Seven Demon Sword Princesses And Zero Knights - Chapter 2 Part 3
“Okay, everyone, let’s do some great studying today! Wafrina-sensei’s lecture is about to begin!”
Immediately after Nacht and the others returned to their respective classrooms, the homeroom teacher arrived and began class.
The hole in the wall behind him was covered up with a board as a temporary solution, and Janka was taken to the infirmary.
Wafrina was the teacher standing up at the lectern. She was similar to a human in appearance, but she had dog-like ears on her head and a fluffy tail on her rear.
She also had the face and height of a child.
“Before we dive into the main topic for today, let’s make sure that our new classmate can follow along~. Nacht-kun, do you know about the Valiant position that everyone in the class is aiming for?” she asked with a smile on her face.
“Hey, hey, sensei, are you making fun of me? No one enrolls in this academy without knowing that. You mean someone who’s qualified to explore the Fractal, right?”
“Yes, that’s true. But that’s not all~ I’ll explain it to you from the beginning so that you can follow along.”
Nacht’s answer was met with a smirk from Wafrina, who climbed onto the step stool on the podium and began to draw on the blackboard.
“You see, the continent we live on, the continent of Volcania, is a very unique one. Our ancestors built ships that traveled the seas and explored all around the continent, but to no avail with the exception of a few small islands.”
On the blackboard, there was a rather disfigured diagram of the continent.
“And our continent is inhabited by a wide variety of races. We have the largest number of Humans, the Elves who dominate the forests, the Dwarves who are unrivaled in their skill as engineers, and even a few races including the Beastkin like your sensei. Combined, they are Humanity,” Wafrina continued while pointing at the blackboard.
“For a long time, our ancestors fought each other for the domination of this continent. In this day and age, however, each of them has established their own country all over the continent, and although there are minor skirmishes, there are no major conflicts. Why do you think that is, Charlotte-san?”
Charlotte, having been called upon, stood up.
“Yes, sensei. Thanks to the invention of the airship, it became possible to access the Fractal, where the remains of our ancestors lay. With the technology from there, an industrial revolution began. Effective weapons against evil spirits, known as Demon Gear, were developed. Thanks to this, it became possible for each country to have a high level of self-sufficiency without having to compete with other races,” Charlotte answered.
“Yes, that’s right! We can now go to the Fractal. Before we could only look up, low and behold the true majesty of the Island. However, now, we have discovered the remains of a prehistoric civilization there! And from there…”
Just as Wafrina was saying this, a loud gong sounded from beyond the academy building. The next moment, it appeared in the sky beyond the window.
“Ooh…!”
Nacht woahed in excitement, getting up from his seat.
The round top of an ellipsoid had an airship part suspended from it. Huge wings are attached on both sides, and red light leaks out from the rear of the hull.
Airships. They are the crystallization of human ingenuity, created for the purpose of exploring the skies.
“Wow… that’s really big when you look at it up close…!”
The ship was large enough to hold at least a hundred people. As Nacht looked at it with keen eyes, Wafrina continued speaking.
“Just in time! It looks like some knights are about to go on a mission. That’s the airship right there. The oval-shaped area at the top stores gas for buoyancy, the Elmesia steel attached to the bottom of the hull repels the magical essences in the atmosphere, and the engine at the back blows out flames to propel the ship. It’s a galleon-class airship, one of the largest of its kind.”
While Wafrina was explaining, flames shot out from the airship’s rear, causing it to quickly take off into the sky. As Nacht followed it with his eyes, he innocently and curiously asked:
“That’s awesome…! Hey, Sensei, how much does one cost?”
“Hm… that’s a good question. If you apply to own it as a Knight, the academy will subsidize you, but… it’s worth more than a billion Daryls.”
“A billion! Seriously? That’s way more than I imagined!” Nacht exclaimed in surprise.
“It has to do with the interrupted story of the Fractal. The airship uses the most advanced technology as well as the Magic Crystals found on the Fractal. Magic Crystals vary in value depending on their size; a single galleon-class-usable Crystal can be worth several hundred million Daryls!” Wafrina continued.
“That’s enough money to buy a small country, right, Sensei?” Charlotte asked. Wafrina nodded in confirmation.
Charlotte said, and Wafrina nodded.
“Well, it does depend on the size of the Crystal. They are amazing materials that produce energy by reacting with magical essences in the atmosphere, after all. Today, every country’s industry is fueled by it. It is also generally speculated that earlier civilizations also relied on the power of these Crystals to progress.”
After Wafrina’s explanation, many students’ eyes lit up; at the possibilities, their mouths began to water.
“But on the other hand, if you can go to the Fractal and bring back a Crystal, you’ll instantly be wealthy. Someone actually managed to create their own country just by bringing back the largest Magic Crystals.
“Even if we can’t find any Magic Crystals, we can, at the very least, bring back the Gear of previous civilizations! We can make a lot of money from that! I can’t wait to become a Knight!”
“Idiot. Even if they took us along, we’d just be the luggage carriers anyway since we’re first-years. Though, someday, I’d like to have my own Knights, free access to exploration, and a lot of money!”
In spite of the fact that class was still in progress, Nacht’s classmates were getting excited, though they had no reason to. Even though they were in the middle of class, each of their classmates was getting excited on their own. Wafrina gazed at them with a faint smile, but then struck them with the harsh reality.
“Fufu, you all have dreams, don’t you kids? Certainly, there is a lot of existing wealth on the Fractal. However, don’t forget, Demonic Creatures prowl the grounds of the Fractal.”
“Ugh…”
At Wafrina’s words, silence instantly fell upon the previously-lively students.
Demonic Creatures. Enemies of Humanity that inhabit this continent.
Sworn enemies that can never coexist, destroying, and plundering, everything in their path, corrupting the pure magical essence within the air, and wreaking havoc: those were Demonic Creatures. They stalk Fractal and use it as an intermediary to set their tainted limbs on this sacred land of Volcania.
The history of Humanity primarily consisted of the eternal battle against Demonic Creatures and their efforts to overcome them via the creation of magic, the training in martial arts, and a burning desire to continue surviving in this fierce global competition to this day.
“The exploration of the Fractal is always a battle fraught with death. In fact, numerous Valiants are reported as missing every year. So, let’s train well, increase our knowledge, and do our best to learn how to survive on our own in any situation, okay?” Wafrina said with a hint of sorrow in her tone.
“…”
The students responded with silence. Dead silence.
In reality, many of the Academy’s students were violent and spiteful of learning.
However, Wafrina ignored the current atmosphere and continued with her lecture.
“So, with that in mind, let’s begin by studying history. Approximately fifty years ago, the first exploration of the Fractal took place. At that time, the continent was in a period of great conflict, discord, and warfare; the hatred, loathing, and abhorrence between and amongst the races had reached its peak. Furthermore, the armies of Demonic Creatures were rampant; Humanity was in a crisis of survival. But then, the students of the Academy joined forces, building the first airship known to us. And they dubbed themselves… the ‘Knights of the Blue Sky’.”
As Wafrina mentioned this, she glanced over at Nacht. He was listening with a serious, attentive expression on his face.
“No one is bound within, locked within, or constrained within the limitless, free sky. As the Knights of the Blue Sky, they were able to cooperate with others beyond the political border of the nations. And with their new airship, they flew to the Fractal, where they obtained the elusive Magic Crystals and the ‘Seven Demon Swords’: Demon Gear that granted powerful and wondrous, yet striking and horrifying, powers. With their newfound power, they defeated the army of Demonic Creatures and brought peace to this very continent!”
“The Demon Gear found on the Fractal were called ‘Regalia’. Some of them were passed on to different countries, but the Seven Demon Swords became the property of this school. The information about the existence of Magic Crystals and the abilities of the airship was spread throughout the nations, and so, they ceased fire on each other and began to focus on exploring the Fractal.”
“With the Magic Crystals, one can gain vast amounts of energy, enough to transform the world completely. And with this power, towns are illuminated, fields are plowed with machines instead of farming tools, among other beneficial tasks. Also, we have created and manufactured our own Gear based on Regalia, giving us our current overwhelming advantage against Demonic Creatures. Yes, all of this is the benefit of the things and technology brought back from the flying island.”
“However, the Fractal remains unsafe. As I mentioned earlier, there are a vast number of Demonic Creatures. Those who can defeat them to bring back Magic Crystals and Gear are revered and indispensable for the development of Volcania. The Academy, which used to specialize in teaching magic, now plays the role of training explorers, better known as Valiants.”
“Yes, we have all come to this school to become pioneers who will open up the world anew. You are the ray of hope that will illuminate the future of Humanity. Please don’t forget that—”
“…Haah, man. I didn’t expect to spend the whole morning learning…”
After the morning classes, it was time for lunch break.
In the Academy cafeteria, which was crowded with scrambling students, Nacht reclined in his chair.
“Basically, every day: classroom lectures in the morning, physical training in the afternoon. Well, you get used to it,” Charlotte said from beside him while munching on her sandwich.
“The whole purpose of explorers is to kill Demonic Creatures and bring back the treasure from the Fractal, right? Why do we have to study so much geography, social studies, and math?” Nacht complained.
“Of course we have to. When you graduate from the Academy, you’re supposed to join a nation, form a team of Knights, and serve there. Since explorers are the pride of their nation, it doesn’t look good if they are just a bunch of uninformed retards.”
“Retards… You know, your language is extremely vulgar for a princess…”
“Shut up. If I have to act like a royal, I’ll just do that when there’s money to be made.”
In the noisy cafeteria, the two of them continued to argue about the minor details.
A summary of what Nacht learned:
Each nation has its own explorers, and each has their own arrangements for accessing the Fractal.
Therefore, the political aspect of explorer behavior is to be treated with care.
In addition, explorers must be able to assess and manage the situation calmly in case of a crisis during the exploration or if there is a malfunction within the airship’s system. Hence, they need the necessary information to do so.
“Don’t stress too much about it. Just eat your lunch. I’ll buy you a drink later,” Charlotte said, pointing to the plate in front of Nacht.
Nacht had a furtive look on his face.
“…What is this food? I’ve never seen it before.”
“Eh? You’re lying, right? That’s surprising. You’ve never had curry before?”
White rice and yellow curry: curry rice. Originally, it was a favorite of the ethnic minorities in the East, but now it is widespread throughout Volcania. Since Nacht had no clue as to how to order at the cafeteria, Charlotte ordered a curry for him.
“Where in the world have you been living? Deep in the mountains or something?”
“Yeah, I lived with my parents in a place called the Orzona Highlands. But we didn’t stay there all the time. On a few occasions each year, my grandfather would take me touring the continent, claiming that he was preparing me to be a fighter in the future.”
“…The Orzona Highlands? You’re kidding, right? You live in a place like that?” Charlotte asked, surprised at Nacht’s nonchalance.
Known as “the harshest location on the continent”, the Orzona Highlands is an unexplored region in the center of Volcania. Its high altitude, menacing forests, and abundance of Demonic Creatures are only the tip of the iceberg. Very few people have been there and come back alive.
It was undeniably hard for Charlotte to believe that he had lived there. She prepared to continue her inquiries.
“…What the heck is this…? It’s so good!” Nacht exclaimed, interrupting Charlotte’s thoughts.
“…Is that so? Well, I’m glad you like it,” Charlotte replied, dumbfounded at Nacht’s innocent excitement over a plate of curry.
Even though she had only known him for a few hours, she sensed a sort of strange peculiarity from him. He was a red-haired boy who lived in an unexplored region, and he was someone who triumphed over his Gear-using opponents with his bare hands.
When one pieced together all that information, one might imagine an illiterate, primitive, barbaric caveman. However, to Charlotte, at the very least, he wasn’t all that ugly. In fact, he was pretty much her type.
Looking at the curry-obsessed guy in front of her, Charlotte hesitated to ask him about anything. Eventually, though, she managed to work up the determination.
“Hey, Nacht. About what I said before… Are you sure about it?” Charlotte asked.
“‘It’? What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about you and me cooperating. Since you’re pretty strong, I think we’d make a formidable team. Well, technically, you’d become one of my Knights. What do you say?”
Nacht’s spoon suddenly stopped.
“Hey, do you not remember what I said? I’m here to defeat all of the Demon Sword Princesses. Why the hell would I team up with a Demon Sword Princess?” Nacht countered with a sullen look on his face.
“I know that, but… do you really think you can take on the other Demon Sword Princesses alone? You’ll have to participate in ‘War Games’ with the Princesses who have their own Knights, not just one-on-one duels.”
“War Games? It’s not like we’re killing each other… right? And that’s according to the rules of the Academy.”
“It’s as you said.” Charlotte nodded stiffly.
“War Games are battles not only involving you and your opponent, but also the Knights of each side. All of the participating members use Magic Bodies, and the loser joins the winner’s Knights. No matter how strong you believe you are, there’s no conceivable way in which you can defeat strength in numbers. Do you think you can win if everyone in this cafeteria attacks you at once?”
“Hm…”
Nacht looked around at his surroundings. He noticed that a good number of the students were whispering and glaring at him. Apparently, what Nacht had done in front of the main entrance was already known.
“If you want to compete with them, you’ll have to have Knights of your own. Besides, you’re broke. There’s nothing you can do if you have no money. So…”
“You don’t have anything either, do you, Charlotte? No ship, no Knights,” Nacht suddenly butted in.
“Ugh!” Charlotte grunted, clutching her ample chest.
“T-T-That’s o-only at the moment! As soon as I get more to join, we’ll be ready to go! And besides, as a Demon Sword Princess, I have a lot of privileges, and, uh…” Charlotte continues in a desperate fashion.
Nacht stood unaffected.
“I’m sorry, Charlotte. I can’t do it. I’m not going to work for anybody,” Nacht declared, giving his clear, adamant answer.
“…Why not?” Charlotte asked gloomily.
“I’ve already decided—I’d rather just fight you directly. Since you don’t have any Knights, it’s possible, right? Do you accept my challenge?”
“…” Charlotte pensively ruminated, sitting in a deathly stillness.
“I shall accept. However, if you want me to bet my Demon Sword, you’ll have to bet something of equal value,” Charlotte answered.
“Of equal value? Like what?”
“Money. Ten million daryls. If you’re willing to bet that much, then I’m willing to duel.”
“Ten million?! That’s too much! Wait a sec… you’re trying to make money again!”
“Of course. Money is the most universal object, it is the easiest to understand. Besides, this is how I make money. Surely, it is more than clear that ten million daryls is, indeed, a small price to pay for a Demon Sword, right?”
Often, a poor, ignorant fellow would think that in dueling Charlotte, the “solo” Demon Sword Princess, they would be handed an essentially free ticket to her Demon Sword. However, she would beforehand estimate her opponent’s strength and demand money as a condition for the duel.
If they were relatively weak, she would accept a value near 10,000 daryls. On the other hand, if they were more powerful, she would only accept a value in the millions. And so far, she had been victorious in every duel.
For Nacht, she insisted on a sum of ten million daryls. This was because she sensed him as someone extremely powerful, and so, naturally, she wanted to avoid any violent confrontation with him.
(This guy… His full potential isn’t clear just yet… and, I have been told by the acting principal to keep an eye on him in the first place… Yep, I definitely want him on my side…)
Though, Jeremiah did have her own agenda. She wouldn’t care less.
Nacht had an evidently disappointed expression.
“Well, you certainly make a point. Let’s see, I’ll need to bet that much… then I’ll have to take care of that first…” Nacht muttered to himself.
“…Hey, can I ask you something? Why do you want to unify the Academy? What are you going to do once you do?”
“That’s…”
Nacht’s answer was interrupted by the sudden ruckus on the other side of the cafeteria.
A wave of murmurs rushed through the cafeteria.
“Out of the way! Out of the way! The head of the Public Morals Committee is here! Move, get out of the way!”
The crowd pushed and shoved around, eventually forming a path for the figure.
A confident, tall stature stopped, unexpectedly, in front of Nacht.
“…You. You’re the new student.”
It was a tall female student, wearing a blue cloak over her uniform.
She stood tall, dignifiedly so, yet relaxed she was. Her irises were pure black, and an identical color was her smooth ponytail. She was far more an elegant beauty than a pretty girl, wielding a long sheathed sword on her hip.
Behind her, more than a hundred people were marching in a straight line. They all wore an armband with the words “Public Morals Committee” imprinted on it. Soon, Nacht and Charlotte were surrounded on all sides.
“Furukata-senpai!?” Charlotte squealed in surprise, finally realizing who the person standing in front of her was.
“Wait, you know her?”
“That’s not what matters right now! She’s the same as me, a Demon Princess! H-Hello, Senpa—” Charlotte greeted nervously, hurriedly trying to stand up.
However, Furukata, as she was called, quickly stopped her with a raise of her hand.
“Charlotte, I’m not here to see you today. I’m looking for a student involved in the dispute with one of the Public Morals Committee at the Academy gate this morning… You.” Furukata’s pointed finger ended up toward me. “Are you the one?”
“Ah, yeah, that’s me. You here to return the favor after your underling got sent flying?”
Nacht got up from his seat. This was a refreshing development for Nacht—perhaps he could have the honor of dueling a Demon Sword Princess, right then and there!
However, things took an unexpected turn.
When she heard Nacht’s reply, Furukata gave a small nod and called behind her.
“All of you.”
In response to her commanding voice, several people stepped forward. And among them—
“Ah. You… In the morning… umm… we got into an argument, right?”
“…It’s Waltham. Public Morals Committee member, Waltham.”
There stood Waltham, the armored man who attacked Nacht earlier that morning.
“What? You can stand up now? An average guy would probably need to stay bedridden for a few days at the very least.”
“Well, honestly, I’m still feeling a little queasy inside. But that’s not what we’re here to say.”
Waltham and the other members of the Public Morals Committee lined up in a row.
Suddenly, to Nacht’s surprise, they bowed their heads in unison.
“Transfer student! We’re so sorry about this morning! That’s all we’ve got!”
“Oh…?” Nacht was deeply puzzled by the unexpected apology.
“We didn’t expect you to be a real transfer student! We just suspected you from the start—that immorality is on us! It was clearly unbecoming for the Public Morals Committee, who should act as the role model for the students of the Academy! Please, please forgive us!”
“…”
At Nacht’s quietude, Furukata threw the Committee a stern glare.
“Is that it?”
“N-No… Um, we… we’re so sorry for insulting your red hair! It was foolish of us to judge someone by their magic or lack thereof! We’re so sorry—we’ll definitely reflect on our actions.”
“We’ll definitely reflect!” Another voice popped out of nowhere.
“Haa…”
Completely unable to keep up with the conversation, Nacht looked toward Furukata dumbfoundedly.
“Did you make them do this?”
“No. When these… people reported the incident to me, I merely pointed out their faults. It was of their own will to reflect, regret, and apologize. I just accompanied them here, as I am in a position requiring me to do so,” Furukata answered with resolute eyes that were clear as a sunny day.
“It’s as she said! How foolish of me… insulting you only because you are a redhead, unilaterally violating your rights, and even losing to you in battle…! The shame’s all on me! I shouldn’t have thought that all redheads are weaker than me!
“Ah, so that’s how it was…”
Waltham’s apology finally made sense to Nacht.
In other words, they were simply “reflecting” on the fact that a “weak” redhead was powerful enough to be admitted into the Academy and to beat them in a fight.
Strength, as it seemed, was the key to success at the Academy.
“It’s fine. We both did hit each other, after all. I’m not mad,” Nacht replied whimsically.
“R-Really? You’ll forgive us…! Thank you, thank you!” Waltham and the others looked up with a relieved smile.
But Waltham’s face, despite being mostly covered by his helmet, darkened so obviously.
“Um… I’m sorry, but can I ask you something? Earlier, didn’t you hit me with magic?” Waltham asked.
“Huh? Weren’t you the one that said redheads have no magic ability?”
“Well, no, I did say that, but… while I was in the infirmary, I was thinking about how you could possibly, against my common sense, strike through my armor… so… please!”
“Whoa!?”
Waltham had suddenly laid his huge hands on Nacht’s shoulders.
“My Entwined Iron should be invulnerable against direct, physical attacks! That’s what I’ve believed all this time! And yet, a single casual blow from you took me down like it was nothing! Please, please tell me how you did it!”
“Hey, stop shaking me! It’s annoying! All right, I got it! I’ll tell you!”
Waltham, nonetheless, continued to shake Nacht’s body. Nacht quickly shook him off and took out an iron marble from his pocket.
“Tch… I wanted to keep this secret… Watch.”
Nacht flicked the marble high up in the air.
And just as it was falling, he readied his fist and swung at the marble.
However, the marble fell straight down as if nothing had struck it. It rolled over the dining table, but a split second later—it cracked in half.
“N-No way!”
Even as a spectator, Charlotte could not keep her jaw from dropping. She picked up the remains of the marble.
The innards of the marble had crumbled to fine grains, similar to those of sand. But not even a scratch on the outer surface was visible.
The marble, somehow, was cracked from the inside.
“Penetrate Armor—that’s what this technique is called. I used it to damage what was inside of the armor instead of the surface,” Nacht explained to the stupefied crowd.
“A technique… It’s just a technique… So you can do this… Then I’m..”
“You’re relying too much on your Demon Gear. Don’t be so proud of your ‘perfect’ defense—train your actual body more. Since you haven’t, I’m assuming, you got taken down with one hit.”
“Ughhhh… I’m such a failure…!”
Waltham fell to his knees.
Furukata, in his place, finally stepped forward.
“Well, it seems that he has finished his business. Let me introduce myself again. I am Isami Furukata, the current Demon Sword Princess that has been recognized by the Demon Sword Luxuria, the leader of the Knights of Sincerity, and the head of the Public Morals Committee.”
Her name carried great weight. The Knights of Sincerity were in charge of the school’s Public Morals Committee, and so naturally, Isami Furukata was the leader of both.
“My name is Nacht. Just Nacht. Senpai… what was it again? How should I address you? Aren’t you a princess?” Nacht asked, staring dumbly at her face.
“At the Academy, I am not a princess—consider me as just a student. You can call me Furukata-senpai.”
She narrowed her eyes.
“By the way, you… I have heard about what you did. You’re not behaving very well so far, it seems,” Furukata continued with a piercing gaze.
“What? I just bought a fight your boys sold me,” joked Nacht.
“It’s not just that. It seems that after that, you suddenly, somehow, got into a duel in morning class. You disturbed the neighboring class with your little duel. And what’s with the way you’re wearing your uniform? It’s sloppy.”
Furukata reached her hand out to Nacht’s uniform and began to fix it.
“Ah, hey, wait…!”
Naturally, as a guy, Nacht’s face turned cherry-red. He quickly stepped aside and escaped from Furukata’s slim, gentle hands.
“I-It’s fine! I can fix my own clothes! I’m not a kid! Is it because of my ‘bad’ behavior that you’re treating me like this? If so, I’ll be willing to have a go at you right now.”
“…Ah, yes, you just reminded me of the most important thing. You said that you were going to defeat all of the Demon Sword Princesses, by yourself. Are you insane?”
Furukata spread her hands.
“At the Academy, more than two thousand students are striving to become a Valiant. Several times that number if you include the students in the technical department. Most of them are under the command of one of the Demon Princesses. So, no matter how confident you are in your skills, there’s no way you can beat all the students alone.”
Furukata threw a glance behind her. There were over a hundred of her subordinates lined up. In other words, taking on Furukata would mean taking on that entire crowd simultaneously.
However, Nacht didn’t even flinch an inch.
“Who knows? You’ll never know unless you try.”
“Don’t you see, fool? There are always hot-minded people like you. They all soon realize their limitations, and so will you. But…”
Just then, Furukata scrutinized Nacht’s body.
Even through his clothes, she could see that he had a well-developed body. It wasn’t one that could be attained through means of ordinary training.
Furukata gave a small nod.
“Well, it seems that you’re too good of a talent to be let to waste. That’s why I’ve decided to take you into my Knights. Join me—I’ll teach you manners and train you thoroughly.”
“Eh!?”
It was Charlotte, not Nacht, who raised her voice in shock.
She, from the beginning a bystander, hurriedly intervened.
“W-Wait, Furukata-senpai! I was the one who was negotiating with him first! You’re after me…!”
After staring at desperate Charlotte for a moment, Furukata turned to Nacht.
“Are you going to join her Knights?”
“No? I already refused.”
“Wait, Nacht!?”
You’re going to say no to me, but you’re going to join Furukata-senpai?
Well, that’s because compared to me, Furukata-senpai’s Knights is incredibly large. She has a good airship, and above all, Furukata-senpai is extremely beautiful. But that shouldn’t mean a lot…!
Just as she was thinking this, Charlotte noticed something and howled.
“Well, so-rry, there’s nothing to gain if I join.”
“…You… What are you saying…?”
And there was widespread surprise all around.
“Hey, seriously, that Furukata-senpai is recruiting freshmen?!”
“Impossible! To be merely approached by senpai is a huge honor! Damn, why is that guy suddenly getting special treatment?!”
Onlookers voiced their envy and jealousy, as many students admired Furukata for her talent and beauty.
But Nacht ignored them. He turned back to Furukata with a serious look on his face.
“I’m sorry, I appreciate the invitation, but I’m not going to work for anyone. Besides, I’m going to fight all of you and obtain the Demon Swords,” answered Nacht.
“…No matter what?”
“Yeah, no matter what.”
“I see.”
The next moment. A light flashed.
No, it wasn’t just a light. Furukata’s hand pulled her sword from its sheath. And then, as if only a frame of a video had gone by, or as if it just teleported through space, the blade was on Nacht’s neck, leaving behind a shimmering glint of a trail.
“…! She’s fast!” exclaimed Charlotte with her hand already on her blade.
The speed with which she pulled out the sword was terrifying. If it had been aimed at her, would she be able to react and defend against it?
After a brief moment, the surrounding students finally noticed.
“Whoa! Furukata-senpai pulled it out!”
“No way, when did that happen? I didn’t see anything!”
There were murmurs going around the crowd, but Furukata and Nacht paid them no heed.
“…Not bad. You’re not just all talk.”
Nacht’s fist was pressed against Furukata’s chest.
He had been able to react to Furukata’s super-speed sword and to counterattack.
A bead of cold sweat dripped down his forehead.
“…Thanks. But I can’t imagine what would have happened if you had really swung that sword.”
He knew that Furukata wasn’t being serious. But what would have happened if she had attacked with full power?
He could not help but ponder it.
(It was painfully clear from the blow that she’s a master. Are all Demon Sword Princesses at this level of mastery?)
If that’s the case, then his objective’s certainly not going to be a cakewalk.
“I now see that you are a man of reasonable capabilities. You may even be qualified to challenge me. But do you understand what it means to take the Demon Sword from the Demon Sword Princess?”
“Who knows?”
“Hmph. Don’t play dumb. You see… at the Academy, the Demon Sword is a symbol of power. And all of us—the Demon Sword Princesses—are constantly fighting each other to be the top of this school.”
“…”
“Why? Because showing power in the Academy, where explorers from all over the continent, apprentice Valiants, etc., gather, is synonymous with showing power to the continent. That’s why even as the princess of a country, I’m still just a student here. Right now, everything is in perfect balance, harmony. But if one of us were to defeat another Demon Sword Princess, and take possession of the sword… that balance would be shattered. That’s why we’ve been working… Kyaah!”
“!?”
Furukata let a strange scream and jumped away
“C-Captain Furukata…? W-What’s wrong?”
The worried members of the Public Morals Committee called out to her, but Furukata stared at Nacht with a flushed face, hiding her chest with her hands.
“Wait, Nacht, what were you…”
And there Charlotte saw.
Nacht’s fist, which had been clenched in front of Furukata’s chest earlier, opened and twitched.
“…You couldn’t have…”
“Well, how do I explain…”
“We had a long talk, so I ended up rubbing her a bit. Well, it was a good rub, Senpai.”
“—NO!”
Furukata, her face an even deeper shade of red, ran out of the cafeteria.
“Ah, Senpai!? …Nacht, what have you done?! …Do you have any idea?”
“Senpai seemed to be the kind type, so I thought she might forgive me for that.”
“How could she forgive you?! You pervert!”
As Charlotte cursed at him, the surrounding students finally realized what had happened. Gradually, their anger rose, their killing intent directed toward Nacht taking a physical shape.
“…Transfer studeeeeeeent!!! What the hell are you doing to Captain Furukataaaa?”
“This is bullcrap! She was the girl of my dreams!”
“An offense against our princess… this is unacceptable…!”
The students in the cafeteria slowly surrounded Nacht, their hatred boiling over.
But then the bell sounded, signaling the end of the lunch break. A grim-faced Charlotte rushed out, pulling Nacht’s hand.
“Oh, no, lunch break is over! Come on, basic training is about to start, hurry up, hurry up!”
“Ah, wait up, you bastard!”
Charlotte frantically led Nacht down the hallway with students cursing them from behind.
“Ahhhh, why did I become this idiot’s supervisor…?!”
[TLN: Sorry school started, so Ucali was busy, but Ucali picked up NTRSenpai, so I would have him focus on that :)]
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
LimahT
Thanks for the chap~~