It Seems the Demon King Has Returned to a World Where Gender Roles Are Reversed - Chapter 56

 Chapter 56 :

The date for the duel between Ragna and Hazel was delivered to him on the very night he was training with Eric to master golem control.

The duel was scheduled to take place two days later at the public golem sparring arena on the academy grounds.

It was, quite frankly, an abrupt announcement.

“You can’t exactly refuse, though… By the way, is that guy okay? I heard he said he didn’t need any help preparing…” 

“Seri, have you heard anything?”

Anita and Liliana looked at Seria with worried expressions.

Since Ragna was commuting from the Steiner household, the only way to get information was through Seria.

“…No, nothing in particular…”

But in response to Anita and Liliana’s questions, Seria could only shake her head. Truth be told, she was just as anxious.

And for good reason over the past two days, ever since receiving the message from a servant of the Granstig family, Ragna hadn’t shown any notable activity.

Even when Karen, who had been growing increasingly nervous after hearing about the events of that day, offered her help, Ragna had firmly declined.

Instead, he had locked himself in his room, poring over books he’d brought from the library.

“What is he even thinking…?”

Seria frowned, her expression full of worry.

Seeing her like this, Anita and Liliana, seated in the audience, mirrored her concern.

Their gazes simultaneously turned toward one side of the sparring arena.

There, Ragna was climbing into a golem with the help of those around him.

__________

“…Hmm.”

Ragna moved the golem lightly, trying to get a feel for it.

Even if it was the same model made by the same creator, the required magical energy and movement varied depending on its maintenance condition.

“…Well, it’s not perfect, but this should do.”

Muttering to himself, Ragna let out a soft sigh.

His preparations were sufficient.

The only downside was that he hadn’t been able to fully recharge his magical energy.

But that couldn’t be helped.

As mentioned, charging magical energy through the magic circle inscribed in Ragna’s body was an extremely slow process.

Thus, he’d had to settle for barely recovering the magic he’d spent during his training with Eric on the first day.

As a result, over the past two days, he’d devoted his time to studying the books he’d borrowed from the library. Since he couldn’t afford to waste magic recklessly, it was a necessary compromise.

Of course, there were ways to recover his magic quickly.

The simplest method would be to absorb magic by embracing Karen or Seria.

However, that option wasn’t viable in the current situation.

For one, Karen was out of the question. The night he’d embraced her was driven by the momentum of the situation, nothing more.

While it had made her more compliant, it was merely a gesture of her yielding to him it wasn’t as if he’d fully won her over.

Forcing himself on her now would likely make things worse.

Thus, Karen was off the table.

That left Seria. Unlike Karen, embracing Seria didn’t require much consideration.

Moreover, they were at the Steiner household. Silencing the servants would ensure no rumors spread.

But Seria wasn’t an option either, as she was currently injured from her daily sparring sessions with Karen.

When Seria decided to commute from the Steiner household, Karen had imposed the condition that Seria’s training take place there a condition she refused to budge on.

Seria had accepted this on the condition that Ragna also commute from the Steiner household.

Karen had agreed to that.

As a result, Ragna had been tasked with healing Seria’s injuries from each sparring session.

At the time, hesitant to act recklessly due to Annerose’s issue, Ragna had accepted the request. Consequently, Seria was now receiving Ragna’s healing magic every night.

As explained, the demonic healing magic used on Seria relied on the magical energy within the recipient’s body.

Absorbing magic from Seria’s body in such a state could potentially harm her during recovery.

Thus, Ragna had also given up on drawing magic from Seria.

“…Phew.”

Letting out a soft sigh, Ragna calmed his mind.

Still, there was no need to worry.

Though the amount was small, the magic circle in his body was designed to passively gather dark magic mana without requiring special effort.

Moreover, since a considerable amount of time had passed since the circle was inscribed, his total magical capacity had increased, and the circle’s recovery rate had improved as well.

While not fully recovered, he was in good enough shape to face Hazel.

And for now, that was enough for Ragna.

“…Alright, then.”

With a light burst of resolve, Ragna began moving the golem. The joints of the Dagger-class golem clattered as they shifted.

Enjoying the sound, Ragna headed toward the center of the sparring arena. There, Hazel, already mounted in her golem, was waiting with a relaxed expression, looking at him.

“Hmm, I was certain you’d be preparing to run away.”

“Were you hoping for that? Well, I suppose that makes sense. Losing to a mere man would be unthinkable, wouldn’t it?”

“Heh, no need to worry about that. There’s no way I’d lose.”

Smiling, Hazel’s golem closed its front armor and tightly gripped the greatsword in its hand. Ragna’s golem did the same.

“Both of you, step forward!”

The referee was none other than Noel.

As a woman involved in this matter, she was arguably the most suitable referee for the situation.

“Salute each other!”

At her command, both golems raised their swords in a salute.

“Now, turn around and take your positions!”

Both turned and walked exactly 20 steps to their respective positions before turning back.

Noel confirmed that both were ready. Then, lowering her hand, she shouted,

“Begin!”

“…!”

With her shout, a light cheer erupted from the crowd. Surprisingly, a large number of spectators had gathered. It was a rare sight a golem duel between a woman and a man. And the woman was none other than Hazel Granstig, the renowned first-year representative. It was bound to draw attention.

“Haa!”

Taking the raucous cheers as encouragement, Hazel charged toward Ragna with a hint of excitement.

*Thud, thud!* The 3-meter-tall golem’s footsteps echoed as it charged across the ground. Seeing this, Ragna briefly assumed a defensive stance—

—then, with a chuckle, he turned and bolted in the opposite direction.

“…!?”

“W-Wait, what’s that?”

“He’s… running away?”

It was exactly as they said.

“…Tch!”

Hazel, thinking Ragna was mocking her, gritted her teeth and chased after him. However, there was no physical difference between the two golems.

That meant their running speeds were nearly identical.

Seria and the others watched the scene blankly from the stands. Then, suddenly,

“I see, so that’s it.”

“…What do you mean, Lili?”

When Liliana muttered as if she’d realized something, Anita and Seria turned to her.

Liliana sighed and explained.

“Remember what happened that day?”

“Hm?”

“…Ragna said he had a strategy to beat Hazel.”

“…Yeah, he did, but… what about it?”

“What about it? Can’t you see what’s happening right in front of you?”

“…?”

“The strategy Ragna was talking about it’s none other than—”

At that moment, Hazel, who had been chasing Ragna and finally lost her patience, stopped her golem in place and shouted.

“Hey! What is this nonsense?!”

“Hm? What do you mean?”

“What do I mean? Isn’t it obvious?! Why are you just running away?! Are you ignoring this duel?!”

“Yeah! Yeah!”

“What kind of dirty trick is this?!”

Boos poured from the stands. The presence of teachers kept the crowd from throwing trash or filth, but if they could, they’d likely be hurling things at Ragna’s golem with gusto.

The atmosphere was far from favorable. But,

“That’s a funny thing to say.”

“…?”

Ragna, unfazed, let out a mocking laugh.

“This duel is simply a battle between golems. There was never any rule saying you can’t run away while piloting one, was there?”

“W-What does that mean?!”

“Isn’t that right, Professor Noel?”

All eyes turned to Noel. The spectators, the teachers, and even those gathered as witnesses looked at her. Noel let out a sigh and said,

“I acknowledge it.”

“…! Professor?!”

“Don’t misunderstand, Hazel. I’m not taking Ragna’s side.”

Unlike her usual gentle demeanor, her tone was sharp, cutting like a knife.

The jeering crowd fell silent, and Noel continued.

“Ragna’s words are true. While the duel was set to use golems, there was never a rule stating you can’t run or turn your back.”

“B-But!”

“No whining. In a duel, everything is permitted. Hiding secondary weapons, targeting an opponent’s weaknesses—all of it. Calling such tactics cowardly is just the whining of a loser.”

“…!”

Noel’s sharp words rained down.

It was a response true to the Steiner family’s philosophy: practical, battle-oriented, where anything could be a weapon, and there was no such thing as cowardice in war.

“…”

At Noel’s declaration, Hazel clenched her teeth.

Then she glared at Ragna.

“…Fine.”

“Hm?”

“If you’re going that far, I have no choice. I’ll just have to slice your back wide open.”

“If you think you can, that is.”

With that, Ragna started running again. Hazel chased after him.

The chase resumed.

_____________

How much time had passed was unclear. The only sounds in the arena were the creaking of metal and the thudding of the ground.

“…”

“…”

The students who had been booing at first had grown silent, bored by the monotonous spectacle. Some even shook their heads and left the arena.

But unlike them, Hazel was panting heavily, clearly struggling.

Time continued to pass.

There had been a few moments when it seemed she might catch Ragna’s back.

But each time, Ragna changed direction, twisted his body, or even threw his sword to dodge her attacks.

Missed opportunities. But next time, she’d definitely cut him down. With that determination, Hazel squeezed out every bit of her magical energy to chase Ragna, forcing her golem to move faster, desperate to catch him.

But she didn’t realize that this was a trap—that she was falling into a pit.

____

“…I see, so that’s it.”

“You’ve figured it out,Annie”

“…? What are you talking about?”

Seria asked, puzzled.

Anita gave a wry smile and explained.

“That guy Ragna… he’s been luring Hazel all along.”

“…!?”

Seria was startled by Anita’s words. Liliana chimed in.

“…Calm down, Seri. It’s not what you’re thinking.”

“B-But.”

“Explain it properly, Annie You’re making Seri misunderstand.”

“But how else do you describe it? He’s practically wiggling his hips, begging for her to stab him. Honestly.”

“W-What are you even saying?”

“…To put it simply, running away was Ragna’s key to victory from the start.”

“Huh?”

“Exactly. Honestly… to think Hazel would fall for such an obvious setup.”

“So, what does that mean?”

Seria asked, still confused. Anita and Liliana sighed.

“…Well, I guess you wouldn’t get it, since you’ve never experienced magical exhaustion.”

“She’s a genius, after all.”

“Ugh…”

Seria shrank under their piercing gazes. Anita chuckled and continued.

“To put it simply, Ragna’s been aiming for Hazel to run out of magic from the start.”

“…Huh?”

“It’s exactly what it sounds like. He provoked her from the beginning, getting her all riled up.”

“And that’s not all. Hazel was the one who proposed this duel format and made it such a spectacle, drawing all these people, right?”

“…Yeah, she dug her own grave. In a situation like this, she can’t afford to look pathetic.”

“Um… what are you guys talking about…?”

“Don’t worry, Seri. Your boyfriend’s not going to lose.”

“W-Wait! Anne, we agreed not to talk about that!”

Seria panicked, looking around nervously.

Anita laughed.

“No need to freak out. No one’s listening. And… I think it’s about time.”

“Yeah. Hazel’s been overexerting herself, pouring magic into chasing him. And… oh.”

At that moment.

*Thud.* Hazel’s golem, which had been chasing Ragna, suddenly staggered heavily.

“…Just as expected.”

“Yeah. She swung and missed a few big attacks while chasing him.”

“…?”

Seria, still tilting her head in confusion, watched as Anita and Liliana spoke in unison.

“Timeout.”

“Hazel’s magic is depleted… Was that his plan all along?”

“…!”

Finally, Seria understood what they were saying. She quickly turned her gaze back to the arena.

The tide had turned.

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Translated by Reversalnovel.web.id