Chapter 15: It’s after-school desu
Either the Warrior Department or the Magic Department, students that had will to learn went to their training grounds after school, and do self-practice.
And, having trainings together with the students of the different department is also not unusual.
Warrior that can use magic.
Magician that can do close quarter combat.
The more that they can do, the more that they became more useful as an adventurer.
Of course, the choice of raising one special skill is not a wrong choice.
The point is, they just needed to be stronger.
And right now, in the middle of the Warrior Department training grounds, two girls are engaged with fierce exchange of swords.
One is red-haired. With an expressionless face that wouldn’t tell what she is thinking, her body is slender. On the other side of that ephemeral air in her, the sword in her hands is humongous. Just like a chunk of steel.
While gripping that large sword properly, the red-haired girl releases merciless slashes.
Facing her, a more smaller pet.i.te girl. The young girl that still haven’t reached 10, held a two-handed sword with both of her hands, and boldly slashing back.
The sword that she hold was long compared to her height. But with the ridiculously large sword that her opponent uses, it doesn’t stand out at all.
Everyone in the training grounds, was absorbed in the fight of the two girls.
Because, one of them is being said as the strongest freshmen of the Warrior Department, Anna Arnett.
The other one, defeated an instructor in a head-on battle a few days ago, Laura Edmonds.
Thinking about it normally, Laura would surely win in a real fight. It would end in seconds.
But, this is a mock battle using swords.
Laura has sealed her best skill.
Even so, Laura’s apt.i.tude in the sword was higher than Anna’s. But, the time put in sword training, Anna who is in the Warrior Department was longer.
That’s why, the winner cannot be predicted.
The attack and defense were lead by Anna since earlier.
The sword that Anna uses as an attack very large, so it was very simple.
Swing it down, or swing it side wards, or thrust it.
Of course, she can do other movements than that, but those three were the only one she could do in an instant.
To Laura, all of those were easy to read.
Even so, she was having a difficult fight.
The speed of Anna’s slash, is very fast.
And since the reach is longer, the movement needed to dodge is bigger. Laura couldn’t jump inside the waist of her opponent at all.
When she received it, her arms will get numb. She almost dropped her sword.
She doesn’t know how it was seen from the side, but in Laura’s point of view, it was all on the defense.
And that is not limited to today, it was like that since the last week.
She couldn’t reach it with only one step.
Even if Laura thought that she had a one step forward, by that time, Anna also had stepped forward.
There isn’t a more frustrating thing than that, and a more fun thing than that.
And right now, Laura’s tension has reached its maximum. Her five senses had sharpened. She watched Anna’s every movement not letting escape any of it.
(Now!)
Laura deliberately showed a chance, and lured Anna’s attack.
She received that with her sword, and parried it.
「Na!!」
Anna’s large sword was smoothly, as if it was sucked by the ground, got stuck in it.
Taking advantage of that chance, Laura moved forward at once.
It was a tackle.
Even if it was a tackle from a child like Laura, it can do enough power if the speed is enough.
And in addition to that, it’s not like Anna’s body is big.
Unable to withstand the impact, Anna was blown away and let go of her sword.
To Anna who collapsed faced up, Laura mounted her.
And placing the blade to her throat just like that, she glared at her.
「……I lose」
From Anna’s mouth, the words of surrender was let out.
And Laura who heard that, “Fuu” let out a sigh, and relieved the strength on her shoulder.
「……I won……I won against Anna-san for the first time!」
She was so happy, tears even swell on Laura’s eyes, and a round of applause came from the students that are watching.
「She finally won against Anna huh……」
「A student from the Magic Department defeating the rising star of the Warrior Department huh, that feels complicated〜」
「Nah, against Laura who won against Emilia-sensei, Anna who won consecutively until now is more strange」
「The blood of Edmonds House is thick huh〜」
It was very embarra.s.sing.
She didn’t care about it when they were fighting, but as soon as the match ended, she got concerned being seen.
Laura pulled Anna, and moved to the side of the training grounds as if to run away.
「Ah〜, that was nervous……Anna-san. Thank you very much!」
「Thanks also……Laura, your sword was sharp today. Did something good happen?」
「Eh? Something good desu ka? To myself, not reallyーーah, but Emilia-sensei finally came to school. I’m very happy!」
「Right. Thank goodness. Laura, was worried all the time. I’m sure today was Laura’s real sword」
「Is that really true? It’s not like it was a bad condition until now right……」
It was true that she was concerned that Emilia was not coming to school.
But, I didn’t feel that my sword was dulled.
Maybe the change of her performance in the sword is severe.
Until she came to the school, she was only doing the same training against the same opponent in the same town, so she didn’t knew what effects of the change in environment had in her.
「I want to have another match, but I got a little hungry. I want to eat sweets」
「I agree. Let’s go to the cafeteria! Would you like to the strawberry parfait that new in the menu?」
「What’s that, sounds delicious」
Laura and Anna, their faces was that of a warrior a moment before, but leaving no trace of that, they became young girls and ran towards the cafeteria.