Translator: Haruto.

I activate Strengthening at full power even though I know my mana pool isn’t that large. Bea’s got much more mana than me, but that’s exactly why I decided to go all out right from the beginning and prevent the fight from dragging out. However, ending the battle early is quite a tall order when you’re dealing with an opponent like Bea.

“Phew…” Bea breathes a small sigh and counters my attack with one of her own. 

Her movements are incredibly agile and precise despite her advanced age. I dodge her sword somehow and look for an opening but I’m unable to find one. All I can foresee are outcomes in which she parries my every move.

“Why aren’t you coming at me, Alize?! Are you still that same little brat you were back then?!”

Bea used to train me when I was young and we even had countless mock battles, but I was never able to land a single hit on her. Dodging her attacks was all I managed to do.

“I… I’ll show you how much I’ve grown!”

I increase the amount of mana flowing through my legs and break into a sprint. It takes me a second to appear behind her. This is the maximum speed I can reach at the moment. From her point of view, I must have disappeared out of nowhere.   

But—

My sword crashes against hers. Bea was able to parry my attack without breaking a sweat. She spun in the air and used the momentum to stop my sword in its tracks.

“Urk…!”

“Ha! I can read you like a book, Alize!”

The people watching our match begin to voice their impressions.  

“Damn… He’s freaking fast!”

“Yeah, but did you see how Beatrix-sama stopped his attack?!”

“They’re in a whole other league!”

Everything they say just goes in one ear and out the other, though. My mind is completely focused on monitoring Bea’s movements.

Our swords clash again and again, sending sparks in the air.

I augment the mana in my arms to strengthen each attack, but she keeps countering all of them.

Seeing no progress, I decide to take some distance.

“Alright, I must admit you’ve grown, but you still have a long way to go, Alize.”

“Urk… I can’t believe you’re still this strong, Bea.” I catch my breath as we talk.    

It’s obvious to me that I’ll never win if I just keep throwing regular attacks at her. I have to forcefully create an opening.

Having decided my course of action, I take a deep breath, increase the mana in my legs, and break into a run once more.  

“Haahh!”

“Ha! Too easy!” Bea attempts to parry my attack, but I tilt the blade of my sword slightly so that hers slides right past it.

She loses her balance for an instant—only an instant, but that’s all I need.  

“Aaaaahhhh!!”

I swing my sword upwards and hit Bea’s sword. More and more sparks go flying.

“Wha—?!” An expression of surprise appears on her face for the first time.

As expected of a legendary S-rank adventurer, however, she still attempts to counter my attack despite being taken by surprise and her awkward position.

“But… it’s my wiiiiiiin!!!” I shout as my sword strikes Bea’s armor.  

She’s sent flying in the air with a loud clank. She smashes against the arena wall and gets temporarily buried in debris.

One beat later, a bell rings out signaling my victory.

“Uwoooooo!! Amazing! He beat Beatrix-sama!!”  

“That’s the master of the Great Heroes for ya! He’s too freaking strong!”

“That was insane! I still can’t believe what happened!”

Having relaxed a little, I finally take notice of the audience’s reactions. They’re all cheering excitedly with no signs of stopping soon.

“…You’ve beaten me,” Bea says.  

“I’m not sure I’d be able to do it a second time.”

Hearing that, Bea lets out a chuckle. “Well, it’s true that no fight has ever the same exact outcome… You’ve really become a great man, Alize.”

With just those few words, it feels as though she’s acknowledging everything I’ve gone through and everything I’ve felt until now. Tears begin to well up in my eyes. I look up into the sky trying to rein them in, but failing to do so, I have to wipe them off with my sleeve.

“Thank you for raising me, Bea.”

Her eyes water as she draws close to me. She pats my head and says, “Come on, you’re an adult now. You shouldn’t cry over stuff like this.”

“…I’m not crying.”

As a child, I used to tell her the same thing whenever she scolded me or whenever I was afraid of a monster. I suppose I haven’t changed as much as I thought.

Bea takes me into her arms as she says, “…Right, I’d forgotten I’m the only one allowed to see you cry… Come here. Now you can shed a tear or two if you want.”

That’s also something she used to tell me often when I was little. I rest my head on her chest, and let the tears flow.

***

“Here’s your S-rank adventurer card,” the receptionist says.

Having passed the exam, I’ve now become a bona fide S-rank adventurer. Lulune and Mia are also beside themselves with joy.  

“You did it, Alize-san!” Lulune exclaims.

“You’re an S-rank adventurer just like us! I knew you could do it!” Mia praises me.

I scratch my head awkwardly in response to the affectionate looks they’re throwing at me. I’m still somewhat embarrassed about what happened earlier.

“Hehe, by the way, I can’t get over how cute you looked back there, Alize-san!” Mia says.

I instantly grab my head and scream in embarrassment.

Lulune reprimands Mia by hitting her on the head lightly, but she also has a soft smile on her face as she delivers the coup de grâce.  “Mia, you shouldn’t say that kind of thing in front of him… even if it’s absolutely true.”

I try to pick up the pieces of my broken pride, but then the doors of the Guild are swung open and a young girl steps in.

“Alize-sama! Lulune-sama! Mia-sama!! My name is Christina Nysalis and I’m the first princess of this country! I have come to invite you to my birthday party!”

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