Magika No Kenshi To Shoukan Maou:Volume 4 Chapter 1

Chapter 1 – To the End of the Peaceful Day

Part 1

“Kazuki, between the sparklingly cute and feminine me, or the cool, conservative and adult me, which one do you like?”

…Please talk in Japanese, that was what clearly expressed in Kazuki’s bewildered expression.

Mio leaned her body forward even though they were in the middle of a meal, and waited for his reply while her eyes were shining in expectation. She was still in the cute maid uniform that she wore when they prepared the meal.

The dining table of the Witch’s Manor became quiet.

“What an extremely narcissistic way of talking isn’t it?”

When Koyuki ridiculed her while chewing (hamuhamu) her toast, Mio denied it with her red face.

“It’s not like that! Not the uniform or the Magic Dress or the maid uniform, but it’s just when I’m wearing my casual clothes, I’m concerned about what I should wear and what Kazuki thought!”

“It feels like Mio has an obsession in stylish fashion, huh?”

“It’s not to the degree of an obsession but…if they're a girl then of course they'll be concerned, right?”

When Mio said that self-conciously, Koyuki slightly hung her head down.

It appears that Koyuki was disinterested in that kind of thing.

“No, about that there are various kinds of girls, isn’t it fine?”

“Then for Kazuki it doesn’t really matter what kind of appearance the girl has? Even though you like the maid uniform so much.”

“That is, if the girl dressed herself up when she comes to meet me then I’ll be happy, thinking she is cute.”

Hoshikaze-senpai was laughing “ahaha” after she snapped a sausage (mogumogu) with her mouth.

“No, that is strange for senpai, right!? Please behave yourself like a girl properly!”

“But you see, in my situation, I'm happy when I wear men’s clothes. Moreover, could you imagine if I wore a skirt as part of my casual clothes? I'd look funny, wouldn’t I?”

“It wouldn’t", I said. "I want to see senpai in that kind of getup.”

“I'd look scary like that y'know, like when a boy is participating in a crossdressing beauty contest in a cultural festival of a boys’ school.”

You’ve got to be kidding, Kazuki was stricken with grief with all his words repelled back like he was standing in front of a wall of steel.

“Hayashizaki-kun, next time let’s go check out some clothes together. Occasionally doing shopping as bonding between men is cool right?”

“And I just said senpai isn't a man already…”

“All people in Japan are stylish desu. In Norse Mythology, being ostentatious felt like a sin. Though gods that were fashion-crazy like Freia-sama also exist desu.”

Lotte said so while sipping the miso soup. On top of the antique-style wooden table, two kinds of breakfast in Japanese and Western style were arranged. Of course the one who made all of it was Kazuki and Mio.

In addition to Lotte, with Leme there were seven people in the Witch’s Manor. Each of them had their own preference in food.

“Even though there seems to be that kind of Diva, I feel that Leme is someone who prefers practicality more than aesthetic.”

When Kazuki said that, Leme nodded saying “Unyuu” while chewing nattou in her mouth.

When Kazuki tried to wipe up Leme’s mouth from the side, Leme grew restive and struggled while saying “Sto-op”.

“Mio-chan is stylish, and your trademark twintails are cute too. That kind of style doesn’t suit me so I’m jealous.”

Kaguya-senpai who sat beside Mio lightly tugged her twintails repeatedly.

“I-I-I-I looked a little childish like this, that’s what I think tho-tho-tho-though.”

To the right, to the left, having her twintails pulled to the left and right alternately like operating a handle, Mio’s face and voice shook (kakukaku) around.

“…I-i-i-if I did my hair in the same style like when we were in the orphanage, I thought that when I reunited with Kazu-nii he would immediately notice me-me-me-me…”

“That, sorry I didn’t notice it.”

“It’s fine already. So, which kind of me does Kazuki prefer!?”

After shaking off Kaguya-senpai who fooled around cheerfully, Mio once again leaned her body forward to him.

“Errr, in short this is about which one is good between [cute group] and [cool group], right?”

Mio was a really girlish girl, but when she fights proudly and awe-inspiringly she also looked very much like a woman. Both [cute] and [cool], suited this girl.

“I think either of the two suits you.”

“What’s with that~, that crude reply.” Mio pouted her finely shaped lips.

“I thought that both sides of you looked good when I try to picture it in my mind. Because Mio has both cuteness and coolness in you.”

“I, is that so? As I thought, it’s like that? Ehehe.”

“But why are you suddenly asking that?”

Toward Mio who showed a bashful expression in great delight, Kazuki stopped his chopsticks and asked, Mio suddenly stood up from the dining table. Then she abruptly grabbed Kazuki by the scruff of the neck and pulled him up to stand.

“Come with me a little.”

“What’s with you so suddenly, we're still in the middle of a meal! Wait a little, I’m just starting to eat the grilled fish after all the difficulties I had in thoroughly removing the bones from it, you know!?”

“Otouto-kun, thank you for removing all the bones! I will eat it with deep gratitude inside! Wow, even the Japanese cuisine is very delicious~, that’s what I think.”

“Please stop Kaguya-senpai-! My grilled fish-!!”

“…Escort.”

Mio led Kazuki into the corridor and said that one word.

“Eh?” When Kazuki blinked, Mio suddenly opened the chest part of the maid uniform. His sight was absorbed into it against his better judgment but, a ruby silver necklace was shining at the girl’s shaking breast. The shining combination of gold and crimson was the girl’s trademark.

“Kazuki also has one of the pair, right? Are you wearing it?”

“Aah, it’s not visible in the uniform but I’m always wearing it.”

“When I gave that to you as a present, Kazuki, I said that as thanks for that you will give me a [princess escort] again!”

Kazuki finally recalled it in a flash. What she called princess escort was Mio’s alias for date.

“Aah! When we were going to date before, as the excuse for the next one…”

“It’s not a date! It’s because Kazuki said that he wanted to thank me no matter what, that’s why!”

Mio made a ruckus in embarrassment at this late hour while denying the word date.

“Tomorrow! The Sunday tomorrow! Wait in front of the station at noon!”

Mio thrust her index finger sharply at Kazuki.

Then without waiting for the reply, she returned to the dining room with her twintails trailing her.

“How one sided, though I don’t mind at all. …Somehow, it’s a really peaceful talk,”

A Saturday morning where there was nothing urgent.

If he had to say what worried him, it was something at the level of wondering whether the grilled fish was still there.

Speaking of the matter from before…The various regulations of the [Chief Student Council Election] would be decided in the staff meeting this weekend, it looked like it would be announced to the students at the beginning of the next week.

Because Kazuki had been chosen as one of the candidates too, next week he would start activities for the election.

The day where he could enjoy the peaceful days was only until the end of this week.

…Towards that end, he could have a pleasurable schedule.

Part 2

Mio chose their meeting place to be at the front of the station. Not to mention everyone in the Witch’s Manor, this was so anyone in the academy also wouldn’t see them going out on a date.

Kazuki had confirmed that Mio was still preparing this and that when he came out from the manor, so the result was that he would have to wait for a while.

Suddenly, someone covered his eyes from behind while talking in a mischievous voice.

“Guess~ who♥”

It was not Mio’s voice. A voice that was forcefully high-pitched, a made-up voice like it was mimicking an anime character in an extremely clumsy effort, it made him unable to guess at all the owner of the voice.

“…Someone who would do something like this, Kaguya-senpai?”

Considering all that, there was no soft sensation at all hitting his back though.

Then might this be Hoshikaze-senpai that noticed the date and came to play a prank?

While he was hesitating, the palms that blocked his eyes opened to the left and right suddenly.

When Kazuki turned back to confirm the other party, there was Beatrix behind him.

Wearing the Einherjar’s black knight uniform on her body, Beatrix was standing there.

A cold sweat droopingly ran through his back.

It felt like there was a thick darkened wall of steel towering right in front of his eyes.

“Did you think it was a cute girl? How unfortunate! It’s Beatrix-chan!!”

Beatrix puffed her chest proudly as if to say ‘how do you like that?’.

“U…UOWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!?”

Kazuki screamed out loud while stepping back and put his hand on the katana at his hips.

Why did he bring a katana despite this being a date, that was because in the middle of the date with Mio before he had an experience of being attacked by a [Stigmata Hunter]. For knights, and conforming to that, the knight candidates were permitted to possess swords freely.

“Fufufu, what are you panicking for? I’m not especially here to fight with you, you know?”

While Beatrix laughed with a broad grin, she chided Kazuki who was taking a battle stance.

“Also I’m quite happy that you showed me how you lost your cool befitting with your age. You get like that just from noticing me and my greeting. Though I should say, how unfortunate, I became completely unable to fight Kazuki anymore.”

“…What did you say?”

Finally Kazuki separated his hand from the handle of his katana. However, in front of his rival who he had fought a bitter fight three times already, he couldn’t shake the nervousness that burdened the bottom of his stomach.

“This country's suddenly changing its policy. Hayashizaki Kazuki should be in protective custody, or Charlotte Liebenfrau should be taken into humane consideration, things like that. To change their policy so suddenly like this, I don’t know anymore for what reason we came to this country.”

Beatrix complained mixed with a deep sigh and an astonished expression.

The government’s sudden change in its policy was probably because of Headmaster Otonashi’s research that had veered off course from the path of humans came to light, resulting in many of the politicians that were related with that to lose their standing.

The large faction of politicians that were favoring the Magica Stigma had completely become powerless.

“But the period of cooperation between the Einherjar and the Knight Order of Japan that is being done in the surface is still going to continue for a while. On the surface, the reason is that Loki still hasn’t been captured, we cannot break off the promise of cooperation this late in the game. That’s why there also might be some occasions where Kazuki is going to cooperate with us when you challenge a quest. Fufufu, this time there might come an occasion when you and I join hands together to defeat Loki, don’t you think?”

“…You’re really going to withdraw your hand from Lotte that easily?”

“My own country of Germany is lodging a protest to the government of Japan, but I don’t know myself what will happen.”

If she said that she wouldn’t do anything to Lotte…then there was no reason anymore to be antagonistic to Beatrix. She was an opponent that he had fought a few times, but from the beginning he didn’t have a definite relation of hostility with her.

However even so, he couldn’t even begin to imagine doing something like joining hands together with this person.

“Now I’m just cooperating in patrolling together with Japan’s Knight Order. For some reason with the lack of personnel, there is no one to go around the area of this academy’s surroundings. And then I happened upon Kazuki, like this…I’m playing a prank peacefully that was different until now. Wasn’t it amusing?”

“It’s so amusing that I though my heart was going to stop.”

“Fuffuffu. …But you were really careless huh? The man that is going to become this country’s King is just going to loiter around in town without even bringing any guard. If the one from before was not [Guess~ who?] but [Thor – Lightning Double Finger Attack] then your life would be gone.”

“If you approached with killing intent then I will notice it. No wait, what kind of technique did you say just now?”

The cheeks of Beatrix that talked jokingly with a good mood was faintly showing red, he could see that she was purely having fun in her exchanges with him.

However to even say something like King…at most he was just a lone high school student, something like guards for him was too much.

“Well, if it’s a swordsman at the level of Kazuki can you do something like that? I had heard a legend before that the swordsmen of the orient could somehow sense an attack immediately even if they are asleep and counter-attack.”

“That’s not a legend…well, it’s an area of a master that had brought their Iaijutsu to the extreme though.”

In the past it might be a state that was nothing more than a legend, but now it was not something impossible. Because in this era there was the magic technique <Trance> that was able to control the subconscious mind.

At that time, panicked sounds of footsteps could be heard coming from the direction of the academy.

“Kazuki-! Sorry to make you wai…teEEAAAAAAAAAHH~? Be, Beatrix!?”

Mio who came dashing here, as expected she too was screaming.

“So you are waiting for a woman alone huh, I’m jealous. Today you are wearing casual clothes that looked quite mature aren't you, magician of the fire bird. It’s cuteniedlich even looking from me who is a woman..”

“I got commented on by a weird guy from the very beginning even though I’m dressing up for Kazuki!?”

GA―N! Mio received a big shock. Then Beatrix turned back abruptly toward Kazuki.

“Kazuki. The you right now looks completely like a normal boy don't you? I’m feeling attracted even when this is the case but…let me give you one piece of advice.”

Suddenly the smile was gone completely from Beatrix’s face and she turned completely serious.

“You had already lost your [usual ordinary days] and the like. If added with your strength, one or two countries aiming for your life will surely appear. Germany is a moderate country so that’s why that kind of dangerous direction still hasn’t come yet. Though it’s unfortunate for me.”

“…Thank you for the warning.” Kazuki finally replied with a tone of cynicism.

Other countries…did that kind of matter really exist?

Right now a country that had normal diplomatic relations with Japan didn’t exist anywhere in the world. Kazuki too was raised until now without even imagining what was out there beyond the sea. For other countries to aim at his life was a story that really exceeded his imagination.

“You're welcome. After all, I will be troubled if you got killed by someone other than me. Fufufu, actually the truth is, since I crossed swords with you, I keep thinking about you even when I'm asleep or awake.”

Beatrix suddenly said something strange, her sharp eyes looked like they were in a world of her own.

“Although just talking with you is interesting, but facing you like this, I can’t stand it, I want to immediately pull out my sword and come swinging at you. Completely like an animal that cannot stay calm in its mating season. I want to kill you, even right now I want to cut your neck and make it my distinguished achievement.”

…Kazuki and Mio were becoming speechless together.

“Looks like somehow I've grown to like you! I am in love with you!”

Leaving behind the two that were drawing away because of her speech, Beatrix put even more heat into her voice and yelled.

“That’s why someday again without fail…let’s try to kill each other once more! Farewell!!”

After declaring that one-sidedly, Beatrix turned her back.

That back was going far away with leisurely steps, but maybe because she felt embarrassed with her own actions gradually, she abruptly changed into a fierce dash and was gone from their sight in a flash.

“Kazuki, to be confessed by another girl while I’m not here, you’re heartless!”

“…No, that kind of approach also makes me troubled, such a thrill-seeking confession.”

“There is that, isn’t it?”

After putting his feelings in order, Kazuki turned back to Mio.

Mio was dressing her slender body stylishly with a dungaree shirt that had a dry texture.

Her hairstyle was also not the twintails but a ponytail, changing the impression of her altogether in a big way.

“You are dressing yourself in the cool group huh. But on the contrary, the childish part of Mio is emphasized.”

She wore a miniskirt softly below the shirt and carrying a girlish bag in her hand, so there was no boyish impression on her. She had probably calculated everything to take that kind of balance.

“Really!? Ehehe, just as planned.”

Mio came flying at Kazuki’s arm excitedly. Her breast that was protruding from the shirt changed its shape (muni-) when it pressed into Kazuki’s arm. The inside of his head that had been poisoned by Beatrix brightened like a blooming flower.

Escorting is something like this right, while trying to remember, Kazuki embraced Mio’s slender hips tightly. Mio leaned coquettishly against Kazuki’s neck. A sweet smell was floating around.

“Well then, what kind of date shall we have? Where to?”

“I said, this isn't a date! First is eating lunch, after that a place to play with the both of us is fine! Not something like a movie theater, something like sports center or game center where we can compete. Otherwise something like in a park where we can chat for a long time-!”

Part 3

The two went to the sports center, first they were playing sports like tennis, bowling and ping-pong from start to finish in succession. Kazuki had an edge in movement reflexes, but Mio was quite familiar with the games in general excepting the kenjutsu.

It became quite an even contest, making both of them mutually frustrated and fired up.

Next they went to a race-swimsuit rental and decided that they would determine the conclusion at the indoor pool.

However while they were swimming, the contest became vague, when they noticed they had ran to the water and played around.

“Even though this is a sports facility, why is there a water slide here?”

“It’s really full to the brim with the mood of playing around isn’t it, this uselessly extravagant equipment.”

Once in the period of chaos when magic was born into this world, right after that Tokyo was destroyed at the hands of illegal magicians.

And then for the sake of the revival of the empty space, the land was used extravagantly and large scale public facilities were increased. This sports center was also one of the products of that revival effort.

The Knight Academy that Kazuki attended too, it was constructed on top of a vast plot of land with similar beginnings.

When both of them climbed the water slide with height reaching several tens of meters, Mio got near Kazuki and hugged his arm tightly. “But, it’s scary here.” She said that but she laughed with a face that had no fear at all.

Both of them plunged into the pipe course with the posture of hugging each other, then they were sliding down sharply.

Meandering left and right, and then at the end they were thrown out to the pool (BASHAN!) and the crash sprayed water everywhere grandly.

Even so Mio didn’t release her hug to Kazuki and made it hard for Kazuki to stand up.

“This makes it hard to move you know, move a little.”

“But, after clinging once like this, it made me reluctant to separate you know?”

“What’s with that…. I mean you're going to cling all over the man with that kind of posture!”

Kazuki had only just become aware of the girl’s swimsuit this late in the game. Because of the red high-leg race-swimsuit that displayed the finely-shaped legs, the feel of the thin texture that clung snugly to her skin was bewitching.

“Hehehe-, Kazu-nii’s face is turning red!”

It seems her switch that made her want to flirt was turned on, Mio entwined both of her arms around Kazuki’s neck, she even entangled both of her legs inside the water closely to Kazuki’s lower body. She glued on to him using her entire body.

“Even your face is turning red too! Your face looks like it had been baked in a microwave oven!”

Kazuki also made his opposition and hugged Mio back. Mio’s breasts were smashed (munyun) against Kazuki’s chest.

Mio was “goronya~” making a sweet voice, a large heart mark came flying to him.

His body felt hot from both Mio’s cuteness and also his embarrassment, the cold water of the pool felt good against the heat.

―The various fun they enjoyed made the time pass in the blink of an eye. Being together with a girl like Mio made it hard to spend the time in boredom, Kazuki thought.

By the time they walked home, the outside had become completely dark.

When magic was born into this world, the number of big companies went down due to the alchemists, the workshops could make their presence felt. The workshops everywhere were managed by private management so the time they closed their shops were early, the street was turning dark before they could even say ‘ah’.

[The age of magic reinstated the power of the night], such things could be said as well.

Because the sports center Kazuki and Mio were at was an establishment that opened until relatively late, when they came outside after playing their hearts out thoroughly, the street had began to fall asleep.

Japan’s electricity was generated by Alchimedes System in the artificial island at the southern tip territory, over there the <Etherlight Rechargeable Battery> was recharged and then providing the distribution and substitution of the battery to every household and facility. Due to that, the scenery of electric poles and electric cables had disappeared from the street.

The night sky was boundlessly spreading without anything blocking it, the light of the stars were silently shining.

Kazuki and Mio were walking in that kind of street tonight.

When they walked like this to return home on the previous date, there was that incident when they were attacked by the Stigmata Hunter wasn’t it….

―You should have already lost your usual ordinary days.

For some reason Beatrix’s words were coming to mind.

“…Kazuki, is something wrong?”

Towards Kazuki who unconsciously tightened his expression, Mio inquired him anxiously.

“It’s nothing.” When Kazuki said that, as usual he did the [princess escort] and encircled his hand around Mio’s hips while walking. Entering strength into his arms, he tightened the embrace and made Mio glued onto him even closer.

“Hey. Kazuki, the truth is that you don’t actually like me at all―there is no way you actually feel something like that right?”

“What in the world are you saying? There is no reason something like that is going on, don’t you agree?”

“Th, that’s right isn’t it?”

Mio was looking down, her walking feet were suddenly stopping. Kazuki too matched her and stopped.

“But Kazuki is surrounded by various girls see, from now on in the future too for a long time always like today, where I can monopolize Kazuki like a lover, I won’t be able to do things like that, won’t I?”

That was not a word of idea that she thought just now, there was no doubt that what she spoke out was a thought that she continued to harbor inside her chest for a long time.

With a serious expression, Kazuki turned to look face-to-face with Mio.

“Kazuki must get even stronger, also if Lotte is not with Kazuki then her life will be in danger…with everyone else it’s like that too. Before I knew it, everyone cannot be separated from Kazuki anymore. Kazuki acted believing that it was the right thing to do, from there your relationship with us, with everyone, became like that.”

Mio talked with a dejected voice, like the girl that was having fun throughout this whole day was just a lie.

That expression made Kazuki’s heart hurt.

“But that is fine with me! I, I don’t particularly hate it! But occasionally I want a time with just the two of us alone. And then I want to flirt around like a lover with Kazuki. Because when I’m not with Kazuki I get anxious whether you really like me properly…. Did Kazuki care about me just because you wanted Phoenix’s magic so it can’t be helped, sometimes thoughts like that just came and it made me want to cry…”

Tears started floating in Mio’s eyes.

“That kind of thing is not true! Today I had a lot of fun, there is no way I only aimed for your magic!”

“Then, kiss me. The whole time today, even though I keep wanting to do that but you never did it…”

Mio pressed her body even tighter to Kazuki and looked upward with blurred eyes.

Offering her all completely to Kazuki, that kind of pure eyes were looking at him.

…It’s only me that understands everyone’s positivity level, yet everyone doesn’t know my feelings.

Kazuki once again realized the unfair relationship that he had with everyone.

I must express my feelings even more, with my mouth, with my actions.

Kazuki hugged Mio tightly with a lot of strength. Inside Kazuki’s chest, Mio twitched in nervousness.

On Mio’s lovely lips that would make even a flower feel shame, Kazuki pressed his own lips.

Mio too immediately pushed back to his lips strongly. So that their lips could touch each other even more sweetly, both of them changed the angle of their faces many times and keep kissing each other. The lips that were in contact with each other made ‘chuu chuu’ sounds.

In truth, he had wanted to do this since they were embracing in the pool.

A large heart mark came flying, the positivity level had reached the number of 145.

“Nnn…” Because Mio leaked out a painful voice, Kazuki separated their lips.

“Puhaa! …My, my breath was…I’m happy but, my breath…!”

Mio was gasping for breath with teary eyes from excitement and suffocation.

“No, it’s fine if you breathe through the nose isn’t it?”

“But! Breathing through the nose on Kazuki’s face is too embarrassing!”

“No, I was breathing normally through the nose though,”

“Not fair-! One more time!”

With a bewitching red face, this time Mio was the one that started the kiss.

Bird kiss―like pecking each other, they repeatedly ‘chuu chuu’ touching each other's lips who knew how many times.

“N, lhove, I lhove you sho mhuch…” from the gap between the lips, Mio leaked a whispering voice.

Hearing those whispers, under the vast night sky, it felt like the world had become a place for only the two of them. From the kiss that they repeated so many times, their insides had became vaguely heated, he became unable to think of anything other than Mio. Mio too surely without a doubt was in a similar condition with him. At the point of contact where the hot breaths and soft lips smashed against each other, Kazuki’s heart was melting together with Mio. Both of them became one, ascertaining their mutual feelings against each other―

―Right there Kazuki felt a [killing intent].

Kazuki was a human who was able to notice such a thing.

Inside his deep subconscious, he sensed hostility-filled magic power with his Extra Sense, Kazuki threw off the lingering affection of the kiss to the winds and separated their lips.

“Eh…over already..?” Mio was bewildered from the abrupt end. “More…”

Kazuki carried Mio who was like that in a princess-carry, he quickly dodged his body from the magic power that came approaching.

Something passed through the place where Kazuki and Mio were located before with terrific speed.

“It was avoided…had you sensed me!?”

A voice of an unknown enemy. What passed through was not a magic, but the owner of the voice itself.

This someone killed all the traces of their presence, and like a comet it approached to deal a direct attack.

Kazuki let Mio down after taking some distance and then he faced that opponent.

“Who are you…?”

Kazuki put vigilance into his voice and asked.

Surely a [shadow] was standing right over there. They were clad in black from head to toe complete with a black veil on his face. He hid his face but, from the slender body build it looked like the person was probably a girl. From her impression if he had to express it in one word―an assassin.

“My presence should have been already erased and my magic power was at the minimum already…how could you notice me?”

While facing Kazuki’s direction, the assassin’s whole body was moving languidly without power. That body wasn’t strained at all, a really natural body stance. …Is it a similar old style martial arts like the Hayashizaki-style, Kazuki wondered.

Old style martial arts that prized a languid stance and breathing in their school were many.

“Kazuki, so you were not concentrating at the kiss with me then!? Then after this one more time!!”

Mio lost her temper. How thoughtless were you?

“So you planned to hide your magic power huh? It’s no use, you got found out after all.”

Kazuki talked provocatively with a tone that was out of character for him. There was no information at all about his opponent. At least if he could shake the opponent’s heart, he thought.

The shoulder of the assassin shook with a start, like her pride was completely provoked.

The next moment, that figure shook and vanished like a heat haze.

The black shadow became a hurricane gust and approached Kazuki.

Kazuki tried to grasp that movement―she concentrated her Enchant Aura at only the soles of her feet and created an acceleration with the minimum magic power. Evidently it was the movement of an assassin.

Without any preliminary motion, also with little emission of magic power, it was hard to Foresight.

However that was the story if the one that stood here was just a run-of-the-mill person. Kazuki, who had shown that he could even handle Beatrix’s fierce attack evaded the opponent’s charge like a matador. The assassin’s hand cut the empty space where Kazuki’s body was positioned before.

The wind pressure flapped Kazuki’s clothes with a thud. A punch…no, a palm strike?

Was this person unable to use Summoning Magic?

Or else she was cautious her contracted Diva would be revealed so she didn’t use it?

However to attack bare handed rather than using a sword with higher power, was there any meaning to it?

However this assassin assaulted him with the intention of a surprise attack, then she revealed an agitation when it was dodged.

In other words, [everything is going to be over with that one attack], she had such an aim of certain death.

What kind of attack could make that happen? ―Kazuki harbored both vigilance and curiosity at the same time.

Even if he drove her away normally, he wouldn’t get any information. …Then, should he test it once, letting himself get hit with that attack?

Kazuki turned his head behind to glance at Mio. Mio had already took some distance from Kazuki, her clothes had already transformed into her Magic Dress. If his partner was Mio, it might be okay even if he did something a little unreasonable.

His decision only took a few seconds. When he thought of it calmly, as expected it might be an unreasonable decision. However Kazuki instinctively chose the risk.

Kazuki drew his sword with an inviting manner and slashed it.

A sweeping sideways slash. The assassin sank her body with a jerk and slip through it.

And then the assassin stepped ahead quickly and slipped toward Kazuki’s bosom. A super close-quarters combat range!

Kazuki ventured to receive the opponent into his own bosom, he didn’t even try to dodge, instead he poured all his concentration to observe the opponent’s attack.

To draw near until this close, even if she swung her fist it wouldn’t exhibit a decent power. What in the world was this person going to do coming in at this range?

―What was unleashed, was a palm strike. With a slap, the assassin’s palm hit Kazuki’s chest. There was no impact. The assassin’s palm was just coming into contact lightly with the surface of Kazuki’s defensive magic power.

At that instant, a curious magic power was emitted from the assassin’s palm.

That magic power which possessed a curious wavelength repulsed Kazuki’s defensive magic power. With the assassin’s palm as the center, a ripple was spreading out energetically, Kazuki’s defensive magic power was expanding thinly.

…The defensive’s magic power was nullified!?

But how could it be done with an attack at this range….

―Almost at the same time, the assassin’s one leg where she put her center of gravity stepped (DON!) the ground strongly.

The recoil impact that was created from that action was, just like absorbing the energy from the earth itself, absorbed into the assassin’s body.

The assassin’s whole body was operating in succession as if not to let the produced impact escape. The energy earned from stepping the ground was passing through the knee into the hips, the hips were rotating in a circle making the energy tinged with a spiraling property while passing through the spine into the shoulder, the shoulder was twisted in a circle making the spiraling force accelerate even further while moving to the arm―

As if the whole body was depicting a spiral and turned into a screw.

Seeing that characteristic movement, Kazuki was being reminded of one thing―浸透勁Shintoukei.

With the absence of diplomatic relations with foreign countries, the user of this foreign technique also had become very rare, this technique was also called 発勁Hakkei. This kenpo technique circulates the <Ki of Yin and Yang> through the body and amplified it through the use of unique breathing, that Ki-filled blow was transmitted through the spiraling movement when attacking, making the target self-destruct from the inside.

That technique converted the ground stepping power into destructive power.

When compared with a normal impact, the spiraling movement brought about ten times the piercing power mechanically.

Therefore, for the person who had already mastered this principle, range was not needed. The spiral penetrated the muscle and destroyed the internal organs, consequently it was one hit certain death. Just from touching, the opponent was murdered from the inside, a hakkei of certain death, that was called Shintoukei.

This person’s technique is…Chinese Kenpo! So that means this person is, China’s….

The moment he reached this conclusion, the defensive magic was nullified and that special move was driven (DON!) into Kazuki’s chest. What was hit was not the chest, but the sternum. No, passing through even the sternum, toward the heart….

What depicted the spiral was not only the body’s movement, but the magic power’s aura too. It was as if a large truck was plunging into the inside of his body completely, like his heart was splattered.

This might be bad…Kazuki thought momentarily. This was not a dimension where he could say that this was just a little test.

His thoughts were blacking out.

That one blow halted Kazuki’s heart.

―However Kazuki immediately woke up. When he woke up, Kazuki was lying down on the road with his head sleeping on Mio’s lap. The assassin was not there anymore.

The moon in the sky hadn’t changed for even a little, the time hadn’t progressed much.

“Kazuki!? You awake!?”

“…You used Life Circulation FireAnti-Aging didn't you, thank you.”

Kazuki released a breath in relief towards Mio’s actions that were according to his expectations.

Mio, who was contracted with Phoenix, was a user of <Healing Magic> that was rare even among Summoning Magic.

The human race at this time, as long as they didn’t use up their magic power, the case where they bore a wound in their flesh was mostly none. Because of that, the chances where healing magic could serve its purpose rarely appeared, it became an unusual rare magic to that extent.

From how the assassin came challenging him in close-quarters combat with only the minimum magic power, Kazuki had seen through that the assassin owned some sort of method to pierce through defensive magic and destroy the body.

Because there was the same kind of technique in the Hayashizaki-style, that was not something to be surprised about.

Even if by some chance he had to bear direct damage to the flesh, he thought he would be healed anyway if there was Mio, so Kazuki purposely got hit by the enemy’s technique to obtain information about the enemy.

Though he had never even begun to imagine that he would be forced into [cardiac arrest].

…Kazuki was shivering in his back because of his own dangerous decision at this late hour.

Nevertheless since the opponent was bare-handed, the possibility that he would be wounded to the degree that it couldn’t be treated by [Anti-aging] was zero. Although he fell into cardiac arrest, it was just his heart that stopped functioning temporarily because of a strong impact. The degree of his injury could be said to be light.

Of course if his heart was halted for a while and the treatment was late, then the blood wouldn’t circulate to the brain and the brain cells would suffer necrosis, even with healing magic, if treatment became late then….

Although there was the possibility of side effects remaining because of brain damage….

As if to clear away his dread, Kazuki asked “What happened to that person?”

“[There is no worth in killing you] she escaped after leaving those words to me. That person appeared to be confident that Kazuki couldn’t be saved anymore, so after waiting until that person left I used [Anti-aging].”

Mio talked with a low tone of voice. That voice was as if she was concealing her own emotions.

…As I thought, the enemy seems to not expect that Mio was able to use healing magic.

The medical treatment for cardiac arrest was a fight against time, but with the benefit of defensive magic power, Japan’s emergency medical assistance system was conversely regressing. Even if they called an ambulance in this time of holiday, they wouldn’t make it in time.

Therefore the assassin judged that Kazuki was beyond saving and took flight to avoid a needless fight. Mio who waited for a moment before healing made the best decision. With that the enemy [wouldn’t know about Kazuki’s survival]. Kazuki recovered feeling in his body and stood up.

“Don’t tell me it’s just like what Beatrix said, an assassin really came here…. That assassin’s technique was Chinese kenpo. So that means, this attack was instigated by China?”

“Kazuki? Don’t tell me…you got hit by that on purpose? Even though it’s Kazuki you should've been able to dodge it, I was wondering how that could happen instead.”

“But that’s because I thought that Mio would save me.”

What happened just now was horrifying but, the gain was considerable because they could find out the enemy’s technique and origin.

“IDIOT!”

Mio slapped Kazuki’s cheek weakly with a snap. Kazuki was staring in puzzlement.

“Why did you do something so dangerous? That was your heart that got stopped, what if something happens!”

“No, I never even thought that my heart would get stopped but…to be able to know the enemy’s technique with just that is good, isn’t it? If I get hit by that technique when Mio isn't there, it'd be more serious compared to now.”

“That's no good! I was worried! I was really, really worried!”

Mio’s eyes were wet with tears.

“…Are you maybe thinking, that just like in the past, [It’s fine whatever happens to someone like me]? Just like when our friends at the orphanage were made fun of, you just challenged the opponent even though they were an older delinquent…”

“Certainly, that kind of thing had happened before but. …That was a story of a long time ago right?”

“No, even now I still remembered. If the kindness of Kazuki who gave maximum priority to other people was probably rooted from your own uncaring of what would happen to you, I have that kind of feeling…”

That might be so. Even though he always repeated to Koyuki not to disparage herself, but a similar emotion might be ingrained deeply inside him as well.

“But I’m an orphan after all…, no one needs me anyhow…stop that kind of thinking already! Because I like Kazu-nii very much! Because it made me sad if you are just ignoring my feelings like that! Because it’s not just me, surely everyone else also thinks so too!”

Mio’s words pierced through Kazuki’s chest, as if his own heart was gouged out.

…The feeling was not only a one-way street, so not only the life of his important person but he also had to treasure his own life.

“It was my bad. That was too rash of me. …Thank you, Mio.”

Kazuki hugged Mio who was crying her heart out tightly. He felt that irreplaceable warmth from her.

{It was just like what Amasaki Mio said. You are the King, so Leme’ll be troubled if you treat your own life so lightly.}

Leme too conveyed her scolding through the Astrum into Kazuki’s mind.

“Gusu-. Kazu-nii, kiss me to remove this bad taste.”

“What are you saying, removing a bad taste?”

Part 4

At around that same time, an emergency staff meeting was conducted at the conference room of the Knight Academy.

The main objective of this meeting was to decide the various regulations of the [Chief Student Council President Election], but during this weekend there had been three incidents already where students were attacked by a suspicious person inside the school grounds. The talk about how to deal with these incidents took almost all of meeting's time.

The assaulted students were safe, but the suspicious person wore a veil and his figure was not caught by the security cameras. The penetration route also couldn’t be deduced. All of it happened in the blind spot of the security cameras.

For the time being they considered to add more security cameras, called for caution toward the students, and then a human support in outline―that means increasing the patrolling, nothing else could be done other than drawing such simple measures.

From thereon they finally began the centerpiece topic of discussion.

“I think an election decided by all the students of the Magic Division and the Sword Division is fine.”

The new Headmaster Amasaki proclaimed with a strong tone that didn’t allow any objection.

Headmaster Amasaki was thinking that the man his step-daughter fell in love with at first sight was suitable as the Chief Student Council President. For that, he was scheming to decide election rules that were advantageous for him.

Now that former headmaster Otonashi had lost his standing, there was no one left that would go against him. That was supposed to be the case at least.

However “I have an objection”, that man raised an objection.

―There was a [new Board Chairman] that was dispatched by the government.

His name was Takasugi Takayoshi, a thin man wearing glasses that seemed to be high strung.

“Until now there was no common ground between the Magic Division and the Sword Division, don’t you agree? The Magic Division doesn’t know about the Sword Division’s students. The Sword Division doesn’t know about the Magic Division’s students. Even if an election is to be held with that situation, I wonder if it wouldn’t be unproductive.”

He was an extremely common middle-aged man when seen at a glance, but a strong core could be felt from his tone.

“I don’t think it can be said as unproductive. For example, there is the student called Hayashizaki Kazuki that has popularity in both the Magic Division and the Sword Division. That kind of student also exists. If a student like him is chosen to be the Chief Student Council President, I think it would be suitable for the new Knight Academy.”

Liz Liza Westwood-sensei, who couldn’t be seen as anything but a child at first glance objected without a moment’s delay.

For the sake of appointing Hayashizaki Kazuki as the Chief Student Council President, Liz Liza was colluding with Headmaster Amasaki.

“He has popularity in both the Magic Division and the Sword Division due to his special background of enrolling at the Magic Division despite being a swordsman, right? I wonder if the rule is not too blatantly advantageous for a student like him. As a matter of fact, it’s something like the teachers are appointing the student council one sidedly.”

That was a really surprising sound argument that even made Liz Liza silent.

In the first place, the board chairman was a position for the sake of monitoring the headmaster. But Headmaster Amasaki was thinking something like, ‘there is no way that they would appoint someone that would go against the current me right from the front, that was not supposed to happen’, and the like and made light of his opposition.

A guy like this that ignored the faction with strong connections and cast a sound argument was beyond his expectation….

Who is this guy? What kind of backing does he have that he could be appointed to come into this academy…

In the previous discussion about the serial assaults, he didn’t make any proposals at all…

Board Chairman Takasugi made an intellectual gesture by pushing up the silver frame of his glasses.

“Certainly, Hayashizaki Kazuki might be a suitable person as the Chief Student Council President. From the story I had heard, he is one of the most prominent candidates. However there might be other students that are more qualified. I think a method like a unification election wouldn’t be able to find that undiscovered possibility.”

“Then what should we do? Say it clearly, clearly.”

Toward the skinny man who made the sound argument, Headmaster Amasaki grilled him with a question that revealed his irritation.

“The abilities that are demanded from someone who will stand on top of the knights, it goes without saying that the first is fighting strength, and next is his ability as the one to command his comrades depending on the battle's progression. For the sake of testing those abilities…how about performing a tournament battle with teams formed from a mix of the Sword Division and the Magic Division…by means of [Team Election], the students will decide the Chief Student Council President, is this idea fine?”

Board Chairman Takasugi stood up and wrote out <Battle Election> in large words at the whiteboard.

All the teachers made a commotion.

Translator's Notes and References

Back to Illustrations

Return to Main Page

Forward to Chapter 2