Chapter 12: Chuunibyou gets worse if left untreated

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Translator: Soafp

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The day of the Magic Tournament.

[All right, it's finally here!! The long-awaited Magic Tournament!! Your commentators today are me, the broadcasting committee's Madonna, second-year Flude Kainsetts, and first-year Gal Galwolf!!]

[Uh, senpai. I only joined the broadcasting committee on the condition that I wouldn't have to do anything…]

[Details, details!! The preliminary battle royale is starting right away!! Watch those high-ranking nobles who usually act all high and mighty fight as filthy as pigs!!]

[It's exactly because you do broadcasts like that that nobody new joins the committee!?]

[Commentating on the internal problems of the broadcasting committee—how promising of you!!]

…Gal joined the broadcasting committee.

It's not even mandatory to join any committee, so he probably got pushed into it and just accepted.

“Fran! New patients!!”

“Put the seriously injured over there!! Throw the lightly injured anywhere on the ground!!”

“Yes!! Ah—another one!!”

As soon as the prelim battle royale started in the academy stadium, more and more injured students were carried in.

I underestimated the Magic Tournament a bit.

I thought it was just a kind of sports event to measure student ability, but in reality, it was practically a kill-or-be-killed event.

Way too dangerous for noble sons and daughters.

But then again, nobles are the ones who go to the front lines first when war breaks out to protect their territory and country.

It's even said that the Magic Academy exists to increase nobles' chances of survival on the battlefield.

Thinking about it that way… this life-risking Magic Tournament might actually be reasonable.

“Or maybe it's also for entertainment?”

When I looked at the spectator seats, students who weren't participating were cheering, and even famous nobles, big merchants, and commoners were watching with excitement.

Ah, there's someone who looks like the king too.

In a world with no TV, no smartphones, no manga, real battles like this must be major entertainment.

Like the Roman Colosseum.

“Ask!! Don't just stare at the fights—carry patients!!”

“Okaaay.”

I carried several students and laid them on beds in the medical tent.

Anyone with a life-threatening injury, I secretly healed while making sure no one saw.

Everyone in the health committee can use healing magic, but only a few can instantly heal serious wounds.

At first I also healed people with minor injuries in secret, but then the health committee yelled at the healed kids, screaming, “Why are you coming to the medical tent if you aren't injured!?” It was too pitiful, so I stopped midway.

Honestly, I'd love to rush into the arena right now and heal every injured person, but if I did that the prelims would drag on even longer and more people would get hurt.

“…So frustrating.”

The smell of blood really makes me want to cast Heal.

Maybe I should raid the spectator seats instead and check if anyone there is injured or sick.

“I heard Fran's little brother is a delinquent who skips class all the time… but he doesn't seem like that at all.”

“He's seriously helping with the injured right now too. Maybe he's kind like his sister?”

“But he doesn't have any talent for healing magic, right?”

“Idiot!! That's why he looks so melancholic!! He must be suffering because he can't heal anyone!!”

“I-I see…! Then let's heal people for Fran's brother's sake too!!”

Hm? Did that health committee guy just call Nee-san kind?

She is not kind.

“Ugh, I shouldn't have shown off and entered the Magic Tournament with no skill… It hurts…”

“It's okay, I'll heal you right away. Please relax.”

“Ah… an angel…”

“I know.”

She certainly smiles like an angel when dealing with someone who's mentally weakened…

“Please marry me!!”

“Can you shut your mouth? I'd rather marry a maggot.”

The moment she finished healing his injuries, she delivered that with a gentle smile.

How is that kind at all?

Maybe I should cast healing magic on the health committee guys' eyes so they see reality.

“Ah!! I thought she was an angel, but then she insults me like a demon!! I might get addicted!!”

“If you're healed, get lost already.”

She grabbed the boy by the collar and threw him out of the medical tent.

“Whew, the prelims are over, so that's one stage done.”

“The main tournament is a bracket, right?”

“Yes. From here on, only a few of us from the health committee rotate. You can go now.”

“Yaaay.”

Gal was supposed to watch the matches with me, but he's stuck commentating.

Nothing else to do… maybe I'll go do some random healing among the spectators.

Just when I started heading that way…

“There are already people stationed around the area. All that's left is to use this magic tool prepared by ‘Greed' to deploy the barrier and weaken everyone inside so we can abduct them.”

“And if we give the abducted ones the Sacrifice Drug and offer them to the ‘White God,' the curse dwelling in us will lessen… correct?”

“Be careful. ‘Greed' and ‘Jealousy' are watching this time. If we fail in front of them, we'll be killed long before the curse does.”

“Don't worry. Our plan is perfect.”

“…For some reason, hearing you say that makes me uneasy.”

A group in white robes was whispering under the stairs.

The same chuunibyou group that had the guts and combat strength to kidnap Victoria when she snuck out of the castle!!

Now they're using words like “Greed” and “Jealousy” like the Seven Deadly Sins…

They're getting worse!!

Damn it, and I still haven't developed a healing spell that can cure chuunibyou.

I have to stop them.

Even if I can't stop the disease from progressing, I can stop them before they carve new black marks into their lives.

“Stop right there.”

I put on my plague mask and black coat and stepped in front of them.

The white robes froze in shock.

“N-No-Face!?”

“How is he always one step ahead of us!? Do we have a traitor!?”

“Think later!! This time we kill No-Face!!”

They rushed at me with all sorts of weapons—swords, spears, axes, chained sickles—attacking from every angle.

But it was okay this time. I could follow their movements.

“Do not interfere with our atonement, No-Face!!”

Clang!!

The moment their weapons struck my body, sparks flew.

“““““Eh.”””””

They stared in confusion.

I'd been thinking nonstop about what I needed to heal them.

Whether raiding clinics, raiding the Adventurers Guild, or raiding the knights' barracks—every time, I thought.

Spirit magic and memory magic are essential, but not enough.

These people are so deep into chuunibyou that even trained knights and soldiers can't handle them.

To stop their wrongdoing, I need to be stronger than they are.

But I'm a novice who's never even held a sword—just someone who strengthened his body through physical modification.

So how do I get stronger?

“The answer's simple: I just modify my body even more.”

Every day I've been enhancing myself.

Increasing muscle and bone density, improving tendon elasticity and flexibility, reinforcing my blood vessels, even improving my digestive system so I poop perfectly every day.

The result: a superhuman body strong enough to deflect blades.

“Wh-What the!? His muscles are bulging everywhere—gross!?”

“D-Don't slow down!! Keep attacking!!”

“Ugh!! Our blades can't pierce him!! His muscle armor is in the way!!”

“Is he even human!?”

“Monster!!”

Monster is a little mean, you know?

My body may be tough, but my heart is delicate.

“Why aren't you counterattacking!?”

“…I don't yet have the means to heal you properly. So all I can do right now is stop you from committing crimes. Don't worry—I'll cast Extra Heal the moment I punch you, so you won't get hurt.”

“Kh…”

The leader raised a hand, and the white robes stopped.

“We retreat.”

“What!? But if we run, ‘Greed' and ‘Jealousy' will kill us!!”

“I'll try to convince them to spare you in exchange for my life. If it's ‘Wrath,' maybe… If that still doesn't work…”

“…?”

The leader glanced at me for a moment, then said nothing more and walked away.

I considered chasing them, but they vanished like mist—no way to follow.

They got away. Hm?

“What's this? A golden ball?”

Not that kind of ball.

A small metal sphere—like a pachinko ball—was left behind.

Must've been dropped by one of them.

…How much could this sell for?