309 - - 无穷の神镜と无败の舞姫

Two days later, Thor and his friends returned to the border town of Dadan.

The ritual object they brought back was named the Mirror of the Infallible God by the director.

He has also increased the number of men guarding the outer wall, and has issued a warning to all adventurers, lumberjacks, and staff who come and go in the Ogre Forest and the Bloodshed River.

Dadan urged us with expectant eyes that we should not wait too long.

The next day, two guests arrived at Yuril's house to visit Thor.

The first was a man carrying a long package, Toruk, the head of the weapons workshop.

The first was the head of the weapons workshop, Toruk. Please take it.

A wooden box on a low table was opened to reveal a slender sword.

The body of the sword is made of iron with a seven-colored luster.

The blade is about a fingernail's length longer than before, and is single-edged at the tip as usual.

The tsubasa is slightly smaller and the hilt fits comfortably in the hand.

With Yuril's permission, I swung it a few times in the garden.

It is neither too light nor too heavy.

The sound of it lightly cutting through the air is pleasant to the ear.

"That's a nice sword."

Yes, I put my heart and soul into it.

"I see."

Thor nodded, his mouth relaxed, and the blacksmith responded with a small lift of his lips.

The second customer was a woman.

She was wearing a chic black dress decorated with light red flowers and a wide hat.

She sat down gracefully on the sofa with a body graceful enough to belie her old age.

When she took off her hat, her golden hair, reminiscent of a lion's mane, flowed out.

With red eyes and brown skin, she is Aniella, the hostess of the night's book pavilion.

With a quiet look in her eyes, the old woman told me her business in a matter-of-fact manner.

"Dadaan told me that you wanted me to be your sword partner."

This was the training partner the master had said he would introduce me to.

Thor, who had already heard the details, bowed deeply.

"Thank you for coming all the way to see me.

"I don't know how much I can do for you, old man. Are you sure you want to do this?

Yes, by all means. And I'm sure you've heard from the master. ......"

Yes, if you can't believe your ears. But it seems the rumors are true. I'm surprised."

The old woman gives a calm look to Ulir, who offers her a cup of tea, despite her words.

"It's been a while, Mr. Frozen White.

"Yes, Aniella-sama, you are looking well."

"Do I know you?　Mr. Yuril."

"Well, there is no one of our generation who does not know this man.

Aniella in sword dance.

He is a legendary hero who is said to have been involved in the sealing of the three miasma-proof holes, although his activities are even older than those of Dadan's group.

His swordsmanship is so brilliant that there are countless anecdotes that raise eyebrows, such as his single-handed slaughter of the Lord of the Labyrinth.

In fact, the sword dance style used by Straccia was also spread by her disciples based on her swordsmanship.

Why is such a famous hero running a liquor shop quietly in this town?

When I asked Dadan about it, he replied that he did not understand, saying that the master had become well rounded.

May I borrow your hand for a moment?

He held out his hand to me and held it openly, which made me feel young again to my early 20s as requested.

The next moment, Thor unintentionally let go of her hand.

Sitting before him was a woman of breathtaking beauty.

But what was radiating from her slender body was a sense of intimidation comparable to that of the monster he had seen at the bottom of the labyrinth.

"Hey!"

Moe, who was dozing on the sofa, jumps up, startled by the presence.

He was so startled that he held out a mirror, which he had been holding carefully, toward Aniella.

The former hero looks into the mirror and nods in satisfaction when he sees his rejuvenated face.

At the same time, the beastly presence disappeared.

"I'm sorry for startling you. I was just a bit bloodthirsty.

With a thin smile on her face, Aniella moved her fingers smoothly to feel the sensation.

Then she lifted her arm and pointed to the garden that could be seen from the living room.

"Well, let's get started."

Aniella is empty-handed against Thor's iron-hard sword.

She is not able to hold back when she is inadvertently holding the sword.

The distance between them is five and a half paces.

The dancer is standing there, not more than a second away.

The figure, however, is as perfectly arranged as a rose, and not a single flaw can be seen.

He is relaxed, but his power is completely distributed to the tips of his fingers.

This is a posture that Dadaan has trained him many times.

Aniella's right foot moves forward smoothly.

Starting from her toes, the dancer's body spun around.

Her arms are outstretched, and her wide sleeves flutter in the air.

The audience, Sora and the others, lean forward as if mesmerized by the dancer's deceptively graceful dance.

Once more.

As she turns, Aniella steps into the space between Thor's swords without hesitation.

Normally, turning one's back to one's opponent with a weapon is a big mistake.

However, Thor is caught off-guard by this brilliantly executed move.　

He finds himself within breathing distance.

Thor's sword leaps up from below to meet his outstretched hand.

Even if he misses, the tip of the sword is sure to catch him in the torso.

Like a feather in the wind, Aniella's arm turns in a light trajectory.

At the same time, her other arm flicks Thor's sword from the side.

Just before the slash turns into an assault.

The seven-colored sword blade, forcibly redirected, is aimed at the shoulder.

At that moment, again Aniella's body spins with the wind.

Both of her arms spread out beautifully once again, as she dodges Thor's sword as if in harmony with her schedule.

Thor, however, did not remain silent as he watched the dance.

He draws back his foot, and taking advantage of the disadvantage of his stance, he changes the line of his blade to a side cleave.

The distance was too great to avoid.

But Aniella had already reversed herself.

Easily out of time, Maïhime flips her body as if she were bouncing.

She returned to a distance of five and a half paces and lifted her eyebrows slightly.

"It's been decades since I've been cut!"

A cut is made in the sleeve of Aniella's left arm, and the fabric hangs down.

Thor nodded deeply as he caught his breath in response.

If Aniella had been holding a sword in both hands, Thor's body would have been cut into pieces without a doubt.

And that was exactly who Thor wanted.