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Chapter 5. Screwed Up

"Here, no one's watching. I can fight to my heart's content."

Feels like getting dragged behind the gym or the school building after school and getting beaten up.

While thinking about such nonsense, Princess Elissa drew her sword. A crude but well-maintained double-edged single-handed straight sword... definitely a weapon of the trade.

"Now, get your weapon."

"Nah, don't have one."

"...Huh?"

"I said, I don't have one. Probably leaning against the desk in my dorm room, maybe? So I don't have it with me right now."

Seriously. I checked the place before leaving and thought I could leave it behind without bringing it. In this academy, being called the Magic Knight Academy and all, everyone usually carries swords. But today I was walking around without one and got looked at like I was a weirdo.

"So, you think you can beat me?"

"Huh? It's a fact."

"I see. I understand well. I won't hold back."

Oh. Even though she's supposed to be a commoner to protect, she's giving me such murderous looks.

With a sound like the ground exploding, Princess Elissa disappeared. It's weird for someone to have such inhuman speed even though they can enhance their physical abilities by absorbing magic and converting it efficiently, just because they can.

"Well, that's the deal."

"Huh?"

Oh, scary. She had no intention of stopping at all. Just aimed straight to cut me.

"What... did you do?"

"What do you mean... can't you tell? I just stopped it with my fingers."

Just stopped the sword with my index and middle fingers. But even so, anyone would do the same with such a straightforward move. So that's why this princess is ranked 11th despite being able to move at such speed.

"The difference in our abilities is clear... I'll stop──"

"Ah!"

Before I could finish speaking, flames overflowed from Princess Elissa's sword. Attribute enhancement by shortening magic. But this level of attribute enhancement can't be simply dismissed as enhancement anymore.

"Why do you... with that much power, remain indifferent to your rank and the Magic Knights?"

"Huh? Did I say I wasn't interested in being a Magic Knight?"

"It's obvious if you look. You just enrolled at the Chronos Magic Knight Academy because you got invited."

Oh. If the princess thinks that, there are probably a few others like me. Well, if you think about it, yeah, especially if you're from a noble background, there are probably plenty of people whose goal is to enroll in the Chronos Magic Knight Academy. In that case, isn't my attitude of not being motivated, not unusual at the academy?

"However, you are different from those students. You have a talent that everyone envies, anyone who has it should be able to understand."

"Are you talking about yourself?"

"...I don't have it. But I've seen it many times at the castle, the figure of someone who has it. That's why I understand that you are someone who has it. And at the same time, I don't understand why someone like you, who should have it, is living without doing anything."

Hmm? The conversation is quite abstract and hard to understand. I thought it was about talent, but it feels like she's saying something different. Because if it's just about talent, Princess Elissa is on the side that has it.

The conversation about having it or not having it. Ah!

"What's with all this talk about having it or not?"

"Ah!"

"You mean you can tell just by looking? Isn't that amazing?"

Despite her frequent talk of having it or not having it, the identity of it in this country, those who can activate it are said to be geniuses without exception.

"I see... Princess Elissa doesn't have a 'Grimoire'?"

"Indeed, you have it."

If it's about the Grimoire, Princess Elissa's words aren't exactly accurate. Because everyone should have a Grimoire. That's the same for me as a reincarnated person.

"Show me your Grimoire quickly."

"Huh? No, I don't want to."

"...Huh?"

What are you saying?

"Showing your Grimoire is like exposing your hand to your opponent, right? There's no Magic Knight in this world who would easily show their Grimoire to their opponent. Besides..."

Yeah. It's a bit pitiful, but okay.

"And besides, there's no need to show off such a grand thing as a Grimoire."

"Haa!"

You're so weak that I don't even need to draw my sword, it's a clear insult, and Princess Elissa came at me as expected. The flames overflowing from her sword could be said to represent the passion she holds. I'm not a nice person.

"I'm not kind enough to face you head-on."

"Shortened magic!?"

I activate shortened magic with just my right hand and 'teleport' behind Princess Elissa. Teleportation magic is normally an advanced magic that requires vast amounts of magic and a huge magic circle. But if it's just for teleporting a few meters, you can greatly shorten it with shortened magic.

I grab the arm reaching to turn around and aim the sword, then knock the sword away and push her away with magic from my palm. I didn't want to be too rough with a princess from another country. But she came at me, so I had no choice.

What I hit her with wasn't an attacking magic, just a lump of magic power, so she didn't get hurt. But she must have felt like she was being blown away by a strong wind.

"...Still an expert."

I pick up Princess Elissa's sword that fell at my feet and examine it.

She was using a scale of attribute enhancement that was unthinkable for a student, so I thought there might be some tricks to this sword... but it was just a plain old weapon. In other words, the attribute enhancement magic that burned everything around her was something Princess Elissa applied herself.

Even though she can't use a Grimoire, she's still a genius, huh?

But if you think calmly, there are still ten people above her, right? This academy is scary. I guess I'll just leave it as it is after raising the ranking to a reasonable level.