Chapter 30 - <10>
At last, the morning arrived.
Of the three, and all those around them, it was doubtful anyone had slept.
There are usually exceptions to every rule, but on this day, there were none.
Even the battle-hardened Ritz had been jolted awake multiple times by nightmares of accidentally cleaving Franz in two. And if that was the case for Ritz, Franz had likely barely slept at all.
When Ritz arrived at the plaza, escorted by Rusan and his men, the townspeople had already gathered.
At the direction of Siglet's and Rusan's men, the spectators had all moved away from the center of the plaza, standing right up against the storefronts. It seemed they intended for Ritz and the others to be the only ones getting hurt.
The passengers of the carriages circling the plaza were also leaning out, watching to see what was about to happen. It was the festive commotion Ritz had anticipated.
Although, he had only intended to pretend it was a festive commotion. He never dreamed it would turn into this.
In a corner of the plaza was a chair to which Anna was tied. Next to her stood Siglet, Franz, and Siglet's entourage, watching over Franz.
Ritz glanced at the crowd and saw Net, Dill, and Lira, who had secured a spot in the front row, watching from a distance. Their faces were haggard, brimming with tension.
He felt a pang of guilt for the trouble he had caused them, all because they had happened to stay at their inn.
Then, Ritz slowly turned his gaze to Anna and Franz. As expected, they both looked terrible.
Anna, sitting tied to the chair, must have been half-asleep; her braids were tilted dramatically to the left. And Franz had dark, distinct circles under his eyes.
Will he be alright? Especially Franz. A great deal of anxiety crossed his mind, but now that it had come to this, there was no turning back.
Amidst the murmur of the large crowd, the clear, resolute voice of a single person echoed across the plaza.
"What's all this commotion so early in the morning?"
Parting the crowd was Hellebore, accompanied by several of his subordinates. They strode confidently to the center of the plaza.
Rusan's and Siglet's men stood in their way, as if to surround the Faldina Garrison Unit.
"What do you think you're doing?"
They were the town's ruffians, but they didn't back down an inch before the official unit. In this town, their employers held more power than the garrison.
"I asked what you are doing!"
Hellebore, who knew everything because he was part of the plan, loudly demanded an explanation. From a corner of the plaza, Rusan and Siglet leisurely approached.
"Now, now, Captain. This will be over soon. We'd appreciate it if you didn't interfere."
Siglet forcefully pushed the arrogant Rusan aside and stood before Hellebore.
"Captain Hellebore, you're aware of the rumors about the treasure, aren't you? I promise you, we will never again fight amongst ourselves. But only if this duel is allowed to conclude without interruption."
"What do you mean?"
Hellebore's response, his brows furrowed, was like that of someone who genuinely knew nothing. As expected of a man who had risen to the rank of garrison captain. Hellebore looked back and forth between Rusan and the others with a bitter expression and spoke as if spitting out the words.
"Private duels are forbidden. Do you still intend to proceed?"
"This is not a private duel. It is a battle held with the will of all the townspeople to contend for a legitimate right."
Hellebore's face flushed. He wasn't acting; he was genuinely angry.
"Is this truly the will of all the residents?"
As Hellebore glared at them for confirmation, Rusan and Siglet smiled and looked around at the crowd. The townspeople looked at each other in confusion.
"Then you two should fight. There's no need to use travelers."
But at Hellebore's sound argument, they merely offered a faint smile and no reply. They didn't want to put themselves in danger. But they wanted the treasure. And they wanted to monopolize it.
That's why they had no hesitation in making their proxies fight a real duel for their own desires.
Hellebore's eyes flashed with a terrifying sharpness. Ritz didn't know yet what would become of these two after this ridiculous charade was over. But from the looks of it, they wouldn't get off lightly.
"Very well. In that case, I will serve as an impartial witness."
Hellebore said and walked towards them. Then he whispered to Ritz.
"To think it would actually come to a duel."
"It can't be helped."
"Hold out. When the inspector arrives, we will report you as heroes."
Ritz gave a wry smile.
"Colonel. I'm sick of playing the hero."
That was Ritz's true feeling. Long ago, people had called him that. Not in Tushil, but much, much farther back. When he averted his eyes from Hellebore's questioning gaze, Hellebore said no more and went to Franz. He seemed to be saying something, though Ritz couldn't hear.
Then he walked over to Anna and glared at Siglet.
"Untie this girl."
Hellebore declared resolutely to Siglet, who snorted.
"Of course. If you can guarantee she won't run away."
Hellebore faced Anna again.
"You won't run, will you?"
"No, sir!"
Anna answered cheerfully, then whispered something to Hellebore. There was no way Ritz, on the opposite side of the plaza, could hear her.
After having his subordinates untie Anna's ropes, Hellebore turned to face the people. He slowly looked over the townspeople.
"People of this town, you have been fighting over someone else's treasure, something that has nothing to do with you. And now, Rusan and Siglet are about to make the men they've each hired duel to contend for the right to negotiate for the treasure. Is this your will?"
At those words, the murmur of the townspeople abruptly ceased. Instead, they looked at each other in silence with anxious expressions. Hellebore's words to them continued.
"They will fight with their lives on the line. So you, too, must swear that after this foolish conflict, you will not harm the Sabatieri family."
Suppressing a burning anger, his voice was cold and harsh. The townspeople all averted their gaze and looked down. Looking over them, Hellebore threw even harsher words at them.
"And I want you to remember this. The lives of these youths will be your collective responsibility. Should death befall them, you will be held accountable for killing a young man out of your own greed."
Hellebore looked straight at the people and declared again in a strong tone.
"Mark my words. For the sake of your own greed, you will kill one of these youths."
At the captain's voice, the residents fell silent. They had likely finally realized that they had been arguing as if someone else's treasure, which should have been beyond their reach, was their own for selfish reasons.
And now, they were terrified by the heavy reality that the lives of young men who had nothing to do with this were on the line before their very eyes.
"Hmph, enough with the lectures. Let's get this started."
But at Siglet's single remark, none of the residents tried to stop the situation.
"That's right. The winner gets the right to negotiate for the treasure. That's fine. Because I'm going to win!"
There was no one in that place who could defy these two. They were afraid of them. They likely all understood the terror of making enemies of both of the town's influential figures.
"Then let us begin. Both combatants, forward."
Ritz and Franz both advanced to the front of the plaza and, for the first time in a while, looked each other in the face.
"First, shake hands."
They obediently followed Hellebore's words. The moment they clasped hands, Ritz whispered to Franz.
"Don't forget the order. If you do, you're dead."
Franz also replied curtly.
"I know."
They released their hands and quietly took a distance of several meters from each other. Franz was holding a strangely shaped object. Ritz couldn't identify what it was.
As he watched with sharpened nerves, Franz, perhaps unconsciously, touched the other weapon at his waist. Hellebore's rapier was there. It might be like a good luck charm for him.
"In the name of Hellebore, Captain of the Faldina Garrison Unit, Frontier Detachment of the Royal Capital Defense Corps, may this be a fair fight."
Hellebore looked back and forth between Ritz and Franz's faces and gave a small, silent nod. The two of them also gave a small nod in return.
"Begin!"
In the silence, only Hellebore's voice echoed with unusual loudness. The gallery remained silent, likely due to Hellebore's earlier words.
"Now, what will you do?"
Muttering softly, Ritz paid close attention to Franz's movements as he slowly drew the greatsword from his back, tossing the scabbard aside.
The mechanism he had set up to draw it with the scabbard had been acting up, so he had no choice but to do this.
A dry, heavy sound echoed with strange loudness. The double-edged greatsword, feeling weighty and familiar in his hands, gave off a dull gleam.
He had never dreamed he would face Franz with a real sword, but it couldn't be helped. The important thing was not to inflict a serious injury.
"Alright."
Franz also muttered softly, holding the short, retracted spear in his right hand. He swung it from his left side to his right with a sharp motion. The spear extended with a satisfying sound, then clicked into place.
"…What is that?"
Ritz stared blankly at the spear, which had extended to nearly two meters. He had never seen such a strange weapon. A spear that could extend and retract—was its strength really reliable?
Ritz remained still, watching to see what Franz would do. Franz glanced at him for a moment, but his guard remained up as he immediately focused his mind on the tip of the spear.
"O flame, reside in this spear and become my strength."
At Franz's words, Ritz understood. Enchantment magic. He intended to imbue the spear with flame to cover for his lack of physical strength.
A brightly burning flame took hold on the thirty-centimeter blade at the tip of his strange spear.
"Hey, hey, are you serious? When did you learn to do that?"
Ritz's monologue seemed to no longer reach Franz. At the sight of his terrifyingly focused eyes, Ritz let out a small sigh. Franz was extremely dangerous when he was like this.
It was fine for him to be focused, fine for it to be a real fight. He just prayed that Franz wouldn't forget the order of the attacks.
"So that means I just have to not get hit by the flame, right?"
Even for Ritz, having his clothes set on fire would be a problem. So he had to skillfully dodge at the last second, avoiding the flames.
"Ritz, here I come."
With serious eyes, Franz focused his consciousness solely on Ritz's figure. He could probably see nothing else but Ritz now.
At Franz's state, Ritz furrowed his brow. It was possible that in this situation, he would also have to fight while ensuring the safety of the spectators.
Franz was a Fire Spirit user.
After a moment of assessing the surrounding situation, Ritz slowly closed the distance with Franz.
Silence descended upon them.
He couldn't move until he had grasped the entire situation. For a while, the two of them just stared at each other as time passed.
Finally, Ritz turned to face Franz and raised his greatsword.
"Come on!"
At this point, his only option was to stall for time somehow. Ritz steeled his resolve.
Franz, without a word, charged at Ritz with a desperate look on his face. He had no form to speak of.
"Tch…"
As he pushed back the middle of the spear with the tip of his sword, he tried to tell Franz to calm down, but after seeing his eyes, he gave up.
Ritz's voice would no longer reach him.
The flames at the tip of the spear, which had barely reached him, singed Ritz's bangs with a sizzle. Avoiding the flames, Ritz lowered his body and slid his sword blade along the spear's shaft.
Franz, who was only pushing with brute force, faltered at Ritz's momentary movement. Aiming for that opening, Ritz forcefully swept the spear away with his right hand.
"Ah!"
As Franz staggered, unable to react, Ritz swung his sword from the right, just as he had planned. Franz, though stumbling, desperately jumped to the right to dodge it.
It seemed it was safe to attack. He took advantage of Franz's opening and went for the right side again.
"Ah!"
Franz cried out in shock. For a moment, he didn't seem to understand what had happened. Ritz was even more surprised than Franz.
Franz's dodging speed was slower than he had imagined. The sword grazed Franz heavily, tearing the clothes on his side.
If he had been even a little slower in dodging, his flesh would have been cut a little, too.
"…Fast."
Franz muttered under his breath. Wary of Ritz's speed, even when he was holding back, he slowly backed away to regain his stance.
Noticing his gaze desperately searching for an opening, Ritz deliberately created one. Franz's eyes darted around in confusion.
Of course, this was Ritz's strategy. Franz was so focused that he was only looking for a place to strike. So Ritz used that to his advantage. If he left the direction opposite to his next attack open, Franz would surely charge in there.
As expected, Franz, with the spear held close to his body to keep it steady, tried to thrust recklessly to the right.
Instantly, Ritz held his sword diagonally and caught the spear tip with the center of the blade.
This time, not even the flame at the spear tip reached Ritz at all.
"You're still naive, you know."
No sooner had he said it than he flicked the spear upwards. The force of it sent Franz's spear flying from his hand, clattering to the ground.
"Ah…"
The moment Franz's attention turned to the spear spinning across the ground, Ritz moved. Whether from instinctual fear, Franz instantly rolled away from the spot.
Where he had been just a moment ago, Ritz brought down the greatsword that had been raised high after sending the spear flying.
It seemed he had managed to escape just in the nick of time. In his mind, Ritz sighed at this incredibly tiring battle. It required an unimaginable amount of caution.
He wished Franz had at least a little knowledge of sword fighting, but there was no use dwelling on it.
"…"
Franz stood up unsteadily, several meters away from his spear. It was a distance he could cover quickly if he ran. Franz immediately broke into a run towards the spear. It seemed his body had moved before he could think.
"Your back is wide open, Franz!"
As he called out with a lighthearted jab at the amateurish move, Franz turned and held the palms of both hands out in front of him.
"Go, Fireball!!"
"Whoa!"
The small Fireball that was unleashed momentarily hindered Ritz's movement. He cut down the forty-centimeter-or-so fireball in a single strike, and in that opening, Franz had retrieved his spear. As expected of a spirit user.
But it was also dangerous to let him create any more fireballs. Besides the two of them, there were many spectators in the plaza. And Franz still couldn't control this ball of flame.
As Franz stood there with the spear, thinking about something, Ritz was already running towards him. When he raised his sword and glanced at Franz, Franz held the spear with both hands above his head and shouted with all his might.
"Blaze, Fire Spirit!"
From Franz's hands, a fireball larger than any he had seen on their journey so far was unleashed. Its speed was also in a different league.
It seemed Franz had completely abandoned any thought of holding back his magic.
And this was against Ritz.
That was the scary part about him.
"You idiot!"
Ritz couldn't help but shout at Franz. He stopped in his tracks and held the sword in front of him with both hands.
"There are tons of people here! Don't use a flashy move like that!!"
Facing the approaching flames, Ritz held his sword horizontally. If he didn't extinguish it here, the gallery would be injured.
To widen the wind pressure created by swinging the sword, he gripped it slightly below the hilt.
What saved him was that Franz, over there, didn't have time to ready his spear. If he had charged in at the same time, it would have been bad.
"Uoooooooh!"
With a roar, Ritz charged into the fireball, cleaved it in two with brute force, and made it explode on the spot. A fierce explosion roared, and a flash of light shone.
The surrounding spectators screamed in terror and ran about in confusion.
"Ritz-kun!"
"Ritz!"
With Net's and Anna's shouts, the spirit's flame was extinguished in an instant. Smoke filled the air. A large scorch mark was left on the ground.
"Ritz-san!"
As he listened to the screams of the people involved in this duel, Ritz stood amidst the smoke. He had taken some damage from the blast, but he was just sooty and there was no problem.
"Anna!"
"What?"
"Are there any injuries in the gallery?"
"Everyone's okay!"
Anna shouted back, looking around.
"Alright!"
The moment the smoke completely cleared, what jumped into Ritz's eyes was the figure of Franz, holding his spear at mid-level and charging at him. Crap, he was still here.
"Uwaaaaaaah!"
He was coming at him with a desperate look on his face. He hadn't even noticed the commotion in the gallery.
The only ones who were barely holding their ground were the members of the Faldina Garrison Unit, Rusan, Siglet and their entourage, and a few dozen others, including Net and his group.
Even Rusan and Siglet were pale, looking as if they were about to flee the scene at any moment. They must have understood the terror of the rampaging Franz.
"Well, this is a mess…"
Ritz, still in his stance, shifted slightly to the side to avoid Franz's spear tip. The spear tip passed right by his face.
Immediately after, he aimed to strike the part of the shaft Franz was holding.
But Franz didn't drop the spear like before. He bit his lip and grit his teeth, enduring the numbing sensation in his hands.
His cheek stung a little from a slight burn. He seemed to have gotten burned. But something like this was nothing.
Ritz pinned the barb of the spear to the ground with the tip of his sword. Franz pulled on the spear with a grating sound. Ritz was about to tell him he should just slide it sideways, but Franz realized it first and forcefully swung the spear sideways to pull it free.
Though out of breath, Franz regained his stance and charged straight at him again.
It was uncertain whether Franz, who had lost his composure to this extent, still remembered the order of the attacks, but he had no choice but to try.
Ritz dodged to Franz's right and, with that momentum, swung his sword wide horizontally. He had accidentally stepped in too far.
"Dammit."
He thought he had struck Franz, but what his sword tip touched was the shaft of the spear. Perhaps because he had been so engrossed, Franz had been holding the spear shorter than its full length, leaving the shaft exposed, which was a saving grace.
"What's with this spear…"
For the first time, Ritz questioned the properties of Franz's spear. Even after taking such a blow, it wasn't dented, let alone scratched.
Again, while paying attention to Franz who was slowly backing away, creating distance, Ritz observed the spear.
"It's not steel… is it?"
Ritz's sword was made of steel, but this spear could withstand its impact, and despite being an extendable type, it didn't dent. But from the feel of their clash, the inside of this spear was hollow.
"Could it be… haha, no way. That metal should only be in the possession of the royal family."
Ritz had only seen it once. He was talking about the metal called Mithril Silver.
It was said that the rulers of all the countries on this continent possessed an equal amount of this legendary metal. But its properties were not widely known.
It was said to be a gift from the goddess to humans in myths, and it was normally impossible for an ordinary person to obtain it. The metals that followed it were quite expensive but could be obtained by people. But the color of that metal and the one Franz held were different.
"If that's the case, why does Franz have it?"
While Ritz was agonizing over this, Franz was catching his breath. He seemed to have exhausted a considerable amount of stamina from the fight so far.
Even if it was light, it was his first time handling a spear, and his first time fighting under such prolonged tension. It was only natural.
Ritz, lost in thought, noticed Franz glaring at him desperately and realized he had created a completely impenetrable stance.
This way, he couldn't control the direction from which Franz attacked.
Finally realizing this, he held his sword in one right hand to show Franz he could attack.
The moment Franz saw this, a terrifying murderous intent blazed in his eyes. He must have mistaken it as Ritz taunting his pathetic state.
That's not it at all, he wanted to say, but it was useless to say anything to Franz in this state.
Franz charged at Ritz again. This time, he held the spear diagonally upwards to his left. He must be thinking that swinging it down diagonally would widen his attack range.
In other words, it seemed Franz was only thinking about hitting Ritz with the spear.
That made it difficult for Ritz to strike Franz's left side. It seemed better to strike his left side before he swung down and push back against the spear.
Having made his decision, Ritz switched from his defensive stance and ran towards Franz.
As if waiting for that, Franz switched the spear to one hand and thrust his right hand straight forward.
"Flame!"
"What?"
The fireball was aimed straight at Ritz.
"You think I'll fall for the same trick twice?!"
Ritz, about to cut down the fireball with the same momentum, caught sight of Franz readying his spear behind the fireball.
It wasn't the same trick. Franz had corrected his previous mistake and taken a more certain method.
"Tch, I underestimated him."
Franz was right behind the fireball, charging straight towards Ritz at the same speed with his spear at the ready.
If he cut it from the front like before, he would also cut down Franz, who was right behind it.
But if he didn't extinguish it, the fireball would hit the gallery and burst into flames. The buildings wouldn't escape unscathed either.
Ritz hesitated for a moment in his decision. That moment's hesitation slowed his actions. The fireball was already right in front of him.
"Damn iiiiiit!"
Predicting the movement of the unseen Franz's spear, he headed for the fireball. He raised his sword high and swung it straight down. In that instant, the flame split, and a path opened up in the middle.
Ritz immediately jumped into that path. This path would only last for a very short time.
The blazing flames on both sides dyed his vision red. A searing pain ran through his entire body.
In the next moment, the fireball passed him, and Ritz caught sight of Franz raising his spear high.
"You bastard!!"
He caught Franz's spear on the center of his blade without holding back and sent it flying with all his might.
With a high-pitched metallic sound, Franz's spear flew through the air.
He tripped the dazed Franz, who had lost his weapon, knocking him down, and immediately cut down the fireball behind him in one go.
The fireball was extinguished without causing any damage to the surroundings.
"Hah, hah…"
Various parts of his body were throbbing with a dull ache.
It seemed the flames had regained their original form just a little faster than Ritz's feet, and he had suffered a slight burn on his back.
But if he had put any more force into it, he might have cut down Franz as well. It was a close call.
In the first place, a Fire Spirit user with high destructive power was said to be equivalent to an entire battalion in the army.
To have to act and fight against such a spirit user without seriously engaging was an unreasonable demand.
The only reason things had gone safely so far was simply because Franz was an immature spirit user.
As the fireball was extinguished, Ritz followed the trajectory of the spear he had knocked away. It had been sent flying without holding back, and it drew a high arc as it spun through the air, landing deeply in the ground several meters away from the two of them.
"Tch…"
Ritz aimed the tip of his sword at the forehead of Franz, who was groaning on the ground. Franz's blue eyes glared up at him, filled with aギラギラ murderous intent.
Both of their mental fortitude was approaching its limit. Even if he had to drag out the time, he couldn't go on like this any longer.
He had wanted it to be a draw, but from this situation, he couldn't bring it to a draw. In that case, there was only one thing Ritz could do.
He felt sorry for the sender of the letter, but his only option was to cut down Rusan and Siglet, then grab Franz and Anna and get the hell out of here.
The residents would have learned the hard way about their foolishness. Once the ringleaders were gone, they probably wouldn't think of such a foolish thing as a riot again.
"…Match is over."
He called for Franz to surrender. But Franz, glaring at Ritz with burning eyes, quickly drew Captain Hellebore's rapier from his waist and brushed aside Ritz's greatsword.
"Not yet!"
"You…"
He must have known that with a rapier, he would be done for before he could get into Ritz's range. But Franz didn't seem to want to admit defeat yet.
Being unable to gauge one's own ability and not knowing when to quit can sometimes be a fatal flaw. Franz had probably already forgotten his initial objective of rescuing the hostage, Anna.
He just didn't want to lose. That was all.
"Damn it…"
Ritz had to come up with another plan to avoid cutting down Franz, who was coming at him with that short sword.
But Franz didn't seem to care about that. He held the rapier horizontally, aimed at Ritz. He intended to thrust.
"Uwaaaaaaaaaah!"
Franz came at him, throwing all caution to the wind.
"Can't be helped…"
Ritz held the sword horizontally in his right hand and supported the upper part of the blade with his left. He lowered his stance and met Franz's rapier perpendicularly.
The pointed tip of the rapier scraped against the greatsword, making an unpleasant sound.
"Guh!"
Giving up on the thrust, Franz switched the rapier to both hands and started pushing against Ritz's sword with all his might.
Ritz froze under the pressure. A sharp pain shot through his back.
"Ugh… damn, is it the burn from before…"
Unable to bear it, Ritz released his left hand and instantly straightened his posture. Franz, sent flying along with the rapier, fell over.
Unaware that Ritz was protecting his back, Franz seemed to see an opportunity and slowly closed the distance between them.
"…I can do this."
Muttering, Franz held the rapier in one hand and thrust the other forward. He was going to use fire.
"I told you, I won't fall for the same trick…"
Ritz didn't give Franz time to concentrate and knocked the rapier away.
"…twice!!"
For good measure, he gave Franz a light tap in the chest with the hilt of his sword.
"Guh…"
His breath caught for a moment, and Franz coughed violently. Ritz hadn't intended to hit him that hard in the chest, but his wide-open body seemed to have taken more damage than expected.
"…That's enough, isn't it, Franz?"
Ritz readied his sword again and quietly called for his surrender. But Franz stubbornly shook his head.
"You're at your limit, aren't you?"
"…Not… yet…"
"You sore loser…"
"Shut up!"
The two fell silent, only Franz's pained breathing echoing in the air. Even the passing carriages had stopped at the edge, holding their breath until this dangerous duel was over.
At this point, his only option was to knock Franz out and carry him away… As he was thinking this, a murmur arose from the remaining gallery.
Ritz's sharper-than-human ears heard the sound of horse hooves gradually growing louder.
"The Yuresla Army…"
Ritz's cheeks relaxed. He didn't know why, but their arrival was unusually early. After a while, they appeared in all their imposing glory.
The sound of the Yuresla Kingdom's official army trumpets blared loudly, echoing as if to shake the entire town.
"Alright, they made it in time!"
Ritz lowered his greatsword and let out a big breath. He could hear the sound of horses kicking the ground approaching from the town entrance.
"What's all the commotion? Make way!"
The inspection team belonging to the Yuresla Kingdom Army had finally made their appearance.
Ritz let out a big sigh. He was finally free from this ridiculous tension.
But Ritz should not have forgotten. The practice he had with Franz the other day. When he concentrated, he was a man who couldn't see his surroundings at all.
And now, he wasn't just concentrating; he was moving on willpower alone.
And that willpower was focused solely on one thing: wanting to beat Ritz.
And most dangerously of all, he was now holding a real weapon, not a twig.
"Hey, over here!"
Letting his guard down, Ritz waved to the Kingdom Army inspection team. There was no way he could have known that Franz had picked up the fallen rapier and was quietly readying it again.
That's why what Anna, who was about to call out to Franz, saw was the figure of Franz standing unsteadily behind Ritz with his rapier at the ready.
"Ritz! Behind you!"
Anna's scream, the moment Franz lunged at Ritz, and Ritz sensing the killing intent and unconsciously reaching for his sword, all happened at almost the same time.
Ritz's body, sensing mortal danger, reflexively and swiftly, without holding back, cut down his opponent in a single horizontal slash.
To Anna's eyes, that moment seemed to unfold in slow motion before her.
"Nooooo, Franz!"
"Dammit!!"
As Franz slowly crumpled forward, his chest stained with blood, with a look of confusion on his face as if he didn't know what had happened, Ritz threw aside his greatsword and caught him.
For a moment, no one could move. The one thing they had feared most had happened.
If that blow had landed squarely, Franz's life would have been over. As Anna stood frozen, Ritz gently laid Franz on the ground and shouted.
"Anna, get over here, quick!"
With trembling, stumbling legs, Anna desperately ran to the two of them. Stumbling several times, she finally managed to reach them.
"Healing magic, quick!"
Ritz ordered the trembling Anna in a shouting voice.
"Listen, use the highest level of healing magic. The wound is deep."
"…I understand."
Anna clasped her hands in front of her and offered a prayer not to the Water Spirit, but to the Water Spirit King.
It was the highest level of healing magic she knew. Of course, she had never used it on their journey so far. But if she didn't, it would be too late.
"O Water Spirit King, who governs all peace and healing, answer my call and share with me your power! With the source of my own life, grant healing to my fallen friend, Franz!"
A shining, translucent blue light enveloped Anna.
"Grant me your infinite power of healing."
The light, possessing the brilliance of water, gradually gathered from Anna's body into her hands, becoming a dazzling drop of water that seemed ready to overflow.
"Franz, please, be okay!"
Anna gently dropped the light drop in her hands onto Franz's wound. The drop was absorbed into Franz's body, emitting a brilliant light. But the drop was not completely used up and returned to Anna.
Something was strange.
Anna, also noticing, tilted her head at Ritz.
"…He seems to be okay…"
"Really?"
At Ritz's question, Anna nodded.
"Um, it's a bit late to say this after using the highest level healing magic, but this wound… it doesn't look like it was fatal."
"Huh?"
Ritz's mouth fell open in surprise. Anna, even more stunned, replied in a dazed, silly tone, her strength gone.
"If it were fatal, the wound wouldn't disappear even if all the water of life was used up, but the wound disappeared and it came back to me."
"What does that mean?"
As he stared at Anna's face as if to bore a hole through it, Anna explained, half on the verge of laughter. She must have been so relieved that she felt like laughing.
"It was an injury, for sure, but a really shallow one."
"Eh?"
"Because the wound is only on the surface of the skin; it didn't reach his organs. It just bled a lot because it was a wide cut."
Now that she mentioned it, the feel of the blow had been too light for Ritz. Franz's lunge must have been much shorter than that of a normal opponent.
"Then why is he unconscious?"
"You cut him, Ritz. He probably thought he was dead."
Ritz slumped his shoulders in defeat. His entire body went limp, and he fell backward with a thud.
"Don't scare me like that!"
Anna couldn't hold it in any longer and burst out laughing. As if infected by Anna's unstoppable laughter, Ritz also started to laugh.
Eventually, the two of them couldn't stop laughing and rolled around laughing for a while in front of the stunned onlookers.
In any case, the commotion had come to a safe end.