by Aneko Yusagi
“You’re wrong!” I snapped.
I was a tyrant. I was no Mr. Nice Guy. And to be honest, before I came to this world I was just some frivolous otaku! What were they thinking?!
We went on talking and Fohl took another swing at Jaralis. Determined not to lose, Jaralis pulled a collapsible spear out from behind his back and attempted to counterattack with it while dodging Fohl’s fierce swing. The head of the spear suddenly detached and shot straight toward Fohl’s face. But Fohl must have anticipated the attack, because he tilted his head to the side and dodged it.
“Ha! Did you really think an attack like that would work? The mercenaries in Zeltoble are a lot dirtier than that!” he exclaimed.
Well, yeah, Zeltoble was basically a huge collection of cowards, after all.
“You say you were comrades in arms? Sacrilege! Whatever the truth may be, I don’t trust a word that comes out of your mouth!” Fohl continued.
“What?! You dare attempt to disgrace me?! A pathetic half-breed like you!? You’ve gone too far!” Jaralis roared.
“No way . . .” mumbled Werner.
He must have known something I didn’t, because he looked horrified. But that didn’t concern me at the moment. The lion’s roar filled the hall. I thought the lion was supposed to be the king of the savanna. Were they really such dastardly creatures? Well, I guess this was a different world. And this bastard was just a therianthrope. He probably thought nothing was off limits as long as he won.
On the contrary, this fight was making Fohl look better. He’d been on the verge of being declared the weakest of us all.
“Stop screwing around! Help me finish this bastard already!” Jaralis shouted at the minotaur.
He ordered the minotaur to help defeat Fohl, but the minotaur was completely absorbed in his fight with Atla and wasn’t listening.
“I’ve never seen someone dodge like that. Trying to hit you is like batting at a feather dancing in the wind — so difficult!” the minotaur said.
Every time the minotaur attacked, Atla would divert the attack with her bare hands and then go spinning around. He was marveling at the way she maneuvered to divert each and every one, no matter how skillfully the attack had been executed. I would’ve expected him to be overcome with rage and go into a swinging frenzy, but he seemed to be more of the “intellectual warrior” type . H e remained calm and level-headed during battle. It was clear he was a formidable fighter.
“Then how about this?!” he shouted.
With a loud clunk, his axe split right down the middle, transforming it into two single-handed battle axes. He swung the axes at Atla from both sides in an attempt to sandwich her so that she couldn’t divert the attack.
“That can be diverted like this,” Atla replied.
As the axes came barreling at her from both sides, she placed a hand on each one and then leapt up into the air as gracefully as if she were dancing. With a determined shout, the minotaur altered the path of the axes in an attempt to crush her from above and below. But Atla carefully placed her hand on the blade of the top axe and pulled herself up over it in one swift, flowing movement.
“You’re not getting away!” the minotaur bellowed.
“Indeed. Because now I have you right where I want you,” she replied.
The minotaur thrust his horns at Atla and she gave him a light jab right between the eyes.
“What?!” he exclaimed.
“You finally left yourself open. Now then, I wonder how much stamina you have left after all that. As for me, I’ve just been hopping around and diverting your attacks,” Atla said.
Atla landed on the ground and closed in on the minotaur in a flash before unleashing a barrage of jabs into his chest.
“Ugh! Gah! Argh! I’m not done with you!” the minotaur bellowed.
Despite being bent over backward and falling toward the floor, he caught himself and returned to an upright position, but his axes slipped out of his hands and fell to the floor.
“You won’t be able to use your strength for a while. I sealed it off with those jabs,” Atla said.
“I’m still not going to let you win!” he shouted.
The same magic power that he’d channeled into his axe when he swung it earlier suddenly began erupting from every inch of his body.
“Like a true legendary warrior, you never give up,” Atla said.
“Your lofty sense of composure reminds me of that man’s spirit. Ha! I love it!” the minotaur exclaimed.
The two of them were really getting into the duel. In the meanwhile, Jaralis was still yelling at the minotaur to focus his attacks on Fohl.
“Ugh! Why am I surrounded by barbarians?! Do you not understand the concept of strategy in a battle?!” Jaralis growled.
“Strategy? Ha! Don’t make me laugh,” I said with a chuckle.
Jaralis glared at me.
“That’s not strategy. That’s you begging for help because you’re on the verge of losing. The way you’re fighting is far too sloppy to be called strategy,” I continued.
Even if the minotaur had been listening, what was Jaralis planning on doing about Atla? It’s not like she was going to just stand there quietly and watch the two of them finish Fohl off. Well, I guess it was possible in Atla’s case. But either way, there would have undoubtedly been consequences.
“You use a bunch of concealed weapons and surprise attacks, and then you go begging your friend for help when you’re about to lose. I can just imagine you blaming it all on him when you lose the duel too. Sorry, but I’m not going to let you do that. I’ll use my authority as the Shield Hero to make sure he’s protected,” I said.
“Ugh . . .”
Oh! Nice! I liked the way that made him look at me. He acted like propriety was so important, but he was really just a greedy bastard. Frankly speaking, I hated his type. That’s why pissing him off felt so good. The slave traders were scum too, but this guy was a different kind of scum. I could tell he despised me deep down. In fact, he made the slave traders seem like good guys, since you could never actually tell what they were thinking.
“Jaralis, was it? It only makes sense that you’d take full responsibility, right? There’s no way in hell I’m going to let you off the hook,” I said.
“Umm, Mr. Naofumi, why do you look like you’re enjoying this so much?” Raphtalia asked.
“Huh? Because he’s probably the one behind all of this. If things work out, I plan on using any means necessary to make him confess, whether that be torture, drugs, or whatever,” I replied.
“I can’t believe you just openly admitted something so extreme. Even I wasn’t expecting that,” Sadeena said.
“Hm?” Filo asked.
“Hey, Filo, if that guy tells any more lies, feel free to force the truth out of him,” I told her.
“Okaaaay, I will!” she replied.
“I’m pretty sure I can make a truth serum with my shield. I never had a reason to before now. Maybe I’ll make an absurdly powerful one and try it out on him,” I said.
We’d almost been poisoned, after all. Surely it would be okay to use a truth serum on the prime suspect.
“Or maybe we should see if you can outdrink me. I’ll even give you a handicap. I mean, we’ll be competing using rucolu fruits, so it probably won’t help,” I continued.
The Siltvelt leaders all gasped and covered their mouths with their hands. The thought of eating a rucolu fruit seemed bizarre to them.
“Oh my! I want to play too!” Sadeena exclaimed.
“Oh yeah, you were telling me all about rucolu fruit before, weren’t you?” I replied.
She’d mentioned that the fruit was sometimes used to assassinate people. It could induce acute alcohol poisoning.
“That sounds good, right? You get the privilege of drinking with a hero. Even if you get drunk and end up dead, you’ll be dying happy, right?” I continued.
Everything he said was a lie. He was just a piece of scum dragging this country down. Nothing bad cou
ld come from getting rid of him.
“Regardless, you can’t seriously think I’m going to let you off the hook after you lose. Don’t underestimate the heroes,” I said.
“Get over yourself, otherworlder!” Jaralis roared.
His eyes were burning with rage. I guess he was finally going to show his true colors. I’d barely had to bait him at all—setting him off had been a breeze. But seriously, I’d just gotten tired of hearing his excuses.
“Fohl, hurry up and finish him off. Atla is enjoying her fight too much. She’s just going to keep going forever if you don’t stop her,” I said.
“You don’t have to tell me that! I’m done playing games!” Fohl snapped.
Fohl crouched down low, held his hands out, and pressed his palms together. What was that? It looked like a pose a character in a fighting game might make before using a really impressive finishing move. Or maybe a special move that belonged to some Super Vegeta . . . ble Man. Either of those would’ve been fine, as long as his hair didn’t turn all spiky and blonde. That would have been unacceptable.
“Hengen Muso Fist Technique . . .” Fohl said quietly.
I could tell he was concentrating hard. I saw something appear between his hands before he gripped them tightly to form fists. Did that mean nothing was going to shoot out of them?
“Why are you looking at Fohl with a disappointed look on your face, Mr. Naofumi?” Raphtalia asked.
“It’s just that I expected him to shoot something out of his hands after making a pose like that. I mean, even Melty holds her hands out in front of her when she fires off magic and stuff, right?” I replied.
“I think I understand what you’re trying to say, but I have a feeling you’re imagining something different than we would,” she said.
No I wasn’t. I just wanted to see some kind of super-secret move is all.
“Fist of the Tiger Slayer!” Fohl shouted.
He dashed toward Jaralis and smashed his fist right through the spear in Jaralis’s hands and into his stomach. I hadn’t expected him to land a clean hit that easily.
“Gaaaahhhhh!”
Fohl’s powerful punch sent Jaralis flying through the air and into the wall, which cracked when his body smashed into it. He’d flown right between Atla and the minotaur while they were staring each other down, and they both turned their attention to him in surprise.
“Hmph! That was too easy!” Fohl declared.
He folded his arms confidently. I couldn’t tell if Jaralis had just been weak or if Fohl was actually strong.
“Oh my, that was impressive,” said Sadeena.
“I guess so,” I replied.
“Atla! I’m coming to help!” Fohl shouted.
“That won’t be necessary. It is I who must fight this battle,” she replied.
“Hmph . . . I don’t mind! Bring it on!” the minotaur exclaimed.
“Atla!” Fohl whined.
“You’re in the way, Brother!” she shouted.
Atla gave Fohl a sharp jab to the chest when he ignored her and tried to interfere anyway. He gripped at his chest and fell to his knees.
“Ugh . . .”
“I guess that means Atla is the strongest one here,” I said.
Fohl appearing strong must have been an illusion. But seriously, Atla! What happened to showing the people of Siltvelt her pride and dignity as a retainer of the Shield Hero?
“Alright then, here I come! This ends here!” the minotaur bellowed.
“So it shall!” Atla replied.
The minotaur fused the two battle axes back into a single axe and held it behind him like he was going to drag it along the ground.
“That again? Techniques are far less exciting once they’ve already been used,” she said.
“This one is different. You’ll see when it hits you,” he replied.
“Sorry to disappoint you, but I’m going to see through this one too.”
“Ha! This was fun, heiress of Tyron!”
“D-don’t tell me . . . Shield Hero, we are in danger here!” Werner warned me.
“We’re fine. Who do you think I am?” I replied.
I was the Shield Hero. My worth as a hero would be questionable if I couldn’t withstand an attack or two. And if there was an enemy capable of delivering an attack I couldn’t withstand, it would probably be in everyone’s best interest if I stuck around and made sure the enemy went down with me.
“I’ll catch any stray bullets that come our way. That’ll make things simple if that’s all it takes to prove I’m the Shield Hero,” I continued.
The minotaur went charging forward, and the floor below his feet cracked and crumbled with each step. Atla dashed straight at him.
The minotaur bellowed out an earth-shaking battle cry and a swirling mass of magic power poured out of his mouth and took on the form of a bull. It was an incredible sight. Even if it was me trying to block that attack head-on, the impact probably would’ve sent me and my shield flying. Not that I planned on ever being careless enough to have to take such an attack head-on.
“Stampede of the Iron Bull!”
The minotaur lifted his axe high into the air and then hurled it toward Atla. The axe took on the form of a bull and went flying at her.
“Oh my, that is indeed a potent and fearsome attack. Such an arcane technique is certainly worthy of praise,” Atla said.
And yet she looked completely relaxed. The attack charged straight at her in the form of a raging bull. Atla leapt straight at the bull and jabbed her finger right between its eyes. With another thundering battle cry, the minotaur went charging after, as if to fuse with the raging bull made of magic power. Atla exhaled powerfully and a loud hiss reverberated throughout the hall.
“Haaa!” she cried out.
She switched from using a single finger, to her whole hand, and then to both hands to stop the raging bull in its tracks. I had a feeling I could see something like concentrated life energy emanating from her hands.
“I shall take the liberty of attacking as well. This is my imitation of the Hengen Muso technique Point of Focus—no, make that Orb of Focus!” she exclaimed.
Atla held the raging bull in place with one hand and began to form a small orb of light in her other hand. It grew for several seconds before she injected it into the bull’s body at the point between his eyes. The minotaur began to howl but then stopped suddenly.
“Urgah?!”
Despite the fact that we were watching from relatively far away, we could see the small orb of light make its way through the raging bull’s body toward the heart, where it then burst. The magic power that had taken on the form of the raging bull shattered and dissipated, revealing the minotaur once again. He was standing there motionless with Atla’s finger resting on the point between his eyes.
“Superb. Your softness, rather than hardness, distinguishes you from Tyron. But you are clearly the reincarnation of his spirit,” the minotaur said.
“Coming from you, there could be no higher praise. I accept your words with gratitude,” Atla replied.
“I wish I could say I look forward to meeting you on the battlefield again . . . some . . . day.”
The moment he finished his sentence, the minotaur collapsed onto the floor with a loud thud. Atla didn’t seem to have taken much damage at all. That didn’t make the minotaur seem very strong, but maybe I was mistaken.
“Hey, Sadeena. How strong was that guy Atla just fought?” I asked.
“Hmm . . . Strong enough that I’m not sure I could have beaten him without your hero stat boosts,” she replied.
Using herself as the standard didn’t make things any clearer. I guess it was my fault for asking her. Regardless, putting it that way must have meant he was pretty powerful.
“He had not only power, but also speed. His fighting style was creative and daring. And each of those aspects was of the finest caliber. I can confidently say that he was a one-of-a-kind warrior,” Atla said proudly.
I looked ove
r at Werner and the genmu and they nodded in agreement.
“He was considered one of the most powerful warriors in Siltvelt, second only to the Claw Hero. Practically speaking, that places anyone that could defeat him among the most elite of warriors,” Werner said.
“Half-breed or not, that girl’s hakuko spirit could be no purer. There is no truer embodiment of a warrior of Siltvelt than her. That is a fact,” added the genmu proudly.
“I hate to admit it, but you’re right. She is worthy of being considered a hakuko and a member of one of Siltvelt’s four elite races. As a retainer, though, I still have doubts about her strength, among other things,” Werner said.
“A hakuko? That is irrelevant. I simply did my duty as Mr. Naofumi’s retainer. Whether or not I have human blood running through my veins is of no consequence,” Atla replied.
“Oh? Well, that’s fine too. We can decide who will stand at the lead of Siltvelt’s four elite races at a later date. What is important now is pledging our loyalty to the Shield Hero. Nothing more,” Werner said.
“I’m not sure I agree with any of you,” I mumbled.
I just couldn’t wrap my head around the way they did things in this country. But regardless, this meant that we would finally be able to get that ship to Q’ten Lo and—
“Not yet . . . I’m not done . . . yet . . . I haven’t lost yet . . .”
Battered and bloody, Jaralis mumbled defiantly as he crawled to his feet.
Chapter Nine: Beast Transformation
“It seems your claws need sharpening, Brother,” Atla said.
“A-Atla?! Fine! I get it! I’ll finish him for good this time!” Fohl exclaimed.
Just as Fohl readied himself to attack, Jaralis pulled a vial out of his pocket. It seemed to be filled with some kind of concoction.
“Hmph! I never imagined you would drive me this far. But this is a fight that I can’t afford to lose!” Jaralis roared.
He snapped the end of the vial off and gulped down whatever had been inside. I could suddenly hear his heart throbbing loudly, even from as far away as we were standing.
