Even Real Combat Is No Problem.
"Ahahahaha!" Brika drew her sword and charged forward. "Cower and run before this Brika-nim, you greenhorn!"
"Run?"
Whoosh!
Brika rushed forward at incredible speed, her sword slicing through the air.
"S-So fast!"
"What? Aren't physical reinforcement and magic banned during swordsmanship training?"
"Of course they are! In the first place, that arena is equipped with a mana-sealing barrier, so no one can use magic! Not a single person. The only magic active in there is the protection magic on the weapons!"
"What? That means..."
"That speed right now... she's moving purely on raw human strength!"
"Whoa..."
Everyone knew Brika possessed exceptional swordsmanship. But leaving that aside, the students were utterly dumbfounded by the fact that she was executing these near-superhuman movements through sheer, unadulterated physical power.
Whoosh. Swish. Slice.
"Huh? Wait..."
But before long,
"Wait, is that..."
They realized there was another superhuman in the arena.
"What's with Professor Selene?"
"Is she seriously dodging all of that with pure physical reaction?"
"But... she can't use mana either, right?"
"No, that's not the point!"
The students watched the fight with bated breath, their palms sweating.
"How is she dodging everything without parrying even once?!"
"And... and without using any physical reinforcement?!"
Whoosh! Swish! Clang!
Brika's relentless sword cleaved through the empty air. The chilling sound of slicing wind echoed through the training hall. If even a single blow connected, it was clear that even with the weapon's protection magic, a bone would shatter.
But,
"Aaargh! You slippery little rat!"
"Not a rat."
Nothing. Not a single opening. It was as if Selene already knew exactly where every strike was coming from.
"Aaargh!"
Selene was evading every single one of Brika's attacks without letting a single blow land.
"You little...!"
"..."
"How long are you going to keep running?!"
(Tilts head)
"You've been doing nothing but running away this whole time!"
"...Told to run."
"Aaargh!"
"..."
At Brika's words, Selene's movements suddenly ground to a halt.
"Fight me fair and square! Don't run! Give it everything you've got!"
With a roar, Brika lunged at Selene.
"Give everything? Understood."
The moment Selene's quiet reply left her lips—
Crack.
Everyone present saw it.
"What? The floor...?"
The arena floor, heavily reinforced with multiple layers of magic. The mana-sealing barrier woven into the stone was slowly, creeeak, beginning to fracture...
"This is the end!"
At that exact moment, Brika's sword lunged right before Selene's nose. Swiiish! Just as the blade was about to cleave Selene in two—
Whoosh.
"Huh?!"
In a split second,
"She vanished—"
Selene, who had been right in Brika's line of sight...
"Ugh?!"
...reappeared directly in front of Brika, moving so fast that the transition was completely invisible.
Hummm.
"Gah?!"
The moment Selene's hand touched Brika's solar plexus, Brika felt her insides violently twist. And then—
BANG!
"S-She got blown away?!"
Brika, standing at 175 centimeters—at least two heads taller than Selene—was launched backward, flying clean out of the arena.
Thud!
Brika crashed hard into the wall.
Crash!
At the same time, the completely shattered mana-sealing barrier collapsed along with the arena itself.
"Aaaah!"
"Cough, cough! What just happened?!"
A thick cloud of dust blanketed the training hall. Students coughed and waved their hands to clear the air.
A moment later, as the dust settled, they saw.
"Is that... Professor Selene?"
Selene stood silently in the center of the ruined arena, her face completely expressionless.
"Cough!"
And where her gaze was directed—
Crumble.
Something was slowly pulling itself out of the shattered wall of the training hall.
"I-Instructor Brika? Are you okay?"
"This Brika-nim is perfectly fine!"
"Eh?!"
Spurt!
A stream of blood shot out from Brika's head.
"Eek! I-Instructor Brika! Your head..."
"Hmm?"
Press, press.
Brika plugged the bleeding hole with her finger. Amazingly, the bleeding stopped.
"..."
Brika gently touched her solar plexus. It was the exact spot Selene's hand had brushed against.
This sensation... magic? Was it some kind of Mana Reverse technique?
Brika climbed back onto the arena. Selene was staring down at her own palm.
"You... did you use Mana Reverse?"
"..."
"You used my own mana to blow me away, didn't you?"
"...Strength control. Failed. Why?"
"Well, whatever. That's not the important part right now..."
Ignoring Selene, who was muttering to herself, Brika turned to the spectator stands.
"You there! You nerdy-looking brat!"
"Me?"
"Come down here and check this."
"Check what?"
"The mana-sealing barrier, obviously!"
"Huh? Me?"
"Well, do you expect me to check it when I can't even use magic?"
"Ah, yes, ma'am!"
The smart-looking student scrambled down in a hurry and inspected the cracked floor.
"Huh?"
"Well? How is it?"
"The sealing magic is gone. It's been completely destroyed."
"Hmm..."
Brika looked at Selene.
"Well, I suppose it was about time to replace it anyway."
"..."
"What are you standing around for? Hurry up and reapply it!"
"Pardon?"
"The mana-sealing magic!"
"Me?"
"If you can't do it, go fetch a teaching assistant!"
Soon, a teaching assistant arrived. The assistant nagged Brika endlessly while looking at the half-destroyed training hall, all while busy casting the sealing magic over the area again.
"Whew... this should do it."
"Good."
"But seriously, the mana barrier breaking during a sparring match? That could have been a disaster."
"That's why you need to replace it regularly!"
After everything was finished:
"Listen up. You must not use magic here!" Brika gave Selene a stern warning.
"Must not?"
"Of course not! This is training! Are you trying to hurt the babies?"
"Babies? Brika is baby?"
"No, not me! The students!"
"Then, can use magic on Brika?"
"No, no! You can't use it on me during training either!"
(Tilts head) "Earlier. Said to fight with everything..."
"...I meant fight fair and square!"
"Fair and square?"
Selene tilted her head, still unable to comprehend.
"Yes! No matter your skill level, everyone fights on equal footing here! That is the fundamental rule of swordsmanship training!"
"Equal?"
"Yes! You adjust your level to match the weaker opponent!"
"Then..."
Selene nodded, seemingly understanding a little.
"Brika is weak."
"What?"
"I will match. Yes. Understood."
"You little..."
Spurt!
Blood shot out of Brika's head once more.
"Wait a moment, Instructor."
Just then, someone stood up and stopped Brika as she was about to draw her sword again.
"Hmm?"
"Isn't there a rule that injured personnel cannot participate in swordsmanship sparring?"
It was the Vice Student Council President, Demian Cromwell.
"I'm not injured."
"But you are bleeding, aren't you?"
"Shut up! My job is on the line here, who cares about a little blood?!"
"Even so..."
Unlike Brika, who was worked up and literally spurting blood, Demian calmly persuaded her with an easygoing smile.
"Shouldn't the one who upholds the rules be the one qualified to be an instructor?"
"What?"
"You cannot lecture others on the qualifications of an instructor if you cannot even follow the rules yourself."
"Y-You brat."
"But I understand. Even so, you must still be curious if your opponent possesses sufficient ability."
"What?"
"Instructor Brika, that is the truth, isn't it? You simply want to gauge the skills of the newly appointed Professor Selene... or rather, Instructor Selene. All that talk about pensions and jobs was surely just a joke."
"W-Well, yes, of course."
"Then..."
For a split second, a smirk played on Demian's lips before vanishing.
"How about a proxy fights in place of the injured Instructor Brika?"
"What? Who dares to represent me?"
"Why, of course..."
Demian's hand moved slowly.
"The Imperial Strongest sword present here."
At that moment, everyone's gaze shifted in unison to the seat next to Demian.
"I believe Lady Leonia would be more than capable of fulfilling the role."
All eyes locked onto Leonia.
"W-Wait, Demian. I..."
"Do not worry, Lady Leonia. Have you not defeated Instructor Brika in the past?"
"But..."
"The Academy Dueling Tournament is just around the corner, so consider this a light warm-up."
"..."
"What do you think, Instructor?"
Ignoring Leonia, whose face was rapidly losing color, Demian turned back to Brika for approval.
"Tsk. Leonia, huh... Well, I suppose there's no helping it."
"I will take that as an agreement."
"But keep this in mind! This Brika-nim only lost to Leonia by a hair! A microscopic hair! In my prime, I would have won instantly!"
"Yes, yes. Everyone here is well aware of that."
"Excellent!"
Having made sure to emphasize a point absolutely no one cared about, Brika pointed dramatically at Leonia.
"Step forward! Crush Selene in my stead!"
"..."
"Your skills are close to mine! So if you defeat Selene, it proves she has no right to be an instructor!"
Leonia closed her eyes tightly for a brief moment, then—
"Understood."
She stood up and picked up her sword.
Heh. Under these circumstances, everything is perfect.
Watching this unfold, Demian finished his calculations.
If Selene defeats Leonia in front of everyone here, Leonia's spirit will break.
As for the Valcazars, I can simply claim I never expected Leonia to lose.
Once Leonia is broken, I will claim her for myself, and deal with Selene later. Everything will go exactly as planned.
Like a predator stalking its prey,
"So it doesn't matter what the outcome is. This board is mine now."
Demian licked his lips in anticipation.