I Was Sent to an All-Female Frontline Unit to Get Rid of Some of the Trouble, but the Most Beautiful Girls Who Are Rumored to Hate Men Love Me So Much That I Have a Hard Time at Night - Chapter 22: Ability (2)

Chapter 22: Ability (2)

Since Norn-san wanted to fight alone, all of us, including me, watched over her from a short distance away from the front line.

“Wow… Norn-senpai really has an amazing figure…”

“Right? Oh, hey, Teraward-kun! Norn-senpai’s boobs might be a little too stimulating for you, so don’t stare too much, okay?”

“Wh-what…!? I-I’m not looking!!”

Because of those unexpected words, my face heated up, and I quickly turned my head away from everyone as I answered.

“So cute…”

“Did he get embarrassed just from hearing the word ‘boobs’…?”

“Too adorable…”

Everyone next to me seemed to be talking about something, but if I focused on them now, I’d end up remembering what they just said. So, just as Norn-san told me, I concentrated on watching her.

And then—

“Don’t try to take them all down at once! Focus on taking them down one by one! If even one of you can defeat an enemy when none of you have been able to so far, the battle will start to change—hmm?”

The soldiers of the Granzenia Kingdom’s army were approaching where Norn-san was.

…It would be rude to worry about Norn-san, one of the strongest forces in the Luvankrum Empire’s military.

But… cheering for her should be fine.

“Norn-san!”

When I called out to her loudly, Norn-san turned to look at me.

“I… I’ll watch from here and cheer you on like you told me, so do your best—”

“There! It’s that woman!”

Just as I was about to finish, one of the Granzenia Kingdom soldiers shouted and turned toward Norn-san.

“Take down that woman first! Even if she’s from the Luvankrum Empire’s front-line troops, she’s alone! She’s no match for us!!”

“OOOOOOHHH!!”

Maybe because it was a hundred-against-one situation, the Granzenia Kingdom soldiers seemed to be in high spirits.

In just a few more seconds, they would clash with Norn-san… but she wasn’t moving at all.

“……”

Looking at her mouth, I couldn’t hear what she was saying from here, but her eyes were darkened, and she seemed to be muttering something.

“A bunch of mindless beasts in human skin… How dare they interrupt Finn-kun’s words of encouragement, which he was about to give me… Oh well. If I finish this quickly, I can go back to him and hear the rest.”

Finishing her muttering, Norn-san raised her hand toward the soldiers rushing at her—

“Charm Enchantment. Hold them in place.”

“Yes!”

Several soldiers at the front suddenly turned around and began attacking their own allies.

That was…

Probably the same Charm Enchantment spell that Norn-san had tried to cast on me before but failed.

“W-what…!? This is charm magic…!?”

“That’s right. Unlike Finn-kun, you’re all just mindless beasts, so the moment I use a little magic, you become my puppets.”

“Wh-what…!? Beasts!?”

“Yes, exactly. Beasts with nothing but useless pride. I used to think all men were like that… That the moment I used a little magic, their rationality as humans would melt away, leaving nothing but animals.

But I was wrong… I’ve finally found someone different.”

“What nonsense are you babbling about!? Oi! Attack from both sides!”

They seemed to be exchanging words, but before long, the soldiers on Norn-san’s left and right closed in, attempting to attack her.

“Honestly, that last spell was enough to deal with all of you… But that would be boring. I want Finn-kun to see more of my power, so I guess I’ll use a different spell this time.”

Norn-san extended both hands to her left and right.

“Deadly Venom, Paralyze.”

The soldiers on each side reacted differently to her magic.

Those on her left let out agonized screams.

Those on her right collapsed instantly, completely motionless.

“T-that’s…!”

“That’s how Norn fights,” Elena-san said as she spoke to me when I let out an involuntary gasp.

“She doesn’t use direct attack magic. She fights by inflicting abnormal conditions on the body and mind. If she did this in training, it wouldn’t even be training anymore, so during practice, she either watches or relaxes at the base.”

That explains why, when I first arrived at the front lines, everyone was training in the forest, but Norn-san wasn’t there.

“There’s probably no one else in the world who can use such a variety of status-inflicting magic like she can.”

While Elena-san explained, Norn-san kept taking down enemy after enemy.

Before I realized it—

All one hundred soldiers had collapsed in front of her.

…She defeated a hundred soldiers all by herself.

Thinking that, I couldn’t stay still.

I immediately ran over to Norn-san.

“Norn-san!”

“Finn-kun. Did you watch your big sister’s fight properly?”

“Yes! It was incredible! I had no idea you could use so many different types of magic besides Charm Enchantment…!”

“……My fighting style isn’t as straightforward as Elena-chan’s or Sephia-chan’s, so I was worried that maybe you wouldn’t like it, but—”

“That’s not true! In fact, there are very few people who can use that kind of magic, and there are times when regular attack magic isn’t enough. Knowing that someone like you can use such magic makes me feel reassured!”

“……”

Norn-san raised her hand toward me.

“Charm Enchantment.”

As she spoke, she released magical energy.

But as always, I only felt the magic energy.

There was no change in my mental state.

Seeing me unaffected, Norn-san looked at me with a happy expression and whispered something under her breath.

“No ulterior motives, no strange schemes, just pure and genuine… There really is a boy like you.”

“…Norn-san?”

When I called out to her, Norn-san shook her head.

“No, it’s nothing. More importantly, when I’m fighting, I make sure to show off my cleavage so it’s easier to charm my opponents—”

As she spoke, Norn-san brought her face close to my left ear.

“But that’s only to defeat them. The only boy I’ll ever show my boobs to outside of battle… is you, Finn-kun.”

“Wha—!?”

“Come on… Take a good look. This is my boobs, something only Finn-kun gets to see.”

Right in front of me, Norn-san’s cleavage was fully visible. For a moment, my eyes were completely captivated—

And the next instant, seeing it up close made my mind go completely blank.

“Norn! Finn-kun! It’s about time to head ba—wait… Finn-kun? Finn-kun!?”

After that, as my mind remained blank, Elena-san’s voice echoed in my head.

◆◇◆

Granzenia Kingdom Army Frontline Base.

“Reporting!”

A scout who had been observing the battle from a distance addressed a single man.

“The hundred-man unit we sent to the front line was completely wiped out!”

“I already know that! Even I didn’t expect just a hundred men to take down that front line… More importantly, what about that other matter?”

“Y-yes, sir!”

The scout shrank back slightly before continuing.

“In this battle, only one of the Luvankrum Empire’s top fighters participated, so that boy did not engage in combat.”

“…A hundred men wiped out by a single person? What a ridiculous story. But… heh, so once again, the boy didn’t participate in the battle.”

“Yes. And after the battle, he was seen talking with the one who fought.”

“First Elena Endyheart, and now another one of their top fighters… Only one participated this time, but even so, this confirms it. Last time, Elena Endyheart was protecting him, which means he’s a non-combatant, yet an important figure connected to their strongest forces.”

The man smirked, clearly pleased with his conclusion.

After a brief pause, the scout asked,

“…What should we do?”

“Isn’t it obvious? Request reinforcements from headquarters! Just like I said before, I’ll take that boy hostage and use him to break through the front line myself!”

“W-we’re really calling headquarters…? Are you sure?”

“Yeah. If I fail, I’ll be removed from my position, and that arrogant woman with the pretty face will laugh at me from her high horse… But I’m a man who never makes the wrong call. This is worth the risk.”

That’s how he had always risen through the ranks.

And this time, a perfect opportunity had fallen right into his lap—a non-combatant, the key to his promotion.

“Heh… Hahahahaha! My time to rise is just around the corner!”

Imagining himself achieving what no one else had—breaking through the Luvankrum Empire’s frontline—the man let out a triumphant laugh.

The man who never made the wrong call laughed grandly.

And as he laughed, night began to fall.