Side: Poppuri Lancer
Headmaster of the Lancer Magic Academy, Direct Disciple of the Former Dungeon Master
But still... Never in my dreams did I think she was alive...
Well, technically, she was undead, so she was dead. But I had never imagined that we would meet face-to-face like this again, let alone disagree with each other and come to blows.
Needless to say, I didn't expect Yuki-dono, with all his resourcefulness, to actually grant my request like this.
"A duel?"
"Yeah. That useless goddess, Luna, is all worked up about steering things in that direction. I don't know how far we can trust her, but for now, this gives us a decent chance to learn a bit more about each other. Even if it doesn't settle everything, at worst, as long as we hold down those three on our end, there's no one left in the Hiffy Holy Nation who poses a real threat. So, as for Motome-san, Taiki-kun will handle him, so no unnecessary interference. Motome-san is taking the mature approach and sticking with them. That leaves Hiffy and Comet, but I want to squeeze out as much info as possible beforehand. You know, gathering intel to boost our win rate."
"I see... So that's why you gathered me and Peace."
As expected of Yuki-dono. He was far too precise when it came to handling matters like this.
There were probably no better sources of information than us.
"Exactly. The Holy Sword users... wait, those aren't Holy Swords, but handy-dandy strong swords, was it? What a ridiculously straightforward name. It's awkward to say, too."
"She called them 'Betsu Swords' herself, though."
"...'Betsu Swords'. Couldn't she have come up with a better name?"
"Don't ask me. Honestly, it takes a lot to give such a grand name to something you made yourself, doesn't it?"
Well, as for the opinion that her naming sense was lacking, I generally agreed.
But there was no point telling my research-obsessed master that. What mattered was that the name made sense to her.
"I guess that's true... Well, let's leave the weapon names aside. So, do you know anything about Hiffy and Comet's fighting styles?"
"I don't know anything about Hiffy-dono. Hearing that she was a goddess was news to me."
"Neither did I. I only knew her as someone who supported my master faithfully..."
"I see. So Hiffy really did support everyone from behind the scenes. That confirms what Luna said. Not knowing what cards she has up her sleeve is a pain, though."
"All I know is that she used to be a priestess."
"Right. She's somewhat proficient in healing magic, too."
Even so, I still couldn't believe Hiffy-dono was responsible for this whole mess.
Because that person was an older sister figure who always smiled gently... I even remember learning recovery magic thoroughly from Hify-dono, not my master. Since my master was the type to achieve things in absurdly bizarre ways.
"Hmm. At the very least, since she can fight while healing herself, she can play the long game. For Hify, our only option is to crush her with full force on the very first move."
"Wouldn't you want to see what she's capable of first?"
"Are you not going to assess her strength before fighting?"
"Huh? Ah, sure, that's one way to do it. But I'm the type who prefers to crush opponents like that immediately. It's a cliché that backing them into a corner can lead to troublesome stuff, after all."
"A 'cliché'?"
"...Just think of it as common sense from my hometown. Anyway, Hiffy is one thing, but judging by your tone, you know about Comet, right?"
"Of course. She's my teacher in magic."
"I served as my master's bodyguard, so I understand her fighting style."
""She's a pure mage type.""
Indeed. Her research was centered around magic and mana. There was no way someone like her couldn't use magic.
As far as I knew, she was the greatest mage who had ever lived... If asked how she compared to Yuki-dono, to be honest, since I didn't know the full extent of Yuki-dono's power, it was hard to say.
However, my master knew her own flaws as a mage, and she never neglected research to improve upon them.
In other words...
"She can handle close combat reasonably well, too. She's a formidable fighter."
"Yes. Normally, Master possessed enough skill that she didn't even need my protection. But since her main work was research, I was more of a caretaker than a bodyguard. Together with Hiffy-dono, I used to carry Master when she fell fast asleep in the lab, or feed her meals."
"So she needed full-time care..."
Peace's role back then was indeed like that...
To be honest, alongside Hiffy, she was strongly recognized as a mother figure, and was well-liked by the orphans my master brought in... That was why I could completely understand why she was furious at those Holy Sword Wielders who shattered that peaceful life.
I couldn't side with either faction, so I quietly protected the place where the orphans lived and waited for the conflict to pass.
"Well, I get the story. But that was back then. It wouldn't be strange if her skills have improved even further now."
"Right. It's safe to assume she's gotten stronger."
"I agree with Poppuri. It is impossible for Master to have stayed the same as back then."
"Then, can you tell me in a bit more detail? Her favorite magic, her personality, predicting based on those..."
"Please wait a moment. I have a proposal."
I knew it was a long shot.
After dumping the responsibility for cleaning up this mess on her, I wanted an opportunity to speak with my master and face her directly. That was why I opened my mouth.
"Let us be the ones to fight her. The duel format seems to be a round-robin style, right? That way, we can force her to reveal her hand before Yuki-dono fights."
"That's a good idea. I've had my fair share of trouble because of her, too, so it'll be a little payback. And if we want to expose what she's capable of, who better than people who know each other well? They'll have to show off either techniques they've developed recently or tricks they've been keeping hidden."
I had made the proposal nervously, but it was accepted without fuss...
"That should be fine. But take Siea and Kishua with you since they've calmed down recently. The other Holy Sword wielders still have mental control lingering and are unstable, but those two should be willing to lend a hand to Poppuri and Peace. It'll be 4-on-1, but since they're members who used to be close to her, she won't say no."
"...You are recommending a 4-on-1, but Yuki-dono, do you think the two of us are no match for Master?"
"You're no match. Even though Poppuri and Peace have been buffed a bit, according to my Appraisal skill, Comet's level is over 400, and Hiffy's even exceeds 800."
""...""
Even after my training, I was barely over 200 at best, Peace was 250, and the Holy Sword wielders were at most 150...
Looking strictly at the numbers, there was no chance of winning at all.
"In a 4-on-1, you already have a general understanding of Comet's style. That's your chance to win. Besides, since I'm holding down the rear, why not go all out and clash with everything you've got?"
Even though defeat was almost certain, Yuki-dono did not stop us from fighting.
Perhaps it was to soothe the feelings of my master, Hiffy, and us... He had taken our feelings into consideration.
* * *
And right now—
Opening my eyes, the scene of cherry blossom petals falling profusely spread out, staining the ground in pink.
And before my eyes stood my master, Comet, holding her staff and looking at us with a joyful expression.
"Mm-hmm. Both sides look eager to fight. All right, let's begin the match... Fight!"
Luna-dono declared, giving the signal to start the fight.
"We are coming at you with full force right from the start!!"
"Excellent magic power... Show me what you've got!!"
My master replied to my declaration.
Just as planned, my announcement had convinced her to watch our attack rather than make the first move herself.
Whether out of her nature as a researcher or because she wanted to see our growth, I couldn't tell.
However, this was our first and last chance at victory. If Yuki-dono's information was correct, the difference in our levels was simply too great. If we tried to probe her abilities, we'd lose the battle of strength before we could accomplish anything. So we had to pour everything we had into our opening attack, while all four of us were still in peak condition.
We had conducted as many discussions and practice sessions as time allowed.
All that was left was to execute it.
All that was left was to crash into her.
I immediately unleashed the most powerful spell I could cast—it was a beam of light that seemed to transform pure magical power into heat, shooting straight toward my master.
If it struck an ordinary person, it wouldn't merely burn them badly. It would reduce them to charcoal.
"Ho-ho. Indeed, doing this without wasting time is the most efficient way."
Even seeing it, Master didn't panic in the slightest, smoothly clashing with the same magic from the front to disperse it into mist. To resort to the same method as Eris-dono meant the gap in capability was just that vast...
However, I was well aware of that. I had to pressure her with volume and set up the trap.
Firing in rapid succession, I drew her attention to me.
"Mm, mm. Rapid-fire speed and precision both pass. But it's not just this level, is it?"
"Of course not."
Then, as planned, one of the shots I fired was cleanly intercepted, and a blinding flash enveloped the area.
"Woah—!?"
This was something Yuki-dono had taught me: a recreation of part of a stun grenade.
Until now, I had always focused on how to inflict damage on my enemies, so it had never occurred to me to use a trick like this.
Apparently, such devices were normally used in situations where conventional weapons couldn't be employed freely, such as rescuing hostages. But they were also perfect for creating an opening against a stronger opponent.
After all, creating a blinding flash by concentrating light was much harder than simply producing a smokescreen or kicking up a cloud of dust. Under ordinary circumstances, I would never have chosen such a method.
But my opponent was Comet, a former Dungeon Master and an accomplished mage—a smokescreen or cloud of dust would be blown away by magic in an instant. She could easily defend against those.
However, a flash of light was a different story.
It couldn't be blown away, and the only way to guard against it was to block one's own vision. That was the greatest opportunity for us.
Peace, Sia, and Kishua, who were waiting behind, leaped forward.
For a mage, the most important thing was distance from the opponent. How to fight within one's own range and rhythm.
If the pace was stolen by the opponent, it became extremely difficult for a mage to exercise magic. Because panicking over the reality of the situation made it impossible to form a mental image for magic, preventing its manifestation.
CLANG!
"Impressive surprise attack, but this much isn't enough..."
As expected, the surprise attack by the three of them was easily stopped as well.
It was true that losing control of the tempo made casting magic difficult. But overcoming that weakness through training was what separated a first-rate mage from the rest. There was no way my master would lose her pace over something like this.
Just like Eoid, she used mana manipulation to construct a physical barrier, effortlessly stopping the swords coming from three directions.
—With this, the three had pinned down Master from three sides.
Confirming this, I fired one more shot.
Master had no choice but to intercept it.
"The same trick won't work twice. All I have to do is turn my face away—"
BOOOOM!!
Her words were cut short by a tremendous explosion of sound, accompanying the flash of light. The blast struck her ears directly as she turned her face away.
This was a stun grenade, also known as a flashbang.
It temporarily incapacitates people nearby by causing symptoms such as blindness, dizziness, hearing loss, and ringing in the ears, often accompanied by panic. The effect was powerful enough that someone with a heart condition could potentially die from the shock in the worst case.
Even at a distance, my ears felt somewhat strange... Could the three who were holding Master at close range move on to the next action?
Looking at the four unmoving figures, I prepared to launch a follow-up attack—
I would blast another stun magic, completely bind her movements, and unload a barrage of magic together to end this match!!
But the spell I'd fired to capitalize on the opening was enveloped by a strange spell that came flying in from the side.
With a small pop, it vanished.
"Alright, alright, that's enough~ This match goes to Poppuri's group. Ahh, my ears are ringing terribly... I never thought you'd use a method like that."
Luna-dono said while patting her ears.
"Don't just stand there dazed, celebrate. Comet is completely out cold."
"Huh?"
When I shifted my gaze back to Master, she was being supported by Peace, her eyes spinning.
"Looks like that last attack knocked her out."
"Naturally, she probably didn't expect sound to be used as an attack."
"It was at point-blank range, after all. Even I'm dizzy."
Both Sia and Kishua were wobbling, so it must have been a tremendous sound.
"It's an enhanced version of a stun grenade, after all. Look. Hiffy and Taizou have both collapsed over there, too."
When I looked in that direction, I saw Hiffy-dono crouched on the ground, clutching her ears, while Taizou-dono shook his head.
"Hmm. With this, you might have even been able to suppress Hiffy as well. Now then, hey, wake up, Comet."
BONK!
Luna struck my master on the head.
"Ow! You're as merciless as ever! You're going to mess up this beautiful girl's hair!"
"Shut up. Hearing a self-proclaimed beauty who needs everyone around her to take care of her say that is laughable. Anyway, get back there, you loser."
"Huh? Loser? Wait, come to think of it, were we having a match? Huh? Did I lose?"
Master looked around blankly.
In response, everyone she looked at nodded.
"...What? I was knocked out by a loud noise? I haven't even made a proper attack yet!?"
"That's right. You're a loser through and through. You spent the match watching your opponent, got caught off guard, and were defeated before you could even show your true abilities. That's the height of stupidity."
"W-Wait a minute!! O-One more match!! A-A remaaatch!!"
"Hmm? You can arrange that yourself later."
"N-No way!! I didn't get to show a single cool moment!! This is so unfaaaaair!!"
Saying that, Master cried and clung to Luna-dono.
...Ah, right. She really was this kind of person, wasn't she...?
I remember her once getting genuinely furious and chasing an orphan child down over a single dish taken from her plate.
...Now, I'm exhausted.
