How to Survive at the Academy Chapter 106

Student President Election 2 (7)

– Hwaaak!

The gigantic spear creates a violent wind with just one wide swing horizontally.

I lowered my stance and held my center of gravity down to hold on so that my body would not stumble in the raging wind.

“going.”

It wasn’t even an attack. Ziggs just fixed that huge spear.

As it is, it kicks itself into the air and lands right in front of me. At the same time, the trajectory of the spear he swung while turning his body once drew a large semicircle.

It is an unacceptable force. Even spilling is impossible.

I managed to dodge the first blow by almost sticking to the ground, but the evasion was too big to lead to a counterattack. The momentum was still on Ziggs’ side.

As it is, I fixed the spear once, and this time, as my posture was completely lowered, an extremely fast thrust came towards me, which was difficult to evade.

can’t afford to dodge In that case, it was necessary to devise a defense method that caused as little damage as possible.

-paat

– Poo-wook.

As if the judgment on the situation I was in was over in an instant, Lacia, a lioness hiding in a nearby puddle that had bloomed due to the manifestation of a water source, jumped out and blocked Ziggs’ spear.

However, it was more appropriate to say that it was stabbed rather than blocked.

Lacia’s summons was forcibly canceled with a loud roar and splashes of water.

“Kuk!”

Grizzling at the ear-piercing roar, Ziggs accurately grasped the lion’s intentions, which he had sacrificed himself to stop its movements. It’s just to make a little bit of a gap.

A spear that large has an incredibly wide attack range and tremendous power, making it difficult to deal with… but it has a weakness that makes it more difficult to attack if you stick close to it.

After quickly digging into the slightest gap Lacia had created, Ziggs’ spear induced a melee fight that was difficult to attack. Once you’ve managed to dig in with your dagger, it’s hard for your opponent to take full advantage of the spear’s advantage.

However, Ziggs is a dueling master who does his best in every combat situation.

– Caang!

The rising mana gathered in Ziggs’ empty left hand, and it became an arming sword of appropriate length to block my attacks casually.

While casually wielding a spear larger than his body with his right hand, the close-range response to an enemy that had dug in was to respond with the sword in his left hand.

I clicked my tongue and gathered my mana to realize the ‘ignition’ magic. A sea of ​​fire split between Ziggs and me.

However, Ziggs did not change his expression and swung his spear once, evolving the flames created with his magical powers by overlaying them with his own magical powers.

“You mainly use attacks that block the opponent’s view and catch them off guard in other directions.”

The tricks of making up for the gap in competence with technique are widespread. However, there is a limit to narrowing the fundamental difference in power with such things. In particular, it is safe to say that Ziggs is an opponent that such tricks hardly work.

Even if the first time I allowed it because I didn’t know the opponent’s fighting style, it’s a completely different story from the second and third time.

“Rather than unreasonably engaging in psychological warfare, it’s clear when dealing with a style like Ed’s senior that it’s better to press down with the difference in firepower.”

Once again, the mana embodied in Ziggs’ body creates weapons. From daggers to two-handed swords, all kinds of different types of swords began to float and swirl in the air.

High-ranking magic ‘Mana armed? sword dance’. It is applied magic that combines basic high-level magic mana armament with telekinesis-type magic. The embodied weapons are not necessarily wielded by the hands of the caster, but begin to press the opponent by dancing in the air by themselves.

– Caang! Caang!

The roughly twenty swords gathered in one place and rushed at them.

She has lost her core power, the lioness Lacia. By now, the consumption of mana had accumulated tremendously. Not a very good situation.

Even so, if even one of those numerous sword attacks hits, the match ends immediately. I gritted my teeth and drew out the mana of my body, and once again exerted all my strength to manifest the medium-level fire magic ‘single point explosion’.

Not one this time.

If you don’t get rid of all the swords, you will definitely be caught off guard. Therefore, he realized almost twenty one-point explosions at once, and pointed out Ziggs’ swords one by one and exploded them in an instant.

– Kwakwang! Kwakwang! Kaga gak gak!

The medium magic ‘One Point Explosion’ has to give up magical efficiency in exchange for the ridiculously fast casting speed.

In other words, the power is not that strong compared to the amount of mana. Of course, an ordinary person would get a fatal blow from one blow, but it is rare for an enemy to be knocked out by this blow assuming a combat situation.

Having fired such an ineffective technique dozens of times in a row, his mana naturally began to show signs of exhaustion.

-Whoop woo woowook

And there was no way that Ziggs, the deputy head of the Ministry of Magic, could not catch on to that fact.

A stab that flies through the smoke created by the explosion magic. The view was not completely open, so it narrowly missed.

– Grasp!

Not missing the opportunity to miss, I grabbed the spear pole with both hands. A brief contest of strength ensues as their hands tremble with each other.

“You’ve run out of mana. You don’t even have the mana left to implement the basic defense magic. It’s definitely worth it.”

It was an accurate decision.

“Then I’ll finish it.”

Ziggs clenched his teeth and swung the spear with both hands, shaking my hand away. As it was, my body floated in the air for a while and managed to land at a place far away.

Ziggs once again implements numerous weapons through high-level magic and mana armament. If Ziggs, who had even mastered telekinesis magic, speared through the dances of countless swords… In simple melee combat, he would struggle against anyone.

Not only that, but I, the opponent, am a wizard who has run out of magic. Now even using basic magic requires gritting your teeth and focusing your mind. In fact, the match was already over.

Dalian is something that should always be taken seriously.

Reflecting Ziggs’ personality, he delivered the final blow that would decide victory.

Practice is always like real life. No matter how different my capabilities are, I will never look down on them, acknowledge them, and do my best.

Ziggs’ attitude left a deep impression on me… I finally brought out the last resort.

– Paaaaang!

“What…”

I took out the ‘Shock Enhanced Wave Ball’ from my chest, squeezed it tightly, and exploded it.

Clearly, my magic power was at the bottom, but a huge power emanated from me, and all the swords that Ziggs implemented fell off. It is the power of magic engineering items.

– Whoaaaaaagh!

In this Dalian, I didn’t use a single magical engineering tool. They didn’t bother to win by using such external means.

However, if the other person is sincere like that, it is polite to mobilize all means that I can mobilize.

“With this much…!”

All the psychokinetic swords that Ziggs created were blown away by waves, but they could not materialize enough waves to blow away Ziggs himself. Since there is a limit to my magic response, it is difficult for the destructive power to be realized with my magic engineering items to exceed that level.

“Once… if only an effective hit…!”

Ziggs’ experience in combat must have told him intuitively.

A magician who has run out of magic. An opponent who cannot even use defensive magic.

Once you allow access, you are sure to win. Because he is well aware of that fact, Ziggs digs in with his spear.

From there, it’s my turn to pull out my last move.

– Kaaaang!

Just like that, Ziggs’ attacks were blocked by defensive magic.

“what…?”

it could be.

Ziggs’s blow is so powerful that it can’t be successfully blocked even with moderate magic efficiency, but if you invest a lot of magic, even with my level of defense magic, it can be deflected at least once.

But the problem is… how did he implement the defense magic when he didn’t even have the magic to attack?

“Huh!”

What’s in the clenched fist is ‘Glast’s Phoenix Ring’.

At this point, my greatest power is to manifest the high-ranking wind spirit ‘Merilda’.

If you use Glast’s phoenix ring to draw mana, that much is possible. Of course, for the time being, I would fall into the penalty of not being able to use a drop of magic power.

There was no reason to deal with Merylda to such an extent that she had to endure such a penalty in practice sparring.

However, there is not always an extreme method called ‘manifestation’ in dealing with high-ranking wind spirits.

There are many students who know that the only way to help the spirits is to fight the spirits by manifesting them, but… in reality, this is not the case.

For example, by manifesting a spirit ceremony and endowing it somewhere, it helps the elemental lord to use some of his abilities easily.

It also assists in combat with a skill that is always activated.

In addition, you may be provided with spirit-specific skills… For example, Mug’s magic that temporarily increases fire resistance, or Lacia’s magic that manifests a water source that allows you to operate on bare ground…

If you reduce the mana that consumes it a little, you can realize the spirit’s ability by using the auxiliary means.

Of course, Merilda is a very powerful spirit from birth, so the problem is that just implementing her unique skills requires enormous magical energy. Still, it’s much better than the magical power that goes into ‘manifestation’.

The realization of that level of ability… is something that can be handled even with just a little bit of magic. It’s not a small amount, but…

“Keuuugh!”

The other side is going out with full power, so it’s polite to go out with full power.

– Whoaaaaaaaaaaaaagh.

Not understanding how the completely drained mana would start to rise again, Ziggs was soon hit by a massive wind.

The moment I look forward with my center of gravity as low as possible…

In front of him, a girl caught my eye.

A pure white dress with pure white hair. golden eyes.

[Is it the limit to manifest this much even if you use magic power? Well, compared to when I was summoned from the Altar of Altar, it’s a much worse environment. Lucy was there at the time. ]

[Still, this is… a great improvement. Ed. ]

Before Ziggs could figure out what this was all about, the girl swung her slender hand into the air.

High-ranking wind spirit Merilda’s unique skill, ‘updraft’.

It was a magic that lifted everything in the area into the air and took away the freedom of the body.

Ziggs is also skilled in wind magic. I tried to free myself from Merilda’s influence with my magic, but…

[It would be better not to make meaningless resistance. ]

Trying to rub Merilda with wind elemental magic is arrogance. Merilda, the high-ranking wind spirit, has the upper hand in all wind magics.

– Grasp!

Ziggs’ body floats in the air as it is, leaving him completely defenseless.

No matter how strong a warrior is, it is difficult to fully demonstrate one’s strength in the air. Even the position is fixed as it is, so I can’t even evade maneuvers.

“Keugh!”

The moment Ziggs, who quickly finished grasping the situation with superhuman quickness, was about to implement attack magic.

– Quaaaaaaang!

Lieutenant fire magic ‘one point explosion’ bloomed once again.

This time it was a proper direct hit.

[Yes, it’s neatly done. ]

Smoke rises from the aftermath of the magic, and Merylda, in the form of a girl who is imperfectly realized, shakes off her skirt a few times.

“It’s the first time I’ve seen you manifest in this form, Meryl.”

[Was horsepower efficiency much better? Of course, there are all sorts of restrictions on what you can do. ]

“…”

[Although, I didn’t want to look like this as much as possible because some strange stalker is following me around these days. It’s just cold because it doesn’t have enough hair on its skin, and it’s strange to balance its body because it doesn’t have a tail. Also, why is his mouth so small? Originally, the mouth has to be torn all the way to the side of the cheek like this to open it, right? ]

I put both my index fingers in my mouth and spread my cheeks wide open while making nonsensical noises.

I was trying to tell you that it’s hard to sympathize with people if you tell them how you feel about wolves…

– Dig!

Through the smoke, Ziggs, holding a magical rapier, leaped out like a bullet.

In such a defenseless state, without even having time to take a defensive stance, he maintained a state capable of fighting even though he was hit directly by the magic of the lieutenant.

It was clear that he had implemented defensive magic with unbelievable quickness. Some, if not completely, shock was absorbed.

The reason it was in the form of a rapier, not a spear, must have been because there was no strength left to lift that gigantic spear.

– Caang!

He evaded the rapier with a half-animal instinct, but soon the form of magic changed and Ziggs’ weapon changed into a large longsword again.

The moment Merylda, startled, moved to respond, the point of Ziggs’s knife was already pressed against my neck.

“…”

“…”

[…]

silence for a while. The tip of Ziggs’s sword, gasping for breath, did not even move.

As for me, I’ve used all the magical means I can mobilize, and I’ve taken advantage of all the draws that are close to tricks. The amount of mana he drew was not enormous, but it was all gone.

The meaning of giving this distance to a melee warrior in a state without magical power.

Eventually, I raised my arms and spoke quietly.

“You won. Ziggs.”

– Kagang, kang!

As soon as he said that, the knife fell from Ziggs’ hand. Eventually, when the effect of ‘Mana Armament’ disappeared, the sword was also transformed into magical power.

And Ziggs sat down on the floor, gasping for a while. He looked tired and exhausted.

“Heo-eok, hee-eok… I learned a number of things well. To think that he trained this much in just one year… It’s hard to believe from my point of view, who has been training all his life.”

I also had a hard time standing up properly because of the tiredness that came over me.

For the first time in a while, I felt like I had really pushed my body to the limit.

*

“…So, isn’t it too much for both of you…?”

By the time Yenika came out of the cave and into the crags, both Ziggs and I were lying on the floor.

Both of them were sweating profusely and struggling to keep their bodies together, looking like boxers who had just finished sparring.

I gulped down the water Yenica had brought me, wiped away my sweat, and looked up at the sky as the sun began to set.

It was not hot thanks to the cool wind of late spring. She liked the occasional sound of the crashing waves.

About 20 minutes to lie down for a while and take a break while being blown by the wind.

Ziggs joined and cheered up, then quickly raised his upper body and spoke.

“This is internal information from the undergraduate school. There is a story that I happened to hear from the undergraduate staff when I went to the Trix building to adjust the A class schedule.”

Come to think of it, Ziggs said he came because he had something to say.

“Kadek and Knox are said to have escaped. The culprits who are accused of killing you.”

“…”

“I don’t know how they managed to break through the strict security of the Trix building… But anyway, they say it hasn’t been announced yet. It’s understandable that even if it causes confusion, it will only cause confusion in the search.

Then Ziggs let out a deep sigh.

“Thanks to this, Tanya’s suspicion of murdering her senior is getting harder and harder to solve.”

“Yeah… I did.”

“Since you must have been stuck and unable to get out of here, you would have had no choice but to make a simplistic judgment based on the information that Yenika gave you. So, I don’t think you can intuitively understand what the bachelor’s status feels like or what kind of public opinion Tanya is facing. I think.”

He said he had come because he had something to say about Penia and Tanya.

Perhaps what follows from this is the main point of Ziggs.

“Princess Fenia called me, and I went to the imperial family’s quarters.”

“…As expected, Tanya must have been hiding in the royal residence.”

“Yes. According to Tanya’s testimony, they questioned me variously. If you think it wasn’t Tanya who murdered senior Ed, why are you sitting still without actively testifying to the school…”

It was Ziggs who stood up for Tanya more than anyone during Lucy’s attack on Ophelis.

It seemed unnatural from Fenia’s point of view that Ziggs remained silent in this situation.

“I kept my silence. I even pretended that I couldn’t testify about uncertain information. Because… Senior Ed is risking his life in his own way.”

There was actually an assassination attempt. If we do not take additional measures here, it would not be strange if our lives are in danger. In other words, this side is also at the crossroads of life and death.

Knowing the seriousness of the situation, Ziggs closed his eyes and pretended not to know, even if Tanya felt somewhat unfair.

“However, if Cadek and Knox escaped, the story would be different now. If they report the situation to the Roth Taylor family, the Roth Taylor family will consider you dead.”

Rarely for Ziggs, I expressed my opinion.

“First of all, considering the physical distance between Roth Taylor’s mansion and this Aken Island, as well as the somewhat closed internal requirements of the undergraduate school… It will take some time for the Roth Taylor family to reconfirm the senior’s survival. Unless you shoot the letter and report it.”

Yes. Even the Ross Taylor family would never dispatch someone to this island of Aken on the outskirts of the empire to confirm my existence, which was already reported dead.

If I want to reaffirm my existence, I must borrow the power of rumors. Rumor has it that the descendants of the Ross Taylor family, who were excommunicated from Aken Island, are still alive.

In order for such rumors to spread outside the school, it must be during the vacation season when internal personnel leave the island of Aken. After a long vacation season, if you’re quite lucky, rumors will reach the Roth Taylor mansion.

Then, from there, I send people directly to confirm my survival, establish an assassination plan again, and find a justification for sending my personnel to the Sylvania Baccalaureate… If these processes are to repeat again… From now on, at least It’s not strange even if it takes half a year.

You may be able to pull off that amount of time. At that point, depending on the scenario, the Ross Taylor family is slowly going to ruin. The entire family will fall into crisis, so there is a high probability that I will have no time to care.

“Anyway, what I wanted to say was… about the Tanya I met at the royal residence.”

It feels like the story isn’t connected, but for now, I’ve been listening to Ziggs.

“Did you meet him in person?”

“Yes. I guess I’m the one who supported Tanya even in the most extreme situations. She trusted me quite a bit.”

Ziggs paused for a moment, then sighed and continued.

“It was a stupid thing to say. Well, if you imagine Tanya’s bachelor life… it would be even weirder not being devastated. Yenika-senpai would know that well.”

“That’s right.”

Yenika put down the water she had poured for me and spoke slowly.

“I’ve already told Ed, but he’s under investigation by the bachelor’s office, he’s preparing for the student council president election, and he’s been accused of being a murderer, and even public opinion is at its worst. Still, he’s holding on to it somehow. Perhaps Princess Penia has to bear the political burden of seeing Tanya. The reason he supported me was probably because he felt sorry for him.”

“It’s as Jenika-senpai said.”

Sitting on a rock, Ziggs stared at the sky slowly turning red.

“I’ve held out too long cornered. It’s not a burden a girl her age can bear. It’ll collapse before long.”

Ziggs came just to say that.

“Tonight, there will be a declaration of running for student president election. It will be held on the first floor of the Obel building next to the student plaza, which has traditionally been the home of the student council. “

Having said that, Ziggs did not open his mouth any more. He seemed to think that this ideal was too presumptuous.

“…”

I lay still and looked up at the sky, lost in thought.

It means a lot to me that Tanya, not Penia, is running for student president.

Having Princess Fenia, who will later take a hostile stance against the Roth Taylor family, as the student council president, and having Tanya, a member of the Roth Taylor family, as the student council president.

It is impossible to predict what the difference will lead to in the future. And the love affairs that have already begun to twist will also begin to break unreasonably from this point.

I felt like I had reached an important turning point.

The choice is my share, and the responsibility for the result is also my share.

If she defends Tanya at this opportunity, then Tanya, who has been cleared of false accusations, will solidify her position as student council president and become an unstoppable candidate.

Externally, she was supported by Princess Penia, but underneath the water, Lortel was pushing her forward.

It would be even weirder not to be elected.

That… means to completely twist and break the flow of the future, which was maintained at least assorted… with my own hands.

However, Tanya has already suffered too much.

He must have been just a character who passed as a one-time villain as a rival of Princess Penia.

Now that we have been put in a position where we have to confront the absurd flow of fate… If we look for the cause, it is the existence of a human who should not remain in this scenario.

That’s Ed Rosteyler. My existence is the cause.

Of course, I also had circumstances. It was unintentional, and from my point of view, it was a matter of life and death.

It is a situation that has reached a desperate fight to survive. I am not an adult gentleman to the point of giving up my life thinking of others.

However, even so…

Is it really right to neglect the girl who is the only blood of this body that exists in this wide and wide world… and who has to face the storms of fate without any guilt? How nice it was at first to have her little brother who could at least share the name of Ross Taylor.

When you try to balance the flow of affairs that has already begun to twist, which way should this two-armed scale lean?

If she somehow mobilized her personal connections and abilities, it might be possible to somehow persuade or induce Princess Fenia to run for student president.

Whether it was guilt or resentment towards the Roth Taylor family… there were many ways to use and stimulate it.

What I suddenly realized was the fact that I hadn’t done that.

“Senior Ed.”

“You don’t have to talk any more.”

I quietly looked up at the sky. The sun was setting.

Important choices in life are usually made in this way at once.

Did you say that you announced your candidacy for the student council president this evening?

“…”

I slowly lowered my head… and spoke softly.

“Yes… it is time to end this secluded life.”

*

Suddenly, the old memories of the girl come to mind.

As with old memories, the light has faded a lot.

Still, when I gathered each scene and sublimated it into a single memory, it was not a bad story.

A noble family praised by everyone in the empire. The three siblings hold her hand and go on an outing to the garden where flowers bloom.

Arwen, Ed, and Tanya sing humming songs… They cut flowers and tie them in their hair, admire the beautiful scenery… and hold hands with the fresh scent of spring.

In a way, it can be said that it is the last memory. After that, Tanya’s life was always filled with heavy pressure and responsibility.

It seems that there were such happy times. When she opens her eyes with a low monologue, the dull reality weighs heavily on her shoulders.

Obel Building 1st floor.

All eyes of those who look at Tanya are darkly suspicious.

These are the eyes looking at a person who is consumed by the lust for power, who tries to sit in the student council president’s seat with his teeth gnashed despite the vicious murder charges.

Tanya stands right in front of the heavy hostility of the crowd.

Because I was determined not to run away from that hostility.

Even if there is no way out, it will go forward.

There are a lot of people who say that it is impossible to become student council president in this situation, but Tanya didn’t care.

In the rainy Ophelis Hall, I saw a lot of people who dared to challenge the impossible.

It seems useless, but there must be some sublimity in that will. I believed that and stood right on the podium.

The public booing was nothing compared to the hardships of life.