients. He was super protective of you, and wouldn''t move at all while he was waiting. Eventually, I told him it would be a bother to you if he kept waiting there, and that he should wait outside." Kiel explains
"... You all didn''t need to worry this much about me. I''m not that easy to kill." I try to joke again, but everybody''s mood turns sour immediately when I do
"How exactly are you going to say that after the stunt you pulled? Even Gero thought what you did might seriously hurt you, and the whole time you were out you were beaten so badly that the best healer in the capital couldn''t even fix you up! You not powerful, your just stubborn!" Kiel lets out in an insulted tone
As soon as the words come out of his mouth he seems to regret them. He grows silent and looks away.
"Kiel is right. You have been far too risky lately and ignored nearly every warning you were given. For someone who claims to be fighting to survive you sure seem ready to throw your life away." Kera continues
Looking around the room, I remember something I seem to have forgotten lately, or perhaps something that simply hadn''t fully dawned on me yet. People have started to care about me.
I had simply been thinking of things from the perspective of "someone that was going to die anyway if I couldn''t defeat the Yuusha". As afraid of death as I have been, I had begun to accept it as the most likely ending. Whether I died by the Yuusha''s hand, Afeuro''s hand, or even in battle with a monster it would all be the same.
If I throw myself into every gauntlet along the way, however, I''m inevitably going to hurt those that care for me... Perhaps getting companions was the wrong move. Not only am I endangering them, but I''m quite literally destined to hurt them. After the tournament is over maybe I shoul-
Mana begins to squeeze hard enough that it becomes difficult to breathe.
As I look down at her, she looks up towards me. In her eyes, she seems to be begging something of me.
...I let out a deep breath as I make my decision.
"I''m sorry I worried you. I promise to be more careful from now on." I say in a comforting tone as I pat her head
MTY: Chapter 130
I was released from the clinic almost as soon as the rest of my party arrived¡ Well, it would be more accurate to say that I was kicked out. Apparently, we were making a bit of a disturbance. I was met with quite the surprise as we exited the building, however.
¡°It¡¯s dark already? Did I sleep all day?¡± I ask as I stare up into the night sky
I had planned to spend most of this evening resting for the big fight tomorrow, but I had hoped I could at least go speak with that boy from the mages college to see if he could give me some insight on that black lightning skill. I¡¯ve never had a skill suddenly change like that while I was using it. Even when I¡¯m using chantless casting I still have to think of the incantation to use a spell, so how could a spell different from what I original cast come out like that? It might be risky to ask about it, but it would be even riskier to not understand it and have it happen again.
¡°What, no, you¡¯ve been out cold for three days princess.¡± Kera snarkily responds
¡°THREE DAYS?! What about the tournament? Wait¡ what about the expedition?!¡± I find myself yelling out in response
¡°Sorry to tell you, but you missed that expedition. They headed out already. I managed to get the king to postpone the final match until you woke up though.¡± Juire answered
The look on his face as he talks about the tournament speaks to how annoying the king must have been to deal with.
So that means the expedition party will clash with my wisp without me there to run interference. In that case, things are going to get a bit annoying from here. The way I see it there are only two real possible ways this could go, and they are both bad. If they end up finding some method to kill it, then I will lose a significant portion of my power. On the other hand, if they don¡¯t then it will be deemed an even greater threat and become even harder to retrieve without drawing attention.
I wonder if the undead horde could take out the expedition party? It would save me some trouble if they didn¡¯t manage to report back any new information about the wisp.
At the very least I need to do something about the wisp before the Yuusha is sent to take care of it. Thankfully he isn¡¯t any more able to go after it right now than I am. It would be an entirely new level of bad if I not only lost that power, but he was to gain it in turn.
¡°Hey, princess? Before you get too lost in your own little world there, there is something else you should probably know.¡± Kera chimes in, rudely waving a hand in front of my face as she doesThe story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
¡°And what would that be?¡± I ask trying to restrain the urge to hit her
I feel like I¡¯m starting to give her brain damage, it would certainly explain why she never seems to learn her lesson.
¡°Well, as soon as she woke up she has been hovering around you,¡± Kera says as she points at the corner of a building a few streets back
When I squint my eyes through the darkness I am able to see a familiar, and now far more frightful face.
¡°Afeuro?! Why in the world would she be following us?!¡± I ask loudly in surprise
I sincerely hope she doesn¡¯t want a rematch. I doubt there is anything that could convince me to go against that little terror again
¡°Your guess is as good as mine. We¡¯ve tried asking her, but she won¡¯t speak a word to us. Honestly, I was kind of hoping you would know, she kind of gives me the creeps.¡± Kera says as she looks at Afeuro and shivers
sigh
I suppose I should go and figure this out.
I ask everybody to go on ahead so I can speak privately with her. Tea and Mana both looked angry at me, and I can understand why since it was my fight with her that put me in that state, to begin with. After assuring them for a while that I would be fine however they conceded.
Seeing us pointing in her direction, and the others separating from me, Afeuro seemed to gather what was going on and came out of her hiding spot to approach me. I gathered myself as I walk towards her in turn, but little could prepare me for what I saw when I drew near.
Her face was covered in symmetrical tree-like patterns from the lightning. Hand shaped burns covered her skin, creeping out from nearly every place skin was visible. Worse of all, however, was her own hands, which were so badly burnt that they were difficult to look at.
In one fell swoop, I was no longer scared of this little girl but rather terrified at myself. These were wounds that I had inflicted. The part that terrifies me most of all, however, is that I felt no remorse for doing it. I watched as these wounds etched themselves into Afeuro, and I thought nothing of them at the time.
Silently I cast restore on her, trying desperately to remove the evidence in front of me, but while a pale light covers her body none of the wounds fade.
My eyes grow wide and I begin to panic.
Why isn¡¯t it working?! Restore has always worked in the past! The only other time was with Gero¡¯s gem¡ but I¡¯m stronger now! Burns should be no problem for me!
I begin pumping more and more mana into the spell, and while the light grows brighter, Afeuro remains unchanged. Angry and in a panic I pump in even more, forgetting about the limits that had threatened my life so little time ago, and yet still no change.
Why?! Why isn¡¯t it working?! Maybe if I go to the mages college they can give me a better spell to use¡ or maybe I could create a monster that spe-
¡°Thank you!¡± Afeuro says with the smile of a delighted young girl
I¡¯m left stunned as I try to comprehend her statement, and my spell fades away. Why would she be thanking me, why wouldn¡¯t she be scorning me for the damage I¡¯ve done, or for beating her in the tournament? I can¡¯t even heal her wounds¡
¡°I¡¯ve never¡ lost before. It was so much¡ fun!¡± She continues punctuating her statement by slamming into me with a hug