I Became a Murderer in the Academy.

Chapter 30

Rena drank all the potions she had saved before her last duel.

She grimaced at the terrible taste that never became familiar no matter how many times she drank it, but she endured.

It was an opponent she couldn’t win against unless she was in perfect condition.

No, even in perfect condition, she couldn’t guarantee victory.

-Is it fun to just criticize others behind their backs?

Rena recalled what had happened just a short while ago.

She might have unnecessarily provoked her last duel opponent.

It might have reignited a fire in a relationship that had already cooled and grown tired of each other, or it could have been ignored.

But.

-Why is she throwing away all those precious potions?

-I guess she thinks she’s something special because she’s the top student.

It clearly wasn’t her business, but why did it make her feel so bad to hear it?

Thinking that the person who said those words was once her friend made it even harder to ignore.

Rena briefly recalled the past, then frowned.

It wasn’t a memory she particularly wanted to remember.

-This burn scar is because of you, Rena. Do you still feel nothing?

-They say it will probably remain as a permanent scar. Your flames did this to me.

Rena buried the rising idle thoughts and stood up.

It was about time.

Now, it was time to face the illusion of the past.

***

Wendy was like a mirror image of Rena.

Their skills, backgrounds, and personalities were similar, so it was natural for them to become closer.

They ranked first and second at the same magic high school.

It was possible because it wasn’t as large as the Imperial Academy.

Until they realized the vastness of the world through experience, they thought this pattern would continue.

Success experienced at a young age makes humans arrogant.

The two were the same.

There was no one at their level in that small school.

The only one at Rena’s level was Wendy, and the only one who could duel at Wendy’s level was Rena.

They thought this daily life `of alternately taking first and second place would continue.

It was like that until a transfer student came who was superior to them in every aspect.

The top spot they had been sharing became entirely someone else’s, and all the attention and interest directed at them was taken away.

Rena asked Wendy.

“Hey, don’t you think that guy is really annoying?”

“You think so too?”

Wendy, who got along well with her as expected, agreed with Rena’s opinion.

Thinking back now, that seems to have been the start of all the tragedy.

***

Rena stood on the dueling ground.

There was already someone in the arena she stepped into.

Blue hair fluttered in the wind.

A familiar face and a familiar scenario.

This isn’t the first time Rena is dueling Wendy.

The number of duels they had was uncountable.

So it overlapped with the image of her she had seen in the past.

“......”

But it was different indeed.

Wendy’s impression was sharper than Rena remembered. She had grown in many ways.

On the other hand, she pressured Rena using only a minimal amount of mana.

Wendy extends her left hand towards Rena.

“Pierce.”

A mana-efficient spell for the lethality if it hits.

It’s a magic that Wendy has carved into her own form to maximize efficiency even further.

She has triumphed many mages with this spell.

It’s too threatening to leave alone, but the mana loss is too great to block.

Barrier magic consumes a lot of mana, and it’s impossible to respond with less mana than Wendy’s ice needles.

Like this, when facing mages, she gains a considerable mana advantage.

She endlessly depletes mana, which is like life for mages.

She has brought down more than dozens of mages like this.

How long can Rena hold out?

She already has no chance of winning.

Wendy’s tactics are optimized for attrition warfare, and her mana quantity is higher than Rena’s.

As Rena’s flames covered the arena, Wendy, unable to approach, retreated and set up sharp needles.

When she lightly flicked her fingers, the air was densely filled with blue needles.

There are countless needles, too many to even count.

Wendy created that amount with less than half of Rena’s mana.

“Why are you trying to keep your distance? Did you think you’d have an advantage at long range?”

Although she’s sometimes misunderstood because she’s capable of close combat, Wendy is also a mage.

Rather, most of Wendy’s capabilities come from intercepting after creating distance.

She was like the essence and standard of the Combat Magic department.

And.

“...No.”

There’s someone who knows Wendy’s tactics best.

It was Rena.

Wendy is the natural enemy of mages. She’s good at attrition warfare and strong regardless of distance.

And,

She knows that creating distance against her isn’t such a good choice.

“That’s why I’m going.”

Keeping distance from Wendy was to buy time.

She just needed time to layer spells upon spells and preheat the flames.

Rena raised the firepower of her flames, ignoring the ice needles surrounding her from all directions.

A huge flame flickered greatly, blazing around her.

Wendy’s ice melted from the greatly emitted heat, and mana drained from Rena’s body at a terrifying speed.

Burning mana might have been foolish if it were against someone else, but it was different if the opponent was Wendy.

There was no point in saving mana because the longer it took, the more advantageous it became for Wendy.

If time was on Wendy’s side, Rena judged that she shouldn’t give her any more of it.

“Bloom.”

A huge flame enveloped Rena’s right hand.

Flames follow her steps.

Hell instantaneously fell upon the arena.

Although she falls somewhat behind people like Iria or Lucia, Rena was once considered a strong candidate for the top spot in the entrance exam.

What she lacked in endurance was made up for by absolute firepower.

It wasn’t for nothing that she was evaluated highly by the academy staff.

Rena, holding flames that overwhelm everything, stood before Wendy.

Wendy swallowed dry saliva, watching Rena slowly approach her.

“... You’re crazier than you look, huh?”

The composure disappeared from Wendy’s expression.