Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 52: Day of the Match
A few days later, the day of the match against Kane arrived.
Since the competition involved hunting a wyvern in a cave located at the top of the forest, the starting point was set at the entrance of the forest.
As we headed toward the forest entrance, we found Kane and the members of “Dragon King’s Flame” already waiting there, along with Remi from the Adventurer’s Guild, who was there as a witness.
Given that this was a competition held in the forest, there were no spectators like during the previous duel between Alicia and Kane.
“Hey, Lloyd. You actually came without running away.”
Kane said, looking down at me with a smug smile.
Leaning on Kane’s arm were Lena and Emi, who took turns speaking.
“I thought you were late because you ran away.”
“You showed up without backing down. I’ll give you credit for that.”
Kane seemed to enjoy their support, smiling even wider as he received encouragement from Lena and Emi, who pressed their chests against his arm.
“…Gross, what a disgusting guy.”
“You’re so filthy, it’s hard to look at you.”
Next to me, Lilina and Alicia glared at Kane with cold eyes.
In between them was me, the villain of this anime—Lloyd.
…My position and personality have completely changed.
As I thought about this, I let out a deep sigh.
“Now that both parties are here, I’ll explain the rules for today’s match.”
Remi glanced at us and Kane, confirming that we were all paying attention. She cleared her throat before continuing.
“The target for this hunt is a wyvern that resides in the cave. Please bring back both the wyvern’s fangs and claws as proof of the hunt. The team that returns to the Adventurer’s Guild with these materials first will be declared the winner of this match.”
Once Remi finished explaining the rules, Kane leaned back and pointed decisively at me.
“If I lose, Lloyd will be my party’s errand boy for life. There’s no right to refuse.”
As he said this, Lena, Emi, and Zard behind us all laughed.
Given their relaxed atmosphere, it seemed they couldn’t imagine a future where they would lose.
I put on a nonchalant smile to match their mood.
“If you guys lose, you’ll have to give up on Alicia.”
“Hah! I’m not interested in that lousy elf anymore. Right now, all I care about is how to use you, Lloyd!!”
Kane glared at me with a frown, clearly annoyed by my calm demeanor.
Alright, with that much of a verbal commitment, it should be enough.
I shifted my gaze to Remi.
She nodded and then looked at Kane.
“Then, both parties agree to accept those conditions if they lose. As the witness, I vow to bear witness to both parties.”
“I’ll warn you, if you pull off some lousy trick this time, you won’t get away with it, you lousy guild employee.”
“Lousy trick? Wasn’t it you, Kane, who asked for the match to be stopped?”
Even after Remi pointed this out, Kane continued to glare at her along with Lena and the others.
It seemed Kane was still holding a grudge from the previous duel with Alicia.
While I think it’s typical for Kane to provoke the others and then say to stop when they actually participate, it might not be something I should comment on, given that I crashed the party.
“Hey, Lloyd. It’s only natural that our parties will interfere with each other in this match since we’re targeting the same monster.”
Kane pointed out.
“Yeah, that’s right. There shouldn’t be any problem with that.”
As I said this, Kane grinned widely and seemed pleased.
…He could at least hide his expression a little better.
While thinking this, I glanced at Lilina and Alicia.
It seemed that they understood what I wanted to convey, as they both nodded slightly.
We had formulated a strategy for the match against Kane and his group.
After all, we weren’t foolish enough to challenge a party of A-rank adventurers without any thought.
An important part of our strategy was reading the opponent’s movements.
And since Kane’s personality was similar to that of the anime’s Lloyd, if I could predict the actions that Lloyd would take, I could also anticipate Kane’s actions to some extent.
“Are you ready?”
With Remi’s words, we took a few steps back to distance ourselves.
The fact that we didn’t take too much distance suggested that we were thinking along the same lines.
It seemed we shared some similarities.
While pondering this, I kept a poker face.
“Let the match begin! Huh?”
At Remi’s signal, Kane and his party all turned towards us at once.
Ignoring Remi’s surprised voice at the sudden turn of events, Kane let out a hearty laugh.
“If we can interfere with each other, then there’s no problem with just crushing each other right away! Lloyd!!!”
“…Yeah, that’s right. There’s no problem at all.”
Before Kane and his group could draw their weapons, I quickly placed both hands on the ground.
“‘Black Mist (Magic)’!”
“Eh, whoa! What is this?!”
Suddenly, a surge of black mist erupted, obscuring our vision.
In a situation where I couldn’t see a few steps ahead, I quickly took Remi’s hand.
“Eh, eh?! W-What’s going on?! What’s happening?!”
“The match has just started. Remi, it’s dangerous, so we’re moving away from here.”
Saying that, I guided Remi and Alicia to either side of me.
Since I couldn’t see Lilina, she must have already been in position, ready to go.
A smirk that resembled that of a villain crossed my face, even more than the one Kane had earlier.
Now, let the battle begin…