Chapter 81
Chapter 81
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 81
Chapter Title: Tigers' Fight #7
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Clang, clang, claaang-!
The sound of blades clashing fiercely against each other rang out.
Every time the massive axe and slender sword collided, sparks flew, and the faces of the onlookers lit up like flames before crumpling in disappointment.
━I've never seen a fight this high-level before. I can't even follow their movements!
━Necromancers are powerful even without undead, huh. You see those talismans burning?
━As expected, it takes someone like Professor Valan to take her down.
Elga and Mirna.
Mirna and Elga lunged at each other with ferocious intensity.
Gagagagang—Elga's enormous halberd pressed down on Mirna's slender frame as if to crush her flat.
"Just because you slapped on some talismans? You think that flimsy sword of yours can block my Crusher? I'll flatten that high nose of yours right along with it!"
"Urgh."
Mirna barely blocked the attack with her thin sword, her knees buckling as if she were about to be pinned to the ground.
But only for a moment. Unable to withstand the onslaught any longer, Mirna swung the fan in her other hand with a whoosh.
Whish-thwack.
From the back of the fan came violet talisman-like objects that stuck to Elga's body. At the same time, they erupted with a boom-kaboom-bang!, spewing white smoke and shrapnel in an explosion.
"Tch. Too shallow."
It was supposed to be her trump card ambush, but Mirna's expression wasn't exactly bright either. She knew full well the firepower wasn't enough to take Elga down.
"Annoying little tricks."
In fact, Elga waved her arms through the smoke, dissipating the clouds. As everyone watched this evenly matched duel, wondering what would happen next.
"Reminds me of the old days…!"
Even Professor Stella, who was officiating the duel, watched the two young ladies' clash with keen interest.
"We fought like this back then too. At first glance, it looks like a necromancer without undead escorts would be at a disadvantage. But the Draco family is proficient in exorcism and spirit arts through talismans as well."
"I see."
I nodded along appropriately.
Truth be told, the fight between Elga and Mirna was of little concern to me.
What I was truly curious about was Professor Stella's past. The fact that she had been classmates with the young ladies' fathers back when she was still an undergraduate at this Ark.
Do you know about Isaiah—?
To my question, Stella gave a vague "Who knows."
But I'm not so unperceptive as to miss things entirely like Aira might. I've gained enough experience to discern truth from lies to some degree.
I hadn't missed how Professor Stella's pointed elven ears had twitched ever so slightly at the name Isaiah.
Clang, claaang, clang-!
The screeching of exploding metal pierced the ears.
That's when I turned to Stella and said.
"Professor Stella. I'm not asking as your student. I'm asking as an inspector of the Angmar Kingdom. If you have any awareness that you are a member of one of Angmar's four great houses, it would be best to speak the truth."
Swoosh.
Only then did the 132-year-old fairy's eyes, which had been watching the duel, turn toward me. Those amber eyes held a hint of mockery, as if saying, "Oh, look at this guy—."
"An inspector of the Angmar Kingdom?"
"That's right. I have been entrusted with certain authorities by Angmar's current queen, Aira. It would be to your benefit to cooperate honestly and provide information."
Truth be told, I don't particularly like flaunting my authority.
My philosophy has always been that top-down pressure like that will eventually breed resentment or cause problems.
But sometimes, you have to push hard.
Like right now.
"An order from Queen Aira, you say…."
Professor Stella had essentially been cast out from her own Belhock family.
But if I could make her owe me a debt now, it would greatly aid her return to the family someday. Someone of her stature as an Ark professor would surely understand that.
"……."
Sure enough, Stella fell silent in contemplation. I wasn't so obtuse as to miss the various worries and hesitations in that silence.
Finally, she let out a small sigh, as if she had no choice.
"I don't know why that name has to come up again. But whatever it is, it's probably not what you think, Inspector."
"I'll be the judge of that."
At my firm reply, Stella parted her lips just loud enough for me to hear.
"Adventure club."
"Pardon?"
"That's all I can tell you. It's about time I got moving myself."
Boom-!
A fierce explosion instantly heated the air.
Turning my head, I saw Elga hoisting her massive axe skyward, electricity crackling around it with a zzzt-zzzt.
Facing her was Mirna, who had scattered dozens of talismans across the ground like a barrage.
━R-Run!
━This isn't a duel anymore! You'll get hurt if you're caught in it!
The spectators were now fleeing, turning their backs and buttocks to avoid getting entangled in the fight.
"They've even copied going for a mutual kill at the end. That's enough, both of you."
If Professor Stella hadn't stepped between them to stop the duel, who knows what might have happened.
"Now, both of you, separate. If you don't, you'll get penalty points."
In the end, the duel was halted.
The heavily injured Elga and Mirna separated and sat on makeshift chairs in the corners.
"Now, commoner. Come over and help me out."
Mirna, with cuts on her face leaking blood here and there, called to me.
But in my eyes, Elga—who seemed to have her uniform torn and burns on her arms and legs—stood out more. Elga was also gazing at me subtly with her blue eyes.
"What are you doing? Hurry up and come here to help me put bandages on my face."
My heart pulled me toward Elga. But I was currently rumored to be Mirna's suitor.
If I went to Elga now, wouldn't people gossip wildly, and Mirna fly into a rage and try to yank my head off my shoulders?
─Playing with a woman's heart? I won't forgive that!
─Hiiik…!
It was a certainty.
Since Elga and I had somewhat agreed to play along with Mirna's whims for now, it should be fine to go to her here.
So, as I started walking toward Mirna.
━L-Look at that. The Lioness lady—
The crowd, which had been buzzing from the duel, boiled over even more.
Wondering what was happening, I turned to see Elga with a deeply furrowed brow, her face flushed red, tears streaming down drop by drop.
Not tears of sadness, but more like those of someone utterly humiliated and furious, unable to contain their emotions.
Tremble, tremble.
Even so, for Elga to shed tears!
Whoosh.
Finally, Elga stormed off entirely. As she vanished, the murmurs rose.
━She must be frustrated about not getting a decisive finish. Crying tears, even….
━I've heard the Lioness family stakes their lives on battle and strife, but this level is downright respectable.
━The very model of a noble living for honor and glory.
People said such things, but I knew Elga wasn't crying out of frustration from the duel being stopped.
Elga was crying because of me!
I'd made a girl cry! Her tears terrified me more than the fist she'd clenched to flick my forehead.
My vision went utterly dark.
* * *
"Then, you've worked hard. Get some rest today."
"I had quite a fun time today, in my own way."
I escorted Mirna Draco back to Dormitory 6.
Mirna seemed to have enjoyed our walk together today, her attitude and expression surprisingly bright.
But I felt deeply uneasy and uncomfortable, unable to bear it.
Just thinking that Elga was probably in Room 5, right next door to Mirna Draco's, gnawed at my mind relentlessly.
Click, creak.
As soon as Mirna Draco's door closed, I stealthily moved to knock lightly on the door of the room next door—Elga's.
"…E-Elga. It's Theo."
I murmured softly, just loud enough for Elga alone to hear. Naturally, no sound or presence came from inside.
Ssshh.
Trying the knob, surprisingly, the dormitory door wasn't locked.
"W-Well then, pardon the intrusion."
I slipped quickly into Elga's room before anyone could see. It was refreshingly cool inside, as if the AC was on.
Now I noticed the window was wide open, the breeze making the curtains flutter this way and that.
Clunk, creeak, clunk creeak.
After closing the noisy rattling window, I approached the bed with its bulging blanket and covers. Elga was probably huddled under there.
"Um, Elga."
"……."
"Your soles are sticking out from under the blanket."
Ssshh.
At my words, Elga pulled her protruding feet back under the covers.
It was like a snail retracting its tentacles upon touch—ridiculous in the moment, almost making me laugh despite the situation.
"Elga, are you feeling unwell? Did Mirna land some hard hits in the duel?"
"……."
Elga gave no reply. This silence was more terrifying than all the curses she'd hurled at me before.
So I slipped my palm under the blanket. Then something chomped down hard—crunch.
"Ow-!"
Elga had bitten my palm. Like a fierce dog—no, a lion.
I yanked my hand out in shock. Clear teeth marks from Elga gleamed on my fingers.
"B-Blood… it's bleeding…!"
Of course, it wasn't actually bleeding. But the ploy seemed to work; the blanket lifted, and I felt blue eyes peering slyly at my palm.
"…There's no blood!"
"Of course it was a lie. So, Elga, are you feeling really down?"
"I don't know, idiot. Go away."
Didn't her mood seem to be lightening a bit? Emboldened, I poked at the bulging side of the blanket with my finger.
"Pffft-haha—."
"Did you just laugh?"
"…Get lost!"
"I'm sorry. Please cheer up."
"Sorry? What did you even do wrong?"
What did I do wrong?
To think I'd hear such a question one day.
How many men before me have felt this shrunken, powerless before their lovers? What could a man say in a situation like this to be right?
I decided to play the remorseful sinner, berating myself as if I'd committed some heinous crime.
"Earlier, when I didn't choose you, Elga…"
"Enough. Don't say anything. Got it?"
Elga cut me off. Then she threw off the blanket with a whoosh and sat up.
Looking up, her abundant golden hair was disheveled, and her sapphire-blue eyes were red and swollen.
I felt like I should say something, but she'd told me not to, so I stayed silent. Another tear rolled down from Elga's eye.
In a quivering voice, Elga said.
"I had won that duel completely. That lich-less Mirna girl—just one more hit, and I'd have won completely."
"You're right. It was a battle you had almost won entirely, Elga."
"I had the advantage the whole time."
"You did."
"Then why, at the end… why did I have to feel this defeat?"
"…I'm sorry…."
I apologized like a nymph who'd done something terribly wrong. At that, Elga's expression softened in a subtle way.
"…No, what would you have done wrong? You just did your job. If anything…."
Elga trailed off mid-sentence, hemming and hawing intensely. Like someone with something stuck in their throat they couldn't spit out.
"If anything what?"
"If anything… the one who did wrong is me. I've been tormenting you all this time, Theo."
"Pardon?"
I was genuinely startled and asked again. Was Elga admitting her own fault right now?
"Theo, even if you abandoned me and went to treat Mirna better. I couldn't blame you. In the end, I'm just a wretched girl who gets abandoned alone and sobs under the covers like this."
Elga scowled in a way that wasted her beauty, holding back tears tightly. It was as if she'd realized her own mistakes.
Elga must have been scared that I'd abandon her—the one who'd tormented and hounded me—and go fully to Mirna.
As if that would ever happen.
Composing myself calmly, I asked Elga.
"So, are you apologizing now for tormenting me all this time?"
"……."
Elga neither affirmed nor denied.
She just held back her tears. Probably her last shred of pride refusing to let her apologize out loud.
"…B-But it was just playing around."
Just playing around? I even got a scar on my eye! Though we'd agreed to cover it up from our first time together.
Playing around.
For a moment, real anger flared, but calm thinking cooled my head.
For Elga to come this far in confessing her wrongs like a repentance was a miracle in itself.
Was it possible because she was Elga—the only one among the young ladies who'd avoided the execution ending and even joined the villain hunter party's ally position?
In any case, this was my chance to change the dynamic between Elga and me.
I couldn't let it slip. Composed, I said.
"If you truly feel sorry toward me, Elga, how about we switch places for once?"
"…Switch places?"
Elga looked baffled and asked back.
To that, I rummaged in my pocket and pulled out an item I'd received in class recently. It was a collar. The one that had been around Aira's neck.
The moment she saw it, Elga's blue eyes widened in disbelief.