With a large handicap in my favor... Ozma-san at least wouldn't move at a speed I couldn't see and his range of action is only within a circle of four meters in diameter. So, to be honest, somewhere in the back of my mind, I was thinking that "It would be pretty easy for me to win this".
However, twenty minutes after this battle started, I realized how naive my thoughts were.
[...Hahhh... T- This is tough...]
[Hmmm. You sure can move a lot, Miyama-kun~~ Are you exercising regularly?]
As I breathed heavily, Ozma-san stood in front of me with an aloof smile on his face.
I- I can't reach him... I can't reach him at all. I mean, it doesn't feel like I would be able to reach him.
Ozma-san's movements were slow and relaxed, but they are exquisite and were as slippery as a specter. Just as Ozma-san declared though, he was indeed only moving at a speed I could react to.
However, his movements were exquisite... Even if I could react, my body wasn't able to keep up, or he'd poke me at angles where it was difficult to see his movements because they were my blind spots.
It was as if he was a leaf gently falling from a tree slipping through my hand when I tried to catch it.
In that case though, I thought of opening my arms wide to block his escape route and tried to collide my body with his, but he quickly jumped over me with one foot.
Well, Ozma-san may have actually been seeing my movements as if they were in slow motion, so it was easy for him to avoid them.
However, it's not like I don't have any cards left. I guess it's time for me to use my trump card.
[Ohh, a magic circle... How scary, I wonder what you're going to do? You're making Uncle nervous here.]
Although he's saying that he's scared, Ozma-san still had a gentle smile on his face. However, this magic would be able to break that smile of his... Or rather, if this doesn't break his smile, I don't think I have any chance of victory at all.
For a man with little magic power and no aptitude for combat, I could only rely on my only trump card "Auto-Counter". However, it was a passive kind of magic, and wasn't something suitable for initiating.
The magic I'm going to use now is an improved version of my Auto-Counter... It's a magic that makes my body act through movements that I've established beforehand, at a really fast speed that just barely breaks my body.
After a few minutes of setting up the magic circle, I activated it.
[...Autopilot!]
[Whoa!?]
With the utterance of the magic name acting as a key, I lost control of my body.
The attack I've set up this time... Is to make use of my body to attack at Ozma-san at the fastest and shortest distance possible.
As the distance was originally close, I quickly reached Ozma-san and swung my fist at him, but he nimbly turned his body to the side and evaded my attack.
However, this is where the true essence comes in. My body quickly reacts to Ozma-san's movements and swings my fist to the side.
However, this was also avoided by turning his upper body behind.
Before I could even realize that my fist attack had been evaded though, my body immediately crouched down and my foot swept his feet.
So to speak, Autopilot is something like a super reflex. It eliminated the process between thinking and acting, and executes predetermined goals at the level of a spinal reflex.
This should have been... making my body exert its maximum performance but...
Ozma-san did a backflip with one foot to avoid my foot sweep, and easily avoided my fist that was continuously thrown in the air, and then spun around again with one hand on the ground to avoid my follow-up attack.
[Good gracious, you're quite fast, aren't you? It's going to be hard for Uncle to avoid them.]
[...…..]
Despite saying all these things, Ozma-san evaded all of my attacks with relative ease, as if he knew in advance where my attacks would come from.
F- For him to be this powerful... This is bad. Autopilot is certainly easier to use than Auto-Counter, but I still don't know how much this magic consumes.
In the next few minutes... If I can't catch him...
Autopilot lost its effect, and I fell down on one knee.
[Guhh... Hahh...]
[Master!?]
Autopilot would disregard my body's fatigue while in effect, but one of the drawbacks was that, when the effect wore off, the fatigue would rush in.
To be honest, I'm so tired I just want to lie down right now...
While watching the exhausted me lying down on the ground, Ozma-san held a cigarette on his mouth and spoke to me without lighting it.
[...Miyama-kun, can I give you one piece of advice?]
[...Hahh... Eh?]
[That magic isn't really effective against Uncle, you know? That's probably some magic that allows you to attack in the most efficient way, right? In that case, for opponents like Uncle here who have already lived useless amounts of years, "not only would we be able to figure out where and how someone's going to attack", "we can even control our movements by purposely creating gaps".]
[Ghh...]
When he mentioned it, I could somewhat understand it... The Autopilot uses the most efficient movement to launch an attack. So, for someone as good as Ozma-san, it wouldn't be any different from using telephone puncqhes... Ughhh... This is hard.
(T/N: Telephone punch is just a simple punch that doesn't require any martial arts skill. A punch with just brute force.)
[Well, you did a great job. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses after all... So, isn't it enough that you tried?]
[...Eh?]
[Even though Master Megiddo told you that, it's not like you really had to do that. In this world, it's important to know when to give up. It's not like it's your fault that you lost here. There's no need to force yourself to do something that's hard, you can just retire here... You can just go have fun with that girl over there at the festival.]
[...I guess you're right.]
In response to Ozma-san's words, who was speaking to me as if he was gently persuading me, not mocking me for my weakness, I nodded once... before I held down my trembling legs and "stood up".
[Oya? Are you still going to stand? You don't have to work so hard, do you? Do you really want to live up to Master Megiddo's expectations that much?]
[There's that too... But well, more than that...]
Why am I seriously working so hard? The reason... I think there are a lot of them. I don't want to waste the thoughts of the people who helped me get here, and I also want to live up to Megiddo-san's expectations.
Those were definitely reasons for not giving up. But I'm not that good of a person, so if it was only that, I wouldn't be trying this much.
Yes, the reason why I'm working so hard now is actually quite simple...
[...I'm also... a man... So sometimes, I just wanted to "show off my good side to a cute girl"...]
[...Hahaha, I see. With such a reason, there's no way that you can just not work hard, right? It's Uncle's mistake. Alright then, bring me all you got.]
[Alright!]
To be honest, I had very little energy and magic power left. That's why... I've only got one chance left.
Running towards Ozma-san, I swung my fist. But of course, the strike is avoided.
However, what I'm aiming for is this moment... Through my Sympathy Magic, I conveyed my emotions. What I was using now was that magic that stopped the fight between Chronois-san and Ein-san before.
Forcefully transmitting my strong desire to not lose... I jumped on Ozma-san, whose movements slightly slowed down in surprise.
This tactic was effective because it was a surprise attack. However, there wouldn't be a second time...That's why, reach him!
I desperately reached out to Ozma-san, who took evasive action even though his reaction was a bit delayed.
It was actually just the tip of my finger... but my outstretched hand did indeed touch Ozma-san's body.
[...Guh!?]
[Whoa, you alright there?]
As I was about to fall to the ground, Ozma-san quickly caught my body.
[Master! Are you alright!? Did you get injured?]
[Anima? I- I'm alright... Just a little tired.]
With Ozma-san's support, I smiled at Anima who ran up to me, to which she lets out a sigh of relief.
[Good gracious, that's splendid. You managed to catch me~~]
[T- Thank you... very much.]
[I'm sure you're tired, so why don't you get some rest? I'll give you the stamp later.]
[...Yes.]
[Well then, I'll go brew some coffee. Young lady over there, can you help me with bringing the cups?]
[Okay.]
After confirming that Anima nodded at Ozma-san's request for help, I sat down, leaning against the wall of the arena.
Dear Mom, Dad————- I somehow managed to win just in time. My whole body feels so weary, but at the same time, I feel a sense of accomplishment———– This feeling doesn't feel so bad.
On their way to where they were making coffee, a distance away from Kaito, Anima spoke to Ozma.
[...During those last moments... "Why did you let him touch you on purpose"?]
[Oh my? I wonder what you're talking about?]
[Don't play dumb. You were smiling when you saw Master's move at that time...]
[Hmmm. You have good eyes.]
Hearing Anima's words, Ozma leisurely muttered and kindly smiled.
[You see, I mentioned it before, didn't I? That Uncle here is the weakest of the Five Generals... I'm no good after all. Uncle has a weakness for children who work hard like that. I just can't help but want to cheer them on.]
[That's why you lost on purpose?]
[Well, if Miyama-kun hadn't tried so hard, I wouldn't have let myself lose. However, he, who was aiming for what was in front of him, desperately reached his hand out to the goal, but in the end, he was held back by the difference in ability... Uncle doesn't like that kind of development. Well, in the end, it's just for Uncle's convenience.]
[...I see. You have my thanks.]
[I don't need it. You should just praise Miyama-kun for his hard work. Tell him that he did a great job...]
[...Yeah.]
[Good gracious, it's so nice to be young~~ I'm so jealous. Uncle is getting so old now... But well, I guess it's an elder's privilege to be able to smile at the efforts of straightforward children.]
As he said this, Ozma lit a cigarette in his mouth and serenely smiled.