I was reborn as a villainous aristocrat, but to be honest, I'm having too much fun with magic - I'm creating all kinds of unique magic, and before I know it, I'm going to be the next Demon King! - Chapter 15

“Incredible physical ability…”

The unique magic I used earlier was Ice Bullet.

As the name suggests, it is a magic that looks like a bullet made of ice, and I created it for self-defense, thinking that if I wanted to create a magic that would surely kill someone, it would be best to imitate a gun.

Of course, I can’t kill Christina, so I made the tip round to reduce the speed.

Even so, it should be difficult to dodge, but Christina swerved her upper body to avoid it, just like Ina Bauer.

“Haa… huh…”

Christina still seems okay, but to be honest, I’m breathing heavily.

I…or rather, the man named Friedrich has no knowledge of magic.

At first, a single spell would cause me to deplete my magic power and pass out.

Even so, thanks to using all my magic power until I passed out almost every day, I am able to use magic six times a day.

But only six times.

Since the duel began, I had used magic twice.

That means four more times.

(What should I do? Next move…)

It was then..

“… Huh!?”

Before I knew it, Christina was charging towards me.

No, maybe it was a mistake to call it a charge.

Before I knew it, she was right in front of my eyes and nose.

Come to think of it, Christina’s agility was also one of the highest in the main character’s party.

What a cheat character.

(Wait, what should I do!? Dodge backwards!? No, I don’t have time for that anymore!)

In an instant, Christina appeared in front of me, swinging her training sword.

…I mean, Christina’s face is scary.

Her eyes are wide open and she’s smiling slightly. Is she a battle junkie?

(…This is not the time to think about that!)

I panicked and fought back with my halberd, but――

–span

There’s no way a halberd like that, just swung randomly, would be able to compete with this genius.

When I thought my halberd and Christina’s sword clashed, the sound that echoed through the training hall was not a dull thud, but the sound of something snapping.

“Uh, don’t tell me…?”

My training halberd had been sliced in half.

(How can a wooden sword cut another wooden weapon in half…?)

“This ends it.”

“Huh!?”

As I was dumbfounded by the pathetic appearance of the halberd I was holding, a cold voice echoed from above my head.

 

▼▼▼▼

 

I had heard that Friedrich was receiving training from Sariya, but it seems like he is still not in shape.

Looking at his broken weapon, I whisper as if to finish him off.

“This ends it.”

“Huh!?”

Friedrich’s face turns pale.

This time, the distance between us is almost nil.

I was surprised by the Earth Wall from earlier, but if I use Ice Lance in this state, that magic will probably be useless.

That’s what I thought..

“‘Magic power'”

“What…?”

It’s again. A chant that doesn’t make sense. A chant I’ve never heard before.

“Be thou the wind that protects me, and blow away the enemies that swarm around me – ‘Wind Blast!'”

Friedrich muttered the chant smoothly, as if he had decided in advance to chant it in this situation.

At that moment….

“Kuhh!”

A blast centered around Friedrich occurred, and I was blown away backward.

What kind of magic is this?

Gale magic exists, but is there such a thing as magic for self-defense and not for attacking enemies!?

I was blown backward, but the wind didn’t give me much force, so I adjusted my posture and landed with steady steps.

“Magic power. Thou shalt become a bullet of ice and pierce that person – ‘Ice Bullet'”

And without any hesitation, Friedrich chants the magic from earlier.

A small block of ice appeared and darted towards me as if it was aiming for me right after I landed.

For me, whose balance had collapsed, it was a deadly attack.

–But

(Huh…that’s interesting)

That was the impression I had.

The magic “Wind Blast” disturbs the enemy’s stance while keeping them at a distance, and the magic “Ice Bullet” finishes them off with an swift strike.

I see, it was a well-thought-out strategy.

This tactic alone was enough to get him a good result in the Magic Academy’s tournament.

–However

–Kin..!

A high-pitched sound echoed through the training grounds.

It was the sound of my training sword dispelling Friedrich’s magic.

But, but.

The person facing Friedrich is me, Christina.

I can defeat such tricks by force.

“Did you see Master Friedrich’s magic…?”

“Ah, that’s an amazing combination. No knight would be able to deal with that at first sight…”

“However, Miss Christina managed to overcome that and is still the same as always…”

The maids and knights are all in a frenzy.

Apparently they’re excited too.

And so was I.

I haven’t had this much fun in a long time.

f I hadn’t been careless about the current attack and defense, I would have been hit directly by the ice block while I was adjusting my stance.

What can I say… it’s tingling.

A battle where a single moment of carelessness can be fatal

I could never experience a battle like this at the magic academy.

Honestly, it’s unexpected.

I was surprised that Friedrich had come this far.

(Come on, show me, Friedrich! Show me more of your magic!)

This time I put on a big smile and looked straight at Friedrich once again.

Next time, I’ll break through your magic and deliver the finishing blow.

I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of magic he’ll use this time.

“…Eh?”

But Friedrich’s face was sunken in despair.

His face was pale and he was out of breath. His shoulders were rising and falling.

I’ve seen it before. It’s a symptom of a person who has run out of magic.

“.…”

My elation was gone, as if I had been doused with cold water.

It felt like I had been picked up from a novel that was about to become interesting.

(Ah, it was so much fun)

 

▼▼▼▼

 

“.…”

I was overwhelmed with despair.

The ice bullet from the wind blast was my trump card.

It was the best tactic that I got from Sariya as well.

Even so, Christina ignored the impact of being blown away and landed on the ground with feather-light movement, firmly seeing off my ice bullet and deflecting it with her sword with an extremely easy movement.

Two more spells to use. I just played the best hand I could get in those previous two chances.

In other words, there’s nothing more I can do now.

If I had a weapon, I might still have been able to do something, but I looked blankly at the wooden halberd, which had been broken in half and was no longer usable.

“Haa…”

From far away, I heard a sigh.

It belonged to Christina.

She looked deeply disappointed and looked at me with disappointed eyes.

My back teeth made a sharp, unpleasant sound.

What kind of emotion is this?

Frustration? No.

Because I was insulted? No, it’s something different.

I’m angry that I can’t meet Christina’s expectations.

“Not yet…!”

That Anger turned into heat and takes control of the body.

That heat became the source, that removed the despair that had enveloped me, and cleared my head.

Think.

I have no weapons to use, but I can fire two more magic shots.

However, it would be almost impossible for me to use my magic to win against Christina, who can react accurately to Ice Bullets.

And now I don’t have a weapon.

“…Wait”

In other words, Christina now thinks that magic is the only option I have.

The only way for me to win is to have my magic hit her directly.

This duel is a mock battle.

All I have to do is hit her once with an attack that Sariya deems as effective.

That’s how I can win.

“I just need to create a weapon…”

 

▼▼▼▼

 

Friedrich had a look of despair on his face, but then he gritted his teeth and looked down.

Let’s finish it off.

And I’m leaving this house.

I regained my grip on my sword and was about to make my move.

“…!”

Friedrich looked up.

There was a big smile on his face, as if he was enjoying the current situation.

（What is he up to?)

Just as I was thinking this, Friedrich began to mumble.

Is it that mysterious magic again?

My prediction was correct, and a third block of ice flew from Friedrich’s right hand.

This one was a little bigger than the previous ones, but that was all.

(Have I already seen the bottom of his available magic?)

Moreover, it would be okay if he had just prepared himself like he did earlier, but the fact that he released it on me, who was in perfect condition, seemed like he had no intention of winning anymore.

It flew at a speed that I can follow with my eyes, and I used my sword to chop it off.

I swinged my sword to clear away the ice block, with the intent of completely shattering it’s energy.

―-Parin!

“Wuh?”

However, the moment I tried to break the ice block, it spontaneously broke just before it touched my sword.

The impact of the sudden shattering caused me to unintentionally let go of the sword from my hand.

“Aaaaaaaa!”

“Huh!?”

At the same time, Friedrich was rushing in.

I see. We both had a gleam of hope for each other if it was a hand-to-hand fight, huh?

But I’ve got my martial arts covered.

When I was young and had some free time, I learned how to use all the weapons. Even if it’s my own fist.

My odds of winning are 100 percent.

The moment I thought that.

“I knew it! I’m talking about the prideful Christina after all. The way she tried to deal with the block of iceThe magic with a sword instead of avoiding it, and the way she confidently intercepted the attack even when she was forced to stand in the same situation!”

“…!?”

Friedrich grinned.

 

▼▼▼▼

 

I ran as fast as I could towards Christina.

The magic I just used was the “Ice Shotgun”.

It’s one of my favorite spells, except for the name.

However, this magic has a high probability of killing or injuring the opponent, so I refrained from using it here.

But I fired that at Christina.

I aimed the “Ice Shotgun” at her sword and fired it.

If she had tried to avoid the ice, she might have been seriously injured.

However, I was confident that Christina would hit it with her sword.

Because I know all about Christina.

…It sounds like cheating.

In this way, the first thing I did was to take away Christina’s weapon and put her on an even playing field with her bare hands, but I also know that if I continue like this, I will lose.

This is because Christina is a character who is skilled enough to exterminate high-level monsters with her bare hands.

..Does this character have any weaknesses at all?

This is where my unique magic comes into play from here…

To be honest, I probably won’t be able to win with magic like Ice Bullet.

Judging from the battles so far, Christina has excellent reflexes and adaptability.

I’m sure any attack magic will be countered.

That’s why I need magic that will catch her by surprise and give me a unilateral advantage.

…But this is a one-shot deal.

A spell that I just came up with.

It’s a precise magic that definitely requires an insane amount of concentration.

If I fail, my magic will run out and I will lose. Although Christina’s fist might be faster than that.

Concentrate.

Remember Keeka’s words.

What magic requires is imagination.

What I need now is.

Imagine the exact weapon you need to defeat Christina!

“‘Magic power'”

An image of a weapon came up in my mind.

It was a weapon that I had held every day for the past few weeks, vomiting many times before wielding it.

Remember. The feeling of being held. The feeling when you swing it.

“‘Thou shalt become my weapon to defeat that person – ‘Icicle Halberd!'”

My palms felt as if they were frozen.

It felt like I had stuck my hand in ice water — no, it felt like my hand itself was frozen.

“What… is that…? What on earth is that…?”

I heard Christina’s stunned voice.

…Good. Looks like it was successful.

In my hand was a magnificent halberd made of ice.

“Haaaaaaaaaaa!”

I swung my halberd at Christina, whose eyes were fixed on me.

I’m trying my best, but please forgive me. The blade part is rounded, so even if it hits you, it won’t cause a bruise.

I mean, I feel like Christina might be able to prevent this if she do her best.

Huh!? What…!”

See?

Christina had already recovered from her shock and immediately took a defensive stance.

However, if I can make her thoughts go blank even for a moment, then it will be as I intended.

―-Ballin!

The sound of ice shattering echoes.

It was a magic spell that I cast when my magical power was at its limit..To be honest, this halberd made of ice is almost useless…I knew it would break with the slightest impact.

I fall to my knees.

It seems like my magic is running out.

With the last of my strength, I look at Christina.

“Friedrich…you…”

There, there was a figure of Christina on her buttock.

My Halberd hit her directly.

Using the last of my strength to raise my eyelids, which were falling on their own, I shifted my gaze to Sariya.

“The winner, Master Friedrich!”

As soon as I heard that voice, I lost consciousness.