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 9   The result of Mizuki, Haruka and Yuzu

“Then, please.”

“Sure. Anytime you’re ready—”

The moment Sieg finished speaking, Miyano’s figure vanished from the spot, accompanied by a sound resembling metal colliding.

Just as I thought that, the next moment, she appeared in front of Sieg. It seems she had approached and swung her sword, but Sieg managed to defend against it.

Although Miyano’s initial strike was intercepted, she continued swinging her sword without concern, delivering a flurry of attacks.

Miyano’s swordplay was so fast that it could be called divine speed, yet Sieg skillfully defended against and parried every single strike.

After exchanging several moves, Miyano activated her magic and circled behind Sieg, simultaneously sweeping her sword.

However, even an attack that seemed almost like teleportation from the perspective of their opponent was effortlessly evaded, as if Sieg had predicted it. In fact, Sieg likely had some anticipation of Miyano’s actions. Otherwise, it would be difficult for even a special class to avoid such attacks. He probably observed the flow of the match.

Despite Miyano attempting to cut from various angles and positions, she couldn’t land a single blow. Eventually, the very Miyano who had been on the offensive ended up receiving Sieg’s counterattack.

“That method, didn’t you experience it in our match? Once the course is figured out, it’s over. It won’t work beyond a certain point.”

As expected, Sieg seemed to have observed the match between Miyano and the young lady.

Miyano’s movements were certainly fast, but they were linear, following a predetermined path.

If the opponent could anticipate the movements and strategically place attacks in the areas Miyano would likely move to, they could easily intercept her.

However, Sieg’s words lacked his usual casual demeanor.

Perhaps even for him, it was quite a close call?

“I understand. That’s why…”

With a slightly frustrated expression, Miyano said so and once again rushed forward, swinging her sword just as before.

But what followed was different.

As Miyano’s gaze focused on something, there was a flash, and Sieg momentarily halted his movements.

It was magic. The lightning spell, which normally required some distance or a pause in swordplay, struck Sieg.

Even Sieg, in the midst of parrying with his sword, couldn’t avoid the lightning that was unleashed from such close range.

Taking advantage of that opening, Miyano swiftly swung her sword, but it was narrowly blocked.

However, Miyano immediately moved to Sieg’s side and continued her assault, striking with each movement, one hit or several hits at a time.

“That’s how it was in our previous battle too. I don’t know how you did it, but your attack transitions and magic activation have become faster and more skillful.”

It was likely due to the new way of using magic that Miyano had been taught.

Previously, there was a slight stiffness or a lapse in attack before using magic, but now there was none of that. By directing her gaze towards the set magic and channeling mana, the magic would automatically activate, which originally would have taken time.

However, due to the nature of it being activated based on where her gaze was directed, it could be countered if noticed. But if that’s the case, she could use the movement of her gaze to her advantage.

Well, she probably can’t do that yet. She’ll have to get used to it gradually.

“Hmm, this might be a little troublesome.”

As the two resumed their duel, and Sieg endured Miyano’s attacks for a while, he muttered with a slightly clouded expression.

Sieg suddenly changed his fighting style.

While he had previously focused on defense and evading Miyano’s attacks, now he was willing to take some risks to counterattack.

Sieg’s attacks were not landing with critical hits; they only grazed Miyano occasionally.

However, with Sieg’s strength, even a mere graze could potentially become a decisive blow.

In fact, Miyano’s movements had slightly dulled compared to when the battle began.

“This is it!”

Perhaps judging that continuing as they were would lead to defeat, Miyano distanced herself from Sieg and enveloped her sword in lightning, just like when she fought the young lady.

Previously, she would have charged forward in this state, but this time was different.

While her sword crackled with lightning, Miyano activated magic. In the next moment, she appeared in front of Sieg, swinging her sword down.

Sieg raised his sword to counter Miyano’s strike.

It was the same stance as the final moments of the battle between Sieg and Asada earlier.

However, despite the similar stance, the outcome was different.

“Oh, it seems it broke after all. Well, I had a feeling it might.”

The scabbard of Sieg’s sword shattered, and the blade itself had shrunk to less than half its original length.

“Sorry, but I think we can call it a day with this.”

As Sieg shrugged his shoulders and spoke, indicating that he couldn’t fight with a broken sword, Miyano nodded and relaxed her stance.

“Thank you very much.”

“Yeah, yeah. You’ve become really strong. If it weren’t for training like this, we might have actually died, right?”

The recent battle was intense, and both of them fought seriously.

However, they were still holding back since this was just training.

Otherwise, Miyano would have unleashed even more magic, and Sieg would have wreaked havoc until the training grounds were in ruins.

But Asada frowned upon seeing the two of them return.

Or rather, she frowned at the broken sword in Sieg’s possession and at Miyano, who had broken it.

“No need to be frustrated. It broke because I fought you first.”

“Is that so? Then maybe I did pretty well too!”

After Sieg noticed Asada’s gaze and looked at his own broken sword, he spoke. Asada, though putting on a cheerful appearance on the surface, seemed to have been comforted based on the brief pause before answering and her demeanor until then.

Perhaps, even though she couldn’t harm Sieg, she felt her own powerlessness after breaking the sword along with its scabbard.

But is that really the case?

Certainly, Asada still has room for improvement.

However, I don’t think Seg’s words are a lie.

When Sieg checked his weapon after the battle with Asada, he had a worried expression, suggesting that something abnormal had already occurred.

If Asada hadn’t fought first, Sieg’s sword wouldn’t have broken.

The fact that his sword broke was simply due to the difference in order.

However, saying such things to Asada now would only sound like empty consolation.

“Well, since we’re here, how about the two of you fight?”

“What about weapons?”

“Training swords should be fine. You’re not going to directly strike each other, after all.”

And so, this time it was decided that Abe and Kitahara would team up for the fight.

Well, magic users aren’t well-suited against close combat opponents.

The purpose of the training is to find a way to overcome that, but their opponents are Special-Class. Even with the two of them together, it may still feel like an insufficient handicap.

Sieg brought out training swords from the equipment prepared for training, and the battle began.

This time, Sieg changed his tactics compared to earlier, perhaps due to the fact that both opponents were magic users. He swiftly charged forward, displaying incredible speed.

For an ordinary person… no, even for a skilled First-Class, they would likely be defeated before they could even react.

However, that wasn’t the case.

Just before Sieg closed in, Kitahara set up a barrier, and Sieg swung his sword to break it, but he failed. The barrier successfully protected both of them.

However, their method of defense was peculiar and different from the norm.

A normal barrier would either deflect or nullify anything that comes into contact with it, especially if it’s magic.

However, the one Kitahara used just now was, how should I put it, entangling.

Sieg’s sword pierced into the barrier and couldn’t be pulled out.

Rather than purely blocking, the barrier seemed to obstruct and buy time for their actions.

In that moment when Sieg was immobilized, Abe made flames erupt from beneath Sieg’s feet and then shot multiple fireballs as if breaking through the flames.

“I’m quite skilled with fire-based opponents. It’s a classic move for dragons, you know!”

Although Sieg’s sword was entangled in the barrier, it didn’t seem to have a strong restraining force. Maybe it was because the sword easily slipped out, or perhaps Sieg exerted enough strength to free himself. He stepped back.

Despite not having a significant magical effect, Sieg used the training sword to deflect the approaching fireballs.

It shouldn’t be possible for Sieg to cut through Abe’s flames, as magic should only be influenced by magic users. It must be thanks to the equipment he’s wearing.

Being an expert in dealing with dragons and unable to use magic, it’s not strange for him to have such equipment.

Kitahara’s barrier began to accumulate layers as it defended against Sieg’s attacks. In the end, it reached a thickness of five layers.

Rather than initially creating a strong barrier, the focus was on buying time.

During that time, additional layers were added: physical dampening, magic dampening, physical reflection, magic reflection, and finally, a barrier that blocks both physical and magical attacks as a safety measure.

Ultimately, with six layers of barrier in place, the protective barrier for Kitahara and the others was complete.

And this barrier, as usual, only takes effect from the outside towards the inside, meaning attacks can freely be launched from within.

Since it takes time for the composite barrier to activate, it was decided to create the layers one by one.

Sieg swung his sword to break through the barrier, but he was entangled in the first layer, losing momentum. The physical dampening further reduced his speed, and he was lightly deflected by the physical reflection, ending his assault.

Once again, he forcibly pulled out his sword to dodge Abe’s magic and this time thrust instead of slashing.

The thrust managed to create a crack in the physical reflection barrier, but it still couldn’t be completely destroyed, and even if it could, it would be blocked by the final barrier that defends against both physical and magical attacks.

This is the strength of Kitahara’s barrier.

The first three layers only attenuate attacks, so as long as the magic itself isn’t destroyed, the barrier won’t break.

Once the barrier is erected, there’s no need to worry about it anymore.

And for Sieg, who can’t use magic, there was no way to break through magic.

It was a hopeless situation.

Perhaps because Abe didn’t need to evade the opponent’s attacks, she used magic that deliberately exposed vulnerabilities, gradually cornering Sieg.

At the moment, Sieg was managing to dodge and parry, but the difference between a First-Class and a Special-Class becomes apparent when Abe focuses solely on attacking while Sieg must balance defense and offense.

Furthermore, now that Kitahara has finished erecting the barrier, she uses a slingshot technique that Kei, my former teammate and a healer, taught her to attack Sieg.

However, the power of the slingshot is not particularly strong. At most, it serves as a distraction for the opponent.

But in tense situations, even small disruptions can be surprisingly effective.

Whether Sieg gets hit or not is not the issue, but it’s certain that such interference becomes a nuisance. And if the flying projectiles are more than just ordinary gravel, they become a poisonous disturbance that disrupts one’s thinking.

Being trapped in such a predicament, there seemed to be no way out.

“Oh, this might be impossible.”

That thought proved to be correct as Sieg, after attempting another thrust at Kitahara’s barrier, failed to create a crack in it, and his practice sword shattered instead.

As soon as the sword shattered, Sieg stopped his movements at a distance from the two and raised his hands in surrender.

“Indeed, I give up.”

Sieg shrugged his shoulders and walked back towards us.

Responding to Sieg’s words, Kitahara deactivated the barrier and approached us along with Abe.

“If only I had a proper weapon, I could have tried a little harder… Well, there’s no point in complaining.”

Well, that’s true. He was able to create a crack in the barrier with just a practice sword. If his weapon hadn’t broken, he might have been able to shatter it.

Afterwards, we had a debriefing session about the match and had some casual conversation. Then, Sieg bid us farewell, saying, “Well, see you later,” before leaving.

As we watched Sieg leave, it was decided to disband since Miyano and the others must be tired from today’s activities.

Miyano was gripping her fist, perhaps feeling a sense of accomplishment.

Abe and Kitahara also seemed happy, maybe because they were able to fight better than expected, even though they couldn’t defeat Kudo, a Special-Class, before.

However, Asada was watching the three of them with a faint smile, seemingly devoid of strength.