I gaze toward the far end of the river.
Even though it’s a large river, I can somehow make out the other side, but I don’t have a clue about how it runs upstream or downstream.
“I wonder what lies ahead?”
I ask while pointing downstream.
“It’s a river, so of course it’s the sea.”
“Probably, right?”
The sea… I should go there someday.
Even though I’m sure Sharl wouldn’t come along.
“Hm… Well then, should we hunt a crocodile or a lizard? Do you have a preference?”
“I don’t care.”
“Well… I guess it depends on you. The lizard should be easier to bring down, but it’ll be hard to search for it in the forest. Guess we’ll just have to wait for it to appear. On the other hand, the crocodile is easy to spot. If it stays near the water, I’m sure it’ll attack sooner or later.”
I see.
“Well then, it’s settled; let’s go with the crocodile.”
“Seriously? You need to ask the teacher what the word “settled” actually means…”
I already did.
I had my forehead touched, my temperature was taken.
Chloe also gave me chocolate.
“It should work out. Even if I get injured, Cedric is here.”
“There’s no helping it if you lose your arm from a Death Rolling attack.”
Then I’d prefer it to be my left one.
“Alright, let’s check out the waters.”
“Good luck!”
“Be careful!”
It seems these two are in no mood to help.
Well, they did say they can’t swim anyway, so it can’t be helped.
With a resignation, I walk over to the riverbank and peer into the water.
However, the flowing and murky water make it hard to see anything.
“Cedric, any luck with the detection magic?”
“Sorry. It’s difficult to see through obstructions like water, and this water also carries magic.”
Magic-infused water?
“Magic Water?”
“Right… You sure know a lot about it.”
Well, Sharl did go on at great length while speaking very fast earlier.
“Well… If that’s the case, it’s going to be tough. Do we just have to keep our eyes peeled at the river indefinitely?”
“Relaxing will make it easier for them to suddenly leap out, won’t it? I’ve seen that kind of thing on wildlife programs.”
I’ve seen that too.
It was either a deer or a horse being attacked.
“Should I try splashing the water?”
“Splashing?”
I crouch down and start splashing the water with my hands.
A splashing sound echoes softly.
“Kinda looks like something you’d see a kid do.”
“But it might be effective. Animals often get attacked when they come to drink water.”
That’s true, isn’t it?
“What about buying some meat from the supermarket and using it for fishing―”
Before I can finish my sentence, something leaps up.
When I turn around, a large crocodile is in the spot where I was just standing, having emerged from the river.
“Didn’t see that one coming…”
Mumbling to myself as I fall, I perform an Elbow Drop onto the crocodile’s back.
The crocodile bends backward and splashes around in frenzy, then flails as it tries to escape back into the river.
But it can’t get in.
Because I’m holding onto its tail.
“You’re not getting away, you brute!”
I swing it around by the tail and slam it onto the ground.
The crocodile stops moving, lying motionless on its back, so I let go of its tail.
“How can he avoid that? Isn’t his reaction speed unnatural?”
“Could’ve camped in the Sahara Desert, that guy.”
The two of them stare at me and the crocodile with a look of disbelief.
“Even Yui could do something like this. More importantly, what do we do with this crocodile?”
We have no idea how to process it.
“I’ll put it away for now. I’ll take it to Klaus later.”
“Yeah, that makes sense. We don’t even know if crocodiles will sell.”
The two of them approach me while Cedric stores the crocodile.
“Should we get another?”
“For now, let’s stop with one. What if it doesn’t sell?”
“Turn it into a trophy and hang it in your room?”
Sword and crocodile.
The room of a powerhouse.
“Your room has more space, right?”
“Pass. It’d scare me going to school in the morning.”
“Me too. I’d be startled if I woke up to that.”
True enough…
“Alright, next, shall we wait for a lizard to come drink water?”
“Waiting is dull. Let’s head downstream instead.”
“Let’s go…”
And thus, we decide to walk downstream.
“Tsukasa, why don’t you participate in the next Magic Tournament? I think you could aim for the championship.”
As we walk, Cedric suggests.
“Hmm… Distance might be an issue. Watching the fight between La Folle and Sharl makes it feel a bit tricky.”
“That’s what your speed is for, isn’t it? Figure it out.”
Well, it could work, but I don’t know enough about magic, so I think it might be impossible.
Because people like flying or warping around.
“Hmm… If winning gets me money or credits, I might think about participating. But if not, I’d prefer not to. Frank or Yui could do it, but Ilmera probably can’t.”
“Me neither…”
Of course not.
“Isn’t it the way of boys to fight and confirm their friendship? Some manga said so.”
“Fighting? All I can picture is you taking me down in a one-sided fight.”
“Come on, you’ve gotta try.”
You’re of samurai descent, right?
“No way. Talking about types, mine is mainly close combat. But fundamentally, I’m a wizard. Meaning I fight up close with a sword or magic. Therefore, I’m weak against focused fighters like you or Yui because of sheer skill differences. Ilmera’s the same as me.”
That’s right. Ilmera said something about not being compatible with Yui.
“So what kind of wizards do you guys have an advantage against?”
“People like the president or Cedric. They block with magic while we close in and finish them. Ducks, in other words.”
“Right…”
“What about ducks?”
Cedric looks at me.
“It’s strong against types like you. Just keep your distance and keep bombarding with magic.”
“So I wouldn’t win the tournament, huh?”
“Not necessarily. You stand out with enhanced magic and power magic, so the compatibility thing doesn’t matter as much. Compatibility assumes equal magic power. Fighting someone with more magic power in close combat is disastrous, right? The president’s case demonstrated that.”
“True. Sharl won, didn’t she?”
“Yeah, sure. But, what if they fought again? You know it, right? Everyone who saw that duel knows, and you probably know the most.”
Sharl would probably be defeated in a second by Toko.
Sharl knows this, which is why she declared she will not fight Toko again.
“Poor Sharl…”
“The student president isn’t participating in the Magic Tournament, right? Speaking of which, can Yui participate while Ilmera can’t?”
“She’s a carefree warrior, so Yui can do it. Ilmera’s likely to back down.”
Yui and Ilmera are both war-loving types, but their personalities couldn’t be more different.
Ilmera may seem carefree, but I think she has a pretty high pride.
“Yeah, Ilmera herself said that… She’s pretty strong at heart.”
“That’s right. On the other hand, Yui should be fine. No pride issues with her.”
“That’s harsh…”
“Says you. Your source is unreliable. Neither you nor us can understand the feelings of underachievers.”
This school is full of geniuses, y’know.
We hire private tutors for the basics, and I feel like me and Yui are the only ones studying earnestly.
Pride? That went on a trip on the first day.
—
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