episode_0070

The duel between Daniel and Joey was unexpectedly tense, but in the end, a winner was already decided.

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– Joy student falls down! Sparring, it’s over! Ah—!!

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I stared blankly at Joy as she walked out of the training ground.

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There must be many things she regrets. Even though Daniel was preparing for the undercover operation while engaging in a meticulous water fight, Joy also attempted a close combat using her own strengths.

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As I thought, Joy’s expression as she came over after leaving the training ground looked quite angry. It was a contrast to Daniel’s, who was walking behind her with light steps.

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At that moment, the academy official who was supporting Joy approached me.

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“Professor. Joy is complaining of pain in her wrist… Could you please take a look for a moment?”

“Of course.”

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I took Joy to the infirmary.

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The infirmary, located in the passageway leading out of the training ground, had an open entrance so that patients in critical condition could be brought into the infirmary quickly. It also served to facilitate the smooth movement of students brought in on stretchers.

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“Priest, what do you think?”

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Deacon Sophia approached me with a worried look on her face. I squeezed Joy’s wrist and nodded toward Deacon Sophia.

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There was no need for me to step forward in such a situation. It was a good idea to make Deacon Sophia accustomed to using divine powers, and to prevent my right arm from suffering needlessly.

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“Substitute Sophia.”

“Oh, yes.”

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Without saying anything, Deacon Sophia understood what I meant and began to heal Joy’s wrist. I watched her for a moment, then glanced outside the infirmary.

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Daniel was glancing over here with a bashful expression. He glanced at Joy, who was narrowing her brows in pain, then lowered his head toward me and slowly walked away.

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“… … .”

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Daniel seems to be worried in his own way, as he feels like there is no mercy in his hands.

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“Chief Priest. It’s over.”

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Joy, whose expression had become much more relaxed, left the infirmary while fiddling with her wrist. Deacon Sophia and I looked at her for a moment, then turned our gaze back toward the training ground.

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“Deacon Sophia. Are you okay?”

“Ahaha… . It’s not easy.”

“… Don’t overdo it.”

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It is foolish to abuse your divine power to the point of turning pale. I didn’t say it out loud, but I had that thought in my head.

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It was close to deception. It was a worry boiling over from a base desire to replace the irreplaceable.

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“Hehehe… . Thank you!”

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However, Deacon Sophia smiled brightly at me and nodded.

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I looked at her like that for a moment, then slowly turned my gaze away.

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On the monitor hanging from the ceiling of the training hall, the indifferent face of a girl who always wore a gothic lolita outfit was displayed.

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* * * * *

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– Student Vivian! As expected, she’s fierce! She’s really putting Student Gaunt in a corner!

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“Whew… . Hook… .”

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Gaunt Burke, a member of the combat department of Class 2-B, was breathing hard. Blood was streaming down his cheeks.

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It was because of the girl who suddenly stood before him, Vivienne de Balueger. She was considered the strongest in the second-year combat department, and she was like a mountain that could not be overcome.

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Vivienne de Balueger. As the eldest daughter of the Balueger Counts, a renowned swordsmanship family, she used unconventional swordsmanship that was difficult for her opponents to predict. Gaunt gritted his teeth when he saw the longsword in her hand.

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A high-strength longsword with elegant static decoration and a very sharp blade. It is a perfect item for the children of a famous swordsman to use, but it is ultimately a classic weapon that does not go beyond the limitations of an ordinary longsword.

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Swinging, striking, striking, stabbing. It is a weapon suitable for all attacks, but it is easy to destroy because of its honest attack method. Certainly, that was the world’s evaluation.

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But Vivian was not. Her swordsmanship was so irregular and out of sync, almost as if she was using magic. Even in the moment when the sword was swung, she twisted the path of the sword by her own will.

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This made it difficult for Gaunt to even deal with it. It would have been different if he had been swinging his sword slowly, but that wasn’t the case either.

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Vivian’s longsword swung wildly like a storm, and Burke was helpless and desperate to defend himself. Burke ground his teeth and gripped his weapon tightly with both hands.

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It was a huge and heavy mace that could only be wielded with both hands to exert its power. Burke once again resolved to blow Vivian’s head off as she looked at him with a bored expression.

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“Come in! You shouldn’t be scared now, right?”

“… … .”

“What are you doing! Come in quickly!”

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Shhh. Shhh.

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Rough breathing, filled with tension and excitement. Gaunt prepared himself thoroughly as he looked at Vivian in her gothic lolita attire.

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Vivian stared blankly at Burke, then took a stance.

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Holding the sword with both hands, standing upright, and taking a step forward with the left leg. The icy longsword’s blade, its tip pointed steadily at Gaunt.

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“You… . Why don’t you just give up?”

“What the…! Stop talking nonsense and come at me!”

“1 minute 3 seconds… . That’s it. Can you hold out any longer?”

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Gaunt made a face of incomprehension, then his expression quickly distorted.

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‘That’s all that has passed?’

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It felt like they had been fighting for thirty minutes, but it had only lasted a little over a minute. Gaunt had a hard time believing it, to the point where he suspected it was Vivian’s psychological warfare.

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But one thing is certain.

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‘The only person I can trust right now is myself.’

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Gaunt tightened his grip on his grip, which was starting to loosen. He held the heavy mace tightly.

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“If you don’t come, I’ll go!”

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With those words, Gaunt kicked away with all his might. Every time his feet touched the ground, a sound like a resonance could be heard all around.

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Boom! Boom! Boom!

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Gaunt, who had already reached the attack range, swung his mace horizontally. The additional wind attached to the mace made a whining sound as it cut through.

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“The motion is too big.”

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However, Vivian still didn’t blink. Gaunt’s face darkened as he heard Vivian’s muttering.

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Vivian’s longsword had already passed through his side. Gaunt’s mace struck the air.

Gaunt, who had allowed Vivian to attack in the blink of an eye, glared at her while holding his side where blood was starting to flow.

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“Damn it…! What the hell is this…!”

“No harsh language allowed.”

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At Vivian’s words, whose expression still remained unchanged, Gaunt’s face turned bright red with anger. It seemed as if steam would burst out from his crown at any moment.

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Gaunt felt wronged. He felt maddened that he had been defeated in this situation.

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It is admitted that he is slow. However, Gaunt was outstanding in terms of destructive power. There was probably no student in Class B who could produce as much destructive power as Gaunt. Gaunt thought to himself that he would probably be able to handle the students of Class A as well.

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But what is truly humiliating is…

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‘I couldn’t even brush past your collar!’

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No matter what Gaunt tried, he couldn’t get Vivian to even scratch his head. Her signature gothic-loli outfit wasn’t stained with dirt, and there weren’t any tears or dents.

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It wasn’t that he was slacking off in his training, nor was it that he couldn’t use his Aura. There wouldn’t be a student in the combat department of Chaldea Imperial Academy who couldn’t use his Aura.

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That’s why Gaunt’s pride was hurt even more. He couldn’t understand Vivian’s ability to tire him out in just one minute and render all his attacks useless.

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The Vivian he occasionally saw was different from Gaunt, who lived in the training grounds. In Gaunt’s memories, Vivian was always a rogue who would stick with Daniel and explore the dark corners of the academy.

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Because of this, it was rare to see her at the training grounds, and even if she was seen there, it was only to the extent of helping her younger sister train.

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But, but… .

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Gaunt glared at Vivian fiercely. He was so angry that he was going crazy.

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“You go around doing weird club activities like the Occult Research Club or something! How can you be this strong, even though you were always following around like Daniel!”

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As Gaunt shouted, Vivian stared blankly at Gaunt, who was glaring at her. As the time passed, Gaunt’s heavy breathing began to stabilize.

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“… Over there.”

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Vivian spoke to Gaunt. Gaunt looked at Vivian with angry eyes.

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Suddenly, a cold chill enveloped his body. A deep and cold murderous aura that seemed to have no end was slowly eating away at his skin.

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Gaunt’s face turned pale in an instant. Gaunt, who barely managed to keep his mace from dropping, was bewildered as he looked at the girl in front of him, who was presumed to be the owner of that murderous spirit.

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“Just now, you said it was a weird club.”

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Vivian’s expression had changed. Her face, which had never moved a single corner of her mouth no matter what she did, was changing little by little.

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“And you cursed at Daniel too. Right?”

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The eyebrows were slightly furrowed, and the space between the eyebrows was narrowed ever so slightly, as if the eyes were slightly squinted to look at a distant object.

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“Excuse me, answer me.”

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What Gaunt felt was clearly a murderous intent. It was a sincere murderous intent that contained the will to brutally kill the opponent before his eyes.

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At that chilling murderous feeling, Gaunt swallowed hard and shook his head without realizing it.

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“Oh, no…! I didn’t swear at Daniel…!”

“Then, our club is.”

“Uh… . That’s… .”

“ You did it. Right?”

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Vivian raised her longsword high. The slow movement of the sword seemed incredibly slow to Gaunt’s eyes.

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It’s like a moving lantern flashing by.

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“Mi, sorry—!!”

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Gaunt shut his eyes tightly and shouted. There was a rough sound of wind cutting through, and then it suddenly stopped. Gaunt opened his eyes slightly.

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Vivian’s longsword stopped just a hair’s breadth from Gaunt’s forehead. Gaunt’s bangs touched the longsword’s blade and were cut off.

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“Mi, I’m sorry… .”

“… … .”

“I’m sorry for insulting the Occult Research Club… . I sincerely apologize… .”

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It was a harsh apology, but Gaunt had no fighting spirit left in his heart after facing the earnest murderous intent just a moment ago.

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Vivian muttered softly, looking at such a gauntlet.

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“1 minute 51 seconds.”

“… Huh?”

“The time you endured.”

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Vivian sheathed her longsword. Gaunt stared blankly at her with her graceful and clean movements.

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‘I, I survived… .’

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It was only natural that I could not help but sigh in relief. Gaunt held Vivian’s trembling hand and tried to express his gratitude for Vivian’s forgiveness.

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“Still, I can’t forgive you.”

“What… .”

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– Bam!

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Following Vivian’s subsequent pommel attack, Gaunt fell down and was knocked unconscious.

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That was the end of it.

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