Archduchess Platyfia Reiju felt so while thrusting her spear.
Well, that’s only natural, Jilbagias is my son after all. He parried my thrust with a fierce look on his face, akin to a warrior entrusted with the job to stall the enemy for as long as possible.
Even though this combat training wasn’t real combat. His fighting spirit was truly splendid!
This child must’ve imagined that this was a real battlefield――
Platyfia thought so.
Although Jilbagias was truly a selfish child since he was a baby, he could be considered on the calmer side of a demon race, and he is normally an obedient child.
But, his mild temperament vaporized the moment he entered combat mode. Platyfia had confirmed so during his combat training with Sofia. It was as if he really saw the other party as the enemy that he had to kill.
No matter how strong the fighting spirit of a demon race’s child, it shouldn’t be as sharp as this one. He was too desperate to the point that calling him a sore loser was wrong.
Jilbagias’ future dream was to surpass his father, Gordesgias. Which reminds me, Just where―― In the world did he have such belligerent nature?
Jilbagias was undoubtedly raised in a special environment. In order to let his personality develop without any strange thoughts mixing in, Platyfia only allowed a few trusted attendants to attend to his needs.
But, that was actually a mistake, Platyfia had actually robbed him of the chance to clash with the kids of the same age as him. In that way, he would be forced to learn how to control his emotion by making him clash against a child older than him. Jilbagias’ education plan had its own pros and cons, even now, Platyfia’s relative didn’t stop telling her that 「This child should be raised normally.」
They did have a valid reason to do so.
But, Platyfia thought that there was no need to restrict Jilbagias.
This child is special. He was born to be a Demon King.
『He is undoubtedly a natural-born warrior!! He’s gifte―― Nay, it’s as if he knew how to fight since before he was born!』
Former patriarch of the Orgi clan, Warg gave such an evaluation of Jilbagias.
Jilbagias was clearly different from the other children of his age. His stance, the way he moved, and his preparedness were leagues ahead of a child of his age.
No matter how much of a sore loser a child was, they would turn into a coward during the first phase of their training. Though they wanted to give it their all, their body couldn’t move as they wished. It wasn’t 『Desperation』. Neither was mustering his all till he reached his limit.
Why? Was it because he had tasted a true defeat? A wretched and miserable true defeat shouldn’t be known to a child.
And yet―― Jilbagias was moving as if he had been familiar with such feelings for years.
(Such an enigmatic child.)
For example――When the tip of Platyfia’s spear tore Jilbagias’ flank lightly.
If the spear went a bit deeper, the wound would even expose his entrails. It was painful but the training was based on live combat. Any normal child would’ve already cried when the same situation befalls them.
And yet, Jilbagias only grit his teeth and keep moving. He desperately bent his body and thrust his obsidian spear to dodge Platyfia’s spear.
Truly splendid movement. No matter how much you cry, your enemy in the battlefield won’t wait for you―― Jilbagias seems to understand that fact. The way he kept his fighting spirit ablaze while suppressing his pain is truly worthy of praise. Unfortunately――
「Too naive.」
“The way he moved was still too naive.” That was what Platyfia thought as she caught the tip of the spear that came before her with one hand and pulled it with all her might.
At that moment, Jilbagias finally realized his blunder as his stance crumbled. Platyfia didn’t wait for her son to regain his balance, she mercilessly tripped him with the shaft of her spear.
And just like that, Jilbagias fell――
He fell while still in a thrusting motion.
But, he had yet to give up, he opened his eyes, forcing his fall to change into a roll and dodged the incoming speartip. It was a splendid, split-second decision. Because receiving the last spear thrust would literally incapacitate him, making him unable to continue the combat.
But, he couldn’t dodge perfectly either. The speartip scooped his back.
「――AAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!!」
Jilbagias who couldn’t handle the pain had finally screamed in pain. His personal attendant, Garounya who saw from afar rushed in immediately. It seems the wound reached his spine. That’s why no matter how much he struggled, he couldn’t move anymore.
Though he dodged the fatal wound, the wound that incapacitate him would end his life in a real battle.
… As I thought, I really couldn’t bear to see my dear son suffering so much. Thus, I lowered my spear and approached him to use transpose curse on him but――
Jilbagias who glared toward Platyfia with bloodshot eyes suddenly unleashed powerful magical power pressure. At that moment, Platyfia felt her body get entangled by a spider’s thread――
「――【Metaphysics(Transpose)】」
“He hasn’t lost his fighting spirit even when he is reduced to that state huh.” Was what she thought as Platyfia was astonished by her son’s willpower.
But, unfortunately, his opponent was a master of the same curse――
His transpose curse got invalidated with a snap of her fingers. Platyfia protected her heart and deployed a magic shell immediately.
They’re parent and child, they’re also tied by the curse inflicted on his mother, not to mention that the current Jilbagias’ magical power was far cry from Platyfia.
「Good job, Jilbagias.」
But, his will power was praiseworthy. Because the one who ordered Jilbagias to go all out was Platyfia herself, thus, using the transpose curse was only natural.
If Jilbagias was much stronger than now. Or if the opponent was not Platyfia and their magical power was weaker than him.
Jilbagias’ ambush might work, his opponent would fall due to the wound they inflicted on Jilbagias, and Jilbagias would return to top-notch state.
「It’s an extremely convenient curse but it’s useless against someone of the same level. The curse almost certainly fails as long as you protect your heart and deploy a magic shell around you.」
When I explained so, Jilbagias was gritting his teeth in frustration.
Platyfia was looking at Jilbagias with a dumbfounded look on her face.
The reason being Jilbagias invalidated her transpose curse.
Jilbagias was breathing heavily as he looked at her with bloodshot eyes. His body was covered in bloody wounds. His body was dyed in his own blue-coloured blood from the small wounds all over his body and from the wound on his flank, the wound on his back even went as far as exposing his bone. He is already half paralyzed.