Chapter 36
““A spar?””
After hearing my proposal, Charlotte and Kariya asked at the same time.
“Then wouldn’t that ultimately mean things go according to my proposal?”
Miriam, who had been listening quietly, voiced her doubt.
“No.”
I shook my head and explained in detail.
“What I mean is this. Charlotte and Kariya, you’ll each take on the role of class representative and lead a joint battle, and we’ll judge the results. We’ll look not only at your individual combat abilities, but also at whether you can give your teammates the right orders and assess the battlefield accurately.”
“Then who will play the opposing side…?”
“I will.”
I answered, placing a hand over my chest. Charlotte then asked,
“In that case, how should we form the teams?”
“The two of you will take turns serving as team leader, while the one whose turn it isn’t will sit out.”
“Not participate….”
“Sit out…?”
“Exactly. When Charlotte is the class representative, she, Miriam, and Roxanna will face me as a team of three. Conversely, when Kariya is the class representative, Kariya, Miriam, and Roxanna will form a team of three and spar against me.”
-Scratch, scratch.
I drew a diagram on the blackboard as I explained earnestly.
Kariya, who had been gazing at the blackboard with his arms folded, spoke.
“…That sounds good. I think this is the right way to decide it. If we participated as teammates during each other’s turns, an undesirable problem might arise.”
“I agree.”
Charlotte nodded along and turned to Kariya.
“You’ll accept the result, whatever it is, won’t you?”
“Of course.”
Kariya answered without hesitation.
“The only issue is… the order.”
“The order?”
“I think the one serving as class representative second may be at a slight disadvantage in this spar.”
“Why?”
Charlotte questioned him, and Kariya continued.
“The person who takes the role of class representative second will have to deal with the penalty of Miriam and Roxanna being more tired than they were at the start.”
“Ah….”
Charlotte murmured as though she understood.
“But… I’m not sure. I don’t think that will be much of a problem.”
“Why not?”
“First… consider this.”
Charlotte pointed to Miriam, who had been quietly watching from the side.
“Can you imagine Miss Miriam ever being in a situation where she ‘gets tired’?”
“……”
Kariya stared at her silently, then shook his head.
“You have a point.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? I feel strangely offended.”
Apparently unable to hear the details of their conversation, Miriam muttered with her brows furrowed.
“But that only applies to Miriam. Roxanna will get tired like anyone else.”
“Of course, that part can’t be helped… but it isn’t as though the first turn is the only one with an advantage like that.”
Charlotte continued.
“The person going second can watch the spar from the first turn and learn. They can see what orders to give in different situations and what not to do… or watch Instructor Haru’s movements and rehearse in advance how they should respond.”
“That’s true.”
Kariya nodded.
“Then… let’s decide the order with rock-paper-scissors.”
“All right.”
I had been watching quietly from the side, and now smiled faintly.
After such an impassioned debate, they had ended up choosing rock-paper-scissors. No matter how you looked at it, they were still children after all, and I found myself smiling.
“The winner will definitely go first.”
“Agreed.”
Charlotte and Kariya nodded at the same time and called out softly.
““Rock, paper, scissors.””
Charlotte threw paper, and Kariya threw rock.
Charlotte went first.
=
“The condition for victory in the spar is breaking my sword.”
I said this while holding a wooden training sword rather than my invisible sword.
“There are two swords. They’re identical training swords made of the same material used by the academy, and I obtained completely new ones.”
Looking back and forth between Charlotte and Kariya, I continued explaining.
“I’ll make the final decision based on a combination of how long it takes from the start to break the sword, how appropriate your decisions as class representative are, and how few mistakes you make.”
“You’re going to time it too, Instructor?”
“My biological clock is quite accurate.”
I said with a grin.
“Before the spar begins, let me tell Miss Roxanna and Miss Miriam this in advance… As a rule, you must obey the class representative’s orders. Treat this as a real battle, not a spar.”
“Yes!”
“Yes….”
Miriam nodded energetically, while Roxanna answered weakly, trailing off.
I lightly spun the wooden sword in my hand and said to Charlotte,
“Then, Candidate Number One, come at me whenever you’re ready.”
“I look forward to working with you!”
“You may even ambush me.”
I said that and planted the wooden sword on the ground with a thunk.
‘Now, how will she come at me?’
I thought as I watched Charlotte ponder, my heart pounding with anticipation.
=
“….”
With a face taut with tension, Charlotte stared at Haru.
‘As expected… I can’t find an opening at all.’
She had never expected to find an opening in the first place.
Even though Haru was merely standing there without taking a ready stance, with the sword braced against the ground.
‘What should I do.’
Charlotte, who had been pondering while stroking the end of her tomahawk’s handle, spoke softly.
“…Roxy. Can you prepare six charges of bombardment magic?”
“Uh, yes.”
Roxanna nodded and methodically gathered mana.
Six fireballs scattered sparks as they orbited around her like satellites. Charlotte then spoke to Miriam.
“And Miriam?”
“Yes.”
“Fight according to your instincts, but….”
Charlotte let her voice trail off as she approached Miriam.
Then she leaned close and whispered into Miriam’s ear.
“…Got it?”
“Hmm, I’m not sure if it’ll work… but I understand.”
Miriam nodded awkwardly and spread the mana she had gathered throughout her body.
With a creaking sound, coarse fur sprouted over her body, and Miriam completed her battle transformation in an instant.
Having finished issuing her instructions, Charlotte wrapped lightning-aspected mana around the tomahawks in both hands and gave an order.
“Miss Miriam, you’ll take the vanguard.”
-Bang!!
Miriam answered with action instead of words.
Her first move, as she sprang from the ground in an instant, was a straightforward claw thrust in a straight line.
-Whoosh!!
With the sound of air being cleaved, Miriam’s blow, aimed straight at Haru, pierced only empty space.
It did not even graze the wooden sword.
“I missed…!”
“No, it went according to plan.”
Charlotte replied softly to the flustered Roxanna.
Then she shouted to Roxanna.
“Two Yasakani no Magatama. Aim for Instructor Haru’s rear. Can you do it?”
“Uh, yes.”
Roxanna glanced back over her shoulder at Charlotte. Then she quickly nodded and divided the six fireballs into two groups of three.
Two sets of three fireballs chased one another’s tails. When Roxanna extended her hand, the spinning fireballs cut across the sky in dizzying curves.
The inscrutable trajectories produced by their triple rotation were utterly unpredictable—not even the caster herself could control them. The only thing that could be designated was the point of impact.
-Khwakwakwakwakwa!!
“Oh no…!”
Feeling the heat behind her, Miriam clicked her tongue and ducked her head.
“Oh dear.”
Two Yasakani no Magatama flew toward Haru, who was flustered.
One came from the front and the other from behind, forming a pincer attack from both sides.
“Didn’t you say the rear?!”
Haru shouted in confusion.
‘Perfect.’
But Charlotte rejoiced inwardly.
It had been worth coordinating with Roxanna beforehand.
Ten minutes earlier.
‘Listen carefully, Roxy.’
‘O-okay…!’
‘If I say something loudly while blinking my left eye three times, it means don’t follow my order literally. Got it?’
‘I-if I don’t follow it literally…?’
‘Then just do whatever you want. The point is to confuse the opponent.’
-Shwaaahhhhh!!
Six fireballs flew in, surrounding Haru from the front and rear. Haru, apparently troubled, finally raised the wooden sword that had been hanging down.
Then Haru planted one foot firmly on the ground and twisted the body sharply, using that leg as an axis.
Using the sword-wielding body as the center, Haru slashed in every direction—front, back, left, and right—covering all 360 degrees in 0.5 seconds.
-Whoosh.
Wind came rushing in the sword’s wake.
-Kwakwakwakwakwakwang!!!
All six fireballs exploded simultaneously, and thick black smoke billowed upward.
-Crackle.
The tomahawks in Charlotte’s hands gave a low hum, wrapped in lightning.
“Roxy, prepare covering fire.”
“Yes…!”
Charlotte gave the instruction in a low murmur, then threw both tomahawks into the smoke and shouted,
“Get out, Miriam!!”
The two axes flew in arcs and vanished into the smoke.
And at the same time.
-Kwak kwak kwak kwak kwak kwang!!!!
The small lightning wrapped around the edges of the tomahawk blades spread over the entire cloud of thickening smoke.
It made use of the residual mana carried by smoke and other byproducts produced by explosive magic.
Magic amplification.
This referred to the phenomenon in which a spell absorbed residual mana and went berserk when another spell with a single attribute was grafted onto residual mana wandering without anywhere to go.
“Phew!”
Miriam, who had escaped outside the smoke just before then, shook her head vigorously and drew a deep breath.
“I thought I was going to suffocate!”
“Good work.”
Charlotte spoke calmly as she stared intently into the smoke.
“I did stay in the smoke as long as I could before getting out, just as you said….”
“Yes. It went according to plan.”
Charlotte nodded, but did not let her guard down as she gripped the two remaining tomahawks.
“Our opponent is an instructor of the Manus Academy’s Practical Class. I don’t think we can win outright with teamwork at this level.”
Charlotte said this as she looked between Miriam and Roxanna.
“Everyone, get ready. When Haru attacks again….”
At that moment.
-Bang!!
The smoke exploded as if from within, and the two tomahawks came flying out.
Leaving long, brilliant-red arcs in the air.
“Dodge…?”
Miriam muttered, then abruptly turned her head and shouted,
“Everyone, get out of the way!!”
Immediately afterward, the tomahawks flying through the air suddenly began raining red blades in every direction.
-Papapapapapak!!
They struck with enough force to gouge the earthen ground. As dust sprang up in an instant, Charlotte’s team was trapped in the smoke this time.
Then, from within the black smoke slowly dispersing, Haru spoke.
“First, one point deducted.”
Haru stood completely unruffled, apart from the wooden sword, whose outer surface was blackened with soot.
“Never casually hand your weapon to your opponent! Remember that.”