Chapter 39: Class Representative Ranking Battle (3)

Chapter 39: Class Representative Ranking Battle (3)

The anonymous female student gritted her teeth, realizing I was going to use her as a human shield.

“You... you son of a—”

“Ah ah, no swearing allowed!”

Spells flew towards us, stopping just short of our noses.

I crouched as much as I could, hiding behind her slender back.

And then, not long after, a deafening sound echoed.

Crash!

Whoosh!

Zap!

“Aaargh!”

Various magic spells exploded successively, and there was a faint scream amid them.

...I’d remember this!This chapter made its debut appearance via N0v3lB1n.

Mentally sending condolences to my newly made friend, I took advantage of the brief respite to prepare for my next spell.

“Whirling wind, stay in my hand. Sharpen your blade even more.”

It was the most powerful spell I possessed: Wind Cutter.

Through an enhanced spell-cast, not a regular one, I injected more magical power than necessary.

Vrrr!

As the magic overcharged, the semi-transparent wind blade at the tip of my staff began to swell.

And just when it seemed to reach its limit, it vibrated slightly and dispersed the excess magic into the air.

The deafening noise that had been ringing in my ears suddenly stopped.

The spells aimed at me must have hit all of their marks.

Sneaking a peek, I could see the area was filled with dust, thanks to the powerful spells that were each capable of easily killing a person.

A faint red light peeked through the dust, probably signaling the defeat of my friend, who had served as my shield.

As expected, she had some scorch marks, but she didn’t seem seriously injured.

I leaned forward, preparing to dash out, when Professor Iona came to collect the defeated students.

The dust in the air seemed to linger for an unusually long time, making someone anxious enough to blurt out something they shouldn’t have.

“Did I get him...?”

Pinpointing the direction of the voice, I swung my vibrating staff from left to right, as if it were a sword.

“Wind Cutter!”

Ziiing!

The wind blade split the dust in half and revealed a startled young man with a bewildered expression.

He tried to raise his short wand, probably to prepare some magic, but...

Wind magic might be weaker in destructive power compared to other elemental magic, but it excels in projectile speed.

So he was directly hit by the Wind Cutter before he could even complete a single incantation.

Well, maybe he had prepared a shield or something, because the blade hesitated in mid-air for a moment. But soon after, a scream echoed alongside the sound of shattering glass.

Clang!

“Arghhh!”

The young man grabbed his chest and fell to the ground, his body shimmering with a red light, indicating his defeat.

Good thing I was fully charged, just in case.

With a satisfied smile, I dashed towards the nearest bulky man.

After Professor Iona confirmed the defeat of my human shield and the young man, my opponent shouted,

“This coward! Not only did he use a frail lady as a shield, but he also hid behind her to do an ambush!”

“What are you talking about? How is it not cowardly for you guys to gang up on me in a singles match?”

“Alliances are a part of strategy!”

Right, it wasn’t like I was the only one who could dodge.

Carla taught me techniques that I could pick up in a flash, ones that weren’t too complex.

Of course, those who had been practicing since childhood could also do it.

In front of me, Vilhelm raised his staff full of confidence, as I felt the aggressive flow of mana coming from behind.

At this rate, either I would be hit by Vilhelm’s counter-attack, or I would be scorched by the magical onslaught coming from the back.

Still, it was too early to give up.

Thud!

The mana core surrounding my heart beat roughly, delivering mana throughout my body.

“Shock!”

Small sparks erupted not just from my fingertips but from my entire body. It was far from a million volts—merely enough to shock someone—but it was enough.

“Ugh!”

Vilhelm, who was about to use his staff as a blunt weapon like I had earlier, hesitated.

Seizing the opportunity, I thrust the glowing dagger I was holding in my left hand into Vilhelm’s side.

“Cough!”

“Ah, it worked.”

The squishy sensation I felt at the tip of the blade was different from when I killed Pietro, the socialite officer. It felt weird, as if I had stabbed pudding instead of a person.

Perhaps it was the effect of Iona’s protective magic. Even if I pulled out a dagger now, there would be no wound, just smooth skin.

...Was it because they made amateur mages fight each other that some ended up defeated by daggers rather than magic?

In any case, unlike Iona, who said defeating the enemy was all that mattered, Vilhelm seemed furious, glaring at me with bulging eyes after being unexpectedly stabbed.

But that was it.

He might be sturdier than most mages, but anyone stabbed with a knife freezes.

Even as Vilhelm tried to resist, I pushed him with my body weight.

Whirl.

Our positions switched instantly.

“Do you want to be my friend?”

“Shut up!”

It seemed he didn’t like the idea of a ‘Friend Shield,’ cursing as he did.

Watching him, I began to worry about my future life in the academy.

Was this really okay?

They wouldn’t hold a grudge just because of a class activity, right?

But why, no matter how long I waited, did no magic spells come flying at me from the people who were eager to hit me?

Then, what was that intense magical reaction?

Peering over Vilhelm’s shoulder, I saw what was going on.

“Ah! Why Elisha...!”

“We were just going to take down that coward first... Argh!”

“Everyone run! We can’t beat him!”

For some reason, Elisha was bombarding the people who were about to finish me off with magic.

When our eyes met, she snorted and turned her head.

Then, she flashed a charming smile at the other fleeing students.

“Excuse me? I thought this was an individual match? That’s what the professor said.”

What? What? Was she taking my side? I was kind of excited.

“Most importantly, who gave you the right to touch my opponent? I will personally take Yandel down, so kindly step aside.”

Ah.

She wanted to beat me herself.

Should I start apologizing now in the hopes she will go easy on the spells?