[Rakudai Kishi no Eiyuutan]

It was the last third of July. The rainy season had ended, and now was the season of soaring white cloud columns. The school period of rushing through selection battles was over, and Hagun Academy had entered the summer break. Some students went on vacation, and many went back home, so there were few people left at school.

Were the only ones left those who wanted a carefree summer holiday in Tokyo? Were they those who wanted to train themselves with the academy's ample facilities? Or maybe, they just couldn't go home because of troubles waiting there.

…However, Ikki Kurogane was surprisingly not among them. Similarly, his friends and his sister were also not there. Why was that?

It was because the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival was drawing close. The Sword-Art Festival opened in the middle of August. And for any sports tournament, attending a training camp was the usual thing to do. Hagun held a training camp each year, of course. That would be ten days of focused training at a training lodge in Okutama. Professional mage-knight lecturers who've participated in the King of Knights league had been called to this, so not attending would lead to a huge difference in growth, come the day of the Festival. Ikki and the others not being at school was because they were participating in the training camp as the representative team, or as assistants.

―However, the place was not Okutama. That was due to the Okutama Giant uproar, mentioned previously. That matter remained unresolved in the end. Afterwards, there were no reports of the stone giant that had attack Ikki's group appearing again, but of course none could say they were satisfied with the security.

Therefore, Board Chairman Shinguuji made an earnest request to Kyomon Academy for permission to hold a combined training camp with Kyomon's representatives at their own lodge in the mountains.

...

The Crimson Princess, Stella Vermillion.

A girl who came from a faraway land to the country of samurai for the sake of strengthening herself, she was now in the middle of a fight she requested, here in the mountains after arriving from Tokyo.

In the mock battle arena at the Kyomon training camp, crimson flame and golden lightning were clashing furiously, creating great sparks.

The one clad in a crimson blaze and wielding a gigantic sword was Stella. Power and speed―hers was high-performance motion with what could be called the greatest strength, and overwhelming magical power.

The knight named Stella Vermillion could not generally be said to have any weaknesses. She had remarkably high offensive ability, but her true essence was the height of her overall power. In offense, defense, and speed, she was equipped with a balance of exceedingly high qualities in every possible ability and talent. That was why she was an A-rank knight―

However, there was someone in front of her eyes right now, an enemy exchanging sword blows with her, enduring her fierce attacks head on. At this moment, that enemy could do so with a skill that was worthy of being her opponent.

A regular person would surely have his body destroyed opposing Stella's great physical strength directly. Instead, this opponent had flexible defense that dispersed the power of her descending sword, and a defense that certainly did not only guard, but held alacrity gave back immediate counterattacks.

This was the kind of opponent Stella was facing, but it was not unexpected. Why? Because the one serving as Stella's opponent, participating as a volunteer coach along with the rest of the student council, was none other than Hagun's student knight―Touka Toudou, the "Raikiri".

"Shh―!"

In the middle of that sword fight, Touka displayed her technique. In the instant that the two sent sparks from their steel, she used the impact of her parry to angle for Stella's wrist. In a movement reminiscent of Aikido, Stella's body leaned over greatly. The shock was evaded, and the sword blade glided past.

"Kuh!"

Naturally, Stella was also a top-grade knight. Though her blade was pulled in, her balance did not break. Her well-trained lower body held Stella firmly to the earth.

However, the move certainly created a gap between them. That gap―Raikiri didn't overlook it.

Immediately, Touka returned her Device, Narukami, to her black scabbard, and she took a wide stance, pouring lightning energy into her scabbard.

In that moment, a shudder ran through Stella's spine. What attack would shoot from that posture? She knew.

The Noble Art―Raikiri.

Touka's trump card that destroyed the enemy with the unsheathing. Although it had suffered one loss, Raikiri could boast of overwhelming power in close range.

Although she was called the Crimson Princess, Stella had no technique that could be used against Raikiri. If might and range counted, she could win grandly with Katharterio Salamandra, but with speed as the main determinant, she would lose.

So when Touka took the stance for Raikiri, Stella could only fall. But…

'This is what I was waiting for!'

Not succumbing to the shudder that raced through her spine, Stella kicked against the ground to dash out of close range.

Indeed, having fought up to now in a close-ranged sword clash, it could only have led to Raikiri being used. Raikiri was a sword draw that emitted intense electrical energy through imbuing electromagnetic force into the sword blade. The explosive propulsion brought forth by intense electrical energy was something Touka herself could not stop. It was a technique that could not cancel the unsheathing once started. For that reason, Stella had purposely put herself into Touka's range, and then retreated back out of that range once Touka took the stance for her trump card, inviting Touka to strike at nothing.

…But…

The trump card did not come out. Touka stood still in her sword-drawing position, and stared silently at Stella who had escaped. At the discernment which saw through her smallest motions, Stella leaked a sigh of admiration from the bottom of her heart.

'After all, such a simple plan wouldn't go through like I want, right?'

Tricking the user to spend her trump card uselessly? Anyone could've thought up a tactic on this level. It was a typical countermeasure against Raikiri. Of course Touka had faced countless opponents who used that tactic. There was no way she'd fall for such a simple lure.

―In that case.

'I should use a plan that only I can use, right!?'

Boom! Stella kicked the ground a second time, taking another huge step backwards. She took a distance of more than ten meters away from Touka. It was beyond the range a sword or a spear could reach. Long distance―it was the range for only bows or guns, or magic.

Yes. Stella was not a knight whose forte was only in close combat. At this long distance, Stella was still in her element. Because she was, among these currently recognized knights, the one who boasted of the greatest magic capacity.

At long range magic combat, those who held high magic capacity held an overwhelming advantage. Though Touka also had a technique for fighting at long distance, Stella's ability in magic combat exceeded hers noticeably.

Because of that, Touka dashed forward hurriedly to close the distance. However, that decision was slightly slow.

"Haaaa!"

Stepping outside Touka's range, Stella poured more power into the Dragon Breath surrounding her Device, Lævateinn. Devouring that magic, her sword's fiery aura grew in light and heat. As the flames covered the point of her sword, Stella faced Touka who was charging from the front.

"Take this! Dragon Fang!"

It became an attack.

Lævateinn―the flame that surged from the point of her sword in a flash took the shape of a living creature.

It was―a dragon. A dragon with a long, serpentine body. That fiery dragon opened a jaw full of teeth and struck down upon Touka.

Touka managed to just barely sidestep that burning dragon's jaw. Instantly, the dragon twisted around to bare its teeth against Touka again.

Lævateinn was no ordinary fiery weapon. With fangs that burned through everything, for the sake of taking a bite of the enemy, it was an attack that would follow its target to the ends of the earth. Shaking it off was impossible. Touka didn't have a single means to counter it.

An average Blazer had no chance against Lævateinn. The magic that came from Stella's overwhelming capacity all carried enough power to deliver certain death. If a challenger started a fight with an inadequate offensive, he'd find himself beaten at his own game. So Touka...

"...Raikiri."

At the approaching fire dragon, she responded with the strongest and fastest attack she had.

...She had nothing else to offer. And that was what Stella was aiming for.

'I have you!'

The slash of plasma collided with the Dragon's head. In that instant, Stella dashed forward with all her strength, and drew near Touka with a burst of speed.

Touka had fallen into Stella's trap, and used Raikiri. Right now, she was unable to interrupt her technique―which mean she was completely defenseless. This was the moment when the fight would be decided.

For a breathless instant, Stella crossed the distance with explosive force, and gave a knockout blow. It was a vertical downward slash. Right now, Touka who had just used up her killer technique wasn't able to do anything...

"Eh…?"

Shouldn't be able to do anything. Stella's attack should definitely have hit.

But in that moment, Touka showed a movement that Stella didn't anticipate.

She had certainly recovered from Raikiri―but… her recovered stance had not stopped the technique.

She used Raikiri's momentum to turn her body, and attack twice...!?

A devastating propulsion born of a sword draw based on extreme electromagnetic force. It was a second attack using high speed rotation.

Yes, Touka had completely seen through the tactic Stella was going to use. So Touka had―purposely used Raikiri, in order to induce Stella to jump in by making herself look defenseless.

And that scheme had worked flawlessly. Stella's abdomen, where Touka had aimed at for the second blow, had been mowed down by Raikiri...

"Ah…guh…"

Illusionary form―against a sword that cut through endurance directly without injuring the flesh, Stella fell to her knees.

And in the next instant, Narumaki fell precisely on the back of Stella's neck. It was the moment that decided the battle.

"…I didn't hear about you having that kind of counter-move."

"It's because this is the first time I've used it in combat. Attacking the enemy's weaknesses is fundamentally correct, but now that you're at the same level as the best in the nation, your opponents will take advantage of your own weaknesses without remorse too. To win against opponents of this class, it's critical not to let yourself be read like that."

To the junior who was looking up at her, Touka explained the reason for this defeat.

"You're not quite there yet, Stella-san."

And she gave a very composed smile.

Facing that, Stella couldn't help but feel frustrated.

"Uuu…"

She uttered a moan that sounded quite regretful.

...

"Oh my, the Crimson Princess lost?"

"Yeah, no way."

Two girls watching the confrontation from a distance both sighed. On their arms were yellow bands proclaiming them to be newspaper club members; they were the newspaper club of Bunkyoku, who had come to the training camp to cover the news there. The Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival training camp was an opportunity to collect information on other schools' teams that didn't happen often. It was a vital event for newspaper clubs of all the schools, so the two from Bunkyoku had come from faraway Kyushu to write an article about the rumored princess knight, Stella Vermillion, but―

"It's a little bit disappointing!"

"Raikiri won so easily! Even though I got hyped about it."

"So in reality, she's weak! That means there's no story here after all."

―they wanted to write news about Stella that would be noteworthy, but her loss would mar the dramatic impact. Bunkyoku's newspaper club was suffering a letdown.

At their mutterings… Kagami Kusakabe, who was wearing a similar newspaper club armband and had heard them from where she was standing slightly distant, murmured in amazement.

"Sheesh, where were those Bunkyoku people looking?"

"I know, right? Being drawn here by the results they themselves wanted, they're clouding their own eyes to actual reality. They're not worthy of being called reporters."

The one who spoke was Nagi Arisuin, who had watched the mock battle between Raikiri and the Crimson Princess from his place standing next to Kagami. The two of them knew what was going on, because they had watched many of Stella's fights. They knew the outcome of this fight was not a sign of Stella being weak like Bunkyoku's observers had said.

However―among other different schools, there were also people with discerning eyes there. This referred to the boy and girl who were watching the fight a bit far from where Kagami and Arisuin were standing.

"Whoa―what an amazing fight! You could totally charge money for it!"

"Hagun's participants are all excellent this year. Isn't that right, Kusakabe?"

Kagami smiled at the two people who spoke while approaching.

"Yagokoro-san and Komiyama-san, you were watching too?"

"Of course. If there's a mock battle between Raikiri and the Crimson Princess, any reporter would catch wind of it."

"Entirely so."

After greeting the two, Kagami's shoulder was poked by Arisuin who was standing aloof behind her.

Kagami turned her head to ask why, but Arisuin inquired first.

"Kagamin, who might these two be?"

Being asked so, Kagami realized that this was the first time Arisuin had met the two.

"Ah, I should introduce you, huh? This girl is Yagokoro-san of Bukyoku Academy's newspaper club, and this boy is Komiyama-san of Donrou Academy's newspaper club."

"Pleased to meet you, Arisuin-san."

"Pleased to meetcha."

"I see, they're both people in the same business as you."

"That's how it is. We're wearing the same armbands, after all."

Certainly. Arisuin nodded in agreement. Yagokoro approached him after the straightforward greeting.

"Well, there were a lot of rumors, but meeting you in person, you really are a lady-killer, huh? You can seduce just with that face, right?"

"Yagokoro, that's rude."

To Yagokoro who said such a thing while staring fixedly at Arisuin's face, Komiyama who was standing next to her poked her with an elbow.

But Arisuin wasn't very bothered. He smiled.

"Ahaha. I'm fine with it. Both flowers and women should be loved."

"W-Women…?"

At the words Arisuin spoke, Komiyama started shaking as if he could not wholly understand their meaning.

"Oh, Alice-chan is that kind of person. Don't worry about it, Komiyama-san."

"I-I'll leave that alone then…."

"What, Komiyan didn't know that Nagi-san is like that? Your data collection has been shallow, huh?"

"Kuh. I didn't comprehend how far his fetish went…."

Kagami thought those words were very much like Komiyama. Even as reporters, there was something called preference. Yagokoro and Kagami preferred to write news articles that mixed facts about the contenders with their human sides. In contrast, Komiyama was the more objective type who nails down the facts of the news while staying away from dramatization, similar to a government broadcast. That kind of reporter probably wouldn't check up on things like sexual inclination.

"But Nagi-san, since you're a representative contender, is it okay for you to watch other people fight so casually?"

"I had a bit of luck, so I made it this far. Originally, I didn't have any interest in the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival, you know? Although it's a bit unfair to the people who lost to me. Anyway, I only came to this training camp to chaperone my roommate. That's why I'm taking it easy."

"Luck, huh? I don't think anyone can win twenty consecutive fights by luck, though."

"But since I've won, there's nothing we can do about it, right?"

"Well, people who get into the game come in all sorts, I guess. It's probably good that there's this kind of contender too."

"Oh my, you're the open-minded type of man, are you?"

"P-Please forgive me for what I said before…."

At Arisuin's chaming gaze, Komiyama paled and retreated.

While watching that strange scene, Kagami suddenly asked the two something that was on her mind.

"By the way, Yagokoro-san and Komiyama-san. What did you think of the fight just now?"

"The contest between Raikiri and the Crimson Princess?"

"Yes."

"Oh, right. To put it simply―it's at an outrageously high level."

"Which one?"

"What do you mean? Both, of course."

At that response, Kagami giggled. These two understood after all. Yes, Yagokoro and Komiyama had correctly seen through the reason Stella lost that mock battle.

"The Crimson Princess had power exactly like her rumors said. There's nothing to object about that. The offensive ability to fight blow for blow, explosive power… each and every one of her traits is perfectly first-class. A first-year student like that only comes once a decade. So in that match, the reason for her defeat wasn't because of some weakness. The Crimson Princess isn't weak―rather, Raikiri is just bizarrely strong."

"I think so too. Komiyan and I are both third-years, so we took data on Raikiri last year, but the beauty and power of her technique can't even be compared to last year's.

"Perhaps in the last year, she's been polishing her technique for the sake of beating the Seven Stars Sword King. But that's why it's still unbelievable. Even though she's this strong, Raikiri is participating in this training camp not as a representative, but as a volunteer coach. And her place as a representative was snatched away not by the A-rank knight, but an F-rank one."

Saying so, Komiyama turned his gaze to the edge of the training arena.

And there―was the man who had defeated Raikiri and stolen her place as representative. The Worst One, Ikki Kurogane.

As an F-rank knight, despite having the lowest power, he was the man who had mowed through those above him until he reached the position of representative student at the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival.

"Incidentally, what's he doing all the way at the side like that?"

"He's going to have a mock battle, I guess? Since he has Intetsu materialized."

"The ones near him are the Hagure sisters, who are representatives like me."

"A mock battle… against both of them?"

"For Senpai, something like that's no big deal."

Kagami's guess was indeed correct. Right in front of the four of them, there and then, Ikki was having a one-versus-two mock battle against the third-year twin sisters Kikyou Hagure and Botan Hagure, who he had invited.

「You're miiiiine!」

Kikyou Hagure, who had materialized a spear-shaped Device, used an instant-acceleration Noble Art and attacked with a supersonic charge. But Ikki, with absurd speed against the thrusting spear, showed no panic at that state of affairs.

「Hup.」

...Stamping on the approaching spearhead, he sent it stabbing into the ground.

「Whoooaaaaah!?」

Kikyou whose spear had been jammed into the ground flipped upward as if pole-vaulting, her own momentum sending her into the air.

And when she flew over Ikki…

「Eh?」

She crashed into her sister Botan, who had been aiming at Ikki's back with a handgun Device and was about to pull the trigger.

「Eek!」

「Noooo!」

And the two were sent rolling across the sandy surface of the ground. Worried, Ikki called and chased after them.

「Are you two alright?」

「Ow ow ow… yeah. I'm fine. How about you, Botan-chan?」

「Uuu… I think I skinned my knee.」

「Shizuku.」

「Yes, leave it to me, Onii-sama.」

At Ikki's voice, Shizuku who was waiting at the side patched up Botan's skinned knee with healing magic. And at the same time, Ikki spoke to the Hagure sisters.

「Kikyou-senpai, you use speed, but there's not much advantage in doing so when you're wielding a spear against me, who has less reach. Doing so relinquished your own reach advantage. I think you should consider offensive tactics a little more. Also, entering your own ally Botan-senpai's line of fire is―」

He pointed out the problems in the fight just now, saying what Arisuin, who watched the situation from a distance, was thinking.

"This mock battle, it feels like Ikki is training the two of them."

Because the mock battle had been far too one-sided. Well in reality, this mock battle had been training that the Hagure sisters had asked Ikki for from the beginning, so Arisuin's discernment was correct.

"…Training, huh? At any rate, he was overwhelming. The Worst One isn't just good at waving a sword."

"Kagami-chan, are those Hagure sisters weak?"

At Yagokoro's question, Kagami shook her head in disagreement.

"No way. Certainly you could say that the Hagure sisters were lucky they didn't have to face superior fighters like Senpai or Stella-chan, but there's no way they're weak. Both of them took down the members of the academy's top ten ranking who were stronger than them, and they're knights who scored twenty undefeated matches. If they were compared to Raikiri or Runner's High, I think they would lose out, but they definitely have real ability."

"We've really been treating them like children, huh? They're a bigger deal than expected."

"At any rate, they're really calm about it. Training steadily at the precious training camp."

"Senpai likes to poke his nose into other people's business, so it's kind of refreshing, right?"

"Besides, in three days Ikki took down all the coaches that Kyomon brought, you know?"

The words Arisuin had uttered were true. It was the fourth day of the training camp, but Ikki had already defeated in mock battles every one of the professional coaches that Kyomon had hired.

That was why he had no opponents to do mock battles with. Even Raikiri who was the strongest coach in the training camp right now had already been defeated by Ikki in a real match.

"Well, I suppose in this situation where the honor of the sponsor, Kyomon, has been affected, they're calling for a special coach for the Worst One, huh?"

"I wonder who will come? Chairman Shinguuji and Saikyou-sensei would probably rush over here, but since it's both time for Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival preparations and the KOK championship match, it's probably impossible for the two of them to come from Osaka. On the other hand, the coaches who've been beaten are all ranking members of the Japanese national league, so there's no point to calling up ordinary knights."

"If they summoned people of that class, it would be an unusual instance where the opponents wouldn't be fit for the participants' level, right?"

"Yeah, really. Hagun is amazing this year. Everyone in Bukyoku is in danger too."

Yagokoro praised Hagun's representatives in a lamenting voice. But in response, Kagami gave a wry laugh of disagreement.

"Once again, you're playing around, pretending like you're already going to lose. Miss Bukyoku, don't you have some unreasonable people entering the Festival?"

Bukyoku was prestigious even among the prestigious schools, having monopolized the winner's podium for multiple years in a row. The strength of the team that included the current Seven Stars Sword King, representative Yuudai Moroboshi, was renowned not only in Japan but also overseas.

However―leaving aside that one member of the renowned representative team, there was a man who had announced himself as a Bukyoku representative suddenly by submitting his entry at the last minute. That man was the only A-rank knight among Japan's students, who held the nickname "Sword Emperor of Wind", Ouma Kurogane.

"That A-rank knight entered the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival as a third-year even though he didn't participate during his first or second year. Bukyoku's representatives were really surprised at seeing this for the first time."

"I was surprised too. I also thought that man would definitely not participate this year either. I guess his entry is Bukyoku trying to put as much power as possible into the tournament?"

The Crimson Princess, an A-rank knight, had come from a foreign country.

The Worst One had defeated Raikiri with one slash.

From other academies as well, this year had an abnormal ratio of unknown first-years.

Before the competition had even started, it seemed to already be in an uproar. It looked like there was no choice but to field Ouma, who was an even higher class of knight than Moroboshi, the Seven Stars Sword King. Wasn't that the reason the entry was made? This was what Komiyama and Kagami conjectured.

But Yagokoro shook her head.

"No, no. The Sword Emperor of Wind isn't the type to listen to the school, you know? To begin with, he doesn't come to school, so who would know how to contact him? Entering was the decision of the Sword Emperor of Wind himself. Because of that, we were also completely surprised."

"Then it wasn't at the academy's direction?"

"Nope."

"Is that how it is? Well, even if it was his own decision, it was probably what the academy wanted too."

"That's likely. So they hurriedly arranged a selection battle with the sixth-ranked Shibata-kun, to see who would be the representative."

"And Ouma-san won that?"

"I honestly can't call it a match. If we say the opponent was a bad fit, we can leave it at that."

Yagokoro's face was colored in grief as she answered. Shibata had probably suffered a cruel defeat. However―

"It may have been bad for Shibata-san, but the whimsy of the Sword Emperor of Wind is good news for us news clubs, right?"

"Entirely. To honor that, we'll give extravagant space to the story."

"There are a lot of voices on the Net who're looking forward to a confrontation between the Crimson Princess and the Sword Emperor of Wind."

"That's understandable. Anyone would want to see a match from the A-rank student brought up by World Clock and the Yaksha Princess.

A legendary fight between those two had already become a hot topic. That fight was strangely being billed as a confrontation between Hagun and Bukyoku, east versus west Japan, and was already rousing the public mind.

"…Well, it's a shameful story for us Donrou who are also in Tokyo."

"But I'm also interested in the matter of the Worst One's rematch with Sword Eater, you know?"

"Honestly, that's my only saving grace. We're also putting our expectations on him this year. His behavior is problematic, but the Sword Eater's close-ranged combat sense is top notch. …But based on that, this year's competition is focused on… the Worst One, after all."

Though he had anticipation for how his fellow schoolmate Sword Eater would perform, Komiyama's reporter senses told him that the dark horse of the competition this year wasn't Sword Eater but Ikki, and he said so.

"With the rumors of a private relationship after his confrontation with the Crimson Princess, and distinguishing himself more and more on the center stage with his victory over Raikiri, one wonders what other national champions this famous F-rank will cut through. …Those kinds of thoughts, anyone might indulge in similar ideas. Off the record, it seems there's a lot of people who want to put together a special report on the Worst One before the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival begins."

"The younger brother of the Sword Emperor of Wind, who defeated the Crimson Princess and laid low Raikiri with one slash…. Well, that might be natural treatment."

Yagokoro agreed.

Near her, Kagami smiled secretly. She was happy for the person she had recognized, who she had always been following around and observing. It was confirmation that she had a good eye, but more than that, she knew the circumstances of the knight called Ikki Kurogane who had surmounted all kinds of obstacles to reach this point, so it made her extra happy.

Well, it's not good to push other team members aside."

But Kagami decided it couldn't be helped, given her connection to Ikki.

After all, there's no girl who wouldn't cheer for a boy that sincere and earnest."

So it couldn't be helped. Yeah.

"Hmm?"

Suddenly, when she returned her gaze to Ikki, Kagami saw someone at the edge of her peripheral vision. It was an ash-blonde young lady, who was watching Ikki from the sidelines like they were.

"Hey, isn't that Kyomon's 'Icy Laughter'?"

"It's true. Did she come to scout out the Worst One?"

"I'm off."

"I'll definitely get her comments―wow, Komiyama-san is already gone!"

"Wait for me, Komiyan! I won't forgive you if you monopolize this! Nagi-san, I'll come back to interview you, hey!"

After getting Arisuin's agreement to a shrewd stopgap promise, Yagokoro ran chasing after Komiyama.

But Kagami didn't follow them just yet. She stayed with her companion, Arisuin. After all, it would be bad to leave him behind like that, so Kagami asked Arisuin.

"Alice-chan! I have to go too, so will you wait for me here!?"

But Arisuin didn't answer immediately. He was looking downward with a thoughtful expression, as if his thoughts were somewhere else.

"…Alice-chan?"

"Eh? Ah, sorry Kagamin. I was lost in thought for a moment there. What was it you said?"

To Arisuin who had responded after the second time, Kagami relayed the matter of interviewing Icy Laughter again. Arisuin quickly returned an unconcerned smile.

"Of course it's fine, Kagamin. Good luck with the interview. I'll be here."

"…Yeah. See you later, then!"

Saying that, Kagami ran after the two who had already left.

As she did so, she thought of what Arisuin had been concerned about. Why had he been lost in thought? It had already been several months since they met, but this kind of thing had never happened before. Arisuin failing to listen to what another person was saying? Not even once.

Could it be, Alice-chan is nervous right before the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival too?

If not that, then the topic they were discussing before Arisuin had gone quiet―the talk about Ouma Kurogane, maybe he was concerned about something there?

But after pondering it a little, Kagami thought―

Well, everyone has a blank moment here and there.

In any case, she had to seize the chance to interview Icy Laughter. Kagami immediately put her doubt out of her mind. Fortunately, Komiyama's interview had only just started by the time Kagami caught up.

"Hello! I'm Komiyama from Donrou's newspaper club. Mikoto 'Icy Laughter' Tsuruya-san, after seeing the mock battle just now, what do you think of Ikki Kurogane, the Worst One―I mean, the Crownless Sword King? He has surpassed the nation's best eight, like yourself, right?"

A sudden interview. But a member of the media would probably be used to confronting even someone as important as Tsuruya. In this not very surprising situation, she didn't make an unpleasant face either.

"Hmph. You shouldn't be so hasty, Mr. Reporter."

With a well-rehearsed expression, she gave a slightly meaningful smile.

"What are my thoughts on him? There's no point in me talking about it, I think. For us knights, only the outcomes of battles matter. And the stage of battle is already in place―whether he surpasses us or not, it will become clear soon enough. In that way, cruel as it may be, it will be expressed more clearly than with words."

Announcing this, Tsuruya let slip a small gap between her lips. That smile, colder than anything, left the three interviewers shaking with chills racing through their spines.

"Haha. Well, excuse me―"

Stating her intentions to the three who had become frozen in horror at her smile, Tsuruya turned toward the exit of the practice arena. Her simple answer made it very apparent to the three reporters, but her dignified departing back also left not the tiniest doubt in her confidence and strength.

"That's the dignity you'd expect of the best eight, huh?"

"What an impressive presence. I thought I was frozen a little."

Yagokoro and Komiyama let out voices of admiration. Kagami had the same feelings, but her faith in Ikki was greater. Because Ikki had brought down Sword Eater who was also one of the best eight, and even Raikiri who was one of the best four.

Because of that, there's no need to lose my composure.

But still―

The nation's best eight weren't a bunch of people as easy as Kagami thought. Tsuruya, who had left the practice arena, had spoken to a fellow representative schoolmate on her way out.

"Ah, Mikocchan. What did you think of Hagun this year? If it's you, I think you can win without trouble."

She responded with a smile that embodied the name Icy Laughter.

"Absolutely impossible."

It was a clear declaration. Yes, Icy Laughter Mikoto Tsuruya was much stronger than Kagami and the others thought. And so, she could measure the strength and capability of herself and others accurately. For that reason, far away from the three in the arena, the true self of Icy Laughter could be perceived.

She knew she could not win against the Worst One.

"I mean, he was even surrounded by three professional knights, you know? It's impossible for me."

Speaking with a lamenting voice, Tsuruya leaned against a nearby wall. In her ears, she could hear the hustle and bustle of the practice arena.

「Hey, isn't that Torajirou Nangou!?」

「The coach they brought in for the Worst One is the God of War! That's way too extravagant!」

"Impossible…"

Slumping against the wall, Tsuruya slid down to the ground. She only wished for one thing.

"Ahh, why can't I avoid fighting against that gang of monsters…!?"

―In this way, the heretical existence known as the Worst One had become well-known.

Yuudai Moroboshi, the Seven Stars Sword King.

A-rank knight Stella Vermillion, the Crimson Princess.

Fellow A-rank night Ouma Kurogane, the Sword Emperor of Wind.

Listing the favorites for the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival championship, these were the ones who had made their names.

How far can he progress fighting against this bunch of warriors? How much of an uproar can a crownless F-rank knight create?

Team members and spectators, everyone had started looking forward to his efforts.

...

Kyomon's training camp had no schedule. The coaches that were summoned there opened special classes, but whether to participate depended on each representative's preference. This was because each Blazer has his or her own ability. The variety was great, and successful training methods were also highly divergent, so making a grand schedule framework would be inefficient. Therefore the students all decided on their own training programs individually with the help of their friends.

Accordingly, Stella asked Ikki to go running with her before dinner. From the training camp to the shopping center ten kilometers away, it was a round trip of twenty kilometers. For the two of them, it wasn't a distance that could be called much training. If one of them were asked, he or she would call it closer to relaxation.

Stella was running to distract herself from the chagrin of losing to Raikiri before. However―

"Uuu! Ahh! It really bothers me after all~!"

At a bench that the two of them were taking a break on, in a park near the shopping district that was their turning point, Stella stamped her feet in childish frustration.

"You haven't been refreshed from running?"

"I haven't! I haven't at all!"

They had gone at twice their usual pace, and she had washed her face at a water fountain in the park, but Stella's mood hadn't cleared up one bit.

―Honestly speaking, Stella had also felt it vaguely, a hunch that Touka was stronger than she was, from the incident in Okutama or seeing the match with Ikki. But now that this outcome had been forced in front of her eyes, it was vexing.

"I mean, I knew before going to the fight, but that person is really too strong."

"Touka-san's close range is practically at the upper boundary of power, you know. Charging with a frontal attack is a difficult tactic to use."

"But Ikki, didn't you make use of that tactic?"

"…Well, I had no choice. At any other distance, I'd lose."

Her sweetheart smiled humbly, and Stella felt a tinge of envy. Against Raikiri, who she couldn't do anything against, this boy smiling with a mild demeanor had won by breaking through from the front magnificently. Touka and Ikki's one-cut match: that instant exchange had been burned into Stella's eyes. It was splendid, and at the same time frustrating. She still didn't have enough experience to reach him.

"At any rate, for that kind of person to only reach the top four last year, Japan's level is really high."

"Well, there's always the luck of the draw in who you face at a tournament, so I think there might be those even higher than the four that Touka-san is a member of. At the quarterfinals, there are certainly those who forfeit because of grave bodily injuries."

"That's why I don't have an excuse for losing! There are already two people who've beaten Touka-senpai, you and the current Seven Stars Sword King, so I can't be be losing here. My goal is to beat you and everyone else to become the Seven Stars Sword King. Plus―there's an opponent I'm a little worried about."

"An opponent you're worried about?"

"The one who's from Bukyoku Academy, just like the Seven Stars Sword King. Ouma Kurogane."

The moment that name left Stella's mouth, Ikki's expression stiffened noticeably. At that reaction, Stella was convinced.

"Like I thought, he's the same Kurogane as you and Shizuku, right?"

"Yes. He's my older brother."

"I didn't know that you had an older brother. No, in the first place it was also the first time I learned that there was an A-rank knight like me among Japan's students."

"Well you see, for the two years that he entered knight school, no, even the five years as a student in middle school, his situation was almost completely unaccounted for."

"Eh? Did he disappear?"

"No, that's not true at all. It only happened occasionally, but it seems he got in touch, and he was seen in public too. But it seems he would go somewhere for a day or two. And he did not join any competitions for five years. He was champion in the primary school league, and there were many people who took notice of him, but with five years of not showing what kind of talent he had, society lost interest in him. As to what kind of attention he has, I think Shizuku has more at the moment. So it's only natural that you wouldn't know about him, Stella."

"I get it. If he's been absent from public matches for five years, that would only be expected."

But if that was the case―

"I wonder why someone like that would reappear here? Ikki do you happen to know anything about it?"

Stella asked Ikki this, and he shook his head.

"No, I have no idea."

"Even though he's your own brother?"

At those words, Ikki gave a troubled and bitter laugh.

"On top of me being forced out of the family, my brother Ouma had also been forced out as well, so we never had any contact. To me, he's someone even more distant than Father. Because of that, he's someone I truly don't know at all. It's just that, well, if I had to say what impression I have of him, he was an incredibly stoic person."

"Stoic?"

"Being born meant becoming strong… he was that sort of person."

"…Isn't that like you, Ikki?"

To Stella who said what she was thinking, Ikki shook his head again.

"You can't compare me to that. Ouma had no interest in anything besides getting stronger. He had no interest in a younger brother weaker than himself. He had no interest in a younger sister weaker than himself. He had no interest in a father weaker than himself. …He even declared in an interview that his reason for not entering the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival was because 'no opponent there is worthy of me'."

"He's sure has a lot of confidence in himself."

"But he has the strength to match. And for my brother Ouma who cares about nothing except getting stronger to appear at the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival, he surely has no other motive but to become stronger. So―this is only my guess, but I think Ouma's goal is you, Stella. An A-rank student like himself. You're not someone he'll come across in the world often. If I were him, I would definitely be thinking about fighting you."

At those words, Stella also agreed. It would be a lie for her to say that she wasn't interested in a fellow A-rank student. If she could, she would try to have a match with him. The likelihood that her opponent would think the same was high.

"By the way Ikki, from what you've seen, what do you think Ouma's strength is like?"

"It's exactly as he said."

"Like he said?"

"'There's no opponent there worthy of me.'―his true strength matches his boast."

At Ikki's air of tensions as he stated this, Stella felt a chill in her spine. In a word, what Ikki had said was that Ouma Kurogane had a strength where, to say nothing of Raikiri, he could even disregard the current Seven Stars Sword King.

The tension that had spread from Ikki's words, it had him personally remember the pressure of his brother taking part in competition. Just speaking of the past when Ouma was a boy, he was no ordinary person. And if Ikki had to meet such an enemy in competition―

For Stella as well, it was becoming less and less a situation where she could lose to someone of Raikiri's level.

"I've decided. Before this training camp ends, I'll absolutely become stronger than Touka-senpai!"

The training camp had five days remaining. With one mock battle a day, today meant a total of six fights to do. She would win more than she'd lose. In a loud voice, Stella declared her goal. And since Stella was able to give a precise goal, her body throbbed from her conviction. She was already not in the mood for resting in the park. Stella bounced up from the bench, and hurried Ikki.

"Ikki! Let's go back to the training camp quickly! After dinner, we'll do more training―"

But at that moment.