The Former Swordmaster Who Pretends to Be the Worst, and the School’s Top-Ranked Chairman’s Daughter Who’s Way Too Sweet in Public, It’s a Real Problem
――It’s true—no matter how far I go, I’ll always be just an ordinary person.
Even back when I was in that other world, I was hopeless at magic, and even now, I can’t sense magical energy unless I concentrate really hard. Still, even an ordinary person could do something.
Swinging a sword every day.
Just with single-minded determination, so that one day I could protect someone.
“You… what have you done?”
At my words, Nishimiya was visibly shaken.
He was covering his mouth with his sleeve to prevent inhaling the poison. I had mistakenly believed that magic wasn’t involved in this poison. No, to be precise, Nishimiya had also misjudged my swordsmanship.
He was convinced that what he needed was “visual confirmation.”
But I don’t need that.
Because—
“…I told you, didn’t I? My swordsmanship cuts through the very concept of magic. If it’s based on magic, whether I can see it or not is irrelevant.”
The only question is whether its true nature is magic.
If Nishimiya had simply taken an antidote, I wouldn’t have stood a chance. If the poison were merely dissolved in the air, there’d be no way to cut through something formless.
“Nishimiya—you would never, ever put yourself in danger. No matter how much antidote you’ve taken, it’s not foolproof if you exceed your tolerance. If that were the case, you would have rigged it from the start so it couldn’t be inhaled.”
But if that were the case, it would be a different story.
If manipulating the poison is magic, then all I have to do is sever it. In other words,
“In the end, you’re nothing but a coward who only thinks of self-preservation. You’re just that kind of person—you’ve simply drowned in your own schemes.”
With that, I’d finally dragged Nishimiya down to my level.
Though, even that must be humiliating for him.
“Hah, don’t be ridiculous… Aragaki! A mediocrity like you…!!”
As he shouted that, Nishimiya trembled with rage and generated lightning around his body.
It set the wooden annex ablaze, causing a fire. As the smell of burning wood filled the air and oxygen began to run out, I calmly addressed the cunning man.
“Listen, I’ll tell you one thing… Nishimiya.”
Holding a knife, I stared him down.
“Even without talent, every life has worth. And talent isn’t something you’re born with—it’s something you cultivate…!”
“Don’t be ridiculous…!!”
And as if that were the signal.
Nishimiya let out a bloodcurdling scream and fired a bolt of lightning at me. Dodging it at that blinding speed was far too difficult for me, now that I was being consumed by poison.
Even so, I didn’t look away.
All I could do was sever the very concept of magic itself.
My senses, honed through days of relentless swordplay. Thanks to them, I could—
“――――!”
—I can tell where the core of that magic lies!
I lunged toward the lightning strike with a flash of my knife. Immediately afterward, the magic Nishimiya had unleashed could not maintain its existence and dissipated into mist. I repeated this twice, three times, and then—six times.
Though the attacks were fired at me time and time again, I severed every single one.
As if to completely negate his claim that his magical talent was his “reason for existence.”
“Aragaki!!!!!!”
Nishimiya raised his voice, as if he had lost his mind.
As his attacks gradually lost their intensity, I found an opening and closed in.
“Nishimiya… I’m sorry, but you aren’t even worth killing. But instead—”
With the fewest possible steps, I closed the distance to him.
I tossed aside my knife and clenched my fist. Then,
“Just one punch is enough. Let me hit you with all my might…!!”
“Wh—”
Saying only that, I delivered a blow that had nothing to do with magic or swordsmanship.
“——Ah, gah!?”
Straight on, with all my might.
I slammed it down, aiming for Nishimiya’s detestable face, frozen in shock.
I couldn’t tell if it was my own or his. The sound of bones grinding could definitely be heard. Even so, I didn’t care; I brought that fist down with all my might—!
“——Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!”
The cry escaped me naturally.
At the same moment, the man who had cornered so many people was blown all the way to the wall.
“Haa… haa…!”
Noticing that Nishimiya had fallen silent, I finally managed to take a breath.
But due to the smoke from the fire caused by the lightning strike, I couldn’t get any proper oxygen. As a result, all the strength drained from my body, my knees buckled, and I simply collapsed right there.
“Saito-kun…!”
“…Rika? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine! But right now, we have to get out of the annex…!”
My childhood friend was desperately trying to lift me up.
But she was far too weak to lift a person who had completely lost all strength. In that case, I had no choice but to let Rika escape on her own.
With that in mind, I touched her hand.
“…………Ah, rain…?”
—It was at that very moment.
As if weaving through the gaps in the raging flames, raindrops began to fall. The timing was far too convenient, and I could think of only one possible explanation.
It was…
“Thank you, Ed—”
The magic Edward was so skilled at—the one I’d seen him use before.
Bathed in it, my consciousness began to sink into the depths.
Maiban