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––Jessica’s Perspective

“Honestly, you can’t even remember the rules?”
“G-, Got a problem? I’ll remember it any minute now, so just you wait.”
“Then you’re an idiot! Comparing wits with an idiot like this would damage my pride as the Wisdom Unit’s Blitzkrieg Unit Captain. Ser Horus, this blonde girl lacks the qualifications to participate in our game. Let us kill her immediately!”
“W-Wait a m-momenttt―! I- Isn’t it too much to associate intelligence with memory! I’m actually really smart, okay? T-, To kill me is… PLEEASE LET ME PLAY THE GAMEEEE!”
“Enough, Gesu. We possess the advantage either way. And the girl from the academy seems to be a little smarter. You can enjoy your game with her. As for the blonde girl, you can simply consider her a way to get the other used to the game.”
“I-, I understand. If you say so, then I have no complaints and… w-, will endure.”

Aahh geez, they’re really saying whatever they want about her. Ms. Tilea, you can’t get sulky now. They might realize you aren’t all that smart. Well, perhaps they’ve already realized though…

It looks like this Gesu is proud to be Captain of the Horus Blitzkrieg Unit. To play with an idi-… Ahem. To play with a pure person like Ms. Tilea must be quite a humiliation. Gesu was visibly dissatisfied with Horus’ decision, and glared reproachfully at Ms. Tilea.

“Hahh~ Why do I need to have a match with an idiot like you? An idiot like you is just going to die from a critical this very instant, so just prepare yourself!”
“…Y-, You guys, for a while now you’ve just been saying idiot idiot as much as you like, huh! So I’m having a teeny bit of trouble remembering the rules. So what! Hmph, games where you read each other’s thoughts are more about overall intelligence rather than simple memory strength!”
“Hmph. A girl with no merits except her big mouth. More importantly, are you still staring at that memo!? Hurry up!”
“Y-, You’re so noisy. Alright already. Ummm, so fire and water are opposites, and so are wood and wind… and wind and earth have good compatibility… mumble mumble…”
“…Oi, enough already. How long are you going to have me wait? Enough. I don’t care if you use your memo, so let’s enter the Field (Battleground) already.”

Ms. Tilea and Gesu headed into the special room prepared for their match. The game is going to be played 1 vs 1, so third parties can’t enter. Additionally, the room was built so that Trace Magic can’t be used. After all, Trace Magic would allow you to tell what attributes everything had, so there would be no point in playing. The game was designed as a pure contest of reading the opponent. The armors and helmets all look alike, so the key is to predict what your opponent is going to do.

After the two of them entered, they apparently sat at a table. I couldn’t see inside, but I could hear Ms. Tilea’s voice.

Ms. Tilea, try your best! I gazed at the room in prayer.

“Come. You can begin the match. Show me the final struggles of an idiot!”

I could hear the pride in his voice. He’s probably got a good idea of her actual brain power. His tone was incredibly haughty.

“Well then, here I come. Umm, which should I start with… Okay, this one!”
“So you’re fine with that sword, I presume. Then come. Strike my helmet.”
“H-, Here we gooo! The first match! TORYAHHH!”
“Heh! Your scheme is as clear as day! I’ll be taking the No Dam― GUHUH-!”
“O-, Owah! What an incredible spray of blood… This sword is way too sharp. D-, Don’t blame me, okay?”

There went Ms. Tilea’s words of victory. Yes! As expected of Ms. Tilea. A single strike victory even with a demon as the opponent! It looks like she was lucky enough to choose the right element too.

“I-, Impossible!? Gesu of all people was defeated by that stupid-looking…?”
“Aye. And by a Critical Hit, no less!”

The demons were shocked and panicked.

“Then I am next! It appears that that idiot, Gesu, let his guard down. He is the shame of our Horus Unit!”

Another demon rose to the occasion. A more careful-looking man than Gesu, moved into the room.

“Listen up, girly! My brain power is three times that of Gesu’s. I am here to show you just how powerless you truly are!”
“C-, Come at me!”
“Well then, this time is my turn to attack. Quickly choose a helmet!”
“Eh-!? I thought I was…”
“Did you not only just attack Gesu? The next attack belongs to the demon team.”
“T-, That can’t be… Wait a moment!”

“Hurry up and choose! Or would you prefer to take my attack without a helmet?”
“O-, Okay. Just wait a moment. U-, Ummm, which should I… Okay, this one!”
“Ku ku, you dance in the palm of my hand. I’ll be taking a Critical Hit.”
“U-, UWAH! Whoa, my h-heart w-wasn’t rea-… Huh? It doesn’t hurt. Huhu, looks like it’s a No Damage.”
“I-, IMPOSSIBLE!? This is strange. My prediction was flawless. Show me your helmet!”

“Heh, what a sore loser. You simply made a mistake. Now then, hurry up and choose a helmet. Or would you prefer to take my strike without one?”
“R-, RIDICULOUS! Very well. A fluke never occurs twice. Now come. If you are going to strike me, then strike!”
“O-, Okay. Well then, TORYAHHH!”
“Fool. I have already seen through your fire― GUHAH-!”
“O-, Oohhh. If he’s down in one strike, I guess that makes it another Critical Hit, huh. Huhu, it looks like I’m actually a genius at this game. Truly the Akagin of the Fantasy World.”

Mn. The sounds coming from the room are almost like a comedy skit.

Considering Ms. Tilea’s words so far… I- Is she actually getting Critical Hits? Could it be that rather than elemental affinities, it’s just raw arm strength…?

Ahh, I’m supposed to be happy, I guess, but… Still, what an extraordinary person she is.

“I-, It can’t be. The elites of our Wisdom Unit are suffering consecutive defeats…?”
“What’s wrong? Who’s my next opponent? Hey, find me a guy who was three times smarter than the last guy.”
“Kuh-! Getting ahead of yourself… I-, I shall be next.”
“Fine by me. Come at me. Shall I, the second coming of Akagin, find a worthy opponent in you?”

Responding to Ms. Tilea’s provocations, another challenger entered the Field.

“Next is my turn. TORYAAAA!”
“Fool, I already know you are using wood. My defense is― GUHAH-!”

…After that, a number of demons entered the room to challenge her, but all of them ended the same way as their predecessors.

“I-, Impossible. For the prided elites of our Wisdom Unit to… And of all things, consecutive losses…”
“Five Critical Hits in a row is unbelievable! T-, This must be trickery. YOU! I bet you’re cheating!”

The demons, finally losing their patience, began pressing Ms. Tilea for answers. And if my guess was correct, just as the demons were claiming, Ms. Tilea was as good as cheating.

“Now where is this coming from…? You know, in my world, we have a saying. Cheating isn’t cheating if nobody can prove it! If you’re going to accuse me of cheating, then show me your proof. But well, this time I’m really not cheating, though. It’s simply the difference in our ability.”
“I-, It can’t be. Kuh-! Is this true?”
“W-, What cunning words…”

Their faces were warped in disgrace.

“Huhu, your backs are dirty with soot!¹”

Aahh, geez. And now Ms. Tilea is getting as carried away as physically possible. She defeated five of these proud demons in a row, so she was incredibly merry now.

This is bad. This pattern again? My stomach is starting to hurt. And demons, please don’t let Ms. Tilea gets so ahead of herself.

1. “Your backs are dirty with soot!” is a famous quote said by the protagonist of Naki no Ryuu, usually after winning in some ridiculous/incredible way.
   As for what it means, even most Japanese have no idea, so don’t ask me, LOL.
   The best guess would be that the opponent is so easily read (i.e. they’re so easy to see through that physical body transparent) that the protagonist can see the soot on their backs.
   As for why it’s soot, that part remains a mystery.
   But then allegedly the manga is filled with nonsensical phrases, so let’s not think about it too much, and focus instead on how ridiculous Tilea is.