Volume 4 Chapter 2 Message To The Duke's Family
"Next!! Match 16, Elk vs. Mogambo!!"
"Oh, here we go."
Elk, who had been sitting relaxed, heard his name called and stepped onto the stage.
The stage was covered in blood, probably because the fights were still going on.
Just a moment ago, a boy had exploded, losing both arms, and a girl had her legs cut off by a sword. Some students even seemed to have their necks broken and died.
However, the upperclassmen carried the injured students away without showing any emotion.
They believed in the words: "Even if you die, you can be revived." But some participants were so scared that they chose to forfeit.
But Elk wouldn't forfeit. When he got on stage, he saw a boy with a huge club.
"Fight fair and square!! Let's begin!!"
"Wooooo!!"
The boy with the club charged at him.
He must have skills focused on physical strength. He was trying to crush Elk.
He looked quite intimidating because of his height.
But──Elk readied his right hand.
"──Ngh!?"
Mogambo's body was sent flying off the stage at high speed, crashing into the wall of the venue.
It was a telekinetic blast.
"Out of bounds!! Winner: Elk!!"
"Yeah, I can do this. Let's keep going in the preliminaries."
Elk waved his right hand and stepped down from the stage.
* * *
Elk went to join Emma and the others to relax and watch the next fight.
As soon as Nickes and Emma saw Elk, they said:
"You really are so relaxed."
"Mr. Elk, that was amazing!"
"Hahaha. Well, it's just like this."
He took off his hood, mask, and eye patch.
The hood comes off easily, but the mask and eye patch were fused during the repair process. It's much easier than equipping them separately, but Elk feels a bit bad that Emma's design has changed a little.
Watching the match, there was definitely intensity... or rather, blood flying everywhere.
"Ugh..."
"Emma, don't push yourself."
"Y-yes..."
The battles were fierce, and there were many gruesome sights.
Arms and legs were flying off, and some students were on fire. There were students whose limbs stretched out in crazy ways, and others with knives sticking out of their bodies, blood gushing everywhere... It's really a strange sight, wondering if they can come back to life even after dying.
"By the way, the seniors said this year's new students have really strong skills."
"Is that so, Emma?"
"Yeah. For sure, they're all level 10 or higher. Some have Skill Evolution, and there are even double and triple skills. I heard they're called the Golden Generation."
"Golden Generation, huh..."
"Oh, Mr. Elk. That's the person who was talking to Mr. Elk, right?"
"Oh, Lolo! Hey Lolo, do your best!!"
Then, Lolo noticed the cheers and waved back.
In his hands, he had 2 daggers.
"A dagger user. That's the 'Dagger Technique' skill."
Nickes said.
Lolo's opponent was a girl with a spear. She skillfully spun the spear and took her stance.
"It's a fight between a long weapon and a short one. If she can dodge that long weapon and get in close, that girl will win."
"Nickes, Lolo is a guy."
"Seriously!?"
The match began.
* * *
Lolo skillfully deflected the tip of the spear with his knife.
"Phew, not bad."
The girl's spear skills were quite impressive too.
Lolo kept his distance. The girl probably thought it would be bad for her if Lolo got too close. Without stopping, she kept attacking Lolo with her spear.
"I-I can't see it... it's too fast!"
Emma watched the spear attacks in shock.
What would Elk do?
It's simple. As soon as it starts, he would use Telekinesis to blow the girl away and slam her against the wall.
But Lolo didn't do that.
"───Hehe."
"!!"
Lolo took a step back.
The girl tried to chase after him, launching a powerful strike toward Lolo.
But──Elk and Nickes understood.
""It's a trap.""
"Huh?"
The moment the girl stepped in to unleash her powerful strike, Lolo threw one of the daggers he had.
The girl's eyes widened. She hurriedly tried to pull back her spear, but──it was already too late.
As Lolo threw the dagger, he stepped in close to the girl.
Then, he slashed the girl's hand with the dagger, making her drop the spear.
Furthermore, he pressed the dagger against the girl's neck and said one thing.
"Do you want to keep going?"
"...I give up."
"The winner is Lolo!!"
Lolo smiled brightly and raised his arm toward Elk and the others.
* * *
After that, Elk and Lolo kept winning.
Then came the final match of Block A, which would decide who would go to the main event.
"Gubo!?"
"The winner is Elk!!"
He easily used Telekinesis to blow his opponent against the wall.
Lolo also managed to win... and Elk and Lolo secured their spots in the main event.
The 4 remaining in Block A stepped onto the stage, and Elena took the microphone to introduce them.
'The participants who will compete in the main event are C Class, Lolo. F Class, Elk. G Class, Anna. H Class, Kishirio. Everyone, please give them a big round of applause!'
Clap, clap, clap, the applause surrounded Elk and the others.
Lolo blushed, and Elk waved back.
Today ends here. Tomorrow is the main event.
Elk said to Lolo.
"Lolo, what are you going to do now? I'm going to my friends."
"I'm waiting for someone, so... I'll take my leave here. Mr. Elk, if you make it to the main event, please take care of me!!"
"Ah, sure. See you later."
"Yes. Thank you for today."
Lolo bowed slightly and left the venue.
Then, Nickes and Emma came to Elk.
"Lolo, chan... No, Lolo. So cute!"
"Don't say weird things as soon as you arrive..."
"But he was cute. Hmm... I think he'd look good in a skirt."
"Emma, you too?"
Elk smiled wryly and stretched his back.
"Anyway, hmm... I'm kind of tired. For now, let's look for Gambo and the others."
Elk and the others left the venue to search for Gambo.
Gambo and the others were gathered in the central square.
Merry, Gambo, and Fine didn't seem to have any injuries. And from their expressions, he understood.
"Everyone's in the main event?"
"Of course."
"Definitely."
"Absolutely!!"
Gambo crossed his arms, Merry tossed her hair, and Fine responded with a peace sign.
Nickes and Emma clapped. Then Nickes said.
"Alright! Let's all go eat!! You must be hungry."
"Sorry, but I can't eat with someone I might fight tomorrow."
"I think I'll pass today too."
"Of course, I will as well. By the way, brother, please understand."
"...Sorry about that."
Gambo and the others, still looking determined, headed home separately.
Left were Elk, Nickes, and Emma.
Elk tapped Nickes on the shoulder.
"Nickes, let's go eat!"
"Eh, Elkkk...!! You're the best!!"
"Of course, you're paying, right?"
"Wait!? You have a free coupon, don't you!?"
"Ahaha. Just kidding. Drinks are fine. Right, Emma?"
"Uh, um..."
"Alright, alright! I'll treat you to drinks!!"
With that, Elk, Nickes, and Emma headed out for a meal.
They enjoyed their time eating at the usual shopping mall.
While it's good to be pumped up for tomorrow, that's not really Elk's style.
Just being normal is the best way to give it his all.
After finishing their meal and receiving encouragement from Nickes and Emma... Elk was out alone, feeling the night breeze.
The sky was dark, and the stars were out.
Walking slowly down the night road wasn't so bad───but.
"......Who is it?"
"...Did you notice me?"
Walking to the back of Block A's training ground, Elk turned around.
He had come to a deliberately empty place.
He felt like he was being followed.
The one stalking Elk was... Sarissa.
"Long time no see, Sarissa."
"Yes. It's been a while... dear big brother."
"So───you came to challenge me, ready to be defeated. Is that right?"
Crack, crack, crack... the ground where Elk stood began to split.
Not just that. The ground around Sarissa was cracking too.
Sarissa was sweating heavily and trembling.
"Can you... please listen to what I have to say?"
"......"
Bang!! A nearby large tree was uprooted.
Sarissa was shaking uncontrollably.
He could tell by her expression. "Maybe she'll at least listen," he thought, as he approached Elk in the empty alley with that hopeful idea.
But Elk, irritated by how pitiful it all was, looked completely unmoved.
"Listen... to what?"
At this, Sarissa, seizing the moment, began to speak quickly.
"Um, I wanted to apologize to my brother."
"Don't need it."
The small stones around Sarissa floated up.
His rejection was complete. Under the faint starlight, Elk's face showed utter, cold rejection.
"I'm not here to play games. If that's all you have to say, it's my turn now... Has Duke Kinesis said anything about Rosho?"
"N-No, nothing yet..."
"I see. Then, I have another question. Six years ago, when Rosho and I dueled, you interrupted. Was it by your own will or by the Duke's order?"
"Uh..."
"If you lie, I'll rip off five of your nails. If you tell the truth..."
"I-It was Duke!! It's father!! He ordered me to strike you with magic, Elk!!"
"Next question. Did you feel even a shred of guilt following that order? Or did you enjoy carrying it out? If you lie, I'll rip off seven of your nails. If you tell the truth──"
"I-I did feel guilty."
With a sudden snap, seven of Sarissa's fingernails burst off her hands.
"Ughhhhh...!!"
Sarissa tried to scream but couldn't.
Her mouth was tightly shut, and she couldn't even writhe in pain or let out a cry.
Blood dripped from her fingertips, and her nails rolled on the ground.
Tears poured from her wide, staring eyes.
Elk's expression didn't change at all.
"You lied. You enjoyed it, didn't you? You didn't feel even a speck of guilt."
"Ugh, ah... no, no, ah, ahh."
"You're so foolish. You thought you could charm me, didn't you? You looked at Rosho and thought you could apologize before anything happened to you, right?"
"Ugh... ah."
"Let me ask you something. Sarissa, you came here on your own, didn't you? I bet someone told you to avoid contact with me, like Lord Elwood. Am I wrong?"
Sarissa shakes her head vigorously... it's the truth.
Elk uses telekinesis to stop the bleeding from Sarissa's fingers.
"Sarissa. If you listen to my request, I won't hurt you anymore. Will you hear me out?"
"~~~~~~~!!"
Sarissa nods her head repeatedly.
Tears and snot are dripping down her face, making it look messy.
"First. The moment you try to get back at me, I'll rip off all your remaining nails and stab needles into your fingers and toes. Even if you don't do it, those who care about you will retaliate for you... Seems like you're quite popular, huh? Make sure to keep them in check."
Sarissa nods her head fiercely.
"And don't drop out or take a break from school. You need to stick it out until graduation. You know what will happen the moment you try to run away, right?"
Sarissa nods her head vigorously.
"And finally. Send a letter to Duke Kinesis. Just let him know I'm alive."
"Y-yes... ah."
Finally, the telekinesis holding her is released.
Sarissa holds her fingers, grimacing in pain as tears flow down her face.
"Remember that pain... it's the 6 years of pain I've endured while I was asleep."
"...Yes."
"Now hurry up and take care of yourself and get back to the dorm."
Elk started to walk away... then Sarissa spoke up.
"Big brother, just one thing..."
"..."
"Your skill should be 'Telekinesis.' But... how did you get that kind of power?"
"......"
Elk turned around and snorted.
"The kind goddess gave me this power."
"Huh...?"
With just that, Elk walked off.
* * *
"Hmm... a goddess, huh?"
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