Chapter 106

Under the student council president election (7)

-Woah!

The huge spear can create a gale just by swinging it horizontally once.

I lowered my posture and lowered my center of gravity to prevent my body from swaying due to the rushing wind.

going.

At least it wasn’t even an attack. Ziggs simply fixed that huge window.

He kicked his body out of the air and landed right in front of where I was standing. At the same time the trajectory of the spear which is swung while turning the body once draws a large semicircle.

It is a power that cannot be tolerated. Even shedding is impossible.

I succeeded in dodging the first blow by almost sticking my body to the ground but my evasive movements were too large to lead to a counterattack. The momentum was still on Ziggs’ side.

As I held the spear again this time a thrust came at me with incredible speed making it difficult to dodge as my posture was completely lowered.

I can’t afford to avoid it. In that case we had to come up with a means of defense that would cause as little damage as possible.

-Paat

– Pugh.

In an instant the lioness Lacia who had been hiding in a nearby puddle of water blooming due to the emergence of a water source came out and blocked Ziggs’ window.

However it would be more appropriate to say that it was stabbed rather than blocked.

With a loud roar and a rising spray of water Lacia’s summoning was forcibly cancelled.

“Tsk!”

Ziggs who frowned at the ear-piercing roar accurately grasped the lion’s intention even sacrificing his own body to block its movements. This is to create a very small gap.

Such a large spear has an incredibly wide attack range and great power so it is difficult to deal with... It has a weakness that makes it more difficult to attack if it sticks close to you.

After quickly digging into the very slight gap created by Lacia Ziggs engaged in a close-range fight that was difficult to attack with his spear. Once you succeed in digging in with a dagger it is difficult for your opponent to properly utilize the advantage of the spear.

However Ziggs is a duel master who makes the best response in every combat situation.

– Kaang!

The rising magic power gathers in Ziggs’ empty left hand and becomes an arming sword of an appropriate length blocking my attack without a problem.

While casually swinging a spear larger than one’s body with the right hand a close-range response to an enemy that has dug in is to use the sword in the left hand.

I clicked my tongue and gathered my magic power to create the ‘ignition’ magic. The rising flames separated Ziggs and me.

However without changing his expression Ziggs swings his spear once and extinguishes the fire created by magic by applying his magic.

“You mainly use attacks that block the opponent’s vision and catch them off guard in another direction.”

The trick of making up for the gap in capabilities with technique is widespread. However there are limits to narrowing the fundamental power gap with such things. In particular it is safe to say that Ziggs is an opponent on whom such tricks rarely work.

Even if you allow it the first time because you don’t know the opponent’s fighting style the second or third time is a completely different story.

“It is clear that when dealing with a style like senior Ed it is better to use the difference in firepower to suppress the opponent rather than engage in psychological warfare.”

Once again the magic power embodied from Ziggs’ body creates weapons. All kinds of different swords from daggers to two-handed swords began floating and swirling in the air.

High-ranking magic ‘mana armament? Sword dance’. It is an applied magic that combines telekinetic magic with the basic high-level magic mana armament. The implemented weapons are not necessarily swung by the user’s hand but begin to dance in the air on their own putting pressure on the opponent.

– Kaang! Kaang!

What appeared to be more than twenty swords gathered together and charged at me.

They have lost their core force the lioness Lacia. Now the magic power consumption has accumulated enormously. It’s not a very good situation.

Still if even one of the numerous sword attacks hits the game is over. I gritted my teeth drew on all the magical energy in my body and used my best effort to unleash the mid-level fire magic ‘One Point Explosion’.

Not one this time.

If you don’t get rid of all the swords you will definitely be caught off guard. Therefore he created over 20 explosions at once and struck Ziggs’ swords one by one exploding them in an instant.

– Quagwang! Quagwang! Ka-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga!

The mid-level magic ‘One Point Explosion’ has an incredibly fast casting speed but you have to give up magic efficiency.

In other words the power is not that strong compared to the magical power used. Of course if you are an ordinary person you will receive a fatal blow from a single blow but if you are an enemy in a combat situation it is rare for you to be knocked out by this blow.

After using such an inefficient technique dozens of times my magical power naturally starts to run out.

-Huuuuuuk.

And there is no way Ziggs the Deputy Minister of Magic could not catch that fact.

A sting flying through the smoke rising from the explosion magic. Because the field of view was not completely clear I missed by a narrow margin.

– Grasp!

Without missing the opportunity I grabbed the spear pole tightly with both hands. A brief struggle of strength ensues with each other’s hands shaking.

“You’ve run out of magic power. Do you not even have the magic power left to implement basic defense magic? It’s definitely worth it.”

It was an accurate judgment.

“Then I’ll just end this.”

Ziggs gritted his teeth and swung the spear with both hands shaking my hand away. My body fell and floated in the air for a moment before barely landing in a distant place.

Ziggs once again implements numerous weapons through high-level magic mana armament. If Ziggs who has even mastered telekinetic magic slashes his spear while countless swords dance around... You won’t be able to avoid a struggle with anyone in simple close combat.

Not only that but the opponent I am a magician with low magic power. Now even using basic magic requires gritting your teeth and concentrating your mind. In fact the game was already over.

Sparring is something that must always be done seriously.

Reflecting Ziggs’ personality he delivered the final blow that would determine victory.

Practice is always like the real thing. No matter how different your capabilities may be you should never belittle the other person but rather acknowledge them and do your best.

Ziggs’ attitude left a deep impression... In the end I resorted to the last resort.

– Paaaaang!

“What... ”

I took out the ‘Shock Enhanced Wave Ball’ from my pocket squeezed it and exploded it.

Although my magical power was clearly depleted a huge power radiated from me causing all of Ziggs’ swords to fall apart. This is the power of magic engineering supplies.

– Hwaaaaaaaaa!

In this sparring I did not use a single magic engineering tool. There was no need to try to win by mobilizing such external means.

However if the other person is so sincere it is polite for me to use all the means at my disposal.

“With this much... !”

All of the telekinetic swords that Ziggs had created were blown away by the wave but he could not create a wave that was big enough to blow away Ziggs’ own body. Since there is a limit to my magic sensitivity it is difficult for the destructive power achieved with the magic engineering supplies I made to exceed that level.

“Just once... As long as you get a valid hit... !”

Ziggs’ combat experience probably speaks intuitively.

A wizard who has run out of magical power. An opponent who can’t even use defensive magic.

Once you allow access you are sure to win. Because Ziggs is fully aware of this fact he digs in with his spear in hand.

From there it’s my turn to make my final move.

– Kaaaaang!

Just like that Ziggs’ attack was blocked by defensive magic.

what... ?”

it could be.

Ziggs’ blow is so powerful that it cannot be successfully blocked with any amount of magic efficiency but if you invest a lot of magic power you can even repel it at least once with defensive magic of my level.

But the problem is... He didn’t even have the magical power to attack so how did he implement defensive magic?

“Hmph!”

What is in the clenched fist is ‘Glast’s Phoenix Ring’.

At this point my greatest effort is to make the high-ranking wind spirit ‘Merylda’ appear.

Perhaps what follows next will be Ziggs’ main point.

“Princess Fenia called me and I went to the royal residence.”

“... As expected Tanya must have been hiding in the royal residence.”

yes. Based on Tanya’s testimony he asked me several questions. If you don’t think it was Tanya who murdered senior Ed why are you sitting there instead of actively testifying to the Bachelor? ”

It was Ziggs who defended Tanya more than anyone else during Lucy’s attack on Ofilis Hall.

It seems unnatural from Fenia’s perspective that Ziggs remains silent in this situation.

“I remained silent. They even said that they couldn’t testify about information that wasn’t certain. because... Senior Ed is risking his life in his own way.”

There was actually an assassination attempt. If additional measures are not taken here it would not be surprising if our lives were put in danger again. In other words this side is also at the crossroads of life and death.

Knowing the seriousness of the situation Ziggs closed his eyes and pretended not to notice even though Tanya felt somewhat unfair.

“However if Kadec and Nox escaped it would be a different story. “If they report the entire situation to the Ross Taylor family the Ross Taylor family will determine that you are dead.”

In a rare move for Ziggs he expressed his opinion.

“First of all considering not only the physical distance between Ross Taylor Mansion and this Aken Island but also the somewhat closed internal requirements of the Bachelor... It will take some time for the Ross Taylor family to reconfirm your survival. “Unless Tanya sends a letter directly and reports it.”

Yes. No matter how much the Rosstaylor family is they would never send someone to Aken Island on the outskirts of the empire to reconfirm the existence of me who was already reported dead.

If I want to reaffirm my survival I must borrow the power of rumors. There is a rumor that the descendants of the Ross Taylor family who were excommunicated on Aken Island are still alive.

In order for such a rumor to spread outside the school it would have to be during the vacation season when internal staff go out to Aken Island. Long after the vacation season if you’re lucky word will reach the Ross Taylor mansion.

Then from there send someone again to confirm my survival establish an assassination plan again and find a reason to dispatch my personnel to Sylvania Bachelor... For these processes to repeat again... It wouldn’t be surprising if it took at least half a year starting from now.

You just have to wait that long. At that point depending on the scenario the Ross Taylor family begins to fall into ruin. The entire family will be in crisis so there is a high probability that there will be no time to worry about me.

“Anyway what I want to say is... “It was a story about Tanya whom I met at the royal residence.”

It felt like the story wasn’t connected but for now I was just quietly listening to Ziggs.

“You met in person?”

yes. After all I am the person who defended Tanya even in extreme situations. “They trusted me quite a bit.”

Ziggs paused for a moment then sighed and continued his story.

“The sight was ridiculous. Well if you imagine Tanya’s bachelor life... It was even more strange that I wasn’t devastated. “Senior Yenika you probably know this well.”

huh... that’s right.

Jenica put down the water she had brought for me and spoke slowly.

“I already told Ed but while he is being investigated by the academic department he is preparing for the student council president election and he has been accused of being a murderer and public opinion is at its worst. Still I gritted my teeth and held on somehow. “Perhaps the reason Princess Fenia supported Tanya even bearing her political burden was because it was unfortunate to see her like that.”

“It is just as Senior Yenika said.”

Ziggs sat on the rock and quietly looked at the sky that was slowly turning red.

“I stayed in a corner for too long. It’s probably not a burden that a girl that age can bear. “It will collapse soon.”

Ziggs came just to say that.

“Tonight there will be a declaration of candidacy for the student council president election. It will take place on the first floor of the Obel Building next to the Student Square which has traditionally been the home of the student council. “You will have to endure tremendous criticism or suspicion from students in front of the podium.”

After saying that Ziggs did not open his mouth again. It seemed like he thought this was presumptuous.

“... ”

I lay still and looked up at the sky lost in thought.

It means a lot to me that Tanya not Fenia is running for student council president.

Having Princess Fenia who would later take a hostile stance toward the Ross-Taylor family as the student council president and having Tanya a member of the Ross-Taylor family as the student council president.

It is impossible to predict what the difference will be in the future. And from this point on the political affairs that have already begun to deteriorate will begin to deteriorate in ridiculous ways.

I felt like I had arrived at an important turning point.

The choice is mine and the responsibility for the results is also mine.

If we take this opportunity to defend Tanya her false accusation will be cleared and her position as student council president will be strengthened making her a truly unstoppable candidate.

He is a candidate supported externally by Princess Fenia and pushed by Lortel behind the scenes.

It would be even more strange not to be elected.

that... The flow of the future that was maintained in some way... This means completely twisting and breaking it with my own hands.

But Tanya had already suffered too much.

He would have merely been a one-time villain as a rival to Princess Fenia.

I found myself in a position where I had to fight against the absurd flow of fate... If you look for the cause it is ultimately the existence of humans who should not remain in this scenario.

This is Ed Rosstaylor. My existence is the cause.

Of course I had my own circumstances. It was unintentional and it was a life-threatening issue for me.

The situation has reached a point where there is a desperate fight to survive. I am not a saint who would throw away my life thinking of others.

But even so...

It is the bloodline of this body the only thing that exists in this wide world... Is it really right to neglect the girl who has to face the storms of fate without any guilt? How glad she was at first to have a younger brother who shared Ross Taylor’s name.

When weighed against the flow of political affairs that has already begun to twist which way should the scales of these two arms be tilted?

If you somehow mobilize your connections and abilities it may be possible to somehow persuade or induce Princess Fenia to run for the student president election.

Whether it was guilt or hostility toward the Rosstaylor family... There were many ways to use and stimulate.

What I suddenly realized was that I hadn’t done that.

“Senior Ed.”

“You don’t have to talk any more.”

I quietly looked up at the sky. The sun was setting.

Important choices in life are usually made in this way.

Did you say that the declaration of candidacy for student council president was tonight?

“... ”

I slowly lowered my head... He spoke quietly.

okay... “It is time to end this life of seclusion.”

*

Suddenly the girl’s old memories bloom.

As is often the case with old memories the light has faded.

Still when I put each scene together and sublimated it into one memory it turned out to be a pretty good story.

A noble family praised by everyone in the empire. The three siblings there go on an outing to a flowery garden holding her hand.

Arwen Ed and Tanya hummed... I picked flowers tied them to her hair and admired the beautiful scenery... Hold hands with the fresh scent of spring.

In a way can that be said to be the last memory? Tanya’s life thereafter was always filled with heavy pressure and responsibility.

It seems like there were happy times like that. When she opens her eyes with a low monologue a dull reality presses heavily on her shoulders.

1st floor of Obel Hall.

Everyone who looks at Tanya has dark suspicion in their eyes.

Despite being accused of vicious murder he grits his teeth and tries to take the position of student council president... It is the gaze of a person consumed by the desire for power.

Tanya stands up straight in the face of the crowd’s heavy hostility.

Because I decided not to run away from that hostility.

Even if there is no way out we move forward.

There were a lot of people who told her that it was impossible to become student council president in this situation but Tanya didn’t care.

At the rainy Ofilis Hall I saw many people attempting the impossible.

It may seem futile but there must be some sublimity in that will. Believing that I stood right on the podium.

The public booing wasn’t that big of a deal compared to the hardships of life.