kscans

Chapter 214 - The Black-Clad Group and the Confrontation with Levante

The setting sun stained the cobblestone streets red. The sight seemed to portend the outcome of the battle to come, and a bead of sweat trickled down my back. The two who had rushed to our side were Cecily, who joined the rear guard, and Aira, who now stood beside me, mace in hand. That made it six against six. But it also meant we could no longer count on our opponents underestimating us. The three enemy vanguards, who had been closing the distance, took a step back, observing our movements with caution.

"Why are you here?"

I asked Aira in a low voice, keeping my sword drawn to hold the enemy at bay.

"The nomads arrived, so it's curry night."

Someone must have told them.

"I see. Sorry to put you to work right away, but it's time for a pre-dinner workout. We'll escape the first chance we get."

"Escape?"

Aira glanced behind us. Following her gaze, I saw Patricia peering at us from behind a building. And she wasn't alone; Shizuka was there, and I could even see Reeni's rabbit ears poking out. The option to flee had just vanished. A quick scan of the surroundings revealed other figures here and there, watching us from a distance. Just this morning, at the meeting of the Four Regent Families, I had sworn not to fight within the city. Yet here was one of the very people I'd made that vow to, standing at the head of the enemy group, readying her blade for a draw.

I turned my gaze back to the enemy.

"Hey, I don't want to fight in the middle of the city. Can't we change venues?"

"To where?"

"How about the pine tree at Ichijoji Temple?"

"There's no such place in this world!"

Two of the black-clad figures split to the left and right, while the lightly armored man charged straight at me. At the same instant, Maryanne's bright blade danced through the air. As she'd promised, the sword passed right by the man's throat, but he leaned back, dodging the strike with an acrobatic arch.

"If I can read your swordplay, dodging is a simple matter!"

the man shouted.

"That was just a warning!"

Maryanne shifted the blade she'd just drawn into a two-handed, overhead stance. She was preparing to unleash her finishing blow. But the man was faster, swinging his sword up from a low stance. Maryanne parried the attack with her own blade. A sharp clang of steel echoed through the street, marking the beginning of a fierce exchange.

With Maryanne engaging the man in front, Aira and I took on the pair in black who were trying to flank us.

"Aira, take the one on the right!"

At my words, she gave a slight, firm nod.

"The ones in black are definitely transfers. Don't let your guard down for a second, even if you see an opening."

"Got it!"

"And with your special skill—"

"Mash, you're being annoying!"

she cut off my rapid-fire instructions. Perhaps the tension of the moment was making my blood run hot. I took a short breath to steady myself for the approach of the black-clad warrior. Just then, a soft light enveloped us. From behind, Myra had cast a defensive blessing. In the rear, Myra stood with her mace at the ready, protecting Cecily and Marmi while the two of them prepared their magic.

"Fire Magic, Fireball!"

At Cecily's cry, a sphere of flame flew over our heads toward the enemy's back line. In that instant, the black-clad girl sprinted forward, used the stone wall of a house as a springboard, and soared into the air above me. Her sword, raised high, came slashing down. I moved to avoid being directly beneath her, catching the blow with my own blade. It was a heavy strike, delivered with the full force of her body. She landed in a crouch without losing her balance and immediately swept her sword at my feet. I jumped back to create distance, but she had already thrown a volley of kunai. Several flashes of light shot toward my face. As I deflected them with my sword, she closed the gap in an instant and thrust her sword at me. I twisted away, barely dodging the blade, but she seamlessly transitioned into a body slam. Her shoulder drove into my solar plexus, knocking the wind out of me as if all the oxygen had vanished from the world.

"Guh!"

A voiceless groan caught in my throat, and my vision went white. Before I could even register that my body was airborne, my back slammed into the cobblestones. There was no time to process the pain before a kick landed.

"Gk!"

Another grunt escaped me. And before I could regain my footing, a sword plunged down for the kill.

But the strike was deflected by Aira's mace as she rushed in to help.

"Mash, get up! Quick!"

Urged on by Aira's voice, I scrambled to my feet. She had also been facing the other black-clad warrior, but she was handling it by swinging her mace in wide arcs, preventing her opponent from getting close. I held my sword at the ready and surveyed the scene. Maryanne and the lightly armored man were still locked in a fierce duel. To be able to match her blow for blow, he was clearly a master. All around, the fireballs cast by Cecily and the enemy mage had left scorched marks and burning patches on the ground. As if the visual information had suddenly restored my sense of smell, the acrid scent of burning filled my nostrils. The two black-clad figures ceased their attack for a moment, repositioning themselves to pincer us. Aira and I stood back-to-back, awaiting their next move. Her back was hot, her shallow breaths causing it to tremble. That reaction, after such a short fight, spoke volumes about our enemies' strength. A sense of dread crept over me, the fear that we might not be able to win.

"They're disorienting us with their speed and erratic movements. It's a pain in the ass to even get a bead on them."

"Their class is probably 'Ninja',"

I said. At my words, I thought I saw the gaze from within the black hood soften.

"Correct. As expected of another transfer from a different world,"

the girl facing me replied. What with Famu's 'Miburō' class, this world certainly had its share of out-of-place professions.

"Since I got it right, how about a prize?"

"A prize? How about I plunge some cold steel into your heart?"

"No thanks. I'd settle for your warm chests, at least."

The pair snorted, then began to run in a circle around us. The circle expanded and contracted as they probed for an opening. Their movements were as fast and unpredictable as the wind. It was like we were surrounded by intangible phantoms, making it impossible to predict when they would strike.

"I will protect you,"

Aira murmured, then took a long, deep breath. I could feel the expansion of her lungs against my back. I steadied my own breathing, preparing to unleash a single, decisive strike. One slash to cut down the enemy before me. The circle around us widened for an instant. Kunai flew straight for me. There was no need to dodge. I would leave the defense to Aira. I suppressed my rising impatience, using the rhythm of her heartbeat as a guide to circulate the mana within me, concentrating the refined power into the tip of my blade. Aira's mace danced, deflecting the kunai. Simultaneously, one of the black-clad figures leaped to strike at me from above, while the other slashed at me from the side. Two blades closed in on me. Their target was one and the same: me. I entrusted the leaping enemy to Aira and charged the one approaching from the side. No matter what trickery lay in wait, I would not flinch. I swung my sword with the intent to sever everything. A high-pitched metallic screech rang out. Aira had blocked the attack from above. And my own swing had sliced through the black-clad warrior's hood, cracked the forehead protector she wore underneath, and shattered the sword she'd raised to defend herself. The warrior from the side had held back from a full commitment, switching to defense at the last moment to parry my attack. They both leaped back, creating distance.

Beside us, the duel between Maryanne and the lightly armored man had concluded. Maryanne had knocked the man's sword from his hand and now held the tip of her blade to his throat. The long-range exchange of fireballs had also ceased as both sides stopped their attacks. The hood of the warrior I had struck had fallen, revealing her face. Aira and I readied our weapons again and closed in on the two.

"If you don't mind that man's head rolling, feel free to use your special skill."

"No, I was hoping to see you use your special skill, but I guess this is it... We surrender."

The two black-clad warriors raised their hands. Now that I could see her, she had quite the refined features. Her eyes were large and, I had to admit, cute. For some reason, her expression seemed familiar. I searched my memories, but of course, there was no way I knew a beauty like this.

"You, show your face too."

The other woman, still hooded, obediently removed her covering. She was also a beauty. A little fuller in the face than the first, which gave her a certain charm. Again, that sense of familiarity, but I couldn't place her. Just then, Shizuka, who had been hiding behind a building, burst out and pointed at the two.

"Ah! Ahhhhhh! Um, uhhhh..."

"What, you know them?"

I was a little surprised that Shizuka and I had a mutual acquaintance.

"I don't know them, but, um, they're the idol group, Group Sex!"

"That's wrong! Only one letter is right! We're Gleam Eye!"

Their words jogged my memory, and I recalled a two-person idol group from my old world.

"You're... Rinko Waseda and Airi Hiya, right?"

They nodded shyly. If I remembered correctly, they had sung the theme song for an anime. I was pretty sure I'd watched the video online over and over, and I knew a few of their other songs too. They were a popular, up-and-coming idol duo.

"That's them! My teacher was a huge fan of Rinko-chan, so he often made me cosplay as her when we had sex,"

Shizuka said, folding her arms and nodding repeatedly with a nostalgic expression. For the record, Rinko was the slender one.

"Hey! Could you please not say such weird things?!"

"So, does that mean this woman is your partner? Are you two teacher and student?"

Airi interjected, ignoring Rinko's protest.

"No, this embarrassing woman is a complete stranger. My partner is someone else."

"Who are you calling embarrassing?! I was just thinking I'd let you have sex with me while I cosplay as whichever one you like, Rinko-chan or Airi-chan!"

Shizuka shouted. Hearing that, I looked back and forth between the two idols. Come to think of it, this was the first time I'd seen active idols this close up. In my old world, I'd always been a bit cynical and disliked being in front of crowds. Even if I'd had a favorite idol, I never would have gone to a concert or a fan event.

"Stop looking at us with those lewd eyes!"

Rinko pushed her hand against my face, shoving me away.

"Mash, I know you're excited, but isn't this all beside the point right now?"

Myra approached me with a stern expression.

"These people pointed their blades at Mash-sama, a messenger of Lady Laciel, as well as at my family and the Star Union Family,"

Maryanne said as she sheathed her sword. The man tried to pick up the sword he'd dropped, but she pinned it to the ground with her foot. It was clear she had no intention of forgiving them. I was reminded that I, too, had just crossed swords with them.

"Right. What was your objective in attacking us?"

"...You summoned Laciel in the Crystal Square, didn't you? Simply put, we wanted to know how strong you really are,"

Airi answered.

"And what were you going to do with that information?"

"We were summoned by a goddess named Lushe."

My eyes widened at her words. The five goddesses among the Fifty Gods: Laciel, Rishal, Lushe, Renren, and Ronron. She was one of them. Those summoned by them were potential allies we could cooperate with. And the other transfers had been ordered to 'kill' the transfers summoned by the Five Goddesses to fulfill their own wishes.

"You mean you attacked us knowing we were potential allies?"

"Well, the rumor around town was that you summoned a goddess but still lost to a single elf man!"

she nodded, showing no remorse.

Should I take Airi's words at face value? Still, there was a way to confirm whether they had truly been summoned by one of the Five Goddesses.

"Tell me about the circumstances of your summoning."

"I... just wanted to fall in love..."

Rinko said, gazing at the setting sun with a distant look in her eyes. The sun, which had been high in the sky before the fight, was now about to disappear behind the buildings.

"What, you had a lover? You were deceiving us fans?"

"Huh? You were a fan of mine?"

Put on the spot, I had to think for a moment. I certainly thought their songs and promotional videos were good, but being asked so directly, I was at a loss for words.

"...No, not really."

"Then it doesn't matter, does it?"

Hmph, Rinko snorted, for some reason looking triumphant.

"I didn't have a lover. But my life back then was cramped and suffocating. That's why I told Airi I wanted to disband Gleam Eye."

"I wasn't planning on being an idol forever either. You never know when you'll stop being popular. But we had only just started making it big, our pay was low, and we barely had any money. I told her I wanted to wait until we'd saved up at least a hundred million yen before disbanding,"

Airi shot back at Rinko's words.

"What? That's what's crazy! There's no way we could earn that much, you know? We'd stop being popular long before that! What are you dreaming about?"

Rinko then jabbed a finger at my face.

"In the end, our fans are just half-assed old guys like this. They don't really love us, they don't really support us. They're just satisfied watching some random clips of our songs and videos on the internet! They can't even remember our faces and just move on to the next piece of content!"

Was there a hidden camera in my house? How could she so perfectly describe my entire existence?

"I know that! That's why I suggested we try to sell songs that we wrote and composed ourselves! And then you go and say you want to quit!"

"There's no way a song like that would sell, and no one would ever give us permission to release it in the first place!"

It was a realistic, calculating conversation, devoid of any dreams or hopes. I couldn't listen to any more of it.

"That's enough. I get it now. You were definitely summoned by a goddess!"

At my words, they both puffed out their cheeks and turned away from each other. Rinko crossed her arms and, unable to hide her irritation, continuously tapped her fingers against her arm. Why were they re-enacting this fight here and now? And why did I have to be the one to mediate? The thought crossed my mind, and I almost sighed.

"We were on our way to have dinner with the nomads outside the city."

""The nomads?""

their voices overlapped.

"You know of them?"

"I'd forgotten, but Lushe gave us information about other heroes and told us to find them and meet up."

Was that information about us? Or would something change if they joined us?

"There might not be any food for you, but do you want to come along?"

"What are you having?"

"Probably curry."

The two looked at each other, then nodded in perfect sync. In the end, all I had learned was that they were transfers summoned by a goddess and that they had challenged us to a fight to test our strength. It seemed I would need to learn a lot more about them.