The Unaware Harem Adventure Tale of the Strongest Enchanter ~~I Don’t Know My Companions’ Faces or Identities, but I’m Pretty Sure They’re All Guys~~ - 27. The Two Fruits End the Battle

27. 27. 27. 27. 27. 27. 27. 27. The Two Fruits End the Battle

Five trajectories draw arcs.

I barely dodge the knife-like claws and draw my short wand from my waist.

“Guruaah!”

“Are you wary of debuffs?”

They don’t give me time to draw the magic script.

Avril persistently aims only at me. When I dodge a thrust near the wall, it easily pierces the wall, creating a hole.

Her red eyes glow suspiciously and eerily — I can’t sense any reason in them.

She’s completely dominated by the curse.

“I-I-I, I’m your opponent!”

“Thanks.”

Zain steps in between.

Avril finally recognizes them as an enemy. And her focus shifts from me to Zain.

Now’s the time for a debuff.

I draw the magic script and inflict ‘Paralysis’ on Avril.

But maybe due to the powerful curse, the debuff is repelled.

Zain and Avril begin fighting.

Sharp slashes from her claws assail Zain.

However, they dodge them with minimal movement while retreating.

Attacks with unavoidable trajectories are brushed off by their hand.

One of their eyes is moving at incredible speed.

Immediately after a big swing, Zain switches to offense.

While dodging the claws, they slam a spinning back kick into her abdomen.

Avril is kicked away and slammed into the wall. She rebounds like a ball with her ridiculous physical ability—perhaps due to being vampirized or from her former A-rank strength—and charges at Zain again.

In an instant, Zain knocks aside her swung claws with one arm. And with their already drawn right fist, they strike upward into her solar plexus.

Avril crashes into the ceiling and falls along with debris.

Dust drifts through the room.

“As always, unbeatable in close combat.”

“I—I—I’m s-s-s-strooong!!”

Looks like there’s no need to support them.

Really, Zain is an irreplaceably competent comrade.

Being able to both heal and fight in close combat is practically cheating.

Now that I think about it, the moment they came for the party recruitment interview was the turning point of fate.

I was so shocked by their appearance I nearly seriously considered turning them away. But then Felice said, “Let’s look at the essence, not the appearance. A face is just decoration.” And the atmosphere led me to accept it.

Looking back, I still think the face matters.

Well, I’m also someone who wears a mask and hides my identity. So maybe I didn’t want to reject someone on that point.

But Felice’s judgment was right.

Zain exceeded the ideal image of what we wanted in a team member by far.

Because we hired them, our standards for hiring afterward changed dramatically. We learned people aren’t about appearances.

Avril’s fierce attacks continue.

Zain, in contrast, easily handles them and remains unscathed.

Ah, Zain’s giant swing connects.

“Uooo, Oohhhh, Goros, Goros!”

Even so, Avril gets back up. She’s all battered.

Even with enhanced physical abilities from vampirization, it’s very one-sided.

Realizing she can’t win in close combat, Avril raises her staff and begins chanting.

She can use magic even without reason?

Should I stop her?

As I step forward, Zain raises a hand to stop me.

“Can you handle it?”

“N-N-No problem.”

The chant ends. And water gathers in Avril’s staff.

Looks like a water-element attack spell.

The water forms a large sphere and is fired with tremendous force as a torrent.

It’s mid-level water-element magic: Water Cannon.

Its high pressure can pierce rock and turn anything it hits into meat chunks.

Zain doesn’t even try to dodge the approaching torrent. Instead, they unleash their drawn right arm and blow it away.

Huh?

I’m dumbfounded.

Even Avril is frozen, eyes wide with shock.

Through the scattering droplets, Zain rushes forward and slips behind Avril.

What’re they going to do—was what I thought the next moment—

—Zain grabs her clothes from behind and yanks them down in one motion.

*Boing* — Two round, white fruits jiggle.

With her clothes pulled down to around her abdomen, Avril regains her senses and turns bright red in the face.

“Kyyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!”

Well done, Zain.

I’ll definitely increase your bonus.

Squatting to hide her chest, Avril is tearful and mutters, “I’ve been seen… I can’t get married now…”

“D-Don’t move. I’m analyzing the curse.”

“You can dispel it!?”

“I-I-I’m checking.”

As I approach too, Zain touches a bruise-like mark on her back.

The mark looks like overlapping “<” and “>”.

I’d heard that a mark appears somewhere on the body when cursed. But this is my first time seeing one.

So this is what a “Progenitor Curse” mark looks like.

“How is it?”

“Looks like I can break it. Lala-la-lux, don’t look too much at her nakedness.”

“Yeah, sorry.”

I got scolded.

—

“C-Curse dispelled.”

“Really!? It’s broken!?”

I check her back again, and the mark is completely gone.

“That was a demon’s curse. H-H-Hey, have you met a demon?”

“…I have. I’ll explain, so just wait a bit.”

While Zain and I turn our backs, she fixes her clothes.

As I strain my ears, Zain squints and stares quietly.

Wh-What? It’s just sound, come on.

It’s not like it’ll cost you anything.

“You can turn around now.”

“So why were you cursed in the first place?”

“I should tell you everything now. Are you aware of the abnormal Slime overpopulation?”

“To some extent, yeah.”

“Actually, we don’t know why they’re multiplying. So I went into the underground dungeon with a B-rank party to investigate.”

She entered an area of the mid-layer she normally wouldn’t go to.

There, she coincidentally encountered a *man with blue hair*.

He was lightly dressed. He was not like someone exploring a dungeon. He greeted them—then knocked out everyone but her in an instant.

“I was a former A-rank adventurer. But I didn’t see a thing. I don’t even know what he did. Then he said, ‘You’re lucky to meet a demon.’”

“He called himself a demon?”

“That’s right. He looked completely normal.”

The man who called himself a demon pinned Avril down with one hand. And while laughing, he said, “It’s a curse that can make you the progenitor of Vampires. Congratulations.” He then infused the curse into her back. He also said, “A surprise will come soon. Look forward to it,” before disappearing.

Although she returned safely with the B-rank party, the curse had already taken root in her.

“I should’ve trusted that girl and the guild… Because you guys completed the request perfectly.”

“It’s all okay now. Y-Y-You no longer have a curse on your back.”

“…Thank you.”

Her pent-up emotions overflowed like a broken dam.

She couldn’t stop the flowing tears and even had a runny nose.

“Here.”

As I casually offered a handkerchief, she blew her nose with a loud honk.