Under the student council president election (7)
-Woah!
The huge spear can create a gale just by swinging it horizontally once.
I lowered my posture and lowered my center of gravity to prevent my body from being swayed by the rushing wind.
“going.”
At least it wasn’t even an attack. Ziggs simply fixed that huge window.
He kicked his body out of the air and landed right in front of where I was standing. At the same time, the trajectory of the spear, which is swung while turning the body once, draws a large semicircle.
It is a power that cannot be tolerated. Even shedding is impossible.
I succeeded in dodging the first blow by almost sticking to the floor, but my evasive movements were too large to lead to a counterattack. The momentum was still on Ziggs’ side.
I straightened the spear once more, and this time, a thrust came at me with incredible speed, making it difficult to dodge as my posture was completely lowered.
I can’t afford to avoid it. In that case, we had to come up with a means of defense that would cause as little damage as possible.
-Paat
– Pugh.
As if I had come to terms with the situation in an instant, the lioness Lacia, who was hiding in a nearby puddle of water that had bloomed due to the emergence of a water source, jumped out and blocked Ziggs’ spear.
However, it would be more appropriate to say that it was stabbed rather than blocked.
With a loud roar and a rising spray of water, Lacia’s summoning was forcibly cancelled.
“Tsk!”
Ziggs, who frowned at the ear-piercing roar, accurately figured out the intention of the lion that had sacrificed its own body to block its movements. This is to create a very small gap.
Such a large spear has an incredibly wide attack range and is very powerful, so it is difficult to deal with… It has a weakness that makes it more difficult to attack if it sticks close to you.
After quickly digging into the very slight gap created by Lacia, Ziggs engaged in a close-range fight that was difficult to attack with his spear. Once you have succeeded in digging in with a dagger, it is difficult for your opponent to properly utilize the advantage of the spear.
However, Ziggs is a duel master who makes the best response in every combat situation.
– Kaang!
The rising magical power gathered in Ziggs’ empty left hand, and it became an armoring sword of an appropriate length, blocking my attack without a problem.
While he casually swings a spear larger than his own body with his right hand, he uses the sword in his left hand to respond at close range to enemies that have dug in.
I clicked my tongue and gathered my magic power to create the ‘ignition’ magic. The rising flames separated Ziggs and me.
However, Ziggs’ expression did not change at all, and he swung his spear once, extinguishing the flames created by magical power by applying his own magical energy.
“You mainly use attacks that block the opponent’s vision and catch them off guard in another direction.”
The trick of making up for the gap in capabilities with technique is widespread. However, there are limits to narrowing the fundamental power gap with such things. In particular, it is safe to say that Ziggs is an opponent on whom such tricks rarely work.
Even if you allow it the first time because you don’t know the opponent’s fighting style, the second or third time is a completely different story.
“Rather than engaging in psychological warfare, it is clear that when dealing with a style like senior Ed, it is better to use the difference in firepower to suppress the opponent.”
Once again, the magic power embodied from Ziggs’ body creates weapons. From daggers to two-handed swords, all kinds of different swords began floating and swirling in the air.
High-ranking magic ‘mana armament? ‘Geommu’. It is an applied magic that combines telekinetic magic with the basic high-level magic mana armament. The implemented weapons are not necessarily swung by the user’s hand, but begin to dance in the air on their own, putting pressure on the opponent.
– Kaang! Kaang!
What appeared to be more than twenty swords gathered together and charged at me.
They have lost their core force, the lioness Lacia. Nowadays, the consumption of magical power has accumulated enormously. It’s not a very good situation.
Still, if even one of the numerous sword attacks hits, the game is over. I gritted my teeth and pulled out all the magic power in my body, and once again, with all my might, I unleashed the mid-level fire magic ‘One 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 created more than twenty explosions at once, pointing at Ziggs’ swords one by one and exploding them in an instant.
– Quagwang! Quagwang! Ka-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga!
The mid-level magic ‘One Point Explosion’ has an incredibly fast casting speed, but you have to give up magic efficiency.
In other words, the power is not that strong compared to the magical power used. Of course, if you are an ordinary person, you will receive a fatal blow from one blow, but if you are an enemy in a combat situation, it is rare for you to be knocked out by this blow.
After using such an inefficient technique dozens of times, the magic power naturally starts to run out.
-Huuuuuuk.
And there is no way Ziggs, the Deputy Minister of Magic, could not catch that fact.
A sting flying through the smoke rising from the explosion magic. Because the field of view was not completely clear, I missed by a narrow margin.
– Grasp!
Without missing the opportunity, I grabbed the spear pole tightly with both hands. A brief struggle of strength ensues, with each other’s hands shaking.
“You’ve run out of magic power. Do you not even have the magic power left to implement basic defense magic? It’s definitely worth it.”
It was an accurate judgment.
“Then I’ll just end this.”
Ziggs gritted his teeth and swung the spear with both hands, shaking my hand away. My body fell and floated in the air for a moment before barely landing in a distant place.
Ziggs once again implements numerous weapons through high-level magic and mana armament. If Ziggs, who has even mastered telekinetic magic, slashes his spear while countless swords dance around… You won’t be able to avoid a struggle with anyone in simple close combat.
Not only that, but the opponent, I, am a magician with low magic power. Now, even using basic magic requires gritting your teeth and concentrating your mind. In fact, the game was already over.
Sparring is something that must always be done seriously.
Reflecting Ziggs’ personality, he delivered the final blow that would determine victory.
Practice is always like actual practice. No matter how different your capabilities may be, you should never look down on the other person, acknowledge them, and always do your best.
Ziggs’ attitude left a deep impression… In the end, I resorted to the last resort.
– Paaaaang!
“What… ”
I took out the ‘Shock Enhanced Wave Ball’ from my pocket, squeezed it, and exploded it.
Although my magical power was clearly depleted, a huge power radiated from me, causing all of Ziggs’ swords to fall apart. This is the power of magic engineering supplies.
– Hwaaaaaaaaa!
In this sparring, I did not use a single magic engineering tool. There was no need to try to win by mobilizing such external means.
However, if the other person is so sincere, it is polite for me to use all the means at my disposal.
“With this much… !”
All of the telekinetic swords that Ziggs had created were blown away by the wave, but he could not create a wave that was big enough to blow away Ziggs’ own body. Since there is a limit to my magic sensitivity, it is difficult for the destructive power achieved with the magic engineering supplies I made to exceed that level.
“Just once… As long as you get a valid hit… !”
Ziggs’ combat experience probably speaks intuitively.
A wizard who has run out of magical energy. An opponent who can’t even use defensive magic.
Once you allow access, you are guaranteed to win. Ziggs is fully aware of this fact, so he digs in with his spear in hand.
There, it’s my turn to make my final move.
– Kaaaaang!
Just like that, Ziggs’ attack was blocked by defensive magic.
“what… ?”
it could be.
Ziggs’ blow is so powerful that it cannot be successfully blocked with any amount of magic efficiency, but if you invest a lot of magic power, you can even repel it at least once with defensive magic of my level.
But the problem is… They didn’t even have the magical power to attack, so how did they implement defensive magic?
“Hmph!”
What is in the clenched fist is ‘Glast’s Phoenix Ring’.
At this point, my greatest effort is to make the high-ranking wind spirit ‘Merylda’ appear.
That much is possible if you use magic power through Glast’s Phoenix Ring. Of course, you will face a penalty of not being able to use any magical energy for the time being.
There is no reason to deal with Merylda in a practice sparring match by taking that much of a penalty.
However, when dealing with high-ranking wind spirits, there is not always an extreme method called ‘appearance’.
There are many students who believe that the only way to help spirits is to appear and fight… In reality, that is not the case.
For example, by manifesting a spirit consciousness and giving it somewhere, I help the spirit master easily utilize some of my abilities.
It also assists in battle with skills that are always activated.
In addition, the spirit’s unique skills… For example, you may be provided with Mug’s magic that temporarily increases your fire resistance, or Lacia’s magic that creates a water source for you to operate in the bare ground…
If you reduce the magical power consumed, you can implement the spirit’s abilities by utilizing the auxiliary means.
Of course, the problem is that since Merilda is a very powerful spirit from birth, it takes a huge amount of magical energy just to implement her unique skills. Still, it is much better than the magical power required to ‘manifest’ it.
The realization of that level of ability… Even if a small amount of horsepower is used, it is at a manageable level. Although it is still a small amount…
“Keuuuuuuu!”
Since that side is coming out with all its might, it would be polite for this side to go out with all its might as well.
– Hwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
Without understanding how completely depleted mana could begin to bloom again, Ziggs was soon hit by a massive wind.
As if it was difficult to even stand with proper posture, the moment I looked forward with my center of gravity as low as possible…
In front of him, a girl catches his eye.
Pure white hair and pure white dress. Golden eyes.
[Is it the limit to be able to manifest something like this even if I use magical power? Well, the environment is much worse than when you called me from the Altar of Death. Lucy was also there at that time. ] [ Still, if this is enough… It’s a huge development. Ed. ]
Before Ziggs could figure out what was going on, the girl waved her slender hand in the air.
High-ranking wind spirit Merilda’s unique skill, ‘Rising Current’.
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 escape Merilda’s influence with my magic, but…
[It would be better not to engage in meaningless resistance. ]
It is arrogance to try to rub Merilda with wind elemental magic. Merilda, the high-ranking spirit of wind, has the upper hand in all wind magic compatibility relationships.
– Grasp!
Ziggs’ body was floating in the air, leaving him completely defenseless.
No matter how strong a warrior he is, it is difficult to fully demonstrate his power in the air. Even the position is fixed, so evasive maneuvers cannot be performed.
“Ugh!”
The moment when Ziggs, who had quickly grasped the situation with almost superhuman quickness, was about to implement an attack spell.
– Quaaaaaaaaaa!
The mid-level fire magic ‘One Point Explosion’ bloomed once again.
This time it was a proper direct hit.
[Yes, it ended neatly. ]
Smoke rose in the aftermath of the magic, and Merilda, imperfectly realized and in the form of a girl, dusted her skirt a few times.
“This is my first time seeing you manifest in this form, Merylda.”
[ Magic efficiency is much better, right? Of course, there are all kinds of restrictions on what you can do. ]
“… ”
[Still, there’s been a strange stalker following me around lately, so I didn’t want to look like this. It’s cold because it doesn’t have enough fur on its skin, and because it doesn’t have a tail, it’s difficult to balance its body. Also, why is my mouth so small? Every time I speak, I feel like my cheeks are getting hit. The taste of a mouth is that it has to be torn all the way to the cheek like this to open, right? ]
He puts both index fingers in his mouth, spreads his cheeks, and makes nonsense noises.
I was about to say that it’s hard to empathize with people if you tell them how you feel about wolves…
-Paaah!
From the smoke, Ziggs, holding a rapier made of magic, jumped out like a bullet.
In such a defenseless state, he was hit directly by mid-level magic without even having time to take a defensive stance, but he remained capable of fighting.
It is clear that he has implemented defensive magic with ridiculous agility. Although not completely, some of the shock was absorbed.
The reason it was in the form of a rapier rather than a spear was probably because there was no strength left to lift that huge spear.
– Kaang!
He dodged the rapier with a half-animal sense, but soon the form of the magic changed and Ziggs’ weapon transformed into a large long sword again.
The moment Merilda, who was startled, moved her body to respond, the tip of Ziggs’ sword was already at the side of my neck.
“… ”
“… ”
[…] ]
A moment of silence. Ziggs was out of breath, but the tip of his sword did not move at all.
As for me, I’ve used every possible magical means, even the secret techniques that border on trickery. The amount of magical energy used was not enormous, but it was all gone.
The meaning of giving this much distance to a melee warrior without magical power.
Eventually, I spoke quietly with my arms raised.
“You won. “Jiggs.”
– Kang, Kang!
As soon as he finished saying those words, the sword fell from Ziggs’ hand. Eventually, when the effect of ‘Mana Armament’ disappeared, the sword also disappeared due to magical power.
And Ziggs just sat down on the floor, panting for a while. He looked extremely exhausted.
“Huh, oh oh… I learned a lot. I can’t believe you trained this much in just one year… “For someone like me, who has been training all my life, it’s hard to believe.”
I also had a hard time standing properly due to the overwhelming fatigue.
For the first time in a while, I felt like I really pushed my body to its limits.
*
“… Well, it’s not too much of a stretch… ?”
By the time Yenika came out of the cave and onto the rocky area, both Ziggs and I were lying face down on the ground.
They were both sweating profusely and barely holding themselves together, looking like boxers who had just finished sparring.
I gulped down the water that Jenica had brought me, wiped away my sweat, and looked up at the sky where the sun was slowly starting to set.
Thanks to the cool breeze of late spring, it wasn’t hot. She liked to hear the sound of the waves crashing every now and then.
I lay down like that for about 20 minutes, feeling the wind and resting.
Ziggs joined forces, raised his upper body and spoke.
“This is internal information about the school. “There is a story that I happened to hear among the academic staff when I visited the Trix building to coordinate Class A’s schedule.”
Come to think of it, Ziggs said he came because he had something to say.
“They say Kadec and Nox escaped. “These are the criminals who have been identified as the ones who killed my senior.”
“… ”
“I don’t know how they got through the Tricks building’s tight security, but… Anyway, it has not been announced yet. I understand that causing unnecessary confusion will only lead to confusion during the search. “For now, tracking comes first.”
Then Ziggs sighed heavily.
“Thanks to this, Tanya’s charge of murdering her senior is becoming more and more difficult to resolve.”
“okay… “I heard it.”
“Senior, you must have been stuck and unable to get out of here, so you could only make a fragmentary judgment based on the information that senior Yenika gave you. So, I don’t think you will be able to intuitively understand what the bachelor’s status feels like or what kind of public opinion Tanya is facing.”
He said he came because he had something to say about Fenia and Tanya.
Perhaps what follows next will be Ziggs’ main point.
“Princess Fenia called me, and I went to the royal residence.”
“… As expected, Tanya must have been hiding in the royal residence.”
“yes. Based on Tanya’s testimony, he asked me several questions. If you don’t think it was Tanya who murdered senior Ed, why are you sitting there instead of actively testifying to the Bachelor? ”
It was Ziggs who defended Tanya more than anyone else during Lucy’s attack on Ofilis Hall.
It seems unnatural for Fenia to keep Ziggs silent in this situation.
“I remained silent. They even said that they couldn’t testify about information that wasn’t certain. because… Senior Ed is risking his life in his own way.”
There was actually an assassination attempt. If additional measures are not taken here, it would not be surprising if lives were put in danger again. In other words, we are also at the crossroads of life and death.
Knowing the seriousness of the situation, Ziggs closed his eyes and pretended not to notice even if Tanya felt somewhat unfair.
“However, if Kadec and Nox escaped, it would be a different story. “If they report the entire situation to the Ross Taylor family, the Ross Taylor family will determine that you have died.”
In a rare move for Ziggs, he expressed his opinion.
“First of all, if you consider not only the physical distance between Ross Taylor Mansion and this Aken Island, but also the somewhat closed internal requirements of the academy… It will take some time for the Ross Taylor family to reconfirm your survival. “Unless Tanya sends a letter directly and reports it.”
Yes. No matter how much the Rosstaylor family is, they would never send someone to Aken Island, on the outskirts of the empire, to reconfirm the existence of me, who was already reported dead.
If I want to reaffirm my survival, I must borrow the power of rumors. There is a rumor that the descendants of the Ross Taylor family, who were excommunicated on Aken Island, are still alive.
For such a rumor to spread outside the school, it would have to be during the vacation season when the internal staff would go out to Aken Island. Long after the vacation season has passed, if you’re lucky, word will reach the Ross Taylor mansion.
Then, from there, I would personally send someone again to confirm my survival, establish an assassination plan again, and find a reason to dispatch my personnel to Sylvania Bachelor… For these processes to repeat again… It wouldn’t be surprising if it took at least half a year starting from now.
You just have to wait that long. At that point, depending on the scenario, the Ross Taylor family begins to fall into ruin. The entire family will be in crisis, so there is a high probability that there will be no time to worry about me.
“Anyway, what I want to say is… “It was a story about Tanya, whom I met at the royal residence.”
It felt like the story wasn’t connected, but for now, I was just quietly listening to Ziggs.
“You met in person?”
“yes. After all, I am the person who defended Tanya even in extreme situations. “They trusted me quite a bit.”
Ziggs paused for a moment, then sighed and continued his story.
“The sight was ridiculous. Well, if you imagine Tanya’s life as a bachelor… It was even more strange that I wasn’t devastated. “Senior Yenika, you probably know this well.”
“huh… that’s right.”
Jenica put down the water she had brought me and spoke slowly.
“I already told Ed, but while he’s being investigated by the academic department, he’s also preparing for the student council president election, and he’s been accused of being a murderer, so public opinion is at its worst. Still, I gritted my teeth and held on somehow. “Perhaps the reason Princess Fenia supported Tanya, even bearing her political burden, was because it was unfortunate to see her like that.”
“It is just as Senior Yenika said.”
Ziggs sat on the rock and quietly looked at the sky that was slowly turning red.
“I stayed in a corner for too long. It’s probably not a burden that a girl that age can bear. “It will collapse soon.”
Ziggs came just to say that.
“Tonight there will be a declaration of candidacy for the student council president election. It will take place on the first floor of the Obel Building next to the Student Square, which has traditionally been the home of the student council. “You will have to endure tremendous criticism or suspicion from students in front of the podium.”
After saying that, Ziggs did not open his mouth again. It seemed like he thought this was presumptuous.
“… ”
I lay still and looked up at the sky, lost in thought.
It means a lot to me that Tanya, not Fenia, is running for student council president.
Having Princess Fenia, who would later take a hostile stance toward the Ross Taylor family, as the student council president, and appointing Tanya, a member of the Ross Taylor family, as the student council president.
It is impossible to predict what the difference will be in the future. And from this point on, the political affairs that have already begun to deteriorate will begin to deteriorate in an absurd way.
I felt like I had arrived at an important turning point.
The choice is mine, and responsibility for the results is also mine.
If we take this opportunity to defend Tanya, her position as student council president will be strengthened after she was falsely accused, and she will truly become an unstoppable candidate.
He is a candidate supported externally by Princess Fenia and pushed by Lortel behind the scenes.
It would be even more strange not to be elected.
that… The flow of the future that was maintained in some way… This means completely twisting and breaking it with my own hands.
However, Tanya had already suffered too much.
He would have merely been a one-time villain as a rival to Princess Fenia.
I found myself in a position where I had to fight against the absurd flow of fate… If you look for the cause, it is ultimately the existence of humans who should not remain in this scenario.
This is Ed Rosstaylor. My existence is the cause.
Of course, I had my own circumstances. It was unintentional, and it was a life-threatening issue for me.
The situation has reached a point where there is a desperate fight to survive. I am not a saint who would throw away my life thinking of others.
But even so…
It is the bloodline of this body, the only thing that exists in this wide world… Is it really right to neglect the girl who has to face the storms of fate without any guilt? How glad she was at first to have a younger brother who shared Ross Taylor’s name.
When weighed against the flow of political affairs that has already begun to twist, which way should the scales of these two arms be tilted?
If you somehow mobilize your connections and abilities, it may be possible to somehow persuade or induce Princess Fenia to run for the student president election.
Whether it was guilt or hostility toward the Rosstaylor family… There were many ways to use and stimulate.
What I suddenly realized was 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.
Did you say that the declaration of candidacy for student council president was tonight?
“… ”
I slowly lowered my head… He spoke quietly.
“okay… “It is time to end this life of seclusion.”
*
Suddenly, the girl’s old memories bloom.
As is often the case with old memories, the light has faded.
Still, when I gathered each scene and sublimated it into one memory, it turned out to be a pretty good story.
A noble family praised by everyone in the empire. The three siblings there go on an outing to a flowery garden, holding her hand.
Arwen, Ed, and Tanya hummed… I picked flowers and tied them to her hair, admiring the beautiful scenery… Hold her hand with the fresh scent of spring.
In a way, can that be said to be the last memory? Tanya’s life thereafter was always filled with heavy pressure and responsibility.
It seems like there were happy times like that. When she opens her eyes with a low monologue, a dull reality presses heavily on her shoulders.
1st floor of Obel Hall.
Everyone who looks at Tanya has dark suspicion in their eyes.
Despite being accused of vicious murder, he grits his teeth and tries to take the position of student council president… It is the gaze of a person consumed by the desire for power.
Tanya stands up straight in the face of the crowd’s heavy hostility.
Because I decided not to run away from that hostility.
Even if there is no way out, we move forward.
There were a lot of people who told her that it was impossible to become student council president in this situation, but Tanya didn’t care.
At the rainy Ofilis Hall, I saw many people attempting the impossible.
It may seem futile, but there must be some sublimity in that will. Believing that, I stood right on the podium.
The public’s booing wasn’t that big of a deal compared to the hardships of life.
