A Swordsman and a Mage, Sworn Enemies, Accidentally Crossed a Line and Discovered Their Bodies Were Perfectly Compatible. - Chapter 2

Slaying Magical Beasts—monstrous creatures that ravaged the world—was the duty of swordsmen, and to a lesser extent, mages.
As the kingdom’s line of defense, even students with exceptional grades gained practical combat experience. In the days of war, students who achieved certain academic standards were even sent to the battlefield.
It was precisely this rigorous training that allowed the Kingdom of Alrein to be counted among the world’s great powers.

“So, you didn’t run away after all, Remietta.”

“That’s my line.”

On the appointed day, we faced each other, locked in a fierce glare.
She wielded her staff, while I gripped my sword. Fully armed and prepared, we began with a barrage of insults.

“Fufu. I thought you’d have already fled, realizing your own incompetence. Or perhaps you lack even the judgment to do so?”

“Whoa there. It seems chanting spells all day has made you quite the master of sarcasm. Why not call yourself a curse-caster instead of a mage?”

“This vocabulary is the result of diligent study. I doubt those whose brains have turned to muscle from swinging sticks around would understand.”

Whenever we meet, we exchange insults. Eventually, sparks fly, and we’re on the verge of a fight. It’s our destiny.
And the teachers around us never intervene. Today, we have the swordsman and mage instructors present.

“I’ll make you eat your words.”

“I look forward to hearing the distant howls of a defeated dog.”

With those parting shots, we ended the conversation, knowing any further exchange would be pointless.
Today’s location is a forest managed by the academy, located one kilometer from the royal capital.
Weak demonic beasts, easily defeated by students, are released here for practical combat training.
Though weak, these are still demonic beasts. They show no mercy and attack with lethal intent.
Without a referee present, this is nothing like the one-on-one training sessions held at the academy.

“…………”

Does Remietta understand this? …No, she must.
I’d heard that most top students throughout history had their first taste of “real combat” through this special assignment and were forced to confront its harsh reality.
Even for me, who had already experienced numerous real battles thanks to my family’s training, I can’t let my guard down. Yet Remietta stood tall and proud, her chest puffed out, her gaze fixed firmly ahead.
Her eyes held no trace of carelessness or arrogance, only unwavering confidence and conviction.
Despite this being her first actual combat, her composure was remarkable.
It was easy to see why Remietta, who at first glance appeared to be nothing more than a prim and proper young girl, possessed such charisma.

“The one who hunts the most Magical Beasts wins. Is that acceptable?”

“Yes. No problem.”

After exchanging these words, we both took a deep breath to steady ourselves.
The objective of this special assignment was to enter the forest alone and defeat a single Demonic Beast within the allotted time.
But for us, who were considered among the greatest geniuses in the academy’s history, defeating a single Demonic Beast was child’s play. That’s why we could turn it into a competition to see who could defeat the most within the time limit.
And the teachers tacitly approved of this contest.
This battle would determine which was superior: swordsmanship or magic.

“Alright, are you ready, Elvin and Remietta?”

The teacher’s voice signaled the start.

“Yes…”

“Of course.”

“Then begin!”

And so it begins—the day that will finally determine which of us wields the stronger power.

◇

I sprinted through the dense forest at breakneck speed.
This was swordsmanship—the power of fighting spirit, its very foundation. Every swordsman wielded this fighting spirit, using it to drastically enhance their physical abilities.
By gaining superhuman strength and combining it with sword techniques, swordsmanship had become the ultimate martial art.
It was on a completely different level from magic, which relied on that incomprehensible force called mana.

“First one down—”

I effortlessly traversed the dense forest, closing in on a Demonic Beast that had come into view.
With a fluid swing of my sword, I decapitated a large rabbit that was leisurely drinking water in a single strike.

“Kyuu—”

“…Well, there probably aren’t any strong Magical Beasts around here anyway.”

As I flicked the bl00d off my sword, I glanced at the slain Demonic Beast.
This creature, known as a One-Bl00d Rabbit, was weak enough for even those who couldn’t use Magic to defeat it with enough effort.
Considering we were fighting in a forest—the Magical Beasts’ domain—it seemed like the perfect practice opponent for students.
Even if they lost, they wouldn’t die easily.

“Still, at this level, that Remietta bastard will probably hunt a lot of them too.”

That was one concern. Magic had the advantage in long-range and area-of-effect attacks. If I let my guard down, Remietta’s Magic could easily scatter hordes of Magical Beasts.
Deciding to pick up the pace, I sprinted through the forest.
The forest was incredibly dense, likely due to a lack of maintenance.
In this environment, I’d have to be wary not only of Magical Beasts but also of dangerous plants. There were some that could poison you with a mere touch, and others—like certain mushrooms—that could kill you just by getting too close.
I wish the academy would manage this area better, but with such dense foliage, it’s easy to overlook things.
Keeping an eye out for such dangers, I relentlessly hunted down any Magical Beasts that crossed my path. As expected, none of the beasts chosen for student training posed any real challenge.
With plenty of time remaining, I activated my fighting spirit at maximum output, determined not to rest for a moment.

“Hmm?”

I suddenly stopped.

“…What’s that sound?”

A strange noise was coming from somewhere.
At first, I thought it might be Remietta’s Magic, but there was something else.
It sounded like combat, but something was clearly off.

“It’s too abnormal to ignore.”

The scale of the battle sounds was far beyond what should be possible in this area.
It sounded like two colossal monsters were clashing.

“I’ll just have a look.”

Deciding to check the situation for just a moment, I sprinted toward the sound.
The closer I got, the louder the noise became.
And the moment I caught sight of the source, my eyes widened in disbelief.

“What the hell is that…?”

A massive battle was unfolding before me.
One combatant was Remietta, weaving and unleashing countless spells with terrifying precision.
The other was a Demonic Beast—clearly far beyond the level that should be here.

“…A dragon…? You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Remietta was fighting a Dragon. I didn’t know its official name, but Dragons were the apex predators among Magical Beasts.
Each one was overwhelmingly powerful, capable of single-handedly destroying entire nations.
The Dragon battling Remietta wasn’t at that level, but it was still an opponent no student should ever face.

“Damn it—why is a dragon here?”

“GRRRRRRRRR!!!!”

The battle was clearly unfavorable for Remietta.
Of course. Dragons are demonic beasts that require a dozen or so elite swordsmen. Defeating them as a student is a pipe dream.
At this rate, Remietta will die. She’ll be torn apart by its claws, crushed by its fangs, and disintegrated by its breath.
That future is right around the corner–

“Tch–”

The moment I realized that, my body moved on its own.
No matter how much I hated her, I didn’t want to see Remietta get killed. I wasn’t going to stop being a human so easily that I could just abandon her like this.
Luckily, the dragon hadn’t noticed me yet—probably too focused on Remietta’s relentless spell barrage to pay attention to anything else.
So I closed in on Remietta as fast as I could.

“Let’s run!”

“Y-You!?”

Remietta, who had been unleashing her magic with full force, widened her eyes at my sudden appearance.
Without a word of explanation, I wrapped my arm around her stomach, scooped up her small body, and bolted away from the battle.

“GRAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!”

The dragon’s furious roar echoed behind us. Cold sweat streamed down my face as I trembled at the first life-threatening situation I’d faced in ages. With my fighting spirit blazing, I fled for my life.

◇

We had won the escape.
We dove into a small cave hidden deep within the forest and held our breath, waiting for the dragon to leave.
In the dark, stuffy cave, we strained to remain perfectly still.
Only when the dragon’s presence had completely vanished did we finally exhale.

“Phew. We made it through.”

“Mmmph! Mmph!”

“Oh, sorry about that.”

“Y-You didn’t have to cover my mouth! I wasn’t going to say anything!”

I had been covering Remietta’s mouth with my hand to keep her quiet, but she seemed furious about it.

“Let go of me!”

“Hey, hey, no gratitude for your savior?”

I hid Remietta’s small body and covered her mouth from behind, but when the dragon disappeared, she started to struggle.

“About that… I’ll thank you. You saved me.”

“So honest.”

“I’m not stupid enough to cling to pointless pride.”

That was Remietta for you. She clearly understood that she would have died if I hadn’t intervened, and she was willing to thank even someone she disliked for saving her.
Her ability to draw that line was commendable.

“So, are you okay?”

I released Remietta and asked her that as we got two meters away. Of course, the battle with the dragon didn’t go unscathed, and Remietta was limping.

“…I’m fine.”

“I thought you weren’t going to be stubborn about something so pointless.”

“…I think I injured my leg a little.”

“I see. Let’s get you patched up.”

“I can handle it myself.”

Remietta huffed and turned away, pulling a first-aid kit from her pack and starting to treat her wound.
A large gash ran across her leg, likely from a dragon’s claw.

“…This will leave a scar.”

“It’s fine. Compared to this…it was…”

She cut off the conversation, focusing silently on treating her wound. The only sound in the cave was the rustle of bandages.

“…Well, let’s call it a day for now.”

“…………”

“I’ll activate the emergency magic tool. The teachers will be here soon.”

I activated the magic tool I’d been given for this special assignment.
A barrier materialized around us, and glowing orbs shot toward the teachers.

“What a handy device.”

“It’s the power of magic. It’s something that a muscle-brained swordsman couldn’t make.”

“Though it’s the highly mobile swordsman teachers who rush to our aid, isn’t it?”

We exchanged light banter, our spirits lifting slightly.
With this, the special assignment was canceled—or rather, the competition was called off since the assignment had already been completed.

“Still, what was that dragon?”

“…I don’t know. It appeared out of nowhere and attacked.”

“It couldn’t be one of the demonic beasts released here, could it?”

There’s no way they’d throw a student into an area with something like that. It’s more likely it wandered in from somewhere else.
That raises the question of where it came from, but investigating that is the job of the teachers or state authorities.
As I pondered these thoughts, I suddenly noticed something strange about myself.

“My body feels strangely hot.”

“You’re probably still excited from the near-death escape.”

“Well, that makes sense.”

My heart was still pounding. Considering all that had happened, it seemed reasonable to assume the adrenaline from the escape hadn’t worn off yet.
But something felt off.
Remietta kept drifting into my line of sight.
Remietta, her cheeks flushed and her breath coming in ragged gasps.

“Huh… ha, fuu”

Her thin chest rose and fell sharply as she seemed to be suppressing something.
Unable to tear my gaze away from her every move, I found myself inching closer to her.

“W-what is it?”

“Nothing, really.”

Remietta glares at me as I approach. But that’s all. She doesn’t run away, and instead slowly comes closer.
Something was wrong. It felt like reason and intellect were fading, replaced by primal, animalistic instincts.

“This cave is narrow and dark… and it’s hot.”

“Yeah…”

We were now close enough to touch, locked in a silent, intense gaze.
Something was wrong.
Something was off.
But I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.
I gently touched Remietta’s hair—silvery-white, beautifully maintained, and the envy of all.

“What is it, pervert?”

“I’m not a pervert.”

Remietta didn’t resist at all.
Something still felt wrong. Something impossible was happening.
This was—

“Ah—”

My gaze landed on a cluster of pink mushrooms growing like nests on the cave wall.
They were—the mushrooms whose ingredients were used to make aphrodisiacs, known to every man.
Their effects: to inflame desire, dissolve reason, and reduce people to mere males and females.
In other words, this cave was a mushroom bed.
A sealed chamber saturated with spores from mushrooms that could transform humans into animals.
The dangerous plant colony I had feared since seeing the dense forest was now before my eyes.

“As a special favor, I’ll let you touch me a little more.”

“Ah, okay.”

Even though I understood the situation, I couldn’t stop myself.
In this place, only males and females existed, devoid of reason—