Chapter 103

“You two. A lady does not behave in such an unbecoming manner.” Her blond hair was much more subdued than Nonorick’s, more brownish in color. It was not overly long but tied up in a short, high ponytail. Her quiet voice lent her a mature air, especially when contrasted against the two total children she accompanied. Yes, that’s the face I remember. I desperately tried to think over the deafening grating noise in my head. Lilia. Oh, Lilia. Lilia! Lilia, Lilia, Lilia, Lilia!! This was an ambush. It expelled all the myriad questions from my brain. They were here, Leon and Lilia, at the same time, in the same place, before my very eyes! A wave of anger came and washed my mind clean. But one thing couldn’t have been clearer: Whatever goddess ruled this world, she was a real manipulative piece of shit. Time marched on while I reeled with confusion. It turned out that my opponents had also petitioned Leon to allow them to seek fame on the battlefield. I didn’t even have time to dispute it. While I was goggle-eyed, my partners in crime and I were taken to the guild’s arena to fight against Leticia, Nonorick, and Lilia. “Oh? Whatever is that delectable scent? Sister, I’ve never seen food like that before!” “We just took lunch, Leticia. Save filling your stomach for after our current order of business.” “Ooh, there’s a lovely smell coming from over there. Look at all that soft, pink meat!” “Grah!” “Whoa! Watch it, lizard! You almost burned my beautiful hair!” Leticia, Lilia, and Nonorick seemed in high spirits as we headed over to the arena. What’s going on? Why are these three still here? Leticia was supposed to have gone after Ardelius after news of his appearance reached town. Nonorick shouldn’t even still be alive! I’d killed him! …Whatever, I can’t waste time thinking about that. I need to focus. I needed to work out why Leticia and the others were fighting us in the first place. What did they stand to gain? There was no way they just wanted to seek fame on the battlefield, like they claimed. It had to be related to getting vengeance on her brother’s killer. The first time, Leticia disguised herself as a member of the army and got into the war that way. Nobody, not even me, ever noticed her then. So why didn’t she do that again? The only thing different about the situation this time was Nonorick. Did he have something to do with it? I supposed there was also the fact that I wasn’t the hero this time around, and instead, the kingdom’s new hero was apparently fighting on the front lines in my place. I had no interest in chasing down figureheads, but from what I’d heard, they seemed to be doing a decent job. In any case, the hero piece was on the board—it just wasn’t me. Could that difference have been enough to provoke this change? I just can’t work it out. Nothing fits. What do I do now? I couldn’t even begin to formulate a hypothesis with the intel I currently possessed. The only thing worth thinking about, then, was ourselves. Think simple, I told myself. I need to get a sample of Leon’s mana, and I need to make it look like an accident. That’s the only thing that matters right now. At that moment, I felt a series of small tugs at my sleeve. “Dear brother,” came Mai’s voice. “I know you told us not to speak, but what are we doing now?” “We’ve veered quite far off script, don’t you think?” added Yuuto. “We just have to go with the flow for now,” I told them. “Once the fight starts, you two buy me some time. Make it flashy. Just don’t push yourselves.” Just ahead, I saw a building marked with the guild crest. Our thinking time was up. The guild’s training grounds were plain and of cheap make. It was little more than a circular arena surrounded by pitiful seating. It wouldn’t fit too many people at once, but considering we were only in a town and not a city, it was actually fairly extravagant. The place seemed to have been reserved for our bout, since there was nobody else there when we arrived. “As soon as the battle begins, fan out,” I told Yuuto and Mai. “Mai, you take Lilia, and Yuuto, take Nonorick. I’ll handle Leticia. Remember what I said. We’ll figure out the rest as we go.” Leticia stood fifty meters opposite me, doing some warm-up stretches. She was wearing the same frilly kimono that she’d had on when we’d first met. She carried no weapons, but her sister, Lilia, was armed with a flail—an iron pole with a spiked metal ball chained to one end. Her clothes were almost like a servant’s, with no superfluous decorations of any kind. Regardless, it didn’t look like she was going to be using magic here. Lastly, Nonorick. He hadn’t changed in the slightest since last I’d seen him. He was still dressed in military garb, banging his twin swords together in glee. “Dear brother,” said Mai. “I’m afraid that’s not much of a plan, is it?” “Plus, my opponent looks kinda tough,” added Yuuto. Splitting up wasn’t exactly an orthodox team strategy, but we hadn’t practiced fighting together all that much. I’d primarily been focused on raising Mai’s and Yuuto’s levels as quickly as humanly possible. “There’s no point in putting together a plan,” I said. “It wouldn’t hold up three seconds against these three.” “We will now begin the Rank Up trial,” came Valeria’s voice from the stands. “Keep in mind that the purpose of this match is to showcase your abilities. It is possible for both sides to pass, and for both to fail. It is not necessary to draw blood or beat your opponents into submission. We have healers standing by to treat any injuries that may arise, but please do not test them. Very well. Then begin!” The whalefolk gentleman let out a low, deafening cry to signal the start of the match. Mai, Yuuto, and I scattered in three different directions. I rushed straight forward to close the distance between me and Leticia as quickly as possible, while Yuuto and Mai ran around the outer circumference of the arena. In theory, Leticia would be forced to deal with me, while Lilia and Nonorick would meet the other two, but I hadn’t counted on one thing… “Hi there, Kai! Ah-ha-ha-ha! To think we’d meet again in a place like this!!” “Grr!” Nonorick had no respect for combat theory. Instead, he rushed straight at me. We swung our swords at each other; I, the Soul Blade of Beginnings and the Teardrop Blade of Lightning, Nonorick with his two white swords. A clash of sparks ensued, and we each pushed against the other, vying for control. Dammit, why can’t anything go my way for once? Out of the corner of my eye, I watched Leticia engage Mai, and Lilia, Yuuto. None of us was facing who we were supposed to. I could only count my blessings that our foes hadn’t managed to combine their strength. “Hey! Don’t let your eyes wander!” I barely moved quickly enough to dodge Nonorick’s graceful lunge. He was like bending rubber, and the force from his blade left a cut on my cheek. “Grrh!” He’s much stronger than before!! I tried to knock his sword aside to put some distance between us, but he trapped my blade in place with his. “I’m not letting you get away that easily!” he chirped. “Dammit, let go of me!!” My stats were way higher than the last time we’d fought, but it felt like Nonorick would turn things in his favor if I let my guard down for even a second. Stats weren’t the only factor determining the outcome of this battle. There was also raw fencing ability, and in that respect, Nonorick held the upper hand. “Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!! This is so fun! I’ve been waiting for this rematch, you know?” “And I hoped never to see your face again. How are you still alive?!” “No obstacle is too great for a girl in love, Kai! Surely you know that!” “Urgh, you make me want to stab out my ears! Teardrop Lightning!” “Whoa! That’s—not—ve—ry—nice!” Nonorick’s blades were keen, and his eyes keener still. The three blue lightning bolts I fired didn’t so much as faze him. He ducked, weaved, and twisted between them without even giving me an opportunity to get away. “Ah-ha-ha-ha!! That’s the Kai I remember! My thighs are tingling again… ” “What the hell was that?! How is that possible?” But Nonorick didn’t answer. Instead, he slid his tongue coquettishly between his lips. This guy’s a real pain! I couldn’t kill him, I couldn’t cause collateral damage, and I couldn’t devote too much of my focus to any flashy moves. The only thing on my side was my skill with the blade, against an opponent who literally didn’t die when he was killed. “Give me a break… You’re going to make me cry!!” My aim here wasn’t to win, but still, I could see no path to my true goal. Nonorick had closed off every door. Your plans have been thrown in the trash already, dear brother! No sooner had the battle begun and Kaito had lunged for Leticia, like he said, than that girl called Nonorick moved to intercept him. I know he’d said his plans wouldn’t last three seconds against the enemy, but I don’t think he even managed that long. Kaito seemed locked in battle with Nonorick, unable to disengage. Which means it looks like I’m going to be fighting…her. Leticia, the demon lord. My brother’s sweetheart, and the girl who’d stayed by his side all through his life in this world. I could see her charm, I suppose. Some might even call her cute. And there didn’t seem to be any red flags in her personality, either. However, that was all beside the point. I would get no better chance than this. “Heh-heh-heh. Come to challenge me, have you? Let me see what you’re made of, then!” All of a sudden, dozens of rock spears rained down on me. Thinking fast, I cloaked my naginata in wind mana and swept it to destroy the projectiles. Her control of magic was meticulous, and her casting so fast, I couldn’t even see it coming. I could see why some called her the evil sorceress. But it’s not so fast that I can’t keep up. Kaito instructed me to fight flashy, so I suppose I shall have to adapt to long range— What?! “You’re too slow!” “She’s so fast!” My thoughts slipped from the battle for only a moment, but that was all it took for her to seize the initiative. Leticia flew toward me, closing the distance in an instant by utilizing “Wind Magic” to propel herself forward. I immediately swung my glaive in response. However… “Oh, no you don’t! Take this!” “Krh?!” The redhead veered wildly to one side, as though she could teleport in midair, and my attack missed. In return, she shot her flame-wreathed fist toward me. I raised my naginata to block in the nick of time, but I heard an awful creaking coming from its staff.