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 5 Chapter 36   Kana and Nina

“As the father, perhaps Nina should be educated a little more?”

That remark came from Asada, which was rather obvious. It seemed like Nina’s attitude during the challenge didn’t sit well with her.

Well, Nina has already grown quite a bit, and I don’t think Asada is the type to get angry over such things or to make such comments.

But if that’s the case, I really don’t understand why she’s glaring at me too…

“You just said you would play with someone like me, right? I don’t like bullying the weak,” Asada responded.

Upon hearing Asada’s words, Nina reacted. She shifted her gaze from Miyano and fixed her eyes on Asada, not just a brief glance this time, but a firm look.

“Why don’t you find out for yourself whether I’m weak or not?” she provocatively challenged Asada, narrowing her eyes.

Asada continued the challenge, and Nina met her gaze with intimidation. But Asada didn’t flinch and stared back at Nina.

Finally, Nina exhaled, shook her head, and turned her gaze towards me.

“Sigh… I guess there’s no other choice, Father,” Nina said.

It seemed like she had changed her mind about fighting with Asada instead of Miyano.

“Oh, it’s probably pointless, but I’ll ask anyway. Are you serious about this? Besides, I don’t have any weapons now, do you?” Asada questioned.

Since they hadn’t planned on fighting today, Asada and the others didn’t have their weapons with them. As adventurers, they probably had backup weapons, but those were just reserves. It would be impractical to challenge an opponent with a high likelihood of losing using backup weapons. Asada was well aware of that fact.

However, even knowing this, Asada refused to back down.

“Obviously. I can’t just let her continue to look down on me like an idiot. Besides…” Asada paused and shifted her gaze not towards me or Nina, but to Miyano.

… I see. Well, of course. Miyano sees herself as Nina’s rival and has been acknowledged as such by Nina. If her self-proclaimed rival, haven’t gained her acknowledgment, it’s only natural for her to feel frustrated and want to earn it.

“Do you have any weapons? Maybe there’s something here that I can use, like the ones I use. They should have them here, right?” Asada asked.

“Well, I suppose there should be something,” I replied.

After all, this place is a research institute specializing in gates and dungeons, so there should be hundreds or even thousands of equipment for awakened individuals.

Among them, there must be unconventional weapons like the massive hammer that Asada wields.

So, if I ask, they’ll probably arrange for one, but that would mean the two of them would end up fighting. Even if I don’t provide a weapon, I have a feeling that a fight will still happen, and I’m not too keen on that idea.

“Wait, a call from Saeki-san?”

As I pondered whether it was a good idea to prepare weapons, the phone rang, and it was Saeki-san on the other end.

Looking up at the glass window on the top of the wall, I saw Saeki-san holding his phone to his ear, looking down at us and waving.

“I’ll arrange everything here, including the location. Feel free to use it.”

With just those words, the call ended abruptly.

I knew our conversation here could be overheard, but how did he respond so quickly—before I even had the chance to ask? It was probably more than just a simple act of goodwill.

Perhaps he wanted to ensure there was someone capable enough to restrain Nina. I used to have similar thoughts not too long ago, so I can understand his perspective.

“Was that Saeki-san?” Miyano asked.

She must have overheard the conversation from the sounds of the phone call but would usually pretend not to hear and ignore it. However, in this case, she spoke clearly to make it a shared understanding among all of us.

“Saeki-san said he’ll arrange a place for you to fight Asada” I explained.

Since everything was being set up for us, there was no point in resisting. In any case, a fight was inevitable. I could be glad that Asada’s chances of winning have improved now that she can use a proper weapon.

With a sigh, I continued my explanation, and Asada bowed towards Saeki-san, who we could see through the glass window on the wall.

“Then at least let’s set some rules. It’s Christmas, and we gathered here, but there’s no need to risk our lives over this. We shouldn’t drag it out unnecessarily either.”

However, I couldn’t approve of fighting each other until one of us reached our limits. So, I wanted to find a way for Nina to acknowledge Asada while minimizing the danger and giving him a fighting chance.

“Yes, exactly. Since we’re spending time together, we don’t want to waste it.”

“I don’t plan on wasting any time either; I’ll end this quickly.”

“Oh, are you planning to lose so soon?”

“Can’t you understand that I’m telling you it’ll be you who loses instantly?”

…It seems like there’s no escaping the fact that these two will end up fighting each other.

Observing this situation, I’m worried if Nina acknowledging Asada will actually lead to them becoming friends. But there’s no option other than making Nina recognize her.

However, the dilemma remains.

In an all-out battle, Asada would be at a disadvantage. After all, Nina is a magic user. If she bombards her with spells while flying in the air, there’s no way she can counter that.

Jumping and attacking might be possible, but considering Nina’s abilities, she would either dodge or defend herself, leaving Asada with no chance but to become a sitting target in mid-air if she can’t finish her off in one strike.

So, to make it a fair fight for Asada, the only option is a straightforward showdown on the ground.

As for the other conditions… making it too complicated could be problematic, so it’s best to keep it short and concise.

In that case…

“Let’s establish a rule: both of you will exchange only one attack, and the match will be decided. Nina, use an attack that you think will make Asada acknowledge you. Then, Asada, counter that attack. If Asada is still standing after the exchange, she wins. At that moment, Nina, make sure to apologize properly.”

This way, Asada will have a fighting chance, and it can be settled quickly. Since it’s explicitly stated now, there shouldn’t be any room for Nina to say later, “I didn’t take it seriously, so I don’t acknowledge it.”

However, even without these conditions, Nina would recognize someone who can endure her attacks without dying, just like me or anyone else. So, if Asada manages to block her attack head-on, Nina will naturally acknowledge her.

“Yes, understood, Father.”

“Alright then. I’ll definitely beat you.”

It seems both Asada and Nina are satisfied with the current conditions.

“Do you have a stone? If not, I can prepare one.”

“I don’t need it. It’s just one attack, so I only need to hold on for a moment.”

As Asada spoke, she reached into his pocket and took out a dull, shimmering stone about the size of a pebble.

It’s a magic stone. She’ll use it to temporarily enhance the self-enhancement magic cast on herself.

Since it’s a stone of that size, it probably doesn’t contain an excessive amount of magical power, so she won’t be able to maintain the enhancement for long. However, as Asada said, it should be enough to counter one attack.

Using a top-grade magic stone obtained from a dragon would increase the effectiveness and eliminate any worries about the duration, but Asada is not yet skilled enough to handle that much magical power.

Hence, a small stone should be sufficient. Failure is not an option under any circumstances.

“Alright, let’s get moving.”

And so, we moved to the place where Nina usually ‘plays,’ and now Asada had prepared her equipment and was facing Nina.

“Are you really going to do this? I don’t want to kill you and be disliked by Father, you know?”

“Hmph. No need to worry about that. After all, I won’t die, and I’m going to win this match.”

Asada casually brushed off Nina’s attempt to dissuade her and readied the weapons prepared by Saeki and the others.

“Then let’s do this… but I truly hope you won’t die.”

It was the same kind of plea, a hopeful voice that I had heard before.

I believe Nina genuinely doesn’t want Asada to die.

And perhaps, she wants to be friends with her?

Until now, her life has changed as she got involved with me, and she started interacting with people.

Moreover, she found an equal opponent in Miyano, which further broadened her interactions with others.

Because of that, I think a sense of loneliness she hadn’t felt before arose within her.

And maybe, that’s why she wants to increase her connections, to make more ‘friends.’

Yet, it’s not just about making friends; it’s about recognizing others through battles. She might not know how to make friends in a traditional way, but it’s also because she doesn’t want her newly acquired friends to die.

…Initially, I just hoped Asada would win, but thinking about all this, I find myself wanting her to win even more.

“Alright, I’ll give the signal. Are you both ready?”

Having resolved to do whatever it takes, even if it gets dangerous, I saw both of them nod, and I raised my right hand.

The signal was meant to start the match, but honestly, with the current rules where Nina attacks and Asada defends, we didn’t really need a signal. Since Nina uses magic, she needs time to prepare for an attack that shows recognition towards her opponent, and Asada can prepare herself after seeing her intentions.

But still, we decided to have a signal because it felt more comfortable for both of them than just starting without any indication.

“Begin!”

With the signal, I swung my hand downwards.

In that instant, Nina unleashed an enormous amount of magical power worthy of the world’s strongest and began constructing her spell.

Even for someone like me, who wasn’t directly facing her, it was enough to make me break into a cold sweat. The threat felt immense.

If I feel this way, Asada, who is facing her directly, must feel an even greater threat.

As Nina extended her hand forward, a flame ignited above it. Despite the dangerous magical power, what appeared before Nina was a small flame, like that of a candle. But just when I thought that, the flame swelled up in an instant, reaching the size of a basketball.

However, the flame didn’t continue to grow, instead, it started shrinking.

Then, in the next moment, it expanded again, only to shrink once more, creating a phenomenon that seemed to resemble a heartbeat.

Perhaps she’s repeating compressions. Compressing the flame, then adding more flame, and compressing it again. It’s like a cycle of adding and compressing the fire repeatedly.

… Wait, if Nina keeps repeating this process to the limit, wouldn’t it become like a small sun?

After a few more cycles of expansion and compression that resembled a heartbeat, the movement came to a halt. I assume she completed the process.

As Asada noticed this, she had already consumed a magical power replenishing potion, and in addition to that, she shattered the magic stone she had been holding, manipulating and absorbing the magical power stored within it. This enhanced her body strengthening magic, far surpassing her usual capabilities, and she should now possess strength comparable to a Special Rank.

However, despite this enhancement, the total amount of power would still be inferior to Nina’s.

Asada must be aware of this herself.

Even so, she didn’t back down. She gripped her weapon, pulling it back as if to tighten her grip, and her eyes were fixed solely on Nina.

Seeing Asada in such a state, Nina waved her hand, directing her intention towards her.

Then, a flaming ball about the size of a baseball was released towards Asada.