Chapter 14: After one week
From that defeat, one week had pa.s.sed.
Emilia was living like this, completely healthy.
What happened at that time, Emilia had not got a look.
Because she fainted in the middle of it.
According to what she heard from the other instructors, the instance that the sword made out of lightning hits Emilia, a defense barrier was created by Laura’s hands, and protected Emilia, they said.
Lost to a student, and even saved by that student.
If you say something about it, she lost twice in one match.
(What, is that. It was worse than the worst that I expected. What face can I show to stand up in front of students……no, even as an adventurer, and even as a magician, I cannot walk front of anyone. What put all of my heart into it and prepared to fight that super-genius are you saying. Overwhelmed, and protected. I was lightly played around……rather, can someone please kill me!)
Not having the courage to suicide incites the misery.
Not able to do anything, Emilia did not come to school the next day, and covered herself with blankets on her apartment room.
In my age, closing up in my own room.
A 23 years old shedding tears after losing to a 9-year-old.
I’m so miserable I don’t have any worth living.
Although I knew about that, my tears won’t stop.
I’m frustrated. I’m so frustrated I want to tear myself apart.
After fighting her, I understand it very well.
Laura Edmonds is not a target for challenging to or fighting to.
Her level as a living creature is too different.
Even left alone, she will get stronger.
In truth, didn’t she grow during the match.
Although she could understand that, Emilia couldn’t give up with it.
(I’m frustrated……I’m frustrated I’m frustrated I’m frustrated I’m frustrated!!!)
She bit her lips until blood came out.
She was sobbing like a child.
Living like that everyday, the seventh day.
The doorbell rang, and she heard a voice of a girl.
「Uhm, Sensei……are you okay? Everyone, is waiting for you. That’s why……」
It was the one who dropped Emilia to a living h.e.l.l, it was Laura’s voice.
It was a voice that was worried about me to the depth of her heart.
There’s not even a little malice.
But, Emilia didn’t get happy at all.
Instead, all she could do is to bite hard on her pillow to not scream around.
(Go back, please, go back!)
As if her feelings reached her, Laura didn’t say anything after that, and the sound of her footsteps went away.
Thank goodness.
I don’t want to meet anyone right now.
But, then, until when will I be able to go out of this room.
Tomorrow? The next day to that? Next week?
Maybe, I cannot stand up any longer.
I did it with efforts. I did my best. I thought that I had gotten stronger.
All of that were illusions, and Laura was even going to get stronger and stronger. Rather than catching up, the gap between us are opening up.
(How stupid. It’s alright already. I won’t do anything anymore)
Emilia’s hate for herself expanded to its max.
And as if she was waiting for that timing, the second visitor for the day appeared.
「Open up, Emilia. Until when are you planning to skip work?」
This voice. Ahh, I cannot be wrong about it.
It’s the person that I owe my life to.
「Great……Sage-sama……!」
「Calling me that again. We’re working together now right, so call me school head, school head I said」
*Gachari* it sounded.
The lock in the entrance was opened.
Although I put a double lock, physical and magical, both of them were easily have been broken through.
The door opened, and a woman with a silvery-white hair comes in.
Her appearance was around 20 years old. She even looked younger than Emilia.
But in reality, she is a legendary presence who had lived for near 300 years of time.
Having the nickname Great Sage of Beauty, a hero that saved the country by defeating a Majin 130 years before.
The founder of Royal Gyrdorea Adventurer School, and the strongest magician who is still its school head.
Calrotte Gyrdorea.
That G.o.d-like person, came to this apartment.
「School head……I am very sorry, but I don’t want to meet anybody today」
「Saying such child-like things. Come, let me see your face」
Even though Emilia was hiding with sheets on her, the Great Sage peeled that off.
She forcefully made Emilia raise her body although she didn’t want to, and embraced her.
「I was looking at it, the fight with Laura-chan. You, had gotten stronger huh. The first time we met, you were only a little girl who was crying with the sight of a goblin. No, you have gotten stronger even than the time you defeated a dragon three years ago. Look how good you are」
The Great Sage treated Emilia like a child.
No, maybe lower than a child.
She couldn’t tell anything back. Because she lost to a child.
「What look how good is that……I lost in a pathetic way like that, in addition I was saved by the opponent, and I’m living a shameful life……I know all about that. In reality, even School Head is laughing at me right?」
「I guess so. I’m laughing happily to the growth of my disciple. In front of a real genius, how great it was that you did not run away. Seeing that fight, there’s no one that is saying stupid things about you. Because, the people who were boasting that they are going to challenge Laura-chan next, after all, not even one of them challenged her. The only one who fought properly is only you」
「But, I lost……」
「Yes, that’s right. But Isn’t that for better. Next time, you are the challenger. Even if it’s sneak attacks or endurance attack or mind attack, it is forgiven whatever you do. You can fight even not as cleanly. Train, train, and train hard, and you should just fight her again someday. Or are you giving up? Well, that is also your freedom. You’re working as instructor, so it would be troublesome if you skipped work like this」
「……instructor? Is an instructor weaker than a student really needed? What do I have to teach that girl?」
「You’re too pa.s.sive huh〜. Because you lost, you are thinking of yourself that you are extremely talentless. It’s not like it’s the first time you lost right. Do you know, Emilia. Laura-chan, at the time when the match had started, was weaker than you, you know? Did you notice?」
「Eh?」
That monster, is weaker than me?
「Laura-chan saw your techniques, stole them one next to the other, and grew with unbelievable speed. And “as I have planned”, she was using magic very fun. That’s because, the way Emilia fights is very fun. Using a very flashy lightning fall, using many summon beasts, but still have the basics perfect. That’s why, it’s alright. There’s still a lot of things that you can teach that girl. And increase what you can do furthermore. You yourself, are still on your growth period. That’s why you were frustrated right? You want to become stronger right? Then, you should move forward. You had rested enough, so start standing up」
Right now, the Great Sage said “as she have planned”, a frightening thing.
That Emilia would be envious of Laura, and going to have a fight with her, both of them had been guessed.
But, to Emilia, that wasn’t the important part.
「But……I entered Gyrdorea Adventurer School at fifteen, and I had been doing my best ever since. I had been training for eight years. That, Laura-san with only a few days……no, with only tens of seconds during that match she exceeded me. Even with that, can I reach after her?」
「Eight years you say? Don’t make me laugh. If it’s to me, tens of seconds or eight years there’s not a lot of difference, both of those are chicks still in the egg. Even though you had only had *YochiYochi* steps, its ridiculous that you limit yourself while making a full-fledged face. You should know all about this. You, aren’t you wanting to jump out of your bed right now, and train with your life on it right? Not thinking if you will grow or not. Stop thinking about difficult things, and go rampage outside. If you want it, I can be your opponent? You’ll get refreshed」
The Great Sage stared at Emilia and smiled.
It’s a face that saw through everything.
If I’m stared at by those eyes, somehow being serious felt stupid suddenly.
As if it hadn’t been a serious problem from the start.
「……I understand. Please take care of me. I, will let it all out to Great Sage-sama」
「That’s good. Then, let’s change places. Also, Emilia. Take off our pajamas and go to the shower. You have too much sweaty smell」
「Uu」
Emilia’s face got hot.
Because of being on a rotten mood, she was living without eating proper food and changing clothes.
Thinking about it when she had calmed down right now, it was not something that a 23-year-old woman should do.
「By the way Great Sage-sama……I mean, School Head」
「What is it〜?」
「Had School Head lost before?」
「Ara. There’s no way that could happen. I’m a genius, you know」
Emilia, on a mountain a little far away from the royal capital, used all her magic powers and techniques towards the Great Sage but got lost instead, got revived with recovery magic, got beat the h.e.l.l out of her again, pa.s.sed out, got splashed with water on the head, and even still, challenging, rampaged throughout the night, and came to school after a while.
Opening the door of the freshmen cla.s.sroom, I got nervous.
The instructor that lost to a student, how will everyone welcome that.
No, I should apologize first for not coming for over a week.
「*Suu*……Fuu」
After taking a deep breath, I decided with my will and opened the door.
「Good morning, everyone」
As much as I could, I stood up at the podium calling out with the same voice as before.
And then, the sight of the students gathered at once, and ran up to me.
「Emilia-sensei! Good morning!」
「Sensei, this last match was amazing! I, was moved!」
「Sensei really uses a lot of techniques right. I, want to be taught that soon!」
She was surprisingly welcomed.
Emilia who didn’t knew what was happening was astonished.
「Uhmm…let me apologize first. I’m sorry for not coming until today」
The cla.s.s is continued by other teachers, so they had not become late that much……but it’s not that kind of problem.
In the most important time, during the first days of school, the homeroom teacher rested for over a week without a proper reason.
She should be criticized.
「It’s okay. Because, we were shown a match that amazing. Resting because of fatigue is natural. Sensei, please fight me next time!
Even so, the eyes of her students were like *KiraKira*, she was praised instead.
「Uhmm……was it that amazing……?」
「Well of course! When we get stronger, we can also fight like that……only imagining it makes us look forward to it」
「I know right. Until now, I only knew a vague image of what was going to happen when I got stronger. But thanks to that, I had my goal. Thank you very much」
In truth, Emilia used all of her powers.
There was no way to criticize her strategy.
She lost even with that.
「Sensei, Emilia-sensei!」
The students made way, and a young girl moves forward.
It’s the one who defeated Emilia completely, it’s Laura Edmonds.
「I, that match, it was fun! Using magic, was very fun!」
Laura that stood up on her toes, looked up to Emilia with her big eyes, and was telling that with all of her heart.
「It was fun? Really? You, who really liked the sword……?」
「I like the sword as it is. But……I understand it right now. Why Charlotte-san, Sensei and everyone was using magic with all of their hearts. I, want to know more about magic. When I was fighting with Sensei, I understood that I was getting stronger and stronger」
「And, you won. You are really strong」
「Yes……but, will I win against Sensei if we fight once more? Magic that sensei can use, that wasn’t everything right?」
「Well, yeah」
I lost before I showed all of my techniques.
「As I’ve thought, Emilia-sensei is amazing! Please also take care of me from now on!」
*Pecori* Laura bowed her head.
Without looking down and being careful with my feelings, she was really begging me to teach her.
“Ahh”, Emilia’s stiffened shoulders had softened.
In the end, I was the most childlike.
And, in this moment, I’m going to say a more childlike thing.
Laugh if you want.
「……Laura-san. I won’t lose the next time」
And then, Laura, with her best smile of the day, answered.
「I also won’t lose!」
Emilia, while looking at that dazzling smile, thought that “Did the Great Sage guessed that Laura was going to like magic like this”, and had a feeling of unfathomable fear.