Chapter 332: Michelle (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 332: Michelle (2)
“Can I ask for a match? There’s something I want to show you—and something I want to talk about.”
I read her intent. It seemed Michelle was eager to prove her worth by showing me her skills.
Well, I was curious about her abilities as well. And, as she said, there were things that needed to be discussed.
“Morcan, Ian. Sorry, but could you head to the stands for a bit?”
“Huh? Oh… okay.”
Ian responded with a startled look, while Morcan gave me a crisp salute. Both moved off the field to stand next to Amy.
Now, only Michelle and I remained on the dueling ground.
I adjusted my glasses and offered a kind smile. “I didn’t expect to see you here. How did you pass the entrance exam?”
She likely knew I was here thanks to the blessing of the Incarnation. I didn’t bother asking about that part.
“I’ve always been good at academics. And my practical skills were more than enough to pass. Unlike you, I’m in the Knight Department.”
The practical exam for the Knight Department assessed athletic prowess and weapon proficiency. Her physical abilities had to be exceptional to make the cut.
“Is that so? That’s great. I actually had something I wanted to talk to you about, too.”
“We’re on the same wavelength, then?”
Michelle smiled and stepped back, putting some distance between us.
“I’ll let you go first.”
“Alright.”
Michelle quickly hiked up her skirt, drawing two hand axes fastened to belts on her thighs.
Those are…?
I could sense the presence of multiple entities emanating from Michelle.
…I see. My opponent isn’t just one person.
But for now, the conversation took priority. I deployed a soundproof barrier around the grounds. Our voices wouldn't reach the stands.
“Let me ask first. How did you come to know the Incarnation?”
“Of course you’d notice. I figured as much, knowing you.” Michelle tapped the ground lightly with the tip of her shoe. “It’s not a very interesting story.”
“Tell me anyway.”
“I’ll tell you while we spar.”
“I know it’s a bit late to ask, but why do you want to fight me?”
“Pure curiosity. I just want to see how strong you really are.”
I felt the same way. I was curious about Michelle’s growth. Besides, Michelle had been chosen by the Incarnation. She might even be of use to me.
Michelle giggled and then lunged.
There was no need to read her mind. Based on her movements alone, I reflexively pulled my head back.
Swing!
A sharpened blade whistled past my eyes, cleaving the air. A flurry of ax strikes followed, but I dodged backward, lightly deflecting or parrying the blows with my fingers, letting the momentum flow past me.
She has the basics down.
However, her strength was different from the students I’d met at the academy. It carried the ruthlessness of someone who had committed countless killings.
“You’re pretty nimble for a wizard!” Michelle shouted, her expression delighted.
She retreated nimbly, widening the gap between us.
“More importantly, tell me what happened.”
“When was it? Ah, when I was young, my parents sent me to my grandmother’s house.”
Michelle approached me slowly, her footsteps soft and controlled. The two hand axes in her hands spun with dazzling precision, almost like an acrobatic performance. She was incredibly skilled with her weapons.
“But when I got to my grandmother’s house, something ridiculous had happened.”
“Ridiculous?”
“A wolf magic beast had eaten my grandmother and was pretending to be her under the blankets. Isn’t that absurd?”
Michelle darted at me again, launching a barrage of attacks. I effortlessly dodged and deflected them.
Whoosh!
Michelle leaped and threw a spinning kick. I blocked it with my arm, but the sheer force of the impact pushed me back with a heavy thud.
Her strength was impressive, defying her small stature. She wasn’t quite my match, but she was far stronger than she looked.
Michelle landed and locked eyes with me.
“And then?”
“In the end, when the wolf realized I’d seen through its disguise, it tried to eat me. That’s when a hunter appeared and saved me.”
A hunter. I instantly knew who she meant.
“The hunter… that was the Incarnation’s nickname when she was alive, wasn't it?”
“Yeah. She was famous as a hunter who took down villains for the sake of children.” Michelle nodded, tapping her shoulder with one of her axes. “She must have heard rumors about a twisted wolf tricking parents into sacrificing their children. The hunter sensed the beast while roaming the forest and saved me. Then she confronted my parents, and I learned the truth. My parents had sold me for a few scraps of meat—I was just a meal to them.”
In any world, the lives of the impoverished often spiral into tragedy. Much like Hansel and Gretel, abandoned by their parents, Michelle had faced a similar fate.
Michelle lunged again, swinging her ax.
“I won’t tell you what I did to my parents! Anyway, after that, I felt miserable and I was so, so angry! So, I went to the Incarnation and asked if I could live with her, since she was the one who saved me.”
Thud, thud.
I caught both of Michelle’s arms as she swung. I was far stronger, but Michelle didn’t panic; instead, she tried to drive her knee into my groin. Having already read her intent, I stomped down on her foot.
“Ugh!”
Michelle winced and groaned, but then she giggled.
“Impressive, Big Bro. You’re this good even without using magic…”
“So, what did the Incarnation say?”
“…She said my choices were my own, but if I wanted to live like her, she’d help me. Thanks to her, I got tons of books to study and was able to live with some semblance of humanity. She was my savior.”
So that’s how it happened.
The Candy House Witch had always been alone, likely focused on researching how to save children. She couldn’t have continued her work as a hunter indefinitely.
So she entrusted that role to Michelle…
The pieces fit together.
“So, in the end, you became the hunter in her place?”
“Yeah. But at one point, I almost died trying to kill some wretched adults. That’s when I met the Incarnation again, in a very bright world. You probably wouldn’t understand.”
I knew. It must have been the Midheaven Realm. It would have been after Hansel and the Candy House Witch had died.
“I immediately realized she was no longer human. When I asked what I should call her, she told me to call her the ‘Incarnation.’ From then on, that’s what I called her. Before that, I used to just call her the ‘hook-nosed witch.’”
Michelle’s eyes grew distant, as if she were recalling a fond memory.
“That’s how it happened. The Incarnation gave me the role of the Punisher and granted me her blessing. I barely survived, but after that, I was able to finish off those adults.”
The Candy House Witch had entrusted her will to Michelle, who had vowed to become the Punisher. I vividly recalled the Candy House Witch’s final moments as she was erased by the Nether King. I felt a sense of relief hearing the rest of her story.
“Now it’s your turn. Do you know why the Incarnation suddenly cut off her blessing?”
“…”
I decided to tell her the truth. I didn’t want to hide it from Michelle, who had inherited the Incarnation’s will and stained her hands with blood for it.
“She perished… trying to protect me.”
Michelle’s eyes widened in shock. “…What do you mean?”
“It’s exactly what it sounds like.”
“That makes no sense!”
As Michelle tried to pull away, I deliberately let her go. She quickly scrambled back to create distance. Her face was pale with shock as she gripped her axes tightly.
“What kind of ridiculous lie is that…? Why would she protect someone like you? Weren’t you supposed to be the strongest human? Even I know that!”
“There were unavoidable circumstances. I can’t tell you everything.”
When I had been ready to give up everything, the Candy House Witch had pushed me forward. Her sacrifice was a weight too heavy for me to bear alone.
Michelle seemed to realize I wasn’t lying. She furrowed her brow.
“…The Incarnation wouldn’t have saved you for no reason. There must have been a reason—something that made it necessary to save you.”
“Yes.”
“Then let me be part of that reason. I’m sure it’s something I should be involved in, too.”
“With the skill you’ve shown so far, you won’t be much help.”
“Is that so? I don’t think you should underestimate me like that.”
Michelle glared at me with fierce eyes, taking a stance.
Whoooosh!
Suddenly, dense mana began to emanate from Michelle, her red hood fluttering violently in the wind. But it wasn’t Michelle’s mana.
“I told you, right? I’ve got something to show you. I’ll show you what we’re truly capable of.”
The source of the mana was the axes. Magic weapons typically enhanced the wielder’s magic, but they didn’t possess magic of their own. In other words, those axes weren’t just magic weapons. They were something else entirely.
Just as I thought.
I had sensed it from the beginning. The presence of something alive within Michelle’s axes grew stronger. I summoned the Status Window that Ozma had left me. With her knowledge, I could identify them.
[Blood Horn Lagros]
Lv: 175
Race: Magic Beast
Elements: Diffusion
Danger: Low
A high-ranking beast with a unique attribute. Both hand axes were "Blood Horn Lagros." It appeared the beast had split itself in two.
She hadn’t formed a familiar contract. Judging by Michelle’s current capacity, there was no way she had the mana to control a magic beast of that level. In other words, Lagros was merely cooperating with her.
“Did the Incarnation give that to you?”
“Yes.”
Of course. The Candy House Witch had entrusted her with the role of a hunter; it would have made no sense to leave her empty-handed.
It seems that beast only follows her.
Blood Horn Lagros must have also inherited the Candy House Witch’s will.
“I won’t back down until you accept me as an ally.”
Kagagagak!!
Sharp fragments rapidly grew in size and began to swirl around Michelle, forming a powerful vortex. Any ordinary creature caught in that storm would be torn to shreds.
In the stands, Ian and Amy looked visibly shaken by the immense mana radiating from Michelle—power they hadn't expected from her.
“Here I come!”
Michelle charged, trailing the blade-filled vortex. Mana gathered around the hand ax she thrust forward.
Lagros’ element was diffusion. The moment she swung, its mana would expand in a long arc aimed at me. The vortex wouldn't be an exception. In other words, trying to dodge by simply keeping my distance would lead straight to death.
“…”
That actually looks quite useful.
As Michelle swung her ax, I raised my right hand, lightly condensing ice mana at my fingertip. I flicked my finger.
Boom!
“Kyaaa!!”
A fierce shockwave blasted out in all directions, dispersing Lagros’ vortex and sending Michelle flying. A murderous chill pierced through Michelle’s body. She dropped Blood Horn Lagros and rolled across the dueling ground, trembling uncontrollably.
“Haah, huff…! Ugh!”
Michelle groaned in pain, looking at me with wavering eyes. I had controlled my strength well enough. It hurt, but her life wasn't in danger.
I approached Michelle and looked down at her. Adjusting my glasses, I smiled kindly.
“Not bad.”
“What…?”
I crouched down, getting closer to her level. “Alright, let’s be allies. Or rather, welcome to my alliance.”
At this point, I could use all the help I could get. Plus, we were on the same wavelength, which made it even better.
I extended my hand.
Michelle, her face contorted in pain, let out a small, bitter laugh. “…What? After losing so easily, you’re really acknowledging me?”
“Why? Have you changed your mind?”
“Not at all. I feel motivated. If I’m with you, I’m sure it’ll be fun…”
Thud.
Michelle reached out with a trembling hand to grab mine, but she passed out before she could make contact, collapsing completely.