Ascendance of a Bookworm (LN) - Volume 4.7 - Chapter 13

The Ditter Match

Having agreed to the ditter match, we headed to the Dunkelfelger Dormitory. There were training grounds there, apparently, so that the duchy’s students could play whenever they wanted. Just how obsessed were they? It really boggled the mind.

Under normal circumstances, students were only able to enter their own dormitory—but we had Aub Dunkelfelger with us today. We were given feystones containing his mana, which authorized us to go inside with the others.

Upon reaching the training grounds, we divided ourselves into our teams and moved to opposite ends of the field to discuss our game plans. I could see Dunkelfelger’s knights form a circle around Heisshitze and Hannelore as they started arguing about the best strategies for their representatives to use. I also noticed that Hannelore was clad in feystone armor, which she had evidently put on at some point. Only guard knights wore armor in the Royal Academy, so I never carried my armor feystone around with me as I did my highbeast one.

She looks so calm and peaceful, but I guess she is a Dunkelfelger archduke candidate, after all.

“Eep!”

I was dragged from my thoughts by a flick to the forehead.

“Your eyes were glazed over, fool. Pay attention,” Ferdinand scolded me. “As the treasure in this game, you must not leave this circle; simply make a shield of Wind and wait inside your highbeast. You are forbidden from doing anything unnecessary.”

Ferdinand was wearing his armor atop his clothes. He removed two of the protective charm bracelets from my arms and put them on his wrists, then he took off his completely unembroidered Ehrenfest cape and replaced it with his usual blue one, which was covered with protective magic circles. Justus was helping him with that, while I gazed in the direction of the knight building and thought back to the Interduchy Tournament.

“Is it wise to abandon the Interduchy Tournament to play ditter like this, Ferdinand?” I asked, thinking that Sylvester and the others would have a hard time dealing with all the visitors without us.

Ferdinand grimaced. “Had we postponed this to a later date, we would have attracted the attention of an unwanted crowd and even the king himself. We have no choice but to do this now, while everyone is distracted with the Interduchy Tournament. You have no right to complain, as I was quite clear about not wanting to participate before my hand was forced.”

Indeed, it seemed that I was the thoughtless one here. “My apologies,” I said. “Still, what exactly is your plan here? Did you really need to wrap Lady Hannelore and me into this?”

“You are more than capable of defending yourself, no? This will allow me to preserve mana without needing to devote unnecessary attention to the treasure,” he replied, looking down at me. He had spoken as though the answer were obvious, but there was something I refused to let slide—he clearly had no intention of protecting me whatsoever.

“Didn’t you say that you were going to protect me and that I didn’t need to worry?!” I exclaimed. “It was literally moments ago, and you said it with a great big smile too!”

“Even the gods require ample time and preparation before they may save Geduldh from Ewigeliebe. Not to mention, this is your battle for books, is it not?”

“It is, but... Lady Hannelore can’t use Schutzaria’s shield or Angriff’s blessing. It feels kind of cheap for us to rely on them.” In fact, it felt extremely cowardly.

Ferdinand scoffed. “What are you even saying? Duels are determined by how well one uses what is available to them. I only fight battles where my victory is assured.”

“I know.”

“Then make a shield of Wind as soon as you land in your highbeast. You wish to obtain these publishing rights, no?”

I gave a big nod and produced my Pandabus. Ferdinand, Heisshitze, and Hannelore all produced their highbeasts as well.

“Is everyone ready?” Aub Dunkelfelger called.

We all flew down to our respective circles. As the treasure, Hannelore and I couldn’t leave our designated spots—doing so would cost us the game.

“Begin!” Aub Dunkelfelger roared, his voice reverberating through the training grounds. The spectating Dunkelfelger knights erupted in cheers while Ferdinand and Heisshitze shot toward each other.

As Ferdinand had instructed, I poured mana into my ring. “O Goddess of Wind Schutzaria, protector of all. O twelve goddesses who serve by her side. Hear my prayer, and lend me your divine strength. Grant me your shield of Wind, so that I might blow away those who mean to cause harm.”

Schutzaria’s shield formed with a hard, metallic clank... and an instant later, Ferdinand called out with slight urgency in his voice. “Rozemyne!”

“HRAAAAAAH!”

Wha...?

My eyes had been lowered in prayer, and when I gazed up again, I saw Heisshitze launching a blast of mana at me. I also heard traces of what I thought was Hannelore letting out her own shrill battle cry, but with the oncoming blob of glowing white mana blocking my line of sight, I couldn’t see what was happening. After inhaling sharply, I closed my eyes; I could rely on my shield to protect me, but the thought of something shooting toward me was still terrifying.

As I waited in darkness, there came a sudden, thunderous explosion as mana slammed against Schutzaria’s shield. I trembled for a second and then timidly opened my eyes. The blob of mana was gone, such that I could see only the familiar sight of Schutzaria’s transparent yellow shield.

“She blocked Heisshitze’s attack?!” one of the spectating knights cried. “What even is that?! It doesn’t look like geteilt.”

“Is it some kind of hemispherical shield?” a second knight ventured.

“Look out, Lady Hannelore!” shouted a third.

It seemed that Hannelore had attacked Ferdinand at the exact same time as Heisshitze attacked me, only to trigger a counterattack from his protective charms. Thin beams of light were quickly homing in on her.

“Geteilt!” Hannelore cried, producing a shield which she immediately hid behind. She somehow managed to block the counterattack, but she was completely still; I could guess from her reluctance to move and the tears in her eyes that she was overcome with fear. The one saving grace was that her initial attack hadn’t been that strong—the charms that had activated doubled the power of the attack they received, so the resulting counterattack wasn’t actually that powerful.

Thank goodness! I’m so, so glad Lady Hannelore is safe!

I sighed in relief, unable to suppress a smile as I stayed inside Lessy and behind Schutzaria’s shield. Ferdinand, however, seemed to be anything but relieved—he was wearing the same look of displeasure he always wore when things didn’t go as he’d expected. He had presumably intended to use the charms to return an attack from Heisshitze, not Hannelore.

He knew Heisshitze would start things off with a powerful strike, then.

After years of experience battling with Heisshitze, Ferdinand must have expected to be the target instead; that was presumably why he had taken some of my protective charms. Maybe Heisshitze had chosen to attack me because he realized that Hannelore was too far away to do it herself, or maybe he had just wanted to check how strong my defenses were. I had managed to block his efforts either way, but the unexpected decision had still caught Ferdinand off guard.

“Be careful, Heisshitze!”

“He’s got charms that can counter attacks!”

Again, the Dunkelfelger knights watching the battle started yelling out advice. They had a good view of the whole battlefield, unlike Heisshitze, who had been focused on attacking me, so they must have seen the charm activate.

“That was a counter for physical attacks! Try to avoid those!”

“No, Lord Ferdinand isn’t the kind of man to have two charms with the same effect!” Heisshitze shouted, replying to the knights’ calls at last. “Physical attacks are safer now, if anything!”

He’s right! I think his keen insight deserves a round of applause!

Just as Heisshitze assumed, those were the only two charms Ferdinand was wearing—one to counter physical attacks, and the other to counter magic attacks. One had now been used up, and not by Heisshitze’s powerful attack, but by Hannelore’s fairly weak cover shot.

Eep. I think I just saw Ferdinand click his tongue.

Ferdinand moved to attack Hannelore, his expression grim, only to be met by a swift downward slash from Heisshitze. Not only was the Dunkelfelger knight faster—he was more precise too. I could see Ferdinand widen his eyes as he blocked the attack with his own sword, resulting in the sharp wail of metal on metal. A beat later, both men twisted their blades to end the deadlock and then immediately attacked again. For a second time, Ferdinand blocked Heisshitze’s attack, this time with an even harsher look.

Heisshitze, in contrast, was grinning from ear to ear. “Don’t think I’m the same as I was ten years ago!” he said and then launched into a flurry of attacks.

I widened my eyes in shock. Back in Ehrenfest, Ferdinand was completely unrivaled... but here, it took him everything he had just to block and dodge Heisshitze’s onslaught. He was outmatched in both speed and skill.

“That’s it! Keep it up! You’re in the lead!”

“Just make sure to stay close! Don’t give him time to change weapons!”

“Yeah! Get ’im! You’re faster and better in a sword fight!”

The spectators continued to lavish their side with support. It was easy to discern from their cries that Heisshitze was better with a sword than any other weapon.

Heisshitze had spent ten years as a Dunkelfelger knight since his graduation, and it really showed—he was clearly stronger than Ferdinand, who had mostly spent his time locked away in the temple, helping the Knight’s Order only when necessary. Of course, the fact that Ferdinand was managing to block these attacks at all was very impressive, considering that Heisshitze seemed to live and breathe battle, but his uneasy expression made it clear that he was being overwhelmed. It was the first time I had ever seen Ferdinand struggle against an opponent.

“I see you reaching for that magic tool, but I won’t give you a chance!” Heisshitze yelled, staying on the offensive so that Ferdinand had no time to wield a magic tool or morph his schtappe. The flashes of white and the loud ring of clashing blades were enough for me to tell he was launching some incredible attacks, but even with enhancement magic, I was unable to follow them with my eyes. “All that time in the temple’s made you go soft. Haven’t been keeping up with your training?”

“No, as I am not a knight,” Ferdinand replied. He was trying to speak in his usual tone, but I could notice the slight aggravation behind his words. I took in a large breath of air; he was never usually like this.

Just what’s going on here?! Is he actually going to lose?!

I had assumed that Ferdinand was going to breeze through this match, so his struggling was the absolute last thing I had expected. My heart pounded with anxiety, and a cold sweat ran down my back.

How can I help? What can I do that won’t get in his way?

I took out my schtappe and filled it with mana, desperately racking my brain for ideas as Ferdinand continued to be beaten back by Heisshitze’s strikes.

“Look out for Lady Rozemyne!” a knight called.

“She’s taken out her schtappe!”

I was far enough away that nobody would be able to hear me, so I quietly spoke a prayer. “O God of War Angriff, of the God of Fire Leidenschaft’s exalted twelve, I pray that you grant Ferdinand your divine protection.” In an instant, blue light shot out of my schtappe. I could only hope it would help him in some way; I didn’t ever want to see him lose.

“Huh? What did she just do?”

“Was that a blessing?”

As the clamoring knights watched on, Ferdinand recovered some ground thanks to Angriff’s blessing. He seemed to be less desperate than before—the tension in his expression was gone, and now he looked as stone-faced as usual. Even so, Heisshitze still appeared to have the upper hand.

Now what? How else can I help?

Once again, I strained to come up with an idea, but Ferdinand interrupted my thoughts with a loud bark. “Do not interfere, Rozemyne! My victory is assured, so simply wait there until then!”

“Right!” I called back and got rid of the schtappe in my hand, which I had been just moments away from turning into a water gun. Then, I allowed the anxiety to drain from my body.

Everything’s going to be fine; Ferdinand just said so himself. He never accepts battles he isn’t guaranteed to win.

I had no reason to doubt him, but I still clasped my hands together as if in prayer. Their highbeasts continued to dart through the air, and the shriek of clashing blades seemed endless. Even I could tell that Ferdinand was getting slower—presumably due to the relentless assault—so it must have been clear as day to the huge crowd of spectating knights. They cheered and shouted words of support for their duchy, practically on the edge of their viewing seats.

“Come on! You’re so close!”

“Just one more push!”

“Finish him!”

Their support seemed to make Heisshitze even faster. He continued his assault on Ferdinand, who was now breathing heavily, and then cried out as he launched another powerful attack. Ferdinand narrowly avoided it, but now he was wide open.

“It’s over!”

“Ngh!”

Heisshitze moved in for the finishing blow, but before he could strike his target, Ferdinand grabbed his blue cape and spread it before him. “What?!” Heisshitze barked. Continuing with his attack would win him the battle, but it would also ruin the blue cape he was fighting for. He paused for a split second, not wanting to slice through his spoils... and that gave Ferdinand the perfect opportunity.

A magic tool sparked, causing a small explosion between the two men that threw them in opposite directions.

“No!” Heisshitze yelled. He frantically stood up from the dust of the explosion, his confident grin replaced with a look of panic. Ferdinand had also been knocked back, and when he next came into view, his schtappe was no longer morphed into a sword. Instead, in his hands were magic tools that looked like feystones.

“The tables have turned, Heisshitze,” Ferdinand said, now wearing the most overbearing smirk. The arrogance with which he was suddenly carrying himself made it painfully hard to picture him as the hero in this situation—in fact, it seemed to justify his infamous nickname, “the Lord of Evil.”

Thank goodness. This is the Ferdinand I know!

“I can’t believe he used the cape as a shield...”

“That’s the Lord of Evil for you—always using dirty tricks!”

“That wasn’t even slightly fair! But, well, it was exactly what I wanted to see!”

Again, the obstreperous crowd roared with excitement; evidently, this wasn’t the first time Ferdinand had done something so underhanded. He had been gasping for breath just moments ago, but now he looked calm and composed. It seemed that tricking Heisshitze was his forte.

“Ngh... Don’t think you’ll turn this around that easily!” Heisshitze stormed. He readied his sword, hoping to reclaim his advantage, but was immediately stopped in his tracks when Ferdinand threw a magic tool at him. A second explosion shook the grounds, but even then—“Don’t think that’ll stop me either!”—Heisshitze refused to give up. He charged at Ferdinand, slicing through several more magic tools and forcing his way through the resulting explosions, deftly moving his highbeast to close the distance between them.

“Just get through this!”

“He can’t have that many more tools on him! He wasn’t prepared for a battle!”

The knights’ abrupt cries made me jump, but they were right—Ferdinand must have been working with limited resources. His greatest specialty was setting traps well in advance, but this ditter match had been decided out of nowhere and in the midst of the Interduchy Tournament, meaning he hadn’t been given time to prepare in his workshop. Things had progressed so suddenly, in fact, that he had even found it necessary to take back some of the charms he had given me. It seemed safe to say that he was at an extreme disadvantage.

Is Ferdinand actually going to be okay...?

I could feel my chest begin to tighten as anxiety coursed through me, but then... It happened.

“Water gun...” Ferdinand murmured, morphing his schtappe into a very familiar shape. He then squeezed the trigger again and again, firing out one multiplying arrow after another.

“Wha?! Whoa! What’s this?!” Heisshitze exclaimed. He seemed to be completely stunned in the face of such an alien weapon, but he narrowly avoided its attacks nonetheless.

Ferdinand continued to fire the water gun with one hand, expressionless, while throwing magic tools with the other. He must have been calculating where Heisshitze would dodge to, as after just a few shots, Heisshitze was forced onto the defensive. Unable to determine what kind of weapon the gun was and how to fight against it, the most he could do was evade.

“What is that thing?!” one of the knights shouted.

“I’ve never seen anything like it before!” another cried.

As the spectators were swept into a frenzy, Hannelore called out to them in shock. “That looks like the water gun Lady Rozemyne made in class, but she said it was a toy, not a weapon. I saw it shoot water, and it didn’t do any damage!”

Ferdinand looked down at her and scoffed. “It was modified to be usable as a weapon—and quite a convenient one, I might add. Observe.” He took another shot at Heisshitze before effortlessly turning the gun on Hannelore and squeezing the trigger again. A single arrow flew out, divided in number, and then rained down on her.

“Look out, Lady Hannelore!” I cried on instinct, standing up while still inside Lessy. Hannelore thankfully produced a shield just in time to block the arrows, but as I was sighing in relief, a cold voice crashed over me.

“Rozemyne, whose side are you on?”

“S, S-S-S, Sorry!” I stammered. “My friend was in danger, so it kind of just... slipped out.”

Even then, Ferdinand refused to forgive me. He ordered me not only to avoid making any unnecessary moves, but also to stop shouting out, so I zipped my lip and sat back down.

Still... I mean, you’re totally the villain here. Who wouldn’t want to cheer for the underdog hero?

I watched on in silence, observing as Ferdinand used his magic tools and water gun to knock Heisshitze from his highbeast and then immediately moved to attacking Hannelore.

Aah! LADY HANNELOOORE! Someone help her!

I clamped a hand over my mouth and watched with wide eyes. Then, suddenly, a bright, almost blinding light began arching toward Ferdinand at tremendous speed. Heisshitze had launched a ball of mana at him, even while falling.

Wait, no!

“Alright!”

“Good job!”

The knights were ecstatic about Heisshitze’s show of perseverance, but I could feel the blood draining from my face. The other charm Ferdinand was wearing countered magic attacks, so it blocked the ball of mana and fired something even more powerful right back at Heisshitze. He was still in a free fall, so he had no means of avoiding it.

“Heisshitze, no!”

“He has another charm?!”

As the knights cried out, Heisshitze twisted in midair, trying to turn a direct hit into a glancing one. Of course, it was a futile effort—the counterattack struck him head-on and threw him in my direction at unthinkable speed.

“Eep!”

I recoiled in fear as the huge man barreled toward me, but a moment later, he simply bounced off Schutzaria’s shield and was thrown even farther by the wind. After arcing through the air, he struck the ground with such a massive thump that I reflexively leapt to my feet.

“A-Are you okay?!” I called. I was pretty sure he was alive—I could see him twitching in pain—but his wounds certainly weren’t light. He was a mess, but as much as I wanted to cast healing on him, even I wasn’t thoughtless enough to restore an enemy during a battle.

As I eyed Heisshitze, I saw him weakly pour a rejuvenation potion down his throat. Apparently, he had no choice but to wait for it to take effect.

May your recovery be swift.

I turned my attention from Heisshitze to Hannelore, who was now caught in a staring match with Ferdinand across the treasure boundary line. She was gripping her shield as tightly as she could, her eyes brimming with tears.

“Heisshitze is immobilized,” Ferdinand said, his schtappe readied. “If you accept defeat, leave your territory willingly.”

Despite how much she was trembling from behind her shield, Hannelore looked up at him and refused. “I-I am an archduke candidate of Dunkelfelger. No matter how inevitable defeat may seem, I will never surrender by choice!”

Ferdinand could only blink in surprise, while the spectating knights started to cry out for the umpteenth time that day.

“HURRAHHH! Lady Hannelore!”

“That’s it! Show ’em you’re a real Dunkelfelgerian!”

Ferdinand heaved a frustrated sigh. “Then I have no choice but to force you out. We must settle this before Ehrenfest’s match in the Interduchy Tournament.” Without a moment’s hesitation, he shot a band of light from his schtappe, used it to ensnare Hannelore, and then flung her out of her duchy’s treasure spot like a freshly caught fish. It was a feeling I knew all too well.

“AAAAAAH!” Hannelore cried as she was abruptly swung into the air.

“Lady Hannelore...!” Heisshitze groaned. Since drinking the potion, he had recovered just enough to force himself up and sprint over, and he caught Hannelore just before she hit the ground.

Wow! Heisshitze is a true man among men! A knight among knights!

Of course, Heisshitze couldn’t slow down and ended up falling over, but Hannelore remained largely unhurt.

“That’s it!” Aub Dunkelfelger declared. “Ehrenfest wins!”

Ehrenfest had won the moment Hannelore left the treasure circle. I dispelled Schutzaria’s shield and flew over to her and Heisshitze in my Pandabus.

“Ferdinand, I would like to heal their wounds,” I said. “May I grant them Heilschmerz’s blessing?”

“You would do that...?” Hannelore asked, blinking in surprise. “Erm, we would appreciate it, but...” She was looking not at me, but at Ferdinand, who conceded with a shrug.

“Do as you wish, Rozemyne. I am used to you showering those around you with compassion, but if you must behave like this, I would rather you show some appreciation to your allies as well...”

“Wha...?”

I hadn’t noticed due to the complete lack of expression on his face, but on closer inspection, Ferdinand was covered with wounds. It baffled me that he managed to look so indifferent when he was clearly very hurt.

“You should allow yourself to look at least a little injured, Ferdinand. How am I supposed to notice you’re in pain otherwise?”

“Never reveal your weakness to your enemies, fool.”

“Well, you didn’t reveal it to your ally either!” I exclaimed, my cheeks puffed out as I climbed out of Lessy. I sat Ferdinand, Hannelore, and Heisshitze down, poured mana into my schtappe, and then said, “May Heilschmerz’s healing be granted,” as I started tending to them one by one. Green light overflowed from my schtappe and healed their wounds.

“I thank you,” Hannelore said with a cute smile and stood up once the blessing had eased her weariness.

Heisshitze was the most wounded, but the blessing restored him all the same. He stood up, looked down at himself, moved his arms and legs, then looked at me with surprise. “You seem to have used quite a bit of mana indeed,” he said, amazed that he could now move with ease. “Thank you, Lady Rozemyne.”

“Yes, I also feel fine,” Ferdinand agreed. He stood up as well, then told me to return my authorization stone to the aub and get into my highbeast. “The battle is settled, and you may discuss the more precise details of your agreement later. For now, if we are to make it in time for the second half of the tournament, we must return to our dormitory for lunch. You wish to see Cornelius’s valiant struggle, no?”

“I do.”

As Ferdinand continued to hurry me, I returned the feystone and jumped into my Pandabus. He similarly returned his and climbed onto his highbeast.

“Now then,” he said. “We shall be off.”

“Wait! I want to hear about your new weapon!” Heisshitze called out. He extended a hand to stop Ferdinand, who paused in the air, turned around, and smirked.

“I have no reason to tell you anything. If you wish to know, try to seize victory next time. You must train not only your body and mana, but also your mind, for you will never defeat me if you cannot think of more efficient means to battle.”

Come on—seriously?! You taunt him like this and still wonder why he keeps challenging you to duels?! Geez! Geez! Geez!

As we made our way out, I heard the Dunkelfelger knights shouting vows to challenge Ferdinand again.