Chapter 55: Great of Rounds⑫
W-Why are these two… insulting each other while wrestling in a fight?
What happened to that heartwarming mother-daughter moment? Is this a “heartwarming beatdown”?
“This means a duel!”
“Fine. Let’s see that losing face again.”
“Hah?”
“Huh?”
“W-What are you two doing?”
They started glaring at each other aggressively, so I couldn’t help but intervene.
“This is perfect. Wof, you’ll be the witness!”
“Alright, and the winner gets Wof!”
“You damn old hag!”
Wait, what did she just say? And what the heck even happened?
They wouldn’t answer me, and so they decided to duel in the courtyard.
Not as big as the arena, but still a decent space.
Ruriha-san wielded the black spear, Shadow Dancer.
Mineha-san had the blue spear, Yousei Gensou (Fairy Star Manifest Spear).
They glared at each other, and I, confused, gave the signal.
“Begin!”
Immediately, Ruriha-san summoned a bunch of Shadow Ruriha copies. Planning to end it all at once?
But Mineha-san was unafraid. She boldly approached the shadow copies and started taking them down.
“Daaaaahhh!!”
She handled her spear like a sword in close-range attacks.
The spear’s tip was sharp, but the shaft wasn’t cutting like a blade.
Even swinging it sideways was just like hitting with a stick.
Yet, strangely, 2–3 Shadow Ruriha copies were taken down at once.
“W-What…?!”
Even Ruriha-san was taken aback by the sheer power.
Looking closely, nine stars were attached to Mineha-san’s spear.
Eight of the stars rotated along the spear in a spiral, and the ninth sat at the tip, also spiraling.
At high speed, it looked like a drill. No… it was already a drill.
There was no beating that. The Shadow Luriha copies were quickly wiped out.
“You didn’t use that earlier!”
True, she hadn’t. This must be Mineha-san’s secret move.
And unlike before, this time she had momentum. Full momentum.
Thinking back, Mineha-san in the exhibition match lacked this drive.
She didn’t seem like her usual self. Hesitant, unsure, nervous… passive and defensive.
Probably because she was facing Ruriha-san—her mother.
But now, it was completely different. No hesitation.
Maybe calling her mother a “damn old hag” took the restraint away.
She was determined to win.
The Shadow Ruriha copies were wiped out, and Ruriha-san was cornered.
“Ugh… What? This is completely different from before!!”
Ruriha-san roared, and her spear flashed. Mineha-san instantly backed off.
“What, you didn’t use that either, right?”
Mineha-san pointed out.
Ruriha-san had switched spears.
From “damn old hag” to “you” now… what a sudden change.
The yellow spear had translucent spheres at both ends. The handle was striped black and yellow, and the spear shaft had barbs like a harpoon.
“I don’t really want to use it. ‘Thunder Sonia’s Donner’ can’t be used lightly,” she said.
Suddenly, lightning struck her spear. A huge current flowed, and the spheres at both ends discharged in a fantastic display.
Ah, like the Tesla coil discharges in my past-life memories.
Maybe Ruriha-san had a relic for lightning.
“I’ll settle this!”
Mineha-san steeled herself.
The eight stars spinning along her spear and the ninth at the tip accelerated to extreme speed.
Sparks flew, appearing like twinkling stars.
Both drew their trump cards and glared at each other.
“This is the final strike, Mineha.”
“Yes, this will decide it.”
I… wish she had shown this in the exhibition match.
No, what I felt was the raw power from both spears.
Unbelievably intense.
I got a bad feeling and used Crisis Detection. I froze.
Everything was pitch black. This… this is bad!!
“—Starlight—!”
“…Raitei…”
Ah. They both dashed forward simultaneously.
“—Braverrr!!!”
“…Indiraa!!!”
Just before they collided, I stopped their spears.
Using Rave Move, I inserted myself between them.
Ruriha-san’s spear was stopped by Gauntlets of Serenity.
It shattered under the electricity. Again!
Mineha-san’s spear was stopped with a Thick Knife.
The drill spun her spear apart. Damn it!
“Huh?”
“Eh?”
Both looked adorably confused. The power drained from their spears.
Good, I managed to stop it.
“Oh my, what are you doing, Wof?”
“What do you mean?”
“Ah, it was dangerous.”
“Oh my, what was?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
I told them that if they had collided, this entire area might have been destroyed.
Exaggeration aside, we could have died.
Mineha-san gave a wry smile, not laughing at my explanation.
Ruriha-san, still annoyed, forced a slight grin.
Sigh…
The Gauntlets of Serenity will auto-repair, but I’ll need to replace the knife.
Ugh, that goddess audience is coming up again.
“So why were you two even fighting?”
“That’s a secret.”
“Lots of reasons.”
They had no intention of telling me.
“Then next time, please fight more calmly.”
“Yes. We’ll do that, Mother.”
“Yes, calmly.”
Mineha-san naturally said “Mother.”
Ruriha-san looked happy. Good.
Then they returned to the rooftop of the lookout tower.
They seemed to want to talk a bit more. Hopefully, everything’s alright.
I left home and stopped by Arifa-san’s shop.
After talking with her about today’s meeting, I consulted her about a knife.
“You really do break knives often, huh.”
“Tell me about it. So, do you have any sturdy, thick knives?”
“Hmmm… sturdy and thick… Ah, wait a moment.”
“Y-Yes.”
Arifa-san went to the back of the counter.
After a short while, she returned carrying a wooden box.
She placed the box on the floor, lid on.
“This was an unsorted shipment sent by Agaro a long time ago.”
While saying that, she opened the lid.
Inside was a messy jumble of items.
“Agaro-san? You mean it’s loot from a bandit group?”
“Well, maybe. There might also be dungeon finds in here. I think there are a few knives, and… oh, look, it’s written on the lid.”
A tattered piece of paper was stuck to the box lid.
In messy handwriting were words like “strange rings,” “silver necklaces,” and “block of iron?”
Among them, I could barely read “Thick knife?”
Pretty rough labeling… very much like Agaro-san.
“Really? Can I look for it?”
“That’s why I brought it. Feel free.”
“Thank you.”
I used Fortune’s Wheel.
Several green glows appeared. No yellow or blue ones.
The thick knife was found immediately.
It was the largest item in the box, radiating green light.
When I took it out, the handle was curved, almost like a machete.
It was sheathed in leather, and when drawn, a completely black, square blade emerged.
The blade looked like a thick iron plate.
It was slightly heavy, but manageable. Yeah, the shape is weird, but it’s perfect.
I’ll take this one.
“How much is this?”
“Hmm… if we appraise it… 5,000 will do.”
I guess that’s not too bad. It felt like a decent discount.
I hesitated a little but paid 5,000 oro.
“Don’t break it immediately this time. If you break too many, the Knife Goddess will appear in your dreams,”
Arifa-san said, laughing.
“Huh… the Knife Goddess?”
I’ve already met her.
“Yes. It’s an old superstition—she’ll scold you in your dreams. I used to hear it a lot when I lived in the slums of Abdora.”
“Abdora…?”
“The Abdraal Empire. That’s where Agaro and I are from.”
“Ahh…”
“Quite far from here, actually.”
“You mean the desert one?”
“Oh, you know about it, huh.”
It sounded vaguely Arabian.
And Arifa-san and Agaro-san had that sort of appearance too.
“A turbaned street vendor once told me.”
“That area has lots of ethnic groups living together. The larger ones are called principalities. Abdora. Abdraal is the largest, and it calls itself an empire.”
“I see… learned something new.”
“Even from here, it would take over a year by carriage.”
“Far away.”
“And the roads aren’t flat. You’d have to cross big rivers and mountains. On top of that, dangerous monsters and bandits lurk everywhere.”
“Sounds tough.”
“Yeah, you risked your life. This country… I’m glad I made it to Hydrangea. Back then, Abdora was in chaos with ongoing civil wars. Now, it seems calmer.”
“Don’t you ever want to go back home?”
“No. We didn’t own a house in the slums. Few possessions, and when we fled, friends and acquaintances were scattered and lost. Nothing remains. This is home for me.”
“I see…”
“Then how about you, Wof? Don’t you ever want to return home?”
I answered immediately.
“No. My hometown is a remote, backwater village about two months from here. I think my parents and siblings are fine, but I’m not the typical eldest son, so I left. There’s no place for me there anymore.”
“I see.”
I had always planned to leave the village.
I came to Hydrangea because my uncle had a hideout here.
Since I could stay here, I came.
“So, in a way, I can say this is my home too.”
I have a house, friends, and people who matter to me.
Lately, every day is chaotic, but I enjoy it.
It’s tough, but it’s fun in its own way.