211 – Host (8)
Icarus, who was kneeling high on a rock and watching the movement, said.
“Damian is slowly coming up.”
Luida answered from below.
“Does it move as expected?”
“But the magic field was so strong that I thought you might notice it…. “This thing came into the trap too obediently.”
Louis nodded her head.
“I guess I’m a bit sick of magic.”
“Shall we start the surprise attack right away?”
Louis stood up from her seat, shaking off the dirt.
“Start the general offensive when I give the signal. Until then, tease him slowly and let him lose his strength. “You have to keep your wits about you to be able to dig up the information you researched.”
“I understand, senior.”
The Ministry of Magic, which is generally weak in close combat, provides rear support behind rocks and clouds of fog.
And in order to make sure he is subdued, Louis will step forward and directly deal with Damian using swordsmanship.
Damian stepped into the central grassland of the plateau where a magic trap was installed. The trap has not been activated yet.
A sharp wind blows down the spine of the mountain range. Riding on this, pure white clouds cover the plateau where they stand. For a moment, your vision is obscured by hazy vapor.
The sound of Damian’s footsteps on the gravel gets closer and closer.
When the time was right, Louis broke the ambush and headed towards Damian.
“Do the kids there have no camaraderie to spend their first year alone in a place like this?”
Damian’s silhouette looked around her head and spoke in the direction where Louis was standing.
“… Who are you?”
“Well, you’re one of the many people targeting you.”
“Are you in the dance department?”
“Well, not only did this happen to us, but the dance club also got hate? “It’s hard to adapt to Eternia.”
Despite the sarcasm, he didn’t seem offended and thought quietly before opening his mouth.
“It’s the theater department.”
“Yes.”
The wind blows from the lower ridge again. Her cloud of mist cleared away in an instant, revealing Louis confronting her with his sword drawn.
“May I ask why you are doing this?”
“This is a competition. “If you lack skills and organizational skills, you will eventually get eaten by another superior group.”
“Are the separated art club members in a similar situation to me?”
Louis twitched his eyebrows as if it was obvious.
“It would be terrible. “Because I have to deal with the first and second year head of the Ministry of Magic.”
“This is the worst.”
Louis gently smiled.
“This is why you need to be good at riding a boat. “When the rats escape one by one, you need to check to see if there is any problem with the ship.”
“… “Now I understand why my seniors gnashed their teeth so hard whenever they mentioned the theater department.”
“Yes. “I’m sorry, but you too will be gnashing your teeth like your predecessors.”
Despite Louis’ provocation, Damien was not provoked and maintained her calm demeanor.
“I have no ill feelings toward the theater department.”
Damian shows no intention to fight. Louis held the sword with both hands and approached Damian menacingly.
“Yes, I have to look good to girls like Luna and Trisha.”
“… “These are the friends I cherish.”
A month after Louis approached Damian, she swung her sword from top to bottom.
Kang!
Damien reacted quickly and took Louis’ sword from her.
They clashed swords and fought for a while in a confrontation.
“There’s nothing to worry about. “Because you are not the only man Luna relies on.”
“….”
“Luna told me all about your weaknesses. Everything, even things that have nothing to do with combat. “Even though I didn’t really want to know.”
“Is that so?”
Damian responded insensitively. It didn’t seem like he was listening to Louis’ words.
“Yes, I’m an orphan who comes from a poor family and doesn’t know any decency or manners.”
“Hmm.”
“And he was crying and saying that he couldn’t introduce me to his family because he didn’t have a genealogy record. “At least we can only be friends in Eternia.”
“I see.”
“Luna was hostile to men at first, but as time went by, she slowly began to open her heart. Especially to me. “Maybe it’s because we come from similar backgrounds.”
In a situation where the swords clashed, Damian took a small step back. He was slowly being pushed out.
“And this vacation, Luna and I decided to go to the central sky garden of the empire together. They say women are creatures of vanity, and as soon as I proposed, she said yes. Ah, maybe I can’t share this with you. “It is a place where you can only enter if you are acquainted with the royal family.”
“Luna, she seems to be doing well in the theater club.”
“I’m sorry, I feel like I’m taking away your few friends.”
Despite the bold provocation, Damien was not provoked in any way. At this, Louis began to feel aroused by her.
He jumped back in and swung the knife at Damian.
Kang!
The defensive posture was clumsy, but Damian’s sword did not waver when it struck again. Louis’ hand throbbed as if he had hit a rock.
“How did I get into school with these basic skills?”
Damian calmly suggested first.
“Let’s end with a light sparring. There’s a long way to go, right? “If I lose, I will hand over the research data.”
“Plus, don’t approach the theater department again.”
“Is there any reason why I should respond to that?”
“This is not a proposal.”
Then Louis kicked Damian in the chest and pushed him away.
“Because I will make it that way.”
After being kicked, Damien was pushed back and stumbled, barely able to regain his balance.
Louis raised his sword to the sky to give a signal to his ambushed comrades.
Then, the magic circle hidden beneath where Damian stepped began to receive magical power and glow.
Something flies in the wind from a place that cannot be seen due to the fog clouds.
Woah!
Damian’s body, which had been pushed back with an unexpected shock, was thrown forward on the road. This is because the fireball hit him from a place where his eyes could not reach.
An attack that is not serious enough to cause fatal injuries, but cannot be ignored.
Damian looks back for a moment at the place where the fireball flew. There were only clouds of fog, and no human figures were visible.
Damian took a deep breath, probably embarrassed by the unexpected attack.
Louis had a smile on his face.
“Did you think I was the only one here? Of course, just me is enough, but I can’t just leave these guys who are bored with their hands.”
“….”
The ambushing colleagues had not even done anything yet. Seeing that they were so staggered by just activating a magic trap, I expected things to go smoothly.
While Damian was calming her body, another fireball flew out.
“Wow!”
Damian fell sideways after being hit directly in the side.
According to Louis, Damian seemed to have never experienced this type of magic.
If he does not escape the magic circle, the fireball will torment Damian endlessly.
Damian stood up holding his sword and struck down a fireball coming from another blind spot.
Kang!
A red-hot stone bounces away with a dull sound.
And taking advantage of that opportunity, Louis lunged at Damian again. Damian quickly turned his body to defend himself. However, he was unable to react immediately because Louis struck him from below, out of sight.
Damian hurriedly pulled back, but left a long, shallow wound on the front of Louis’ black thigh.
He frowned slightly and looked at his thighs.
Immediately, without a moment to take a breath, another fireball rushed in. Damian hurriedly moved his body away from the attack. He barely avoided a direct hit, but it seemed difficult to even defend himself. It felt like he was watching a clumsy performance by an unskilled clown.
“Is that all there is to it? “I expected something a little bigger.”
“….”
“There is no need to bring up the second operation.”
Louis seemed to lose steam as he watched Damian struggle with the basic level of cooperation.
I was about to sigh as I wondered why Ruscus lost to such a guy in the sparring evaluation.
While Damian was caught off guard, he adjusted his posture and rushed at Louis in the blink of an eye, swinging his sword.
“… !”
His movements became fierce, like watching a cat. The confused look from before was clearly a deception.
Kang!
When Louis blocked his sword, a heavy shock was felt on his wrist. The trajectory of Damian’s sword was somewhat awkward, but the power it contained was formidable.
Louis bit the corner of his lip as his palms began to tingle.
With our swords touching, we looked into each other’s eyes. Damian’s eyes were still extremely calm.
***
After splitting up with Damian, the joint group of the art and instrumental music departments accelerated towards the next town. The journey continued smoothly along the beaten path of the Dalian Mountains, but it did not last long.
We stopped the carriage for a moment to look for lunch, but the two instrumentalists who had gone out to scout were white-faced and hurriedly announced the threat, so we had to leave again in a hurry.
“Wolf, there’s a wolf as big as a bear hanging around nearby!”
The second graders reacted in confusion, but the first graders were very frightened.
This is because the white wolf was like a symbol of the genius spiritist Luna.
“Wolf?”
Cecil had to explain in detail to the second grade students.
“It’s a wolf spirit controlled by Luna from the theater club. “I think they found us while scouting, but if we get attacked, we won’t be able to do anything.”
“Are you strong?”
“I once saw a fight during a circulatory system class. He’s so strong that it’s hard to believe he’s a first year student. “None of us can handle this.”
They left in a hurry, unable to appease their hungry stomachs, but less than an hour later, they were chased by spirits.
The carriage ran at full speed, but before we knew it, the wolf was following along at a frightening speed through the forest on the side of the trail.
After about ten minutes of continuing the chase side by side, Sierra from the art department expressed her doubts.
“Huh, why aren’t you attacking? “Jeez, if you really decide to attack me, I think the carriage will overturn.”
It looked like they were going to attack at any moment, but for now they only pursued and did not launch a preemptive attack.
Lilith, who was quietly watching the wolves, said.
“Maybe it’s because it’s Damien’s carriage, or rather, Professor Silverine’s carriage.”
“You are very polite. Are we hiding in the carriage, waiting for us to come out voluntarily?”
“It may be okay for now, but if we keep running like this, soon the horses will run out of strength and we will be surrounded.”
Then Fabella spoke carefully.
“Put it down.” “I will deal with it.”
Then, all of her art department students tried to dissuade her.
But Fabella did not break her stubbornness.
“I once faced Luna during the last sparring evaluation. Luna is probably high on drugs because she missed her duel due to an accident. “If I deal with her again, Luna might catch me and she might let you guys go.”
***
The speed of the carriage gradually decreases. Accordingly, a group of wolf spirits also jumped in front of the carriage and blocked the road, slowly strangling the carriage.
Finally, the carriage came to a complete stop, and Fabella opened the door and came out.
Then she said, looking at the forest that seemed to be empty.
“I think your only goal is me. Is that right?”
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Then, a blonde girl hiding behind a tree appeared.
Other colleagues who were watching covered her mouth as if shocked.
Luna pursed her lips and quietly nodded her head towards Fabella.
“First of all, will you send our carriage? “Well, the remaining members of the theater club will attack us anyway.”
Luna quietly nodded her head.
“…Go.”
The wolf pack has cleared the way again.
When the favela beckoned, the carriage started moving again. Just like that, the carriage disappeared from sight, leaving only the favela.
“What do you plan to do to me?”
“We will fight.”
“It seems like you have a lot of bad feelings towards me. Right?”
“….”
“If you act like this, Damian will hate you. “Can you handle it?”
“… “The friendship between me and Damian is not strong enough to be shaken by something trivial like this.”
“It’s a minor thing….”
The favela looked lonely. Luna didn’t understand why she was making that face.
“Do you really think that? “Damian does not forgive anyone who turns against him.”
“You speak as if you know Damian well.”
Fabella walked leisurely around her, combing her hair with her hands. Even though it was a confrontational situation, it was a gesture without any tension.
“Hmm, he’s a gem of a junior in the art department. She pretends to be indifferent on the outside, but did you know that she cares a lot? “I couldn’t just leave her alone.”
“Damian is not close to his senior.”
“Well, you’ve changed a lot since we spent the night together yesterday.”
Despite her obvious provocation, Luna bit her lip as if she was angry.
“….”
“So how much do you know about Damian?”
“… Eternia knows best. “Because she is my best friend.”
“When I first saw you, you weren’t as beautiful or as strong as you are now….”
“Damian was strong enough even when he entered school.”
Fabella asked, smiling faintly with her unfocused eyes.
“Why are you chasing Damien like that?”
“… “I’ve never been chased.”
“Do you love Damien?”
Luna’s eyes widen for an instant. The sudden question caught her off guard, so she pursed her lips and remained silent.
“Other than that, are you just admiring me? Just like an apprentice wizard digging into and following the footsteps of a respected archmage.”
“… This story has nothing to do with my senior. “I came here to fight with my senior, not to give relationship advice.”
“Why do you want to fight with me?”
“…… “Because I have something to check.”
“Even an ordinary second grader couldn’t win… Is it like the pride of a first-year senior?”
“….”
“Your sharp eyesight is not as good as it looks. You said there was an anomaly during the sparring evaluation… “Do you think it was an accident?”
The air around the favela began to gradually become heavier. If she had never practiced magic, the magical pressure was so strong that she would instantly lose her mind.
Fabella ignored her Luna and slowly raised her head.
The once clear sky was suddenly filled with dark clouds, and the cool wind was carrying a biting chill.
Fabella’s hair began to flutter as if it had escaped her gravity.
Soon, white snow fell from the sky to the ground without a sound.
The spirits next to Luna sensed an unusual energy and began to surround the favela. All places she could escape to were blocked, but she could only vaguely look up at the sky.
“Damian is a special kid. “She disrupts order and absorbs misfortune wherever she goes.”
“Don’t pretend to know anything about my friend.”
Fabella said something meaningful regardless.
“I would like to be with you, but with your mediocre determination and abilities, you will only be a burden.”
Fabella extended her hand towards Luna. Soon, a blue light began to glow from her hand.
***
The standoff did not last long. This is because the fireballs aimed at Damian flooded in again, giving him an opportunity to counterattack.
Louis kicked Damian in the stomach and pushed him away.
Damien cunningly slipped her knife while being pushed away and cut Louis’ forearm.
After receiving a series of unexpected attacks from her, Louis also hurriedly pulled her body back.
She was not injured, but the bandage around her left wrist was cut off and scattered into the air.
Soon, the clear wolf teeth marks on Louis’ left arm were fully revealed.
Damian showed interest in the scar.
“… “It’s Luna’s wolf.”
“….”
There was no one other than Luna’s wolf that would leave such large teeth marks. With his keen eye, he immediately figured out the identity of the scar.
“What did you do to Luna?”
“It happened by chance while just the two of us were hanging out together, but I don’t want to go into detail. “There is no obligation to do so.”
“I will ask again. “What did you do to Luna?”
Damian’s voice had more weight than before.
“Even if you know that, nothing will change. And I have no intention of telling you.”
Blood appeared on Damian’s forearm. Anger began to appear in his calm eyes.
The sharp wind that came up the valley brought fog and instantly enveloped the battlefield.
Damian’s appearance was obscured by hazy vapor.
In a situation where the entire view was blocked, the two voices exchanged.
“Where is Luna now?”
“Why don’t you stop worrying about the theater department’s business?”
“… I’ll tell you soon. Because that’s how I’m going to make it.”
“Bluff.”
Then Louis saw her strange sight and narrowed his eyes at her. This was because her golden eyes flashed like the eyes of a wild beast in the thick steam.
“… What?”
With the ensuing gust of wind, the fog clouds were completely swept away.
And there was nothing left where Damian should have been standing.