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At this magic academy, status and connections had little influence. Not to say she had none, but compared to the outside world, it was abnormally low.

If someone understood magic quickly, even a commoner could surpass royalty and skip grades. If students fought, they would be punished regardless of their status.

However, these were still subject to the teachers’ discretion. Teachers who favored nobility might give preferential treatment to royalty and high-ranking nobles.

But the woman who appeared as a new teacher, Aoi Konominato, was a unique presence among them.

From what I could see, she made no distinctions between royalty, nobility, and commoners and would sternly scold anyone she deemed in the wrong. This applied not only to students but also to senior teachers, showing her thoroughness.

One might think such actions would force this teacher to resign, but it was the exact opposite. Despite being a new hire, she was treated as a senior teacher, creating an atmosphere where other teachers felt they couldn\'t speak up.

The significant moment was when she scolded Rox Kilbegan, a member of the royal family of this country, and even went so far as to summon the king to the academy.

Nobles with a sense of nobility would have trembled at the thought of being in such a situation. Whether the king responded to the summons or not, it would inevitably bring shame to their name.

Normally, they would be too concerned for their own safety to act. Nobles were beings with strong pride. If humiliated, they might even hire assassins for revenge.

Yet she was able to do it because of her strong sense of justice and confidence in her abilities.

I heard rumors about her magical skills that supported this. The most amazing part was that no one had heard Aoi chant.

She could deploy magic with almost no delay time. I had witnessed it myself.

During a conversation in class, Rox moved quickly, and in an instant, Aoi used magic.

In other words, her magic activated with chants of at most one verse.

I used to think magicians would be helpless if they were grabbed by the neck, but if they could use magic in such a short time, it was a different story. Close combat might even be possible.

Moreover, when asked, she said she could even fight with a sword. Impressive.

It had been a long time since I felt this excited. Perhaps not since I had a serious duel with my father before coming to the academy.

With that thought in mind, I challenged Eliza Woodford, thinking of it as just a preliminary match.

However, the fight I thought would end quickly became a long match. It was because I couldn\'t get close to her at all. My vision was obstructed, my movements were restricted, and my feet were bound by elusive quicksand.

Up until now, the fighting style of magicians had always been long-range attacks covering a wide area. So once I blocked an attack, I could close in before the next chant.

Once close, no one could beat me.

That overconfidence was my downfall. The tables turned, and as I tried to chant, I grew frustrated and anxious at the sand balls flying at me every few seconds.

In the end, I barely managed to win by forcing myself to chant while taking blows and activating my spell. It was a tough fight.

Normally, I wouldn\'t have asked Aoi to fight me in this dire situation, but Aoi understood my intent.

"Let\'s fight."

For some reason, my body trembled at those words. It wasn\'t fear. I just wanted to fight Aoi. That was my only thought.

―――

However, as soon as the battle began, I noticed something strange.

In the past, when I moved seriously, my opponents would usually panic, look around, or desperately try to follow me with their eyes.

But Aoi didn\'t move, as if she could handle being taken from behind. Even though her sword was a thin wooden stick, her stance showed no hesitation.

For some reason, I grew frustrated at Aoi\'s unpredictable actions.

If she could react, fine. If not, that was it.

I decided to attack. If I could make her block my fist with her sword, I\'d win. A wooden sword would shatter in one hit.

With that decision, I charged, but my fist was easily deflected. My wrist was struck by the flat of the sword, and I was kicked sideways.

Immediately after, a sharp pain ran through my abdomen.

It was a heavy, piercing kick. I didn’t even have time to twist my body before being blown straight back.

My breath stopped for a moment, and the taste of blood spread in my mouth. "… Body enhancement, huh? I didn\'t notice the faint glow, but you enhanced your leg strength, didn\'t you?"

"I\'ve enhanced my leg strength, defense, and arm strength." She nodded casually to my desperate inquiry and said something unbelievable.

I wanted to say, "There\'s no such magic," but Aoi was already moving.

She held her sword aimed straight at me and closed the distance at an extraordinary speed, as if she were gliding across the ground.

If I moved backward, she\'d just close the gap. Considering the next move, I jumped sideways. If she lost sight of me, I could take her from behind.

Thinking about this instantly, I moved sideways. Even though I should have distanced myself, Aoi followed effortlessly.

As Aoi swung her sword horizontally, I twisted my body and thrust out my fist. The fearsome impact made me stagger, and I barely managed to stop myself from falling.

I couldn\'t take my eyes off her.

Glaring at her, I jumped backwards to put some distance between us.

From this brief exchange, I understood Aoi\'s skills as a swordsman. Frustratingly, I couldn\'t beat her with simple combat techniques. Even with magic, her speed surpassed mine.

In that case, I had to rely on power.

Even if I took a hit, I had to land a full-force blow. That frail body would definitely be unable to withstand it.

I issued a taunt to provoke her into a frontal assault.

She saw right through it and smiled.

However, perhaps with the composure of a strong person, she still came straight at me.

"… Thank you," I whisper under my breath.

It was a direct confrontation. I would give it my all.

"Ha!" I swung my clenched fist directly at her.

But it didn\'t reach. My fist was intercepted by what should have been a fragile, thin wooden sword.

Aoi spun her hand, and an intense pain surged through my abdomen.

My vision blurred. I saw the ground and the sky, and then my back hit the ground rolling.

I lost in a direct confrontation.

The moment that thought surfaced, my mind went blank. I thrashed desperately, trying to piece together my shattered self.

I couldn\'t counter her with magic. I lost in close combat.

What should I do?

How could I win?

My mind raced, and in desperation, I threw a rock.

But that rock was sliced by her wooden sword.

Monster.

My excitement and panic turned into fear in an instant.

I kept throwing rocks.

But Aoi kept cutting through them and steadily approached. "… You’re relying on long-range attacks, aren’t you? Do you realize it? You\'re at your weakest right now."

Those sudden words pierced my heart like a blade. No, it felt as if they had stabbed deep into my soul.

"Ugh, ugh, ahhhhh!"

I looked down at the approaching Aoi, exhaled sharply, and swung my arm down from above. It was my strongest strike using my entire body weight.

The impact that spread through my arm felt solid.

No, it was too much of an impact. Even breaking a rock wouldn\'t have this much impact. What happened?

I looked down at Aoi and saw an unbelievable sight.

Aoi had let go of her weapon and held her palm out towards me.

Her slender hands had stopped my fist…!

That was where my memory ended.