Chapter 68
Chapter 68
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 68
Chapter Title: Mixed Fighting
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‘Did I go too hard on him yesterday?’
On a weekend morning, Marianne arrived at the 1st Arena earlier than the appointed time and let out a small sigh as she did some warm-up stretches, recalling yesterday's sparring session.
Though she was famous for her bold, uninhibited actions and speech, Marianne wasn't completely oblivious to others' feelings. One could tell just by looking at how she cared for Agnes—she was actually quite perceptive and sensitive beneath her tough exterior.
Perhaps that's why her teacher's old lesson from childhood echoed in her mind: as someone born strong, she must understand the hearts of the weak.
‘That damn guy, spouting all that nonsense...’
At first, she'd planned to go easy, testing whether he was worthy of Agnes at the Crown Prince's request.
But the fact that he could turn his eyes to another woman despite having her adorable Agnes stirred up Marianne's old trauma a bit. So she threw in some emotion with her punches and beat him soundly...
‘Not very mature of me. Yeah, that was a mistake.’
For a mere first-year student of just 17, yesterday's sparring must have been too much. Though he'd said he'd see her again tomorrow when they parted, his weak voice suggested he'd make excuses like other warriors and skip out.
But separate from her own harshness, was it manly to boldly admit his skills were lacking and bow out now, instead of showing up for the sparring he'd requested himself? A man of the kingdom must keep his word, even if both legs were cut off.
She glanced at the clock—it was nearly time. No need to wait long; she'd give it ten more minutes and leave. As she straightened her training clothes with that thought...
“Oh, you got here earlier than I expected, Big Sister Marianne!”
“...Haha! After getting beat like that yesterday, you're full of energy this early, Arthin?”
Seeing Arthin enter with a cheerful greeting made all her worries from moments ago feel foolish. This was the little brother she'd acknowledged.
“I filled up on potions for breakfast. Go easy on me today, Sis.”
“If you clear up your misunderstandings about the War God's daughter and the Archmage's granddaughter.”
Seeing Arthin turn his gaze at those words reignited her irritation a little. Maybe she needed to discipline him more firmly.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ By deliberately changing the subject, I could feel killing intent rising in Teacher Marianne's eyes. But no worries. Today, we had Unicorn.
“What? You two are gonna fight me together?”
“Magic and divine spells are like cheat keys, but Unicorn and I are contracted. In real battles, we'd fight as a pair, so I want to practice our teamwork.”
At my words, Unicorn nodded weakly with terrified eyes, probably hoping Marianne would refuse.
“Can't argue with that. Like those two bruisers said at the cafe last time, coordination in combat is key. Fine! Come at me both at once!”
At Teacher Marianne's bold shout, I saw Unicorn's face drain of color. Before she could change her mind, I handed her wrestling-style training clothes and shoved her into the changing room.
“W-Wait! Arthin! Is it really okay to make this exalted one wear such indecent attire?! And it's squeezing my chest too tight! Training really seems impossible, so...”
“Keep whining and if you're late, that's on you. Big Sister Marianne hates tardiness.”
At my threat, Unicorn finally emerged in the wrestling outfit.
“Ugh... This is so indecent. Do we really have to train in something like this?”
Unicorn in the wrestling gear looked pretty revealing. Her large breasts, usually hidden under a flowing white dress, along with her slim waist, ample hips, and thick thighs were on full display. I could see why she'd feel embarrassed...
“Humans are gonna see you anyway—does it really matter that much?”
“Eek...! No, a unicorn must appear pure at all times!”
“Then don't wander the dorms in dolphin pants and a t-shirt.”
Thinking of her dorm attire, it was all excuses. I grabbed the hesitating Unicorn's wrist and dragged her out of the changing room.
“W-Wait, it's embarrassing! You idiot! You heartless fool!”
She fussed noisily, but I was too focused on not getting hard from glimpsing her figure to listen.
Getting an erection in this outfit would be a disaster. I absolutely had to avoid that.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ ‘Fuck, what the hell was I thinking?!’
As if my earlier worries were idiotic, once the sparring—real combat training—began, I had to fight for my life.
“As expected of a divine beast unicorn! You're tough! Block this!!”
“Kyaaah!! Arthin! This woman's a monster in human skin!!!”
Thwack—! Boom!!!
Unicorn, who could suppress even Authority Thieves with hand-to-hand, got hit by Big Sister Marianne's lariat, flew off, and crashed into the wall. I couldn't even laugh anymore.
“Come on, Arthin. Your momentum's dropping—should I come to you?”
Under the pressure to quit slacking and charge again, I gritted my teeth. Combining Mount Tai School martial arts from Shaomei with kingdom fighting techniques, maxing my physical specs with mana—and all I managed was a few drops of sweat?
A natural superhuman, indeed. Besides the Crown Prince, who else could beat her at this point? She might even hold her own against a legion commander.
‘That's why... I need her recognition.’
Having Marianne as an ally would make the story so much smoother. Plus, not being acknowledged by her previous teacher bruised my pride a bit.
“Hoo... Alright, let's keep going! Unicorn! Charge!”
“Uwaaah! This exalted one wants a break now!!”
Whining all the while, Unicorn shot out from the wall like a bullet, her kick aimed at Teacher Marianne's gut. Marianne raised her guard as if expecting it, but Unicorn pressed the assault relentlessly, refusing to let the opening slip.
‘Fuck, too fast—I can't even join in...!!’
If I had magic support, maybe, but at this level without magic, alchemy buffs, or item crutches, my options were limited. I tried to at least observe and gain experience—then their movements froze.
Her flashing crimson eyes had already read Unicorn's attack. Teacher Marianne grabbed her ankle mid-kick, blocking it effortlessly, a grin on her face.
“Great specs, but too predictable! That's how you get read!”
“Kyaaaaah!!! This exalted one's spinning round and round!!”
“Unicorn!”
I dove to catch Unicorn as she got giant-swung back into the wall, but the impact didn't vanish—we rolled hard across the arena floor.
“Cough, cough... You okay? Unicorn?”
After getting up from absorbing the shock, I checked on her. Damn—her eyes were glazed; she was either exhausted or knocked out from the hit.
“Sealing magic and divine spells and still putting up this fight—you're more capable than I thought, Arthin!”
I shoved Unicorn aside and stepped forward. Teacher Marianne, sweating from the exchange, wiped her brow and praised me.
Of course, the quest hadn't cleared yet. If you're gonna acknowledge me, complete the damn quest.
“But you're still gonna say I'm not enough, right?”
“Quick on the uptake—love that. To date Agnes, this doesn't even scratch the surface of hardship!”
My stamina was draining, hands trembling, but I couldn't fail the quest. Unicorn had worn her down some, so now it was up to me alone to earn recognition.
‘Inventory, stamina tonic ampoule!’
I popped the small ampoule from my inventory into my mouth. Vitality surged through my fatigued body. Made for recovery after wild nights, it was like triple-strength concentrated aphrodisiac compared to what I used training with Shaomei last time.
“Here I go!”
“Good, now it's 1-on-1—I'll match your level!”
As Marianne crouched into a wrestling stance, I mirrored her and charged with a powerful tackle.
Crunch! Even injecting mana for thrust, she stood firm like a rock.
‘Crazy—3cm? Full-power tackle and only 3cm?’
“Good mana use, but weak thighs and core! Now, over you go!”
“Uwaaah!!”
With those words, my body slowly lifted. If this kept up, it'd be a suplex slam. Desperate, I flailed my arms to resist to the end.
Squish!
“Kyaa, kyak!”
In my desperation, I grabbed onto Big Sister Marianne's body. The soft fullness filling my hand made her shriek like a maiden, release my waist, and back off hurriedly.
What I'd just grabbed... judging by feel, I'd firmly clutched her ass. That startled her into letting go.
“Y-You pervert! You groped me on purpose, didn't you?”
Realizing she'd squealed like a girl, she flushed and yelled at me. But I was innocent. It felt great, but I hadn't aimed for it.
“I nearly got my head smashed into the floor—did I have time to aim?!”
“Ugh... Fair point, but...”
Her reaction felt off, though. In my past life, she was so carefree she'd flash a breast by accident, say my eyes feasted well, and add 500 squats. Now she was embarrassed like this?
“Giving up? If so, I'll take that as my win.”
But I wouldn't miss the chance. When I pressed the hesitant Marianne, she glared fiercely, as if I'd joked.
“Think you can treat me like a girl? How dare you insult me like this...!”
As the furious teacher charged, I tried a swift leg sweep to topple her.
‘Damn, tougher than before!’
“Targeting joints won't work without power! Finishing you now!”
As my body lifted again, I lowered my center of gravity desperately, but it was useless against the Giant Slayer. This slam looked like it'd knock me out for real...!!
‘Can't lose! Quest failure means game over!!’
In panic, I reached for the breasts filling my vision and grabbed Big Sister Marianne's chest full-on!
Squish! Squish!
“Kyaaak!!”
As I openly kneaded her breasts, she flung me roughly to the floor and clutched them. Not panicking from the throw, I landed safely.
“Th-That time you definitely aimed! Don't think I didn't notice!”
“...”
In this brief exchange, I was certain. Clearing the quest head-on was impossible. I had to target Big Sister Marianne's weakness.
‘Bare breasts... She didn't even wear a sports bra...!!’
I hadn't felt the ass well in the rush, but the sensation was unmistakable. One more grab there and...
...Absolutely not driven by desire. To win recognition, I had to beat her. If I could just dominate her once, by any means, her personality would force her to acknowledge me.
‘This is all for Agnes...!!’
For quest clear, I reset my stance.
“That lecherous face...!! Planning more pervy stuff? I'm disappointed—I didn't peg you for this!”
“Would you stop a real battle for this? I haven't surrendered!”
“Grr... You pervert—I'll end this for real! I won't let you have Agnes!”
Something felt off-course, but my body heated up strangely, head spinning. In this state, I felt like I could beat any woman...!!
Thus began the bizarre bout: a woman fighting to dominate, a man scheming lewd wins.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Agnes headed to the 1st Arena with light steps.
‘Hehe, Arthin will be thrilled when he sees I packed lunch, right?’
She hadn't cooked much, so she'd misjudged portions—enough for both hands—but Arthin would devour it all happily.
Just imagining him eating made her chest tingle with happiness, forcing her to suppress a smile.
‘We haven't met properly in ages... We can chat intimately, kiss... As lovers, kissing's fine, right...?’
One might say as fiancés who'd already shared bodies, what was there to be shy about—but Agnes still blushed at holding hands. She'd just mustered courage before; this fluttering excitement was hard to control.
“Ahem, he's probably training hard, so sneaking in for a surprise might be nice?”
Suppressing her feelings with a cough, Agnes cracked open the door to the 1st Arena where she'd met Arthin before. Before peeking, fierce shouts assaulted her ears.
‘Such intense training... Just like in my memories, he's working desperately to grow stronger...!!’
Recalling Arthin from her past life, training to the bone amid blood, Agnes felt moved by his effort. To cheer him silently, she steeled herself and peered through the gap.
“.......My?”
The scene inside differed greatly from her expectations.