CHAPTER 1 The Witchblade Guild & the Black Organization

After my fiercely contested match with Shido Jukurius, Ice King Academy’s captain at the Elite Five Holy Festival, I was checked into the hospital for an examination. The doctors ran a number of tests but found nothing wrong with me. I was the very picture of health.

My stay ended up being pretty brief, so I joined up with Lia and Rose as soon as the hospital released me. They were both thrilled to see that I was okay, and they even held a modest party to celebrate my discharge from the hospital. It was a nice, leisurely time.

The following day, we joined back up to gather in front of the Thousand Blade Academy chairwoman’s office. We were there to speak to Chairwoman Reia.

I knocked on the black-painted door three times.

“Enter.”

I heard the chairwoman’s businesslike voice through the door. I was amazed she could sound so dignified while accomplishing no work whatsoever. I didn’t think a man could have pulled that off.

“Excuse us,” I announced.

We gently opened the door and entered the room.

“Oh, it’s you three…”

Reia was sitting in her black office chair, engrossed in a copy of Weekly Shonen Blade.

“Good morning, Chairwoman,” I greeted.

“Morning. Are you feeling okay?” she asked me.

“Yes. They performed a number of examinations on me but found nothing wrong.”

“That’s what I wanna hear. Okay, I want you three to get straight to work on the volunteer duty you’ll be performing as punishment for violating the rules of the Holy Festival,” the chairwoman told us, before clapping her hands.

But there was something I absolutely needed to ask her beforehand.

“Chairwoman, what was that…thing, which took over my body?”

“Hmm… Long story short, that was your Spirit Core. Lia, you’ve already acquired your Soul Attire; did you arrive at the same conclusion?”

Lia nodded. Reia then continued her explanation.

“A Spirit Core is a mass of power that resides within each person’s soul. Everyone has a single core, and it can manifest as a variety of supernatural entities—ancestral spirits, cryptids, lost souls, etc. Soul Attire is an embodiment of a piece of the Spirit Core. Anyway, I have no doubt that your Spirit Core hijacked your body.”

“When Spirit Cores take over other people, do they also end up like…like that?” I asked.

“In theory, yes…but there aren’t many that possess such a strong enough sense of self to accomplish that. It’s safe to assume that yours is special somehow.”

“So my Spirit Core has a mind of his own…”

Another existence, separate from my own, lay dormant within my body. That knowledge felt indescribably strange.

“That being said, I don’t think you have anything to worry about at the moment. It was in control of your body for a fairly long time; even a Spirit Core as powerful as yours must’ve had to expend a massive amount of energy to maintain that.”

“If you say so…”

It sounded like I wasn’t the only one who’d struggled when I was possessed.

“All right, let’s talk about what you’ll be doing during your suspension!” the chairwoman announced enthusiastically, trying to brighten the mood. “As I said the other day, you three will be working as witchblades. Your volunteer period is going to last a month. In order for this to pass as punishment, you are forbidden from accepting rewards.”

She paused briefly.

“First, head to the Aurest Branch of the Witchblade Guild. The chief there is an old acquaintance of mine. I’ve already spoken to him, so I’m sure the transition will be smooth. Rose, do you mind showing them the way?” Reia asked, looking at Rose.

“No problem,” she replied curtly.

Why did she ask Rose?

While I mulled that over, Rose took from her pocket a metal plate that had been engraved with Rose Valencia and what looked like a registration number. It must have been a witchblade identification badge.

“As you can see, I’m already a witchblade. I’m not currently active, but I’ve worked for the guild before,” she told us casually.

“That’s right. Rose is your senior in this area by many years. If you have any problems, just ask her for help,” the chairwoman added.

And thus, we’d settled on heading to the Aurest Witchblade Guild.

“See you later, Chairwoman Reia!” I said.

“I pray that this will be a beneficial experience for you all!” she responded.

Lia, Rose, and I then departed Thousand Blade Academy.

---

Allen, Lia, and Rose left the chairwoman’s office.

“Eighteen,” Reia muttered.

“Yes, ma’am! Do you require something, Mistress Reia?”

He quickly lifted his head from the work he had been performing silently in the corner of the room.

“I want you to serve as Allen’s bodyguard.”

“His bodyguard? Understood.”

Swiftly picking up on what she was implying, he politely nodded.

“Two of the chairs pushed strongly for Allen’s expulsion, and if Ferris is to be believed, they even tried to bribe the other two chairs to go along with them,” Reia noted.

“How terrible.”

That was new information to Eighteen. This job was going to be more dangerous than he’d initially suspected.

“I think it’s more than likely they’ll send an assassin after him. If any suspicious characters draw near Allen, take them out immediately. Your Soul Attire is a little dangerous, but…I grant you special permission to use it in this case.”

“Yes, ma’am…but are you sure this is okay?” he asked with timid concern after receiving her order.

“What do you mean?”

“If I’m not here, then who will get the work done…?”

“Ah, that is an issue… I also grant you special permission to take paperwork with you. Keep at them while you watch over Allen.”

“…Yes, ma’am,” Eighteen consented reluctantly, realizing that he would now have to contend with the difficult task of guarding Allen and doing the chairwoman’s work at the same time.

“Mistress Reia, may I ask a question?”

“What is it?”

“Acting as Master Allen’s guard inevitably means that I will be tailing Lady Lia and Lady Rose as well.”

“Naturally.”

Duh. What’s he getting at? thought Reia. She waited for him to continue.

“They’re both so very attractive… Um, this is hard to say, but…”

Eighteen was unusually tongue-tied.

“Spit it out, man!” Reia shouted, irritated.

“Well… If a chance were to arise, would it be okay for me to sneak a peep?”

With effort, he forced himself to voice his desire.

“How stupid are you? Of course you can’t do that. No way.”

“Grrr… U-understood.”

And so, Eighteen would have to grapple with the three harsh tasks of protecting Allen, doing Reia’s desk work, and suppressing his urges.

---

We followed Rose through the streets of Aurest. About ten minutes after we left Thousand Blade Academy, a building came into view that looked like it might be our destination.

“We’re here.”

As I expected, Rose came to a sudden halt in front of the structure that I’d had my eye on.

“I-is this the Witchblade Guild…?”

“Th-this is a joke, right…?”

It was a large, three-story edifice that had almost certainly gone decades without repair. Wind and rain had worn down its brick exterior, and colorful graffiti covered the walls. In short, the office was a blight on the area’s scenery.

Maybe witchblades really are a bunch of brutes…

Holy knights were serious and honest, while witchblades were frivolous and insincere—that was the reputation both professions had in society.

I thought that image was born of past discrimination and prejudice.

Looking at this building, though, I couldn’t help but think that stereotype was spot-on.

Lia and I recoiled from the run-down state of the exterior.

“What’s wrong? Are you not coming in?” Rose asked, looking as relaxed as someone returning home. She didn’t seem perturbed by the building at all.

“H-hey, Rose… Is this actually the Witchblade Guild?”

It wasn’t surprising to see Lia react so negatively. She was a princess, after all.

“Yeah, of course.”

Baffled, Rose reached for the door. Lia and I locked eyes and nodded.

“I—I guess we have no choice but to go in…” I sighed.

“Y-yeah… Let’s do it,” agreed Lia.

Although there was a chance that the inside of the building could be surprisingly nice despite its run-down exterior, it only took two seconds for that delusion to be shattered.

“Wh-what the…?!”

“It stinks!”

When we opened the door, the thick stench of alcohol immediately assaulted our nostrils. The interior seemed to double as a bar, and despite it being noon, many people were already sharing drinks.

This fits the stereotype exactly… Actually, it’s twice as bad.

Lia must have been thinking the exact same thing; her disgust showed openly on her beautiful face.

“Hic, who the hell’re you kids…? I’ve never seen ya ’round ’ere.”

A witchblade, who was clearly plastered, approached us.

“…Lia, Rose, get behind me,” I told them quietly, stepping in front of them.

“Wait a damn sec… Hic, you two ladies are fiiiine. How’d ya like a round with me…?”

The man staggered unsteadily toward us.

…I need to get us out of here.

“I’m sorry, but we have business here,” I answered.

Standing between him and the girls, I politely shot him down.

“Tch, no one caaaares whatcha hafta shay, ya little brrrat!”

He swung the alcohol bottle in his hand down upon my head. The bottle smashed to pieces upon contact, drenching me in beer from head to toe.

“A-are you okay, Allen?! What do you think you’re doing?!!” Lia yelled at the man.

“You’ve had too much to drink!” scolded Rose.

They two of them barred his way.

“Pfft… Gah-ha-ha-ha, what a loser! You’re shoaked!”

The drunken man grabbed his belly and guffawed mockingly.

“You prick!”

---

---

“You’ve gone way too far!”

Evidently, he’d crossed a line for Lia and Rose, because they both reached for the swords at their hips.

“I’m fine. Calm down,” I quickly said to stop them.

“How could we calm down?!”

“He smashed a bottle on your head!”

“Remember that we’re suspended. If we cause trouble here, we’d be inconveniencing the chairwoman. Besides, all he did was get me wet.”

It would be exhausting if I went around getting angry at every little indignity.

“What do you mean?”

“Y-you’re not hurt?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. See?”

I lightly swept the glass shards off my head and showed them that I was unharmed.

“Th-that’s impossible!”

“You don’t have a single cut!”

That’s right—I was totally uninjured. The only inconvenience I’d suffered was being drenched with beer. He’d probably eased off before striking me with the bottle.

“Anyway, let’s get moving,” I suggested.

“S-sure…”

“If you insist, Allen…”

We passed by the drunk and headed for the reception desk. The other witchblades in the guild, who had been watching surreptitiously, started to jeer.

“They’re totally ignoring you, Dred!”

“Gah-ha-ha-ha! You got embarrassed by three little kids! Who’s the loser now?!”

“You’re a disgrace to all witchblades!”

As his peers mocked him, Dred turned red in the face and trembled.

…These people were obnoxious.

“You little brat!”

His ego grievously wounded, Dred yanked his sword from his hip.

“Don’t think you can get away with making a fool of me!”

He swung his weapon three times and pointed its tip at me.

Now this I can’t ignore.

I stared directly into his eyes and spoke.

“Swordcraft isn’t child’s play. Are you…sure you want to do this?”

A blade wielder brandished their weapon to fight. I was confirming that this was what the man wanted.

“U-uh…”

Dred’s face quickly went pale, and he took two steps back.

Holy cow…I-I’ve never seen Allen act so menacing! thought Lia.

His malice is so overwhelming! thought Rose.

A few seconds later…

“S-sorry about that. I clearly got too inebriated, but I’ve come to my senses now… Please forgive me,” the man begged before sheathing his sword and bowing deeply.

“Apology accepted. Make sure to drink responsibly, okay?” I responded.

I decided to let it go. Everyone makes mistakes; I had made countless in my life. Most importantly, no damage had come of this. I just reeked a little.

“S-sure thing. Thank you! I’ll treat you to a round next time!”

The man hurriedly left the Witchblade Guild as soon as he said that. I appreciated the sentiment, but I was underage. I couldn’t have alcohol.

Seems like he wasn’t so bad after all, I thought.

“A-Allen…”

Lia called my name, sounding slightly hoarse. There was fear in her eyes. Due to her royal upbringing, she’d probably never experienced anything like that.

“Are you okay, Lia? Do you want to rest somewhere?” I asked.

“N-no, I’m fine. That just startled me a bit,” she answered.

“If you’re sure… Don’t hesitate to tell me if you’re not feeling great.”

“O-okay! Thanks, Allen!”

Thank goodness… He’s back to his nice and normal self, she thought.

Advancing farther into the now dead-silent Witchblade Guild, we found an area labeled RECEPTION in large letters and hesitated when we saw a rather scary-looking man sitting behind the desk.

I-is he really the receptionist…?

He had a shiny bald head and a neat mustache. His sunglasses were blacker than black, and his brawny body bulged with muscles. I guessed he was in his midforties. He was reading a newspaper, his face as expressionless as could be.

I-is there another clerk anywhere?

I quickly looked around but didn’t see anyone else who fit the bill.

Guess he’s the only one…

Although I was scared to talk to him, Chairwoman Reia had told us she’d spoken to the branch chief, so I didn’t think there would be a problem…or at least, I hoped there wouldn’t be a problem.

I gulped loudly, then took one step forward—but Lia and Rose grabbed my clothes and tugged me back.

“Y-you can’t, Allen! That guy is clearly dangerous!” warned Lia.

“You should stay away from him. He’s got the face of a murderer,” cautioned Rose.

“I don’t see anyone else, though…,” I responded.

The Witchblade Guild was a public institution. This guy worked for the state, so I figured he should be decent enough. I was still scared to approach him, but we couldn’t just stand around doing nothing.

“…Let’s go.”

“You’re actually going to talk to him?!” exclaimed Lia.

“Okay. Let me prepare myself…,” responded Rose.

We worked up the necessary determination and stood before him.

“What do you want?”

He folded the newspaper he was reading, then calmly stood up.

H-he’s huge!! thought Allen.

I-is he man or bear?! wondered Lia.

He couldn’t look more brutish…, noted Rose.

The man was around 198 centimeters tall, and though he was just a bit shorter than Ms. Paula, his appearance was incredibly intimidating. He was scary in an entirely different way than she was. Despite my fear, I summoned up some courage and forced myself to address him.

“U-um—”

“I saw that just now… You’re good, kid,” he acknowledged, his fiendish face twisting. That was probably his way of smiling, but it was terrifying, nevertheless.

“Th-thanks…”

I didn’t know what he was praising me for, but I thought I should go ahead and take the compliment.

“I haven’t seen you three in here before. You wouldn’t happen to be the volunteers my old pal Reia told me about, would you?”

“…! Y-yes, we are!”

I saw a light at the end of the tunnel.

“I knew it! I’m glad I noticed you. All she told me on the phone was that ‘three strangers are going to arrive at your guild to work as volunteers, so please take care of them.’ That’s not much to go on… She hung up on me right after that and wouldn’t pick up the damn phone when I called back. I didn’t have a clue what she was talkin’ about,” he admitted, scratching his bald head.

“S-sorry about our teacher…”

Honestly, I really did feel for him there.

“Ha-ha, don’t worry ’bout it. She’s always been like that… Ah, I haven’t introduced myself. I’m Bonz. Bonz Daulton. I’m the branch chief of the Aurest Witchblade Guild. Nice to meetcha.”

He held out his right hand and gave us each a handshake. He might have looked scary, but he didn’t seem like a bad person. The three of us gave a simple self-introduction.

“I’m Allen Rodol. I’m looking forward to working with you.”

“I am Lia Vesteria. Nice to meet you.”

“I’m Rose Valencia. Pleasure.”

“Allen, Lia, and Rose, the Bounty Hunter… All right, I won’t forget it.”

Mr. Bonz nodded as he matched our names to our faces.

“Let’s start by getting your witchblade registration out of the way. You two are the only ones who need it, right?” he asked, eyeing Lia and me.

“ “Yes,” ” we both answered.

“Fill these out with your name, age, address, and whatnot.”

He held out two pieces of paper labeled Applicant Registration. Lia and I answered the required fields.

“I’m done.”

“Finished.”

There was surprisingly little to write down. They only requested the bare minimum of personal information here.

“All right, lemme see ’em.”

Mr. Bonz took off his pitch-black sunglasses and put on some reading glasses. His eyes looked surprisingly friendly.

“Good, you didn’t miss anything.”

After checking our forms, he put away his reading glasses and switched back to his intimidating shades.

“I’m gonna make your badges, so wait here a moment.”

“Yes, sir.”

He disappeared deeper into the reception area. We let out a collective sigh of relief as soon as he did so.

“Haah… He looks terrifying, but he’s a good guy on the inside. Thank goodness,” I said.

“Yeah, and he has really cute eyes, too,” agreed Lia.

“Goes to show you can’t judge someone by how they look…,” said Rose, nodding.

Lia and Rose both concurred as well.

As we waited for Mr. Bonz to make our badges, another scuffle broke out.

“Say that one more time, you asshole!!!”

“I’ll say it as many times as I need! It was entirely your fault that we failed this job!”

Two men, who must have been in the same party, seemed on the verge of coming to blows. The dark red of their faces made it clear even from a distance that they were dead-drunk.

“Geez, another brawl…”

“I wonder if all Witchblade Guilds are this dangerous.”

“From my experience, I think this one’s a little worse than usual…”

We spoke in hushed tones as we watched the scene unfold.

“Yeah, fight, fight, fight!!”

“Get on with it! I’m starving!”

The surrounding witchblades began to shout as they urged the two participants on. Apparently, they thought a rumble would make for good drinking entertainment.

“Good lord, do they have to be so loud…?”

Mr. Bonz clicked his tongue loudly as he emerged from the back of the reception area with two badges in hand.

“M-Mr. Bonz, those two guys just started going at it,” Lia said quickly, and he nodded.

“Yeah, I know. Wait a sec.”

He headed over toward them; as the branch chief, it was probably his job to break up fights. However, the men were too engrossed in their heated punching match to notice his approach.

“GO TO HELL!”

“Heh, nice miss, you goddamn idiot!”

The two intoxicated witchblades raised their fists.

“Guys, is my guild really the best place to duke it out?”

“…?!”

Their faces both went pale upon hearing Mr. Bonz’s deep, chilling voice.

“M-Mr. Bonz?! We were just, uh…”

“Th-this isn’t a fight! We’re only messing around!”

Clearly terrified, they put their arms around each other’s shoulders in false amity.

“Good lord…I trust you two know the rules of the Aurest Guild?”

“No, please, not the fist… Anything but the fist… Bwuh?!”

Mr. Bonz threw a merciless right-handed straight into one of their faces.

“Ouch…”

“That was a haymaker…”

Lia and Rose both flinched back from the sight of that punch.

What a strike…

The transfer of weight from his legs to his back, from his back to his chest, and from his chest to his arms had been flawless. His right fist had traveled in a perfectly straight line, without the slightest hint of wavering. That punch was practically a work of art.

The other man stepped back after witnessing such a horrifying blow right beside him.

“I-I’m sorry! He started it by calling me a burden!” he screamed, simultaneously groveling and making excuses for himself.

“Come on, man, you know better. Both sides are guilty in a brawl. That means you both get socked.”

“N-no, please… Gu-hah!”

He slugged the second man’s face with a straight just as beautiful as the last one. After bringing the fight to an end, Mr. Bonz raised his voice for the entire guild to hear.

“I expect every single one of you to drink in moderation, not act like drunken oafs. Got it?!”

All the witchblades in the guild, which was now totally silent, nodded. With his work done, Mr. Bonz returned to us.

“Haah… Sorry ’bout that. We get a lot of rowdy drinkers around here. I can’t even tell you how many times that happens a day.”

“R-really…?”

It sounded like he had his work cut out for him.

Clearing his throat with a cough, he returned to the previous topic.

“This badge is your identification as a witchblade. Make sure you don’t lose it.”

“ “Yes, sir! Thank you!” ” Lia and I both replied.

The badges had a few red specks on them; it was probably blood from when Mr. Bonz had pummeled the two sloshed men.

“ “…” ”

After witnessing that powerful right-handed straight, though, neither of us was going to mention it.

“So what’s the plan? Gonna take some jobs?”

“Y-yes, we would like that,” I answered.

“I see… Can you fill me in on what’s happenin’ here first, though? Why are you three volunteering?”

Oh yeah, the chairwoman didn’t properly explain the situation.

“Hmm, where to start…?”

I gave a summary of the events that had brought us here.

I told him how I’d ended up in a literal battle to the death against my opponent in the Elite Five Holy Festival; that I’d been suspended from the academy for one month as punishment; that Lia and Rose had been similarly reprimanded to take collective responsibility; and that while we couldn’t go to class, Chairwoman Reia had “disciplined” us in a way that would keep our sword skills from growing rusty, which consisted of taking on assignments as witchblades without compensation.

Mr. Bonz listened quietly while seated in his chair.

“I see, so that’s what happened…” He nodded as if satisfied. “If that’s why you’re here, I recommend you take monster-extermination jobs!”

“Monsters? Not beasts?” I asked.

Beast exterminations covered wild bears, wolves, and other animals that occasionally attacked humans but didn’t go out of their way to do so. By contrast, monster exterminations concerned chimeras, ogres, and other dangerous creatures that actively targeted people.

“Of course! Beast killing would hardly make for good training! A real swordfighter should take on the thrill of hunting monsters!”

He put three request sheets on the desk. They were hunts for goblins, ogres, and a chimera, respectively. These were the requests he was recommending we undertake.

“B-but Chairwoman Reia recommended beast exterminations…”

“Ah, pay that no mind. That Reia is hopeless… Can’t remember the difference between beasts and monsters no matter how many times I tell her…,” Mr. Bonz replied wistfully, almost gazing off into the distance.

…Just what kind of relationship did these two have?

I was a little curious, but I didn’t want to upset him by asking something so intrusive, so I refrained.

“Allen, what should we do? I’ve hunted goblins before in Vesteria…,” Lia told me.

“Chimeras are strong, but the three of us should be able to handle one…I think,” ventured Rose.

They both stared at me silently. They were giving me the right to choose.

Goblins, ogres, and a chimera…

Since I’d never fought any of them, I didn’t have any useful input. Lia, though, had apparently hunted goblins in Vesteria, and Rose reckoned we could handle a chimera if we worked together.

…Might as well give it a try.

Mr. Bonz was waiting eagerly for us to accept the assignments. I didn’t feel like refusing was an option.

“All right, we’ll take the jobs.”

“That’s what I wanna hear! These three are yours!”

He stamped each of the request sheets with a large seal.

We were ready to take on our first witchblade monster exterminations.

---

After exiting the Witchblade Guild, we examined the three job sheets.

“We’ve got goblins, ogres, and a chimera… I know a little about each from hearsay and picture books, but I’ve never seen any of them in person,” I admitted.

Lia and Rose looked at each other in surprise.

“Really? I’ve heard that monster numbers have been increasing lately. I’m pretty sure you’re likely to spot any of them on the highways these days,” responded Lia.

“Oh yeah, I’ve been hearing that rumor, too,” I said.

It must have been down to good luck that I had never seen one before.

“Allen, were you noble born?” Rose asked, puzzled.

She must have assumed that because I’d told her that I’d never encountered a monster. In reality, it wasn’t a sheltered upbringing that had prevented me from ever seeing one, but the fact that I’d grown up in the middle of nowhere.

“No, I was born in Goza Village. It’s as rural a place as you could imagine.”

“Goza Village? Sorry, I’ve never heard of it.”

“Ah-ha-ha, that’s not surprising.”

My hometown was tiny, with a population of less than one hundred. Other than government officials and merchants who traded there, I doubted anyone knew it existed. That was how insignificant and economically inconsequential it was. It made sense that Rose hadn’t heard of it.

I coughed to clear my throat, then brought the conversation back on track.

“Anyway, what’s the plan? Should we start with the goblins?” I asked.

The task was to exterminate five of them. That was the most monsters of any of the jobs; goblins weren’t very strong individually. This was probably going to be the easiest of the three.

“Yeah, I think it would make sense to warm up with the weakest monsters and then move on to the ogres,” said Lia.

“I agree. Chimeras are the strongest, so it would be best to leave it for last,” concurred Rose, nodding.

The three of us were on the same page.

“You can find all these monsters in Zoll Forest. Mr. Bonz probably chose these requests to make things easier for us,” I guessed.

Giving us three tasks in the same area would help us cut down on travel time significantly, so I was very grateful for that.

“He’s a really nice person inside despite his looks, isn’t he?” noted Lia.

“Ha, his adorable eyes give him away,” joked Rose.

We headed for Zoll Forest, south of Aurest.

---

We arrived at Zoll Forest after about an hour of jogging and started searching for goblins straight away. Many dangerous monsters besides goblins lurked amid these trees, so we made sure to proceed quietly.

“Allen, look!” Lia noted quietly, pointing at some hoof prints on the ground.

“Are those goblin tracks?” I asked.

“Yeah, they are,” answered Lia.

“They’re fresh… That means they’re close,” informed Rose.

“Okay. Be careful.”

We moved as quietly as possible as we tracked our targets. It took about two minutes to find them.

“…There they are.”

Ahead of us, I spotted seven goblins. They were bipedal, muscular creatures with green skin, each standing at about ninety centimeters tall. Rough wooden clubs hung from their hips. Fortunately, they hadn’t noticed us—their attention was devoted entirely to the fruit they were greedily devouring.

“I’d like to just take them all out immediately, but…that would defeat the purpose, wouldn’t it?” I asked.

“Yeah, we’re here to train,” responded Lia.

“We should fight them fair and square,” said Rose.

Indeed, we had picked up these assignments to hone our skills. Just hunting goblins wasn’t the point; what we were truly after was authentic combat experience.

“Lia, Rose, are the two of you ready?”

“Yes.”

“Always.”

After they gave the go-ahead, I used my sword to shake a nearby thicket. All our opponents reacted to the rustling sound at once and looked toward us.

“Ge-kya!”

“Koo-gya-gya!”

“Gya-gya-gya!”

The goblins cried out with hoarse voices, before all seven of them rushed at us simultaneously. Lia and Rose took their stances, while I prepared a long-distance attack to restrain the enemy’s movement.

“First Style—Flying Shadow!”

That was the first Flying Shadow I’d used in a few days.

“…Huh?”

And somehow, it was three times stronger and faster than usual.

“Ge-hiiiii?!”

“Boo-hya?!”

“Gu-hyaaa?!”

My move sliced all seven goblins in two, bringing the engagement to a close.

“H-huh…”

Obviously, we gained no training from that.

“Uh, Allen…?”

“What was that…?”

They both gaped at me, bewildered.

“Uh, sorry…I didn’t mean to finish them off so quickly,” I apologized with an awkward laugh.

“No, forget that… What the heck did you just do?! That wasn’t your normal Flying Shadow!”

“Was that a new move?!”

They both excitedly pressed me for an answer.

“No, that was the same old Flying Shadow…”

But somehow, the attack I’d just performed had been three times as powerful as my usual version. Its speed, force, and size had all been significantly greater.

What just happened?

I stared dumbfounded at my right hand.

“…We should move from this spot,” Lia suggested, glancing at our slain targets.

“Yeah, good idea.”

It wouldn’t take long before the smell of blood attracted beasts or monsters that were stronger than the creatures that I’d just slayed. Unless we wanted to deal with them, too, we needed to move.

“Wait a sec… There we go.”

With a practiced hand, Rose quickly collected a horn from each of the seven goblins.

“What are those for?”

“These are trophies to prove we killed these goblins. We can’t complete the job if we don’t take these back with us.”

“Oh, that makes sense.”

I was glad to have Rose around. Her knowledge as a former witchblade would be invaluable.

With that, we quickly abandoned the area and began to discuss our next target.

“The ogres are next…”

The request was to fell three. Though that was fewer monsters to kill than the previous task, I still expected this job to be more difficult. Ogres were basically larger goblins. They were less intelligent than their smaller counterparts, but their size alone made them a greater threat. The height of each ogre varied, but even the small ones were as big as Ms. Paula. Put simply, they were massive.

According to rumors, some mutants even surpassed ten meters in height.

“Should we look near a body of water?” I asked.

They both nodded.

Ogres almost always lived near water because they were too unintelligent to be able to remember terrain.

If they strayed from a body of water, they wouldn’t be able to find their way back. Consequently, many ogres died of thirst. That was why they would not—could not—leave the sources of water they’d located.

If memory served, there was a thin stream that ran south through this forest.

“How about we locate that creek and then start hunting for ogres?” I suggested.

“Sounds good to me,” answered Lia.

“Sure,” agreed Rose.

We headed west, and before long, we came upon a small but beautiful brook. We moved carefully upstream, until…

“Ooorgh, ooorgh…”

“Voo-boo-boo…”

“Groor-groor…”

…we found three ogres. They were moaning and lumbering along the riverbank, likely searching for prey.

“They’re huuuuge…”

The ogres looked about three meters tall, and they were each gripping a large club in their right hand. They were so large that I was sure a single clean hit from them would result in serious injury or death.

Intimidated by their enormous figures, we discussed our plan in a whisper.

“We need to attack them head-on, don’t we?” I asked.

“I’m a little scared, but…that’s the only way we’re going to get any growth out of this,” said Lia, sighing.

“Ogres are dumb. If you mix in some feints, they aren’t that scary,” Rose assured.

She didn’t seem worried about fighting ogres. That was for good reason—the skill and agility of her Cherry Blossom Blade Style would undoubtedly serve her well against the massive brutes.

“Maybe I’ll…make this into a little contest of strength,” I remarked.

“Hmm-hmm, I was thinking the same thing,” Lia agreed with a giggle.

Honestly, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t afraid…

But as a swordsman, I was curious to see how my arm strength would fare against the might of an ogre.

“I won’t try to stop you two, but make sure to go on the defensive quickly if you sense you’re going to be overpowered, okay?” Rose warned us with a sigh.

“Okay. I’ll be careful,” I reassured.

“I just wanna see what will happen. There’s no need to worry,” added Lia.

Once we were ready, I threw a nearby pebble at one of the ogres.

“Bwah?”

The one that I hit in the back of the head turned around to face us, and the other two followed suit. We locked eyes with them, and their faces twisted into grins. They’d finally spotted the prey they were looking for.

“They’re coming!”

“Okay!”

“I’m ready!”

We each took our battle formations.

“Orrrgh… Ooooorrrgh!”

“Groaaaarrrr!”

“Gwooooohhhh!”

The monsters charged at us together. Despite their large size, they were surprisingly nimble. Those giant bodies had to be composed of muscle rather than fat.

“Let’s see which of us is stronger… Come at me!”

I held the middle stance and waited for it to approach.

“Raaaaaah!”

“Hah!”

My sword collided with one of the creatures’ clubs…

“Bwoh?!”

…and I easily bested its strength, sending it flying backward.

“…Huh?”

The ogre hit the back of its head hard and blacked out. I stared at it in confusion.

“Hegemonic Style—Hard Strike!”

“Cherry Blossom Blade Style—Sakura Flash!”

Lia’s bout of strength with the ogre she faced ended in a tie, and then she used her Soul Attire to burn it to ashes. Meanwhile, Rose used her elegant swordcraft to kill her ogre without issue. I approached them after we successfully vanquished our targets.

“Nice job. You both did really well.”

“Thank you… Though, I don’t know what to think about this,” said Lia.

“Where in the world did this muscle come from, Allen?” asked Rose.

They both stared at my body.

“I spent the last few days in a hospital bed; I should have weakened if anything…,” I responded.

Besting that ogre had been far too easy. Maybe it had just been the weakest of the three?

Our monster hunt was going surprisingly smoothly. Mr. Bonz had been right to tell us to choose monster extermination over beast extermination.

Next, we headed toward the location of our final hunt—the chimera. Unlike the first two assignments, the exact location of its nest was indicated on the request document.

We walked toward this spot carefully, so as not to attract any troublesome monsters or beasts. Then after crossing a stream, passing through a small pond, and trekking along an animal trail, we finally located it.

“…There it is.”

The chimera stood right in the middle of a slightly elevated plateau.

Chimeras were a combination of three different animals—a lion in the front, a goat in the back (with a head included), and a snake in place of a tail. The snake was very nimble, and its fangs contained a powerful venom. Each head was capable of independent thought, so engaging with these creatures was quite tricky.

Presently, the chimera was lying comfortably on its belly atop a makeshift bed of branches and grass.

“It sure is sleeping peacefully… Is it that confident that nothing can harm it?” mused Lia.

“No, that’s not it. The snake tail keeps an eye open to observe its surroundings,” Rose refuted, pointing at the creature’s tail. Just as she’d said, the purple snake had one eye open.

“Chimeras are much stronger than the last two monsters. We have to be careful,” warned Rose.

“Have you ever fought one?” I asked.

“Yeah. That was over three years ago now, but I remember it was really strong. All three sections—the lion in the front, the goat in the back, and the snake tail—attack and defend with wills of their own. That makes it very hard to find an opening to strike,” she explained.

“That sounds difficult…”

“The biggest problem is its steellike skin. You have to get really close to it to have any chance of cutting through it,” she said with a grave expression.

“It can’t be easy getting anywhere near that thing, though,” I responded.

Monsters weren’t stupid. They were fully aware of the distance they needed to keep from their opponents. That meant that the lion, the goat, and the snake would act simultaneously to prevent anyone from getting too close to the body as a whole. Even without having fought a chimera yet, I could easily tell how powerful it was.

After a lengthy discussion, we concocted a plan.

First, Lia and I, with our ability to deliver powerful attacks in close-quarters combat, would hold down the tenacious lion and goat heads. Then Rose would utilize her quick decision making to subdue the snake tail. Once that was taken care of, we would finally use our three-on-two advantage to bring it down slowly but surely.

It was a sound strategy that didn’t involve fishing for risky killing blows.

“Lia, are you ready?”

“Yes, let’s go on zero. Rush for the viper right after us, okay, Rose?”

“Got it.”

Lia then calmly began the count.

“Three…two…one…”

Our nerves flared in anticipation of a hard battle.

“…zero!”

We dashed forward immediately.

…Huh?

Before I knew it, I was right in front of the chimera, its body completely open to attack. Lia and Rose were way behind me.

“Hsss!”

“R-roooaaarrr?!”

“Maaaaa?!”

The snake hissed at me threateningly while the lion and goat jerked awake. But it was already too late for them. I was in range for the coup de grâce.

…I’ve got this!

From this close, I could do significant damage with a single move. I swung down my brandished blade.

“Eighth Style—Eight-Span Crow!”

Eight sharp slash attacks hit the chimera instantaneously. It differed from my usual Eight-Span Crow—each individual slash was ferociously sharp, as though I’d placed my entire body and mind into my sword as I swung it.

Those eight cuts tore the chimera to pieces, slicing through it as easily as if it were made of tofu.

“Wh-what was that…?”

“You’ve gotta be… That’s impossible!”

Lia and Rose froze in front of the dead chimera with their swords still in hand.

In the end, I’d accidentally completed our first three jobs almost entirely by myself.

---

---

---

Lia and Rose hounded me after I defeated the chimera with one—er, eight strikes.

“What did you just do, Allen?! Where did that ridiculous strength come from?!” Lia asked.

“And that lightning speed!” exclaimed Rose.

“I-I’m just as surprised by this as you are,” I answered.

The speed, arm strength, and sword speed I’d just displayed were at least on par with those of Shido Jukurius, the gifted swordsman whom I’d defeated at the Holy Festival. I felt like my physical capabilities had all gone up a level.

Did I gain this strength from the experience of overcoming such a powerful swordsman at the festival? Or is this a side effect of being possessed by my Spirit Core?

Either way, I was grateful for it.

I can still get stronger!

“Urgh, I need to practice more with my Soul Attire…”

“I can’t let you get any better than me…”

Both girls muttered to themselves, clenching their fists.

After completing the assignments, we returned to Mr. Bonz.

“Whoa there, you already completed three requests? You kids are good!”

Mr. Bonz, who had been absorbed in some paperwork, smiled heartily. His grin was still terrifying, but I was getting used to it little by little.

“Clearly, monster extermination was the right choice,” he said.

“Yes, it made for really good training,” I answered.

“Gah-ha-ha, glad to hear it! Those were just a warm-up, though. I’m gonna give you more difficult jobs from here on out.”

“That would be great, Mr. Bonz.”

Over the course of the next few days, we tackled a variety of assignments. Naturally, they didn’t all go smoothly.

During a giant-slime extermination, Lia and Rose both ended up getting their clothes singed off. That was a rough one. I avoided disaster by lending them my jacket and shirt, but panic struck me when I realized my clothes could have smelled.

I didn’t sweat that much, so they were probably fine…I hope.

It had been exactly one week since we’d started working as witchblades. People really could adjust to any circumstance. I didn’t even mind the appearance of the building anymore.

There’s a ton of requests available…

Lia and Rose were in the bathroom, and I was absentmindedly looking at the assignment sheets posted on the job board.

“Hey, Allen! Come over here!”

Dred called out to me, holding a small glass.

“What is it, Mr. Dred? I can’t drink alcohol.”

He’d been imbibing less since the incident one week ago. I hadn’t seen him that wasted since.

“Heh-heh-heh, you’re such a Goody Two-shoes. Come on, just sit down for a bit! There are certain things you can only discuss between men…if you know what I mean,” he insinuated, twisting the corners of his mouth into a grin.

Knowing Dred, I doubted he had anything worthwhile to say…but turning him down would be rude, so I resigned myself and sat down next to him.

“So which one are you seeing?”

“…Huh?”

I didn’t understand what he was asking.

“Don’t dodge the question, man! I’m asking which one you’re dating—Lia, with her blond hair and those big knockers, or Rose, with all her beauty and grace?!”

“Huh? I—I, uh… That’s…”

I babbled incoherently in response to the unexpected question.

I-is this…guy talk? Where we talk about girls? I don’t know what to say…

As if they’d been eavesdropping on us, all the surrounding witchblades I’d become acquainted with butted into the conversation.

“Allen, don’t tell me…are you dating both of them?!”

“Guess girls lose it for guys as talented as you… Argh, I’m so jealous!”

“You may have time for both, but you’ve gotta have a favorite, am I right?”

“No, we should ask him how far he’s made it with each of them first!”

Our chat was growing more and more confusing.

I—I need to put a stop to this…fast.

I didn’t want any weird rumors to spread and cause trouble for Lia and Rose.

“U-um…I’m telling you, I’m not seeing either one of them!”

I needed to make sure the witchblades were clear on this. I would have let the gossip slide if it were just about me. They say a wonder lasts but nine days, after all; everyone here would forget about it before long. That said, I needed to stand my ground and deny anything that would cause trouble for my friends.

They didn’t quite react the way I wanted, however.

“Gimme a break, Allen! You expect anyone to believe that with the amount of time you spend with them?!”

“Ha-ha, I’m not falling for that one, Allen!”

Unfortunately, they weren’t taking me at my word in the slightest.

You can’t reason with drunk people…

No amount of explanation or detail would get them to hear me out. After accepting that, I decided to change tactics.

“Okay, fine…but don’t go spreading any strange rumors. Is that clear?” I warned them.

“Y-yeah, of course!”

“Heh-heh, it was just a joke, man…”

“No need to get so serious…”

They all looked away and said no more on the subject. They must’ve finally gotten the hint.

“Hey, Allen!”

“Sorry for the wait. Let’s take on our next job.”

Lia and Rose waved their hands and called out to me from the reception area.

“Okay, I’m coming,” I responded.

After I joined them, we decided to let Mr. Bonz choose our next task.

“I’d like you to take this one next,” he recommended.

“Hmm… It’s an escort mission,” I observed.

It was a request to accompany a merchant’s carriage from the capital city of Aurest to the city of Drestia, which was known as the Merchant’s Town. This was the most common type of job that witchblades performed.

“This task’ll be a bit simple for you three, but I have my reasons for askin’ it of you. The client is an old lady, and she has a bad back. I want some skilled witchblades to accompany her just in case anything goes wrong. Willin’ to take this on?”

I glanced toward Lia and Rose, and they both nodded. We were all on the same page.

“We’d be glad to.”

In Goza Village, helping one another out was our way of life. If anyone had a poor rice harvest, the other farmers would each offer to share some of their yield. The same went for poor harvests of other crops, including wheat, potatoes, and onions. We would always lend a hand to those in need.

“Fantastic! That’s a load off my back!”

Mr. Bonz laughed jovially and stamped the request sheet.

“I also have another request for you. This one’s from me,” he noted, producing thirty thousand guld from his pocket. “Could you perform a little market research for me?”

“…Market research?”

It looked like he wanted us to fulfill some kind of errand with that money, but I couldn’t imagine we would get any practice out of that.

“As you’re aware, this escort duty is going to take you to Drestia.”

“Yes, it will.”

“Starting tomorrow, a huuuge three-day event called the Unity Festival is going to begin there. I want you all to buy goods at a variety of stalls and report back to me with your findings.”

He handed me the thirty thousand guld.

“U-um…”

“Are you…?”

“Is this your way of ordering us to go enjoy the festival?”

Rose asked the question that was on all our minds.

“No, of course not. This festival is massively popular. I’d like you to figure out the secret behind its success. The Witchblade Guild is going to hold an event of our own in the future, you see. So don’t get the wrong idea—this is a very important request,” he insisted.

“I don’t know…,” I trailed off hesitantly.

The explanation he gave was a real stretch. It was more than obvious that he just wanted us to have some fun.

Mr. Bonz then shook his head and sighed loudly.

“Here’s a piece of advice for you, Allen. Pushin’ yourself to train nonstop isn’t good for you. You need to give yourself breaks to recharge your mind! It’s important to let loose and have some fun once in a while.”

“H-huh…”

“Anyway, what I’m sayin’ is—you kids have been working way too hard over the last week! Act your age for once and take a damn break!”

His true motive for the request had finally emerged.

“U-uh…,” I started.

“Well, but…there’s just one problem…,” Lia said.

“We’re suspended right now,” Rose stated.

“That’s why this is a request from me. If anyone gives you grief about this, just tell me who. I’ll beat the hell out of ’em!” he announced, cracking his knuckles. His intensity was overwhelming.

“Y-yes, sir. Thank you.”

Refusing him didn’t feel like an option given how hard he was pressing us to enjoy the festival, so I decided to accept his kind offer.

“Heh-heh, I’m countin’ on you kids!”

We then met up with the client, an old lady named Ms. Sandy, and departed Aurest. We chatted with Ms. Sandy on the road.

“Wow, are you three students from the Thousand Blade Academy?” she asked, her eyes wide with surprise.

“U-uh, well… Yes, we are,” I answered.

We were currently suspended, though.

“I’ll have nothing to worry about with Thousand Blade students on the job! I hope I’m not wasting your time, though. I am but a poor wheat farmer, so I don’t have much to pay you with,” she noted, pointing to the many bags packed with wheat in the carriage.

The sacks were nearly overflowing with threshed wheat. I’d caught a glimpse of it earlier; it was nicely colored and perfectly ripe. Top-rate stuff. I was sure it would fetch a good price.

“Ah-ha-ha, we’re not doing this for money,” I responded.

As volunteers, we couldn’t accept monetary compensation. In fact, we actually hadn’t received a single reward yet for any of the requests we’d completed.

“You know, Thousand Blade Academy is said to have fallen on hard times recently, but they were dominant back in my day.”

Ms. Sandy began to recount the old times.

“Especially Black Fist Reia Lasnote! I don’t know much about her, but if I recall correctly, she used the Swordless School of Swordcraft. She was truly striking… Her opponents would be unrecognizable by the time she was done with them. It was so inspiring seeing that from a girl!”

She punched her right fist through the air with a whoosh.

“The only student who was ever a match for her was Ferris from Ice King Academy! She never actually beat Reia, though.”

“Wow, that’s impressive,” I said.

This was really interesting to hear. She regaled us with more stories about Thousand Blade Academy on the way, and before I knew it, we had arrived in Drestia. Fortunately, we hadn’t encountered any beasts or monsters on our journey.

“We’re here, Ms. Sandy. I’m glad we got here without mishap,” I announced.

“Thank you for escorting me. It was a joy having someone to listen to this old lady’s ramblings. This is where we— ACK?!”

She froze like a statue in the middle of her sentence.

“M-Ms. Sandy?!”

“Wh-what happened?!”

“Are you okay?!”

The three of us all called out to her simultaneously.

“M-my back…,” she muttered in a strained voice, her face stiff.

She hurt her spine…

I remembered Ol’ Bamboo becoming bedridden when he’d thrown out his back like it was just the previous day. He was a healthy, energetic old man, but that had rendered him immobile for a full week. Back injuries were no joke.

“L-let’s go to the hospital!” I exclaimed.

“N-no, I c-can’t! I p-promised to deliver this c-cargo by noon…,” Ms. Sandy protested.

She had a limited window to hand over her crop. Noon was only an hour away.

“Then I’ll bring your wheat for you!” I announced.

“A-are you sure…?”

“Yes, leave it to me!”

“A-all right. Then please take this…”

She took a slip of paper out of her pocket and handed it to me. Written on it were the time and location of the delivery, along with the price of the wheat. It was a contract.

“Understood. Lia, Rose, I’ll handle these, so you two please take Ms. Sandy to the infirmary!”

“Okay, that’s fine, but…”

“Can you handle that by yourself, Allen?”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine. Let’s see… Once things settle down, let’s meet by that big building over there.”

I pointed to a nearby clock tower that you could easily spot from a distance.

“Sounds good,” said Lia.

“Be careful,” advised Rose.

“Thanks. Take care of Ms. Sandy,” I replied.

After separating from them, I used the map drawn on the contract to find the delivery location.

“Here it is.”

There was a store called Rocky’s Goods at the spot the map indicated.

It would be a pain schlepping all this wheat into the store at once, so I’ll just grab one sack for now.

I opened the rattly sliding door and walked inside with a bag of wheat. Soon, I found a man who looked like the store’s owner.

“You a customer?” he asked.

“No, I’m a witchblade working for a farmer named Ms. Sandy. She hurt her back, so I’m delivering her harvest for her,” I answered.

“…A witchblade, huh. Can I have a look at that document?”

“Yes, sir. Here you go.”

I handed him the guaranty that Ms. Sandy had entrusted me with.

“Hmm…”

For some reason, he didn’t even glance at the crop. Instead, he inspected me carefully from head to toe.

“I’ll give you…half price.”

“…Excuse me?”

“Did someone drop you on your head as a baby? I’m saying I’ll buy the wheat for half the price that’s stated on the contract.”

“Huh?! Wh-why?!”

“It’s pretty low-quality. You should be grateful I’m even giving you that much,” he declared, picking a grain out of the bag.

“That’s not true. This is very good wheat!”

“Come on, kid… What could a third-rate witchblade like you possibly know?”

“I can tell it’s top-shelf at a glance. There are many farmers in my village, so I’ve seen a lot of wheat in my life. There’s nothing wrong with this yield. I would even say that it’s near perfect!”

The shopkeeper clicked his tongue loudly in blatant disgust.

“Tch, annoying brat… Excuse me, can you guys please do me a favor?” he called out.

Two large men emerged from the back of the store.

“Well, well, what do we have here? Some kind of trouble, Mr. Rocky?” one of the goons asked.

“Hmm, he looks like a swordsman…but he’s just a kid,” the other observed.

“Sorry to disturb you two for this. This brat won’t listen to me, and I’m not sure what to do,” the shopkeeper said.

The two men looked at each other and shrugged.

“What’s wrong with you, short stuff? Kids aren’t supposed to question their elders.”

“You can still make up for this. Just say you’re sorry to Mr. Rocky here, okay?”

They had to be bodyguards.

“…Mr. Rocky,” I began.

“Heh-heh-heh, what is it?” he responded, giggling to himself.

“I don’t understand why you would take issue with the quality of such great wheat and try to beat down the price. I ask you again: Please pay the proper amount.”

He sighed loudly at my answer.

“Haah… This is why I’ve always hated witchblades. They’re all a few cards short of a full deck. Sorry, guys, can you deal with him, please?”

“Ha-ha, guess we don’t have a choice…”

“A little education is what unruly whelps like you need…”

Loosening their shoulders and necks, they approached me with long strides.

“Take this!”

One of the men drew back his right fist and then lunged toward me with a hook.

…What is he doing?

He shifted his body weight unnecessarily, his windup was pointlessly exaggerated, and even the way he clenched his fist was amateurish. His jab was nothing compared with Mr. Bonz’s artful straight right.

“…Sorry about this.”

I apologized, then delivered a backhand strike to his wide-open stomach.

“Hurggghhh?!”

He went pale from the impact, then fell flat on his face.

“Wh-what did you just do?!” the other bodyguard asked.

“…Huh? Did you not see it?” I responded.

I couldn’t believe he would look away during a fight. They may have been big, but these two were clearly novices when it came to combat.

“Y-you’ll pay for that!”

The remaining man raised his right hand and swung at me with a punch. His attempt was just as unpolished as the last bodyguard’s.

“…Sorry.”

“Ghah!”

I nailed him with a backhand in the exact same spot, knocking him unconscious immediately.

“Wh-what the hell…? You’re no ordinary kid!”

The shopkeeper was visibly panicking after losing his two toughs in a matter of seconds. Now that they were out of the way, I could finally speak with him.

“Now, then…”

I took one step toward Mr. Rocky.

“Aiiieeeee!”

He yelped in fear, then fell on his back and scooted away from me.

“I would never make an unfair demand. I will ask this of you only one more time. Could you please pay the proper amount for this wheat?” I asked.

“Y-yes, of course! I’m sorry, I swear I’ll never do this again! J-just spare my life, please!”

I never once claimed I was going to kill him…but whatever.

“Thank you. I’m going to bring in the crop. Where would you like me to leave the bags?”

“P-put them in front of the store, please! I’ll carry them in later!”

“Thanks, I appreciate it.”

I then unloaded all the bundles of wheat in the carriage and placed them in front of the store. Once I was finished, the shopkeeper thrust a leather purse bursting with cash toward me.

“Th-this is the full amount specified on the contract. Please count it yourself.”

I checked the money just in case and confirmed it was the proper amount.

“Looks good. Have a nice day.”

I gave a very slight bow, then spun around and started to leave.

“W-wait…just who are you?!” the man asked.

“No one important. As you said—I’m just a third-rate witchblade.”

Now that I’d finished my delivery, I headed for the clock tower where Lia and Rose were waiting for me.

---

Once Allen broke off alone to head for Rocky’s Goods, three people who’d been observing him from a considerable distance sprang to action.

“Hey, the target is alone! There’s no longer any risk of injuring the princess!”

“Geez, finally. I’m already tired of this…”

“Let’s off him quick and get outta here. We have other jobs waiting for us.”

It was a trio of swordswomen who’d been hired to eliminate Allen. They made their living as assassins and dwelled permanently in the shadows. They were each rumored to be skilled enough with the blade to represent one of the Elite Five Academies.

“Roger that!”

“Geez, you don’t have to say that every time… Why wouldn’t we kill him quickly…?”

“Okay, let’s move.”

The women were hiding within a thick grove. They dropped down from a high tree in order to kill their target, but someone stopped them.

“Hmph, that’s Reia for you. Her brain leaves a lot to be desired, but her instincts never let her down when it counts.”

A man wearing a top hat and wielding a fancy black-and-white cane appeared in front of them. It was prisoner number 0018—Eighteen, the man whom Reia had tasked with protecting Allen.

“Who are you, geezer? Can you stop ogling at us like that? You’re making me uncomfortable.”

“Geez, what a pain… Let’s just gut this creep…”

“There are no witnesses, and we’re short on time… I guess we have no choice. Let’s kill him.”

Evidently, the three assassins didn’t have any sort of moral code that would have prevented them from butchering people who weren’t their targets. If someone stood in their way, they would remove them without hesitation.

Faced with their intense hostility, Eighteen studied the faces, figures, and outfits of the three swordswomen, then sighed loudly.

“Haah…you three don’t understand a thing…”

They were all attractive in their own way. One of them had sharp, beautiful facial features, another looked innocent and youthful, and the last possessed dignity that almost reminded one of a fine sword. Their figures also left nothing to complain about, and their risqué clothing exposed a significant amount of skin.

Getting to see three such beautiful women would make any ordinary man’s day.

Eighteen, however, was despondent. He wore the speechless expression of a man who had just clumsily toppled a long line of dominoes that he’d spent many painstaking years building up.

“Grovel—Coercion King!”

“Geez… Devour—Grand Eater!”

“Slumber in Ice—Permafrost!”

The menacing aura radiating from the three women would have been enough to make most faint, but Eighteen simply stood there and twirled his proud handlebar mustache.

“All three of you can use Soul Attire… You probably would have been a bit much for Allen. He doesn’t yet have a full handle on his outsize strength,” Eighteen admitted, cool as could be.

“I can’t wait to hear how you cry!”

“Ha, can you at least go down cleanly? If you get blood on me, I’ll kill you…”

“Let’s make this quick and painless.”

The three swordswomen brandished their Soul Attires and initiated a bloody struggle. It lasted less than a minute.

“Wh-what the…?”

“Geez… How…?”

“I-impossible…”

In the end, the women ended up on their hands and knees, unable to stand. One blow apiece had shattered each of their Soul Attires and rendered their minds hazy. Eighteen, on the other hand, didn’t have a scratch on him and hadn’t broken a sweat.

The difference in strength was astounding.

“You all have such wonderful gifts, yet you truly understand nothing.”

He directed his harsh glare at the outfits of the women.

“Those awful clothes were designed to invite the looks of men. How deplorable… What a waste.”

Eighteen continued to leisurely proselytize.

“I won’t blame you for being conscious of the eyes of others. It’s only right for men and women of class to look after their appearance. However! Normalizing the feeling of being stared at causes one to lose their shame…and once that happens, it’s all over.”

He shook his head, sadness visible in his eyes.

“You three have gotten drunk off of being stared at and have elected to intentionally show your bodies to the world… As a result, you now depend on the gaze of others.”

Eighteen raised his voice to bring his argument to a close.

“Nothing beats the natural behavior of a girl who doesn’t realize she’s being peeped on! Her expressionless face, her little idiosyncrasies, and the ultimate embarrassment when she realizes someone is watching her—these elements all come together in perfect harmony to create true beauty!”

He looked down at their clothes one last time.

Their tops accentuated their chests, their skirts were so short that it didn’t take much to see under them, and their stomachs were bare. The outfits ran contrary to his sense of beauty in every way.

“You three chose to expose yourselves and lost your shame in the process. You aren’t even worth peeping in on.”

Now finished waxing poetic about his aesthetic theory, he contacted his mistress, Reia, and gave her a detailed report of the incident.

---

After successfully delivering the wheat, I headed for the clock tower where we’d decided to meet up. When I arrived, I found Rose standing there alone, staring into space.

“Hey, Rose. How is Ms. Sandy doing?”

“It was chronic back pain. The doctor said she’ll be fine after a little rest.”

“That’s good to hear.”

I was glad it didn’t seem to be a major injury.

“Where’s Lia?”

“She’s still at the hospital. She said she couldn’t leave Ms. Sandy alone in that state, so she stayed to keep her company.”

“That sounds like her.”

Her consideration for others was one of her greatest virtues.

We decided to join back up with Lia and Ms. Sandy. The infirmary was only a three-minute walk from the clock tower. After checking in at the reception area, we walked to Ms. Sandy’s room.

“We’re back. How are you feeling, Ms. Sandy?” I asked.

“Oh, it’s Allen. Sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused you…but I’m fine now, thanks to your help. I’m truly grateful,” she answered.

“Don’t worry about it. Here’s the money from the wheat delivery.”

I pulled the small leather pouch out of my pocket and handed it to her.

“Oh dear, I owe you three so much.”

“Just think of this as a continuation of our escort duty.”

That was a wrap on this job.

“Thank you, Lia,” I whispered in her ear.

“No problem. This was nothing,” she responded with a kind smile.

Just as I was about to suggest we leave, Ms. Sandy spoke up.

“By the way, what are you three planning on doing after this? Since you arrived in Drestia today, how about enjoying the annual Unity Festival?” she suggested.

“That was actually next on our list,” I answered.

“Oh, wonderful! I recommend renting some yukata! It wouldn’t do to go to a festival wearing your school uniforms,” she insisted, smiling.

“What’s a yukata?” Lia asked, confused.

“It’s a traditional kind of clothing in this country,” explained Rose.

Lia had apparently never heard of them while living in Vesteria.

“That could be fun!” she said.

“Those uniforms would stand out a little too much. I think it’s a great idea,” added Ms. Sandy.

It was certainly true that yukata would draw less attention than uniforms from the famous Thousand Blade Academy.

“Yeah… It’s not every day you get to go to a festival. We should do it,” I agreed.

“There’s a nice store right in front of this hospital called Yukata Rental! It’s been there since I was a young girl. All the employees are very kind!” Ms. Sandy informed us.

“That sounds great. We should check it out,” I responded.

It felt much better going to a store someone had suggested to you than going to one you had never heard of.

“All right, it’s time we head out. I hope we see each other again, Ms. Sandy,” I said.

“I hope your back gets better soon!” Lia exclaimed.

“Good luck with your recovery,” added Rose.

“Thank you. Take care of yourselves,” responded Ms. Sandy.

We left the hospital and quickly found the yukata-rental store the old woman had recommended.

“Wanna go in?” I asked.

“Yeah, let’s do it!” responded Lia.

“I wonder how long it’s been since I last wore a yukata…,” murmured Rose.

We entered without much thought.

“Welcome. Are you looking to rent some yukata?”

A gentle-mannered old lady wearing a vibrant summer kimono approached us.

“Yes, we would like three of them,” I answered.

“Great, you’ve come to the right place!” she said.

The lady then raised her voice and called deeper into the store.

“Hey, we have a male customer! Someone come out and help!”

I heard hurried footsteps, and a male employee in a yukata emerged.

“Welcome to our store! Let’s see… We have our male offerings over here. Please come with me,” he urged.

I followed him to the end of the store.

“Please select the outfit you like best.”

Lined up in front of me was a collection of men’s rental kimonos. Unsurprisingly, there weren’t as many as there were for women, but there were still enough that settling on one was difficult. I took a brief look at all of them, then arrived at a decision.

“I would like this one, please.”

I picked out a plain black one so I wouldn’t stand out too much.

“All right… There we go. Now, if you’ll follow me, I’ll help you put it on.”

“Thank you.”

He guided me into the men’s changing room. It only took me less than a minute to put my outfit on and tie a white sash around it. Men tend to get dressed quickly.

“This looks very nice on you!”

I saw the reflection of myself in my yukata in the mirror in front of me. It made me feel a little awkward.

“Th-thank you very much…”

I left the changing room and waited for Lia and Rose. Ten minutes later, the door to the women’s changing room opened.

“H-how do I look…?” asked Lia.

“Do you think this suits me?” asked Rose.

---

---

They both emerged in elegant summer kimonos—a huge change of pace from the school uniforms I was used to seeing them in.

“…”

My breath caught in my throat. Their beauty left me at a loss for words.

Lia was wearing a thin, tan kimono decorated with crimson dragonflies. Her sash was the same dark red as the ribbons that held her pigtails.

Rose’s navy-blue outfit was adorned with white cherry blossom petals, and her sash was embroidered with yellow thread.

It wasn’t flattery to say the two were stunning in their yukata.

“Y-yes, they both look great on you,” I stammered.

“R-really? Thank you,” Lia muttered, blushing.

“Ha, I’m glad you like it,” Rose said with a happy smile.

“Y-yours looks very good on you, too, Allen.”

“The calm color suits you.”

“Ah-ha-ha, thanks.”

After sharing our thoughts on our yukata, we paid for the rentals and finally headed for the Unity Festival.

---

There was a road in the center of Drestia called Holy Street, where the largest festival in Liengard, the Unity Festival, was held once a year. Lia, Rose, and I were currently walking down it.

“I didn’t realize just how many folks there were here until now…,” I remarked.

“Yeah, this is way more people than I’ve ever seen in Aurest. It’s rare to see a crowd this large even in Vesteria,” claimed Lia.

“That’s Drestia for you,” said Rose.

They both nodded in agreement.

The sea of figures around us extended in all directions. Closely packed street stalls lined both sides of the street, and the employees at each stand called out in lively voices to attract customers. The scent of food stimulated my appetite. I’d never seen a grander festival.

We continued down the crowded street until Lia and Rose saw something that caught their interest.

“Look, Allen! Chocolate bananas!”

“There are candy apples over there!”

They pointed in different directions.

“Ah-ha-ha, nice. Can you both get me one?” I asked.

“Yeah!”

“Sure!”

We spent some time going to a variety of stalls and sampling many dishes. We started with the chocolate bananas and the candy apples, then moved on to grilled squid, yakisoba, fried chicken, cotton candy, and sausages on sticks… My stomach already felt like it was going to burst.

One person in particular was at fault for why we stopped at so many food stalls—Lia. Her stomach was truly bottomless. In fact, she ate so much that it made me want to ask where in her body she stored all that grub.

It’s not like I can say that to a girl, though…

Problem was, I didn’t know how else to stop her unending rampage of gluttony.

“Wow, check that out, Allen! That stall has beef-sirloin kebabs! They look amazing!”

Lia’s eyes sparkled as she pointed at a new stall. It was selling beef sirloin lathered in thick grease.

Urgh…

I had no idea how I was going to cram that in given how stuffed I already was. I felt like I was getting heartburn just glancing at it.

I picked up on this a little when we ate ramzacs, but Lia can pack in a fearsome amount. Calling her a big eater might even be underselling her.

If she could eat that much and maintain her healthy frame, I wasn’t going to comment. But I wanted no part in trying to keep up with her appetite.

Rose and I glanced at each other and nodded.

“H-hey, Lia. Aren’t you getting a little full?” I asked.

“I think we’ve already had a good amount…,” added Rose.

“Huh, what are you guys saying? We’re just getting started!” Lia exclaimed, patting me on the back.

She has room for more?!

I needed to give serious thought to what I should do when I dined with her in the future.

I might explode if I eat anything else…

Somehow, I needed to get her mind off food.

“How about we check out some other kinds of stalls? There’s plenty more to do here besides chow down,” I suggested.

“Ooh, that’s a good idea! I second that!” added Rose, jumping on my proposal.

“Okay…if that’s what you both want, then sure!” Lia agreed cheerfully. She ended up not resisting.

Rose and I breathed a sigh of relief at being freed from the torturous food-stand gauntlet.

Then we walked around the festival and hit up a variety of game stalls. We tried out a lottery, goldfish scooping, ring toss, and more. Lia’s accuracy was godlike—she won countless prizes, including stuffed animals, figures, and button pins. Rose, meanwhile, was astoundingly good at the super ball–scooping game.

They both ended up with a large collection of spoils.

“Whooo! We scored big!”

“Hmm-hmm, those games were no match for us!”

Satisfied, they hoisted their prizes high in the air.

“Ah-ha-ha…the stall workers looked ready to cry…,” I remarked.

We continued to amble around and enjoy the Unity Festival.

…Hmm? What’s that?

I spotted a building in front of us with heavy security.

It’s huge. Is that seven floors?

A great number of swordfighters were standing around the edifice. Their lack of uniforms signified that they probably weren’t holy knights.

What in the world is this thing for?

I stared absentmindedly at the structure and the large crowd guarding it.

“That’s the Unity Trade Center. The Five Business Oligarchs are probably holding a conference there right now,” Rose explained, noticing I was staring at it.

The Five Business Oligarchs—that was a nickname used to refer to five incredibly wealthy merchants who held as much influence in Liengard as the chairs of the Elite Five Academies. The people outside the building probably belonged to their private armies.

“You know everything, Rose,” I complimented.

“No, I don’t. My grandfather just brought me here once, so I learned a little about this city then,” she explained.

“Your grandfather… Is he the one who taught you the Cherry Blossom—?”

Suddenly, a massive explosion in the Unity Trade Center cut me off.

“HUH?!”

Immediately afterward, groups of people wearing hooded black overcoats streamed out of the nearby buildings and rushed into the Trade Center. They were unfazed, as if they’d known the explosion would be happening, and their cloaks obscured their faces. It was clear they were the criminals behind this incident.

They must be after the business oligarchs.

While I took time to gather my thoughts, the area around us fell into total chaos.

“Th-the Trade Center is on fire!”

“Oh my god, someone call the holy knights!”

“Hurry! The Five Business Oligarchs are in there!”

Some of the private soldiers cried out for the holy knights, some silently rushed into the building, and some stood frozen in place. Despite being placed in charge of security, they were totally disorganized.

The fire from the explosion actually isn’t that bad.

Additionally, the building’s exterior appeared to be made of concrete—which meant the blaze would travel slowly. The holy knights would be able to extinguish the flames as soon as they arrived.

With that in mind, what I needed to do was use my skills as a swordsman to help anyone in immediate need.

“I’m going in. Wait here, you two!”

“I-I’m going in, too!”

“I’m coming with you!”

The three of us then rushed into the smoldering Unity Trade Center.

---

Within the structure, a fierce battle was unfolding.

“Blargh!”

“Gaaah!”

The private soldiers who’d charged into the building without hesitation were quite skilled. They used flashy swordcraft to cut down an entire group of black-garbed criminals, then rushed up the staircase. Based on how they prioritized getting upstairs, the Five Business Oligarchs had to be on the top floor of the seven-story edifice.

“Lia, Rose, let’s follow them!”

We trailed behind the dependable private soldiers as they ascended, but then we stopped dead in our tracks at the sixth floor.

“Gah…”

“I-impossible!”

“How…can he…?”

A lone, black-garbed swordsman had cut down every last private soldier.

“…Weak, weak, weak! How can your whole crew possibly be this pathetic?! Is this really all the fun you can give me? Ah-ha, ah-ha-ha, ah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!”

He stomped on the collapsed private soldiers and laughed unsettlingly.

…This guy is bad news.

I readied myself and reached for the sword at my hip.

“Oh my god… Omigod, omigod, omigod, omigod, omigod, omigod… Is that really you, Allen?!”

“…?!”

I could see him sneering under his hood, and his voice sounded full of joy as he called my name.

“Ha-ha, it is you! I would never mistake you! Ah-ha… Oh, how long I’ve waited to see you again!”

He clapped his hands as his shoulders shook happily.

“…Who are you?” I asked.

I was sure I would have remembered meeting someone this unhinged.

“Ah-ha, you’re so cruel… How could you have forgotten the violent love we shared for each other?”

I had no idea what he was going on about. One thing was clear, though—he was infatuated with me.

I have no choice here, do I…?

I steeled myself for combat.

“Allen, go ahead of us and find the Five Business Oligarchs!” urged Lia.

“We’ll handle him,” announced Rose.

They both drew their blades emphatically and stepped in front of me.

“This guy will be nothing against the two of us together!”

“Leave him to us!”

“…Got it.”

They were confident they could handle him, so I decided to trust them. Leaving them there, I rushed up to the seventh floor, where the business oligarchs were.

“Huh?! Allen, don’t abandon me!” the swordsman called after me, sounding as though he was going to cry.

“Look this way!”

“You have to deal with us first!”

I heard the harsh clang of blade meeting blade.

---

I dashed up the stairs, opened a door with VIP ROOM written on it, and raced inside.

“E-eeeeeek!”

“P-please spare my life!”

“I-I-I’ll give you money! I’ll buy you whatever you want!”

Three people who had to be business oligarchs cried out successively in trembling voices. They were probably mistaking me for a criminal. I supposed I couldn’t blame them for being afraid.

The other two have nerves of steel…

The first of this pair was a one-eyed man with a large scar over his left eye. The other was a beautiful woman with slanted, fox-like eyes and red hair. I felt as if I’d seen her somewhere before, but now wasn’t the time to dig through my memory. Our lives could be at risk if I didn’t gain their trust and get them out of here fast.

“I’m a witchblade named Allen Rodol. I’m here to save you all,” I announced.

The terror in their eyes faded. Naturally, however, they didn’t trust me entirely yet. For that reason, I decided to inform them of a potential threat that would frighten them into hightailing it out of here.

“As you’re aware, a bomb was planted in this building. We have no guarantee that it was the only one. There’s a chance that there’s a much larger explosive somewhere…and I would bet that it’s close by.”

That mysterious band of villains had been able to set a bomb in this building without anyone noticing.

They would have no problem leveling this entire edifice if they felt like it. But instead, they opted for an explosive of only moderate strength.

Going off that, it was clear that their goal wasn’t to kill the Five Business Oligarchs—it was to kidnap them. These five far surpassed the chairs of the Elite Five Academies in terms of financial power, so the criminals would be able to ask for enormous ransoms in return for their release.

Even if the goal is abduction, however, that doesn’t mean the lives of the business oligarchs aren’t in danger.

It wasn’t hard to imagine that the criminals would just kill these five the moment that capturing them failed. There was a high chance they’d set a bomb near the VIP room for that scenario.

Which was why we needed to flee from this place quickly.

“I—I—I see!”

“L-let’s l-leave straight away!”

“Allen, was it? C-can you take us out of here?!”

As I’d expected, the Five Business Oligarchs were quick on the uptake. Even amid the panic of this violent, unfamiliar situation, they could still make the right call.

“Of course. Follow me!”

I led them out of the VIP room, aiming to hurry them out of the Unity Trade Center as soon as possible. We dashed down the stairs, but when we reached the sixth floor, I was met with a startling sight: Lia lying on her back, totally still.

“…L-Lia?”

I rushed over to her and put my hand to her chest.

Thank goodness…

Her heart was beating healthily. She was just unconscious. I felt relieved, then looked around.

“Cherry Blossom Blade Secret Technique—Mirror Sakura Slash!”

“Ah-ha…that toy won’t work against me!”

“What the…? AHHH!”

The man easily dodged Rose’s powerful attack, then struck her with a fierce frontal kick, sending her flying backward.

“Rose!”

The back of her head crashed into the concrete wall behind her, and she fell to the floor, motionless. She had been knocked unconscious.

He defeated Lia and Rose…

There was no way they both could have lost to this eccentric swordsman in a fair fight.

Something must have given him the edge he needed to bring them down…

This man must have had some fearsome power that tripped them up.

“Haah…”

I exhaled to calm the rage that was beginning to boil in my head and heart. Taking a second to examine my surroundings, I saw some private soldiers who were holding their weapons in trembling hands.

“I’ll take care of him. You all escort the Five Business Oligarchs outside,” I commanded.

“A-are you sure?!”

“O-okay!”

“We’ll leave him to you!”

I nodded, and the private soldiers took the oligarchs and ran. My foe didn’t even try to stop them; he simply stared at me.

“…I thought you would have cut them off,” I said.

“Ah-haaa! You’re so much more important to me than some deathly boring orders!”

He wasn’t kidding; he really was only interested in me.

“Who are you?” I asked.

The black hood over his head prevented me from making out his face.

“Oof, I’m offended that you would forget me…because not a day or night has gone by that I haven’t thought of you, Allen,” he yelled, throwing his arms wide and laughing.

“We don’t have much time here. Wanna go ahead and reveal yourself?”

There was still a high likelihood there were more bombs set in this building, so I didn’t want to be here any longer than I had to be.

“There’s no need to rush things. You’ll spoil our special reunion…Reject Swordsman.”

“…?!”

Reject Swordsman. The only people who knew that nickname were students from Grand Swordcraft Academy—my middle school.

Who from there could be this obsessed with me…?

Only a single individual sprang to mind.

“Don’t tell me…is that you, Dodriel?!”

“Ah-haaa! Bingo, correctamundo! Salutations, Allen, my old friend!” he shouted, throwing back his hood.

Although his tied-back blue hair was terribly damaged, he was still handsome. But the most striking feature of his complexion was the large scar on his forehead. I’d given him that during our duel.

“Dodriel Barton…”

“Ah-haaa… You finally remembered me, Allen Rodoooool!”

The way he called my name made my hair stand on end.

“Why haven’t you gotten rid of that gash?” I asked, pointing at the gruesome shape on his forehead.

Medical science in Liengard was very advanced. A scar of that size should have been easy to remove.

“You dummy, I couldn’t dream of giving it up it… It’s the physical proof of our love, after all!”

Dodriel stroked the scar affectionately.

“After that day, I ruminated ceaselessly about how I, a prodigy, could have possibly lost to the Reject Swordsman. I racked my brain for what I’d done wrong, but I could never come up with an answer. Instead, I toiled in never-ending pain and regret, crying every day…”

He flicked his eyes at me, then continued:

“I opted to keep this hideous visage so that I would never forget my pain, my grudge. Every time I woke up and saw it in the mirror, I would seethe with hatred for you. That resentment ended up inspiring me to put forth effort for the first time in my entire life! I practiced my swordcraft day after day, dawn until dusk! All with the goal of killing you!”

He looked totally twisted by insanity. But the next moment, he seemed to undergo a sudden personality shift and smiled peacefully.

“However…as I spent my days ruled by my loathing for you and my desire for vengeance, I came to a sudden realization—that you love me, Allen.”

…What in the world is he talking about?

“And that was when I came to love you, too… Actually, it’s possible that the dormant feelings of affection I’d always possessed simply exploded to the surface. You took up permanent residence in my mind, my heart, and my soul! I never stopped thinking of you, and before I knew it, I was head over heels!”

His speech was completely incoherent; he must have been totally broken.

“You’re obviously not going to give me a normal conversation,” I remarked.

“Ah-haaa, you’re right about that! How could I possibly be normal around you? Let’s give ourselves over to passion!”

Dodriel thrust the tip of his blade before me, and I responded by assuming the middle stance. But as we stood facing each other, I realized something.

“That’s Soul Attire, isn’t it?”

I sensed an uncanny aura rising from his weapon. Something about it set it apart from any old sword you could get off the street.

“Well spotted! It’s very plain, but this is indeed my Soul Attire. You know me so well!”

As his face glowed with ecstasy, he wrapped his arms around his body and squirmed. I ignored his eccentric behavior and calmly considered the situation.

I can’t believe he manifested his Soul Attire in such a short period of time…

Creepy as he was, Dodriel was a true prodigy.

I can’t even begin to guess what kind of power it houses from its appearance.

Lia’s Fafnir was covered in flames, and Shido’s Vanargand released cold air, so I’d been able to gauge their abilities pretty accurately.

But nothing stood out about Dodriel’s weapon—not on the blade, and not on the grip. Aura aside, it really just looked like an ordinary sword you could find anywhere.

The best thing to do in this situation is attack right away!

I couldn’t afford to let him strike first. The most optimal way forward was defeating him before he would be able to use his Soul Attire’s power. And even if I couldn’t pull that off, getting him to expose his Soul Attire’s defensive capabilities would be advantageous at the very least. By contrast, allowing him to unleash his unknown offensive powers against me would be the worst-case scenario—if my reaction was even a second off, the results could be fatal.

“Let’s do this, Dodriel.”

“Ah-haaa…don’t worry, Allen! I’m not going anywhere!”

Dodriel opened his arms wide and smiled unsettlingly. He wasn’t adopting any kind of stance; he’d left himself literally defenseless.

I see he’s still just as careless and conceited as ever. He may be a prodigy, but that self-assurance is one of his few real weaknesses!

I took a step forward to approach him.

“Eighth Style—Eight-Span Crow!”

Then I released eight sharp slash attacks at once, aiming for his arms, legs, neck, torso, and chest—but he didn’t so much as budge.

…Is he giving up?

That thought was quickly driven out of my mind when all eight of the slash attacks passed through his body.

“Huh?!”

“Ah-haaa, how do you explain that?”

He ignored my astonishment and took a large step forward.

“Autumn Rain Style—Rainy Season!”

Dodriel proceeded to unleash one malicious thrust after another.

“Wha—?!”

I leaped back far, somehow avoiding blows to my vital points.

He got my right shoulder and my left flank…

Fortunately, the wounds were light. The dull pain would limit my movement, but I was sure I could still keep fighting.

Damn, he’s way faster than he used to be…

Dodriel had clearly done more than just gain Soul Attire. His physical capabilities and his swordcraft had both improved to an astonishing degree.

“Oh, come on, don’t be a scaredy-cat,” he mocked, shrugging and snickering.

“What the heck did you just do?” I asked.

I knew my Eight-Span Crow should have hit him. But somehow, all eight slices had passed through his body.

There’s no defensive technique that can explain that.

Instead, he’d almost certainly harnessed the power of his Soul Attire. He must have utilized this strange technique to defeat Lia and Rose.

“Ah-haaa! It truly is an enigma, isn’t it?”

Zigzagging to left and right, Dodriel closed the distance between us in an instant. His erratic movement made it difficult to tell how far he was from me.

“Autumn Rain Secret Technique—Downpour!”

He performed a sharp central thrust.

I can dodge this!

In terms of simple swordcraft skill, Rose far surpassed him.

“Too slow!”

I swiped my blade up from the bottom right to force away his assault, breaking his posture. Then I followed up with the trickiest move to evade in my arsenal.

“Cherry Blossom Blade Secret Technique—Mirror Sakura Slash!”

Eight lightning-quick slash attacks, four from the left and four from the right, closed in on Dodriel.

I will see his Soul Attire’s power this time!

I opened my eyes wide and analyzed his every action.

…Huh?

The next moment, he did something quite peculiar—he took a step forward. Didn’t dodge the attack, didn’t guard with his blade—he simply took a step forward. That meant this specific movement was the best choice over attempting to dodge or defend himself.

My eight slash attacks then passed through his body.

“Ah-haaa! I wonder why you can’t hit me? Autumn Rain Style—Torrential Rain!”

He unleashed a deluge of counterattacks, including downward diagonal slashes, downward vertical slashes, upward vertical slashes, and thrusts.

“Wha—?!”

Despite working as hard as I could to defend myself, dodging all his slashes from point-blank range proved difficult, so I ended up suffering a few wounds.

That’s okay. I figured out his secret!

He’d stepped forward to stand on a very specific spot—within my shadow. When my slashes had approached him, he’d lunged into my shadow without hesitation. That evidence brought me to one conclusion.

“Your Soul Attire gives you the ability to hide in shadows, doesn’t it?”

As long as he was standing in his opponent’s silhouette, he could render all their strikes ineffective.

“Right on the money again! You’re good at this! You’re the first person to figure out the secret of my Shadow Sovereign! We don’t even need words to understand each other… You and I really are bound by the red thread of fate!”

Dodriel paused, his face twisting with happiness.

“But, Allen, my dear, do you really think you can accomplish anything with that knowledge? Look around. Losing your shadow isn’t going to be easy.”

He directed his gaze exaggeratedly around the room. On top of the numerous fluorescent lights that were built into the ceiling, sunlight also shone in through the building’s broken windows. With this many light sources, it would be impossible to avoid casting a shadow.

“…I still have some moves up my sleeve.”

“Oh-ho, now that’s interesting. I can’t wait to see them!”

As soon as he finished his spiel, Dodriel rushed directly at me. I held my middle stance, coolly gathering my thoughts.

There’s one thing I know for a fact—there’s nothing in this world I can’t cut.

If a swordfighter ever comes across something they can’t cut through, then that’s only due to a limitation of their skill. As someone who’d torn through the very fabric of another world, I knew that better than anyone.

That’s right. I’d be wrong to believe I can’t rend him with my blade.

I calmly played back our previous interaction in my mind.

My slices back then passed through him without leaving a single scratch… That means that when he steps into my shadow, his true body leaves this world and enters what I’ll call the Shadow World.

If my theory was correct, then the solution to my conundrum was simple: I just needed to tear that space to shreds, just like I’d done with the World of Time!

“It was nice knowing you, Allen! Autumn Rain Secret Technique—Downpour!”

Dodriel stepped into my shadow and unleashed a sharp thrust that was aimed for my heart. But I had my response at the ready.

“Fifth Style—World Render!”

“Huhhhh?!”

My strongest technique, so powerful that it had destroyed the World of Time, cut through both his Downpour and the Shadow World in one fell swoop.

“Ah-ha-haaa… I-incredible. That’s why I love you, Allen…”

He praised me meekly as blood flowed from his chest.

“You fought well, too.”

Dodriel had barely avoided a lethal blow by making a split-second decision to jump back from my attack. The injury he’d sustained wasn’t shallow, though, so it would be unwise for him to continue fighting.

In the distance, the black-garbed criminals who’d been watching us started to speak.

“D-did he really just…?!”

“He beat the rookie?!”

“R-retreat!”

They fled as soon as they saw that I’d bested Dodriel.

“Ah-ha… May we meet again…,” he uttered in parting, before jumping out of the window behind him and disappearing with the rest of his compatriots.

---

I wasn’t able to stop the criminals from escaping after I defeated Dodriel. I simply didn’t have the time.

“Lia, Rose…get up!”

I shook them hard by the shoulders but got no response from either one.

“Dammit…”

After picking them up in each arm, I sprinted for the building’s entrance.

Please tell me I’m just overthinking things…

The criminals had briskly exited the structure. Way too quick. The convenient timing of their retreat frightened me.

I couldn’t stop thinking about the possibility of a second, much larger explosive.

“Aaaaaaaahhhh!”

I flew down the stairs with my downward momentum, descending from the sixth floor to the fifth floor, the fifth floor to the fourth floor, the fourth floor to the third floor—all while being careful not to jostle the unconscious girls too much.

“Almost there!”

When I finally reached the ground floor and caught sight of the exit, I heard a click.

No!!!!

The next moment, a large eruption that dwarfed the previous one burst forth. It had likely originated from the VIP room on the seventh floor. The explosion was far stronger than I expected—it was powerful enough to level not just this building, but also the entire area surrounding it as well.

“Aaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!”

I booked it as fast as I could. No matter my training, however, I was only human. Outrunning an explosion was simply impossible.

Crap, I’m not gonna make it…

In a last-ditch effort to save them, I enveloped the unconscious Lia and Rose with my body.

If I can at least shield them a little from the blast…!

Holding hope in my heart, I waited for the impact.

“Desiccate—Withered Umbrella!”

The blast vanished right before it was about to hit us.

“…Huh?”

This sudden turn of events left me dumbstruck.

“This explosion would hae been nothing without the element of surprise,” called the red-haired woman who’d caused it to disappear. She laughed bewitchingly.

“Wh-who are…?” I began, but I was quickly interrupted.

“You’re the best, Lady Rize!”

“That was amazing! That’s the lone woman of the Five Business Oligarchs for you!”

“House Dorhein is in great hands!”

The people around us cheered for her.

Did they say “House Dorhein”?

She had the same last name as Ferris Dorhein, the chairwoman of Ice King Academy. Upon closer inspection, her facial features and clothes resembled Ferris’s as well.

The woman had smooth, supple skin and slanted, fox-like eyes. She was wearing a beautiful red-and-white kimono that blazed like fire. Her long red hair was tied into an elegant side bun, and she had donned an ornate hairpin that was modeled after a flame.

I wonder if they’re sisters, I thought.

“U-urgh…”

“Wh-where am I?”

Lia and Rose had regained consciousness.

“Lia, Rose! You’re awake!”

I was relieved to see they were okay.

“Allen…? O-oh yeah, where is he?!”

“What happened to that swordsman?!”

They probably meant Dodriel. After rising to their feet, they surveyed their surroundings.

“Don’t worry. I defeated him.”

“R-really…? Guess I shouldn’t be surprised…”

“…Damn.”

Lia and Rose each chewed their bottom lip in silence. They were clearly unhappy about having lost to him.

What should I say at a time like this…?

While I was pondering that, someone suddenly addressed me.

“Thank you, young Allen. Ye saved me.”

It was the woman from the famed House Dorhein, whom the bystanders had showered with praise after she’d banished the explosion. Her northern accent was a little stronger than Ferris’s.

“No, you’re the one who saved us. What you did was incredible… I can’t believe you made a blast that huge just disappear,” I answered.

I was sure I’d heard her call out “Withered Umbrella.” I wondered what her Soul Attire was capable of.

“No, that was just a li’l self-defense technique. Ye’re such a flatterer, Allen,” she said jokingly, hiding her mouth with her kimono sleeve and giggling.

“H-huh…”

The brief aura I’d felt a few moments ago had definitely exceeded that of a simple self-defense technique. She was obviously humble about her strength.

“Oops, I havenae introduced myself. I’m Rize Dorhein, one of the so-called Five Business Oligarchs, and I run a modest company called Fox Financing. It’s very nice to meet ye,” she greeted.

“My name is Allen Rodol. I’m a student of Thousand Blade Academy, but due to certain circumstances, I’m currently working as a witchblade,” I explained.

“Aha, I knew it was you!” Rize exclaimed, clapping her hands together and nodding.

“You know who I am…?”

“My little sister, Ferris, has told me a little about you.”

---

---

“Oh, I see.”

As I’d suspected, Rize and Ferris were sisters.

“I heard ye defeated her favorite pup, Shido. She told me she was going tae get ye for that. Blew her top, she did.”

“U-um, well…”

“Hee-hee, don’t worry about it. Ferris just has a wee bit of a temper,” consoled Rize, waving her hands back and forth.

In stark contrast to the slightly…unfortunate dispositions of Chairwoman Reia and Ferris, Rize projected an elegant, mature aura.

“Hmm, I really owe ye one now… How can I repay you?” she asked, frowning in thought.

“Y-you don’t need to repay me. I only did what was expected of me as a swordsman—,” I began, trying to politely refuse.

“That willnae do. It is my belief that one should always repay their debts. I willnae feel right until I return the favor,” Rize interrupted, placing a thin index finger on my lips. “Let’s see… How about this? Next time ye find yerself in a great amount of trouble, come find me. Just once, I will grant ye my strength for anything you may need.”

“A-anything?”

“Yes, that’s right. Anything.”

I’d been given the opportunity to ask a member of the Five Business Oligarchs to assist me for whatever I wanted.

This is an enormous privilege I’ve just received…

The Five Business Oligarchs held as much sway in Liengard as the chairs of the Elite Five Academies. Even if it was only a onetime thing, being able to call on her help was a tremendous card to have up my sleeve.

Rize then leaned forward to whisper into my ear.

“I’m not my little sister. I find you quite fascinating.”

“…! I’m flattered that you would think anything of someone like me… I don’t know what to say!”

It made me very happy to know that a swordswoman who yielded such an incredible Soul Attire had taken a shine to me.

…Oh yeah. I can use her offer to ask her to train with me. That’s a great idea!

I didn’t need much money, and I didn’t have much want for material things. As long I had the bare amount of funds to live a comfortable life with Mom, I would be fine.

“Oh, I just love yer rustic simplicity…” Rize sighed, dragging me away from my thoughts. For some reason, she was licking her lips with a spellbound expression.

“Excuse me, you’re clearly bothering Allen…”

“Can you please back off?”

Lia and Rose stepped between me and her, each making a stern expression.

“I see you two are quite protective of him,” Rize said, snickering as she took a step back.

Our friendly conversation now brought to a halt, she narrowed her fox-like eyes and gave us a warning.

“I don’t mean tae scare ye with this, but you three should think more of yer safety from now on. Those black-garbed nasties belong to the Black Organization, which has been causing so much trouble in society as of late.”

“…I suspected as much,” I responded.

That possibility had occurred to me because of their distinctive clothes, but I couldn’t believe it was actually them.

The Black Organization was a large-scale criminal group that had been wreaking havoc in this country in recent years. They took part in a great variety of offenses, including the manufacturing and smuggling of drugs, human trafficking, and the assassination of major figures. And now I knew Dodriel was a member.

I’d wanted to avoid getting involved with them.

This time, however, I had no choice. A mysterious group had appeared out of nowhere and had started attacking defenseless civilians. If I’d decided not to act, I would have regretted it for the rest of my life.

I made what was objectively the right call.

“Thank you for the warning,” I added.

“Ye’re welcome. Okay, I have some cleaning up tae do, so I will take my leave of ye here. May we meet again, Allen,” Rize announced.

“Yes, I look forward to it,” I responded.

After parting ways with her, the three of us returned to the rental store to pay for our ruined yukata. Word of the incident had reached the shop, however, so the employees thanked us on behalf of Drestia and told us we didn’t need to reimburse them.

---

It had been exactly three weeks since the turmoil of the Unity Festival.

After completing every job Mr. Bonz selected for us today—slaying a giant worm, collecting around three kilograms of rare grass, and putting down a goblin lord—we delivered our report at the Witchblade Guild’s reception area.

“Thanks for your hard work over the last month, Allen, Lia, and Rose!”

Mr. Bonz went out of his way to leave the reception desk and give us each a firm handshake. Since it had been exactly one month since we’d been suspended from the academy, this was our final day as witchblades.

“Thank you for everything, Mr. Bonz,” I said.

“Thank you very much!” exclaimed Lia.

“It’s been fun,” added Rose.

“Ha, no need for thanks! You kids helped me a ton with cleaning up the request backlog!” Mr. Bonz answered.

We finished saying our good-byes to him, and a crowd of people approached us.

“Allen…I’m gonna miss you, man…”

“Haah, it’s gonna be so depressing without Lady Lia and Lady Rose around to brighten up the place…”

“Come here to hang out any time! We’ll always be open after class.”

Dred and the other witchblades were sorry to see us go. Although they behaved and spoke like ruffians, they were all decent once you got to know them.

“Thank you so much for helping us out over the last month!” I responded.

“Thank you for everything. Please say hi if you ever spot me in the city!” said Lia.

“I hope to see you all again soon,” added Rose.

After we said our farewells to everyone, we left the Witchblade Guild. It was already dim outside, and the cool air calmed my body and mind.

“That sure was an eventful month, but the assignments were enjoyable,” I reflected aloud.

“Yeah, it was one surprise after another at first, but now we can look back on all of it and laugh,” agreed Lia.

“Being a witchblade is dangerous, but it’s engaging work,” concurred Rose.

I had always liked the idea of becoming a holy knight and earning a steady salary as I worked for the safety of society. After this last month, however, my worldview had expanded. I felt like becoming a witchblade and helping people by taking on their requests wouldn’t be such a bad life.

“Okay…it’s already late, so do you want to split up now?” I asked.

“Yeah, sure. We’re finally returning to Thousand Blade Academy tomorrow!” Lia proclaimed.

“We can finally start Soul Attire Acquisition class then, too. I’m looking forward to it,” said Rose.

And thus, after getting through our month as witchblades, we returned to school at Thousand Blade Academy.