Chapter 67: Big and Beautiful (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 67: Big and Beautiful (1)
When asked why she was holding a Colosseum match here instead of sleeping, Daisy muttered with a look of utter injustice.
“No, I was just trying to promote inter-species friendship and harmony…”
“What on earth are you talking about…?”
No, why would you be the one doing that?
Wait, actually? Since she was the Saintess, maybe seeking inter-species friendship and harmony was part of the job description?
No, but still.
“What does that have to do with this?”
To me, it looked less like friendship and harmony and more like a hierarchy-settling brawl.
“Th-they were the ones who challenged me to a duel first. I just accepted…”
Perhaps realizing her excuse made no sense, Daisy’s expression began to crumble into a pout as she spoke. However…
“To think it would be this moving.”
“Pardon?”
The one who came to her aid was, surprisingly, Arang, the Chieftain of the Canine Tribe.
“To think you didn't avoid a fight that came your way out of respect for our culture.”
I wondered if he was just saying that to save Daisy’s face, but one look at his expression told me otherwise.
That was the face of someone genuinely moved.
…To think she could even move a dog.
Should I be impressed by the Saintess’s capacity?
Or should I marvel at her talent for touching even the hearts of the wild Canine Tribe?
If not that…
“Fight me last.”
“What?”
“You have to vent that anyway, don't you?”
Following Arang’s hearty laughter, I looked at Daisy’s magic sword, which still boasted a magnificent size.
It was shrinking bit by bit as time passed, but to return it to its original state, she would either have to wait half a day…
“I’ll take care of it for you.”
…Or use it all up.
“Okay…”
With tears in her eyes, Daisy had no choice but to agree.
In truth, while humans collectively referred to them as Beastkin, they weren't a single race. Each tribe was distinct enough to be classified as its own species.
That meant the combat power varied greatly from tribe to tribe.
The Canine Tribe was considered relatively bellicose, but by human standards, they were said to have less combat talent compared to the Wolfkin.
Of course, Arang, the Chieftain of the Canine Tribe, had the character 'Rang' in his name. It was said he had more Wolfkin blood in him than Canine.
I had been curious about just how skilled he was.
“This is almost at the Captain’s level.”
Just his presence made my skin crawl. It was the aura of a Sword Master, something I’d felt a few times before.
Since he used his fists, was the formal title 'Fist Master'?
Among humans, there were almost no eccentrics who used their fists when weapons were available. Since reaching that level happened maybe once in a generation, they were usually called 'Fist Emperors.'
“You didn't recognize an opponent like that?”
It was Violet, who had sat down next to me at some point. Was she saying that because I’d mentioned before that I wasn't sure what would happen if I fought the Chieftain?
“I told you then, I couldn't really tell.”
To hide that much power to the point where I didn't even feel like I would lose—it meant he had perfect control over his strength.
In other words, he was a master on a completely different level than me.
“But what’s that?”
I asked because she was eating something.
“Popcorn.”
An unexpected piece of civilization had appeared.
“Why is that here?”
“They were selling it in the village.”
To think they were selling popcorn here when even the Leon Kingdom didn't have it. Dammit, I felt like we’d been beaten in technology again.
“Give me some.”
“You get paid more than me…”
Despite her grumbling, she handed me a bag of popcorn. Seeing her pull out another bag after that, it seemed she had bought several.
“How many did you buy?”
“Ten? Having a subspace pouch is really convenient.”
That’s not what I provided that item for.
“It’s starting!”
“……When did she get here?”
I was dumbfounded to see Bell sitting there, holding a piece of meat that looked like it came straight out of a manga instead of popcorn. But I was forced to turn my gaze away by the following impact.
“When did they start?”
“I told you they were starting.”
It was a split second. The movements of a powerhouse who could imbue their fists with Aura were difficult even for me to track properly.
As for how Daisy was able to block such attacks…
“…It feels more like she’s swinging a pillar than a sword.”
“Uh, yeah.”
It was thanks to that ridiculously large mass of mana that swept through everything in front of her with just a slight movement.
“Still, her mana is decreasing.”
Every time Arang’s fist collided with Daisy’s sword, chunks of Daisy’s mana began to vanish.
“Can’t she steal Aura?”
“She probably can. It’s just that she loses more than she gains.”
“Would it be different if Daisy knew how to use Aura?”
“Probably?”
It was a fight where the winner was decided before it even began. All that remained was to see how long Daisy could hold out against Arang.
“But she’s holding out longer than I thought.”
“I don't know why, but Uncle is going easy on her.”
“Is he helping her control her power?”
“He must have really taken a liking to her.”
Was it just my imagination that she was being treated better than me, the benefactor of the Wolfkin, and Violet, the shaman?
Should I consider this the power of a RoFan heroine?
Or just Daisy’s own power?
…Looking at that massive lump of mana, I might have to just call it raw power.
“It’s over.”
The match ended about three minutes later. That giant pillar of mana had finally vanished at the tips of Arang’s fingers.
“Amazing… Uncle is only a little bit weaker than Dad.”
In that short time, Bell’s eyes were sparkling as she finished off two giant pieces of meat. Does the RoFan heroine’s reach even ensnare other girls?
“Hmm…”
Leaving Bell, who was making a rare thoughtful expression, I approached Daisy, who was collapsed on the ground, panting.
“Are you tired?”
“…Can’t you tell by looking?”
“Yesterday too, and now today. You’re just fighting every day.”
I’d thought about it yesterday, but I couldn't hold it back anymore.
“Why don't you transfer to the Swordsmanship Department?”
Don't try to hide the blood of a warrior that even the Canine Chieftain recognized, Daisy! With your talent, I don't know about Prince Ellen, but you could at least beat someone like the Mi-mi-mi-minor Sword Emperor!
“…I am considering it. It’s more fun than I thought.”
Daisy, having found joy in swinging a sword. Who could stop this?
“I feel like I could even beat Adam if I have this sword.”
…Should I stop her?
Was it just my imagination that I saw the birth of a new Demon King in Daisy’s smirk?
I really hope it was just my imagination.
On the morning of the third day.
We had no choice but to return to the Rias Territory. The reason was simple.
“I got word that they’re going to be a bit late.”
“We can wait that long.”
“My mistake. They said they’re going to be very late.”
According to the reason, the Wolfkin warriors had arrived safely at the Academy, but…
“They said they got confused about the directions.”
Hearing that we had headed to the Rias Territory, they ran with all their might… but they ran in the exact opposite direction and only managed to return to the Academy yesterday.
They were physically exhausted and said they would rest for a day before running back.
“It sounds like it will take some time.”
We had come by airship, but the Beastkin were running here on foot. Because of that, we couldn't keep waiting in the village due to the Academy’s schedule, so we decided to head back.
“Why are you following us?”
“Dad said he’s coming to give his thanks.”
The bitch—no, Bell—who had gone back into dog mode, was naturally occupying the top of my head.
Yawn.
I tried to shake my head to drop the yawning Bell, but she held on with an unfazed expression.
“Please take good care of my niece.”
“Just take her with you.”
“The kid is so rude, she doesn't listen to her uncle.”
In short, he wasn't taking her.
“……”
I turned my gaze to the other Canine Tribe members.
“Come visit again sometime.”
“I’m curious to see how much your leg strength will have grown by then!”
Gyarang, who had been treated like a grandmother, was seeing Violet off along with other Canine shamans.
“……”
And the other Canine Tribe members…
“Not avoiding a fight that comes your way… Lady Daisy’s resolve has shattered my prejudice against humans.”
“I will work hard so that I can win the next time we meet!”
They were seeing off Daisy, who had become a legend (probably) after knocking down half of the Canine warrior squad.
What the hell. Was I not the benefactor?
“Well then, safe travels.”
Leaving behind Arang, the only one seeing me off, we left the Canine village and arrived at the Rias Territory.
And the news we heard as soon as we returned was…
“Aha. So Prince Ellen is trapped in a dungeon due to a trap by Dark Mages?”
It was the news that the Rias Territory, like the Academy, had been breached by Dark Mages.
Feeling the surprisingly good cushioning of my chair, I asked the Fire Spammer.
“And the Prince of Dale is safe?”
“Uh, well. The Prince noticed it first, so…”
Glance.
The Fire Spammer’s gaze briefly flickered to my chair before returning to its place.
“Uncle Aeryun. Isn't this a bit much? Huh? We just came back from leaving a great impression on the Canine Tribe in the Empire! And yet, a Prince of Leon is trapped in a dungeon!”
“…I have no excuse.”
Uncle Aeryun couldn't even offer a defense. At this point, I wondered if it was an Imperial conspiracy, but I held back since Esid, the Imperial Prince, was in the same boat as Prince Ellen.
“Chair.”
I asked the chair with the good cushioning.
“You said it wouldn't be breached!”
“Urgh!”
The chair named Taylor let out a groan.
“You said Rias was different from the Academy!”
“I… I have no excuse.”
“The Academy held out for at least a few months!”
In truth, for the sake of the story’s progression, the author probably just didn't start the invasion in the early stages. Regardless, the Academy wasn't breached until the first semester midterms.
But Rias was breached in three days—no, since the incident happened yesterday, it was breached in two!
“Argh…”
This could also be considered a RoFan development, but going to the Rias Territory was something that never happened in the original work. Even the agents of Codename Boradori, who had been performing brilliantly so far, were quite flustered upon hearing about this incident.
Of course, the RoFan male leads trapped in the dungeon weren't pushovers, so nothing disastrous would happen, but…
If even a scratch appeared on the Prince’s body, it was straight to writing an incident report.
Was that all? The hyenas in the Finance Department, who were eyeing my salary, would never miss this opportunity.
“So. Is the analysis of the magic circle blocking the dungeon finished?”
“Ah, about that.”
The question was directed at Uncle Aeryun, but perhaps because the Magic Spammers were more expert in this field, the Fire Spammer explained in a way even a sword-swinger could understand why the Rias Territory and the Academy side couldn't easily solve the problem.
“They constructed the magic circle using the dungeon core as a medium. Access is almost impossible due to the massive amount of mana at the entrance.”
“The experts judge that it will only open if the dungeon core is destroyed from the inside… but to do that, they have to defeat the dungeon boss.”
“…You’re saying we can’t get close because of the dungeon’s mana?”
Wait.
Why did a solution perfectly suited for this situation come to mind immediately?
“I think that might work.”
Then, everyone’s gaze focused on me. It was a look that suggested, at this point, wasn't I the culprit?
All I could say to that was…
“This is unfair.”
…To plead my innocence with all my heart.
“It can’t be helped. Let’s challenge the dungeon boss.”
At Ellen’s words, the other students nodded heavily. Since they had entered the dungeon with light hearts, their prepared food supplies were already exhausted.
In their first and last contact, they had heard the cause of the problem. Rather than waiting blindly for outside support, they judged it better to challenge the dungeon boss while they were in peak condition.
Thus, the moment they made up their minds to challenge the boss…
“Wh-what is it?”
Everyone’s attention was drawn to the entrance of the dungeon, which was suddenly shaking.
“Is it… a trap?”
Someone muttered in doubt as the dungeon entrance began to open abruptly.
“Why would they?”
However, there was no reason for the Dark Mages to open the dungeon entrance. With Prince Esid and Ellen in the lead, the students cautiously escaped the dungeon.
And when they saw the first thing they encountered…
“……”
“……”
“……”
“……”
On that day, the students of the Swordsmanship Department remembered.
The terror of the overwhelming mana that reached the heavens.
The humiliation of being overwhelmed by the Magic Department with a sword.