In such a privileged setting, not only is her tuition waived, but she even receives a salary from the military. She has already received more than enough, so she can simply purchase it herself.
“Your thought alone is enough. Thank you.”
Raze added.
“Shouldn’t I be the one thanking you…?”
Addis shrugged as the bell rang, signaling the end of class.
“Looks like it’s time, shall we go? The next class is the usual, right?”
“Yeah.”
The two left the back mountain while making small talk.
Their atmosphere was as if they hadn’t just been attacked by a creature that shouldn’t exist on this continent.
Raze’s smile allowed the abnormality to blend back into the daily routine seamlessly.
Then, the day after the monster intrusion incident.
Thanks to Raze’s efforts confirming no other abnormalities, the second-year practical training proceeded as scheduled.
In the arena field, a magic-made cave was prepared, where real ferocious beasts would be released.
Although just training, the first-years would observe the very realistic exercises from the safe audience seats.
(I’ll be fighting that person after this, huh?)
Raze’s gaze was directed at the vice-captain of the knight order.
After this training ended and clean-up was done that night, she was set to spar with Hein.
While lightly assisting her seniors, she watched over the training’s progress.
They concentrated their fighting force by sealing the cave’s exit to one spot, digging pitfalls in front, and deploying capable personnel for extermination.
An efficient, good hunting method.
(If only we could set up traps like that and hunt easily in Baluda.)
In the ecosystem where humans are the prey, there’s no time to make traps, and making one wrong move means being overwhelmed by sheer numbers. The contained cave environment is quite rare, so she envies how their well-planned strategy is working out nicely.
Against monsters, they’ll attack from anywhere even if you do nothing, so you just reflexively cut them down.
So the strategy is never more than “defeat the attackers” every time. Being called muscle-brained is understandable, and she’s self-aware about it.
“It’ll be over soon.”
“Yes.”
Nearby, Claude nodded to Ruben seated next to him.
With some deviation, the strategy seemed to succeed safely.
“It’s ending soon.”
Raze spoke to Folia, who was sitting hunched over with her face down nearby, unable to relax.
“I, I see…Okay. Thanks, Raze-chan.”
Folia nodded repeatedly.
“There’s no class after this today, so let’s have some relaxing tea,”
Carne added with a smile, trying to encourage her.
It was a get-together to uplift Folia for her hard efforts attending the viewing.
Of course that was nice, but tonight was Raze’s turn to fight.
Restlessly, Raze witnessed the second-years’ training to the end.
Then, night fell.
What began was a showdown between the knight order’s ace and the military’s ace.
The venue was the arena of Saint Riol Imperial Magic Academy.
Raze gripped her knife. Hein gripped his sword.
The rules were simple. If she could make her opponent say “I admit defeat,” she would win.
Raze lightly spun the knife in her hand to get used to it. Lighter than what she usually uses, but not bad. It should be fine.
It was rare for her to face a knight opponent. It would be a waste to end it too quickly.
For the sake of the subordinates who are often unfavorably compared to the esteemed knights, she had to leave her mark here.
More than anything, Raze had pride as one bearing the title of [Fang Wolf].
Winning was a given, and she considered how to achieve victory.
“Are you both ready?”
At Harrens’s cue as the judge, the two nodded.
“Then, begin.”
The match started on his signal.
Raze, who uses knives in most human combat, took the offensive first.
Capitalizing on her forte of swift movement, she lunged her knife at Hein’s vitals.
Without swinging his raised sword, Hein evaded it with a minute movement.
(Well, as expected.)
After missing her first strike, Raze immediately followed up with another attack, the knife clashing with Hein’s sword.
Matching Hein’s counterattack, Raze also dodged it.
Controlling the longsword, the distance Raze kept was quite close for Hein. In the knight order’s usual training with longswords, he had some difficulty against smaller opponents.
However, the reach advantage was still Hein’s.
He enveloped his sword in ice, trying to swat Raze away with the big move.
Unfazed, Raze simply closed the distance again. Attacking at the same timing as the start would lose. While evading Hein’s ice magic, she staggered the rhythm to reposition her knife.
For a while, their exchange remained even, but the tide turned in an instant.
(I should probably settle this soon.)
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT GADGETIZEDPANDA.COM
Raze didn’t dislike fighting humans, but this was merely play for her.
If this were the real deal, she wouldn’t bother with a proper exchange, immediately deciding the victor with displacement magic.
Her combat policy was to strike first for certain victory, aiming to take the enemy down in one blow.
This was proven by other nations calling her the “Decapitating Spectre.”
Before this match began, she had already given Hein a handicap. She could have tried her initial killing move to see if he could stop it, but having Hein lose in front of the knightlords was too daunting.
https://i.imgur.com/5eJWaE9.jpeg
By her estimation, Hein’s strength was around that of Harul DeCard, the battle-crazed lead officer of the 537th squad, so it should be fine to end it now.
Raze glanced at the time displayed on the arena’s scoreboard.
Not missing that chance, Hein attacked with a slash, which Raze dodged while losing her posture.
Her retreating way would leave an opening for the next attack – just as Hein tried to finish it by pouring strength into his gripped sword.
“Huh?”
Unable to comprehend the event before his eyes, a voice inadvertently slipped out.
Defying all reason, Raze’s body that should have fallen stood back up, her knife aimed at his vitals.
“…What will you do?”
Asked that by her, Hein had no choice but to sheathe his sword.
“That just now…”
After admitting defeat, he looked at Raze in disbelief.
“My specialty is displacement-type magic. Just now, I merely relocated my body’s position. By setting personal coordinates, I can reposition myself however I like.”
Raze applied magic by establishing personal coordinates centered on herself, relocating her body’s position to that point – a wordplay-like method that ignored concepts like direction and force. But in a world with magic, she brushed it off as not needing full explanation.
“Like this.”
For the unconvinced Hein, she released the knife from her grip, pointing it to the ground.
The knife should have stabbed the ground, but using magic, Raze changed its position to in front of her face. However, when suspended in midair, gravity still acted on the knife, causing it to drop.
Raze swiftly caught the knife. Though she remained composed, her reflex speed was considerable.
“Thank you for the spar.”
Putting away her knife, Raze bowed her head.
Overwhelmed by her uncertain abilities, Hein was secretly surprised he couldn’t even feel disappointment at losing. There may be a chance he could win on another try, but that leeway resembled the calmness of a true master instead. Their battlegrounds differed – he simply thought that.
“No, thank you.”
Hein properly expressed his gratitude to Raze. It was clear she possessed a strength he lacked, worthy of his respect as an opponent.
“The order was backwards, but I am Gilbert En Hein, the Knight Order’s third vice-captain. If we meet again, I look forward to it.”
His gaze was directed straight at Raze.
“I am Lieutenant Colonel Raze Shes Orphan of the Cyan Imperial Military. As I am on duty, please excuse this form of introduction. If there is any way I can cooperate for the sake of the kingdom’s future, please let me know.”
From the very first exchange of words, Raze showed no sign of aversion towards those crimson eyes evoking a ferocious beast.
At that moment, Hein felt glad he had accepted this assignment.
Raze returned to the dorms as a student, and daily life resumed as if nothing had happened.
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