NOVEL NEXT Chapter 318 - Juma's Troubles
Juma‘s Troubles
『Wow, she got her good. Rune really pulled a fast one there.』
Diega, the commentator, let out a mix of admiration and frustration. What does he mean? Just as I was tilting my head, Rune suddenly appeared where Heidemarie had been. Eh? What!?
“Rune, focused on pushing her out of bounds, didn’t notice the darkness approaching from behind.”
“Yes, she probably used a Teleportation Circle hidden in the darkness to switch places.”
Gil-san and Schlie-san immediately explained. So basically, she used a Teleportation Circle to switch places? And hid it with darkness, so it wouldn’t be noticed? That’s amazing.
Rune, who’d switched places with Heidemarie, who’d almost been pushed out of bounds, was now out of bounds herself. Rune, blankly sitting there, then looked up at the sky. She must be frustrated!!
『A-A big comeback! The winner is Heidemarie, from Schutor!! My my, that was incredible!』
The venue erupted in applause. Heidemarie shyly bowed. Wow, that really was amazing.
“But I couldn’t see the Teleportation Circle at all…”
I shuddered slightly at the mention of magic circles, but somehow managed to calm down, telling myself it’s the same as Licht’s no-magic-circle teleportation. Why do I react like this, just from hearing about magic circles? I’m sure it’s because of that incident. It’s bad that I wasn’t aware of it. I have to make sure I don’t panic during my match.
“It was skillfully hidden with darkness. It was a good tactic, making good use of her specialty.”
“You’re right. But she wasn’t able to hide her magic power, so you should be able to sense it if you’re focused.”
I see, so it was just invisible. But I’m sure they’ll be even more skillfully hidden in the adults’ division. Eh? How would you even notice? They’d probably be able to handle it, even if they were caught off guard.
Or rather, they probably wouldn’t even be caught off guard. I wonder how many hundreds of years it’ll take for me to reach that level. Or rather, I’m not even sure if I’ll ever get there.
“Okay, I’ll pay attention to the flow of magic power during the matches.”
But right now, it’s about steadily handling what’s before me. My turn’s actually quite advantageous because I can come up with countermeasures after seeing everyone else’s matches. Though there is the pressure of having to fight the winner. My opponent’s either that fox who uses Dark magic, or Heidemarie. I’m going to do my best and have a good match!
『Now then everyone! We’re going to take a break! It’s not good to burden these children with the future of the Demon Continent! We’ll make another announcement right before it starts! 』
That cute announcer informed us about the break. I feel like they could continue because the matches aren’t that long… but it really shows how much they care about children on the Demon Continent, that no one’s complaining. Children are treasures, and that mindset is common throughout the Demon Continent.
Now then, a break huh… I have to head for the waiting room after this. Asuka and Goot’s match is before mine, so I’ll be cheering from the waiting room.
I glanced at Asuka, and he seemed calm. He’d been nervous during his first match, but he’s probably relaxed now because it’s over. And it’s probably the same for Heidemarie, his opponent. Ugh, am I the only one who’s nervous!?
…M-Maybe I should go outside for a bit, to clear my head. I also need to use the bathroom! When I quietly told Saura-san, she told me it’s to the right, just outside. I’m glad it’s nearby. It would be bad if I got lost. I’d faint from embarrassment if they had to call my name over the intercom.
After quickly telling Gil-san, who’s a worrier, I quietly left the Ortus spectator seats. The hallway’s empty right now, maybe because only those with special spectator seats can use this passage. I’m sure no one would come out here unless they needed to use the bathroom. I bet it’s lively in the regular spectator seats.
But I’m relieved by the quiet. Because it was so noisy earlier, with all those cheers. I can’t relax though, so I quickly used the bathroom, washed my hands, and was about to go back, when I saw an unexpected person in the hallway, so I approached.
“…Juma-nii?”
He was leaning against the wall, staring at his fist, deep in thought, so I hesitated for a moment. But it’s Juma-nii, so he’s probably noticed me. It would be more unnatural if I didn’t call out, so I spoke up.
As expected, Juma-nii, without looking up, answered, “Oh.” Should I ask him what’s wrong? Ah, that’s right.
“Juma-nii, thank you for protecting me earlier.”
“Earlier? Ah, you mean with Razield.”
“Yeah! That was so cool!”
“Oh, really? Thanks!”
He grinned happily and ruffled my hair when I honestly told him what I thought. He’s gotten a bit better at controlling his strength, but my hair’s still a mess.
“Hmm? Wah!”
I was caught off guard, so I couldn’t help but exclaim when he suddenly picked me up. Or rather, it’s unusual for Juma-nii to pick me up. He’s definitely acting strange… right?
“Did something happen?”
“Hmm…”
He’s looking away, and his response isn’t really a response. He’s clearly different from usual. I continued to stare at his profile. He finally glanced at me and spoke up, saying, “Actually…”
“I’ve hit a plateau. Me.”
“…But you’re strong, Juma-nii?”
“Yeah, you’re right! I am strong!”
He said that with his usual grin, but still. I was stunned by those unexpected words.
“But I should be able to aim even higher, you know! I’m weaker than the Don, or Gil.”
Ah, I guess that’s true, compared to them. Maybe he’s obsessed with strength because he’s an Oni. Maybe he’s still bothered by how Razield wouldn’t call him by name.
“I’ve been training hard. I’ve even asked the Don and Gil for advice. Because I want to get stronger. But…”
Apparently, those two wouldn’t give him any advice. I’ve seen that before. I think they said something like this:
『If we tell you, you’ll definitely do exactly as we say. So we’re not going to tell you.』
For Onis, the words of those they acknowledge as stronger are absolute. So I’m sure Dad was trying to prevent him from just training according to what he says. I didn’t understand what they meant back then, but now that I’ve heard all kinds of things about Onis, I finally do.
“I’ve been troubled because I haven’t been able to improve, but then I saw… you guys training.”
“Us? Um, you mean Asuka and I?”
“That’s right,” he said, and then suddenly had me sit on his shoulder. It might look a bit dangerous, because he’s small, but he’s incredibly stable.
“You guys are amazing, you know. You listen to people’s opinions, absorb everything, and it makes you stronger. Seeing that… I realized I wasn’t listening to anyone else, aside from the Don and Gil.”
Ah, so that’s why. The opposite of believing the words of the strong are absolute, he wasn’t able to accept anything from those who he didn’t acknowledge. What a pain…! But it looks like he’s finally realized that.
“Saura, Kei, Schlie, they’ve been telling me, you know. That I should learn how to dodge and defend. But well, I didn’t really need to because I’m fine even if I get hit, and I still think that. But, seeing you guys, I thought maybe I’ll give it a try.”
So that’s what you were thinking… I was so surprised that I couldn’t say anything. Because he always looks so confident and energetic, like he doesn’t have any worries. It’s kind of rude of me to say this, but that’s exactly why seeing him like this is so surprising. Because he’s always cheering me up.
“Watch me, Meg. I’m definitely going to win this tournament! I’ll easily defeat Razield! And make him call me by name!”
“Well, before that, there’s Meg’s match!” Juma-nii said with a laugh. I see, so this tournament’s also a turning point for him. Ortus, a Special-grade guild, never gives up on continuing to grow. Juma-nii’s never given up, but now he’s finally realized something important, and he’s ready to take that next step.
“Ah, but don’t tell anyone, okay? I still don’t believe them, not until I know if what they’ve been saying is true.”
Well, he is stubborn, but I’m sure it’ll be fine. I’m looking forward to seeing an even stronger Juma-nii!
“But why did you tell me?”
“Why? I’m… a little… just a little… uneasy.”
“Eh!? Juma-nii, uneasy… !?”
“Just a tiny bit! This much!”
He frantically pressed his thumb and index finger together, trying to downplay it, but there isn’t even a slight gap!
“Because, what if I get weaker if I start defending and dodging? There’s no way to know unless I try. So I thought… I should at least tell someone.”
He trailed off there, and then suddenly lifted me. “Up high, up high!” Wah, wah, don’t do that so suddenly, it’s startling!
“Because, well… you wouldn’t laugh, and you can keep a secret, Meg… it was just easier to talk to you!”
“I-I feel so honored… I’m not going to say anything!”
He then started to spin around, laughing. Ah, I feel dizzy! Just as I was thinking, “Put me down!”, the Ortus spectator seats door opened, and I saw Gil-san out of the corner of my eye, as I was spinning. Help me!
“…What are you doing?”
“Huh? Cheering for your match! Right, Meg? Ah, eh?”
I felt myself being lifted, and then I was in those familiar arms. I can tell, even though I’m a bit dazed, these are Gil-san’s arms. The carry master is as good as ever. Uu.
“Honestly, you… know your limits.”
“S-Sorry, Meg…”
It’s fine, it’s fine, because it looks like Juma-nii’s finally moving forward. But I wish he hadn’t done it right before my match. It’s good that it’s not my turn right away, but still…
“I-I feel sick…”
“…Should we have Reki take a look?”
“Ah, no, it’s fine, I’m just a bit dizzy,” I was going to say that, but it didn’t get through, and Gil-san took me to Reki, who was in the spectator seats. The Ortus members were incredibly surprised by how unwell I looked. It’s only natural. Gil-san, of course, explained what happened, and Juma-nii was severely scolded. I feel bad, because I don’t think it was that big of a deal.
“…What are you doing, before your match?”
“Sorry…”
Only Reki was looking at me, exasperated. A warm, soothing magic was emanating from his hand, which was on my forehead, but his gaze was cold. It’s true that I made him worry before my match, but… can’t he at least try to look a bit more concerned? Well, I mean, it’s Reki, it can’t be helped.
“It’s nothing serious, you’re probably fine already.”
“Yeah, thank you. I feel much better now.”
He removed his hand after a few seconds, and I properly thanked him for his curt comment. Reki’s also a doctor. I feel so refreshed! I’ll be fine for my match!
S-So please forgive Juma-nii already, Saura-san!