Ch.114Summer Vacation Preparations (6)

“I almost had to plan a funeral.”

The results were disastrous.

Thirty seconds into the battle.

Team 3, completely annihilated.

‘Even though things have changed due to my involvement.’

This didn’t make any sense.

They were too, too weak.

“Ugh…”

Justin struggled to his feet thanks to Hersy’s healing.

Justin was at least dignified. The others hadn’t even regained consciousness despite the Saintess’s recovery magic.

‘…Justin was actually stronger. He’s a level above Catherine.’

In the original story, Justin was a level below Catherine.

But the results before his eyes showed the opposite.

‘Why did it turn out this way?’

It didn’t make logical sense.

If his intervention had caused them to miss growth opportunities, they all should have been equally weak.

Yet Justin, though weaker than in the original story, had grown much more than Catherine.

‘Did Justin have some special event I don’t know about?’

While deep in serious thought—

“Aren’t you being too harsh?”

He heard the voices of students watching from the sidelines.

They all wore shocked expressions.

‘…Or maybe I just couldn’t control my strength.’

“Sister Irene.”

“Yes, dear?”

“Was this a case of me failing to adjust the difficulty level?”

Irene shook her head without hesitation.

“Your role-playing as the monster was perfect. Those children are simply too weak.”

“Right? They’re much weaker than I expected.”

What Ruide meant to keep as an internal thought slipped out.

But he didn’t bother correcting himself.

It made no sense that they nearly died from a punch that was only meant to block them.

Even if they missed several events due to the barrier, if this was the academy’s average level…

‘Without the barrier, they’d be annihilated even facing a mindless Main.’

“Professor, I have a question.”

Isabella approached with a tense expression.

“Is this really the average level of northern monsters?”

“Of course not. The monsters at the 1st defense line are the weakest in the North. By far, overwhelmingly so.”

“I… I can’t believe it. There are seven defense lines!”

“I’m the one who can’t believe this. This is ridiculous, all of you.”

Ruide looked around at the students.

“What have you all been doing? Have you learned anything at all?”

“I agree with Isabella.”

A man with unmistakably aristocratic features walked toward them.

“If northern monsters are overwhelmingly stronger than this, even the Windsor Duchy couldn’t handle them alone. I know Windsor is strong, but they’re still just one family. Seven defense lines…”

“Hmm? Our young master is right, friend.”

Charlotte twirled her hair with a lovely smile.

“The 1st defense line is where only the newest recruits from Windsor go. The survival rate is… Ame, what percentage was it?”

Amelia thought for a moment before answering.

“I believe there have been no casualties in the past five years.”

“That’s right! 100%. But the other defense lines have survival rates below 50%. If two recruits are deployed, one will die.”

Charlotte made a V-sign and brought it to her eye.

The Windsor Duchy’s strength wasn’t just in individual power.

It was in their knights who had survived fighting powerful monsters for nearly a thousand years. That experience.

Indeed, the Windsor Duchy was stronger than any knights in the empire who had grown soft in peacetime.

Of course, Ruide knew this. But…

‘The gap is way too extreme.’

“Is that really true…?”

“That’s… absolutely impossible.”

“How can we defeat monsters that strong…”

“We’re still just students…”

The students murmured among themselves.

Ruide was getting increasingly irritated.

Instead of lamenting their own abilities, they were giving up before even trying, which felt frustrating and unpleasant.

Above all, this situation was problematic.

If their spirits were crushed from the start, they’d never improve.

He needed something to turn the atmosphere around.

‘That’s it.’

A good idea came to Ruide’s mind.

“All Student Council members, come forward.”

Damon, Hersy, Asha, and Ella stepped forward.

‘One person short.’

Looking around, he gestured to Gilbert.

“Gilbert, you come too.”

“Yes, sir.”

Ruide looked at the students and spoke in a slightly louder voice.

“Here are students with the same conditions as you. They had the same amount of time and received the same education. If the Student Council wins this battle, you’ll have no complaints, right? It means you could do it too.”

The students didn’t respond.

But sometimes, you don’t need to hear an answer to know what people are thinking.

They were already denying the possibility before the battle even started.

That the Student Council would lose.

“Oh? So you’re saying we should duel with you.”

Damon spoke with apparent interest.

“Yes. Under the same conditions as Team 3 against a 1st defense line Main. But Damon, since you’re strong, you have to fight as a Litton. Powers are forbidden. And Asha.”

“Y-yes!”

Asha was trembling with fear, staff in hand.

‘…Will she be okay?’

But Ruide was ruthless. Even setting up a scarecrow to balance the numbers was better. That would make it a good lesson.

Ruide pulled a sword from thin air and threw it to Asha.

“Ah, ahhh!”

Asha caught the spinning sword with shaking hands.

He’d thrown it expecting her to catch it with telekinesis, so he was surprised when she caught it with her bare hands, and even more surprised by her perfect timing.

“Asha, you’ll play the knight role.”

“Hiccup.”

Asha hiccupped while clutching the sword.

“I-I don’t know how to use a sword at all.”

“That’s fine. You’re just filling a position. Damon will be worth two people even fighting as a Litton, so we need to balance things. Ella will play the pure mage role.”

“What kind of magic should I use?”

The capable assistant asked with sparkling eyes.

“Whatever your abilities allow, to the maximum.”

“Yes, sir!”

Ella answered like a saluting soldier.

“Well, interesting conditions.”

Damon raised the corner of his mouth in a smirk.

Ruide stepped back to create an appropriate distance.

‘I don’t know if the Student Council has the skills to defeat a Main—’

But Ruide could say with certainty:

They wouldn’t collapse helplessly like Justin’s group just did.

“We’ll start when Ella begins her incantation.”

“Ella, please wait a moment.”

Hersy spoke to Ella, then closed her eyes.

“Proteja.”

-Protect.

“Lasă vântul să stea.”

-Let the wind circle.

“Arc de vânt, săgeată de vânt, atac ghidat!”

-Bow of wind, arrow of wind, guided attack!

Hersy’s hair fluttered in the wind.

The wind magic flowed not only to herself but also to Damon, Asha, and Gilbert.

Unlike Team 3, she was casting the best possible buffs within the rules.

A good choice. However…

‘Isn’t that a bit too much doping…?’

“Vântul în mână.”

-Wind, to my hand.

Finally, as she reached into the air and spoke the rune word, Hersy’s staff transformed into a bow.

“I’ll take the lead.”

Damon stepped forward, gripping his spear.

“No, Prince Damon. Sir Gilbert and Asha will take the lead.”

Her demeanor was completely different from the usual Hersy.

Damon’s eyebrow twitched. He stared directly into Hersy’s eyes.

After a moment of silence, Damon chuckled and said:

“What a bold girl.”

That was quite unexpected.

Damon seemed like someone who wouldn’t listen to anyone.

He switched places with Gilbert.

“Asha?”

“Eek.”

Asha took a sharp breath and moved to the front line on trembling legs.

…Let’s go easy on Asha, she deserves some mercy.

“Ella, how long will the incantation take?”

“Um… since you said to use my maximum ability, about 15 minutes.”

“…That’s too slow.”

Hersy pondered, then said:

“If I transfer my magic power to you, how long would it take?”

“Oh, then about 3 minutes.”

“Three minutes… that should work.”

Hersy took a deep breath, then spoke to Ruide while drawing her bowstring:

“Ella, please begin.”

As Hersy released her bowstring, Ella started her incantation.

Ruide dodged Hersy’s arrow by simply tilting his head.

He quickly cast a body enhancement spell and rushed toward Ella.

“I’m sorry, but you cannot pass, Young Master.”

Gilbert blocked his path and swung his sword.

“Right now, I’m a Main.”

Ruide answered indifferently, then lightly kicked off the ground and jumped over Gilbert. Gilbert’s sword swing passed beneath his feet.

“…!”

“Uh, uwaah, I don’t know what I’m doing!”

Asha swung her sword with clumsy movements at Ruide while he was in mid-air.

‘…How cute.’

Ruide used Asha’s slow sword as a stepping stone to leap past her again.

However—

“Please don’t go!”

Asha twisted her sword to target Ruide’s back.

‘What the?’

Changing a sword’s trajectory after swinging it once should be physically impossible.

That would ignore inertia.

But Asha did it.

Her sword was about to touch his neck.

Clang!

Ruide flipped his body halfway and kicked the flat of Asha’s sword before landing on the ground.

‘That was dangerous.’

If Asha’s sword had been just a bit faster, the barrier would have activated.

“Are you getting distracted?”

Before he could assume a stance, Damon’s spear came flying. Ruide deflected it by wrapping magic around his arm.

Ting!

Damon’s spear was knocked away. Damon clicked his tongue. Ruide extended his fist through the opening.

“Transformare!”

-Transform!

Hersy’s rune words were heard.

But Ruide didn’t withdraw his punch.

He planned to land a hit on Damon and then dodge.

However—

Hersy’s arrow was faster than he imagined.

Thwack!

But Hersy’s arrow pierced Damon, not Ruide.

Whoosh!

And Ruide’s fist swung through empty air.

“…!”

Damon had disappeared.

Ruide backed away from Hersy’s next arrow.

Then he saw it.

A black cat standing where Damon had been.

“…No way. Damon?”

Poof!

As soon as he spoke, the cat transformed back into Damon.

“It really was Damon.”

Ruide’s eyes widened.

“What do you think you’re doing?!”

Damon shouted furiously at Hersy.

“I had no choice—!”

“You—!”

…This was the first time he’d seen Damon so angry. He looked murderous.

“Why a cat of all things! There are tigers, lions!”

“Is that really what matters right now?!”

‘Oh no.’

He’d forgotten something important in his astonishment.

That Ella was still in the middle of her incantation.

“Hup.”

Gilbert’s sword came flying sideways.

Ruide raised his arm to block it.

At that moment, Gilbert firmly grabbed Ruide’s arm with his left hand.

“Now!”

Ruide glanced behind him.

Asha was rushing toward him with her sword.

Her posture was terrible, and the sword seemed heavy as she ran, but this situation was troublesome.

Ruide used more magic power to lift Gilbert’s entire body.

“Ugh!”

If Asha extended her sword all the way, Gilbert would inevitably get hurt.

But something unimaginable happened.

Asha’s sword curved like a snake, heading for Ruide’s right arm as he held Gilbert like a shield.

“What on earth…!”

Startled, Ruide pulled his arm back and jumped backward.

Boom!

Damon’s spear violently flew to his landing spot.

With a Main’s abilities, he couldn’t dodge it.

Damon spoke with a satisfied smile.

“Checkmate, Ruide.”

‘This is dangerous.’

At that moment—

Flash!

The surroundings turned gray.

The rapidly approaching spear was almost in a state of suspension.

He had slowed the flow of time to an extreme degree.

More precisely, he had accelerated his thought processes to make time seem slower.

‘Considering a Main’s physical abilities, it’s impossible to dodge Damon’s attack. I’ll count this as losing one arm.’

Ruide quickly “calculated” the current situation.

‘Time remaining until Ella’s grand magic activates: approximately 28 seconds.’

‘A Main couldn’t possibly withstand a pure mage’s orthodox magic.’

He needed to analyze the Student Council members’ organic movements and plan his route meticulously.

A long formula was written out in Ruide’s mind.

As he infused magic power—

Blue flames rose from his right eye.

“…!”

At that moment, Ruide realized.

A Main without a “self” couldn’t possibly perform “calculations” like this.

He had already used power beyond that of a 1st defense line Main.

‘…I’ve already lost.’

Ruide returned time to its normal flow and relaxed his body.

Crackle!

A transparent barrier emanating from Ruide’s body collided with Damon’s spear.

“We won!”

“Yes!”

The Student Council team shouted with joy.

Meanwhile, Ruide…

“……”

His lips were protruding in a pout.