Raising the Lowest-Ranked Adventurer, the Heroic Girl – Wasn’t I Just a Substitute Old Man?

Raising the Lowest-Ranked Adventurer, the Heroic Girl – Wasn’t I Just a Substitute Old Man?

Volume 4 Chapter 20   Even if they were somewhat strong, they were just sacrificial pawns…

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“It has begun.”

Having passed through the gate and taken our designated positions, we prepared ourselves and waited. Finally, the signal for the start of the match resounded.

“Well then, shall we go?”

Inspired by Asada’s cheerful voice, everyone nodded, and I turned back to Kitahara.

“Kitahara, you’ll be on your own this time, but let us know immediately if anything happens, alright?”

“Y-Yes, I’ll be fine.”

With a slightly uncertain nod, Kitahara proceeded to cast enhancement magic on the rest of us, as usual.

I can use magic on my own, to some extent, but it’s not my specialty. Even if it were, I wouldn’t surpass Kitahara’s Class One enhancement rate with my Class Three magic.

Since the opposing team is focused on base defense this time and we don’t need personnel to protect the treasure, we don’t have to allocate manpower for that purpose.

That’s why Kitahara will be the only one staying at this location for now.

“I understand that being left alone in a place like this can be boring and lonely, but I’ll keep the radio connected, so please bear with it.”

“Just to clarify, I will accompany you, but I’ll only be involved in scouting the enemy and dealing with the instructor. The other students should refrain from engaging. Understood?”

“Yes.”

With that, Miyano, Asada, Abe, and myself, the four of us, set off to search for the enemy.

Although we don’t know the exact location of the enemy, we’ll confirm it while running.

However, I think we can probably find them quickly.

If there’s a magical energy response that surpasses my own, I can sense it even if we’re a bit apart. And Abe can see magical energy that would normally be invisible.

By observing the previous matches of other teams, we can make a rough estimation of their initial placements.

So, if we run in a general direction, we should come across something suitable.

“Now, let’s go about our plan. As for me, I’ll charge in, right?”

“Yes, just like before.”

While we were running and searching for the enemy, Asada casually spoke with a relaxed tone, devoid of tension.

“I see. Haruka and I will use magic, while Kana charges in. However, unlike last time, I’ll also focus on magic this time. It seems they have set up barriers, and we’ll need to break through them.”

“But you’ll be targeted.”

“Yes. So if the enemy scout arrives, I will deal with them. Essentially, I’ll be the decoy.”

As expected from a confirmation, the plan has already been decided from the beginning.

As the enemy, they can’t ignore the ‘Hero,’ so they would likely prioritize eliminating her. That’s why Miyano deliberately created an opening by using magic instead of going for direct sword attacks.

The enemy is most likely hiding behind barriers, and by pretending to use magic to try and overcome them, the enemy wouldn’t suspect that Miyano is the decoy.

Even if the enemy were to realize she’s the decoy, they can’t afford to let the barriers be destroyed, so they would have no choice but to target Miyano.

Thus, the plan is to lure the enemy scout towards Miyano, create a situation where there are no other enemies outside the barrier, and have Abe and Asada break the barriers. Once Miyano defeats the scout, she will immediately join in breaking the barriers, leading to a complete annihilation.

That is the strategy for this match.

The enemy also has an instructor who moves outside the barrier, but I will take care of that.

“I found them!”

While we were discussing, we spotted the enemy’s reaction. We briefly halted and relayed the information to Miyano and the others to prepare for the attack.

And then…

“They’re here!”

We tried to minimize the magical energy response and prepared our magic, but even so, at this distance, they would likely notice the high-powered magic being prepared.

The enemy team began casting magic to disrupt Miyano and Abe’s spell preparations, but it’s already too late.

“Gah! Maintain the barrier!”

Miyano and Abe’s activated magic swallowed the incoming magic directed towards us and collided with the enemy’s barrier.

Despite being hit by the two magic spells, the enemy team’s barrier remained unbroken. We sacrificed some of the power to conceal the magic’s response as much as possible, but it still had a considerable impact.

To defend against that… Well, I guess we can say the enemy team lives up to their reputation as third years?

“Hmm, still holding, huh? Then, it’s my turn!”

Seeing the remaining barrier, Asada smirked confidently and dashed forward, closing in on the enemy’s barrier.

Magical attacks were launched in an attempt to intercept her, but Asada evaded them with minimal movements. At times, she even threw pebbles to trigger their misfire, continuing her advance.

“Ugh, take this!”

As Asada approached the barrier, she tightly gripped the large hammer she carried and struck the barrier with all her might, maintaining her momentum.

Unfortunately, despite creating a crack in the barrier, it didn’t break and the crack quickly repaired itself.

…They’re quite formidable. They managed to hold on even at the last moment.

Let’s slightly adjust our evaluation of the opponent.

With that in mind, I scanned the surroundings, looking in a direction different from where the barrier was, and called out.

“Now then, heyy! Hey, instructor over there! Why don’t you come over here? Let’s have a one-on-one duel between instructors!”

The enemy’s instructor seems to be acting as a scout, but he is still naive.

I can feel his negative gaze, as if they hold some animosity towards me.

When it comes to dealing with monsters or academic exams, there wouldn’t be any issues, but when facing humans, one must be careful with their emotions.

According to my research, this instructor is currently twenty-two years old. It’s understandable considering he hasn’t been active for more than two years since completing his ‘service.’ Moreover, that ‘service’ includes the three years he spent as a student, so he has effectively been working as a professional for only five years. It’s no wonder he might be inexperienced.

Perhaps the root of his animosity lies in the fact that I, a 3^rd class, was chosen over an elite tactical instructor. After all, being an instructor is considered a national position, and it’s quite important these days.

There were others like him, so it’s not surprising if this instructor feels that way. Being chosen as an elite at the age of twenty-two could easily give rise to a sense of superiority.

Well, I don’t mind whatever thoughts he has, but if his judgment becomes clouded, they’ll only be a hindrance.

“Oh? You’ve come.”

As I waited a little distance away from Miyano and the others, I was struck in the neck from behind.

However, that was within my calculations.

When it comes to a scout, or rather an assassin, they would likely aim for the neck or heart from behind.

That’s why I made sure to protect those areas. It’s not my personal strength but rather the magical equipment that provides the defense.

Well, as long as I could protect myself, it didn’t matter how I achieved it.

“A Class Three getting carried away…”

Muttering with a sense of frustration, it seems my class and such have stirred up his elitist mindset.

But still, isn’t it a bit too careless for the scout to remain visible even after attacking?

The enemy instructor must be underestimating me. He foolishly thrust his dagger out from the front, but such a move is easily avoided.

Was it unexpected that his attack was evaded? The opponent’s expression flickered for a moment, but he quickly swung his dagger to continue his assault.

Well, I’ll just dodge it, right?

“Gah! Why can’t I reach you!?”

“Sorry, but I can’t afford to lose. Otherwise, I’ll be looked down upon.”

There’s no way his sword speed is faster than Miyano’s. I’ve sparred with her countless times. When facing her, I employ various tricks, but against someone who relies solely on their abilities, even with a performance difference, I can easily evade their attacks.

And while I can evade without doing anything, that doesn’t mean I do nothing at all.

During the gaps in their attacks, I release magic, throw sand, suddenly take a step forward to disrupt their distance perception, or startle them by shouting loudly.

I’m doing the same now.

As the opponent becomes increasingly frustrated by his attacks not landing, I spit towards his face.

I aimed for his eyes, but I missed. However, it hit his nose, causing his to momentarily choke.

Upon realizing that my spit had hit his nose, the enemy instructor immediately stopped his attack and wiped his nose with his sleeve.

But isn’t that thinking a bit naive? While this may not be a life-or-death battle, it’s still a competition, isn’t it?

“Guaaah!”

I aimed my gun at the opponent’s knee, who foolishly froze in his movements, and fired.

Even though it’s a Class One gun, it works well against speed-oriented individuals. If I shot someone like Asada, a heavy warrior type, with a regular gun, it wouldn’t have much effect. At best, it would feel like a slightly stronger flick.

However, against a speed-based opponent with lower defense, the damage would be comparable to being punched normally. If their knees were hit multiple times, it wouldn’t be surprising if they were shattered.

Despite that, the fact that it didn’t penetrate or even leave a dent makes me think his some kind of monster.

“Don’t underestimate me!”

“I understand your frustration, but don’t get emotional and shout like a scout.”

Even though he couldn’t land a hit on me, perhaps his frustration reached its limit when he realized his knee had been damaged. Shouting, he charged at me once again.

“Dammit! I can’t let myself be delayed like this…!”

“Don’t you know that haste makes waste? That’s why you become negligent of what’s above you.”

“What? Above…!?”

As I spoke, I shifted my gaze upwards, and the opponent, thinking that I did something, instinctively looked up as well.

“…There’s nothing there?”

But he’s mistaken.

As I mentioned earlier, this is still a competition. What’s the point of diverting your gaze away from your opponent? You should accumulate more tactics and strategies before attempting a fresh approach.

I foolishly looked up, feigning bewilderment, and aimed the magical dagger from my equipment at the opponent’s throat.

That’s when his healing barrier activated and began to mend his wounds. I withdrew the dagger, wiped off the blood, and sheathed it.

“Thanks for falling into my trap. Your instincts aren’t bad, but your experience is lacking. It would be better to gain more experience.”

Being recognized by the Association means you have the ability worth teaching, but as it stands, you won’t be able to defeat opponents who deviate from the conventional path of battle.

“As for the other team, I wonder how they’re doing.”

Muttering those words, I shifted my gaze and caught sight of Miyano and Abe unleashing their magic.

It seems they’ve successfully eliminated the opponent who was likely targeting them.

“Yaaaaah!”

And while I was focused on their magic, Asada swung her weapon with all her might, striking the opposing team from a symmetrical position to Miyano and the others.

“Huh?”

“What?!”

The barrier that had been subjected to the simultaneous attack from the three of them shattered with a resounding crash, and at the same time, I heard voices of surprise and disbelief from the opposing team.

“Get ’em!”

But it didn’t end there. Immediately after releasing her magic, Miyano closed in and slashed at the opposing team members who had turned around to see Asada behind them.

Caught in the pincer attack of Miyano and Asada, the opposing team was completely wiped out, and with the clue we obtained, the match came to an end as we searched for the treasure.