kscans

Chapter 105 - The Elf Girl and the Otherworlder

Cecily had tagged out, and now I was the one facing Marmi. For a child, she was impossibly composed, her attitude almost regal. I couldn't read a single flicker of emotion in the eyes that stared me down. It was clear she didn't have the slightest intention of losing. The timid, bashful demeanor she'd shown earlier had vanished completely. In fact, she seemed to be enjoying the situation.

At the edge of their intensifying standoff, the spectators had started another round of betting. This time, it looked like nearly everyone was putting their money on Marmi. Cecily, a mage, had lost to her; they probably figured an adventurer like me without so much as a staff didn't stand a chance.

"Why are you trying to fight me?"

"...If I don't prove I'm the strongest, Famu won't accept it. Besides, you have more mana than that mage from before,"

Marmi answered in a quiet voice. She couldn't have been more wrong.

"You're overestimating me. I don't have any magic that surpasses Cecily's."

"...But you have them, don't you? Three Divine Graces."

It was true that I possessed what she called Divine Graces—three special skills. But the only thing I could really do in a fight was summon Laciel. And with a potential confrontation with pirates looming, I didn't want to use that card just yet.

"And you plan on taking them head-on?"

Marmi gave a small nod. Could she really do something like that? I glanced over at my fellow members of Levante watching the fight.

Aira had an arm around Cecily's shoulders. Cecily had her head up, watching our match, and didn't seem too disheartened. Myra and Mizuki, on the other hand, looked worried.

Next to them was Famu. I wondered if she was cheering for me.

In any case, I wouldn't use Goddess Summon. The pirates were one reason, but I also wanted to avoid a situation where she was branded an 'Enemy of the Gods' like Reed.

Using Earth Magic, I created a small stone pellet and launched it at her. Marmi raised her wand, conjuring a magical barrier that looked like a pane of rainbow-colored glass, and deflected it. The barrier was large enough to hide half her body, but her head and feet were still visible. I adjusted my aim, firing a second and third pellet high and low, trying to exploit the openings in her defense.

She effortlessly manipulated her wand, repositioning the barrier to deflect each shot. I kept up a continuous barrage, refusing to give up. But every single pellet was batted away by her magical barrier.

"...Are you trying to drag this into a war of attrition and drain my mana?"

Ignoring Marmi's question, I kept firing. Her magical barrier began to shrink, eventually becoming a small shield that covered only the tip of her wand. She then skillfully maneuvered the wand to parry my stone pellets. It seemed she had read my intentions and was now conserving her mana.

"Mo, Famu was worried about you. That's why we steeled ourselves to fight the pirates and came down this river."

I spoke to her, trying to throw her off balance mentally. All the while, I continued to launch stone pellets.

"...So what?"

"She was genuinely worried about you, Mo. If you lose, I want you to apologize to Famu with me."

For a fleeting moment, her eyebrows twitched. It looked like I'd struck a nerve.

"...I plan to apologize to Famu even if I win. Do you think she'll forgive me?"

"Who knows. But I'm sure she'll make you kneel for a good long while."

By now, she must have grown accustomed to the trajectory of my pellets and was probably getting frustrated with my monotonous attacks.

I took aim right between Marmi's eyebrows and fired a pellet. It was deflected by her barrier. I fired another one at the exact same spot.

The next stone pellet, thrown with no spin, wobbled in the air, changing its trajectory just before hitting the barrier and dropping sharply. Accustomed to my straight shots, she couldn't react to the change in time. It slipped under her magical barrier and struck Marmi in the stomach with a dull thud.

"Ugh!"

Marmi let out a choked cry, clutching her stomach as she crumpled to the ground.

"...It hurts..."

I hadn't expected it to hit so cleanly. The crowd erupted in a chorus of boos. In stark contrast to the previous fight, this had been a dull affair, culminating in a scene nobody wanted to see: a grown man hurting a little girl. I walked over to her.

"Mo, are you okay?"

I gently shook her delicate shoulders, but she remained curled up and motionless.

"...Uu, I'm sorry. I can't fight anymore, so please forgive me."

Myra rushed over and began casting a healing spell on her. It seemed Mo had a lot of mana, but not much stamina. As I watched her color slowly return, Cecily approached as well.

"Mash, honestly! What are you doing getting so serious with a child?!"

I really didn't want to hear that from Cecily, the one who had just been flinging massive fireballs at said child in a fit of pique. But I felt a little guilty for letting her fight first.

"I only tried so hard because you were watching from the sidelines like a vengeful ghost."

"I'm not dead, and I wasn't being vengeful! ...But, to be honest, that was a little satisfying."

Cecily whispered the last part.

"I bet you thought I was going to lose, didn't you?"

"Me? I put my money on you, of course."

She puffed out her chest and grinned smugly. A quick check revealed that everyone except Aira had indeed bet on me.

"...Aira-san?"

When I questioned Aira, she simply turned away and moved next to Myra to help treat Marmi, starting her own healing spell.

"Lady Mo!"

Patricia also came rushing over.

"...I'm fine."

With Myra and Aira's help, Marmi got to her feet, though her legs were still trembling. She didn't look fine at all, but since she said she was, I decided to let it be. She turned to face me.

"...I lose. I'll give up on fighting the pirates. But I still have to get back to Miglutt somehow. I'll look for a way."

She hadn't demanded we fight the pirates out of selfishness. Returning to Miglutt was for the good of the city, and for the Empire as well. I sighed at her words.

"If everyone here agrees, we can set sail for Heilon tomorrow and escort you. If we just leave the pirates be, someone else will suffer, even if we're fine. But we won't actively hunt them. We'll gamble on passing through without getting attacked."

Marmi's eyes widened slightly.

"...Really?"

"Well, Mo, you did beat Cecily, and it's a request from Famu's friend."

I nodded.

"Sorry to interrupt this nice resolution, but I'd like you to accept one more challenge."

The one who spoke was a man I hadn't met. He drew a longsword.

"You defeated a young lady of the Star Union Family in front of all these witnesses."

"Hold on, that's why I tried to refuse in the first place!"

This was an absurd accusation. I was done with this.

"I've taken an interest in you as well,"

he said, the corners of his mouth turning up in a smirk. He was trying to provoke me.

"...I'm not interested,"

I replied, mimicking Marmi. I didn't want any more attention. Joe and his crew were watching, and I couldn't afford to reveal my hand to them. Besides, Avea beat me up on a daily basis. I could only endure that because it was her. I had no desire to get into a scuffle with some random old guy. At the very least, I didn't want to see it.

The man rested his sword on my shoulder, the blade pressing against my neck. Until that moment, the members of Levante had just been observing, but now they froze. Their gazes, uniformly harsh, fixed on him. Famu already had her hand on her sword.

"Master. I will fight."

"No. You'd win."

I stopped Famu.

"Oh? This girl... against me?"

The man—I'd later learn his name was Wake—looked slightly surprised.

"If it was just a brawl with wooden sticks, you might win. But in a real sword fight, you'd even lose to our other swordswoman."

"If you're saying that after hearing about me from Myra over there, then that's good information. I was unsure if I could entrust Lady Mo to you. If there are three people stronger than me, then I can rest easy."

So that was his real motive. I wish he'd just said so instead of this terrifying provocation.

"Actually, just two. I'm the weakest in the party."

"Then how about one of them faces me?"

He clearly didn't believe me. A cold smile played on Wake's lips.

"...In that case, I have a proposal."

"A proposal?"

"We're heading into pirate-infested waters. Neither of us wants to get injured before that, right? So, let's make it a single strike. You'll deliver one blow. We'll receive it. If it lands, you win. If we block it, we win. You can gauge our strength that way. Mizuki will be the one to receive the blow."

I was setting a trap for Wake. He'd have to unleash a powerful strike to properly measure our strength. If it was a fatal blow, Mizuki's special skill would allow her to block it completely. Even if it wasn't fatal, I had a feeling Mizuki's innate talent would let her dodge it. And even if she took damage and lost, she wouldn't die. Besides, winning or losing wasn't the point.

"...Very well."

Wake nodded.

"Mizuki. Sorry. I'm counting on you."

"It's fine. I know what you're thinking, Mash."

Mizuki's face was tense, but her reply was dependable.

The sun was setting, and the light from the bonfires cast flickering shadows across the plaza. Illuminated by the shimmering light, Mizuki and Wake faced each other, swords at the ready. This was the third match of the day. Both were equipped with a one-handed sword and shield, but Wake's blade was longer. He circled her slowly in a wide arc, gauging her for an opening. The spectators were watching while eating the food that had been handed out.

I, for one, had no appetite. The rest of Levante, as well as Mo and her attendants, seemed to feel the same. Mo's expression was unreadable, but Patricia, who served by her side, looked anxious. The betting had started again. It seemed Wake was the favorite, but the cheers were overwhelmingly for Mizuki.

"Master, I never thought it would become such a big deal,"

Famu murmured. This world had few forms of entertainment, so even a small event could escalate into a festival if it had an element of fun.

"It's my fault. It's because I doubted you, Famu. I hope you can forgive me."

Famu shook her head slightly.

"Master. About Mo..."

"I know."

"But she's being forced into an unwanted engagement. What should we do?"

I didn't really know. I didn't understand the customs of the nobility. Marmi, at least, seemed to have accepted it. I wondered just how serious she had been when she said she would become mine.

"First, we need to find out how she truly feels."

"Yes. I'll talk to her."

Famu nodded. I glanced at Myra, who was standing on my other side.

"Does Wake have some kind of one-hit-kill technique?"

She shook her head at my question.

"When I was exploring dungeons with him, he never used any skills like that. But he always finds a path to victory."

"Is it some kind of veteran's intuition?"

"No, it was on a completely different level. But I was weak back then, so maybe I just didn't understand."

She, a person who explored the 30th floor of a dungeon, called herself weak. That didn't leave much room for me, who could never reach such a place. I turned my gaze back to Mizuki and Wake. Wake was still circling Mizuki in an arc, maintaining a constant distance. Their gap neither widened nor narrowed. Was he still searching for his path to victory? Just as I thought that, his feet stopped. The firelight made it seem as though Wake's eyes were glowing red—the same color as Mizuki's when her special skill activated.

"Mizuki, be careful! Wake is going to use a special skill!"

Hearing my shout, Mizuki dropped her hips, lowering her center of gravity and readying her stance. I expected Wake to charge, but instead, he relaxed his posture and sheathed his sword.

"I lose,"

he said. His words left Mizuki with a blank expression. The sudden declaration of defeat made my face, and the faces of everyone else watching, mirror hers. Wake lightly tapped Mizuki's shoulder and walked towards me. He leaned in close to my ear.

"You noticed my Divine Grace was activating. So you have one too, then."

After whispering, he pulled away. His words implied he was about to use some kind of special skill. No, he said it was activating. It was probably a passive skill, like Mizuki's.

"I'm entrusting Lady Mo to you until we reach Heilon. Got it? Just until Heilon!"

With that, he walked over to where Marmi was standing.