The magic tome that should have been in Alphonse’s hands had somehow found its way into Lloyd’s grasp.
“……Hey…… Can I have that back, Lloyd?”
“Oh, sure. It’s yours, right? I’ll give it back. Here—come and take it.”
With a mocking grin, Lloyd held the book forward. Alphonse stepped closer, reaching for it.
…Or at least, he tried to.
The moment Alphonse’s fingers were about to close around the book, they sliced through empty air.
“What’s wrong? Come on, hurry up and take it.”
Lloyd, who had been right in front of him a second ago, was now three meters away.
“……”
Alphonse understood full well he was being toyed with, but he kept his composure, speaking calmly.
“Sorry, but I’m not in the mood for games. Could you just give it back?”
“……Tch…… You’re no fun……”
Apparently, Alphonse’s reaction wasn’t the one Lloyd had hoped for.
With a bored mutter of “Whatever,”
“Here you go.”
Lloyd tossed the book toward Alphonse—still three meters away.
“!!”
Pages fluttering wildly, the book flew toward him. Alphonse braced himself to catch it—
…However.
“…!? ”
…Only for it to vanish from his sight the instant before his hands closed around it.
And then—
“Huh? What’s wrong? You don’t want it?”
Lloyd’s voice, which should have been coming from three meters ahead, now echoed from directly behind Alphonse.
Whipping around, Alphonse found no one there—just the sound of a stifled laugh from behind.
“Hahahaha! Man, you’re so slow and stupid! No wonder you’ve never beaten me!!”
Laughing triumphantly, Lloyd now held the book in his hand again.
“………”
“Hey, hey, don’t glare at me like that. I’ll give it back—for real this time.”
Strolling toward Alphonse, Lloyd then dropped the book onto the ground right in front of him.
“Go on. Pick it up.”
His smirk was downright vicious.
“………”
Alphonse didn’t reply. Silently, he knelt to retrieve the book—
—Only for Lloyd’s foot to slam down on it at the last second.
“……!!”
“Pathetic. Suits you, Alphonse.”
His voice was low, icy.
“So what if you helped take down the Black Dragon of Destruction, Schwarzwaldius? You’ve never beaten me. The Fried family’s reign ends with you. I’ll end it. ……Be ready when we face off in the tournament.”
Alphonse, still on his knees, said nothing.
“……Lloyd. Move your foot.”
“……”
For a moment, Lloyd glared down at him in silence—then finally scoffed.
“……Whatever. More importantly—” His gaze snapped to someone behind Alphonse. “—What the hell’s your problem?”
In an instant, Lloyd had closed the distance to Shion, who had been watching silently from the sidelines.
“……!! Lloyd!!”
Alphonse shouted, but Lloyd ignored him.
“You’ve been glaring at me this whole time, haven’t you? The hell’s your deal?”
Lloyd’s glare was sharp enough to kill.
Shion, however, remained utterly unfazed.
“Nah, nothing much. Just thinking……”
His tone was flat. “—Damn, this guy’s small-time.”
“……What……?”
“(Shion……!?)”
Lloyd’s temple twitched violently, while Alphonse paled in shock—but Shion didn’t even blink.
“No point in sneaking behind someone or popping back in front of them if you’re just gonna smirk like an idiot the whole time. What, you think that’s fast? That snail’s pace? Must be exhausting for Alphonse here to pretend he can’t react just to stroke your ego.”
Shion’s eyes never left Lloyd’s as he spoke.
“……Did I mishear you? Say that again, you C-rank……!?”
Lloyd’s voice was a low, dangerous growl.
“You’re a joke. You really think Alphonse couldn’t see through moves that sluggish?”
That was the final straw.
“You dare call me—sluggish……!?”
“You like repeating yourself, huh? With moves that slow, you couldn’t keep up with me, let alone Alphonse.”
“……!!”
“(Shion……!!)”
Lloyd’s head dipped, shadowing his expression.
“……Hey, C-rank.”
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.PAGES.DEV
After a moment, Lloyd raised his head.
“You do realize you can’t take back those words…… right?”
Lloyd’s eyes, glaring at Shion, were fiercely bloodshot.
“A nobody like you daring to talk like that—I can’t let it slide……!?”
Even with Lloyd’s roar right in his face, Shion’s expression didn’t change.
“……!! You insignificant little—!! Fine!! I’ll show you—”
“—Stop it, Lloyd!!”
Alphonse shouted as Lloyd raised his fist.
“Alphonse!! Stay out of this!!”
“Wait!! I’m stopping you for your sake!”
“What?”
Lloyd turned his glare to Alphonse.
“This is Crawford Magic Academy. You and I are students from different schools. And yours is a strict knight academy, right? If you start a brawl here, the consequences won’t be light.”
“……Tch.”
Lloyd’s fist trembled mid-air—but after a tense pause, he clicked his tongue and lowered it.
“Annoying as hell to hear it from you…… But fine. I can’t afford to be reckless right now.”
With visible frustration, he finally stepped back.
“Hey, C-rank. Lucky your friend bailed you out. But don’t get cocky hiding behind others—unless you wanna die.”
Spitting those words at Shion, Lloyd turned on his heel and began walking away.
“Lost my mood. I’m heading out. Later, Alphonse. Looking forward to crushing you in the tournament.”
Without another glance, he strode toward the school gates.
“(……Whew.)”
Watching his back, Alphonse sighed in relief that things had ended peacefully.
However, right after that.
“—Hey, wait.”
Shion’s voice stopped Lloyd in his tracks.
“Sh-Shion……!?”
“……What now?”
Lloyd turned, glaring suspiciously.
“What, C-rank? You got off easy, and now you’re throwing that away—Huh!?”
His words died as his eyes widened.
“You’re supposed to return this at the gate, right?”
In Shion’s hand was the school’s visitor pass.
“You—how did you—!?”
Lloyd frantically checked his pocket—where the pass should have been.
……But it was gone.
“When did you—!? Where—!?”
His head snapped up—only to find Shion no longer standing in front of him.
“Looking the wrong way.”
“……!!”
The voice came from directly behind Lloyd.
He whirled around—but again, no one was there.
“Over here.”
This time, the voice came from in front of him.
“Damn it……!!”
Lloyd spun back—and there stood Shion, right where he had been originally.
“Here. Take it.”
With a faint smirk, Shion held out the pass—then lightly tapped it against Lloyd’s cheek.
“Try not to lose your wallet on the way home, slug.”
Tap. Tap. Tap.
“……—~!!”
Lloyd’s face burned crimson, veins bulging as his fist shot toward Shion in a blind rage—
……But, however.
“………!? ”
The fist that should have clearly hit him cut through empty air with a whoosh!
“Wha—!?”
“Told you. —Your slow-ass moves can’t touch even a C-rank like me.”
“You…… little……!!”
Trembling with fury, Lloyd roared—
“Don’t blame me when you die……!! —Dragon Speed Release: Drag-Accel!!”
Activating his acceleration magic, Lloyd unleashed a flurry of punches and kicks—each faster than the eye could follow.
……Yet none of them landed.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Only the sound of air being sliced echoed violently.
“Th-That speed……!!”
To Alphonse, watching from the sidelines, their movements were nothing but blurs—just the relentless sound of wind being torn apart.
With every missed strike, Lloyd’s frustration grew.
Meanwhile, Shion dodged effortlessly, his expression unchanging—until he casually spoke up.
“Hey. Check your breast pocket.”
“Huh!?”
Snarling, Lloyd glanced down— And froze.
“How……!? When did you—!?”
The visitor pass was tucked neatly inside.
Somehow, mid-combo, Shion had slipped it back in—without Lloyd even noticing.
“(This guy……!! Is he saying he could’ve ended this anytime……!?)”
Lloyd’s teeth ground together audibly.
“Don’t you dare underestimate—…!! —Dragon Speed Release: Drag-Accel—Second Gear!!”
With even more magical energy poured into his movements, Lloyd accelerated yet again.
The acceleration magic Lloyd used came at a heavy cost—exponentially increasing mana consumption and physical strain.
But—
Visit the request page If there’s a Japanese Light Novel (LN) or Web Novel (WN) you’d like me to translate
When the donation goal progress bar above hit 100% one novel will be chosen for translation
| Table of Contents | Next* |
Support the Author by Buying the Original Books!
