Don’t Think It’s The Same As Before!

<Ivan Scottish POV Side>

GOOOOON!

ZUGAAAAAN!

DOGAAAAAAAN!!!

—A thunderous clamor of battle echoes from the distance.

At the same time, the dungeon shakes repeatedly, and dust falls parapara from the ceiling.

…Most of this noise is probably being made by Ester.

Actually, the only person capable of fighting aggressively enough to shake the dungeon, aside from Baron Odrant, is her.

Good grief… can’t she fight a little more quietly, that superstrength young lady?

“…Hey, Ivan.”

Shouldering a polearm next to me, Matthias asks, sounding bored.

—Matthias and I are guarding the third detour leading to the Ancient Settlement Ruins area.

Combat seems to have already started on the remaining two detours, so we have weapons in hand, ready for whenever the enemy might come.

“What is it?”

“I wonder when our prey will finally come to us.”

“Who knows. Just don’t let your guard down.”

“…Hehe.”

“? What, what’s funny?”

“No, just that it’s surprising you didn’t object to Lady Letitia’s strategy at all.”

“Hmph… her strategy was simply that excellent.”

“True enough. But that’s not all, is it?”

“…”

“I’ve come to totally like Baron Odrant and Lady Letitia, you know. I can’t bring myself to hate that couple, and I think I want them to stay together after all.”

Floating a relaxed smile, Matthias takes the spear off his shoulder.

He continues, “Isn’t it the same for you? That’s why you agreed to ‘Lady Letitia’s ideal way to win’, right?”

“…Not really. As long as we can win, anything is fine.”

“You’re not honest, are you? That part of you is reaaally cute.”

“C-Cute!? You bastard, are you mocking me!?”

Matthias laughs kerakera.

T-This guy, he’s definitely looking down on me…!

Just you wait until this Midterm Exam is over!

—But that thought was fleeting.

“”—!””

Matthias and I sense a presence and ready our weapons.

…Footsteps audible from the distance.

The number is probably three.

And the owners of the footsteps soon reveal themselves before us.

“—Huh? Huh, huh? There’s only two of them.”

“What the hell! Joshua said the defense here would be the tightest!”

“Hi, hihihi… but this is convenient…!”

Appearing is a trio consisting of two boys and one girl.

A short, red-haired boy holding two daggers.

A tall, bald boy holding a chain attached to a giant iron ball.

A girl holding a magic wand, her eyes hidden by bangs.

…Laki mentioned it. “There’s a trio in Class C that always acts together.”

The red-haired boy is Ceruano Yannick.

The bald boy is Garec Daltry.

The girl hiding her eyes is Fianca Lufrey.

—Those should be their names.

Individually they aren’t much, but when coordinated, they are troublesome.

Red-haired Ceruano twirls his daggers,

“Whaaat, I totally thought there’d be about four people guarding.”

He sighs, looking bored.

—It’s natural to think so.

The place we are guarding is the widest of the three detour paths; if attacked by multiple people, the possibility of being breached is high.

That’s why it’s perfectly natural to assume the defense would be strict and manned by many.

“Besides… the ones guarding are the small-fry trio. This is boring.”

“Hoh, we are small fry? You speak as if you know us well.”

When I retort, Ceruano chuckles kuku,

“Yeah, I know. You guys fought Baron Odrant before and couldn’t lay a hand on him, right?”

“And you lost three-on-one, didn’t youuu? Losing miserably even after ganging up, that’s nothing but small fry behavior!”

“Hihihi… and now only two of you… easy win…!”

The three say with obvious mockery.

…Well, that is a fact.

When deciding the King of the class, Matthias, Rowen, and I were completely defeated by Baron Odrant alone.

Literally, we couldn’t even stand a chance.

To Baron Odrant, we were undoubtedly small fry.

I can’t deny or refute that now.

“Ah, right right. Also, you’re Ivan Scottish, aren’t you? The former heir to the Scottish Duke House.”

“—!”

“I heard it on the wind, you know? Because you couldn’t become the King of Class F, your position as heir to the Scottish Duke House was taken by your younger brother? Is that true?”

“…”

…Hoh, I wonder where on earth he heard that.

Good grief, it’s disgusting.

I can understand Baron Odrant’s feelings about bad rumors quite well now.

“Yes, it’s true.”

“! Hey Ivan, you…!”

“Matthias, stay quiet for now.”

—Everyone in Class F doesn’t know this fact yet.

There’s no need to inform them, and even if they don’t try to know, they’ll find out eventually.

It was a matter of time.

When I confirm it, the Class C trio rolls around laughing geragera.

“Ahhahahaha! Losing to that ‘Lowest, Worst Baron’ and losing your position as heir, aren’t you embarrassed!? Hey!”

“How pathetic! If it were me, I’d kill myself out of shame!”

“Hi, hihihihi…! Disqualified as a noble…!”

The trio says whatever they want.

Seeing them, Matthias clicks his tongue “Tch!” and makes a violently irritated face.

“Oi, you bastards…!”

“Wait, Matthias.”

—Stopping the indignant Matthias, I step forward a few steps while holding my one-handed sword.

“…Laugh if you want. It is a fact that I was abandoned by the Scottish Duke House. However—”

“Hm?”

“You are mistaken about two things. First, I do not consider it shameful to be defeated by Baron Odrant and become his subordinate. Knowing his talent, I even think it was inevitable.”

Floating a smile on my lips, I slightly shake my one-handed sword.

“And second, while there is no doubt I am small fry to Baron Odrant—”

—Fwoosh. I kick the ground.

Lightly, as if flying.

In the next instant—I thrust the tip of my one-handed sword at Ceruano’s throat.

“…………Eh?”

“That does not mean I am small fry to you.”

—You have a look on your face like you didn’t even see it.

Like you couldn’t even realize I closed the distance in a mere instant.

“No… way…”

“Baron Odrant’s speed was nothing like this, you know?”

Erasing the smile from my lips, I state coldly to Ceruano.

If this were real combat, his head would be flying, or I could have just stabbed him and made it a death judgment right there… but that wouldn’t satisfy me.

I pull the one-handed sword from his throat and distance myself from them as if resetting.

“Certainly, we lost to Baron Odrant. But being unable to lay a hand on him is a story of the past.”

“””…!”””

“Matthias.”

“Yeah.”

Matthias also grins, readies his polearm, and stands next to me.

—Lady Letitia had a proper reason for placing us on this path.

She understands.

The current ability of Ivan Scottish and Matthias Wolf.

“Let’s show them… just how much we trained and how strong we became after losing to him that day.”

I decided.

Matthias seems to feel the same.

We’ll have these three—taste the same defeat we did back then.

“D-Don’t underestimate us…!”

Ceruano grinds his teeth giri, and readies his weapon with a face mixing anger and impatience.

The other two do the same.

Ah… back then, we probably had faces like that too.

As I thought, I can understand Baron Odrant’s feelings well now.

Not a single one of these three compares to him.

They look like—nothing but “insects.”

“What’s wrong? ‘Fear’ is oozing from your weapons, you know?”

I float a fearless smile and provoke them deliberately.

“Shut up! Let’s do this, guys!”

“Ou! I’ll make you regret mocking us!”

“Hi, hihihi…!”

The trio attacks all at once.

Their movements are certainly coordinated, and at a glance, seem brilliant.

But—too dull.

“Die, ora!”

Garec swings the chain, slamming the iron ball down with full force.

If it hits, it won’t end well, but there’s no way such a large swing will hit.

As Matthias and I dodge lightly,

“Hihihi—<Dummy Phantom>!”

Fianca activates magic.

Immediately, two Ceruanos appear from behind Garec.

“”Ahaha! Which one is the real one!””

—I see, a type of Illusion Magic.

Indeed, at a glance, one cannot distinguish which is real.

And it seems Ceruano’s target is me.

Not being able to tell real from decoy is troublesome, but—

“—<Aqua Whip>“

Something like that, I just have to eliminate both.

I swing my one-handed sword, extending a blade of water undulating like a serpent.

Then, unleashing a slashing water current as if manipulating a giant snake, I cut apart the two Ceruanos simultaneously.

The two bodies become tattered, but both dissipate into mist.

“Too bad! I didn’t say there was only one clone!”

The real Ceruano, who had slipped into my blind spot unnoticed, slashes from behind.

Hmm, not a bad way to fight.

Worthy of being called troublesome.

But… no need to even dodge.

“Ahaha! With this, one down—huh!?”

Ceruano had entered my range vigorously, but suddenly his stance crumbled with a gaku sound.

As if his leg was ensnared by a giant snake.

The blade of water current extended by <Aqua Whip> had wrapped around his leg.

After training with Paula-sensei and everyone in Class F, I became able to manipulate water currents this freely.

The sensation is like keeping a snake inside the sword.

If I wanted to, I could control both offense and defense fully automatically.

Well, even being able to do this much, I’m no match for Baron Odrant at all.

“Damn, what is this…!?”

“Don’t be surprised by something like this. I haven’t let him shine yet.”

“That’s right.”

—Matthias thrusts his polearm toward Ceruano.

Ceruano’s leg is still ensnared by the water current; this attack definitely cannot be dodged.

“O-Oi Garec!”

“I know!”

This time Garec approaches behind Matthias.

“Uryaaaaa!”

The iron ball is swung back largely.

But Matthias doesn’t even turn around,

“—<Aerial Blade>“

He activates wind attribute magic.

The butt end of the polearm is clad in wind blades and extends instantly like a fired pile bunker.

“Gu—oh—!”

However, it is dodged at the last second, and the pile of wind blade grazes Garec’s cheek.

“He, hehe, too bad—!”

“Oops, the grim reaper is still laughing, you know?”

“Ha—?”

In the next instant, the extended pile of wind blade transforms into a “Great Scythe of Wind Blades.”

Manipulating magic, he changed the shape of <Aerial Blade>.

“Hii—!?”

The great scythe is pulled back byun! as if to decapitate, but Garec ducks and dodges just in time.

He immediately raises his face, but,

“H-Huh…? Where did that guy—”

By that time, Matthias’s figure had vanished from before Garec’s eyes.

But his dumbfounded state was brief,

“If you’re looking for me, I’m up here, you slowpoke.”

A voice echoes from above Garec.

Immediately after pulling back the scythe, Matthias leaped lightly above Garec.

He spins kururi in the air—and kicks Garec’s back with full force.

“Guhoo!?”

“Wait…!”

Garec is blown away to where Ceruano is, and the two collide.

Exposing a truly unsightly appearance before us.

“O-Ouch… what are you doing, you lumbering oaf!”

“S-Shut up! It’s your fault for failing to finish him!”

“W-What are you two doing…! Hurry up and beat them…!”

The trio finally starts infighting.

Good grief, how unsightly.

“D-Dammit, dammit! From here on! We’ll get serious from here!”

Ceruano pushes Garec aside and declares, his face bright red with anger.

Hearing that, Matthias laughs through his nose, “Hee?”

“So he says, partner.”

“Isn’t that fine. We just finished warming up here too.”

I adjust my glasses kui, and next to me, Matthias cracks his neck koki.

—Surely in those three’s eyes, we currently look like monsters or something.

Just as Baron Odrant reflected in our eyes back then.

“Fianca, the ‘Special’! Do that!”

“Y-Yeah, roger…!”

Receiving Ceruano’s instruction, Fianca pours a massive amount of magic into her wand.

“M-Mmm—<Dummy Phantom>!”

She activates the same Illusion Magic as before.

Moreover, this time Ceruano and Garec each split into two.

Making it even harder to distinguish.

“—<Deep Mist>!”

Fianca activates magic on top of it.

Thick fog envelops the area, and visibility becomes ineffective at once.

In the end, it reached a point where Matthias and I could hardly see each other.

“Come on come on, we attack all at once in this fog! Which is real and who is targeted—can you guys deal with it!?”

“This time… I’ll kill you!”

Footsteps jumping into the thick fog.

From the next moment, the metallic sound of weapons clashing echoes in the fog.

It continued for a few minutes but—soon nothing could be heard, and the fog was wrapped in silence.

“Hi, hihihi… looks like it’s over…!”

Seeing the quiet fog, Fianca floats a smile while panting haa haa.

Having activated consumption-heavy magic consecutively, it seems she has almost no magic left.

That’s why it was a “Special.”

“It was u-unexpectedly simple… as I thought, losers are losers after all…!”

Convinced of Ceruano and the others’ victory, Fianca cancels the magic.

The thick fog vanishes, and visibility becomes clear again.

—In that instant,

“Losers—are what?”

A one-handed sword and a polearm were pressed against Fianca’s neck.

Of course—the owners of those weapons are me, Ivan, and Matthias.

“F……Hye……?”

Fianca raises a voice that isn’t a voice and stiffens.

The next thing she saw was the figures of Ceruano and Garec fallen on the ground, judged as Dead.

“Ce, Ceruano… Garec…!? W-W-W-Why…!”

“Even if small fry increase from two to four, we can handle them even with our eyes closed—that’s what it means.”

“Indeed. We just had to defeat them all.”

“Mo… m-m-m-monsters…!”

“Please say that line to Baron Odrant. Because he is the genuine monster. …Now then.”

I move my one-handed sword chaki,

“Will you surrender, or still fight… choose whichever you like.”

I asked Fianca.

Then she collapses henahena, losing strength in her legs,

“………………….I-I surren… der…”

She admits defeat.

—Immediately after this, Paula-sensei’s voice echoes throughout the dungeon, conveying the Death judgment of the trio Ceruano, Garec, and Fianca.

It was the moment the tide of battle moved, just as Lady Letitia planned.