A Ninja Who Only Wants to Live Off Others in Type-Moon Chapter 35

Reason?

There are still hundreds of thousands of books waiting for me in the library, and I also need to prepare for the Mystic Eyes Collection Train. I don't have time for unnecessary missions now.

...That made some sense.

Seeing that the system had not immediately refused, Higashino Kanade promptly pressed his advantage.

We've disliked each other for so long. How about we each take a step back today?

You want to replenish your energy sooner, and I want to return home and reunite with Ryougi Shiki sooner. The most important mission right now is completing World Information Gathering. Why not put the other unimportant missions on hold and let me focus on the main quest?

After a long silence, the system's mechanical female voice sounded again.

...Fine.

Phew—

Higashino Kanade let out a long breath inwardly. It seemed the system was not such an overbearing, unreasonable machine after all.

PS: Second update. Unless something unexpected happens, this book will probably be a harem story. Haha, this author really does want to be a scumbag.

71. Duel (1)

Having resolved the system issue, Higashino Kanade's thoughts returned to Aozaki Touko.

Aozaki Touko, the Grand Puppeteer, had been born into Japan's prestigious Aozaki Family of magi. Because her talent had been too outstanding, she had received a sealing designation from the Clock Tower, which had only recently been lifted.

In the timeline of Higashino Kanade's original world, Aozaki Touko should still have been living while hunted by the Mage's Association. Later, through a chance opportunity, she would arrive in Kan'mu City and form a bond with Ryougi Shiki.

But in this future timeline, Aozaki Touko should have left Kan'mu City years ago and was likely making a living at the Clock Tower.

"The Mystic Eye Killer I promised Bin-kura Kōryū was originally something I planned to have Aozaki Touko make after she came to Kan'mu City. Looks like I won't have to wait that long."

Higashino Kanade had never forgotten the employee under his command who possessed Determinative Future Sight. After all, the Artificial Heroic Spirits project could not be completed without him.

Since an opportunity to contact Aozaki Touko was right in front of him, he might as well settle the Mystic Eye Killer matter early. Besides, there was another matter in which he needed Aozaki Touko's help.

"Waver, if you run into Aozaki Touko on this trip, could you ask her to come see me afterward? I have a few things I need to ask of her."

"I can, but someone on Aozaki Touko's level isn't someone you can invite casually. I can only pass along your request. I can't guarantee whether she'll come looking for you." Waver agreed readily.

Higashino Kanade tapped his fingers on the table. After a rhythmic series of thuds, an idea came to him.

"Just tell her Ryougi Shiki is looking for her. She probably won't refuse when she hears that name."

"Ryougi Shiki... What a rare surname. That isn't your real name, is it?"

Waver swept a scrutinizing gaze over Higashino Kanade and asked tentatively.

"What are you thinking?"

Higashino Kanade rolled his eyes. A trace of happiness unconsciously appeared on his face as he said, "That's my fiancée's name. My fiancée has some history with Aozaki Touko."

Higashino Kanade's thoughts drifted back to his original world.

The Ryougi Family had been the first family he had after reincarnating into that world, and it held an extremely special place in his heart.

A beautiful fiancée, a vast family fortune, a manga career, and a wonderful future were all waiting for him. He had no intention of wasting away in this world.

"A junior disciple this young already has a fiancée? I never would have expected that!"

Grea's little mouth fell open in surprise. Then, her gaze moved repeatedly between Higashino Kanade and Luvia, and her expression grew increasingly confused.

"Um..." Grea hesitated before awkwardly asking, "Miss Luvia, do you know about this?"

"I do." Luvia nodded.

"Eh—"

Drawing out the sound, Grea asked with a baffled expression, "Then why are you still pursuing junior disciple, Miss Luvia? He already has a fiancée."

"Hahaha, so what if he has a fiancée? Any treasure the Edelfelt Family sets its sights on, we'll seize it even if we have to use force." Luvia clenched her fist, brimming with fighting spirit. Then she looked at innocent Grea and revealed a mischievous smile.

"Besides, I don't necessarily need to marry Uchiha. As a magus, I only need to bear his child. Of course, it would be even better if I could have the man himself!"

"Eh—"

Grea felt as though her worldview had suffered another severe blow. She hurriedly cast Waver a questioning look, wanting to know whether Luvia was telling the truth.

"Madam, that is indeed the case. To magi, offspring are far more important than love."

Waver gave the answer with a straight face. Grea immediately blushed furiously, covered her face, and crouched on the ground as she said in an extremely flustered, embarrassed voice, "That's... that's far too bold... This is clearly wrong..."

Grea felt like she was about to cry. The world of magi was simply far too unfriendly for an innocent young girl like her.

Soon, it was the afternoon of the next day—the time Luvia and Olga Marie had agreed to duel.

The Clock Tower's arena resembled an ancient Roman colosseum. The central area was the dueling ground, while the high stands surrounding it served as spectator seating.

The arena was usually rather lively. Many young magi came here to compete in magecraft and improve one another's skill, while quite a few spectators came to watch the show.

But today, the arena was at least ten times livelier than usual!

An hour before the match was due to begin, the stands were already full. Nearly one-third of the Clock Tower's students were interested in this battle, but space was limited. Those unable to secure seats could only watch from their dormitories using remote observation magecraft.

At least two-thirds of the students in the stands came from old, established mage families. The rest were newer magi with only a few generations of inheritance, and quite a few interested professors had also come to watch.

Of course, so many people had not gathered because they cared about a contest of magecraft techniques. They had come because of the factions represented by the duelists.

Since the Industrial Revolution, the status of magus aristocrats had steadily declined. Rising mage families had constantly encroached upon the territory of old mage families. The student demographics of the Clock Tower in recent years made it clear that the era of aristocratic magi had indeed declined alongside the end of the Age of Gods.

But how could the old mage families, unwilling to leave the stage of history, tolerate a bunch of country bumpkins with only a few centuries of history stepping on their heads? Thus, conflict was born.

The old mage families discriminated against and even oppressed the new generation of magi, while the newer magi constantly resisted.

The result of this confrontation was that the Clock Tower split into three major factions, and the Department of Modern Magecraft was born for that reason.

The battle between Olga Marie Yasmiret Animusphere, representing the old aristocratic faction, and Luviazael Edelfelt, representing the new generation, was a concentrated manifestation of the conflict between the two forces.

The outcome of their battle undoubtedly carried immense significance. Whoever lost would deal a tremendous blow to their faction.

Incidentally, the Clock Tower encouraged its students to engage in magecraft duels.

This was because most students who graduated from the Clock Tower returned to their original families to conduct research into magecraft and became researchers.

Researchers were undoubtedly weak in combat and simply could not fight. For a long time, the mortality rate among magi had therefore been very high.

To improve the students' ability to protect themselves and help them better apply their magecraft, the Clock Tower encouraged student duels. The dedicated arena had also been built for this purpose.

At that moment, Grea sat upright in her seat. The two seats beside her had been claimed with textbooks.

In just one hour, more than a dozen magi had asked whether she was willing to sell the seats she had claimed. Some had even offered several thousand dollars.

This crowded and "enthusiastic" place made Grea extremely uncomfortable. Already timid around strangers, she was now so nervous that she was nearly fainting.

"Master... please come save me!"

Like a little beast about to drown, Grea let out a pained cry.

PS1: I hope you all turn your brains off for the next part. How should I put it? It felt great while writing it, but afterward it was pretty embarrassing.

PS2: My editor just contacted me. Unless something unexpected happens, this book will be released on Friday. There'll be a big update after release, so please look forward to it.

72. Duel (2)

"Sorry, Grea. Some things held me up, so I only just got away."

A weary-looking Waver pushed through the crowd and sat down beside Grea.

Grea looked behind Waver and asked in confusion, "Is Miss Reines not coming? She seemed really excited this morning."

"Her? She said stands packed with people are places only commoners would stay. A lady like her should be in a garden, drinking afternoon tea while watching through remote observation magecraft." Waver sighed weakly, deeply troubled by his adopted sister.

"Then who is the other seat for?"

Grea looked at the remaining empty seat. Waver had told her to claim three seats in advance.

"Obviously, me!"

A bright, energetic voice rang out.

Luvia, an elegant young beauty in a magnificent blue gown and blue headpiece, walked over and sat beside Grea in an exceedingly graceful, aesthetically pleasing manner.

"After all, this duel started because of me. How could I not cheer for my child?"

Luvia looked excited, her tone light and cheerful. She did not seem worried about the battle's outcome in the slightest.

"Lord El-Melloi II, why have you come? Would Lords like you, standing so high above us, care about a fight between juniors like us?" Luvia looked at Waver.

"Give me a break. I'm not some lofty Lord. I borrowed this title."

Like a programmer crushed by overtime, Waver leaned exhaustedly against his seat and rubbed his glasses in pain.

"I promised Uchiha Kanade that I'd help him write a report on the Sharingan. This battle is precisely the material for that report."

"And how could Lords possibly be interested in this sort of childish scuffle? No matter how important your backgrounds are, you're just a bunch of juniors in a Lord's eyes. Why would they care about a magecraft battle even uglier than monkeys performing at a zoo?"

"Only hot-blooded young people like you would actually care about this battle."

Waver spun his quill as he complained in a grumbling tone.

"Ah, El-Melloi II, were you just talking about me?"

An elegant elderly woman wearing a green gown and a black lace veil over her hair approached, smiling as she waved at Waver.

"Lord Baluleta!?"

Waver stared in shock, his face immediately stinging as though he had been slapped.

"...Even the Lord of the Department of Creation is interested in this kind of childish scuffle? How unbelievable," Waver asked, pretending to be calm.

"Hahaha, don't let the fact that I'm an aristocrat fool you. I'm also part of the Democratic faction. I've always been interested in outstanding juniors, especially when their opponent is that little girl from the Animusphere family."

Inorai Barleyreta Atoroholm, the Lord of the Department of Creation, was a woman in her seventies. She spoke with a smile.

"When I heard that the girls from the Edelfelt and Animusphere families were going to duel publicly, I was quite startled. A public confrontation between two major factions is no small matter. When I ran into Lorelei this morning, I even asked whether she wanted to come watch. She snapped at me instead: What's there to watch in a fight between children? The one who'll win is definitely from the Animusphere family."

Inorai sneered, seemingly quite displeased with the person named Lorelei.

"Bartholomello Lorelei, the Acting Headmaster..."

Waver immediately felt immense pressure, and a dense layer of sweat appeared on his forehead.

"I didn't think things would get this big. Uchiha Kanade, you really know how to stir up trouble!" Waver laughed bitterly inwardly.

The more important figures who paid attention, the less this battle remained a matter between Olga Marie and Luvia alone. The outcome had already reached the point where it could affect the Clock Tower's overall balance.

"Princess of the Edelfelt Family, I heard the person fighting on your behalf this time is a mercenary you hired. Though the little girl from the Animusphere family has been ignored by Lord Animusphere for a long time, she still has the family's inherited secret arts. Are you confident you can win this battle?"

Inorai looked at Luvia. Luvia became as nervous as a mouse meeting a cat and replied, "O-of course. I have great confidence in Uchiha's strength."

Although Luvia had her own pride, she knew when that pride could not be displayed—such as before the old woman in front of her.

Though Inorai appeared to be a kind old woman on the surface, she was a ruthless figure who kept her true nature deeply hidden—a magus among magi.

For example, she had once strongly recommended that her beloved disciple, Aozaki Touko, receive a sealing designation, for no reason other than her belief that Aozaki Touko's talent ought to be preserved.

Issuing a sealing designation against one's own disciple was an exceedingly rare occurrence even in the cold-hearted world of magi. This showed just how ruthless Inorai was to the bone.

"Haha, as long as you're confident. I can hardly wait to see the wonderful expressions on certain people's faces after the little girl from the Animusphere family loses." Inorai covered her mouth elegantly and chuckled.

"That's enough chatting. The match is about to begin, and I should be going."

Inorai gave a slight bow, then turned to leave.

"Lord Baluleta, aren't you going to watch the battle in person?" Waver asked curiously.

"No. I can't stand being squeezed together with a bunch of smelly young people. I'm returning to my seat."

Inorai pointed toward an open seat with an excellent view high above the arena. Fine tea and desserts had already been laid out there, with a maid waiting nearby.

"A VIP seat!? Damn it, damn privileged elites."

Waver indignantly lit himself a cigar and began smoking in irritation.

Only a Lord like him, with neither money nor power, had to squeeze in with students to watch a match.

At that moment, the time for the match was drawing ever closer, and the professor serving as referee had already arrived at the field.