after a short distance had opened between them,
“Ah, w-wait! I actually do have something to ask you!”
Eliza called out, chasing after Shion.
“(This is bad, bad, bad. How can I escape…?)”
Thinking it would be unbearable if she were to say “Let’s duel again”, Shion tried to come up with an excuse to end the interaction with her.
Currently, Eliza Lowred was his top concern.
If Shion were to get involved with her, there were two dangerous possibilities: either he might get beaten up again at some point, or his lack of magical talent might be exposed, ruining the “hiding true abilities” act he had managed to pull off during their recent duel.
Especially the latter was something Shion absolutely wanted to avoid. …However.
“…!”
Although Shion had intended to make excuses to avoid interacting with her as much as possible, when he turned around, he saw that Eliza’s expression was very serious, with a somewhat intense gaze.
“…What is it?”
Sensing her seriousness, Shion responded to Eliza’s call.
“Um… There’s something I want to ask you”
“…If it’s something I can answer”
Shion prompted Eliza to ask her question.
“You told me before, didn’t you? That ‘As long as you don’t give up, you haven’t lost'”
Eliza took a deep breath, as if steeling herself, and asked Shion.
Hearing this, Shion recalled their recent duel and thought, “(Oh right, I did say something like that)”
“…Yeah, I did say that”
“Then, do you think that if one doesn’t give up, they can eventually win against any opponent?”
“Of course”
“…!”
There was not a hint of hesitation in his affirmation to Eliza’s question.
Despite being just a single word, the weight behind it caused Eliza to show a slight sign of agitation.
“T-then, I think you know my abilities, but if I don’t give up…”
There was a brief moment of hesitation, but Eliza continued, having made up her mind.
“Do you think even I could… beat Yufia Queensroad, the strongest in the academy…?”
–Yufia Queensroad.
One of only three S-class magic students in the academy’s history, and the top-ranked student at Crawford Magic Academy despite being only a second-year.
A genius magician acknowledged by everyone, the strongest magic student.
Logically speaking, it would be impossible for Eliza, who was only A-class, to defeat Yufia Queensroad, no matter what miracle might occur.
Surely, every magician in the world would say the same thing.
Eliza herself understood this well.
But truthfully, Eliza had hoped that this boy in front of her would be the only one to answer that she “could win”. She thought that if she heard Shion’s words, she might be able to rally herself again, like during their recent duel.
If it was this boy who had shown such unfathomable persistence, perhaps…
However, the male student in front of her knew Eliza’s abilities.
Being such a capable person himself, he would understand even better than Eliza the difference in power between her and Yufia Queensroad, and how that gap could never be closed no matter how much effort was put in.
Maybe even this boy would say, “That’s impossible even for you.”
The moment she imagined this, Eliza felt her instincts trying to reject hearing that answer. She felt that if she heard those words, she might never be able to recover.
At the same time, Eliza was unconsciously seeking those words. Somewhere in her heart, she wanted to accept the reality that she “could never beat Yufia Queensroad” and give up here.
–As Eliza trembled slightly, Shion immediately responded to her question.
“What are you saying?”
“…!”
His words and expression seemed to say, “Don’t ask such obvious things.”
“I see… Forget what I just–” “Of course you can”
Eliza tried to speak with a trembling voice, but was interrupted by Shion’s words.
“–…Huh?”
“No matter who the opponent is, if you keep fighting until you win, you’ll eventually win. It’s only natural”
He declared confidently.
“Wh-what…?”
“Hm? Did I say something strange?”
Shion looked puzzled at Eliza, who was staring at him with wide eyes.
Shion’s words were undoubtedly his true feelings. Seeing Eliza’s serious eyes, he felt he needed to face her words directly. That’s why he honestly answered with what he thought was obvious. He found it strange that Eliza seemed surprised by this.
“No, it’s not strange, but…”
–That logic is absurd!! There’s no basis for it!! Eliza thought.
However, the face of the boy in front of her was completely serious. It wasn’t that he was trying to make light of the situation; Eliza could tell all too well that he truly believed what he was saying from the bottom of his heart.
After all, it was Eliza herself who had initially hoped for this response. She held back her urge to retort to Shion’s answer.
…She didn’t quite understand, but Eliza felt that this boy would never stop moving forward, no matter what obstacles stood in his way.
Although she might be overestimating him based on just one duel, she somehow felt certain about this.
“Alright… I understand. Thank you for answering.”
“Yeah.”
“Can I ask you one more thing?”
Eliza continued with her questions.
“What is it?”
“If you had a dream, and you knew it was impossible to achieve, would you still keep going?”
“Of course. Just because something is impossible doesn’t mean it’s a reason to give up.”
Shion answered without a moment’s hesitation.
“…I see.”
Eliza responded as if she had expected that answer. She pressed on with another question.
“But don’t you think chasing a dream you know is impossible is foolish, pathetic, and absurd? …Wouldn’t everyone around you just keep mocking you?”
As she said that, Eliza felt her chest tighten, recognizing the similarity to her current situation.
“Pursuing your dreams has nothing to do with what others think.”
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.PAGES.DEV
Shion answered calmly, noticing the pained expression on Eliza’s face.
“If being smart means not dreaming the impossible, then… I’d rather be a fool.”
“—-!!”
Shion looked at Eliza with unwavering eyes.
“No matter how much effort it takes, no matter how much others laugh at you—being a fool who chases dreams is far cooler, in my opinion.”
“…”
Eliza was at a loss for words for a moment.
“…I see. I understand.”
After a few seconds, Eliza simply said those words and turned her back on Shion.
Seeing this, Shion figured their conversation was over and said, “Well then,” before starting to walk away.
But just then—
“Absolutely not…!!”
Eliza’s voice stopped Shion in his tracks.
When Shion turned around, Eliza still had her back to him. But she continued speaking.
“Someday… I will definitely defeat Yufia Queensroad…!!”
Saying that, she turned to face Shion.
“And when I do, I’ll make sure to settle things with you too…!!”
With her eyes and nose slightly reddened, Eliza pointed her finger at Shion. “Remember that!!” she declared.
“…Yeah, I’ll look forward to it.”
“Honestly, that confidence of yours is so irritating…”
With a sigh, Eliza fixed Shion with a more serious gaze.
“Hey, can I ask you just one more thing?”
“What is it?”
“…Who exactly are you?”
“…Isn’t it obvious from this uniform?”
He said with a somewhat smug smile.
“I’m just a C-rank magic student… Well, see you around.”
With that, Shion turned his back to Eliza again, raising one hand in a casual wave as he walked away.
“…Really, he’s such an irritating guy.”
As she watched him leave, a strong determination welled up within Eliza.
…Someday, I will defeat Yufia Queensroad.
No matter how many times I’m beaten, no matter how much stronger she is, no matter how hopeless it seems, I will never give up, never stop moving forward.
—I will never, ever give up.
Once Shion was completely out of sight, Eliza wiped her eyes with her sleeve.
Several weeks after her duel with Shion, Eliza found herself once again in a mock battle during class.
Her opponent was the same as before: Yufia Queensroad.
Although Eliza had been honing her magic skills tirelessly over the past few weeks, the outcome of the match was just as it had been before—a crushing defeat for Eliza.
Just like in the previous mock battle, all of Eliza’s carefully crafted spells were completely overwhelmed by Yufia’s water dragon magic, “Vicious Graozarme – Blue Water Dragon Strudel,” which then engulfed Eliza and slammed her into the barrier surrounding the field.
As she lay on the ground, Yufia simply stood there, her cold gaze fixed on Eliza.
However, Eliza—
“It’s not over…! It’s not over yet…!!”
She stood up, forming a magic circle aimed at Yufia. But—
“Eliza, that’s enough. You’ve lost. Please yield the field to the next pair.”
As before, the supervising teacher stepped in to stop the match.
Eliza glared back at the teacher, who thought to himself, “Here we go again,” but—
“Please, sir. Let me continue.”
“…!”
There was something different about Eliza this time.
Her usual stubbornness was gone, replaced by a seriousness the teacher had never seen before. It was enough to give him pause, but he still tried to reason with her.
“I understand your determination, but it’s too dangerous to continue…”
“Please, sir, I’m begging you… Let me continue…!!”
“…”
Eliza pleaded, interrupting the teacher’s attempt to dissuade her.
From outside the field, some female classmates were whispering to each other while glancing at Eliza, but she paid them no mind.
All that mattered to her was the desire to keep fighting, the refusal to give up.
The teacher could see the sincerity of her plea.
“…I see how serious you are. But I still can’t allow it. It’s too dangerous…”
But as the supervisor, he couldn’t ignore the safety risks and was about to call off the match when—
“I ask as well, sir.”
“Huh, Yu… Yufia?!”
“!!”
The teacher and Eliza both looked shocked as Yufia suddenly spoke up.
Without regard for their reactions, Yufia continued.
“Please allow the match to continue.”
“But… even if you ask, Yufia, considering the safety, I still think—”
“It will be fine. I guarantee her safety, no matter what happens.”
“…”
Even though Yufia remained expressionless as she requested to continue, the teacher was hesitant, but her final words made him reconsider.
If Yufia Queensroad, an S-rank magic student, said it would be safe, then Eliza’s safety was likely assured, whether through Yufia holding back or stopping her magic before it hit.
“If you’re so insistent, Yufia, very well. I’ll allow the match to continue. But I will stand by within the field, and if things get dangerous, I’ll intervene immediately.”
With that condition, the teacher permitted the match to resume and began setting up a special barrier within the field to stand as an observer.
“Why…”
Once the teacher had stepped away, Eliza couldn’t hide her surprise and asked Yufia.
Yufia Queensroad was known for her cold demeanor, rarely interacting with anyone. Even after more than a year since their enrollment, hardly anyone had heard her speak outside of necessary communication during class.
Moreover, continuing the match offered Yufia no clear benefit, especially for someone like Eliza.
Eliza’s mind was flooded with questions—Why now, of all times, was Yufia acting this way…?
Even though there had been many similar situations in the past, why in the world would she do it only this time ……. Eliza’s head was filled with questions.
Yufia responded to Eliza’s question.
“—Your eyes right now… They remind me of the person I respect most in this world.”
“…?”
Yufia’s face was as expressionless as ever, but Eliza thought she saw a hint of happiness in her expression.
“Well, I don’t really get it, but thanks. I won’t hold back—I’ll give it my all.”
Eliza renewed her resolve as she prepared to continue the match. But once again, the result was a crushing defeat.
Even though she didn’t fight any more that day, from the next class onward, she continued challenging Yufia.
No matter how many times she was defeated, no matter how vast the difference in their abilities, Eliza Lowred never gave up.
Even if it was embarrassing, even if it was humiliating, even if everyone around her laughed.
She would never give up, holding on to the words of a single C-rank magic student as she pressed on.
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