Chapter 129

A girl with pale, delicate blonde hair: Frey Dr. Siegfried, the Hero. Frey standing before the sealed girl felt a fair amount of pressure.

But there was no backing down now. After all, she had already braced herself for injury when she pointed out Aru as the sealed one.

There was only one goal: to obtain information.

‘Assuming Aru is arranged by Evans… no, Joker, why did he bring someone like her here? Someone on this level?’

Frey’s mind was racing. So much so that it even caused her some indigestion earlier.

‘That gym teacher… his name was Yohan, right? Could he also be one of Joker’s pawns? He’s definitely not someone from my previous life, but this could just be a variable created by the butterfly effect.’

Still, she had no choice.

While it takes three people to deceive one, the person she needed to deceive wasn’t ordinary. Perhaps more troublesome than even the Demon King himself—Joker.

Even falling leaves needed caution. Like a veteran sergeant on the brink of deployment or a maiden scaling walls to meet her beloved, every move mattered.

Facing the wolf girl of similar height, Frey steadied herself. Though her body was young, her spirit was seasoned. The shift in her combat readiness happened in an instant.

An innocent expression free of malice, a face cute like a kitten, and lush, fluffy blue hair.

If rumors hadn’t spread around school, she might’ve already caught unwanted attention from countless male students. Who would’ve thought such an appearance hid a chilling warrior who targeted opponents’ vital points once battle commenced?

The sparring match proceeded unarmed. Fortunate that there’d be no tendon severing, Frey thought as she assumed her stance, legs forming an X-shape diagonal, fists clenched tightly at her eyebrows while lightly stepping with her feet.

She had no intention of taking the first move. The purpose of this match was to accurately gauge the sealed girl’s strength.

“Shall we begin? Huh?”

“As you wish.”

Whoosh!

In an instant, Aru’s arm vanished. Frey immediately bent forward, knees half-bent.

Where Frey’s head had been, a stunning blow flew past. Imagining how her face would’ve caved in if she’d taken that punch straight-on gave her chills.

Pfft!

While still crouched, Frey threw a punch toward Aru’s side, but her left hook was blocked as Aru slipped inside Frey’s guard.

Crack! Aru’s shoulder struck Frey’s jaw. The shock was numbing, but not enough to knock her out.

‘Her movements become visible when I focus… no, this isn’t her true power. She’s holding back for me.’

Tsk! Aru’s palm aimed for Frey’s abdomen, but she stepped back half a pace to avoid the trajectory.

Aru’s fingers were hooked like a beast’s. Though her nails weren’t long like a human’s, getting caught by those fingers felt like bones would shatter.

‘Did she realize she needs to tone down her power after yesterday’s half-training session? Still, without seeing her full power, there’s no way to gauge her abilities!’

Aru relentlessly poured on the attacks. Every time Frey, with her experienced eyes, read the trajectories and dodged, Aru prepared her next move, the move after that, and the one after that, never relinquishing control.

Had there been something to endure and counter, Frey would’ve forced through and disrupted Aru’s rhythm to strike back. But…

“Huh…”

“Wow wow wow! You’re fast!”

Though Frey’s vision held the wisdom of experience, her body was still that of an 18-year-old girl. No matter how much energy she surrounded herself with, it was tough to withstand the devastating assault unleashed by the beast that was Aru.

Eventually, retreating repeatedly without any other options, Frey ended up stepping out of bounds, concluding their match. Under Mr. Yohan’s guidance, they faced each other again.

Unlike Aru, whose breathing remained perfectly calm, Frey’s was utterly disordered. Panting heavily, Frey calmed herself from the short yet intense battle.

‘This won’t do… merely dodging won’t allow me to gauge this seal’s full power. Even if it means being knocked out in one hit, I need to see her full strength to plan anything else.’

Though her exhausted heart pounded wildly, Frey’s thoughts remained clear. Over the past 500 years before starting anew, she’d fought countless battles between life and death. This couldn’t break her spirit.

“Aru, right? There’s one thing I want to ask.”

“Wow?”

“Go all-out. I know you’re holding back. I don’t want to lose to someone hiding their true abilities.”

It was a lie.

Kneeling before the Demon King, receiving condemnation from the entire continent’s populace, being called a traitor by family and friends… Frey’s pride had long since turned to garbage.

“Meow? No way! You can’t handle it.”

“I’m fine. Please go all-out.”

“Nope! Some other kid said the same thing earlier! Seriously, they collapsed right away when I went full power.”

“I heard about that. You took down Pianke from the third year, didn’t you? I’m different from him. Try going all-out.”

If during this match the seal really went all-in and she fell in one hit, she might be ridiculed by the academy students and punished by her teachers. But none of that mattered to Frey. The weight on her shoulders carrying the fate of the world was far too heavy.

“Alright, wow.”

With a short exhale, the color of the air surrounding Aru changed. A black mist swirled upward.

A fog visible only to Frey’s eyes. A gravity-heavy force descended upon her, filled with killing intent.

“…!”

That revealing her true self didn’t affect all the students showed Aru wasn’t clumsy with her ki control.

However, Frey, engulfed by the killing intent, was an exception. The thick dark pressure swirled around her, threatening to swallow her whole.

In an instant, Frey’s world plunged into darkness, feeling as though she were being devoured by demonic energy. Her heart sank, her body tense with fear, causing natural physical reactions.

Yet, unlike others…

Squelch.

“Kh…aaaaaugh…!”

“Ooh? You’re enduring?”

Frey’s groin didn’t get wet, nor did her legs give out. It wasn’t because Frey was stronger than Pianke.

Even if she were stronger than Pianke, Aru was an absolute powerhouse born from the bloodline of the Wolf King, honed over 500 years. She was on par with kings and reached a transcendent level among experts.

The reason Frey could withstand her killing intent, despite not reaching the absolute level herself…

‘It’s… this extent…!!’

Was because for 500 years, Frey had fought in the “Colosseum,” the arena of the gods.

Monsters never seen or heard of, renewed daily. Half-human, half-beast overlords. Legends who had mastered their respective fields.

Frey battled them all, to meet the condition set by Chronos: never losing a single fight.

Her flesh was cruelly trampled, her bones horribly scraped. Worse yet, her mind deteriorated day by day. The feeling of wearing down bit by bit was something only those who had never experienced it could understand.

Having overcome such adversity, a mere intangible pressure like this…

“I told you… I can endure it!”

Though it wasn’t something she could shrug off easily, she could manage to withstand it, at least mentally.

Of course, that was only in the mental realm.

Creak!

“…!”

An invisible kick from Aru struck Frey’s thigh. Had she been in her fully grown state from her past life, things might’ve been different. But Frey collapsed helplessly, unable to react. Shockwaves radiated from her thigh throughout her entire body.

Realizing Frey was no longer able to fight, Aru immediately retracted her killing intent. Yohan intervened, deeming it sufficient, and extended a hand to help Frey up.

However, Frey, grabbing Yohan’s hand, couldn’t stand due to her severely swollen thigh. In the end, Yohan lifted her with his large hands to take her to the infirmary.

The students were quite surprised by Frey and Aru’s match. Though they knew the sealed girl was strong, they never expected her to defeat even the chosen hero.

And especially not in just one exchange—no one had imagined that.

“You’re named Frey, right? Excellent work! Absolutely excellent!”

Which is why Frey, half-conscious, couldn’t comprehend it.

“What? This student is the hero? Oh! Heroes really are different! Incredible!”

“…? Why am I getting praised when I lost? Isn’t it normal to praise the winner?”

From Yohan, who was practically drooling while praising himself.

Some inexplicable sense of wrongness.

“Woof, strong! You endured! Killing intent!”

“Indeed, a hero is a hero! To withstand Aru’s killing intent at 18! Very promising future!”

“Woof woof woof!”

“Still, your lower body seems a bit weak! Starting tomorrow after school, come see this teacher separately! I’ll thoroughly train your lower body!”

For some reason, Yohan and Aru, both appearing delighted, naturally conversed while praising Frey.

‘They… know each other? How…? Could the gym teacher really be another pawn of Joker…?’

Frey’s mind spiraled deeper into confusion.

***

Maria hesitantly stood before me. My gaze held equal parts anticipation and worry.

The anticipation came from the fact that I’d get to fight Maria. Though I wouldn’t hit her as much as I loved her, it was a chance to teach her.

The worry stemmed from wondering how Maria would conduct the match. Surely she wouldn’t only put her shield forward like during her bout with Beatrix, right? Nah, probably not.

“…What are you doing right now?”

“We’re in the middle of a match, aren’t we?”

…Guess what happens when you assume. Here I am, caught in it.

“Eh… Did we start already? Should I attack?”

“Yes, feel free. Let’s have a great match.”

“Great match? Feels like it’ll end in disaster… but I’ll try my best anyway.”

White light enveloped Maria’s body. Light I’d seen countless times in Tartarus. Warmth that illuminated the darkness and spread hope.

Now it formed a sturdy shield blocking my path.

I threw a punch—not too flashy, with moderate strength akin to Evans’.

Ping!

My punch was blocked by Maria’s shield. The rule for the match was bare-handed against bare-handed, but divine power was considered personal ability, so it wasn’t against the rules.

Ping! Bang! KABOOM!

No matter how many punches and kicks I threw, I couldn’t break through Maria’s shield. I could probably shatter it if I put my mind to it, but that wasn’t the issue.

“Uh… Maria?”

“Yes, what is it?”

“How does this match end?”

“Huh?”

She doesn’t attack. Just like with Beatrix, even when I deliberately show openings, she doesn’t make a single strike.

“How does it end?”

“Yeah, haven’t you ever had a match before?”

“Never… done that…”

Ah, right. Maria grew up pampered within the Holy Order.

“To finish a match, one side needs to become unable to fight. Will this really end like this?”

“If I keep holding out like this, maybe Evans’ stamina will run out and you’ll collapse on your own?”

“What if I don’t use up my stamina?”

I raised both hands, as if showing no intention to attack. Maria’s pristine face showed a question mark.

“Okay, I won’t attack. What will you do now?”

“Well… what should I do…?”

This girl… seriously, what kind of parents send their kids to school without teaching them these basic things?

Come to think of it, educating children on hitting people while sending them to school does seem abnormal. Is this school actually a military academy?

“Maria, I understand your belief as a Saintess that you shouldn’t hit people, but that’s disrespectful to your opponent. A match is preparation for real fights in the future. Practicing lazily now could result in getting cut down later.”

Lies. I’ve already accumulated countless real combat experiences.

To end this match, I could just unleash a barrage on Maria until her stamina runs out before mine.

So why am I doing this?

“That… what should I do…? I…”

“Simple, attack with courage.”

Well, because I want to see Maria throwing punches.

“Aah, no way! I’m a priest serving the Lord’s peace!”

“Then what about Holy Knights? Don’t they serve the Lord too?”

“But I’m a nun! How could a nun harm others?”

“There was a Saintess named Margarita in the past, one of the saviors. They say she crushed a dragon’s skull with a hammer.”

“B-but that person…”

If this were Maria with fully formed values as a night saint, none of this nonsense would stick. But convincing a girl still forming her values is easy for me.

“Maria, answer me. Did that person abandon their duty as a Saintess?”

“That’s not true but… still…”

“I’m not asking you to hurt me. I’m not weak enough to be injured by Maria’s attacks. Instead, I’m asking you to maintain proper form. Isn’t that respectful towards your opponent? If I die in a real fight later because I went easy on you now, would the Lord praise Maria?”

“Ugh… ugh…”

Maria’s head bowed deeply. Her flushed face clearly showed her dilemma and embarrassment.

Hurry up, Maria. I want to see you throw punches.

“But… is it right for me to even entertain such thoughts? To hit others…”

“That’s the problem?”

“It’s sacrilegious! A Saintess’ role is to love all beings!”

“Then hit while loving them. Doesn’t sound hard, does it?”

“N-n-no way!”

Phew, time to prepare for a beating.

Spreading my arms wide, I shouted.

“Alright, Maria! Hit me! I want to be hit by Maria! Since I’m asking for it, there’s no problem, right? Maria is simply fulfilling her duty as a Saintess by granting someone’s wish!”

I enjoy being hit. But it’s different from a masochist’s pleasure. The pain, the thrilling tension of fighting on the edge of life and death, the uncertainty of when your neck might be pierced—all of it brings a certain pleasure.

But what if the one hitting me is Maria? And what if I can witness ‘Saintess Maria’ striking someone?

I can become a masochist and enjoy being hit more than hitting, just for Maria.

“Ugh…! Only because you asked first! Don’t change your mind later!”

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