Chapter 87

Time seemed to stop, and the whole world fell into silence.

All the students’ eyes focused on me at once.

Cold sweat trickled down my cheek.

The students, who had been a bit flustered, soon nodded with understanding in their eyes.

…Understanding?

“Ahem…!”

Even Professor Kal-lain let out a fake cough and chuckled.

That ungrateful Damien. After all I’ve done for him, he had to embarrass me like this.

They said the thing you fear the most would appear, but why did *I* show up?

“That guy…”

“H-Ha-shal-leur? I-I’m sure Damien didn’t mean any harm. He must’ve been exhausted from training…!”

Milia desperately tried to defend Damien, though her voice was trembling.

“Well…let’s keep watching. It’s a good opportunity to witness a master’s combat skills.”

At the professor’s words, the students finally turned their attention back to the screen.

Damien, who had hesitated in surprise at my sudden appearance, soon raised his greatsword.

My grinning illusion charged straight at Damien.

—

Professor Kal-lain was wrong.

What followed wasn’t a battle.

The moment the longsword and greatsword clashed, the greatsword was sliced clean through.

Not with sharpness, but with sheer, overwhelming force.

“Ugh…!”

Next, a left hand stretched out, wrapped in a sinister crimson aura.

Damien hurriedly tried to block with the half-shattered greatsword.

With a deafening crash, the blade exploded.

Like being hit by a train, Damien’s body was launched backward.

The speed could only be described as being fired.

Damien, who had flown dozens of meters, coughed up blood and rolled violently across the ground.

Shattered metal fragments were scattered all over the grassland.

…Even if I hit him myself, it wouldn’t be that bad.

Looks like he’s using Life Force properly, huh?

“Pathetic! Weak as a bug!”

He’s even talking.

Not something I’d usually say, though.

“Cough…! Ugh…!”

Damien, lying on the ground, spat out blood.

Enough to fill a bowl, pooling on the ground with bits of entrails mixed in.

That one strike probably did more damage than dozens of monster attacks.

Wiping the blood from his mouth, Damien staggered to his feet.

Though his greatsword was already shattered, leaving only the hilt.

“A few organs must’ve burst, yet you’re still standing? I like that. Let’s see how long you can last!”

The illusion charged.

Leaving behind afterimages like a blur.

What followed was one-sided violence.

Meticulously calculated, like a carefully orchestrated melody, ensuring the opponent wouldn’t die too quickly.

When he reached out an arm, it was met with a fist.

Damien’s hand was gone. Literally, turned to dust.

When he swung a leg, it was kicked away.

Damien’s leg bone shattered, his right leg flopping like a mollusk.

“Now, now! Only one limb left! What’ll you do?”

My illusion kept laughing gleefully.

Like a cat playing with its prey, slowly tormenting and enjoying it.

The sound of flesh being pounded echoed as Damien’s body bounced around like a basketball.

Well done, Ha-shal-leur…!

Wait, no, what am I saying? That’s not the real me. It’s an illusion. I’m the real one.

So, should I call it the fake real Ha-shal-leur?

Whatever, just beat that ungrateful jerk to your heart’s content.

“Ha-shal-leur…?”

Perhaps I was enjoying the show too much, as Milia glanced at me.

“Well, Damien’s really something. His tenacity is impressive, right, Milia?”

“Uh, yeah…?”

Milia awkwardly laughed and avoided my gaze.

—

It didn’t take long for Damien to turn into what was once Damien.

About ten minutes or so.

Finally, the nightmare ended as my illusion gleefully looked down at Damien, who had succumbed to death.

Damien, who had been lying down, suddenly sat up and removed his helmet.

His entire body was drenched in cold sweat, but he remained composed, not trembling in fear.

His mental strength is truly impressive.

As if he doesn’t even know the feeling of fear.

“…You’ve been through a lot. Can you stand?”

Professor Kal-lain’s voice was filled with pity.

I didn’t know he could sound like that.

“Yes. I’m fine…”

Damien shook his head for a moment, then stood up and walked toward us.

He paused briefly when our eyes met.

“Are you okay, Damien…?”

“Yeah…it was tough, but I’m fine now.”

Damien forced a smile.

Milia took out a handkerchief and wiped Damien’s forehead.

The pale yellow fabric was stained dark.

“Well, you fought well. Though I still can’t believe I showed up at the end.”

“Haha…”

Damien awkwardly laughed it off.

What are you laughing at, you punk?

“Engaging in a war of attrition and successfully defeating the Corpses Raised by Magic was an impressive feat. In a real battle, retreat would’ve been recommended…but sometimes, there are fights you can’t back down from. However, it’s a shame you let your guard down after beheading it. Remember, Corpses Raised by Magic have no physical weak points.”

Kal-lain calmly evaluated the combat performance.

“The fourth battle… I have nothing special to say. It was natural that you couldn’t win.”

Some students giggled quietly.

Yeah… I guess it’s funny.

The opponent you were most afraid of turned out to be your close friend.

With his chin resting on his hand, he glared at Damien.

Damien subtly avoided my gaze.

I’m not mad, so look at me, Damien. I’m really not mad.

…He never made eye contact in the end.

Only Milia laughed awkwardly.

—

The subsequent training sessions were nothing special.

Edgar put up a decent fight.

As a prospective holy knight, he managed to block the regeneration of the Corpses Raised by Magic.

The pale holy light enveloped his sword as it repeatedly slashed through the monsters.

But in the end, his fundamental lack of skill held him back.

Unlike Damien, Edgar still lacked the ability to dodge or block the monsters’ attacks.

Edgar, whose face was pierced by a tentacle, trembled and then collapsed.

—

Unfortunately, Milia had terrible compatibility.

If her first opponent had been an ogre, she could have won without much trouble. But a troll was too much.

Weapons like bows or daggers, which pierce, tend to leave small wounds, and it’s hard to expect significant bleeding.

Especially with arrows. Unless the arrow is forcibly pulled out, there’s hardly any blood flow.

If it were my bow, I could incapacitate it in an instant… but Milia’s bow wasn’t that powerful.

“Gwaaaaaah!”

The troll, now a porcupine with hundreds of arrows stuck in it, still thrashed about, causing Milia to groan.

The arrows, pushed out by regenerating flesh, fell to the ground.

That said, it wasn’t like Milia was on the verge of defeat.

She wasn’t slow enough to be hit by the troll’s attacks.

Perhaps because it was a dream, the arrows showed no sign of running out.

One who doesn’t get hurt, and one who doesn’t care even if hurt.

In the end, the difference in stamina decided the outcome.

“Ah…!”

Milia, exhausted, misstepped, and the troll’s club came flying at her.

What followed…

Well, honestly, it wasn’t a pretty sight.

At least she was hit in the waist, not the head.

“I lost…”

“Your compatibility was just too bad. You did well, Milia.”

“You’ll need to think more about how to fight trolls with a bow. You lack a finishing move.”

Damien and I comforted the sulking Milia.

Maybe using a magic-infused bow… or shooting a giant arrow to blow its head off would work.

Neither is something you can do right now, though.

—

Next was Ophelia.

Ophelia sliced through trolls and ogres with wind blades, but as soon as a monster appeared, she pointed her finger at her own chest.

With a *pik* sound, blood gushed from the hole in her heart.

Her body collapsed limply.

Yeah, she didn’t want to engage in a messy fight or show an ugly death.

Professor Kal-lain frowned.

“…Don’t think you can have a noble end on the battlefield.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Ophelia, giving a casual reply, returned to her seat.

She glanced at me once.

…Does she have something to say to me?

Maybe something about her sister.

—

“With that, I’ll conclude the lecture. Judging by your expressions, the MT-V training has proven sufficiently effective. I should thank the Magic Department.”

Looks like this training method, which only I’m bad at, might become part of the regular curriculum.

It certainly seems effective.

Fighting to the death without a single physical injury, aside from mental shock.

There’s no better way to practice.

As Professor Kal-lain left the classroom, the students also began to gather and head out.

“See you later, Ha-shal-leur.”

“Yeah. Milia, have a good meal. Oh, and Damien. You’re on special training from now on. You know why, right?”

“Uh…”

Damien, answering weakly, left with Milia.

I remained seated in the classroom. Someone would come looking for me.

“Can we talk for a moment?”

See?

Ophelia approached me.

Her tone was a bit more cautious than before.

“Sure, if it won’t take long.”

“It won’t be long. It’s not something to discuss here, so could you follow me?”

“Alright.”

Ophelia left the classroom.

I took out a cigarette and followed her.