I Reincarnated as a Mob in a Depressing Erotic Video Game World. When I Saved the Main Heroine That Fallen Into Despair, Her Overwhelming Obsessive Love for Me Wouldn’t Stop. - Chapter 38

“Now, we will begin the final exam for the first-year scholarship class student, Shiruto Lugia. Both of you, prepare for combat.”

We stood in the center of the training ground.

Irwin and I locked eyes, glaring at each other.

(…This feels familiar. It reminds me of our duel back then.)

Irwin looks very different now from that time.

His face is scarred, his uniform torn and dirty. His skin has a blood-like hue, and his neck and hands are bound with restraints and chains. He no longer looks anything like the “Magiaka” protagonist I once knew.

“Mob-kun. Are you not using that magic book today?”

“…Of course, I returned it. Besides, relying on a magic book during the exam won’t help.”

“Hehe, too bad. If you’re not using it, this fight will be even more one-sided.”

With that, Irwin drew a jet-black sword from his waist.

At the same time, Ralthea manipulated her magic and formed it into a dome-shaped barrier around us.

Ralthea’s control of magic is one of the best in the empire. Even this simple barrier should be as strong as the one in the old arena.

Then Ralthea said—,

“Now, let the exam —Begin!!”

In an instant, instead of casting a spell, Irwin threw his black sword with full strength.

“Haah!!”

His voice was rougher than usual.

Damn. He actually wants to kill me.

I couldn’t take a direct hit from that. I wouldn’t have time to cast a spell, so I rolled out of the sword’s path.

“Shiruto-kun…!”

I heard Ena’s voice from outside the barrier.

…Good. She’s watching our fight.

All I need now is the courage to face the pain.

“Haha. Take this —<Holy Sword>!!”

“<Sand Shield>…!!”

Irwin sent a sword of light at me using magic while I was off balance. I cast my sand shield to block it.

It was like we were replaying that old duel.

The difference now is that I don’t have the Necronomicon in my hands.

And… I don’t even plan on winning this fight.

“Take this, <Meteor Blade>!!”

This was just like that duel back then.

Dozens of swords of light formed and shot toward me at high speed.

But since Irwin was splitting his magic across so many attacks, each one wasn’t very strong.

Then I thought—,

(…I have to take this one.)

I took a deep breath and steeled myself.

All of this is for Ena’s smile.

Compared to the pain she’s endured until now… this is nothing.

“…<Sand Shield>.”

I deliberately made my sand shield weaker than usual.

The result, I couldn’t block the last sword, and its edge grazed my cheek.

A sharp sting. Blood dripped from the scratch.

“Ah… Shiruto-kun…!?”

Ena’s scream was full of pain.

Irwin laughed with a sharp sound and immediately cast again.

“Hahaha —<Meteor Blade>, <Meteor Blade>, <Meteor Blade>!”

He must have decided that attacking fast was the way to go.

The swords of light rained down on me like a storm.

I reshaped my sand shield to block them, but I didn’t try to stop all of them.

Shoulder. Side. Below the knees.

One by one, the swords left their marks.

(Damn… even knowing it’s coming, it still hurts…)

I made sure to dodge the deadly blows.

But a wound is a wound.

The throb of pain ate at my body.

“Hahaha… hahahaha… weak, so weak, you pathetic mob-kun!! Without that cursed magic book, you’re nothing more than this!!”

Surely… Ralthea must have planned all of this.

That’s why he kept Irwin alive, forced him to serve as a slave, and put him in charge of the combat exam with me.

Irwin was full of hatred toward me and wouldn’t care whether it was just a test; he would try to kill me anyway.

And Ena… all she could do was watch.

“A-ah… Shiruto-kun… stop… stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop…!!”

Of course, she was panicking like this.

Right now, I’m everything to Ena. I’m the one she depends on, and I know how important that makes me to her.

I think Ralthea understood that, too.

―And I feel the same.

This was a forceful way to help Ena overcome her trauma.

It’s frustrating, but… I couldn’t think of any other way.

(―I’m sorry, Ena. This is the last time I’ll make you suffer.)

Anyway, this was something we had to face sooner or later.

Complete control of the “Witch’s Seed.”

To do that, I just had to follow what the original story did.

No, maybe not exactly the same.

We’re taking a more twisted, more extreme path than the original.

I have to overturn this depressing world-ending.