The Tale of A Man Who Believed That His Reincarnation Had Granted Him A Japanese Sword And The Greatest Battle Sense, Only To Have The God Finally Inform Him "Huh, I Didn't Give You Any Combat Sense… That's Scary…" - Episode 14

Gripping the sheath of his katana with his left hand, Arthur approached the scene where he had been kicked in the face, and by then, a crowd of onlookers had already gathered. Arthur pinched his nose to skillfully spray bl00d, shook his head a few times, and quickly resumed his stance.

Arthur’s stance looks quite unique. Holding daggers in both hands with an underhand grip, he lowers his head and raises his hips like a crouching start, adopting a posture reminiscent of a threatening cat.

The atmosphere is completely different from the thieves I’ve cut down until now…

With each step I take closer to Arthur, who is taking up a stance, I feel a tingling sensation like static electricity. This must be what the killing intent of a strong person feels like. The closer I get to him, the stronger this static-like sensation becomes, and his expression tightens.

“Hey, isn’t that… Arthur from the adventurer clan ‘Orders’? Why is he fighting in a place like this?”

“Yeah, I don’t get it. I don’t get it, but the killing intent is intense, like they’re seriously ready to kill each other.”

“Who is Arthur fighting? I’ve never seen that guy before.”

The body naturally assumes a stance. The body is turned sideways, with the right shoulder forward and the left hip slightly pulled back. The left-hand rests on the scabbard, and the right-hand hovers near the hilt, barely touching it. There are three steps left to the sword’s range, and slowly, dragging his feet like a seriously ill person heading to the sickbed, he closes the distance little by little.

Staring at Arthur’s neck, if I were to step into range and strike, the slender child in front of me would likely aim for my neck as well. Just one and a half steps away from the sword’s range, I noticed something. The wind was blowing towards me.

“All winds, push me forward! Full Assist Wind!!”

Arthur shouts something. Then, as if all the wind in this place gathers around Arthur, a roaring sound echoes, and Arthur is enveloped by the wind. Whoa, what’s going on here? Not only can he shoot fireballs, but he can also wrap himself in wind? This concept of magic in this world…!

“Ahhh!!? W-what a strong wind!!”

“Hey, hey, hey, hey, they’re even using advanced magic in the middle of the city! If we don’t get out of here fast, we’ll get caught up in this too!”

Due to the violent winds swirling around Arthur, the windows of nearby buildings shatter, doors are torn off their hinges and sent flying, and even the terrace seats of the café where people were just enjoying apple pie are blown away without a trace.

Just as I thought he had crouched down even lower, Arthur’s figure disappeared from in front of me in an instant. I couldn’t follow him with my eyes, but my body reacted perfectly.

In an instant, the blade drawn from its sheath and slashed upward with lightning speed firmly intercepted Arthur’s dagger strike, which had come at him with a speed that could only be described as divine. Although it was a blow that couldn’t be followed with the eyes, I clearly understood where it was aimed.

“If you’re going to deal a fatal blow with a dagger, aiming for the throat is the best way to go… Wappa!!”

My mouth moves smoothly without my conscious awareness. It feels as if it’s not me.

After blocking Arthur’s strike aimed at his carotid artery, Arthur hurriedly twisted his body in mid-air and delivered a kick towards his chin. Just before Arthur’s kick hit, he forcefully swung his head in the direction of the kick to deflect it. He then switched his grip from overhand to underhand and swung his sword with all his might, feeling a solid impact.

“Ugh…!! To think you could see through my initial strike combined with wind magic…!!”

As Arthur swung his sword, he unleashed a strong gust of wind towards me. Using the recoil, he practically leaped back to create distance. Looking closely, I could see his right shoulder had been deeply slashed. Despite swinging with the intent to kill, not delivering a fatal blow made me feel a bit less confident.

“Arthur. Stop it already. If you come any closer, I won’t hold back. Next time, I’ll knock your head off.”

Shaking off Arthur’s bl00d from the blade, I sheathe the sword. I’ve seen his attack once. I don’t know how he does it, but it seems he gathers wind all over his body and uses its force to propel himself with an acceleration that the eye can barely follow. If that’s the case, then his attack is straightforward, and if one were to attack efficiently with a dagger, the targets would be limited: the head, the nape of the neck, the armpit, the heart

“That speed is astonishing, but attacks infused with killing intent are easy to read. Moreover, that speed is limited to a straight line, and I’ve gotten used to it.”

I can see Arthur catch his breath. He pauses for a moment, as if pondering.

“The warriors of the northern lands fear even the great bears! I’m not afraid of dying, but I absolutely refuse to lose, even if it means death!!”

The wind gathers around Arthur, and after a moment of silence, a violently strong wind sweeps through.

“If I’m going to be called straightforward, then I’ll show them by overcoming that insult in battle!! I’m here… to become stronger!!”

Arthur jumps. The next moment, Arthur appears directly behind him, forcibly accelerated by the wind in a different direction mid-acceleration, bending his straight trajectory. Even though his appearance is that of a boy, he must have been fighting and living like this all along. It is precisely because he wants to continue fighting now and in the future that he has the determination to win at all costs.

It would put an immense strain on his body, but he brilliantly transformed a linear attack into a curved one by adding acceleration in a different direction during the gust’s acceleration.

Impressive, but.

“The moment the flow of air changes, just slash Arthur who is in midair.”

To stab the dagger into the spine from my diagonal rear, Arthur accelerated in a different direction, drawing a curved trajectory with the dagger. However, adding acceleration in a different direction was equivalent to killing the speed that could be described as his trademark, Godspeed. If asked which would cut through skin faster, the straight blade that required only one acceleration or the curved blade that needed two, the answer would be―――the former.

Drawing the sword from its sheath, I swung the blade down towards Arthur’s soft neck, who was just about to bring the dagger down in mid-air. However, just in time, Arthur managed to position the dagger against his neck and successfully deflect the Iaido strike.

Impressive. But at the same time, regrettable. A single strike with the weight of a katana can be deflected by a dagger, but it cannot be stopped. The blade that missed the neck was swung down from the chest to the left hip, and Arthur’s abdomen was sliced open, spilling out like the filling of a mochi pouch in oden.

“Ahhh… ahhh… ugh, ugh, guahhh…”

When he could no longer control the raging gusts, Arthur was slammed against the exterior wall of a nearby building, desperately clutching his stomach while breathing heavily through his shoulders.

“It seems like the matter has been settled, Arthur.”

“Huff, huff… ugh… Enri-san…”

“I don’t know what drove you to this point, but cutting off your head will settle the matter.”

Approaching the boy who is curled up like a caterpillar, clutching his intestines, I raise the katana above my head. And without any hesitation, I bring it down――― no, the moment I try to bring it down.

“Enri, that was a good match. But could you wait a bit before killing Mr. Northridge?”

From the shadow of the building, Lyra, who was supposed to be working as a merchant, appeared first in Redinbara. Her beautiful chestnut-colored long hair flowed down to her waist, and she looked great in a pure white dress adorned with large earrings set with jewels and gold fasteners. To be honest, I didn’t expect her to show up here at this moment.

“Ms. Lyra… why are you in a place like this?”

“Actually, I was waiting for Enri’s arrival at the Roiji Hotel, but Utsuho and… then he burst into the room looking pale, so that’s why I came here.”

When Lyra gestured dramatically and turned her hand back, there stood a middle-aged man clad in pitch-black armor. His face showed signs of impatience and regret.

“Arthur…! Ugh, Arthur… I’m sorry, it’s because I said something careless…”

The middle-aged man in armor rushed over to Arthur, who had fallen to the ground, and sat down between us, who were about to sever his neck.

“Well then, Enri. Even though it was a forced duel, you have won against Arthur Northridge. I am the judge, and for my sake, could you spare Mr. Northridge’s life?”

“Is that… is that an order from my employer, Ms. Lyra?”

Ms. Lyra is quietly just smiling. She doesn’t say a word.

“Ms. Lyra, Arthur-kun forcibly challenged Utsuho-san to a duel with no ill intentions, trying to harm him. It’s impossible to let him go without taking his head.”

“Oh, Enri, even though I, your master, am asking you. Are you planning to refuse my request?”

“If you stand before me as an enemy, I will take your head. Just as I cut down the bandits to save Lyra, there are no exceptions.”

Arthur, who was disemboweled and barely conscious, and the middle-aged man in armor, who was gritting his teeth as he stared at him. Lyra, who was watching the two from a distance, said once more,

“Enri. Right now, the one protecting Mr. Northridge is Mr. Julian Black, the owner of the clan he belongs to. He asked me to save the life of his beloved disciple, and I agreed.”

“This is, so to speak, a kind of business negotiation. Mr. Black promised me a reward. I came to stop Enri to receive that reward. If you would just lower your weapon, everything would be settled.”

“Calm down, Enri. This is an order from Lyra Grosvenor.”

Just a little, just a tiny bit. I almost directed my blade towards Lyra-san. The neurotransmitters responsible for the excitement coursing through my veins gradually decreased, and just like the last ember of a dying fire crumbling into ash with a sound, my fighting spirit came to a halt here.

I shook off the bl00d on the blade, twirled the sword once in my hand, and then quietly sheathed it. There were many things I wanted to say, but even if I forcibly severed Arthur’s head here, it was clear that it would only trouble Lyra. The swirling, unsettled feelings in my heart were unavoidable, but for now, I would uphold my employer’s honor.

“Well done, Enri.”

“Thank you very much, Lyra-san.”

I look at the boy. The boy who forced a duel and ended up surviving.

He was surrounded by several adults, in addition to Mr. Black, and seemed to be receiving attentive care.

Being led by Lyra, I had no choice but to leave this place.