novelQuest, Re-challenge! (1)
| ← Ch.028 | Ch.030 → |
"Recently Onii-sama is licentious! Lecherous Onii-sama!!"
"I never thought the day will come where you can say licentious..."
"Then, receiving private lessons from an older woman... what in the world does she plan to teach Onii-sama? Does Onii-sama plan to climb the stairs of adulthood!?"
A morning in the Witch's Mansion―when Kazuki did special training with Hoshikaze-senpai, Kanae came out of nowhere.
"Kanae-san, you don't need to be that nervous, I won't take your big brother, okay? Besides Hayashizaki-kun doesn't see me as a woman. We are friends, you see."
With a clear, beautiful face that glittered with light, Hoshikaze-senpai soothed Kanae with eloquent speech.
"...Nii-sama, Kanae doesn't understand at all what this [beautiful girl] is saying. If Kanae's common sense is still normal, then this person is enough of a beauty, isn't it?"
"Ahaha, what are you saying? Against some female like me... compared to me, your cuteness can't possibly be expressed in words. Here, I'll show you, so raise your head."
Hoshikaze-senpai held up Kanae's chin, and then she whispered while staring directly into Kanae's eyes. Toward that beautiful face which destroys the barrier of gender, Kanae's eyes were stolen and she fell into a daze, and then suddenly "hah!" came to her senses.
"Nii-sama, this person is dangerous! There is a dangerous aura around her!!"
Kanae came clinging to Kazuki in fright, but Kazuki honestly understood that feeling.
In exchange for Kazuki's instructions in sword skills, Hoshikaze-senpai gave Kazuki magic lectures. Yesterday, it was Kazuki's turn to teach her sword skills, so today was Hoshikaze-senpai's turn.
"Honestly, I was like Kanae, sometimes while I was teaching Hoshikaze-senpai, I was also charmed by her... I thought of senpai as a really charming woman."
Hoshikaze-senpai blushed slightly due to Kazuki's words, and a heart mark flew from her.
However she soon shook her head lightly, "Geez, stop it already―" and laughed it away.
"Hayashizaki-kun, it's no good to be too kind, okay? If you said that kind of thing to everyone, then when the crucial time comes, your precious person won't be able to believe that word anymore!"
With a scolding tone, Hoshikaze-senpai flicked Kazuki's forehead.
"Onii-san, so you are in this kind of place desu. Good morning!"
Suddenly a bright voice came from the direction of the mansion, the figure of Lotte in her uniform approached.
"I didn't see onii-san anywhere, so I searched for you. I want to talk with Onii-san... about the matter of yesterday evening. I don't mind about the nakedness! I want to talk to clear the air between us desu!"
Hoshikaze-senpai exclaimed "Naked?" blinking her eyes in surprise.
This is bad, Kazuki thought. This is the worst timing.
"Ni, Nii-sama, what the hell is this about―?! Even though you have me but to make another little sister somewhere else... also what is that about, the nakedness of yesterday evening―!?"
Kanae trembled 'buruburuburu' like a volcano just before eruption, and 'gogogogogogo' shaking like crazy.
―Toward the howling Kanae, Kazuki desperately explained about the matter of Lotte as the special transfer student and the force majeure of yesterday evening. However, Kanae ignored all of that and drew her kodachi and a dangerous smile floated on her face.
"...Nii-sama... for a long time Kanae wanted to face Nii-sama seriously..."
"I, I have a feeling that I'm going to lose for the first time in a while against today's Kanae..."
Lotte watched the sibling's face alternately, then she looked down downheartedly.
"Does my existence somehow disturbed Onii-san's complex human relationships desu...?"
"Calm down, Kanae-san. It was just about increasing the number of comrades in the Witch's Mansion."
"I won't accept it! ...This puppy-like foreigner, does she have befitting strength to be included in MagicaMagic Division Student Council!? Even though it looked like I was staying quiet, I only allowed Amasaki Mio and Hiakari Koyuki to stay at Nii-sama's side because they are competent. I recognized them, but only limited for staying at Nii-sama's side!"
Kanae had the personality of not opening up her heart other than towards people with real strength. Kaguya-senpai was another matter, for her to also evaluate Mio and Koyuki that highly... it was unexpected.
"Competent? ...Someone who is not strong is forbidden to stay beside Nii-sama desu...?"
"Yosh, her real strength will be tested personally by this me―!"
Kanae held her kodachi with an expression like a Shura toward Lotte, who was puzzled. At a glance, this scene looked like a one-sided bullying. At that moment―a person cut in.
"Wait!"
A vivid voice came from the interval between the trees that surrounded the Witch's Mansion.
From the opposite side of the voice, The figure of first year swordsman, Hikita Kohaku, appeared like an actress entering the stage.
"...Fufufu, there is no need for Kanae-kaichou to expressly come out for that puppy. The duty of testing the hooligans clinging around Kazuki, one's self will be the one to accept it!"
Kohaku appeared while puffing her chest grandly―however, Kazuki couldn't hold back from retorting.
"...You, did you hide in that bush while peeping on our situation?"
"Tha, that, one's self had business with Kazuki but because of nervousness, one's self couldn't catch the timing to come out... that, the truth is yesterday, one's self kept worrying how to get along with Kazuki, however..."
Kohaku presented the huge package that she kept holding in both her hands, in front of Kazuki.
"One's self had a good idea of appealing as a seasoned good wife! Kazuki, one's self had made a bento so come with one's self to eat lunch together today! Then let's get married!"
"Hayashizaki-kun, you had finished my portion of the lunch box, haven't you?"
The moment when Kazuki was going to accept the lunch box, Hoshikaze-senpai said something that was best left unsaid.
"Wha, what... for a manly person like Kazuki to have that family-oriented side in him... it is outside one's self calculation..."
Kohaku's face turned pale, the bundle of lunch box was dropped with 'gashan' a crashing sound.
"Kohaku! You bastard, you planned to butter up Nii-sama huh!? Forget that, what is this about, marriage!? Explain it in detail!! Nii-sama will marry his little sister!!"
Kanae's complexion changed and she threatened Kohaku. No, there was no way he would marry his little sister.
"Humph, Kanae-kaichou who had already wagged her tail to Otonashi Kaguya of Magic Division has no right or anything to question the action of one's self who is focused on the future of sword skills. Forgive one's self rudeness, but please stay out of this."
"Wagging my tail to Kaguya!? Wh, whwhwhwho the hell is wagging her tail to that kind of person!! Sure, recently I am in the same party as her, I have also recognized her strength, but I hate that girl!!"
While swinging her hand around like the tail of cat in panic, Kanae bared her fang and yelled.
"What a tsundere. Even though in the student council room you talk about nothing but Otonashi Kaguya or Kazuki... rather than that matter, what matters now are these hooligans who are approaching Kazuki!"
Kohaku belligerently grinned and glared at Lotte.
"...I feel a strong hostility desu. In short, if I fight this person and win, then it will be okay for me to stay at the Witch's Mansion with everyone, right desu? ...Then, let's do it desu!"
Unexpectedly, Lotte showed a burning spirit and glared back at Kohaku with flaring eyes.
"This kind of thing is one's self strong point! Summoning Magic is nothing to be afraid of, one's self will show the skillfulness of one's own sword style!"
Acting in concert with Lotte's spirit, Kohaku increasingly roared.
Kazuki was lost whether he should stop this fairly useless quarrel. However―
"I wanted to do a mock battle around today to witness Lotte's magic, so isn't this a godsend?"
Hoshikaze-senpai was "Ahaha" laughing without care, the matter of the fight between the two was settled.
There was still enough time until the morning assembly, so like that, the four people moved onto the grounds.
"Because the student council president of Sword Division, Kanae, is here... it's okay even without the acknowledgement of Kaguya-senpai, isn't it?"
"This is not a formal duel that influences the ranking. Kaguya is weak in the morning, so she is still sleeping while drooling, you know. It's fine as long as we, the judges don't let anyone get hurt."
And then Kohaku, the strange swordsman that carried seven katanas, and Lotte, the princess of another country, faced each other while separated by a distance of 50 meters. Lotte chanted her incantation and called out Prophet.
"Veritas me LiberabitThe truth shall set me free??????the wise man who became father the protector of humanity, show that wisdom right here."
Along with a light, the girl's uniform was changed into her Magic DressDécolleté Oblique. The magic dress that covered her white smooth milky skin was a bikini that only hid the little surface of the girl's chest and lower body. It was strangely dull compared to all the Magic Dress that Kazuki had seen until now.
Kohaku drew one of her katanas among the seven that she carried. It seems she wouldn't use several katanas at once.
"Yosh. Then, begin!"
Kohaku ran at Hoshikaze-senpai's signal, and Lotte chanted her spell.
"Howl! Civilization teach human destruction! The roar of wisdom scorch thy body, break, shut those dignity below the rubble!! The Opening Curtain of the Age of Black SteelMitrailleuse!"
That chanting speed was exceedingly short, immediately light concentrated on Lotte's right arm. The light was―transformed into a gatling gun almost as long as Lotte's own body.
"...!?" Toward that sight, even Kohaku opened her eyes wide, dumbfounded.
"Heavy firearms!? Is that kind of magic possible!?"
Originally, weapons couldn't pierce magic power, it didn't have the power to kill or wound magicians. Toward the defensive magic power that distorted reality, nothing would pierce it unless it was a weapon that was filled with the same magic power.
Swordsman magic sword could pierce magic power, because of the swordsman's trained Enchant Aura. It had the effect of stretching until the blade of the swordsman's beloved sword because the swordsman was so familiar with it, that it could be even said that it is a part of their own body.
However it was hard to endow magic power to a projectile weapon type, not to mention heavy firearms. Even a bow and arrow―not only hard, but it was supposed to be impossible. Many alchemists tried to experiment whether it was impossible or not to endow scientific weapons―like nuclear weapon, but only a history of failures have appeared.
"Prophet... Fire!"
'ZUDADADADADADADA!'A thunderous roar that split the eardrum were scattered as the gatling gun spouted fire. Kohaku ran diagonally just before the firing and avoided the line of fire, however no matter how fast she ran, Lotte only needed to shift the muzzle a little for the bullet to keep chasing her. It was a violent rapid-fire unlike the single shot Barrett, avoiding this was impossible even for Kazuki.
All those bullets were filled with magic power. Kohaku's defensive magic power was smashed-up looking like it was gouged with countless holes. But Kohaku pressed on despite the shock of her smashed magic and charged toward Lotte.
After the bullets were strewed around to a certain extent, it was cut off and the gatling gun disappeared.
"In a glance, one shot of that seems to be fairly weak, isn't it? It doesn't have any power to stop a swordsman, but it's power to disrupt the concentration for chanting a spell is high. It's also interesting that as long as there are bullets remaining, it will stay in her hand like my Thunder God Bow."
Hoshikaze-senpai analyzed from the side. Occasionally, she seemed inattentive, but she was a person that could think fast.
"...Mitrailleuse!"
Lotte immediately finished her second spell. Once again a storm of gatling gun bullets swept over toward Kohaku from the front, but Kohaku unmindfully charged ahead and raised her katana.
"One's self can't be stopped by an attack only to that degree!"
"Wisdom accumulated over the course of human history, armored my body over and over! Heavily, thickly, reject all brutality! Radiant Steel Mobile ArmorSeusenhofer!!"
A large armor appeared on top of Lotte's simple Magic Dress along with a bright light. Kohaku's strong slash was 'Gakin!' repelled by the armor with solid brilliance.
"Heavy armor defensive magic! That's pretty solid. But I wonder if the gap between it was the weak point?"
Just like what Hoshikaze-senpai pointed out, that armor didn't cover the whole body.
Kohaku sheathed her sword in a flash and immediately choose from her seven swords and drew out the shortest wakizashi. This swordswoman had the skill to accurately aim the gap between the armor.
On the other side, Lotte took some distance from Kohaku with nimbleness unthinkable for such heavy equipments while bullets keep raining on her. Her side could quite possibly already not be thought of as the way of fighting of a magician
"Kohaku's reaction regarding the bullets is fast... Kanae, does Kohaku know how to predict the magic power?"
"That girl's Shinkage-style seems to be practiced with the premise of fighting a magician. It's not organized nearly as practical as our style's [Foreseeing] but... she seems to compensate that with her considerable [Wild Intuition] to take evasive action."
The gatling gun broke Kohaku's magic power. Even so, Kohaku didn't let Lotte escape, chased her, and stabbed the point of her sword into the gap of the armor. Kohaku tried to disturb Lotte's spell chanting with that damage but―with Lotte's chanting speed as the opponent, it was difficult.
"This hand reached toward Babel's height, now this hand grasped God's thunderbolt! In accordance with my life, oh lightning, whirl at your will! Super Electromagnetic BarrierCollider Field!!"
Lotte's level 3 magic―Lotte's left hand was armed with a large gauntlet. Her armored body, with her right hand holding a gatling gun and her mechanical gauntlet in the left hand, drew an imposing figure.
The more Lotte chanted magic―the more that delicate body would be covered with weapons.
"Prophet... blitzz!"
At the same time with Lotte's shout, the gauntlet armament scattered some sparks 'BIRIRI' and radiated light.
On the center of Lotte's left palm― a lightning barrier was taking form. Kohaku who didn't have any method other than close range combat, was caught by that net barrier, so she stepped back while taking a huge damage.
Close range combat was difficult as long she was kept in check by that gauntlet.
"Damn... don't make light of one's self!"
Kohaku sheathed her wakizashi and pulled out a different katana. Was there any kind of meaning in that action?
Kohaku was thinking while keeping that position, then her face warped in frustration and she sheathed that katana again.
"Kohaku still has a trump card... but she choose not to use it here huh."
Kanae whispered so....Trump card.
Now that she mentioned it, Kohaku said before that she had a countermeasure toward opponents that had resistance against a sword.
Did that countermeasure have the flexibility to break the deadlock of this situation where it could be said that the swordsman's moves had been sealed?
"Both of you still have magic power left but... if you continue to fight more than this, then it will obstruct your class, right? This is over! ...Shall this become Lotte's win by decision?"
Hoshikaze-senpai stopped the battle with a somewhat awfully pragmatic reason.
"Does this mean, it's fine for me to stay together with all the big brothers and big sisters here desu!?"
Lotte who was still covered in her armaments rushed over to Kazuki with 'GASHAAN-GASHAAN' noise. Uwaa... it's scary somehow! "Onii-san, why do you run away desu!?"
"Nuuu... one's self real strength is only this much... Kazuki, it's vexing but one's self will come again! Someday you're going to eat one's self bento, farewell!"
Kohaku who was crouching because of her damage, hit the ground once in frustration, then she turned her body swiftly and left from that place.
"Charlotte Liebenfrau is contracted with a different Diva than Solomon 72 Pillar.
In other words she is legally an illegal magician but... according to the result of her psychology test and telepathy scan, etc. there was no trace of intrusion in her mind. Because it was considered that there was almost no danger, she was entrusted to our school to be monitored. Around that area, it was similar with the rank E trash―Hayashizaki Kazuki.
Diva's traits differed based on the Mythology they belonged to. Solomon 72 Pillar that we handle, have a lot of magic that are really magic-like. In addition to that, battle tactics like the Heaven and Earth Formation was developed but, Charlotte's contracted Diva is a fairly different type. Watch carefully, it will be useful when fighting unknown Diva. In addition, there are also some worth to watch the girl's chanting speed. Now you should be prepared when it come's time for you to face against the magic of DrivePossession Summoning. Use that for reference too."
At Lotte's first practical magic class since transferring to this school, Liz Liza-sensei introduced one part of Lotte's special characteristic to the students. As expected, the matter about being a refugee was not touched.
Lotte deployed her Magic Dress, then fired her gatling gun for real, after that, the classmates surrounded Lotte with gleaming eyes of interest. Basically the students that aimed to become knight's for real were gathering, so there was no frivolous atmosphere at this kind of time. Kazuki who had already witnessed Lotte's magic, was outside that circle and inquired from Liz Liza-sensei:
"Liz Liza-sensei... Lotte will compensate the weak point of our party, but"
The attack magic that Lotte had shown so far were bullets and electric shock. For Kazuki and Mio who had few attack patterns, the new attack patterns were added with Lotte's joining. But...
"Could we fight an enemy who is resistant to heat with the party consisting of me, Mio, and Lotte? Aren't fire and electric shock, any of them was [heat] in the end..."
"Trash, it would be good for you to experience getting shocked once. If you observed the wound, you will understand the differences for sure."
Liz Liza-sensei returned a harsh reply towards Kazuki's question,
"Electric shock burn has two aspects. First, it's certainly just like you said, it produces heat damage but, in contrast with the normal burn that is produced on the outside body, the electric shock burn inside the body's interior has some difference with the spot that was burned by heat. That's why in the case of facing against an enemy with strong skin or armored body, using electric shock to inflict damage from their inside can be said to be effective."
Kazuki was reminded with that red slime. That slime, he couldn't see the difference between its surface or its inside. This lesson was not applicable to that case.
"One more thing, an electric shock can also destroy living things nervous system. Many living things operate their body structure like muscle using electric signals. A strong electric current will exert large influence against that activity. If you apply electricity to a human, his heart will stop. Do you think someone with their heart stopped can move? Like ventricular fibrillation and AED. Why can patients with paralyzed hearts be resuscitated with an electric shock? It is because the muscle composition of the heart moves using electric signals."
Kazuki was immediately reminded of Hoshikaze-senpai's reinforcement magic, [Thunder God Body FlickerRide Lightning] that strengthened the whole body muscle and nervous system."I see, so electricity also has that kind of effect".
"What came out in the quest that you guys accepted the other day... it was slime according to the report. How do you think that slime's body can move? Of course slime doesn't have any muscle and it is formed by mucus, but what is the source of those mucus' operation? The study of Demon Beast's ecology is still not progressing, but at least from my real life experience, electricity was effective against slime. The moment strong electric current flowed, the slime was shaking intensely because of the vortex of abnormal electric signals. Before long, it couldn't maintain its body's activity and was scattered and turned into just a mucus. Interesting right? They look like they came out of fantasy, but surprisingly, they are not some separate existence that ridiculed our logic. It is a very interesting lesson."
"You said those slimes use the same system as human's to move their body around!?"
"Maybe. Even though it was scattered around, it was still possible for them to act. That was its core that transmitted electric signal so the mucus that make its composition can gather back. It seems that a slime is a colony of living things linked with each other."
"Now that sensei mentioned it, Hiakari-san also said that she killed the slime by drowning it..."
Breathing by taking in oxygen and moving their body by electric signals, it was really a [living thing].
"It turned into a good lesson huh, teacher will give a blessing of special knowledge to students who ask."
Liz Liza-sensei's tone was harsh but inside, she was a gentle person. She then stood on her tiptoe and knocked on Kazuki's head.
"With your party right now, there should be no more problem clearing the previous quest where you failed. It's fine even if you re-challenge the quest over the weekend. Remember, it's also for the sake of keeping Amasaki Mio's rank."
| ← Ch. 028 | Ch. 030 → |