Bab 627
Melihat ekspresi Wardanaz yang benar-benar merasa dirugikan, Jijel merasa seolah ada sesuatu di dalam pikirannya yang 'putus'.
"Menurutmu siapa yang bertanggung jawab atas aku yang harus bertarung melawan kakakku!"
"Tunggu. Moradi. Kau juga ikut bertarung?"
"...Ya."
'Kenapa? Apa dia bilang akan bertarung bersama tapi kemudian menusukku dari belakang? Apa dia sudah menyiapkan semacam jebakan sebelumnya? Kalau itu jebakan...'
Saat Yi-Han memasang ekspresi berpikir yang sangat kentara, Jijel menggertakkan giginya dan berkata,
"Aku ikut bertarung karena aku khawatir kau bisa mati..."
"Ayolah. Bukankah itu terlalu berlebihan?"
"Itu bukan berlebihan, jadi bersiaplah yang benar. Jadi kenapa sih kau harus menjilat kakakku tanpa perlu..."
Saat mendengar penjelasan Jijel selanjutnya, wajah Yi-Han menjadi serius.
Mendengar tentang para ksatria utara yang dihancurkan Jicklin, dia merasa masalahnya lebih besar dari yang dia kira.
Jika dia melakukan kesalahan, dia mungkin harus berjalan dengan tongkat penyangga sepanjang sisa liburan musim dingin.
"Aku kan tamu dari luar, bukankah dia akan mengendalikan kekuatannya?"
"Mungkin saja, tapi itu tidak bisa dipercaya. Kakakku tidak pandai mengendalikan kekuatannya."
"Tunggu, bagaimana mungkin seseorang yang bisa memotong leher ular raksasa begitu saja tidak bisa mengendalikan kekuatannya?"
"Hei, jaga ucapanmu. Semua orang punya hal yang tidak bisa mereka lakukan."
Jijel tidak mengizinkan kritik sekecil apa pun tentang segala hal yang berkaitan dengan Jicklin.
Yi-Han tenggelam dalam pikirannya.
'Ini keterlaluan. Masa dia mau membunuhku hanya karena aku bilang ingin melihat ilmu pedangnya sekali saja.'
Ini adalah kesalahan Yi-Han.
Seharusnya dia sadar dan berhati-hati saat dipaksa membuat janji temu setelah mengatakan ingin makan bersama!
"Moradi. Kau bilang akan bertarung bersamaku, kan?"
"Ya. Dengan begitu, kakakku mungkin akan sedikit lebih mengendalikan kekuatannya."
"Bagaimana kalau aku menangkapmu dan memerankan situasi penyanderaan?"
Alcicle, yang mendengarkan dari samping, menatap Yi-Han dengan tidak percaya.
Apakah itu hal yang pantas dikatakan?
Namun, Jijel menjawab dengan serius.
"Aku juga sudah memikirkan itu, tapi mengingat kepribadian kakakku, itu akan jadi bumerang. Dia akan langsung menyelamatkanku lalu membunuhmu."
"Sudah kuduga."
"..."
Alcicle merasa dirinya satu-satunya orang waras di ruangan ini.
Melirik ke samping, dia melihat Eandurde sedang mengunyah sarden-sardennya.
"Hei, bukan cuma aku kan yang merasa ini aneh? Kau juga merasa ini terdengar aneh, kan?"
"?"
Eandurde menatap keturunan campuran penguin ini seolah berkata, kau ini bicara apa sih?
***
Tanah tandus kosong tanpa apa pun di langit maupun di cakrawala kejauhan.
Melihat pemandangan mimpi ini setelah sekian lama, Yi-Han tahu siapa yang memanggilnya.
"Senang bertemu denganmu."
Buku hitam pemberian kepala sekolah tengkorak melayang di udara, menampakkan dirinya.
Itu adalah buku hitam yang selalu mewariskan sihir baru kepada Yi-Han dalam mimpinya setiap kali dia menghadapi kesulitan dan cobaan.
Kalau pun tidak ada hal lain, yang pasti kepala sekolah tengkorak memang perhatian pada Yi-Han dalam aspek ini.
Tanpa buku hitam ini, Yi-Han mungkin sudah mati sekali atau dua kali di Einroguard.
'Tapi kalau dipikir-pikir, bukankah kesulitanku akan berkurang sekitar setengahnya kalau bukan karena kepala sekolah?'
Kepak!
Buku hitam itu mengepak seolah berkata jangan memikirkan hal-hal yang tidak perlu, menarik perhatian Yi-Han.
"Buku hitam. Besok aku akan bertarung melawan ksatria yang aneh dan aku butuh bantuan. Ajari aku sihir yang berguna."
Kepak kepak kepak!
Buku hitam itu mengepakkan halaman-halamannya seolah berkata jangan khawatir.
Melihat ini, Yi-Han tiba-tiba menjadi cemas.
"Tapi ini bukan sihir pertarungan jarak dekat lagi, kan?"
Sihir yang diajarkan buku hitam pada dasarnya adalah sihir ciptaan kepala sekolah tengkorak.
Itu wajar karena buku hitam itu sendiri ibarat artefak yang diciptakan kepala sekolah tengkorak.
Masalahnya, semua mantra sihir itu condong ke pertarungan jarak dekat.
atau . Dan bahkan ...
Meskipun , yang merupakan sihir non-tempur, sangat serbaguna, bahkan sihir ini pun terasa seperti dikembangkan untuk pertarungan jarak dekat.
Sihir pertarungan jarak dekat sepertinya tidak akan banyak membantu dalam melawan ksatria seperti Jicklin sekarang.
Apakah menambahkan satu tetes air akan mengisi cangkir yang kosong?
Kepak!
Sihir baru yang dibuka oleh buku hitam adalah .
"..."
Buku hitam itu mengepak seolah berkata cepatlah pelajari, tanpa memedulikan ekspresi Yi-Han.
***
Jijel, yang tidak bisa tidur nyenyak semalaman, merenung sambil mengunyah roti.
Dia masih belum memutuskan bagaimana cara bertarung saat menghadapi kakaknya hari ini.
"Moradi. Aku punya ide bagus."
"...?"
Ketika Yi-Han, yang muncul di ruang makan, tiba-tiba mengatakan hal seperti itu, Jijel kebingungan.
"Apa itu?"
"Kita boleh menggunakan sihir selama pertandingan, kan?"
"Kali ini tidak masalah."
Karena ini bukan pertandingan ilmu pedang melawan ilmu pedang, melainkan pertandingan untuk memperlihatkan ilmu pedang Jicklin kepada Wardanaz, tidak terlalu masalah jika Wardanaz atau Jijel menggunakan sihir.
"Kapan pertandingannya berakhir?"
"Dalam kasus ini... kurasa akan berakhir saat kakakku merasa sudah cukup memperlihatkan ilmu pedangnya."
Syarat kemenangan dalam pertandingan para ksatria bervariasi sesuai aturannya.
Kadang ada duel di mana mereka benar-benar mempertaruhkan nyawa dan bertarung sampai salah satu mati, kadang mereka bertarung sampai luka pertama tergores, dan kadang mereka menetapkan tujuan khusus dan berakhir saat tujuan itu tercapai.
Kasus ini mendekati yang terakhir.
"Benar. Sudah kuduga."
Yi-Han mengangguk seolah sudah memperkirakannya.
"Berakhir saat Nona Jicklin memutuskan untuk mengakhirinya, kan? Jadi aku memikirkan cara ini. Moradi. Berbeda dengan ksatria, kita bisa menggunakan sihir, kan?"
"Itu benar...?"
Jijel mendengarkan dengan saksama, bertanya-tanya apa sebenarnya yang ingin dikatakan Wardanaz.
"Mari kita tembakkan sihir sebanyak mungkin lalu berbaring sambil berkata kita mengalami kelelahan mana."
"...!"
Seorang ksatria yang harus mengadu pedang akan mendengar omelan Jicklin begitu mereka berbaring.
Mengingat kepribadian Jicklin yang kaku, tidak mungkin dia menerima alasan seseorang yang menyerah bahkan tanpa bertarung.
Tapi lain halnya dengan para mage.
Apa yang bisa dia lakukan jika mereka menembakkan sihir lalu berbaring sambil berkata 'mana kami habis'?
...Itu cara yang cukup licik, tapi Jijel tertarik.
"Memang benar. Kakakku tidak paham tentang sihir, jadi itu mungkin berhasil."
"Benar, kan?"
"Tapi masalahnya belum sepenuhnya terpecahkan. Pertama-tama, kita tidak akan punya waktu untuk menggunakan sihir."
Ksatria unggul tidak akan memberi para mage waktu saat menghadapi mereka.
Sedikit hal yang lebih mengancam daripada mage yang diberi waktu cukup.
Jicklin mungkin akan menerjang masuk dan menekan mereka seperti badai begitu pertandingan dimulai, persis seperti yang dia lakukan terhadap ksatria lain.
Mereka bebas menggunakan sihir, tapi dalam tekanan sekuat itu, yang benar-benar bisa mereka gunakan pada dasarnya hanyalah ilmu pedang.
"Itu benar. Kita harus menciptakan jarak sebanyak mungkin."
"Kuharap kau tidak bermaksud menyuruhku jadi umpan sementara kau menciptakan jarak. Lagi pula itu tidak akan mempan pada kakakku."
"Moradi. Kau anggap aku ini apa?"
Yi-Han memprotes temannya dan menjelaskan taktik yang telah dia siapkan.
Mengingat kemampuan Jicklin, menciptakan jarak secara ceroboh lalu merapal sihir seperti yang biasa mereka lakukan sama saja bunuh diri.
Bahkan jika dia tidak menggunakan kekuatan penuhnya, mereka tidak akan bisa menciptakan jarak yang cukup dengan cara seperti itu.
Mereka harus fokus sepenuhnya pada pelarian.
"Kita berdua. Kita harus memanfaatkan keunggulan jumlah. Aku baru saja mempelajari sihir penguatan kelincahan belum lama ini, jadi aku akan menggendongmu dan lari sejauh mungkin. Kau tembakkan sihir ke Nona Jicklin."
"Begitu... Tunggu sebentar. Aku tidak punya sihir jarak jauh yang cocok."
"Apa? Apa saja yang kau lakukan sampai tidak mempelajari sihir jarak jauh?!"
Jijel tercengang mendengar kritik Yi-Han.
Memang benar bahwa siswa Menara Macan Putih relatif lemah dalam pertarungan jarak jauh karena mereka kebanyakan membangun sihir tempur mereka di sekitar penguatan atau enchantment.
Tapi bahkan siswa dari menara lain pun tidak bisa menembakkan sihir sembarang
Chapter 627
Seeing Wardanaz's genuinely aggrieved expression, Jijel felt as if something in her mind went 'snap'.
"Who do you think is responsible for me having to fight my sister!"
"Wait. Moradi. Are you fighting together too?"
"...Yes."
'Why? Is she saying she'll fight together but then stab me in the back? Has she prepared some kind of trap in advance? If it's a trap...'
As Yi-Han made a very obvious thinking expression, Jijel gritted her teeth and said,
"I'm fighting together because I'm worried you might die..."
"Come on. Isn't that too much of an exaggeration?"
"It's not an exaggeration, so get your act together. So why on earth did you unnecessarily flatter my sister..."
As he heard Jijel's following explanation, Yi-Han's face became serious.
Hearing about the northern knights that Jicklin had crushed, he felt that the problem was bigger than he thought.
If he made a mistake, he might have to walk around with crutches for the rest of the winter vacation.
"I'm a guest from outside, so wouldn't she control her strength?"
"She probably would, but it can't be trusted. My sister isn't good at controlling her strength."
"Wait, how can someone who just cuts off a serpent's neck not be able to control their strength?"
"Hey, watch your words. Everyone has things they can't do."
Jijel didn't allow even the slightest criticism about anything related to Jicklin.
Yi-Han fell into thought.
'This is too much. To think she'd try to kill me just because I said I wanted to see her swordsmanship once.'
This was Yi-Han's mistake.
He should have noticed and been careful when he was forcibly given an appointment after saying he wanted to have a meal together!
"Moradi. You said you'd fight together with me, right?"
"Yes. That way, my sister might control her strength a little more."
"What if I grab you and stage a hostage situation?"
Alcicle, who was listening from the side, looked at Yi-Han in disbelief.
Was that something to say?
However, Jijel answered seriously.
"I thought about that too, but given my sister's personality, it would backfire. She'd immediately rescue me and then kill you."
"I thought so."
"..."
Alcicle felt like he was the only sane person in this room.
Looking to the side, he saw Eandurde munching on her sardines.
"Hey, I'm not the only one who thinks this is strange, right? You think it sounds weird too, don't you?"
"?"
Eandurde looked at this penguin mixed-blood as if to say, what on earth are you talking about?
***
An empty wasteland with nothing in the sky or on the distant horizon.
Seeing this dream scenery after a long time, Yi-Han knew who had called him.
"It's good to see you."
The black book given by the skull principal fluttered in the air, revealing itself.
It was the black book that always passed on new magic to Yi-Han in his dreams when he faced adversity and hardship.
If nothing else, it was certain that the skull principal had been considerate of Yi-Han in this aspect.
Without this black book, Yi-Han might have died once or twice at Einroguard.
'But come to think of it, wouldn't my hardships have been reduced by about half if it weren't for the principal?'
Flap!
The black book fluttered as if to say don't think unnecessary thoughts, drawing Yi-Han's attention.
"Black book. I'm going to fight a strange knight tomorrow and I need help. Teach me a useful magic."
Flap flap flap!
The black book fluttered its pages as if to say don't worry.
Seeing this, Yi-Han suddenly became worried.
"But it's not another close combat magic, is it?"
The magic taught by the black book was basically magic created by the skull principal.
That was natural since the black book itself was like an artifact created by the skull principal.
The problem was that all those magic spells were biased towards close combat.
or . And even ...
Although , which was a non-combat magic, was highly versatile, even this felt like it was developed for close combat.
Close combat magic didn't seem like it would be of much help in fighting a knight like Jicklin now.
Would adding one drop of water fill an empty cup?
Flap!
The new magic that the black book opened to was .
"..."
The black book fluttered as if to say hurry and learn it, regardless of Yi-Han's expression.
***
Jijel, who had tossed and turned all night, pondered while munching on bread.
She still hadn't decided how to fight when facing her sister today.
"Moradi. I've had a good idea."
"...?"
When Yi-Han, who appeared in the dining hall, suddenly said such a thing, Jijel was puzzled.
"What is it?"
"We can use magic during the match, right?"
"It doesn't matter this time."
Since it wasn't a match of swordsmanship against swordsmanship, but a match to show Jicklin's swordsmanship to Wardanaz, it didn't matter much if Wardanaz or Jijel used magic.
"When does the match end?"
"In this case... I guess it'll end when my sister thinks she's shown enough of her swordsmanship."
The victory conditions for knights' matches varied according to the rules.
Sometimes there were duels where they really risked their lives and fought until one died, sometimes they fought until the first wound was inflicted, and sometimes they set a special goal and ended when that goal was achieved.
This case was close to the last one.
"Right. I thought so."
Yi-Han nodded as if he had expected it.
"It ends when Miss Jicklin decides to end it, right? So I thought of this method. Moradi. Unlike knights, we can use magic, right?"
"That's right...?"
Jijel listened intently, wondering what on earth Wardanaz was trying to say.
"Let's fire off as much magic as possible and then lie down saying we have mana depletion."
"...!"
A knight who had to cross swords would hear Jicklin's scolding the moment they lay down.
Given Jicklin's rigid personality, there was no way she would accept the excuse of someone who gave up without even fighting.
But it was a little different for mages.
What could she do if they fired off magic and then lay down saying 'we have no mana'?
...It was quite an underhanded method, but Jijel was intrigued.
"Certainly. My sister doesn't know about magic, so that might work."
"Right?"
"But the problem isn't completely solved. First of all, we won't have time to use magic."
Excellent knights didn't give mages time when facing them.
Few things were as threatening as a mage given sufficient time.
Jicklin would probably rush in and pressure them like a storm as soon as the match started, just like she did against other knights.
They were free to use magic, but in such strong pressure, what they could actually use was essentially only swordsmanship.
"That's right. We need to create as much distance as possible."
"I hope you're not saying I should be bait while you create distance. And that won't work on my sister anyway."
"Moradi. How do you see me?"
Yi-Han protested to his friend and explained the tactics he had prepared.
Given Jicklin's skills, clumsily creating distance and casting magic like they usually did would be suicidal.
Even if she wasn't using her full power, they couldn't create enough distance like that.
They had to focus solely on escape.
"There are two of us. We need to use the advantage of numbers. I just learned an agility enhancement magic recently, so I'll carry you and run away as much as possible. You fire magic at Miss Jicklin."
"I see... Wait a moment. I don't have any suitable long-range magic."
"What? What have you been doing without learning long-range magic?!"
Jijel was dumbfounded at Yi-Han's criticism.
It was true that White Tiger Tower students were relatively weak in long-range combat as they mostly built their combat magic around enhancement or enchantment.
But even students from other towers couldn't fire off magic indiscriminately as Wardanaz was saying now. Firing off magic itself was a very high-difficulty task.
"Firing off magic is no joke, you know if you do it wrong, you could really get mana depletion?"
"Ah. I see... Certainly, if we really get depleted by mistake, that would be putting the cart before the horse."
Yi-Han, who had been pondering, nodded as if he had no choice.
"Then there's only one way."
"??"
***
Jicklin, standing in the training ground, showed faint surprise on her expression at the unexpected sight.
Her sister was standing holding the Wardanaz family's boy with both arms.
"Jijel. This is..."
"...It's a strategy of sorts."
"I know what kind of strategy it is. Since the mage himself can't create distance while focusing on spells, Jijel is trying to run away while Wardanaz casts spells, right?"
"!"
Both were surprised at Jicklin's appearance, who immediately guessed correctly instead of being surprised at this bizarre sight.
"As expected of Miss Jicklin. You figured it out right away!"
When Yi-Han, cradled in Jijel's arms, shouted, Jicklin nodded as if it was nothing.
"Mages don't only use tactics that completely catch you off guard. If you factor in that they'll use magic, you can predict it as much as you want."
"Indeed."
"Are you thinking of flattering in this position, you bastard?"
Jijel was dumbfounded at the sight of Wardanaz flattering while stretched out horizontally.
But Yi-Han was confident.
"Moradi. If we get embarrassed here, it'll feel even stranger."
"It's already strange enough."
"How's your body condition?"
"The spell still seems sufficient. Fire with all your might as soon as we start. We can't give my sister any openings."
Before the match started, Yi-Han had cast all the enhancement magic he could on Jijel, including and .
This was the only way to achieve a speed that surpassed Jicklin's expectations.
'I hope this works.'
"Then I'll begin."
The moment Jicklin said 'start', she was already in front of them.
Jijel desperately exploded mana in her legs and began to create distance.
Her body felt incomparably lighter than usual, but she didn't feel reassured at all.
She's catching up!
"Light fog, spread!"
Fog spread around Jijel. From the outside, it was an illusion fog that made it impossible to focus properly.
However, Jicklin closed her eyes and adjusted her direction, chasing them by sense. Seeing this, both Yi-Han and Jijel made disgusted expressions.
"Darkness, sweep!"
Yi-Han spread a wave of darkness as if striking a wide area.
Even if it lacked attack power, due to the nature of the dark element, it would surely have the effect of momentarily stopping the charging knight's feet.
However, Jicklin held her sword with one hand and clenched her other empty hand into a fist, then threw a punch into the air.
With a sound of air tearing, the darkness wave was offset. She had created such power just by striking with a fist imbued with mana.
'Is she really a monster!?'
Yi-Han was shocked, but there was no time for that. He immediately gritted his teeth and chanted the next spell.
"Gather, spin!"
Water masses gathered in the air and began to spin rapidly.
Water beads with the maximum spin he could manage now flew with a heavy sound.
Jicklin swung her sword, still in its scabbard, to shoot down the water beads. Despite the impact being extraordinary, her posture didn't waver at all.
'Amazing!'
Yi-Han marveled at Jicklin's swordsmanship.
While Moradi's swordsmanship was a versatile dual-sword style, Jicklin's swordsmanship was even more splendid, as if claiming this was the family's true swordsmanship.
Even though she was using only one sword, the changes were so rapid they couldn't be followed.
"Sharakan, Gonadaltes. Come forth! Rise, warriors made of bone..."
Yi-Han wondered if he should summon even Ferkuntra in the worst case.
It was nonsense to summon Ferkuntra in a practice match, but the knight charging in front of him now had the intensity to make him consider it.
If she kept closing in like this...
Tap!
Jicklin, who had finally caught up to Jijel, extended her sword and stopped in front of her sister's forehead.
Then she praised in a gentle voice.
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