BXBX NOVEL Chapter 90 - Top Secret and Thousand Blade Academy [7] – part 1
On the other hand, Jean-san assumed the exact same stance.
Jean Bael.
He is a tall swordsman donning the uniform of Thousand Blade Academy.
He is probably 180 centimeters tall.
Short black hair.
Well-featured face
Perhaps he had bad eyesight as he was wearing silver-rimmed glasses.
(The『Head』 of the Swordsmanship Club huh…)
To be honest, I was quite interested in what kind of sword he’ll display.
「…Allen Rodore. I heard from the vice-head, Silty, that you refused our recruitment to join the swordsmanship club.」
「Err, yes, well…」
Silty Rosette, a second-year female swordsman who serves as vice-head of the swordsmanship club.
Her forte was the『defensive sword』called Circle style.
(But, can that really be called “recruitment”?)
I once had a mock battle with Silty-san during the new semester in May.
(If I remember correctly, I was observing the swordsmanship club’s activities with Ria and Rose.)
When Silty-san suddenly blocked the entrance of the gymnasium and I was forced to accept a mock battle.
(That’s more of confinement than an invitation.)
As I was thinking back to those old days, Jean-san continued on.
「We were refused once, but… I still want you to join the swordsmanship club by all means.」
「Eh?」
As my eyes widened at the sudden invitation, he began to explain the current state of the swordsmanship club.
「Unfortunately, the swordsmanship club is now on a decline. The promising first-year swordsmen that I found and raised up painstakingly, were snatched from me.」
Jean-san said, gritting his teeth and clenching his fist hard.
「That’s terrible…」
The budget for club activities is determined by the『Club Budget War』.
Large clubs, such as the swordsmanship club, are greatly limited in their activities if they don’t procure a budget there.
Therefore, the situation in which promising first-year students were snatched away can be said to be a crisis that shakes the survival of the club.
「But, just who would do that?」
「The Witch of the Century – Student Council President Sie Arcstria!」
「T-The president?」
She would never… No, she actually might.
(…Yeah. She would do it without any hesitation.)
The poker game crossed my mind.
The president used a『gimmick card』with a gentle smile on her face.
Even as innocent as she looks, she’s a little wicked.
「Student Council Secretary Lilim Tsuorine and Accountant Ferris Magdalot – Those talented two are both former swordsmanship club members.」
Jean-san said with distant eyes.
「I see…」
It’s the first time I’ve heard of it.
「Aa, they were supposed to be the backbone of the swordsmanship club in the future. I don’t know what kind of underhanded method she used, but that hateful Sie Arcstria snatched them away from me.」
「I-I see…」
Now that I think about it, I remember the president saying, I scouted them both.
「And this year, it’s you.」Jean-san pointed his finger at me.
(Certainly I joined the student council, but…)
I didn’t intend to join the swordsmanship club in the first place, so this can’t be called “snatched away”.
Then,
「Let me be clear. You’re going in the wrong direction!」he affirmed in a strong tone.
「Umm… the wrong direction?」
「Aa. I investigated a little about you, Allen Rodore. A man who prefers blood and violence together with his daily three meals. The founder of a suspicious religious group called the practice-swing club. A mass of desire which is a sucker for money. To be honest, it was full of good-for-nothing information.」
Jean-san shook his head quietly.
「A-Ahaha… Certainly, it sounds a bit absurd.」
I never thought it would be this bad.
Perhaps I would need to deal with this after all.
「But now that we’re standing face to face, I can see that you were originally an honest swordsman with a very beautiful heart.」
「Eh, uh… Thank you.」
I thanked him for the time being, not knowing what else to say.
「That beautiful Seigan no Kamae which seems to have jumped straight out of the textbook, those eyes which secure a wide view of the entire battlefield, and that standing posture which keeps the center of gravity firm. None of them are something you can master overnight. I’m sure you’ve spent a lot of time on swordsmanship.」
I’ve poured more than a billion years into it, I whispered so in my heart.
「But your beautiful sword that was born of such tireless effort, is being soiled by the Witch of the Century!」
…I clearly understood that Jean-san was hostile towards the president.
「I’ll beat you twisted guts back into shape for you!」
The next moment,
「-KIEEEEEEEEEEEE!」
He ran straight at me with a vigorous war cry.
「Consecutive Fang Style – Ten Consecutive Blades!」
Consecutive attacks aimed precisely at my vitals – neck, torso, abdomen – drew closer.
「……」
As I side-stepped the slashes with minimal movements, I was reminded of my previous battle with Idol-san.
(Jean-san’s sword is by no means slow. On the contrary, it was so fast that you can even say, As expected of the head of the Swordsmanship Club.)
But compared to that『Prodigy』Idol-san… It was a little lacking.
「Kuh, not bad!」
I side-stepped all ten consecutive attacks and replied with a counterattack.
「Eighth Sword – Yatagarasu!」
One sharp swing branched into eight slashes.
「Fast?! Ga, ha!」
The eight slashes assaulted Jean-san’s whole body fiercely.
「「「……」」」
The audience, who had been excited up until a while ago, dropped dead silent.
「J-Jean Bael unable to continue! Winner, Allen Rodore! …That was simply overwhelming! Even though he is still a first-year, the sight of him easily defeating a third-year is fear instilling!」
As I was about to get off the special stage after succeeding in “Dojo Yaburi”,
「Not yet…」
Jean-san grabbed the hem of my pants.
「T-The real Thousand Blade Festival… is still to come.」
He said, and lost consciousness.
(The『Real Thousand Blade Festival』?)
What does that mean?