Ch.173173. Week 2 Evaluation (9)

“Ah, Ethan.”

Seeing Lana walking out with a cast on her left shoulder, Ethan sighed.

“…Did Damian do that to you?”

“Well… I did collide with him pretty hard. But you know… the uniform reduced the damage.”

“It’s the opposite. You got hurt that much even while wearing the uniform.”

“…Ugh.”

No one knows.

Only Lana would know what happened on that field.

“Anyway, what exactly was written on that note?”

The note that Junon passed to Ethan, and Ethan delivered to Lana.

That note would have contained Junon’s request. At the same time, it would have explained why Damian and Junon, who should have received penalty points, were allowed back on the field.

“Hmm… I’m still trying to sort it out in my head.”

“Then try explaining it slowly.”

“…”

After looking around carefully to make sure no one was listening, Lana cautiously began.

“I… was indeed going to surrender. And it’s true that Damian grabbed my arm to prevent me from declaring surrender.”

“What?!”

“Ethan, your voice is too loud! Shh, shh…!”

This testimony proves that Junon was right, and that Damian had let emotions interfere with the match.

However, what about the current situation?

“You just needed to say that… Did the teacher tell you not to mention it?”

“…That’s right.”

“But why?”

“I told you I’m still trying to sort it out in my head. The note showed that Professor Junon knew about it, but she just asked me to help let the match continue as is. That’s all.”

“Huh… I really don’t understand.”

This testimony alone could have confirmed Damian’s wrongdoing.

As Lana mentioned, Ethan also became confused.

‘Why?’

Both of them were thinking the same thing.

Why would Junon guide things so that Damian could avoid punishment?

And why did she participate in the championship match that wasn’t even scheduled?

“…Could it be revenge?”

“Revenge?”

“I mean, taking revenge on your behalf. According to what you said, Damian clearly crossed the line in his match with you. Maybe she couldn’t stand that malicious behavior and stepped in?”

“Come on, you know better than that. Professor Junon is the type who normally responds indifferently when someone causes trouble.”

“I know. But, Lana. Have you ever seen Professor Junon make that kind of expression before?”

“Oh please. What kind of expression is she making that you’re—”

After hearing Ethan’s words, Lana immediately observed Junon’s reaction.

Not even the slightest movement. The only thing in her direct line of sight was Damian, who was warming up for the match.

Junon, who always seemed bored and unmotivated, was staring at Damian as if she could pierce through him.

“Am I imagining things? Professor Junon seems… angry right now…”

“You think so too, right?”

Only the two of them, who had been taught by her, knew that Junon was angry.

“The match is about to start. Maybe we’ll see why she did this during the fight.”

Lana thought the same.

As the preparation time passed, the interrupted match finally resumed.

The second seed championship match. It became official with Junon’s unexpected participation.

Tweet!

The whistle blew, signaling the start of the second match.

“Wow, I didn’t expect things to turn out like this. This is totally lucky, right?”

Damian knew that the severity of his punishment would depend on Lana’s testimony.

But avoiding punishment altogether was truly unexpected.

So Damian was convinced.

“I guess they don’t listen to the words of trash after all? I understand why they’re elevating me even in a place like this. Hmph.”

He believed it was because he was stronger than Lana, and that the strong side with the strong.

And the reason they sent up the weak Junon was because they predicted the victory of the strong.

It wasn’t luck.

Everything followed the order of power.

Damian fully felt that his surroundings conformed to him according to the law of survival of the fittest.

“What can you do? Even though you interfered, the world still takes my side. People want talent and are drawn to the strong. That effort you talked about is completely useless.”

Once, as a fellow student, he had believed those words. The idea that effort could lead to achievement.

“In that sense, Junon, I’m grateful to you for just one thing. My utterly ordinary self was reborn after being expelled from Levrant.”

But that was only for a time.

Damian no longer remembers those days.

“The day I was expelled from Levrant, I seized the opportunity given to me. I never let go of the chance and grasped power.”

From the moment he awakened to his new power, the past didn’t matter anymore.

When he finally stood in the position of the strong.

“You know what changed after that? You all look less significant than passing ants! Don’t believe me? Hah! It’s true, you’re all pathetically weak!”

His perspective changed. The angle from which he looked down changed.

The scenery looked different, and the value of moving objects changed.

Power caused tremendous ripples.

“The weak are eliminated. I think I now understand what’s so fun about trampling those weaker than me. This is the truth! Power is the unchanging truth!”

As if showing off his strength, Damian raised one hand and clenched his fist.

“So being weak is inevitable. There’s nothing wrong with the trash you taught being weaker than me. It’s not a sin! I can understand it all! That’s why, Junon, I wanted to leave you with a good lesson about opportunism!”

Until now, he had been smirking. This was something of a point of pride for Damian.

But the corners of his mouth, which had been boasting, immediately dropped.

“But you know what? Regardless of strength, weakness, or opportunity, there’s one thing I can’t tolerate.”

Then, with magical power concentrated in his clenched fist, he took a step toward Junon.

“Miss Lenias, you see… Although they say she smiles at everyone, she’s not suited for weaklings. She’s a jewel that should never be touched by trash like you who tried to use your comrades as shields while giving ridiculous orders.”

One step. Another step, very slowly approaching.

Then his pace noticeably slowed before finally stopping in the center of the arena.

“How dare you try to take advantage of Miss Lenias’s kind nature?”

Magical power clung to Damian’s entire body like something viscous.

Judging by the amount of magical power, even if it only covered his bare body, it would boast considerable offensive power, more than a blunt weapon.

He took a ready stance, looking as if he might pounce at any moment.

“That’s a sin, a sin, you damn bastard!!!”

The distance closed. Faster than before, and increasingly quicker.

Though it was only a few steps, the magical power used to increase his stride brought Damian to Junon’s front in just seconds.

“Miss Lenias is someone who suits me, not trash like you!!!”

The moment the heavy, magic-infused punch was swung at Junon.

Swoosh!

But the punch cut through empty air.

There was no sensation of hitting human flesh. And then.

Thwack!

Junon, who had flexibly lowered her stance, delivered a roundhouse kick to Damian’s abdomen.

Barely managing to concentrate magical power on his abdomen to reduce the impact, Damian stepped back a couple of paces in surprise.

“What… the?”

Damian couldn’t even grasp what had just happened.

***

To Denis, who was enjoying a brief tea time at the ruins, Ronelion asked in amazement:

“Spell… Break? Breaking magic?”

“That’s right. The technique you described broke a magic circle, so that’s the only way to explain it.”

Ronelion explained in detail what he had seen: Junon’s actions and the movement of magical power.

The answer derived from this explanation was:

“It’s an excellent strategy, isn’t it? What happens if you inject magical power into the Alphaid Line, the core of formula activation?”

“…The magic circle would break. No matter how well the Gamut Line or Deltis Line forms the framework, or even with the Vetrinne Line balancing power and stability.”

“Moreover, most humans inject magical power from the outside in for stability during the process of infusing a magic circle. It’s a brilliant idea that reversely exploits that stability. So, cleanly, Spell Break. Simple, right?”

Ronelion still had a dumbfounded expression. Understandably, he seemed to wonder if such a thing was possible.

“Don’t you understand what it means to break magic? I thought someone like you would easily grasp the theory.”

“No. I understand the theory itself exactly as you explained it, Aunt.”

“Then why that face?”

“…I’m wondering if it’s actually possible.”

That’s only natural. Who would use or believe in a tactic of breaking magic? This was a process even more difficult and dangerous than reverse engineering.

A magic circle is the most important process for someone using magic.

Preparing the magic circle, injecting magical power, activating the formula, deploying the magic.

These processes are inevitably followed unless using only basic procedures.

The more complex the magic, the more these processes multiply and consume time.

“I sympathize with that point, but Junon was almost complete even before meeting me.”

“Pardon?”

“Anti-Cast. Have you heard of it?”

“Anti-Cast would be…”

A technique that distorts circuits by leaking magical power into an opponent’s magic circle at extremely close range.

Just hearing about its difficulty level made one wonder what kind of person could have devised it.

“The person who created that is none other than Junon.”

“What?”

Ronelion’s mouth fell open.

“Even if people from the Principality learn it now, it would be difficult to use right away. It requires tremendous concentration, and since it involves complex processes, only someone quite familiar with magical power control could use it.”

As she said, it’s not a technique just anyone can use.

Not only the steps themselves, but ordinary people would likely get tangled up trying to force its use.

They’d get frustrated and throw it aside, wondering how to do such a thing. Anyone who has attempted Anti-Cast even once could easily predict such a result.

And the person who created it?

Ronelion asks again, wondering if he might have misunderstood.

“…How does it compare to what Uncle Muniher was developing?”

The ability to disrupt an enemy’s magical power circuit is a technique applicable not only to humans but also to magical beasts.

Ronelion knew that Muniher was developing a similar technique.

“Comparison… I shouldn’t say this, but comparing them would be disrespectful to Junon, wouldn’t it?”

Because it’s a technique exclusive to Junon.

She doesn’t even care about the grazing damage while rushing straight through vines.

She avoids attacks within a hair’s breadth and executes the best possible offensive.

It was a fighting style completely opposite to having a magical shield as her innate magic.

“Well, it’s not impossible to counter, but how many third-years could learn the countermeasures? Even including all the former soldiers, it wouldn’t be many.”

“…Then Senior Junon is essentially the natural enemy of sorcerers who use high-powered magic.”

“No, Ronelion. Didn’t you hear earlier? It’s a technique that works on magical beasts too. Besides, that’s not her only main skill.”

“Ah!”

Now Ronelion’s expression showed understanding.

“I see. She mastered physical combat to cover her only weakness in close-quarters fighting.”

Denis took a sip of tea, finally looking satisfied.

***

Whish!

“Ugh?!”

Junon hooked her leg around Damian’s arm as he swung his magic-enhanced limb, then used the rotational momentum generated from her approach to throw him to one side.

Scraaape.

Damian’s legs scraped against the arena floor.

Although Damian was knocked back, he didn’t take any actual damage. Magical power can reduce damage as needed.

However, Damian couldn’t shake the unsettling feeling that he was being pushed back.

“What the hell… This guy… What’s going on?!”

His attacks wouldn’t connect.

No matter how much magical power he wrapped around his attacks, he couldn’t even grab Junon’s collar.

Despite this, Junon simply walked toward Damian one step at a time, her pitch-black eyes fixed on him.