My Classmate Became My Familiar - Chapter 3.10
"Please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you!"
Chapter 3.10
One of the field instructors stood between us as a referee—or observer as we called him—.
“As a final note, the condition for victory is to defeat all of the opponent’s familiars. Any direct attacks on the summoner are prohibited, and if we observe any dangerous behaviour, we will stop the fight, and the opposite party will win by default.”
It was an orthodox rule often seen in mock battles between summoners.
“If there are no problems, I will start the mock battle with a wave of my hand. Both of you, take a stance.”
As the instructor raised his hand, the audience’s cursing stopped.
The air in the training hall became tense.
It’s going to be okay. Everything was going to be fine. I’ve already prepared for this.
“Start…!”
Just as the instructor shouted, Sophia shot out light bullets, probably a preemptive attack meant to test her opponents.
The four familiars scattered, and the light bullets that had lost their target gouged the ground, causing a cloud of dust.
“Loga and Ares attack the demoness! Attack from multiple directions to distract her!”
Following the president’s order, the werewolf and crystal golem attacked from both sides.
Sophia dexterously dodged the crystal golem’s heavy blows while using one arm to block the werewolf’s many attacks. Her face tinged with a sneer, perhaps a sign of comfort.
“Saria, offensive magic! Elle, stay in the air and prepare for large-scale magic!”
The elf readied her bow, drew an arrow, and the arrowhead lit up with magic power.
In the next moment, a blue light ray was shot out.
The shot accelerated by magic power was too fast for me to react in time.
“What a trick!”
However, Sophia kicked away the werewolf attacking her and grabbed the enhanced arrow with one hand.
In addition, she spun her body as if taking a step and threw it back, adding more magic power to it.
The arrow, which has gained momentum and radiance, traced the same trajectory from where it was released and reached the shooter.
The elf quickly jumped away, but just as it seemed like she would not make it in time, layers of transparent barriers appeared and stopped the arrow’s momentum.
The arrow didn’t stop, but the elf managed to avoid it in the nick of time.
It was the president’s support magic.
“You’re careless! Move as soon as you release it!”
“I’m sorry!”
“Prepare non-reflective offensive magic! Keep your hands on it!”
“Yes!”
The elf started chanting spells at the president’s instruction.
As she chanted, fireballs appeared one after another around the elf.
The high heat emitted by the fireballs distorted the surrounding air. It was a tremendous amount of heat.
“Let’s see if you have enough of these… FIRE.”
An uncountable number of fireballs flew at Sophia.
At the same time, the golem attacked Sophia.
“Ha! Such child’s play! Shame on you!”
As Sophia dodged the golem’s wide swing, she punched the ground, and as if triggering something in it, the earth rose up with a rumbling. A large earth wall had appeared.
The fireballs hit the wall without fail, and the flames swirled as if they were crawling on its surface.
“Impossible!”
“Feeble, so feeble! Kuhaha… Is this the best a weakling can do? Let me remind you of your place. Hahahaha… Hahahahahaha.”
Laughing, Sophia struck the crystal golem.
The crystal golem got repeatedly struck with fists at an unseen speed, and soon its body’s surface was shredded and deformed.
The golem was kicked in the stomach as a finishing blow and sent flying, slamming into the buried deployed to protect the audience. A moment later, the students’ screams echoed.
The golem slid down to the ground and stopped moving.
“First one down! And while I’m at it, I should recover some more magic power.”
The magic in the air swirled and converged on Sophia.
The magic that overflowed from her body due to overdose turned into a blue aura, covering Sophia.
I was almost blinded by the horror and beauty of it.
The president and others looked overwhelmed by the scene.
… How long could we drag this battle?
Sophia was much stronger than I anticipated.
Will the president really be able to lead her to the desired location?
“I’ll give you a better one!”
Sophia smashed the earthen wall she had built with her magic-filled fist.
The crushed earth and sand got struck with magic power and sent flying towards the dragon, who was waiting in the air, and the elf, who was chanting a spell while running.
The dragon blew flames to melt the barrage, and the elf created a tornado to block it.
But,
“You bastards are full of openings!”
Sophia kicked the ground and jumped into the flames released by the dragon. Even though her whole body was bathed in the hot flames that blocked the earth and sand, she did not care.
She landed on the dragon’s back with her momentum and raised her hands above her head.
“Thunder claw!”
The red dragon got electrocuted as purple lightning released from both of her hands.
Strands of pale blue sparks scattered, the surrounding lights cracked one after another, and the deafening sound of explosions resounded. But the red dragon withstood the electric shock and let out a roar.
In response to that roar, a huge magic circle appeared above the heads of the red dragon and Sophia.
It’s a circular magic circle with a diameter of about ten meters.
“What is it?”
Sophia tilted her head as she let loose a thunderbolt.
In the next moment, light shot down from the magic circle.
Sophia and the red dragon got swallowed by the raging light that came down like a mudslide.
A fatal blow.
A dazzling glow lit up the training ground, and I couldn’t help but cover my face.
“A direct hit!” The president shouted. “A primordial magic that only the ancient dragon species can handle! Let the light consume you!”
The intense light also pierced the ground, creating a circular hole the size of the magic circle.
The air was trembling. The vibration was so strong that I could feel the pain on my skin.
What got swallowed was blocked by such a strong light that it was impossible to recognize.
The intense light gradually lost its brilliance… Soon, the magic circle floating in the air disappeared.
“Did we… win?”
Despite her words, the president’s gestures were unflappable.
The only thing left in the field was a deep, dark hole with no bottom in sight.
There was no sign of the red dragon or even of Sophia.
A few seconds of silence. Then a burst of cheers erupted from the audience.
Oh…?
Sophia, did you get hit? Seriously?
No. Of course, it would have been best if she got defeated in a fair fight, but… the president was still incredible.
Sophia, she’s not dead, right? Fujiwara is still inside her…
It was at this very moment that I felt a little uneasy.
Something jumped up from the depths of the hole.
A large red mass.
It spun like a ball, spreading liquid in all directions. A splash of it splattered on my cheek. When I wiped it off with the back of my hand, I saw that it was warm, and it was blood.
At the same time, the president jumped away in panic, and a red mass crashed in front of her.
The lump turned out to be the red dragon with scars all over its body.
The red dragon, limp and weak, let out a thin whimper and lowered its eyelids as if it had run out of energy.
It’s not like it came back on its own, no matter how you looked.
So, who threw the red dragon up from the abyss…? No, I didn’t think I needed to think about that.
Before I knew it…
The place that had been so bustling had quieted down as if splashed with cold water.
She was still in the big hole. Everyone in this place understood that.
From the bottom of the abyss, where countless gazes focused, a figure jumped up.
Soaring high into the sky, she landed lightly on the ground… It was Sophia, after all.
But she was not unscathed. Her left arm was more than half charred, emitting black smoke.
“Fuhn. That’s quite an accomplishment for a lizard.”
“So-Sophia-san? Your arm’s kind of charred…”
“Hmm? Is it? I’m sorry, I let my guard down, but it will heal soon. Don’t worry about it.”
Sophia placed her right hand over the damaged part of herself, and just as she had said, it immediately healed.
Not a single scratch remained. It must be a joke.
It was a ridiculous level of healing magic.
“It’s the primordial magic of the red dragon… You can’t be unscathed after taking… a direct hit…!”
The president shivered.
I had heard that that blow was her trump card. For summoners, being able to use dragons is a kind of status, and they were considered powerful monsters.
The fact that such a dragon’s strongest magic was defeated so easily should have been a cause for fear.
All the spectators were now gasping and looking at Sophia in horror.
Even the teachers’ faces were tense as they clutched their assistive devices tightly.
I was at a loss for words.
I knew she was strong, and I convinced myself that the president would not be able to win.
Still, I hadn’t expected her to be so overwhelming.
That woman. When she was on her quest, was she fooling around…?
“It’s the second one. Is that a turnaround? Not sure about that. Anyway, soon you all will end up like this.”
Sophia snapped her neck and walked over to the two standing familiars.
“L-Loga, Saria, move as planned! Avoid attacking straightforwardly!”
The two familiars distanced themselves from Sophia.
“Playing tag? You’re wasting your time…”
She closed in on the werewolf as she muttered.
Before the other party could do anything, she clasped her hands together and struck its head from above.
The werewolf was knocked to the ground and stopped moving with whites in its eyes.
There was no sign of it getting up.
“One left. You’re the school president, but how can you be so weak?”
Sophia threw a glance at the elf.
It was not good. It was over.
“Sophia-san! It’s the last one, so don’t kill her instantly, make sure you instill fear in her.”
“Hmm, leave it to me.”
Sophia replied comfortably and fired a series of light bullets at the elf.
They didn’t hit the elf but grazed her at the last minute.
“That’s it. Run, run. The only thing you can do now is run away in vain.”
Sophia was like a cat playing with its prey as she leisurely chased after the elf who was desperately running away from the light bullet hail. It was no longer a game.
The elf that was being tortured struggled to escape using her making, but she couldn’t avoid getting more wounded. It was not a pleasant thing to watch even though it couldn’t be helped.
“Kuhahahahah… Sure… Here…!”
However, the elf, who had been running away for a while, suddenly stopped at a certain point.
She looked up, glared at Sophia, and held up her fist.
“Fuh… Come…! I’ll at least give you a shot! Come and beat me fair and square!”
At the elf’s provocation, Sophia lifted the corners of her mouth in a vicious smile.
She stopped in front of the elf, snapping her fingers, “Nice determination. I’ll make it easy for you with one blow.”
Sophia caught the fist directly in front of her forehead and smashed her knuckles into the elf’s face in return.
A dull sound echoed in the training ground as the elf that got beaten turned around from the momentum… and stopped moving.
Knocked out.
“Umu!” Sophia nodded vigorously and was satisfied.
“I did it! Now the Lord is king! This is where it begins! Our high road.”
Sophia’s high-pitched laugh echoed through the silent training ground.
Golem. Red dragon. Werewolf. Elf.
The familiars on the field had all run out of steam.
According to the rules, it was an indefensible defeat for the president.
But it didn’t matter anymore. In the end, the elf had achieved her goal.
“… Sophia-san, stop. Don’t move. It’s dangerous.”
I called out to Sophia, who took a step forward with an overflowing sense of joy.
Sophia stopped her steps curiously,
“What is the matter? There’s no danger. This Lady defeated all the Lord’s enemies…”
I put on my hidden Zeus I and sent magic power to the grimoire in my hand.
Sophia’s feet lit up.
The camouflaged grass blew away, and the magic circle concealed appeared.
“Magic circle!? What is this… My Lord…?”
A groan went up from the audience. It was probably because the magic circle that appeared at Sophia’s feet looked different. It was something outside of the existing magic system.
Aside from the president, Asahi and me, there was no one else who knew the true nature of the magic circle emitting a purple light.
In addition, the fact that I was directing this unknown magic at my own familiar must have been one of the reasons why they all were confused.
“Did you plan this? Why are you doing this? No way… You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“I don’t intend to pretend it’s a joke either. I’m sorry, but I really don’t want to be the student body president. I’m also not interested in being the world king or anything like that.”
Sophia’s expression became increasingly grim as I replied.
And then, frustrated, she tried to get out of the magic circle… only to be blocked by the barrier deployed on the magic circle.
Sophia violently punched the transparent wall, but it was too strong to break from just that.
“… Is that so? That’s right, I understand very well. It seems that my Lord wants to provoke this Lady even more. Foolish. I will not tolerate anyone who opposes me, even if it is you, my Lord. It seems that this Lady, as a loyal vassal, must educate you once and for all! Yes…”
The light bullets she released haphazardly bounced off the barrier.
Sophia’s eyes widened.
“It’s no use. It’s the same as the summoning test… No, it’s far stronger than that.”
The flames that she fired in succession were also blocked by the barrier and disappeared.
“What?”
“It is a barrier that applies technology from an upper world. It’s impossible to break.”
“Huh…? Wha? An upper world, you say? You got your memory back…?”
“Eh?”
When I replied plainly without understanding, Sophia looked back at me curiously.
It was a strange atmosphere. Oh well. There must have been some inconsistency in the information.
“Erm. In case you’re wondering, it’s a special magic circle that applies some of the magic used to summon beings from worlds higher than this one, and it’s fundamentally different from ordinary ones.”
“… Fuhn. It’s a big deal. And? What are you going to do with me with this special magic circle?”
“I’ve no intentions of harming you, Sophia-san.”
As I said this, I sent my magic power into the grimoire.
The magic circle grew brighter and swirled, causing Sophia’s flaming hair to shine.
“If my theory is correct, with this magic I’ve created…!”
Right in front of me, the ground started to glow.
The next moment, the grass blew away, and another magic circle appeared.
At the same time, Sophia’s face twisted, and she fell to her knees.
“What are you…!”
A lump of skin-coloured flesh floated above the new purple-glowing magic circle.
The handball-sized lump wriggled violently like a fetus, and when it seemed to expand in the blink of an eye, it eventually took the form of a person and transformed… directly into a woman.
She had long black hair and a slender body.
“All right!”
My plan worked, and I made a small gut punch.
The magic circle lost its shine, and the woman floating in the air fell to the ground from her back.
She was unconscious, or perhaps she had fallen and was not moving.
“Is that Chikage Fujiwara? No, there’s no doubt about it. Chikage Fujiwara’s spirit is no longer inside this Lady…”
Sophia muttered in a daze.
The crowd, the teacher, and everyone else present was speechless, staring at Fujiwara.
She was naked.
Yeah. I think I might have messed up a little bit.
It was not good to leave her like this, so I took off my school coat and hurriedly put it on Fujiwara.
“President, please take care of the rest. I’ve just been drained of all my magic power.”
“Yeah. You’ve done well. You can leave the rest to me.”
The Student Council president, who had somehow come to my side, nodded vigorously and placed her palm on her grimoire.
My magic circle holding Sophia lost its glow, and another one appeared underneath it.
This one glowed blue and was a transfer circle that opened a tunnel to another world.
“You better have an explanation! What’s going on? I do not understand. I do not understand anything!”
Sophia’s voice trailed off as she punched the barrier.
Unlike my barrier, the transparent wall shook from the impact. The president groaned.
I looked at Sophia as I fastened the front button of the school coat I had put on Fujiwara.
“I extracted only Fujiwara’s soul from you, Sophia-san, and reconstructed her body based on that soul. That’s a quick separation.”
When summoning a creature from a higher world, it is necessary to drag only the soul and spirit into our world.
By applying this technique, I was able to extract Fujiwara’s soul from inside Sophia.
“So, I’m going to use the transfer magic to send Sophia-san back to her original world. Thank you for your hard work. Please take care of yourself in the other world.”
“Don’t be silly!” Sophia screamed out. “Why would you do such a thing? I still understand that you had to separate me from Chikage Fujiwara! But I don’t understand why you want to send me back to my world!”
I didn’t want to admit it.
Sophia punched the warding, desperately pleading with a sad expression on her face.
Even though we don’t share the same values, I found out that Sophia was seriously thinking about me in her own way, and I felt an unexpected pain in my heart. I should at least tell her why.
“Please understand. I do not deserve you. You’re far superior to me. So, I’m sorry.”
“Is that it…?”
The emotion drained from Sophia’s face.
She stared back at me with a frighteningly blank expression.
Just as I was thinking, her facial muscles twitched…
“Ha…”
“Ha?”
“How dare you make a fool of this Lady… I am Sophia Edel Eilam. The cost of this betrayal will be high. Don’t think you can ever atone for this…?”
Sophia laughed as she got enveloped by the dazzling light coming out of her body.
Both ends of her mouth hung to the limit as she smiled with unconcealed madness in her bright red eyes.
“For the first time in my life… I’ve been made fun of… I got ridiculed! This kind of feeling! I’ll never forgive you for that…! Never! I’m not going to let you get away with it, no matter how much you apologize.”
“I’m really sorry, Sophia-san.”
“This Lady! I… For the sake of my Lord! I worked so hard! The moment you don’t need me, you’re throwing me away like trash… Do you feel nothing about me!? I’m not going to let you get away with this! Aan!?”
“Of course, it hurts… It hurts, but I had to do this.”
After my response, Sophia burst into laughter.
It was like a broken audio player.
She laughed while holding her stomach and shedding tears, but then she glared at me with murderous intent in her eyes…
“Oh, yeah, yeah! That’s the only way! Kuhahahaha, hahaha. I’ll make you regret it for sure! Hiii-Hahahaha! Don’t you fools think you can survive with this Lady as your enemy! I’ll kill you myself..! Ahahahaha! You’ll regret it… for sure!”
It’s too scary.
She was pissed off.
“President, please send that woman back as soon as possible. I’m afraid she’s going to kill me with her gaze at any moment. I’m not kidding. I’m seriously about to shit my pants.”
“I’m doing my best without being told. I’m trying, but her magic resistance is too high. It’s the first time I’ve ever encountered resistance like this… which could break the magic spell. I’m not sure what’s wrong with that woman… but if I’m not careful, even the slightest bit, she can kill us all in an instant…”
The president was sweating profusely, with it dripping from the tip of her chin.
No, wait. Wasn’t this actually quite dangerous…?
“You sure you’ll be fine, right?”
“… I’ll do my best.”
The urgency of her voice filled me with anxiety.
I rubbed my tightened facial muscles and forced a smile at Sophia.
Sophia, who was gnashing her teeth ferociously, screamed as if she was angered by my gaze. It was scary.
“Please calm down. You know what? It’s not that I’m trying to send you back because I don’t like you. I just don’t think the ethics of this world fit Sophia’s values.”
“Shut up!”
“Hiii—”
“It was the first time. It’s the first time I’ve ever accepted another man! I thought that you… with your power to access the higher realms, we could be together! That’s what I thought! It was… my first time! The man that this Lady wanted to be with was you… I really…”
“Um…”
“Kuha-ha-ha-ha! It’s the first time I’ve been betrayed like this… Such embarrassment, shame, shame, shame… Uuuuuuuu… I’ll never forgive you for that…!”
Sophia started crying raggedly. It’s as if her emotions had reached a critical point. But I don’t think she was pathetic or pitiful in the slightest.
At any rate, the bloodlust has not subsided.
She was constantly punching the barrier.
In the form of a demon, and with eyes that looked like she was about to bite off your throat, she was like a wounded beast.
“I’m sorry, please don’t do this! I’m really sorry, but Sophia-san’s wrong too! You don’t listen to what I have to say. You just go off on whatever you want, and there’s nothing I can do about it; your ego is too big! It was hard for me! Seriously!”
“If you’re a man, you should at least accept a woman’s selfishness…! Haaa, haaaa, haaaaaa, I’ll never… never… f, forgive, you! Absolutely, absolutely! I won’t forgive you!”
Sophia’s face was full of tears, but she had a big smile on her face.
I’ve never seen a creature that embodied so much ‘too much cuteness is a hundred times more hateful.’
You must return to your world as soon as possible…
“Ggh!”
The president grunted.
“So, Souta-kun, I’m sorry…!”
What?
A feeling of fear ran through my body as if frozen water poured into my heart.
I turned around and saw the president on her knees. She looked at me with a face as if she was about to die, and her eyes were unfocused. But she was biting her lip to avoid fainting, and there were several streaks of blood flowing from her lips.
No matter how you looked at it, she was close to the limit. No. She was already over the limit. And yet, she was still holding on. So I guess that meant she could collapse at any time.
It’s over…
“Hahahahahahahahahahahaha! You were so close! So close! After all, you’re merely a human! There was no way you could be a match for this Lady! It’s good to be alone! Who needs a lord! There is no one who can stand up to me! Hahaha… I will erase you all along with these shameful memories! Hahahahahahaha! Hahahahahaha!”
From behind me, the voice of a demoness filled with frenzy.
My body trembled with fear, and I couldn’t look at Sophia.
“Run away…! This can’t be happening…! I’m sorry…!”
The president said breathlessly.
No, we’ll die even if we escape. I mean, how can I leave the president and run away?
But what was I supposed to do? Neither the president nor I had any magic power left to summon God anymore. Because we thought the plan would work, we had completely focused on it.
In the meantime, I was going to have to reactivate my barrier… If I couldn’t use the transfer magic, I’d eventually lose my life.
I’d just be wasting magic power even if I could temporarily contain her. It wouldn’t mean anything in the end.
Then, yes, maybe the order! Oh, but will that thing really work on her?
No! It didn’t matter if it worked or not! It’s the only thing I have left to do!
Then what should I order her to do? Like, die? No, I couldn’t do that!
But… Oh, shit!
I couldn’t think straight!
“Ashiya-kun…”
I turned around, startled by the voice I heard.
Fujiwara was awake wearing my school coat.
“You’ve regained consciousness?”
She looked a bit sluggish, but there was no other noticeable abnormality.
However, there was still a Mark of Obedience engraved on her forehead.
“Thanks to you. What’s the situation…?” Fujiwara asked, looking around. “I see. Losing at the very end?”
Was it because of her comprehension or because she had shared memories with Sophia until just before the separation? Fujiwara understood the situation without any explanation.
“Sorry, you had to go through all this trouble to get us separated.”
With the urgency of the situation, there was no time for the usual hateful remarks.
Fujiwara shook her head loosely.
“No. Thank you for helping me. I’m fine. I’ll take care of the rest.”
“What?”
“I’m sure you don’t have much magic left, Ashiya-kun. So even if you share it with me, you’ll lose most of it over the supply circuit transfer.”
Fujiwara let out a sigh and walked over to me.
When she stood right in front of me, she took a deep breath, looked up at me and smiled. And then she stretched her arms around my head.
“Close your eyes?”
“What? No, you…”
“It’s okay.”
I didn’t know what was happening, but I felt a tremendous sense of intimidation, and I closed my eyes.
Then,
“Mmph!”
My lips were stolen.
With a gentle touch of her mouth, her tongue went into my mouth.
“Mhm, nhm, mmmm, Mhmm!?”
I hurriedly opened my eyes and saw Fujiwara’s face through the lenses of my glasses. She was very close to me with her eyes closed.
Wow, this girl has long eyelashes. But that’s not what I should be thinking…!
The invading tongue swirled in my mouth, entangling itself with my gums, the back of my lips, and my tongue, sucking the magic power out through the mucous. I struggled, but she held my head so tightly that I couldn’t escape at all.
It was as if I got trapped by a giant snake.
I thought I was going to be eaten.
“… Ha? W-what are you doing? Hey, are you listening to me? Hey…!”
Sophia was shouting, but it fell on deaf ears.
We don’t have time for this.
“Hmm, fmm, hmmm, nhm, nn?”
Unable to breathe, I forcefully inhaled air through my nose and smelled a familiar scent. As soon as I realized that it was Fujiwara’s scent, which I had come into contact with many times during our life together, I felt strangely calm.
And although I was upset, I also realized that the act itself was not so unpleasant.
It must be what they call a comfort blanket in psychology. Yeah.
In the field of vision, Fujiwara slowly opened her eyelids and… smiled thinly.
“—Pah…”
Since she had already taken enough magic power from me, she let go of my mouth and lightly pushed me in the chest.
Having been robbed of a large amount of magic power, I couldn’t hold on and stomped my foot.
“Unbelievable. I can’t believe this was my first kiss.”
Fujiwara spat, wiping her mouth with the sleeve of her school coat.
But was it an illusion? Her mouth, hidden by the sleeve, seemed to say something else…
“Well, thanks to you, I’ve got the magic. So yeah, I’ll do it.”
Fujiwara walked up to Sophia.
The president’s barrier surrounding Sophia was still barely functioning. The blue light running through the magic circle was faint, and the barrier started wavering. There was no guarantee that it would retain its shape in a few seconds. Above all, the president had already collapsed.
She probably didn’t even have any consciousness left, let alone magical power. However, she still had her hand on the grimoire. She seemed to be pouring her magic power into it until the very end.
“Fufu. Are you jealous? For a sore loser?”
At Fujiwara’s provocation, the demoness’ expression broke.
An inaudible scream rang out.
Before the warding shattered, Fujiwara thrust one arm out in front of her. Her fingertips glowed slightly.
Instantly, a magic circle unfolded at Sophia’s feet. A blue light continued to run through the magic circuit.
It was a transfer circle, but it wasn’t the president’s. It was hard to imagine, but Fujiwara had created it right there and then. That’s all I could think of.
She was like Sophia, who could perform magic without the need for chanting or assistive devices.
“Another barrier!”
“It’s the transfer formation. On behalf of the president, I’ll send you back to the other world.”
The magic circle’s glow increased, but Sophia resisted.
“Ha! You’re the one who couldn’t save that scum on your own, so you begged for help from me?”
“It’s a shameful past. That’s why I’m sending you back to clear up that stain.”
“I’ll let you say it…!”
Fujiwara smiled as Sophia glared at her.
“Still, this situation reminds me of the summoning test. Well, it’s the complete opposite of what I did back then. I don’t need you anymore.”
Sophia’s face was bloodshot.
“My, you have no sense of humour, and you dare to taunt this Lady…! You’ll regret this when it’s too late. I’ll kill you…! I’ll kill you, too. And I’ll destroy this world too! Mark my words!”
“If you can do it, do it. I’m sure you can’t, though, because you’ll be sent back now. And for the record, you can’t even stop me.”
“You’re getting carried away! You big, fat, female monkey!”
“Ha, haa? You can’t stop me! Oh, you can’t speak for others either, can you? It’s so embarrassing to get dumped and then go on a rampage! Huh! It’s too bad you didn’t get any younger guys to take you seriously.”
“I’ll kill youuuu! Uooooooooooooo!”
Sophia went berserk.
One after another, she unleashed her magic and hit the barrier in a frenzy.
Every time she did this, Fujiwara let out a small voice as if she didn’t have as much strength left. But the sharp gaze that glared at Sophia did not waver in the slightest, even if her opponent was Sophia, the most powerful demon and a monster that beat the president.
Fujiwara seemed to be in great shape now, but it still felt uneasy.
Damn it. All I could do now was watch?
Of course, I’m aware of my own weakness. I wanted to help, but I could only drag my feet.
Even the teachers watched from the sidelines, but what can you say?
But, whatever it is, I can help… Ah, yes.
I stood next to Fujiwara, worried just a little bit. I took Fujiwara’s other hand, which wasn’t pointed at Sophia. Her hand trembled at the touch, but she didn’t shake it off.
“I’ll send you as much magical power as I can. It’s the least I can do, but good luck with that…”
“… I’ll do my best.”
I squeezed the magic power out of the depths of my body and let it flow in just barely.
If Fujiwara was in charge of sending her back, there was still one last thing I had to do. So I couldn’t give her everything. But I will give everything else to Fujiwara. That’s all I can do.
Please, please.
Sophia’s anger reached its peak at the sight of the two of us, and she screamed like a beast.
The attacks became even more fierce. Fujiwara staggered with each attack on her barrier, so I supported her.
“Are you okay?”
“Y-yeah. No problem. After all, she’s worn out too. Little by little, her resistance is waning. She’s almost at her limit… She knows that too.”
“I see.”
Sophia, who was rampaging inside the barrier, certainly looked like she was in agony if you asked me. That’s right. Against the transfer magic, where the summoner has an overwhelming advantage, she managed to resist to such an extent even though she was the target. No matter how strong, the familiar will always have a limit.
“If there’s something you want to tell that woman, now’s the time.”
Fujiwara’s words made me think for a moment.
I’d like to tell her… Something, I guess…
It’s just, well…
“Sophia-san. Thank you for all your help. And I’m sorry.”
I apologized one last time and sent what little magical power I had into the grimoire.
Inhale.
“… I, Souta Ashiya command! O Sophia Edel Eilam! Forget everything you know about this world and return to your own as if nothing ever happened! Forget about us! Let it sink into the recesses of your memory, never to be called again! Never, ever remember us!”
The mark on Sophia’s forehead flashed phosphorescence.
It was a compulsory order with the mark of obedience.
Sophia shivered and screamed.
“Youuuuu bastard!”
She punched the ward, stuck to it, and pressed her forehead against it.
From the other side of the barrier, Sophia glared at me with eyes bloodshot to the extreme.
“Bullshit! Such depraved behaviour… Damn you, damn you, damn you! You want me to forget…! It can’t be happening! Damn it! I’ll… never forget, never forget! Never, never! I cannot forget, I will not forget, never forget this feeling, this frustration, this humiliation…”
“Goodbye.”
At the same time as Fujiwara’s declaration, a torrent of light rolled up from under Sophia’s feet.
Agitated, Sophia’s outline distorted.
“I’ll be back! This Lady will come for you! I’m not going to let you get away with it! Even if it’s in a parallel world beyond measure, I will make sure to find you and kill you.”
Her voice echoed, and she disappeared beyond the light.
The transfer circle lost its power completely.
There was no sign of Sophia.
Was it over…?
Were we saved, huh?
I didn’t die …?
For real?
Yeah…
I slumped down on the spot with a sly smile.
“Finally…”
I was so tired that my voice lacked strength.
I held my violently beating chest with trembling hands when someone called my name, “Ashiya-kun.”
I looked up and saw Fujiwara in my school uniform looking at me.
“Fujiwara…”
“We did it.”
“Ah, oh. Look at this. My fingers are still shaking. In the end, it was really scary. I thought I was going to shit my pants. I think she was really pissed, that woman…”
When I showed her my twitching fingers, Fujiwara sighed.
“It was still too lousy. Can’t you at least finish it off with something cool?”
“Don’t be absurd. Aah, no, I really thought you were dead. If Fujiwara hadn’t woken up at the right time, I really would have died. Thank you very much for your help. I appreciate that…”
Perhaps it was because the tension holding me back was no more, but I was surprisingly honest in my thanks.
Fujiwara blinked at me unexpectedly, smiled, and extended her hand to me as I slumped down.
“Here, can you stand?”
“Oh, thanks.”
I took her hand, and she pulled me up forcefully.
But because I had used up all of my magic power, I couldn’t muster up the strength and staggered.
I couldn’t keep my footing and leaned against Fujiwara with the same force I got pulled up with.
“Utto, I’m sorry.”
“No, it’s okay. don’t worry.”
Despite the fact that we were hugging each other from the front, I was not blamed.
When I was surprised by Fujiwara’s thoughtful response, she called me by name, “Ashiya-kun,” while we were still in close contact.
“Ah, ah, I’ll get back soon…”
“Thank you for your help. I was happy.”
She whispered in my ear with her gentle voice.
I turned my head to the side and saw Fujiwara with a soft smile on her face.
A dazzling smile devoid of guile or sarcasm.
It was so unusual that I was stunned.
Fujiwara must have been embarrassed by such a reaction.
When she pulled away from me, she stuck out her tongue with a “buu” before turning away.
No, what’s with the embarrassment? It doesn’t suit you at all.
Your ears were all red.
I didn’t know how embarrassed we both were.
“You’re welcome.”
I returned, scratching my head to calm myself down.
I looked around the quiet training ground and finally took a breath.
Now, what should I do?
End of chapter 3