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 5   “Magic that uses magic”

Two days later, in the morning.

Using the usual free pass provided, I boarded the bus to school and noticed that Abe and Kitahara were standing at the main gate.

I wondered why they were there, but could it be…?

Perhaps they noticed what I had done. Abe, who was leaning against the wall next to the gate, lightly nodded her head, while Kitahara bowed firmly.

There was no doubt that they were waiting for me, but well…

“Good morning.”

“Good morning.”

“Yeah, good morning… So, why are you guys here? Were you waiting for me?”

As I expected, Abe nodded in confirmation when I asked, and just like Miyano and Asada, she stared straight at me.

“Igami-san, how can I become stronger?”

Stronger, huh? It seems like this person, just like the other two, has something on their mind.

Not only Abe but also Kitahara standing next to her caught my gaze. Kitahara seemed more serious than usual.

Interestingly enough, it seemed like she had come to ask me to train her as well.

“We lost in the recent match and couldn’t survive until the end…”

“It’s frustrating.”

Even though they say it’s frustrating, the opponents they lost to were Kudo, an S-rank adventurer. Even though it was a three-on-one situation, and the opponent wasn’t at their best, a First-rank defeated an S-rank. That alone can be considered a significant achievement.

However, it seems they still can’t be satisfied in any way.

“The training was canceled the day before yesterday because of Kana-chan, right?”

“Did Asada say something?”

“No, she didn’t.”

That’s what I thought. It’s only been a day, and I don’t think she would tell anyone until the time comes.

“But I understand. Your behavior has been strange for the past few days.”

Well, that makes sense. There was a clear difference in attitude before and after I taught her how to become stronger.

Considering how much she has changed, it’s difficult to believe that the sudden cancellation of training on that day had nothing to do with it.

“Mizuki-chan, Kana-chan, please make us stronger too. We don’t want to be a burden.”

“Please.”

Saying that, the two of them bowed their heads towards me.

Even though we call it the main gate in the morning, there aren’t as many people passing through compared to a regular school.

But that doesn’t mean nobody passes by, just fewer than usual.

“Raise your heads. It’s strange to see high school girls bowing their heads like this in a place like this.”

“Then, will you train us?”

Even as she said that, Abe didn’t try to lift her head.

…So she purposely waited here for this reason.

Abe won’t move until I say, “Sure.”

She probably thinks that if she continues like this, I’ll eventually give in and train them.

It’s frustrating to be seen through like this, but her thinking is probably correct.

Even though I know it will become bothersome, I’ve decided to train her.

Well, if they’re begging me like this, I think it’s fine to train them.

Among the four members of the team, two of them train even outside of regular practice, so it would be unfair if the remaining two didn’t train.

Besides, I welcome the idea of them becoming stronger.

However, there is one problem when it comes to training.

“Well, you know… Even though you might have had those thoughts after the match with those young lady, I don’t know how you lost, so I can’t say anything.”

With Miyano and Asada, it was easy to determine the direction to become stronger because I understood what they wanted and what they needed. However, in the case of these two, I haven’t seen where they lost.

So, I can’t clearly visualize how to train them.

“If we go to the faculty office, there should be records. Let’s go.”

But when I said that, Abe lifted her head and took my hand, walking ahead.

“Hey, wait. What about your classes?”

“We have permission.”

Permission? Is that for skipping classes?

It must be for this purpose, no doubt about it. Going to such lengths…

Well, I believe her, but let’s ask Kitahara just in case.

With that in mind, I turned my face towards Kitahara, who was walking behind me while Abe held my hand, and asked.

“Is that true?”

“Uh, um, yes. I-I thought that since you, Igami-san, would agree, I should get permission to skip class beforehand.”

I see. If she can anticipate my approval, then it makes sense to prepare ahead of time. It’s good to be prepared.

With that in mind, I sighed at Abe’s proactive nature. But then, a certain thought crossed my mind, prompting me to reconsider.

…Maybe she’s feeling anxious in her own way.

It has only been a few days, but she was surpassed by two of our teammates. She might feel left behind if things continue like this. It’s natural to feel anxious and act hastily, isn’t it?

It’s been a year since I started acting together with these two. At first, it was reluctantly, but eventually, I started to enjoy it to some extent.

Yet, it seems like I still don’t fully understand these two.

Deciding to observe them more closely, I firmly held Abe’s hand and entered the school building.

Inside the building, we went to the individual booths and watched the footage of our recent match.

The individual booths we were in right now are makeshift rooms attached to the library, where we can read books or watch past recordings of gate battles and combat.

Usually, only students can use them, but anyone can borrow them if they apply and there’s availability. It’s a convenient corner.

However, these individual booths are meant for one person. Having three people in such a small space is quite cramped.

There are larger spaces for five or six people, but those require prior reservations, and they weren’t available now.

Nevertheless, if we don’t mind the tight space, it’s sufficient for fulfilling our purpose.

So, I won’t be bothered by the fact that I’m in a close, cramped space with two high school girls. In fact, I feel like I shouldn’t be bothered by it.

“I see.”

And so, we watched the footage from that time, but we had just finished watching it.

Facing a Special Class adventurer like Kudo in a team of three was certainly a challenging battle, even though we ultimately emerged victorious.

However, what should I do?

I can train them to defeat Kudo, but that in itself poses a problem.

…Training specifically for combatants might not be as effective in the dungeon. …Or maybe it’s still valuable as experience? It’s not entirely useless, and it could help them learn different ways of thinking.

Typically, adventurers face non-human monsters as their opponents.

No matter how proficient they become in fighting against humans, it won’t be meaningful against a dragon measuring ten meters in length.

Could a master of Aikido deflect a dragon’s tail attack? Impossible.

Even if a judo practitioner mastered joint locks, would it be effective against a dragon? Absolutely not.

Well, it’s not entirely without value, but I don’t think there’s a pressing need to actively train combat techniques tailored for human opponents.

“Um…?”

“Oh, sorry. I was lost in thought.”

It seemed like my thoughts slipped out unintentionally, and it prompted an inquisitive response from Kita.

After remaining silent for a while since finishing the footage, it would be confusing to suddenly blurt out unrelated words.

“Kitahara, and also Abe, have either of you swung a sword before?”

“No.”

“Not really… Oh, well, I had a little experience in a self-defense class.”

“Ah, yeah, I also had some brief exposure.”

“So, in other words, you both have very limited experience.”

Their mention of a self-defense class likely meant they had only minimal exposure.

Well, their physical coordination seems decent, so we should be able to work with it somehow.

…But come to think of it, they might have the most training volume among us.

As I continued pondering, I considered how to train the two of them. Then, I turned to face them and spoke up.

“So, both of you, swing a sword.”

“Huh?”

“A sword?”

The two of them looked puzzled, understandably so. However, I had a clear reason for making this request.

“So, try a mock battle between the two of you. Understand where you get tired, what challenges you face. And think about what you wouldn’t like to happen while swinging a sword.”

This exercise will help you handle opponents who approach and attempt to attack, not just those wielding swords.

Well, it’s just an improvised training method, so it might end with just buying time for one or two moves.

But that’s fine. Moments of success or failure can be determined in an instant, and being able to handle a single strike is sufficient.

“Now, let’s move on to a new way of using magic.”

This is the same technique I taught Miyano.

Normally, using magic requires following a set procedure every time.

However, trying to do that while engaging in close combat can be challenging and impact performance.

So, I thought about it for my own survival and came up with an idea. Magic requires both magical power and following specific steps to activate. But inversely, as long as you have enough magical power and can follow those steps, the magic will activate.

Even without the intent to activate it, if you perfectly prepare the conditions and follow the activation steps, the magic will activate.

If you could use magic without consciously focusing on it, you would be able to use magic while launching sword attacks.

In essence, it’s a ‘magic to use magic’ technique.

By using that method, the consumption of magical power may increase slightly, but you’ll be able to use magic without having to dedicate a significant amount of focus in a short amount of time.

Well, the effectiveness is limited, though.

However, for example, in the case of self-enhancement, defense, or quick-range attacks against opponents, you can activate them in an instant, reducing vulnerabilities.

Watching the previous footage, the downfall of these two was the delay in magic activation.

Of course, their skills are excellent, and they are already faster than regular mages. However, even so, when they tried to deal significant damage to a special-class adversary or fully prepare to defend against a special-class attack, it took considerable time.

And during that preparation time, they were vulnerable to attacks.

Most of the attacks they received were due to magic not being activated in time.

In fact, that was the only way they were taking damage.

So, I taught them the ‘magic to use magic.’ With this technique, they can activate magic immediately upon encountering an enemy, and it can automatically activate while they dodge or defend against sudden enemy attacks.

“And one more thing. This is more like a challenge rather than training.”

When I mentioned it as a challenge rather than training, the two tilted their heads in confusion.

“Create a new magic spell.”

As soon as I said that, they had a bewildered expression as if they didn’t understand what I was talking about, but then their eyes widened, revealing their surprise.

“Kitahra, create one for defense. Abe, create a trap for automatic counterattacks.”

That’s what I said, but honestly, I don’t expect them to be able to create it.

You might wonder why I said something like that if they can’t do it, but by learning more to create new magic, their understanding of magic will deepen, making it easier to construct spells. I asked them to create a new spell as an unreasonable challenge for that purpose.

“It may not be achievable overnight, and it doesn’t need to be versatile. It can be tailored specifically to each of you. Once you can do that, you’ll become stronger.”

The two nodded with determination.