“Wow.”
Who would’ve thought it’d end with ‘Taekwondo’?
Is this the national art or what?
Of course, our homeland is now the Empire, but still.
“Isn’t that something Professor taught?”
“We all learned self-defense together, didn’t we? I can’t believe he actually used it…”
“…What do you mean by that?”
“Hmph…!”
Ariana’s slightly disrespectful comment wasn’t entirely off-base. It was just a hodgepodge of remembered Taekwondo techniques, nothing more than a derivative work. Carlos must’ve been really exhausted to use it like that. Still, Amy deserves credit for dodging his greatsword at the last moment so calmly, by the slimmest margin.
“That’s an old Allen technique.”
Black Wolf raised his head and said. Come to think of it, before awakening my aura, I also used to wrap mana around my body. Though, not as brute-force as Amy did.
“Old? From the war?”
Senna asked in response to Black Wolf’s words.
“Yeah. Wrapping mana around one’s body isn’t exactly difficult, right? Since we couldn’t fight bare-handed, we wrapped mana instead. You could call it a desperate measure anyone could take.”
“Oh, I’ve heard of that. Mages who wrap mana around their bodies to engage in melee combat. Wasn’t it called ‘Battle Mage’?”
“I’ve heard about it in class too. At the Mage Tower, they called them the Romanticists. Apparently, it’s an extremely inefficient technique compared to magic.”
Romanticists, huh?
Indeed, converting the same amount of mana into magic is far more efficient. Amy’s mana usage when she attacked Carlos could have cast a high-tier spell. She probably resorted to this because she couldn’t use magic, or maybe due to the urgency of the situation.
“Well, anyway, since Amy won, that’s all that matters, right?”
“Exactly! Now if Lux wins, we’re set!”
“It didn’t need to get this intense, though. Tch, this is why mages are…”
Looking closely at Ariana’s expression, relief was clearly evident beneath her complaints.
Such a tsundere.
I absentmindedly ruffled her hair at her cute reaction.
“…?!”
“Alright, let’s go visit Amy. I wonder if she’s regained consciousness yet.”
“She just looks exhausted. A healing spell should fix her up.”
Ignoring the flustered Ariana, I stood up first. Black Wolf had already moved ahead familiarly, so I stepped out with Senna and said:
“What’re you doing? Hurry up.”
“Eh, eh…? I’ll come in a bit. Go ahead.”
Perplexed by her trembling voice, I tilted my head.
Is she feeling unwell?
After pondering briefly, I concluded it was nothing serious and said:
“Alright. Don’t be late. Ah, nevermind.”
Thinking about it, Lux’s match will start soon.
I should just pop in to see her face.
“Maybe it’s better if you stay here. Lux’s match starts soon anyway.”
“Uh, yeah… I’ll just stay here.”
“Understood. Let me know if you don’t feel well.”
“No, I’m fine. Thanks for worrying.”
She really isn’t sick, right?
Now that I look closer, her ears seem slightly red…
Still, if she says she’s fine, it should be okay.
As I hesitated momentarily, Senna tugged on my sleeve.
“Come on~!”
“Ah, right. See you then.”
There’s no time to waste.
Closing the door behind me, I thought nothing of it.
Click.
The sound of the door closing echoed, and shortly after, Ariana let out a deep breath.
“Phew…”
How long had she been holding her breath to hide her flushed cheeks? Despite her best efforts, her trembling voice betrayed her. Collapsing onto the sofa in the empty room, Ariana muttered:
“How does Lux hide that cool-headedness?”
Since realizing her feelings for Allen during the match with Lux, interacting normally has become difficult. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t suppress her racing heart. Lux seemed all the more admirable for being able to declare her love confidently.
“To think he’d suddenly ruffle my hair like that…”
His gentle touch.
A dazzling smile that blinded her.
She had always thought Allen was handsome, but now she couldn’t even look him straight in the eye, aware of her own feelings.
“Geez… Is my heart about to explode or something?”
For the first time, the girl falling in love found her fluttering heart unfamiliar.
***
[Divine Magic: Light of Blessing Healing]
Pure white light enveloped Amy’s entire body.
“Thankfully, there aren’t any severe external injuries.”
Though her skin was slightly red from minor burns, considering the intensity of that match, this was practically unscathed. Even that returned to its original pale complexion thanks to Senna’s treatment.
I wondered if using Divine Magic was really necessary, but since Senna wanted to do it, I didn’t stop her.
Watching the light seep in, I asked Senna:
“Do you think she’ll regain consciousness soon?”
“She’ll wake up soon. Looks like she accumulated fatigue in her brain.”
“You can tell that too? Priests really are amazing.”
“Hehe, I’m the Holy Maiden, after all.”
Her proud voice was utterly adorable. Having said that, Senna tilted her head toward me.
Understanding her clear intention, I chuckled and patted her head.
“There. Good job.”
“Heehee.”
“Anyway, we should leave before she wakes up… Yikes!”
I involuntarily screamed upon making eye contact with Amy, who had lain there like a corpse. It felt like those horror movie moments where a dead body suddenly opens its eyes. Clutching my racing chest, I yelled:
“Good grief! You should’ve said something. I nearly had a heart attack.”
“Professor doesn’t have kids. You’re a man.”
“Don’t nitpick over semantics. Are you trying to provoke me?”
“Ack! Eeek… You wouldn’t hit me, would you?”
After giving Senna a playful flick on the head, I turned back to Amy, who slowly opened her mouth.
“My body won’t move…”
“Huh?”
Instinctively, I glanced at Senna.
“That, that can’t be…”
Panicked, Senna examined Amy again.
“Oh, it’s nothing serious. Just muscle soreness, it seems.”
“Muscle soreness?”
Why would she get muscle soreness all of a sudden? Did anything happen during the match that could cause it? I quickly recalled the events.
“Could it be… That kick at the end caused muscle soreness?”
That had to be the reason.
Amy’s face turned crimson.
Oh dear, how much exercise does she usually skip if just that causes her muscles to protest? Still, it’s fortunate that it’s nothing serious. Chuckling softly, I poked her cheek.
“Looks like you need some physical conditioning. Your lack of spirit power stems from insufficient stamina. Once the Olympiad ends, prepare yourself.”
“It’s fine… There won’t be any need to use my body next time…”
Denying it with a dry voice, I helped her sit up and gave her water.
“Ugh…”
“Stop whining. Just accept it. You don’t have a choice.”
“…”
Amy silently stuck out her lower lip.
Playfully poking her arm, I teased:
“Are you going to exercise or not?”
“Yes! Stop! It hurts!”
“That’s the spirit.”
Having coerced the desired answer through minor threats, I stood up with a smile.
“This is your only chance for revenge!”
Senna charged forward with gleaming eyes, muttering something incomprehensible.
“I’m dying…”
“Hi, hiieek…!”
And retreated awkwardly under Amy’s single glare. Attacking someone who can’t even move…
Our retriever truly is a harmless presence.
“Is there no magic to heal muscle soreness?”
“There’s a spell to alleviate pain, but since the effect doubles afterward, it’s better to let it recover naturally.”
“I see. Then there’s nothing else to do. Rest well. You should recover before the next match.”
If it gets dire, we can always use magic then. Surely she won’t miss a match due to muscle soreness?
…Though, that possibility is somewhat frightening.
“Ne…”
Observing Amy’s dejected reply, Black Wolf spoke up.
“Shall I give you a massage?”
“Huh?”
“It’ll speed up recovery. It might hurt a bit though.”
“Um… ‘a bit,’ you say…”
“Yes. Please do.”
Before I could say anything, Amy nodded.
“Are you sure? Even touching you hurts, doesn’t it?”
“It might continue until tomorrow otherwise. I can’t afford it affecting the match… It’s the finals, after all.”
“That’s true… Alright, if that’s what you want, there’s nothing I can do.”
It’s better to endure a little pain if it helps. Seeing Amy’s firm resolve, I decided against further objections. Knowing Black Wolf, his “a bit” likely means “extremely” for regular people.
“I’ll go first. I’ll come back once the massage is done.”
“Alright. Good work.”
Watching Black Wolf position himself over the bed, I left with Senna. Closing the door and shaking my head as we headed toward the VIP lounge, Senna asked:
“What’s wrong? You look uneasy.”
“Hmm, it’s…”
While contemplating how to phrase it, a scream reached us from behind.
Aaaah-!!!
It was Amy’s scream.
“Wha? Wha… What happened…”
Stopping Senna, who was about to rush back into the room, I whispered quietly:
“It’s fine. It’s because of Black Wolf’s massage.”
“But didn’t he say ‘a bit’? This is the first time I’ve heard such screams…”
“Sorry! Stop!!!”
“…It’ll end soon if she just bears it a little longer. The pain correlates directly with the effectiveness.”
Some secret technique passed down from the ‘Blackwater,’ or something like that. I experienced it once myself…
The pain was indescribable. So intense it almost made me spill confidential information.
“…”
Even with decent soundproofing in the ward, the screams penetrated clearly, turning Senna’s face pale. Swallowing dryly, she quietly turned away and murmured:
“I want to exercise too…”
It was indeed an excellent idea.
You live longer if you do.
“Sorry! Aaaah-!!!”
Leaving Amy’s screams behind, we hurried toward the VIP lounge.
Fate favors the bold, Amy…!
