Unlucky!! -4- (No Smut At All)
The beginning was like this. The day of the sparring matches dawned, and sixteen people—including the homeroom teacher and the students—gathered at the training grounds.
Those without combat classes naturally weren't participating in the matches and had come just to watch, so in reality, it was fourteen fighters excluding the non-combat jobs who would actually spar.
During the time to pair up opponents—
Thwack. "Haku, your attitude toward me lately as the Wind Discipline Committee chair has been deplorable. As chair, I cannot tolerate it. So, receive my blade. I'll correct your behavior once more."
Minamoto Yukihime was the first to challenge me.
I'd been planning to challenge her anyway, so I thought it worked out perfectly.
"What the hell are you saying? Empty-headed bitch."
"What did you call me!?"
She must have been confident. Back then, she'd dragged me to the kendo club at school and beaten me under the pretense of "mental correction" sparring.
Of course, a wooden bokken swung by someone like her couldn't really hurt me, so I'd let it slide. But now, there was nothing left to protect her.
And so, my match with Yukihime began.
We naturally weren't using live steel—just bokken—and magic power usage was restricted as well. For mages, only spells that wouldn't cause serious harm even on direct hits were allowed.
Right before the match, I took my stance.
Swoosh.
"What the hell is that weird stance? Are you messing with me right now?"
I gripped the hilt with one hand and the blade near the tip—the part that would be the edge on a real sword—with the other. I positioned the hilt at waist level, angling the blade tip obliquely toward Yukihime.
"Messing with you? You call yourself a sword learner and you don't even know this stance?"
"Grabbing the blade with your bare hand is an instant DQ."
Hah, figures from someone who only learned kendo as a sport.
I was in a half-swording Pflug stance from Liechtenauer fencing—a position that integrated offense and defense.
"Both sides ready... Begin!!"
Anyway, regardless, the match started.
"Haaah!!!"
Yukihime charged first.
Her grade just entered green, and yeah, she's definitely fast.
Her physical abilities seemed on par with a Siberian tiger I'd wrestled barehanded in my previous life. But to me, she was still too slow.
I slightly raised the bladed gripped in half-swording, blocking her swung bokken with my blade.
Clack!!
At the same time, using the shock from her strike on my bokken and my own strength, I twisted my body with her bokken as the pivot.
Whack!!!!
"Ugh!?"
With a massive sound, her sword flew from her hand to the ground, and the pommel behind the hilt on my blade smacked her head.
"Grah!?"
Unfamiliar with the pain, Yukihime clutched her head and staggered back.
"Five."
"Grrgh..."
"In a real fight, that would've been five ways I could have killed you."
No need to drag it out—if I'd used the tip instead of the pommel on that counter? Or put more force into the pommel? Or followed up from that position? At least she'd earned praise for not dropping her sword even while taking a headshot.
"Yu-Yuki!!!"
"President! It's dangerous!!"
I could see Seigen freaking out from the spectator seats. But whatever.
"Ngh...!!"
Thud!!
A normal person would've passed out or bled from the head with that force, but as expected from entry-level superhuman, Yukihime endured the pain somehow and raised her sword again.
Unlike before, though, she didn't swing at me—just took a defensive stance.
"What, not coming? Fine, I'll come to you then."
Thud.
This time, she raised her sword high overhead as if for a downward strike. Vom Tag stance.
"Ngh!!"
Similar to the overhead guard in kendo, so Yukihime, sensing what I was doing, took a defensive posture too.
And this time, I advanced.
Thud!!!
I stomped forward hard enough to crater the training ground floor.
"!!!"
Too fast for her eyes to track, Yukihime's widened in shock as she raised her sword overhead for a head guard.
Vom Tag positions the blade high above the head, so people usually assume it's an overhead strike and defend like that. The problem? Vom Tag allows lightning-fast transitions to other cuts and stances.
In other words—
Swoosh!!
A slight twist of body and arms drew the blade in an arc from above her head straight down to chest level in an instant.
The blade tip aimed right at Yukihime's right side. The sword that should've protected her was already raised high for head defense, and though she noticed and tried to lower it, I'd prepared the transition from the start—I was faster.
Crack!!
"Kyaaah!!"
Hit harder than before squarely in the side, Yukihime dropped her sword and went flying, rolling across the ground.
"Superhuman whatever, huh. Tough stuff."
Good sandbag. I could crank the power up more.
Clack!!
Thud!!
Her bokken was rolling on the ground, so I kicked it far away and stabbed mine into the dirt too.
Time to let my fists do the talking.
"Now it's time for your mental correction, Miss Wind Discipline Committee Chair."
Just like she did to me back then.
Understanding what I meant, Yukihime scrambled up desperately, hand outstretched.
"Ngh... W-Wait a second!! Wh-What the hell are you doing!? Haku!!"
"What?"
"You've changed since coming to this world!! Why the hell did you turn so violent!?!?"
"Violent? Listen here, Chairwoman. I haven't changed from before or now. Pay attention. I'm a dog."
"What?"
We often call someone a dog as an insult. But the dog I meant was different.
"I wag my tail at those who show me kindness, bark loudly at those who bare their fangs, and bite those who piss me off."
Previous life or this one, nothing changed. I've always lived a dog's life.
Living freely by my natural instincts, doing what I want, how I want. That was the essence of my existence.
Sure, in this life, my mother's leash kept me in check a bit.
"You pissed me off, so getting bit is just natural, right?"
"I-I was just doing it for your own good!!"
Crack.
Seeing her sincerely say that, eyes full of incomprehension, insisting her bullying was all "for my sake"—it pissed me off to the core for the first time in ages.
"Like hell you were!!"
Thud!!!
"Oogh!?♥"
I charged straight in and punched her gut. She let out a weird moan, clutching below her navel.
But whatever—I kept piling on the hits.
"You fucking!!"
Thud!!
"Oguk!?♥"
"Bitch!!"
Thud!!
"Heek!?♥"
"Because of you!!"
Thud!!
"Ugek!?♥"
"My life!!"
Thud!!
"Eeheek!?♥"
"Got totally fucked up!! You fucking bitch!!"
Merciless beating. I kept hammering the same spot.
I knew if I tried to kill Yukihime, someone—being a Hero and all—would step in, so I dialed back the power just enough to maximize pain while swinging away.
"Ogoh...♥"
Yukihime's form crumbled.
Thud!!
Her eyes rolled back; she looked fully knocked out.
Whatever—I reared back for more stress relief when—
Thud!!!
Something slammed between me and Yukihime. I sensed it and dodged back quick.
It was a bokken.
"How about we call it there?"
And there, suddenly arrived, was the knight I'd seen at the summoning in the cathedral—the blond middle-aged commander of the Praetorian Knights of the Imperial Guard, Benefict Pendragon—blocking my path.
"From what I overheard, you two have a lot of bad blood. But how about stopping here? You're comrades who need to cooperate from now on anyway. So let's end it at that."
"Says who?"
I'd barely gotten started!
"If you insist, then..."
The knight commander grinned ferociously.
"Get past me first."
"Be honest, Sir Knight Commander. You just wanna fight me, right?"
"Busted."
Bang!!
Our bokken clashed.
Knight Commander Benefict Pendragon—royal of the Pendragon Knight Kingdom, a vassal state and vital artery of the Empire—eyed the man before him with interest and battle lust.
The swordsmanship he'd used against Yukihime... Even for Benefict, who'd seen countless styles and bore the moniker "Sword Saint" as the strongest human swordsman of the era with vast experience, it was something entirely new.
Benefict could tell it wasn't from Mundus—it was swordplay from the Heroes' original world.
And the power that defeated the true Hero Yukihime far outstripped the other Heroes.
Thus, curiosity and rivalry stirred. Curiosity for otherworldly swordsmanship, and rivalry toward this Haku, who wielded it perfectly, showed astonishing growth, and even beat his direct disciple-like charge Yukihime.
Of course, with magic power to reinforce body and blade, he'd surely win. His grade was black—the pinnacle of humanity, strongest swordsman.
So he started the match using only swordsmanship and natural physical prowess, no mana.
Convenient excuse too: protecting his pseudo-disciple Yukihime.
And the match that began was beyond imagination.
Clang!! Clang!!!
Hah...
No mana, yet the duel between Haku and Benefict raged fiercely.
Am I fighting a human right now? Or an ogre?
Physical prowess in the upper indigo ranks, strength rivaling an ogre—no monster his grade could match in raw power.
Of course, pure physicals, Benefict was stronger even without mana. But that was because he was Mundus-born, at humanity's peak in a monster-infested world. Heroes' world supposedly had no monsters, no superhumans like Mundus, no mana.
Then what the hell is this guy?
A human matching a 4-meter muscle monster... in that world?
And—
Cling cling cling!!
Clashing blades confirms it.
This swordsmanship differed from Mundus styles.
Mundus swordplay was intuitive, linear. Dodge. Block. Slash. Thrust. Simple techniques optimized for those four actions—because swordsmen here fought monsters more than people.
Raw strength and mana mattered more.
But this Hero Haku's style? A true "art of combat" (Kunst des Fechten)—artistic perfection crafted to butcher humans.
Highly aggressive yet unpredictable and efficient. Amid swordplay, erratic movements, punches, grapples—impossible to predict next moves.
Benefict rated it: swordsmanship showing peak efficiency against humanoid foes.
And that's not all.
"Hup!!"
Amateur in combat? This guy? Bullshit.
Unlike other Heroes, too battle-hardened. That Natsuji Hero had some experience, but this was another level—like someone who'd spent a lifetime on battlefields.
And above all—
Cling!! Clang clang!!
Adapting to my physicals and swordplay? Even absorbing my techniques to refine his in real-time!?
Uncommon talent too.
Even Yukihime—S-grade growth worthy of "legendary"—learned 20-30x from one lesson, reaching superhuman entry in a week from normal girl. But this was beyond.
Monstrous talent. Despite inferior physicals to Benefict, they fought evenly.
Oh Goddess Luminus. Why isn't a guy like this the Hero?
Master mana too, he might surpass even Benefict, current top swordsman. Add Hero power, and solo Demon King subjugation might be feasible.
That was Benefict's assessment of Haku.
First time doubting the Goddess's judgment. Leaving talent like this for Yukihime? Something he didn't know?
Unknown. Anyway, time to end it.
"Sorry. Can't drag this out—others' schedules, you know."
Vrrr!!
Benefict channeled mana into his body. Blue haze rose, reinforcing flesh and wrapping the bokken harder.
"That's not just for old timers, gramps."
Vrrr!!
"!!!"
And shockingly, Hero Haku was channeling mana too.
That's!? Imperial Mana Reinforcement!! So fast?
Imperial Knights' basic mana reinforcement—Imperial Mana Swordsmanship.
No job, no System blessing, and he reaches this in days!?
Doubting Goddess's eye again, but Benefict shelved it, swinging at Haku.
Haku did the same—unpredictable blade. But Benefict had adapted too.
He was humanity's pinnacle, after all.
And mana quantity differed vastly—thus reinforcement tiers.
Benefict's Mana Reinforcement far superior.
Bang!!!
Haku's bokken shattered—
Crack!!
Benefict's hit his body.
Thud!!
Haku sprawled starfished on the ground.
"So that's what losing feels like? First time."
"Yes, you lost."
Haku recovered quick, standing with a refreshed expression.
"Not bad at all. Anyway, lost fair and square. I'll go with your call, Sir Knight Commander."
"Appreciated."
"But—"
Vrrr!!
Mana bloomed anew on Haku's bladeless bokken.
Benefict startled again.
That's... my Pendragon Mana Reinforcement!?
Rudimentary, surface-level, but unmistakably one of his top techniques—the royal house's heirloom Pendragon Mana Reinforcement.
Just from that brief glimpse.
Truly beyond-common talent in mana handling.
A warrior with god-forged body and gifts stood there.
"Next time, I won't lose."
"Hah... Looking forward to it."
Benefict said admiringly.
Glancing back, fainted Yukihime was being carried to the infirmary by priests led by the Saint.
"No treatment for you?"
"Nah. Rub some dirt, eat well, sleep it off."
"Yu-Yutakichi!! Y-You're hurt!!?? H-Healing potion!! Potions!!"
"Grrrr!! Big bro!! So cool, righto!!"
With that, Haku walked to the spectator seats where his group waited.
Hah... Lalrof'd love a guy like that.
Benefict recalled his deputy from the Northern Archduke house, Lalrof Ryurak, then returned to his spot.