CH 51

There were people who changed when conditions changed compared to their daily behavior.

A person who was domineering at work might be extremely quiet at home, or a quiet person might become assertive after drinking alcohol…

There was no end to the examples.

The same was true for Giselle.

She was a battle fanatic at heart.

At the Magical Girls Academy, the dignified and well-spoken Student Council President turned into a leopard when it came to fighting the enemy.

Was she perhaps under some kind of stress on a regular basis?

However, she only changed when she was alone or in front of Nadia…　

Her only saving grace was that this didn’t happen in school games and trainings against humans.

“Hyahhhh~! Die, die, die ~!”

Giselle’s Mage’s weapon of choice was a combination of her superior swordplay and water-attribute attack magic.

She was proficient at using her magical sword made of Mithril, which was strengthened by magical power. She could slice and dice her enemies, while using high pressure water current from her fingertips to stab her opponents’ vital points.

On top of that, the hunting forest was a familiar place where she had fought many times before.

Once she had secured a spot where she wouldn’t be surrounded first, Giselle provoked the Ogre pack.

The Ogres, with their low intelligence, were stunned by Giselle’s provocation and plunged unprotected.

Their battle instincts were satisfying…

With a cheerful smile, Giselle got carried away and continued to kill the ogres that kept coming at her.

Though cheering enthusiastically for Giselle, Nadia was thinking of something else.

Hahaha, she’s on it. She’s on it.

Giselle…Buddy.

I’m greatly conflicted deep inside.

I’ve played a little trick on your mind.

I’m going to use you as a pawn and make a mark at this school.

In case you break, I don’t care, even if you die!

If that happens…

I’ll succeed you as the Student Council President, and then complete your term of office, hahahahaha.

Meanwhile, unaware of Nadia’s sinister plot, Giselle became more and more absorbed in the battle.

The number of Ogres she had killed by herself had already reached seven.

Huff-huff, that’s what I’m talking about.

It’s about time…right?

I also need to score some points in front of the Chairman, 

With this plan, Nadia shouted loudly to break Giselle’s ‘spell’.　

“Hey! Giselle! Hurry up and lure them out!”

Giselle huffed and regained her senses.

Nadia’s voice seemed to have reached her.

“You’re awesome! You’re so strong! You’ve done enough! Come on, this way!”

Giselle immediately responded to Nadia’s call and slipped out of the passage.

She breezily dismissed the ogres who were clinging to her, and headed to Nadia while stimulating them.

There were still ten ogres chasing Giselle…

Hahaha, Ogres, come!

I’ll get rid of you all at once with my magic.

There were more of them than Giselle had just killed, so it was a perfect way to show off.

“Alright, Giselle, retreat to safety. I’ll take care of the rest!”

The reason Nadia was considered a top-notch magician was because she could cast spells quickly and without chanting.　

When Nadia entered the Magical Girls Academy, she was but a mediocre student with an aptitude for the wind attribute…

Since the middle of last year, her skills had been rapidly advancing.　

As Nadia’s magic improved, she had also developed excellent debating skills…

She became even closer to her classmate, Giselle.

With the support of the Student Council President, she was chosen as the Vice President of the Student Council.

Nadia’s internal magic power surged, and her small lips moved imperceptibly.

“Pheeeew, come, ferocious wind! Tear them deeply into pieces!”

Giselle retreated. This time, the pack of ogres aimed for Nadia:..

Nadia unleashed the magical tornado.

The powerful blades of the raging wind cut through the Ogres and slaughtered them in a flash.

“Hahaha! Yay!”

And so all the ogres died…

Giselle ran toward Nadia with a smile.

“Aahh! Nadia, you did it! You’re great!”

“Hahaha, thanks for your clever luring!”

After the battle, Giselle and Nadia looked back at the witness, Adelaide.

They looked very proud.

“What do you think, Chairman?!”

“Now you know what we’re capable of, don’t you?”

In response to their questions, Adelaide crossed her arms and smiled.

“For sure, you’re great…Especially Nadia…I’d love to hear more about your wind magic later.”

“Y-Yeah?”

“There’s still plenty of time left. Are you going to continue the competition for now?”

Nadia was confused when Adelaide suddenly mentioned her magic, but…

Adelaide urged them to carry on with the competition, so she decided to keep her thoughts to herself and continue with the battle.

◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ 

Meanwhile, Lou and Fran visited a place that resembled a village.

In this Atlandean continent…

In any country, including the Kingdom of Valentine, and in any city, small or medium-sized, town or village…

There was always the threat of demon attacks.

As predators, these demons were used to destroying and laying waste to their prey…

They devour their prey, the humans.

The great destruction where Fran lost her late fiancé, Reinhardt, was one of them…

Therefore, the Hunting Forest also served as a training ground in case of a battle against demons or a mission to retake a village that had fallen into enemy hands.

“Gisele and Nadia beat us to it, but there are a lot of Ogres here too.”

Lou said it.

A dozen or three ogres were sitting around the village.

The houses in the village were small and simple, designed to look like human buildings, so naturally, no Ogre could fit in.

But they thought that these obstacles made it easier for them to protect their nest.

“I’m sure Lou can handle them.”

“No, don’t let your guard down. Have you seen it, Fran? There’s another large Ogre pack nearby.”

Lou admonished seriously, subduing Fran’s smile.

“Yeah…I found them. My Scouting Magic tells me it’s indeed a large Ogre pack.”

“Great! I hope you’ll keep this lesson in mind…When you’re fighting in a village like this, not just against Ogre, always be prepared for the threat of being pinned down.”

“You mean a Pincer Attack?”

When Fran nodded her head in understanding, Lou explained in more detail.

“Yeah, if you’re dealing with humans, you have to fight while making sure there are no enemies hiding in various parts of the building. The risk is particularly high.”

“Perhaps…”

“In the unlikely event that it takes time for you to wipe them out, or if you greedily go deeper … it’s easy to sustain a lot of damage when you’re taken by surprise.”

“Right…that makes sense. But this time we’re dealing with a big Ogre, so we don’t have to think about another enemy hiding in the house and catching us by surprise… That’s what I’m saying.”

“Well, yeah. But there’s another herd. So we don’t want to get swamped in the village.”

“I understand…”

“Let’s not go into the village. We’ll attack from the entrance… If another herd comes, we’ll change our position immediately.”

Lou and Fran continued their discussion.

In the end, Lou concentrated on attacking the Ogres in the village.

Fran was to be in charge of monitoring and protecting at the back of the herd using Scouting Magic in preparation for another herd.

◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ 

On the other side…Giselle’s group.

Giselle and Nadia had killed all the Ogre swarms in the Ruins, so they were happy.

They have defeated 20 of them, which was definitely an overwhelming advantage in the early stages.

“Afterwards, we can mop up the center ground of the Ogre, gain points efficiently, and escape.”

Nadia smiled mischievously as she spoke.

“From what my Scouting Magic has gained, the Acting Principal and the others are headed for the Village. So let’s go to other Ogre hideouts first.”

“Okay! As expected of Nadia! You’re always reliable!”

Giselle was entranced, looking at Nadia.

Her blue eyes were morbid, as if she were possessed by something.

Adelaide, who was watching from behind, felt something strange.

Last year…

Giselle and Nadia rapidly became close friends…

Nadia became the Vice President of the Student Council, thanks to Giselle’s strong recommendation.

From that time on, something was wrong with Giselle.

She used to be noble and dignified, exuding an air of maturity, so it was a wonder why she had turned into someone easily angered in addition to becoming childish.

Yes, Adelaide had seen it.

Giselle was like an infant relying on her mother…

She was becoming more and more dependent on Nadia than she should be.

The biggest issue was…

The magical aura of the magic that Nadia had just released.

It was a different kind of magical aura than the Wind Magic that Adelaide and the others used, which was triggered by a magical formula.

It was not even the magic of Sylph, the Wind Spirit, which she had experienced in her few experiences before…

But…speaking of dependence, she couldn’t speak for others when Fran was the same…

Adelaide chuckled, but at the same time she pondered over the cause of it.

Giselle, like Fran, might have some emotional issues…

Just then!

Nadia, who had been walking in the lead with great enthusiasm, suddenly collapsed.

“Huh?!”

Giselle hurriedly tried to help Nadia up, but lo and behold!

Giselle collapsed to the ground as well.

“Giselle! Nadia!”

Adelaide also rushed forward to help Nadia up.

As she helped her up, she heard an eerie voice in her mind.

It was the same ‘Telepathy’ that Lou used to talk with Fran before.

『Hmmm, woman! What’s your real name? That’s right ―――I see.』

The moment she heard that voice.

Adelaide, like Giselle and Nadia, lost consciousness and collapsed on the spot.