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Chapter 4: I am the protagonist, no matter what anyone says
Arthur displayed absurd levels of strength. It wasn’t just mere strength; it felt like an entirely different level. The wooden sword transformed into an indiscernible shape, akin to a whip. My two years of hard work amounted to nothing against this girl named Arthur.
The sword was deflected, soaring through the air like a boomerang.
What’s happening? This girl is unbelievably strong… Is she stupid? Stupidly strong. It’s really frustrating. What’s frustrating is that she hasn’t even hit me once with her sword.
She deflects the sword and gazes at me as if to say, “Hurry up and pick up your game?” Before I realize it, the other test-takers around me are mocking my sorry state. I don’t want to be seen like this!
But…
Oh, I am the protagonist, no matter what anyone says, no matter how much they mock me.
Therefore, I won’t give up. I will surely awaken something and emerge victorious.
Oh, the sword is deflected once again.
“…Why are you so pathetic?”
“…What do you mean?”
“It’s exactly as it sounds…?”
She tilts her head and utters something absurd while attempting to act cute. It’s maddening that she’s actually adorable… This girl. I will seriously strike her. I, too, have my pride as the protagonist.
“Well, whatever. Let’s continue.”
“Yeah.”
She is formidable. Nevertheless, somehow or another, I will prevail.
“…Let’s end this… because I can’t bear to watch anymore, Fei.”
Why does she persist in taunting me? She may possess a grand name like Arthur, but she’s just a character in a game who says mean things and gets hate from players. She’s only attractive, nothing more. Too bad.
However, her strength is considerable. Hmm, in that case, could she be my lifelong rival?
There are always rivals with disagreeable personalities. Ah, that must be it. Initially, they look down on the protagonist, but gradually, they acknowledge the protagonist’s strength and experience a change of heart.
If that’s the case, then I understand.
“…It’s over.”
It’s over, it’s over, she’s so vexing. Whether it’s over or not, it’s up to me to decide! I dash forward! And I swing my sword once more.
This girl, who completely underestimates me, doesn’t even hold her sword properly; she simply holds it. While she underestimates me, I press my sword against her neck, determined to make her regret it.
That’s what I think as I swing my sword. Suddenly, she swings her sword even faster than before, catching me off guard, and deflects my strike. It’s an incredibly swift maneuver. Even if it were someone else, they wouldn’t have been able to evade it.
Huh? This girl is genuinely dangerous… I can’t believe what I’m witnessing. Both our swords shatter.
Well, isn’t this excessive? Shouldn’t I return the borrowed wooden sword? Breaking something borrowed from someone… well, as a fantasy effect, it’s cool… I’ll do it someday too!
And then…
“Okay. That’s it… The test is over. Everyone has passed, so you can return the wooden swords and go home. The owl will contact you later.”
What the heck… I couldn’t even showcase a single admirable aspect… damn…
The people around me are also laughing at me. However, this is the pattern where initially, I am a dropout, but eventually, I become a hero. It’s a common story, so this time, I’ll retreat and train!
And then, Arthur approached me.
“Thank you… I’ve learned something.”
“…I’ll defeat you next time.”
What did she learn? She’s still a rival character with a disagreeable personality.
I departed with a final retort. Remember this, Arthur. I will repay this humiliation someday.
Rival characters with disagreeable personalities are only strong in the beginning!
Oh, what should I do with the wooden sword?
For the young girl named Arthur, it came as a surprise. She had expected Fei, with such a noble soul, to possess equally impressive swordsmanship. However, after deflecting his sword once during their exchange, she couldn’t help but feel disappointed, tilting her head in disbelief.
Fei’s swordsmanship was far from excellent, and Arthur couldn’t determine if it belonged to any particular style or if he had taught himself. All she could do was regard it as a letdown.
“……He’s not strong at all… his swordsmanship is a mess… Why? He possesses such excellent mental and insightful abilities.”
“Since it would be cruel to strike him, I’ll simply deflect his sword.”
“Hmm, such an unconventional way of wielding a sword… anyone who learns from a teacher should be able to do better…”
With a mounting list of questions, Arthur decided to ask him honestly.
“Um, why is your swordsmanship so unusual?” Can I ask you that in a straightforward manner?
“Why is your swordsmanship so unsightly despite your incredible mental strength?” That’s what I want to ask… in other words…
She tried to find the right words to concisely express her question without sounding bothersome.
“Why is it so unrefined?”
Unfortunately, Arthur lacked social skills, and no matter how hard she tried, she always ended up phrasing things awkwardly. As expected, Fei regarded her with suspicion.
“What do you mean?”
“Just what I said?”
“Well, alright. Let’s continue.”
“Okay.”
He didn’t tell me… but I suppose we’re not close enough for him to do so.
Arthur continued deflecting his sword. He was weak and beneath her. But… he persisted.
“He won’t give up…”
Arthur had anticipated that he would slack off at some point. However, that wasn’t the case. In fact, with each attempt, he seemed to grow stronger. He was the first swordsman she had encountered who displayed such an imbalance.
He promptly picked up his sword again. No matter how many times she deflected it, he kept coming back for more. With each attempt, she felt that Fei, the young boy, was gaining strength.
She was amazed by this. She couldn’t look away. If she did, she would lose. That’s how she felt.
“Kukuku.”
“What’s so amusing?”
“He’s weak… he can’t even use star power?”
star power, or magical power, was a concept necessary to cause supernatural phenomena and perform magic, existing within everyone.
But in the heat of battle, it didn’t matter to Arthur.
“More importantly, fundamental power…”
She felt like she was witnessing the power and determination of a true warrior, someone who would cling to their goals even in the face of ridicule from others.
(…Why are they laughing? It’s not funny…)
The caliber of a true hero remains unaffected, while that of a false hero cannot help but be influenced by the voices around them. The figure she admired was important to her.
She couldn’t help but feel anger when they laughed at him. For her, that figure represented a hero. Continually standing up and facing challenges.
It was like reading a fragment of an epic tale.
–Reality is cruel. This world is cruel.
She knew that. No matter how far she went, strength was everything. Mental strength was equally important. However, in this cruel world, power, violence, wicked research, demons, and sinners held sway. Good people fell victim. It was an ugly, cruel world.
Strength is everything. With strength, anything is possible. Everything is decided by strength.
She wanted to overcome that cruel reality with a beautiful ideal.
“But that seemed impossible. An honest person, a good person, a hardworking young man wouldn’t always be rewarded. That’s not the world they lived in. It was a harsh reality that shattered her beautiful ideals.
She didn’t want to give up on the beauty of her ideals. They were important to her and represented the perfect image she aspired to.
“Let’s put an end to this. I can’t bear to see someone as wonderful as you being tainted by those around you. It’s because of Fei,” she said, loosening her grip on his arm.
She focused her star power into her left lavender eye, causing it to glow with a mysterious light. It was a magic eye, possessing a unique ability that could only be awakened through innate talent.
Her magic eye granted her the power of domination. By consuming star power, she could manipulate anyone she made eye contact with. However, she understood that ideals and reality were different. Fei, who couldn’t even use star power, had no chance of winning.
This was the end of the game.
(Too bad… to end like this… I’ll make him sleep.)
Her ideals were shattered.
Yes, she saw it… her concentration was completely lost. She deactivated battle mode and relaxed completely…
Just before…
Her entire body and every cell within it shuddered, sounding a loud alarm.
—Death!, Death!, Death!, Death!, Death!, Death!, Death!, Death!, Death!, Death!, Death!, Death!, Death!, Death!, Death!, Death!
She was on the verge of deactivating combat mode. She couldn’t believe her eyes and couldn’t hide her surprise. Her ideal, who was still holding his sword, was right before her, about to strike.
(–Why!?)
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how many chapters in 1st vol ?
iirc 13 adapted from wn and several chapters of brand new story