A boy raised by a demon king and a dragon king seems to be peerless in his school life.

Volume 9 Chapter 29 Approaching Shadow

While the fierce battle raged on with Ruisha and his comrades, one student hurriedly ran through the facilities of the arena.

“Darn it! Can’t believe every restroom is crowded! I’ll miss the match if I don’t hurry!”

Sweat dripped down the forehead of Chisha, one of Ruisha’s classmates and a halfling of the dwarf race.

Just before the match was about to start, he had to go to the restroom due to a sudden stomachache. However, all the nearby restrooms were occupied, forcing him to go to a distant one.

“The match must have started already… Occasionally, I can hear the cheers. Should’ve asked for a recording using the visual recording crystal.”

Expressing his dissatisfaction, Chisha continued running. Suddenly, a person appeared from around a corner, blocking Chisha’s path.

Chisha, who was running, narrowly avoided a collision and managed to stop. He lightly bowed and apologized. He attempted to pass beside the person, but the person moved as if to obstruct Chisha’s path.

“Um… I’m sorry for almost bumping into you, but I’m in a hurry. Could you please step aside?”

With a slightly displeased expression, Chisha asked while looking at the person blocking his way. The person was a young man of about the same age. While his face was unfamiliar, Chisha recognized the clothing he was wearing.

(Oh no, this is one of the students Ruisha fought in the first round, ‘Gira.’)

The student in front of him wasn’t participating in the match, but he surely didn’t have a favorable impression of the students from their magical academy. Thinking this, Chisha considered turning around and leaving this place, but to his surprise, there was another student from Gira behind him, and he was trapped with no way to escape.

“Oh, I see… That’s the situation.”

Caught in a predicament, Chisha realized for the first time that the Gira students were aiming for a moment when the magical academy’s students were alone. Since it was during the match, there was no one else in the corridor. It was highly likely they were somehow preventing pedestrians from coming here.

Chisha’s dependable classmates were busy cheering for the match, so expecting help seemed difficult.

As he was being detained, more and more Gira students surrounded him, eventually reaching a total of seven.

In this situation, there was no escape for Chisha, who lacked physical prowess. It was a dire situation.

“Apologies for suddenly surrounding you, young mage from the magical academy.”

The student who spoke was the last one to appear. Upon closer inspection, Chisha recognized him as the student who was thoroughly defeated by Ruisha in the match.

“I wonder what you want with me? Just to let you know, I’m weak, so boasting about beating me up won’t get you any pride.”

“I didn’t come here for such trivial matters. How should I put it… Yes, a favor. I’ve come to ask you for a favor.”

Saying this, he took a small vial from his pocket and tossed it to Chisha.

Upon examining it, Chisha found it contained yellow liquid. Analyzing its contents with magical analysis magic, Magi Rise, he discovered it was a powerful delayed paralysis poison. If one were to ingest it, even a large creature would be immobilized for a night; it was a potent substance.

“…What do you expect me to do with this?”

“It’s simple. I want you to make your friend, Ruisha or whatever his name is, drink it.”

Saying this, the Gira student grinned maliciously.

“If you don’t want to go through a painful experience, just follow what I say,” he added.

“Let me make it clear, if you say ‘yes’ and don’t actually do it, I’ll target you. Halfling bodies aren’t that sturdy, you wouldn’t want to be broken, right?”

An uncomfortable, oppressive atmosphere filled the air, making Chisha break into a sweat.

If he refused, it wouldn’t end with just a few punches. Even if he tried to escape, being a halfling with only analytical magic as his strength, he had no way to escape this predicament.

Chisha carefully considered his options and made up his mind.

“――――Alright.”

“Great! You get it! So, let’s—”

“I get it. I understand that you’re all hopeless scum!”

With those words, Chisha suddenly hurled the vial he was holding toward the Gira student.

“Whack!”

The vial made a sharp impact on his face, shattering and splintering as it hit. The student, now struck on the face, held his face in pain and dropped to his knees.

His eyes were tainted with rage, shooting an almost deadly gaze at Chisha.

“You…!”

“If someone’s my friend… no matter how strong the opponent, they wouldn’t betray me. That’s why I won’t yield to the likes of you. It’s a big mistake to think everything goes your way with power alone.”

Summoning courage into his trembling legs, Chisha looked straight at them and boldly spoke. His stance resembled that of his strong and kind-hearted best friend.

“Do as you like, whether you simmer or sear. I won’t run or hide. But remember this, you’ll regret picking a fight with the wrong opponent.”

“…Very well, if you’re up for such a painful outcome, let’s grant your wish.”

The Gira student approached, cracking his knuckles.

For Chisha, the sight was undeniably terrifying.

However, right up to the moment before that fist was about to land, a confident smile adorned his face.

◇

Volume 9 Chapter 30 Instant attack and defense

Back at the match venue.

Locked in a standoff, Ruisha and Kruik observed each other’s moves.

After about thirty seconds of this stalemate, action finally stirred in the match.

“I… still have… some fight left.”

“Yeah, yeah… you’re… right.”

Saying so, the two students of the Young Fangs, who were supposed to have been defeated by Ruisha, staggered but managed to stand firmly on both feet.

(Despite hitting them quite hard, the damage doesn’t seem as significant as I thought. Could it be because of their durability… that armor, perhaps?)

Ruisha focused his attention on the armor they were wearing.

The armor used by the Young Fangs students mainly consisted of materials from magical beasts and dragon scales, with minimal use of metal and minerals.

It was widely known that materials of biological origin had excellent durability, but they were difficult to process, and repairing them was challenging when they broke. Therefore, adventurers and soldiers usually favored metal armor.

However, the Trade Nation of Blum was a bit different. For various reasons, this country, abundant in magical beast materials, preferred using these materials. Thus, compared to other nations, Blum had advanced in processing and repairing magical beast and dragon scale materials, ensuring a stable supply to soldiers.

“We were careless earlier, but it won’t be the same next time.”

Saying this, the two Young Fangs directed the tips of their spears toward Ruisha.

At that moment, Wolf and Burn intervened, positioning themselves between the Young Fangs and Ruisha.

“Phew, close call, close call. Thought Ruisha would sweep all the good parts again. It’s a shame you’re not the leader, but we’ll manage with you guys,” Burn chuckled.

“That’s right. You lot aren’t even worth the Captain getting involved,” Wolf taunted.

Provoked, the Young Fangs shifted their focus to the duo and charged forward.

Gripping their spears firmly with both hands, they aimed precisely and thrust their arms forward. The spears approached at a terrifying speed, making a slicing sound through the air. However, the two of them keenly tracked their movements.

“Compared to Captain Ruisha, you’re too slow!”

For the two who were constantly pushed to their limits by Ruisha in their daily training, the attacks that would be beyond perception for an ordinary person were nothing extraordinary.

Twisting their bodies and evading the attacks with minimal movements, they kicked the armor forcefully. It had been previously damaged by Ruisha, cracking from his previous attack. Despite the resilience of the sturdy armor, it couldn’t withstand the impact twice and shattered under the force.

The Young Fangs underwent rigorous training on a daily basis, resulting in very high combat abilities. However, this was only in comparison to the average human. They couldn’t endure the blows of the two with striking power capable of crushing rocks, rolling their eyes back as they collapsed on the spot.

Seeing this, Burn sighed in disappointment.

“Hah, went down in a single hit. Wanted to show off my prowess a bit more.”

“Blame it on being too reliant on powerful gear. A real man should be able to fight with just his fists.”

Confirming that the two had defeated their opponents in a single strike, Ruisha turned his gaze back to Kruik. However, he remained composed.

“It seems your companions are down this time.”

“No problem. I’ve trained for situations with multiple opponents!”

Saying this, he dashed forward. Unlike the other two, he didn’t charge straight ahead. Instead, he repeatedly accelerated and decelerated, circling around Ruisha, trying to gauge his movements.

“There!”

Having circled behind Ruisha, Kruik swung his spear toward Ruisha’s back. It was an attack from a complete blind spot, and Kruik was confident it would land. However, at the very last moment, Ruisha managed to evade the attack.

“!?!”

Kruik was perplexed by the movements that seemed like Ruisha had eyes on his back.

Aiming for his head, Ruisha swiftly delivered a roundhouse kick. It was a flawless and efficient counter, but Kruik quickly regained composure, dodging the strike and creating distance.

“…Hah, hah.”

Numerous exchanges occurred in a fleeting moment. Worn out from this strategic dance, Kruik took a breath through his shoulders.

On the other hand, Ruisha remained cool, observing him with keen interest.

“Hmm, the timing just now—I thought it hit. The equipment is quite intriguing. With this, I could probably move even faster.”

“――――Very well. As a Young Fangs of the Merchant Nation, I will absolutely win this duel!”