NOVEL NEXT Chapter 23
The words of the protagonist, Eugene, surprised not only me but almost all the students, and they turned their gaze towards him. However, the person in question, the protagonist himself, wore a calm expression.
And I… remained silent throughout.
Honestly, I really didn’t want to do this. If I fight this guy, it’s practically a given that I have to win. I mean, this guy ranked first in the practical skills exam and is undoubtedly one of the top students in S class. If I were to beat someone like him… I’d definitely stand out.
Standing out would likely bring unwanted attention my way, so I’d prefer to avoid it as much as possible…
Eugene smiled as he continued to pressure me. It was getting quite tricky.
For now… should I try responding like the in-game Jin would?
“What’s your deal? Why should I have to fight you? You’re annoying, so just get lost.”
“But can you really decline, Jin-sama? You know why, don’t you?
Eugene deepened his smile
I didn’t know what he was talking about, but I decided to act surprised for now. “What are you talking about?”
“Of course, I’m referring to your misdeeds.”
Confirmed. This guy is definitely another reincarnated individual like me.
I mean, I haven’t done anything except for practicing magic and having fun outings with Mea.
He must be talking about the misdeeds Jin committed in the game. Otherwise, he wouldn’t know about them.
In the original story, the protagonist always tried to avoid getting close to Jin as much as possible. It’s quite a comical situation, isn’t it?
“Is that so… you claim I’ve committed misdeeds? Where is your evidence?”
“I’ll tell you when you win against me. Of course, you’ll accept, right?”
He seems pretty confident that I’ll agree to his challenge.
Now, what should I do… If I refuse, I’ll definitely become suspicious. Plus, if this guy is another reincarnated individual, it might be wise to know what his motives are.
Well, I don’t have much choice.
“Fine. I’ll accept. I’ll show you the difference in our abilities.”
And so, I ended up agreeing to a battle with the protagonist.
–
“The sequence battle between Eugene Drake and Jin Divinesword begins now. Are you both ready?”
“Yes.”
“Yeah.”
We nodded in response to the military woman’s words.
Eugene, just like in the game, had only a wooden sword, and while I also had a sword, I didn’t intend to use it, so it was more like I was unarmed.
Honestly, I’d never done any sword training before, so I held it rather casually.
Eugene, on the other hand… Yep, he was emanating some kind of intense aura and had his sword pointed at me, but I couldn’t tell if that was a proper stance.
However, the student spectators had a different opinion. Apart from the upper-class nobles, they were showering Eugene with compliments. Even the upper-class kids were wearing expressions like, “Oh… he’s quite skilled.”
Furthermore, the princess and Aria were cheering for Eugene:
“Eugene, do your best! Make sure you win!”
“Don’t you dare lose to a little scoundrel like him, Eugene!”
Seems like they were cheering exclusively for Eugene.
Well, looks like I’m the only one on the receiving end of ridicule and mockery. What an unfriendly atmosphere. If I were anyone else, I’d probably run away. Feeling this overwhelming sense of impending defeat, the match began.
“All right, let the match begin!”
With the signal from the military woman, Eugene charged straight at me.
Hmm… Well, he’s certainly fast, but he’s still slower than Mea. I could easily dodge this if I used body enhancement, but I decided not to.
“Huh, what are you looking at?!”
“Tch…”
Eugene swung his wooden sword at the top of my head, but I managed to slip my sword between his and barely block it. However, due to my inferior physical abilities, I couldn’t fully withstand the blow and was pushed backward.
I had already cast the Martial Artist’s Mimicry magic, so I rolled on the ground, taking evasive maneuvers. I managed to avoid most of the damage and quickly got back on my feet, preparing my sword. But then…
“Too slow.”
Eugene was already right in front of me, and before I could even react or parry with my sword, he struck me with a horizontal swing to my abdomen.
“Ughh!”
Due to my lower physical abilities, I could see it coming but couldn’t react in time. I was sent flying in a somersault, slamming into the barrier. The impact, combined with the strike, left me in excruciating pain.
Ugh… my whole-body hurts… Why do I have to go through this, damn it…
While catching my breath, I asked Eugene the reason behind challenging me.
“Heh… heh… Why did you want to fight me? Is it because I’m weak?” I questioned, expecting this response.
Eugene looked down at me and shook his head. “No.”
His strength was unquestionable, and he could easily defeat anyone.
So, the question remained. Why did he challenge me now? He didn’t need to; according to the story, I would challenge him later.
“Hmm… well, I guess I can tell you,” Eugene replied after pretending to ponder the question for a moment. “It’s just… it’s necessary, I suppose.”
His vague answer didn’t clarify much, but at least it hinted that there might be a reason for this challenge beyond a simple test of strength.
I muttered something about not understanding the situation and decided not to press the issue further. I conceded the fight to Eugene.
“Grr… I’ll make sure to repay this debt someday,” I said before leaving the arena.
Back in the classroom, I couldn’t help but feel the pain from the fight. I decided I’d ask Mea to use her healing magic on me later.
I will finish vol 2 of this novel on my ko-fi this week!