Volume 3 Chapter 12 Reunion
'Winner!! Elwood!!'
7 minutes and 40 seconds.
That was the time Gambo and Elwood fought.
"I think you did well."
Saying that, Elwood sheathed his 'dual swords.'
He praised the bloodied Gambo and even reached out a hand.
"Even though it was a team battle, who would have thought it would end in a personal fight... The teachers can be so mean. Or maybe they had other plans?"
"...I guess being an adventurer means you're ultimately alone."
Gambo grabbed Elwood's hand and stood up.
Surprisingly, he seemed really interested in hearing Gambo's thoughts.
"Adventurers dive into dungeons to explore and search for treasures. But... when it comes to treasure, it's not uncommon for teammates to fight each other. That's why they probably made the team battle just for the preliminaries and turned the final into a free-for-all."
"I see... that's one way to think about it. Yeah, you're amazing!!"
"...Thanks."
Gambo looked away, feeling shy.
He had just been praised by Crown Prince Elwood.
It felt good.
"I want to talk to you again. See you."
"..."
Elwood left the stage without a scratch.
Gambo also stepped down and went to Elk and Fine.
"Sorry, I lost."
"That's fine. But, you've gotten really strong... way stronger than when we fought."
"Really?"
"Yeah, yeah. Gambo, you were super strong!! Ah, I want to go wild too!!"
Fine, who hadn't done anything, was fidgeting.
And now it was Elk's turn.
Elk spoke to Gambo and Fine, who had fought so far.
"Thank you both for fighting up to this point."
"What's with the sudden thanks?"
"Especially Gambo... it ended refreshingly, but it'll probably get ruined. I have a lot of questions for Rosho."
"......"
"Sorry, Fine."
"It's okay. More importantly, Elk, do your best!"
"Yeah."
Elk stepped onto the stage and took a deep breath.
He was surrounded by loud cheers. The voices supporting 'Rosho' could be heard.
"""""Rosho!! Rosho!! Rosho!!"""""
"Hehe, that's a nice cheer."
Rosho waved as he stepped onto the stage.
"""""Aaaa!! Sir Rosho!!"""""
"Hahaha, being popular is tough, right? Don't you think so, you over there?"
"......"
Elk looked at Rosho.
He wore a battle outfit that looked like a knight's formal wear. A beautifully decorated sword hung from a metal holder at his waist.
He had grown taller and had a better build.
He must have worked hard. His hands were covered in calluses and marks from training.
"My victory is already decided, so I could finish this quickly. But that wouldn't be exciting. So, hey... will you help me out? Of course, I'll pay you."
"......Help?"
"Yeah. I want to win dramatically. So──I'll struggle a little. Then, a glorious comeback victory!! What do you think? Instead of just being defeated instantly, you'll get the title of having fought well against me. I don't think it's a bad deal."
"......Heh."
"Huh? Did you just laugh?"
Rosho grinned wickedly.
As expected, this is how it is.
Even if his appearance has improved, his true self hasn't changed.
Elk took his stance.
"...Well, fine. I'll play along a bit. You should feel honored, okay? This 'Sword Saint' of the Duke Kinesis family is going to slice you up."
"......"
Elk unfolded the blades on both arms.
Rosho also drew his sword and got into position.
"Well then, the final battle!! Which team is the strongest new student team... Let the final battle begin!!"
In an instant───Rosho disappeared and swung his sword down in front of Elk.
So fast. Thinking that, Elk crossed his arms to block the sword.
"...ugh"
"Hahahahaha!! Should I cut you in half!? But first..."
"───!?"
Elk released his hands and jumped back.
His clothes were slightly torn.
Rosho's target was Elk's arm.
It seemed his goal was to sever limbs.
"Hehe. Good thing your arm didn't fall off, huh?"
"......Do you really want to cut me that badly?"
"Yeah. The feeling of cutting flesh is so nice, you know?"
Rosho had a smile on his face that he didn't show in public, floating over the sword.
He hadn't changed.
The same smile he had when he cut Elk.
Elk smiled back.
"Hahaha, haha...hahahahaha!"
"Huh? What's with you?"
"You haven't changed, Rosho."
"Huh?"
Elk took off his hood, removed his eye patch, and took off his mask.
He revealed his true face and stared straight at Rosho.
"? ..................??? ........Huh........───What? ......Huh!?"
At first, Rosho tilted his head, stared in shock, tilted his head again, and then turned pale as if he realized something───he stared at Elk again and shouted.
"Big... Big Bro!?"
"Long time no see, Rosho."
And so, Elk and Rosho reunited.
* * *
It wasn't just Rosho who turned pale and trembled.
Next to Elwood, Sarissa was also turning pale and trembling.
Noticing something was off, Elwood placed a hand on Sarissa's shoulder.
"Eeek!?"
"Sarissa? Are you okay? Did something happen with him?"
"N-no, um..."
Then, Elk looked at Sarissa.
Without saying anything, he just smirked.
That alone made Sarissa lose her voice.
"N-no way. He can't be my brother!! He definitely died that day!!"
"What about the body?"
"Huh...?"
"Was his heart really stopped? What about the body disposal?"
"W-well, that is..."
"Then there's only one answer. He's not dead. That's all."
"───...!"
On the arena, Rosho gritted his teeth and glared at Elk.
Then───he let out a "huh" as he exhaled.
"So?"
"...?"
"What does it matter that you're my brother? Just because you were alive? What does that change?"
"......"
"Do you want to go back to the Duke family? You still have some mental energy left. The heir of the Duke Kinesis family is me. Even if you show up now, you have no authority!!"
"......pfft, ha, haha!! Ahahaha!!"
"W-what's so funny, you punk!!"
"Well... Rosho, do you really think I want to go back to the Duke family?"
"W-what?!"
"Think about it. That duel was set up by Duke Kinesis, and it was just a show for you and Sarissa, right? Even if I came back now, there's no place for me there."
"Th-then..."
"Then. There's only one answer, right?"
"......"
Elk spread his arms───slowly, he pointed his right hand at Rosho.
"Revenge, Rosho. I won't forgive you, that bastard Duke Kinesis... or you, Sarissa."
"Are you kidding me!? Have you forgotten? Your skill is 'Telekinesis'!! It's just a lame skill that can only move things a little bit──."
*Snap!!*
"Eh...──!? Noooooo!?"
Rosho's right thumb nail 'flew off'.
It was forcibly 'ripped off' by Telekinesis.
Blood dripped down. Rosho held his right thumb, glaring at Elk with teary eyes.
"Rosho... let's talk a bit more. It's been a while since we last met."
"U, u..."
Elk's Telekinesis bared its fangs at Rosho.
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