Practical Sparring (1)

In one week, every class would begin their practical sparring matches.

D-class professor Faust, his eyes ringed with even darker circles than usual, swept his gaze across the students and began to speak.

Practical sparring. Think of it as a kind of midterm exam.

The faculty would discuss and assign suitable opponents for each class, and all you had to do was fight according to the bracket.

Of course, facing someone from your own class was perfectly fine. But if you wanted a higher score so you could skip a grade next semester, you could apply to spar with a student from a higher-ranked class.

I figured there was nothing to gain by revealing my ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠true capabilities, so I kept quiet and simply went along with whatever the professors arranged.

I’d built up a decent amount of strength on my own terms. Winning would already be profitable, so there was no reason to gamble.

Today I’d head to the park with Shub and Eve for more spirit arts training… and on the way back, jogging would help increase my life force too.

I smiled in satisfaction as I mentally ran through my set routine.

It was time to head home, so I could pack up and go meet Shub and Eve.

“Cain. Don’t you have a separate sparring opponent you’re looking for?”

“...”

Alex asked with a bright, creepy grin as I tried to leave the classroom.

He was the one who had told Eve where I was last time. I still had no clue what the hell this guy was thinking.

At least after the assassination attempt on Eve that I’d intervened in, nothing major had happened. It seemed like he was doing his own thing in his own twisted way…

The only problem was that this bastard was a complete psycho.

“Nah. I’m just gonna fight whoever the professors assign me. I’m not that strong anyway.”

“Hmm~? The you I’ve been watching isn’t such a weakling, though.”

What the fuck is he on about? This crazy bastard.

It was already disgusting that he’d been stalking me, but now he was casually dropping “I’ve been watching you and you’re not weak”? Out of nowhere?

I answered with a half-hearted “That so?” and walked straight out of the classroom.

Alex didn’t seem interested in stopping me. He just kept staring with that same perverted smile. A chill ran down my spine, so I quickened my pace.

When I stepped outside the lecture hall, Eve and Shub were waiting for me with bright expressions.

“Has your sparring opponent been decided?”

“Yeah. It’s just someone from our class… What was the name again?”

Probably just some passing NPC #1. Whatever.

I hadn’t bothered looking into it. It would’ve been smart to at least remember the name, but I was more indifferent than I realized.

As if she’d read my mind, Eve pointed at me in full lecture mode.

“Cain! No matter what, you should at least know who your own classmate is and what kind of person you’ll be fighting!”

“Yeeees… I was wrong~”

When I raised both hands in surrender, Eve lowered hers with a giggle.

Shub had been quietly watching our exchange. Once we finished, she spoke up.

“I-I don’t really have anyone I particularly want to fight… So… I ended up getting matched with the runner-up…”

“Runner-up? For the Magic Department… that would be Elua? Elua Arcana?”

“Y-yes… It seems she’s been sharpening her teeth quite a bit…”

Elua Arcana.

Currently the Magic Department’s second place, she spent her days grinding her teeth in Shub le Ruelle’s shadow. Later, once Shub fell to corruption and was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠subjugated, Elua would rise to the top spot.

She had burned with rivalry toward Shub, and I remembered a line where she felt strangely empty once that rival was gone and the position became hers.

If Dorothy was an assassination-specialized mage, Elua Arcana was the classic mage archetype.

She didn’t possess the qualities of a true archmage, but her talent for fire and wind magic was extraordinary. She was a monstrously hardworking prodigy who had reached the seventh class through sheer effort alone.

Even seventh class was enough to claim a seat in the Magic Tower, so she could basically be considered a genius. Still, with a monster like Dorothy in the same department, it was inevitable that she’d be undervalued.

“I don’t really get the world you geniuses live in. Just show everything you’ve got. It’ll be good motivation for both of you.”

“Ah! Y-yes! I-I’ll do my best!”

“Cain~ Aren’t you going to ask me~?”

Eve pressed her body close, staring at me like she might touch me at any moment.

I took half a step back and asked if her opponent had been decided.

“Me~? I’ll of course follow what’s already been decided. Everything is according to Lord Arpa’s will~”

“...”

Then why the hell did I ask?

When I looked at her with an expression of pure disbelief, she laughed playfully and grabbed my hand, pulling me along.

As expected of the Saintess, the power with which she dragged me was impossible to resist. Shub trailing after us like a little puppy was just the cherry on top.

We were chatting away like that, passing the library on our way to Demeter.

“Cain! So this is where you were.”

“Hm…?”

I turned toward the familiar voice and saw a familiar girl looking at me.

Panzy Vlad. The top student of the Martial Arts Department, and the unusual girl who wielded dual swords.

I tilted my head at her saying she’d been looking for me. Wait, did she just say she came to find me?

“Panzy? What brings you here…”

“The rumors are everywhere. They say the Saintess and the top magic student are completely hooked on one man and go to the park with him every single day. You really haven’t heard what kind of stories are going around about you?”

Panzy pointed at me and laughed brightly.

Rumors? What rumors? What’s so bad about a guy asking two girls to watch his training?!

She looked at me with narrowed eyes, sighed, and continued.

“...”

“So… is it true? That you actually did something so vulgar…?”

“Does it look true?”

Ha, fuck. This is so ridiculous I can’t even speak.

Panzy Vlad burst into laughter as if she’d read my expression perfectly. Seeing her laugh so freely, she really was just a normal girl after all.

But why had she come here?

“You don’t usually come this way. You’re always holed up in the Herat building.”

“Ah, I actually came looking for you because of the sparring.”

“Sparring?”

A wave of unease hit me instantly.

I quickly turned around, trying to drag Eve and Shub away, but words traveled faster than feet.

“...Are you serious?”

“Yes. I’m completely serious.”

Haa… I’m so fucked…

Was there seriously no way to refuse this?

Come to think of it, in this game I could only send out sparring applications. There was no system for receiving them, right?

What a piece of shit game. Goddamn it.

“There’s… no way to decline, is there?”

“I figured you’d say that, so I already spoke with the professor. You might not realize it, but quite a few people are paying close attention to the rumors about you. They approved it without hesitation. Refusal is not an option.”

“Haa…”

She was the top student of the Martial Arts Department and possessed skills on par with a knight trainee despite still being a student.

I believed I could handle her with spirit arts, but could I really keep up with her explosive physical ability?

That part was still questionable.

“Besides, I’ve wanted to fight you at least ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠once. That unknown power of yours. You’ll surely face many enemies in the future, so I believe this will be valuable experience.”

“Hmm…”

If that was how she saw it, I had no reason to refuse.

I had no idea what kind of enemies I’d run into while staying here. Using a spar as an excuse to test myself against strong opponents wasn’t a bad idea at all.

In fact, opportunities like this were rare. This was basically a gain.

“Alright. Fine. I’ll look forward to it, Panzy Vlad.”

“Haha! Shouldn’t I be the one saying that? As expected, fighting you is always entertaining.”

Panzy laughed and gave my shoulder a couple of light pats before heading off to train.

I watched her leave. The moment she disappeared from sight, my legs gave out and I collapsed right there.

“Hwaaaaa…”

“Hehe. Looks like you’re feeling the pressure, Cain?”

“Obviously… I’m not confident in close combat at all.”

“R-right… We’re all from the magic department, after all…”

Shub placed a hand on her chest with a troubled expression.

It really was a problem that none of us had any expertise in close-quarters fighting.

Eve had her holy power, Shub had magic. Dorothy was… so overwhelmingly strong she didn’t even count, but still—close combat.

“Close combat, huh…”

Maybe I should head back to the Martial Arts Department and pick a fight with someone?

If I lightly provoked a few people…

I’m not an idiot, you brats.

Having four spirits meant the nagging was quadrupled too.

I thought about reverse-summoning them out of pure annoyance but stopped myself.

What was the point of getting mad at them? I needed to focus on improving my own skills.

The water had already been spilled. Besides, this was a chance for me to grow even stronger.

I, Cain, was getting stronger day by day…

“Haha~ You look quite troubled.”

A voice that cheerfully shattered my determination came from behind me.

This voice. I knew it all too well.

“Alex.”

“Don’t be too hostile~ I’ll sincerely apologize for what I said to you that day.”

“I’m not talking about the past. Why are you following me around?”

“Hmm? I have no idea what you mean?”

“...”

Playing dumb, huh?

Eve and Shub watched my rapidly shifting expressions, then stepped in front of me.

“P-please don’t come any closer than this…”

“You’ve been stalking Cain. Anything beyond this point is dangerous.”

Eve drew a hard line. Alex shook his head with a slightly hurt expression, then pulled out his sword—still in its sheath—to show us.

“Despite appearances, I’m actually pretty good at close combat. I’ll figure out that bizarre power of yours myself. Let me be your sparring partner.”

“You’re just saying it outright now?”

“Why not? Honestly, this is more your style, isn’t it?”

Alex spread both arms wide in an exaggerated gesture.

Honestly… he wasn’t wrong. I didn’t entirely dislike that shameless attitude.

In fact, this was the perfect chance to keep him properly in check. I could also find out exactly how strong he was.

“Fine. Fuck it. I like it. But we’re going to need to make a few contracts first.”

“Very thorough. You’d make an excellent businessman.”

“I considered it when I was younger but gave up. Dumbass.”

“Hm? Why?”

I asked Shub to draft up a contract and handed it to Alex.

“There are way too many bastards like you. Every time I see someone who might stab me in the back, it makes my stomach turn.”