Chapter 72

Night had arrived .

Bluerin and I were located at place between the mansion and the village . We were making our preparations here…

We would be confronting Neah, so we couldn’t slack off in our preparations… We continued until it was almost time to head out .

“Bluerin, there will be lots of enemies outside the mansion . Be careful . ”

“Guah . ”

‘Your worry is unnecessary . ’

How reliable .

…I’m just making an assumption, but there will probably be tons of zombies surrounding the mansion .

I’m not sure if Neah will use the controlled villagers . But I should definitely consider the worst case scenario .

“Usato, I had a look at the villagers . ”

“How was it?”

With impeccable timing, Amako had come back after I requested her to take a look at the village .

Her report will heavily influence my choices .

“All the villagers are present . It looks like she doesn’t want to get them involved . ”

“… . . I see . It seems Neah only intends to use Ark-san and the zombies . What’s she thinking? It is because she thinks it’s enough? Or does she have something up her sleeve?”

Either way, it doesn’t change the fact that I needed to save Ark-san .

I’ll be able to go all-out without the villagers present .

“The horse seems to be fine and our belongings should still be at Tetra-san’s house . Also, here . ”

Amako presented me some cloth, ripped from curtains .

I accepted it and then questioned her, to confirm her resolve .

“Are you really alright with this? You’re going to receive a lot of shocks, in various ways . ”

“I want to save Ark-san as well . Moreover, I’m already used to how reckless your actions can be, Usato . ”

Her words were filled with strength, a big contrast from last night when she said ‘scary…’, right after I jumped off from the third floor .

Without saying anything, I turned my back to her and squatted down . Amako drew closer, placed her hands on my head, and lightly jumped onto my back . I took a firm hold of her legs with my arms . Once I confirmed that Amako was balanced, I slowly stood up .

“I thought it would be more difficult to keep balanced but it’s not that bad . ”

Simply put, I would carry Amako on my back .

This was our plan . Amako would use her foresight, I would move . If things go according to plan, we’ll be able to prevent any enemy attacks, as long as we can see them coming . We would truly be an invincible combination .

“Alright, now let’s tie this cloth around us . ”

Using the cloth I received, I wrapped it around the both of us . I tied it in place on my hips, while making sure it wouldn’t be tight enough to hinder my mobility .

… . . As I expected, she was light, just like a small animal . For me, it was almost equivalent to carrying nothing on my back .

“How are you doing back there? Is it uncomfortable for you anywhere?”

“… . . Usato, do you really not have any other thoughts on this?”

“Eh? ……Hahaha, it’s still three years too early for you—“

She suddenly gave me a strong arm choke . . and it didn’t look like she had any intention of letting go .

It’s a bit painful not being able to breathe… S-stop…

My face turned pale and I tapped her arm with my hand . Once she felt satisfied, the strength in her arms loosened .

“You won’t have a next time . ”

“……Eh? Ah, okay . ”

As I tried to catch my ragged breath, Amako whispered this in my ear . Her words were concise but her voice contained a chill I haven’t heard before .

Hey… I replied to her in a frightened voice . What’s going on? Before I knew it, Amako had grasped the power to decide my very fate .

I’ve heard the stories of how terrifying a girl’s anger could be but I would have preferred to have not experienced it just before the battle .

“Bluerin . Are you ready?”

“Guruah!”

His large and blue body visibly shook as he roared .

It seems like the preparations are finished .

“Amako, focus on using your magic . I’ll do my very best to defend you so no attacks can harm you . ”

“It’s fine, you don’t need to worry about that . ”

Good .

Bluerin and I started walking towards Neah’s mansion .

The plan is simple… Beat Neah up right away and release Ark-san and the zombies from her control .

As for releasing the villagers… There was still something that didn’t add up . But I could just be overthinking it .

I didn’t understand her thought process for one thing… Why would Neah act as a villager girl for 200 years and be a substitute for Tetra-san’s daughter?

However, that didn’t really matter now, I’ll have you return my comrade .

“Alright…… Let’s go!!”

“Guoooooh—!!”

Amako clung tightly onto my back as I broke into a run .

*

Only a short amount of time passed since I started running but the mansion was already in view .

We knew that she was inviting us in her mansion . The room on the third floor was lit, unlike yesterday .

I could also see zombies surrounding the mansion . However, they didn’t concern me . I wasn’t their opponent this time, after all .

“Bluerin!! I’m counting on you to lead them away!!”

“Guruah!!”

Bluerin charged ahead of me and rammed his body into the zombies, creating a path . The scene before me reminded me of a traffic accident from my world, where Bluerin was the car . If the zombies weren’t so sturdy, there’s no doubt that a normal person would sustain a serious injury from Bluerin’s unstoppable charge .

The bones in the zombie’s body bent due to Bluerin, but they still rose up .

We didn’t have the time to take care of these zombies one-by-one .

I left the rest to Bluerin, while Amako and I proceeded to go inside the mansion .

“Don’t think I’m going to be polite and knock on the door before I enter!!”

I kicked open the entrance door that had been thoroughly repaired, knocking away several zombies that stood on the other side .

“Three on the right, one of the left, three up the stairs . ”

“OK, I’ll punch them . ”

Right as Amako gave me this information, my body immediately moved to repel the oncoming zombies trying to grab me . Using my fists, they were all knocked away, and crashed into the walls .

If I know where their attacks are coming from, it’s easy to deal with them .

“Let’s keep this pace and go up . ”

As I ran up the stairs, the three zombies that Amako mentioned appeared .

I calmly grabbed the hands of the assaulting zombies and threw them hard onto the ground, rendering them powerless .

“Head straight . Go up to the third floor . There’s no one there on the stairs . Go pass the door . ”

I see, no one there, huh?

Following Amako’s words, I quickly went up the stairs and arrived on the third floor . Once I was in front of the door, I paused .

“Wait, what are you doing Usato—“

“Eh, don’t mind me . I’m just going to give a greeting . Yes, just a little greeting . ”

Without minding Amako’s confusion, I stored power in my fist .

For controlling our comrade Ark-san, and for getting in the way of our journey…

There’s no way I wouldn’t be angry .

“Just like I promised, I have arrived!! You shut-in vampire!!”

At the same time I bellowed, my fist also made contact with the wooden door .

Without holding anything back, my hand penetrated through the door . The impact was strong enough to break the hinges and send the door flying away .

“Good of you to have made it——— Wait, that’s dangerousssssss!?”

Neah had been expecting us on the other side, but she shouted in fear and got on the ground to avoid her own door .

The door broke through a large window, creating a big hole .

“Eh, m-my mansion is… H-hey! Don’t you have any manners!? Can’t you properly enter a door!? Do you realize how difficult it is to repair everything!?”

“Like I care!! I can’t afford to waste time with you!! Before you can scheme anything, we’re going to fight right away!!”

“Hiih!?”

Without being concerned about Neah’s change in expression, I jumped towards her to knock her out .

“Usato, don’t!!”

“!!”

Just as I was in range to chop Neah, I stopped once I heard Amako’s words .

At the same I stopped my movements, I noticed something coming towards me, and separated from Neah in a rush . A sword had appeared in the spot where I was just a moment ago .

They had bright red hair . Their sword was dark grey and unrefined but it glittered from the shadows .

They were also wearing a dignified armor piece, something that they didn’t possess previously .

Ark-san stood in front of Neah . Neah placed a hand on her chest and tried to catch her breath .

“T-that was close . Fu, fufufu, how is it? The situation has been reversed . ”

Neah got up from the ground, looking proud and elated . She spoke and gave us a provocative smile as she hid behind Ark-san .

If I could create an opening and just knock Neah out— That was what I had in mind . However, I didn’t think Ark-san would be able to react this fast .

“… . . I guess you’re not going to move, Ark-san . ”

“… . . ”

Silence———

Although he’s being controlled by Neah, he’s properly protecting what he’s supposed to protect . As he is someone who had many years of active experience ‘protecting’ the gates of Lyngle, there’s no way a surprise attack like this wouldn’t have been foreseen by him .

“Haah… I’m really at a lost . ”

I gave a sigh and lowered my fists, realizing that any further attacks against Neah would be futile .

It seemed that Neah relaxed once she saw that, as she looked curiously at Amako who was on my back and tilted her head to the side .

“You two, that appearance of yours… I see . That way, Amako can focus on using her foresight magic . ”

“… . . You heard from Ark-san, I’m guessing . ”

“Of course . I’ve also heard a great deal about you, Usato . ”

As expected, she found out .

If things were going to turn out this troublesome, it would have been better to take her down on our first encounter .

“You’ve been summoned from another world, right?”

“That’s right . I’m not someone from this world . I really didn’t want you to know but now that it’s come to this, I can’t do much about it . ”

I’ll attack from the front . I’ll knock out Ark-san first and focus on my fight with Neah .

For that, I need to—

“Amako, I feel bad for saying this since not a lot of time has passed but could you get down?”

“…… . . I got it . ”

If I were just facing the zombies, I could still have her on my back . But against Ark-san, it would a big handicap for me .

Even I didn’t know how powerful Ark-san fire magic was, but since he was being controlled, he might go all-out .

If he were to fight seriously . . the first thing that comes to my mind is Mina’s explosion magic during her fight with Nack . If Ark-san’s fire magic had at least as much range as Mina’s explosion magic, there’s no doubt that if Amako were on my back, she would be caught in an attack .

Amako got down from my back and Ark-san took up a stance with his sword in silence .

“———I think you know but… I have no intention of holding back, okay? Your heroic feats, strength, endurance… I’ve heard everythinggggg from Ark-san . That’s why he will be fighting you with everything he’s got . Oh, I’ll also lend a helping hand… Just a bit . ”

“Lend a helping hand……?”

… . . Did she do something to Ark-san? Did that armor with really bad taste have anything to do with it?

Looking at Ark-san, the armor he was wearing covered his entire body . . it was far too big and hollow on the inside as well .

It looks like I won’t know what he’s hiding unless we fight .

“———Do it . ”

“!!”

The moment she commanded him with her voice, Ark-san immediately rushed out towards me .

Judging by the sharpness of his blade and how it was enshrouded in flames, he could easily cut me in two .

“Ark-san……!”

“……”

I avoided his downward slash by taking a step back, and then I focused healing magic in my fist .

There was no meaning of using my healing magic against the zombies, but the story changes if my opponent is a living person . I’ll use my Healing Punch to immediately knock him out .

But before I can, I had to knock away that sword from his hands first .

When I faced Halfa-san at the school grounds, I was able to deflect his staff with my fists . But if I made contact with Ark-san’s sword, I would be the one injured and bleeding…

It might not seem like a big deal since I was just fighting against a different weapon but that’s not true at all .

Furthermore, Ark-san was an expert with the sword . If I charged in recklessly, there was a possibility of receiving a fatal wound .

“!?”

His flaming sword swung from below me, I leaned back as it almost grazed the tip of my nose .

If I had been hit by that, it wouldn’t have just ended with been a simple burn . I doubt Neah has the intention to kill me but she’s probably okay with capturing me half-dead .

Even If I were half-dead, I had the confidence to heal myself back . However, I’d rather not get sliced by a flaming sword .

Anyhow, I should throw away my hesitation and just face Ark-san without holding back . It’ll be over if I can just knock him out .

“I’m sorry . I’m going to punch you . ”

While being careful of the trail of flames his sword left behind with his swing, I used my right hand to grab the hand he was holding the sword in . I then used a Healing Punch with my other hand to strike his breastplate .

I definitely felt the impact transfer to Ark-san’s body .

“With this———“

It’s finished . But the moment I was about to say those words, strange patterns emerged from Ark-san’s breastplate .

The patterns were similar to the ones that immobilized my body before . They flickered and travelled from his chest down to his feet .

It felt like the attack that Ark-san received was being re-directed somewhere else———

“D-don’t tell me———!?“

I had already let my guard down and was in turmoil . Ark-san didn’t miss this opening and aimed his left hand at my abdomen .

The moment I could process what was happening, it was already too late .

“Shit…”

When I tried to clad my entire body in healing magic, Ark-san already had a fireball in his palm . He released it, and the flames engulfed my entire body .

The fireball had driven right in my stomach… It was definitely effective . I was blown away from the impact and crashed into a wall . I collided with the nearby suits of armor as well, and they landed on my back as they fell down .

“……”

“Usato!!”

The flustered Amako rushed towards me and helped me get up .

My white coat had become dirty with black soot but there were no holes anywhere . I didn’t have any wounds either .

If the force from his fireball wasn’t all that powerful and I wouldn’t be burned, then there was no need to use any healing magic…

“……I didn’t think you would be able to take my Healing Punch like that… . . ”

“Umm, why are you basically not injured at all……?”

My only reply to that question would simply be that I trained myself .

To begin with, I’m someone who had withstood Rose’s fists . An impact like this is nothing much . In any case, just what is that armor that Ark-san is wearing? I’m certain that it’s not a vampire or necromancer’s power .

But seeing those patterns again, they must be———

“The second Magic Art…”

“Correct!”

Neah was happy that I got it right as she pointed at me with her index finger and gave me a bright smile .

“The armor he’s wearing is a special one made by me, it’s been loaded with ‘Resistance’ charms . Its function is easy to explain, as long as it has charms loaded on it, it will ward off a type of attack that I chose . The more, the better . But there is a fatal flaw to this design… The armor has a limit of how many charms it can hold so it’s not that effective . Seriously, this pitiful Magic Art isn’t that useful so I rarely have any chances to use it . ”

Not that useful, huh .

It’s probably the worst match-up for me . If it could absorb all my punches and kicks, there’s nothing I can do .

She probably knew that as she covered her mouth and tried to suppress her laughter .

“Fufufu, if you want to stop Ark-san, why don’t you pick up one of those swords or axes scattered on the ground and attack him? If you have some kind of offensive magic, that’s fine too! That’s only if you don’t mind kill Ark-san, hahahaha!!”

……In other words, physical attacks with my body would be useless . But I’m not going to harm him with a weapon . Even if it’s unreasonable, that’s something I couldn’t do .

She clearly knew I couldn’t use any kind of offensive magic and was taunting me . It means that everything was planned right from the beginning .

Her smile also really made me feel irritated too .

“Haah——— . First my magic was ineffective, and now even my own body’s physical abilities can’t do anything . Even I can’t do anything at this point . ”

“In that case, I recommend that you give up . Even if you were to defeat Ark-san, I still have another card to play . No matter how you struggle in this situation, there’s no way you can win against me . ”

Give up… giving up .

…… . Hah .

“Don’t mess with me, you damn little girl . I’ll definitely not abandon Ark-san, and I have no intention to give up . Don’t think I’ve lost just because I can’t punch with fists or kick with my legs . ”

I forcefully tore off a pair of gauntlets from a fallen suit of armor near me, putting them on my hands .

Iron gauntlets . I don’t think these can withstand much but I didn’t have much choice . I should be able to deflect Ark’s flaming sword with these now .

I brushed my hair up with one hand covered in metal, and glared at Neah who stood behind Ark-san .

“You only know me based on the information you’ve received . But there’s no way you know what I’ve experienced since coming to this world and everything that ‘she’ taught me . ”

“……That’s exactly why I’ll capture you and———“

“Forcefully make me tell you? That’s only true if you can capture me . I’ll also teach you one thing about me that you don’t know . I——— Hate to lose . ”

Well then, I can dodge a sword but this would be my first time trying to deflect one .

If I let my guard down for even a moment, it will be fatal……!

I knocked my iron covered fists together to confirm their condition .

I took a deep breath .

Then I raised my fists to confront Ark-san .