Chapter 23: A crushing victory with no room for counterattack

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Translator: Soafp

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[Now then, it has begun!! An electrifying match against the exchange student from the Hero Academy of our neighboring nation, the Belhart Empire!! Your commentator today is me, the Madonna of the Broadcasting Committee, second-year student Flude Kainsetts, along with first-year Gal Galwolf!!]

“Senpai, I was still doing my homework though.”

“Shut it!! Burn that junk, turn it to ash, and sprinkle it on a field!!”

“Can I quit the Broadcasting Committee now?”

“Waaah!! I'm joking!! Please don't quit!! If you leave, the entire committee will crumble!!”

While glancing sideways at the noisy commentator booth, I looked down at the arena where the mock battle would take place.

The first one my eyes landed on was Christina.

She had a gentle smile befitting a princess, but her eyes definitely weren't smiling.

And the one standing opposite her was a bipedal lion.

He wore gauntlets with red gemstones embedded in both hands, and he looked seriously strong.

“Hey Nee-san, Nee-san, shouldn't Princess Christina not have to fight? Wouldn't it be bad if she got hurt?”

“That's why I'm here in case something happens. But seriously, why is no one from the Empire stopping this?”

Nee-san clicked her tongue while glaring at the exchange students from the Hero Academy sitting in the audience.

Wow, scary.

Perhaps hearing Nee-san's click, a pink-haired beautiful girl—Belchika—noticed us and approached.

“I'm really sorry. My classmates are causing trouble.”

“…You're Belchika, the representative of the exchange students, correct?”

Nee-san, who had heard about Belchika from me, acted cautious but pretended this was their first meeting.

“If you're sorry, then please stop that beastman right now.”

“Uh, that's actually something I can't do. You know the current Emperor of the Belhart Empire is focused on military expansion, right?”

“…So I've heard.”

Huh, I didn't know that.

“We were given direct orders by the Emperor. ‘Show the Kingdom the overwhelming difference in power.'”

“I see. So that's why he immediately picked a fight with the princess.”

“Y-yes. I really am sorry. I didn't think Raio-san would speak so rudely to Her Highness… If I judge that the princess is in danger, I'll intervene immediately, so please don't worry.”

“I'm not sure I can trust a total stranger with that.”

Wow, Nee-san is being really aggressive.

Oh, is she worried her rare friend might get hurt?

So even Nee-san has a little humanity—

“Ask. I can pretty much tell what you're thinking, you know?”

“Ow ow ow! Beautiful, merciful, flawless Onee-chan goddess, please stop trying to twist my neck!”

Once Nee-san let go after I desperately flattered her, Belchika giggled.

“Fufu, sorry. You two get along well.”

“Not really. Ask is just always clinging to me.”

“When did I ever cling to you?”

“Hmm? Did you say something?”

“Wow, I love you sooo much, Onee-chan~”

And then—

“Goddess Fran!! King Ask!!”

“Oh, Luu. What's wrong?”

Luu came running toward us.

But what caught my attention was the fact that she was giving Victoria a shoulder ride.

When did these two become friends?

“Luu made a friend!! Luu and Victoria are buddies!!”

“Mm. We're best friends. Sisters in spirit.”

They're getting along ridiculously well…

“Nice to meet you, Princess Victoria. My name is Belchika.”

“Mhm. Nice to meet you, Belchika. Do you want Luu to give you a shoulder ride too?”

“N-no, I'll pass. …By the way, is your name really Luu?”

“Yes!! I am Luu!! Nice to meet you!! Pink head!!”

“P-pink head? Ah… my hair color.”

Belchika looked a bit flustered at Luu's boundlessly energetic behavior.

Then she muttered quietly to herself:

“I knew it, just a coincidence… The wise ‘Devine child' would never act this stupid…”

Belchika.

You really shouldn't say stuff like that in a place where anyone could hear you.

Just then, the gong announcing the start of the match rang out.

“Now, let the killing begin!! Give us a fight that makes our blood boil and flesh dance!!”

“Senpai, it's not a killing match.”

The lion readied his fists, and Christina faced him head-on.

“Hey hey, Victoria. How strong is your sister?”

“Mm. Actually she's super strong. She never loses to anyone.”

“Wow really!! Then I'm not worried!!”

Wait, seriously?

Well, I did hear that royalty are taught magic more rigorously than anyone else…

“Princess Victoria, that might not be so certain.”

Belchika said with a fearless smile.

Maybe she felt competitive hearing Victoria say Christina could beat anyone.

“The students of the Hero Academy—the top ten among them—are called Hero Candidates and are granted special weapons that imitate the power of the holy sword.”

“Mm. The sacred weapons only the Empire can make?”

“Yes. Those who wield them can enter the Empire's Hero Division—oh, well, that part doesn't matter now. Raio-san is ranked sixth, but in pure hand-to-hand combat he's stronger than me. The sacred weapon boosts physical ability too. You never know how this will go.”

“Mhm. Someone relying on a tool could never beat Christina Nee-san.”

Belchika's brow twitched.

“…I see. Then, let's watch and see what—”

“Match over!! Princess Christina wins in a landslide!!”

Ah, looks like the match ended while we weren't paying attention.

The lion was lying on the ground, completely charred.

Christina brushed back her wind-blown hair with a refreshing smile.

“…Huh!? Wh—what just!?”

“Mm. Christina Nee-san blew up the whole area with the explosive lightning spell ‘Lightning Full-Explode.'”

“Nee-san, Nee-san, what's Lightning Full-Explode?”

“Let me think… It's a combination of the difficult lightning spell ‘Lightning' and the explosion spell ‘Explode.' When lightning runs, the whole area explodes. It's a large-scale anti-army spell.”

Wow. I don't get it fully, but sounds insanely strong.

“Mm. As expected, Christina Nee-san wins.”

“No chance for a counterattack!! Victoria's Nee-san wins easily!!”

“Mm. By the way, Belchika, you were saying something earlier?”

“…N-nothing at all.”

Belchika was trembling, teary-eyed.

Yeah… after bragging so confidently, that's gotta hurt.

Well, anyway—

“Nee-san, I'm gonna go poop.”

“You don't need to announce it. Hurry up.”

I slipped away from the group and headed toward the lion Christina had charred.

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“D-damn it… my mane got all frizzy…”

Raio Leonhart, exchange student from the Hero Academy and sixth-ranked Hero Candidate, trudged down the arena hallway.

His holy weapon gauntlets, which mimic the power of the holy sword, had already healed all his burns.

…His wounded pride, however, remained untouched.

“But a loss is a loss. I underestimated Princess Christina… I should apologize later—hm?”

There was a suspicious figure ahead in the hallway.

A person wearing a crow-like mask and a jet-black coat.

“You're… that freak, Heal Man, right? Why are you in the magic academy…?”

Raio recognized him.

He was a member of the infamous “Indiscriminate Healing Magicians— Nightingale,” the ones who slew a dragon.

Heal Man spoke to Raio:

“You got burned, didn't you?”

“Hm? Ah, well, yes, but I'm already healed.”

“I see!! Then strip right now!! I'll heal all your burns immediately!!”

“What? No, I told you, they're already—”

“Hyahahaha!! Don't act tough!! Burns don't heal that fast without healing magic!!”

“Th-that's because of the effect of my holy weapon…”

It happened instantly.

Heal Man closed in on Raio and ripped off his clothes before he could react.

“Wha!? My clothes!! Y-you b*****d, what are you—!?”

“Hyahahahaha!! Don't worry!! I won't do anything painful!!”

“Hyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!”

A screaming lion and a laughing suspicious man.

“…Eh? Oh, you really are healed?”

“I—I told you that already!! You pervert!!”

“I see, good to know!! Ah, here's money for the clothes I tore. Bye!!”

Heal Man quickly walked away, leaving the nearly naked Raio alone in the hallway.

Raio muttered one thing:

“…The Kingdom is scary.”

Later, Raio would say:

“Never make an enemy of the Kishirika Kingdom. It's full of dangerous weirdos.”

A completely undeserved reputation for the Kingdom.