“―――Well, it’s time for the final match of the beach volleyball tournament!! Surprisingly, the remaining teams are acquaintances!! It’s a showdown between acquaintances!! Anyway, let’s goooo!!”
The venue was filled with excitement at the voice of the host.
And then, in the midst of all this, the four participants, including Atsushi, appeared.
“I’ve never thought, we both really make it to this far, Yamagami.”
“Right. But well, for me, it’s not too surprising that you’re here.”
That was Atsushi’s honest opinion.
After all, it was that Hiiragi. Even though his partner, Kirishima, was an amateur, Atsushi didn’t even think that it was strange for them to make it to the finals. Instead, it would be strange that someone who could be regarded as a human beyond the realm of human beings didn’t make it to the finals.
“However, since this is a competition, I’ll do my best.”
“Yeah. Let’s do our best, fair and square.”
Atsushi and Hiiragi were exchanging greetings over the net. That figure was what a sportsman should be.
…Well, the opposite was happening next to the two of them.
“Ara? Can’t believe that you’re still here. You’re quite enthusiastic, aren’t you? Do you really want that game machine so bad? How should I put it, as a girl, I want to question if that’s something you should prioritize, but well everyone has their own priority. Nothing much I can do if you can’t get it.”
“Well, I don’t want to be told that, especially by you who are completely only has eyes for money… Look, if you take that kind of attitude. After losing, I don’t care if you cry, you know?”
“Don’t worry. You see, sure my Chairman is annoying about various things, but for some reason, he always knows where I am, do you know from where did he get that information? Well, he’s excellent, you know? to the point where I hate it.”
“Speaking of which, even my Atsushi-san can’t turn down a request for whatever reason, despite his scary appearance. Well, he’s strong, you know? To the point where I’m shouting “Oi, oi, are you serious?” inside my mind.”
While saying things like that, Yuri and Kirishima exchanged glances as usual.
While looking at the two of them, the men said,
“…Well, anyway, let’s do our best together. In many ways.”
“…Yeah. Right. Let’s do our best. In many ways.”
Somehow, they sound so tired.
And the match started with Hiiragi’s serve.
“Fuuuuu…”
Hiiragi took a deep breath.
Closed his eyes, controlled his breathing, and…
“――――Hunnummph!!”
The ball that was released with such a shout fell into the corner of Atsushi’s court, barely inside the court.
…No, to be more precise, it would be more correct to say that Hiiragi threw the ball there.
“…Ummー, Atsushi-san. In my eyes, it looked something like a serve was fired just now…”
“Yeah. That’s right.”
“I see, so I’m right. No, that’s not it!! What’s with that murderous serve!! Is he the champion of some volleyball manga!? If I get hit by it, for sure I’ll die!!”
“Well, you’re lucky, Shirasawa. This is the game world. All is good.”
“No, it’s not good at all!! Even if it’s a game, I don’t want to get hurt, so can I just focus on defense from now on!?”
“What are you talking about, Shirasawa… do you think that Chairman’s serve won’t feel hurt just by maxing out your defensive power?”
“What are you talking about, Atsushi-san!? Could it be that the heat of the summer sun is killing you!? But, it can’t be, this is a game world!!”
Yuri freaked out. She couldn’t help it. Hiiragi’s serve was so dangerous. Even if they were inside a game, if the ball accidentally hit her face, perhaps she would get forcefully logged out.
“Don’t worry, Shirasawa――― I get it now, I’ll receive the next one.”
Atsushi asserted so.
And it seemed that it was heard on the other side.
“Hooo, really? Then, try to take this next one!!”
While saying that, another murderous serve was released.
But―――
This time it didn’t touch the ground.
“Hmmph!!”
Atsushi’s solid reception killed the ball’s momentum and now the ball soared high into the sky.
“Wow, you really received it… no, that’s not it, Atsushi-san!!”
A toss from Yuri. It was slightly above Atsushi’s head.
But,
The ball that was supposedly in a hard-to-hit position, was hit.
” ―――Hmph!!”
Atsushi fired the ball into the opponent’s court without trouble.
Looking at the scene, Kirishima involuntarily leaked words.
“…Chairman, it was a spike just now, right? I couldn’t see it at all…”
“Yeah. Really, he’s quite good.”
“It’s not just “quite”. No, that’s not the problem. I mean, I could only hear a terrible sound from behind, and in my mind, I was like, “what’s going on?”. I think I’ll be out if I get hit by it, don’t you think so?”
“Well, you’re lucky, Kirishima. This is the game world. All is good.”
“No, it’s not good at all. Not good. Impossible, you think I can receive that? You think I can block that? No way! Impossible.”
“You see, it’s common for the ball to go to someone who says something like that, so be careful.”
“Eh, what’s with that? Don’t start raising a flag, and don’t say scary things, can’t you!? I mean, if it’s your words, it may become true!!”
Kirishima shouted so.
However, her voice didn’t reach Hiiragi anymore.
“Well, anyway, you know what it means?”
“Yeah”
While looking at each other’s faces across the net,
” “It means that the real thing starts from here!” “
Atsushi and Hiiragi smiled like characters in a hot-blooded sports manga.
In the meantime,
No more. I want to go home…
No more. I want to go home…
Unexpectedly, the disappointing beautiful girls thought the same thing.
Walm’s eyes gazed at the nasty person from inside the burning flames.
It was a red-haired woman. She must be the one who cast magic at the same time that all of the soldiers got defeated. And she must have chosen fire magic as a result of prioritizing the range and killing power, but Walm was accustomed to being clad in flame.
“Why’re you not dying?!!”
A voice complaining of unreasonableness reached Walm’s ears.
There was no doubt that the woman was one of the culprits who crushed the corner tower on the right, while blowing away all people on the way regardless of allies or enemies, and had been dormant since.
“Huff, did you get scolded or something?”
Walm got an answer to the discomfort he felt.
A very colorful and well-decorated man was sitting at the bellow of the corner tower. And there were the mercenaries, also a man who seemed to be the leader, in the vicinity.
Walm had come to know some humans dressed in flashy costumes on the battlefield several times. It was either a commanding general, those who had a strong influence on the battlefield, or aristocrats.
Noble Blood sometimes could turn into a curse. The pride and dignity of the family made them stand out, they couldn’t hide, and they must stand at the forefront at times. Considering the risk of losing the chain of command, they needed it, it could be said that it was intentional conceitedness, but as aristocrats, they might have a hard time to be able to rule people without it, and made everyone follow them.
“With this difference in number, are ya still trying to act tough? Playing a hero huh?”
“Nah, can’t be. I mean, does he look like such an excellent person?”
The mercenaries nearby threw such a word to Walm. It was unclear if there was any other factor, such as resentment for killing their companion, but the words were somehow mixed with ridicule and irritation.
Right now, Walm was trying to be alone with the enemies. After all, there were still ally soldiers around. They had been left behind. There were a few soldiers who were closed to the retreat, and even though they had countless wounds, they hadn’t stopped their resistance.
They clearly didn’t believe in survival. So, they became stubborn.
Some might have flipped their lid. In order to make their death meaningful, they had turned into a suicide squad that was ready to bring as many as possible to death.
Some were purely late in retreating, and some were following their sense of responsibility and remained to assist friendly soldiers to retreat. They too had not that long left.
Walm could escape from the siege if he devoted himself to escape. He could make a breakthrough with fire magic, or shake them off with a speed difference due to the acceleration of wind magic.
Even if Viscount Edgar were to be defeated, Walm could escape to the city. After all, the army was only aiming to occupy the area of the magical silver vein. If the story of the Dalimarx soldier was true, there would be no invasion of urban areas that would involve central government intervention.
“I wonder if I should run away”
The mercenary responded sensitively to Walm’s sentiment.
“Are you thinking of escaping? You can’t, you’re gonna die here. Rest assured, I’ll dismantle your corpse carefully and sell each part separately. The eyes and liver of a magic user like you can sell well.”
What a ferocious and radical confession. The high market value was conveyed with high murderous intent. There was no bad feeling at all, and if those parts of the body were to be gouged out, Walm would definitely die.
“Even if my body is popular now, it’s on the battlefield.”
Walm didn’t expect that the day would come when many men and women would die for getting his body.
While the hot gaze was sent, the soldiers who had been struggling around were starting to lose their resistance and lying down on the ground one after another. A kind of limit point was about to be reached.
“What a stupid personality.”
The word “responsibility” had always been chasing Walm. Even in his previous world. Since he was also a workaholic person there.
Even if he complained that he was already at the limit, that it was impossible. It always only ended in his mouth. Since he would drag his body and keep working on the task in front of him.
Walm always jealous of egoists and individualists. He didn’t dislike them. He was just jealous of how could they have a strong will and a wise brain for their own interests.
When Walm’s interests were put on a scale with the interests of his group, or his community, as long as there wouldn’t be significant damage, the half-totalitarian Walm would prioritize his own interests. But, when he knew that there would be a significant and fatal impact on his group or community, he would ignore himself or a few people if any, to get the most beneficial outcome.
Would the two boys be able to escape successfully if he escaped?
Would the volunteers of the Highserk remnants be able to escape the damage?
Would the compatriots of his dying country be able to fully achieve reconstruction without the magic silver mine?
All of it could be called the curses that were binding Walm right now.
Based on observation, the road to rout had been closed.
“Really, I really hate myself.”
The pain in the eyes was starting to get intolerable and the fear of losing light starting to be felt. Still, they weren’t all the reasons to hesitate about the thing that would be out soon.
Walm understood well what would happen if he used 《Demon Fire》 without telling others first. Many people would be killed and burned. Old and young, men and women, all equally. Even so, he never burned enemy soldiers in a situation like this, where he and his allies became isolated among the enemies.
What did those who have no idea about what would happen in the future think at this time?
Whether the stranger who was waving the last word before exposing his viscera, or a strange young soldier who was reaching for salvation, Walm didn’t know.
Whether he kept trying to tell his muddy conscience that it was all for the groups, that it was all a necessary sacrifice, it was nothing more than the usual hypocrisy.
It had been a while since he wanted to puke and spit on himself.
In order to help the boys he knew, who were seeking salvation, he must kill allies who he didn’t know. Really, it was extremely unfair.
“Fuh, haha, really, there is no salvation.”
A question arose there. If the boys must be killed in order to help the Highserk remnants, which were in the main force, what would be the options?
When the possible options came to mind, a voice naturally leaked, and a dark smile overflowed nonstop.
In the midst of such useless thoughts, the flames were fading, and the figure of the silhouette would be fully shown.
Grabbed the once “comrade-in-arms” from a bag hanging on the waist and attached it to the face.
The demon mask trembled with joy and anger in the air of the world for the first time in a long time. The mask stuck to the face so much that it started to feel hurt.
Walm liked the mask. It felt the same as a robber’s balaclava. If the face couldn’t be seen clearly, humans could take a brutal act in a straightforward manner. And Walm was one of those cowards.
“My bad. But, you like it, right?”
Walm fawned on the mask. The mask that sensed the change in mana vibrated in joy. The demon mask loved burning this world with blue flames, especially where it could watch the scene from the special seat, what a pleasure. Really, it was a mask with a bad personality.
Walm burned into his eyes the sight of allies he could catch, and muttered with a low voice.
“…I’m sorry, you can resent me.”
“What are you doing? At once, kill――”
The words of the noble were stooped.
Covered the burning eye pain with a survival instinct and rational murderous impulse. To send those in the surroundings to the Netherworld, the hellish fire was evoked from a year’s sleep.
Blood oozed from the eyes, and the pain affected the brain.
Walm kept laughing, while clenching his teeth to endure the pain. Otherwise, the pain would be too much.
“Ah, Aha, Hahaha, HaaaaaAAAAAAA!!!!”
Hot air blew up and swirled into the sky, as the blue flame overflowed into the surroundings. The explosive roar soon turned into agonizing screams. A pandemonium. Some came from allies, those who still slightly breathing injured soldiers.
“It’s been a long time”
Such unsuitable words and emotions came from a human who brought “hell”.
At this moment, in Walm’s mind, a muddy stream of memories of the dark and muddy days with the former squad and those in Dandurg, was flowing nonstop.
“Ah, ahhhh! Fire, the fire is…!!”
“Stop it, put it out noooowwww!!”
The screams disappeared one by one. Humans who had been swallowed by fire and whose esophagus and lungs had been burned, were equally deprived of oxygen and drowned on the ground.
However, there were exceptions. In addition to the elite retainers, the mercenaries were also exceptional.
And even after being engulfed in blue flame, there were countless soldiers who still trying to bury Walm.
“Don’t be scared, drop his neck!!”
Walm gladly welcomed them.
As the 《Demon Fire》 consumed mana, it caused intermittent eye pain, but perhaps, it was still better than the enemy suffering from waves of fire.
It didn’t take long for the burnt odor to change to the odor that would remain in the nasal passages as it mixed with the disgusting smell of burned meat and hair.
Soldiers who could put up a magical barrier left the formation and took a distance from those with poor mana.
One of the regular soldiers who endured the blue flame, approached and pierced the spear into Walm was breathless. Really, what a weakling. The tip of the spear was entwined with the halberd, and when the halberd was pulled out, the spear was easily taken from the enemy soldiers. The heat caused the skin and nerves to swell, it just wasn’t possible to hold anything properly.
The fighting spirit hadn’t been broken completely, and the soldier tried to pull out the short sword, but it was faster for the halberd to cut off his throat from the side.
The number of soldiers trying to approach Walm was decreasing as he killed one or two more. It was unclear whether they were drunk on blue flame or tried to escape the enemy in front of them after calmly discussing with the remaining mana within their body.
One thing for certain was that everyone on the battlefield, their eyes, thoughts, lives, in any case, something of them was robbed by the flames.
As the 《Demon Fire》 created the sea of blue flames, a harmonic sound of the mask which vibrating as if it felt the climax and Walm continuous laugh could be heard.
“Push forward and set the flag of the Cuvier family in the castle!!”
Viscount Barnes Cuvier screamed in impatience and wrath. The war situation was greatly leaning in favor of the Meisenav family.
The annoying corner tower on the left corner, was filled with dust and collapsed. Furthermore, some troops had begun to rush into the castle, and the fall of the branch castle was no longer a question, it was inevitable.
“Those damned vile mercenaries”
The problem was that it was the prideful and vulgar Guisto and his men, who accomplished them. If it was just that, Barnes would have kept reason. Crossing the last line was the total attack by a large-scale operation of magic users under Guisto.
There was no prior notice to Barnes, who was preparing to do a siege, and the mercenaries forced an attack involving his subordinate soldiers, who had been doing their best on the front line. Barnes’ soldiers were used as live food to attract the eyes of the enemy.
The action of the vile and violent mercenaries was unacceptable even for the lenient Barnes.
“Barnes-sama, more than this, there’s a risk that enemy soldiers will slip in our formation.”
Barnes’s retainers made a terrifying remark. Barnes himself understood the danger. But now, should be the time to attack, and if it was missed, the prestigious credit would be robbed by the mercenaries and the Meisenav family.
It was Barnes who scraped off enemy soldiers, removed obstacles, and incapacitated them. Anyone wouldn’t be able to stay still after the important moment being robbed from the side.
Barnes had no intention of being a stupid clown.
“I know your fears, but if I don’t move now, I’ll be robbed of everything!!! Don’t be afraid! Rush into the castle!!”
Barnes had a credible lineage and reserves in preparation for a counterattack. He was confident that he could hold on, even if he were to be hit from the side out of the gate.
“Proceed, or, don’t say that there’s a coward who just wants to sit behind the Lord!?”
Choosing a choice that wouldn’t normally be made, Barnes was hungry to trample the branch castle directly. Given the wealth that magic silver ore could bring, he thought that must do something for getting a part of it.
The soldiers around him glanced at each other at the rampage of their master, but with such explosive remarks, they didn’t know what to say if they were to be overtaken.
“Proceed to the corner tower. I shall give command from there.”
With the help of further explosions from inside the castle, Barnes’ forces crossed the walls at once.
Barnes wasn’t reckless either. Around fifty soldiers guarding him stiffened their armpits, eliminate enemy soldiers, and scolded low-spirited soldiers to push the front line.
“Hmm, has that magic user been defeated?”
The fireball that was dancing on the battlefield intermittently remained silent. There was no resistance on the walls, and soon Barnes would reach the inside of the castle through a rough path that could hardly be called a road.
At a glance at the remains of the decaying corner tower, Barnes’ ears caught the slamming metallic sound and squinted at its source.
“It seems that sporadic resistance is still going on.”
Upon receiving a report from his vassals, Barnes saw people slashing at each other. away from the corner tower.
“… At most, it’s one-on-one combat between soldiers. Does he think he is a knight?”
Barnes threw such words away, but he kept his eye on the scene.
A poorly dressed giant mercenary, and the other man who seemed to be a wandering Highserk soldier, but the collided 《Strike》was excellent. Although, the combat technique seemed to be a self-style that specialized only in killing enemies efficiently, the elegance and beauty that seemed to have been sublimated after many actual battles, indeed deserved praise.
“What should we do?”
“I don’t care about the battle between the mercenary and the Highserk soldier, but if the Highserk soldier wins, kill him by the difference in number.”
“Understood. I shall send the 10-man Commander without moving the retainers.”
It wasn’t a bad idea for Barnes to take down the opponent who couldn’t be defeated by the fighter among the mercenaries. And although that outcome was difficult to admit, surely, “that” must be buried. His intuition whispered such.
“Did the Highserk soldier win?”
Perhaps the mercenary who had been defeated wasn’t that great. In any case, now the people he sent were just glaring at the Highserk guy from some distance.
When Barnes looked at the scene again, the regular soldiers attacked the Highserk guy who should’ve been exhausted by the mercenary. No matter how good someone might be, the difference in numbers couldn’t be overturned that easily. Truth, it should be even easier to deal with those who were tired.
But then, the train of thought switched the rail. Barnes was neither narrow-minded enough nor free enough to devote himself to at most one soldier. Baron Josh, his enemy’s vassal, had not yet shown his face. Should be more careful, or else, a hurtful outcome might come unexpectedly, was what Barnes Thought.
In order to corner the collapsing Dalimarx soldiers, Barnes pondered while looking at the sketch of the inside areas obtained in advance.
There were three entrances to the branch castle: the front, the left side, and the back. If the enemy turned into a counterattack, the front should be an impossible choice. Barnes had already held down the front gate after all. The option was either the left side or the back. If Baron Josh wanted to leave a blow as much as possible, it must be the castle gate on the left. But if, by any chances, a sortie came from the back gate, the distance and time would be on Barnes’ side.
“Barnes-sama”
Barnes’s consciousness, which just finished the work of overlooking the battlefield, returned to reality.
“What?”
“The mercenaries make suspicious movements”
In the pointed place where the vassal showed his disgust without hiding, there was a figure of Guisto who seemed to throw instructions to his underlings. It was aimed at the Highserk guy and the army of the regular soldiers. An attempt that Barnes couldn’t overlook.
“Guisto, what are you planning!!”
When Barnes screamed, Guisto approached slowly as if he didn’t do anything wrong.
“Well, well, isn’t it Viscount Barnes-sama. Why did you come to this front line? Your beautiful armor will get dirty.”
“Shut your dirty mouth, you dumb battle-maniac who can only kill people. Leaving that aside, you tried to bury him with my soldiers, didn’t you?”
Just like a citizen who was at a loss at the unexpected word, Guisto spread his arms.
“That’s, not true. I just wanted, to help your soldiers.”
A retainer interrupted Guisto, who was still approaching his Lord, Barnes, and intimidated him.
“Even if they were just commoners, you’ve involved my soldiers in the surprise attack on the corner tower. Stop opening that stupid mouth of yours.”
Barnes uttered such words with a strong tone.
“Oh my, that was, an unfortunate accident.”
“If it’s an accident, stop that stup―― “
It was when Barnes’ anger reached its peak. A woman under Guisto unleashed magic. The magic landed in where the regular troops and the Highserk guy were.
Clearly, it was a declaration of war.
“Do you want to die so much?”
Before Barnes gave any instructions, his retainers all hold their weapons and tried to slash Guisto. On the other hand, the mercenaries looked at them with a leering smile.
“Do you feel like playing around, in the middle of the enemy territory? Calm down, I won’t do that stupid thing with Viscount Barnes-sama in front of me. the magic was shot after all the 10-man Commander and his men got slaughtered. I’m sure someone was watching it. You could check the corpse if you want.”
“Huh?! Did someone see it?”
One of the retainers answered.
“It’s really unfortunate, but what he says is true. All the soldiers sent were killed.”
Upon receiving the report, Barnes regretted it bitterly.
“Unbelievable, were they exhausted? He is just at most, a mercenary.”
Glanced at the place where the flames were dancing crazily. The one who killed the regular soldiers was now sunk in the fire.
Returned the viewpoint to the heads of the mercenary. Barnes wanted to kill him in the middle of the war, but the mercenary was incorporated into the troops of his Lord, Count Meisenav. If he let his emotions get over him and do it, the story would be conveyed by one of the soldiers. If that were to happen, Barners would definitely be subject to some kind of punishment.
“In any case, the control of the castle and Josh are the priority… Bastard, what are you looking at?”
Guisto, who had made a fool of Barnes so far, clenched his teeth and kept staring at the flames.
There was something in the middle of the crimson.
Barnes squinted as he was curious.
“No way, a person?”
There were many people who could reduce burns caused by fire, such as those possessing fire attributes and those with some sort of skill. Even so, in the fire that even scorched the ground, there was something that stood calmly without leaking any voices. It was abnormal. There should be a limit to how resistant someone could be, and over time the skin would burn and by then the whole body would also be affected by the heat.
“Hmm, huh!?”
The flame was obstructing the silhouette, and even though the real condition couldn’t be determined, somehow only the eyes could be clearly seen.
The eyes supposedly have a golden color, but they felt dark and terribly muddy. It was moving around as if savoring the situation and anticipating Barnes and Guisto.
“That magic user, is still alive huh.”
Guisto’s face, which had a laid-back smile on it, was distorted. At this moment, perhaps, Barnes also had a similar face.
The man continued to shoot magic at the first and second attacks, killing more than a dozen people in the subsequent hand-to-hand combat, and now calmly standing in the fire. He survived it all, despite being a human. Certainly, there was an existence called, the “war god”, “hero”, or “monster”. It was hard to admit, but there was no doubt, that the existence inside the flames was similar to those.
“Viscount, it seems better to kill “that”. Well, I shall help you. But, I’ll get the corpse.”
The corpse of a magic user with excellent mana could be used by the necromancer, or be a catalyst, or be a medicine. It was no exaggeration to say that the corpse was a bag full of gold coins. However, it was the job of the inferior to sell corpses, and Barnes had little interest in it. Still, for the first time, Barnes agreed with Guisto. And so, he gave an order.
“I’ll give you the corpse. Make sure to kill him at once.”
When I was trembling in shame at the words of both parties, Fukushima and the other boys from my class, who seemed as if they felt good about the reaction of the Seimei’s boys, continued to say whatever they wanted, one after another.
“Hah? What’s wrong? Are you that scared of that guy?”
“I’m disappointed. Really. You see. I sent Hatano to buy my lunch the other day.”
“I’ve asked him to do my homework instead!”
“I made him record my favorite TV program instead!”
That guy, that guy, and that guy, all of them told a story that made me, Kohaku Hatano, look like their lackey. At this point, I could only look at those people who sang a series of amazing lies with a straight face.
Looking at me, the girl who was closest to me gently stroked my head to comfort me. That pitiful gaze was painful.
“That’s… a lie. That devil can’t be…”
“That demon who sent many people to the health room with just a dodgeball, he can’t be that low…”
“The guy who made the first-grade boys have a war in a short period of time and disturb the school peace…”
Stop it. Don’t add in my bad reputation. Also, it was a coincidence that I sent “that guy” to the infirmary. I don’t even have a memory of doing a rebellion.
…… Look, the girl who was stroking my head with a gentle smile, just looked at me with a shocked face! As if she has been betrayed!
Oiii! My classmates, say something! Ah, don’t tell a lie again!
However, it seemed that my trivial wish wasn’t answered. Fukushima and the other boys from my class spoke only as if they were on the side of the Seimei’s boys.
“… What did he do at your school? Really.”
“Seriously devil”
“Yeah, must be a demon.”
“Is this the reason why he came back early? Doesn’t he know the word “friendship”? Is his head okay?”
And many more, they kept saying such things.
……Prepare yourself. Don’t think that I’ll ever forgive you easily.
“…Well, perhaps Hatano he wanted to let off some steam sicne he couldn’t be arrogant here in Kenran. A-anyway! What I mean is…!”
Fukushima cleared his throat, as if to change the atmosphere.
COUGH!! COUGH!!
And with a serious face, he said,
“The best man in Kenran is this I, Fukushima!”
However, the boys of class 1-1, who had a reputation for not putting others first, weren’t silent.
“Don’t make me laugh. The best man is this I!”
“No, it’s me!”
“Fufufu, why do you all want to hide the fact? It’s this I who have been evaluated as the best!”
“… So, who is on the top?”
The Seimei’s boys showed confused faces as they claimed to be the best.
The girls around me have an atmosphere of that someone who found an interesting show. But there was no more time.
…It can’t be helped, seems I need to control this turmoil.
I approached Fukushima and the other boys from my class who were fighting for the best. The Seimei’s boys changed their complexion as they noticed me.
Quickly I put my hand around the neck of the boy who was closest to me, tightened it tightly, and dragged him a few steps behind. Repeated a few times. Only then, the boys from my class noticed my existence.
“Who! The one who dares to get in the way of this I, the best man…”
“Really! Who’re yo…”
“So troubleso…”
When the boys saw me, they stopped their resistance instantly. Then, after their consciousness got brought back by the girls from my class, they looked at each other and nodded.
“Yo, Hatano. You’re late. I’m ready, you know? Ah, don’t worry, there’s no problem.”
“Yeah, we’ve been interacting with the students of Seimei High whose store is next to ours. Of course, there are no problems.”
“Everything is OK. There is no problem at all. Please forgive me if you found any.”
The Seimei’s boys looked at me with a scared expression.
“Hou… friendship, yeah right.”
“Y-yeah. There’s no problem. No problem at all.”
“I’m sure I heard you’re talking about the best man?”
“Of course, it’s about you. The King! Banzai!”
I turned my cold eyes to Fukushima and the other boys from my class who made an apology while dripping sweat.
“By the way, I’ve been given permission by the Student Council President to impose physical sanctions if something goes wrong.”
” ” ” ” !!!!!! ” ” ” “
“Well, who’s first…”
I looked at each person’s facial expressions.
Their facial expressions… they were already in despair.
…Strange. They shouldn’t have been so scared of me…
“It’s about time. Go to the given position.”
When I was thinking about my impression for a moment, I heard a quiet but dignified voice.
“President!”
The Seimei’s boys, who were watching anxiously, had a breath of relief at the appearance of their Student Council President.
“Hmm? Ah, Hatano-kun. Let’s do our best for each other.”
President Shirogane said so and extended his hand. It was a very “smart” greeting.
“Ah, yeah. Let’s do our best. I’m looking forward, to your cafe.”
“Yeah. Well then, see you later”
President Shirogane said so and went back with the Seimei’s boys.
“Well then…”
When I turned to Fukushima and others again, they shook their bodies.
“As President Shirogane said, it’s already time. So, show me your repentance with good work.”
“O-of course!”
“Everyone will skip a beat seeing me in a butler uniform!”
“Leave it to me!”
“Good, then, let’s get in place.”
Fukushima and the other boys who heard my words, went to the position with a sharp movement.
Alright, lastly…
When I turned my body toward the girls around me, I bowed with a movement reminiscent of a butler.
“Excuse me for the commotion. My lady, it would open soon. If you have time, we would be more than happy to welcome you to the store.”
In contrast to the mercenaries who decided to wait-and-see, the regular soldiers attacked at once. They showed a distinction from the small fry until now. The closer they came at you, the deeper you could see the confidence in their eyes. Without being overwhelmed by the equipment used by the other party and the heat of battle, they rushed and killed many Dalimarx soldiers.
Despite being a local skirmish, they had the potential to reach the level of soldiers who once bet the existence of the nation in the northern countries and fought fierce battles without stop.
The same kind of Highserk soldiers. Even if the place was different, the nostalgia was pumping up in Walm’s mind. Meant, he couldn’t have time to soak in sentiment, and relax his mind.
After several rounds of interaction between cutting edges, his muscle memory responded.
The halberd that was thrust after a pulled back, the tip was sucked into the gap in the armor covering the throat. The instrument played its role as expected, and fresh blood flowed out of the armor after a bubbly groan.
Walm ignored the one who had lost his fighting ability and looked at the next opponent. He pushed the round shield slightly, folded his elbows lightly, and was ready to get his longsword.
The opponent wasn’t a small fry soldier who had just been trained in how to stick out a spear and collective action. The opponent was the one who routinely trained his combat and narrowed his choice of skills to fit his combat styles.
The soldier probably saw the battle of his compatriot with Walm earlier. He wrapped around to the right-hand side and closed the gap. It must be a calculation where you would jump into the bosom after handling a blow of a long sword and a round shield.
If you made a small thrust, the tip of the spear would be flipped by the edge of the round shield. Once you got it, it should be the end for your opponent. It was supposed to be so.
As Walm pulled back, the soldier jumped into the gap.
Walm, who had foreseen the movement, scooped up his halberd from the bottom while backstepping.
Another enemy soldier tried to divert the blow with the round shield in his left hand and the sword in his right hand. He was leaning forward in a low position, and after the blow of the halberd was diverted, he must take a step and do a shoulder charge to Walm who had lost his posture by the time.
Walm mobilized all his strength and sent mana into the halberd to land a 《Strike》. The eyes of the regular soldiers who realized his missteps opened wide.
“Guh, uck, aaaAAAHHH!?”
When the halberd that went into the shield broke through the iron plate and the reinforced wood, it cut off the left forearm and tried to chase after the remaining right arm, but it lacked the fineness of movement due to the momentary blood and pain, so the halberd missed it.
Instead, it went through the jaw and immediately forced the respiratory tract into dysfunction.
Without getting upset, the other regular soldier who was behind, stopped due to the difference in skill. It seemed he wanted to try to avoid one-on-one with Walm by keeping a distance.
“He has a skill. Avoid one-on-one. Don’t waste yourself.”
Walm, who received such an unflattering word from the 10-man commander of the enemy, who was equivalent to a non-commissioned officer, ran his eyes around him.
The friendly soldiers were about to continue their retreat in the collapsing castle with limited escape. If the whole castle got caught up in the turmoil, it would be the end.
After parrying the longsword flew to the temple, Walm moved his legs without catching a break first. On the sideways, the short spear that had pierced the air was lying on the ground.
“Don’t go too near, scrape him off from a distance.”
Even if Walm tried to reduce the number, the nasty blade kept approaching without stopping.
Slid the blade with the back of the hand and dodge the large mace with small steps. Kept the breathing shallow and kept the whole body moving.
“Huuh, haah”
Felt the tip of the sword through the armor. Even if the magical barrier that was considered to be another armor, was deployed, no matter how good the second outer layer, it wasn’t all-purpose enough to prevent every direct hit.
“Keep attacking!! Don’t let him rest!!”
“Keep a distance, don’t go in”
The cooperation by talking to each other, wasn’t easy to break. Fatigue accumulated and fresh injuries increased. Along with that, Walm’s heart kept beating hard. He was gradually back in getting used to his body, which had been forced to rest for a long time.
Walm, who prevented the spear thrust from the front with the halberd, didn’t miss the Meisenav soldiers who came to thrust from the side.
Two soldiers in the front and three soldiers on the side and behind. They must have looked for a gap while closing any opening. It was the most undesired development for Walm to continue to be poked without a gap.
Walm waited for an overconfident soldier who would get impatient to inflict a fatal injury from within the safe range.
It came, and Walm welcomed it, with a dark smile.
“Stop it, stay back!!”
Swung the halberd facing the front to the right without any preliminary movement. The warning of a skilled soldier was also meaningless, and the blow that even made the hand gripping the weapon, cut off the soldier’s Adam’s apple without allowing defense and evasion.
Equilibrium leaned towards Walm. A close battle would collapse in a chain if the balance was tilted. And there was only one soldier on the right-hand side of Walm. Being wary of the siege getting broken, the surrounding soldiers turned to the support and tried to build a development that would make fun of the opponent again by the difference in numbers.
Walm clearly knew their aim and also knew how to break it. It was easy to attack one soldier, but the defending soldiers could be annoying, and the supporting soldiers might attack from the surroundings.
The target was two soldiers leaning to the left side, and the distance to Walm, who was accelerated by wind magic once, was closed in a moment. It was a perfect time for death to pick them up. The two enemy soldiers stopped. While being surprised, they prepared for a thorough fight.
This wasn’t the time to politely slash each other. Swung down the halberd held high. The arm holding the longsword showed a slight fragile resistance and veered back, but couldn’t stand the 《Strike》. The halberd smashed the collarbone and cut the arm halfway.
Walm continued to move forward according to inertia and collided with a deadly injured soldier. While grasping the soldier’s throat, he swapped the positions with his opponent as if he was dancing.
A soldier on the left swung the war hammer horizontally. The dull metallic sound told Walm that the soldier had just hit the back of his dying companion.
“Bastard!!”
A distance where you could grab each other with a slight reach. Naturally, it was a favorable time for the war hammer, and the halberd shouldn’t have fully functioned.
As the soldier swung down the small war hammer, Walm scooped up a longsword dropped by the dying soldier with his feet and grabbed it with one hand.
Walm wielded the longsword to follow the path of the approaching war hammer. The blade made a high-pitched noise as it slipped on the hammer head, and the blade that advanced all the way to the handle cut off the four fingers that hold the hammer.
“No, way, ah, gaahh――”
Without paying attention to the war hammer flying in a direction where nothing resided, Walm slipped in and inserted a longsword into the soldier’s neck. His throat together with the vocal cords was amputated, forcing his voice to be cut off.
Walm, who left behind the bubbly sound of leaking air mixed with water, confronted the remaining three.
“Step in and, KILL HIIIMMM!!!”
Soldiers rush in according to the command of the 10-man Commander who felt the loss of the number of his men. Walm slashed his crimson halberd to the sky. Although it wasn’t at the correct time, the aim was blood that clung to the tip.
“Dodge!”
Without having time to cover the face, the blood of the companion that flew in was sucked into the eyeball, forcing a physiological reflex and rapid blinking due to pain in the eyeball.
Waiting for the stiffened soldier, whose field of vision was obstructed, was a horizontally swung halberd.
The halberd, which cut through the forearm and entered the torso, also destroyed the iron armor.
Voluminous blood popped out from the slash engraved horizontally. Due to the deep wounds in the viscera, the soldier sitting on his knees, and without any quivering, he stopped moving.
“Gah, aah? Ah, uh ―― “
Without wasting the sacrifice of their companions, the remaining two soldiers swung the longsword and battle axe down to Walm. There weren’t enough distance, space, and limbs to parry it all.
Walm was determined to avoid direct hits. He entwined the axe blade of the halberd to the battle axe. But the 10-man Commander who set his hips was tenacious, and so a tug of war began.
“GET HIIIMMM!!”
The last subordinate was swinging down a longsword to Walm. It was a good movement without any hesitation, and even if it was received with armor, it was not something that could be fully prevented. A skillful collaboration.
Walm was praising their tenaciousness inside.
Wow… well, if you like the halberd, I’ll give it to you for a while.
Let go of the halberd. The eyes of the 10-man Commander, who was struggling to seal the halberd, opened.
Grasped the handle of the longsword and rotated the hips half a turn while lowering the legs half a step. When the blade came out, it was the perfect time to catch the tip of the sword approaching the neck.
The collision was just for a moment. Flipped the wrist, and while flipping the soldier’s longsword, Walm’s longsword went to the head from the right side, cutting the soldier’s jaw.
Freed from power comparison, the 10-man Commander, who leaned forward, tried to slash at Walm and swung the battle axe to the face. If this went in, Walm’s skull would be smashed and it would be inevitable to show off his brain.
But that didn’t happen.
Walm, who was in close contact with him and had no time or space to pull back his wrist to parry it, pulled back the handle of the longsword.
“Oh, ah—aaa”
A blow with the power raised by mana crushed the jaw and shook the brain. The longsword was stabbed into the 10-man Commander who sat on the ground with a staggering foot. He trembled and reached for Walm’s hand, but fell to the ground without grasping anything.
“Well aim!”
There was no time to immerse in the lingering sound. Magic was approaching Walm.
The fireball that hit directly at the feet scattered the explosion and burned the people who just had a deadly battle.
“Yay, a direct hit!!”
A frivolous, out-of-place woman’s voice reached the ears. Walm squinted at the discomfort and looked at the nasty person as he was wrapped in flames.
About 30 minutes before the start of the school festival. Each class probably doing the final confirmation in their own class.
Class 1-1 was in the gymnasium, and since opening the cafe, everyone had already moved there. I, who had finished the meeting inside the Student Council room, was heading to the scene quickly.
The boys were also very supportive, so we were able to prepare in a peaceful atmosphere. Perhaps because of that, I felt that the distance between boys and girls in the class had narrowed.
… I don’t think the boys would have any problems with this place, but there are some events prepared by Seimei High nearby. It’s still possible that there would be a dispute with them.
Because of that idea in my mind, my legs naturally moved faster.
And when I arrived at the gymnasium, a lot of people were gathering for some reason. Based on the number, probably it was a gathering of people from classes and clubs who would hold events nearby.
…Are they trying to see the boys as butlers first?
As I proceeded while wondering, I found out the real reason why people were gathering.
The boys of my class and Seimei’s boys were glaring at each other.
“Oi, what happened to the greeting?”
“Yeah! That’s right! It’s natural to come to say hello if you’re trying to get along with the neighbor.”
“Hah… This is why those who don’t have common sense are hopeless…”
The boys of class 1-1 said so, and the Seimie’s boys ridiculed them back.
“Huh? Don’t be stupid. You know that we’re here at your school’s request.”
“That’s right. Then, if you go with your logic, you have to thank us first.”
“Fast, do a dogeza while you give your gratitude. You can put tears in your eyes too if you want.”
The boys from my class were not happy with the words that could be taken as provocation.
Sadly, they were a bunch of easy people.
“W-what!?”
“As the one on the top of Kenran, I can’t forgive those wordsl!”
“I wonder if you’re prepared for the consequence!?”
“Prepared? What kind of preparedness do I need?”
“Really. The top of Kenran?… HaHa, don’t make me laugh.”
One of Seimei’s students came out to the front.
“Listen to me! We don’t compete in a small pond! The best men in this country are gathered in Seimei High! In other words, we are competing for the top of this country!”
The girls who were gathering around them screamed “Ooooh!!” to the student who said so confidently.
By the way, these girls weren’t trying to stop the fight at all. On the contrary, they looked at them warmly as if they were watching cute Chihuahuas and Pomeranians playing together.
Some of them were watching with popcorn in one hand, which might have been made as a sample.
……As expected, they’re arguing, but they aren’t trying to resort to violence. I wonder if I should let it go until they get satisfied…
When I had such thoughts. A student came out from the boys of my class who had been pushed to a bad position.
“HaHa, you say something interesting.”
“……Fukushima?”
“Well, you did your best. Leave the rest to me.”
“Kuh…!”
While making a regrettable look, the other boys of class 1-1 stepped back. The others were looking at the situation with a curious look.
“Whoever comes doesn’t matter? History has proved that we are at the top of the country.”
Fukushima muttered with a giggle at the end.
“Proved… the top… huhum”
Seimei’s boys were angry at the words, which sounded like a mockery.
“…..What do you want to say!?”
“Bastard… are you mocking us!?”
“You’re below us, and dared to go against us…? Unforgivable.”
They got on the provocation… Huff, they’re the same.
In front of provoked Seimei’s boys, Fukushima continued to speak with a grinning expression, and the girls around him were paying more attention to the development, as if they were expected a reverse after being pushed down.
“Well, I mean. There was a fight to decide the top just recently, right?”
“!!!”
“Are you trying to disregard it? Anyway, who won the championship there? It’s none other than our Kohaku Hatano. If I’m not mistaken… your school’s Student Council Vice President was there?”
“…!”
“Right? Well, yeah! The one on the top, in reality, is, him.”
“It’s not history. He is at the top in terms of ability. It’s really easy to understand, right?”
With the advent of Fukushima, the boys of class 1-1 who should have been pushed back, made a comeback. And on the contrary, the other party endured with a frustrated expression.
From the girls around me,
“That expression is not bad…”
“I feel like I can eat as many bowls of rice as I like today!”
And so on.
Thanks to my name being mentioned, some eyes were on me too.
“Ugh! For sure, we’re behind Hatano, but we’re not going to lose at this school festival! Keep that in mind!”
“Kukuku. Alright, I’ll keep it in mind.”
The girls were impressed by Seimei’s boys who were trying their best to make a return without losing their fighting spirit, even if they must admit a temporary defeat.
Well, our boys, just don’t have that skill. Too bad.
At the same time as I thought so, Fukushima said to their backs.
“Oh, I forgot to say that Hatano is the weakest in the class.”
Seimei’s boys looked back vigorously at the words. Fukushima continued to speak loudly, perhaps he felt better after seeing their expression.
“He’s the weakest man in this class, and I thought such a man could win the tournament easily without us, so I let him go.”
“T-that’s a lie! Such a villainous person can’t be that weak!”
The eyes of the girls around me gathered at me because of too much evaluation.
Invited by the blood, the drunk with adrenalin soldiers were rushing in like carnivorous fish. Soldiers who were watching the situation from a long distance came to challenge Walm.
Showed the halberd’s tip to them as a greeting.
The soldier in front showed an attacking stance, but somehow the soldier didn’t seem to put enough effort into his movement. Clearly, it was an easy-to-predict diversion.
“I’m going!!”
Tilted the posture rapidly and jumped at a soldier who was trying to come to the left side.
The gap was closed without any time to blink, and the reflexively swung mace approached Walm’s head.
The blunt weapon, accompanied by wind noise, went to Walm’s temporal region, but flowed in the air without biting into the flesh or iron. The Meisenav soldier that was now with an opening covered his upper body with a round shield. At first glance, it seemed to be a strong defensive measure, but for those with a certain level of skill, such a defensive method where you created a blind spot by yourself was a flawed stance.
Walm inserted the halberd into the soldier’s inseam from the blind spot and pulled back the halberd immediately as much as he can. The claw-like blade of the halberd peeled off the ligaments on the back of the knee together with the clothes.
“U, guh, gwaaaaAHH!!”
The soldier screamed with bubbling saliva and collapsed to the ground. The other soldiers rushed in from the front and right side to fill in the blunders made by their compatriots.
Walm thrust the halberd to the soldiers who jumped in from the front, just in time. The tip intersected, but the enemy’s one was flipped off with the axe blade of the halberd, and the spear slipped over Walm’s head. Without waiting, the halberd gouged out a part of the neck of the enemy soldier.
A hole was made in the throat, and blood spewed out momentarily.
Looked away from the soldier who was suffering and holding his throat with his hands, and responded to the threat approaching from the right.
The battle axe handled by the remaining soldier was approaching in a sharp vertical trajectory.
It might have the power to break through helmet and armor, but the trajectory of the vertical swing was easy to read, and most of the time it wouldn’t hit unless unexpected moment.
Walm pulled one leg, prepared his half body against the coming enemy soldier, and looked at the axe with both eyes. Moved his upper body down while twisting it, the cutting edge passed through Walm’s cheeks.
“Wha— aaahh!?”
Instantly, turned from an angry look to a frightened look. But, everything was already too late. When the tip of the halberd entered from the side, it reached the heart. The tip that chaotically broke through the artery instantly took the soldier’s life.
While losing the ligaments, the head of the soldier, who only had one functional leg and was trying to rechallenge, was cracked with the halberd’s axe blade. Walm, who swung the halberd to clean the sticky blood, caught the scream of Kalim, who was supposedly retreating with Kuwen.
“That guy, what is he?!”
Walm’s eyes, which responded to the scream, caught something unbelievable.
“Afufufu, hehe, come, where are you going!? My cute rabbits, play with meee!”
There was a mercenary trying to chase the boys who tried to escape. With the nimbleness that couldn’t be imagined from the giant body, and with strength that was more than the giant body, the man approached the two while literally crushing the Dalimarx soldiers who tried to block him. By now, it was more difficult to find a place that wasn’t exposed to blood.
“Aaaahhhh, don’t come! Go awaaaAAYYY!”
“Kuhu, huhu, so cute, your crying voice, ah, it, incite me, fuuu, fuuu”
The most difficult thing to understand was that the man’s “thing” near the lower abdomen was inflated to the extent that it didn’t look like he was on a battlefield. One word to summarize him was “pervert”. The worst one. Even if he got reborn as a better person, Walm wouldn’t want to get near him.
“Damn pervert! Why’re you exist in every world!”
After being accelerated by wind magic, Walm used《Strike》 on the man from behind. Based on his behavior alone, he was an opponent who seemed like a joke, but the threat felt from him was incomparable to the soldiers around him.
The halberd was supposed to cut through the skull. But, the giant man leaned backward, as if saying that his neck would be fine.
The man spun on the spot with one of his steps as the main axis while deflecting the halberd with his two-handed sword.
“Who, are youuuuUU!?”
The man hadn’t only a blessed body, but also a sense of control and a solid sword technique. He didn’t just swing around randomly.
Indeed, it was really wonderful.
Fortunately, there was a thing called “balance”. Even with a short time of interaction, Walm knew that the man had a lack of screws in his head.
“You damn macho pervert, if you want it so bad, shake your waist to the ground!”
“Anoooooyying! Don’t disturb MEEEE!!”
The collision between 《Strike》made a momentary dazzling light. It wasn’t a sword technique backed with only normal physical strength. Other than extraordinary strength, it was also backed by muscle memory. A troublesome opponent who seemed to be good at petty tricks.
“A type that looks like a muscle-brain, but is good at little tricks huh?”
Walm cursed his missteps. The man should be buried in the first strike.
Attacked several times and looked at the reaction, but the man didn’t handle the attack in the same way.
“An, noy, ying, so, annoying, I, am, not interested, in, bastard like you.”
The tip of the halberd was flipped by the sword, and the axe blade of the halberd aimed at the wrist when pulling back was also flipped by the base of the sword. Walm slid the handle on his palm and changed the grip position. Then swung the halberd in a way as if to reject the man who tried to approach his bosom.
This man who seemed to want to push Walm down also stopped rushing and wrapped around to the left in response to the blow of the halberd that was swung down.
“How can someone like you, use small tricks so well!”
Walm tried to cut the man’s feet by mixing feints on the man’s head, but the man’s light steps and sword handling prevented all of Walm’s attacks. The man treated the heavy two-handed sword like a twig, and if Walm were to show a gap, a heavy blow would be delivered.
“Ah, aaah, AAAAHH, why’re you not dying, just die alreadyyYYY!!”
The man stepped in with footwork that seemed like a casual one at first glance.
Reluctantly, Walm responded. He couldn’t take the time. It was one-on-one combat between soldiers at most. If surrounded, by now spears would have been devouring Walm’s viscera.
The halberd that was drawn out by the strength of the whole body extended in a straight line toward the throat. The man tried to twist the trajectory with his sword’s hilt. But, the momentary pushing battle leaned towards Walm.
The pushed halberd was sucked into the man’s throat. The axe blade cut through the skin and induced bloodshed.
“Damn it!”
Walm gave a small swearing.
The man leaned his upper body and bent his neck to avoid damage to the carotid artery and spine. And the two-handed sword was swung down.
“Ahh!! aaah, dieeeEEE!”
Avoidance was too late. And so, Walm chose to advance.
The blade approaching the neck was caught by the back of the hand. The surface layer was scraped off, and the magical barrier peeled off violently. The ulna creaked and protested, fortunately, it didn’t break.
Walm, who clenched his teeth and dyed his cheeks with vermilion color due to excitement, jumped into the man’s chest.
The man responded as if he were welcoming his beloved lover.
“This bastard, I will, hug you, to deaaaAATH!!”
“HAAH!? Do it, if you can, Bastard!!”
Both threw their weapons and put their hands on each other’s shoulders and hips.
Sheer physical strength wasn’t enough.
Walm stepped back and entwined his legs in line with the leaning man. The posture collapsed and the two rolled to the ground as if best friends having a quarrel.
Due to the close contact, Walm felt the man’s hot mouth breath.
A chill ran on Walm’s back.
The opened jaw tried to bite Walm’s neck.
Walm pulled his head and moved it back with the momentum. Headbutting with the helmet was enough to leave a painful mark on the man’s face. The man’s nose was crushed, blood was dripping, and some of the front teeth were missing.
“Hah, your ugly face has become better!!”
“Guh, fuuu, I’ll mess you up!”
The intertwined body couldn’t be easily separated. The wrapped arm gradually reached its limit. Walm had no intention of holding up his integrity by continuing to have a strength contest properly.
A dark smile was on his face.
“Do you hate being hot?”
When Walm refined his mana, the man noticed something had gone wrong, but it was already too late.
Put the hand on the scapula from the armpit of the man, and embodied the fire attribute magic from one hand that was touching the throat. Fire wrapped the whole body of the two. Unlike Walm, who had fire attributes, which meant he had fire resistance, the man’s sebum burst, blood boiled, and meat burned.
The man tried to escape the fire, but the intricately intertwined limbs couldn’t come off so easily. If a normal person’s throat got burned, that person would die immediately, but the man couldn’t die immediately because of the magical barrier made from his abundant mana.
“Ahhh, gah, gwaaaAAHHH, a—”
The vocal cords were also scorched, and finally, blue flames blew out from the oral cavity.
Walm, who burned the man’s neck, stood up quietly.
It was too conspicuous. Already, most of the surroundings were only enemy soldiers.
Threw the man’s neck at the subsequent mercenaries. The mercenaries who were shown the gap of power, stopped their movement.
“Oi, oi, Digor-san has been killed.”
“Ugh, it’s too brown.”
“He was a man who only had eyes on young boys. I’ve always thought this would happen someday.”
“Anyway, what should we do to “that”? Trying to fight “that”… surely, it’s not worth it.”
The mercenaries said so, as if the death wasn’t their problem.
Both mercenaries and regular soldiers turned their attention from Baron Josh’s ordinary soldiers, to the man who had caused great damage, Walm.
Walm was drawn into a theater called the Battlefield, where he must perform a mad dance in the middle of the stage. A play that wouldn’t end until anyone on stage danced to death.
In Hiiragi’s words, such words were given in harmony.
“Yeah. Didn’t I mention that in advance? That there would be an event. Apparently, there’s a beach volleyball tournament where the team must be a pair of a man and a woman. The number of people is just right, so why don’t we join?”
“Beach volleyball huh… but Chairman. We haven’t entered the sea yet.”
“You have a point, but the deadline for reception is just around the corner. If you want to join, you have to apply now.”
Beach volleyball… it was a kind of sport that could be said to be the standard of a summer sea.
Atsushi and others had just entered the game. Therefore, they were in a state where it hasn’t even soaked their feet into the sea, but since they had come all the way, it would be a waste to miss the event.
At least that was Atsushi’s thoughts, and not for others, especially girls.
“Wellー, I’m from an indoor sect, that core of mine won’t change even in the game, more so, it’s a physical activity…”
Yuri wasn’t very enthusiastic.
That should be the case. Her root was that of an indoor person, as she said. Even if this was inside the game world, physical activities were something she wasn’t good at, even if it was just a not-so-tiring sport she wouldn’t do it, moreover, a competition.
…… But,
“By the way, it seems that the winner will get the latest version of the goggle-type VR machine that is generally available on the market.”
“Atsushi-san. What are you doing? Let’s prepare for the beach volleyball. As fast as possible.”
“You’re so fast to switch, aren’t you…”
Apparently, the desire to get a game console outweighed the hassle of doing physical activities.
“So, Shirasawa will be in a team with Yamagami. Then, I’ll be with Kirishima.”
“… Chairman. I don’t remember saying that I would ever come out though?”
While saying so, Kirishima stared at Hiiragi.
The expression was obviously annoyed, or even, absolutely disgusted by the idea.
“Huh? Isn’t it okay?”
“It’s not okay. Even coming here, was half-forced… more than this, I’ve no more reason listening to you…”
“Oh, by the way, if you win, you’ll get another prize in addition to the game console. If I’m not mistaken, it’s 100,000 yen?”
“Chairman. what are you doing? Let’s do a stretch and practice. As fast as possible.”
“Oi, you’re too greedy, aren’t you…!?”
The amount of 100,000 yen was surely large, but even so, the speed of change was unusual. Atsushi couldn’t help but wonder if Kirishima might be in trouble with money, but Atsushi purposedly didn’t mention it.
“Of course, Yamagami will participate, right?”
“That goes without saying. Well, I’ve never played beach volleyball, but it looks interesting, so of course, I’ll participate. I mean, see that disappointing fairy there, she’s so ready to participate.”
“And as her guardian, you can’t leave her alone huh?”
“Who is her guardian. She doesn’t need it. But, if we’re talking about the guardian, you too.”
“You mean as Kirishima’s? Well, in my case, rather than a guardian, perhaps it’s better to call it a supervisor… normally, I should leave her alone, but she’s still, even now, put a strange medicine in my drinks and meals. I can’t leave such a person alone, right?”
Hearing that, Atsushi remembered what Kirishima had said before. But he didn’t think she was still going at it.
Chairman, why can you be calm while knowing that… I mean, how can you stay with someone who’s regularly trying to drug you…
Yuri, who was also wondering, threw words at
“Kirishima-san… are you still doing that? You’re a person who is hard to get disciplined huh.”
“Hmm… you don’t need to worry. Rather, Shirasawa-san. Are you really going to participate?”
“? Yes? Do you have a problem?”
“No, I just don’t want to hear your “singing” in retaliation because you lost later.”
“Hoho… Rest assured. Even if I don’t do that, it’s not me who will be crying later.”
“Is that so? Then, I’ll look forward to it.”
Two girls talked about such things while staring at each other. Apparently, it had been decided in their mind that the champion would be among the two.
“Then, everyone will participate. Alright, I’ll go to the reception desk immediately.”
Following Hiiragi’s words, they entered the tournament.
On one side,
“Oh, that’s right. Atsushi-san. I don’t know the rules of beach volleyball at all, so can you tell me?”
“How can you speak with a big mouth not long ago.”
It was Atsushi who couldn’t help but comment on Yuri.
Additionally, on the other side,
“Chairman. I have no experience in beach volleyball, so I’ll leave everything to you. Thank you.”
“Hm? Isn’t supposedly a scene where we try to do our best together?”
Hiiragi said so to Kirishima in a slightly amazed tone.
Walm, who was sending enemy soldiers without any discrimination to the Netherworld, noticed that a new group was approaching the next corner tower. They didn’t look like Meisenav soldiers. The ragged spear, no, in overall, the armor and weapon weren’t the same, and the seeming intimacy between the people, Walm’s experience tickled his mind.
“Doesn’t seem like an amateur. Same as me?”
The equipment selected was according to what skill each person had cultivated on the battlefield, and the spears of irregular lengths were also adjusted by skillful soldiers to suit their tastes. If it wasn’t the name of a group of soldiers and elite groups of the Archipelago, it must be a mercenary group whose livelihood was on the battlefield, the option was just that limited. Rumor had it that they were a bunch of battle-maniacs who love the battlefield and moneymaking.
“Sh*t”
When the mercenaries took an arrowhead-shaped formation, Walm felt that the leading group was working on their mana all at once. It was easy to think about what the precious magic users were aiming for in a dense formation.
“Oi, it’s the enemy’s mercenary unit. Magic incomiiIIIINGG!!!!”
Walm raised his voice and alerted the others, but realized that it was too late. This was because the mana had increased from a part of the group, and various magics that had manifested, had fallen onto the corner tower. Those illogical things pierced the earth, leaving destruction. The wreckage of the barrier was scattered around while flying in the sky, and the flesh of the soldier who got hit directly turned into a thick mist of red and dyed the surroundings.
“Friendly fire?”
About a platoon size of the Meisenav soldiers clinging to the slope was hurt, and the soldiers who couldn’t react in time were begging and buried alive due to the continuous earth magic.
“…Crazy mercenaries”
Sacrifice was an integral part of a war. Acting gracefully and properly wouldn’t bring victory. Even if the strategy had to discard allies, it was acceptable if the overall result of the battle greatly exceeded the loss. Of course, it didn’t matter either whether the morale was low or if the victims gave their consent beforehand. Walm also had experience in operations where he was nothing more than a ready-to-abandon piece.
As a human being bought by the nation, he had thrown himself into a deadly place and killed people for the prosperity and maintenance of the community. He could feel that the previous attack, must be a part of a strategy to gain an ambush. As a former soldier dyed with rationality and totalitarianism, he acknowledged a certain degree of the effectiveness, but his slightly remaining muddy morality hated it.
“T-the wall has…!?”
“Uh, aaaah, they’re rushing in.”
Mercenaries rushed in the formed breakthrough. Soldiers hoped to block the hole in the defense, but the opponent was a hired soldier who routinely went to a battlefield. The movement was too fast. Even from the point of view of favor, it was no longer possible to recapture the bridgehead because it was full.
Due to the movement of the reserves and enemy soldiers in the base, even the enemy soldiers under the eyes, who had been suppressed until now, were gaining momentum.
“Don’t lag behind the mercenaries, break through the waaaAAAALLLLL!”
The main unit, which had been waiting in the rear, was about to move forward. Walm realized that it was a strategy of crushing with a difference in number and speed. A simple but powerful tactic if the conditions were met. In such a situation, even if it were to be done poorly, the enemy would be swallowed.
“Hold the front!! Don’t be afraid!!”
A regular soldier shouted not to lose to the invading army.
Walm agreed. Now that this had happened, there was no choice but to steadily wear out every one of them, one by one.
The fireball that was shot bloomed prettily like a blue-colored flower. The enemy was pushed by the momentum and the surrounding soldiers, but didn’t stop
Baron Josh’s retainer was still alive, but the figure couldn’t be seen in the wall yet.
Kalim and Kuwen were distracted by the surroundings, but still swung down the long spear, as they were devoting themselves to interfering with the Meisenav soldiers.
“Kalim, Kuwen, never look bellow. Poke and hit only the creeping up soldiers!!”
Without waiting for a reply, Walm switched his consciousness from following them to the enemy in front of him. He hooked the ladder on which could be hung with the tip of the halberd and pushed it down, cutting off the soldier who was climbing up the wall. Cut the wrist that barely managed to hold onto the ramparts.
A fireball shot at close range. The flame swayed his own skin.
The demon mask, which by now should be better called one of the few acquaintances of the old times, an old friend that had been pushed into his waist, woke up from dormancy and began to tremble.
“Trembling as usual huh. Learn to self-control already.”
There were a few strange people who dared to lean out from the walls, and among them, Walm who just shot a fireball, received a generous welcome. The coming enemy thrust a short spear from below, but Walm twisted the orbit with the halberd, and scraped the throat with the axe blade of the halberd.
Not long after, a longsword pushed up from directly below. It was received by the halberd. When Walm hit the enemy’s temporal region with the tip of the halberd, the enemy slid down, involving the other in the surroundings. He had no time to rest. His busy moving eyes caught multiple arrows approaching. The halberd was immediately used to deflect the arrow that could leave a fatal wound. The angle of the back of the hand and the breastplate was adjusted, and the other arrows were deflected by the armor covered with a magical barrier.
“What are you doing! Shoot him dead already!!”
“I hit him, but it somehow failed?”
Although the archer wasn’t bad at shooting arrows, the arrows, which were shot without any “Skill”, ended without giving a wound to Walm, who was protected by armor and a magical barrier.
If it properly hit, definitely would be hurt, and if it pierced the vital point such as the eyes, it wouldn’t be a joke. So as to respond to the archer, Walm presented a fireball.
“Aaah!! Run――”
The ball of flame exploded, and the archer who was trying to shoot another arrow was engulfed in fire, together with the surroundings. However, the vacant ground was soon filled with another soldier.
With a little extra time to spare, Walm turned his thoughts.
Baron Josh’s retainers haven’t yet appeared. If they don’t appear even after this much damage on the front line, it should be something like a sortie from the castle gate and turn into a counterattack, then join the main force――
There’s no way to worry about each of the lower soldiers during a war. If I misunderstand the aim, getting left behind in an abandoned branch castle would be my end.
Walm, who intended to work appropriately for his salary, had no intention of dying in vain. He decided to follow Baron Josh’s movement.
Done with summarizing his thoughts. He wanted to proceed to the next course of action,
However,
The price to pay for drinking a whole year wasn’t that cheap.
A precursor to an attack that wouldn’t be missed when he was an active soldier, was overlooked.
“To the ground――”
Walm reflexively threw his body to the ground. The magic users of the enemy mercenary unit, who were approaching the range, attacked the corner tower from the inside of the fort before the alert voice from Walm reached the young soldiers.
The shock patted his back and rubbles were falling. Walm tried to check the situation, but dust drifted and the unclear view obstructed his search for the enemy. Only a large number of groans and angry voices were flying around.
Walm, who got up in a crawling posture, escaped from the dust as it was.
The corner tower withstood an onslaught against attacks from the outside, but from the inside, it also collapsed fragilely due to multiple magic attacks. Fortunately, it didn’t become the underlay of the building and the magic itself didn’t hit Walm directly. Mild dizziness and tinnitus go away quickly.
“Hah, letting the magic users rush into the castle that hasn’t been completely suppressed? Really?”
Rare magic users were treated like their first grandchildren. Under circumstances where there was more than enough chance of a turbulent battle or a sudden counterattack, the Highserk Empire wouldn’t advance the magic users. It took time to educate, and the few magic users were a type of soldier that shouldn’t be worn out.
However, the opponent were mercenaries. Those who couldn’t care about the common sense of normal people in the Archipelago Countries and the Northern countries.
If they’re accustomed to the war, perhaps they’re a bunch of arrogance people?
Walm, who was looking around without clearing the surroundings, clenched his teeth.
Kalim was screaming. Kuwen, who had been hit by a Meisenav soldier with a long spear, was lying behind him, on the ground.
“Blood doesn’t stop!!”
Walm ran up and checked for the wound.
An ice lance, about the size of an adult man’s arm, pierced Kuwen’s thigh, and blood was spilling out.
“Urrgh!?”
Cold sweat flowed out due to the seriousness of the wound.
Walm had seen various ways of dying. Bleeding in the limbs, and even in the thighs, was often thought of as nothing much, but the young soldier who cheerfully exchanged words with him for the past few days, didn’t breathe steadily. Although it avoided the arteries, blood flowed out of Kuwen’s body, which couldn’t be covered with a magical barrier. If left unattended, in a short time, Kuwen might die.
“Kuwen, stay strong.”
Based on the personality Walm had shown, he couldn’t vomit sweet words.
Kuwen’s childhood friend Kalim was the better, the right person to encourage him.
Walm could only tell facts.
“If left untreated, you will die of bleeding.”
Arrows and swords could be carried out as they were, but the troublesome part of the ice lance was that it took away the body temperature and would melt after exerting an external effect on the human body. By the time the injured was shown to a healing magician, the melted ice had exposed the wound and caused major bleeding, and the melted water also inhibited blood coagulation and the development of the magical barrier.
“Ah, aaaah, Walm-san, I, don’t want, to die, I don’t want to die…”
The corner tower, which had lost its function as a defensive facility, was infiltrated by enemies.
“Hear me. Listen carefully”
The enemy Viscount Barnes was approaching from outside the front wall, and the mercenary unit was approaching from the side. Walm was the only one the boys could rely on now, and the annoying magic users were rushing them to dig his grave. There was no grace left.
“I’m going to pull out the ice lance… Kuwen, soon, I’m going to burn you.”
Kuwen, who had a pale face, understood the situation and nodded when he held back Walm’s hand with his cold fingers. Even a tough soldier could die by shock.
Could he tolerate the pain?
Walm’s hand trembled under heavy pressure, but he tried to stop it as he couldn’t let the boy be doubtful.
At this moment, a girl who died in a battle in Dandurg Castle came to mind. Walm was going to save another person, a boy. But, just hiding his agitation was hard enough. How good was the girl who healed everyone in the rush of the outbreak where the war situation changed confusingly? Walm didn’t know the exact answer.
What’s good in thinking only of those who you’ve lost?!
Walm scolded himself.
The boy believed him. Walm must believe that he himself could also save people, otherwise, nothing would be rewarded.
“You can endure it. Be strong.”
Walm repeatedly spilled therapeutic distilled liquor that had seduced him during the march into the wounds. Due to the stimulation of alcohol, Kuwen’s legs bounced slightly. Walm hugged the dead soldier nearby, cut the cloak with a dagger that he pulled out, and pushed half of it into Kuwen’s mouth.
“Ready, now!”
When the ice lance was pulled out, blood overflowed from the wound that lost the blockage.
The blue flame touched the wound, Kuwen’s body leaned back and cramped violently. Walm’s own weight and Kalim were holding down his upper body, so he couldn’t move and leaked any groans. He smelled like a burned person that Walm was used to, but Walm felt sour in his mouth because he was disgusted with himself.
He felt pathetic.
Even though Walm had burned hundreds or more people, but just burning a boy, his stomach wanted to vomit the reality out.
“Uh, uuUUHH, ah, UUUUGGGHHHH!!”
Blood instantly boiled and the wound was burned along with the surrounding tissue. The nasal cavity smelled the burned flesh, and the ears clearly captured the boy’s anguish voice and the popping sound of water.
Walm clasped the hand of the boy who sought air and was breathing in slight hyperventilation.
“Endure it. Please endure it!”
It was Walm’s heart’s desire.
Kuwen was stunned, but he hadn’t stopped breathing.
Walm applied an ointment mixed with herbs and covered the surface with a cloth soaked in alcohol.
After all, he was only good at killing. This much was all the first aid that Walm could do.
Next, Kuwen must rest, get suppuration prevention, and see a healing magician.
But there were those who get in the way. Walm climbed over the walls and glared at the influx of soldiers. It was a group that got drunk on the blood and a small victory.
The corner tower killed the enemy too much. And now, it wanted a lot of rewards. The rumbling could only be calmed down by the blessing of blood.
“Kalim, listen carefully, take Kuwen to the back of the fort. There, still safe, and Baron Josh’s retainers are still around.”
“Uh, what about Walm-san?”
“They’re looking for a playmate. Don’t worry. I’m used to playing with those kinds.”
“Let’s run away together. If it’s now…”
Sweet words.
A tempting invitation.
Sure, it might be better, perhaps the best, to think about the survival of his own and the boys. But Walm wasn’t the type to give up in the middle of his work. Foolishly, in the previous life, after endless hard-working, fatigue and exhaustion wore him out, to the point where myocardial infarction came to get him. His idiotic workaholic mind didn’t heal when he died. Besides, if he escaped now, he would betray his compatriots who were still struggling to live, desperately trying to make a comeback. Walm wouldn’t allow himself to continue living if he could easily do such an unreasonable thing.
The situation didn’t allow Walm to leave. After all, there was no one who wouldn’t want to touch the easy-to-play opponents who were solidified in asking for rescue.
One of the enemy soldiers thrust a short spear.
When Walm grabbed the halberd that had been thrown to the ground, he deflected the spear while wrapping it with the axe blade of the halberd, pushing in as it was and digging the eyeball with the tip. The enemy soldiers collapsed without screaming.
Walm glared at the next in line while shouting at the boy.
“GooOOO!!!”
There were no more words. Walm opened his eyes and said so with pressure saying that he wouldn’t bend his decision.
“Uuuh, may fortune be with you!!”
The screaming boy dragged his companion and retreated.
Walm saw off the back of the immature boy who was about to become a soldier, then turned his exposed canines at the intruder.
“Now, the school festival is about to begin. I know that everyone is busy with class events, but I want each Student Council member to take a look around at the decided time. Also, if something goes wrong at other times. Please intervene with an appropriate attitude and try to solve the problem promptly.”
“… Well, even if President says something harsh, she won’t get angry if I buy something while looking around.”
“Hey!”
After a small scolding to Vice President Katsurakawa, President Sanada started to speak again after clearing her throat.
COUGH!!
“A lot of people come from outside the school to this school festival. Also, this time it’s co-sponsored by Seimei High, and so t’s getting a lot of attention than usual. Please do your best so that no problems occur! But don’t forget to enjoy it too. Let’s go!”
All the members of the Student Council said, “Yes!”.
And everyone left the Student Council room with a cheerful face.
For the time being, I decided to return to my class and wait for the opening.
The moment I tried to leave the room, President Sanada stopped me.
“Hatano-kun”
“Yes?”
She looked somewhat reluctant.
“That… the students of Seimei are nearby your class… please don’t quarrel.”
Apparently, she was worried that I would cause a dispute.
…Why do you think so?!
I wanted to say so, but decided not to.
“Hmm, not only you, but also the boys in your class, I want you all to behave properly with Seimei’s boys. I mean, you all boys. So, yeah…”
…… I see, well, there are certainly a lot of people other than me who are likely to cause problems. If two butler cafes, which are the hot event, were to cause a dispute, it would not be an appropriate situation to be seen by guests.
After thinking a little, I answered the concerns of President Sanada.
“I understand. If something happens, I’ll physically silence them!”
“Good. Thank you…. physic..ally?”
“Then, I’ll excuse myself.”
“Eh? Ah…”
I said so, bowed down, and left the room.
Alright, since I got the consent of the Student Council President. I won’t hesitate to do it in case of an emergency! Great!
I thought so and hurried to everyone in the class.
◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆
“……Sakura?”
“……………”
“Hey, hey, Sakura-san?”
“What is it? Miyabi-sama”
Minamihoin Miyabi looked at the complexion of her personal maid before continuing her words.
“You see, I want to go to a Kenran High’s School Festival…”
“I know”
“Thenー”
“But unfortunately, Miyabi-sama has a job as the one who will continue Minakatain’s business, that’s why, we are at the airport.”
A cold gaze was directed to Miyabi.
“Well, I know. But! Perhaps!… I mean, my sixth sense is whispering to me. That I should go to this school festival!”
“Is that so? I’m sorry but you have a job to do.”
“I, I mean, why don’t we rearrange the work schedule, like shifting it a little?”
“No. The other party is also busy. If you miss this day, they won’t have time for a while.”
Another cold gaze was directed toward Miyabi.
“If Miyabi-sama left her job here and went to a school festival at Kenran High School…”
“If I went, then…?”
GULP!!
“The diligent Hatano-sama would think, “This woman, no, this trash is really useless.” “
“No way!”
“And once he thinks so, it’s over. Hatano-sama’s thoughts will then continue… “This irresponsible person who likes to throw her work, will be the one to succeed Minakatain Family? Maybe the future of Minakatain is dark? This girl, I guess it’s better for me to not get married to her? Okay, let’s stop dating Minakatain Miyabi. Fortunately, I have both Toukain and Seikagu. No worries.” “
“Noー!”
“And the rumor will spread. After all, he is the King of Boys.”
“Ko-Kohaku-kun won’t say that.”
“Around him, many promising girls. Do you think he should choose someone who is irresponsible and uncertain about the future? Men want money, status, honor… and youth from women. Compared to other girls, Miyabi-sama is old, so other than that last one, you have to be better.”
“Old…”
Miyabi was shocked by the words, but Sakura ignored her and continued.
“And in addition to that, it’s important to show how much you could serve him and how much you would listen to his selfishness. It’s the so-called tolerance.”
Miyabi sighed and turned to her personal maid, Sakura.
“Huff, seems you don’t understand what I wanted to say.”
“Ugh… In other words, Sakura wants me to work properly, right?”
“It’s a little different. I’m telling you to work, and be successful. That way, you can appeal to Hatano-kun as an adult woman who can be leaned on.”
“Ugh… I understand. I’m going to work.”
Sakura nodded with satisfaction to the words.
“But, Sakura, you sure know the feelings of men very well. Maybe, you actually have a lot of experience?”
“Miyabi-sama, please get ready soon. Time is running out. You don’t have time to talk wastefully.”
“Eeeehhh! Sakura, Tell me about your experience!”
“Look. Time won’t wait.”
Miyabi was rushed to go without getting an answer.
