Chapter 20: Hero and Villain Heroine
“. . .Slayer-san.”
“You. . .”
I grab Leone’s wrist.
We glare at each other, the tension thick in the air.
“Let go.”
“You should be the one letting go.”
“Who are you saying that to?”
“There’s no one else here, is there?”
Neither of us backs down.
Neither of us took a step back.
Although I wanted to forcibly break away, Leone had the upper hand in pure physical strength.
It would be best to let go quietly.
However, he wouldn’t back down.
“You don’t seem to understand your position.”
“The same goes for you. Within this academy, we are equals. . .And outside, we are both nobles, aren’t we?”
“Hmph. Equals? Don’t be foolish. There’s no way a mediocre middle-class noble like you and I are on the same level.”
“. . .It seems like you don’t plan on letting go.”
In that case, there’s nothing I can do.
It hurts a little, but I’ll endure it.
“Bolt.”
“――huh!”
A crackle of electricity ran through his wrist.
Unable to bear it, Leone released his grip on Flare’s arm.
“You. . .”
“It’s your fault for not letting go.”
“. . .Your attitude, your words. . .I still don’t like you. You’re getting too full of yourself just because you can use a bit of magic!”
“Just a little bit? I’m much stronger than you.”
My provocation definitely pissed off Leone.
As proof, his expression clearly changed.
“Fine. Then show me. Duel me, Slayer Raeburn.”
“A. . .duel?”
“Sure.”
“Slayer-san?”
Flare looked at me with a worried expression as I answered immediately.
I whisper to her.
“Don’t worry. I. . .am strong, you know.”
I’ve had an intense battle with the Demon King and all.
Leone grinned.
“It’s decided. Let’s start right away. Follow me.”
“Okay.”
“Wait, Leone!”
“Don’t stop me, Meigen. You have to pay for making a fool of me with your own body.”
Leone shook off Meigen’s attempt to stop him and walked ahead.
Flare and I followed him.
I was the one called out, she should just focus on her classes. . .But I can’t say that in this situation.
Perfect.
If she sees this battle, it will decrease the possibility of her getting close to Leone.
Is that all?
I just stopped Leone because I was annoyed. . .
“We’re here.”
“The training room. Did you get permission?”
“Of course. If it’s me, permission is easy to get.”
“Is that so?”
It doesn’t matter.
“Let’s finish this quickly.”
“That confidence will disappear soon.”
Leone and I stood facing each other at a distance.
Flare and Meigen stood behind us, looking worried.
“The condition for victory is to render the opponent unable to fight or to make them surrender.”
“Okay.”
“A duel is a wager. The loser must obey the winner. Is that acceptable?”
“I don’t mind. After all, I’m going to win.”
“――Don’t regret it.”
Leone’s magical power swelled.
As expected of a noble’s heir, his magical prowess surpasses that of an ordinary person.
But unfortunately, I knew something more than that.
“After seeing that, you look cute.”
“Burn! Burn Strike!”
A magic circle appeared in front of Leone, and a vortex of flames was released toward me.
At the same time as the flames collided, they rose like a tornado.
“Slayer-san!”
“Heh, is that all? Just as I thought, all talk. . .”
“How lukewarm.”
I swung my arm and scattered the flames.
“――!”
“Even fish cannot be cooked with such weak flames.”
I taunted him.
Leone became irritated and activated a new spell with a loud click of his tongue.
“Meteor Strike!”
Countless balls of flames were generated behind him.
They surrounded me and were simultaneously released, hitting the ground.
Explosions and smoke filled the air.
But of course, it didn’t affect me.
I emerged from the smoke unscathed, and Leone was shocked.
“How foolish. . .”
“How pathetic. Real flames are. . .”
I held out my right hand and deployed a magic circle on my palm.
A blaze erupted and formed a shape like a giant sword.
“This is what I mean.”
I swung the sword of flames.
Leone jumped to the side to avoid it.
It was a good decision.
If he had taken it head-on, he would have been burned badly.
“You dodged it well.”
“Tch, don’t underestimate me!”
Leone wrapped himself in flames and charged at me.
As you can see, his specialty is fire magic.
His family has mastered fire magic and passed it down to their descendants.
Leone is undoubtedly powerful.
He has already surpassed the level of a student.
However, he picked the wrong opponent.
“I’m not a mere student.”
“Incredible. . .so cool,” Flare adds.
His flames couldn’t reach me.
They were all extinguished and neutralized.
Leone couldn’t hide his frustration and his attacks became sloppier.
“I’ll end this soon.”
“. . .Don’t make me laugh. There’s no way I, a man, would lose to a woman like you!”
His intense anger amplified his magical power.
The fluctuations in his emotions disrupted his control over his magic.
The more skilled a mage, the better they are at controlling their emotions.
But Leone is still a student.
Despite having the ability, he is still immature.
Because he has great power, his immaturity stands out.
If he uses magic with disrupted control, it will result in an explosion.
“Go away!”
Flames engulfed Leone’s entire body and unleashed into the surrounding area.
He was unconscious.
One of the released flames headed towards Flare.
“Eh――.”
By the time he realized it, it was too late.
The attack hit.
“. . .huh?”
“Really, what a troublesome guy.”
If I hadn’t been protecting her like this.
“Slayer-san!”
“Are you okay? Are you hurt?”
“No, I’m not. Slayer-san protected me.”
“It was just a coincidence.”
I was also moving unconsciously
.
Whenever I sensed danger, I instinctively protected her.
It’s strange.
It’s like I’m her hero and he’s the villain. . .
“Damn it. Slayer Raeburn. . .”
He glares at me.
However, he doesn’t have the same fighting spirit as before.
He knows it himself.
If I hadn’t intervened, Flare would have been seriously injured.
Just then, the voice of a teacher echoes.
“Hey! What are you doing here?”
“Huh, sensei?”
“Using the training room without permission is prohibited!”
“I knew we didn’t have permission.”
I thought so.
Well, let’s run away before it becomes a big fuss.
I grabbed Flare’s hand.
“Let’s go.”
“Y-Yes!”
“Hey! Wait!”
Ignoring the shouting teacher, I ran away.
I kept running until I couldn’t hear their voices anymore.
We got outside the building and hid in the courtyard.
The teacher didn’t follow us.
“Sigh, what a waste of time.”
“Excuse me, Slayer-san!”
Flare stood in front of me, looking at me with sparkling eyes.
“Thank you so much for helping me!”
“. . .I just happened to be there.”
I shook my head.
“You protected me. . .it was really cool.”
“. . .I see.”
Those kinds of lines should be said to the heroes.
They weren’t words that I should receive.
“Slayer-san, please let me repay you!”
“It’s not necessary.”
“I don’t want to hear that!”
She said that and held my hand.
“You. . .you. . .”
“I want to do it! Not just rely on your help, I want to be of help to Slayer-san! I want to be Slayer-san’s friend!”
“Friend. . .?”
“Yes!”
She tightly grasps my hand.
She looks straight into my eyes and speaks.
“To be honest, I. . .admire Slayer-san.”
“Me?”
She nods.
Looking embarrassed.
“I saw someone like Slayer-san for the first time. Strong, kind, cool, and beautiful.”
I can understand the strong and cool part.
Am I kind?
Being called beautiful by someone other than my parents was also a first.
“So, I’ve always wanted to be friends with you!”
“. . .”
In the original story, Flare learned that Slayer was killed by the Demon king and felt great sadness.
I remembered her lines clearly.
We should have talked more and understood each other.
I wished we could have talked more and understood each other.
If only we could have become friends.
“Would you make me your friend, Slayer-san?”
“. . .”
It was about to come true.
Flare looked at me with a gaze of adoration.
I shouldn’t receive that kind of look.
These are words, which should be directed at one of the heroes. . .I, of all people, shouldn’t be receiving them. . .
“Is it okay for me to be that person?”
“I want it to be you, Slayer-san.”
“I see. . .”
If she says it like that, even if she’s a girl. . .
“Then, starting from today, we’re friends.”
“――Yes!”
I can’t help but feel genuinely happy.
[insert page=’4633′ display=’content’]
[insert page=’4587′ display=’content’]
Translator’s Blog
Blog
- My Gacha Gaming Habit is Bleeding My Bank Account Dry: How to Stop Before You Go Broke
- Trucks, Isekai, and the Struggle for a Good Image: When Anime Hurts the Real World
- Naruto Runners Storming Area 51: A Weeb’s Perspective
- Cursed Hands: When Anime Fandom Goes Too Far
- Unlocking Your Inner Naruto Fox: Finding Your Sasuke and Mastering the Sharingan
Leave a Reply