/
Chapter 79: This is My Trump Card!
Kanata let out a sigh as he caught sight of Anise’s smile.
“Have you figured it out?” He asked, referring to whether she had recognized him as Haishin.
He had asked because Anise appeared to acclimatize to the same aura he sensed from Maria and Alphana, aside from the meaningful glance he had received from Athena.
Anise responded cheerfully, “Yep, but I only realized it during yesterday’s livestream.”
“
 Wait, were you watching?”
“Nope, but my magic caught you â™Ș.”
Kanata was curious about what she meant by ‘her magic caught him.’
Intrigued by her words, Kanata asked for an explanation. Anise recounted how, during the previous night’s rainfall, droplets had frozen into ice, and a cold sensation had passed through Kanata’s body—apparently the work of Anise’s magic.
“I’m not just any ice mage in the Empire,” she boasted. “Within a certain range and under specific conditions, I can identify any magic someone possesses.”
“I see.”
“I use this ability regularly whenever I travel or while within the Empire. But whenever I hear Haishin-sama’s voice, my stomach starts aching, and I end up
 Kufufu â™Ș. This time I hit the jackpot!”
Anise took a step towards Kanata, almost as if she was stomping on the frozen ground. Her cheeks were visibly flushed, and the intensity of her gaze toward Kanata seemed to burn even hotter than before.
To be honest, Kanata felt somewhat overwhelmed by her intense stare, but Anise seemed oblivious and continued to speak.
“Of course, my ability to identify magic is useless if the other person doesn’t emit any magic energy. But I knew you would livestream, so I just had to wait for the right moment. What surprised me was that I ended up staring at the inn as you all night, unintentionally
 â™Ș.”
“
”
Kanata remained silent, his emotions overflowing in the presence of this dangerous individual.
“Hey, Kanata, there’s no escape for you now, you know? Ahaha, I’ve been itching for this moment. Meeting my idol Haishin-sama is great, but I’m even more excited about facing your formidable magic power that can withstand my own
 Ah, it’s simply wonderful. So wonderful â™Ș.”
Anise snapped her fingers and stood before Kanata, extending her slender arm. She noticed Kanata’s white breath in the chilly air and murmured while concerned.
“Forget about the mock battle, Kanata. Let’s do something fun together instead, alright? I can’t ignore this urge anymore. Don’t worry. I’ll protect you no matter what and take care of everything. Come on, be by my side â™Ș.”
Although Anise’s words and expression didn’t match, she seemed too caught up in the moment to realize it. Kanata couldn’t just agree with her, however.
“Well
 it’s flattering to hear that from a beautiful girl like you, Anise, but there are people waiting for me to come back, and they trust me.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes, it’s true. Even though I’ve been revealed to be Haishin, we’re in the middle of an important event.”
Kanata had promised Maria and Alphana, who had been worried about him, that he would definitely return. He couldn’t allow himself to say something like ‘I was getting along with the opponent’ now.
“I’d also appreciate it if you didn’t mention to anyone that I’m Haishin.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t even tell Fest. I don’t want to cause you any trouble.”
“
 Asking to do something together, meaning to be in a relationship? Isn’t that causing me trouble?”
“Huh? Don’t you like doing naughty things, Kanata?”
“
”
Kanata couldn’t deny it.
He screamed inside his head to blow away the worldly desires that came to mind. To distract himself, he unleashed his magic power to the fullest, filling the area around him.
As a result, the ice pillars that had surrounded him crumbled easily, and Anise put her hand on her chest, excited.
“Wow, Kanata’s magic is truly amazing. Just by touching my body, I can feel an uncontrollable desire
 I want to experience it again and again â™Ș.”
Anise’s words were unsettling, but she seemed to have sensed Kanata’s resolve to fight and was ready for it.
(
 My opponent is a young ice magic user, rumoured to be one of the strongest in the Empire. I can only rely on my almost infinite magic power. So, how should I do it?)
Despite having nearly unlimited magic power, Kanata lacked experience in combat. His opponent, on the other hand, likely had more knowledge and experience. It was like facing a boss in a game, but Kanata found the challenge thrilling as he searched for the key to victory.
“Here I come!”
“Huh!?”
But before Kanata could react, Anise had vanished from his sight. He wondered where she had gone, but then a powerful ice pillar streaked past him, making him gasp in awe. When he turned to look, Anise was standing there, holding out her hand.
“The students in the royal capital, including Kanata, don’t have much experience with real combat, but it can’t be helped. With that last attack, the battle would have been over in an instant, wouldn’t it?”
Anise probably intended to imply that if she hadn’t held back, the battle would have been over already. Kanata found it amusing.
“Hah! That’s a great idea. Why don’t you give it your all and test it out?”
“Sure thing. I’ll defeat you quickly, and then we can chat while watching from the audience seats â™Ș.”
“Is that so!?”
Anise appeared to be a free-spirited girl. Just as Kanata retorted, icicles started flying at him from all directions. It was impossible to avoid them all, but they vanished just before hitting Kanata.
“
 Just like earlier, huh?”
“Yeah. I’m still an amateur in using magic, but I have confidence in my barrier with the unlimited magic power.”
“I see. When magic powers collide, the stronger one prevails
 Isn’t having unlimited magic power a form of cheating?”
“Shut up. We use what we can use!”
Kanata unleashed a powerful burst of flames from his hand, shouting, “[Fire]!!”
Although it was one of the first spells he learned, his flames were incredibly potent, melting the towering icicles in their path. However, even this formidable magic proved ineffective against Anise’s ice.
“Wow, that’s an impressive display of power. It’s almost scary to think this is just beginner’s magic, [Fire]. It’s even stronger than Fest
 But it’s useless against me.”
Anise used a blast of cold air to envelop Kanata’s flames, compressing them until they vanished. Unlike a barrier that treated magic power as a solid wall, unlimited magic power couldn’t affect spells already cast.
“If that’s the case, neither of us has a clear advantage. Why don’t we just wait until your magic runs out?”
“Yeah, that’s what you’d typically assume, right? But unfortunately, I think your body is already starting to show the effects, isn’t it?”
The moment she spoke those words, Kanata realized that his body wasn’t functioning correctly. His hands wouldn’t move properly, and he felt slightly lightheaded and short of breath.
“This is also part of my strategy. Even if you can block my magic, the cold and chill in the air will drain your energy. Try to remain calm
 Oh, but perhaps staying calm will make you feel even colder?”
“
 I see.”
Anise displayed mastery in wielding powerful area magic and strategic techniques that maximize the potential of ice.
“
 But don’t get me wrong, okay? If Kanata says he wants to stop, I’ll stop immediately. Because I don’t want to hurt you intentionally, you know? Come on, give up? If you do, I’ll also surrender, and we can both journey to some location. There, we can seek refuge and warm ourselves up. Without any clothes, that is.”
“In the end, it’s still the same thing!”
Kanata’s agitation surged, and he could feel his head heating up. However, remaining idle was not a viable option. Waiting for Anise’s magic to exhaust itself seemed unwise.
“Things are pretty wild over there at their main camp, with the Princess and Saint fighting strongly. It looks like they’re holding up pretty well against Fest, though it’s probably tough for just him alone, huh? Regardless, it doesn’t affect us much.
“Is that all right?”
“This is more important, isn’t it?”
It seemed that Anise really didn’t care. But if she was here, it’s only natural that Fest was the one causing a commotion over there. Kanata tightened his expression, realizing he needed to go back there quickly.
“
 Then let’s give it a try?”
“What do you mean?”
If Kanata only used half-hearted magic, Anise would block it. Therefore, Kanata decided to forcefully pour magic without any attribute, creating an impenetrable barrier.
The magic power gathered in Kanata’s palm was not to activate magic but simply gather it.
“Ah, I see. You’ve figured it out!”
Anise cast magic to prevent the activation, but the barrier blocked all of it. Kanata endured the cold and desperately poured in his magic power, directing it toward Anise.
“!?”
Anise was taken aback by the magic power charging forward, crushing the magic she had cast. Of course, she dodged it, but Kanata’s action did not stop there.
Kanata released all of his magic power at once, manipulating the magic power pervading the area to surround Anise.
“Hey! Isn’t that cheating!? Why can’t I block Kanata’s magic power!?”
“I told you! I’ll use whatever I can!”
Kanata didn’t hesitate to brute force to overwhelm his opponent with magic power. He reached out to Anise, gripping her tightly and enveloping her in the magic power, shattering the ice she had built up for defence.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m
 somehow okay.”
Anise replied as she fell to the ground, avoiding a fatal blow. She still seemed capable of fighting, but her expression was trance-like as she exclaimed with excitement,
“Amazing
 You’re amazing, Kanata! How can this be!? I’m falling in love with your strength â™Ș.”
“I don’t know. But that passionate love call is a bit scary to me.”
Kanata said, but he was eager to take this base and return to their main camp, where Maria and the others were waiting for them. He decided to use Anise’s admiration to his advantage.
“Can you put this on your ear for a moment?”
“Huh?”
She tilted her head as Kanata put an earphone on her ear and made her listen to something.
“Anise~”
[EDN: K.O.]
“!?”
Kanata started reciting some cringe-worthy lines, causing Anise to blush and tremble before falling to the ground, covering her chest with her hand and spouting blood from her nose.
“I-I lost,” Anise’s arm fell to the ground, and since it seemed to have been judged as a withdrawal, her withdrawal was announced.
“Anise Gravatt from the Empire’s side has been eliminated.”
Kanata gazed at Anise’s location for a moment before nodding in satisfaction.
“Well, I did say to use whatever I can.”
With Anise defeated, Kanata swiftly made his way back to Maria and the rest of his team.