Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 53: Bout vs. Leone?
Upon entering the tent seeking a battle with Leone, there was a beastkin maid stuffing her mouth full with sweets from the table.
“Maid… This is different from what I heard.”
Bout was slightly unsettled by the sight before him.
The opponent he thought was a princess turned out to be a maid, or was it Leone disguised as a maid?
She was said to be around fifteen, but she appeared much younger than he had imagined. Well, it’s said that women can easily deceive age with makeup. Perhaps it’s a trap to catch him off guard.
“Nom nom, munch munch.”
His own senses recognized this girl as a strong one.
Perhaps being able to indulge in food wholeheartedly in this situation was a sign of someone important.
For now, he would find out through a fight.
“Excuse me, Princess Leone.”
“Chomp chomp, slurp slurp.”
“I wish to spar with you.”
“Chew chew chew chew chew chew chew chew chew chew.”
Buchin!
Clang!
“Ah…”
Frustrated, Bout kicked over the table piled with sweets. A large amount of candy scattered across the ground. He stomped on the candy.
“Ur’s sweets…”
“I wish to spar with you.”
The maid trembled, her head bowed.
Did he misjudge her… he thought, just as…
“Hmph! Hmph! Hmph!”
A barrage of punches, surprisingly heavy and sharp for such a small body, struck Bout.
“Guaaaah!”
He instinctively guarded, but the unexpected power sent his body flying out of the tent. His arm, which had blocked the attack, throbbed with pain.
“I was pushed out⁈”
It was an unexpected sucker punch.
But even more astonishing was the power behind it.
“How dare you touch Ur’s sweets… I will never forgive you.”
Bout’s body thrilled at the killing intent emanating from the formidable opponent.
It had been a while since he had been able to rampage seriously.
The maid dashed towards Bout.
“Hahaha! Let’s go, Demon Slayer Fist!”
Bout thrust his fist forward with force, aiming to attack the maid with his fist pressure. However, the maid avoided it by lowering her posture even further.
The force of Bout’s fist pressure cut through the air, blowing the tent away with the two inside.
There was almost twice the usual height difference between the two.
By lowering her posture, the maid widened the height difference between them even more, causing Bout’s fist to miss its target and creating a large gust of wind—along with other effects.
“――⁈ She disappeared!”
Bout, with his higher vantage point, had the illusion that the maid had vanished. Seizing this opportunity, the maid closed the distance to Bout’s chest.
“Going down?”
“Too slow!”
With all her might, the maid’s fist pierced Bout’s solar plexus.
In agony like never before, Bout’s knees buckled.
“Guhhh, crushed!”
Instantly, the maid distanced herself, narrowly dodging Bout’s counterattack.
“Ugh, too tough, no satisfying impact.”
“Hehehe, hahahaha!”
Bout burst into laughter, filled with joy.
“This is it! This is the kind of fight I’ve been hoping for! Thank you, Princess Leone, you’re beyond my expectations!”
“Princess Leone? What are you talking about?”
“The clever body movements you used, leveraging the height difference earlier. You must have considerable practical experience, Princess Leone!”
“I told you, I’m not Princess Leone. Are you hard of hearing? Should I ask master to fix that for you?”
“And your precise martial arts movements, without any wasted motion! You’ve been blessed with a good mentor! Does the Sword Saint of Light teach martial arts too, Princess Leone?!”
“No, I’m trying to say—”
“Moreover, your skill level is impressive! I never thought a royal from the Kingdom of Suiroku would have such high skill. Now, let’s continue, Princess Leone—put your life on the line!”
“…Wait, am I really Princess Leone? I’m starting to get a headache.”
After a good laugh, Bout’s demeanor shifted from the lighthearted atmosphere to a serious one.
A murderous intent, absent until now, pierced the maid’s skin like needles.
The maid’s ears and tail hairs bristled, her animal instincts keenly sensing Bout’s intent to kill and the danger it posed.
“This guy… is pretty dangerous, isn’t he?”
Recognizing Bout as a formidable enemy, Ur retrieved a weapon concealed in her sleeve and equipped it. It was a menacing mace with sharp spikes, designed not for blunt strikes but for piercing. Hence, it was even more deadly, and it was clear that Ur intended to kill Bout.
“What a menacing weapon.”
“I want to finish this quickly and go home, so let’s end this with this.”
The two stared each other down.
In the tense atmosphere, Ur caught sight of the real Princess Leone lying limply several meters behind Bout. At that moment, she remembered her promise to Absolute.
“Bring Princess Leone back with you.”
“…………….”
“Hm? Why aren’t you fighting?”
Bout was puzzled by the wavering fighting spirit from Ur and questioned her.
Without answering his question, after recalling Absolute’s command and thinking for a moment, Ur decided to retreat.
“I’ll stop fighting after all. It’s troublesome, so don’t come after us.”
After putting away the mace and switching off combat mode, Ur passed by Bout’s side, carrying the fallen Princess Leone on her back, and disappeared from the scene.
Bout simply watched as they left.
“She even knows when to withdraw… Truly remarkable, Princess Leone.”
After the two had left, Bout could see Bruce and the others approaching from afar.
Bout speculated that they probably judged it would be tough to regroup once they joined forces.
“You look satisfied, Bout. Was Princess Leone really that impressive?”
“Hmm, Princess Leone exceeded my expectations.”
“Huh, really? She was certainly strong, but was she that satisfying for you?”
The Princess Leone that Bruce and Bout imagined was not the same. Therefore, Bout, unaware of this discrepancy, criticized Bruce.
“Your judgment is off. I’m disappointed.”
“Eeh…”
“Yeah, Princess Leone. Let’s settle this next time.”
With that, all the battles were over, and the defeat of the kingdom’s army was sealed, placing the second city under the control of the Black Fairies.
♢
As Ur successfully retreated, Absolute lounged in a room within the castle.
He sat on a luxurious sofa, engrossed in reading. Honestly, he considered it a vacation, despite the situation with Princess Leone and the others.
“Ark, is it okay for you to relax like this? Didn’t Prince Sicilian instruct you to find the culprit who killed the king?”
The negotiator, unable to bear Absolute’s idleness, spoke up.
Indeed, after being refused accompaniment by Princess Leone, Absolute was tasked by Prince Sicilian to find the culprit behind the king’s poisoning.
However, there was a reason why Absolute was leisurely enjoying his time in the room without taking any action.
“It’s obviously impossible. Searching would be a waste of time.”
Absolute had given up.
Even though Prince Sicilian had granted him some discretion, there were naturally things that he, as a foreigner from another country, couldn’t be shown. Therefore, he didn’t want to waste his efforts in the absence of sufficient information.
“Besides, in my estimation, the culprit is likely a high-ranking figure, with many collaborators within the castle. They’ve probably covered up all evidence and coordinated their stories perfectly. If I were to speculate, the prime minister, or Prince Sicilian himself staging it, and his fiancée, Bisquidorl, could be involved, along with an external assassin for the grand finale.”
“I see… Lord Ark, that’s a very intriguing opinion. But if you’re going to relax, could you do it in your own room? This is technically my office, and there are documents here that I can’t show you…”
Sicilian said with a troubled expression, gesturing towards the large desk used for official business.
Yes, the room where Absolute was lounging was not his assigned quarters but Sicilian’s office where he was working.
Bisquidor, who was supporting Sicilian, seemed displeased at being treated as a suspect, glaring sharply in their direction.
“I refuse. I’m staying in the castle under the guise of a guard. I’ll never let the culprit get within my range. They might be targeting from a distance.”
Without any remorse, Absolute answered while reading his book.
In the original story, there was no assassination, but since Absolute interferes with the story as Absolute, there’s ample potential for irregularities to occur.
That’s why Absolute is taking every precaution to provide protection.
“It’s just me and Bisquidor in this room, so it’s fine.”
“Forgetful, aren’t you? That woman is also one of the suspects, you know?”
“Please stop it. I’ll get angry.”
Bisquidor’s voice contained a hint of anger.
“Are you offended? But doubting is my job right now. If you don’t like it, ignore it.”
The atmosphere in the room soured.
Sicilian could only manage a wry smile.
Suddenly, there was a commotion outside the room.
Knocking on the door echoed in the room.
As a precaution, Absolute opened the door, revealing one of the flustered servants.
“Prince Sicilian! Princess Leone has returned!”
The urgent report was about the return of Princess Leone, who was supposed to be on a mission.