Ch.33. One Punch

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Beatrix, the secretary of Elphante Academy’s student council, has been friends with the student council president for 10 years.

This meant she was more furious than anyone about the fact that Elnore was currently late for their scheduled meeting.

“Is she seriously out of her mind…!”

She gritted her teeth while checking the time on her magical engineering wristwatch.

The student council president, of all people, should have arrived 10 minutes early and been fully prepared by now.

“S-Senior! Count Creitan has just arrived…!”

“And Marquis Galantier is also here now…!”

The information flowing in from around her only added fuel to her anger.

Elphante’s entrance duels weren’t just an academy event but also an occasion where the Empire’s influential figures gathered to socialize.

They couldn’t possibly show such poor time management in front of those people!

As she tried to calm her white-hot anger while thinking this, someone smoothly slid open the student council room door.

It was Elnore, her entire body covered in blood.

“…”

“…”

While everyone, including Beatrix, remained silent at the sight, Elnore walked into the room with steady steps and sighed as she placed her sword on her desk.

The blood dripping from the blade made one of the students start hiccupping.

“What is it?”

Only then did Elnore notice the strange silence and look around as she spoke.

Beatrix rubbed her throbbing temples and replied.

“I have many questions, but I’ll summarize with just one, so answer properly. What on earth have you been doing?”

“I was taking care of some aftermath.”

Indeed, they had been friends for ten years.

The time it took Beatrix to realize this conversation shouldn’t be held where others could hear deserved such praise.

“…I’m sorry, but from here on, only the president and I should handle this. Could everyone please leave?”

After sending the other students away with a friendly smile, Beatrix’s face transformed into a demonic expression as soon as the last person left.

“What trouble did you cause this time?”

“It wasn’t trouble. I said it was aftermath, didn’t I?”

“I’ll agree with you if there are no dead people.”

“Not many. About 12 people?”

“…”

After barely regaining her composure with a few deep breaths, she continued speaking to the still expressionless Elnore with a trembling voice.

“What did you kill them for this time?”

“When you put it that way, it makes me sound like a murderer who goes around slicing people for no reason.”

Elnore calmly wiped the blood dripping from her sword as she spoke.

“They were assassins trying to kill me. They disguised it as an accident by dropping rocks on the train heading to the academy. I found out who they were and killed them since they were nearby.”

Her tone was as matter-of-fact as if she were stating that the sun rises in the sky.

“Then you could have just left it to the school…!”

“Wouldn’t that be troublesome?”

“…”

“They were surely hired by someone pulling strings behind the scenes. Ordinary legal measures wouldn’t be enough. It would obviously be annoying later, so I nipped it in the bud.”

“…”

Beatrix clenched her fists, feeling sweat form inside her palms.

Setting aside how she had managed to identify all the infiltrators hiding their identities at the academy in less than a day…

If they were assassins hired by someone with enough power to evade legal consequences, they certainly weren’t ordinary thugs. They must have been among the best professionals.

And she had single-handedly slaughtered twelve of them.

It was bizarrely disturbing. Her “attitude” as she calmly reported this.

As if it were perfectly normal. As if anyone designated as her “enemy” deserved death without question.

In a way, it seemed like she was releasing her suppressed evil whenever an opportunity arose.

“Or do you also expect me to be ‘righteous and perfect’? To mercifully spare those who threaten my life?”

Beatrix swallowed dryly.

She could read the viscous disgust lurking beneath Elnore’s pupils as she uttered these words.

She knew better than anyone that this was Elnore’s sore spot.

“Well, never mind. You wouldn’t ‘force’ such expectations on me anyway.”

Fortunately, Elnore, having finished cleaning her sword, dispelled that aura and turned her head.

Beatrix wiped her forehead with a sigh of relief, finally free from the oppressive feeling.

She wouldn’t have continued like that anyway. There were more urgent matters at hand.

“Elnore.”

“Yes?”

“That’s all well and good, but if you don’t change clothes and get ready right now, you’ll be late. If you don’t want to die, hurry up, will you?”

“…”

It would take supreme courage to speak like this to someone who had just killed twelve professional assassins.

But the killing intent in Beatrix’s eyes was clearly genuine.

Elnore let out a deep sigh, full of annoyance.

“…Fine, fine. I just hope the duels will be at least somewhat entertaining. If I have to deal with schemers, I should at least have something pleasant to look at.”

“You don’t need to worry about that.”

Beatrix said as she searched through the information in her mind.

“If we go now, that genius freshman everyone’s talking about will be there. The match is definitely Elia Krisanax versus Darwood… Darwood… what was it?”

“Darwood Campbell?”

Beatrix’s eyes widened.

“Yes. How do you remember that? He’s completely unremarkable.”

After a moment of silence, Elnore chuckled.

“He’s a strange person, that man.”

“Strange?”

“Yes.”

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have said something like “you seem like a better person than I expected” upon first meeting her.

As if he somehow knew the dark side she harbored.

Elnore rose from her seat with a faint smile.

“Let’s go. We’ll be late if we don’t hurry.”

“…Your attitude seems different from before? You almost seem excited.”

“I’m interested in that man.”

Elnore replied with a slight smile.

“I plan to watch his actions in this duel quite carefully.”

●

If there were a betting culture at this academy, anyone placing even a small wager on me would get insane odds.

The atmosphere among the people watching me right now is exactly that.

The gazes coming from around the stage are all filled with anticipation of how thoroughly I’ll be crushed.

And even I agree with that assessment. So much so that I can’t even consider the classic move of betting on myself for an upset victory.

“How many exchanges will he last?”

“Exchanges? Winning would just be getting hurt as little as possible.”

“True, what skills could someone from that garbage barony possibly have?”

I hear such conversations, but I don’t feel like refuting them.

Even such mockery is polite. Most people aren’t even paying attention, considering the outcome too obvious.

‘How sad…’

I think to myself as I look at my opponent.

A girl lightly stretching to warm up.

But to my eyes, she looks like a giant serpent flicking its tongue with its jaws wide open before its prey.

If you replace me with a small mouse, that would be a fairly accurate representation of our actual combat abilities.

And that’s why I’m truly fortunate.

[Skill: Desperate Situation] [Rank: ???]

[Stat enhancement applies in moments of crisis. Effect strengthens as survival probability decreases.]

My stats are, no joke, at garbage level. If I get hit by even a stray attack from her, I could easily die on the spot.

And that definitely qualifies as a “crisis situation,” right?

“…”

This plan is truly catastrophic.

I do wonder if I’m placing too much faith in a strange skill with question marks for its rank.

‘Ah, whatever.’

No matter how I look at it, there’s no other way for me to achieve the growth rate I need except through this insane method.

With life-threatening events coming my way within two days, I can’t afford to play it safe.

It’s all or nothing at this point.

‘What I’m aiming for…’

After this entrance ceremony, the following duel event is supposedly the main attraction that draws all kinds of people to watch.

Probably “high nobles” and “key academy figures” who have significant influence on the world setting and storyline are also participating.

That means the “villains” I’ll face in the future will certainly be present too.

I don’t expect to win against her. “Lost but fought well” is the best outcome I can hope for.

Since the current expectation for me is merely “don’t die,” showing just that much should at least capture the “interest,” if not the “goodwill,” of the villains.

It shouldn’t be impossible.

I’m a veteran player of this game, and I know exactly what kinds of attacks she can use right now like the back of my hand.

With that information advantage plus the stat buff, the possibility is quite high…

“Excuse me.”

As I was continuing that train of thought, Elia, who had drawn her sword, tilted her head and addressed me.

She lowered her voice so others couldn’t hear.

“Let me be honest. You’re pathetically weak, aren’t you?”

“…”

Why are you suddenly hitting where it hurts?

“I was originally planning to give you a good beating, but at this rate…”

I tilt my head at her strange statement. There was something odd mixed in.

“Why would you beat me up?”

“You were in the same compartment as the Tristan duchess, weren’t you?”

Elia said with a slight smile.

“I hate that person. Not just her, but the entire Tristan dukedom.”

Her voice carried a frost-like hatred.

“They’re a family of demons, that house.”

That’s quite brave.

In this world, “demons” are beings whose very mention is taboo. The impression is that they caused all the major calamities in this world setting.

If the Tristan dukedom heard such words, they might immediately try to kill her, and no one would find it strange.

‘…It’s not wrong though.’

The problem is that they’re actually involved with demons.

Not just “like” demons—according to the setting, some of them have actually made contracts with demons.

Additionally, this person has an extremely deep personal grudge against the Tristan dukedom.

It must be family-related resentment, which is understandable, but…

“…I was just in the same compartment, that’s all.”

“That’s enough to remind me of that person. It’s annoying, so I was planning to hit you hard at least once.”

“…”

What am I supposed to do about that?

“But seeing your skill level makes me soften a bit. Should we just pretend to fight and end it? You don’t want to get hurt either, right?”

She whispered with a slight wink.

Well.

She probably thinks she’s being considerate, but from my position, that’s out of the question.

I’m someone whose life will be in danger within two days if I don’t grow rapidly.

The only way is to make an impression here.

In other words…

“I think you can just hit me hard.”

“…What?”

“I actually quite like that person.”

There are plenty of reasons to provoke her this way.

At my words, she blinked with a blank expression for a moment, but then her face changed to one of understanding as she went “Ah—”

“That person does have a good public image, doesn’t she? It’s understandable to be fooled by that. But it’s all—”

“—just for show. I know that too. I roughly know what kind of things she’s been doing.”

“…”

Elia’s expression instantly hardened.

“…Are you serious?”

“As serious as your hatred for that person.”

That’s a lie.

Actually, I’d rather not get involved with Elnore at all. Mainly from the perspective of wanting to protect my life.

But right now, this is the only way to make her genuinely come at me.

According to the timeline setting, Elnore should be making impressions on the high nobles right now. During such an important event, she wouldn’t pay attention to a duel involving someone like me…

[Skill: Fatal Charm activates.]

[Villain’s affection greatly increases!]

[Reward added to Gift tab!]

“…”

I don’t understand why such a message suddenly appears.

While I’m confused and looking in that direction, Elia, who had maintained her hardened expression, slightly tilted her head.

“Is that so?”

Her voice was clearly different from before, with an even chilling quality to it.

“Then I don’t need to feel much guilt.”

And the next moment.

Her body instantly reached in front of me.

It was an insane speed where the process of movement seemed completely omitted, leaving only the beginning and end.

‘This is crazy…!’

I throw my body while screaming internally. I barely manage to fall backward, and the wooden sword grazes the edge of my body.

My spine chills at the sight of my “cut” clothes fluttering before my eyes.

Who in the world uses a wooden sword like a real one? If I hadn’t known how her initial strike would come, I would have been seriously injured.

“Oh? You dodged that? Maybe you’re not a complete weakling after all?”

But she showed no intention of stopping. She slightly turned her head and instantly took a ready stance again.

For me, who hadn’t even recovered my posture yet, it would definitely be a direct hit.

“Then I’ll hit a bit harder?”

Her sword instantly came at my chest.

‘This crazy person…!’

She seems to have misunderstood that I have some ability because I dodged earlier, but that was purely luck due to information advantage.

If I get hit by something like this, I’ll really die.

“…!”

I clench my teeth and throw a bare-fisted punch.

There’s no time to draw a weapon anyway, but at this point, it’s definitely a crisis situation. The skill should definitely activate.

I don’t know to what extent, but it will surely make a difference.

[Crisis situation detected.]

[Judged as a direct threat to life.]

[Applying Skill: Desperate Situation at EX rank.]

‘…EX rank?’

Isn’t that the highest rank?

But before I could express any surprise at that content.

-!

-!!!

-!!!!!!!!!!

-!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Elia, hit by my fist.

Flew at an invisible speed and crashed into a wall of the building.

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