I’m sorry I’m late (sweat).
Just because Evia gave me the go-ahead doesn’t mean I can just say “Yes, understood” and dismiss it with a single stroke. After all, if I wanted to, I could finish it instantly, with an assured instant kill. That would be meaningless.
However, it’s still helpful to have more options.
It felt like a weight was lifted from my shoulders, and the feeling of being cramped disappeared, making me much more mobile all at once. Well, it’s not like Nord-kun’s movements are completely stopped from my perspective, but he’s moving as slowly as a flip-motion animation. It’s incredibly easy to swing my wooden sword in time with that.
“Hii!? I hit! I hit you!? You said you wouldn’t hit me!? You liar!?”
That’s exactly what happened. The lightly swung slash hit exactly where I imagined it would hit, with the expected scope of damage. Nord-kun put his hand on the spot where he was hit, probably turning pale under his helmet, and glared at me.
“Evia just gave me permission a moment ago. If you don’t face me more seriously, those wounds will get closer to the inside.”
Unfortunately, I have full permission from my relative, Evia. Giving him a thumbs-up with my left hand and a smile, I warned him. He began to move more swiftly than before.
“Sister!?”
He then turned his face towards Evia as if to confirm, but Evia shrugged her shoulders as if to say, “What now?” and sighed. That means it’s true. Despair struck Nord-kun, but that has nothing to do with me.
“Hang in there! I’m going to kick things up a notch from here, just a bit!!”
So, to further slow down my opponent’s movements, I released my magic to intimidate him. It doesn’t have much effect on opponents of equal or higher rank, but against someone below my rank…
“Hii!”
“Get motivated! This is where the real fight begins!!” Even against a professional knight, this is sufficiently effective.
“…”
“Nord-sama!?”
Naturally, it’s incredibly effective against Nord-kun, who has less combat experience than a professional knight. Nord-kun stopped moving as if he were a frog staring at a snake, and Mura-kun grew anxious at his stillness.
“Nord-sama!!”
I sent a slash towards him without mercy. It was just in the nick of time, or rather, I swung my wooden sword at the last possible moment, and I’m glad I made it. Otherwise, my right arm would have said goodbye.
Mura-kun, launching himself towards Nord-kun, threw something like a bottle from his waist, which burst in mid-air.
“This is a smoke screen for reconnaissance jamming.”
A smoke screen, tinged with a faint blue and obscuring vision. If it were just a smoke screen, I could easily pinpoint their location with my magic sensing. However, this smoke screen itself was imbued with magic, making it impossible to track their locations with magic sensing. It’s not very practical for its price, as it obscures each other’s positions, and it’s not very effective since it can be easily dispersed with magic or a normal attack. That’s why I didn’t use it, but if you consider it for a temporary escape, it’s certainly usable.
“Well, then.”
I cracked my neck once and then unleashed a slash. With a single stroke, the smoke was cut, a line appeared, and visibility was restored in no time.
“Found you.”
“Hii!?”
“Hmph.”
About ten meters from where he was, judging by his movement. I found him at the very edge of the smoke’s effective range and showed off a crescent smile, honed by my instructor, at Nord-kun, who shrieked. Mura-kun, without hesitation, swung his whip at me.
Hmm, judging by his response so far, I’d say Mura-kun is quite capable. Not only his combat power, but he also doesn’t lose sight of me because he’s focused on Nord-kun. As Evia and Kaden-san said, it’s probably a testament to the Mura family’s training. He might even be competent in administrative matters… While nodding inwardly, I parried his whip with my wooden sword to avoid breaking it, and I continued to observe Mura-kun, who was the more obvious target.
“Hmph!”
“Kya!?”
Thinking that his gestures and appearance were completely feminine, but that he was a man, my attack, which I swung without thinking too much about it, repelled the whip Mura-kun was holding and a shockwave separated Mura-kun and Nord-kun.
“Hey hey, you’re separated now, what are you going to do?”
Mura-kun seemed to consider going to Nord-kun for a moment, but then he changed direction and chose to come towards me. Yes, that choice is not wrong. If we were to consider escape, other options might arise, but against a superior opponent, everyone escaping would be a bad move. Abandoning the fight and fleeing means being hunted unilaterally. Therefore, one person attacks, and the other flees. This is a typical pattern for messengers, as this is often the case. One person buys time at the risk of their life, while the other, carrying information, flees with all their might. In battles where information is highly valued, this is the highest survival rate. It’s a decision to make half survive rather than all of them, and Mura-kun’s ability to instantly judge and act on it.
“Hmm, his judgment is good. He also has initiative. A true talent.”
“Thank you!!”
I offered my sincere praise, and he attacked me with an expression that, while not a smile, showed joy. Multiple magic circles were deployed through multi-casting, and “Delay magic, huh? Yours is quite good too.” the magic he had been accumulating with delay magic was deployed. This was his trump card. Based on his skill, he intended to land at least one hit with this attack. The attack prioritized speed and number of hits over power. It was a combination of intermediate and lower-level magic, primarily lightning-based, with the number of magic circles prepared for multiple hits. Seeing them deployed in a surrounding pattern, I said, “This is the main one.” I immediately cut down the higher-level magic that was stealthily hidden and mixed in among them, and with a counter-blade, I cut down the other magic circles all at once.
“This is what a General is.”
Mura-kun ground his teeth as his few useful moves were instantly nullified. I understand, I really understand that feeling. I myself was on the verge of despair at the sheer unreasonableness of fighting the instructor. An opponent that makes you wonder if anything less than complete unreasonableness will work. Confusion as to how to make your attacks effective. A separate existence. That is what a General is. A being who can change the war situation single-handedly. Truly, the word “unreasonable” is the only word that fits.
“Well, the fact that you don’t give up there means you pass.”
I’ve grasped his true nature. Now for the final confirmation.
“But your finishing touch is a bit sloppy.”
I’ve reached a position where I can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with him, but there are still those above me. The instructor still seems to be getting stronger. I’m also in the process of training to become even stronger. To an opponent like that, even though your prepared attacks are not effective, Mura-kun, who pushed forward without giving up, deserves a passing grade, but “The expectation that you can reach me based on your current ability is still too naive.” being split into two doesn’t mean that the range of my attack will be narrowed. Mura-kun, who drew a short sword to engage in close combat, had his sword parried by my wooden sword. With a counter-blade, I targeted the right hand of Nord-kun, who was still showing me his back and trying to escape into the distance.
“That’ll hurt.”
I’ll tell you this, it’s probably meaningless. The only thing I can discern is the fact that my fighting spirit is genuinely capable of hurting them, and even reminding them of death. As I imagined what would happen here as if it were someone else’s business, at the moment I was about to swing my wooden sword with full force for the first time in this trial, I saw a shadow appearing. In my slowed vision, a desperate look of determination to protect. And an atmosphere that made me believe he felt that way.
“Evia, catch him, please.”
Seeing that, I couldn’t help but smile faintly, and before I could swing my wooden sword, I grabbed Mura-kun’s hand with my left hand, not holding the wooden sword.
“Eh? Kya!?”
I threw him towards Evia, eliciting a surprisingly feminine scream from him. Evia caught him effortlessly with one hand and set him upright. Mura-kun couldn’t comprehend what had just happened for a moment, but realizing he had escaped my attack range, he instantly relaxed and slumped onto the ground. Did I scare him too much?
“Did I go too far?”
“No, it’s just right.”
I worried if it would leave a trauma, but Evia probably felt that she had seen his true nature, which was enough. She sat on the ground next to me, breathing heavily, and held down Mura-kun’s shoulder, who, despite escaping an attack that brought him to the brink of death, was still trying to stand up and run to Nord-kun. She then fixed him in place.
“Hmm, he’s a good boy. Why is he so devoted to Nord-kun?”
“I don’t know. It seems I have more to question my foolish younger brother about later.”
The fact that his actions were not lies or falsehoods was clear to us, who had pushed him this far, me and Evia. Therefore, I could clearly understand Mura-kun’s feelings and his genuine concern for Nord-kun. He’s also quite a talented subordinate.
“Evia.”
“What?”
“I want to draw Mura-kun into my service by using Nord-kun as bait.”
“You’re short on intelligence agents… Muil could train him into a capable individual… I see. If we can establish ties with the Mura family, it’s a good decision.”
I didn’t forget to release a curved slash in a sweeping motion, something out of a fantasy, to prevent Nord-kun from escaping completely, pulling him back to the original battlefield.
“Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!?”
Watching Nord-kun being blown towards us, I thought that with Mura-kun’s departure, the remaining opponent would be manageable with one hand. I still had the Knights’ Order to deal with, but Mura-kun was the most troublesome opponent, so his departure reduced my burden, allowing me to consult with Evia and deal with them with appropriate effort. To the extent that I could even hold a conversation with Evia while Nord-kun’s screams served as background music.
“We’ll establish the connection with the Mura family. But you handle the negotiations afterward.”
“Understood. That’s enough.”
“Don’t cheat on me.”
“As if!”
Evia, who seemed to be genuinely worried about me amidst the banter, denied it with a bitter smile. Suella, Memoria, Himik, and Evia. With so many women of different types surrounding me, I’m not foolish enough to go after a man. Someone once said that beautiful women get boring after three days, but that’s not true. We have children and are building a happy family, so who would destroy that?
“I was joking.”
“It didn’t sound like a joke…”
I could hear a cheerful laugh on the telepathic call, but what she said before that was definitely serious.
“What? It’s just that I’m a woman too. I can tolerate the man I love having other women, but I can’t stand losing to a man. I knew you weren’t that kind of person, but I couldn’t help it.”
“…Is that so?”
“Are you embarrassed?”
“Yes! So what!?”
And in the middle of a battle, she suddenly acts so affectionately; Evia is unfair. The contrast with her usual demeanor made me realize I was blushing a little, and she was teasing me.
“No, if you think I’m also in love with you, it doesn’t feel bad. No, it feels rather good.”
I could tell her cheerful voice as she said that, and then,
“Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!? I’m going to dieeeeee—!?”
I listened to the screams of Nord-kun, who was blown away because I made a slight mistake in controlling my strength.
Today’s word: Secure the talent you want as soon as possible.
Thank you, as always, for your comments and feedback on typos. If you found this interesting, please leave a review, rating, bookmark, etc. I am also currently serializing another work, “Pandora Pandemic Panic.” The Pandora’s Box has been opened again, but we are fighting back with various things in a secret base and more! Please check that out as well!
