Evil Avalon

Chapter 116-First-class adventurer requirements

(TL:By Rafael,valhallatls.blogspot.com)

Pulling Kaworu towards me, I face him, confronting Tsukishima. His eyes filled with anger as he glares at me, even a hint of murderous intent seems to seep through.

"Hey... let me give you some advice. Release Kaworu right now, you damn pig."

Upon closer inspection, he is amplifying his magical power and circulating it silently within his body. If he were to use this level of physical enhancement along with magical power in a punch, any regular person would be in danger of dying. Well, I think I could withstand it just fine.

However, judging by the intensity of Tsukishima's anger, the words he said to Kaworu seem to have been serious. Even the sweet words he used earlier were likely a significant gamble disguised as calmness. The "villain" who had been causing trouble for Kaworu, making him suffer, had interfered with his confession. It's understandable that he would be in a fit of rage.

(But I can't just hand over my childhood friend that easily)

If it was Akagi-kun, who values justice and morals, extends a helping hand to the weak and bravely stands up to evil enemies, had prepared himself to restrain his inner pig mind and step aside even if it means wanting to meet him and talk impulsively. But that's only if Kaworu can be happy.

However, if my opponent is Tsukishima, the situation changes. He lightly regards the people of this world as NPCs and holds dangerous ideas, such as having a combative mindset that creates many enemies and wanting to dominate his surroundings with power. As a result, even if he incurs a lot of resentment, Tsukishima can usually repel most people without much trouble... but Kaworu is not like that.

If the enemy couldn't defeat Tsukishima, it's quite possible that they could change his focus and attack Kaworu, who is in the closest proximity. Would he be willing to put himself on the line, risking his life to protect her? Even if he could protect her, would he be able to protect Kaworu's precious people too? As long as he doesn't abandon the idea that "this world is a game" and "people are NPCs," he won't go that far. That's why I can't entrust Kaworu to Tsukishima.

(But I have to take at least one hit)

That anger doesn't seem like it's going to dissipate anytime soon. Judging by the amount of magical power circulating in his body, it doesn't seem to be much higher than my level, so I should be able to withstand a few hits. Of course, if I can, I'd like to avoid it.

"You're still not separating from Kaworu despite all that talk. Are you really that stupid or are you underestimating me... well, never mind. You're prepared, right? What's with that pesky act?"

Tsukishima comes walking slowly towards me, clenching his fists with force.

 But just as he approached, Kaworu stepped in. She shook her long hair and spread her arms out in front of me as if to protect me.

"Stop the violence. If you lay a hand on him...I won't forgive you," she said.

"Hey, hey, why are you protecting this guy? Remember all the bad things he did to you," Tsukishima replied.

As he said that, I too secretly recalled the memory of her constantly being sexually harassed by Butao before entering the Adventurer School. Stalking, staring at her breasts, Calling Kaworu as my girl, threatening any man who got close to her..sigh. I feel like I want to prostrate myself before her.

Back then, whenever Butao saw Kaworu becoming more beautiful every day, he became strangely flustered and tried hard to be liked by her, but everything he did backfired or went in vain, and he was even more disliked. Looking back, it's only natural for the current me.

Glancing at Kaworu, who was standing in front of me, I could tell that she too was remembering Butao's bad behavior and frowned slightly in disgust. I apologized to her in my heart, and she looked up again and turned to Tsukishima.

"Never mind how you know about my past. That has nothing to do with you," she said.

"But you know, it's better to make fools like him understand their position from the beginning," Tsukishima replied.

Yeah, looking at Butao in the game, even I feel that way. Teehee.

"I hate people who try to solve everything with violence," Kaworu said, staring at him coldly.

"Ugh, whatever. But man, you're just hiding behind a girl, shaking. You've got no balls, do you?" he said sarcastically.

Kaworu showed disgust toward his use of violence and Tsukishima realized it was not worth it to hit me if Kaworu disliked him. He sighed and dropped his shoulders. Then he turned to me hiding behind her back and made a sarcastic comment. But being protected by a girl wasn't such a bad feeling after all.

"But I'm serious about what I said earlier. Keep that in mind," he added.

"..."

"I've been watching you all along. See you."

Tsukishima winked and walked away. I was prepared to be hit, so I was honestly relieved he let me go. Even with increased defense and recovery power due to physical enhancement, it still hurts.

Kaworu was standing in front of me, her back turned to me. She seemed a little shaky, either from exhaustion or fear. She had just experienced two scary things in a row, so maybe it would be better to leave her alone for now... but I can't help but ask.

"Kaworu, did you have any intention of accepting that proposal from c earlier?"

"...The one about giving me 'strength'?"

Kaworu slowly turned to face me, avoiding eye contact. Upon closer inspection, I noticed a faint bruise on his beautiful face. I thought he was unharmed, but maybe he had been hit. Still, it was probably thanks to Akagi and Tachibana that it didn't escalate further. Maybe Tsukishima went berserk and caused a scene because of what he saw.

Even though we were doing our best to practice early in the morning, there were too many people at this school who did whatever they wanted. We both struggled with that.

As I waited for Kaworu's answer while thinking about that, she lightly shook her head without showing much hesitation and gave a straightforward answer.

"I have no intention of accepting it. I do seriously want to become stronger, and maybe I could become stronger if I followed him. But there seemed to be violence brewing in his eyes."

"I see."

Being a top-class adventurer, which Kaworu aspires to be, does not just mean being strong. They have to be brave, righteous, and become a hero who can be everyone's hope. Like Kaworu's mother, who has already passed away. She seems to have inherited her blood firmly, which makes me relieved as well.

"Satsuki brought a Priest teacher with her, so you can get your bruise treated."

"You're quite calm now. Tsukishima-kun's strength in defeating several members of the Second Swordsmanship Club in an instant was extraordinary. If he had been violent...Souta might not have been safe."

I didn't see that fight, so I don't know how strong he was exactly. But it's certain that the violence that sent the members of the Second Swordsmanship Club flying, as Kaworu said, was not something that a person with a level below ten could endure. If we didn't stop him there, we would have definitely been thrown off too.

That's probably why she intervened, even though she was scared. But I don't want to leave her worried like this, so I'll throw in some reassuring words.

"I'm glad you stopped him. But I'm also practicing with Satsuki and Lisa, so even if I get hit a little, it's okay."

"You're learning from Omiya-san and the others...not power leveling, right?...If that's the case, I want to join the practice too," she said, conveying her intention to participate in training while at the same time looking for something with her eyes.

"I heard that Kowaru and the others were already having practice sessions, but was it not enough?"

"It's not that, but... I'm interested in what kind of training Souta does on a regular basis and how strong she is."

I see, she wants to see her strength. If that's the case, it would be difficult to force Kowaru, who has been troubled by sexual harassment, to become a full-fledged member and trust me completely. Well, she might not really want to see my strength, but just doubts my abilities.

However, depending on Tsukishima's actions, it may lead to an unpredictable situation and Kowaru may be subjected to violence. For the sake of self-defense, I should help her practice to lead to further improvement... no, let's stop deceiving myself with such thoughts. I just want to help her.

Since entering the Adventurer School, Kowaru's appearance has changed and she has been desperately trying with a sense of desperation. It's no wonder that I can't help but want to support her when I see her like that.

(Then, what kind of practice is good? The aptitude is...)

At this point, Kowaru seems to be solely focused on swordsmanship, but I remember that she unexpectedly had good MP growth in Danek and had talent as a magic swordsman. So, I want to teach her the DunEx-style magical tactics as soon as possible, but... maybe it's too early to think about it.

Well, it's better to ask through Satsuki for the teaching. It might not be good if I get too close.

"Got it. I'll ask Satsuki for you."

"I'm counting on you... well then, I'll go check on Yuma and the others' injuries..."

"Ah."

In the distance, I see Akagi, who is in the middle of treatment, and Tachiki, who is holding his broken glasses with a displeased look on his face. They must have been hit many times without fighting back to protect Kowaru and Pink-chan, but I really appreciate it. It's a good harvest to know that their hearts and courage to protect their friends are alive and well in this world, just like in DunEx. I hope they will continue to take care of my important childhood friends.

(...I also need to do something.)

At the current level of Class E, there's no way we can have a great war with the Eight Dragons, so we have to aim for a soft landing regardless of the outcome of the duel between Tsukishima and Ashikaga. For that, let's think about what we can do again.

*・・*・・*・・*・・*・・*

After homeroom ended, Satsuki, Lisa, and I walked along the tree-lined path on the school grounds. Despite the dazzling new greenery, we spoke with serious expressions on our faces.

"I'll try to tell Tsukishima-kun to be careful, but don't rely too much on it, okay?"

"Sorry about that. I pushed it onto you."

"Hehe, it's because I'm suitable for the job~ Don't worry about it."

I asked Lisa to try to urge Tsukishima-kun to exercise restraint while trying to gauge his reaction. Since the duel with Ashikaga can no longer be canceled, the only option left is to have him fight without revealing his player knowledge. The problem is whether he will listen obediently or not, but even Lisa seems unsure.

But Tsukishima-kun is not a foolish person. If we explain the merits and demerits clearly, he will judge wisely... or so I want to believe.

"I'm going to see Akagi-kun's practice. I hope I can teach them the magic combat techniques that Sota taught me... Hmm... Can I do it?"

This morning, Akagi-kun said he wanted to practice despite what happened. He is truly a person with a desire for improvement. Since they may face frequent player battles in the future, We want to teach them about magic combat.

Normal melee combat seems to be taught by the seniors in the fourth swordsmanship club, but when it comes to magic combat, there doesn't seem to be anyone who can teach it. Even members of the first magic club seem unable to teach the DunEx-style magic combat techniques effectively. This is because the magicians in this world only fight by casting large-scale magic from the back of the party, protected by their allies.

If they only know this way of fighting, they will be unable to do anything when monsters approach them, and they will become mere baggage in player battles. Therefore, I want to expose them to the DunEx-style magic combat techniques, which involve chanting while changing positions in close combat.

Satsuki has already been taught the basics of what skills and strategies are advantageous, but today, I hope she can receive a lecture on it. She is naturally skilled at conveying her thoughts and teaching, so she might be able to teach better than me.

"Well then... I'm going to do what I need to do."

"Yeah. Do your best, Sota!"

"See you later, Sota!"

We confirmed what we had to do, wished each other good luck, and parted ways with smiles. I am not the only one who is concerned about this unfortunate situation and trying to correct it. That fact truly gives me courage.

I walk towards the unpopular north direction from my current location. I am heading towards an area where the club room of a club called "Hachiryu" is located. Everywhere seems to want to show off their authority and wealth, as they own luxurious buildings on vast grounds. As a profession where being looked down upon by nobles could spell the end, it's understandable that they would go all out in that regard. The difference is clear when compared to the run-down apartment where the seniors of the E-class borrow space for their Fourth Swordsmanship Club.

A long white fence stretches on my right side. According to the terminal's map, this seems to be the location where the First Swordsmanship Club's club room is located... This is just like a daimyo's mansion.

The huge gate in front of me is open, revealing a two-story mansion and a dojo. This area isn't under a magic field, but many of Hachiryu's club rooms come with practice facilities, as the use of artificial magic fields can be permitted upon application. This is also one of their major privileges.

As I continue forward, the fence changes from white walls to red-brick-like walls. This should be my destination... The building visible through the gaps in the fence matches the photo I found on the terminal, so there's no mistake.

This luxurious Western-style mansion is something that commoners like me could never dream of owning. The flowers planted here and there are meticulously cared for, but they also possess a strange aura. It makes me feel like running away, jumping into such an out-of-place setting would be bad for my heart. But being scared won't solve anything. I'll brace myself and try to push forward.

As I prepare myself and approach the main gate, a girl with fluffy hair stands alone and looks at me quietly. She's wearing a gold badge indicating her noble rank on her chest. To be polite, I approach her first and bow my head. She welcomes me with a gentle smile.

"Welcome, Narumi-kun, Kirara mica is waiting for you inside."

TL Note- We have reached the raws with this chapter, hope new chapter comes out before the next Sunday. 

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