Chapter 3: The Fierce Battle Against the Gorgeous Elphabelle!

“Man, I’m psyched that we’ve made it this far without a hitch!”

“Yes, it’s certainly exciting!”

“Don’t get too comfortable.”

It was a mere two hours after the story showdown from the previous chapter! Wataru and company left the orc’s house behind with the orb and headed to their next destination!! “The next destination,” obviously, being the location of the third orb!

“It was quite nice that Jacob knew where the next orb was, despite all the trouble we had to go through to find out!”

“For sure!!”

According to the information they had wrung out of Jacob Yamada after he’d woken up, north of the prairie lay a wasteland with a big house smack-dab in the middle of it! The owner of that house also held the third orb!

It might interest our Dear Readers to know that questioning Jacob about the location of the third orb had been extraordinarily easy! Résistance had thrust her sword tip against his neck and threatened him! “If you know where the other orbs are, speak up. You try lying to us and we’ll start flame wars on the review sites for every one of your novels.” He immediately told her everything he knew!

Interrogating a man in that way did not sit well with Wataru, but it was all to save people from the dragon’s wrath! He had to silence his conscience and do whatever it took!

And so the three of them walked across the prairie! North and north they went, the blades of grass growing sparser and sparser, until the landscape was dominated by dry, cracked earth! It was proof they were drawing closer to the wasteland!!

“Don’t you all find it a bit odd that the next orb is also in a mansion?” Résistance asked.

“Well, there can’t be too many people rich enough to own expensive jewels like these orbs, right? Obviously, we’re in for a tour of mansions in the Sky Kingdom,” replied Aria.

They continued walking for a few more minutes, and they finally arrived at the edge of the wasteland!

“Oh my, that wouldn’t be our destination, now would it?”

Seemingly the moment they set foot into the wasteland, Aria pointed and shouted in excitement at something ahead of them! There was indeed a brilliantly magnificent structure standing in the middle of the dreary desert!

Jacob’s mansion had been rather impressive, but this palace blew it right out of the water! The white brick outer walls made it look a little like a castle, and from what they could see it was about four stories tall!

“What’s a mansion this awesome doing out in the middle of a lame wasteland like this?!?!?!” Wataru could not help but be astonished by the strange sight! Next to him, Résistance narrowed her eyes in suspicion!

“I can’t fathom why... For now, I suppose we should try checking it out.”

“Right!”

The three of them cautiously approached the mansion! The building’s beauty was even more overwhelming up close! With tiny, decorative flowers carved into the wooden doors at the entrance, it was quite clear that nothing about this house matched the surroundings!

The very instant they stopped in front of the entrance, the doors to the mansion began to open as if the owner had been expecting visitors!!

“Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaat!?” Wataru was instantly prepared to go on the offensive! However, after a moment, a solitary old man came out from behind the door to greet them!

“We have been expecting you......”

The man was wearing a formal black suit; he was clearly an old butler! His white-and-grey hair was carefully sculpted into place using hair gel, and he practically exuded class and sophistication with every gesture!

“You three are the Wataru Party, correct?” They hadn’t introduced themselves yet, but for some reason the old man knew their names! Wataru, who had faced many treacherous foes, knew at that moment that the man before them was not to be trifled with!!

It’d be pointless to lie about our identities...!

He thrust out his chest and said, “Yeah, that’s us!!”

The old man gave him a dry smile in return!

“A pleasure to meet you. I am the steward of this mansion, Sebas Tiansteward. So good to make your acquaintance.”

Wha—???

Wataru was confused! Utterly confused!!

“‘Sebastian Steward’......?”

“Almost, sir. ‘Sebas’ is my given name, while ‘Tiansteward’ is my surname.” That’s the name of a man who was born to be a steward! It’s very easy to remember!!

“Now then, if you will kindly make your way inside. I know what it is you seek. Let us speak of it in the house.” Sebas turned his back on them and headed deeper into the mansion!

“What do we do, Wataru...? That guy’s clearly pretty shady, but...”

“I agree with Aria. Might be a trap or something hidden in there.”

On either side of Wataru, both Aria and Résistance expressed their reluctance to journey inside! But Wataru was not fazed in the slightest, and he walked right through the doorway!! “I can handle anything he tries to do to me!!”

Just what we’d expect from a manly, hot-blooded Japanese boy like Wataru Ito! Diving into enemy territory unarmed, despite the threat of treachery!

Is Wataru perhaps a thoughtless fool!?

No! Absolutely not!

When one has a body like his, with muscles that have been trained to the extreme limits of human condition, why, walking into danger empty-handed like this is an everyday affair! A situation like this sparks no fear in Wataru! In fact, mentally he’s as relaxed as he would be at home drinking a warm chocolate protein shake while doing squats for good measure!!

“All right, you two, we’re heading in!”

“Good grief, guess we have no choice but to follow him...”

“It certainly does seem that way...”

And so the three of them followed Sebas into the mansion!!

For all the good little boys and girls reading this out there: you should never follow a stranger anywhere!!

◆ ◆ ◆

Wataru, Aria, and Résistance quietly followed behind Sebas. Just as they had imagined, the interior of the mansion was spacious, the epitome of luxury. It was clear to see that everything was of the finest quality, from the carpets in the hallway, to the chandelier hanging from the ceiling, to the paintings on the walls. Simply put, this place was certainly a step up from Jacob’s mansion.

“I—I feel a bit nervous...” Wataru and Résistance heard Aria whisper quietly from behind them.

“Yeah. It’s crazy that sweet digs like this are in a wasteland. Who in the world owns this place...?” Résistance furrowed her brow in suspicion as she watched Sebas’s back.

After a short while, they finally arrived inside a great hall at the center of the mansion.

“Now, inside here, if you would.”

“Whoa! This place is huge!!”

Wataru did as Sebas asked and found himself overwhelmed by the vastness of the hall. Oddly enough, there wasn’t a stick of furniture in the room; there wasn’t a single table, chair, or anything else. The room was completely bare.

The only object of note was the chandelier hanging from the ceiling, which lit up every part of the room with a sparkling glitter. After walking them to the center of the room, Sebas suddenly turned to the three and said, “Sir Wataru. I am fully aware that you have come here in search of an orb.”

“Ah, you know already! Sweet! Hand it over!” Wataru’s face wore the stony determination of a Nio as he expressed his demand, making it intimidatingly clear that there was not the slightest room for compromise. However, Sebas remained unfazed and merely shook his head.

“The orb is a treasured heirloom passed down from generation to generation among the members of the House of Evil... I cannot give it to you so easily.”

“The House of Evil...???” Wataru tilted his head to one side, confused at the unfamiliar phrase. Résistance, on the other hand, opened her mouth in surprise.

“Th-The House of Evil...!?”

“Do you know what he’s talking about, Résistance!?”

“Yeah!” Résistance nodded firmly in response to Aria’s question. “The House of Evil is well-known within the Wind Continent’s underworld as a guild of assassins.”

“A-Assassins...!?”

Of course, this is just what we’d expect from Résistance. As one of the former Four Masters serving under the Demon Lord, she knew a great deal about the underworld.

“All members of the House of Evil receive special training from a very young age. They are all, obviously, professional killers. Expensive, but I hear they’ll perfectly execute any mission they’ve been paid for...”

She began to peer out into the furthest reaches of the vast hall as she continued. “It makes sense that this mansion would be way out here, then. An assassin’s guild would want to have their home base in a remote place like this wasteland.”

Sebas beamed in approval. “The lady seems quite familiar with us. With that explained, please allow me to proceed directly to the main topic of discussion.”

“The main topic of discussion...?”

“Should you wish to obtain the orb... you must defeat the heiress of the House of Evil, Lady Elphabelle.”

Wataru sneered and clenched his fists in fearless anticipation!! “So, a one-on-one! Of course!! I finally get to go all out!!”

Wataru’s frustration with this quest for the six orbs had been building as he faced ridiculous challenges like a hotdog eating contest and a novel-plot judging! But now, he at last had the chance to meet an opponent face-to-face in battle!

“Am I to understand by this reaction that you accept this arrangement?”

“I accept!!” Wataru roared, slamming himself to the ground and cranking out ten pushups per second in preparation! To him, this was the best warm-up exercise imaginable!

“Careful, Wataru. Like I said before, everyone in this House of Evil is a monster.”

“Just how I like it!!!!!” Wataru shouted, jumping back to his feet at the speed of light! “—Yo! Where’s this Elphabelle person!?!?”

“...She has been in this room since the moment you arrived,” Sebas said with a crafty smile!

“Are you for real!?”

At that very instant, a little girl jumped down from the massive chandelier that hung above them! At 160 centimeters, she was on the small side compared to Wataru! Her bright orange hair was styled in a short bob! But perhaps the most eye-catching thing about her at the moment was the two-meter-long axe she had on her back!

“Allow me to make introductions. Above you is the heiress of the House of Evil, Lady Elphabelle of House Evil.”

As she fell through the air, the little girl—Elphabelle—grabbed the axe off her back! She heaved it downwards, slamming it right at Wataru at the very moment she landed!

But Wataru had suspected what was about to happen and leapt away with his astonishingly quick reflexes!

BOOOOOM!!!!

The girl’s axe cut through the air and smashed straight into the floor, creating a deep gouge in the marble!

“Aria, Résistance! Stand back!”

“Okay!”

“Got it!”

The two of them backed away from Wataru and Elphabelle, whose eyes were locked on one another’s! Everyone’s nerves were on a hair trigger! After a long moment, Elphabelle burst out into laughter!

“Ohoho! That was an impressive dodge! Hear me, and know that I am Elphabelle of House Evil! Who is my opponent?”

“My name is Wataru Ito!!”

“Wataru... Ito...? What a weird name!”

“That’s funny, coming from you!!”” Wataru was entirely correct!! Who in their right mind would name a child “Elphabelle”!?

Nevertheless...!

Wataru maintained his fighting stance, watching the girl before him carefully!

She’d look just like any other ordinary girl, if she wasn’t holding that axe...!

Elphabelle was as lovely and adorable as any princess you might find anywhere in the world! She was even wearing a frilly pink dress, though it had been modified for battle into a miniskirt that displayed her remarkably thin legs! Still, what demanded attention more than anything else was the massive axe in her hands! Being held in the hands of a small girl only served to make her weapon look even larger!

“So you want the orb, huh? Then you’re in for a battle with me! If you can defeat me, I’ll hand it right over!”

“Wow... Thanks for keeping it simple!”

Elphabelle gave Wataru an appraising look, as if Wataru was something she was considering bidding on at an auction, then laughed innocently! I mean, creepily! I mean, it was creepy how innocent she sounded!

“Wataru... You’re pretty dense now, aren’t you!”

“Yeah! It’s because I work out every day and my muscles are tight!”

“Is it true that you defeated the Demon Lord Deus?”

Wataru reacted to this question with visible confusion!

“Hm, you’re pretty well informed...!”

“Well, duh! I’ve got the whole House of Evil network at my fingertips!” she boasted with a dangerous gleam in her eyes! “I know just about everything goin’ down on this continent! Don’t get all carried away now that you’ve killed one lousy idiot. I was planning on assassinatin’ him eventually.”

“Whoa...!!”

The murderous malice surging out of every part of Elphabelle’s body made even our battle-hardened Wataru groan in admiration!

“The rules are simple! We fight until one of us gives up!! And no funny business, all right? No ball-crushing, no going for the eyes, no poison, that kind of thing.”

“Sure, I got it!”

“But weapons are allowed. Do you want to borrow anything? I’ve got all kinds of weapons I can loan you for the fight.”

Wataru grinned confidently as he raised his clenched fists. “My bare hands will be enough for the likes of you!!” he shouted.

Of course, our Dear Readers will know that this isn’t overconfidence! Wataru isn’t taking on a handicap in the slightest in this contest! After all, Wataru had trained so much that his bare hands were sharper and more powerful than any weapon! They were truly lethal!

“Oh, yeah...? Huh. I knew fightin’ you’d be interestin’.”

“I’m ready whenever you are! Come at me!!”

Before the last words were even all the way out of Wataru’s mouth, Elphabelle screamed “Okay!” and dashed right for him!

“!?”

Wataru was taken aback by her breathtaking speed! Without breaking a sweat, she casually swung her axe at him, but he dodged by the skin of his teeth!

“Not bad, huh!”

“You’re not so bad yourself!!”

And so the true battle for the third orb began!

“I’m just gonna make this clear, but I don’t fight women! Calm down and gimme the orb!!”

Wataru was a manly, hot-blooded boy from Japan! There wasn’t a single situation in which he would want to knowingly raise his fists against a woman!

“Nothin’ doin’! Daddy’s gonna get mad at me if I hand over my heirlooms!” As she said this, her axe was slicing through the air towards Wataru at eight hundred kilometers per hour! Wataru dodged by falling to all fours! No... It wasn’t a fall! Wataru was expertly performing a dogeza bow, and desperately began to plead with her to reconsider!

“Please! I’m begging you! Without the orb I can’t stop the dragon!”

“You think I give two rat craps about the dragon!? It’s actually better if it’s rampaging around and making everyone feel scared! More work for us assassins!”

Elphabelle slammed her axe down at Wataru, who was still on the floor in dogeza! But his dogeza was—an illusion!

“How you like that! My true power, the Illusory Dogeza... the ‘Faux-Geza’!” Wataru began running circles around her at the speed of sound! He had just come up with this move and the name for it on the spot, so we can forgive him for the terrible pun!

“It’s lame is what it is!”

Elphabelle whirled around, swinging her axe in a deadly circle!

“Ngh!” Wataru panicked and leapt backwards to dodge the blade! Elphabelle was every bit the heiress of a family of assassins! She left absolutely no openings in her defenses!

I get it now... I can’t let my guard down or go easy on her at all, even if she is a girl, otherwise I’m the one who’s gonna be killed!!

Wataru let out a roar and charged towards Elphabelle, punching at her with the full power of his being! And yet, with all his mighty might and skillful skill... she easily dodged!

She’s fast...!

Wataru continued his assault! Left hook, right uppercut, kick to the face!! Still, Elphabelle perfectly predicted every move he made, and just barely avoided every blow he attempted!

“Nice, Wataru! I think I like you!” Elphabelle laughed at him like she hadn’t a care in the world!

From a far distance away, Aria clasped her hands together in prayer as she watched the ferocious battle!

“Do you think Wataru’s going to be okay...?”

Résistance stood next to her with her arms folded as she watched the fight, looking considerably impressed!

“Illusory Dogeza... the ‘Faux-Geza’... Ha, that’s pretty good.”

“Pardon?”

“Oh, nothing...” Résistance turned away from Aria before the younger woman could see her embarrassment!

Back in the center of the room, Wataru and Elphabelle continued to hammer at each other!!

“Take this take this take this TAKE THIS!”

Elphabelle wielded the axe with terrifying speed! Just where was a little girl like her hiding her muscles!? But despite her speed, Wataru was not about to lose!

“Gahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!”

The two traded explosive blows, all the while stepping around each other like a lady and a gentleman waltzing at a ball! They closed in on one another with incredible speed, getting right up next to their opponent! Wataru punched with every ounce of hot-blooded energy he had!

“You can’t touch me!” Elphabelle spat, literally spat, the words at Wataru as she avoided yet another punch!

She slammed her axe down at Wataru as she dropped low to the ground! “Get rekt!!!!”

“Never!!!!”

Wataru thrust against the floor with all his might and jumped to his left!

“Urgh!”

Elphabelle had anticipated this and was ready with her axe to defend against his next attack!

“For honor!!!”

Wataru’s high kick sliced through the air, but Elphabelle was able to interrupt him mid-kick! She swung her axe sideways and parried his attack!

“Parrying” is a sophisticated battle technique in which one moves their weapon in a direction perpendicular to that of their opponent’s attack, thereby deflecting the attack instead of having to block its full power!!

What the—!? This little girl... parried my kick!?

Wataru was two meters tall, whereas Elphabelle was a mere 1.6 meters! Wataru clearly should have been able to overpower her, but Elphabelle managed to use what strength she had while having even more skillful skill than Wataru!!

“Brk!!!”

Wataru kicked again, but again she intercepted his attack and deflected it away from her!

“You’re better than I thought!!”

Every one of Wataru’s attacks carried with it the threat of instant death! Even so, Elphabelle parried and deflected all of them with ease! Even though that may be technically possible for her to do, it must still have taken great courage! And yet Elphabelle looked as though she was barely finished warming up!

“Heeheehee... Now it’s gettin’ interestin’!”

Elphabelle laughed again, flashing a cheerful smile like a child getting away with an adorable little prank! Her child’s smile was so cute that Wataru almost forgot he was in a fight to the death!

◆ ◆ ◆

At that moment, while Aria and the other two were watching the battle from the sidelines at the side of the room!

“...May I offer you something to drink, my ladies?”

“Oh, yes, please. We’re a little tired from traveling.”

“Is that so? Shall I go make us some tea?”

“Oh, would you? Thank you so much, Mr. Sebas!”

“We appreciate the offer, Mr. Tiansteward.”

“But of course. Being a good host is all part of being a steward. I have cookies as well, if you’d like.”

“Yes, please!”

“Aria, you’re so eager, aren’t you...? It may be better to not just accept everything that anyone offers you, you know.”

“Now, now, Résistance! He’s going to the trouble of offering them to us, so let’s eat them!”

Résistance and Aria enjoyed being completely passive spectators to the fierce duel between Wataru and Elphabelle!!

◆ ◆ ◆

“Get a load of this!!!!” Wataru roared as a challenge! He charged forward magnificently as he made a horizontal karate chop, but Elphabelle bent over backwards to avoid it!

“Good reflexes!”

“I didn’t grow up in an assassin’s guild without learnin’ a thing or two!” Still bent over backwards, Elphabelle displayed her superior powers of flexibility with a swift rising kick, the target of which was—Wataru’s crotch!! Oh, the humanity!

“!?”

Wataru rammed his arms downward to bring her approaching kick to a screeching halt!

“Hey, I thought we agreed my balls were off limits!”

“Oh, did we?” Elphabelle laughed, without a trace of guilt on her face!

“Y-You little bastard...!”

“Did you forget, Wataru? I’m the daughter of a family of assassins! Rule breakin’, rule changin’, cruel and unusual punishments... all of those are just tools of my trade!!” As she was talking, Elphabelle appeared to have something in her mouth! Suddenly, she spat whatever she had in her mouth at Wataru!

“The hell are you doing!?!?”

A purple mist emerged from Elphabelle’s mouth! It was clearly poison gas!

Even our brave Wataru had failed to notice that she had, at some point, stuffed her mouth with poison! Poison had specifically been noted as being against the rules in this fight, but Elphabelle couldn’t be bothered to care about that! She was literally a walking example of a pro-wrestling “heel”; a “bad guy” in an event where the fights are, of course, “completely unscripted”!!

“Shit!”

Wataru was justifiably pissed off as he quickly retreated!

Aria, who was sipping her tea as she watched, shouted her objection to this new development! “Hey, now! That’s unfair!”

Résistance, who’d been munching on a cookie next to Aria, turned to Sebas to voice her disapproval! “Om nom... Hey, Mr. Tiansteward... She may be an assassin, but this has to be crossing the line, doesn’t it? Nom...”

Sebas answered her without his expression changing in the slightest!

“Oho, Ms. Résistance, complaining now, are we? You, who with your friends forced your way into another’s home, telling us that we must ‘hand over our family heirlooms’? Surely you can’t be too surprised that there are some ‘house rules’ that apply to this battle, as it were.”

“W-Well... I guess you’re right... om nom nom...”

Résistance was so overwhelmed by the force of the steward’s words that she made no further complaint and went back to munching on her cookies!

It was then that Wataru, his face screwed up in rage, faced his opponent and yelled!

“Elphabelle... I HATE cheating bastards like you!! I will defeat you, no matter what it takes!” These words, the sheer epitome of a hot-blooded fighting teen’s passion, deeply inspired Résistance!

“You tell her, Wataru! A just soul cannot bear the use of such underhanded tactics... You’re truly amazing!!”

“But didn’t Wataru sucker-punch Jacob while his guard was down so we could steal the second orb from him...?” Aria unintentionally countered Résistance’s point about Wataru’s “just soul”! And perhaps rightfully so! But Résistance was full-throated in her denial of Aria’s argument!

“That was then! This is now!” I’m sure we can all agree with Résistance’s logic!!

Now then! I may have said I’ll do whatever it takes, but this is honestly looking pretty bad......!!

Despite his rage, Wataru continued calmly assessing his situation as he kept his distance from Elphabelle! He may have had some sharp words for her a moment ago, but they didn’t change anything about the stalemate they were in!

My opponent’s an assassin, and I knew she’d try some dirty tricks... but at this rate, I can’t see how I can beat her!

If he was going to win this battle, Wataru would have to continue dealing with all of Elphabelle’s dirty tricks while continuing to assault her with ridiculously powerful blows! But Elphabelle was more than underhanded tactics! With her mysterious strength to back her up, she was an agonizingly difficult opponent!

If that’s the way this is going to be... I’m going to have to do this...!!

Wataru’s forte was the speed at which he could identify and fix his own weaknesses! The moment he realized that he would never achieve victory if he continued fighting this way, he instantly had a plan in mind to address it!

If I can’t beat her this way... what about... this!?

In the very next instant Wataru did the most! Unbelievable! Thing!

—He lowered his fists!

◆ ◆ ◆

“Hmmm!?”

When Elphabelle saw this, she grew confused, and for quite an obvious reason. Up until that point, Wataru had been relentless in his attacks, but now he had for some reason left his battle stance. He’d lowered his fists and was now casually leaning to one side, completely defenseless.

Was he surrendering? No.

He may have appeared to lower his guard, but in truth, the bloodthirsty gleam in his eyes had not yet disappeared.

“What’s he thinkin’......?”

Confused she may have been, but Elphabelle wasn’t going to stop her attack. She swung her axe with great speed, aiming right at Wataru. He dodged her slash without so much as blinking. Just moments ago he’d been displaying the Nio face that he had when he was brutally attacking her, but now...

Damn... This is difficult...!

There is a tactic in martial arts that involves suddenly changing one’s attack style in the midst of battle. It’s actually extremely effective when put into practice!

If you’ve been thrusting your blade, switch to throwing it.

If you’ve been using two swords, toss one and attack with a single blade.

You must suddenly and without warning change the style of your approach. Whether it’s karate, judo, sumo, or kendo, this tactic has been used often throughout history.

There was, of course, one person who had transformed this “tactic” into a “technique.” His name was Renchi Chou*. He was a great man in the world of Chinese martial arts in the 1870s.

(*Renchi Chou: A martial artist born in 1842 in the Wuhan region of China. He was a practitioner of martial arts from an early age, but his arrogance made him a target of much criticism, most notably from his former masters who had abandoned him, one after the other. By the time he reached adulthood, he had already mastered Tai Chi, Liang Yi Quan, and Wing Chun, but no one would take him on as an apprentice. On his own, he came up with the method of switching between the various battle styles he knew and using their most powerful moves. Later on, this way of fighting became known as the famous “Renchi Style.” [3])

Wataru was, of course, a complete master of “Renchi Style.”

By throwing away even that core part of his identity, his hot-bloodedness, and adopting this non-aggressive fighting style, he was able to interrupt the rhythm of Elphabelle’s attacks.

This “interruption” was, of course, an opening for Wataru to attack.

Wataru had made his presence as faint as could be, and like a shadow he slipped slowly towards Elphabelle. Before she realized what was happening, he slammed his fist into her solar plexus, whispering a single word just at the edge of her hearing:

“Power.”

The tone of his voice was unlike anything we have heard from Wataru thus far in our story! With that single blow, however, he brought his enormous strength to bear against the girl.

“!?!?!?”

Pure pain raced through Elphabelle’s body. Dumbfounded, she wheezed in reaction to his blow.

I... I didn’t even see that one coming!

The force of his strike sent her flying backwards. She expertly twisted in midair to land on her feet, just like a cat. Cold sweat beaded down her cheeks.

This guy... All of a sudden, he’s completely changed...!

“As if I’m going to lose...!!”

She shoved off hard from the floor, diving through the air directly at Wataru.

“AHHHHHHHHH!”

With all her strength, she brought the axe down upon him...

And missed.

Wataru had shuffled ever so slightly to the side, just out of range of her axe. It was the smallest movement he could have made to avoid it. Then, without a moment’s delay, he rammed his elbow straight into Elphabelle’s face.

“Ngh!” Dizzied, Elphabelle stepped backwards to avoid the follow-up attack. But Wataru moved, with only the minimum amount of effort necessary, to ram his elbow into her face again and again and again.

Try as she might, Elphabelle was unable to avoid all of his attacks, let alone parry them. Some landed right on her, and in spite of all her efforts to resist, Elphabelle found herself bent over backwards as she tried to escape his elbow.

I can’t... take this anymore...!

Compared with Wataru’s previous attacks, which had been showy, full-body attacks like uppercuts and kicks to the face, this new technique was much more efficient. His feet were now always on the ground, and he left no openings for her axe. With how little energy the elbow jabs required, he was able to repeat them over and over at a higher rate of attack. For what each individual jab lacked in attack power, it was made up for by the smaller range of motion of the attacks giving him a better defense.

“This... relentless idiot—!!”

She took her axe and again swung it with all her might and then some, as if to declare Wataru’s newest fighting style to be nothing more than an irritation.

The amount of power she put into her swing was more than enough to cut the man clean in two.

“I’ll freakin’ destroy you!!!”

This, however, was just the opportunity Wataru had been waiting for. When Elphabelle lifted her axe high above her head, her upper torso had been left completely unprotected. He locked his aim, lifted both fists, and punched with all his might using both his arms:

“Obliterate.”

His voice was softer than a whisper, but his strength was absolute.

Allow me to explain. He was using a technique that had been invented by an American martial artist, the “Two-Fisted Thrust of Aeolus*.”

(*The Two-Fisted Thrust of Aeolus: A technique invented by an African-American master of karate, Chad Gastin. Storing power in both fists, the fighter quickly punches at the enemy’s midsection. It is said he was inspired by the sight of someone beating a “wataiko,” a traditional Japanese drum, with two sticks at the same time. This extremely extreme attack, when executed properly, causes a blast of air as if the fighter is Aeolus, the God of Wind himself. [4])

BAMMM!!

“Ngh... Urgh...!”

Wataru had punched his fists deep into Elphabelle’s midsection. All the air was driven from her lungs, and she was unable to draw another breath. Every muscle in her body began to quiver, and the axe in her hands fell to the floor.

What she felt, right then, was not the pain of the punch—but a light, refreshing breeze blowing all around her.

Wataru... I’m so sorry... you are... stronger... than me......

And so again Elphabelle was blasted off the floor. She flew through the air, unmoving, and shot straight into the wall of the great hall. The pain of the impact was enough to banish every last bit of her will to fight.

Not a single person could say otherwise: the winner of this fight was none other than Wataru Ito.

◆ ◆ ◆

“Hey, you’re not bad at the whole fighting gig! Changing your attack style mid-battle is a lot harder than it sounds! But then you still kept up your precision in your blows, which was really impressive!”

“Whoa! Thanks a bunch! You were rockin’ it hard yourself!!”

It was a few minutes later! With the battle now over, Wataru had returned to his normal self and was smiling and talking with Elphabelle!

Seeing that the fighting was done, Aria and Résistance walked up to them!

“Nice job, Wataru!”

“That fight was fantastic, Wataru!”

I should mention for our readers that they had been so busy drinking the tea and eating the cookies Mr. Tiansteward had given them that they had seen almost none of the final phase of the battle!

“All right, so now that that’s over... Orb, please!”

Elphabelle blushed when Wataru said this, and replied: “Um, hey... There’s something else I’d like to ask you... You feel like gettin’ into the assassination business?”

“Huh!? What do you mean by that!?”

Elphabelle was positively bashful as she twisted this way and that in shy hesitation!

“Ugh... Are you really going to make me come right out and say it? In other words... I’m asking if you want to marry me and become a member of the House of Evil!”

Wataru froze solid upon hearing this! He was as still and stiff as a mammoth trapped in ice since the Ice Age!!

“...Huh!?!?”

Allow me to explain! Though Wataru was a manly, hot-blooded boy from Japan, he was also underage! Therefore he obviously had no experience with dating women! Despite his lack of experience, he suddenly found himself being proposed to! It’s only natural he would freeze up in shock!

“Y’know, I’ve always wanted to marry someone stronger than myself! I fought you today, and then, I felt it, okay—! The only man I want to marry is you!!”

Nearby, Sebas looked positively delighted at this turn of events!

“Ohoho, that’s an excellent idea, Lady Elphabelle. With a fighter as skilled as Wataru by your side, I’m sure you two will become the world’s top assassins in no time at all.”

“Right, Sebas! Oh, and Wataru—call me ‘honey’ from now on, okay? I’m gonna call you ‘darling’!”

“Hey, cut that out!! I haven’t agreed to a damn thing!!”

“What he said!” Résistance shouted, rather more forcefully than was perhaps necessary! “Wataru, getting married...? Inconceivable! Entirely inconceivable!”

She turned to Aria and yelled at her, too! “You’d better speak up about this right now!”

“Why...? What’s the problem?” Aria was completely indifferent to the idea! How very unlike a proper light novel heroine!!

“A-Aria, are you insane!?”

“No, I mean, if Wataru marries Elphabelle, we can come hang out in this mansion anytime we want, right?”

“Excuse you? Don’t try to weasel your way into my House, girl.”

Elphabelle might as well have slapped her across the face with those words of hers!

“Oh, it’s not like that—I’m more like Wataru’s pet, basically.”

“I don’t believe that crap for a second! I’m not about to let you get between my darling and me!”

“Oh, please, don’t be so petty. It’s a bad look! As long as I get my own room and meals prepared for me every day, I’ll be perfectly fine!”

“Are you out of your damn mind? Just how do you expect to be treated around here!?”

Wataru decided that now was the time to break up their argument with gentlemanly vigor!

“A-Anyhow! I’m not getting married anytime soon!”

“Whaaaaat!! Darling, why!?!?” Elphabelle began to throw an adorable little tantrum!

“Don’t call me ‘darling’!!!!!” Wataru’s face was as red as a... thing that is very red! Totally red! “Look, all I want is the orb, anyway! So c’mon, gimme!””

“But what about marrying me?”

“We can, ah... put that on hold for now. Besides, I’m not old enough for that!”

“Ugh, if you insist! If you’re going to play hard to get, I’ll play along.”

Wataru was visibly confused! “What do you mean, ‘play hard to get’? Is that another fighting style?”

“Cut it out, Elphabelle!” Résistance shouted desperately, waving her arms up and down! “Our Wataru’s a pure and innocent boy! Don’t start filling his head with weird stuff!!” Our manly, hot-blooded Wataru still had no idea what “playing hard to get” could possibly mean!

“All right, all right, I’ll stop.”

Elphabelle looked bored as she turned away from Wataru and addressed Sebas!

“So who’s got the orb right now?”

“That would be the Master.”

“Huh. Guess we gotta call for Daddy, then.”

The steward nodded politely. “A moment, please.” He took in an enormously deep breath, and then yelled so loudly the great hall echoed with the sound!

“MASTER—! MASTERRRRRRRRR—!”

Moments later, there was a loud BOOM! BOOM!! as a crashing, reverberating noise began to shake the very foundations of the mansion!

“Wh-What is that!?” Wataru shouted, uncomprehending. “Is it an earthquake???” Another surprise was yet to come!

BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!

Wh-What in the world!? With a thunderous CRA-BAHOOOOM, the eastern wall of the hall exploded into a million pieces, throwing up an impenetrably thick cloud of dust!

From that cloud, a single human man emerged!! ...Could he really be called a “human” after an entrance like that!?

Perhaps even more unbelievably, the man was four meters tall! That’s twice Wataru’s height! Perhaps “human” is the wrong word after all, and “giant” would be a better descriptor!

“Hey, nice to meet ya...!!” the man rumbled, his nearly subsonic voice causing the bellies of all who heard it to shiver! The man wore a custom-made, white formal suit, though it was obvious that the man’s body was quite muscular and well-trained!

The man... I mean, the Man had the fierce, powerful visage of a demon—but his frown disappeared when he greeted the visitors!

“Hello...!!”

His face twisted into something that was almost probably a smile, though it was impossible to tell!

“H-Hello...” Even Wataru was beside himself with awe! The usually noisy and bickering Aria and Résistance could do nothing but look on, gulping in fear at the Man’s appearance!

“So you’re Wataru, huh? Defeating my daughter is no small feat, but you did well...! I was watching your fight from another room, using the surveillance camera over there. Still, though... I’m really impressed...!”

The Man pointed one thick finger up at a box attached to the ceiling! I know some of our Dear Readers are thinking “Fantasy worlds shouldn’t have surveillance cameras!” even after everything we’ve seen so far, but I beg of you to reconsider! Even fantasy worlds can have things like surveillance cameras!!

“Hang on, you just called her your ‘daughter’... So that makes you...?”

“That’s right,” the man confirmed in his deep, full-throated voice. “I am the current Master of the House of Evil, Elphabill of House Evil. The father of Elphabelle...!!!!!!!”

Elphabill! The current master of the greatest assassin’s guild on the Wind Continent, and the father of Elphabelle! Of course he would make his appearance by kicking down a wall!

“......!!”

Wataru subconsciously assumed his combat posture! It was his natural self-preservation instincts at work! With such a terribly massive being before him, he took on a defensive stance without even meaning to!

Elphabill took one look at Wataru trying to defend himself and laughed uproariously!

“HA-HA-HA! So you assume there’s to be a battle! Yes, it’s all very clear to me now...! People always react in one of two ways when they presume danger—but for you, it’s always the ‘fight’ reaction, and never the ‘flight’! I must commend you for your well-developed instincts!”

He raised an arm, thick as a log, and held one clenched fist in front of Wataru!

“Come get it!!”

Wataru, believing this to be the signal to begin the battle, backed away from him while maintaining his defensive posture!

That’s only his fist... but it’s as big as a giant meteor! Wataru broke out into a cold sweat, an almost unheard-of occurrence!

Elphabill slowly unclenched his fist! On the palm of his hand lay a small green sphere! There was no doubt about it! It was the orb!

The orb was about as large as a baby’s head, but it looked like a marble in the palm of Elphabill’s unspeakably massive hand!

“There’s no need for such dramatics. Here, as promised... Now, take it!!” Elphabill looked as ferocious as the Devil himself as he said this!

“Th-Thank you very much...!”

Slowly, ever so slowly, Wataru gingerly took the orb from the palm of the giant’s hand as he expressed his sincere gratitude! The third orb was finally his!

Elphabelle broke out into a bright and cheerful smile!

“Hey, Daddy!”

“Hm? What is it...?”

“I want to make Wataru my husband!!”

Wataru cringed! “Th-That again...! I said before, I’m not about to marry anyone right now!”

At this, Elphabill folded his arms across his chest!

“Elphabelle, my dear. If Wataru feels that way, you are not to trouble him further. That said, I do think...” Elphabill paused and glared right at Wataru! “If Wataru were to become my son-in-law... I do believe that even one such as I would be happy.” His eyes gleamed like those of a lion that had just spotted its prey!

Every cell in Wataru’s body screamed in terror at this giant threat!

“But no matter. Now then, it’s time for my daily ‘Run Around the Wind Continent,’ so I’ll be taking my leave...!!” With no warning at all, he jumped straight up into the air, breaking through the ceiling, and the ceiling above that, and so on, all the way through the mansion’s roof until he disappeared into the distant heavens!

Elphabill of House Evil... I’m not gonna mess around with him! I gotta train harder!!

Wataru found that he was unable to keep from trembling with excitement as he held the orb!

“Ugh, Daddy, really? How many times do I have to tell you to stop destroyin’ the mansion every time you go out!? Anyhow, that’s all! See you again, Wataru! You feel like marryin’ someone, you come back, y’hear!!”

Elphabelle looked as though she had not a care in the world as she held her axe over her shoulder and smiled at Wataru!

“Got it! I don’t think I’ll ever want to get married... but it was fun battling you!! Let’s hang again!!”

And so, Wataru & Co., seen off by Elphabelle and Sebas, left the mansion behind! The three of them had finally reached the halfway point on their journey to collect all six orbs!

To be continued in the next chapter: “Incident alert! Hot-Blooded Detective Wataru Makes an Explosive Discovery!”

*Sources:

[3] Concerning the Life of Renchi, the Heretic of the Martial Arts — Isekai Tensei Publishing

[4] Punching the Air — Isekai Tensei Publishing