Chapter 94 Yuki Chihiro ③
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
I squared my shoulders, staring down the man blocking my path.
He wore the standard Envyos Magic Academy¹ uniform, though he’d layered some basic plate armor over it. He was a student here, just like me. He gripped a massive greatsword-a claymore, if I recalled correctly-in a high overhead guard. The blade shimmered with a pale, rhythmic light; a textbook example of an ‘Enchantment Weapon’ augmentation.
”DIEEEEE!”
With a guttural roar, he brought the slab of steel crashing down. Parrying an enchanted blade was one thing, but trying to catch that weight with my small round shield would have been suicide. Luckily, I didn’t have to.
”Dispel²,” I muttered.
The word had barely left my lips when my sorcery collided with his. The glow on his blade flickered and died. As the magic vanished, the weight of the strike wavered just enough for me to catch the edge of the steel and redirect its momentum into the dirt.
”Wh-what? What the hell did you do, you bastard…?” Kelly stammered.
Confusion flickered in his eyes.
Dispel. It was exactly what it sounded like: magic designed to unmake magic. A sub-branch of Augmentation. I owed the friend who taught it to me a serious drink.
Finding his rhythm broken, Kelly scrambled backward. He was playing the part of a warrior, but this was a Magic Academy-everyone here had a trick up their sleeve. His go-to was ‘Fireball.’ A cliché, sure, but a classic for a reason.
”Tch… try this on for size! Fi-“
His voice cut out. The sphere of flames he was desperately trying to manifest collapsed into a pathetic hiss of steam.
’Silence³.’ It was a Wind Magic staple that temporarily halts the vibration of air to prevent vocalization. While high-level mages can cast spells through pure intent-what they call ‘Silent Casting’-most students still rely on the crutch of an incantation. If you choke the words in their throat, their concentration shatters.
Of course, it’s useless against a veteran who doesn’t need to speak, but this guy? He wasn’t even close to that level. The panic on his face was almost painful to watch.
Funny thing is, I can cast silently. I just used the incantation for ‘Dispel’ to be dramatic.
”—! —! Damn it! My voice… you… you cowardly snake!” Kelly finally screamed as the spell wore off.
”Cowardly?” I asked, tilting my head. “I call it using the right tool for the job.”
”That’s the definition of a coward!” he barked.
I sighed. If he ever faced a real monster or a bandit on a dark road, did he really think they’d wait for him to finish his chant? Knights talk about ‘honor’ and ‘fair play,’ but the ones who survive are the ones who use every dirty trick in the book.
Besides…
”A bully who preys on my friends doesn’t get to lecture me on ethics,” I said, my voice turning cold.
”Ha! The strong do what they want with the weak! That’s the way of the world!”
”I see. If that’s your logic… then you won’t mind whatever I do to you next, right? Since I’m clearly the stronger one here.”
”You…!”
His face twisted in a mask of pure rage. It was a cheap taunt, but it stung because it was true. My rank in this Academy was leagues above his.
”I’ll kill you! I’ll-!”
I didn’t let him finish. If he had breath to waste on threats, he had breath to lose.
I lunged, my blade a horizontal blur. He managed to catch it on the flat of his claymore-give him credit for reflexes, at least.
”Not bad,” he grunted.
”I’m just getting started. I’m better than you in every way that matters.”
”Try me!”
I swung again, a heavy diagonal slash. He braced himself, clearly reading the trajectory. It was an easy block-or it would have been, if I’d followed through. I pulled the strike at the last second, a blatant feint that left his guard wide open. I stepped into his personal space and slammed the rim of my shield into his chest.
As his balance crumbled, I finished it. A dozen droplets of water materialized in the air around him. In a heartbeat, they broke the sound barrier.
’Aqua Shot⁴.’
”Wha-? G-GUAAAAAAHHHHH!”
The scream was cut short as the high-velocity needles tore through his avatar. His body didn’t fall; it simply shattered like glass, dissolving into light.
* * *
”Winner: Yuki Chihiro!”
A cold, synthesized voice announced my victory over the roar of the crowd. I hadn’t realized how many people had been watching.
It was a duel, but not a lethal one. The arena we were in was a massive, ancient magical artifact. When you pass through the gates, the system constructs an ‘Avatar⁵‘-a mana-based replica of your physical body, right down to your stats. You can fight to the ‘death’ inside the barrier, but the real you remains safe on the sidelines. It was, for all intents and purposes, an incredibly realistic VR fighting game.
I stepped off the platform and walked through the gate, feeling that brief, nauseating sensation of my consciousness snapping back into my real flesh.
As I exited the tunnel, Nakim was waiting for me, eyes wide.
”That was incredible, Chihiro! You made it look so easy!”
”Thanks, Nakim. But I couldn’t have done it without the spells you taught me.”
”O-oh, I didn’t really do much…” Nakim blushed, looking down at his feet.
With his soft features and shy demeanor, he could easily pass for a girl if he put on a dress. A group of nearby female students started squealing and whispering to each other. I recognized that look-it was the same ‘fujoshi⁶‘ vibe Yamihama-san used to get whenever she saw me talking to Natsumi back home. Some things never change, even in another world.
Anyway, I’d specifically chosen to use ‘Dispel’ and ‘Silence’ today. I probably could have beaten Kelly without them, but for the guy who’d been making Nakim’s life a living hell, I wanted him to feel completely powerless.
But of course, some people can’t handle a loss.
”This is bullshit! That’s a foul! You should be disqualified!”
It was Kelly. He’d rematerialized nearby, looking flushed and frantic. He’d been bullying Nakim for weeks, mostly out of jealousy because I was always surrounded by the girls in our class. Seeing me step in to protect Nakim had only made him more obsessed with ‘putting me in my place.’
The duel had been his idea. This tantrum was just the pathetic epilogue.
”A foul?” I countered. “The system would have flagged it if I’d broken the rules. Magic use is mandatory in these duels. I followed the script.”
”Using magic that stops other people from using magic is a foul! Right, Professors? Tell him!”
”He has a point,” one of the faculty members chimed in. “A spell that seals magic is… questionable.”
”Precisely,” another added, looking at me with thinly veiled disdain. “We cannot condone a spell that threatens the very foundation of a sorcerer’s life.”
I wasn’t surprised. These were the same professors who had it out for me and Kagaya from day one.
”Don’t you agree, Chairwoman?” a professor asked, turning to a girl standing nearby.
She had long, shimmering silver hair and piercing green eyes. This was Carmilla Oliver, the Chairwoman of Envyos Magic Academy. She looked our age, but rumors said she was the founder of the school and over five hundred years old.
”Honestly,” she sighed, her voice surprisingly high-pitched-like something straight out of a late-night anime. “The conduct of the faculty at this academy is becoming an embarrassment.”
”Exactly! It’s absolutely outrag-wait, what?”
The professor froze as Carmilla’s gaze swept over the room. I couldn’t place it, but her voice sounded so familiar. Where had I heard that tone before?
”A spell that cancels another? That is the result of rigorous study and tactical brilliance,” she said. “And you call it ‘unacceptable’? ‘A threat’? Listen-if a single spell can dismantle your entire identity as a mage, then perhaps you aren’t a mage at all. If you can’t learn to adapt, you don’t belong here. Pack your bags. You’re fired.”
The silence that followed was deafening. She was right, of course. If Kelly or these professors ever faced a real threat, would they just whine about ‘fairness’ until they were killed?
”This academy has no room for those who refuse to grow,” she continued, her saccharine voice carrying a razor edge. “Kelly, stop crying and start thinking about why you lost. If you can’t find a counter-strategy, don’t bother coming back to my arena.”
”Y-yes, Ma’am!” Kelly and his cronies scrambled away like kicked curs.
”So…” Carmilla turned to me, her eyes twinkling. “‘Silence’ is in the curriculum, but ‘Dispel’… did you come up with that yourself?”
”No,” I said, gesturing to my friend. “Nakim did.”
”Is that so? Nakim, was it?”
”H-h-hi! Yes! Director!” Nakim tripped over his own tongue, his face turning a shade of red I didn’t think was biologically possible. To him, Carmilla was a living goddess.
She reached out and patted his shoulder. “Good work. Keep at it. This world needs more thinkers.”
”Thank you! Thank you so much!” Nakim looked like he was about to float away from pure joy.
He was only thirteen and still growing; Carmilla actually had a head on him.
”Impressive that you found that on your own,” she mused. “I actually left that particular spell out of the standard textbooks.”
””Wait, what?!”” we both barked in unison.
She giggled. “Why the shock? I’m the most powerful sorceress in the world. Of course I know spells that aren’t in the books. I’m the one who wrote most of those books five centuries ago.”
””EEEEEEHHHH?!””
It made sense if she was five hundred years old, but hearing her say it so casually was another thing entirely.
”You two have great reactions,” she said, flashing a mischievous grin. “Tell me, Nakim… Chihiro… how would you like to sit in on a special private lesson with me?”
She gave us a wink, her anime-sweet voice sounding more playful than ever.
—
Carmilla: “Hey! When I say ‘special lesson,’ I don’t mean anything weird or lewd! Seriously! Stop looking at me like that!”
—
Summary:
Chihiro duels a bully named Kelly in a magical arena, easily winning by using tactical spells like Dispel and Silence to humiliate him. After the match, biased professors try to disqualify Chihiro, but the academy’s 500-year-old Chairwoman, Carmilla, intervenes and fires the corrupt faculty. She then invites Chihiro and Nakim for a ‘special’ lesson after revealing she is the author of the world’s magic textbooks.
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Trivia:
- The arena is a massive magical artifact that prevents actual death by using ‘Avatars’.
- Chihiro chose specific spells to humiliate Kelly specifically because Kelly bullied Nakim.
- Nakim is the one who actually developed/researched the ‘Dispel’ spell.
- Carmilla Oliver is the founder of the academy and over 500 years old despite her young appearance.
- Chihiro notes that Carmilla’s voice sounds familiar, hinting at a possible connection to his previous world
—
Character Insight:
Chihiro displays a cold, tactical side, showing he prioritizes results and justice for his friends over ‘fair play’ conventions. Carmilla shows herself to be a meritocrat who despises faculty members who stifle innovation or growth.
—
Behind the Scenes:
The mention of ‘anime voice’ and Chihiro’s recognition of it suggests Carmilla might be an Isekai character herself or is tied to the meta-narrative of Japanese media tropes.
—
TL Notes:
Notes:
• Luck – Shin’s partner and a wind magic user. Hunter from Rubia. Deceased.
• Kelly – An aggressive student and bully who uses a claymore and fire magic. Has short blonde spiky hair.
• Chihiro – Height 178 cm, weight 70 kg (Male). Natsumi’s childhood friend. A handsome, athletic top student in the soccer club.
• Yuki – Yuki Chihiro. Height 178 cm, weight 70 kg (Male). Natsumi’s childhood friend. A handsome, athletic top student in the soccer club.
• Nakim – A thirteen-year-old boy with soft, androgynous features; the creator of the Dispel spell.
• Natsumi – The protagonist. Height 168 to 171 cm, weight 57 to 59 kg. He has a baby face, but he hides his eyes with his bangs. He was bullied by the Sugita gang just because his name sounded like a girl’s name.
• Carmilla – The five-hundred-year-old founder and Chairwoman of the academy with silver hair and green eyes.
• Emi – A 23-year-old teacher. Height 159 cm, B-W-H: 85-56-83. She looks younger than her real age. She is popular with students because she acts nice, but she is actually a trash teacher who was the first to bully Natsumi Sasaki.
• Ren – Height 169 cm, weight 50 kg. A cool-headed guy with glasses who aimed to be a lawyer. He viewed bullying as a minor issue and stood by while Natsumi was tormented.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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