Chapter 54
Halfa brought Usato and his companions along .
While Kyou and I were in the middle of training, Usato waved his hand at me .
Kyou obviously didnt wave back and I only waved back after making sure that the people around me wouldnt notice . Why was he here? But just as I had this thought, I remembered Carla-sensei mentioning that we would receive some guests today . I immediately understood that those guests referred to Usatos group .
As Carla-sensei was introducing Usatos group to the students in this school, the situation quickly escalated Their group got provoked and were now going to partake in todays practical lessons . I could clearly see that they didnt like how our class was underestimating them . It wasnt really a surprise my class would think so considering how many extraordinary individuals there were .
I dont know how strong the other two are but I have my doubts as to whether or not Usato could do this .
He had magic that was capable of healing any injuries . At the very least, his strength should be equal to mine or maybe even above since he stopped my punch . This was considering the fact that I used wind magic along with the natural strength I possessed as a beast kin . Other than a demon, there werent many opponents who could receive my attack unscathed .
However, one of the students brought up the topic of me attempting to attack Usato in the middle of town yesterday . As a result, more people were looking at Usato with looks of doubt Carla-sensei also sent me a sharp glance . I was reaping what I sowed because of my mistakes yesterday, which was fine and all but Because of me, the problem child from the juniors class Mina, got elated and caused this current situation .
Shes an ill-natured and high-class girl with a rotten personality .
She was the one responsible for ganging up on the sole healing magician in this school . Shes been tormenting them during these few years . Thanks to her familys background that is close with the school, no punishment has been given out to her .
A girl like her with an excessive amount of pride was able to smile and easily state Why dont you show us what magic you can use? .
If it was just her who desired this, it wouldnt have been a big deal . But no one stopped her . That was because everyone here wanted to see Usatos true ability .
I couldnt stop her either .
Even if I tried to talk to my classmates, they probably wouldnt listen . Halfa, the only person who might lend an ear to me didnt stop the situation either .
However, the magic that Usatos two friends displayed greatly exceeded my expectations .
The girl, who displayed destructive power never seen before with lightning magic .
The boy, who controlled the powerful and rare light magic .
Completely dumbfounded . Those were accurate words to describe the people around me . But it should be expected since they were the heroes that were together with Usato and Amako .
If it only just ended here, that would have been great .
If Everyone was convinced from the two heroes, and just remained silent .
Im a healing magician that belongs to the Rescue Squad in Lyngle Kingdom .
After those words were said, the atmosphere changed .
Of course, in a bad way . Kyou, who was next to me, had his hand over his forehead . Naturally, I was doing the same .
My classmates were basically a collection of magic idiots that focused on offensive power .
With the exception of one person, they all thought that magic was good as long as it was strong .
Im not trying to say that healing magic is bad but for my classmates who didnt know much about it, they have a poor impression of people who use healing magic .
What the? Its healing magic Even I could win against him .
Was he just running away in the war?
Stronger than me? Thats a lie .
Just as I had thought, the power-obsessed idiots in my class were already looking down on it .
And naturally, the ill-natured rich girl wouldnt let go of such a perfect opportunity like this
Eh, healing magic? Are you really that strong? But I feel like even I can win against you .
She suddenly said so in a loud voice to break the silence .
When Usato received those words, he just smiled and said in a monotonous voice, Ahaha, Id be quite troubled .
But all of a sudden, the hero who used light magic was being held back . His arms seemed to be tightly bound behind his back .
Usato was beside him but because he didnt have any change in his expression, I didnt really understand what was going on . Due to the sensitivity of our ears, Kyou and I could hear the almost inaudible conversation between Usato and the heroes .
I understand how you feel but calm down . , said Usato .
Kazuki-kun, you can punish them but dont overdo it, okay? Just enough so that they get scorched, said the lightning magic user .
You cant do that . , Usato rejected her statement .
If Mina knew that the hero that used light magic couldnt tolerate her statement just now, she would definitely feel troubled .
But since she was just an ignorant rich girl, she didnt take note of his action . Mina raised her hand and took a step forward while saying,
Carla-sensei . I want to have a mock battle with this gentleman, would that be okay?
. A mock battle, you say?
Yes, if I have a mock battle with a healing magician that fought against the demons in the war, then I dont have to worry about them being injured . Isnt that right?
. Really, what a rotten little girl .
It sounded polite but she was basically calling Usato a target .
Mina uses explosion magic which originates from fire magic . It may not possess that much power but its the perfect magic for inflicting pain on others . If you add her rotten personality in the equation, its the most suitable magic for her .
I see, a mock battle . Sure . Lets do it . Carla-sensei replied .
Eh? Usato was surprised .
Usato, its a mock battle where you use magic . Can you do it?
Y-yeah Well, I can do it but
But, you picked the wrong opponent this time .
The healing magicians she knew of were practically on a different dimension to what Usato was . Normally, a healing magician wouldnt try to face me head-on in a fight Additionally, they shouldnt be able to contend with a beast kins strength either .
Nee-chan, is that guy going to be okay?
As expected, my little brother had a gentle nature deep down inside him .
Seeing my little brother looking conflicted, I told him, Usato will be fine . My wind magic shouldnt fall much behind Minas explosion magic in terms of power . I doubt itll work on Usato .
Since Usatos opponent is the simplistic Mina, Im a little relieved .
Just as I thought I could see the outcome of this match One of my classmates walked forward and headed to where Calra-sensei and Usato were .
Excuse me, for the mock battle, do you mind changing the opponent to me?
Wha!?
I couldnt help but voice out my own surprise . It was understandable .
The person who went out was the exception in my class, a man of manners that didnt possess offensive magic Halfa . He suddenly made his appearance and intervened between Usato and Minas mock battle .
*
Somehow, I was now participating in a mock battle . I could only gaze blankly in shock .
I really dont know how I ended up in a situation like this .
After I told them that I use healing magic, it seemed to have flipped a switch on for the girl with twin tails? I wasnt that worried about the mock battle itself but rather how much I should hold back .
Furthermore, Halfa-san suddenly requested to participate in the mock battle instead .
U-umm Halfa-san when you said change, you mean?
Oh, dont worry . I have no intention of fighting you . To begin with You dont stand a chance against me, after all .
The girl with twin tails was frightened as she asked that question to Halfa-san . After Halfa-san gave his reply, his light purple eyes were looking straight at me .
Usato-san, you dont mind, right?
Yeah, well Take it easy on me?
My opponent has magic eyes that could see the flow of magic . He probably wont use any strong magic attacks on me .
Even if he has some powerful magic, I could just run away to escape it . In the worst case scenario, Ill use a Healing Punch and knock him unconscious .
For the mock battle, where should we fight?
Just fight in middle of the training grounds, the targets might get in your way but Youll have to deal with it .
Carla-san didnt look all that happy a moment ago but now she looked excited as if she would get to see something interesting soon . Was there a reason for this?
Once Halfa-san entered the stage, the other students evidently got nosier I accepted this mock battle without much thought . Perhaps I got myself into something bad?
. Ill know once I try fighting .
Well then, the two of you, Ill be participating in this mock battle for the time being .
Go for it, Usato .
Do your best, Usato-kun, for my sake .
Thank you, Kazuki .
Huh?
Ignoring Senpai who looked confused, I rolled up the sleeves of my uniform and started doing some light warm-up exercises .
Although it was pitiable to ignore Senpai like this, I couldnt be bothered to react every time . Even I have times when I dont know how to react to something .
While I was stretching my arms and legs, I could see that Halfa-san was picking a weapon to use for the mock battle .
I didnt require a weapon even though I did use a spear that one time . It would be dangerous if I accidentally poked myself .
Hey!
Nn? Huh?
From the group of students, Kyou was quickly making his way towards me . He was gathering a lot of attention from his classmates Would he be okay?
Is it okay to talk to me?
I really dont want to but I specifically came here to warn you!
. Warn? You? Me?
What brought on this sudden change? I thought he hated me . Behind Kyou, Kiriha also made her way through her class . She also displayed a serious expression similar to Kyou as she looked at me .
What were these two doing here?
The person youre about to fight, Halfa, that guy looks like a nice person on the outside but really hes just an outrageous and insane bastard that doesnt know how to hold back .
Amako would be troubled if something were to happen to you, Usato Im telling this for your own good, you shouldnt participate in this mock battle with Halfa . Having him as your opponent is far too dangerous .
Even if you both tell me that
If I could stop it, I would do so . But since its come to this already, I probably cant .
If word were to spread out that someone from the Rescue Squad decided to stop their participation in a mock battle with a student The Rescue Squads reputation would fall and this was probably one of the obstacles I would face in my journey .
Most importantly, if Rose in Lyngle knew that I got cold feet and ran away from a mock battle Theres no doubt I would receive a punishment worse than death . I definitely didnt want that . Whether it was getting Rose angry, receiving punishment from her, or disappointing her I didnt want any of that .
You two Even though you both came here to warn me, I wont stop my participation . As long as Im wearing this uniform, I cant afford to lose .
Although I meant that I cant afford to lose or I would receive punishment
. That guy is in a different league on his own . Hes strong . Hes not someone a frail guy like you can handle . He wont hold back . He drives his opponents so far into the corner until they completely collapse, you know? Dont you get it?
Dont worry, hes not as bad as my Master .
Unless he can send people flying 10 or more metres with a punch, I wont fall .
I also got a general understanding of Halfa-san just from what these two told me .
From when he snuck up on me to whisper in my ear and greeted me, to his attitude upon seeing my uniform, to his disappointment when I stated I wouldnt participate in todays training Hes been observing me all this time . He judged me as someone worthy to observe .
Then, Usato-san . Are you done your with your preparations?
After I walked away from Kiriha and Kyou, I arrived at the center of the training grounds . Halfa-san was slowly making his way here as he spoke to me . In his hand was a wooden pole that was as tall as him No, it was a quarterstaff . He started rapidly spinning it in his hand but his expression didnt change . He was smiling .
Im good, lets start .
Oh, is that so Carla-sensei, please give us the signal to start .
Calra-san nodded . Halfa-san and I faced each other . Although there was still some distance between us, Halfa-san had already lowered his posture and was in some sort of fighting stance with his quarterstaff .
His light violet eyes started to shine brighter as it gathered more light as well as magic .
While getting a chilly sensation from his suspiciously glowing eyes, I coated my body with healing magic just like usual .
It would be good if I could perform well from the start since I didnt have much experience with mock battles . For the time being, Ill move just like I usually do in training . First of all, I should focus on evasion . Ill avoid all the attacks that I can avoid . If Im also given the chance, I want to test just how much my healing magic has grown during this time .
Al-right~, Im giving the signal~
Arent you enjoying this situation a little too much?
Once we were informed that we would begin soon by Carla-san, Halfa-san and I faced each other once more in understanding . From there, Halfa-san took a step forward Just as Carla-sans hands lowered .
BEGIN!!
Upon hearing her voice in this tense atmosphere, I ran forward with all my power despite being a step behind .
At the same time I sprung out, Halfa-sans quarterstaff was already in the position I was at just before the mock battle started .
!? Even though I clearly stepped out first . !
I have some confidence in my legs, after all!
In that case, Ill have to catch you!
From our initial positions, we were about 10 meters apart . Halfa-san had assumed his stance and used one thrust with his quarterstaff to cover that distance instantly .
Fast .
With the exception of demons and beast kin . . and also the heroes, Kazuki and Inukami-senpai, this mightve been the first time Ive seen someone this fast .
Rose and the scary group back at home? Those guys are beyond exceptions, so they werent good targets for comparison .
Fuu!!
Oh, oops .
I slightly shifted my body and avoided the quarterstaff aimed at my neck .
To think you would mercilessly aim the quarterstaff at my deck If it hit me in a vital spot, I might faint from the pain .
Halfa-san started to perform consecutive thrusts with his quarterstaff as I continuously dodged them by moving my head horizontally
I wont let you!
It was annoying but it seemed like he knew exactly what I was going to do . He rotated his quarterstaff after his thrust towards my head and aimed it at my leg with the other end Which caused me to trip .
At this rate, I would receive a severe hit
Just as I was falling over, I placed both my hands on the ground . Pushing down, I used brute strength to instantly bring myself back up .
You were a more troublesome opponent than I expected
Thats what Im thinking right now too Hah!!
It looked like he didnt intend on giving me any time to rest as he continued his relentless thrusts .
I would dodge this again it if I avoided this way Or so I thought, but for some reason he changed direction just as he was aiming for my face .
It was like he could foresee my moves . This was really difficult to deal with!
!
I dodged the incoming quarterstaff by bending over but in the next moment, Halfa-sans knee was already making its way towards my face .
To think you would aim for this, youre really dirty!
Just as his knee touched the tip of my nose, I twisted my body and avoided it .
No matter what, he kept aiming for the vitals . This was why Kiriha and Kyou tried to tell me to not participate . This really was too dangerous, I would have been forcefully incapacitated by Halfa-san already if I didnt receive Roses training!!
Moreover
He has been able to foresee my movements for some time now . After his first attack, he feels awfully faster . Was it related somehow? Either way, this isnt easy . I have Roses evasion training but its hard to dodge an attack only for it to lead to another attack
After barely avoiding Halfa-sans attack, I took this moment to think about why he could predict my movements .
But I couldnt think of a reason at all .
What a terrifying person you are Really To think youre uninjured after all this
Were at a stalemate, this isnt going anywhere
Even so, Halfa-san continued to attack .
I couldnt carelessly get close to Halfa-san due to his quarterstaff but
Fuu
I cant just always rely on Roses words . Im not someone who moves just because theyre told to . I have to adapt myself to the current situation!
After slowly taking a deep breath and exhaling, I concentrated my healing power into both of my arms . I formed a cross with my arms, stopping the quarterstaff that swung down at me .
Theres some pain but it isnt a spear or a sword . Im fine!
Magic in your arms!?!!
Halfa-san said this with surprise as he looked at my arms . At this moment, I released a kick but Halfa-san saw it coming and jumped backwards .
However, it was now my turn to receive his attacks again .
Halfa-san who had retreated backwards had already got into position and launched a flying kick towards me .
Kuh . .
You dodged it, huh!!
Just as his kick was about to connect, I evaded it .
As expected, he had an advantage over me as he could read my moves . For some time now though, Halfa-san hasnt taken his eyes off me for even a single moment . .
Well, Ill pray that he doesnt have a cheat magic like Amakos ability to see the future
I will be approaching you with more force now!
But I achieved one of my objectives . I wasnt in a position where I had to keep dodging now .
Halfa-san quickly recovered from his shock as he resumed his attack after speaking . I really wanted to reach a conclusion to this battle soon too so I wont just dodge his next attack . Even if my movements are being predicted, I will still attack without concern
As I coated one of my fists in healing magic, his attack came immediately and headed for my face once again . I lightly tilted my head to the side . However, due to how fast Halfa-sans thrust was with his quarterstaff, my cheek was scratched and blood oozed out from it . I didnt mind it as it wasnt as injury I needed to worry about .
Ignoring the slight damage I just took, I proceeded to launch a fist at Halfa-sans abdomen .
Gah . !?
My fist felt something hard and solid, obstructing my punch from connecting . But I continued to increase the power in my fist without pause .
Due to the force from my punch, Halfa-san was sent back flying in the air He wasnt pushed all that far but it felt strange that I was now seeing what Rose normally sees Wait . . Ah .
This is bad .
Am I an idiot!?
Why was I using Rose as a standard for comparison!?
It would have been fine to just knock him unconscious, why the hell did I send him flying!?
Even if I hit him with healing magic, this was bad . I just added another chapter to the tale of Amakos Avoidance to Usato .
I started to panic and ran up to help Halfa-san who was about to fall on the ground . However, contrary to my expectations, he was able to land safely on his feet while he was suspended in midair . Shortly after landing, he knelt down on one knee .
Hahaha This is the first time I thought I would die in a mock battle
Im sorry! I made a mistake, I didnt hold back enough and ended up sending you flying
Huh? Just now, it seemed like the surrounding students including Kiriha and Kyou had expressions that said Youre kidding, right . Their faces also looked pale
It would have been dangerous if I didnt have this
He showed me the quarterstaff that was now split right in half and in both of his hands .
. I see, he guarded with his quarterstaff just before my fist reached his stomach . He sure had some fast reactions to be able to guard that in time . At the very least, he was stronger than a certain good-for-nothing demon .
As I admired Halfa-sans strength in my mind, he took a stance once more while dual wielding the broken quarterstaff as swords .
Its not over yet . If possible, I dont want it to end Youre much stronger than I imagined and you exceeded my expectations . Moreover, you possess a strength that fascinates me Fortunately, I didnt receive much damage since youre using healing magic .
It would be nice if it just ended here but it looked like Halfa-san was still eager to go . I already want to stop it here but The fact that things wont just go my way was what made this battle hard .
Haah .
I opened my fist and gathered healing magic in my palm . I healed the injury I received on my cheek . After confirming that the injury had completely disappeared, I took on a fighting stance . For some reason, that brought a smile to Halfa-sans face .