The Return of Battle Defeat Mode
The Return of Battle Defeat Mode
"Aargh·····!"
I have to stop it·····!
I concentrate Mana in my hands.
Maintaining the shield, which threatened to break with the slightest lapse in concentration, began to consume an enormous amount of Mana.
-Kwagugeugeuk·····!
Fortunately, the stone's momentum was gradually decreasing.
"Hoo, hoo·····."
More than half of my remaining Mana was now less than a quarter.
But even so, I was certain.
'·····I can stop it.'
Instead, it seems I'll have to use all my remaining Mana.
If that happens, I'll have no choice but to surrender unconditionally.
Because I won't have any Mana left to cast spells.
At this point, I don't attach much meaning to defeat.
After all, I've only managed to compensate for my mere Level 12 stats with knowledge.
Perhaps losing was even natural.
-Tseujeujeujeuk
The shield also began to emit strange sounds.
It seemed its intensity was weakening as my Mana was almost depleted.
And not long after, I could feel its speed gradually decreasing.
-Jjeojeojeok·····
The man-sized boulder had also begun to crack.
At the same time, the Mana remaining in my body was reduced to just a handful.
I hate to admit it·····, but Jerad is definitely stronger than me.
Before I suffered something worse from Jerad, I had to declare my surrender.
As I tried to find where Jerad was, he was already right in front of my nose.
Perhaps he, too, realized I was at my limit, as he didn't take any further action.
"·····I, I surrender."
But that was the problem.
'····················'
Perhaps because I usually live a stable life rather than a spectacular one, it had been quite a while since I last heard the Status Window's alarm.
So, perhaps I had forgotten about it to some extent until now.
-Ddiring!
[You have been defeated in battle! You will obey commands for a short period!]
Ah.
I had forgotten. This world was one where countless Mods were installed.
'Even sparring applies to the Battle Defeat Mode·····?'
No way, no way·····!
As if it wasn't bad enough, countless students were watching us from below; I couldn't let everyone see this·····!
'W-wait·····. Everyone?'
I subtly turned my head and looked down at the sparring arena.
Then, dozens of pairs of eyes, including Lady Ehiton, were all staring at us simultaneously.
My body began to tremble.
My breathing also grew increasingly ragged.
I wasn't sure if it was because I was afraid of being seen in such a public place, or if I was excited.
But one thing was certain: my heart began to pound so violently that my head throbbed.
'C-calm down·····.'
Still, there's no way Jerad could see my Status Window, right?
Not only did Jerad not see the obedience notification in my Status Window, but he wouldn't have heard the alarm sound either.
If I act anxious like this, wouldn't he become even more suspicious?
I forced strength into my hands, trying to suppress the trembling.
'Hoo, hooo·····.'
In addition, I tried to calm myself by taking deep breaths.
"You got too cocky after just one attack, Lunia."
"·····Ugh."
Regardless of how the battle unfolded, as long as there was no foul play, the loser was simply the loser, no matter what.
So, the loser had nothing to say, even when subjected to such taunting.
In that case, this was actually an opportunity.
If I could make him enjoy teasing me, perhaps I could somehow get past the fact that I was in an obedient state.
If he were to give a command that might truly reveal my state, for example, something pride-related like 'bow your head,' Jerad would naturally assume it was a prank, knowing I'd refuse, but I would actually follow that command.
If that happened, Jerad would naturally harbor both questions and suspicions about my state, and out of curiosity, he would give another command.
So, I needed to show a reaction that would prevent Jerad from thinking anything else·····.
··········Honestly, I don't know what kind of reaction to show.
It definitely wouldn't do to say something like a defeated knightess, 'Kuh, I lost·····!'
If I showed such a reaction, I couldn't predict at all how Jerad, who had just started to get cocky, would react.
Then····· what kind of reaction should I show?
No, should I even show a reaction in the first place?
Suddenly, such a thought occurred to me.
Conversely, instead of me reacting, couldn't I make Jerad react?
At the same time as that thought, Jerad was about to open his mouth.
So, it might have been impulsive, but I beat him to it.
"·····This time, and only this time, I lost."
"Hmm?"
Honestly, I hadn't even thought it through.
Jerad seemed about to say something, so I just blurted out whatever came to mind.
Still, I had to follow up on what I had said, didn't I?
"·····Next time, I'll win."
"·····Kukuk. I see."
Jerad reacted with a scoff.
Was he confident he'd win next time too?
Perhaps it was natural.
Although I had declared I'd win next time, I honestly didn't know if I could.
Unless I quickly raise my Level in a short period, wouldn't I be unable to win with any amount of effort in this state?
Isn't there practically no way to raise my Level quickly?
Of course, there might be just one way. If it's 'that method'·····.
"Yes, I hope you win next time."
What a relief.
Ultimately, I succeeded in eliciting Jerad's 'reaction.'
If I could just stay still like this, without any reaction, the Battle Defeat Mode would soon turn off··········
"But you're sparring with me again next time?"
"······Huh?"
But my relief was short-lived; anxiety counterattacked at Jerad's sudden question directed back at me.
"I'm sorry, but I'm quite a busy man, you see."
Jerad grinned, then looked towards one side of the sparring arena and spoke.
"So, you won't spar with Lady Ehiton anymore, and only with me? What an honor."
"···············"
I wanted to say, 'What the hell are you talking about?', but my voice wouldn't come out properly.
I was flustered by Jerad's sudden nonsensical remark, and the Battle Defeat Mode stubbornly refused to allow my voice.
Please.
If my voice doesn't come out here·····!
Isn't there a saying that silent consent is affirmation?
If I couldn't say anything here, whether Jerad became suspicious or misunderstood, it would clearly come back to me as a fatal reaction.
And perhaps it was because bad premonitions were never wrong.
A heart-sinking reaction emanated from Jerad.
"So, if you want to spar with me again next time, shouldn't you show some 'sincerity'?"
No.
Please stop.
Please, no more than that·····
"Lift your skirt right here, right now, Lunia."
·····Ugh!
"Shouldn't you give a small reward to your classmates who wasted their time because of you?"
Lady Ehiton, who was watching us, spoke with an incredulous expression.
"What in the world are you talking about, Young Master Reinhardt!"
Aside from Lady Ehiton, the surrounding students couldn't utter a single word.
The female students pretended not to hear, fearing they might get caught by Jerad, while the male students, conversely, licked their lips.
Just in case, as Jerad said, I would actually lift my skirt and show what was underneath.
For them, it didn't matter if I refused or accepted.
Jerad seemed to enjoy their reactions, then lightly ignored Lady Ehiton's words and spoke.
"How about it, Lunia? Can't you satisfy your perverted desires using me as an excuse?"
Fortunately, he said this quietly enough so that the students in the sparring arena couldn't hear it.
But Jerad immediately shrugged, as if bored, and said,
"Well, if you don't want to, you can refuse. This is just me giving you a chance to spar with me again next time."
As soon as I heard Jerad's words, my hand, which was about to move involuntarily, stopped.
It seemed Jerad hadn't accurately noticed my state.
Perhaps in his eyes, I looked like I was hesitating because I had so much to gain from sparring with him.
I'm sorry to say, but from sparring with Jerad, I gained nothing except for his magic-based fighting style.
Fortunately, thanks to Jerad's last words, I was able to lower the hand that was gripping my skirt.
"·····As expected, you were that kind of bitch after all."
"·····What?"
My relief was short-lived.
Suddenly, Jerad spouted incomprehensible words.
That kind of bitch, he said.
Where on earth did he get that impression?
"In the end, since it's not coercive, you must be sighing in disappointment, right?"
What the fu··········
H-hold on, is it because I was feeling relieved·····?
It seems Jerad misunderstood my sigh of relief at the fact that I didn't have to obey his command just now.
'N-no, it's not like that, please·····.'
It was just my inner thought, but I desperately hoped it wasn't true.
But Jerad gave a sneering smile and said,
"It's an order, Lunia. Lift your skirt."
There was no change.