Chapter 71: A Mock Battle, but Fueled by Anger
In the class of Swordsmanship, the first round had begun. One by one, the students from the Magic Department were being soundly defeated by their counterparts from the Department of Knights. With each defeat, Rest tended to the injured students.
“Hey, Rest. Are you sure your Magical Power is holding up?” Ruid, his concerned friend, asked.
“No problem at all. I have confidence in my Magical Power, so don’t worry about me,” Rest replied. Despite having treated over ten injured classmates, Rest’s Infinite Magic Power showed no signs of depletion. In fact, it was his patience that was wearing thin.
“Still… those knights are really taking liberties. What grudge do they have against the Magic Department?” Rest’s frustration was mounting as he watched his classmates fall one after another. It wouldn’t be long before he lost his temper and unleashed a spell.
“Yeah… I’ve heard that the students from the Department of Knights have a strange rivalry with the Magic Department, but I didn’t expect it to be this intense,” Ruid agreed, his expression filled with anger.
Some students from the Department of Knights harbored a complex towards those in the Magic Department. Most who aimed to become knights or warriors had little Magical Power and couldn’t pursue a career as Magicians. Those born with abundant Magical Power often aspired to be Magicians instead. Consequently, many knights felt like “those who couldn’t become Magicians,” harboring a bitter rivalry against the Magic Department. Of course, not everyone felt this way. There were those with high Magical Power who chose to become knights out of passion for wielding swords and spears, without any inferiority complex towards Magicians.
(But… it seems that Oddman, the instructor, doesn’t fit that mold.)
“Alright, next up is Bedley from the Department of Knights and Ruid Jistal from the Magic Department. Step forward!”
“It’s my turn… I’m going to get my revenge, so watch me!” Ruid declared, his fighting spirit ignited as he strode onto the field, wooden sword in hand, facing off against the knight.
From what Rest could see, Ruid wasn’t as frail as a bean sprout, but his muscle development was clearly inferior to that of the knight.
(Without magic, he’s at a complete disadvantage… What’s he planning to do?)
“Let the match begin!”
“Urya!”
As soon as the match started, Ruid sprang into action. To everyone’s surprise, he threw the wooden sword he was holding.
“What the…!”
Even the knight hadn’t anticipated this move. He hurriedly raised his arms to guard against the flying wooden sword aimed at his face.
“Body Enhancement!”
With that, Ruid kicked off the ground and dashed forward. Taking advantage of the knight’s limited visibility from guarding, he maneuvered behind him and locked him in a chokehold.
“Guh… you… let go of me…!”
“Not a chance! Don’t get too comfortable!”
Ruid enhanced his body with magic, securing the knight’s neck while wrapping his legs around his torso. The knight struggled desperately to break free, but the situation was dire. No matter the difference in physique or strength, the precision of the Magic Department students was superior. Unable to shake off the magically enhanced Ruid, the knight eventually fell backward, eyes rolling back as he lost consciousness.
“……Match over.”
Oddman announced the end of the match with a dissatisfied expression. Ruid exhaled a sigh of relief as he released his opponent.
“Phew, that was close. I barely won!”
“Honestly, you seemed to have it under control,” Rest remarked.
“Not really. That guy was clawing at my arm… I was worried I’d be torn off at any moment,” Ruid replied, glancing at the scratches on his arm, blood seeping from the wounds. Rest cast a healing spell, and the injuries vanished without a trace.
“Thanks, that really helped.”
“No problem… That’s the first victory for a student from the Magic Department.”
With over ten classmates already defeated, Ruid was the first to claim victory.
“Alright, next up…”
“It’s my turn,” came a voice as Yuri Cattleya stepped forward, having been tending to the injured.
“It seems they’re calling us in order of attendance, so I’m next, right?”
“Uh… are you sure about this, Yuri?”
“Yeah, I’m fine,” she replied, surprisingly smiling. Rest had assumed she would be fueled by righteous anger after seeing her classmates defeated, but she hadn’t reacted much at all.
“If I’m strong, I win. If I’m weak, I lose… that’s all there is to it. It’s not a life-and-death exchange, so there’s no need to worry,” Yuri said calmly as she picked up a wooden sword. Though she appeared bright and carefree, her perspective was surprisingly serious.
(Oh right, she’s the daughter of the Knight Commander… She might have a rather strict view on competition.)
Perhaps she thought it was just the nature of the competitive world that her classmates were falling. Rest felt as though he was witnessing a new side of his friend as he watched her walk to the field.
“Hey, Lübesse…”
“Hmm…?”
Meanwhile, Oddman was beckoning one of the knights over, whispering something to him. Rest discreetly activated a spell to eavesdrop on their conversation.
“Make sure you win the next match.”
“I’ve been told not to let that person hold a sword…”
“But no attacks that could cause injury. Absolutely not!”
“…………?”
It was a strange directive. While it made sense to ensure victory, the insistence on preventing the student from holding a sword and avoiding injuries raised questions about their intentions.
(Oh right… many of the instructors in the Department of Knights are alumni of the knight order.)
With references to “that Honorable Person,” it was possible that Marquis Cattleya, the Knight Commander, was involved.
(I wonder if it has anything to do with Yuri running away from home… No, thinking about it won’t yield any answers.)
It was a matter of family affairs that didn’t concern him. More importantly, he decided to focus on watching how the match would unfold.