In Another World With My Smartphone: Volume 2

by Patora Fuyuhara

  Well, I said it reminded me of it, but there were a number of small differences too. When compared to the townscape, built primarily of sun-dried bricks, the palace really stood out. If I had to describe it, I’d have said that it felt as though an Indian palace got mixed into the world of the Arabian Nights folk tales.

  As our carriage ran through the town, I couldn’t help but notice just how undeveloped it was compared to Belfast. Even so, the inhabitants didn’t disappoint when it came to liveliness. Many species walked the streets, creating a nice hustle and bustle. Various cultures mixed, merged, and developed in a single direction. I could only assume that it was the way the town was supposed to appear.

  We left the streets, all lined with tall buildings, and crossed the long bridge toward the palace. Once we were over the town’s waterway, we entered the palace grounds.

  The five of us, along with Olga, left the carriage and met up with Garm, Lyon, and their eight soldiers before making our way through the garden. It was a beautiful sight. I could see birds frolicking around, and I even noticed some squirrels staring at us from up in their neatly arranged trees.

  We went up a long staircase and entered the palace interior. Bright sunlight fell through the skylight windows, only to become even brighter upon hitting the white marble floor.

  Surrounded by ornate pillars, we followed the corridor going through the middle of the courtyard until we reached a large, ornate door.

  The soldiers posted next to the door opened it for us with a loud creak.

  Sunlight shone through the windows and fell upon a large red carpet. Standing at either side of this carpet was a royal audience of various demi-humans. All of them were dressed in gaudy clothing, so I assumed them to be the ministers of the country or something along those lines. Some were horned, others were winged, so they were definitely a vivid group of people.

  Beyond the audience, seated on his throne up high, I saw the ruler of the country.

  Beastking Jamukha Blau Mismede. Apparently his beastman subspecies was Snow Leopard. At a glance, I thought he was in his early fifties or so. His face, surrounded by white hair and a beard, gave off a regal aura of power and awe. From his sharp, feline eyes, I could feel an indescribable force and even a little bit of mischief.

  We gathered before the beastking, making sure to bend our knees and bow our heads.

  “My liege... I, Olga Strand, have made my return from the Kingdom of Belfast.”

  “Hmph. Well done to you.” The beastking gave her a light nod. Then, he spoke to Garm and Lyon, who were kneeling right behind Olga.

  “Garm... and you, Belfastian knight. I am most pleased by your success in protecting Olga.”

  “Thank you, Your Beastliness!” “Thank you, Your Majesty!” Following those responses from the two, the beastking looked at me and the girls, squinted his eyes, and adopted a faint smile.

  “So, you are the ones sent by Belfast’s king, I presume? It has reached my ears that, despite being few, you were able to slay the dragon wreaking havoc in Eld. Is this true?”

  “Yes. You have heard correctly. I was unable to participate, but the other four besides me were indeed the ones who felled the black dragon attacking Eld.” Yumina stood up, confidently and resolutely answered the beastking’s question.

  “...And who might you be?” The girl showed no hint of apprehension at being in the presence of nobility. In addition, she looked at the ruler with unwavering eyes, so naturally it would make someone like him slightly suspicious.

  “Pardon my late introduction. I am Yumina Urnea Belfast, daughter of Tristwyn Urnes Belfast, king of the Kingdom of Belfast.” Her words caused a stir among just about everyone present. That was only natural. The crown princess just appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. Olga and Lyon were aware of the situation, but Garm couldn’t help but widen his eyes in shock.

  “My... what business brings the princess of Belfast into my domain?”

  “This is to show just how important we consider this alliance with Mismede. Here is a message from my father. I humbly ask that you read what he has written.” As she spoke, Yumina took out a letter and handed it over to him.

  When did she get that...? Oh right... she probably got it when I had her return to the Belfast palace during the attack.

  With a reverent dignity about him, one of the beastking’s aides took the letter and brought it over to him. After removing the seal and running his eyes over the paper, the ruler of Mismede looked at Yumina and smiled.

  “Interesting... I think I understand the situation. Give me time to consider what I’ve just read. Don’t worry, I’ll be sure to give you my response soon enough. Until then, feel free to make yourselves at home in my palace.” The beastking passed the letter over to his aide.

  “Right, now we’ve got the formalities outta the way... There’s something I’ve been wanting to ask.” The beastking’s tone suddenly switched to a lighter one as he looked over at Kohaku. Well, it makes sense he’d be interested in that...

  “Is that white tiger with ya?”

  “That’s correct. It is Touya’s... servant, of sorts.”

  “Rawr.” Kohaku gave a short response, as if to affirm what she said. In Mismede, white tigers were considered sacred. There was a thing or two to be said about calling Kohaku a “servant,” but since I didn’t use a collar or a leash or anything like that, no one seemed to mind too much.

  The beastking spent a moment looking at Kohaku before slowly shifting his gaze to me.

  “...How very interesting. So, a white tiger-taming hero downed a dragon, eh? Geheheh, s’been a while since my blood’s boiled this hard! So then, boyo! Wanna spar with me?”

  “...Huh?” A small sound leaked from my mouth, signaling my confusion. The ministers surrounding us heaved a collective sigh of resignation as well. Wait... what?!

  There was a gigantic arena behind the white palace. It reminded me a bit of the Roman Colosseum. Man, this country is way too inconsistent.

  I’d been inexplicably brought there for a duel with the beastking. Why is this even happening?

  “Do forgive us, good Touya. His Beastliness is the type who cannot resist fighting anyone he thinks is strong. In all honesty, we are quite troubled by it, too.” Chancellor Glatz turned to apologize to me. He was an avian with gray wings. By his looks, I’d say that he was in his late forties. He was clad in a robe as dull as his wings. His mustache stuck out prominently too.

  “I would be truly grateful if you gave him some serious pain! Fight with all your might, please.”

  “Wait, hold up! Isn’t he your king? Are you sure you’re okay telling me to do that?” I looked at Glatz with obvious confusion in my eyes. Soon enough, the people next to him began backing him up.

  “We do not mind. Fight as you please. His Beastliness always looks down on the importance of state affairs! There are times when he just disappears and we find him training with the soldiers, overpowering every single one of them!”

  “There was also that time when he got an idea for a new weapon and just walked out to the blacksmith’s! It ruined our schedule and caused me so much trouble!”

  “Don’t forget when he said something about starting a grand tournament... Did he even consider the budget?!” Damn... the ministers of Mismede really have it tough, huh? The king of this country is kind of a weirdo, I guess. Well, it’s not like Belfast’s king is much better in that regard, but still...

  Pushing those thoughts aside, I took a wooden sword and headed for the center of the arena. The audience was made up of my friends, the Mismedian ministers, and a number of Mismedian soldiers, all ranked captain and above.

  The beastking was wielding a wooden sword and shield. I had the opportunity to take a shield, but I turned it down. I was no good at using them and preferred to be agile anyway, so it was fine.

  “The fight will last until one side receives an injury that would be fatal with real swords or if one side admits defeat. The use of magic is also permitted. H
owever, offensive magic aimed directly at your opponent is forbidden. Do both parties agree to these rules?” The referee, a horned fellow with dark skin, explained the rules to us.

  No offensive magic on the opponent, huh? Hm... that narrows down my options a bit. Still, the state ministers told me to go all out, so I guess I shouldn’t hold back.

  “Hey uh... are you sure you want to fight me?”

  “Heheheh. Of course, and don’t you dare hold back! Consider this a real battle. Use all you have and try to win!” I asked him for confirmation, and His Beastliness replied with a full smile. Man, is he really serious here?. His body is really well built... Not the kind I’d expect for a man of his age, honestly. He’s probably done some serious training.

  Guess I don’t have any other option. If he’s so serious about it, it’d be rude not to go all-out. I’ll just take the liberty of treating this as a real battle.

  The horned referee raised his arm high and took a look at both fighters before speedily casting his arm down.

  “Round one. Begin!”

  “[Slip].”

  “Wha-?!” The beastking fell over in a way that was almost magnificent. I quickly closed the distance between us and placed my wooden sword against his neck.

  “Alright. That’s a wrap.”

  “W-W-Wait a sec! This ain’t fair! What was that all about?!”

  “It was my Null spell, [Slip]. Non-offensive magic isn’t against the rules, right?”

  “No no no! That’s cheating! That’s not allowed! It wasn’t even a proper duel!” His Beastliness childishly protested. Seems he was unable to accept the outcome.

  Well, he does have a point... But all things considered, that’s the most efficient way of taking down an enemy, isn’t it? Well, so long as I’m up against an enemy that can’t fly.

  “I want a rematch! No magic this time!”

  “Hmm, well... what do you think, Chancellor?” I looked at Glatz and the ministers surrounding him. They seemed pretty confused at first, but once they realized why I brought them into the conversation, a few of them developed sly grins.

  “Well... We would prefer it if you refrained from delaying our governmental affairs any further.”

  “G-Glatz! Don’t say that! This won’t take long! I promise! Just give me a moment, okay?!”

  “Hmm... I’m not sure if I should...” His Beastliness ran over to the Chancellor and they began to talk about a few things. I could hear the beastking say things along the lines of “I’ll be more serious, I swear!” and “I’ll be where I have to, promise!” over and over.

  In response, the ministers gave him several conditions, which made him drop his shoulders in resignation. Still, he ended up agreeing to whatever terms they had given. Did I just do something bad...?

  “Sir Touya. If you do not mind, we would like you to have another battle with His Beastliness!” The beastking took up a position opposite me as Glatz asked for another round. He sounded a lot happier this time... Is it just me or does the king look a little annoyed?

  “That spell is forbidden this time. Got it?”

  “Got it.” We readied ourselves once more. And again, the referee raised his right arm before swinging it down.

  “Round two. Begin!” The beastking attacked me the very moment the duel began. I faced him head-on and twisted my body to gracefully evade the blow. Then, after backing down a bit, I charged toward him.

  “Come forth, Sand! Obstructing Dust Storm: [Blind Sa—].”

  “You’re slow.” The beastking leaped to me with the speed of a bullet and bashed me with his shield, forcing me to reposition myself. Crap, he interrupted the spell! I parried his wooden sword, launched a feint attack, and backed away again.

  But it was no use. He predicted my movements and lunged right where I retreated. He went for my chest. I somehow evaded his attack, but he followed it up with an attack against my throat.

  The second thrust surprised me, but I was able to bend my head in a way that caused him to merely scrape my ear. Whoa, that was close! Backing away was a bad idea... I’ve gotta go on the offensive!

  “[Multiple]!” Small magic circles began to form on the ground around my legs.

  “Hm?!” The beastking halted his charge when he saw them. Though just about anyone would do that, honestly. Hook, line and sinker! You fell for my bluff!

  “[Boost]!” I used magic to buff my physical abilities and quickly utilized my explosive speed to close in on the beastking. Victory is mine!

  “[Accel].” The beastking suddenly whispered something. The moment the words escaped his lips, his large body disappeared. My blade came down on nothing but thin air.

  “Wha—?!” Dumbfounded, I suddenly felt someone behind me. I ducked down by reflex alone and saw the beastking’s wooden sword fly above my head horizontally. I rolled away from him and adjusted my stance. What the heck was that?!

  “You were able to dodge that, huh? Not bad at all, boyo.”

  “Was... Was that a Null spell?”

  “You’re right. It was my own Null spell. I call it [Accel].”

  I knew it. So it’s a spell that accelerates your movement... No wonder I completely lost sight of him! What’s more annoying is that I don’t know anything about it. Does it have a time limit? Does it boost his muscles?

  “How does it work?”

  “It simply makes the body a bit faster. That’s all there is to it. Though, when used, it creates this magic barrier around the body that eats magical energy like crazy, so you can’t really keep it up for long. Normal humans can’t even see the speed I move with when it’s up, so I’ve gotta hand it to ya for being able to dodge that.” Ah, so it’s just a simple acceleration spell, then. The magic barrier was probably there to protect the body from the high speeds.

  “I see. I get how it works now. That’s a good spell you have there.”

  “It is, isn’t it? I’m pretty prou—”

  “In fact, I like it so much that I’m gonna use it too! [Accel]!” And, just like that, I used the beastking’s signature move against him. In but a moment, I dashed past the beastking and my wooden sword cleaved through thin air.

  Huh? Aww shit, I messed up the timing. Could’ve sworn I was aimed for his torso, but I was way off. This spell’s gonna take some getting used to... I tried to move a bit, but my own perception of speed couldn’t keep up with my body

  “Wha—?! You just... But... that’s my—!”

  “Wow... it’s harder to control than it looks! I won’t miss again, though.” I kicked into hyperspeed and closed in on the beastking once more. He cast [Accel] too, and we began an extremely fast exchange of attacks, dodges, backsteps, and parries. The barrage of his attacks was as fast as lightning, but my defense wasn’t far behind. I was quickly getting used to the speed. I could only assume that the spell accelerated my brain power and reflexes, as well.

  Our battle in this supersonic world felt just about normal for the both of us, but it was probably extremely hard for normal humans to see.

  However, I had a trump card. I’ll just combine this [Accel] spell with...

  “[Boost]!” With a flash, I gained even more speed! Magical acceleration stacked on top of my enhanced leg muscles. I reached a speed bordering on divine. No naked eye could follow my movements. Though it lasted only for a moment, I had completely exceeded the limits of [Accel] alone.

  “How?!” In less than a heartbeat, I was behind the beastking, pushing the wooden sword against his neck.

  “Checkmate.”

  “...I’m not sure what that word means, but it seems I’ve lost.” His Beastliness raised his hands and accepted defeat. Accepting his admission of defeat, the referee raised his right arm.

  “The winner is Sir Mochizuki Touya!” Following that declaration, everyone in the arena’s audience began applauding. In truth, I had expected a barrage of booing and jeering, mostly because I had just defeated the country’s king, but apparently my worries were unfounded.

  “I di
dn’t expect you to know how to use [Accel] as well... I had extreme confidence in that spell, so I became a tad conceited. I guess I should rethink my strategies!”

  “Well... maybe? Hahaha...” I laughed it off. Null magic was personal magic. People who could use the same Null spell were few and far between. Though, I heard that those from the same lineage might’ve had similar spells. Regardless, it was only natural for the beastking to be unprepared for my display. It was basically foul play.

  Shame I didn’t get to use any elemental magic. I can’t cast spells properly if the incantation is interrupted... Though that was rarely a concern for mages. They were nearly always backline fighters anyway. Still, it’d be really convenient if there was a way to use elemental magic without having that pesky incantation in the way...

  Come evening, there was a minor party in the palace. The guests were mostly Mismede’s ministers, the elite nobles, and important merchants. From what I could tell, it was meant to celebrate Olga’s return and to welcome Yumina, since she was the princess of Belfast and all.

  It wasn’t a proper feast, so attire didn’t matter all that much, but it just so happened that I ended up in formal wear.

  Both my upper and lower body were covered in white, but the vest coat they gave me was black. Then there was a broad, navy blue sash. All I needed was a turban and I’d look like some kind of Sinbad or Aladdin cosplayer.

  The party had a buffet, so most of the attendees were taking bites from the selection and enjoying some small talk.

  The guest of honor, Yumina, still wasn’t there. Neither were Elze, Linze, or Yae. They’re probably getting changed into their formal clothes. They won’t be in any trouble, Kohaku’s looking after them anyway.

  “Hey there, Sir Touya. That looks really good on you.” Champagne in hand and clad in a snazzy tailcoat rather than the usual armor, Lyon came up to me with a greeting. Being the son of the baronial Blitz family, he was probably used to fancy events already.