Chapter 110

The fourth day after visiting Mia Rak .

I entered my third day of training, and was in a mock battle with Leona-san .

Leona-san and I were fighting as seriously as possible the day before yesterday, but the simulated battle from yesterday was different .

“Don’t lose focus Usato!”

“Yes!”

What we are training now is avoiding and attacking at the same time .

I avoid Leona-san’s wielding sword with minimal movement .

In return, my attack was being blocked by her, and this has been going on many times .

It’s easy to understand that instead of focusing on exaggerated avoidance like I usually do, it feels like I’m avoiding her attack to move on to the next attack .

“——Tsk”

However, this is unexpectedly difficult, and the moment I think about my next attack, the wooden sword swung sideways scoops my temple .

Clicking my tongue, I avoid continuous slashing by shifting sideways by half a step .

There is no need to waste excessive movements . Not only the movement of the sword, but all the movements of Leona-san are captured in the field of view, and the next action is predicted and avoided with minimum movement .

I remember the time when I was fighting Ark-san, who was controlled by Neah .

At that time, I give up attacking him and use the back of my hand so as not to hurt him, but this time it is a fighting method that can be said to be an advanced version of it .

“… Though I say that!”

In this training, I have two restrictions .

One is that I can’t battle Leona-san’s sword with my fist, and the other is that I should not get out of her radius of about 1 meter .

The first isn’t that restricting, but the second where fighting in a narrow space whilst avoiding Leona-san’s attack was harder than I imagined .

In fact, until I got used to it, I was hit with a wooden sword and made countless lumps which I have to heal with healing magic .

“There……!”

I avoided Leona-san’s sword several times and jumped into her bosom with minimum of movement and let my fist stop right at her abdomen .

After a few seconds of silence, we lifted each other’s stance, lowered our sword and fist, and stopped .

“That’s good enough, right?”

“… No, it’s not good at all . ”

Leona-san has a troubled expression from my words .

“Even if you’re dissatisfied with it . I’m still amazed at your physical strength . You may have noticed that I was trying to confuse you with a feint from time to time … And from what you just said … “

“Yes?”

“I was scared inwardly because you responded after all the feints were applied . ”

This person was saying that it’s a feint .

I didn’t notice it at all .

I thought that she was moving unnaturally, but I think that I had responded unconsciously .

“Your “eyes” are splendid . From my point of view, I’m supposed to impose a lot of ridiculous training on you … but when it comes to avoiding, you already learnt enough . ”

“Haha, that’s you know, it’s thanks to my master . ”

Well, if such a Spartan is also trained regularly, you’ll be able to avoid any attack .

I remember before leaving for the journey to hand over the letter — the days of special training in hell where Rose was beaten endlessly and learned to avoid it …… .

At that time, I was complaining about what I would gain with such unreasonable training, but after traveling, I was able to realize how much Rose’s training helped me .

…… No, I was beaten up .

“Usato, are you okay? Did you hurt yourself? Let’s take him to the medical office?”

“… Eh? Ah no I’m fine . I just remembered the days of training with my master . ”

“I- I see … . How much training did you do with your master … No, she’s a woman who puts so much pressure on you . I’m sure it’s far beyond my imagination . It must have been something … “

Leona-san looked at my face and was astonished .

Somehow, I feel sad when I get used to this reaction .

“I guess you’ve kinda grasped my training? It’s easy to remember because the foundation was laid . ”

“What are we going to do next?”

“Same as before . Make your body remember today’s movements . That alone will make your movements faster and less wasteful . ”

Training to eliminate waste?

If I think about it carefully, spending less time avoiding and instead not using unnecessary magic or physical strength . In that respect, this may be an effective training .

“Before that, let’s take a short break . ”

“Well, I’m still able to fight though?”

It’s still about an hour by noon, and I have plenty of physical strength .

Also, from this afternoon, Ark-san will oversee our training, and I want to do what I can do now …

However, Leona-san shakes her head .

“You have been training from morning till night since yesterday right? No matter how much healing magic and extraordinary physical strength you have, you can’t overdo it . If you are too careless, you won’t be able to do anything . ”

At the end, I nodded while understanding the words of Leona-san who muttered a little .

There is a reason for her to say .

It may be a little impatient …… .

I relaxed my shoulders and turned to Leona-san .

“Then, is it okay to look around the city for a moment?”

“I don’t mind? But there are no people in the city right now …”

“I thought of going with Bluerin … I was wondering if I could go for a walk with a blue grizzly bear . ”

“With Blue Grizzly …”

Leona-san shows a mixture of confusion and curiosity, perhaps because she remembered Bluerin sleeping in the stables of Mia Rak .

Being a knight of Mia Rak, and because she knows what kind of monster the blue grizzly is, she is interested in the self-degrading bear called Bluerin, who has forgotten the wild .

“Usato”

“Yes?”

When thinking so, Leona-san, who returned her gaze as if she had decided, called out to me .

“Is it okay for me to accompany you? If you like, I can give you some directions …”

“I don’t mind . Rather, I’ll be glad since I won’t get lost . ”

There are no people, but I can also learn about the city of Mia Rak .

I nodded to Leona-san’s offer and moved with her to the stables where Bluerin was .

In the stable, a marimo-curled Bluerin is sleeping, and when he notices that I am nearby, he turns his sleepy eyes toward me and makes a big yawn .

“Hey, Bluerin, get up . Let’s go for a walk . . ”

“Gufu …”

“Oioi …”

Aren’t you a little too sleepy …… .

Looks like I’ll have to drag his lazy ass out .

When I shook the blue giant and forcibly raised it, Bluerin shook his eyes, and when he turned behind me while swaying, he jumped on my back .

“Wow !? You got heavier !?”

When I was thinking about letting Bluerin go on a diet someday, he had completely entrusted me with his whole weight, struck my shoulder with his forefoot while yawning .

Are you telling me to take a walk by myself?

“Guu …”

“… You’re hopeless . I’ll put you down once you’re fully awake, alright?”

He nodded, and I carried him and left the stable .

Leona-san was waiting outside the stables and saw me and Bluerin and screamed a little .

“Hya !? U, Usato … Why are you carrying the blue grizzly… Bluerin !?”

“Ah, he’s still sleepy . ”

“That seems to be the case, but that doesn’t answer my question!? Rather, isn’t he heavy !?”

“I’m used to it, so it’s okay . Let’s go . ”

“Uhhhh, okay …?”

Looking at Bluerin and me alternately, I walked out of the castle with Leona-san who wanted to say a hundred things .

As usual, there were no people in the streets of Mia Rak, and it was quiet .

“It’s quiet”

“Yes . ”

Leona-san looked at the city of Mia Rak and nodded mysteriously, perhaps because she had finally settled down .

“It was crowded with lots of people, but now it’s so quiet that you can’t even see its shadow . As a resident here, I wanted to show you the true cityscape of Mia Rak . ”

“I would love to see that … and I also wanted to try the fish dish, which is a specialty of Mia Rak . ”

“Fufu …”

Leona-san smiled at my words .

For a while, we walk around the city while listening to our guide .

When I came here, I couldn’t afford to see the city after being attacked by Karon, but I wonder if this is also a rich place crowded with people .

The benefits of Mia Rak’s abundant marine resources would be immeasurable .

“Gururu~”

“Bluerin was looking forward to eating Mia Rak’s fish . ”

He groaned a little . .

Leona-san smiled strangely at me who was laughing at him .

“Fufu, I’m sorry . It’s strange but it seems natural that you carry him on your back . ”

“Natural … well, I guess so . I was running with him on my back in both the Kingdom of Lingle and Lukvis . ”

“Well, is that so? So it’s not your first time …”

At first, Rose told me to get used to running with people on my back .

Bluerin seems to have no hesitation in being carried by me, and I myself am wrapped in fluff so I don’t think it’s that bad .

“I thought I’d been a knight for a long time, but I’ve never seen a human who is as close to a demon as you . I heard that you even have a familiar contract?”

“If anything, the familiar is Neah . Though it’s more of having a contract with her . ”

“Her? I heard from Falga-sama that she’s a mixed race of vampire and necromancer … It’s unheard of for a humanoid monster to sign a contract with a human . ”

Did Falga-sama also know about Neah’s race?

But being told by Leon-san again makes me think that it is indeed strange . Instead of signing a familiar contract with Bluerin, who should be a demon, Neah almost forcibly signs a contract .

Yeah no, it’s really not normal …

“I’ve been surprised by you many times since I first met you . When I first met you, I thought you were just a kid, but when slowly getting to know you, it was a series of things that were out of the ordinary … … “

It’s normal for me, but for Leona-san and Norn-sama, it’s a series of surprises .

I myself may say that common sense itself is different for people from different worlds, and my life in different worlds so far may be a little different from other people .

“The most surprising thing was that you defeated the same dragon as Falga-sama . ”

“You mean the wicked dragon?”

“Yeah, even the existence was hidden until the day I met you … I heard from Falga-sama in detail about the wicked dragon and found out that it was really scary . ”

Every time I remember the wicked dragon, I don’t want to fight again .

It was a monster that was so evil and was full of malicious intent .

“I’m sure I won’t be able to fight if I stand in front of the wicked dragon . ”

The words of Leona-san who muttered so stopped thinking for a moment .

Leona-san can’t fight face to face with the wicked dragon?

What does that mean? Looking at her strength, even if she doesn’t have a decisive blow against the dragon, she should be able to stop it .

She had a painful laugh while moving away from the awkward topic .

“I’m sure you would be able to, since you were on par with Karon…”

“It doesn’t matter whether I can or not . I’m not as strong as you think . No matter who wants it, no matter how much you expect it … I’m fragile and crushed like ice . I’m weak that I can be shattered … “

Honestly, I somehow knew that Leona-san was having trouble .

But I still want to say it . It’s heavy, it’s heavy … Leona-san …

It’s not something I should be dwelling into . It’s a story that should be done to maids and Norn-sama .

“I’m fighting because I’m the only one who can do it . The title of hero was also chosen by me as a hero, probably because the best knight, Karon, went out of control …”

“Norn-sama doesn’t choose you as a hero for such a crude reason . ”

“Yes, I know … . I know but . ”

Leona-san conjures words to convince herself .

I can’t turn my face to her walking next to me . I didn’t know what to say to her .

“… Is it okay to take a detour?”

“Eh? I don’t mind, but where?”

After a while of silence, I nodded to her .

The destination she went to after changing her destination was the gate we arrived when we came to this city . Leona-san silently walks down the gate and out of the city .

When I followed her with Bluerin on my back, the barrier created by Norn-sama and the pure white silver world spread out beyond that .

“… It’s still frozen . ”

The water surface around the frozen Mia Rak city .

Reflecting the sun’s rays to create a fantastic sight, Karon, a long-haired man with a bare upper body who stays upright and does not move, has a strange presence in the center .

Bluerin groaned warrily, but Karon, who was standing still in the distance, did not seem to move .

“Do you want to get off?”

“Gufu …”

I put him down, who is groaning on my back, and look at Karon, who is standing on the ice again .

“What is that person doing now?”

“He’s asleep . To be precise, it might be more correct to say that he has stopped . ”

He kept his eyes closed and did not make any movements .

It was a calm expression that did not make me feel the ferocity when I met a few days ago .

“He’s holding back his power when he’s not in combat . In addition, he’s in that state, and by pouring his magic into the surrounding ice, the power of the ice is fully exerted . ”

Was that the reason why the ice did not melt?

I thought that it would melt someday, but this means that Mia Rak can’t even move the ship unless he is defeated .

“What if he notices us now?”

“He will attack . He will only attack those who enter his icy territory . It is no exception here in Mia Rak . Without Norn-sama’s barrier, it would have been destroyed by this time . ”

“…”

If Norn-sama fell, would Karon come to attack here immediately?

But is the reason for attacking here only because there are people? It’s pretty bad to say, but he should be able to leave Mia Rak and rampage, but he is stubbornly aiming for Mia Rak without leaving here .

It was as if there was something in Mia Rak that attracted him ――――

“Hmmm……”

It looks like a bad guess .

In any case, it has been decided that Karon must be stopped for the people of Mia Rak and Neah .

When I stopped thinking and looked at Karon who was standing silently, Leona-san muttered next to me .

“Karon is my subordinate . ”

“What? Was that so?”

“Oh, I often meet with him face to face . ”

I knew that they’re fellow knights, but I didn’t know they’re subordinates?

Maybe even friends .

“He was the best knight who tried to do good for others and be strong for the people . ”

“Wow, he was such a person . ”

“His personality is good coupled with being funny . He was a good young man who was loved by everyone . It might be even weird for me to say this … but he was the ideal knight that everyone thinks . ”

I wonder if it has a personality similar to Kazuki . If so, he seems to have a pleasant personality .

Leona-san smiles with a bitter expression while talking about Karon .

“And he has already won in life . Because he has a habit of conversing with others, he was also about to be married . ”

“Well, if he’s the same age as you … he should be about 20+ years old, right?”

Isn’t it unusual for a 20+ years old?

I don’t know the standard in this world, but that’s still young .

“Then, what about Karon’s wife …?”

“She evacuated to the neighboring country safely, but she wouldn’t be relieved if her husband Karon was in such a state …”

‥…… Are you acquainted with her?

From her tone, it sounds like she has accepted it… I’m sorry to hear that so I shouldn’t prompt further .

Karon’s wife must be praying for his safety .

There is no proof of seeing his personality, but it can be heard from Leona-san’s story that he’s not a bad person .

“In that case, we must help for the sake of Karon’s wife . ”

“……Hasha……”

“What’s wrong?”

“No, I’m sorry . I just thought that your straightforward words were … very good for me . ”

Leona-san pulls a weak smile .

I didn’t know how much emotion was contained in those words .

However, given Leona-san’s distress and the fact that there are people waiting for Karon to return, her mission as a hero to save Mia Rak and her current situation of having to help Karon must surely be a huge burden .

“Let’s go back soon”

“……Yes”

Nodding to the words of Leona-san who saw the rising sun, we walked along the original road with Bluerin .

“…”

Before returning, I shifted my eyes to the place where Karon is .

The appearance of Karon standing alone on the vast ice did not seem to be as rough as when he was fighting with me .

“Guwa~”

“Hmm? Yeah, let’s go”

Prompted by Bluerin, I turned to the front and headed toward the castle .

Can I stop Karon-san?

Looking at Karon and such a vague question popped up, I followed Leona-san’s back, which looked lonely .