The Demon Prince goes to the Academy - Chapter 279

Cliffman didn’t return, apparently having used up a day’s worth of socializing and mental energy.

No, it’s more like I didn’t make it back. Harriet was glaring at me.

“What the hell are you up to?”

“Literally.”

“Now you’re telling me to get in trouble?”

“Mr. Temple, why is it an accident to leave?”

“If you force me to do something I would never do if left alone, that’s an accident.”

“I did it with purely good intentions.”

Actually.

It’s never without good intentions…….

If anything, I’m wondering if I should be drying Cliff.

Combat is a great talent to have, but if it goes wrong, you’ll lose the talent and Cliff will be forever scarred.

I don’t want to abandon him because he’s a good kid, even if he’s a bit of a wreck.

I don’t disagree with Herriot, but isn’t telling Klippmann to enter the Mr. Temple contest already an accident?

“She really does do things that are so out of the ordinary that they embarrass her, don’t you think, Ellen?”

-nod

As far as I’m concerned, it was pretty out of character for me to make such an offer to Cliff out of the blue. No, it’s not something I would normally do either. The problem is the asshole who gives you the asshole event at the wrong time, and you can’t do nothing about it.

“…… I think I know why.”

Ellen looks at me and blurts it out.

No, how do you know why I did this?

“You said you were going to see a friend, but you’re going to see him.”

No this.

What a ridiculous misunderstanding!

“Oh, no. What are you talking about?”

“You’re going to use that as an excuse to go see Miss Temple, even if it’s not her.”

“…… and.”

Ellen’s eyes widened as if she hadn’t thought of that.

If there’s one person you can tell is an asshole by the look in their eyes, it’s Harriet.

No, guys……. Yes, but not as a result.

There’s a story……. There is…….

“No shit, not for that reason, but why can’t I go to that place, and if I go there, what, am I in trouble?”

“I don’t see why not.”

“……Yes.”

Why do horses look at you like you’re going to eat them!

Eventually.

I’ve become that weirdo who does things that don’t even make sense, like going to the Miss Temple contest to support a friend by getting her to go to Mr. Temple.

You’re a weirdo for making up a bullshit excuse when you could just go see it with dignity!

Eventually, studying took a backseat.

Herriot looked thoughtful, then looked at me and asked.

“By the way, is she going to the tournament?”

“How do I know that?”

“He’ll say anything, including things he shouldn’t say to you.”

Right, but I don’t know if you’re going to the tournament?

Now that I think about it, I taunted Ellen and said I could win it all, and then I’d go to the tournament.

“…….”

Ellen was silent, but she didn’t say much.

“Are you going to leave?”

“Why?”

At my question, Ellen stares at me.

“Do you think I’m going to lose?”

“No, because I didn’t say anything.”

I just asked you if you were going to leave, and you just gave me that answer.

But that……. From what I saw in the classroom today, from what I heard, and because Olivia is a fifth grader…….

Isn’t that a little hard for Ellen right now…….

I’m sure it’s just a kid thing, but I’m not very good at managing my facial expressions.

Ellen seemed to read something in my expression.

“Never mind, I don’t really care about tournaments anyway.”

Ellen said. But she didn’t look too happy about it.

“……I’m done for the day.”

Apparently offended, Ellen sat for a moment, then left, claiming to be tired. I stared at the study room door, which Ellen had quietly closed behind her.

“She’s upset because you said something weird!”

“Why are you doing this to me!”

Suddenly, Herriot brings up the tournament, and things get weird. Not that it was his fault, of course.

“Do you really think……. Ellen is going to lose?”

“I don’t know, that’s it.”

“……I can’t quite picture it.”

Harriet couldn’t seem to imagine Ellen losing.

Anyway, Ellen said she wasn’t interested in tournaments, and that seemed to be true.

It was weird.

If I were Ellen, I’d be all over Olivia Ranze in the tournament because of the favoritism.

I didn’t think I’d be interested in winning or losing.

By the way.

“You know what?”

“Why.”

“What about me?”

Herriot suddenly said something out of the blue.

“What are you talking about?”

“Am I going to lose to her, too?”

The question was completely unexpected, and I was stumped.

“You? What the hell are you talking about?”

“……Why, can’t I play in the tournament?”

“Aren’t tournaments for melee majors in the first place, and you’re a magic major?”

“There’s no rule that says you can’t leave, I know that.”

Yeah, obviously.

The reason why magic majors don’t show up to tournaments in the first place is because it’s nearly impossible for magic majors to beat melee classes.

How do you deal with a melee major who jumps in front of you while you’re casting an offensive spell?

It may be a surprise, but it’s face-to-face, confined combat.

I wouldn’t even say it’s a disadvantage in the first place.

I thought Ellen was going to be the one to go, if anyone was going to go.

“If you don’t do it, you don’t know it.”

I have no idea why Herriot is doing this.

However, something seemed to have changed in Harriet since the incident at Aaron Mede’s mansion.

Ellen had also decided that she wanted to play an opponent who was hard to predict.

“……Don’t overdo it.”

“Yes.”

Harriet looked at me and smiled.

“Are you going to support me?”

“……By nature, humans are wired to root for the underdog.”

“So what?”

I saw Harriet shake her head and sighed.

“Of course I’m rooting for you.”

I’m rooting for him because he’s going to lose.

“You suck!”

Herriot huffed in frustration at my words.

Anyway.

Herriot, not Ellen, is a freshman and has decided to compete in an unlimited tournament.

I’m actually rooting for Herriot.

In the first place……. It would be a huge accomplishment just to make it all the way up to meet Olivia Ranze.

* * *

Herriot has gone off somewhere to apply for an unlimited tournament. I don’t see how even a genius can go up against a bunch of melee majors, even seniors, in a tournament.

You should have your own ideas.

I wasn’t really motivated to study for the test because other kids were.

I left the study hall and swung my sword in the training hall, alone.

Enchantment.

“Hmm…….”

It’s not quite the same as the real thing, but you get the idea.

The immovable becomes movable, and it awakens a whole new set of sensations.

Combined with the unexpected success of my classes and the self-suggestion of my A-ranking, I’ve gotten stronger.

You won’t be able to win unlimited, but you’ll be able to win first grade.

Ellen, the strongest favorite to win, won’t be competing.

“Be broken.”

Another force, a word.

I mumbled something to the scarecrow, but nothing happened.

“…….”

…… receives the column.

Self-implication was mostly mental.

But words must be spoken.

In other words, I have to call out what I want with a grain of salt.

This is me actually yelling at the scarecrow to break, and nothing happens.

It’s hundreds of times more embarrassing than self-inflicted.

This is numerical play!

I’ve become the person with the most powerful superpower in the entire world, so why is my performance proportional to my shame?

You’re going to need to yell something in a real-world situation later, and it’s going to be incredibly embarrassing if nothing happens!

Why do all my abilities feel like this…….

Furthermore, grade F verbalization seemed to be even more ineffective than grade F self-suggestion.

Eventually.

I guess it hasn’t changed the fact that I’m a quintessential comic book hero kind of guy. That……. that only comes out when you mean it……. That…….

Of course, it’s even more useless to have a superpower that works well in training but doesn’t work in practice.

I know this is much better.

It’s hard…….

“He, Boo. Boo……. Do you want to break……?”

Somehow, as I got more and more discouraged, my voice crawled.

But when you’re practicing your spells in the rehearsal hall, shouting at the top of your lungs, you’re pretty sure you’re going to strangle yourself if someone walks in.

Alone for hours, I practiced enchantment, arcana, and self-suggestion and swordplay until the sun went down.

-delay

How long has it been.

“…….”

“Uh……. You’re here.”

Ellen shows up at the rehearsal hall, dressed comfortably. I wondered if she was still upset about my subtle reaction earlier. Ellen pulled her water lance from its sheath and approached me.

“Let’s do it.”

“Uh, yeah.”

As if nothing had happened, Ellen pointed her sword at me.

I didn’t say anything, and we didn’t fight.

Ellen and I practiced swordsmanship as usual.

-Kang!

-Ka-ching!

-Kagak!

“Ugh!”

“Read some more trajectories.”

“I’m doing it……!”

“I can’t do that at all.”

-Carded!

I improved a lot, but I was still no match for Ellen.

In the end, this was more important to me than anything else.

Kliffman wasn’t in the room today, perhaps still mulling it over.

-Pak!

Ellen brought her elbow in the direction of my chin, scaring the sword away.

If I had gotten it right, it would have turned my neck, but I stopped just in time.

As always, it’s my loss.

The all-too-familiar defeat.

“…….”

“…….”

Our eyes met for a moment. Ellen’s face was sweaty and her hair was sticking to her face.

I’ve always lost, and it’s been my life.

But when Ellen plays me, she can go for hours without breaking a sweat.

I don’t remember when, but at some point, I realized.

I’m a lot stronger than I used to be. I may not be able to tire Ellen out, but I’m no longer the easy target I once was.

Ellen stares at me in that position, unmoving.

Ellen is shorter than me, so naturally she looks up a bit when she sees me.

“Do you think I……. lose?”

Ellen asks that question without a subject.

I wonder if I’ve been thinking about it all along.

“How do I know that?”

“Lies.”

Ellen looks at me.

“You’re thinking I’m losing.”

“…….”

Olivia would be stronger than Ellen, I was secretly thinking.

“I know, I know I lost. It’s just, I felt like it. I’m not sorry, I know.”

It wasn’t like they were really showing each other what they were made of, but Ellen seemed to realize it the moment Olivia Ranze grabbed her wrist.

I feel like I’m no match for this person.

“Uh, I’m sorry.”

“…….”

Ellen stares at me. Ellen hangs her water lily sword in its rack and pats her hand.

“Don’t apologize.”

“…….”

“I hate that more.”

Ellen is perched on the window sill of the rehearsal hall, staring blankly outside.

Now, it’s winter.

Ellen took off her casual sweatshirt coat.

Ellen’s black short-sleeved shirt is soaked through. Ellen pulls her sweatshirt coat around her neck and looks at me.

“Me, I don’t want to fight him and win.”

“……Yes.”

Ellen is now looking at the Temple, where winter is coming.

Sitting on the window sill, tiptoeing, Ellen sees me.

“I, Miss Temple, am leaving.”

“……?”

“I want to beat him there.”

Ellen picked a completely different place to fight.

“I don’t want to be Miss Temple. I can lose that too. She’s famous and……. pretty, so it’s okay.”

“…….”

“I, for one, only need one vote.”

Ellen looks at me as she says that.

Only one vote is needed.

Ellen didn’t say whose votes she needed.

It was just looking at me.

I couldn’t look at Ellen properly.

With that, Ellen climbed down from the window sill and walked over to me.

Ellen gently grasped my fingertips and then gently let go.

Despite her nonchalant expression, I could clearly feel Ellen’s hand trembling violently as it lightly touched mine.

He couldn’t even look at me properly.

“…… I’m coming.”

Herriot competing in an unlimited weight tournament and Ellen going to Miss Temple, both of which were completely unexpected.