How to Survive at the Academy chapter 106

Before the student council president election (7)

– Whoa!

The huge spear creates a gust of wind just by swinging it horizontally once.

He lowered his posture and held his center of gravity down, holding out his body so as not to stumble in the wind.

“going.”

It wasn’t even an attack. Ziggs just fixed that huge spear.

It kicks itself out of the air and lands right in front of me. At the same time, the trace of the spear swung around while turning the body draws a large semicircle.

It is an unacceptable power. It is impossible to even spill.

I managed to dodge the first blow by almost sticking my body to the floor, but the dodge movement was too large to lead to a counterattack. The momentum was still on the Ziggs side.

I fixed the spear once, and this time, my posture was completely lowered and a sting at a tremendous speed came towards me, which I couldn’t avoid.

can’t afford to avoid If so, I had to come up with a defense method that did not cause damage as much as possible.

-Paat

– Fuwook.

As if the judgment of my situation was over in an instant, Laysia, a lion lioness hiding in a nearby puddle that bloomed due to the emergence of Suwon, came out and blocked the spear of Ziggs.

But it was more appropriate to say that it was stabbed instead of blocked.

With a loud roar and splashing spray, Laysia’s summons were forcibly canceled.

“ね!”

Frowning at the sound of a roar piercing his ears, Ziggs accurately grasped the intention of the lion, who had even sacrificed himself to stop the movement. Just to make a very small gap.

Such a large spear has an incredibly wide attack range and enormous power, making it difficult to deal with… but it has a weakness that it becomes more difficult to attack if it gets too close.

After quickly digging into the very slight gap that Laysia had created, it induced a close-range melee that was difficult to attack with the spear of Ziggs. Once you have successfully dug in with a dagger, it is difficult for your opponent to take full advantage of the spear’s advantage.

However, Ziggs are the masters of duels who do their best in all combat situations.

– Kaang!

The surge of magical energy gathered in Ziggs’s left hand, which was empty, and became an arming sword of an appropriate length, blocking my attacks casually.

While casually swinging a spear larger than my body with my right hand, a short-distance response to an enemy digging in is to deal with the sword held in my left hand.

I clenched my tongue and gathered my magic to implement the ‘fire’ magic. A burning fire split between Ziggs and me.

However, without changing a single expression, Ziggs swings the spear in one big swing, and evolves the flame embodied by magic overlaid with his own magic.

“You mostly use attacks that block your opponent’s vision and pierce you in a different direction.”

Techniques to fill the gaps in competence with technique are widespread. However, there is a limit to narrowing the fundamental power gap with such things. In particular, Ziggs is an opponent where such trickery hardly works.

Even if it’s the first time you allow it because you don’t know the opponent’s fighting style, the second or third time it’s a completely different story.

“Rather than engaging in a psychological warfare, it’s clear to press down with a difference in firepower when dealing with a style like Ed-senpai.”

Once again, the magic embodied in Ziggs’ body creates weapons. From daggers to two-handed swords, all kinds of different swords began to float and swirl in the air.

High-ranking magic ‘Mana Arming – Sword Dance’. It is an applied magic that combines telekinetic magic with basic high-level magic mana armament. The embodied weapons do not have to be wielded by the caster’s hand, but by myself dancing in the air and starting to press the opponent.

– Kaang! Kaang!

Swords that looked over twenty were gathered in one place and rushed.

She has lost her core power, the lioness Laysia. By now, the mana consumption had also piled up enormously. Not a very good situation.

Even so, if one of those numerous sword attacks hits, the game is over immediately. I clenched my teeth and drew out the magic of my entire body, and once again, with all my heart, I expressed the Lieutenant’s fire magic ‘one point explosion’.

Not one this time.

If you don’t get rid of all the swords, you’re sure to get hit. Therefore, he embodied a single-point explosion that could exceed twenty times at once, and he pointed out Ziggs’ swords one by one and exploded them in an instant.

– Kwagwang! Kwagwang! Kaga, go, go!

Lieutenant’s magic ‘Single Point Explosion’ has to give up magical efficiency in exchange for its incredibly fast casting speed.

In other words, the power was not that strong compared to the magic power it took. Of course, a normal person would get a critical hit with one blow, but it is rare for an enemy to be defeated by this blow in a combat situation.

After firing the technique with such poor efficiency dozens of times, naturally, the magic power starts to show the bottom.

– Whoo

And there’s no way Jigs, the deputy head of the Ministry of Magic, couldn’t catch that fact.

A stab that flies through the smoke rising from the explosion magic. The field of vision was not completely open, so he barely missed.

– Get it!

Not missing the missed gap, I gripped the spear with both hands. A brief struggle ensues while their hands are trembling with each other.

“You have run out of power. You don’t even have the magic left to implement basic defense magic. It certainly does.”

It was an accurate decision.

“Then I will finish this.”

Jiggs clenched his teeth and swung the spear with both hands to shake my hand away. As it was, my body floated in the air for a while and managed to land from a distant place.

Ziggs once again embodies numerous weapons through high-level magic and mana armament. If Ziggs, who has even mastered the magic of telekinesis, spears through the dancing of the countless swords… he will have a hard time with anyone in melee combat.

Not only that, but my opponent, I, is a magician who has run out of magic. Even using basic magic now requires clenching your teeth and focusing your mind. In fact, the match was already over.

Dalian is always something to be taken seriously.

Reflecting Ziggs’ personality, he delivered the final blow that would determine victory.

Practice is always like practice. No matter how different your abilities are, never underestimate your opponent, acknowledge your opponent, and do your best.

Ziggs’ attitude was so impressive… I finally resorted to the last resort.

– Paang!

“What…”

I took out the ‘Shock Reinforcement Wave Ball’ from my pocket, squeezed it tightly, and exploded it.

Obviously, my magical power was running low, but a huge power was radiated from me, and all the swords that Ziggs had embodied fell apart. It is the power of magic equipment.

– Whoa, whoa!

In this Dalian, I didn’t use any magic equipment. He did not try to win by mobilizing such external means.

However, if the other person treats me with such sincerity, it is polite to mobilize all the means that I can mobilize as well.

“With this much…!”

All of the flame-breasted swords that Ziggs realized were blown away by the waves, but they couldn’t realize a wave enough to blow away Jigs’s own body. Since there is a limit to my magic response, it is difficult to exceed that level of destructive power that I can achieve with my magic equipment.

“Once… once you get a valid hit…!”

Ziggs’ combat experience would tell you intuitively.

A magician who has run out of magic. An opponent who cannot even use defensive magic.

Once you allow access, you are sure to win. Knowing that fact clearly, Ziggs digs in with a spear.

From there, it’s my turn to draw my last move.

– Kaang!

So Ziggs’s attack was blocked by defensive magic.

“What…?”

it could be.

Ziggs’ Strike is strong enough that it cannot be blocked smoothly with any magic efficiency, but if you invest a lot of magic, even with my level of defense magic, it can be deflected at least once.

But the problem is… I didn’t even have the magical power to attack, so how did you implement the defense magic?

“Ugh!”

What is in her clenched fist is the ‘Glast’s Phoenix Ring’.

From noblemtl.com

My greatest power at this point is to manifest the high wind spirit ‘Merylda’.

If you draw magic power through Glast’s Phoenix Ring, that’s enough. Of course, for the time being, you will fall into a penalty of not being able to use even a single drop of magical power.

There’s no reason to deal with Merylda until you’ve endured that much penalty in a practice match.

However, in dealing with the high wind spirits, there is not always an extreme method of ‘presentation’.

From noblemtl.com

Many students think that the only way to help the spirits is to manifest and fight the spirits, but in reality, this is not the case.

For example, it helps the elemental to use a part of her ability easily by expressing something like a spirit ceremony and giving it somewhere.

It is also to assist in battle with a skill that is always activated.

In addition, the spirit’s unique skill… For example, you may be provided with mug’s magic that temporarily increases fire resistance, or Laysia’s magic that creates a water source that can be activated from bare ground…

If you reduce the consuming magic a little bit, you can realize the spirit’s ability by using the auxiliary means.

Of course, the problem is that Merylda is a very strong spirit from birth, so it takes a lot of magic to implement her unique skills. Still, it’s much better than the magic that goes into making it ‘present’.

The realization of that level of ability is something that can be dealt with even with a little bit of magic power. It’s not a small amount, though…

“Wow!”

Since the other side comes out with full power, it is polite to go out with all her power as well.

– Whoa, whoa.

Without understanding how the completely exhausted mana started to rise again, Ziggs was immediately struck by a huge wind.

From noblemtl.com

Maybe it’s difficult to even stand properly, the moment you look ahead with your center of gravity as low as possible…

In front of him, a girl catches his eye.

A pure white dress with pure white hair. golden eyes.

[Is there a limit to manifesting in this kind of figure even if you draw in your magic power? Well, it’s a much worse environment than when I was summoned from the Altar of Alteration. At that time, there was also Lucy. ]

[ Still, that’s enough… It’s the development of a long family. Ed. ]

Before Ziggs could figure out what was going on, the girl swung her slender hand into the air.

High Wind Spirit Merylda’s unique skill, ‘Updraft’.

It was a magic that lifted everything in the area into the air and took away the freedom of the body.

Ziggs also has a knack for wind magic. I tried to escape Merylda’s influence with my magic, but…

[It would be better not to make meaningless resistance. ]

It is arrogance to try to rub Merylda with the elemental wind magic. The high spirit of the wind, Merylda, has the upper hand in all types of wind magic.

– Get it!

Ziggs’ body floats in the air as it is, exposing it to a completely defenseless state.

No matter how strong a warrior, it is difficult to fully demonstrate his power in the air. Even the position is fixed as it is, so there is no way to dodge maneuvers.

“Wow!”

The moment when Ziggs, who quickly grasped the situation with superhuman reflexes, was about to implement attack magic.

– aan!

Lieutenant fire magic ‘one point explosion’ bloomed once again.

This time it was a real direct hit.

[Yeah, it’s neatly finished. ]

Smoke rises in the aftermath of the magic, and Merylda, who is incompletely embodied in the form of a girl, has shaved her skirt several times.

“I’ve never seen it manifest in this form, Merylda.”

[ Magical efficiency is much better, isn’t it? Of course, there are all sorts of restrictions on what you can do. ]

“…”

[ Anyway, I didn’t want to look like this as much as possible these days because some strange stalker is sticking around and following me. It’s cold because it doesn’t have hair on its skin, and it has no tail, so it’s strange to balance the body. Also, why is her mouth so small, it feels like her cheeks are clenched every time she speaks. The original mouth has to be ripped all the way to the side of the cheek in order to open it, doesn’t it? ]

I put both index fingers in my mouth and spread my cheeks wide, making a fuzzy sound.

I was trying to say that it is difficult to empathize with people when you tell them how they feel about wolves…

– Paah!

In the midst of the smoke, Ziggs carrying a rapier made of magical power jumped out like a bullet.

In such a defenseless state, there was no time to take a defensive stance, and even though he was directly hit by a lieutenant’s magic, he was able to keep fighting.

It was evident that he had embodied defense magic with unbelievable reflexes. Some of the impact, if not completely, was absorbed.

The reason why it was in the form of a rapier rather than a spear was probably because there was no strength left to lift that huge spear.

– Kaang!

He avoided the rapier with a semi-animal sense, but soon afterward, the form of magic changed and Ziggs’ weapon turned into a large long sword again.

The moment Merylda, startled, moved to respond, the tip of Ziggs’ sword had already been thrust into my throat.

“…”

“…”

[…]

a moment of silence. The tip of Ziggs’s sword, who was gasping for breath, didn’t even move.

As for me, I have used all the magical means that I can mobilize, and even used all the tricks that are close to trickery. The amount of mana that was drawn wasn’t a huge amount, but it was all exhausted once.

The meaning of giving this distance to a melee warrior without magical power.

Then I raised my arms and spoke quietly.

“You won. Ziggs.”

– Kagang, Kang!

As soon as those words were finished, the sword fell from Ziggs’ hand. Eventually, when the effect of the ‘mana armament’ disappeared, the sword was reconciled to magic and disappeared.

And Ziggs sat still on the floor, holding his breath for a while. He looked so tired.

“Heo Eok, Heo Eok… I learned a lot. It’s hard to believe that you’ve been training this much in just one year… from my point of view, who has been training all my life.”

I also had a hard time standing properly due to the rushing tiredness.

It felt like I was pushing my body to the limit.

*

“…Isn’t that a bit too much for both of them…?”

By the time Yenika came out of the cave and came to the rocky area, I and Ziggs were both lying on the floor.

Both of them are sweating profusely, barely holding themselves back, looking like boxers who have just finished sparring.

I gully drank the water that Yenica had given me and looked up at the sky where the sun was slowly starting to set, wiping away my sweat.

It wasn’t too hot thanks to the cool breeze of late spring. It was nice to hear the waves crashing every now and then.

It took me about 20 minutes to lie down and enjoy the wind for a while.

Ziggs united and energized, then quickly raised his upper body and spoke.

“This is inside information from the university. There is a story that I happened to hear from the faculty members while visiting the Trix Hall to adjust the class A schedule.”

Looking back, Ziggs said that he came here because he had something to say.

“Kadek and Knox have escaped. They are the criminals who have been designated as the person who killed the senior.”

“…”

“I don’t know how they managed to break through the strict security of the Trix Hall… Anyway, it seems that it hasn’t been announced yet. It is understandable that any confusion will only cause confusion in the search. For now, tracking will come first.”

Then Ziggs let out a deep sigh.

“Thanks to you, Tanya’s allegations that she killed senior are getting harder and harder to solve as they go on.”

“Yeah… I heard it.”

“Senior must have been in a state where he could not get out of here, so he would have had to make a fragmentary decision based on the information that Yenica-sunpa gave me. So I don’t think it’s going to be intuitive to know what the status of a bachelor’s degree feels like and what kind of public opinion Tanya is facing.”

He said he came here because he had something to say about Penia and Tanya.

Perhaps the following words will be the main point of Ziggs.

“Princess Penia called me, and I went to the royal residence.”

“…After all, Tanya must have been hiding in the royal residence.”

“Yes. Based on Tanya’s testimony, he asked me various questions. If you think it wasn’t Tanya who killed Ed-senpai, then why are you sitting still without actively testifying to the bachelor…”

It is Zigs who defended Tanya more than anyone in the case of Lucy’s attack on the Ophelis Hall.

What Ziggs kept silent about in such a situation seemed unnatural from Fenia’s point of view.

“I was silent. He also argued that he could not testify with inconclusive information. Because… Ed is in a situation where he is risking his life in his own way.”

In fact, there was an assassination attempt. If you do not take additional measures here, it will not be strange if your life is in danger again. In other words, this is also at the crossroads of life and death.

Knowing the seriousness of the situation, Ziggs closed his eyes and pretended to be ignorant even if Tanya was a bit unfair.

“However, if Kadek and Knox escaped, the story would be different. If they report everything to the Roth Taylors, the Roth Taylors will judge you dead.”

It is rare for a Ziggs to express my opinion.

“Once you consider the physical distance between the Roth Taylor mansion and this Aken Island, as well as the somewhat closed academic requirements… As long as Tanya doesn’t report it by direct mail.”

Yes. Even the Roth Taylor family would never send anyone to this Aken Island on the outskirts of the Empire to reconfirm the existence of me, who has already been reported dead.

If I want to reaffirm my survival, I have to borrow the power of rumors. Rumors say that the descendants of the Roth Taylor family who were excommunicated on Aken Island are still alive.

For such rumors to spread outside the school, it must be during the vacation season when the insiders are out of Aken Island. Long after that vacation season, if you’re lucky enough, the rumors will reach the Roth Taylor mansion.

Then, from there, I send someone directly to check my survival, plan an assassination again, find a justification for sending my personnel to the Sylvanian Bachelor… For these processes to be repeated again… Start from now and at least Even if it takes half a year, it is not strange.

You can only take that much time. By that time, the Roth Taylor family will slowly become obsessed with the scenario. The whole family will be in crisis, so there is a high probability that there will be no time for me to worry about it.

“Anyway, what I want to say is… the story of Tanya I met at the royal residence.”

It felt like the story wasn’t connected, but for the first time, I was just listening to Ziggs.

“Did you meet him in person?”

“Yes. I guess I was the one who defended Tanya even in extreme situations. He trusted me a lot.”

Ziggs paused for a moment, then took a deep breath and continued the conversation.

“It was a no-brainer. Well, if you imagine Tanya’s bachelor’s life… it’d be strange not to be devastated. Yenika-senpai will know it well.”

“That’s right.”

Yenika put down the water she had given me and spoke slowly.

“I’ve already talked to Ed, but I’m preparing for the student council president election while being investigated by the bachelor, and the public opinion is the worst as I’m being driven as a murderer. Still, he was holding on to this clenched fist. Perhaps it was because Princess Fenia supported Tanya even when she was under a political burden because it was such a pity to see her like that.”

“It’s just as Jenika-senpai said.”

Ziggs sat down on a rock and looked at the sky slowly turning red.

“I’ve been stuck in a corner for too long. It must not be a burden that a girl that age can bear. It will collapse soon.”

Ziggs came just to say that.

“There will be announcements of candidates for the student council president this evening. It will be held on the 1st floor of the Obell Building next to the Student Square, which was traditionally the home of the Student Council. In front of the podium, I will have to deal with the students’ tremendous criticism or suspicion.”

Having said that, Ziggs did not open his mouth any further. He seemed to think that this was an over-the-top story.

“…”

I lay still, looking up at the sky, and thinking.

It means a lot to me that Tanya, not Penia, is running for student council president.

Having Princess Fenia as the student council president, who will take a hostile stance against the Roth Taylor family in the future, and having Tanya, a member of the Roth Taylor family, as the student council president.

It is impossible to predict what the difference will be in the future. And the love affair, which has already begun to twist, will also begin to break absurdly from this point on.

I felt like I had reached an important junction.

The choice is mine, and I am responsible for the consequences.

If Tanya is defended on this occasion, Tanya, who has been framed, will strengthen her position as the student council president, making her a truly unstoppable candidate.

Externally, she was supported by Princess Fenia, and under the water, Lortel was pushing the candidate.

It would be strange to not be elected.

It means… to completely twist and break the flow of the future that had been maintained, even though it was assorted.

However, Tanya has already suffered too much.

He must have been just a one-time villain as a rival to Princess Fenia.

Now that I’m in a position to face the absurd flow of fate… If I look for the cause, after all, it’s a human being who shouldn’t remain in this scenario.

That’s Ed Roth Taylor. My existence is the cause.

Of course, I also had a situation. It was unintentional, and for me it was a matter of life at stake.

It is a situation that has come to an end while fighting a fierce battle to survive. I’m not an adult gentleman enough to risk my life thinking of others.

However, even so…

Is it right to leave the girl who has to face the storms and waves of fate without any guilt, the bloodline of this body that exists in this vast world? At first, how nice it was to have a younger brother who could share Roth Taylor’s name.

When you weigh the flow of love affairs that has already begun to twist, which side should this double-armed scale lean toward?

If you somehow mobilize your personal connections and abilities, it may be possible to persuade or induce Princess Fenia to run for the student president election.

Whether it’s out of guilt or hostility towards the Roth Taylors… There are plenty of ways to use and provoke.

What I suddenly realized was that I didn’t do that.

“Sir Ed.”

“I can’t talk any more.”

I looked up at the sky quietly. The sun was setting.

The important choices in life are often made in this way.

Did you say that you announced your candidacy for the student council president this evening?

“…”

I slowly lowered my head… and spoke softly.

“Yeah… it’s time to end this recluse.”

*

Suddenly, the girl’s old memories bloom.

As is the case with old memories, the light fades a lot.

Still, it was not a bad story when I gathered up each scene and turned it into a single memory.

An aristocratic family admired by everyone in the Empire. There, the three siblings go on an outing to the flower garden holding hands.

Arwen, Ed, and Tanya are humming, plucking flowers and tying them in their hair, admiring the beautiful scenery… holding hands with the fresh scent of spring.

In a way, it can be said that it is the last memory. Tanya’s life that followed was always filled with heavy pressure and responsibility.

It seems that there were such happy times. When I open my eyes with a low monologue, the dull reality weighs heavily on my shoulders.

The 1st floor of the Obell Hall.

The eyes of those who look at Tanya are all in one dark doubt.

Despite the vicious murder charge, he is trying to sit on the seat of the student council president with a grin on his teeth… His eyes are looking at a person who is drenched in lust for power.

Tanya stands right in front of the heavy hostility of the crowd.

Because he was determined not to run away from the hostility.

Even if there is no way out, it moves forward.

There were a lot of people who said it was impossible to become the student council president in this situation, but Tanya didn’t care.

In the rainy Ophelis Hall, I saw a lot of old people who challenged the impossible.

It may seem futile, but there must be some sublime in that will. Believing that, I stood right on the podium.

The public booing was nothing compared to the hardships of life.