XXI: A Wizard’s Fighting Style
DARION managed to beat Forty-fourth, but the opponents were clearly getting stronger. He was just about on equal footing with them. Next, he fought Forty-third, but he was tired from the previous fight, and he lost. Kylan still hadn’t recovered from his exhaustion either.
“Hey, what’s wrong? Throwing in the towel already?” First sneered at them. “Did you think you’d win easily? That we were just a bunch of weaklings? Or did you think that if you won a few times, you’d be able to join us, just like that?” He spoke quickly, gesticulating dramatically. “You underestimated us. But I know this, at least—you’re adventurers the government hired to spy on us. That’s fine. I don’t mind. If you want to spy, then go ahead and do it. But I don’t like it when people sell me short.” He crouched down and met Kylan’s gaze. “You’re an adventurer, aren’t you?”
“You’re right, I’m an adventurer. But it’s not like I’m here on a request or—”
There was a clean smack—First had slapped Kylan across the face.
“Oh, my bad,” he said disingenuously. “When I see a liar, my hand just moves on its own. You know, when I look into a man’s eyes, I can tell whether he’s being straight with me.”
“Seriously, believe me! We were just curious, that’s—”
This time, there was a thump. First had punched Kylan, and the powerful blow had sent him tumbling to the floor. First shook his finger at the likely unconscious Kylan and clicked his tongue irritably.
“Sorry, but I don’t like talking to liars. I’ll try asking the other one.” He turned his face to Darion. “You’re adventurers, here on a request, aren’t you?”
“We…” Darion was completely caught up in First’s game. At this rate, he would confess. If that happened, Belinda and I wouldn’t get out of this unharmed either. As a matter of fact, people were already forming a wall behind us to keep us from escaping.
There’s no other choice, I thought. I accepted my fate.
“I’ll go next,” I said, raising my hand and heading to the center where First was.
With naked curiosity, the spectators opened a path for me.
“Who the hell are you?” First demanded with a sneer.
“I’m their friend,” I said simply. “I just have to win, right? I’ll take over for them.”
“Are you a warrior?”
“No, I’m a wizard.”
“A wizard! So now it’s a wizard!” First exaggeratedly clutched his stomach and laughed theatrically. “This is the first time anyone’s made this much of a fool out of me. A wizard wants to participate in our sacred ritual? It’s like a pig saying that it wants to fly.” He slowly shook his head. “But I can’t help but respect it. Everyone needs something to dream about. And there’s nothing wrong with a pig wanting to fly.”
I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but First was a kind of person Farune’s Hundred didn’t have. Ogma was the closest, but First was more eloquent, and he gave off more of a dangerous aura. Admittedly, though, it came off as charming, and it appeared that he had the rest of the members completely under his sway.
“Forty-third, take him.”
Forty-third looked at my outfit, confused. “Are you sure, First? I’m not going to wait for him to recite some spell.”
“Wait? Are you suggesting that something like waiting is even allowed in a fight?”
Forty-third glanced at me with a look of pity on his face. “Got it. I’ll get this over with quickly.”
Like the others had done, I stood face-to-face with Forty-third. Then, when First made the signal, I began to recite a wind spell.
“Spirit of wind, answer my call…”
Meanwhile, Forty-third hesitantly slashed at me with his sword. There was clearly no way that my spell would finish in time. As such, I swiftly stepped into Forty-third’s attack while chanting, and I smashed the end of my staff into his face.
“Aaagh!” Forty-third screamed, collapsing to the ground.
I had tried to go easy on him, but it looked like he would have trouble getting back up. The place fell completely silent.
“What was that just now?” First asked after a moment, putting voice to what was on everyone’s mind.
“Isn’t it obvious? Wind magic,” I replied. I had defeated him while reciting a wind spell, so this was completely legitimate wind magic (physical version). At least, that was how I classified it.
“I see…it definitely is magic. It defeated a warrior of the Hundred, after all.” First nodded rapidly, then gestured to another warrior with his chin. “Forty-second, you’re up. Don’t get cocky.”
The man in forty-second came up to me, a somewhat nervous look on his face.
✦ ✦ ✦
🍖🍖🍖
THE man currently standing in front of me was ranked fourth. He firmly held his sword at the ready, but his breathing was ragged. As soon as the match began, he slashed at me. As you might expect from someone in fourth, he was quick.
I spun my staff, knocking his sword out of his grasp, then sang, “O wind,” as I bludgeoned his head. He went sprawling to the ground, and didn’t move a muscle. Magic had won again.
“Let me ask you something,” First said into the resounding silence, a sour look on his face. “Are you really a wizard?”
“As is appropriate of a wizard, I’m using magic, aren’t I?”
“Appropriate…yeah.” First averted his eyes, looking to my side. There, the Hundred members I’d defeated were all lying on the ground, holding various injured parts of their bodies.
“Hey, Third,” First said, calling out to one of the two remaining warriors, the one with a large build.
“What?” Third replied gruffly. Apparently, by the time they got to this rank, they were no longer quite so deferential to First.
“Let him finish his spell. That might be our shot at winning.”
“I see, you’ve got a point.”
What point? I’m a wizard, all right?
In that manner, the fight started. Third didn’t even try to make the first move himself. Meanwhile, the spectators shouted all sorts of baseless accusations at me.
“You’re a wizard, so show us you can win with magic!”
“Yeah, you faker!”
“I bet you can’t even use magic!”
It was truly disappointing. And after all my hard work taking care to defeat my opponents only while I was reciting spells. In any case, I changed the spell I was going to use this time. It was actually the one I was best at, a fire spell.
When I began to recite the short, basic spell, my staff glowed blue, and when I was done I held it up and said, “O fire!”
A massive crimson flame appeared. My opponent’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Shall I let it fly?” I asked, and he cast aside his weapon and raised his hands in surrender. There was a stir among the crowd.
“Huh? He’s really a wizard?”
“He isn’t just using a staff for bludgeoning?”
“Was everything up until now actually wind magic?”
That’s what I said, isn’t it?
Next was my fight with Second. Naturally, he was quite skilled, and he performed well, putting up an evenly matched fight against me. I had no other choice, so in the end I shouted, “Gale!” while dealing him a spinning kick, winning…with magic.
Only First remained.
“So you’ve got physical strength and mana? Are you some kind of monster?” First said. He effortlessly took a massive, curved, single-edged sword in hand, then adopted a smooth fighting stance that was reminiscent of a reptile.
“In the Hundred, strength is everything, isn’t it?” I said.
First smiled confidently. “You’ve got that right.”
After a moment’s tension, he sprung into action, explosively wielding his curved sword. He was strong. He would have been able to achieve a decently high ranking in Farune’s Hundred. His technique was all over the place, but he had considerable strength and speed. It was enough to put me at a disadvantage, though admittedly I was wearing the ten-times-gravity armlet. I saw an opening and tried to deal him a kick, but he easily dodged it.
“You think you can hit me with that? As if! I’ve been used to moves like those since I was a kid!” First roared.
He seemed to be familiar with how to fight dirty as well. So, with no other option, I decided to cast a spell for real. While we exchanged blows, I sang. “Spirit of fire, answer my call…”
“Hmph, you’re going to use magic this close up? You’ll be caught in your own blast!” First said, intensifying his attacks out of fear of my spell.
But it was too late.
“O fire.”
As I spoke the final line of my spell, flames jetted out from my staff, enveloping both of us.