Chapter 46: The Match Against the Grade Number One

“Heh. You’re going to fight Pearl, Nero-chan. She’s quite strong, that girl.”

“Do you know her?”

Today was the last day of Yoshino-sama’s piano training. While talking about my next match, it seemed Yoshino-sama also knew about Frennel.

Is it a Demon connection? The family seems famous in Xenoah…

“Know her, or rather… she’s like a relative, I guess. Pearl’s big sister is my Mama’s… my mother’s escort knight. I’ve known her since she was little.”

Eh, mother… you mean the First Sovereign King’s wife, right? The younger sister of Duchess Sakura’s escort knight…? Don’t tell me she’s hundreds of years older too…?!

“Ah, no, no. Pearl is the same age as you, Nero-chan. Long-lived species have difficulty conceiving children, so it’s common for siblings to be tens or hundreds of years apart in age.”

Is that so. Come to think of it, Lirisha said something like that too.

Technically, this ‘Academy’ permits enrollment from age twelve, but since the opportunity to take the entrance exam is only once, having older classmates is rare.

It’s strictly a rumor, but I’ve heard that if you’re a long-lived species and tens of years older, there’s a high chance of being rejected in the entrance exam. Probably because no one that much older has ever passed before.

There are various other theories, like the instructors finding them difficult to handle, or the possibility of them being spies from other countries, but who knows if they’re true. I’d like to support the theory that they want to entrust the future to the youth, though.

Well, apparently some long-lived species heard that rumor and tried to enroll by lying about their age, but were rejected as ‘unqualified’ the moment they were found out. Well, false applications are normally a no-go.

“So, do you have a strategy to deal with Pearl’s ‘Shield’?”

“Well, sort of?”

With the [Floating Swords] ‘Fragarach’ Lara thought up for me, I might be able to create an opening.

At worst, I’ll have no choice but to use ‘Battle Spirit Method’ to pierce through the shield itself… I won’t grudge an arm or two for the sake of victory. …I hope one is enough, though.

“Sounds interesting, maybe I’ll go watch too~.”

“Ehh…?”

Wouldn’t Her Highness the Princess watching a first-year’s match cause a huge uproar…?

“It’s fine, it’s fine. I’ll watch it from the Control Room with Quun-oneechan, so there won’t be an uproar.”

The Control Room… that’s where the teachers monitor things from behind the scenes, right? In that case, well… It might cause an uproar among the teachers, though.

Now I really can’t lose.

I thanked Yoshino-sama for the lessons so far and left the music room.

As I was heading triumphantly to the training room, unexpectedly, my next opponent, Pearl Frennel, came from the front. To bump into her at this timing…

Without either of us saying a word, we stopped in the hallway and faced each other head-on.

Pearl is looking at me expressionlessly. …Are you telling me to move?

Gunuu. Would yielding the path here feel like I lost? No, would yielding the path with composure seem more big-shot-like? …While I was thinking such silly things, Pearl slowly opened her mouth.

“Small…”

“My bad!”

A guy who says things that hurt people upon first meeting is no good! Learn some delicacy!

“I heard some people try to enroll by faking their age, so I thought maybe…”

“I’m genuinely the same age as you! Want me to show you my Adventurer’s Guild Card?!”

“It’s fine. Probably what Onee-chan was talking about was Demons or long-lived species…”

Normally it’s that way around! What?! Did she think I faked my age to enroll even though I was younger?!

Rude right from the start. It’s also irritating that she seems to have absolutely no malicious intent. If she had just said something sarcastic, I could have provoked her back.

“I definitely won’t lose tomorrow’s match, you know…!”

“When you win, you win, and when you lose, you lose. I will merely do my utmost…”

Nugu. You bastard, saying something cool like that…! I’m looking forward to dyeing that expressionless face with surprise.

While I was burning with fighting spirit alone, Pearl slowly patted my head.

“Don’t treat me like a child!”

“Ah…”

I brushed away the patting hand and growled garurururu to intimidate her. Several people have patted my head, but against the opponent I’m fighting tomorrow, I can only think this is her looking down on me.

“Like Polaris…”

“Polaris?”

“A stray cat that was in Xenoah.”

“A stray cat?!”

This girl…! She’s naturally rude…! Just because she has no malicious intent doesn’t make it okay! She’s definitely looking down on me…!

“Anyway! Be prepared for tomorrow!”

“Yeah. Let’s both do our best.”

Kuh…! What is this lack of response…! Is this what they call ‘pushing against a curtain’ or ‘nailing into bran’?

Whatever. I will merely do my utmost too. Ah, I’m saying the same thing as this girl…!

In the end, I ended up leaving the place as if avoiding Pearl. I feel like I’m the small-fry here.

Now I can’t lose even out of sheer stubbornness. I will definitely win!

◇　◇　◇

“A Snowfield Stage, huh. Well, you can’t say it’s a hit, but it doesn’t feel like a miss either?”

Sherry muttered that while looking at the stage displayed on the viewing area’s video monitor.

For her, a sniper type, a Jungle Stage or Urban Stage would be a hit, but for those who fight utilizing mobility like Nero, open stages are easier to fight in.

In that case, the most ideal are Grassland Stages or Wasteland Stages. Desert Stages and Snowfield Stages are open too, but movement inevitably becomes sluggish.

“Nero’s machine is whitish, so isn’t it serving as protective coloration?”

“Well, the other side is pitch black, so…”

As Carrol and Lirisha said, Nero’s machine Lucifer’s colors are black and white, making it slightly hard to see in the snowfield.

In contrast, Pearl’s machine ‘Aegis’ is a Ritter Frame with black armor. In a snowfield, its location is completely obvious.

“But looking at it again, it looks tough…”

Everyone present nodded in their hearts at Sherry’s mutter.

Pearl’s machine ‘Aegis’, despite being a Ritter Frame, wore heavy armor and held a large round shield in its left hand. Perhaps as a spare, it also carried the same round shield on its back.

The only weapon in its hand was an Assault Lance in its right hand, and it had a short Iron Hammer equipped on its back waist, perhaps as a sub-weapon.

“I feel like breaking through that defensive power will be quite difficult. Even if she launches a surprise attack with [Zero Gravity], whether she can pierce the cockpit or not…”

“Couldn’t she just deliver a strike that penetrates damage with that ‘Battle Spirit Method’ thing?”

“I wonder about that… The other side has probably researched Nero’s fighting style, so they seem to have countermeasures. Firstly, if a strike from ‘Battle Spirit Method’ misses, one of Lucifer’s arms will be crushed. The risk is quite high. Besides…”

At the timing Carrol and Lirisha were discussing predictions for the match, a buzz spread through the unit room.

“Looks like we made it in time.”

“Because lunch took too long~.”

“It’s because Sharon ordered dessert too…”

Coming this way were three people connected to Nero: Zelda, Sharon, and Sana.

This stands out again… Carrol, Sherry, and Lirisha thought.

Indeed, the students in the unit room were glancing this way from afar.

“Hello. Are you seniors also here to watch Nero’s match?”

“I heard she was challenging the grade number one. Since the last match ended in the blink of an eye, I thought I could enjoy this one for a long time today.”

Zelda answered Carrol’s greeting like that. The last match refers to the promotion match Nero won in just two seconds.

It is certainly amazing, but as a spectator, it ended in the blink of an eye and was probably completely unenjoyable.

“Betting stars are three… Surprisingly few. I’d expect Nero to ask for around ten.”

Looking at the match data information, Sana voiced that thought. Hearing that, Carrol showed a wry smile.

“If she bets too big and loses, she might not be able to participate in the ‘Inter-School Match’, after all. Even Nero probably took the safe route, didn’t she?”

“Nero is currently fifth in the grade… Hmm, it’s true that if she bets big and drops in ranking, she could fall out of the ‘Inter-School Match’ regulars… Especially since the first year is a tightly packed cluster. Guys from below will come for all-or-nothing big gambles too.”

As Sana said, the past few days have seen a rush of big gambles. Win and it’s heaven, lose and it’s hell.

Everyone is burning with fighting spirit towards the ‘Inter-School Match’.

Because of that, Sana felt a small sense of incongruity. Would that Nero take such a safe route?

“Nero will probably [Raise].”

“Ah, I knew it?”

Zelda stated that as if reading Sana’s inner thoughts.

“Presenting three betting stars was probably a low amount to make the opponent accept the match. If it’s too large, there’s a possibility of being refused.”

“But if she [Raises] and the opponent doesn’t accept, isn’t there nothing she can do?”

Zelda answered Sherry’s question while still looking at the two Frame Gears on the monitor.

“In that case, it probably doesn’t matter to her. Because she can prove that the opponent ran away. That they thought they might lose to Nero even before the match started. Well, either way, that type doesn’t grow, so it serves as material to judge that they can be ignored.”

“Right~.”

Sharon agreed with Zelda’s words. Sana also seemed to agree while smiling wryly.

“What is more important than anything else is a greedy spirit for victory and a heart that believes in oneself. If you only think about maintaining your current position, you cannot go beyond it. Nero challenged the grade number one while being in a position where she could participate in the ‘Inter-School Match’ as is. That ‘Challenge Spirit’ is precisely the first ticket to S-Rank.”

Before anyone knew it, every student in the unit room was listening intently to Zelda’s talk. Coming from the Rank 1, those words carried a different weight.

On the monitor, exactly as Zelda predicted, Nero applied for a [Raise], presenting fifteen stars, the maximum limit for E-Rank.

It was an unbelievable offer, but Pearl responded with a [Call], and a match with fifteen stars on the line was established.

“She accepted. The other side is fired up too… Huh?”

Carrol suddenly tilted her head at the [Equipment Change] displayed on the monitor.

It seems Nero applied for an equipment change at this last possible timing. Temporarily, Nero’s Lucifer disappeared.

Since it’s before the match started, it’s still permitted by the rules. It’s not exactly praiseworthy in terms of manners, though…

While wondering about it, Lara came tottering over from the direction of the Frame Units.

“Lara? What’s wrong, you’re swaying so much… You have terrible bags under your eyes, you know?”

“I haven’t slept a bit… Glad I made it in time~…”

Lara sat down limply as if leaning on the chair. She seemed quite exhausted.

“Made it in time… Ah, you mean Nero’s equipment change?”

“Yes. The [Floating Swords] ‘Fragarach’ I was making are finally done. Unfortunately, it ended up being an impromptu debut… I hope she can master them well.”

Though she had an exhausted face, Lara smiled fearlessly, looking like someone who had accomplished a difficult job.

On the monitor she glared at with heavy eyes, Nero’s Lucifer changed its equipment and appeared on the snowfield once again.

“Are those Nero’s [Floating Swords] ‘Fragarach’…?”

The eyes of the spectators watching the monitor were glued to that bizarre equipment.