Chapter 125: Did I Learn the Sword for This? I Feel Tormented and Ashamed (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 125: Did I Learn the Sword for This? I Feel Tormented and Ashamed (1)
Her expression reminded me of a Pokémon meme I saw a long time ago.
It was the kind of face that said, You want me to fight THAT?
But if Daisy didn’t fight, the only person left to throw into the ring was Prince Ellen.
To be honest, since she was an ancestor, it wouldn't have mattered if I fought her myself. But there was no reason not to use a card when I had one in my hand.
"Well, since she gave her consent..."
"Wait, hold on a second?!"
I don't know where her head was at, but since she had accepted the duel as if it were the most natural thing in the world, there was no reason not to proceed.
"......How did it even come to this?"
And so, the match was set: the RoFan Female Lead, a woman with the potential to become the strongest being in the world and a representative of humanity, versus a member of the Dragonkin, a race that was a literal cheat code.
Since this world lacked cola, I grabbed some popcorn and a decent fruit juice before taking a seat in the very front row.
I watched Daisy, who was sighing deeply as the crowd gathered, and Grandmother Irin, who was beaming while warming up.
Then, with a fluttering heart, I watched as Daisy finally steeled herself and drew it.
"Here I come!"
The way mana gathered on her sword was natural.
It had only been half a semester—barely more than that.
Recalling how she used to just swing the Magic Sword around haphazardly when she first got it, I could see why the Minor Sword Emperor had been trembling in fear.
"Good."
Grandmother Irin smiled and clenched her fist.
Following the pattern I had experienced, it seemed she intended to start with her bare hands.
Boom!
Sword and fist collided.
"Huh?"
And then, a surprising result followed.
"W-What is this?!"
I’ve said it many times, but there aren't many perverts who use their bare hands when they have a weapon.
The only ones who had faced Daisy’s Magic Sword bare-handed were the Beastkin back when she first acquired it.
Even then, the Beastkin relied more on their physical abilities than mana due to their racial traits. At the time, Daisy was a novice who couldn't properly control the mana being absorbed by the sword.
But now, Daisy was skilled enough to let the sword fully contain the mana.
Furthermore, the opponent fighting her bare-handed was of the Dragonkin bloodline—someone whose sheer mana capacity made even me look like a mere commoner.
"T-This feels disgusting!"
The sword was draining the opponent's mana so aggressively that one might have mistaken it for tentacles.
"Agh, my mana!"
Grandmother Irin groaned as she tried to regain control of her mana, but it seemed even a Dragonkin descendant was helpless against the Demon King's Magic Sword.
"That's just broken..."
It wasn't that there were no powers other than mana—there were physical differences between races, and concepts like the sorcery used by Violet and Silence.
However, as is typical for a standard fantasy world, most power relied on mana. It was the fundamental energy for everything, much like electricity in my previous life.
To be able to steal that unilaterally... no matter how many times I saw it, that sword was something to be coveted.
"Hmph!"
Having experienced that absurdity firsthand, Grandmother Irin decided to move on to Phase 2.
It was a quick and wise decision, but...
"Ah!"
Unfortunately, Grandmother Irin’s sword wasn't a physical one; it was a blade made of mana.
As her sword of flames was sucked dry by Daisy’s blade, Grandmother Irin threw it away.
"This is cheating!"
Daisy, having been officially labeled a cheater by someone who was half-dragon, began to utilize the mana stored in her sword with an indifferent expression.
"O Goddess."
As Divine Power was added to the mix, a brilliant light began to burst from around the blade.
"Wow."
It wasn't a ridiculously oversized blade that reached the sky like before. The only reason she had done something so crude back then was that she didn't know how to channel mana into a weapon.
Now, she was capable of not just channeling it, but compressing it naturally.
I couldn't help but be impressed.
The mana was packed tight. The length of what people usually called Sword Energy reached nearly ten meters.
Even to a fellow swordsman, the blade looked absurdly powerful, but upon closer inspection, it felt unusual. It wasn't just mana; sparks of flame and Divine Power were flickering within it.
If a member of the Demon Tribe were here, they would have died of joy!
"......What on earth is that?"
Even the mighty Dragonkin was left dazed as the sword was swung.
"The Curtain of Flames that devours all."
A concise incantation left Grandmother Irin’s lips.
Simultaneously, dozens of layers of fire walls rose to block Daisy’s sword.
Daisy looked a bit flustered by the defense, but...
"To think you'd make me use magic..."
Unlike before, Irin’s brow furrowed slightly, and her voice turned cold as she made a declaration to Daisy.
"You'd better be prepared."
By the way, the moment the sword didn't work, she went straight to magic...
"Go Daisy!"
You're a disgrace to Leon, you Super Fire Spammer.
Violet - The Possessor Knows Nothing.
"......So that happened. Do you know anything about it?"
The heterogeneous species were coming.
Specifically, the Dragonkin—hybrids of dragons and humans.
"Hehe. Boradori knows nothing~"
The words of a madwoman tumbled out of my mouth. It was the kind of statement that would make me kick my blankets in embarrassment before bed, but that was how great the shock was.
Dragonkin? Was there such a thing?
Dragons.
They are a staple race in fantasy worlds.
Depending on the novel, they are depicted as gods or god-like beings. Sometimes they aren't gods but reign as absolute entities in the human world. Depending on the setting, they might be ancient beings on the brink of extinction—or already extinct—at the hands of humans.
One thing was certain: they were always portrayed as incredibly, overwhelmingly powerful.
Because of that, in the RoFan genre, dragons were usually relegated to being the protagonist's supporters or plot devices to give the male lead the title of "Dragon Slayer."
Why?
Because in a RoFan, you're supposed to be dating, not hunting the strongest being in existence. Besides, with an absolute enemy like the Demon King already present, there was no way they'd make dragons enemies as well.
Thus, in this novel, Like a Flower Blooming in Barren Land, dragons were only ever mentioned in passing as beings that existed.
"What do you know..."
I couldn't offer any rebuttal to my boss's words.
...I mean, how am I supposed to know things that weren't in the original work?
It was even more infuriating because the person saying this was likely responsible for 60% of why the original plot had twisted. But since I felt like I was responsible for the other 40%, I had to keep my mouth shut, which only made my blood boil more.
"Agent Boradori. You've had no activity lately."
"Boradori feels wronged."
"Even if you feel wronged, there's nothing I can do. At this rate, you might be fired, let alone get a pay cut..."
"......!"
Hey, you're the one who made me an agent for the Kingdom!
If I get abandoned here, the only thing left for me might be an Imperial basement!
"Y-You said you'd take responsibility!"
It’s so unfair. I only planned to pack my bags and defect if things got hairy because they promised a lot of money!
"Usually, useless agents are..."
As my boss made a throat-slitting gesture, I made a vow.
Watch your back.
If I ever get the chance, I’m going to hit you so hard.
"I-I'll work hard!"
But regardless of my plans for revenge, I was the one in a tight spot, so I had no choice but to beg and start digging for information on the Dragonkin.
I scoured the library. I even snuck into the secret room filled with ancient hidden texts of the Academy to find information.
Finally, I found an ancient Elven tome stating that in the distant past—though it was recent by dragon standards—the Leon Royal Family and a dragon had shared a romance.
Information that only a talented individual like me, who even knows ancient Elven, could find!
"...I already know that."
"How?!"
I reported it immediately, but he said he already knew.
This is impossible. This is just my boss's tyranny to frame me as useless!
"...The person themselves came and told me."
"Bwah?"
"......You should have told me a little sooner."
Seeing him mutter with a hollow face, "If I'd known, I could have prevented the world from knowing our kingdom's ancestor was a dragon-fucker..." it seemed to be the truth.
"No way..."
Do you know how hard I worked to find that?
It felt like the world was trolling me. If even this didn't work, I might as well give up being an informant.
But I am Violet.
I am someone who learned all sorts of abilities, including sorcery, just to survive this RoFan world.
There must be something else I can do. If information doesn't work, then through force!
To vent my anger and improve my skills, I grinded through the secret dungeon beneath the Academy. After much effort, I acquired a new sorcery and emerged.
With this, I could slightly alleviate the "Time-Based Potency Debuff"—a self-imposed restriction I took to increase the power of my sorcery.
Now, I could use a high-level spell for emergencies... if I saved up for about three months!
I! Am! Useful!
I stepped outside to proclaim my worth, but...
"......?"
For some reason, there was no one in the Academy.
"What, did a Dark Mage show up?"
As I looked around the Academy with that thought, I heard a massive explosion from one side.
Thinking a Dark Mage really had invaded, I carefully approached using stealth and cover.
"What on earth is that..."
I saw Daisy fighting someone I’d never seen before. No, it was a member of a different race.
Seeing the horns on the red hair, the reptilian wings on the back, and the tail, it was obvious to anyone that this was the Dragonkin who had come to the Academy.
"Wow."
A fight between Daisy and a Dragonkin? Is this for real?
My heart is pounding.
With just a flick of the lips, countless magic circles were generated behind the Dragonkin. Each one looked like high-level magic, yet they were being cast with most of the incantations skipped.
As a fellow mage, I could tell how nonsensical that was.
It was as if she were demonstrating the sheer gap in bloodlines.
It felt like watching a certain protagonist in a ninja village who emphasized hard work, only to realize he was a genius blessed with every bloodline imaginable—leaving me feeling like a "Blue Beast Wannabe."
I went through hell in the basement... I worked so hard to upgrade my sorcery!
And then something like that just pops up!
Furthermore!
"Daisy... you've grown strong..."
Seeing Daisy holding her own against that monster, I vowed never to mess with her again.
That minor spat we had after the fight with Silence... if we did that now, I’d end up with a donut hole in my stomach.
I watched quietly for a bit, then spotted my boss in the front row and quietly took the seat next to him.
As I stole some of his popcorn, I decided to abandon the path of martial force.
Surviving in a RoFan is truly a difficult task.
...If you're an agent, you should stick to being an informant.
Yes. Definitely.
Ruelle Dale - The World is Trolling Me.
The Magic Wannabe.
No, the man who had become a taboo in the Magic Department, to the point where they tried their best not even to mention his name.
I had lost to that human, but I wasn't even allowed to be depressed.
The reason was simple.
"Seriously, you're a disgrace to the Kingdom!"
My damn brother had also lost to that human and gone into seclusion.
Honestly, Sister Marie’s situation was pathetic enough, but for him to be this depressed over one loss...
I wonder who they take after.
"Right. I can't stay like this forever."
Perhaps my efforts had paid off, because my damn brother finally made a comeback. He vowed to work harder and defeat that Magic Wannabe next time.
"I... will confess to Daisy the day I become the greatest mage in this Academy!"
"Just die. Seriously."
I was glad Sister Marie wasn't here. I went through all that trouble to coax him out, and the first thing he says is that he's going to confess to another woman.
My revived brother headed to the training grounds for some rehabilitation, but...
"......"
"......"
Watching the incredible duel taking place at the training grounds, I muttered unconsciously.
"I don't think you'll ever get to confess, Brother."
...My brother locked himself in his room again, but this time, I had no choice but to give up on dragging him out.