SWNOVELXO Chapter 15: A Duel with Aunt Colette (2)
Collette Bloodberry.
The hidden boss of the High School Division, a monster that even seasoned players are killed by if they don’t follow the strategy perfectly.
But I’m not scared. Rather, I’m even a little relieved that I can defeat this aunt quickly.
“I’ll make you regret being born a dirty demon race.”
“Is that all you can say, Auntie?”
“Everyone here thinks you’re dirty. Didn’t you know? How pitiful… Kehehe.”
The news that I, Murmur, would be dueling Aunt Collette spread through Cosmos Academy faster than I expected.
Thanks to that, many students and faculty members had gathered in a circle to watch me and Collette in the center of the sports field.
“Are they really fighting?”
“I heard Murmur used the vow of duel first? Is she crazy, trying to get herself killed!”
“Ah… She’s gotten too big for her britches after getting close to the Princess.”
I was more concerned about Nikea, who was staring at me with a pale face from afar, than the harsh words I was now quite used to.
Is she feeling sorry, after all? Still, the first level of affinity doesn’t lie. The situation where her friend might die must be quite agonizing for Nikea.
“Kehehe… Do you want to ask the Princess for help now?”
“Murmur can beat Auntie all by herself.”
“Tsk, you’re so rude and don’t know your place… I need to punish you quickly.”
Collette gave me a nasty smile and pointed at me.
Most people would feel unpleasant in this situation, but not me. I was rather pleased.
“You should be honored that you get to duel me, Collette Bloodberry!”
“Murmur will duel for her friend.”
Collette took a stance to cast a spell.
Just as I expected.
The most disgusting part of fighting this aunt was the ‘Magica Kingdom Court Magicians’ who would come out in droves to reduce her casting time.
But they’re not here. This aunt isn’t the ‘Minister of Magic’ right now, and she’s not judging me, Murmur, during official duties, so she can’t get help from the court magicians.
“I’ll burn you to ashes!”
A red light emanated from Collette’s right hand, and I could feel the heat from the ground.
Correct. This was also as I expected.
“Flame Strike!”
I pulled my body back to avoid the pillar of fire erupting from the ground.
Thank goodness. She really was a beatable opponent! She’s not casting a high-level spell like Meteor, but a mid-level spell!
“Hmph, you’re good at dodging like a rat. How long do you think you can keep it up?”
Collette is casting another spell. As expected of an aunt who has learned elemental magic from her family for generations, she doesn’t show any more skill than that.
I can win.
The battle is going exactly as I thought it would, so it would be embarrassing if I lost!
“Is that child… really the same age as us?”
“I’ll double-check, but isn’t she the child that the failed hero brought?”
I’m not going to show a losing face in front of a young lady who thinks she can buy everything with money!
“Murmur…! Is not running away.”
“Hahaha! You little brat! What can you do, struggling like that!”
Collette’s hand glows red again. It doesn’t matter what spell she casts. She’s bound to put in a feint.
What’s important is that hand. The light emanating from that hand was proof of what element she was enveloping her body with.
“Burn! Flame Strike!”
Fire is weak to water.
Water is strong against fire.
Simple common sense. The most basic principle that makes up the world of Legend of Academy.
“Water spirit! Child of bubbles! Naiara! Help Murmur!”
—Poof!
I grabbed the ‘Water Spirit Naiara,’ summoned from my fingertips, with both hands and threw it at Collette with all my strength.
It’s a soft and cute slime with white bubbles popping out, but it’s the best attack you can do with a Lv. 1 summoning spell.
“Hahahaha! Is that what you call an attack? Little girl? How stupid are you—”
If you think it’s just cute, you’ll be crying like a dog.
‘Naiara,’ which flew straight and coolly, exploded with a small burst of white steam as soon as it touched Collette’s body. The scorching heat would be enough to shut Collette’s mouth, which had been chattering loudly.
“…You’re using tricks.”
“Is that what it looks like to you, Auntie?”
Collette gritted her teeth and cast another spell.
This time, the element enveloping her right hand was blue.
“Eagle Strike!”
She’s using a feint again? She’s acknowledged that I understand the advantages and disadvantages of elements?
Is it okay to be so serious against an elementary school fifth grader?
Eagle Strike is a spell that uses the ‘wind’ element, so she’s trying to induce me to use the fire element.
What I actually need to use is the ‘earth’ element magic. The element wrapped around Collette’s body isn’t the green wind element, but the blue water element. Earth is strong against water.
“Earth spirit! Child of sprouts! Talorin! Help Murmur!”
I endured the wound left by the Eagle Strike that grazed my shoulder and used a summoning spell once again from my fingertips.
On top of the heavy, muddy lump, many cute sprouts were blooming. Some people said it looked like a chocolate slime.
“Talorin…! Sorry!”
Collette, who was kicked in her soft butt, quickly twisted her body to avoid Talorin’s body slam, but it’s not a soccer ball.
—Squelch!
‘Talorin’, which fell to the floor with a thud, bounced straight up and landed a refreshing blow to Collette’s jaw.
“H-How can a child…?”
The element contained within the Earth Spirit, Talorin, and the ‘water’ element that was swirling around Collette’s body reacted strangely again.
Collette’s fancy dress was instantly covered in mud.
“Look at that mess… Hehehe!”
“Isn’t Count Collette losing?”
“That can’t be happening!”
“God, please bless the child who is doing her best for her friend.”
I don’t need the Saintess’s blessing. Murmur can do it.
“I told you. You have to apologize to Esme.”
“Y-You…! How dare a brat like you!”
Collette, with a hideously distorted expression, bent her back slightly.
“What’s going on?”
“I know Murmur is barely dodging that auntie’s attacks…”
“Dodging? She got hurt! Her clothes are torn and burned!”
“More than that, how does she know summoning magic?”
Collette smiled cruelly at the murmuring coming from all directions.
“Little girl. It’s time to wake up from your dream.”
“Auntie. Aren’t you ashamed?”
“Against a dirty! Hideous demon like you, it’s only right to go all out!”
Collette smiled and began to envelop her right hand with the water element and her left hand with the earth element.
“What, what is she doing?”
“It… It’s out. That auntie! She’s trying to do dual casting.”
“Really? Isn’t that an incredibly difficult method?”
“That’s why she can be the Minister of Magic of the Magica Kingdom!! That countess is super strong!”
It will be impossible to avoid all of this attack. Murmur’s stamina is unfortunately quite bad.
Even though I haven’t taken any fatal injuries so far, my stamina has been steadily depleted.
“Flame Strike! Earth Arrow!”
The heat I feel beneath my feet is proof of Flame Strike. It’s easy to dodge, but she wouldn’t have used ‘dual casting’ for nothing. It’s obvious that the Earth Arrow will hit my head precisely as I try to dodge by falling on my butt.
Then… Let’s turn this crisis into an opportunity!
“Water spirit! Child of bubbles! Naiara! Help Murmur!”
This time, I summoned Naiara not from my hands but from my toes.
I know it’s an absurd thing to do…!
—Pop!
“Th-That! What is that thing doing?!”
“She… She flew up. That idiot! She’s floating in the air!”
“Is she crazy?!”
The explosion created by the meeting of the water and fire elements blew Murmur’s small body into the air. Thanks to that, I was able to avoid the Earth Arrow!
“Fire spirit! Child of firewood! Emberon! Fire!!”
I grabbed the heat-emitting slime in my right hand and threw it at Collette. It was incredibly soft and warm when I held it in my hand, but it was dangerously emitting red flames as it flew towards Collette.
You better be careful. Emberon is hotter than any hand warmer!
“Kuh…! With this kind of! Trickery…!”
Collette’s right hand, which had instantly turned red and burned, glared at me with disgust, but it’s not over yet.
“Wind spirit! Zephyra! Give Murmur wings!”
A disgusting nosebleed dripped down from my nose. As expected, my limit is coming quickly. My mana can’t be infinite. Even if it was, using it continuously like this would make me tired and exhausted!
But hold on a little longer, just a little more and I can win!
“Uwaaaaaaaaaa!!!”
Shining feathers, scattered clumps of clouds, permeated me. It’s soft as I thought! That’s why I like low-level spirits, they’re soft and fluffy!
Thanks to that, I was able to land easily right in front of Collette, close enough to feel her breath, without falling to the ground.
“Kuh… You…! How dare you use these tricks again…!”
The earth element scattered by the wind element became an unpleasant dust storm that obscured Collette’s vision. My eyes were protected by the fluffy cloud clumps, so it was no problem.
Murmur, a demon race, should never get close to Collette, but it doesn’t matter.
“How dare you approach me…!”
“Auntie, did you forget?”
There’s no way she has the ‘Bloodberry heirloom’.
“Do you know how hard Esme worked today?”
This is an opportunity created by Esme Bloodberry.
It’s an opportunity that should never have existed, created by desperately holding onto the heirloom to keep me, Murmur, from dying.
“It doesn’t matter! I can tear you apart right here and now!”
Collette desperately raises her right hand, which she had taken to her waist, high.
The water element began to gather, but I’m not afraid. She can’t use that spell.
Because she has to ‘cast’ it. The reason I was able to barely dodge her attacks until now was thanks to that casting!
“Auntie! Listen carefully!”
Another nosebleed flowed unpleasantly, but I gathered all the mana in my body and clenched it in my hand.
“This is…! A spell that Esme taught Murmur!”
Low-level magic has no casting time.
It’s weak, but it’s enough.
A low-level spell is enough to punish a piece of trash who enjoys tormenting and forcing revenge on her niece, instead of giving her love!
I’ll show you the power of the grimoire I received as a gift from Esme’s first level of affinity!
“Stone Ball!”
I punched the stone ball with my right hand, clenched tight, with all my strength.
My cleanly extended hand was deeply embedded in Collette’s stomach.
“This can’t be…!”
—Pop!
Collette couldn’t withstand the mana that erupted as the stone ball shattered, and her body was thrown into the air before crashing to the ground, back first, in a pathetic manner.
“What… happened?”
“Did Murmur really… hit her, just now?
“Was it just one hit? Honestly, I don’t know what happened since earlier, but that little kid…”
“No way! Count Collette lost? This must be wrong!”
“Brother… Can you allow me to be friends with a demon race?”
Lachesis was here watching too. But is it okay? Are you going to be depressed all day again because you got scolded by your brother?
“Cough… Haa, first… Let’s focus on Auntie…”
I wiped the blood flowing from my lips and approached Collette. Let’s punish this auntie first.
There’s something I have to finish, a word I have to say.
“You little… brat…”
Collette, who had spat out blood, looked at me with her back on the ground.
“Listen carefully.”
I spat out the words I had prepared for this moment with all my strength.
“Apologize to Esme.”
//slw『Hidden trait has been unlocked!』
“Apologize to Murmur’s friend!”
//slw【The Path of ■■】
I, who won the duel against Collette, obtained an unexpected reward.