Chapter 37
“What…?!”
Charlotte was aghast at the sight of Haru.
More precisely, she was aghast at the wooden sword in Haru’s hand.
‘No way. She blocked all six fireballs from the bombardment magic at once and she’s still fine…?’
“Cough, cough. Goodness, speaking inside that smoke made my throat sting….”
Haru joked as she lightly swung the wooden sword, which had been hanging down, through the air.
-Whoosh!!
The billowing black smoke scattered and vanished with a single sweep of sword wind.
“Ahem, anyway! Throwing a weapon can certainly be an excellent strategic decision depending on the circumstances, you know? But recklessly throwing a weapon when you can’t see the opponent isn’t exactly a sound decision.”
Haru said, waving the wooden sword through the air.
“It’s a point off for now… but we’ll do the detailed evaluation after both bouts are over.”
“Miriam!!”
Charlotte shouted shrilly. Miriam silently nodded, burst through the dust, and charged toward Haru.
“Oh my.”
Haru muttered in a flat voice as she raised the wooden sword.
-Gloop…!
A layer of blood wrapped tightly around the blade of the wooden sword like a sheath, leaving no gaps.
‘So she protected the wooden sword from the fireball explosions with that…!’
-Kwang!!
The red wooden sword that came swinging immediately afterward sent Miriam flying far away.
“Gyaaah!”
Miriam went flying with a shrill scream, rolled across the dirt, and coughed.
“Uuugh…!!”
“Are you giving up?”
Haru asked, turning her head toward Charlotte.
“Don’t ignore me!!”
-Clack-clack!!
Roaring, Miriam charged again, and Haru parried her furious flurry of attacks with a single wooden sword before continuing to question Charlotte in a deliberately teasing tone.
“If you take too long, you might lose to Kariya.”
“Ugh….”
Charlotte bit her lower lip, thinking frantically.
Miriam could trade blows with Haru, but even that only allowed her to barely maintain parity, with the disadvantages of using a wooden sword instead of her main weapon or a real blade, combined with the handicap of Haru holding back as an instructor.
If Haru got even a little more serious, Miriam would be no match for her. Even using her as a strategic weapon to throw into the enemy camp and draw their attention had its limits.
‘But how on earth could we possibly… with a wooden sword that survived even the fireballs from the bombardment magic?’
As Charlotte pondered, the wooden sword Haru was swinging caught her eye.
Whenever Miriam’s claws collided with Haru’s wooden sword, the crimson blood surrounding it rippled like water.
Drops of blood scraped loose by Miriam’s claws splashed onto the dirt.
At the same time, a single thought flashed through Charlotte’s mind like lightning.
‘…No, wait. Even so, that’s….’
It was a plan with far too much of a gambling element.
But Charlotte soon bit down firmly on her lip.
Better than doing nothing. Clinging to that one conviction, Charlotte shouted to Roxanna.
“Roxanna, prepare bombardment magic. Can you get about three charges ready right away?”
“I’ll try…!”
Roxanna nodded resolutely and floated three fireballs around herself.
“For the long-range delayed buckshot, one shot per fireball. Three shots total, right?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll ask each time I give the signal.”
Charlotte gathered lightning in her empty hands. The two tomahawks Haru had thrown responded and flew smoothly into her hands.
-Click.
“Miriam!!”
“Gyaaah…!”
“We’re going to attack together from now on! You take the front, and I’ll take the rear!”
“O-okay… Eek!”
Even as she screamed while looking up at the wooden sword stabbing straight down toward the crown of her head, Miriam nodded, retreated a good distance, and settled into position.
Had Haru not immediately charged toward Miriam the moment she saw Charlotte begin moving.
“Hyaaah!”
Shouting at the top of her lungs, Miriam abruptly rolled across the dirt.
“I’m not going to just take it!!”
-Boing!!
Like a spring, Miriam sprang out, unfolding her body after rolling herself into a tight crouch.
“Oh my.”
Miriam plunged into Haru’s arms as Haru muttered in apparent fluster, then flashed a triumphant smile.
“Got you…!”
-Whump.
“Ghek….”
Before she could make use of the hard-earned chance to ambush her, a counterblow slammed deep into Miriam’s torso.
As Miriam clutched her stomach and was knocked back, Haru shook out her fist and offered a quiet piece of advice.
“An ambush should be fast and concise. Don’t give your opponent an opening. Understood?”
“Yes, understood… Instructor!!”
At Charlotte’s reply from behind her, Haru quickly turned her head.
-Clang!!
Two tomahawks slammed into the wooden sword she had raised reflexively with enough force to split it apart.
“Throwing…?”
Haru muttered. Faint lightning flashed over the two tomahawks embedded in the wooden sword.
The axe heads clutched tightly in Charlotte’s hands and the tomahawks lodged in Haru’s wooden sword reacted to one another, pulling toward each other.
“Not stopping at throwing them, but using them as a means—a medium—for approaching the opponent….”
Haru said quietly.
“Excellent. But it’s still not enough.”
Haru said this as she brought the wooden sword sharply downward.
“If I do this, I can twist their tracking trajectory however I please. The idea of using magic was good, but responding to unexpected situations like this….”
“Now, Roxy!”
Charlotte shouted.
At the same time, Haru turned her head at the heat she felt from the side.
As a fireball came flying toward her, wavering as though it might explode at any moment, Haru reflexively raised the wooden sword she had lowered.
-Kwoooang!!
The fireball exploded directly in front of the wooden sword.
Delayed buckshot.
The fireball split into thousands of embers with the explosion, engulfing both Haru and Charlotte.
“Goodness. Cough, cough….”
Coughing dryly, Haru swung the wooden sword and knocked away the embers flying toward her.
With a sizzling sound, the blood surrounding the wooden sword dried and evaporated.
Charlotte did not miss that moment.
Rather than trying to ward off the embers, Charlotte had taken them head-on, leaving her face plastered with blackish ash. She aimed for the side opposite the tomahawks embedded in the wooden sword.
“Ah… so this was the plan all along?”
Only then did Haru nod.
She twisted the wooden sword to block Charlotte’s strike, but….
“But… ah.”
The two tomahawks still embedded in the wooden sword were the problem.
Its center of gravity had become skewed to one side, turning it from a nimble sword into something closer to a blunt weapon.
That subtle difference decided their reaction speeds in an instant,
-Crack!!
Charlotte’s tomahawk struck the wooden sword precisely in its center.
-Splinter…!
“Oh dear.”
Along with Haru’s regretful exclamation, the blackened wooden sword broke into two pieces.
=
“Excellent work!”
-Clap, clap, clap.
Having tossed the broken wooden sword onto the ground, Haru smiled and applauded.
“My criticism of throwing weapons was actually something I should have saved until after the entire test was over… but you didn’t overlook that point, improved it in a short time, and used it as part of your tactics. That was really well done.”
“How long was the spar…?”
“Seventeen minutes and forty-one seconds.”
At Miriam’s question, Haru counted on her fingers a couple of times and muttered.
“Unless Kariya makes some fatal mistake… if he doesn’t exceed seventeen minutes and forty-one seconds, it looks like Kariya will win.”
“We won’t even need seventeen minutes.”
Kariya replied calmly, brimming with confidence.
“I’ll finish it within fifteen minutes.”
“Feeling confident?”
“Of course.”
Even in response to Miriam’s question, Kariya answered without batting an eye.
“Starting right away… might be a little difficult.”
Then he turned toward Roxanna, who had collapsed and was panting heavily, and said,
“That exhausted after creating a mere nine fireballs. Karen created dozens at once and was perfectly fine.”
“You’re certainly making a wonderful impression before we’ve even started.”
Charlotte sneered at Kariya as he chided her.
“You’re really treating a teammate you’ll have to fight alongside in a little while quite well.”
“…I’ll handle it myself.”
Kariya replied curtly.
“Well, just in case, I should ask in advance. What’s the maximum number of fireballs you can create at once?”
“Normally… I can’t make more than nine.”
Roxanna answered while catching her breath.
“Nine, huh….”
Kariya muttered, tilting his head.
“Then… I suppose we’ll have to use Miriam as our main force after all.”
“Did you call me?”
Miriam, who had been clinging to Haru, popped her head up and asked.
“Yes. I don’t suppose you’re tired, but do your best.”
“What are you talking about? I’m still full of energy.”
Miriam answered, sticking out her tongue.
Charlotte watched Kariya silently and muttered in a disgruntled voice.
“As expected, you’re not suited to being class representative.”
“You’ll have to wait and see.”
Kariya replied, standing up and slowly loosening up.
“We’ll soon find out which of us will be class representative….”