After being seen off by Nor and Ruchika, I went to stand in the test arena. My opponent was a young man, a mage who had achieved a level of renown for defeating a number of notorious named monsters. As he took up his staff, his battle stance showed no openings. While considering how I should go about attacking him, I lowered my center of gravity into my own battle stance and unsheathed my sword.
“Ready… Begin!”
As an announcement signaled the start of the battle, I took off toward my opponent without waiting for my Gear’s first prediction. In battles between sword and magic, conventional wisdom said that swordfighters shouldn’t allow the battle to progress at a distance—so I closed in. Staying at a long range would put me at an overwhelming disadvantage. I tried to get in an attack before the mage had a chance to finish reciting his first spell. But then my Gear voiced an unexpected prediction.
—Enemy approaching. Distance: one meter.
“?!”
While I had assumed my opponent would try to distance himself, he was doing the opposite and heading right for me. He’d not only closed the gap between us but had also come within exceedingly close range of me. I couldn’t hope to land a felling blow at this range. I folded back my elbows, kept my arms close to my body, and attempted to slash my sword in as small an arc as possible, but my first attack missed, hitting nothing but air. In the next moment, I felt as if I were floating.
“Wha—?!”
I was blown back about five meters from where we had first clashed. Evidently, my opponent was well-versed in martial arts as well.
This was one of the difficult aspects of battles involving Gear. Yes, the devices were able to give simple predictions of the future, but how one used that prediction depended on their current condition. This time, I’d had the option to wait and watch how my opponent moved first, but if I had done so, I wouldn’t have had enough time to stop him from casting a spell. It was all or nothing—I needed to make the first move. But it was my own mistake to try such an established tactic against an experienced magic user. While I hadn’t taken much damage, I had given my opponent time and distance. And now he had already begun reciting his first spell.
In a battle between two Gear wearers, the futures predicted by each party’s respective Gear clashed, making it a match not easily settled.
I can’t do anything if I don’t get close to him first…!
Before he had a chance to finish me off at range, I pressed forward once again. I assumed his next attack would be an offensive spell. If I could just cut him off and get in my next attack—
—Earth magic, Muddy Soil. Underfoot.
“?!”
I immediately leaped backward. The spot where I had just been standing suddenly changed into a muddy morass. If I had still been there, my feet would have been swallowed up, and I’d have lost my balance, allowing my opponent to finish me off with a magic attack. Cold sweat ran down my back.
—Fire magic, Fire Bullet. Front.
“Ugh…!”
I rounded the arena to get out of range of the spell, desperately evading the ball of flame that chased after me.
Every move I make is one step too late…
My opponent had completely taken control of the match. If I didn’t do something to change the flow of the battle, I would be overcome in no time. In that case—
“—!”
My opponent’s expression changed as I shifted from evading his Fire Bullet to attacking him head-on.
“Hah—!!”
With a small swing of my sword, I took some of my attention off his fire attack and rushed in to close the distance between us. In response, the enemy cast even more fireballs, but I paid them no mind as I continued forward.
—Earth magic, Muddy Soil. Underfoot.
“Float!”
I had guessed that might be his next move, so I was prepared to use one of my convenience magic spells—one that allowed me to step up onto a platform of stiffened air—and dash upward over the spell. My opponent, having used his turn casting Muddy Soil, wouldn’t have time to react to this. I was finally within reach. Just then…
“That’s enough!”
…an announcement brought our mock battle to a whimper of an end.
“The results will be decided after careful consideration of the mock battle’s content alongside your marks on the written test. Both parties, please exit the arena.”
“…Thank you.”
I returned my sword to its sheath. Though I was embarrassed by the outcome of such a disappointing match, I had no one to blame but myself. It was my fault for being weak.
“Nice fighting, Leonie!”
“Ruchika…”
The demon girl greeted me with a smile, but that innocent gaze of hers only stung all the more.
“Your opponent was pretty strong, huh? It wasn’t the flashiest of battles, but it was a good match. Even an expert would have enjoyed watching it.”
“…Thank you.”
I sat down next to Ruchika and ruminated on the match—where had I gone wrong, and what could I have done to win? I concentrated on analyzing the mock battle.
After all, if I didn’t do that—
“So that was the daughter of the Almighty Hero?”
“That’s all she’s got? Lame.”
“Sure doesn’t live up to the hype. Kinda disappointing.”
—if I didn’t concentrate on another topic, I’d have to listen to the same yammering I was subjected to every time something like this happened. As the daughter of the famous hero Lainie Baez, I’d always had high expectations placed upon me. And I had her to thank for never needing to worry about money. But if I didn’t conduct myself in a manner seen as worthy of being the daughter of a hero, no one would appreciate me.
I wanted to be strong. Stronger than anyone else, like my departed mother. But I—
“Hold on! What the hell is that?!”
As I was thinking all this, Ruchika abruptly shot to her feet, and her voice brought me back to reality.
“…Ruchika?”
“That’s no way to talk about someone who fought with her all! Winning and losing is just a result, right?! Weren’t any of you actually watching?!?! That was a hell of a fight!”
I was shocked. Ruchika was angry. And she was clearly expressing her disapproval of all those who’d been throwing insults and stares in my direction. It was the first time I had seen her mad.
“Leonie read her opponent’s movements at a high level, performed her own moves accurately, and used her skills to back up her choices in battle. How blind do you gotta be to not appreciate a match so obviously worthy of praise?! And even look down on it?!”
“Ruchika…”
I felt a pang in my chest. Until now, I’d had nothing but the results I was supposed to get. Results worthy of a hero’s daughter. Everything else was deemed worthless, including all the effort I spent trying to get there.
But Ruchika’s way of thinking was different. She lauded the hard work that both my opponent and I had put into our respective training to be able to put on a battle of that caliber. She wasn’t looking at the result of winning or losing, but the process that had led up to it.
“Leonie, don’t give those people an ounce of your attention. I know you’ll pass. I guarantee it.”
“Th-thank you.”
Ruchika shot me a bright smile as I struggled to respond with anything beyond simple gratitude. Her grin was so charming, I involuntarily felt the need to avert my gaze.
“Oh, look, it’s Nor. Hey, over here!”
“Ah, sorry to keep you waiting!”
That reminded me—Nor had been nowhere to be found until just now. Getting tunnel vision in situations like these was a bad habit I’d been trying to fix, but clearly, it wasn’t going well.
“How did it go?” I asked.
“Yeah, I think it went okay,” Nor said.
Apparently, Nor’s turn had also come up during my battle. She had been called to fight later than I had, but our matches had ended at about the same time, so I guess she had managed a decisive victory. Since she had also done well on the written portion, it was all but certain she’d pass overall.
“That’s great!”
“How about you, Leonie?”
“I…”
“Leonie did her best. I’m sure it’ll be fine!” Ruchika said.
“I see.”
Based on Nor’s expression, I could tell she had gathered how my match had gone but was kind enough not to push for more details.
“What’re you looking so relaxed about? Get over here already. They’re callin’ for our turn.”
The person who had cut into our conversation from over in the exam arena was, of course—
“Oops, sorry about that, Danita!” said Ruchika.
“Hurry up so I can beat the crap outta you.”
Danita beckoned Ruchika to the arena, her greatsword readied on her back.
“Okay, be right there!”
Ruchika sprang up and dashed over to the arena.
“Sorry to keep you waiting!”
“Finally got my chance to knock you around.”
“Who knows? You might be the one who’ll get knocked around, Danita!”
“You’re killin’ me, pip-squeak.”
After they exchanged some light trash talk, Danita took up her greatsword, and Ruchika readied her fists, over which she wore a kind of fighting glove. Both of their weapons had been loaned to them by the Institute for the purpose of the exam, but they would still pack a decent punch.
“Ready—begin!”
Danita made the first move.