Chapter Chapter 96: 11. Not a myth, but a legend (9) (1/2)
RATH 96
TL: Eevee
11. Not a myth, but a legend (9)
#9 Their story: Ria el Nermia’s story.
A giant scythe parried away the sword of fire.
I destroyed the elementals’ attacks that came at me from five different direction with my own magic, and threw out two more attacks in retaliation, but they were torn apart by a summoned beast in the shape of a giant dog.
“How troublesome.”
“That’s what we want to say?”
As I scowled and grumbled, the enemy also scowled and grumbled in a similar way. We’d been exchanging attacks for over 10 minutes but neither of us could inflict a critical wound on the other.
If a chance had presented itself, both of us would have taken the risk and gone on the offensive, but as both of us knew the extent of the other’s skills, we couldn’t move rashly.
“Do you know what my presence here entails?”
“Well, Arucia and Marcis made an alliance. We’d all predicted something like that would happen before the imperial festival even started, so we don’t really care?”
The Trickster shrugged as if it wasn’t anything much.
Not only the Trickster, but when I looked at the other Yugrasia students in black robes, it felt like that all of them had assumed that Arucia and Marcis would create an alliance.
“In that case, you should know that our students have gone over to fight against your swordsmaster?”
It was a taunt to bait them into attacking, but it was also the truth.
Starting with No.1000, the other Marcis students that came with me had left to support the Yugrasia student council president.
Even if Aris was a swordsmaster, even she would crumble under the assault of a Spirit King, magical support as well as Arucia’s swordsmen.
“Ha, there’s no way we’d send our strongest card all alone, now would we? Everyone else except the people here are probably dealing with the hindrances?”
But the Trickster replied with a carefree expression as if he’d predicted that as well, and as I looked at his face I bit my lip hard enough for it to creak.
“Damn it, so is that how it is?”
“Heheheh, as I thought, you’re the same as one of us, no? Don’t put on airs or use polite language like a noble, and come at us properly.”
As I saw the Trickster snicker at me, I inwardly assured myself of my victory.
‘No matter what kind of weird concept of a character he’s playing… No.1000 said she’d come here to earn her feed!’
There would not be that many people from Yugrasia sent to help Aris.
In that case, I didn’t think that they would be able to beat No.1000.
Because as long as her meals were on the line, No.1000 was one of the strongest people I knew!
Even if her opponent was a swordsmaster, she wouldn’t be able to deal with No.1000 that easily!
“Alright then… I suppose I should get serious now?”
But if I revealed that to them, they could pull away people here and send them to support Aris, so I tried not to let it show.
It was then.
Shudder.
“What the…?”
I felt something dark pass through my body.
The moment that something went past, I felt a sense of irritation boil up from the recesses of my mind.
‘A mental attack?’
I instantly used the magic circulation method I learned back in Howling to check the flow of my mana.
Something similar to mana, yet far more primeval was stuck to my body.
‘What’s this?’
I tried to dislodge it with my magic, but it wouldn’t fall off.
“An opening!”
And taking the opportunity of my disturbed magic, the Trickster began to attack.
“Surtr!”
Evasion was impossible. If I chose to defend, then it would make it extremely difficult to dislodge this black thing, so my choice was to use my always-trustable and discardable, the greatest shield, Surtr!
“Come at me, children!”
Swinging around his giant fire whip, Surtr forced the Trickster back.
“You know where you stand! I am… Gaah?!”
“It’s big so it’s nice and easy to hit.”
“I saw this summon in a video before, it looks pretty awesome. It looked tanky enough that it could last a couple of hits from the silver devil?”
“Kegh!”
“Even if it could, it’d only last a couple of hits. Where the heck could you use something like that?”
“Cough…”
“It’s big, isn’t it? The devil might say it feels good to hit and hit it a bit more slowly. Then it can help buy a tiny bit more time for us to run.”
“Th, these brats gukh…”
“That sounds like a plan.”
And as I predicted, Surtr went forward confidently and got the stuffing beaten out of him, while I managed to successfully pull off the dark things that had adhered to my body.
-Owner, weren’t you going to help?!
-There was something wrong with my body, so I brought you out to use as a shield?
-Gaagh! Then should you not have told me in advance!
-Sorry, sorry~
-Is what you always say but owner you never show me any sign of sincerity whatsoever!
As I ignored Surtr’s grumblings as I always did, I stared down my enemies.
‘Why are they perfectly fine?’
That dark something that had stuck to my body had all adhered to them as well.
But, they didn’t look any different than they had before.
“So it was controllable to not affect allieaaagh?!”
Snick.
While I was focusing directly in front of me, a freezing chill ran down my spine, causing me to instinctively throw my body to the ground and dodge something.
As if to say my choice wasn’t wrong, I saw my brown hair fall to the ground as I felt a cold sweat run down my back.
“Why… did you do that?”
While thinking that if I hadn’t dodged, it would have been my head rolling on the ground instead of just my hair, I turned back to the person who had just sliced off a part of my body.
“That’s…”
And, said person looked at me with dead eyes and said.
“Because you stole my food with No.1?”
“You tried to kill me for something that was how long agooooo!”
I screeched as I dodged her follow up attacks.
Since we were both taught by the same master, no, instructor, we both knew perfectly well.
Whether you were the one talking or your opponent was the one talking, never stop attacking!
“Wait a second, you’re strong, aren’t you? You said Haeel Reia is weak!”
“Mirua is strong.”
“Why the heck are you throwing away the character you were trying to keep until now just to knife me?!”
This was no joke. The sword ki that she was nonchalantly throwing around felt scarier than Aris’s sword aura.