Chapter 3: The Heroes Return

The same day that a secret pact was forged between a goddess and a grim reaper, a feast was well underway in the royal palace of Faanis, a country in the southeast area of the Western Continent. Fire, the symbol and emblem of the country, could be found burning in braziers all over the capital, adding to the heat in the air all day long. People ate, drank, danced, sang, and told stories in celebration.

Sitting in the middle of those festivities were the Heroes of Deramis, the four young champions who had defeated an ancient dragon living in a volcano who had been terrorizing Faanis for a long, long time.

“Are you truly setting off tomorrow, Touya?” the king asked after two other Heroes who had been sitting nearby, Miyabi and Nana, got up to take a closer look at a fire display.

“We are. Our goal was to defeat the Demon Lord, but that’s already been done on the Eastern Continent. So, we need to head back to Deramis.”

“Well, I know I cannot stop you, but would you not be interested in staying a few more days? Everyone in this country, including me, would happily welcome it. In fact, if you are interested, my daughters—”

“Your Majesty, I’m flattered by the offer, but...” Touya shook his head apologetically.

“Ah, my apologies. You already have a promised one.”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“Ha ha ha! You need not hide it from me!”

“Uh...”

Figurative question marks floated above the teen’s head as comprehension dawned on the king’s face.

Setsuna watched their exchange from a distance, murmuring, “Phew, I’m glad he didn’t cause as many scandals today.”

However, her relief was short-lived, as the two princesses of the country suddenly burst onto the scene.

“Esteemed Hero! Are you really leaving?!”

“No, you mustn’t! You can’t leave me behind!”

“Oh, hi, princesses. Um, I’m sorry, but yes, I’m leaving.”

“Keep it down, you two! The banquet is still going on!”

“Father, shut it!”

“This is none of your business, father!”

Setsuna massaged her forehead before heading over to resolve the situation, as she always did.

At least Miyabi and Nana aren’t here to complicate the conversation this time, she thought. Seeing silver linings was one of her superpowers by now.

◇ ◇ ◇

Another full night of celebration passed, with the exhausted citizens eventually heading back home and even the merchants taking the day off. It was now early in the morning, but there was a flurry of activity in the royal castle. After having breakfast, the Heroes had gathered before the sole teleportation gate in the country. Voices lamenting their parting filled the room.

“Everyone, stay well until the day we meet again!”

“Byeeee!”

When Touya and Miyabi bade farewell to the soldiers and servants who had cared for them, shouts bordering on screaming ensued. The large majority were cries along the lines of “Don’t go!” but there were more than a few declarations of love surreptitiously slipped into the cacophony. The Heroes of Deramis had earned themselves a huge following in this country too.

Conversely, Nana and Setsuna, who weren’t good at handling such attention, turned to offer the king their farewells.

“Thank you for everything!”

“Thank you for putting up with us, Your Majesty.”

“Mm. I suppose that should be my line. Thank you for stopping my daughters when they went out of control last night.”

“They are both quite strong-willed, so I’m afraid I had no other choice...”

The king was referring to the two princesses who had suddenly approached Touya the night before. Although Setsuna had wanted to defuse the situation peacefully, both girls were so insistent in their affections that they were on the verge of resorting to force. As such, Setsuna had to resort to knocking them out with the back of her sword. Naturally, they were unharmed.

“Oh, it’s quite all right. Don’t let it bother you. The women of Faanis all have fire in their hearts, and nowhere does this manifest more clearly than in matters of romance. It’s to the point where ‘use force to win over the man you love’ is an aphorism here. What happened last night was entirely normal, and your actions were perfectly reasonable.”

“I...see...”

After the explanation from the king, Setsuna suddenly realized that some of the shouting surrounding Touya was taking on a more aggressive tone. She wasn’t sure if she was imagining it, but her long years of experience with handling such trouble were giving her a sense of foreboding.

The king was saying, “In fact, back in the day, my wife also forcefully—”

But Setsuna turned around and shouted, “Touya! We’re making Colette wait!”

“Hm? Oh, is it already time?”

“Yes, it is! Right, Nana?!”

“Huh? Uh...I guess?”

Setsuna began herding her friends towards the teleportation gate as her misgivings gradually turned to certainty. There was no time to be polite about turning down everyone present. The sole thought in her mind was to get out of there as soon as possible. She could do without getting more wrinkles in her forehead.

“The teleportation gate has been authorized for use. It’s connected!”

With perfect timing, the court mage started up the gate. All the Heroes had to do was fix a mental image of Deramis in their minds and step through it.

“Come on, let’s go!”

“Okay, Setsuna, okay.”

Just before the group was about to jump in, however, the king suddenly shouted, “Heroes of Deramis! I have one last question! Young as you are, you’ve successfully defeated the fire dragon, our bitter enemy of many years! So I ask this of you: how are you all so powerful?! Is it because you are the Heroes?!”

Did that question come from sheer curiosity or from his own longing for strength? The eyes of the King of Faanis shone like those of a young boy looking at his heroes.

A beat later, Touya turned around. “We’re not strong because we’re the Heroes. We’re strong because we’ve been blessed with the people in our lives. The truth is, I have three teachers. One taught me how to live and how to fight. Another taught me how to truly care for my friends. The last—”

“Touya, the gate is closing! Your speech is too long!”

“Ah, sorry! Um, in other words, uh, let’s meet again! Bye!”

Fwupt.

Touya’s final words hung in the air as the energy powering the teleportation gate died down.

“‘Let’s meet again.’ I see. So, their strength comes from the encounters they’ve had and the bonds they’ve formed!”

“Ohhh, truly words befitting the Heroes. So profound!”

The king and his retainers felt deeply moved by Touya’s words.

◇ ◇ ◇

“Ugh...”

The whiteness of the palace walls made the scene seem brighter than it was. The four Heroes blinked furiously, trying their best to fight against the instinct to close their eyes.

“Touya, Setsuna, Miyabi, and Nana. Welcome back from your long journey. Your quest is over. You have done well.”

The Heroes recognized this clear, bell-like voice—it was the first one they had heard when they’d arrived in this world.

“The Holy Empire of Deramis welcomes you, O Heroes. I am the Oracle of this country, Colette Deramilius, the one who first called you over...or at least, I think that’s what I said last time. It has been quite a while, hasn’t it?”

“COLETTE!” all four voices exclaimed.

The Oracle was wearing the exact same outfit ornamented in white and silver that they remembered first seeing her in. The teens rushed over to greet her like a long-lost friend but then stopped short when they noticed the two figures flanking her.

“Welcome back, everyone.”

“Good, you all look like you’re fighting fit!”

“Honey.”

“Oh, I meant...hey, you all look well!”

On one side was a man with black hair and black eyes wearing a black outfit that no Deramisian ever would. On the other was the smiling goddess who had granted Touya and the rest their powers when they came to this world.

Colette stood between them, looking more elated than the Heroes had ever seen her.

Touya’s shout reverberated through the room. “You’re Goddess Melfina! And Teacher’s here too!”

“Who the heck is ‘Teacher’? Wait, me?!” Although Kelvin was confused for a moment about whom Touya was referring to, the boy’s direct gaze soon cleared up that question.

“Of course you are! You taught us so much! You’re my second teacher, Kelvin-san!”

“Dude, you can’t just make me your teacher...”

Setsuna, the problem solver of the Heroes’ party, immediately apologized. “I’m sorry, Kelvin-san. Around the time when we crossed to the Western Continent, Touya started calling you by that name.”

Oh right, I forgot how practiced she is at this role. Poor girl. I bet she’s had it the worst throughout their journey.

“Oh well. It’s fine; you call me whatever you want.”

“Then ‘Lecher,’” Miyabi said in a matter-of-fact tone as she poked her head out from behind Setsuna’s back.

“You should probably hold back a bit, though, don’t you think? Let me guess...you read my entry in the Adventurer Directory?”

“Not only that. There are more girls behind you than last time we met. All of them are pretty. This verifies the claim in the Directory.”

Miyabi pointed behind Kelvin, where his companions—Efil, Sera, Ange, Rion, and the rest—were standing in a line. He could practically feel her pointed gaze burrowing into his skin.

“That’s...fair. I won’t deny it. But the same applies to Touya, doesn’t it?”

“Don’t underestimate him. Touya is both oblivious and hard of hearing. He’s never been in a relationship with a girl. He’s the protagonist of protagonists, the ultimate protagonist.”

As Miyabi started going on a spiel about just what it was that made a good protagonist, Shutola trotted over with small steps and slipped her hand into Kelvin’s.

“Dearest brother, are these people the Heroes of Deramis?”

“Let me correct myself. Not ‘Lecher’ but ‘Lolicon Lecher.’ Hi, Lolicon Lecher.”

“Okay, hold on. That I strongly protest. This isn’t what you’re making it out to be.”

“Miyabi-chan, you shouldn’t say things like that...”

Nana stepped in to stop Miyabi, but the look she gave Kelvin showed she had doubts of her own. Miyabi’s thoughtless comment had clearly harmed her image of Kelvin.

Melfina cleared her throat. “Everyone, may I move on to the main topic?”

“Silence, please! Melfina-sama wishes to bless us with her words!” Colette clapped her hands loudly, interrupting the exchange that would probably have continued on if left alone.

Setsuna held Miyabi back as Sera did the same with Kelvin, allowing the scene to resume some measure of order. Melfina nodded her thanks to Colette, then turned to look at the Heroes.

“Thank you truly for your help in restoring peace to this world, everyone. Regardless of how it happened, the Demon Lord has indeed been defeated. Although you were not directly involved in the fight, your noble actions elsewhere in the world undoubtedly saved numerous lives. However, please let me say this: I deeply apologize for bringing all of you to this world on my own judgment without asking for your consent.”

Melfina lowered her head deeply, prompting Colette to do the same. Unable to simply stand by, Kelvin also apologized in earnest.

“Wait, huh?! Goddess Melfina, you don’t need to do that!”

“Please raise your head too, Colette! Wait, why is Kelvin-san also...”

“I mean, because I’m not entirely unrelated,” Kelvin said. “After all, Melfina is my, y’know...”

“Your what?”

After this, the teenagers unsurprisingly focused on questioning the relationship between Kelvin and Melfina, the apology already accepted and forgotten.

◇ ◇ ◇

How did things end up this way? Touya wondered, his mind muddled with confusion as he stared at the mother-daughter pair of maids standing across from him on the other side of the expansive training hall beneath Kelvin’s residence. These two were his first opponents, and he, as the wielder of Holy Sword Will, was supposed to fight them by himself. Right, it all started with what Goddess Melfina said.

The goddess had given Touya and his companions two options: accept their souvenirs and return to their own world or stay in this one. At first, all four of them had been ready to choose the former. It was regrettable that they hadn’t gotten to defeat the Demon Lord, and they had had a great time in this world, but they had family and friends waiting back in Japan. If their power was no longer absolutely necessary here, there was no need to worry their loved ones any further.

At least, that had been their mindset until the goddess said, “A new danger is approaching, but we will take care of it ourselves.”

What was that danger? Was it a threat greater than the Demon Lord? Touya had pressed her for details, but she’d continued insisting that she did not want to involve them. He knew that if he went home, the matter would consume him for a long, long time to come.

“Since we’re already here, please let us help!”

Unlike before, Touya did not make this decision for the entire team; instead, they had discussed and agreed on it together. In the end, they had decided to resolve this “new danger” before returning home. However, that was not the end of the matter.

“This new danger is even greater than the Demon Lord. Would you mind if we first test how strong you’ve all become?” the goddess had asked.

“We don’t mind at all,” Miyabi had replied without missing a beat. “Rather, we want to show you. We’ve grown a lot on the Western Continent.”

Nana was slightly apprehensive. “Miyabi-chan, let’s not raise the hurdle for ourselves...”

Kelvin then spoke up. “As for where to do it...how about my place? You can go all out there, and there’s no chance of outside interference. Colette, mind if we borrow these four for a while?”

“Just in case this happened, I already asked for permission from His Holiness. Authorization to use the Deramisian teleportation gate has been added to your guild card, Kelvin-sama, so you can go back and forth as you please.”

“I knew you would pull through, Colette. You are the best Oracle a goddess can ask for,” said Melfina.

“You... You honor me too much, Melfina-sama!”

And so, everything had been decided in the blink of an eye. Setsuna was somewhat suspicious about how smoothly the situation developed, but the other three Heroes just let themselves be guided along and had ultimately ended up here...which was why Touya was now in his current predicament.

“Thank you for the honor of this fight, esteemed Hero.”

“We won’t hold back, mister!”

Touya’s opponents were raring to go. The mother held out a hand wearing a bracelet embedded with a red jewel as the daughter raised a dagger and lowered her center of gravity. The latter seemed ready to lunge as soon as the starting signal was given.

“I’ve cast Arcadia on all of you and Tabernacle on this area. The former will nullify one fatal attack and the latter will contain all attacks within the area of the match. Please fight to your heart’s content.” After giving him that simple explanation, Colette returned to the spectator stand.

“Say, Kel-nii, wouldn’t it have been faster for you to cast those spells yourself?” Rion asked. “You were wearing Astarte’s Embrace when she cast it on you during your exhibition match, right?”

Kelvin replied, “Astarte’s Embrace did finish analyzing the spells, so I’d love to use them myself. Unfortunately, it seems like only the Oracle of Deramis can employ them. It’s like a bloodline ability, I guess? Not much I can do about that. So, to prevent tragedy from striking again, I had Colette use MP from Clotho’s Storage.”

“Ahh,” Sera said, comprehension dawning on her face. “So that’s why she looks fine even after casting so many Rank S spells.”

Ange cupped her hands around her mouth. “Ruka-chan! Just do like I taught you!”

Not understanding a thing that was being said on Kelvin’s side, Touya turned to look at his companions. “Um, those two are maids, right?” he asked in bewilderment.

“They’re wearing the uniform.” Setsuna shrugged. “But don’t let your guard down. Remember, they’re maids in Kelvin-san’s house.”

“Servants being stronger than average soldiers, very common,” Miyabi added. “By the way, the locals call this house ‘Demon’s Haunt.’ Info from the guild. Ah, Ms. Maid, another juice, please.”

“Immediately, Miyabi-sama.”

Although Miyabi was nonchalantly ordering refills from the maid on standby next to her—who was actually the ancient dragon Rosalia—Setsuna and Nana at least seemed worried about Touya. However, none of them had yet realized that the opponents waiting to fight him had been among the hostages they had saved in Toraj.

“All right, it’s about time to start. Just saying, Touya—if you haven’t gotten any stronger, you’ll very likely lose. And if you lose, it means you’re nowhere near powerful enough to fight with us.”

“I won’t let you down, Teacher!”

“I’m not sure how long it’ll take me to get used to being called... Anyway, Mel.”

“Both sides, ready...FIGHT!”

◇ ◇ ◇

Ruka was the first to move. The instant the starting signal was given, she activated Covert Action and circled around behind Touya at top speed. Then she crouched, adopting a pose that made it easy to lunge forward.

Wha—?

Just as she was about to push off, however, to her great surprise, Ruka’s foot slipped and she fell over. What’s more, she even caused a loud thud by doing so. Although Covert Action was still active, such a loud noise made it much easier for her position to be noticed. And sure enough, Touya caught on.

The training hall was open to everyone living in this house, including the servants. As such, Ruka came here often to train with Gerard, Rion, and anyone else who was willing. In other words, she knew the room like the back of her hand. The sturdy black flooring offered better purchase than its glossy surface suggested, making it nigh impossible for Ruka, who was so familiar with it, to make such a blatant slip.

Oh no, oh no, I can practically hear mom angrily saying, “Ruka, how can you mess up so badly when Master’s watching?!”

Flames burst into view and enveloped Ellie’s right hand like a visualization of her anger. Her bracelet gleamed as the crimson fire took on form.

“Pyrodragon!”

When Ellie finished chanting, she had at her command a dragon made of flames. Though one notch smaller, it bore a great resemblance to one of the heads of the dragons from Efil’s Pyrohydra spell. This spell, which was one of the flashiest in Ellie’s arsenal, successfully drew Touya’s attention, allowing Ruka a fraction of a second to once again mask her presence using Covert Action. This perfect teamwork was a product of the bond between a mother and daughter who had lived together for so long.

“Although I am unworthy to even tie Efil-sama’s shoes, esteemed Hero, I shall presume to be your opponent.”

“Wow, that dragon looks really cool. But I’m sorry, I’ve already fought another dragon that’s much more powerful and scarier than what you’ve got there.”

CLANG!

Touya’s sword deflected the kunai that Ruka threw from behind his back as if he had seen it coming from the very start. At that instant, Ruka revealed herself, and Pyrodragon surged forward with a bang. The fight had started in earnest.

Ruka ran circles around Touya, darting in and out while repeatedly throwing kunai hidden on her person. However, she continued to mess up for some reason—every other blade she took out slipped due to a sweaty hand, dust accidentally seemed to get into her eye and threw off her aim, and she misstepped and lost her balance whenever she tried to get in close. She barely managed to keep going by utilizing her impressive speed, but it was clear that she was having trouble bringing her full potential to the fight.

“You’re fast, but...not as fast as Setsuna!”

The same misfortune seemed to plague Ellie as she struggled to make Pyrodragon do what she wanted. Her fighting style involved using the dragon—which was hot enough to melt the ground—to zero in on opponents like a hawk, but her control was lacking its usual finesse. No matter what she did, the dragon’s movements ended up wild and muddled, sometimes even veering away from Touya altogether. She, too, was having trouble giving it her all.

It looks like Ruka’s also out of sorts today, she thought. In that case...

Ellie shifted Pyrodragon to autocontrol mode and held out her right hand once more. “Fire Rain,” she murmured before flinging her arm, scattering flames into the air that rapidly grew in size before falling back down like a deluge of burning raindrops.

“Hup!”

“Wha— No, hold— Mom!”

The drops that were supposed to fall randomly somehow ended up largely avoiding Touya and gathering around Ruka instead. Credit where credit was due, the young girl still managed to evade them all by contorting her body in various ways thanks to her Acrobatics skill.

“It looks like Ellie’s starting to figure out Touya’s disposition,” Kelvin observed from the spectator stand.

“What disposition is that, Master?”

“Basically, the effect of his Unique Skill, Absolute Gospel. What do you think it does, Efil?”

“Seeing how badly Ellie and Ruka are faring, I’d venture to say that it causes misfortune to those he’s facing?”

“Hah! If only it were that mild. Not sure if you remember, but the previous Hero, Serge Flore—the one who’s now Fourth Seat of the Apostles—possesses the same skill. Simply put, it makes him so fortunate that those facing him end up ruining themselves, and situations end up in his favor without him even lifting a finger.”

Kelvin pointed out the relevant entry in the information on the Network.

“Ah, so that’s where I’ve heard the skill name before. However, Master, I don’t seem to remember the same phenomenon happening when we first met Touya-sama in Toraj.”

“There’s probably a condition for it. For example, it becomes deactivated when there’s someone with higher Luck than him around.”

“What?! How’d you kn— Ah!”

Kelvin’s guess prompted a reaction from Nana, who was also watching the match from the spectator seats. A very conspicuous reaction, at that.

“Nana...”

“Nana, you airhead.”

Unable to bear the reproachful stares from Setsuna and Miyabi, Nana wailed, “I’m sorryyy!” prompting a consoling “Rawr...” from her backpack.

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell any outsiders,” Kelvin said reassuringly. “Just be careful next time, yeah?”

“Thank y— Huh?”

Nana was just about to question Kelvin’s use of the word “outsider” when a massive explosion went off. Fire flooded the entire space within the barrier, with Touya and Ruka furiously exchanging blows while zipping between the limited patches of safe ground. Each time, either Ruka’s Strengthened Mithril Dagger was chipped against Holy Sword Will or she suffered another cut on her body. Misfortune notwithstanding, Touya was just better with a blade than she was. Ellie’s Pyrodragon was nowhere to be seen, having been cut down by Will a while back.

“Ruka! I’m using all the MP I have left in the next attack! Think of it as your last opportunity!”

For the first time during the fight, Ellie shouted out loud. The Ruby Bracelet she had on was a Rank A item that made fire-based spells cost two-thirds less MP, increased the damage of fire-based spells, and helped her to control her magic with greater precision. Basically, it was a wand in bracelet form. Even so, Ellie had used the Rank A Red Magic spell Pyrodragon and the Rank B Red Magic spell Fire Rain so many times that her MP was scraping bottom.

“How...about...this!”

Ruka threw something in all four directions that immediately blasted black smoke that filled the space inside the barrier in the blink of an eye. The range it covered led Touya to conclude that it was not poisonous, but he still held his breath just in case.

A simple smoke screen? I should move fir—

Touya spent only a split second thinking, but Ruka did not let it pass. Three blades rushed towards the Hero from different directions, aimed at his feet, heart, and throat.

“Spirit of Light!”

In response to Touya’s cry, light blossomed in the darkness. This was the first time he had felt the need to ask for help from the spirit that had given him its Blessing. Thanks to the light, he now had a certain degree of visibility even within the black smoke. This enabled him to evade the first kunai and deflect the second with his sword. The last appeared from the smoke, wielded by Ruka directly.

With a sharp metallic sound, Will bisected Ruka’s blade immediately above the guard. However, the small maid’s onslaught was not over. She used Sky Walk—which she had only learned recently—to quickly change direction in midair and get a kick in. It was too late for Touya to evade it, and he could not bring his sword arm back in time to block. He had no choice but to take the attack.

I’m sorry, little girl, but with the difference in our heights, that kick isn’t going to hurt me that m— Ugh! A flash of pain too sharp for a kick shot through the arm Touya had raised in defense. She’s got a knife sticking out of her shoe!

Although the sudden pain did surprise him for a moment, he quickly swung his sword at Ruka. He used the back of the blade, but there was more than enough force in the attack to knock her unconscious. Even as she fell, however, she had a “Gotcha!” smile on her face.

“Belial Claw!”

“Augh!”

In a split second, a hand of fire large enough to envelop an entire person burst out of the remaining black cloud and grabbed Holy Sword Will, halting its movement. The flames were so close to Touya that they began searing his skin.

“This is the end.”

“Didn’t you say you only have enough MP left for one spell?”

“Unfortunately, I can’t seem to control my magic as well as I want today. I must have mistaken how much I had left.”

Ellie lunged forward, her right hand clad in another Belial Claw, the flames that formed it burning even brighter than the ones holding down Touya’s sword. Clearly, her shout from earlier had been a complete lie.

“And so, though this is not my usual style, I am forgoing precision and attacking a large area instead. Ready yourself!”

“I’ve been ready from the start!”

Holy Sword Will shone brightly with the light quickly gathering at Touya’s left hand and taking the form of a copy of itself. A moment later, holy light and crimson flames clashed.

◇ ◇ ◇

“I’m truly sorry, Efil-sama.”

“Sorryyy!”

“There is no need for apologies; both of you performed well against a superior opponent. Look forward to your staff meals today.”

“Yay!”

After Kelvin healed them using White Magic, the two maids had gathered in a corner of the training hall to review the match that had just ended. Put simply, Ellie and Ruka had lost. However, if one were to judge by appearances, Touya looked far worse off. While the two maids were basically unharmed aside from having been knocked unconscious, Touya had severe burns all over his body and Ruka’s knife buried deep inside his arm. To make matters worse, the wound had turned a very nasty color.

“Ughhhhh,” he grunted as he pulled it out. “Gah! I knew it; this knife is poisoned. If Spirit of Light hadn’t helped alleviate its effects, I just might have been in a tight spot.”

“Kanzaki-kun, are you okay?!” Nana cried worriedly, rushing over. “I’ll heal you now!”

Touya flashed her a refreshing smile. “Hey, don’t worry about it. I can heal something like this myself.” He placed his other hand over his wound and cast Bright Heal and Cure Poison. The next instant, his arm was as good as new. Soon enough, the burns disappeared as well.

“I’m impressed,” Kelvin said appreciatively, walking over. “You’ve gotten twice as strong as when I saw you last.”

Miyabi immediately adopted a martial arts pose, but Touya took a step forward and eagerly asked, “Does that mean we’ve lived up to your expectations, Teacher?!”

Kelvin’s step faltered a beat. “You’re getting a little ahead of yourself. And stop it with that handsome grin. Your teeth are blinding me.” Apparently, he was as bad at dealing with Touya as ever. He cleared his throat. “I have one more test for you,” he said before raising four fingers on his right hand and the index finger on his left. “How does one-on-four sound?”

“As in...four people on the level of the maids just now?” Touya asked.

Setsuna had a doubtful look on her face, but Miyabi raised a thumb and said in her usual deadpan tone, “You can do it, Touya. Good luck.”

“All right, just watch me!” Touya replied, pumped up by what he perceived to be a challenge posed by his mentor.

Nana asked worriedly, “You’re...sure about this, Kanzaki-kun?”

“No, no, no, that’s not it,” Kelvin cut in. “You’ve misunderstood. You guys are the four.”

Touya looked surprised. “We are?”

Setsuna’s eyes took on a sharp glint. “So you want all of us to fight at the same time?”

“That’s right.” Kelvin nodded. “Your opponent will be—”

“Me, yes?” Gerard stepped up from behind him, rage emanating from every opening in his armor. He was armed with Dainsleif and Dreadnought, and Crimson Mantle was on his back. The aura surrounding him was that of a warrior about to charge into battle, completely out of place for what was supposed to be a friendly practice match.

“Heh heh heh...the price must be paid for harming a grandchild of mine!”

Clearly, he was on the warpath, Colette’s spell notwithstanding. However, Kelvin tapped his armor.

“Gerard, no. I’m the one who’s going to fight them.”

“Don’t stop me, my king! I have just found my second fated enemy!”

“You hearing me? I’m saying don’t steal my pre—disciples from me!”

The fierce argument between Kelvin, whose point of contention had gone entirely off the mark, and Gerard, who seemed hell-bent on revenge, continued without any sign of ending. Neither seemed to care about hiding his desires, bickering so relentlessly they seemed about to fight each other instead. The Heroes watched in a daze, shocked by what the situation had suddenly turned into.

“Um, Kel-nii, Gramps?”

“What is it, Rion?”

“Yes, Rion?”

The instant Rion spoke up, however, the pair immediately stopped arguing and their expressions and auras instantly softened up. The Heroes were shocked once again, this time by how much of a doting brother and grandfather the two were.

“Can I fight them instead? After watching Ruka-chan, now I want to get a bit of exercise too.”

“You, Rion? But...”

“I would normally say yes to whatever you ask, Rion dear, but it is my calling to—”

“Pretty please?”

Rion’s teary upturned eyes caused both men to jerk backwards, clutching their chests. They both gave their assent without further protest. In this way, Rion managed to win the right to fight the Heroes. Seeing such a cute young girl taking on the role of becoming their opponent, the Heroes...

“So, what’s with this farce?”

“Miyabi, shh! You’re supposed to keep quiet in this kind of situation.”

“Um...in any case, Teacher will acknowledge us if we beat her, right?”

The Heroes had managed to pull themselves back together.

“Ehe heh! And there you have it. I’ll be the one fighting you. Let’s have a good time!” Rion extended a hand, flashing a smile so friendly that it could have made anyone fall for her. Even though her outfit was all black, her smile was so dazzling that she came across as an angel.

“S-Sure. Let’s have a good time.” Nana took the offered hand. She had been flustered many times today, but she now felt the tension that locked her body draining away as Rion’s distinctive aura imparted to her a sense of calm.

“I’m gonna go prepare now!” Rion said before heading back over to where Kelvin stood.

“Literal angel,” Miyabi declared.

“What a cute girl,” Nana mumbled. “Can she really fight?”

“I wonder,” Setsuna replied doubtfully.

“What’re you guys saying? That’s Teacher’s younger sister. Look, right here!” Touya produced a copy of the Adventurer Directory seemingly out of nowhere and flipped to the page on Kelvin’s party with a practiced hand before pointing to the section on Rion. “Her name is ‘Black Meteor’ Rion Celsius. Her Danger Ranking is the lowest, but the Directory vouches for her strength. Don’t be deceived by her appearance!”

Setsuna and Miyabi both clutched their heads, but for very different reasons.

“D-Did I just get told off by Touya?!”

“Younger sister? YOUNGER SISTER?! That monster...and that angel are RELATED?! And he even dotes on her?! HAS GOD GONE MAD?!”

“Oh my gosh, you scared me, Miyabi-chan! I think that’s the first time I’ve heard you shout so loudly. A-Are you okay?”

Distress and consternation racked the Heroes for a while until Kelvin’s shout brought them back to their senses. “Hey, you guys! Hurry up and prepare!”

“Understood, Teacher!” Touya replied. “Come on, guys, let’s go!”

“Okay...”

“Gooo...”

“I got told off by Touya...”

The teenagers stepped forward, making their way to their next battlefield while inwardly thanking Rion for sparing them from fighting the two overly eager opponents from before.

◇ ◇ ◇

“Are you sure about this? Letting Rion-sama have the fight?” Efil asked while passing chilled drinks to Kelvin and Gerard, who had returned to the spectator stand.

Despite having their rights to the fight seized by Rion, both were beaming happily. “Can’t help it if it’s Rion,” they replied in unison.

“Joking aside, Rion is probably the most suitable for gauging their strength,” Kelvin added. “She’s an all-rounder who knows both swordsmanship and magic. No matter what strategies the Heroes come up with, she’ll be able to deal with it.”

Sera and Melfina popped up, pointing to themselves.

“I think I fit that description too.”

“And me.”

Kelvin shook his head. “The spells you two use are pretty nasty and hard to dial down. In that respect, we don’t have anything to worry about with Rion.”

“Indeed! I’m sure Rion will be able to accurately judge their true worth! Ga ha ha!”

In a complete one-eighty from mere minutes before, Kelvin and Gerard were completely in sync with each other. Efil, however, looked worried.

“Um, Master...didn’t the Beast King give Rion-sama special training that’s made her take fights against other people very seriously?”

“Ah.”

“Dearest brother, Rion-chan’s match is starting soon!”

The Grim Reaper’s tendency to forget one crucial fact before making decisions had struck once again.

◇ ◇ ◇

Colette was in the middle of casting Arcadia on all the combatants with the exception of Touya, who was still protected by the spell from the previous match.

“Um, Colette, can Mun-chan participate too?” Nana asked, casting a glance at her backpack.

“Of course.” Colette nodded. “Kelvin-sama notified me beforehand. It only makes sense for Tamers to fight with their monster partners.”

“Phew, thank you. Mun-chan, we can fight together!”

“Rawr!”

Nana placed a hand on her chest and sighed in relief. Her hand sank a little, showing how well-endowed she was despite her small build.

“Aside from what Touya just revealed, Rion-sama does not know what abilities you use. As such, I recommend that you carefully consider your timing when revealing each one. All right, Mun is now protected as well.”

“Thank you for the advice and all the spells, Colette.”

“You are very welcome, Setsuna. I will now head over to help Rion-sama.”

Colette made her way to the other side, where Rion was in the middle of stretching.

“Hi, Colette. You’re done with Secchan and all?”

“Yes, I have finished casting Arcadia on Setsuna and the others. I did a good job, if I do say so myself. I could not be more thankful to Clotho-sama. Now, please stand still while I do the same for you, Rion-sama.”

“Oh, hold on. I just remembered that Alex is taking an afternoon nap right now.” Rion squatted down and, propping her head with both fists, spoke to her shadow. “Alex, wakey, wakey. I got a match.”

A short while later, her shadow ballooned in size, startling the Heroes into raising their guards. Soon, the large wolf rose up with the biggest yawn ever.

“Awoo...?” (Time for food?)

“Aha ha ha, not quite, sleepyhead. But if you ask Efil-nee, she might make you something.”

“Arf...” (Efil...)

With loping strides, Alex ran off towards the spectator stand. The moment he arrived, Shutola latched onto him.

“Is that large wolf Rion-chan’s monster partner?” Setsuna asked warily. “It seems really powerful from its presence.”

Nana tilted her head. “Maybe Rion-chan is a Tamer like I am?”

“No, no, the Directory had her down as a Sword Saint. Either way, it’s left the barrier, which means we won’t be fighting it.”

“Very cute.”

Soon, Colette had also finished casting Arcadia on Rion. She bowed courteously one last time, then turned to head back to the spectator stand.

“The match will begin soon,” Mel said. “Both sides ready?”

“Any time!”

“We’re good to go!”

The Heroes braced themselves, with Touya and Setsuna in front, Nana in the back, and Miyabi in between.

“Very well.” Mel raised a hand. “With honor and sportsmanship...FIGHT!”

Her hand came down with a sharp whoosh.

◇ ◇ ◇

The first thing to do was observe our opponent. I watched as Rion drew two black swords. However, Touya had the advantage due to possessing both the Swordsmanship and Dual Wield skills. Or at least, I hoped so. The latter was a skill that only a Hero could pick up, and it made a pretty significant difference in close-quarters combat.

It also worked in our favor that Rion did not have any info on us. My Iron Cutting Authority could cut through anything as long as it landed, ignoring Status and all other factors. Miyabi and Nana also had spells that could take someone by surprise. What’s more, we had Mun on our side, and Mun had grown a lot on our adventures.

We can do this.

“Guys, we’re giving it all we’ve got from the get-go!” Touya shouted to drum us up, already holding two Wills and in a fighting stance himself.

“No need to tell me twice,” Miyabi replied. “Vengeful Grave Death Ogre!” The ground beneath her feet cracked open, then a giant form rose up, perfectly positioned to lift her onto its shoulder. After Kelvin had destroyed Miyabi’s Grave Death Ogre at the Black Wind headquarters in Toraj, she had resurrected it by directing every last scrap of pent-up resentment she had towards it. Doing so had apparently given it a power-up as well.

“Mun-chan!”

“Rawr!”

The mouth of the backpack on Nana’s back, which was connected to a hyperspace pocket created by Miyabi, opened wide as Mun flew out. During our travels, what used to be a whelp fire dragon had Evolved into an ancient fire dragon. Mun was now powerful enough to go toe-to-toe with the fire dragon in Faanis, making it much more of a reliable companion than when it had simply been hiding behind Nana.

I was no slouch myself either, having learned how to use Iron Cutting Authority without announcing it out loud. Although each of us individually might not have been a match for Kelvin, if we fought as a team...

“Huh? She disappeared?”

“No! Nana, behind you!”

I managed to catch it only because I had been staring directly at Rion and because I had the best dynamic vision in our party. She had circled around behind the person farthest in the back on our side—Nana—with such incredible speed that sparks crackled on the burnt path she had taken along the edge of the training hall.

“Huh?”

Even though I had warned Nana about the impending danger, she didn’t have the ability to avoid it. She would be done for before she finished turning around. Miyabi was the closest, but there was no time for her to chant a spell. Touya, who was at the front, was the most unsuitable for dealing with such a situation.

That leaves me. Wait, but...

“RAWR!”

“Mun-chan?!”

It was Mun who saved Nana in her moment of crisis. To be more precise, Mun had sacrificed himself in her place. The vicious blade aimed at Nana’s neck bisected Mun’s instead, beheading the dragon. He had been able to see what was going on because he’d had a bird’s-eye view of the battlefield after flying up out of the backpack.

“Since you’re using a dragon, I thought it’d be fastest to take out the one giving it instructions. You’re a support type, right? Mm, you have a good partner, Nacchan.”

“Huh? Eh? What?”

The friendly smile on Rion’s face looked so out of place that it threw Nana into even greater confusion. Before our eyes, Mun recovered thanks to Colette’s power, then was ejected through the arena barrier. The barrier would detect when we died and send us out too.

If only Colette had explained all this— No, I need to be thankful right now. I’m glad Nana didn’t catch what happened with Mun; nothing good would’ve come from her seeing how it looked when he was regenerating.

“Nana, move!” Miyabi shouted, charging over on her ogre. The monster’s fist was already raised, its force ready to be unleashed at any moment.

Touya and I were also dashing over as fast as we could.

That’s right; this is no time to be spacing out. Mun might have saved Nana from one attack, but Rion-chan is still close to her.

“I’m sor—”

“You really oughta focus in the middle of a fight, Nacchan. Magnetic Whip.”

“Wh—?”

Something long and thin snaked out and wrapped around Nana’s arm. Her body jolted and her knees gave out as if she had just been electrocuted. At the same moment, however, ice pillars rose from the ground one after another.

Nice, Nana managed to cast Frozen Temple just before she lost consciousness! Now Rion-chan’s speed will be brought down to a crawl. She shouldn’t be able to use any buff spells either.

Craaaack!

“Oh, this is more brittle than I thought.”

Rion immediately surpassed my expectations. She forcefully lifted a leg even though she was supposed to be frozen in place. After that, she continued moving like normal.

A-At least she isn’t zipping around at crazy speeds like before.

“Shouldn’t look away during battle,” Miyabi chided Rion as her ogre unleashed a punch.

“Oh, I’m looking, Micchan. Here, have Nacchan back.”

Rion swung her hand, and the electric line wrapped around Nana extended like a whip. It lifted the unconscious girl up and threw her directly towards the oncoming fist.

A grunt of frustration escaped Miyabi’s lips as she urgently made her monster pull its punch back. Colette’s spell only activated when the target suffered damage that was actually life-threatening, and the same went for the barrier’s eject function. In her current situation, Nana was just a convenient shield.

Given how close she was, Miyabi probably could save Nana. However, if her ogre grabbed Nana with its fist, it would probably be electrocuted too, and so would Miyabi because she was sitting on its shoulder. Beyond that, the whole situation smacked of a trap, leading Miyabi to ultimately decide to leave Nana alone.

“You’re not gonna catch her?” Rion asked, sounding disappointed. “Then I guess I’ll do this.”

The whip cracked again, this time sending Nana flying towards me at great speed.

So now she’s using Nana as a weapon? Oh right, I forgot. Rion-chan is Kelvin-san’s sister, after all.

Considering how fast Nana was going, I knew that if I caught her properly, I, and probably Touya too, would end up with huge injuries. That left the question of whether to dodge or not. I was capable of doing so. However, if I made that choice, it would leave Nana to crash into the ground. Thanks to Arcadia, she would probably be fine, merely made to leave the match area. What’s more, she was already unconscious, so she wouldn’t feel any pain. However, I really did not want to make that choice.

“Touya, circle around Nana and go ahead!”

“What?! You know I—”

“Leave Nana to me!”

“Wh— Okay!”

Touya chose to trust me and took off at an angle. The instant she saw Rion throw Nana again, Miyabi had instructed her ogre to resume its punch. A loud crash rang out as fist met sword.

“Miyabi! Make something to catch Nana with!”

“I’m...fighting now... You...ask a lot.”

Despite her complaints, I knew she would pull through. And sure enough...

“Skull Brigade.”

Even while directing her ogre in close-quarters combat, Miyabi summoned a large army of bare-handed skeletons. They had numbers, but they weren’t particularly useful. The spell was great for situations that called for quantity over quality, but they could not catch Nana.

“Slimefy.”

Next, Miyabi transformed a whole group of the skeletons into a pack of very bouncy and elastic slimes before gathering them together. I had previously thought Slimefy to be a joke spell, as it couldn’t be used on enemies, but now our preparations for cushioning Nana were complete. All that was left was for me to do my part.

“I’ll have you return Nana to us!”

At the moment Nana would have crashed into me, I dodged by a paper-thin margin, keeping my eyes on the electrical whip. I only needed to come into contact with it for a split second—I ended things before the electricity could travel down my blade.

Shhhnk.

A beautiful clink sounded as my katana returned to its sheath. It had been a quick draw from a rather unstable stance, but it had gone just as I’d visualized. Iron Cutting Authority had beautifully separated Nana from the electrical whip, and she had landed right on the group of slimes, which fully absorbed the impact of her landing. Although she was still unconscious, we had saved her.

“Miyabi, sorry to keep you waiting!”

“You’re late.”

Miyabi grumbled at Touya when he finally rejoined the fight, but the look on her face was the one she made when she was secretly happy inside. I could tell now, after having spent so much time with her.

Touya immediately leaped into close-quarters combat with Rion, cooperating with Miyabi’s ogre to overwhelm her with attacks. Between them, they had Touya’s two swords, the ogre’s brutal fists, and the occasional Black Magic spell, but frighteningly enough, Rion managed to handle everything that came at her. And through it all, not once did the smile on her face slip. The toughness of her black swords also seemed off the charts, seeing as they never chipped once after parrying the ogre’s attacks so many times.

I thought we were the ones with the initiative, but...

“Nana’s fine! I’m coming over now!”

“’Kay!”

After I’d told him to leave Nana to me, Touya had not looked back even once. My shout was meant to reassure him. We also had the skeletons on our side. Although they’d arrive at the front line later than me, and although they might not be able to contribute much individually, the saying went that in war, numbers were what c—

“Sorry, you actually don’t want your friend there.”

“What are you—”

“I placed a trap there.”

KANG KANG KANG KANG KANG!!!

A metallic cacophony rang out behind me. I used Sky Walk to turn around while putting some distance between myself and what was going on behind me, my stomach sinking in despair.

“You’re kidding me...”

Everything had been reduced to dust. The skeletons from Skull Brigade, including those turned into slimes with Slimefy, and worst of all, that huge puddle of blood...

“That was Prison of Slashes, with me getting a little serious. I was torn over whether to use it or not, but now I’m glad I did,” Rion said with a cheeky smile, like she was a friend sharing a fun little secret.

I suddenly remembered that the location where Nana had landed was the precise location where Rion had stood at the very beginning of the fight.

So, what, she set something up ahead of time? In the brief moment she was standing there? What’d she do?

Naturally, Nana was now out of the fight. She suddenly reappeared in the spectator stand, blinking in confusion. I breathed a sigh of relief that she had no memory of what had happened to her.

“After exchanging that many blows with me, isn’t Mr. Ogre there nearing its limit?”

“Don’t need your concerns. My Vengeful Grave Death Ogre is invincible.”

“Ven...ven...venti?”

“No. Vengeful Grave Death Ogre.”

“How did that song go again? ‘Mr. Ogre, Mr. Ogre, I’m over heeeere!’”

“Say it properly!”

Miyabi really liked the name she had chosen for her ogre, and the way Rion seemed to not care about getting it right was really getting to her. While Rion retreated with backsteps at lightning speed, Miyabi followed to press her attack.

Touya chased after the two of them but was slightly behind. An uneasy feeling filled my chest. I wasn’t sure if I was imagining it, but I thought Miyabi’s ogre was moving slower than usual...even though it was supposed to never tire.

“Miyabi, don’t go too far ahead!” I warned her.

“I know,” Miyabi replied. “I’m chasing her while keeping a good distance.”

She sounded surprisingly calm, apparently not having let the adrenaline overwhelm her as much as I thought. Just as she said, her ogre was pursuing Rion while maintaining enough of a distance to react when our opponent did something.

But then why do I still feel so uneasy?

Miyabi told Rion, “If you’re gonna keep running, then here, Felony Cru—”

Just as Miyabi was about to cast another spell, Vengeful Grave Death Ogre suddenly lost both its arms. They fell off cleanly, as if they had been chopped off with a blade.

“What?!” Miyabi exclaimed in astonishment as the monster suddenly pitched forward, having lost its balance.

“Miyabi!” Touya shouted, rushing her way.

However, I immediately shouted, “Stop, Touya! Something’s there!”

That’s it. That’s what’s been giving me this uneasy feeling.

I spotted what looked like two slashes from a sword hanging in midair. My Danger Detection skill had picked them up and visualized them so I could see them. They were literally so dangerous that the skill visualized them for me.

“Fly, Agito.”

“JUMP, TOUYA!”

Touya and I leaped to either side as the frozen slashes suddenly shot forward, gouging the ground with their passage. If we had only been a beat slower in jumping... I did not want to finish the thought.

During this time, Rion had closed in on Miyabi. Upon landing on the ground, Miyabi had directed her ogre to charge forward, but when I looked up, it was already bisected at the waist, with a massive amount of magic gathering around the body.

“Mr. Ogre here is undead, right? Every time it hit me, it got a little bit weaker. Tough luck.”

“Dead End Crush!”

Miyabi’s Rank A Black Magic spell caused the magic around her ogre to explode, instantaneously filling the area with dark energy. In short, it was a suicide bombing attack. As the ogre was undead, it could be revived later, but the specific one she was using would need a long, long time. Even more so after the way she used it as a catalyst for Dead End Crush, which destroyed every last particle of its physical form.

However, Miyabi did not hesitate for even a second. She was probably sure that she couldn’t win without doing so.

“Did we get her?!”

“Touya, why would you say that?!”

I couldn’t help but call Touya out on a jinx so obvious that even I recognized it. I shouldn’t have bothered. It had made me look away for a few moments.

“I’m sorry to say this, but I would’ve been able to dodge that even without the jinx. If the flow of magic hadn’t been so obvious, it might have scratched me a little.”

Touya could not believe his eyes. “She’s...completely unharmed?!”

Miyabi was out of the fight. She was just being sent out of the barrier when I turned to look her way. To add insult to injury, there wasn’t so much as a spot of damage on Rion’s outfit. There was nothing I could say. To make matters worse, the frozen slashes from before now floated in the air around her. One, two, three...yeah, I stopped counting after ten.

“Touya, I’ll create a path. Follow me.”

“Even if I tell you not to push yourself too far, you won’t listen, will you? All right, I’ll do my best.”

With Spirit of Wind’s support, my Agility was slightly higher than normal. Although it wasn’t anything drastic, I still drew some reassurance from it. Okay, my job is to create a path for Touya. I’m sure Iron Cutting Authority can do it. It can. It must!

“Thunderclap Edge.” The black swords in Rion’s hands suddenly took on a terrifying glow and roared with power.

Oh god... No, I have no time to hesitate! “Let’s go, Touya!”

“Right behind you!”

I charged forward, faster than wind, sharper than a blade. I was a shield that would not allow anything past.

Rion simply said, “Agito,” remaining where she was.

That single word caused her surroundings to burst into frenzied activity. The slashes rushed at me in a seemingly endless barrage, all efforts at concealment discarded as they announced their approach by shredding the floor of the training hall. The sight was so terrifying, so ridiculous, that I couldn’t help but laugh. Even so, I resolved not to let a single slash reach Touya.

I calmed myself and inhaled. Even in such a desperate situation, I could still hear my own breath loudly. Good. I’m feeling good. I’m in top form.

Kiiiiin!

I sliced through the first wave of slashes with one swing enchanted with Iron Cutting Authority. It was heavy. It was unbelievably heavy, and I felt the shock of the impact reach the marrow of my bones. Even so, I had been right. I’d successfully bisected the attacks that had looked so terrifying and invincible.

The remnants flew past me on both sides, but I had no time to pay them any attention. Thanks to my long years of practice, my sword was already back in its sheath before I knew it. The second wave was almost on top of me. The shrill sound of metal on metal rang out once more, and pain further racked my body.

It’s still the second round and it’s already this bad? I feel like every swing of the sword exceeds my limit a little. Next wave... Oh no, the slashes are overlapping in an “X.” That doesn’t just double the power. Ha ha ha, fine! I’ll do it! Bring it on! I’ll exceed my limits! As many times as it takes!

Metallic screeches seemed to fill the air—no, the world.

◇ ◇ ◇

Whoa, she’s actually cutting slashes of Agito made with Aklama. Even Gramps barely manages to block those.

Rion was honestly surprised by the two remaining Heroes’ charge. She had enchanted both swords she was holding with Thunderclap Edge, intending to finish the fight with a barrage of Agito. Once surprise and admiration passed, however, the time for analysis came.

The fact that she can cut down Agito means I probably shouldn’t fight her directly using Aklama. Okay, so close-quarters combat is out of the question.

Throughout the fight, Rion was making notes on her observations through the Network. One reason was because Kelvin could no longer see the Heroes’ Statuses using Analyze Eye due to one of them possessing Rank S Concealment. Therefore, Rion, as their opponent, was personally gauging their physical capabilities and deducing their skills by fighting them. Of course, that was only a secondary objective. When given a good opportunity to finish someone off, she would take it without mercy.

Kiiin! Kiin! Kiiiiiin!

It took only a split second for sixteen more Agito to storm past. Weathering them all was a nigh impossible feat, but Setsuna managed it. The way she cleaved through the fourfold slash at the end was a truly remarkable sight. She was sweating like a river and could no longer muster the strength to hold on to her sword. However, she had done it. She had stood at her limits again and again, pushing her boundaries each time, and remained standing at the end.

“Agito Kokurai.”

However, Rion, as someone who had undergone all those training sessions with the Beast King, was not one who would let such an obvious moment of weakness pass by. Further destruction was unleashed from her hand, brutal and without mercy. One massive black strike to embody pure despair—an Agito generated with the sharpness and toughness of Aklama enchanted with Thunderclap Edge—fell upon Setsuna as if to mock all her efforts so far.

“Using Iron Cutting Authority...now!”

“What?!”

Setsuna was supposed to be tapped out. She couldn’t lift an arm, couldn’t take another step. She was exhausted beyond exhaustion. The words she managed to squeeze out through such bone-deep weariness, however, moved her body. She had been embarrassed to say the incantation out loud at the beginning, and now she had mastered the skill to the point where she no longer needed to say the words. However, her thoughts were given voice through those words, and those words pulled her body along. She no longer had the strength to hold her sword, so she swung her hand instead. It was a simple knife chop.

There was no sound when Setsuna’s hand and Agito Kokurai made contact. The one that gave way was the latter. That was all there was to it.

“How’s...that?”

“Magnetic Whip.”

Rather than answering, Rion directed another attack at the girl who had just overcome her last trial—the girl who was losing consciousness even now.

“DIVINE SABEEEEEER!!!”

Two swords intercepted Rion’s attack in the nick of time. The hero of light stood up to the angel in black to protect his fallen companion.

“Looks like you’re the only one left, Touya.”

“It’s time to end this.”

Black swords wreathed in blue lightning, and Holy Swords clad in blinding light. One pair of each, one wielder of each. An instant later, blades and wielders clashed.

◇ ◇ ◇

“That’s the match over, looks like,” I noted.

Gerard nodded. “Indeed.”

The fight between Rion and the Heroes of Deramis was over. As for the result, well...

“Kel-nii, I won! Yay!”

It was Rion’s overwhelming victory. My precious little sister had remained unhurt to the very end.

“Everyone, I’m so sorry! To think I was still so weak...”

“If you say that, Kanzaki-kun, then where does that leave me? I didn’t even do anything...”

“Not true. Frozen Temple is still standing.”

“Oh god, the muscle pain...”

I caught Rion as she leaped into my arms and patted her head while casting my thoughts over the last part of the match. The one on one between Rion and Touya had ended in a split second, but it must have felt like an eternity to Touya. Even I wasn’t sure how many times their swords clashed within that second. I was pretty sure the number I counted from watching at a distance was off by quite a bit.

Considering how I didn’t see Touya suffering from electrical damage, Divine Saber was probably a nullifying kind of spell—not that I was ruling out the possibility that it contained some other effect.

But the MVP of this match was, without a doubt, Setsuna. She had more than proven she truly had the authority to cut down everything in her way, not only managing to protect her companions to the very end, but even carving a path for Touya to reach Rion.

The other members of their party had also grown a lot. That said, it was still too early for me to fight them myself. I clapped my hands twice to catch the Heroes’ attention.

“All right, we’re announcing our decision now.”

“What decision? We lost.” Touya looked downcast.

“It’s good that you fought intending to win, but I never said that was the passing requirement. Even though Rion went easy on you guys, I still think you put up a pretty good fight.”

“Wait, she...”

“Went easy...”

“On us?”

Noticing the stares, Rion laughed bashfully to gloss over the situation.

Wasn’t it obvious from the roundabout way she fought? If Rion was actually serious, it would’ve been game over for you guys the moment the match began.

“So, Melfina, take it away. What’s your judgment?”

“They have the bare minimum of strength needed. I believe each of them now has the ability to fight with Captain Cliff one-on-one.”

Miyabi sat up. “With Captain Cliff?”

Oh? Why’d that get a reaction from Miyabi? Did her strange sense of rivalry get triggered again?

If he had been seated, Touya would have been on the edge of his seat. “Which means...”

“All of you have passed. For the peace of this world, please continue to work hard at your training.”

Cheers shook the thoroughly torn-up training hall.

Good, good. Continue working hard. I’m praying for your growth from the bottom of my heart.

◇ ◇ ◇

“Here are towels and a change of clothes.”

“Thank you, Efil-san.”

After being acknowledged by Kelvin through the test, the Heroes ended up staying the night at his house—as did Colette. It was decided at the drop of a hat as if they weren’t all extremely important figures in Deramis, but since the person with the second-highest authority in the country said it was fine, there was clearly no problem. Colette, of course, would never refuse an invitation from Melfina. Consequently, she gave her permission to the group without a second thought.

Since they had gotten all sweaty after the practice match, the first thing Setsuna and the girls did was head to the bath. As a precaution, Touya was being kept under strict watch until they came back out.

“Wow, I thought the house looked big from the outside,” Setsuna marveled, “but it feels even more spacious inside. This changing room is enormous.”

Efil smiled. “Master and Rion-sama both take their baths very seriously. They took extra care in expanding the bathing facilities.”

Setsuna’s eyes widened when she noticed the clothing that had been prepared. “It’s a yukata! Girls, they have yukatas!” she exclaimed, prompting gasps of appreciation from her companions.

They all reached for the outfits to feel their nostalgic texture.

“I took the liberty of preparing them, as I recalled how much you appreciated floor cushions and tatami mat flooring when we last met. This is sleepwear sourced from Toraj. I hope you don’t mind wearing the same, Colette-sama?”

“Oh no, not at all. Thank you, Efil-san.”

“I am relieved to hear that. In that case, I will excuse myself now. Please take your time, everyone.”

After seeing Efil off, the group from Deramis took off their clothes and quickly hurried to the bathing area. When they opened the door, however, they froze in astonishment.

Miyabi had only one word to say: “Huge.”

“The one in the Palace of Deramis was impressive, but this...” Setsuna’s mouth hung open.

Nana’s eyes were as wide as saucers. “Is... Is this a hot spring?”

Baths of all kinds and sizes—some made with wood, some with stone—filled the girls’ field of view. Even though they were indoors, plants filled the space in a way that gave the impression that they were outdoors. The clincher was the milky-white bathwater, which added a pleasant hint to the aroma of the various types of wood that had been used to build the baths.

“A Japanese hot spring, at that...” Setsuna was in the middle of agreeing with Nana when a voice suddenly spoke up from behind them.

“Kelvin improved on this place again and again, with the cooperation of the Queen of Toraj, no less! Then Dahak joined us and the scenery became even nicer!”

“What?!” Nana whirled around in surprise to see Sera standing there with nothing on but a towel. Although her important parts were properly hidden, there was no hiding her exceptional body shape.

“Huge...” Miyabi said again.

“So it is! So it is!” Sera smiled smugly, looking as proud as if she had been praised. There was a misunderstanding here, but no one had the heart to point it out.

“You’re too fast at getting ready, Sera-neeeee!”

“Why the rush? It’s not like the bath will run away.”

Rion and Ange also popped in. Because they were wearing exactly what Sera was wearing, Colette immediately clapped both hands over her mouth. After this point, she fell very silent, but there’d be no end to it if we commented on every one of her episodes, so we’ll skip over that part.

“Oh, it’s Secchan, Nacchan, and Micchan!” Rion smiled and waved her hands. “You guys put up a pretty good fight earlier!”

“Thank you for fighting us, Rion-chan,” Setsuna replied. “It was our complete loss.”

“Don’t be misled by appearances. Lesson learned,” Miyabi added.

“Aha ha, I was trained by Gramps and the Beast King, after all. I can’t lose that easily!”

“The Beast King?” someone asked, but Rion started pushing everyone forward.

“Come on, let’s not stand around!”

The group finally settled into the baths.

“Phew...”

“It’s a hot spring. It’s an actual hot spring!”

There was no better illustration of the phrase “overcome with emotion” than this scene. Setsuna and Nana both seemed to melt into the water, and even the usually expressionless Miyabi closed her eyes halfway in a clear expression of enjoyment.

“But how come there’s a hot spring in the house? Are there hot water pockets underneath Parth like there are in Toraj?” Setsuna asked in wonder.

“Mel-san made this water using Blue Magic,” Ange replied. “Apparently, Kelvin tried to dig underground, but it didn’t go well, so they went with this instead. I was also really surprised when I saw this place for the first time.”

Miyabi turned around, her eyes dead serious. “Nana, learn that spell. You must.”

“Whaaaat? I... I don’t know if I can...” Nana protested weakly.

“The water has healing properties, so it doesn’t just feel good, it’s pretty useful too,” Ange added, casting a look over the group.

Setsuna raised her arms a few times gingerly. “Now that you mention it, my muscle soreness is almost gone.”

“If you learn the spell, you’ll be able to take a dip every day. The spell’s only Rank B, so it’s easy,” Sera said offhandedly. “I’m sure Mel wouldn’t mind showing you how to cast it.”

“Um, for most people, Rank B spells are considered difficult for even experienced mages,” Nana replied wryly.

“That might be true for normal people,” Ange interjected, “but if you can’t easily handle something of this level, you’re gonna have a tough time going forward. You’ve gotta at least get strong enough to beat Rion-chan four-on-one.”

“Beat Rion-chan...” Nana mouthed the words as if she had trouble comprehending them.

“Hey, I’m in the same position,” Rion laughed. “I’ve gotta get strong enough to get a win against Sera-nee and An-nee too!” She clenched a fist, indicating her renewed motivation.

The Heroes all seemed to freeze, despite being submerged in a hot spring.

“Um, I hope you don’t mind me asking, but...Rion-chan, are you saying you can’t beat Sera-san and Ange-san?” Setsuna asked apprehensively.

At the same time, Miyabi looked into the distance, despair in her eyes. “That pitch-black angel...losing?”

“Aha ha, I’m totally on a losing streak,” Rion admitted with embarrassment. “If I fight with Alex at my side, then maybe we can win?”

“Hmph! I’ll still win!” Sera declared emphatically.

“We can’t let go of our positions as her big sisters just yet!” Ange chuckled.

The Heroes had never felt the phrase “there is always someone better” more keenly than in that moment. Oblivious to their states of mind, however, the ironfisted empress and head-chopping assassin switched topics and happily started talking about that night’s dinner menu.

◇ ◇ ◇

At the same time, Kelvin was showing Touya one of the guest rooms.

“So, this is gonna be your room. What do you think?”

“But this... It’s a Japanese room! The floor’s tatami! And that’s a futon!”

Here, too, the atmosphere was charged with excitement, but for different reasons from those at the bath.

“I have connections in Toraj. That’s where I sourced all this stuff. So will this room do?”

“Oh, yes, please! I love this room! I feel like I’m staying at a Japanese inn!”

“Ooookay, glad you like it.”

As it turned out, the Heroes all preferred futons over beds.

“Well, stay here and rest up until the girls are done. When it’s time, one of my servants will come fetch you.”

“Okay! Um, Teacher...are we returning to Deramis tomorrow?”

“Yep, we’ll be using the teleportation gate first thing in the morning.”

“Then you’ll start our training, right?! So we can get strong enough to beat the enemies we’re fighting?! WHOO, I’m so ready for it!”

“It’s...good you’re motivated.”

Kelvin drew back a little at the over-the-top enthusiasm. He was quite busy at the moment, having many things he wanted to look into. Therefore, despite the boy’s excitement, the plan this time was to throw the Heroes into a dungeon—the hardest one in Deramis—and leave them to fend for themselves.

That said, there was one thing Kelvin needed to confirm immediately.

“Just asking, but Touya, you’ve never peeked at a girl bathing before, right?”

“Of course not! I mean, there are more instances than I can count when it happened by accident, but I’ve never done it on purpose!”

“Is that so! That’s all I needed to hear. If you get close to the bath area without permission, you can consider your life forfeit. More like, I’m assigning someone to watch you! I won’t allow such accidents to happen under my roof!”

“Huh? What’re you talking about, Teacher?”

As always, Touya was his usual oblivious self in regards to the characteristics he’d had since well before coming to this world. Kelvin realized once again that he could never be too careful around this protagonist.