Hard Work Will Never Betray Me

“I heard – there are some great candidates this year!　”

A beautiful lady dressed in a sparkling evening dress, which is not suitable for a teacher – she must be in her early 20s or so. She is quite young for her flamboyant attire and talks to me while flapping her fan.

This is the venue for the combat test. The content of the exam is to select a venue from the following areas: arena, indoor, or forest, and compete in a match against an instructor of the academy’s fighting skills. Winning or losing is not necessarily critical, but rather, the exam evaluates how well you master your magic and how much room you have for growth.

However, I had no intention of cutting corners in this test. I was aiming for the top of the class. I wanted to defeat all of them.

“But this test is not easy. Do your best.”

She closes her fan with a snap and lowers her tone of voice by one octave. That’s kind of cool. I want to try “snapping” too. ……

And if one looks closely, the fan that the beautiful lady in the dress is holding is not just a fan, but an iron fan. I see, so this person is also an instructor for combat skills.

“Exam number 1851, Eberhard.”

“I am Rebecca Wallenstein, a combat skills instructor for short- and medium-range combat. Now, which stage of the test will you be taking?”

“Well, I’m not sure. I don’t have any particular special strengths or weaknesses. …… Oh, well, I’ll do it indoors.”

　The reason is simple. It’s because it’s cold. It is winter now, the season for entrance exams, so of course it is very cold outside. Even if it is the capital of the empire, which is said to be comparatively mild in the empire, winter is cold.

“Ho-ho-on, by the way, may I ask why you chose to go indoors?’

“Because it’s cold outside, isn’t it?”

What?　…… haha, haha.”

I’d rather ask her if it’s not cold for you wearing such an evening dress.

I’m from Heidburg, a region where winters are cold and snowy, but that doesn’t mean I’m immune to winters. In fact, in northern areas, there are many ways to keep the inside of the house warm, so if it is limited to the indoors, the winter in the Imperial City is even colder.

To begin with, we are of the same race. If people from the South feel cold, then of course people from the North must feel cold too!

“Hee hee hee!”

“Stop laughing for heaven’s sake! Your clothing is falling off and I can see your beautiful white skin.”

I don’t mind it at all, but I don’t want to cross any dangerous bridges because my lovely bride, Lily, is very picky. I found myself being drawn to my bum.

“I’m sorry, I’m really sorry. I’ve never seen anyone choose to fight indoors for that reason. I mean, you know what I mean. ……?　You can’t use bows, long swords, spears, or even the long wands used by mages indoors. So, close-range combat, which mages tend to be especially bad at, is a necessity. Are you sure about that?”

“I’m not bad at close combat.’

I am a specialist in the Hokusho Bujin-ryu. If I were to make complaints over a mere change in the radius range of the fight, the name “Hokusho” would cry.

“I see. Then you’d better work hard so that you can show your full strength. I’m the test examiner .”

“Nice to meet you, “.

“Good. Let’s go to the venue.”

　By the way, Rebecca IS boku-girl, aren’t she? I think this is the first time I’ve seen a woman in the real world who uses “I” in the first person. It’s quite fresh and new.

　　　✳︎

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“Okay, now let me explain the rules. First of all, you cannot use spells that cause fatal wounds to the opponent. So be careful not to use spells that are too powerful, or you will be disqualified. Second, the time limit is 10 minutes. Since I have to watch so many students, I can’t spend too much time on each one. Finally, you are not allowed to use any weapons other than the ones you have submitted and are allowed to use beforehand. Now, do you have any questions?’

“No, not at all.

” Well then, I’m going to start the test in 120 seconds from now. You will be directed to the starting point designated on the building.”

“Yes, sure.”

I parted from Miss Rebecca and walked to the starting position while kneading up my magic power. The “active sonar” will be used to grasp the enemy’s position immediately when it comes time to start the match, and the “cloak ” will be used to strike at once to control the situation.

.”…..7, 8, 9, 120. Start ”

After counting exactly 120 seconds, I casted the “active sonar” at maximum strength while activating the ” robe”. The “active sonar” is as good as telling the opponent your position, but there is no need to worry too much if you choose to fight an attack as I did this time. In addition, depending on how it is used, it can invite the opponent’s magical intoxication. It is a very useful magic, although it requires a lot of magic power because it sends out a wave of magic power.

‘I found her ……. Third floor.”

　The far right room on the third floor. Rebecca is in there.

As I ran toward Rebecca, I went up the stairs to the second floor, and just as I was approaching the second floor, I saw the response of a flying object approaching the “passive sonar” at a fast pace.

“What?”

　Dagger knife . The magic sword Raikiri is forbidden this time. The performance was too out of the ordinary to be used for the test. The inventory was also left with the examiner. The dagger knife and throwing knife are the only weapons I have at the moment.

　It hit the wall and fell to the floor, and was a piece of Rebecca’s iron fan that I had seen earlier. The tip was rounded because it was for test purposes, but there was no denying that it would be quite hurtful if it pierced a living body.

“I see, that is how that iron fan is used,…….”

　Then the arrows from the iron fan came flying in one after another. The speed is about the same as swallows flying low in the sky.

“I’ve knocked them down many times, but there are obviously too many of them. You must have more than one of those iron fans ……!:

　Some of the pieces knocked off already exceeded a hundred. Since the number of pieces clearly exceeds the number of pieces per iron fan, there is no doubt that there is some kind of trick to it.

“Wow, what’s this?””

　Since the number of pie shaped pieces of the iron fan clearly exceeded the number of items per fan, there is no doubt that there is some kind of trick to it.

Wow, what’s this?”

　For a moment, I felt a tug on my arm, and my reaction was delayed. I managed to knock down the attack, but only at the right moment to pop off the iron fan, the dagger knife felt awfully heavy.

　I tried to swing the dagger in the empty air to test it out, but it felt completely different, which is inexplicable.

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　Rebecca is on the other side of the turn up the steps, so how is she able to manipulate the iron fan so accurately and at such high speed?

　It doesn’t seem to be “telekinesis. That would require direct vision of the target. For the same reason, there is no remote control by means of a magical thread. To begin with, it is nearly impossible to extend a string straight out from the back of a room that is twisted and turned, and to manipulate it.

　There must be some other trick.

……’Maybe it’s that one?”

I carefully picked up one of the countless iron fans that had been smashed to the ground, and held it close to my dagger knife.