Chapter 127: Did I Learn the Sword for This? I Feel Tormented and Ashamed (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 127: Did I Learn the Sword for This? I Feel Tormented and Ashamed (3)
The front row always comes with a price.
At a dolphin show, you have to be prepared to get soaked.
In a broadcast, you have to be prepared for your face to be sold to the public on TV.
And apparently, to watch a fight in a fantasy world, you have to be prepared to put your life on the line.
I knew the protective magic in the training grounds had shattered ages ago.
I felt relieved because several professors had shown up and were busy casting spells.
Our professors are way too weak.
They can't even block an attack from an academy student.
Of course, if ordinary professors were capable of that, the dark mages would have been stopped long ago.
Still, with flames rushing toward my face, I needed someone to blame.
Fortunately, a professional mage was right beside me.
"This cost me three months' salary!"
And not just any ordinary mage, but one who had even mastered ancient sorcery.
"The popcorn was worth the price."
"Shut up and give me a raise!"
Considering she hasn't done much lately, I should probably just freeze her salary instead.
"I swear, I'm gonna shut down this barrier!"
She said that, but she wouldn't actually do it; it would put her and the students behind her in danger.
The real problem was...
"Is Daisy still alive?"
"...Surprisingly, yes."
Her voice didn't sound surprised at all, but I soon understood why.
"......"
I was left speechless by the sight of Daisy steadily advancing, carving right through the Breath.
"Is she splitting the Breath?"
"As far as I know, a Breath isn't magic; it's pure mana... Does that make it easier to absorb?"
"Maybe our ancestor is just going easy on her?"
"Would you use a Breath if you were going easy?"
"...True."
Now that I think about it, that makes sense. That means it was a serious blow, so what the hell is Daisy that she can block it?
"A RoFan female lead."
"Since when did RoFan become a hero's journey...?"
I was starting to feel sorry for the Demon King, whose destiny was to kidnap that thing.
*
A winner was decided.
The ancestor of the Leon line, the Super Fire Spammer who abandoned the sword, was given a harsh lesson by the true swordsman, Daisy.
"...This is a scam!"
Was it because she lost even after pathetically resorting to a Breath?
I dragged the Super Fire Spammer away as she made unsightly excuses about the difference in their magic swords.
"You're being pathetic, Irin."
"Suddenly using my name? I mean, I wanted that! But why does it feel so insulting?!"
I called her by name despite her being a royal ancestor, and she still found something to complain about.
This is why you can't treat Magic Spammers with respect.
"Nothing is more pathetic than a loser who won't admit defeat."
"No, wait. Your reaction is definitely weird! You've turned so cold! Is it because I lost?"
"No."
Anyone can lose.
As an expert in losing—having learned the Defeat Sword, after all—I don't judge people based on mere wins and losses.
I simply categorize them the Leon way: Magic Spammer or not.
In that sense, I simply couldn't acknowledge a Super Fire Spammer who, despite having the blood of the Leon royalty, chose magic over the sword for her final phase.
"Sign here. 'Magic can never defeat the sword...'"
"No! If she'd won with pure swordsmanship, I'd understand! She only won because of that sword!"
"They say when you reach the pinnacle, the sword is you and you are the sword."
"Where do you keep picking up these phrases? That sword over there is clearly the main body!"
How unsightly. For someone who lost, she sure has a lot to say.
"In the end, you lost to a sword, didn't you?"
"I heard the Leon Kingdom hates magic since I got here, but it's this bad?!"
Looking at the Super Fire Spammer's face, which was painted with shock, I replied flatly.
"This is your father's country."
"M-my dad wasn't like this..."
"Make your choice. Is it Dad or Mom?"
"T-that's so childish..."
"Since you can't answer, I see you've chosen Mom over Dad..."
"I never said that!"
"Then sign here. 'Magic can never defeat the sword...'"
"Never!"
Sigh. Do all Magic Spammers refuse to admit defeat?
Whether it's the top student of the Magic Department who can't accept his loss, or this Super Fire Spammer who can't accept losing to Daisy's sword.
At this point, I'm seriously starting to wonder if fire-attribute magic has a negative effect on the user's personality.
"Are you watching, Ancestor? Your daughter has abandoned the sword..."
"I didn't abandon it! And how many times do I have to tell you, I'm not your ancestor?!"
What a lack of Leon-style sensitivity.
By Leon standards, even if the families are different, there should be a natural consensus—as if connected by a hive mind—that Sword > Magic.
To not know this... No wonder she used magic and lost.
"......You're saying all of this out loud, you know?!"
"Ah, my mistake."
The speech bubble must have swapped positions by accident.
"If you're going to lie, at least try to act!"
It really was a mistake, though.
She just doesn't get it.
Probably.
*
Due to the nature of the Academy, a gap between the top and bottom ranks was inevitable.
There was an unavoidable difference between those who received professional education from a young age, like royalty, and lower-ranking nobles or commoners who discovered their talent late.
Of course, there were those who closed that gap quickly through raw talent alone.
However, the majority could not overcome that disparity.
Because of this, the Academy placed no restrictions on weapons.
Since the gap already existed, the argument was that individuals should be allowed to use weapons suited to their equipment, making the combat more realistic.
In reality, the Academy used to provide standard-issue weapons, but students kept breaking them. Unable to handle the financial strain, the Academy simply told them to find their own gear.
As a result, wealthy students carried expensive weapons.
While it was an unspoken rule not to use them normally, there was no issue with school regulations if they were used in practical exams like personal training or dungeon exploration.
"I think this is a bit of a problem."
However, someone finally raised a question.
"It is."
"Honestly, that's a bit much..."
And it wasn't just one or two people.
"Hmm......"
Even the Sword Emperor, who always insisted that a weapon's performance could never surpass a person's skill, couldn't find a counterargument.
"......It is excessive."
The mages nodded at McGregor's words.
In the category of magic, the pinnacle of existence was the dragon.
And such a being had been defeated.
Of course, she wasn't a real dragon, but a dragonkin who inherited some of that blood.
Still, the level of magic she displayed had already far surpassed that of ordinary professors, and her final Breath had even shocked the Archmage McGregor.
Yet she lost.
Not through pure individual skill, but solely due to the performance of a weapon.
Of course, it wasn't that Daisy herself lacked ability.
But the weapon's performance so clearly exceeded that ability that it was causing a stir.
"I mean, continuously draining the opponent's mana? Does that even make sense?"
A professor from the Magic Department shouted, his face full of disbelief.
In the magical theory he knew, such a thing was impossible.
A magic sword capable of draining most of a dragonkin's mana was unheard of!
"It's not a magic sword; it's a holy sword..."
But the moment the word "holy sword" was mentioned, the logic suddenly clicked.
Magic requires theory, but divine power can be dismissed as a "miracle of God."
"So, what? Are you suggesting we confiscate the holy sword? Or change the school rules now?"
"......"
The former would be a declaration of war against the Church.
The latter would mean facing the wrath of students and parents.
"The Academy has already had several incidents. People might argue that we're taking away their minimum safety measures."
"But if we let that weapon be used, students might start looking for stronger weapons instead of putting in effort. In fact, the demand for magic swords at the Academy's weapon shop is skyrocketing..."
Watching the endless, meaningless debate, the Sword Emperor made a decision.
"There's nothing we can do anyway."
No matter what they did, the moment the Academy intervened, there would be backlash.
Therefore, the best way was for the students to solve the problem themselves.
And the best way to do that was...
"Shouldn't we just wait for a student who can defeat that sword with their own skill?"
Everyone nodded at the Sword Emperor's words, but...
"Who?"
At McGregor's single word, everyone fell into silence.
"Don't worry."
Only the Sword Emperor maintained a confident smirk.
*
I spent quite a while munching on snacks because Uncle Aeryun, who had called for me, hadn't arrived yet.
Suddenly, a thought occurred to me, and I quietly looked at the Fire Spammer.
"...Why are you looking at me like that?"
The Fire Spammer frowned and grew wary under my persistent gaze.
His look said, What kind of weird thought are you having now?
"No, I was just thinking."
Unlike usual, I was actually contemplating something serious.
"About what?"
"Hasn't your character... been completely overshadowed?"
"What are you talking about?"
What were the traits of the Fire Spammer?
Her character design was that of someone born to be a Fire Spammer, despite the fact that she was originally destined to be an Ice Spammer.
Red hair, red eyes.
And the magic he used was fire magic.
"I mean, our ancestor is just a superior version of you in every way."
"......"
"Her hair color is deeper, and she's better at fire magic."
"......"
"She hasn't even been dumped, so..."
"I haven't been dumped either!"
I shook my head as he screamed, finally triggered by my last comment.
"At this rate, you're going to lose your title as the Fire Spammer too."
"...Isn't it a good thing to lose that?"
Taylor, who had been listening quietly, asked, and the Fire Spammer nodded.
"If you take the 'fire' out of 'Fire Spammer,' you're just a 'spammer,' aren't you?"
"...You'd better step up your game."
He immediately changed his stance at my answer.
"If that happens, forget the peace of the Academy; it's war."
The Fire Spammer growled and glared fiercely, but peace was maintained by a single sentence from Uncle Aeryun, who had just walked in.
"As a result of the faculty meeting, we will be selecting a few students for a special lecture to defeat Daisy."
Is Daisy some kind of boss monster? The professors are holding a special lecture just to take her down...
"And you're one of them, Adam!"
"Me?"
Why me?
I looked at him with that expression, but Uncle Aeryun seemed strangely confident, unlike his usual self.
That made me uneasy.
Usually, he would have spouted some nonsense I'd never listen to, like "for the sake of world peace."
"An agreement has been reached with Leon."
And as expected, the reason why I had no choice but to do the job came out of Uncle Aeryun's mouth.
"......Excuse me?"
Of course, that didn't mean I understood what he was saying.