Chapter: 165
The moment I blocked Frey’s sword, my body was pushed back.
Wait a second. What’s that shimmering on Frey’s sword?
‘Aura?!’
[Hmm. It’s not fully formed yet, but it’s definitely something close to aura.]
Frey, you crazy talent-freak!
I mean, come on! What kind of first-year academy student reaches that level in their first semester?
Listening to what the old man said, it’s like she’s barely lifted her toes without realizing it, but still, it’s tough to deal with!
Every time Frey’s sword clashed with my sacred shield, my arm felt the shock.
This is dangerous.
I’m still not adept at handling the sacred stuff.
I may have the basics of holy magic down like a regular priest, but that’s about it. Nothing more, nothing less.
I try to cover my lack of skill with the overflowing sacred power I have as an apostle, but even that has its limits.
It just means my sacred shield isn’t as sturdy as I’d like.
Until now, I had compensated for the shield’s shortcomings with my shield technique, but now that Frey’s using her aura, it’s gotten tough.
If I can successfully parry, it’ll be fine; but every time I fail, those cracks keep showing up in my sacred shield.
So, while I was focusing on moving the shield, I naturally ended up on the defensive.
It’s not like I’m hiding behind the shield on purpose, as the old man advised. Right now, I’m actually being pushed back by Frey.
‘Is there even a monster out there?!’
[Hey, that’s not something you should be saying, huh?]
‘Well, yeah, but…!’
[Don’t worry. Just hold on and you’ll win. This girl is like you when you first learned sacred martial arts.]
Right now, Frey has unleashed something like aura without even realizing it.
And naturally, she doesn’t know how to control it. She’s just burning through her own mana like a wildfire.
So, once her mana runs out and her limits hit, that’ll be when I win.
Holding on is my strongest suit.
I’m a tank, after all.
As I blatantly tried to hide behind my shield, Frey raised an eyebrow.
This is Frey, the girl I’ve been sparring with daily since entering the Soul Academy.
She probably picked up on what I was trying to do right away.
But so what?
There’s no way you can break through my shield…
“Still hiding behind that shield? Coward.”
What?! Seriously?!
I felt a quick flash of heat in my head but quickly cooled it down.
Anger won’t help in this situation at all.
But that moment of hesitation born from my anger became a problem.
Before I knew it, Frey’s sword was already close in front of me.
Panicking, I raised my shield in a hurry, but my will wasn’t behind it.
The parry didn’t trigger, and my already-fractured sacred shield shattered completely.
Frey’s sword stopped right before my neck.
Silence surrounded us.
Frey’s heavy breathing.
The blade reflecting the sunlight.
My face reflected on it.
All of it clearly indicated one thing.
‘Guess I lost.’
Ah, my head was feeling hot, and I acted recklessly, but I actually lost.
Now every time I call Frey a crappy swordswoman, it’ll hit me right back. I’ll be a total loser to that loser.
[Well then, why did you foolishly charge forward? That’s why you lost, idiot.]
‘But grandpa said it was okay!’
[Did he? Maybe I’m too old to remember.]
‘Grandpa?! What’s that supposed to mean?!’
As I was chatting with the old man facing my unexpected defeat, Anton came in to conclude the duel.
It was clear to anyone that the result was obvious, and I had no intention to deny it.
If Frey hadn’t awakened her aura, I would’ve won! But that doesn’t make Frey’s sword in front of me disappear, does it?
A loss is a loss.
While I was quietly waiting for Anton’s declaration, Frey blocked Anton’s approach.
“Wait. It’s not over yet.”
“Lady Kent? What do you mean? The duel has already ended.”
“Lucy didn’t go all out. That last bit was a fake.”
After saying that, Frey turned her gaze back to me.
“Lucy, do you still think I’m a crappy swordswoman?”
“Puhaha. Pfft.”
I couldn’t help but laugh, even with her sword right next to my neck.
Pfft, is that your purpose, Frey?
I thought you’d be content with your victory, but no.
Frey’s aim wasn’t just to defeat me; she wanted something else.
She wanted me to admit that she was standing beside me, fully acknowledged.
I have no idea what part of me caught Frey’s fancy.
I don’t know why someone who should be indifferent and emotionless is looking at me with such heated eyes.
But then again, after losing once, I’m supposed to grant the winner’s wish, right?
“Hey, half-baked teacher♡ Could you kindly vamoose?♡”
“Hmm. If you both agree, then sure. I’ll step back.”
After Anton left, I chanted the incantation for my sacred magic.
With that, my physical capabilities skyrocketed compared to before.
I then wrapped my remaining sacred power around my entire body.
At first, I struggled to handle it.
Couldn’t say I’m a pro yet, but I’m definitely better than before.
After all the rolling around until grandpa was satisfied every night, I couldn’t avoid growing.
Once everything was ready, I took out my mithril shield from my inventory and pulled out Ruel’s mace from my pouch.
This is my full power right now.
“Come at me♡ you piece of junk♡”
“Okay.”
With a smile on her face, Frey charged at me, burning her mana away.
The mithril shield I held was solid.
It didn’t budge against her sword, which was swinging with real intent.
Even if Frey was using some aura or whatever, there’s no way she could smash this shield!
I know that, so I pushed out my shield, deflecting Frey’s sword as I advanced.
Every time her sword connected with the shield, I felt the shock, but that was it.
It wasn’t enough to make me stop.
The reason I got pushed back before was merely due to the lack of the shield.
It wasn’t because I lacked in other physical abilities.
Maybe she altered her strategy after seeing my steadfastness.
Frey started to retreat, but I wouldn’t allow it.
I built a wall of sacred magic behind her just as she tried to pull back.
While it’s ideally meant for defense, it can be used this way too.
When Frey realized there was nowhere to retreat, she frowned and charged forward instead.
If she couldn’t back off, then maybe breaking through would do the trick?
If it was before, I might not have known; but right now, that’s not going to work on me.
I looked at Frey swinging her sword.
That blade with mana wrapped around it, creating a blue trajectory.
First, I moved my shield, and then my fortified stance followed.
Our judgments aligned perfectly.
As Frey’s sword made contact with my shield, the parry triggered, drastically reducing the blow’s impact.
I could even swat Frey’s sword away with my shield.
The solid mass imbued with weight and power served as a fine weapon.
With a thud, she staggered back from the hit.
Even amid the shock, she hastily gathered her wits, but by that time, I had already closed the distance.
We were so close that our breaths intertwined.
This wasn’t the distance for swords.
Not even for maces.
This was hand distance.
Flashing a grin at the confused Frey, I grabbed her collar.
She struggled desperately, but there was no escaping my grasp.
I lifted Frey and… almost slammed her onto the ground, but I stopped.
This is just a spar, after all.
No need to smash my opponent to bits, right?
Before she could crash down, I gently landed her on the ground, and Frey, looking bewildered, held up her hands.
“I lost. Lucy is strong.”
I thought she might be a bit upset, but Frey’s expression was as emotionless as always.
Looks like it’ll take longer for her to genuinely let out her frustration.
‘Good job, Frey.’
“It wasn’t bad. Dummy-swordswoman.”
“…Huh? Dummy?”
I couldn’t answer Frey’s question.
The most surprised one was me for saying it out loud!
Dummy swordswoman?!
What? Why is the title suddenly changing?
Is it allowed to switch things up like this?!
I thought once it was set, it was eternal!
This isn’t bad news, though.
It means those cringeworthy titles I can’t even say now might change someday.
And it’s quite the relief since the nickname from my mesugaki skill usually causes problems!
Think of all the trouble I went through calling Arthur the pathetic prince!
And imagine the chaos if I were to start calling Cecil the idiot prince!
That would be horrific!
But if I can change how I refer to someone, that changes the game.
I wouldn’t even want to call them by their names. Just a fun nickname level would be enough.
Like Joy. It’s not a problem calling her the goofy young lady.
Honestly, it’s cute! Referring to a goofball as a goofball!
If I could make their nicknames that level, it’d be certain.
[Sorry to bring this up when you’re so overjoyed.]
‘If you’re apologizing, don’t say it, grandpa.’
[Hey girl, whether it’s dummy-swordswoman or crappy-swordswoman, isn’t it just the same? ]
Grandpa, could you not poke at sensitive topics?
I’m running my happy thoughts here; do you really want to add your opinions to that?
Leave me to my pleasant imaginings.
And really, isn’t calling someone a dummy-swordswoman kinda cute?
[And let’s not forget, you had your titles change before too, right?]
‘Did I?’
[Ah, yes. That girl Phoebe, you called her the perverted saint instead of the crappy saint.]
Ah. That dark moment indeed. When the pathetic god enhanced the mesugaki skill.
…Hmm. That might have been more the pathetic god messing with me, though.
Still, this title change might not lend itself to only positive outcomes.
Sigh. This gets complicated.
As I sighed at the sudden twist of events, Frey, who had gotten up, tugged at my arm.
“Lucy. Lucy. One more time.”
‘What for?’
“What do you mean, dummy-swordswoman?”
“…Did you not mishear me? Dummy. Not crappy.”
Does she think I’m recognizing myself? Frey seemed content with the title change to dummy-swordswoman.
Whether she’s aware of it or not, if she’s slightly raising the corners of her mouth, she must be quite happy.
Sigh. Well then, if it makes you happy, I guess that’s a good thing.
You may also like Mesugaki Tank Enters The Academy
