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 27   Third class and special class battle

“I mean, it wouldn’t hurt to talk a little longer… Well then, shall we begin?”

“Sure.”

I let out a sigh and raised the sword I had been holding, facing the young lady head-on.

However, we weren’t just standing face to face. While we were in this position, I was also enhancing myself and using magic.

Because if I didn’t, I wouldn’t be able to react or even anticipate the opponent’s movements in the first place.

After several seconds of sizing each other up, the young lady seemed to have determined that I had finished preparing, as her body suddenly blurred without any warning.

She flawlessly demonstrated her superior power as she stepped towards me.

“What!?”

However, just before the young lady could thrust her spear at me, she was blown into the air.

She could have stabbed me with just one more step, so there was no reason for the young lady to do such a thing.

But I didn’t ponder why she flew upwards for long.

Because I was the one who set it up.

To be precise, all I did was create a simple pit in the ground that would trip her while she was running.

Furthermore, as a side note, I activated one of the traps I had set up during the match to hinder the young lady’s speed.

Slowing down her speed may sound significant, but it was actually a minor adjustment that wouldn’t normally pose a problem.

At most, it slightly shifted the synchronization between her physical movements and her actual perception.

Although it was just that, for the young lady who charged in at super speed, such a minor alteration turned into a critical mistake.

Ordinarily, it would be difficult to create a pitfall at the feet of an opponent moving at such incredible speed, but it was possible with this particular young lady.

Just as humans have a dominant hand, they also have a dominant foot. It refers to the foot that instinctively steps forward when one begins to walk.

Having witnessed the young lady in previous battles with Miyano, I noticed that she consistently stepped in with her right foot and attacked enemies by leading with her right foot.

Once you understood that, you could also anticipate where she would step based on the distance between us.

Well, I couldn’t rely on just one trap to ensnare her completely, so I opened multiple holes in areas that seemed plausible. Among them, she fell perfectly into one and was sent flying into the air.

However, it wasn’t just a stumble that sent her flying—it was her own leap into the air.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have flown into the sky like that.

Presumably, the moment she realized she had been caught in the pitfall, she instinctively jumped with her opposite foot.

“Oops, too bad. That’s a miss.”

Well, as expected.

Ahead, droplets of water and sand that I had previously suspended in the air are dancing.

Perhaps due to the sudden situation, my magic, which is too weak in response, went unnoticed. Or maybe the princess deemed it insignificant. She continues constructing magic while looking down at me from the air.

However, I won’t let that happen.

“What’s wrong?”

As the princess attempts to attack from the air, I manipulate the sand I had positioned above and make it get into her eyes.

The princess ignored my magic, but there’s no way I would do something meaningless.

Well, maybe the princess didn’t notice. Manipulating sand can hardly be called magic, and in the midst of a battle with particles of water and sand floating around, hardly anyone would find it strange. Especially in a panicked situation.

Furthermore, the princess has a large amount of magical power, so she probably couldn’t sense the reaction of my magic.

However, even with such a mistake, I won’t hold back.

I attempt to attack from a jumping position in the air, but the princess, hindered by my sand, I take out a small sphere and throw it at her.

The thrown sphere flies straight toward the princess.

“This much!”

However, it seems that having sand in her eyes for a moment didn’t obstruct her for long. With slight eye twitching, the princess deflects the sphere that flew towards her with her spear.

But in that instant, the sphere explodes, blowing the princess away.

“Ugh!”

Despite being blown away by the explosion at close range, the princess lands firmly, and she continues to counterattack using magic and tools.

However, well, it won’t end so easily. Every attack I unleash is cut down by her spear.

So, there’s no magic for defense until now, huh? That just shows the difference in power. But it’s fine.

It’s disappointing that I can’t leave a single scratch with anything other than the explosion.

It’s also frustrating, but it doesn’t matter…

Well, setting aside the frustration of not being able to leave a mark, it’s true that it doesn’t matter in itself.

I never thought I could defeat her with just this level, and I have a solid plan for the next move.

I take out a new tool and throw it.

“Huh!? Cough, cough!”

The princess, who had been cutting down the tools I threw just like before, has now sliced through a magical device that activates upon breaking.

Its effect is a smoke bomb that scatters smoke, but it’s not just an ordinary smoke bomb—it contains tear gas.

You might think it would be fine to throw it in a bag or a capsule like those used in gachapon machines instead of using a magical device, but the thing is, it becomes uncertain whether it will effectively hit the opponent’s face or not. Sometimes the powder doesn’t spread as much as expected.

So, I used the tear gas smoke bomb, and taking advantage of the hindered movement caused by its effect, I release a water sphere using magic directly from the front.

However, well, even though she’s a front-line fighter like Miyano who uses magic, she would quickly realize that the magic is coming from me.

“This much!”

As expected, my magic is noticed by the princess, and she avoids it. I think the reason she didn’t cut it was because she was wary of a situation similar to when the smoke bomb wasn’t cut.

“Behind!?”

But right after that, the princess suddenly turns her gaze to the rear.

There is no one behind the princess since I’m the only one present here, but she reacts as if someone is there.

I know the reason for that.

Because I made it that way.

The droplets of water and sand that adhered to her when she jumped earlier. I used the sand to blind her, but I hadn’t used the water droplets until now. And now, I made use of them.

By slightly manipulating the water droplet on her back, the perceptive princess sensed an abnormality even through her clothes, creating the illusion that something was behind her.

Being hindered by the smoke further heightened her sensitivity. It worked out perfectly.

I intended to move the droplet up to her neck if she didn’t notice it even on her clothes, hoping she would scream in surprise at the sensation of cold water. It’s only because there would be a bigger opening that way, not because I have some weird desire to hear a high school girl scream. Seriously, okay?

By the way, if I had done that to Miyano or Asada, they would have scolded me. Not that I… well, it’s just the way I fight, so there’s no helping it.

“That’s a decoy, you idiot!”

Even though I find myself childish, words like these can surprisingly distract the opponent’s focus.

So, while saying that, I throw another tool.

Evade or strike. The princess, momentarily hesitating on how to deal with the incoming tool, leaps back and creates distance.

Just after the princess leaps back from that spot, the tool I threw bursts, releasing a bright light that illuminates the surroundings.

Although the princess managed to avoid a direct hit thanks to the distance, she still narrowed her eyes after the light disappeared, indicating some degree of effectiveness.

However, it doesn’t end there.

The spot where the princess landed after leaping back is the very spot where my water magic from earlier, which hit when I used the tear gas smoke bomb, had landed. And that spot is muddy.

That means if she jumps carelessly, she’ll easily slip and fall.

“Eek!”

The princess, seemingly unaware of the muddy ground beneath her feet, slips and loses her balance, casting her gaze downward.

In a panic, she immediately tries to stabilize herself by thrusting her spear into the ground, but that only creates a hole in the ground where the spear is stuck, further throwing off her balance.

As the princess loses her balance and it seems unavoidable, I open the lid of a container filled with liquid and forcefully throw it towards her face.

Well, she still managed to forcefully twist her body and avoid it, but I manipulate the liquid using magic and splash it onto her face.

“What…! Ugh! Ahhhhh!”

With her posture still disrupted, the princess doesn’t even attempt to stand and instead closes her eyes, pinching her nose in a panic.

Well, that’s only natural, I can’t say much else.

What I threw at her just now was perfume. However, it’s not a pleasant fragrance but rather something nauseatingly strong.

Additionally, it contains ingredients that would cause irritation when they come into contact with the eyes or nose.

If such a strong liquid were to be poured directly on the face, well, this would be the result.

But even this was toned down. Originally, I planned to use something that would truly make her vomit from the smell.

However, I couldn’t use something as repulsive as feces or urine, especially against a girl.

So, I decided against it.

Well, with the princess immobilized like that, I throw all the remaining tools towards her and make them explode spectacularly.

“Well, it seems you took a direct hit, but how do you like that?”

To avoid being caught in the explosion, I quickly distanced myself and took cover behind a tree after throwing the tools. Once the blast settled, I emerged from the shadows of the tree.

However, just as I revealed myself from behind the tree, the tip of a spear emerged from the smoke that had been kicked up by the explosion.

“Oh, looks like you’re still standing.”

Although it caught me somewhat off guard, I had anticipated such a move, so I easily dodged the spear.

With the retraction of the spear, there were no further attacks, and the dust kicked up by the explosion was being dispersed by the wind.

It seems the princess had used magic in the process.

However, as the visibility cleared, the princess appeared with damaged armor, partially charred clothing, and numerous burns and wounds on her skin, quite different from before.

“Damn it! Why can’t I win…!”