The Dark Night and the Wizard
[Grandpa! Why is this person fighting even though she’s a princess?!]
This was when Igni was listening to Lucas tell one of his stories.
[What do you mean? People can have all sorts of reasons for fighting.]
[But she’s a princess! It's definitely weird that she has to fight!]
<SLAP!>
[OW～! Hey! Why can’t you warn me before you hit me!!]
[Stop being so ignorant!!]
[G―grandpa…..!]
[You understand nothing……..!!]
[Wh―what do you mean……..?!]
[A princess fighting as a knight? What’s wrong with that!!]
[B―but…….!! But…….]
Igni: (Wait…what IS strange about that……….?)
[For her country, for her people, she places these things above her own well-being and fights…..! A Princess Knight is that kind of individual!! Do you still not understand, Igni?!]
[............!!]
[They consider what they could do being born into royalty, and they chose the path to master their spells…..! Such innocent, undeterred passion………! How could you not understand that?!?!]
[B―but…..! When they get captured by the enemy, and they say, “*Ergh! Just kill me and be done with it!” Isn’t that insane?! If they die, what would be the point?!”
[YOU FOOL!! YOU STUPID FOOL!! I DON’T REMEMBER RAISING YOU TO BE LIKE THIS, IGNI………..!!]
[Igni, this is one of life's wonderful, fateful <PRO•MI•SES> in your journey where if you search deep within the words, you will find a separate meaning………!]
[A….A separate meaning?!]
[DO YOU STILL NOT GET IT?! Beneath these words is an unblemished, dignified soul!! A soul that can’t be tainted!! THE PRIDE OF ONE BEING OF ROYAL BIRTH!!]
[S―soul………?!]
Igni trembles in awe.
[But Grandpa, doesn’t that mean they won’t die?]
<SLAP!!>
[OW!!]
[OF COURSE!! WHAT WOULD BE THE POINT IF THEY DIED?!?!]
[Huh………..???????]
<<<<>>>>
Igni: (……….the dignified soul………!)
Igni: (The pride of Royalty……..!)
I understand………!
I understand now why Grandpa slapped me across the face……..!!
A <FA•BLE> is different from the <RE•AL> thing…….!
Igni: (What’s right before my eyes is undeniable REALITY!)
AND SHE’S THE OLDER SISTER OF ALICIA……!
A BLOOD RELATIVE…….!
THIS IS INCREDIBLE………!!
Celia: “Let’s go home, Alicia.”
Alicia: “No! I won’t go back! I...I never want to kill anyone ever again!!”
……….hm?
A bombshell just dropped out of nowhere, and as if being splashed with a bucket of ice cold water, Igni’s head cooled immediately.
Alicia: “Igni! Please help me!!”
Alicia turns to Igni for help.
That’s why...
Igni: “[FLAME ARMOR - IGNITE]!!”
Igni initiates his spell with zero time lag.
Popularity Rule No. 5
ーー”Save any woman who is in trouble. If a woman asks for you help <ALW•AYS> help them.
Celia: “Oh?”
Celia reached out her left hand towards Igni’s [FIREBALL].
Igni: “[DETONATE - FIRE]!!”
Igni points the explosion in one direction!!!
Celia’s body blows away backwards a great distance!!
Igni: “Yoori! Take Alicia and run!”
Yoori: “Rーrun? But where….?!”
Igni: “To the school! Find a teacher!!”
With that Igni kicks the ground and dashes outside.
The heavy downpour immediately drenches Igni.
Celia: “.........how long has it been since I was blown away like that….?”
Celia laughs as she gets up.
The rain drums heavily on the two bodies.
Celia: “I recognize you….You’re the one who won the tournament. You’re Igni…”
Igni: “Were you….at the Gladiator’s Colosseum?”
Celia: “Of course I was. I cannot NOT be there if anyone is trying to proclaim the title of [STRONGEST].”
Igni: “...........is that how you found Alicia?”
Celia: “A complete coincidence. As I was following and watching the winner, I saw her. I thought of taking her back quietly without causing anyone trouble, but…...this was the result.”
Celia looks toward the raging storm above.
Just a few minutes ago, there was only a clear starry night, and now a violent thunderstorm flashed down lightning and poured down torrential rain.
An Epic-Scale Spell.
A spell that overwrites weather, and leaves not only a mark on humans, but also on the land they stand.
This was probably Alicia’s doing.
She cast it just to escape from Celia.
Celia: “I’m glad to see that Alicia’s improving.”
Igni: “..........Alicia…..doesn’t want to go back with you.”
Celia: "Whether she wants to or not is irrelevant. Under the circumstances, she is not free to decide such a thing for herself.”
Celia shrugs as she speaks to Igni.
Celia: “But <IG•NI>. Why is it that you interfere? I just want to take Alicia back home.”
Igni: “Because Alicia asked for help.”
Celia: “...........I see.”
Celia lets out a deep sigh.
Celia: “I am Alicia’s elder sister and her family. Do you dare interfere in our family business?”
Igni: “Even if you say family……”
The rain continues to pour down onto Igni as he answers.
Igni: “Family is your greatest ally, but they can also be your greatest <EN•E•MY>, no?”
Celia: “Ah, so you also have had some rough experiences in your past too, haven’t you?”
Celia roars and laughs in a predatorial voice.
Celia: “I’m sure you know who I am.”
Igni: “Yeah, I heard just now. SO <WH•AT>?”
Celia: “Then I will just force my way through.”
Igni: “Sorry, but I can’t let you do that.”
Celia: “.........hmm...”
The next moment, the <DOR•MI•TO•RY WAS CUT IN HALF>!
Celia: “Oh, you dodged that.”
Igni: “You’re too obvious.”
Celia had drawn her sword and swung down in a blink of an eye.
Her speed and power was beyond imagining.
Igni: “[FLAME ARMOR - IGNITE]”
Igni: (…………...not good. It’ll be hard to fight in a residential area.)
Igni mumbles to himself quickly and then…
Igni: “[SHOTGUN - SHOT]”
Igni increases the distance between him and Celia as he creates [FIREBALL]’s.
Igni: “[LAUNCH - FIRE]!!”
Celia: “Hmph!!”
Celia swings her sword once again.
VUUUUUUUUUUUN!! (*sfx strong swing)
An explosive wind erupts from her swing and scatters Igni’s [FIREBALL] in all directions.
Igni: “[FLAME ARMOR - ARMOR PIERCING SPEAR]!”
Igni’s [FIREBALL] gains <MA•SS•IVE WEI•GHT> as he poured his magic power into it as a noticeable <ZUN> (*sfx) sounds from it. It begins to accelerates rapidly and causes friction with the air around it!!
Igni: “[ARTILLERY - FIRE]!!”
Celia: “.................SH!!”
<DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNN!!!> (*sfx explosion)
But Celia slices Igni’s artillery shell like [FIREBALL] with her sword!!
Celia: “Hmm...not bad…”
Celia smiles with ease as she watches Igni.
Igni: “Thanks.”
In that moment, Igni creates five [FIREBALL]’s behind him.
Igni: “[FLAME ARMOR - IGNITE]”
And all goes white――.
Igni: “[LAUNCH - FIRE]!!!”
ZUDODODODODO!! (*sfx rapid firing)
Several consecutive [FIREBALL]’s come after Celia!
She weaves through in between the [FIREBALL]’s and deflects the one which she could not evade with her sword.
Celia: “I’m impressed. It’s no wonder that you won the tournament. You use excellent spells.”
Igni: “[FLAME ARMOR - IGNITE].”
Igni creates <TW•O TY•PES> of [FIREBALL]’s!!
A solid [FIREBALL] in the front!
A softer [FIREBALL] in the back!!
Igni: “[LAUNCH - FIRE]!!”
DODON!! (*sfx two shots)
He fires a [FIREBALL]l that is 50 times more powerful than what he fired at the entrance exam!!
Panic lightly brushes across Celia’s face for a faint moment as she dodges the spell by the skin of her teeth.
Igni: “[EXPLODE - FIRE]!!”
Though Igni already shot the [FIREBALL], the spell is still a part of Igni.
Igniting it into an explosion mid-air is nothing to him.
Celia: “.............now that one was closer than I prefer.”
Celia’s voice came from <BE•HIND> Igni.
Igni: “......you’re fast!”
Celia: “Of course!”
Celia’s fist flies towards Igni.
But a [FIREBALL] appears in the path of her punch!
Igni: “[EXPLODE - FIRE]!!”
Igni let’s a [FIREBALL] erupt towards Celia and her arm!
Igni allows the resulting wind to carry him back away from Celia.
Celia: “Good response with close-quarter combat. Good tactics with mid-range combat. And as far as I can tell, you can defeat a Epic-Scale Spell. And although it’s right after the 'Tournament,' you are able to move this much. Incredible. Igni, why not come over to the Empire with us?”
Igni: “............if I go, will I become popular with the girls?”
Celia: “.......huh?”
Igni: “I’m kidding………..!”
Although Igni did ask that last question pretty seriously, Celia gave him a what-the-heck-is-this-guy-saying look so Igni let the question pass unanswered.
Celia: “But what I don’t understand is why you only use [FIREBALL]. If you want piercing strength, use a [FIRE LANCE]. If you want a defensive spell, use [FIRE WALL]. Why only use [FIREBALL]?”
Igni: “Unfortunately, I’m a [Ultimate Single Spell Specialized ‘SPELL ONE’] so I can’t….!”
Celia: “An [Ultimate Single Spell Specialized ‘SPELL ONE’?] That sounds so cool.”
Igni: “...............!!!!!!!!!!”
Igni’s movements stopped abruptly.
Igni: “M―maybe she’s a good person underneath…….?”
Celia: “? What are you talking about?”
Celia returns Igni’s comment with a question mark.
Celia: “Well, whatever that is, it's of no consequence. I’m just going to take Alicia back with me.”
Igni: “Alicia is……...she’s not a child. You need to respect her will and decisions.”
Celia: “Ha! Her will? For Royalty? That kind of baggage is completely unnecessary. Especially if you’re the 3rd Imperial Princess. Besides, Alicia is not the person you think she is.”
Igni: “All women have secrets.”
Celia: “Even if it’s the fact that she killed a person?”
Igni: “And?” Celia: “......what.”
Igni looks at Celia completely brushing off the fact as inconsequential.
Igni: “A good man doesn’t get tied up in a woman’s past.”
Celia: “Oh yeah?”
Popularity Rule No. 14 ――― “Accept a woman’s past.”
Igni: “So it doesn’t matter to me.”
Celia: “........ha!”
Celia also mocks Igni’s response.
Celia: “Are you saying that you will accept her no matter what’s she’s done?!”
Igni: “Yeah, <NO•NE OF IT MAT•TERS>!”
Celia: “......................?”
Igni: “We can’t go back in time. We only have the future! <IT’S AB•OUT WH•AT YO•UR GO•ING TO DO>!! THAT”S ALL! No matter what Alicia’s doing, no matter what she’s about to do, ALICIA IS MY FRIEND! I COULD CARE LESS ABOUT HER PAST!”
His grandfather Lucas once said.
A man’s worth is determined by how much he can carry with the woman.
Igni: (Then…..if that’s the case….)
Igni thought.
Igni: (I’m going to carry it all. EVERY. LAST. BIT.)
From the day he decided to become popular, he already made this decision.
Quietly, Celia takes a stance and readies her sword.
Celia: “Then I will just have to defeat you, right here.” Igni: “I won’t be defeated, and I won’t let you pass.”
Celia: “I will pass through. That is what it means to be an [EXTREME].”
Both pierces each other with their glare in the midst of the thunder and pouring rain.
Chonky Novels LiT (Lost in Translation)
The Captured Female Knight Trope. “Kukkoro Kishi” (くッコロ騎士）
I really don’t want to explain this… In Otaku culture, the capturing of a dignified female knight had a trope developed where the female knight would then ask that her captors end her life rather than suffer the humiliation of capture and defeat. And then it all goes south from there depending on who’s writing the story. It’s not safe to Google this at work or around your parents. The phrase, “Kuh! Korose!” means something like, “Ugh! Just kill me and be done with it!” This can be a Princess Knight, a Queen, or basically any female with authority who has a shred of dignity. The phrase was then shortened to “Ku-Koro” (クッコロ) so you’ll hear references to Ku-Koro Knights in harem novels as it became sort of a novelty to run into someone in an Isekai journey that would say that phrase to you.
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