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HEL SCANS
[Translator – Angel Dust]
[Proofreader – Prototype]
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Chapter 156
A sudden memory from my past life surfaces. What did they call it? Ah… right. Baseball. More accurately, batting practice at the cages. Anyway…
“I used to be pretty good at that in my past life. The memories are flooding back.”
Once again, a crimson flame hurtles toward me. Ah, correction. It’s blue.
Despite being a humanities major, I do recall that blue flames burn hotter than red ones.
If I fail to block this, I’ll be toasted in front of everyone like a marshmallow at a campfire.
“Hup.”
I focused my mind. The surrounding noise and the gazes directed at me fade away.
All that remains is me, the greatsword in my hand, and the azure fireball hurtling towards me.
Everything slows down, yet becomes clearer.
The flame, which was just a trajectory, gradually reveals its form.
The direction it’s flying, its speed, the influence of the wind, and even the changes it undergoes due to the wind—all of it registers in my mind.
There’s nothing difficult about this. I just need to move to the most certain, the brightest point among the countless paths.
With the calculations complete, I aimed for the optimal timing. I need to cut through the magical formula, the point where mana converges within that flame.
Some might question whether that’s even possible. But to be honest, magic doesn’t travel at the speed of sound, so it’s not out of the question.
It’s slower than elven arrows. With a slight exaggeration, it’s about the same speed as elves themselves.
So, it can be done.
“Now.”
I thrust my greatsword into the exact spot.
Just as I feel the scorching heat, the core of the formula is already shattered, and the heat and light vanish into nothingness.
—Fwoosh!
Mana resembling smoke and ash scatters in all directions.
The smell… how to describe it? Not like burning, but more like the strange scent of the wind in a forest.
It would have been great if I had mastered this technique a bit sooner. If I had, I might have saved at least one more person.
Bullets and arrows were scary, but the most terrifying thing was magic.
While bullets and arrows might kill or injure one or two, a direct hit from magic would instantly wipe out six or seven. And if you were really unlucky and it hit the gunpowder storage… Well, that was hell unleashed.
The image of a comrade, laughing and joking just moments ago, turning into a charred lump after being struck by magic flashes through my mind.
Just as something wells up in my chest, I shake my head to clear it away.
“Good thoughts. Good thoughts. Whew. Shit, I almost became charcoal myself.”
Don’t get distracted during battle. Those who do are the first to die.
Recalling my senior’s words, I immediately cut down another spell that had flown right up to me.
—Fwoosh!
Cheers erupt in the distance. They probably think I intentionally delayed the detonation.
I didn’t mean to, but if it made me look good, that’s not a bad thing.
And come to think of it, I only remembered my past life because of that magical bombardment.
The slight concussion triggered memories of my previous existence, and thanks to that, I was able to benefit a bit.
If I had been able to neutralize magic attacks too early, it would have been a loss.
“Senior Karl!”
I see my juniors up ahead waving their hands. What? It’s over already?
Barely ten spells and that’s it? On the battlefield, hundreds would rain down once they started.
It feels a bit anticlimactic, but I didn’t show it.
This isn’t a battlefield, it’s an academy, and we’re not fighting, we’re enjoying a festival.
In fact, expressing this kind of dissatisfaction would probably be seen as abnormal by others.
“Hmm.”
I discreetly glanced towards where the foreign guests were seated.
From afar, it was hard to tell for sure, but I imagined their jaws were hanging open in disbelief.
With this, I’d faithfully carried out the Emperor’s order. Doing any more would likely be overkill.
As I sheathed my greatsword and turned away, I felt someone running up beside me.
“Karl!”
“Senior!”
What? So the guests weren’t the only ones watching.
“…Wait a minute.”
Thinking about it, this could be a big deal. I did this dangerous stunt right in front of Selena.
My father always said a man should act properly in front of his wife… Did I just do the opposite?
In my mind, scenes like ‘What are you doing?! That’s dangerous!’ and ‘I can’t believe this! Why are you suddenly fighting magic?!’ were already replaying over and over—
“What was that just now, Karl?! Did you just cut through magic?!”
“Huh? Uh… yeah. Sorry. So, this is—”
“Amazing. I’ve never seen anything like it. How did you do that to magic?! Are you hurt anywhere?”
“Right? If you cut magic precisely at the formula part, it collapses.”
“Ah! I’ve heard about that, Senior Karl. But that’s strange? I didn’t know you took magic theory classes.”
“I don’t, Lefia.”
“Huh? Then how do you know so much about it?”
Well, because I was like a dog on the battlefield where magic rained down relentlessly?
“Anyway, did Selena come out to enjoy the festival?”
“Yeah! I’m going to have fun at least today, even if I can’t for the whole festival!”
“That’s the right attitude. Like I said in my speech earlier, having fun is also a skill.”
Rest well when you can. That’s how you can fight properly when you have to.
It shouldn’t be any different at the academy. If you could just sit and read books all day and have it all sink in, what could be better?
“Shall we go check out the booths?”
“Yes! Let’s go, Karl.”
“So, where should we start? Do you know what kind of booths there are?”
“Um… Ah, right. Lefia here is running a booth. Want to go there?”
Come to think of it, Lefia mentioned running a booth about something related to Lasker.
The only Lasker specialty I know of is knights, so I’m curious.
“Lead the way, Lefia! Come on, let’s go!”
“Eek! A-alright! But don’t get your hopes up too high!”
“Saying that only makes me want to get my hopes up even more, you know?”
“No, please don’t!”
* * *
Chuckle. Chuckle. Chuckle.
Selena, Karl, and Lefia sandwiched between the two, looking flustered.
The Lasker representative observing this scene let out a satisfied chuckle inwardly.
Officially, Lefia had renounced her title as the princess of Lasker. She had severed the rights and duties bestowed upon her as royalty.
Therefore, any words or actions Lefia took from now on would not represent the will of the Lasker royal family.
However, that didn’t mean Lefia’s origins would simply vanish.
Whether she liked it or not, she was ultimately from Lasker. Even if she distanced herself from Lasker, completely severing those ties was impossible.
And that aspect was working out quite favorably in the current situation.
No matter what, if the Empire’s war hero was seen in such a positive light, her close relationship with Baba Yaga’s son could prove beneficial to Lasker.
“And on top of that…”
In truth, there was another reason why the Lasker representative was reacting so gleefully.
“…”
The Avileshti mage’s face was completely contorted. And no wonder, since Karl had just shattered the magic spell that was flying towards him with a single greatsword.
Of course, that spell was only of moderate power. It wasn’t the ultimate creation of several top mages working together.
After all, magic was magic, and that magic had just crumbled into dust right before his very eyes. And not in front of just anyone, but in front a representative of Lasker, the nation of knights!
“His pride must be quite wounded. Heh heh heh. Damn mages. Serves you right. When our Lasker bowed to the Empire, you all shouted that those who wielded swords had finally been tamed. You bragged about the dawn of the age of magic.”
The Empire used and valued both swords and magic, as well as guns and gunpowder.
In contrast, Lasker still emphasized swords and looked down upon magic.
It was only natural to expect Avileshti to cheer when Lasker, in such a situation, bowed its head to the Empire.
But in that very situation, the Empire’s war hero, in front of both Lasker and Avileshti, had shown the ability to nullify magic with a sword.
Whether it could be used in actual combat was secondary. The message it conveyed was what mattered.
“…”
The Avileshti mage bit their lip slightly. Was this a warning from the Empire?
“You were all excited when we crushed Lasker, weren’t you? But don’t get the wrong idea. We don’t like it when you mages get too cocky either.”
“Right now, we’re tolerating it because you’re cooperating well with our Empire, but if you get carried away and cross the line because you’re excited about stepping on Lasker, you know what’ll happen, right?”
Though they came under the pretense of the Academy festival and to honor the hero, was this their true intention all along?
As expected of the Empire. As expected of the Emperor. And, as expected of the war hero, a noble of the Empire and a subject of the Emperor.
Avileshti, who had come with a light heart, was leaving with a valuable lesson and a stern warning.
“Crazy bastard.”
And the Hyzens elf? Well, their reaction was always about the same.
“…”
The priests from the Holy See had already been deep in prayer since earlier.
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HEL SCANS
[Translator – Angel Dust]
[Proofreader – Prototype]
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