A Swordsman and a Mage, Sworn Enemies, Accidentally Crossed a Line and Discovered Their Bodies Were Perfectly Compatible. - Chapter 13

Lalael Magnolia knew no defeat.
Such was the life of one born blessed by the world.
Lalael Magnolia believed everything should bend to her will.
Such was the arrogance of one cursed by the world’s favor.
From the day she was born, a prodigy of magic, only victory had ever existed before Lalael.
Of course, as a child, she occasionally lost to adults, but those hardly counted as true defeats.
She had never lost to anyone her age, and by the time she was ten, she had stopped losing to adults as well.
Everyone who faced Lalael’s magic was swept aside, leaving only the legendary heroes as her clear superiors in the Alrein Kingdom.
In other words, Elvin, who merely fancied himself the strongest among students, was destined for nothing but defeat.
Lalael never doubted her victory.

◇

Countless eyes were upon us.
Lalael and I stood face-to-face, while the rest of the students watched on, holding their breath.
The swordsmen wished for my victory, and the mages, too, leaned that way.
Even the mages seemed to fear Lalael, who had grown so arrogant she’d become a monster.
Her reckless behavior could turn on them at any moment. They wanted her to lose here and finally quiet down.
That was the shared sentiment of the students.

“What’s with these looks? I don’t like them!”

Lalael spat, sensing their hostility.

“Whatever. I’ll just beat Elvin to a pulp and vent my frustration.”

“Such arrogance. Truly.”

But this was how Lalael had always lived.
If we don’t crush this now, it will undoubtedly bring great harm to the kingdom sooner or later.
I drew my sword.

“Shall we let everyone see you grovel on the ground?”

Lalael grinned with devilish innocence, unleashing terrifying bolts of lightning from her entire body.
I’d heard that almost no one could use Thunder Magic, but Lalael’s skill was undeniably masterful.
At this point, it was clear that no student could possibly match her.
Yet I smiled without flinching.

“So, this isn’t just a mock battle anymore, is it?”

“Of course not. This is a one-sided execution♪”

“Good enough. Then let’s go.”

I channeled Fighting Spirit throughout my body and lunged at Lalael.
But before me, a field crackling with lightning had already formed, protecting her like a living shield.

“A reckless charge? How boring.”

There was no doubt that the moment I charged in, I’d be electrocuted, and it would be game over.
But I still launched that reckless charge, stepping fearlessly into the field of lightning.

“Huh?”

“You wouldn’t know, would you? About those who can surpass this.”

I ignored the lightning completely.
I fearlessly traversed a field that would have electrocuted an ordinary person to death, closing in on Lalael in an instant.

“Fire!”

“Slash!”

“—!”

My sword cleaved the massive fireball she hurled at me in two with a single strike.
But Lalael used that momentary opening to retreat, gathering more magic.

“Die! Wind!”

She unleashed blades of wind, each carrying enough force to tear me apart without restraint.
If this killed me, it would be a disaster. But unfortunately for her, I wouldn’t die.

“Not good enough!”

With a flick of my sword, I dispersed the wind and seized Lalael by the neck, slamming her to the floor.

“Cough, cough—”

“Checkmate.”

The match ended far too abruptly.
The supposed gap in skill between us was nowhere to be seen, leaving Lalael bewildered and terrified.
It was strange, wasn’t it? Something that shouldn’t have happened had occurred.
She strained her eyes, searching for some trickery, but there was nothing to find.
Because I trusted her.

“How do you want to die?”

“H-hick—”

As I pressed my sword against her throat and declared her fate, Lalael let out a small, terrified whimper, her eyes glistening with fear.
Her arrogant, victory-assured demeanor had vanished completely.

“Why… why?”

“Hmm. Why indeed?”

I didn’t mention the nature of my power, instead continuing to press my advantage against Lalael.
Grasping her by the neck, I lifted her into the air, intensifying her terror and agony.

“Cough… gack—”

“You’ve never known death, have you? Have you ever fought an enemy who truly intended to kill you?”

“Ugh—”

“Congratulations. This is your first time. And it will be your last.”

The killing intent I exuded was genuine, something Lalael had never experienced before.
Having always dominated weaker opponents, Lalael was about to face death for the first time.
I raised my sword, preparing to bring it down on her.
My target was her head—instant death. Lalael understood this, and she was on the verge of screaming in terror when—

“What are you doing?!”

My descending blade was blocked mid-swing by Remietta, who had suddenly intervened.

“I didn’t hear about this. Are you really going to kill her?”

“…Yes.”

“What foolishness are you planning?!”

Remietta, who was holding Lalael, unleashed a fierce reprimand. She was clearly furious that I had attempted to kill Lalael for real, not just in a mock battle.

“…You should be grateful to your kind sister, Lalael.”

I said nothing more, sheathing my sword and turning my back.
The last glimpse I caught of Lalael’s eyes showed them wet with fear and relief as she clung tightly to Remietta.

◇

Even after the mock battle, nothing fundamentally changed.
Lalael had become noticeably more subdued, but this had little impact on the overall situation at the academy.
In the end, unless something happened to me or Remietta—the top swordsman and mage, respectively—nothing would truly change.
Lalael’s usual insolent attitude had vanished, and she seemed to be obediently following Remietta’s instructions.
This could be considered a successful educational outcome and a step forward in improving relations between swordsmen and mages. It was a significant change.
Still, nothing would change immediately. I sat on a bench behind the school building, gazing up at the sky.

“Is Remietta still angry?”

I muttered, my weakness slipping out.
Several days had passed since that incident, yet I still hadn’t spoken to Remietta.
We needed to discuss what happened, but I couldn’t meet her—either she was avoiding me, or circumstances prevented it.
But Remietta’s anger was understandable.

“To her, that must be one of her traumas.”

A swordsman directing genuine murderous intent at her was a landmine for Remietta.
Considering she was the sole survivor of the Tein Kassina incident, I should have been more considerate.
I should have warned her beforehand and told her to stop at the last moment.
But I didn’t because Lalael would see through any lies. I was convinced that she wouldn’t change her ways unless I acted with genuine conviction.
And I was certain Remietta would stop her.

“I miss you.”

“Who do you miss?”

“Remie… Remietta?!”

A voice suddenly came from behind me.
I whirled around to see Remietta standing there, her eyes narrowed.

“Haaah. You really do seem to like me.”

She said, sitting down beside me.
Even though we were behind the deserted school building, anyone could come at any time.

“…I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. I know you’re being serious, but not really serious.”

“That’s a complicated way to put it.”

“But it’s true, isn’t it?”

“Yeah.”

Remietta is smart. She understood my true intentions and said that to reassure me.

“But what would you have done if I hadn’t stopped you?”

“You would have stopped me.”

“No, if I hadn’t.”

“I know you would have. You could never have let it slide. It was the same back then… That’s just who Remietta is.”

“…Back then?”

“…………”

When I said this, looking Remietta in the eye, she tilted her head slightly.
I gazed up at the sky and muttered,

“What was that about? ‘Back then’?”

“You’re the one who said it!”

“Ah, right. …My head hurts.”

Why did I say that?
I don’t know. It just slipped out. Trying to figure out what it meant only made my head throb.

“Are you alright?”

“…Well, you know. I just knew you’d come.”

“…I see.”

Remietta seemed satisfied with that.
In truth, Lalael had calmed down and was now obediently listening to Remietta, who had saved her life.
All’s well that ends well, I suppose.

“Anyway, I’m saved. I was able to beat Lalael thanks to you. I need to thank you for that.”

“…What would you have done if we’d been found out?”

“I trust you. We wouldn’t have been exposed.”

“You overestimate me.”

Remietta said this with a shy expression.
The victory against Lalael was entirely due to Remietta’s efforts.

“If you hadn’t enhanced me with your magic, I would have lost.”

“That was cheating.”

“There’s no rule against it… Besides, if we hadn’t done that, Lalael would have continued to transform into a monster.”

“Haa… I suppose you’re right.”

Remietta sighed in resignation.
Before the duel, I had asked her to cast enhancement magic on me in secret. That strength was what allowed me to take down Larael—the so-called unrivaled prodigy.
This was the secret to defeating the strongest mage, Lalael.
To put it bluntly, it was cheating. But without such measures, Lalael would have continued to grow unchecked, threatening the future of the Alrein Kingdom.
Someone, somewhere, had to crush her, and for that, a little cheating was necessary. That’s why even the earnest Remietta agreed to help.

“But you know what? This whole thing… it showed me something. Swordsmen and mages, when they fight together, they can become the strongest. That’s what I realized.”

“…You think this could improve our relationship?”

“Yeah. You saw it too, right? The power that didn’t even flinch at Lalael.”

“Indeed.”

This was an unexpected bonus.
The cooperation between swordsmen and mages had never been attempted in history due to their deep-seated animosity. If even students like us could unleash such power, imagine what the combined might of frontline swordsmen and mages could achieve.
When people learn of this power, the pointless conflicts will finally end.

“I can see it now. The end of the conflict between swordsmen and mages.”

“…Is that so? And… after you achieve that… what will you do?”

“You’re being awfully vague…”

“What will you do?!”

Remietta shouted forcefully. I chuckled wryly and gently embraced her.

“Mmm, chu.”

As if answering with actions, I softly kissed her.

“I’ll explain later.”

“…I told you, no kissing!”

Remietta’s cheeks flushed crimson.