111 - Mei of the Kirin
I steadied my breathing and pointed the dagger in my left hand at my opponent.
My skill was informing me that the girl before me was an enemy. On the surrounding map, a single red dot glowed in front of me.
The monsters that had been nearby had disappeared, and the village boys, represented by yellow dots, had hurriedly left the area.
The girl, dressed in revealing clothing, was characterized by two horns.
From the memories of the Fifth Generation, I could guess that this girl was Mei of the Kirin.
"What were you doing?"
At my intimidating voice, Mei touched her short hair, looking uninterested. However, she was glancing back and forth between me and the blue jewel orb hanging from my neck.
"Nothing really. Is that a threat? Usually, the ones who act the toughest are the first to shrink and cower when they meet someone truly strong. If I intimidate you a little, you'll stay quiet for a while. Besides, this is our job."
Job.
As Mei said this, she shrugged her shoulders and laughed self-deprecatingly.
"No, really. I have no intention of eating you or killing you. Believe it or not, I'm one of the gentle ones among my peers."
Despite calling herself gentle, Mei directed hostility toward me and didn't even pay attention to the weapon I was pointing at her.
She placed her right hand on her chest and puffed it out slightly.
She put her left hand on her hip, as if boasting.
"I am an ally of humans, after all. I owe them a debt, you see. ...Now then, if you know something, I'll have you answer. Why does the presence of a precious benefactor come from that blue orb hanging from your neck? At the same time, I sense a faint trace of Fredricks from you as well."
Lowering both hands, Mei narrowed her eyes as she glared at me.
Her expression was serious, as if she wouldn't miss a single one of my movements.
I introduced myself.
"I am Liel Walt... a descendant of Fredricks Walt. And the skills of the Fifth Generation are recorded in this orb."
Whether she was unsatisfied with my answer or not, Mei spread her legs, crouched slightly, and spoke from her diaphragm.
She had only shouted, but my body reacted with a jolt.
"Don't lie! That's not the Orb! There's no way an orb could emit such a sophisticated presence. I see, you... you people have imprisoned Fredricks!"
Since it seemed nothing I said would get through, I gripped the jewel orb tightly.
The Fifth Generation spoke.
'Mei, I'm not imprisoned. I'm already dead. You should know that yourself...'
The Fifth Generation's sorrowful voice seemed to reach Mei.
But—.
"See, it really is Fredricks. He's sad. So, this time it's my turn to save him."
As she raised her right hand to the side, Mei's hand appeared from her clothing. Simultaneously, a Kirin horn grew from her palm.
"Hey! Didn't you hear the voice! You heard the Fifth Generation's words—"
"Heh, so he can talk. That makes me want it even more. It's been decades since I last spoke with Fredricks... Back then, I didn't know human lifespans were only fifty or sixty years. I thought we'd meet again... but."
The moment Mei vanished from before my eyes, I immediately ducked.
Mei's right leg swung horizontally over my head, and as she flipped herself in mid-air, she dropped her left heel down toward me.
I escaped the spot by rolling and immediately stood up, readying my dagger.
Even though my strength had increased by using skills to enhance my abilities, I felt as if I were about to be blown away by a powerful impact.
Mei, with a Kirin horn grown from her right hand, was already in front of me, swinging the horn down to cut me down.
(Her fighting style... it's similar to ours.)
The dagger sparked, and since there was an unpleasant sensation, I leaped backward. Mei swung her right hand horizontally.
"Yeah, you're certainly worthy of calling yourself Fredricks' descendant. The way you move your body is similar."
Looking at the dagger in my left hand, the part that had blocked the attack was chipped and cracked.
If I had continued to block it like that, the dagger would have broken first, and I would have been cut down.
From within the jewel orb, the Third Generation spoke.
'Hey, these movements... aren't they similar to ours?'
The Fourth Generation asked the Fifth Generation.
'No way, you...'
The Fifth Generation answered clearly.
'I taught her. For that matter, I know what skills I had. I used the early stages of the First, Second, Third, and Fourth Generations' skills as well.'
The Sixth Generation let out a sigh.
'He never even taught me properly...'
The Seventh Generation was exasperated but warned me.
'Liel, that's... it's a good thing you didn't bring Novem and the others.'
If I had brought them, this would definitely have been brought up again. Moreover, since Mei was misunderstanding things, the conversation might have gone in a strange direction.
I sheathed the dagger at my waist and drew my spare saber.
Holding two sabers, I considered moving slowly to make the most of the conditions of being inside a forest.
(Is her strength superior? With the First Generation's Full Burst, I might be able to surpass her abilities, even if only temporarily...)
If I defeated the girl before me, the Fifth Generation would likely be furious. Or was it unavoidable? I didn't know which it would be.
Besides, I had no desire to defeat a Kirin, which was called a Divine Beast.
Even without a magic stone, its flesh, blood, horns, and scales would be items of astronomical value.
As Mei lunged, I read her movements and parried the horn with my saber.
(I can do this!)
Her speed and power were greater than mine. However, Mei was weaker than Celes.
Depending on how I handled it, she was an opponent I could deal with.
Mei, seemingly unfazed by being parried, charged again.
Just as I tried to parry, Mei came to a sudden stop in front of me, crouched, and performed a one-handed handstand with her left hand.
She spun her spread legs, and I, taken aback, defended myself with my arms and was blown away.
"Was that interesting? When I did that to Fredricks, he dodged it easily... You're weak."
I stood up, feeling numbness in my arms, but readied my sabers.
"The reach and speed of a child and a slightly grown version are different!"
When I argued back, Mei looked at me.
"...Hmm, so you know what I looked like when I met Fredricks. Did you hear about it? No, that's probably not it."
Insisting it wasn't the case, Mei leaped at me, this time using the trees to bounce around the branches.
"Listen~ I'm a Kirin. Didn't you think I'd be more accustomed to the forest than you?"
I turned around, crossing my sabers to block Mei's thrust and deflect it.
She had circled behind me and launched a thrust aimed straight for my heart. It didn't seem like she had any intention of holding back against me.
"Your reactions are fast, too. Your strength is boosted. Skills... nine? No, ten? Really, what is the deal with that fake orb?"
As Mei took some distance and entered the forest, I used my skill to confirm her location.
She was moving around my perimeter, waiting for an opening to charge.
From within the jewel orb.
'Hey, hurry up and tell us the Kirin's weakness.'
The Third Generation pressed the Fifth Generation, but...
'...Weakness? You think there is one? Even if she's not as strong as Celes, she's a Kirin. She's actually holding back right now.'
Holding back? Why would she hold back?
Thinking this, I stabbed the saber in my right hand into the ground, let it go, and gripped the jewel orb.
Mei's movements, which I was tracking with my skill, slowed down abruptly.
(As I thought, she's after the orb. It won't do her any good even if she steals it.)
The problem was that even if I told her that, she wouldn't believe me, which made it tedious.
While I was thinking of a way to communicate this, the Fourth Generation spoke.
'Liel, shouldn't you use your skill here?'
I shook my head.
(Are you an idiot! The activation condition for that skill is a deep kiss! How could I possibly do that!)
Then, the Fifth Generation added.
'Ah, that's a good idea. Liel, you've never tried it, so I think it's worth a shot.'
Why are these guys so relaxed?
It was true that the opponent couldn't destroy the orb if she wanted to steal it. That was likely why she was holding back against me.
However, it was the same for me. I couldn't defeat her, and I needed to clear up the misunderstanding.
The Seventh Generation spoke.
'Do you have a resistance to her human form? Then why not have her turn into a Kirin?'
The Fifth Generation agreed.
'That's right! If the opponent is an animal, it's just like a greeting!'
I wish they wouldn't say it as if it were just that simple.
But I felt it was the most likely possibility.
"Can you hear me? Let's talk for a bit."
Mei jumped down from a tree branch and looked at me.
"If you hand it over, I might let you go. Though, I'll probably have to ask you a lot of things before that."
I—.
"Alright, listen to me. First, turn into a Kirin, and then let's kiss. ...Wait a minute! I have absolutely no impure intentions! This is necessary! It's just a bit of mucosal contact! It'll be over once I put my tongue in a little!"
—Mei directed an incredibly cold gaze at me.
I was being looked at with eyes colder than those of the three boys.
"...I didn't think Fredricks' descendant could be this terrible. You're really irritating."
From the jewel orb, the Fourth Generation spoke.
'Idiot! Why did you make her angry!'
Even so, I couldn't imagine a flow that would lead to a kiss. In the middle of a fight, and partly due to panic, it was a mistake that I hadn't explained the important parts.
"No! Look, this is my skill. If we kiss, a line will be established for now..."
"Hah, and then? Why should I move according to what you say? If you're going to try a sneak attack, I'd prefer a better lie."
(It's not a lie! It's not a lie, but I'd probably doubt it too.)
Connection, a skill that creates a line between the user and the target to allow communication.
Wasn't the prerequisite condition too cruel?
The Seventh Generation spoke.
'Liel, honestly, even I can't follow up on those words. You're the worst. But in terms of Best Liel, that was quite something.'
The Third Generation added.
'Choose your time and place. Honestly... I guess it's decided then: turn into a Kirin and kiss. Now, let's resume. Look, here she comes!'
As the aloof Third Generation raised his voice, I let go of the jewel orb, grabbed the saber I had stabbed into the ground, and slashed at Mei's fist.
"Not the horn?"
Her fist was wrapped in cloth, which my saber's blade could not penetrate. I thought it was different from ordinary clothes, and as expected, it must possess some kind of special power.
"Do you prefer being pierced by the horn? In that case..."
As Mei tried to drive her right elbow into my flank, I tried to leap back to avoid it, but the Fifth Generation shouted.
'Jump further back!'
Instead of just barely, I leaped back a great distance, and my clothes were sliced.
A large horn had grown from Mei's elbow, piercing through the cloth.
When it was retracted, the cloth was not torn.
I understood that it was a mysterious cloth, but I felt relieved when I touched my flank and found it wasn't cut.
"So, it's not a time for holding back, huh."
As I said that, Mei's eyebrow twitched.
"Could you stop joking around? I'm the one holding back. Do you realize that if I just wanted you to disappear, it would be over in an instant?"
I stabbed both sabers into the ground, gripped the jewel orb in my right hand, and tore it from my neck as if breaking a chain. The chain wrapped around my right arm, and the silver decorative part expanded into the shape of a greatsword.
Seeing this, Mei said.
"As I thought, it's not just an orb. Humans keep making all sorts of things... But!"
Mei lunged.
But this time, I lunged as well, and we collided.
The greatsword clashed with the horn protruding from Mei's left hand, scattering sparks. This time the blade didn't chip, and the greatsword held firm without breaking.
As I launched attacks to keep her on the defensive, Mei parried my strikes while backing away.
A skill that temporarily multiplies one's abilities several times over.
Using Full Burst, I pushed Mei back.
The positions had shifted from before, and I made sure not to let the distance between me and Mei open up. If she leaped back, I stepped in; if I stepped in, she retreated.
We swung our weapons at a constant distance, clashing blades once again and facing each other.
"As I thought, it's similar. You were taught by the Fifth Generation. Me too!"
Just as the opponent seemed to know my movements, I understood hers.
We were like students of the same school; once I grasped the characteristics of her weapon, the rest was business as usual.
Despite her power and speed, Mei, like me, could not reach the level of the successive heads of the family. Perhaps that was the limit of Mei's human form.
Panicking, Mei released lines of pale blue light from her body.
She discharged lightning, forcibly creating distance between us.
I leaped back.
Before me stood Mei in the form of a Kirin.
She stomped the ground and glared at me.
"...I don't want to spend too much time on this. I'll end it for you now. Once I get that fake orb, I'll have plenty of time. Now... just disappear."
As Mei began to run through the narrow forest, I put away the greatsword and started running through the woods.
I ran in a zigzag pattern, but despite her massive size, Mei ran without worrying about the trees. True to her word about being accustomed to the forest, she didn't collide with anything and was fast.
I ran while gripping the jewel orb.
"Fifth Generation!"
I called out to the Fifth Generation, and upon finding a giant tree, I turned around with my back to it.
As I pointed the jewel orb in my right hand toward Mei, the Fifth Generation spoke.
'Mei... stop!'
Even though the words shouldn't have reached her, Mei's body jolted and she stopped abruptly. The ground was gouged, and she stopped a few meters in front of me, tilting her head.
"...What, so you can do things like this too."
Then, the Fifth Generation said.
'What were you going to do if she didn't stop! For starters, use your head and arrange something in advance!'
Like a dog enduring the urge to eat food in front of it, the current Mei was glaring at me with ragged breathing. But at the same time, she seemed to have regained some composure.
"Haha, you remembered the period you were in my care so faithfully. That was decades ago."
Then, Mei spoke.
"...For me, it's a happy memory. Could you not make fun of me? But, I see. Fredricks is trying to protect you. And yet, I..."
(Did she sense the Fifth Generation's feeling of wanting to protect me?)
Mei began to walk and pressed her cheek against my outstretched fist.
To be precise, she probably wanted to press her cheek against the jewel orb. When I opened my hand and showed the orb, she narrowed her eyes.
The Fifth Generation spoke.
'Mei, don't attack Liel anymore. He is my descendant. So... now...'
"I'm sorry, Fredricks. I can tell you're saying something. But your voice doesn't reach me. I'm sorry. I wanted to hear your voice again. I wanted you to pat my head again. So... I'm sorry."
As Mei retracted her horn and pressed her forehead against the jewel orb, I spoke.
"...Continuing from before. I have a skill. Connection... a skill to communicate with the opponent. The condition for that was a kiss. If it's through me, you might be able to have a conversation with the Fifth Generation."
Mei nodded and turned her mouth toward me.
As for kissing an animal, the only time I'd had my mouth licked was by my pet dog. I hesitated slightly, but I kissed her.
(The third kiss was unexpectedly an animal... no, come to think of it, Monica took that one. So this is the fourth kiss.)
I was thinking about such things.