kscans

Chapter 238 - The Mighty Sword of Toratsuna, and a Reunion with Shizuka

Toratsuna’s sword danced. The greatsword, as tall as he was, swung with terrifying speed. I parried with my own blade, deflecting the blow, but the accumulated damage from the impacts was starting to take its toll. My movements grew sluggish, and I continued to back away, trying to create some distance.

"Toratsuna, stop this!"

"Shut up!"

He was completely consumed by rage. His brow was furrowed, his face a mask of fury as he glared at me. He raised his greatsword high above his head, bending his back leg slightly and shifting his weight. He was planning to leap in and bring it down in one devastating strike. It was a huge motion, but he was clearly confident I wouldn't be able to dodge. As I retreated to gain distance, my heel hit the wall. There was nowhere left to run.

"Hey, stop…"

A single drop of sweat trickled down my temple. He intended to settle this with one all-out blow. Without a word, he began to close the distance, his front foot sliding forward. In response, I raised my own sword into a ready stance, channeling strength into the ring and pinky fingers of my left hand. I tried to summon the mana in my body to block his sword, but I realized my reserves were minuscule. I had used nearly everything for Goddess Summon, and my power hadn't recovered yet. Panic began to set in. It seemed the only way to convince him now was to beat him into submission.

"Tch…"

As I glanced left and right, searching for an escape route, Toratsuna kicked off the ground. He swung his sword down with all his might. Reacting to the motion, I pivoted on the pinky of my left hand, twisting my right wrist to move my sword’s tip counter-clockwise, sliding it up along his blade. A harsh screech of metal rang out as the strike was diverted. But I couldn't negate the momentum. While still pressing against his blade, I dodged to the left. Our positions switched. He was now facing the wall, and I was behind him.

"Phew…"

"Tch!"

A sigh of relief from me was met with a click of his tongue from him. Toratsuna swung his sword at me as he turned, but I backed away to avoid it. The strike sliced through the air with the sound of a gale. He hadn't expected me to dodge; his eyes widened in surprise. In contrast to his frustration, I was able to regain my composure. With a clear mind, I could see the massive openings in his movements. His physical abilities were impressive, and the strikes delivered by his steel-like muscles packed enough power to kill in a single blow. But his rage was making him too stiff. His movements lacked follow-through, leaving him wide open. I glanced over at Famu and the others. It looked like they were about to intervene, but they had relaxed their stances and were now just observing. They probably figured it was better for me to talk him down than for all of us to try and stop him.

"Don’t you underestimate me!"

He lunged forward to deliver another strike. I moved to meet him, timing his swing perfectly. This time, I moved my sword tip clockwise, catching his blade and twisting it upward. It worked exactly as planned. Toratsuna’s sword flew from his hand and spun through the air. As I pressed my own blade to his throat, the greatsword hit the ground with a loud clang.

"Toratsuna… it’s true. I still haven't slept with Shizuka."

"‘Still’?"

"N-No, that’s not what I meant! Please, just meet with her once. She’s been looking for you. She’s been genuinely worried."

Hearing my words, Toratsuna let out a long sigh. His shoulders slumped as if all the strength had left him. Seeing this, I sheathed the blade I had pressed against his throat.

"Besides, if you get this angry, why did you just leave her alone?"

At those words, Toratsuna clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.

"You traveled with her, so you should know, right? Shizuka sleeps with anyone. And then she’ll tell you all about it with a happy smile on her face. And after all that, she has the nerve to say she loves me!"

"Maybe she thinks you’re into that sort of thing…"

"Shut up! I don’t want to see her!"

Toratsuna turned his back and picked up his greatsword. Despite its obvious weight, he lifted it effortlessly with one hand and walked to the center of the arena. He sheathed it in the scabbard he’d dropped there and sat down, just as he had been when we first met. The members of Levante gathered around me. Only Sameim remained at a distance. We all looked at each other.

"What should we do…?"

I looked to Mizuki, who seemed the most dependable of the group.

"Don’t ask me…"

She just spread her hands in front of her chest, looking just as troubled.

"He’s being unmanly. That’s why Shizuka ended up like that,"

Myra muttered. I see, so she’s not a fan of men like him.

"No, I’m pretty sure Shizuka was always like that, even when she first met Toratsuna, though she might have been different before that."

"Then what difference does it make if he acts so pathetically?"

"Don’t say that to me…"

Looking at her slightly narrowed eyes, I made a mental note to rush to her side immediately if anything ever happened, just to avoid future trouble.

"…Just sitting here isn’t going to solve anything. I don’t understand what he’s trying to do at all,"

Marmi said, equally scathing. But when I thought about it, Mizuki, Myra, and Marmi were all so beautiful they never had to worry about men. They probably couldn’t understand the feelings of a man agonizing over a woman. Thinking that, I started to feel sorry for Toratsuna. Shizuka was all he had.

"I agree with my sister. I think we should just leave him be,"

Famu said, nodding deeply in agreement with Myra.

"Toratsuna pointed his blade at you, Master. I can’t forgive him!"

I thought Famu and Myra’s reasons were completely different, but I decided to keep my mouth shut.

"But he’s one of the heroes summoned by the five goddesses, and he can use the special skill, Yasakani no Magatama."

"We should just leave him. I don’t know how he’s managed to survive in a place like this, but as long as he’s here, he’s safe. If we need him, we can just come back,"

Myra said, but the thought of making this trip again was exhausting. I sighed and walked over to Toratsuna.

"We were teleported here by Laciel, one of the five goddesses. You were sent by the goddess Renren, right? You were told to defeat the Demon Lord, weren’t you? I was hoping we could cooperate."

"…"

Toratsuna sat hugging his greatsword, his eyes half-closed in meditation. He didn’t respond.

"Hey, please. Will you just meet with Shizuka once?"

"…"

"She was crying, thinking you might have been killed by Yuki and his group."

I thought I saw his body tremble slightly, but he still wouldn't speak to me.

"Fine. I’ll at least tell her you’re okay. And I know this is a bad way to put it, but I’ll be taking Shizuka for myself. I’m not letting you have her."

I turned my back on him and glanced at the other members of Levante, signaling that we should leave. Since he wouldn’t cooperate, we’d have to rely on Laciel’s power again to go to the dungeon in the Leafkraut Family’s territory and return to Miglutt. The thought of spending another two days in a dungeon until I could use Goddess Summon again was depressing.

"Wait."

A voice called out to our backs as we were about to leave.

"Is it really true you haven’t slept with Shizuka?"

His gaze seemed to have lost its earlier sharpness. He looked up, not at me, but at Mizuki and the others.

"They’re not in that kind of relationship, but if we just leave them alone…"

Mizuki started to say, then hesitated and closed her mouth. She looked at me. I could tell she was talking to Toratsuna, but she really wanted to complain to me.

"Are you… um, this man’s…"

Toratsuna’s face turned red as he averted his gaze, stammering out the words.

"Absolutely not! Mizuki is not the Master’s girlfriend!"

"What’s that supposed to mean?!"

Famu and Mizuki glared at each other.

"…This all feels very nostalgic,"

Marmi said, taking a deep breath. We left the Crystal Palace with Toratsuna and went to visit the Star Union family estate where Shizuka was staying. Cecily and Aira had apparently moved into the magic school’s dormitories and were no longer at the mansion. Unlike Marmi, who seemed to feel a sense of comfort, I felt a great sense of loneliness. But then again, as long as I was in this city, I could see them anytime. A guard led us to Shizuka’s room. Shizuka had apparently been spending time with Reeni. She spotted Toratsuna among us, and her eyes widened as she stared at him. Toratsuna looked away uncomfortably and scratched the tip of his nose.

"Kō-kun…"

She stood up from her chair and unsteadily walked towards Toratsuna.

"Kō-kun…"

She repeated his name, and tears began to stream down her face.

"Maybe we should head back home…"

Mizuki said with a smile as she watched the two of them.

"Yes, you’re right. I want to go to the church, anyway."

Myra nodded at Mizuki’s words. She too had an indescribably gentle smile on her face. She looked almost like a Madonna.

"…I’m going to see my mother before I go back. I have to ask her why she gave Mash that teleportation device."

I wondered what Marmi intended to do after asking, but it was a matter between parent and child. I kept quiet.

"Just as you said, Master, it seems Shizuka really was in love with Toratsuna,"

Famu murmured.

"Hm? Did I say that? Well, it’s annoying, but I guess it’s fine."

I placed my hand on her head. She didn’t resist. I felt like the distance that had grown between us in Richel was starting to close again.

"No, Master. You believed that Shizuka loved Toratsuna."

Her sharp intuition seemed to have returned as well.

"It wasn’t so much that I believed it… as I wanted it to be true."

"Wouldn’t it have been better for you if you hadn’t found Toratsuna, Master?"

"Sh-Shut up!"

I pressed down on her head, ruffling her hair. She shrank back and narrowed her eyes.

"Anyway, I have Famu, Mizuki, Myra, and Mo. So I don’t care!"

"…Master. Shizuka was with so many men, and yet… she still loved Toratsuna. What does it even mean to love someone?"

"Who knows. I don’t get it either. But I guess it’s different for everyone."

She wrapped her arms around my waist in a hug.

"I never knew I had feelings like this in me. But you brought them out, Master. And it’s truly, truly…"

Famu squeezed her arms tighter. Suddenly, I noticed Sameim staring at us. Famu noticed too and quickly let go.

"Master, I’d like to eat something you’ve cooked tonight."

We decided to leave Mo’s mansion.