The Academy’s Doomed Young Lord Dies Ten Thousand Times

Chapter 24 - Practical Test (2)

As an ambush, the battle unfolded in a 2:1 composition for each. It was the enemy’s intention to secure a safe victory by establishing a numerical advantage on both sides.

“I’ll take two of them. I’ll leave the other two to you.”

But even with the disadvantage of an ambush and numerical inferiority, Rain’s composure showed no signs of breaking. On the contrary, he even threw a word to Yuna in a low voice.

“M-me?”

Yuna couldn’t help but be flustered. For an inexperienced person like her to face two opponents.

Her lack of skill was already exposed during the entrance examination, so how could she possibly face two opponents?

Clang-!

“Ugh……!”

But, there was no time to retort to Rain about that order. The other two were already targeting her.

Yuna blocked with her sword and organized her thoughts.

‘Until Rain finishes and comes over. I just have to hold on as long as possible……!’

A sense of defeat. It had unknowingly taken root in Yuna’s mind.

As her trust in Rain’s skill grew, her pessimism about her relatively weaker self had also grown.

The thought that she would naturally be unable to win had already filled Yuna’s mind.

Clang-!

Clang-!

Clang-!

The fierce attack of the two attacking Yuna continued. Every time an attack came, all Yuna could do was raise her sword and deflect it.

……All she could do?

Clang-!

Clang-!

Clang-!

Continuously, continuously…… Yuna was deflecting those attacks.

“Damn it, why is she so persistent!!”

She even had enough leeway to hear the grumbling of the students attacking her in front of her.

‘……?’

And at some point, a moment would have come when Yuna also realized it.

‘This is…… easier than I thought?’

***

What I felt while training with Yuna for a week was a growth rate that was even insufficient to be called steep.

A frightening, no. A marvelous growth speed, I could say. If the difference was this much, there was nothing to be afraid of.

If I taught her one thing, she learned not ten, but a hundred. It might not have been input into her own mind, but if I instilled one movement, she seemed to instinctively understand the most efficient series of movements that followed.

The training was only for about 7 days, but even in her current state, she was at a level where she could easily suppress the middle to upper-middle tier of the academy, so that said it all.

It had taken me over 200 deaths to climb to the upper-middle tier of the academy.

Anyway, if you compare the Yuna of the same point in time in the original and the Yuna here, it would be like heaven and earth. In the original work, she struggles to find her way in the early part of the game and hovers in the lower ranks.

But, as I’ve been saying, the current Yuna has a big problem.

‘She underestimates her own level too much. To the point where it’s incomprehensible.’

I think it’s better than an overestimation that leads to recklessness, but in any case, not being able to accurately grasp your own level is a big problem.

Because underestimating your own level means you’re intimidated.

That intimidated posture was the result of the humiliating defeat during the entrance examination.

Humiliation in a public place, the ridicule of the onlookers. Even with a bold personality, it was a situation that could easily become a trauma.

Yes, what the current Yuna needed was to overcome her trauma…… and to have confidence injected into her. Preferably before the Gargoyle fight.

The Gargoyle is a formidable enemy that is difficult to face even when Yuna is in her right mind.

To face such an opponent with an intimidated mental state? Naturally, it would be difficult.

Then the question moves to the next stage. Before fighting the Gargoyle, how do you overcome the trauma and inject confidence? How do you make her accurately grasp her own level?

I got the clue to that just before the practical test, from a question that a student threw at Professor Paige.

“I have a question, professor.”

While Professor Paige was having a Q&A session, someone raised their hand and asked. And there, a blonde boy was standing with his hand raised.

“Ah, please speak. Student Bruno Dickinson.”

“What would happen if…… there was an unavoidable conflict between students during the test?”

The guy who seemed to be named Bruno said, glancing at his clique once…… and then at us once again.

“Ah, about that part…… it’s not recommended, but since an intentional conflict won’t benefit your own test results, it’s not a deduction factor. It’s your own loss, you see?”

“Understood.”

I roughly felt the intention. The intention of asking that question.

From the sound of it, the guy was assuming a situation where he would intentionally clash with someone.

If that’s the case, who would be the target? Ordinary students? Or a commoner or an illegitimate child with a narrow standing?

‘So he’s aiming for us.’

I let out a small sigh. I had shown a rather overwhelming performance in the entrance examination, so I was wondering if there were still guys who hadn’t come to their senses.

I also didn’t understand why he was suddenly trying to check me.

The noble students of are generally unsavory, but there are almost no guys who would just trample on a commoner because they don’t like the look of them.

They think of themselves as cool guys who protect order, so would they move without a just cause?

If a guy was asking if it was okay to clash with someone, even dedicating his own test time to it…… there was a high probability that he had a just cause in his own mind.

“Oh my, it’s like he’s declared that he’s going to check you. Young lord.”

Regina, who had also seen through his scheme, said with a sly smile.

“……I see.”

“Fufu, your reaction is quite nonchalant, isn’t it?”

“Because I don’t think it will be much of a threat.”

The name Bruno was a name I had never heard even once while playing countless times. Which means he’s not a very threatening person.

“Rather, I’m reflecting on myself. Seeing that there are still people who haven’t come to their senses, I wonder if the impact of what I did in the entrance examination was insufficient.”

“Well~ that Bruno person is the son of the prince’s faction, you know. Isn’t he trying to lick the honey off my brother’s fingertips?”

“Indeed.”

Though the expression was a bit harsh. I was able to resolve my doubts with Regina’s words.

So he’s going to beat me, who beat Milo, to show his own usefulness…… is that it? He seems to be quite confident in his own skills.

At first, I was just annoyed. There would be other guys who couldn’t grasp the situation like this, and it seemed like it would take a long time to deal with each and every one of them.

‘……No, rather…….’

But, I had found another use for them.

I glanced at…… Bruno? the guy who was sitting down with a triumphant expression.

Because a good idea had just come to me.

And that good idea was to use the guy named Bruno and his clique as a stepping stone to boost Yuna’s confidence.

***

Certainly, Yuna was flustered. But fluster does not always arise only from negative situations. I don’t know for sure, but at least for now, that was the case.

‘Why is this so easy?’

Looking at the situation itself, it was a clear disadvantage. She was being attacked in a 2:1 ratio, and her companion, Rain, had not yet finished off his opponent, so it was unlikely that he would be able to join her.

But strangely, the battle was going too smoothly.

Clang-!

Clang-!

The paths of the incoming attacks were too obvious. If they were at least strong, it would be a different story, but they weren’t even strong enough to be a burden to block.

On the contrary, the training with Rain was harder, if anything, she even thought so.

It seemed they were trying to be tricky, but in Yuna’s eyes, it looked too slow.

She could block them not by prediction, but just by seeing them and hitting them away.

Thinking that way, something else came into her view. It was Rain’s battle.

What Yuna had felt while training with him for a week was that Rain was one of the strongest guys in this school.

Although Yuna had no knowledge of swords, she could feel it instinctively. It was to the extent that it was clearly comparable to the guy she had faced in the entrance examination last time.

For such a strong person to be struggling to deal with just two opponents? There was a possibility that the opponents were strong, but for that, his expression seemed too relaxed.

‘Something’s strange.’

Yuna felt it. That Rain was intentionally maintaining this situation, and that there was some intention behind it.

“……Could it be?”

Yuna muttered, looking in Rain’s direction with a half-believing, half-doubting expression. At some point, she had become so relaxed that she could block the attacks even if she turned her head for a moment.

And, their eyes met.

The moment their eyes met. What Rain did was concise.

Nod.

He just gave a small nod.

“So that’s how it is……!”

But, that alone was enough for Yuna. She felt like she could fully understand what that nod meant.

Clang-!

This time, Yuna parried the sword especially fiercely and then corrected her stance. This time, it was not a defensive stance.

She raised her sword forward and slowly bent her body. As she had learned in her training with Rain.

She drew mana into her sword, increasing its destructive power. It was an attack that Rain had recommended to Yuna, who had plenty of mana, saying that he couldn’t use it because he lacked mana.

And.

“Then let’s give it a try.”

With a quiet word, Yuna’s sword was unleashed.

Fwoosh-!

A sword strike that combined Yuna’s unique pure mana and excellent physical ability. With that one blow, one of the two who were attacking together was scattered into particles, leaving not even a trace of his form. He was probably ejected to the examination hall.

“What…… what the!!”

The remaining one, who saw his companion eliminated in one blow, was spouting such foolish words…….

“……I was, stronger than I thought.”

Crash-!

Hearing Yuna’s voice as the last thing, he was eliminated, becoming particles along with his friend.

***

After that, the battle ended anticlimactically. Rain, who confirmed that the situation on Yuna’s side was over, immediately swung his sword and cut down the two men.

“How dare you……!”

Bruno disappeared into particles with such a clichéd line…… and what remained in the forest of the otherworld were just Rain and Yuna.

“Then shall we go.”

Rain spoke to Yuna with a calm voice, looking at her. But Yuna was sitting on a rock with her arms crossed, looking at Rain with a strange gaze.

“……You, you knew, didn’t you?”

“What do you mean?”

“That…… I was stronger than I thought.”

And at those words, Rain sheathed his sword without any agitation and replied.

“I never said that you were weak, Yuna-ssi. On the contrary, I said that you have strengths over me in some aspects.”

“Well, you didn’t say I got stronger either……”

“Would you have listened if I had?”

“Ugh……”

Even Yuna thought he was right. Until then, she had confined herself in the pessimism that she was weak.

‘Did he wait for me.’

Yuna scratched her head with an embarrassed expression and looked at Rain. She had a lot to say, but her expression said that it was not easy to get the words out.

“Then let’s move again……”

As Rain, who had been slowly observing Yuna’s expression, was about to speak again.

“……Thanks.”

Yuna cut off Rain’s words and said.

And, at that one word, Rain looked at Yuna for a moment and then….

“……Ahaha.”

He just laughed lightly and shrugged his shoulders. As if he had heard something unexpected.

“……”

It was the first time Rain had shown Yuna a laugh.

At that unfamiliar laugh, Yuna stared blankly at Rain’s face. Or maybe she couldn’t help but stare.