Is It Only Once?
Is It Only Once?
Bianca's artillery shots, one by one, were nothing compared to Penelope's main gun.
But their numbers were abnormal.
The rain of fire pouring down from thousands, tens of thousands of gun barrels offset Bismarck's overwhelming firepower with sheer quantity, maintaining a stalemate.
"Haa... haa...!"
Bianca was bleeding from her entire body, gripping the handles of her wheelchair tightly.
Her magic power had reached its limit, and her vision was dyed red, but the phantoms of the gun barrels that appeared behind Bianca did not stop.
On the other hand, Penelope was also at her limit.
She squeezed every ounce of strength from her body to maintain her Turtleback armor, but she couldn't block all of the endlessly pouring fire net.
A few of the artillery shells pierced through the gaps in the armor, striking Penelope's shoulder and flank.
Penelope's pride, which seemed like it wouldn't even crack, was slowly but surely crumbling.
"This can't be...! Me, the one who will become the Knight Commander of the Victoria Union, losing to a mere ghost club!"
Penelope screamed and swung her staff, but the excessively poured magic power became poison.
Crack!
With a sound like a scream, Penelope's magic staff shattered from overload.
At that moment, the Concept Erosion of the giant warships that dominated the duel arena wavered like a mirage.
The secondary batteries and anti-aircraft guns that had been firmly guarding her back vanished like smoke, and only a single 15-inch main gun remained, barely maintaining its form.
"...Ah."
Not missing that opening, Bianca's artillery poured out.
Kwakwakwakwa-boom!
Penelope, hit directly by dozens of magic cannon shots, was sent flying and slammed into the opposite wall.
From within the thick cloud of dust, Penelope's ragged breathing could be heard.
Bianca cracked her neck, then slowly walked over, leaning on her blood-stained curved sword.
"Seems pretty clear who the loser is now, doesn't it?"
Bianca was also a mess.
Her armor was tattered and her curved sword was broken, but the gaze of Bianca, who had seized the victory, was sharper than ever.
However, Penelope, who had been slammed into the wall, suddenly began to shake her shoulders.
"...Ha, hahaha!"
A crazed laugh.
Penelope wiped the blood flowing from her lips and stood up, her body in shambles.
In Penelope's eyes, instead of arrogance, there was a strange, unfamiliar emotion.
"So this is what a fight... is actually like? It's so fun!"
Penelope laughed heartily and threw her broken staff behind her.
"Bianca Lucia. After I make this next attack, I will have used up all my magic power. My Concept Erosion will likely be dispelled as well."
Penelope raised her right hand and took a shooting stance.
Then, an immense amount of energy, as if sucking in the magic power of the entire duel arena, began to condense into the last remaining 15-inch main gun behind her back.
"I always thought I had to be responsible for others and fight representing my family. But... it turns out I could enjoy it even without that."
High-density magic power to the point where the surrounding space distorted.
A new realm reached by a single mage.
Bianca watched that sight in silence.
In fact, if she focused only on defense or ran away now, Bianca's victory would be certain.
Because Penelope would self-destruct, unable to handle her own magic consumption.
Or, she could have launched a preemptive strike to cut it off while it was charging.
But Bianca's gun barrels also stopped firing and began to condense overwhelming magic power, as if gathering into a single point.
"...I don't particularly find joy in fighting. But still."
Bianca smiled sweetly and pointed the tip of her broken sword at Penelope.
"I do like that relieved look on your face right now."
Heh.
The two people's gazes collided in the air.
A clash of pure power, without any calculations or family benefits.
"Here I come!"
"Come at me!"
Gold and silver, two giant streaks of light split the duel arena in half and collided head-on.
A pure white radiance so bright one couldn't even open their eyes.
A density of magic power that was impossible to believe was a duel between a 1st and 2nd year.
Even my vision, linked through the Watching Eye, was filled with noise; the space itself was screaming at the two people's fighting spirit.
Crack, cra-crack!
Eventually, the black veil that maintained the private duel couldn't hold on and began to tear apart.
The vassals and students waiting outside were shocked and stepped back at the overwhelming heat and beams of light leaking through the gaps in the veil.
In the center of that vortex of light, the two women were staring at each other.
"...Incredible, Bianca Lucia! To take my full-power strike head-on!"
"You're the one to talk... I thought you only knew how to act all noble and graceful, but you've got some pretty hot magic power!"
They sent praise to each other, but there was not an inch of concession at their fingertips.
They squeezed out their magic power to the very last drop, the very end, struggling to push back the opponent's flash.
It wasn't just the magic power that was overloaded.
The tens of thousands of gun barrels were glowing red-hot from the heat, their tips melting into a mush, and Penelope's 15-inch main gun was also spewing blue flames, its steel body twisting.
But the outcome was decided by a momentary waver.
Finally, the output of Penelope's main gun, which had reached its limit, fluctuated slightly.
Bianca was not a soft person who would miss that opening.
"Now!"
Boom-kwakwakwakwa-boom!
The moment the fire net of the main gun was pierced, thousands of magic bullets rushed in like wild beasts and smashed Penelope's main gun to pieces.
Steel fragments scattered in all directions, and countless artillery shells poured onto Penelope's body, whose defensive barrier had been breached.
Kwakwa-boom!!!
Dozens of direct hits struck Penelope's entire body.
As the dust cloud cleared, Penelope's figure was revealed, her clothes shredded and her whole body covered in blood.
The flashy pride of chivalry was gone, but Penelope was still standing on her own two feet, despite staggering.
Bianca approached Penelope, gasping for breath.
"It seems... it's over now?"
Bianca was also a wreck.
Her armor had turned to dust and disappeared, and she was barely standing, using her broken sword as a cane.
Penelope stared straight into Bianca's eyes.
And a moment later, Penelope's lips trembled slightly.
"...It is my defeat."
As soon as that declaration fell, the last thread of magic that had been supporting Penelope unraveled.
Penelope collapsed to the floor powerlessly, like a doll with its strings cut.
As Penelope collapsed, the vassals of the Chivalry Society watching from the stands rose in unison. Their eyes were filled with anger and bewilderment, and some looked ready to jump into the duel arena right then and there.
"How dare you insult our Young Lady! How dare you!"
But Penelope, slumped on the floor, raised a blood-stained hand to stop them.
"...Stop it. If you are a knight, you must know how to accept defeat cleanly."
At Penelope's words, the fuming vassals came to a dead stop.
It seemed they also knew that if their master, Penelope, admitted defeat, the vassals running wild would only tarnish their master's honor.
Of course...
I had the 3rd-stage Angel Summon ready, too. Bummer, what a waste.
I wiggled my fingers, feeling disappointed inwardly.
The traces of the horrific battlefield visible beyond the torn veil seemed to have given the students an indescribable shock.
Amidst the murmuring, voices mixed with awe could be heard, saying, "Is that really a fight between 1st and 2nd years?"
As the magic dissipated, Senior Bianca's legs lost their strength, so I immediately ran over to support her and carefully sat her down in the spare wheelchair I had prepared in advance.
"...Good work, Club President."
Bianca, while gasping for breath, looked at me and made a V-sign with her fingers, which were trembling slightly.
"...I, I won...."
"Yes, yes, you were very cool."
With those words, Bianca, perhaps due to the overload, let her head drop and fell fast asleep.
Seeing the satisfied smile on her lips even while unconscious, she must have been quite happy.
This was an event described only in text in the original work, but seeing it in person, it's truly thrilling.
But the appreciation ends here. Now it's time to collect the loot.
In the original work, only Penelope joined the club and that was it, but leaving this solid knightly network and manpower to rot is something a veteran player like me cannot allow.
I raised my magic power and summoned the Burning Wheel.
As soon as the Wheel appeared, it seemed to notice that its master was trying to use it as a chair, so instead of its usual fierce flames, it let out a sullen and gloomy energy, letting its wheel axle hang limp.
"Hey, give me a break just this once. Our Wheel is a good boy, right?"
As I stroked the Wheel's hot rim and sat on it, the vassals of Penelope's faction and the students in the stands who saw the scene recoiled in horror.
Our Wheel is cute, so why are you like that?
"Now, everyone, pay attention. As promised, Penelope L. Gladstone will be a member of our Literature Research Club starting today. But, I have a question for you vassals of the Chivalry Society."
I looked at Penelope's loyal subordinates one by one and showed a provocative smile.
To make them feel unpleasant.
"Your master lost the match and is moving to a new club, yet you, who call yourselves knights, are just going to stand outside and watch? Wasn't the chivalry you talk about supposed to be about serving your master to the end, whether the path they take is a thorny one or an otaku den?"
The vassals' complexions changed. I knew that these fools couldn't help themselves when it came to the cause of chivalry.
"Don't tell me that just because your master was defeated, your loyalty was defeated too? Or are you knights of a higher rank than Penelope, so you're not following her?"
"Th-that's impossible! We are always with the Young Lady!"
"That's right! If you're a knight, you follow in your master's footsteps!"
Such simple-minded guys.
The vassals, caught in my logic, began to shout in fury one by one.
"Good. Then everyone write your names on the membership application. Aren't you worried about what kind of treatment your Young Lady will receive in our club? If you want to protect her by her side, you have no choice but to become members."
#
...A few days later. Just as the aftermath of the stormy club room battle was settling down, Si-woo opened the club room door and walked in, dusting off his clothes.
"...Seo-yeon-ah. I'm here. But is this really officially launched?"
Si-woo stopped in shock.
And rightfully so, because the Literature Research Club, which had been full of nothing but a nerdy stench just a few days ago, had now transformed into the headquarters of a massive force.
"A knight must manage their master's library without a single speck of dust!" "Hey! Don't touch that figure! Senior Bianca cherishes that!"
Because over 20 vassals belonging to the Chivalry Society, now belonging to the Society for the Preservation of Human History and Cultural Heritage, were wearing aprons and causing a mess while cleaning and organizing the club room.
In the center of that chaos, the victor, Senior Bianca, was thrusting a book at Penelope with sparkling eyes.
"Penelope-yang, this is a masterpiece called <The Young Lady Tames the Duke's Knight>. It's a much hotter and more noble narrative than things like battleships, you know?"
"...Wh-what is this? The title is vulgar. But the conviction with which a knight protects their master is... oh my, the look in this man's eyes in the illustration is quite...."
The cool-headed blonde knight young lady, Penelope, was slowly being corrupted as she dipped her feet into the swamp of the romance fantasy light novel that Bianca had handed her.
And I, caught in that mess...
"...Save... me...."
Perhaps hearing the small groan I let out, Si-woo approached with a dry laugh, and I didn't miss the opportunity to push his back hard.
"Come on! Kang Si-woo! Don't just stand there, help! It's the club's official launch party today!"
"...Party, my foot. Seo-yeon-ah, you seem completely out of it in this chaos. Come to think of it, are you actually attending your Academy classes? I heard no one has seen you sitting in a lecture hall."
"...."
In an instant, my mind went white.
Ah, right. This was a military academy, wasn't it? I was a student, wasn't I?
While making clubs, matching heroines, and measuring damage output, I had completely emptied the student's duty of attendance and studying into my brain's trash bin! I had been neglecting it too much because class participation wasn't mandatory!
"...Ah, right."
[Ding! - F-grade crisis alert sounds!]
[Important Notice: If you fail the midterm exam, a supplementary class episode will proceed!]
Hey. Notification. Long time no see.
I'm going to get expelled before I can even cancel my insurance.