Chapter 41: The First Letter (41)

With a thud, my feet slammed off the ground. It was a fleeting moment that no one could respond to.

It seemed as if the time itself was frozen. My hand gripped the hilt of the sword around my waist.

Needless to say, my target was Senior Elsie, who had her back turned against me, but beside her there was a man with quite the stature.

“Wh-What’s this bastard……!”

He glanced back upon sensing a sudden presence behind him, then yelled and blocked my way immediately. It was a quick response, unlike the other 4th year seniors.

But he made a blunder. He didn’t unsheathe his sword.

A silverish trajectory was drawn with a ‘Zing!’ as blood spewed out along the trajectory. In an instant, the gaze of the man obstructing me was painted with ‘astonishment’.

My blade, which was swathed in the silver aura, sliced through his forearm before he could draw his sword. It wasn’t a deep wound, nor a shallow one either.

However, it was just enough damage to neutralize one swordmaster. A scream erupted from the man’s mouth.

“Aaargggh!”

Everyone’s eyes turned directly towards me at the sudden commotion. I dashed again after shoving the man in front of me.

It was then that my gaze met Senior Elsie’s eyes. Her dazed gaze turned to me. Like a beast who allowed an unexpected attack.

But my sword couldn’t reach her. It was because two men blocked my way again.

The man on the right was stout, and the man on the left was quite skinny. However, they both had one thing in common: they had their swords drawn.

The two coordinated with each other as they swung their swords. The timing of the attack, angle, and vantage point was undoubtedly perfect. Trained swordsmen were such a terrifying existence.

Since even in such a fleeting moment, their response was bordering the realm of intuition. Therefore, I needed to deal a surprise attack.

I stopped at a point where their sword trajectories were barely out of reach, and threw my own sword swathed in aura.

The sword flew in a straight and sharp trajectory as bewilderment flickered across their eyes.

“W-What the…… !”

The target the sword was aiming at was of course Senior Elsie.

The two men upon reading the route of the sword, quickly averted their sword. Regardless of who struck first, they both slashed to dislodge the sword blade that was aiming for her.

And finally, I pulled out my secondary armament.

The thighs of the two men were slashed with ‘Schluk’ as blood gushed out like a fountain. And soon two swordsmen collapsed with a shriek.

“Aaarghh!!”

“Arghh……!”

The time it took for three of the 4th year seniors to collapse was only a fraction of a second. The body that further increased its acceleration seemed to be moving in a different time zone than others. Even the screams of the victims resounded a beat later.

But I wasn’t the only one who could sense that fleeting moment.

As if squeezing through the gap between the two men, the one waiting for me was Senior Elsie, who had finished chanting hastily.

A blue spell swathed her body. It was shield magic. It is one of the fundamental magic that all wizards learn, and crucial magic that can save your life in a moment of crisis.

He wasn’t as talented as Senior Elsie. No matter how urgently she finished the chant the power wouldn’t have weakened. It’s said that it was impossible to pierce the shield with a single strike, even if your attack is swathed in aura.

If that was the case, it would mean that I needed to land several effective hits. However by that time, the rest of the gang who were slow to react would participate in the battle.

Senior Elsie, who was aware of this, had an air of pride lingering in her eyes.

She had a condescending look, as if to say, ‘What can you do?’

A sadistic smile flickered across her lips. It was evident the thought of how to care for this cheeky junior lingered in her mind. Like a child tearing a dragonfly’s wings, her gaze was innocent yet malevolent at the same time.

So I flung my body forward without a word. Not the sword, but my body itself.

Slam!The sound of her shield and my body colliding reverberated. I didn’t stop there. I forcibly adhered my body to the shield and shoved Senior Elsie once again.

The shield only absorbs shock to a certain level. It was obvious that she would not even be able to breathe if the shield resisted all kinds of forces. And I was gradually crossing that narrow threshold.

And by the time Senior Elsie collapsed on the floor, I was already on top of her.

“W-Wh-What are you doin– Kyaa!”

Slam, slam, slam!I vigorously pounded the hatchet swathed in silverish aura on Senior Elsie. Each time I did so, a translucent partition was formed, while shards were splattered in all directions.

Inside, Senior Elsie had no choice but to desperately cry and scream.

“S-Stop him! He-He-Help… Help.. Help me! Anyone… Kyaaaa!”

‘Slam!’. That was the final sound.

Yes, since it was a temporary shield, the resistance didn’t last long.