167 Issenza Match Part 2
"Are you sure, Your Majesty? It's not too late to stop it."
Just before the match between Gram and Raspberry Bell took place, his servant Klaus asked Maine, who was sitting on his throne, with a stern expression on his face.
"I've said it many times, but there's no stopping it. It's a recommendation from that Second-san, you know? "
"But her entry is a diplomatic……"
"That's certainly not good, but there's nothing we can do about it."
Maine laughed in a resigned way, said, "Ah,'" and clapped his hands.
"Yeah. Let's take the offensive, Klaus."
"Ha……? "
"She was entrusted to Second-san's care by Rokunchea Kongo, and whatever she did after that is none of my business. If she still wished to participate in the Issenza battle, regardless of whether her whereabouts would be widely publicized or whether she would be targeted by the remnants of the Kamel Sacred Country as a result, then go ahead and do so……Something like that."
"So, they should be responsible for their own actions? "
"That's the only way, isn’t it? He helped the revolution in such an absurd way without informing me, and even forced Margrave Steam to cooperate with him, and finally succeeded in bringing the saint to the kingdom. I wouldn't be able to survive if I had to be pushed around like that every time."
"……You seem to have a lot on your plate."
"I don't particularly like the fact that he doesn't know how hard I've been working behind the scenes and still thinks he hasn't been exposed as a hero of the revolution. He could have come to show his face with a few words of thanks……"
Seeing Maine mumbling and complaining, Klaus smiled slightly in resignation.
After all, this young king was merely sulking over a friend whom he had not heard from in six months.
"……By the way, Klaus, are you still not his apprentice? "
"There was a condition that I had to participate in the Issenza Tournament. It's not hard to imagine that with so much work to do in the aftermath of the Sacred Country, I would have plenty of time to gain experience."
"Is that sarcasm? You've come to say that fairly well."
"No. I'm simply stating the facts."
And Klaus was sulking as well.
He had been looking forward to his apprenticeship with Second so much, but he could not find the time to fulfill this requirement as he had hoped, and as a result, he had to forgo his participation in the summer title games.
As the two men exchanged words, criticizing each other in a roundabout way, the clamor of the audience suddenly stopped―― and immediately afterward, there was a loud boom of excitement.
"……The entrance of the Saint?"
"Yeah. With her good looks, it would be strange if she didn't attract attention."
"In addition, she is the only woman in the Issenza competition, right?"
"I feel sorry for Gram."
The flow was entirely in Raspberry Bell's favor. Klaus as well as Maine thought that Gram would have a hard time fighting.
But Maine sensed a deeper meaning in Klaus' words.
Gram was formerly Klaus' mentor. The sad battle between Gram, who was manipulated by hostages, and Klaus, who realized the Prime Minister's betrayal, was the parting of the master and disciple.
Hopefully, in a different way, they will be able to finalize their master and disciple relationship. Klaus must have had such thoughts.
"……I'm sorry, brother. I will do my best in the winter season so that you will be the one standing there, and I will do my best so that you will be the one getting that ovation."
From time to time, the King of the Kingdom of Castall would revert to the time when he was the second prince.
To being simply Klaus's brother, who was soft, timid, withdrawn, and yet very kind-hearted.
"……No matter. I will compete in the winter in my own way and become a disciple of Second Triple Crown. You don't need to worry about it, just go ahead and be the king."
Although he knew that this was not a good thing for him as a king and a servant…… he remembered that Klaus was also his brother and spoke to him as such.
Being close as the king and his servant even brought the two former enemies closer together in their hearts.
"Besides, it would be easier for you to meet him once I become his disciple."
"B-Brother! "
Klaus laughed amusedly as he watched his brother's flushed and flustered face.
"Gram-han, my regards."
"Thank you, Saint, it is my pleasure."
Gram vs. Raspberry Bell, the second round of the tournament to determine the Issenza challenger.
The two walked to the center of the arena and greeted each other as they received their dueling crowns from the referee.
Then, upon hearing Gram say " Saint," Raspberry Bell suddenly looked displeased.
"Don't do that."
"Have I done something wrong?"
"Politics have no place in a title fight."
"……This was extremely rude of me."
"In the first place, neither your status nor your background has anything to do with the sword. Right? "
"Haha! It is as you say."
"That's how it is. I'm glad you understand."
Raspberry Bell was smiling, while Gram looked relaxed.
At first glance, it was a peaceful scene.
But the game had already begun.
Raspberry Bell knew. That the title fight was not so peaceful and sweet.
"I heard something. Gram-han, that you used a great sword."
"Yeah. But after some advice from a certain person, I stopped."
"Eh, I see, so you've stopped."
Raspberry Bell moved into position without losing her smile.
Gram also got into position feeling comfortable.
"Bow to each other! "
At the referee's order, they both bowed.
"Ready! "
At the second command, Gram drew his long sword and readied it.
However…… Raspberry Bell took no stance. Besides, she didn't even take the sword out of her inventory.
"……? What……"
"――Begin! "
Just as Gram wondered, the signal was given for the match to begin.
The next moment.
"……! ? "
Gram felt goosebumps in his whole body.
There was no longer a kind, smiling woman in sight.
A cold indifference that chilled you to the core. Raspberry Bell looked at Gram as if she were looking at trash.
"Tch! "
Gram had a hunch and immediately regretted it. That all that friendly conversation was an off-the-board tactic. He felt that he had fallen for it.
"Let's go."
Raspberry Bell took the lead.
Gram grew even more agitated.
In Swordsmanship, the latter player basically had the advantage. Gram believed that although Second had overturned the conventional wisdom, the latter advantage was still alive and well. Especially when dealing with Swords masters other than Second.
But it was strange. Raspberry Bell, in front of him, came in close without any hesitation and without even holding up her sword.
……An anomaly. But the anomaly felt somewhat familiar to Gram.
A minor agitation, the tiniest ripple. Raspberry Bell moved relentlessly to thrust her blade into the deliberately created space.
"! ? "
She closed the gap, stepped once to the right, twice to the left, and turned once backward…… and immediately thereafter.
Everyone in the audience was astonished, except for one person.
Raspberry Bell had―― pulled a great sword as tall as she was from her inventory.
It was a huge weapon, unimaginable from the quick movements it had made up to that point.
Gram was spectacularly caught off guard. Or rather, he was taken by surprise.
"This is how you use a great sword."
"What……! "
Raspberry Bell moved with another rotation in a sideways direction.
Gram's 《Silver Swordsmanship》 cut through the empty space.
All in the palm of Raspberry Bell's hand.
The amount of information in the instantaneous decision was too much.
The agitation caused by the gap between the saint expressions, the preoccupation of the first and the latter move, and the biggest disruption of all: the great sword.
Gram could never show his true ability in these circumstances.
"Gugaaa! "
A 《Soldier Swordsmanship》strike by a great sword with a horizontal cleave bit into his thigh, making him take three steps backward.
Raspberry Bell mercilessly pursued. A combination of 《Silver Swordsmanship》 and 《Knight Swordsmanship》 pierced Gram's abdomen.
Without a moment's pause, she hit Gram, who was down, with a big 《Rook Swordsmanship》 attack.
The great sword was heavy and slow-moving, making it very difficult to handle, but its reach, power, and impact were the greatest of all swords. In other words, Raspberry Bell thought that if only one could invent a way to use it to make the most of it, it could theoretically be called the most superior sword……
In addition, her growth type was "Supporter" and her STR was very low even if she had all of her 【Swordsmanship】 skills set to 9th grade. So she had the great sword to compensate for that.
"――That's enough! "
The referee made the verdict.
Only 20 seconds had elapsed before the game ended.
"……So…………strong."
Someone leaked a word out.
With that, boom―― the crowd erupted.
The overwhelming intensity of the crowd honored Raspberry Bell with an ovation that had not been heard since Second.
The elements to stand out were all in place. Status, beauty, gender, and competence.
But behind the scenes, many title contenders were horrified.
……It was calculated, they thought.
Raspberry Bell's path to victory. It was clear that everything was her calculation, from the pre-match conversation, to the way she closed the gap, to the timing when she brought out her great sword.
If you only looked at her status, she was not strong. In fact, she was clearly the lowest among the Issenza participants in terms of status.
That is why she calculated. Based on thorough information gathering, she searched for gruesome ways to win and did not hesitate to implement them.
That meant that she knew how to win.
Raspberry Bell knew more about the title game than anyone else in the place except Second.
＊ ＊ ＊
"So she's keeping it under wraps."
"What? "
To my muttering, Silvia said, "Is that so? ", in a small voice.
"It was so overwhelming, I thought she was going all out from the beginning."
In the past, if Silvia and Eko could so easily beat an opponent they had lost to previously, it would be simple to think like that…… you had to go all out from the get-go.
"That's what I called a surprise attack last time."
"Hmm, that thing we used?"
"In addition, she also mixed in off-board tactics to make her surprise attack more solid. That's what she always does."
"Off-board tactics, huh? I didn't notice."
"Her face is basically always dead serious before, during, and after the game. You don't see her smile like that very often."
"Ummm, I had no idea. That is…… quite nasty."
"She's the type of person who will go to any lengths to win."
"It sounds good when you say it like that, but……"
Is she trying to say that it looks like Ernte?
That is a huge mistake.
"It's not like that old man. It's out of the question to actually get your hands on something outside the game like that geezer. To do everything within one's means is not the same as to engage in such sabotage. It's about making the most of your advantage within the rules. You have to study your opponents, carefully arrange the cards you have in your hand, and calculate your winning strategy. If you can do something, you should try it. That's something I can't do."
"I see. The option of off-board tactics is also a card that deserves to be played since it was originally in your hand. So it's kind of like a card game in her mind."
"……Yeah, I guess you could say that."
It was supposed to be a "game" called "online game" in the first place.
I think Ras, perhaps, was just playing for the sake of playing at first.
But it's a strange thing, no matter how much you know it's a game, or maybe it's because it's a game, it makes you want to win. To the point of death.
You can't help but want to win.
You'll do whatever it takes to win. Anything you can do.
Like off-board tactics. I'm not smart enough to do it, but she's smart enough to do it. If so, it's something you have to do. If I were her, I'd definitely do it without a second thought.
That is Ras's strength. A natural intelligence, fast and accurate calculations, and excellent thinking skills. And without overthinking, at times bold, decisive, competitive, knowledgeable, and skilled.
If there is a weakness, it is her growth type.
However, she will be able to turn even that into a strength.
"How fearsome."
She's totally coming for my head.
She blew Gram away with little more than a handful of moves.
Is that the reason for the off-the-board tactic? Every time, she does it well.
As a result, Ras preserved both her Game Plan and her strategy and passed the first round without even showing a sword other than the Great Sword.
……A big favorite, I'd say.
Rave vs. Jerez is next. Following that is Rothman vs. Ras.
Well, let's see what happens――
======
Thank you for reading.
Cheat sheet
Stats details
＜Status Details＞
- HP Hit Points
- MP Magic Points
- SP Stamina Points
- STR Short range attack skill power, strength, physical power.
- DEX Long range attack skill power, dexterity, hit rate.
- AGI Quickness, avoidance rate.
- INT Attack Magic skill power.
- LUK Good luck, critical rate.
- VIT Simple defense.
- MGR Magic defense.
Types of combat skills
Named after shogi pieces (The word in bold is the one being used in this translation). From easier to acquire to harder.
- Pawn/Soldier (Fuhyou)
- Lance(Kyousha)
- Knight (Keima)
- Silver General (Ginshou)
- Gold General (Kinshou)
- Bishop (Kakugyou)
- Rook (Hisha)
- Promoted Bishop/Dragon Horse(Ryuuma)
- Promoted Rook/Dragon King (Ryuuou).
List of Swordsmanship skills
Swordsmanship
- 《Soldier Swordsmanship》 Normal attack.
- 《Lance Swordsmanship》 Piercing attack.
- 《Knight Swordsmanship》 Precision attack.
- 《Silver Swordsmanship》 Strong single-target attack.
- 《Gold Swordsmanship》 Small-range attack to all directions.
- 《Bishop Swordsmanship》 Quick and powerful piercing attack
- 《Rook Swordsmanship》 Rush piercing attack
- 《Dragon Horse Swordsmanship》 Powerful ranged attack in all directions
- 《Dragon King Swordsmanship》 Most powerful range attack, takes time to prepare
List of Shieldmanship skills
Shieldmanship
- 《Soldier Shieldmanship》 Normal defense.
- 《Lance Shieldmanship》 Piercing deflection.
- 《Knight Shieldmanship》 Defense + knockback.
- 《Silver Shieldmanship》 Defense +chance to parry
- 《Gold Shieldmanship》 Ranged guided defense + knockback.
- 《Bishop Shieldmanship》 Reinforced defense (Temporarily boosts VIT and MGR)
- 《Rook Shieldmanship》 Rush attack
- 《Dragon Horse Shieldmanship》 ???
- 《Dragon King Shieldmanship》 Powerful shield attack, takes time to prepare
List of Archery skills
Archery
- 《Soldier Archery》 Normal range attack.
- 《Lance Archery》 Piercing range attack.
- 《Knight Archery》 Precise sniping range attack.
- 《Silver Archery》 Strong single-target range attack.
- 《Gold Archery》 Weaker range attack with added knockback.
- 《Bishop Archery》 Strong piercing range attack.
- 《Rook Archery》 Very strong single-target range attack with scaling % damage.
- 《Dragon Horse Archery》 Powerful Area of Effect piercing range attack.
- 《Dragon King Archery》 Powerful on-impact range attack, takes time to prepare
Types of Magic skills
They use the “Form” or “step” system of martial arts. From lower to higher.
- First Form Regular attack
- Second Form Extended range attack
- Third Form Strong single target attack
- Fourth Form Strong extended range attack
- Fifth Form Extremely powerful extended range attack
- Their cast time becomes longer in this order First→Third→Second→Fourth→Fifth.
Ranking of the skills
From lower to higher, then it changes to the “Dan” system of martial arts, which means Grade.
- 16th class
- 15th class
- 14th class
- 13th class
- 12h class
- 11th class
- 10th class
- 9th class
- 8th class
- 7th class
- 6th class
- 5th class
- 4th class
- 3rd class
- 2nd class
- 1st class
- Grade 1
- Grade 2
- Grade 3
- Grade 4
- Grade 5
- Grade 6
- Grade 7
- Grade 8
- Grade 9
- Title
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