Extreme Flame Wizard

Rose: “So who’s the girl?”

Although she smiled cheerfully, Igni sensed something ominous and dark behind her words, and cold sweat dripped from Igni’s face as he said truthfully.

Igni: “Shーshe’s someone I’m guarding…...for a Quest given to me by the school.”

Kurara: “I’m…...Igni’s…...girlfriend…...too…”

Igni: “Excuse me?”

Igni tilted his head at Kurara’s words.

Normally, these words should have excited him, but every piece of Igni’s instinct is screaming that this is not an appropriate time.

Igni: (Thーthat’s DEFINITELY a subject we should not touch at the moment…..!!)

Rose: “Igni’s…girlfriend?”

Rose tilts her head with the smile frozen on her face.

Rose: “OHHH!! I understand now! That’s your <character setting>!”

But from Roses’ end, more mysterious words flooded out.

Rose: “Because you can’t see, right? And Igni’s excommunicated from his family!”

Igni: “How do you know about me getting thrown out….?”

Rose: “I know EVERYTHING about you, Igni!”

An answer that really didn’t answer anything was the reply, and Igni couldn’t continue the conversation.

It was Igni’s defense mechanisms and instincts that warned him to not poke any further.

Kurara: “......character setting…….?”

Rose: “Yes! Exactly. You must be…..Igni’s step-sister! After Igni was thrown out of his house, your family took him in. And kind hearted Igni couldn’t just leave his blind-sister alone, so he is taking you out around the city. And since you’ve never had a boyfriend before, kind, big-brother Igni said he’ll be your boyfriend for the day. Yes, a magnificent deduction from an ace detective if I say so myself.”

Igni: (Wow, she’s really gone over the top with that storyline…)

Igni emotionally detaches himself and observes the situation as a bystander.

Kurara: “No….you’re wrong. Igni and I…..are…..dating.”

Rose: “For just today, right?”

Igni: (Thーthis isn’t good……..!)

Igni: (The two aren’t communicating on the same wavelength………!!)

Although it’s about him, Igni's bad habit kicks in as he still observes this meltdown as a bystander.

Kurara: “........no…...it’s true…..”

Rose: “OHHH!! I understand now! You must be a princess of some country or the daughter of a noble! So that’s why you asked Igni to guard you! Igni’s the winner of the Tournament, so there’s no better man for the job than him!”

Igni: “How do you know about the tournament…….?”

Rose: “Well, I can understand that. Igni’s strong and so amazing! So I can understand why as one of his devoted fans, you asked him to escort you around town as a “boyfriend.” I know every good thing about Igni, so I can understand your feelings well!”

Igni: “................”

Rose completely ignores Igni’s interjection and continues to talk uninterrupted.

Kurara also didn’t know what else to say to Rose and fell silent.

“Lady Rose, please do not move around on your own so much within the city.”

And out of a horse carriage, a beautiful woman stepped out.

Igni: (Is Rose always with someone beautiful like that?)

....is what Igni was thinking as he tilted his head when…

“!! Lady Rose! Please step away from that woman!!”

And as soon as the lady accompanying Rose yelled…

Igni was grabbed by the scruff of his neck and pulled back quickly.

“{Water Bullet}!”

And she fired a spell in the middle of town!

And Kurara, who pulled Igni behind her, responded calmly and quicklyーー.

Kurara: “.....[Dull] {Sloth}”

<She cut the spell in half>.

Igni: “.............huh?”

Igni’s head tilted at the incomprehensible scene.

Igni: (Was it possible to cut a spell with a sword………..?)

“You’re still carrying that annoying Magic Artifact. Kurara……!”

Kurara: “.......and you still……..in the middle of town……..use spells….Floria.”

Igni: (........she knows her?)

Igni: “Is that someone you know, Kurara?”

Kurara: “She’s the [Extreme] of [Water].”

Igni: “Oh, I see.”

She’s a beautiful woman so Igni memorized her face and name.

He will never forget it now.

Because Floria fired her spell, the people around them are panicking.

The crowds disperse and are scattering in all directions away from the two.

Rose: “Hey, Floria! That could have hit Igni!”

Floria: “Do you think I would make such an error?”

Rose: “There’s always a possibility!!!”

Igni: (IーI don’t know what’s going on, but Rose is scolding her…….)

Kurara: “Floria……..I have…….Igni with me.”

Floria: “.......I don’t know how you got hold of the information, but I’m not letting you take Lady Rose.”

Kurara: “That’s not…..your choice…….to make.”

Kurara laughs and a single, silver-white longsword is held in her hands.

Although Kurara shouldn’t be able to <see>, she had her sword in a ready stance straight towards Floria.

Kurara: “Okay, Miss [Saint]. I’ll give you…..two choices….”

Rose: “A choice?”

In between Igni and Rose stood Kurara and Floria. Both are [Extreme]’s.

If they fight in the middle of town, there’s going to be an unbelievable amount of collateral damage towards the common people.

Kurara: “Yes. I will…...break up….with Igni…..but in return…..you’ll come to…..[Alelimenia]. Otherwise….I will continue…..to date Igni. So which….do you choose?”

Igni: (Alelimenia is the Elves’ country. Why is Kurara trying to take Rose there?)

Igni: (And why is Kurara saying that we’re going out?)

Igni: (........wait……...has my reign of popularity finally begun???)

Rose: (OーOf course I’ll go! I’ll never let anything come between the bonds of Igni and myselfーー”

Floria: “Lady Rose, she’s lying.”

Rose: “Lーlying?! What’s she lying about, Floria?!”

Floria: “She’s lying about being in a relationship with Sir Igni and herself.”

Rose: “Hーhow do you know that?!”

Floria: “There’s no way someone who is that depraved would be able to date anyone.”

Igni: “Oof…….!”

Misunderstanding, Igni threw himself in the path of the comment and his heart was shattered...

Kurara: “Igni…..those criticisms…...were directed towards…...me….”

Realizing what happened, Kurara reaches out a helping hand towards Igni.

Rose: “Oh, that’s a relief. There’s no way Igni would date anyone other than me.”

Floria: “..............................yes.”

Floria’s reply is brief.

In her many years, her experience has taught her to say as little as possible during these situations.

Rose: “Now give back Igni! We know that you two aren’t dating!”

Kurara: “........that’s….a problem. I was…...going to…..bait you…..with Igni…..”

Igni: “.......what?”

Igni reflected on Kurara’s words.

Bーbait…? What does she mean….?

Kurara: “Igni…...is the easiest way…..to get…..the attention of….the [Saint]....so…..walking around…..town like this…..would probably…..draw her out…..is….what I…..thought….”

His delusions of popularity were washed away by the cruel waves of reality and Igni’s heart was on the verge of crumbling to pieces.

Feeling dizzy all of a sudden, Igni forgot all the Secret Arts and Etiquettes of Popularity and asked Kurara upfront.

Igni: “YーYou were just using me for my body?!”

Kurara: “That’s….not the…..way I would…..put it but….”

Igni: “What about your interest in my spell……?”

Kurara: “That was…..true….”

Kurara answered him clearly.

Apparently, her intentions there were genuine and sincere.

Rose: “So what! I have interest in Igni’s spell too!!”

Floria: “Lady Rose, there’s no reason to compete with that woman.”

Rose: “ERRRGH!! FLORIA!! GET THAT WOMAN AWAY FROM IGNI!!”

Floria: “Yes, that was my intention all along.”

Water balls appear around Floria.

Three water balls orbit and rotate around her very beautifully.

Facing her, Kurara has not moved an inch and held her sword with her right hand.

Rose: “Beat her to a pulp! Teach her what happens when you place your dirty hands on my Igni!”

Kurara: “Igni…...please…..protect me…...2 versus 1…...is…..too much of a…..disadvantage….”

Combat Analysis.

Igni doesn’t know how she calculated the combat strength difference between herself and the other two, but she reached out for Igni’s help.

Rose: “NO! IGNI!! YOU CAN’T PROTECT HER!!”

Kurara: “Igni…….please……”

Rose: “IGNI!!”

Both Kurara and Rose throw their words desperately towards Igni.

Igni: (Whーwhat…..should I do……!!)

He feels his heart get wrenched and burned from the pain……!!

Igni: (Wait! Yes….haven’t I…...somewhere………?!)

<<<<>>>>

[Oye, Igni. If you become popular, there is a fate you cannot avoid.]

[What is it?]

[You will encounter a “shuraba” {a romantic crisis}]

[You told me about that already.]

[Yes, but we should review regardless. Listen well.]

[Oーokay…]

[When I was young, I was going on a date with this woman.]

[And?]

[I forgot that I double-booked with a different woman, and both women met on the same day, at the same place, at the same time.]

[........huh?!]

Igni felt sweat in his palm as his tightened his fists from the drama that must have ensued.

[GーGrandpa…..so…..how did you resolve that…..?]

[For starters, I let them punch me.]

[Excuse me?]

Not understanding, Igni tilts his head.

[There was…..no other way……!!]

[.............................................]

[You cannot…….lend a hand to either side……..!!!]

<<<<>>>>

Igni: (I didn’t understand what he meant at the time but…...he’s right………!!)

Igni: (GーGrandpa was……..always right……!!)

Igni: (He was not wrong……..!!!)

Igni: (You’re…….amazing, Grandpa!!!!)

Igni: (That’s why you’re…..an [Extreme]!!”

Kurara: “......Igni….”

Rose: “IGNI!!”

To quiet down the two, Igni raises his palms up towards them.

Igni: “I understand now. You two….”

Kurara: “You understand…..what…..?”

Rose: “I knew you would understand, Igni.”

Coming to the perfect solution, Igni looks at both Kurara and Rose with joy spilling over from his smile.

Igni: “Fire those spells….at me.”

In a flash, a heavy silence fell over the entire scene.