Inspiration Strikes at the Hero Festival (2)
“Hiyaaaah!”
“Your movements are far too large.”
With a sharp crack, Heintz blocked the gorgon’s attack without effort. Then, as if playing with a child, he swung his greatsword in a powerful arc that knocked the weapon aside and instantly stepped into the opening to smash his knee.
The sickening crunch echoed clearly. Wow, that’s definitely broken. For all my appearance, I am still Decaron’s disciple; I’ve learned quite a few things. That gorgon won’t be standing anytime soon.
Sure enough, the gorgon who had taken the hit collapsed on the spot. He dropped like someone who had stepped on a Lego while trying to walk on their knees, trembling violently.
“Gaaaaah!”
“Thickness alone does not make a body strong.”
Having neutralized one leg in the blink of an eye, Heintz snorted and slowly approached the gorgon. The creature was still dazed, slumped on the ground.
“What the—?”
“See? More openings everywhere.”
Without pause, Heintz closed in again.
“Guh—?!”
This time it was the left knee. The first strike had taken the right; the second destroyed the left. It was utterly brutal. Just as I remembered from the original story, Heintz never held back for anyone. In the source material, he had used overwhelming martial force to push Schwald out of the succession race. Schwald had always been a weakling, so Heintz’s victory was inevitable, yet one problem remained. If Sophia hadn’t brought the Holy Sword, Heintz would have won their spar cleanly.
In this altered story, however, I’m not sure he’ll ever claim that blade. In the original he never even touched it, so the future is still uncertain. There is no need for Schwald to wield the Holy Sword anyway. That’s how it goes.
“Do you yield?”
Yeah. Honestly, that’s cool as hell. That’s what a real man looks like. What a difference from a certain insane bastard who let himself be manipulated by some worthless woman, giggling like an idiot before throwing away a perfect fiancée.
Now then, what about that gorgon? As a spectator, I do enjoy watching blood fly, but Heintz knows this tournament is deeply tied to the succession.
“I-I’m sorry! I yield!”
“Hmph. I was considering taking you as a subordinate if you lasted longer. Tsk.”
It ended sweetly, without the slightest drama. Which meant the next match belonged to Prince Leon.
VS
Sten
For some reason both princes had ended up right in front of me. Leon’s opponent was a bizarrely thin man named Sten. To be precise, he was a gaunt, anchovy-like mage in a robe. His eyes were narrowed into slits and he wore an eerie smile. He looked exactly like the stereotypical basement-dwelling wizard.
“My, my. To think my opponent would be none other than His Highness the Prince. Are you certain you wish to face someone like me?”
His voice was oily and malicious. Honestly, he was the very picture of a low-rent villain thug. Wasn’t his level a bit too pathetic for the preliminaries?
“Enough talk. Come at me if you dare.”
Prince Leon carried the heavy scent of aristocratic pride. Not that he was completely narrow-minded; he simply believed in the doctrine of noble blood. Nobles and royals existed to lead the common people. Corrupt nobles and officials were thorns in his side. Naturally, the sight of Schwald and Sophia—whose intelligence had rotted away until they became utterly useless—disgusted him.
One of his lines from the original had struck a chord with me:
Of course, he still lost spectacularly to Schwald and Sophia’s insane Holy Sword-powered assault. After that, both he and Heintz faded into the background alongside the royal couple.
“But that was the original story, after all.”
The problem was the original plot itself. It could no longer happen. The king and queen had completely cut Schwald off. I almost felt sorry for how pathetic he must have been for them to do that. Still, with the time to choose a successor approaching and rumors of the Demon King stirring, they had no more patience to waste on a worthless son.
Thanks to that, both Heintz and now Prince Leon would have their chance to shine. I was curious just how insane Leon could be. He had hated Sophia with a passion; I wondered if the reason would finally come to light. Either way, I was genuinely looking forward to this fight.
After all, Leon was rumored to be an exceptionally talented mage prince. What did that mean in practice? That combat itself was magic. In other words, I was about to witness real spellcasting. I had already seen some through Yuri, of course, but Leon was on a completely different level according to Pakuri’s setting. He was the kind of monster who could toy with someone like Yuri from the Red Claw without breaking a sweat. I was definitely going to see some spectacular fireworks.
Ah, yes. When it comes to fantasy, nothing beats a magic battle.
That said, the guy seemed to hold a serious grudge against the prince. He was glaring at Leon with open hostility.
“Hee hee hee… Your Highness. In truth, I am a mage of the Magic Tower.”
“Is that so? I don’t recall seeing you before.”
“During the Magic Tower’s competition, Your Highness crushed my presentation.”
Ah. So he’s got an inferiority complex toward the prince. Those types pop up everywhere—people who feel threatened by anyone stronger or more talented. They exist in every faction.
“Did I? And?”
“From that day on I have not forgotten for a single moment. I have waited and waited for a day like this to arrive.”
In short, he had been nursing that grudge, waiting for the perfect moment to vent it. I had never encountered this character before, so he must be someone outside the original story. Just as the author said, this world was no longer a simple novel.
“You talk too much.”
“Can you block this, I wonder? Keh heh heh heh heh heh!”
Wow, he really does give off massive loser energy. I’ve never seen anyone who laughs like that turn out to be decent. And wasn’t that dual-element magic? The creep had cast it without even drawing a magic circle. I could do that much myself.
Flames and water formed pillars in both hands before condensing into spheres in mid-air. Was that really the extent of his power? If he was weaker than me—an author by trade—maybe he should just give up.
“Dual-element magic? That alone is impressive.”
“Exactly! I can wield two elements at once! Therefore I will not lose!”
Will not lose, huh? That line needed some revision. Sure, controlling two elements was decent, but Sten’s face was repulsive and he reeked of inferiority. An ugly, untalented inferiority complex like his only existed to elevate the protagonist’s reputation. Of course Leon wasn’t the protagonist, but as a major character he would certainly gain fame from this match.
That dual magic seemed more impressive than I had expected. If Leon could block it cleanly, his renown would skyrocket.
“Kihihihihi! Take this!”
Honestly, this was the first time I had ever seen someone use that kind of laugh in real life. The way he kept licking his lips while staring at Prince Leon was disgusting on multiple levels.
Anyway, the inferiority-complex anchovy flicked his wrist, and the massive orbs of water and fire erupted into flaming projectiles that hurtled toward the prince.
Ah, yes. This is what fantasy should be.
“Your skill is commendable. I can see the effort behind it.”
“Of course! Keh heh! This tournament is a place where status means nothing! I will show you the results of my hard work!”
Boom!
Water and fire detonated against the prince simultaneously. It was a tremendous attack, but… would it really be enough?
Someone with Leon’s setting would never fall to a single strike like that. He was already a magic-side munchkin in the original story. There was no way a disposable loser character could defeat him with one move. Sten existed purely to raise Leon’s fame. A classic “reputation-building” tool.
With the succession already under discussion, people would soon be calling him the Magic Emperor or something similar.
“He took that head-on!”
“Even the Prince of Magic can’t possibly be fine after that, right?”
“So does that mean Sten wins?”
The spectator seats were already buzzing. I doubt it. I may not be great at reading people, but I know a character like that doesn’t die so easily.
“Keh heh heh heh heh! This is what you get for underestimating me!”
Rumble—BOOM!
A fierce explosion erupted from where Leon stood, instantly drowning out the crowd’s noise. I still didn’t understand how water and fire could explode like that.
“Keh heh heh heh! Victory is mine! No matter how much of a magic prince you may be—”
“You should already know this, though.”
“Keh—?”
As expected, Leon emerged from the massive attack completely unscathed. Steam rose thickly around him, and the heat was so intense that an ordinary person would have been incinerated. Yet the prince stood tall and proud.
“Isn’t a genius who puts in effort far more impressive than a mere hard worker?”
“Impossible! That was a mana barrier, wasn’t it? You blocked dual magic with that?!”
A mana barrier. A defensive membrane used to block both close- and long-range attacks. It was essentially a basic shield, and most people preferred higher-grade defensive spells for efficiency. Maintaining a mana barrier was usually done to train mana control rather than for actual combat. At least, that was what the magic textbooks said. The fact that he had blocked dual magic with it proved he was no ordinary mage.
“Now then, nameless foolish commoner. I shall show you what true magic looks like.”
He invoked his spell even faster than the extra had, without any preparation. As expected, Sten was nothing more than disposable fodder.
Ruuuuuumble.
The magic Leon used was on another level. Unlike Sten’s, it called forth lightning as well—triple-element magic. Whoa. To crush someone so completely… how ruthless. He was practically declaring, You can never reach me.
“Oh! That’s triple-element magic!”
Yuri, who had been watching, was practically sparkling with excitement.
“This is what magic truly means.”
“W-what the hell is that?! How is that even possible?!”
Sten’s eyes were shaking violently. He looked utterly horrified. The sight was rather pathetic, but the pattern was classic. An arrogant extra tries to show off how strong and cool he is, only to get absolutely destroyed by the main character.
Oh. I think I just got an idea.
I hadn’t expected much from this tournament, yet inspiration was hitting me like a freight train.
Shrrrrrr—
The enormous triple-element spell closed in on Sten. Pillars of lightning, water, and fire coiled around him like living beasts. The three elements toyed with him, building a perfect cage from which there was no escape.
“This is what real magic looks like.”
“No way…”
Sten shook his head in disbelief. Yeah, I wouldn’t believe it either if I were him. But that’s simply how the world works. A creepy, unpleasant-looking bastard like him could only ever be an extra. At best he might get to torment women in some adult comic.
“Why?! Whyyyyyy?!”
“It’s simple logic. If you wish to stand at a prince’s side—”
—you need to be at least this good.
The three spells surrounding Sten detonated.
Krrrk.
Leon was teaching me all sorts of things today. Yes. That’s it. That’s exactly it. Inspiration wasn’t just coming to me—it was pouring in. This would make a perfect episode for the mage in the hero’s party.
“To be a companion of the hero, you need to be at least this good.”