We live at the foot of Dragon Peak.
The Ritual of Proclamation
“I will defeat you and become Listea’s legal wife!”
Naimi shouted, drawing her sword.
“Fufufu, as Listea’s legal wife, I pledge to continue supporting him. Therefore, I will not lose to you.”
In contrast to Naimi, Cerise gracefully drew her waist sword and took a stance.
Naimi and Cerise faced each other.
A tense atmosphere filled the arena.
Then, a cheer erupted from the crowd that had gathered.
“Hey, who are you rooting for?”
Slaton asked Listea, who was sitting next to him, with a mischievous grin.
I, Listea, and our classmates were in the waiting area of the training ground, watching the match between Naimi and Cerise.
Today was a very important day for us, who had been attending school for a year.
Next to the school, at the training ground, many of our families and people from the community gathered to witness the culmination of our year’s efforts.
No one dared to say they were bad at martial arts. After all, the reason we had diligently trained in martial arts for the past year was not to become adventurers or to spend a year on a journey.
It was to be able to deal with monsters we might encounter throughout our lives and to survive, which is why we had strived every single day.
Today was the day to show our parents and neighbors the results of our efforts, to say, “We have become so accomplished, so please watch over our year of departure with peace of mind.”
We invited many people to the training ground and showcased our year’s achievements through matches.
And at this time, a ritual was performed.
Before battling, the combatants had to declare their goal for the year of departure or the path they would walk from now on.
Among those who fought before Naimi and Cerise’s match, there were students who declared they would become adventurers, travel to the Yorttenitos Kingdom to broaden their horizons, or start businesses in the sub-capital.
Everyone had their own proper goals and dreams, which was amazing.
As I was thinking this, cheers erupted from the crowd that had gathered at the training ground.
When I focused my attention on the battle, I saw that Cerise was struggling against the swift movements of Naimi.
This was unexpected.
It seemed everyone else felt the same way, and cheers of support were flying towards the struggling Cerise.
Naimi was cute, but Cerise, the princess, was overwhelmingly more popular.
As I watched with concentration, it appeared Cerise was using Dragon Energy to enhance her physical abilities while fighting.
However, Naimi was dominating the match.
She darted left and right, slipping through the openings in Cerise’s elegant swordplay to get close.
Then, with minimal movement, she attacked, cornering Cerise.
Cerise gradually retreated with each encroachment into her space, pushed to the edge of the designated combat area.
“Oh, Naimi is really fired up,”
Slaton exclaimed, clapping his hands as he watched with enjoyment.
“But Cerise has a trump card, you know.”
“Ah, that one is a problem.”
The private conversation between Listea and Slaton made no sense to me.
Still, Naimi was strong, wasn’t she? To toy with Cerise, who was using Dragon Energy.
Were they already companions and knew each other’s moves intimately?
Cerise continued to retreat, inch by inch.
It was at the moment I thought she was cornered.
As their swords clashed, Naimi was sent flying.
“Uwah, she’s actually using that!?”
Naimi’s face instantly turned displeased.
“Ufufu, she brought it out.”
Slaton also made a displeased face.
“What is it?”
I asked Listea.
“Ah. That’s Cerise’s specialty. The ultimate ‘Blast Away’.”
“Huh?”
I didn’t understand. “Blast Away” was her specialty?
“It seems to be some Dragon Art, so I’m not entirely familiar with it. But when she activates it, even a Great Sheep gets blown away.”
“Eh?”
A Great Sheep, that’s a fearsome wild sheep, right? It’s said to be several times larger than a human…
“I saw her blow away an Earth Dragon with that.”
“It might have been a small dragon, but that was probably heavier than a Great Sheep.”
“Uh…”
What is that Dragon Art?!
I had never heard of such a brute-force technique!
“Unyah!”
With every clash of swords, Naimi was sent flying.
It was no longer a match.
No matter what she did, if she touched Cerise, she was blown away without question.
For Naimi to win, she would have to fight without touching Cerise, but if she could fight like that, she would have already won, wouldn’t she?
Completely opposite to before, Naimi was now retreating, and finally, she was knocked out of the match area and lost.
…What a sheer display of brute force.
I felt like I had glimpsed a fraction of Cerise’s terrifying power.
The venue erupted in cheers at Cerise’s victory.
Many voices also praised Naimi’s valiant fight. But Naimi looked frustrated. Well, of course, she would. She fought so well in the first half, only to lose by sheer force.
Naimi, who had returned to our waiting area, was grumbling at Cerise, who looked troubled.
In the training ground, the next match had already begun.
Opponents were generally chosen by lottery, so sometimes matches ended quickly when there was a significant difference in skill.
Apparently, there had been a proposal in the past to pair students of similar skill, but the stern instructor at the time said, “Do monsters only appear in those of similar skill?” Because of that, it remained a lottery.
The matches and declaration rituals proceeded smoothly, and it was Ruiseine’s turn.
Since Ruiseine was a shrine maiden, she had never trained in the martial arts academy before.
After lectures, she always returned to the temple with Kiiri and Inea.
But today, she had to fight alongside everyone else in the training ground.
And Ruiseine’s match was one of the most anticipated of the day. After all, Ruiseine was a Battle Priestess.
She was a woman specializing in combat among shrine maidens, but no one knew her true abilities as she had never trained at the academy.
Even during the periodic ruin investigation training, Ruiseine primarily acted as a shrine maiden, and generally, there was little danger of combat during ruin investigations. The ambush by the magic sword user and the first demon race was an exception.
Everyone in the same class held their breath, wondering what kind of battle the Battle Priestess Ruiseine would engage in.
“Oh my, oh my.”
Ruiseine smiled at the attention of everyone. It seemed she was not nervous at all.
Ruiseine firmly held her beloved naginata with both hands and moved to the combat area.
Everyone in the training ground shifted their gaze to her opponent.
“Ruiseine, please be gentle.”
The one facing her was unexpectedly Cerise.
Ah, that’s right. Since we students were an odd number, someone would have to fight twice. And Cerise had taken on the role of fighting twice.
“Cerise, please guide me.”
They bowed politely to each other and moved to their designated positions.
Then came Ruiseine’s declaration.
“I pledge pure conduct and tireless effort.”
This was a common phrase for shrine maidens. Therefore, no one reacted to her declaration. Also, since Cerise had already made her declaration, the match was about to begin.
Ruiseine lowered her stance and readied her naginata. Cerise, without letting her guard down, yet gracefully, held her sword.
“Begin!”
A cheer rose at the referee’s signal.
Cerise immediately charged forward, closing the distance. Ruiseine, with her naginata, had a long reach. Cerise, with her one-handed sword, likely wanted to get inside her reach and make it her own.
But Ruiseine launched a thrust at such a Cerise. It was a two-stage thrust that was too fast to follow.
Cerise hastily moved to block.
With the naginata’s reach, Cerise was at a distinct disadvantage. She would likely use that “Blast Away” Dragon Art she used earlier to turn the tables.
I believe everyone in the audience was thinking the same thing. The power of that “Blast Away” was immense.
Cerise’s presence changed. When I sensed her Dragon Energy, I felt a different flow within her than the mere enhancement of physical abilities.
Cerise closed the distance.
She swung her one-handed sword at the tip of the naginata that was blocking her path.
If they collided, Ruiseine would also be blown away. In that case, it wouldn’t be a match anymore, everyone thought.
Everyone except me.
I knew. I knew many things about Ruiseine.
She often trained with me in the Moss Garden, and she had sparred with Mistral many times.
Mistral’s power was off the charts. That was, of course, due to his immeasurable Dragon Power, yet Ruiseine and I sparred against him. Therefore, simple brute force wouldn’t work against us.
The moment the naginata and one-handed sword clashed, Ruiseine, with a fluid movement, swung her naginata and parried Cerise’s slash.
“What!?”
Cerise’s expression was one of shock.
“Impossible!”
Listea next to me exclaimed in surprise.
“No way! That’s not something you can just parry. If you touch it, you get blown away, no questions asked.”
Slaton’s eyes widened in surprise as well.
“Didn’t she use ‘Blast Away’?”
“No, judging by Cerise’s surprise, she must have used it, but Ruiseine wasn’t blown away.”
Creacio asserted.
“Why?”
In the training ground, Cerise asked the question, but she attacked again. She feinted left and right, then swung her sword down, aiming for the base of the naginata.
However, this time, it didn’t even hit the naginata itself.
Cerise unleashed a flurry of consecutive attacks.
But they didn’t connect.
She wasn’t dodging widely. In fact, most of the engagement was happening at close range, which favored Cerise. But still, they didn’t connect.
As if all her movements were being read, all of Cerise’s attacks were evaded by Ruiseine.
“You!”
Cerise’s Dragon Energy swelled.
This was a full-powered strike!
The incredibly fast sword strike finally touched the naginata.
“Ah!”
But it was Cerise who lost her balance.
Ruiseine had read even her full-powered strike. Using the recoil of the deflected strike, she spun and lunged into Cerise’s space. Cerise, who had been caught off guard after her attack and was completely off-balance, stumbled forward. Ruiseine caught the stumbling Cerise.
“Oh my, oh my, can I say I’ve won then?”
Ruiseine smiled at Cerise.
The match was over. In this situation, if Ruiseine had chosen to, she could have easily pushed Cerise away with the butt of her naginata when she entered her space. Cerise also recognized her defeat and gracefully surrendered.
A roar of cheers erupted.
“I can’t believe Cerise, who used ‘Blast Away,’ lost.”
“Amazing, is that the power of a Battle Priestess?”
Listea and Slaton were also astonished.
Fufufu, of course, they would be surprised. All her attacks were seen through, and even her full-powered strike was parried. In the training ground, I was probably the only one who was certain of Ruiseine’s victory. Honestly, with Cerise as her opponent, I think Ruiseine’s victory was decided before the fight even began.
Because Ruiseine has Dragon Eyes.
The natural enemy of those who wield Dragon Energy. The ability of Dragon Eyes is overwhelming. I know this firsthand.
No matter what she tries to do, everything is seen through. Whether it’s brute force or swift techniques, if you know what’s coming, evasion is simple. Furthermore, Ruiseine can now see the weaknesses in techniques and where to sever the flow of Dragon Energy.
This is already an unfair ability. To counter it, one would need to attack with overwhelming power or speed that Ruiseine cannot respond to, like Mistral. For Cerise, who was unaware of such things, there was no chance of victory from my perspective from the start.
We greeted Cerise, who was tilting her head in confusion, and Ruiseine, who was smiling, with applause.
“It’s strange. Why did all my attacks end up missing the mark?”
Cerise didn’t seem convinced by the match.
“I’m sorry.”
Ruiseine apologized.
“No, you have nothing to apologize for. I was simply surprised that my techniques were ineffective.”
“Ruiseine, you were strong.”
“I never thought you’d beat Cerise in close combat, especially after she used ‘Blast Away’.”
“Oh? Could it be that even Listea wouldn’t win in that situation?”
“Actually, today is the first time I’ve seen someone beat Cerise in close combat when she was using ‘Blast Away’.”
“In situations like that, I thought long-range attacks were the only option.”
“Ufufu, was that so?”
Ruiseine, you’ve accomplished something truly amazing.
“Ruiseine, teach me how to defeat Cerise in close combat!”
Naimi pleaded, and Ruiseine looked troubled.
“Was Ruiseine always this strong?”
“It’s a miracle victory.”
Meanwhile, her fellow shrine maidens, Kiiri and Inea, seemed skeptical of Ruiseine’s abilities in that fight. But that is Ruiseine’s current strength. Those who use Dragon Energy are no match for her. Of course, neither am I…
Ignoring our commotion, the matches continued.
And finally, it was my turn.
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