I want to fight more.

　Despite ending the fight with the Marys with a win, I was feeling indigestion.

　In that situation.

"You're doing something pretty interesting. Mix me in.

　I thought I heard a voice say, "I'm sorry," and then a man came up to the stage.

'Mr. Desmond!　I don't like it!　You're just here for a visit today, aren't you?

　Seeing this, the examiners acting as judges seem to be in a hurry.

　The man called Desmond is an old man, about sixty to seventy in appearance.
　He has white hair and a fine beard.
　But I had other things on my mind.


　Is this guy strong?


　He looks like a wobbly old man at first glance, but I can tell.

　Underneath his clothes are muscles of steel.
　In front of the sharp eyes staring at me, he'll be able to avoid me if I attack him unexpectedly now.

'That's fine. I was bored for free. Mix me in.

　Pokey Pokey and Desmond clanked his fist.

'If you beat me, I'll let you pass even if you get a zero on the other exams. Well, I don't think that's going to happen.'
That's a no-no.
What?　Don't tell me you're going to run away because you're scared of me--
You don't have to explain to me why I'm passing.

　He said it half as a provocation, but Desmond said it with a nikah and a smile on his mouth.

'Gahaha!　You're a pretty funny kid!

　He held his stomach.

'Ki, you!　Are you going to fight Master Desmond, by any chance?

　In response to the examiner's question.

Yes, sir.

　I answer immediately.

　Then the examiner gets even more flustered.

"Do you have any idea who Master Desmond is?　I know enough about you to know you're strong. Now get the hell out of here before you get hurt!
I'll be fine.

　I push past the examiner and get in front of Desmond.

　I don't know who this guy is, by the way, I don't know who this guy is.
　But it's enough to know that he's strong.

'Kukku. You're a really funny kid. I use a wooden sword, so you can use a serious one.　Or is it all about magic?

　Desmond holds up his wooden sword.

No. If you do that, I might hurt you.
What?　That's a pretty interesting thing to say.

　I'm not going to be able to take it easy on you.
　My blood is boiling.
　I'm going to fight my way out of this one.

Well, we're evenly matched. It would be a pain in the ass to get a handicap for nothing. Hey, get me another wooden sword!　And then ... get off the stage, little girl. You look strong, little girl, but you're not strong enough yet.
Yes.....

　Maryse rushed off the stage, looking frustrated, and disappeared from the stage.
　Desmond called out, and out of nowhere one of the examiners brought a wooden sword to me.

'Anytime, me, I am. I can't use magic, but you can, you know.

　And Desmond has a smug attitude, tapping his shoulder with his wooden sword.

　At first glance, it appears to be a seamless stance.
　But if you carelessly shove it in, it's obvious that you'll get a painful counter attack.
　Interesting. I dare to fight in my opponent's field.

Let's go.

　I take a step forward and in the blink of an eye, I reduce the distance between me and Desmond to zero.
　Then, without a pause, I swung my sword down on Desmond's brain.

Hmm....you're still young.

　For a moment, Desmond smiled.
　Desmond swipes his wooden sword to the side.

　His aim is to avoid my attack and then counter it.
　If he takes it without any defensive magic, he might take a bone or two with him.
　So I activate a quick move here.

''Nah........!

　Desmond turned his side-pulling wooden sword into a defensive position as he responded to my suddenly faster movements.

　Kakin!

　Swords and swords are swords around, and a sword-crossing fight ensues.

What's going on here, man?　It seemed to go faster all of a sudden.
Yeah, it's rudimentary magic.
Magic?　Is there such a thing as magic?　I knew you weren't a free spirit.
You've been busy.

　At any rate, I thought that a quick move and a slow attack would settle the matter.

　Defending against that........
　This guy, after all.
　It's going to give me a good time.

"I'll tell you another one of my aliases.

　I break away from the spitefulness and swing my sword to fold more.

'A magic swordsman,'

　Mixing physics and magic was what I was best at fighting.
　That way it was convenient for me to fight on my own.
　I'll even say that I tried to make some friends, but there wasn't a single guy who could keep up with my level of skill.

　I'm going to be able to use three basic body-enhancing spells like Quick Move, Eyesight, and Rise Power on top of each other.
　I'm not going to be able to get my hands on any of them.


I'm not going to be able to see a thing.
What the hell is going on out there?


　A puzzled voice from the crowd.

　To those who couldn't see well, it must look overwhelmingly in my favor.
　But I was surprised by Desmond's move.

'Hahaha!　Interesting, interesting!　How dare you pit me against a human in this country, one-on-one!

　It's Desmond, who is surviving my onslaught.
　Desmond is using that one sword and continues to be attacked by me.

　This old man isn't using any body-enhancing magic, you know?
　And to have to deal with me you're a monster!

'Don't laugh in the middle of a fight. Old man.
You look like you're laughing at me, too.

　Sure, I might be laughing now.

　If I continue like this, as expected, I'll be the one to push them out by stamina.
　But that would be too unglamorous for the fight.

　Then...........

"You showed an opening. Kid!

　Desmond's eyes became even sharper.

　A change from defense to defense. Desmond flashes his sword.
　It was a direct hit to my head.

　However - the other me.

Wha.........!　What is it?

　Desmond, who has finished swinging his sword, is astonished to see me gone in a puff of smoke.

　He used a magic called Create Avatar.
　This is a magic that uses magic power to create a human-shaped mass to create an alter ego.
　Since there is no real image, the alter can't attack, but it can be used to blind the opponent like this.

''I guess that's it.''

　In the meantime, I walked backwards and placed my wooden sword against Desmond's neck.

'If it's a battlefield, you're done here. Do you still want to continue fighting?
I'm going to lose.

　Desmond slumped his shoulders and dropped his sword to the ground.

　At that moment, an explosion of cheers erupted in the hall.


''Who is that guy really?!　I've beaten Master Desmond!
''Master Desmond is a legendary former S-ranked adventurer, right?　Beating up a guy like that.......that guy is a monster!
It is rumored that he was sent off to war and killed a hundred enemy soldiers all by himself, the demon Desmond...!
''I heard that even though you're retired, your strength hasn't diminished yet!


　Former S-ranked adventurer?

You're an adventurer.
I'm retired now, though. You didn't know that, and you were fighting for it, boy, you're such a fool of a man, after all.

　Kakkaka and Desmond laughed pleasantly.

'Only the information is incorrect.'
Mistake?
They say he slaughtered a hundred enemy soldiers, but they're wrong about a thousand!

　...seems to be quite an unconventional person.

　I thought he was just as strong as he was.
　However, he has only used rudimentary magic, and he doesn't seem to be a guy who can take himself seriously.......

''What the hell are you........''

　When I stepped off the stage, Marise's voice was shaking.



　I still haven't found anyone stronger than me.
　But the royal capital than I thought - and the magic academy seems to be a fun place.

　I left the venue, feeling my heartbeat gradually rising.