Recap of the previous chapter: Oliver revealed to Hachiman that his main objective was to observe his growth and behavior to determine whether the young dark mage would be a useful asset to the kingdom or an enemy that must be killed. After knowing that, Hachiman went to the Hiratsuka household to find his sister, Komachi, who lived there by an alias "Komachi Hiratsuka, Shizuka's niece" to know that she was safe. Shizuka taught the Hikigaya siblings about conditions in Enziel magic and how to utilize them. The next day, after school, Yuigahama overexerted her meditation which would almost cause severe consequences if not for Hachiman saving her by creating a new dark magic spell: Essence Eater. After a few days had passed, Hachiman was challenged by Terrowin Merek for a duel and in the first round, Hachiman won instantly.
Disclaimer: I do NOT own the Oregairu series as it is respectfully owned by the author and studios.
Chapter 4: Swords Sharpened, With The Memories Of The Past
The duel had begun. A battle between the dark mage and the wind mage. A 2nd-year student and a 3rd-year student of the Knight course. The man at the lowest hierarchy and the man of noble birth. A duel between Hikigaya Hachiman and Terrowin Merek. And the first round went to Hikigaya's swift victory by knocking his opponent off the stage. Merek's nose was bleeding and he looked irritated. The mana he emitted was fueled by anger towards Hikigaya and the audience was frozen stiff. Hikigaya had cold sweat dripped on his cheek as he was also pressured by the wind mage's magical energy. Merek grinned at the dark mage and begun his attack. Two blue glowing spheres appeared above him and then he charged at Hikigaya.
"Enziel Magic: Mana shot!" The spheres shot straight projectiles made of mana at Hikigaya in which he dodged all of them and then blocked a sword swing from Merek. The wind mage gave him a barrage of swings with his dual swords while the magic spheres kept shooting at Hikigaya. Merek was slowly getting the upper hand as the magic projectiles from the spheres grazed Hikigaya's arms and right cheek. However, it ended when the dark mage caught one of his blades with his hand. He pulled the blade to break Merek's posture and thrust a kick to his chest plate. Merek got pushed back from the kick but stood his ground as he left a trail.
"Ghh!" The wind mage felt pain in his chest and clenched the chest plate. He felt something odd in his piece of armor and looked at it to see a dent from Hikigaya's kick. The audience also noticed the dent and they all speculated what really happened. Damaging an armor through physical power was too ridiculous for them to believe. Some cast clairvoyance spells to see what tricks did Hikigaya used.
"I don't see anything special in his attire..."
"Maybe he used some sort of dark magic?"
"I didn't see a magic circle appearing there."
"He must've used hearten on his feet!"
"No, We only saw him casting it on his ugly sword."
"He must have cheated by drinking a potion!" One of them shouted and almost everyone seemed to agree on the speculation. Many shouted at the referee to check the dark mage if he truly cheated. Hikigaya looked irritated by the audience's disbelief in his capabilities. He looked at the referee who was conflicted on what action he should decide to settle this situation. The dark mage didn't care for their contempt, but if their opinions affect the process of this duel and the perspective of the nobles in it, he would make sure they would pay.
"Um... I don't think he's cheating," Yuigahama whispered to Miura nervously. She was scared that her friends would hate her or even look at her oddly, but the orange-haired girl couldn't stand the poor treatment given to Hikigaya. "I-I mean, he doesn't look like he drank a potion."
"Hah? Then how do you explain all that? There's no way he can be that strong." Miura disagreed furiously. "This is why I hate dark mages."
"He's an augmentor, right?" Ebina said with doubt. "If he was an embracer, it would make sense. But..."
"Well, m-magic has a lot of things... and..." Yuigahama tried to think of a good argument but there was nothing.
"Hey, why are you trying to defend him so badly?" Miura asked with a scrutinizing gaze. "Yui... Are you-"
"SIIIIIILLLLEEEENCCCEEEE!" Merek suddenly shouted angrily in which surprised Hikigaya and everyone in the battleground. His shout echoed in the area and the audience went silent as he demanded. "Enough with the pointless accusations and exaggerating hate! Why don't you all accept that this is his full potential! His true abilities! With swings and blows of a strong mage! I also despise dark mages, and that includes this man before me. However! He did not hold his sword as not just a dark mage, but also a warrior! A knight! As knights who will enter the cruelest battles, the only light in the dark rain of blood and corpse is honor! Respect your enemies, even the most despicable ones! Honor their strength and sword! If you can't do that... If all you can do is spat words of contempt and be blinded by it, then I'd rather forfeit the match, than fight this duel for the sake of you fools!"
"..." Silence was the only response to his demand. Only one emotion spread across the battleground; Shame. Not only were they scolded for their mockery, but they were also scolded by the heir of the Merek family, one of the noble families that contributed to building Villfalt. His anger shook the souls deep within them in which produced the feeling of shame. Some still had pride in their hatred towards the dark mage, but they concealed it just to prevent Merek from forfeiting the duel. Yuigahama felt relief that Merek stopped them from ruining Hikigaya's battle. Yukinoshita also sighed in relief and then looked at Merek with newfound regard.
"And I thought I had to step in..." Hiratsuka mumbled while folding her arms. "Glad there are still good kids like Merek."
"Now that their mouths were shut, let's continue." Merek posed a fighting stance, swords held firm and magic spheres hovered above him.
"Uhh... yeah," Hikigaya said with a confused expression. He didn't expect the wind mage to defend him all for this duel. But, all thoughts disappeared as he remembered all the things that happened in the past. "Right, trust no humans... Especially the nicest ones."
"Take this!" Merek shouted as the spheres shot a barrage of magic projectiles at the dark mage. Hikigaya ran around him while dodging every shot. However, he didn't notice one projectile aimed towards his head. He wouldn't dodge it in time because it was too close now, so instead of evading, he blocked it with his hand while casting a spell. It clashed with his hand which caused Hikigaya to be knocked back. He tumbled far but was able to land on his feet very close to the edge of the stage. Merek didn't hesitate and fired another shot from a magic sphere to knock his opponent off the stage. Hikigaya ducked to evade it and noticed something from Merek.
"He created a third sphere." He said in his thoughts. His left hand was shaking in pain due to blocking the projectile until he clenched it into a fist. "If I get hit by just one blast, I'm down for the count. I don't know how many more mana shapes he can create and control at once, nor how many Enziel spells he has. And it looks like he's going to fight me at long range. I need to make a distraction or some sort of decoy and find an opening. When that happens, I'll end this in a second"
"He blocked it with a basic barrier spell," Merek analyzed his entire fight so far with the dark mage. "To be able to defend himself from using that. He must have poured so much mana from the barrier, or his inhuman strength applies to his act of defense. Either way, he blocked the attack but it didn't leave him unfazed judging from how his left hand looks. He has the advantage at close range and if I try to keep my distance and fight long-range, he would surely plan a decoy to fool me. But the moment he used that and charge at me, he'll let his guard down thinking he got me. When that happens, I'll end this in a second."
Both stood at each other at a distance with different tactics that would gain the upper hand for only one fighter. Hikigaya held his sword firmly while Merek did the same with the magic spheres glowing brighter, ready to fire at the target. The suspense kept growing the longer they remained still without a single movement. The audience didn't blink once at the fear of missing a small action. They were all captivated by this duel. Some were even curious on what the dark mage's action would be. Excitement and anxiety were the only clear emotions shown in their eyes. Yuigahama gulped nervously, anticipating the clash and praying for Hikigaya's victory as she clasped her hands. Yukinoshita was staring at the standoff. She could already tell what strategies the fighters will use, but the process and outcome remained unknown to her.
"Hikigaya-kun will surely use a decoy to close the gap, but Merek predicts that would happen. It's all in the matter of what Hikigaya-kun will do in the next step... and how Merek will counter it." She thought while biting the fingernail of her thumb.
The young dark mage took a step forward which echoed through the battleground. The sound became a sign of action, an end to the standoff. Then, he ran around his opponent with inhuman speed while slowly closing the distance. The magic spheres flew everywhere and shot a barrage of magic projectiles at him in all directions while Merek observed the opponent, anticipating his move. Hikigaya blocked and evaded many attacks, but it started to be difficult for him to keep up. After blocking another one, he quickly ran straight towards Merek which the wind mage responded by controlling the spheres to come back to his side while continuing to shoot at him. Hikigaya prepared himself to defend against the attack but this time differently. As soon as the magic projectiles came to his proximity, he redirected them with his sword into the ground. He bent himself backward to dodge one and then redirected another from the right, down to the ground. Hikigaya front flipped to evade more projectiles in his way and redirected two more. Merek was confused by his actions until he realized his plan. He stopped the spheres from shooting further but it was too late as a pile of dust in the air grew until it covered half of the stage.
"So that's his plan! He deflected my magic attacks into the ground to hide in a cloud of dust. Where is he?" He turned two spheres into cubes and moved them next to his sides while the sphere remained its shape and levitating on top of him. He saw a shadowy figure and it was Hikigaya exiting the cloud and charging at him, but without his sword. The dark mage was doing weird hand signs with his right hand and that was when Merek saw an object flying. "His sword is-"
Before Merek could finish the thought, his two cubes and sphere were sliced in half by a flying sword, destroying them in the process.
"Spirit Motion..." Hiratsuka thought as she was impressed by Hikigaya's action. "A basic Enziel spell for augmentors that allows them to move objects without physical contact with it. In order for that spell to work, the mage needs to establish specific hand signs to make an object move in specific directions. The condition is that once you established that, you will never change any hand sign in this spell, no matter what object you cast on. But how did he make the sword strong enough to cut through those mana shapes when it is required to touch it to cast the hearten spell?"
"He must've modified the Spirit Motion spell," Oliver tried to analyze the duel. "Or he must've found a way to cast the Hearten spell with some method."
Time itself seemed to slow down as Hikigaya closed in on Merek. The mana shapes were destroyed, disappeared into nothing after being sliced in half. The flying sword pointed towards Merek's legs and flew at such speed. There was no escape for the wind mage and was sure he wouldn't be able to block in time. The victory was assured for Hikigaya as he clenched his left fist and tried to punch his face. His fist got closer to Merek's face with every inch symbolized every step closer to ending the duel. It was supposed to be a victory for the young dark mage... Until something unexpected happened.
"Gggh!" Hikigaya's left arm was bounced back as if his punch was deflected by an unknown force the moment his fist came into contact with Merek's face. His left arm was broken along with the gauntlet and the flying sword fell to the ground. The wind mage swung his dual swords at Hikigaya and he knocked him so far away that he flew out of the stage crashed into a wall, creating a giant crack. The referee ran to the fallen dark mage to see if he was still conscious.
"Hey! Are you alright?" He knelt down to Hikigaya who fell to the ground face first. He waited for a few seconds for a response. Yuigahama covered her mouth with both hands in shock of his defeated state. Yukinoshita's eyes widened and both girls prayed in her mind for him to get up. Hiratsuka stared at the fallen boy with great intensity and clenched her hands into fists, trying her best to not accidentally emit strong magical energy. Oliver only closed his eyes and sighed. He also prayed for his victory but a defeat was acceptable to him. The nobles didn't say that he needed to win the duel. All of this was part of the evaluation for the overall judgment. Still, he felt disappointed that the outcome wasn't in the dark mage's favor. After waiting for more seconds, the referee didn't receive any response from Hikigaya and so, he stood up and looked at the audience. "The winner of the second round belongs to Terrowin Merek. However, due to Hikigaya Hachiman's unconscious state, the victor of this duel-"
"Oi..." Suddenly, he heard a faint voice and felt a hand grabbing his foot. He looked down to see the young dark mage struggling to stand up but went back up in his feet while resisting the pain. He coughed up blood from his mouth and the injuries he received were bleeding. He had two sword cuts that were crossed-shape and stretched to his shoulders and waists. The cuts looked deep and it seemed that he also had a head injury since there was blood dripping on the side of his forehead. Hikigaya couldn't straighten his posture due to the pain, but he picked up his sword and slouched back to the stage. After climbing back, he slowly stood straight, and looked at his opponent with immense focus and total indifference at the same time."I'm not done yet."
"By the gods..."
"How can he still stand after such an attack?"
"Does he not feel pain?"
Everyone couldn't help but look at his injuries and wondered how he could remain conscious. Merek, especially, was stunned at his opponent's tenacity but also amazed by it. He and everyone else had never seen such an individual with this capability. Merek slowly readied himself and spoke.
"I've never met someone like you, but I have heard about it." He said with a smirk.
"Heard of what?" Hikigaya asked in curiosity about the wind mage's knowledge.
"There were a few rare mages who polished their fists into iron than polishing their blades and strengthening their body than strengthening magic. They were devoted to the ways of martial arts and contributed greatly during the Blood Squandered War. With their fists and pure strength, they shattered hundreds of bones along with the enemies' spirits. Legends say they were so strong they could defeat an army with one swing of an arm. But those are still legends. None of us know the actual history of those rare individuals. Records were stolen from thieves while some were burned in the aftermath of the war. Perhaps, you are the living proof that these legends might be true."
"Hmm... Me? Confirmation of a legend? Honestly, that doesn't sound bad." Hikigaya said with a small smirk while wiping the blood on the corner of his mouth. "Why haven't we had a history lecture of this in my class? Or is it reserved for third-years?"
"No, It has been recently treated as a children's tale so they rid of it from the education system."
"That's interesting... and odd at the same time," Hikigaya said in his thoughts, but he removed them from his mind to focus on the duel as he posed a fighting stance. More blood came down from his injuries and he was unable to move his left arm. "Well, that was a nice trivia, but I want to get into the duel right about now."
"Agreed," Merek created three magic spheres and held his dual swords firmly. It was another standoff. Both forming strategies for this final round, but all favors were truly on the wind mage. Hikigaya's injuries would definitely hinder his combat prowess and would put him at a disadvantage in the overall duel. He needed to form a plan that would defeat his opponent swiftly and with minimal movement while also breaking through Merek's defense that broke his arm. Merek's strategy was still the same; attack from a distance and defeat the dark mage. Despite the injuries, Hikigaya displayed remarkable endurance just from standing straight. Merek wasn't sure if his opponent was weakened but just for caution, he needed to play safe. "And there is also one factor that could easily change the tide in his favor. Dark magic. So far he hasn't used dark magic in the two previous rounds. And yet, he forced me to strengthen my guard. I have to be prepared for anything."
"I destroyed the mana shapes before dealing the supposed finishing blow, so that means what he cast was a wind magic spell," Hikigaya analyzed his opponent's actions in the previous round. "He must've cast it while I was still hiding in all that dust. I need to find a way to counter it."
After a few seconds, the standoff was near to an end. Both fighters formed their own plan against each other for the final round. Hikigaya emitted a dark aura around himself, preparing to attack. Merek emitted his own magical energy to prepare for the final clash. The ground they were standing on shook and cracked. The referee retreated far from the stage, unable to withstand the overwhelming pressure from the mages. They walked slowly around each other as the staredown intensified, their eyes were full of focus and desire to win. The wait was unbearable for the audience. The excitement was exceeding their patience for the clash to begin. At this point, this duel was too unpredictable for them. The outcome could be anything. After a few more steps, the fighters stopped moving. A magic circle appeared on Hikigaya's blade and the dark aura enveloped it.
He raised the sword and swung it down, releasing a black crescent projectile that trailed the ground towards Merek who responded by turning two spheres into cubes and cast a barrier. His defensive spell immediately cracked and as he felt the danger, the wind mage quickly jumped away from the attack before the barrier broke. The moment he jumped, Hikigaya launched another black crescent at him. Merek inhaled and a light-blue magic circle appeared in front of his mouth and blew his blades. He swung his swords in a cross and the black crescent suddenly exploded as if it crashed into an invisible object. The collision caused Merek to knocked away
"Two dark magic spells. Five more to go." He thought while piercing the ground with his sword. "Dark Magic: Nocturnal Abode."
Suddenly, it was total darkness for Merek. He looked high and low and saw nothing but black. He couldn't even see his own body. He created three mana shapes but they were only enough to illuminate himself and the ground he stood on. He could still hear the voices of the audience and so he tried to track the dark mage with his hearing while casting a barrier around him with three magic cubes surrounding him and floated in a circular motion. The right side of his barrier cracked which surprised the wind mage. He inhaled and a large light blue magic circle appeared on his chest. He blew hard and his entire body glowed in light blue until it faded quickly. The barrier broke and Hikigaya with his dark-covered sword held with one hand. He swung the blade and hit Merek with the black crescent at point-blank range. The wind mage was knocked back from the strike, tumbling in the ground but still managed to land on his feet. His front armor shattered into pieces by the attack and pain spread throughout his body. The mana shapes disappeared after taking such an attack. As the darkness faded and the entire battleground became visible, his foot felt something off and looked behind him to see the edge of the stage. Merek was this close in defeat. Not only that, but he also looked at his body to see massive diagonal cut. He coughed blood as the injury bled even more.
"My defensive wind spell couldn't withstand dark magic? No, rather it didn't work against it. Does darkness not pushing the wind?" Merek stopped thinking when he noticed Hikigaya charging towards him.
"One for using Nocturnal Abode, another for breaking his barrier, and the final for attacking him. Three dark magic spells in total, two more to go." Hikigaya counted in his mind while charging towards Merek. His vision began to blur as the Equal Feedback finally occurred. He couldn't even see the wind mage's figure clearly, but that wasn't the one that hindered his action of attack. It was his injuries. He bled too much and now his speed was slower than usual. Merek could probably match him now in combat but the strategy was the same for caution. He created three magic spheres and they fired a barrage of mana shots, but they couldn't move. The injury made it difficult for him to concentrate, hence why the only thing the spheres could do was fire in straight shots.
"Breathing Darts, two times on Wind Reprisal, and two times on Elemental Casing. A total of 5 elemental spells used. I can do four more spells before the Equal Feedback." Merek thought while running around and distanced himself from the edge. He watched Hikigaya evading and blocking many shots. The attacks were a little more predictable and easy to counter for the dark mage since the spheres weren't shooting in all directions. Just one more attack with dark magic and he would win the duel. However, the problem was how to land a successful hit.
"His wind magic defense looked like it doesn't work against my dark magic. But the problem now is how to hit him. He still got more defensive spells with Enziel magic and can maneuver to evade my attacks. Only one thing to do." Hikigaya threw the sword and did hand signs to make it fly in the air. The flying sword once again sliced the mana shapes and all dispersed into nothing. He ran as fast as he could and now the distance between fighters was now only a few feet. The dark mage did more hand signs and the sword flew towards Merek's back. Merek dodged the flying sword and now he was fighting it with his dual swords as if he was facing an invisible enemy. The sword flew fast and he tried his best keep up. However, he probably wouldn't last long as he received light cuts in his right arm, left cheek, and left side from barely dodging the attacks. He tried to create mana shapes while defending himself from the flying weapon, but it was fast enough to destroy them before he could even perform a spell. And so, He inhaled and cast the defensive wind spell.
"If I can use Wind Reprisal to get the right angle, I can deflect the sword to him by surprise and that would be checkmate." Merek grinned and his body glowed in light blue, which was what Hikigaya wanted.
"Got you now!" Hikigaya concentrated and a purple magic circle appeared on the flying sword. A dark aura enveloped the blade and the weapon flew towards the wind mage. Merek was surprised but he didn't falter. He held his swords together into a cross to defend himself and the flying weapon collided with his swords. Now it was Hikigaya's turn to be surprised as Merek was holding still able to hold his ground. "But how? Was I wrong that dark magic can go through his wind magic defense? Or maybe he cast a different one to his swords? Wait..."
He narrowed his eyes to see something glowing between the swords and his flying sword enveloped in a dark aura. It was a small cube, appeared to be as small as a human palm.
"He created a small mana shape at the last second?!" He thought. Merek's blades shattered and the flying sword bounced back and fell into the ground as Hikigaya couldn't hold it much longer. Both stood while having difficulty breathing. Merek recovered first and then faced the dark mage. He ran and clenched a fist to punch him in the face. Hikigaya wouldn't be able to dodge in time so he cast a simple barrier spell with his right hand. Merek punched the barrier and shattered it with ease. The young dark mage's arm flung back from the barrier being shattered and Merek finally dealt the attack that ended the duel. He inhaled once more, a light blue magic circle appeared in front of his mouth and blew into it to cast the spell.
"Wind Magic: Shattered Breath!" Suddenly, the ground in front of him ruptured, and Hikigaya was sent back flying until he crashed into a wall with his back, forming another giant crack. The audience was silent. In fact, they were silent throughout the final round of the duel. They were all speechless at how this outcome came to be. Their mouths left open and eyes widened at the entire spectacle. Merek then grabbed their attention by slowly and shakingly raised his right fist into the sky. A gesture of triumph from facing a battle. Most of the audience smiled and finally cheered the victor loudly. The referee climbed the stage and announced the outcome.
"Hikigaya Hachiman is knocked out of the ring! The victory of this duel belongs to Terrowin Merek!" He shouted loud enough for them to hear through the cheers and screams of joy. However, that ended quickly as they saw the victor fell to the ground. It appeared that his consciousness faded after losing too much blood from the cut. A doctor immediately entered the battleground but on Merek's gate. She wore full-length green robes, hoods with attached cape collars and waist sash belts. She ran to the stage and knelt down next to Merek's fallen body to check his condition. Yuigahama and Yukinoshota looked at Hikigaya's fallen state and waited for someone to treat him. Seconds passed, and then minutes, none have arrived to help the injured mage. Yukinoshita then looked at the doctors who just sat there looking at Merek's body, pretending to still be treating him. The Ice Queen noticed that the doctor was already done with healing Merek with a healing spell and yet she pretended that the treatment was still ongoing. It was as if the doctor was waiting for someone else to treat the young dark mage in her place.
"Insolent coward..." Yukinoshita mumbled with venom in her quiet voice. The battle between Merek and Hikigaya displayed incredible strength, differences in magic and abilities, and amazing actions from the two. Yet, it only ended in a display of discrimination and inequity. "I will change everything."
A Few hours later after the duel.
"Well, everyone? What do you think of the boy's overall abilities?" A man with a deep voice echoed in the hall. It was dark and consisted of a wide circular pitched floor with five rows of several wooden seats and a long table in each row. Sitting on those chairs were hundreds of people wearing luxurious clothing and shiny accessories on their fingers, around their necks, and attached to their ears. These were all the nobles who were born, lived, or moved here in Villfalt, and now they were in a meeting about the young dark mage that enrolled in the magic academy. The man stood in the center of the hall wore a red cloak with golden patterns, brown doublet, and black trousers.
"His combat skills looked barbaric and his magic is as grotesque as everyone said." A man with a black beard on the middle row spoke in a tone of disdain. The man in red cloak sighed and looked at the bearded noble with an annoyed expression.
"Let me rephrase. Do the boy's abilities qualified in terms of strength?" He asked with a calm tone, but his expression showed his true emotion towards the bearded man who quietly grunted in anger.
"Tch, not good enough. He's still weak! And he lacks various requirements to be a knight!" The bearded man stood up and shouted. A soft laughter of a woman echoed in the hall, gaining everyone's attention. The laughter came from a woman with black hair tied in a bun slightly to her left and wore a purple yukata with flower designs. The woman stood up with a smile and bowed lightly.
"Forgive me for my rudeness. I find it quite humorous that you are criticizing the mage with such a prideful and noble tone when he battered your son in that duel?" She said with a warm and polite tone, and yet many seemed to doubt that tone and could tell it was a voice of arrogance and venom. "It is unfit for a noble to be biased in a serious meeting such as this."
"Ha! 'Serious', you say?" The bearded man scoffed with a grin. "That lowlife is not of importance to us. I cannot take something as absurd as this meeting. Are we really going to turn him into our tool of convenience and rely on him? A dark mage?"
"Of course we are. After all, he will be the perfect tool to fulfill our... devious tasks." The woman said with a glowing smile. However, all of the nobles shivered at her response fro. The thought of what devious tasks did she had in mind. Some of those tasks may be beneficial to both her and them and some may result in ruining their status, or even worse: Death. The woman in yukata must not be trifled with. Even if there were some individuals who opposed her in certain situations, she had already established her position and power here in this kingdom.
"There are better people out there who can do those tasks," The bearded man retorted. "Or don't tell me you have grown fond of the dark mage after witnessing the duel?"
"Fond is such a strong word. Although he did satisfy me by hurting your son just for me to see your ugly and humiliating reaction, it was all curiosity in the end. The boy performed physical feats that are impossible for normal human capabilities. It reminded me of one of the legends about mages with inhuman physical force. For over a century, after the war, mages researched for ways to reach that impossible level which they sort of did by creating a strength potion. However, the potion had severe side effects and can be highly addictive, which is why it was banned from all kingdoms yet some found the formula and recreated it into something more dangerous and selling it on the black market. This boy can be the key to unlocking the secrets of those legendary mages."
"HAHAHAHAHA! That is just a myth! You believe in such nonsense?!" The bearded man laughed, followed by a brave few who found her exclamation ridiculous. " Also, how do we know that his abilities are natural and he didn't cheat by drinking the strength potion you mentioned."
"Heerree~!" The voice of another woman called to gain their attention, but she was ignored. The father of Merek had his eye twitched from that familiar voice while the woman in purple yukata's smile shook slightly. They all pretended that no one intervened in the two noble's argument.
"Is there... anyone else?" The man in red cloak asked, hoping for someone to stand up other than that woman.
"Heeeerreee~!"
"..."
"Heeerreee~!" The woman in the very top row raised her right hand and waved in another attempt to gain their attention and repeated for several times now. The man sighed and looked at her with a defeated expression.
"Yes, Ms. Yuigahama..."
"Weeelll~," Ms. Yuigahama stood up with a smile. She had long wavy orange hair and wore a brown dress, and accessories such as a golden bracelet on her right wrist, and a silver necklace with an emerald gem. "Merek-san asked how we can tell if Hikigaya-kun drank the potion or not and I can answer that."
"Oh, really?" The bearded man said while rolling his eyes. "Is there really such a method?"
"It is what Yukinoshita-san said, the strength potion has side effects. Those side effects include heart problems, high fever, and seizures. The potion can also affect the consumer's mind which would result in mental problems such as aggressive behavior, memory loss. If we see any of those side effects in the boy, then he definitely drank the potion."
"Then may I give you the report on the dark mage's current condition," A man stood up from his seat in the lowest row. He had brown hair slicked back to the right side, and wore a blue tailcoat jacket with golden decorative buttons and dark brown trousers.
"Ah, Lester-san!" Yuigahama lightly waved at Lester who also waved in return with a smile.
"According to a doctor written in the report, the young dark mage named Hikigaya Hachiman received small cuts on the limbs and right cheek, two severe cuts in the entire upper body, various fractured bones in the left arm and ribs," Lester explained the report with his hands held together behind his back. "He had excessive blood loss which resulted in him being unconscious. Those are the injuries he received and the current condition he is now. The doctor did not mention a fever nor any sign of heart problems and seizure."
"So no potion!" Yuigahama said with a cheery tone as raised her arms into a cross.
"What if it was a potion that has no side effects?" Merek rebutted, trying desperately to win the argument.
"Nope! When a person drinks the potion, their pupils became dilated and glowing red, and veins appearing everywhere from the head to the limbs. And if you use clairvoyance, you can see different mana flowing inside him if he did drink. But the students didn't see anything particular. So, the boy is clear!" She denied his argument while giving a thumbs up. The hundreds of nobles whispered among themselves and agreed on the woman in purple yukata name Yukinoshita. Merek clenched his hand into a fist on the table as he was enraged at her argument. Yukinoshita smiled in amusement at the bearded man's defeat in this debate.
"Well, now that we know the dark mage has real inhuman physical capabilities, my point of this debate seemed to be more reasonable, correct?" Yukinoshita asked the rest of the opposing side that began to see the benefits of her claim.
"Yes, I agree."
"This could work as long as we discipline the boy thoroughly."
"We must interrogate him on how he achieved that level. The legend might come to the real world!"
"Are there any other topics that concerned you in this plan?" She then asked Merek, and he responded by sitting down while glaring at her and the entire hall. Lester and Yuigahama sat down as well with a satisfied expression.
"So he does have such skills. But that proves he could be a greater threat to us!" Merek rebutted once more which surprised everyone. Yukinoshita sighed in exhaustion from listening to his ramblings but responded to him anyway.
"He will not be a threat to us as long as we control the system in the academy, and have the Seerwind family observe him. If he does, it is impossible for him to match against us. Should a possibility like that happen, we will dispose of him before he awakens to a new day in this world." She said in the most menacing tone she could muster in her voice. There was no smile in her expression and her eyes were sharp as if they would stab everyone in the hearts and kill them. All of them went silent, afraid to oppose her while some who opposed her idea remained silent as they understood her point. The bearded noble shivered at her icy glare and removed any thoughts of opposition. The glaring woman closed her eyes as she returned to her normal self. "Such ignorance, I am honestly glad that your son did not inherit your foolishness."
"My son respected that dark mage as a knight. Nothing more."
"It is something more, Merek-san," Yuigahama intervened and gave him the brightest smile. "He sees him as a warrior. Your son saw beyond the hated existence that is dark magic and acknowledged the boy for his strength. Terrowin has grown into a fine man, Merek-san. Please. Look towards the other side of the perspective and give it a try."
"I... thank you for your praises to my son," Merek said with gratitude. "I suppose I did act unbefitting of a noble, and from that, I am ashamed that I humiliated my name and family. I apologize... and I will try."
"There, that wasn't so hard. Someday, you'll grow up just like your son!" Yuigahama exclaimed while clasping her hands. Yukinoshita giggled at her statement while others resisted the urge to laugh. Even the man in red cloak tried to hold back his laughter. The bearded noble looked at the woman with a deadpanned expression.
"Isn't that the other way around?..."
"Then, it is settled." The man in red cloak spoke with a calm tone, one of the few who was unaffected by her. The other being the orange-haired noble lady. "The development of the dark mage continues as well as establishing a team to study the legends and their connections to him. The research methods must be slow, ethical, and very efficient. His next trial will be in two months so until then, study him while you can. Of course, Lester Seerwind will aid the research team by observing the dark mage."
"I will contribute to it." Lester agreed to his proposal.
"This meeting has come to an end, thank you all for coming and contributing to the capital, Alexander, and to our great kingdom of Villfalt." The man in red cloak signaled the end of the meeting and everyone stood up and exited the hall. On the corridor, Yukinoshita was walking alone until someone called out to her from behind.
"Hoshiko!" She turned around to see the orange-haired lady giving her a light wave as she walked towards her.
"Is there something you want to talk about, Yuna?" The woman in purple yukata asked with a smile.
"Do I need a reason to talk to a friend?" Yuna answered with another question in which Hoshiko shook his head in amusement. Both ladies walked side by side in the corridor and conversed with each other. "I wonder why they tried to ignore me back there. Did I do something wrong?"
"Well... you are quite... different from the rest of us."
What do you mean?"
"You have this cheery and carefree attitude that it gets them off guard from your interactions. You are... sort of out of place in those meetings. It was annoying and, uncomfortable to some."
"Annoying?"
But... it feels refreshing. The serious air in that meeting hall was suffocating. Of course, I can tolerate, but the feeling of relaxation is very pleasant."
"I guess you owe me." Yuna grinned and continued walking with Hoshiko in silence. Several thoughts were in their minds: the meeting, the dark mage's circumstances, their daughters, and the family legacy. They all wandered in their minds on where this path would lead to, whether it would be a beneficial path that Hoshiko claimed or a path to ruin. It was a heavy thought to carry, but it wasn't the biggest one that got their attention. All worries of those issues didn't affect the ladies in the slightest as there was one event that immediately removed of such emotions. "They finally reunited, huh?"
"It was unbelievable at first," Hoshiko said with a focused expression. "I thought what Yukino said years ago was nothing but a child's imagination. Yet..."
"Yet here we are. Wait, I also told you about him years ago. What made you think I'm lying?"
"I thought it was also nothing but a child's imagination. Also, do you really think I would believe that easily?"
"Hmm... It did sound ridiculous. But at least you believe me now."
"Yes, yes."
"So, do you think he's a worthy-"
"No."
"I didn't even finish my-"
"I will not allow him to marry any of my daughters."
"Why not?"
"There are better suitors than him. In fact, I told them to go after the best suitor to benefit us."
"Oh, riiight~. There's him in the academy as well... But if one of the girls got him, then the other one should-"
"No."
...
"Hachiman, get down from there!" A voice of a man echoed in the mountains. The boy wearing green yukata was climbing up a mountain accompanied by giant brown lizards. Their bodies seemed to be 7 meters long in length (without the long tails) and the heads were bigger than an adult human body. He looked down to see a man wearing a brown yukata with a worried expression shouting at him to get down.
"It's fine, Wylfrid-san!" The boy shouted back while continuing to climb with the lizards. "I just want to see what their home looks like!"
"It's dangerous!"
"Stop worrying! Look, I'm almost there!" Hikigaya noticed the lizards entered a cave and so he climbed faster. His right foot slipped against the wall which made the man gasped, but the boy managed to find a good foothold. He finally reached the cave and stood straight. The cave was dark so he couldn't see what was inside but knew that the lizards were in there. He turned around and looked at Wylfrid with a smirk. The man sighed and put his hands on the waists.
"Well? What do you see?!" He asked.
"It's way too dark!"
"Then get down from there!"
"Will you just shut up?! I thi-" Hikigaya heard a squishy sound coming from the cave. He was curious as to what that sound was. He walked slowly and approached the darkness without any source of light. The sound got louder and louder until he recognized what it was.
It was the sound of flesh ripping apart.
"Zalikai lizards are herbivores... so what-"Before he could finish the sentence, something was thrown out of the dark. It had green liquid all over the mysterious object and there seemed to be more dripping inside it. He looked closely and realized it wasn't an object, but a giant lizard's head. Both Hikigaya and Wylfrid heard a loud shriek echoed out of the cave. It sounded inhuman, a shriek of a monster.
"Hachiman, get down from there!" Wylfrid shouted. "That monster sounds like..."
The boy then heard footsteps in the cave and a scream of a little girl. She exited the darkness in the cave and he saw her appearance consisted of long black hair tied to a ponytail and wore leather armor over a white tunic and black trousers. She held a sword only an adult would carry yet she wielded it with ease. The girl had bruises and dirt all over her which indicated her struggle in a battle. She didn't notice Hikigaya as her expression was full of exhaustion, fear, and anger. She turned around and took a fighting stance at the dark inside of the cave as if she was waiting for something to show up.
"Oi," Hikigaya tried calling out to her but he was ignored. She appeared to be not listening since her gaze was purely focused on the darkness. He then approached her, enraged thinking that she was the one who killed the He put a hand on her shoulder to get her attention. "Oi!"
"AH!" The girl shrieked in fear and turned in an attempt to point her sword at him, but accidentally swung the blade at the left side of his neck. Fortunately, Hikigaya caught the blade with his left hand which surprised the girl.
"I'm just calling out to you and the first thing you do is cut my head off?" He sighed and shook his head. "And I thought grownups were more despicable."
"Who are you?" The girl asked while pointing her sword in front of his face.
"You don't have the right to know," He said with an angry expression and then pointed his finger towards the lizard head on the ground."You did this, didn't you?"
"Yes, why? Those lizards appeared in front of me and I thought they were to eat me so I-"
"Eat you?! Zalikai lizards are herbivores, you moron! They don't eat meat, especially something as dirty and stupid as you!"
"Hoh? You have a bit of backbone shouting back at me. Do you even know who I am?"
"No, do I look like I care?"
"You should. Or else things will not be easy for you after this."
"Oh please, I already got that. Think of something else to scare me."
"Pure confidence or just putting a brave front?"
"The only thing pure here is how idiotic you are. Now, what are you doing here? Answer me." He said as he pointed at her with his left finger. The children saw his left hand dripping with blood from blocking the blade earlier. The girl's eyes widened at his injury and she was about to speak when they heard something in the cave. It was a mix of hissing noise and footsteps, getting louder as those mysterious creatures were approaching. Red eyes glowed in the darkness and one pair of yellow eyes stood out. The first to come out was the Zalikai lizards. They looked angry as they revealed their sharp teeth and tails moving frantically. The last one was a creature with a torso of a man, but its legs and arms were coils of vipers that hissed and would attack anything or anyone close to them. Its main head had several snakeheads attached and they were making different sounds of animals and beasts. The creature's face had human features such as a nose and mouth but with fangs.
"This monster is dangerous. He can control beasts." The girl exclaimed while posing a stance and pointed the blade at the enemy.
"What? Then the zalikai lizards are now hypnotized?" Hikigaya clenched his hands into fists and was about to charge at the monster when someone else appeared behind it.
"HA!"A man wearing full-body metal armor jumped and attempted to cut the serpent creature's head, but a zalikai lizard hit him with a long massive tail. The man guarded in time and fell on the ground.
"Kazuya-san!" She shouted in worry.
"I'm fine! We must retreat!" He stood up and noticed the boy. "Who is he?"
"I do not know, but I think he lives somewhere nearby." The girl speculated. The monster opened its mouth and purple saliva was dripping out of it. The saliva seemed to emit some sort of purple air and the knight name Kazuya had a shocked expression.
"That's venom! We need to retreat!" He shouted at the children who agreed to his decision. The girl and the knight named Kazuya turned around to run, but they stopped as they looked down to see they were high up in a mountain.
"T-There's no escape!" The girl said in a panic.
"Jump!" The boy shouted.
"What?!"
"Just jump! Trust me!" Hikigaya jumped off the mountain, leaving the two in disbelief.
"We have no choice," Kazuya said as he carried the girl under his arm.
"Wait wait!" He ignored her complaints and fears and jumped, trusting the boy even though he was a stranger to them. The girl shrieked and accidentally let go of her sword. Hikigaya inhaled deeply and shouted.
"WYLFRID-SAN!"
"On it!" Wylfrid raised his right hand and inchanted a spell. Lightning came down from the clouds and struck his hand which resulted in a yellow magic circle appearing on it. He pointed "Lightning Magic: Shocking Grasp!"
He shot a bolt of forked lightning at the three fallen individuals. The knight and the girl were surprised they were not hurt by the lightning and instead, they were all slowly descending to the ground while being enveloped in the element. The moment they had their feet touch the ground, Kazuya and the girl let out a sigh of relief.
"Wylfrid-san. There's some kind of snake monster in the cave and it's controlling the lizards' minds." Hikigaya explained.
"It's a typhon." Wylfrid answered calmly. "A monster that controls other all kinds of beasts and other monsters by using its hissing sound to trigger their instincts and controlling them until it fully controls their minds."
"So we have to kill it to get them back go normal, right?"
"I'm afraid not. If the typhon is killed, all of the mind-controlled creatures will go berserk. There's no hope for them."
"It can't be." The boy said with a horrified expression, not believing what his guardian explained.
"We need to stop the typhon before it reaches the forest. If we don't, the forest will become too dangerous for anyone to enter."
"And they might invade nearby villages," The knight exclaimed, fully agreed to his plan. "We must warn the scouts about this and-"
"Pfft, the scouts? They're useless," Hikigaya scoffed. "It's only up to us to stop that thing."
"Can we really do it?" The girl asked, unsure of his suggestion. "The typhon is basically a king of all monsters. Wouldn't that mean it's very strong."
"True, but that one is weaker than a normal typhon." The knight answered with reassurance. "The typhon is usually a lot taller and bigger than that. It is possible to handle this with the two of us."
"Three." Hikigaya immediately corrected him since the knight was only counting himself and Wylfrid. The knight looked at him strangely and shook his head.
"This is not a task a child should not be involved in. You must hide and run far away from here until you reach safety. Please, take the young mistress with you."
"What?! No, Kazuya-san! I can fight, too." The girl refuted with an angry expression.
"Young mistress, you can't fight against a creature such as a typhon. Even if it's a weak one, that doesn't change the gap between your abilities and the difficulty of the monster."
"But it's my fault this all happened, so it is my responsibility to fix this." She said as she put a hand on her chest.
"What did you just say?" Hikigaya heard what she said and now he grabbed her shoulders tightly and glared at her full of bloodlust. "You better explain yourself or I'll-"
"That's enough!" Wylfrid pulled the boy away from the girl and knelt down to talk to him face to face. "Whose fault is not our concern as of this moment. Focus. Don't let anger take over you."
"... fine."
"Good, "Wylfrid turned around to look at Kazuya who pointed his blade at the boy while the girl hid behind him. "I'm sorry that we frightened you, but we mean no harm. The boy will be incredibly helpful in defeating the typhon so please, aid us with your sword."
"Is there something special about this boy?"Kazuya asked while looking at Hikigaya with a scrutinizing gaze.
"You already felt it, right?"
"... what is he?"
"An innocent boy who saw the truth of human nature."
"As you wish." The knight agreed and they all heard a hissing sound echoing from the mountain. The typhon slithered down the mountain followed by the zalikai lizards who rolled down as rocks and other debris were attached to their scales, turning them into giant balls of earth. Zalikai lizards had special scales that were adhesive. Almost anything could stick to their scales and could be poisonous to humans when touched. The only part that wasn't adhesive were the tails. The tail of a zalikai lizard could compress inside the body and stretch for meters.
"Young mistress, you must run and hide, quickly!" Kazuya shouted at the girl while he, Wylfrid, and Hikigaya were about to face the monster and beasts until the boy approached her.
"Oi, mind if I borrow that?" He asked as he pointed the sword on the ground. Her only response was a short nod and he grabbed the sword. "Hmm... not bad, I guess."
Suddenly, a spit of liquid venom was falling towards Hikigaya but he jumped away in time. They looked to see the typhon and the snakes in his body opened their mouths and shot multiple spits of venom at them.
"Young mistress, go now!" Kazuya took a stance followed by the other two, ready to fight. The girl hesitated, but complied and ran away. She didn't run far because she was unfamiliar in this place and so, she hid behind the trees and watched the battle. The three mages raised their right hands in front and cast a simple barrier spell. Their hands glowed blue and once the spits of venom approached, they were stopped midway as if an invisible wall blocked the venoms' way. The moment the typhon and the mind-controlled zalikai lizards touched land, Hikigaya immediately ran towards them at unnatural speeds.
"Incredible!" Kazuya was astonished as he watched the boy charged at the army alone.
"Hachiman, wait!" Wylfrid tried to call out to him but it was no use. Hikigaya didn't stop and set his eyes on the typhon. The lizards turned into boulders of earth, released their massive tails from their shells of debris, and swung at the boy. He ducked at the first one then jumped at the second. As he jumped, he blocked away another tail on his right and guarded against one that was coming down to his head as he landed. The serpent monster hissed loudly as two lizards rolled in front of it, serving as its guards.
"Don't you dare use them as you please!" The boy shouted and evaded a rolling lizard coming at him by jumping in front. The two lizards released their tails and did a thrust attack at him from both sides while the typhon and its snakes spat venom at him. A dark aura surrounded Hikigaya and was ready to counterattack.
"HAAAAA!"
...
Hikigaya woke up and slowly opened his eyes. His vision was blurry and all he could see so far was a yellow color. The only thing he could move was his fingers while the rest of his body was immobile. He opened his eyes wider and vision became more clear. He was in the infirmary, lying on a bed covered in a white blanket. He looked around to see that it was almost nighttime judging by the fading light of the sunset at the window on his left. He looked to his right and saw someone he never expected to be here. The bangs of her long black hair covered her eyes as she just sat there in a wooden chair in silence. She had a book on her lap and seemed to be the only person in the room aside from him. Hikigaya tried to move his body again and struggled to sit up straight so he grunted in pain.
"Hikigaya-kun?" Yukinoshita seemed to be woken by his grunts. "Lay down, you are severely injured."
"Gah!" He suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest and so he had no choice but to comply. "What are you doing here?"
"Checking up on you." She answered while opening the book to read. "You've been unconscious for several hours. Everyone left except you, me, and Hiratsuka-sensei. It's almost time to close the academy."
"I've been out for that long, huh? Why did you stay?"
"I can't have my assistant dying. It would be a waste of manpower if the True Science Institution loses you."
"Is that really your way of saying you're worried about me?"
"I am not worried in the slightest. I have faith in your survivability in those injuries despite my huge doubt in your effort to live."
"You're making it sound like I'm suicidal."
"Not suicidal, just lazy. I can definitely imagine you laying on a pool of your own blood and getting closer to the afterlife and the only thing you do is shrug your shoulders and enter death's door. No, your soul would be too lazy to even knock on his door so you might as well be stuck between the living world and the afterlife."
"Oi, I want to live as much as any normal person would. Also, even though I would rather sleep than attending this academy, I'm still putting an effort into a lot of things. So I'm not lazy, I am what I like to call an 'effort conserving individual'."
"What a disgusting way to justify your slothful behavior. You have only put effort into tasks that are related to your goals. Anything else, you barely lift a finger to move those tasks. No matter what you say, that is laziness in the purest form."
"Those other tasks aren't even that important in my opinion. Why work hard on something that doesn't have any benefits? It's just a waste of time."
"I find that statement contradicting for you since you fought hard against Terrowin Merek."
"I see the duel as a test for my current strength and I hat to admit it, but I have a long way to go."
"Did my ears deceive me? Have you finally admit you are a weakling? If so, then this event will go down in history, in my memories at least."
"Don't get your hopes up, Ice Queen. I doubt you can take on that Merek and walk away with a smirk."
"Of course, I can't defeat him. Let alone, hold my ground against one of his attacks. You are aware of what my element is, correct?"
"Then use Enziel magic. I kept hearing from my classmates about you developing all kinds of spells and it's starting to hurt my ears and my sanity."
"I only learned seven Enziel spells. Even with that, when it comes to versatility, Merek is still above me."
"He only used two Enziel liberator spells against me, and you say he has more versatility?"
"Yes, with his wind magic. I heard from a senior student after the duel that he didn't use all of his wind magic spells. With that in mind, his two Enziel spells serve as a gateway for him to make opportunities in battles."
"She's not wrong, I've only learned Spirit Motion so far in those few days of augmentor training, " Hikigaya admitted in his mind. "Those spheres and cubes gave him more options in defeating me, and they're powerful. Hmm... If I used dark magic during the second round... No, I doubt it would make a difference in terms of the outcome. He's a lot more cautious than I thought given that he tried to fight me from a distance after realizing my physical potential. If I used dark magic in the second round, the first thing he would definitely do is to cast an Enziel barrier. Even though I can break that, it would force him to attack me while maintaining distance. What if I use Black Protection? No, we would be at a stalemate by firing each other while on our own covers until the Equal Feedback signals my defeat. Then what if I use Essence Eater? No, too risky. I haven't got the hang of it yet and I doubt he would happily just stand under my spell. Maybe I should've used dark magic in the first round to end the duel in an instant. Or if I-"
"Hikigaya-kun," Yukinoshita interrupted his thoughts by pinching his right ear and gave him an icy glare. "Are you listening? "
"Sorry, I spaced out."
"I'm asking why you didn't use dark magic sooner during the duel."
"Oh, that's because I don't want people to think I was using dark magic to increase my physical abilities."
"Eh?"
"If I use dark magic before attacking Merek, they would say 'oh this guy is using dark magic into his body or something!'."
"I never see you as the type to be bothered by what others say towards you."
"And I am. I just want to surprise them with my skills. It's satisfying when people looked down on someone so much they don't expect anything from that person, only to be proven wrong."
"Such arrogance."
"I don't wanna hear that from you," He said in a deadpan tone. He realized something and removed the blanket to see his body wrapped in bandages which confused him. "How come I'm in bandages? Shouldn't healing magic be able to recover me completely?"
"The doctor was and I quote 'too busy treating Mr. Merek's wounds because he has more severe injuries.'." She answered with a disappointed sigh. "I can already tell she successfully healed him a few minutes after the duel ended. The doctor was too simple-minded to consider you so Hiratsuka-sensei carried you here while I treated your wounds with a healing potion."
"Tch, what a pathetic excuse," He scoffed and slowly touched his bandage-covered injuries. "Why can't healing potions do better work than magic. That way, the doctors would have no jobs and die of starvation and poverty."
"Healing potions are created through alchemy," She explained. "When a person drinks it, the mana inside the potion will spread through the entire body. Healing magic, on the other hand, lets the mages focus all the mana on a specific injury which would recover much faster than the potion that cannot put its mana in one place. But, I'm very surprised you didn't get cut to pieces."
"Hm?"
"At the second round, you took a powerful wind slash at point-blank range. How come you are still intact? Is your body that durable or?..."
"I used hearten on my clothes at the last second."
"What? I didn't see you touch a single fabric of your clothing."
"Don't need to. As long as my skin comes to contact with an object, I can cast the hearten spell with ease. Though, that wasn't enough for me to defend myself against his wind magic, huh?"
"Impressive. You being the top 3 is not just a title."
"Did my ears deceive me? Or did you really just give me a compliment?
"Don't get ahead of yourself, fool."
Uhuh, so where's Hiratsuka-sensei? Did she left the academy?"
"No, she's still here complaining to the faculty on the doctor's discriminating behavior."
"Which kind of complaint is she using? The talking complaint or the punching complaint?"
"She said that she will talk to the faculty... so perhaps the talking kind... which would result in violence depending on how they respond." The moment Yukinoshita said those words, there was a sudden earthquake that lasted for two seconds and the window cracked. "I believe that's Hiratsuka-sensei's doing."
"How did she not get fired?"
"That is perhaps one of the greatest mysteries. Oh, I almost forgot. I came up with a brilliant idea of what we have been working on in the institution."
"I see, what did you get?"
"Our current contraption will not work. Firstly, it is heavy to carry which would be difficult to aim well. And second, I doubt the arrow will travel faster than a normal arrow when launched. We need to make everything smaller while making two changes. The first change is using a different than an arrow as the projectile, and the second is creating another way to launch the load other than using bowstrings and catapults."
"Small? Hm... I guess the smaller they are, the lesser the weight?"
"Exactly. And also lesser mass."
"Then what's the plan,"
"I'm still thinking about it."
"Seriously? Then how about we-" Hikigaya explained to her his idea. He formed it from a memory of a certain battle. Yukinoshita raised an eyebrow in confusion and doubts to his idea, mostly because his explanation wasn't clear enough. They talked back and forth on what changes would they do and how would they make it. The young dark mage felt something weird during their conversation. It wasn't anything hostile, nor any negative aspects either. He was immersed. His focus would sometimes shift into somewhere else such as the beasts in the forest and his own magic training. Yet, all thoughts were on the bantering and brainstorming. The feeling wasn't unfamiliar but there was a difference that hindered his recognition of it. "I wonder..."
"I think I understand the surface of your idea," Yukinoshita said with an exhausted sigh as she touched her temple. "Your explanation needs practice."
"Sorry, I just don't know how to make it sound more logical."
"Hmm... I think I know what alternative we can use than an arrow. As for your idea, we may need to come up with a different chemical for that to work."
"Then we've finished phase one very quickly. And I thought we were going back from scratch."
"We did make progress in the last few days. Even if the previous contraption won't work, it did help us in moving forward."
"I guess that's true in a certain way." He said while looking out the cracked window to see the sky got darker and darker. "It's getting late. You should go home"
"I will wait until Hiratsuka-sensei returns." She said while going back on reading.
"Well, she sure takes her time in the faculty. It might take a while for sensei to come back here so you go on and head home before it gets even darker."
"Is that actual concern? Or do you find my presence uncomfortable."
"It's not uncomfortable, it's damn annoying. I feel like if I get closer to you for too long, I might get frozen to death by your cold and unhealthy attitude."
"Then I will stay here longer to enjoy witnessing your last breath that is caused by me."
"Damn Ice Queen, What happened to not affording to lose your assistant?"
"There is still a possibility of losing manpower, so if it comes to that, it might as well end by my hands."
"What? That sounds ridiculous, you know that? Are all nobles this foolish?"
"Everyone is foolish at some point, and that includes me. You, however, act foolishly every day, every hour, every minute, and every second."
"So I'm acting foolish all the time? "
"Also, I do not understand what you mean about 'unhealthy' behavior. If anything, your laziness should make you the unhealthiest student in this academy.
"The word unhealthy is exactly what it sounds. That ego of yours is really taking a toll on your mind. In fact, you-" Before Hikigaya could finish his banter with the Ice Queen, the door slammed open to reveal Hiratsuka-sensei with an angry expression and was huffing loudly. Her clothes were a little tattered and her fists were covered in...
" Blood?!" Both students thought the same thing.
"Alright, Hikigaya. time to carry you home!" The teacher said with enthusiasm as if her appearance wasn't important or something that would bother other people. She then noticed Yukinoshita on a chair. "You're still here, Yukinoshita? You need to head home right away. It's literally nighttime."
"I was waiting for you to return while I check up on Hikigaya-kun," Yukinoshita said as she stood up and walked towards the door. She was one step away from being outside of the room, but she stopped and turned around to face the young dark mage with a surprisingly genuine smile. "You fought splendidly in the duel, Hikigaya-kun. I hope you rest well."
After that, she left the room, leaving the only two people in wonder. This was the first time Hikigaya saw such an expression from her. Normally, her smile would be a condescending one, or a smile when she focused on inventions. He was used to those kinds of expressions, adapted to the cold and devastating blizzard whenever they got into an argument or a bantering contest, and the burning hell whenever she gave him tasks and ordered him around. However, this one in particular was none of the above. There wasn't a trace of any trait that defined the Ice Queen. All he saw was a genuine smile of an ordinary girl. Hikigaya then looked at Hiratsuka who was looking back and forth between him and the door Yukinoshita exited.
"Looks like you two are getting close. Should you give her Yukino points for that smile?" Hiratsuka asked with a smirk.
"I'm not using the point system on her. We're just doing the usual banters and arguments, nothing more." Hikigaya said as he stared up into the ceiling to think until he stopped and faced the teacher with a deadpanned expression. He then changed the topic by pointing at one of her fists. "So, what in the world did you do this time?"
"Oh, well I'll keep it short." She cleared her throat and spoke in a silly tone. "Idiots talking nonsense, me talking sense. Then idiots talking more nonsense, me punching sense. Make sense?"
"You basically made some children's rhyme there."
"I am good with kids after all. Too bad no one notices that wife material trait I have."
"Obviously because of that violent nature of yours. Although, age can also be a factor in-"
" Hikigaya, you don't really know how to treat a lady." Hiratsuka cracked her knuckles and the sound echoed through the room. This made Hikigaya stopped talking any further and held his breath. She emitted her magical energy so strong that the wooden floor she stood on broke, and various objects and furniture were shaking as another earthquake occurred through her chilling anger. She took one step and that was all it took to fully break the glass window, along with Hikigaya's composure. The angry teacher took another few steps, one more powerful than the last. She was inches close to him, and Hikigaya spoke in desperation.
"N-Now, now! I'm injured here. If you punch me now, I won't survive." He said while raising his hands forward. It seemed to work as her aura dissipated but her annoyed expression still remained.
"When you're back at full strength, you won't be in the infirmary the next time you get your ass kicked." The teacher said in the most menacing tone possible which made the young dark mage shiver until she made a look of realization. "Ah, I forgot my stuff at the faculty. Hang on a minute, okay? I'm going back to grab them, or at least what's left of them."
Hiratsuka ran out of the room, leaving Hikigaya all alone. Everything was quiet in the night. The only light illuminating the room was the moon shining through the broken window. He remembered his dream when he was unconscious. The zalikai lizards, Wylfrid, the girl, and the serpent monster. It was a memory from his childhood. One that he would never forget because of all the events that happened at that time.
"I wonder how they're doing right now... Maybe I should've asked for their names." He thought while sighing. He tried to get up once more, only to feel pain in his entire body. He resisted until he finally sat up straight in the bed. The only thing he couldn't move now was his left arm since its bones were broken from Merek's defensive wind spell. Regardless, it didn't interrupt his thoughts. "Another one in my 'List of Regrets in the Past'. Just at the very bottom of the list. It's not that I saw them as childhood friends, but they were the only two people besides that didn't call me 'dark mage' nor use my dark element as an excuse for their faults. I guess I'm more interested in how they've grown now. Are they still the same as they were back then? Do they still remember that past?
Time is an interesting thing to tackle on a topic of human nature. The time of childhood is the period of purity and bliss. Humans of that period are still learning of how the basics of life work, and what natural rules did the world create and what social norms did the adults established. When humans grow up, they forget many moments when they were children either because their minds were too undeveloped for decent memory skills, or they did many things in their lives that overshadowed their childhood. But humans will have a memory that would last for a lifetime if that memory impacts them in a certain way, whether it's traumatic, life-changing, or it holds a special place in their hearts. I feel like that time was that, a memory that will last a lifetime. It was a mix of traumatic and life-changing in a way. I don't know if it holds a special place in my heart, but I know that I just can't forget it. Do they feel the same? Or have they finally moved on? I think one of them did. After all, it was her fault that it led to that situation."
He closed his eyes in contemplation. Words were formed in his mind along with the meanings behind them. Words were combined together to form sentences. He revisioned them, looking at every word to see if it felt right. He nodded to himself in satisfaction to what he just created.
"With every moment passed,
It becomes a memory that may or may not last.
As we move in the present to look forward to the future,
All of the mistakes will serve as a lecture."
The young dark mage made a poem in his mind. Literature was one of his best subjects in academics along with history. "It suddenly became a habit to write poems in my head. Maybe I should start writing haikus? That would be interesting."
He closed his eyes, repeating the poem he just made in his mind. For some reason, the poem resonated well within him, but he didn't know why. Hikigaya then remembered Hiratsuka's words yesterday and it could be a clue to this mystery.
"Enziel magic is a power that can be awakened through understanding and connecting with your own self. From your desires, emotion, a certain memory, or your own personality. Creating an Enziel spell literally means basing off of any of those things to obtain a certain spell you wish."
"Hmm... do I want something from the past?" He mumbled and contemplated more. "Desires, huh? What do I desire from my memories?... The first thing that came to mind is... to become stronger. After that incident, I swore to myself to get stronger. That desire grew when I promised Wylfrid-san to find his family.
"Through thick and thin, memories grow.
As our desires guide me, to a place I will never know.
Although none will last, even time will not stretch longer
It is what I am, what made me stronger."
"... That's it. I got it. My first original Enziel spell." Hikigaya formed a huge grin to himself. "Thank you, poetry."
"Young mistress, where have you been!?" A man asked with a worried expression. Yukinoshita was in a fancy carriage accompanied by this man wearing a butler's outfit which consisted of black trousers, a six-buttoned double-breasted tailcoat, gray vest, and white gloves on both hands. "We were so worried. I thought you were in trouble!"
"I'm fine, Kazuya-san," Yukinoshita reassured him. "I was just busy with an acquaintance."
"Acquaintance? You have acquaintances?" Kazuya asked in disbelief.
"Yes," She answered honestly. "He was injured after his duel with someone and the doctor was too busy treating his opponent so I did the treatment instead with a healing potion."
"He? It's a man? Young mistress, don't tell me he's your-" He was about to ask about her real relationship with this man she mentioned until he was stopped by an icy glare.
"Whatever you are thinking, get rid of that gutter from your mind. The possibility of that happening between us is less than zero."
"F-Forgive me. It's just that it has been so long since you've made a friend or at least, an acquaintance. If I remember it correctly, and I do, the last friend you've made was during your childhood, the boy living in the forest."
"I hardly considered him a friend. He was a strange boy and all we did was argue until one of us surrendered which most of the time was him."
"Still, you clung into him multiple times when he and his guardian were guiding us out of the forest. It was quite adorable how scared you were back then."
"You must be delusional, Kazuya-san. I don't remember such a strange memory." She denied in a calm tone, yet her face said differently. Despite her stoic expression, Yukinoshita's cheeks were bright red. This made the butler form a smug.
"There is this type of character before in romance novels I once read when I was still in Taiyokigen," He said while holding his chin, maintaining the smug expression. "There was this character trope when he/she acts cold towards the protagonist but on the inside, he/she really likes the protagonist. What was it called again? Hmmm... Tsun... Tsun..."
"Whatever it is called, I am not that."
"Hm? I didn't say that you're that character trope. I was just changing the subject since you felt uncomfortable talking about that boy. Your denial is unnatural if I may judge." His smug grew bigger which made the Ice Queen's right eye twitched. "I wonder where that boy is now? A shame we do not know where they live."
"Yes... A shame," Yukinoshita mumbled and looked down on her lap. "I think I already know where he is now. He was there, helping me reach my goal. He was there, fighting someone stronger than him. He was there, arguing and bantering with me only for him to lose... Does he not remember me? If he doesn't, it is perhaps for the best."
TRIVIA:
1) Terrowin's liberator spells, mana shot and uhh the barrier that I didn't give a name, is inspired by the Toaru series Meltdowner ability and Tower of God's lighthouse keeper's ability. His defensive wind spell, wind reprisal, is inspired by the Toaru series Accelerator's ability.
2) Spirit motion is sort of a reference to Castlevania with Alucard controlling a flying sword and all. I watched the series but never played any games.
3) The typhon is a reference to the Greek mythology god. In the mythology, Typhon is titled "The Father of all Monsters", He was a giant that was so tall that his head touched the stars. His torso was that of a man, but his legs and hands were coils of vipers that would hiss and attack as he moved. His main head had on it 100 snakeheads who would make different sounds of animals. His eyes were glowing red and would terrify everyone who looked upon them, and he had what was called a savage jaw that would breathe fire. Also, his body had hundreds of different wings on it.
WOO! Another chapter done! How are you all doing? Still fine, I hope. Me? I feel great because I finished this chapter a lot faster than I thought. But to me, I think that would mean this chapter might have a lot of mistakes here and there. Well, for now, I feel good about this one.
I watched episode 7 of Oregairu season 3 and that scene! That scene. You guys know what I'm talking about but that scene totally caught me off guard. It was cringe, it was funny, it was amazing. I love it. To me, the best episode so far in the season. What do you guys think?
Oh and one more thing. I write full names differently in western. In western names, I write the first name then surname while in Japanese its surname then the first name. Just wanna get that out of the way so you guys won't be confused
Now on to the reviews!
Turchetti: It is right there. It is a two-round duel. In order to win one round, the fighter needs to knock the opponent off stage. If the opponent is unconscious, it's an overwhelming victory. Simple as that.
LoneVirgo98: Thanks! A little dark, yeah but it felt right with the direction I want to go.
LongLostReader: I'll think about it.
Sir Chronos: I agree with you on that one, but there are some series that pulls the plot armor a little well than others. MHA (as overrated as it is) did it decently as well as black clover. I think that the trope will be effective if there is a balance between fights that won by strategy and skills and fights that won by the POweR oF FRieNSHip. But yeah, I'm so glad you're enjoying the world-building so far. So expect to see more! And be patient with Totsuka, he will appear. I'm just following the original source material and added a lot of twists here.
Hachiman fan: 1) Damn, it's fine.
2) It's still entertaining, it's just the event that's boring for me.
3) Huh, is misfit of demon academy good? It looked like some generic trash judging by the cover but hey, I didn't say that I don't watch trashy shows.
Guest: I understand your point, but I'm sort of aiming for this story to be a little shounen than seinen. The funny character interactions are more of comic relief. In my opinion, if every single thing in a story is just dark and all that, I thought it would get worse because of stagnation. Don't worry, I'm not turning this into a slice of life. There will be a sort of balance between that and the serious stuff, depending on how I write the chapters.
Yes, I know I am copy-and-pasting the scenes from the original source material to this fanfic. But keep in mind this is an AU. A story about what if the Oregairu series is a fantasy setting of my vision. And I'm using the same scenes to introduce some characters and establish their personalities and all that while adding my twists in them, so once that's out of the way, this story will be far away from the novel.
Phew! That was a lot of stuff going on in one chapter.
Did you expect 8man to win? Or did you expect him to lose? Well, either way, now you know that 8man ain't no OP character. I made him special in this setting, yes, but that doesn't mean I'll be making him the strongest character in the story. He's gonna have to work on it. So yeah, what do you guys think of Terrowin Merek? Initially, I was gonna write the character to be an asshole like everyone else but I think nah, there needs to be one or two more decent guys in the story.
Thanks for reading this fanfic. Please leave a review as your opinions will help me make this story better.