Mob
Kousei No Ore Demo Boukensha Ni Nareba Riajuu Ni Naremasuka: Chapter #21
Translators: Nyx and Ririi Rain
Episode 21 Q: What if a beautiful girl talks to you? A: I
suspect a trap
『Sorry
to keep you waiti〜ng! The
first match of the semifinals is about to begin!』
The
buzz in the venue gets louder with the sound of the emcee's voice. Despite the
many dull matches, there was still much anticipation for the best four.
Especially
the one that is attracting the most attention is .......
『First,
from the red gate! Here comes Anna Jushichiya!』
It
was the beautiful Japanese half-breed adventurer, Anna Jushichiya.
The
cheering voices of male fans erupted from all over the venue.
Waving
her hands in reply, Jushichiya proceed to stand in the center of the arena.
『She
had won without interruption by using three D-rank cards so far! She
also has the right to use magic items three times. Also, she changed her team
members drastically in this match. Now, she will aim for the finals with the
members she has been saving!』
The
staff prompted me to begin walking out as well.
...As
planned by Jushichiya, I was her opponent in the semi-finals, and I guess the
TV side wanted the final to be a battle between Kannazuki and Jushichiya, which
would look better on the screen.
Me
and Sato were the dogs to be chewed up.
『Versus
the opponent from the white gate! Utamaro
Kitagawa!』
When
I showed up, there were no cheers like there had been for Jushichiya. Well,
that's to be expected. I've made it this far without fighting much.
When
I showed up, there were no cheers like there had been for Jushichiya. Well,
that's to be expected. I've made it this far without fighting much. Of course,
it is similar to the other remaining players, but the difference is that
Jushichiya and Kannazuki have a lot of charm.
Still,
it was nice to hear a few glimpses of cheering.
『Player
Kitagawa has been winning with his D-rank and E-rank cards. Now he has a hidden
gem, a C-rank card, in his lineup, and his chances of using magic items haven't
been reduced!』
There
was no hint of disrespect in the eyes of Jushichiya as she looked at me. I'm
sure she didn't expect me to have a C-rank card too.
That
gave me some mental leeway.
『The
two players, Jushichiya and Kitagawa, had the same cards in mind when they
chose the prizes last night, and they agreed to decide based on their
performance in this tournament. Since they happened to meet in the semifinals,
they had to settle their scores in this match.』
A
gasp went up from the audience.
My
eyes met with those of Jushichiya's, and we both smiled slightly at each other.
We could only laugh at the theatricality of the situation.
『Then,
both players. Please summon your cards!』
At
the shout of the emcee, we called out our cards at the same time.
The
staff had informed us in advance that the cards would be summoned before the
start of the battle in order to introduce the cards to the spectators.
My
three cards appeared: Renge, Mea, and Eliza.
[Race] Zashiki-warashi (Renge)
[Combat Power] 410 (100 UP!)
[Inborn Skills]
・Misfortune
and luck are like a rope
・Hide-and-seek
・Elementary
recovery magic
[Acquired skills]
・Zero
existence
・Free-spiritedness
・Elementary
attack magic
・Friendship
linkage
・Elementary
status ailment magic
Renge with her current status can be said to be the ace
of our party, both in name and in reality.
However,
this time, my opponent also has a C-rank card. Moreover, her career is longer
than mine.
I
wondered how much of a difference in fighting ability there would be due to the
length of our careers. That was my only concern.
"Finally, it's time to for Mea to debut!"
Mea,
who had become an empusa and looked a little more mature, said so as she
flapped her wings.
The
previous Mea was a palm-sized girl, with the appearance of a ten-year-old, and
she looked completely like a movable doll.
However,
after being upgraded to the position of empusa, she became human-sized and her
physical age increased by about two years, making her body shape more curvy and
giving the impression that she was on the verge of adulthood.
The
bat wings on her back are the same as before, but a tail of a donkey extended
all the way to her hips, and her legs are now made of brass from mid-thigh. At
first glance, it looked like she was wearing metallic knee highs, which was
very sexy.
Seeing
Mea like that, Renge spat out in disgust,
"Tsk,
your performance ends in the fourth round, don't you know?"
She
didn't seem to like the fact that Mea had grown in many ways bigger than she
was.
“You
little thing, it's not certain yet since it hasn't happened!"
Mea
was also childish to the extent that she could not help but fight with Renge if
she tried to pick a fight with her.
『Hmm? It
seems that player Kitagawa's cards are having some kind of quarrel amongst
themselves.』
『Seems that his cards aren't getting along well with each other.』
When
the emcee and commentator, Shigeno-san, said this, a small, snickering laugh
leaked out from the audience.
Hey, c'mon, stop it.......
The
embarrassment of my folks made me feel as if my face was on fire.
『Player Kitagawa's card seems to
consist of Ghouler, which he has been using throughout this tournament, Empusa,
which he used in the previous match, and Zashiki-warashi, which he has been
saving up until this point.』
『Is
he using only girl monsters? They are really gorgeous.』
……Looking
at it again, it's definitely a harem party. Apart from Mae who I purposely made
as a companion, I just happened to get Renge and Eliza who were both women.
I
can feel the jealousy in the eyes of the men at the venue.
『On
the other hand, the cards that player Jushichiya brought out are an Elf, a
Unicorn, and a Living Armor.』
『Living
Armor is a tank, Unicorn is a support, and Elf is an attacker That's
a well-balanced party.』
I
looked at the cards of my opponent with my eyes squinted.
Elf
...... is one of the most popular C-rank cards.
All
cards have looks that humans can't compare to, but elves and succubus boast the
most godlike beauty of them all.
Jushichiya's
card was a particularly rare girl monster even among those elves.
Cards
as desirable as elves and succubus are no longer commonly available on the
market. Adventurers who acquire them do not want to part with them.
When
they do occasionally appear, they are auctioned off rather than sold to guilds.
The
market price for C-rank cards is generally said to range from 10 million to 100
million yen, but in the case of elves and succubus, the price starts at 100
million yen, which is a good indication of their popularity.
The
Elf of Jushichiya had good looks that matched the fame and the high price.
She
appeared like she was 15 or 16 years old. She had straight blond hair in a
short bob and an overall intelligent impression.
Her
body is slender, and with a figure such as this, the fact that she has no
breasts is not at all disappointing.
It
is rather out of place in any other sense except for this. This must be the
golden rule of beauty.
Even
I, who have begun to become accustomed to the beauty of cards as I was
surrounded by girls with high beauty standards such as Renge and Mea, could not
help but be awed by the beauty of the Elf card.
Even
the audience let out an exhale of admiration.
I
have seen elves in videos and commercials before, but seeing them in person was
on a different level.
The
founder of Dungeon Mart got this card for his daughter. ...... Not only does
the card have a great appearance, but it must have excellent skills as well.
Unicorn
and Living Armor are also two of the top cards in the D rank. Unicorn is a
specialist in recovery and auxiliary magic, and Living Armor is popular as a
sturdy tanker who knows no pain.
I
chuckled a little, thinking that I was completely outclassed by the price of
the cards.
But
I don't feel inferior.
My
cards are absolutely more amazing.
Even
if everyone else in the room didn't think so, I did.
As
proof, my cards didn't seem to be bothered by the fact that they were so much
more popular......
"Damn,
just because you're a little bit popular, you're getting ahead of yourself. Is
being ten times more expensive than others mean you're ten times more powerful? Aah?"
"Hey,
he~y, who's cuter, that elf or Mea? Don't answer based on who is prettier, but
who is cuter, oka~y? If it's cuteness, Mea is better,
right?"
They
were so jealous. Full of jealousy. A lousy jealousy.
Completely
defeated in attitude. I wondered if I could win this ......? I
became worried at once.
『The
strength of both sides is evenly matched. It looks like no matter who wins, it
will be a good fight.』
『Then
let the match begin!』
"——Die,
Oraa!"
As
soon as the match started, Renge released a magic spell. I was shocked and my
eyes widened.
--Wait,
isn't this different from the plan, Renge-san?!
The
plan was to first keep our distance, but Renge attacked first. No, upon closer
inspection, so did Mea!
Two
cards suddenly acted on their own. But this is ......!
"No!"
"Kuu......!
"Rrrrrrrrh!"
Jushichiya
cried out in alarm. At the same time, the Elf and the Unicorn fell to the
ground screaming in agony.
『Ooh!
Right at the start of the game, player Kitagawa's sleep status ailment landed
perfectlyーー！』
The
excited voice of the live commentator rang out. I quickly gave an order.
"Renge,
direct attack!"
"Yosh!"
At
first I wondered what they were doing, but this was an opportunity.
Jushichiya couldn't hide her agitation, as if she didn't
think that the status ailment would pass.
Then,
Renge's light bullet approached.
There is no way she could dodge that one! We
won! The
semi-finals is over!
Just
when I was sure I had won,
“——Amdo!”
Jushichiya
shouted. The Living Armor broke apart and instantly covered her as armor. The
crimson armor intercepted Renge's light bullets ......!
""Whaaat
! ? ""
Me
and Renge both shouted in surprise.
"Master! That
is!"
"Yeah,
there is no doubt!"
I
nodded in response to Renge's inquiry.
It
really existed?
""Armor-ized
Magic Sword by 0n Berg!""
When
we said it together, Jushichiya let out a chuckle.
"Fufufu,
you seem surprised. Exactly, this is the armor-ized magic sword made by the
legendary blacksmith 0n Berg! Not only does this armor
have high defensive power, but it also repels all sorts of magic other than
electric shocks!"
Jushichiya
said in high spirits.
......
No, though we were the ones who sprung that story, but of course it's not an
armor-ized magic sword.
That was an inborn skill of Living Armor, [Equip].
Living
armor is a rare type of monster that can be equipped by masters and cards.
And
by the way, Living Armor doesn't repel all kinds of magic just because it has a
high magic defense.
But,
what the heck, ....... It seems she's quite the fan of manga too. Renge's eyes
are shining when she finds a comrade.
"And!
Status ailments are useless against our party!"
Jushichiya
took out a bottle from her pocket and sprinkled it on the Unicorn and the Elf.
I
knew they had a countermeasure for status ailments.
Jushichiya's monsters woke up with a gasp, and at the
same time, Mea came out of the Elf as if she were flung out of the Elf.
As
soon as they fell asleep, Mea had infiltrated the Elf's dream. The reason for
dumping the story was to divert attention away from Mea.
"Kya!
Aa~h, I was so close too!"
"Wha-?!
When did you-?! How sneaky! No,
right now I should say that you're doing a great job."
Seeing
the Elf looking quite weakened, Jushichiya glared sharply at us.
"Renge,
Mea, do it again."
"I
won't let you. Unicorn!"
The
Unicorn's horn emitted light before Renge and Mea could cast status ailment
again. Jushichiya's monsters were bathed in light, while Renge's and Mea's
magic was repelled.
"Tch, it's [Immunity.]"
Immunity.
It is an intermediate-level auxiliary magic that raises resistance to status
ailments.
"From here on, it's our turn!"
As
soon as Jushichiya said that, the Living Armor separated and approached us.
Eliza confronted the unmanned knight who approached with his sword raised high.
The
Living Armor cut down. A powerful strike that seemingly would cut a log in
half......, and Eliza, while avoiding it at half a body length, attacked with a
kick. ...... but it was ineffective. Living Armor just swayed slightly and then
delivered a thrust. Eliza managed to duck that, although it grazed her arm.
...The
two are about on even footing, no, maybe a bit at a disadvantage.
The
Living Armor and Ghoul are both undead monsters. The two are characterized by
their superior durability and resistance to status ailments, as well as their
monotonous movements due to their lack of ego.
However,
Living Armor's durability is due to its strong armor defense, while Eliza's
durability is based on her ability to recover by eating corpses, making her the
one with adisadvantage. Living Armor is also superior in combat power.
On
the other hand, Eliza is better in terms of techniques because of her ego and
precise movements. She seemed to be able to overcome the difference in strength
and physical capabilities with the precision and variety of her movements.
I
want to support her somehow, but .......
I
glanced at Mea.
She
was glaring at the Unicorn.
Immunity
is not a long-lasting magic. It was likely that she was trying to aim for a gap
in the magic and try to set off another status ailment.
However,
the Unicorn was also preparing to quickly invoke its magic again. There was an
occasional exchange of spells, but this too was a stalemate.
On
the other hand, Renge was in a fierce battle with the Elf. There was a dizzying
exchange of magic and arrows.
When
the opponent's ace is of a high rank and has outstanding power, as in this
match, it is important to block the attack of the opponent's ace while making
decisive blows.
I
had instructed Renge in advance to mainly keep the opponent's ace in check and
take advantage of any opening to crush any of their cronies......
When Renge shot a light bullet aimed at the Elf, the Elf ducked and fired an
arrow at Eliza, which Renge struck down and then dodged an arrow aimed at
herself. The Elf countered the light projectiles aimed at Jushichiya with her
arrows and quickly fired a volley of shots at Mea.
Such
a chess-like exchange was taking place at a brisk pace.
One
misstep and the game would end immediately. An unpleasant equilibrium was
maintained.
Me
and Jushichiya's gazes intertwine with each other. Only the masters could shift
this stalemate. We were both watching each other to see who would move first.
Sweat
trickled down my chin.
The
first to move was ————me.
I
pulled out a stone from my pocket and called out "Renge!" as I
smashed it to the ground.
A
flash of light filled the entire space. What I used was a magical item called a
flash stone.
This
magical item, which I obtained in the E-rank labyrinth, emitted a strong light
when it was broken. In order to ensure that Jushichiya would be blinded, I, who
had been looking into my opponent's eyes right up until the moment before, was
also unable to see anything as my vision went completely white.
I
could hear Jushichiya screamed "Amdo! ......
My eyes, ah my eyes---!" as my vision gradually recovered.
"Ugh
...... I see Zashiki-warashi-chan is out of sight."
Jushichiya,
whose eyesight had been restored, looked around and noticed that Renge was
nowhere to be seen.
“The
[Hide-and-seek] skill. Aiming for a direct attack on us, aren't you? But
as you can see, I'm protected by Living Armor, so it's useless."
"Let's
see about that."
"...I
don't know what you're up to, but this way I'll know for sure."
She
then gave a quick command to the Elf,
"Direct
attack!"
"Kh!"
I
knew it was coming!
The
moment the Elf pointed her bow at me, I moved to Eliza's back. She too covered
me with her [Protect] skill. She successfully shielded me while letting the
arrow pierce her arm.
"She
is very good! But
how long can you hold out? Hmm?!"
"There
won't be a next time!"
At
the same time I said that, a light bullet flew out of nowhere and struck the
Unicorn. The unicorn screamed and fell to the ground.
"Unicorn?!'
"There!"
When
the Elf launched an arrow into an open space, Renge appeared while clicking her
tongue. She is holding her upper arm. Was it grazed?
However,
the fallen Unicorn does not move even a twitch. It seems that she succeeded in
knocking it out, though it is not dead. --And Mea had already slipped her way
into the Unicorn.
Renge
grinned.
"With
this, the unsightly horse will disappear immediately."
"I
just need to get rid of you before that happens."
The
Elf said in a clear voice that sounded like the ringing of a bell.
Renge
vanished again, but the Elf continued to fire her arrows one after another, as
if she had a rough idea of where she was. Renge also kept on shooting light
bullets, but .......
"Ggh
......! Shit!"
Finally,
she was caught.
Renge, who was clutching her abdomen, sank to the ground.
The
Elf smiled coldly.
"Oh, so this is all it takes, huh? After all--"
The
moment the Elf started to speak in mockery, Renge howled in indignation,
"Who?! Who's
a half-price item in an open saleーー!"
"Eh?! I, I
didn't go that far——"
"A
gap!"
"Wha-?!"
Taking
advantage of the opening where the Elf was flustered by Renge's full-blown cry
of recrimination, Mea popped out of the Unicorn and made a surprise attack.
Mea, transformed into a giant dog, pushed the Elf down.
'The
Empusa is entirely preoccupied with the Unicorn.' The Elf, who thought so, was
caught off guard.
"Kuh......,
my blunder."
At
first glance, the Unicorn and Mea seemed to have disappeared from the board,
but in fact, Mea was able to move freely.
No
matter how anyone looked at it, it was best to let the Unicorn get dealt with
even if the card is lost at this point.
Therefore,
the Elf must have unconsciously ruled out that possibility in her mind. Another
major reason may be that she was concentrating on dealing with Renge.
But
this side had no intention of making the opponent lose her cards in the first
place. Therefore, Mea was always looking for an opportunity for a surprise
attack.
"You! You're
taking over my role!"
"?!
Huh?!"
The
Elf let out a retort until she forgot to stand up as an index finger was
pointed at her. It was ......Renge.
"Freeze."
The
Elf's gorgeous face contorted in humiliation.
"Kuu,
towards me ......! Using such a joke......!"
Hearing
this, Renge's face quirked in amusement. It was a wicked smile.
"Welcome
to the world of gag characters. And goodbye."
At
the moment when Renge was about to put an end so mercilessly.
"Wait!"
Jushichiya's
voice rang out sharply. Everyone's eyes focused on her.
"You
got us....... We lost."
Jushichiya
hung her head in dejection as she said this.
"Anna
......"
The
Elf also looked down in regret.
Seeing
this, Renge lowered her finger and said in a bored tone,
"Hmph,
it seems that your master is also a softy......"
『Settled! What
a dizzying array of attacks and defenses! The
tactics were well laid out! This is Monster Colosseum! It
was a great match worthy of the semi-finals!』
『It
was a great match that fully utilized the skills of each monster.』
With
the voice of the emcee and commentator, applause and cheers could be heard from
the audience.
.........
Apparently, the audience, who had been getting rather bored, were now pleased
with the match.
As
I left the venue while being sent off by the applause of the audience, I bumped
into Jushichiya in the hallway. No, by the looks of it, was she waiting for me?
"Yaah,
I'm in trouble. As promised, I'll give up the Demon card to you."
"......You
were actually planning to give it to me even if you won, weren't you?"
When
I stated this, Jushichiya smiled bashfully.
"A~h,
so you found out. As you might have guessed, the fight with Kitagawa-senpai was
a setup. In the end, though, it turned out to be nothing more than a schemer's
overconfidence."
"Well,
no matter how you look at it, I'm a mob character compared to Kannazaki and
Jushichiya."
"No,
no, that's not true. Uhh, although I thought so when I saw you yesterday, but
when I met you in the arena, I was surprised. I thought you were someone else."
"Eh?"
"How
do I put it... your presence is different. Well, I guess that's probably why.
The reason why I lost."
Jushichiya
nodded as if she was convinced of something, while I was at a loss.
"Um,
Jushichiya..."
"Ah,
you can call me Anna, instead of my surname. My family name is kind of
cumbersome."
“Huh? Is
that so? Well, in that case, ...... I'm fine with Maro too."
I
found it quite easy to talk to her, particularly since she was my opponent in
the match.
"Ah,
then it's Maro-senpai, right? I'm looking forward to working with you. Oh, are
you using Line? Let's exchange IDs."
"Oh,
yeah."
What's
with this girl? She's really pushy.
Her
profile on Line was a two-shot of Elf and Anna.
...I
was surprised that she didn't look ugly even when she was standing side by side
with the Elf.
After
confirming that we had exchanged IDs, Anna left with light steps.
".................."
Once I was alone in the hallway and made sure no one was
there,
"Yoosh! Yoosh!"
I
bit back my joy with all my might.
It was not the joy of winning the semi-finals and
advancing to the finals ----.
It was the joy of being able to exchange lines with a
super beautiful half-girl like Anna.
If you take out my family, it's 100%. That's the
percentage of male contacts on my Line.
Of
course, I am in the class' group Line. But I have never been in touch with any
of the individual girls in that group. Of course, I am not on any of their
friend lists.
It's
all male. I have no connection with girls, to the extent that my sister
suspects me of having a sexual interest in boys.
That
was my life.
But
now, for the first time in my life, a girl has been added.
And
she's a half-Japanese girl! A beautiful girl! And
she is an adventurer and the daughter of a company president!
What
kind of miracle is this?
Isn't this, isn't this like I am a normie?! A popular
guy?!
Just
as I was thinking that, I came to my senses.
......
No, wait. It's too good to be true. Calm down, think calmly.
Why
would such a wonderful event happen to me? I'm
just a mob guy. What if it's a trap?
Could it be a trap?
As
soon as the word popped into my head, I took a quick look around.
Yes,
we are in TV show territory! It would not be surprising
if there is a surprise project going on at the same time!
Fuu, is that so? I let my guard down a little earlier,
but I'm not going to show my ugly mug again.
I
nervously kept my nerves on edge, on the lookout for a hidden camera planted
somewhere in the room.
But then I snapped out of it, realizing that setting up a
hidden camera for me was not going to earn anyone any money.
[Tips] Armor-ized
This
is a spell used to equip armor weapons in the masterpiece manga "Dai no
Daiboken" (The Great Adventure of Dai). The idea of having a suit of armor
that is both a weapon and an armor, as well as having a nullification ability
was a terribly romantic concept.
But
this has nothing to do with that.
Some
monsters can be equipped by other monsters and masters as armor. Monsters with
the 'armor-ized' skill ([Equip] skill) are particularly popular, and many
adventurers incorporate them into their decks because they can prevent direct
attacks.
Monsters with the
'armor-ized' skill are very important not only in MonColo, where a direct
attack on the master can lead to immediate defeat, but also in the dungeon,
where an attack on a master can mean severe damage to the entire party.
***
Previous chapter | Novel page | Next chapter
Help us keep our spirit up by buying
us Coffee (人ゝω・）
