Chapter 38: Respecting Only That

“It’s finally my turn, isn’t it?”

“Even from the waiting room, I’m cheering for you, Michela-san.”

“Don’t mess it up, alright?”

“…Thank you, Gulf. Philip, I understand even without you saying it.”

Michela, having a wide circle of friends, received many words of support from familiar faces in the waiting room.

“…”

“Well then, I’ll bring back the victory.”

There were no words of encouragement from Christille, the person Michela admires like an older sister.

She simply hadn’t expressed it in words.

Christille conveyed her confidence in her victory through her eyes, and Michela responded with her whole being to that expectation.

(Galf and Philip both brought back victories… I can’t afford to fail here!!!)

In the finals, semifinals, or any other round, losing would be one thing, but Michela, planning to defeat everyone and win, knew that if she were to lose in the first round, Ishud and Philip would undoubtedly not console her but burst into laughter.

(…I absolutely cannot lose!!!)

If she loses in the first match, it will undoubtedly affect the evaluation of Flaveld Academy… and tarnish the reputation of her family.

She would be betraying the expectations of Christille, who has been supporting her.

However… more than anything, the greatest humiliation for Michela right now is… being laughed at by those two.

“Oh, long time no see, Michela-san.”

“Yes, it has been a while, Estelle-san.”

Michela’s opponent in the first match is Estelle Tracey, a female student from Elferas Academy.

Her hair is golden and tied in a ponytail, and her gaze is similar to Michela’s… she has the appearance of a refined young lady.

If Ishud were to see her, he might blurt out something like ‘Michela’s version without the breasts,’ displaying an utter lack of tact.

“Recently, it seems you’ve become friends with the barbarians, huh?”

(…How many times has this exchange occurred?)

Michela, together with Ishud, the one who defeated her, spends most of her time training, including weekdays and days off.

From a young lady with whom she had little interaction… there have been several meaningless encounters within the academy where Michela seemed to want to assert dominance to such an extent.

For Michela, it was the path she chose to become even a little stronger and to get closer to the admired figure.

She had no particular regrets… Ishud, in his own way, would confidently and sometimes bluntly point out her flaws if he felt like it. There was a sense of accomplishment in steadily approaching her goal.

“I’ve had enough of that kind of provocation. However… that man was stronger than me. That’s why I chose the challenging path to eventually surpass him. That’s all.”

“Hmph… so you’ve abandoned your pride as a lady.”

While Michela would like to argue that it’s not the case, there are times, especially during practical training in a forest outside the academy, when fatigue builds up, and she ends up engaging in frivolous conversations.

(…It’s to become stronger than I am now.)

She has not discarded her pride as a lady or as a young lady. 

Reminding herself of this, she reaches for her weapon.

“Avoid attacks that could lead to death as much as possible. Got it?”

“Yes, of course.”

“I understand.”

“Good. Now then… begin!!!”

Michela, with her primary job as a swordsman and secondary job as a dual swordsman, faces Estelle Tracey in the first match. Estelle’s primary job is an apprentice mage, and her secondary job is a magician.

Estelle is following the conventional path as a magician.

Her strength is on par with Ferno and Jesta, possessing sufficient combat power to participate in the intense battle festival.

However… this time, the battle is not between close-range and close-range jobs or long-range and long-range jobs, but between close-range and long-range jobs.

Michela, who excels in physical strength, would normally have the advantage. However, taking that reasoning into account, Estelle stands on the stage of this intense battle festival.

In other words, that is the answer.

“What’s wrong? Your weapons are those twin swords, right? Come on.”

“Oh, Estelle-san. Aren’t you going to attack even though there’s still this distance between us?”

By the way… Michela was feeling a bit irritated towards Estelle.

Have you become friends with the barbarians…? Not only does that seem to look down on Michela, but it undoubtedly looks down on the person called Ishud.

Certainly, one may begin to doubt whether a man named Ishud is truly a noble from the frontier, as he lacks the dignity befitting a noble.

He lacks delicacy, and from Michela’s perspective, he also seems to lack a somewhat empathetic heart towards others.

It’s not entirely unfathomable why everyone seems to speak ill of Ishud, labeling him as a barbaric savage, a brute, and a disgrace to the nobility merely by living.

The inclination to express such sentiments is not entirely incomprehensible.

However, it is precisely because Michela, who fought earnestly and was defeated, understands his strength deeply…

Even if other aspects are regrettable and filled with content that makes one want to criticize and berate, he… the young man named Ishud Regula, has reached a realm of strength that we ourselves cannot reach.

Strength… on that singular point alone, respect must be accorded to the young man named Ishud.

The acquaintance or friend whose identity wavered on the line, the familiar daughter, belittled.

It touched Michela’s anger.

“Very well… please don’t resent me!!!”

She barely swallowed the words that almost escaped her throat saying “even if I die,” and Estelle immediately deployed three fireballs and launched them.

Michela calmly dealt with them, remaining unharmed… but the attack wouldn’t stop just with that.

(Compared to our previous sparring, the casting of magic seems to be slightly faster now.)

Close-quarters combatants can quickly overwhelm long-range attackers once they get close.

That might be a valid thought.

However, that’s when dealing with a long-range practitioner… assuming you can get close.

“Come on now, what’s the matter? If you keep running away, you won’t seize victory!!!”

Not just fire, but also mixing in earth-based attack magic, a barrage of fireballs, stone bullets, fire spears, and stone blades are all coming your way.

(…Indeed, it’s quite the skill… *sigh* What on earth is he, truly? Not a barbarian, not a deviant… no, that’s not right. In a way, should I call him eccentric?)

She sends some admiration towards the attacks that come one after another, accurately targeting her body. Still, compared to the attacks of a fellow classmate, a guy she can’t quite determine as an acquaintance or a friend, it lacks a bit of impact.

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