〈 Chapter 141 〉 The start of the semifinals.
*
“…Kids, you made it?”
“Husband! I did well, right!”
“…….”
“…….”
I, along with Jeong Ahyeon, returned to the bench after the match.
Hyeji was looking at us with a somewhat uneasy expression, while Elcia was pushing her head forward as if asking for praise.
I patted Elcia’s head without saying a word, and then I sat down on the bench with Jeong Ahyeon to catch some sleep.
It was a desperate wish to escape into dreams from the current reality.
What mattered to us now was no longer figuring out our opponent’s power level.
We just hoped to recover our tattered minds as much as possible.
*
Had only a moment passed? When I opened my eyes, the second match had just ended.
The opponents in the semifinals were decided to be Jeong Ahyeon’s sister and a blonde woman with blue eyes.
However, Jeong Ahyeon’s expression while watching this was more disturbed than ever.
“Hey, Jeong Ahyeon, what’s wrong? Is it because you have to fight your sister?”
“…Not exactly, but… there is that.”
At that moment, the winners, Jeong Ahyeon’s sister and the blonde woman, came over to where we were.
The blonde woman looked at Jeong Ahyeon as if she were worthless and said, “Are you still obsessed with this childish game?”
“……Keep your nose out of it. She’ll handle it by herself.”
“Well, do as you wish.”
The blonde woman shot a sharp remark at Jeong Ahyeon as she passed by.
“No matter how hard you try, nothing will change anyway.”
“……Just go your way.”
“Indeed, whatever.”
After that, the blonde woman left the sparring ground.
Jeong Ahyeon’s sister glanced at her with a somewhat pitying look before following the blonde woman out of the sparring ground.
I decided to speak to Jeong Ahyeon, who still didn’t look pleased.
“Hey, are you okay? Do you know her?”
“……Just a dreadful connection.”
And then, with a desperate look in her eyes, Jeong Ahyeon said firmly, “Master…”
“What is it?”
“I want to win no matter what in the next match.”
“Got it.”
I patted Jeong Ahyeon’s shoulder and said, “Can you tell me as much as you know about them?”
“I don’t know much about that blonde woman you mentioned earlier. But…”
“But what?”
“I know she’s from a family that calls themselves wizards.”
[Are those guys from earlier not more like wizards?］
‘It feels like there’s a weird vibration, so just shut it.’
“So what about your sister?”
“Um…”
Jeong Ahyeon took a moment to gather her thoughts and then spoke again.
“Simply put, she can temporarily grant traits to others.”
“So you mean she can cast an enchantment on others?”
“Exactly.”
When I roughly pieced together what Jeong Ahyeon said, it turned out to be a combination of one wizard and one buffer.
One mage and one supporter.
Easy peasy.
“Sounds simple.”
“……Really?”
“They probably don’t have any close combat strategies anyway.”
Who am I?
A true top-tier fighter.
Mages have always been weak against melee.
A feeling of unexplainable confidence filled my whole body.
Thus, Jeong Ahyeon and I devised a simple strategy.
However, it would take a little longer to realize that things weren’t proceeding as I would have liked.
*
Semifinal day.
Currently, Jeong Ahyeon and I were facing Jeong Ahyeon’s sister and the blonde woman in the sparring ground.
As we had discussed earlier, we were ready with one flashbang.
To prevent the opponent from reacting immediately, I wrapped it haphazardly in cloth until I tossed it.
Then, out of curiosity, I asked Jeong Ahyeon something.
“Jeong Ahyeon, I saw your sister in Chapter 5, but I still don’t know her name.”
“Ah… Just call her Jeong Bia.”
Jeong Ahyeon suddenly looked away with a distressed expression and said.
“What kind of name is that? Is it her real name?”
“……Focus on the fight now.”
At that moment, the blonde woman interrupted our conversation suddenly.
“How pathetic. You still can’t let go, can you?”
“Shut up.”
The woman, while not as impressive as Elcia, flaunted her voluptuous chest and looked at us with one hand holding a book.
“Whatever she does, just keep your distance.”
“Oh my, if you lose this time, we’ll have to see each other often, so I should at least get to know you.”
Seeing Jeong Ahyeon’s gloomy expression, the blonde woman laughed as if the situation amused her.
How dare that blonde chick barge in?
NTR is a sin.
“Hey, Kim Yuna. Don’t even dream of scouting our Jeong Ahyeon.”
“Don’t call me that filthy word!!”
“Then what should I call you? In that outfit, you’d be called a whore!”
“This is the outfit of traditional wizards!”
Indeed, as I said, the blonde woman was wearing highly revealing attire.
It was just strange that her chest and neck were thoroughly covered, while only her lower body was completely exposed, creating an imbalance.
The woman crossed her arms and glared at me angrily.
“And my name is Spencer!”
“Spencer?”
At that moment, I began to glare seriously at Spencer.
“Does your name happen to contain a ‘D’?”
“……It does, but why do you ask?”
Spencer, perhaps overwhelmed by the sudden change in my demeanor, looked at me with a wary gaze.
I pointed my finger at Spencer, speaking profoundly.
Actually, I pointed at her chest while saying it.
“You’re part of the D clan, huh? Mama D. Spencer.”
“That lowly name can’t possibly be mine, you dumb dog!!!”
[Please have some normal thoughts!!!］
‘There’s a person named Ayeon (Zinc) among them, so would that even be impossible?’
[……That’s quite plausible.］
Spencer, unable to control her anger, hurled the poor book she was holding onto the ground.
Meanwhile, Jeong Ahyeon’s sister, Jeong Bia, looked at Jeong Ahyeon with pity in her eyes.
“Ayeon, you do know that if you lose here, you have to keep your promise, right?”
“……I know.”
Jeong Ahyeon fixed her determined gaze on Jeong Bia and replied, “But I will win.”
“……It can’t be helped, but I won’t go easy on you.”
Just then, as if signaling the start of the match, the professor’s microphone made tap tap sounds.
And he began to announce each team’s name.
【Left side! Team!】
An immense booing erupted.
Of course.
They had beaten the gay community during the PC age, and more than anything, they’d wrecked the betting tables.
In an attempt to quickly overcome the audience’s jeers, the professor hastily called out the opposing team.
【Right side! Team!】
The students instantly flipped their attitudes, cheering loudly like flipping a palm.
Most of the cheers still came from the male students, but compared to the previous gay incident, it was significantly better.
“Look at Spencer’s overwhelming mid!!”
“I’m starting to become a fan of Spencer now!!!”
“Our mid will carry this bet!!!!”
“Please just show us your chest once before the match starts!!!”
“Chest is truth!! If you don’t have a chest, then it’s better to just commit suicide!!!”
[……The future of the academy looks grim.]
‘Has it always been this stupid of a place?’
Interestingly, Elcia and Hyeji, who were watching from the bench, displayed different reactions.
“Hah. Who do they think they can take on with that chest?”
“I’ll kill that last bastard myself.”
For some reason, Hyeji’s low voice sounded terrifying today.
Meanwhile, before the students’ cheers died down, the professor quickly continued the match.
【Let the match begin!!!!!】
As soon as the match started, Spencer suddenly opened a book and raised her right index finger, pointing at me.
Then she started chanting something.
Unlike regular speech, every word seemed to carry weight, along with an inexplicable unease.
“All will return to ashes.”
No sooner had Spencer’s words ended than a small firework burst right in front of me.
I felt a sudden discomfort since I had dodged slightly backward the moment she pointed, so thankfully, I didn’t suffer much damage.
However, I couldn’t help but be on guard against such an unexpected attack.
Watching me, Spencer displayed her composure openly.
“Surprised? Wizards give meaning to words to weave magic.”
“Is what you’re saying now magic too?”
“Hah. You’re so dumb, I’ll tell you specially. My magic starts with an eleven-letter phrase.”
[If you could cast magic just by talking, you’d be a grand wizard!]
‘Shut your trap.’
Spencer closed the book and continued speaking to me.
“And you load magical power into words, realizing it through books or clothing.”
“Is that so?”
Hearing that, I gave a sinister smile towards Spencer.
“I also know an eleven-letter magical phrase.”
“Are you really trying to cast magic with just words when you don’t know anything?”
Spencer looked at me with a ridiculous expression and began to chuckle.
Instead of answering, I hurled the flashbang I had prepared right at Spencer.
“Ajitani Hifumi Daisuki!!!”
And after a beat, I began to accelerate toward Spencer.
Jeong Ahyeon, who was already aware of the flashbang, had distanced herself to avoid its effects.
Meanwhile, Spencer, trying to grasp my words, asked, “What does that mean?!”
“It’s the school anthem of Trinity Academy, you dumbass!”
The flashbang soared through the air, unraveling the fabric, and exploded right in front of Spencer.
I was running with my arms covering my eyes, and since Jeong Ahyeon had already distanced herself, our damage was relatively minor.
Of course, the shock made my head spin, and my body wobbled slightly.
But this much was enough to allow me to move.
On the other hand, an unprepared Spencer suffered a direct hit from the flashbang, yet somehow, she didn’t collapse and stood in place.
However, although she was standing there, she seemed to be spinning around, unable to regain her sight.
Even then, she clung to the book she was holding tightly while expressing her grievances with her eyes closed.
“This is just a damn flashbang! Why’d you sing the anthem?!”
“Do you think our Hifumi looks like a piece of shit!!!!”
Hifumi is light.
To welcome the light, one must naturally sing a hymn.
“Historically, mages have always been weak to the tower!”
BAM!!
My knee, loaded with acceleration, slammed deeply into the center of Spencer’s face.
*
