Chapter 28

As expected, that seemingly frivolous man approached Asha, giggling, and requested a sparring match.

Was he planning to pull some cheap tricks against Asha, a demi-human?

Or did he think her half-sized frame looked easy to beat, so he decided to challenge her? His attitude was hard to figure out.

If it’s the former, he’s a pervert; if it’s the latter, he’s just a simple fool.

Either way, the outcome is obvious, so I don’t need to worry about it.

Asha has an incredibly high critical hit rate against humanoids, so she’ll probably hurt him badly.

Though I’m not sure how that would play out in reality.

“What should I do, Ha-shal-leur?”

Asha turned to me, looking troubled.

Well, the difference in skill must be obvious to her too, so she probably has no desire to get involved in his unpleasant intentions.

“How about you spar with him once? It might make things easier later.”

“Really?”

Asha nodded readily, and the man beamed before turning away.

In the end, he didn’t even glance at me.

It wasn’t out of hatred or contempt, but he seemed too awkward to even speak to me, so I didn’t say anything.

“Who are you planning to spar with, Ha-shal-leur?”

“Well, I’ll have to look around. I’m not sure if anyone will want to spar with me.”

“There’s Knut, isn’t there?”

“It won’t end with just a spar with him. Absolutely not.”

I could tell just by looking at him.

He stared at me persistently but never approached first, cautious like a predator observing its prey, waiting for the right moment to strike.

So, he wouldn’t be the one to request a spar first.

He probably isn’t sure yet if he can take me down.

Though my nerves keep twitching uncomfortably, reacting to his swamp-like hostility.

If I provoke him, he’d probably lose control and attack.

But I also have no intention of requesting a spar right now.

For now, we’re keeping our distance, but if we clash weapons and unleash our fighting spirit, neither Knut nor I would be able to suppress our rising bloodlust.

One of us would die, and the other would be severely injured.

I’d probably win, but it would only prove my infamy.

Ah, Professor Kal-lain might stop us before that happens.

If I still have enough sanity left to listen to the professor, that is.

Let’s just drop it. If I’m unlucky, I might even swing my sword at the professor.

“That makes sense. It’s a shame, but we’ll get a chance someday.”

Asha nodded and started checking her equipment.

…I’d rather that chance never comes.

—

So, what should I do?

I lit a cigarette and glanced around at the regular students.

Is there anyone suitable?

Someone not too weak to be useless, but not too strong to reveal my limits. If I can decisively defeat someone like that, fewer people would dare to challenge me.

Anyway, this isn’t a situation where I can improve my standing through goodwill or trust.

Most of the special admission students don’t hold grudges against me, but the Empire’s people will judge me through biased lenses no matter what I say or do.

First, I need to prove my strength.

Fear is necessary. Even those who hate me should reluctantly follow my commands out of fear.

If they at least listen to me, the number of casualties in the upcoming first episode might decrease.

The students who met my gaze all subtly looked away.

None of them have any backbone. Are they really that scared of me…?

Maybe the fear part is already taken care of.

Still, I need to prove my strength.

There’s a big difference between hearing rumors and witnessing it firsthand.

I should at least talk to them to find a sparring partner, so I got up and headed toward them.

The crowd in front of me parted like the Red Sea.

It was an absurd sight.

At this rate, I could be called Moses starting today.

Only a few who seemed capable remained in place, watching me.

Mainly the main characters.

First, Edgar, who was glaring at me with a frown.

Rejected. If I mess with a Church Order figure in the Empire, I might end up on a pyre instead of building my reputation.

There’s even a saint candidate among the second-year special admission students, so I’d rather not get on her bad side.

Ka`har isn’t particularly sociable, so they probably won’t pick a fight with me first.

Besides, since I’m immune to potions, I need to stay on good terms with the Church Order for my health.

If necessary, I might even consider converting.

I don’t know what Ka`har’s religious views are, though.

Since demon resistance is considered a divine blessing, they might welcome me if I convert, given my demon resistance.

Next is Ophelia, who’s twirling a long magic herb on her fingertips, pretending not to care but subtly glancing this way.

She’s not bad, but her personality is a bit too prickly, so I’ll just consider her for now.

Then there’s Damien.

…Damien seems like someone I can’t easily beat if he’s hiding his strength.

But I need to get along with him, so I should take this chance to talk to him.

Even if his looks aren’t my type.

I turned my head to look at Damien.

Milia, who was clinging to him, flinched as if wary of me.

Damien looked back at me and smiled with an unreadable expression.

It was a bright, refreshing smile befitting a protagonist, but something about it…

It’s hard to put into words, but it felt strangely out of place, like an artificial smile.

Like looking at a doll without emotions.

No, it’s not exactly that.

I don’t know. Maybe I’m overthinking it.

Damien is a righteous and just protagonist, the epitome of a hero.

I approached Damien to at least start a conversation.

“Hey, blondie. Damien, right? I think I saw you at the entrance exam.”

“My name is Damien, but what’s up? Are you, a special admission student, challenging me to a spar?”

No. I don’t want to spar with you because Knut would probably wipe the floor with me.

“Not that. I just wanted to talk. I’m Ha-shal-leur Ai-shan Gi-or. Call me Ha-shal-leur or Ha-shal-leur, whatever you prefer.”

“Talk?”

Damien tilted his head.

“I saw you at the entrance exam, and you’re pretty skilled. Let’s get along. I like people with talent.”

How should I get along with him?

I’ve introduced myself, so I should start with a handshake, right?

As a gesture of goodwill, I smiled slightly and extended my right hand.

Damien stared at my hand for a moment before reaching out.

“Don’t fall for it, Damien!”

Milia stepped in front of Damien, trembling but glaring at me with hostility.

What’s her deal?

Does Milia hate Ka`har or something? I don’t remember that being part of her character.

“What’s with you? I’m here for the guy behind you, not you.”

“Milia? What’s wrong all of a sudden?”

“Ka, Ka`har are known for soul stealing! Be careful, the way she’s wagging her tail means she’s definitely targeting you, Damien!”

What?

The cigarette I was holding fell to the ground.

Damn it.

Do you know how much this cost?

“I wasn’t wagging my tail…! I wasn’t even thinking about it…!”

I gritted my teeth in frustration.

If anyone’s wagging their tail, it’s you…!

I was just trying to make a connection for future use…

“So, you’re saying you just want to keep things friendly, huh? Fine by me!”

“Uh, what? Why is that witch from Ka`har suddenly approaching Damien? It’s suspicious, no matter how you look at it!”

“Milia, that kind of talk is rude to the other person.”

Damien stopped Milia.

Yeah, he knows. It’s a huge disrespect. To think someone would dare…

“But…!”

“Enough. It’s Ha-shal-leur, right? Damien. I’ll be counting on you from now on.”

Damien shook my hand up and down.

I should be the one counting on him. He’s going to be my lifeline in the future.

“…I can’t accept this.”

Milia muttered gloomily.

Man, this is getting messy.

I need to manage her so she doesn’t fall into corruption. What a headache.

“So what? Are you his lover or something? Why are you meddling so much?”

“Lo-lover? No… but… we’re friends! Yeah, childhood friends!”

Milia puffed out her chest and shouted.

Her face was bright red, and her eyes were trembling.

It’s almost pitiful.

She looks like a rabbit, so I can’t even get mad.

I should just say something reasonable to make her feel better.

“Lover, childhood friend, whatever. I have no interest in guys weaker than me, so relax. I only approached him because he seems useful as a fellow warrior.”

“…You think you’re that strong? I’ve never seen anyone Damien’s age stronger than him.”

Milia muttered, sounding unconvinced.

She doesn’t know a thing.

If I went all out, the protagonist could turn into minced meat in thirty moves.

I’d get kicked out, and the world would probably end, but whatever.

“If you don’t believe me, want to spar? I’ll go easy on you.”

Since she’s Damien’s childhood friend, I shouldn’t be too rough.

She’s a bit of an awkward opponent to show off my strength, but at this point, most people are about the same.

If she doesn’t accept, the only decent sparring partner left is Ophelia.

“Spar? Why me…? If you want to spar, why not do it with Damien?”

“I don’t want to draw too much attention from him.”

I subtly glanced at Knut.

That guy is still glaring at me. Creepy.

If it’s not during class, I should always have Nigel accompany me.

“Hmm…”

Milia hesitated. Yeah, she probably doesn’t think she can beat me.

At least she has some self-awareness.

“If you win, I promise not to approach Damien anymore. I swear on the name of Ai-shan Gi-or.”

“Deal.”

It was the most resolute voice she’d used so far.

…She’s really trying.

“…Does my opinion not matter?”

Damien muttered.

And so, my sparring partner was decided.

…Surely, if I win here, it won’t cause her to fall into corruption or anything, right?

—

Twenty minutes had passed.

Following Professor Kal-lain’s command, all the freshmen gathered back in front of the review stand.

As per the professor’s orders, only those who chose to spar remained in the center of the training ground, while the spectators moved to the sides.

About sixty people, huh? Surprisingly, not many chose to spar.

The theology department is mostly priests, so that’s expected, but I didn’t think half of the knight and magic departments would choose to watch.

Professor Kal-lain frowned, clearly displeased, but he didn’t get angry, probably because of what he’d said earlier.

He just muttered something about them being pathetic.

Since the training ground couldn’t accommodate all thirty teams at once, the sparring would be conducted in three rounds of ten teams each.

“Now, we’ll begin the first basic sparring session of the personal combat lecture. If there’s time after all sixty are done, we’ll continue with those who wish to spar. First group, get ready.”

Asha was in the first group, and I was in the third.

“If one side surrenders or is deemed incapacitated, the match is over. The weapons are coated with hardening slime to prevent lethal damage, but if anyone intentionally tries to kill their opponent, I will intervene. Especially, be careful with the control of magical power.”

“Hardening slime?”

“It’s the adhesive from rock slimes. It hardens upon impact, so when applied to a sword, it becomes like a blunt weapon. It doesn’t last long, though.”

So that’s a thing.

My knowledge has expanded.

Soon, twenty students coated their weapons with the slime and gathered in the center of the training ground.

Kal-lain signaled the start of the sparring.

I lit a new cigarette and watched Asha and her opponent.

“Alright, let’s begin.”

Asha stroked her lance once, then connected it to the metal frame on her right elbow.

A clicking sound was heard.

“Using a lance on foot, not on horseback…?”

Asha’s opponent, a cocky guy, held a broad one-handed sword and a round shield, covering his upper body.

It was a typical defense against a lance charge.

If his opponent were human, that might have worked.

Asha pulled a lever on her shoulder, and a heavy engine sound came from the machine on her back, emitting smoke from the exhaust.

Flames ignited from the nozzles on her back and waist.

Then, she turned the switches on the outside of her knees, and with a loud explosion, her body lifted about 3 cm off the ground.

Flames and strong winds blew from beneath her feet, tearing up the ground.

“Huh…?”

The guy, startled by the half-human floating in the air, stared blankly.

Asha aimed her lance at him.

She held the large lance under her arm, connected to the metal frame to keep it steady, in a textbook stance.

“Charging jetpack maneuver confirmed. Boost charge, set.”

…Did she really need to say that out loud…?

Well, I guess that’s Asha’s thing. Let’s just let it slide.

“Taaaaaaah!”

With a battle cry, a storm of flames erupted from Asha’s back.

Leaving a trail of red light, Asha’s lance shot through the air.

The shocked guy tightly gripped his shield.

—

…There was something the guy, Asha, and even I overlooked.

Asha was a half-human, and before coming here as a special admission student, all her opponents were probably other half-humans.

The guy’s shield perfectly covered his upper body, as per the defense against a lance charge, and Asha’s stance was textbook, aiming for the opponent’s chest.

The problem was that Asha was only about half the guy’s height.

…And the resulting lower point of impact.

**A blood-curdling scream echoed throughout the academy.**

I shuddered at the tragic consequences of the differences between races and realized a disturbing truth.

The reason Asha had such a high critical hit rate against humanoid enemies.

—