Chapter 75: Showdown with the Queen

"Come with me for a minute."

"Huh... what?"

I thought some crazy thug was picking a fight with me, but it turned out to be grandma. No, she's always been scarier than any street punk, and even now, she's still as forceful as ever. I can't help but think her husband must have been a saint or a Buddha to marry her.

Kamishiro Kaede… Since the early days of Japan's dungeons, she has been an unparalleled explorer, the only one in Japan to have conquered the deepest levels of a dungeon. Her skill and her title, "The Fastest Explorer," are renowned both in Japan and abroad, making her the reigning queen of Japan's dungeon-exploring world.

"So, what's this about, all of a sudden?"

"I want you to spar with my students."

"Me? Spar with your students?"

The word "students" might sound a bit mysterious, but Kamishiro Kaede runs a special dojo where she trains dungeon explorers. I've never been one of her students, but it's the biggest training facility in the country, and apparently, there are a lot of trainees. When she says she wants me to spar with them, she probably means something simple, like a practice match.

Though honestly, I feel like she could just do it herself.

"Let me be clear, I want you to go all out."

"...What?"

I'm not bragging, but if I go all out, most explorers will go down in an instant... or at least that's how I feel. I was thinking this as I got into the car and was driven to the dojo. Now, I kind of regret agreeing to this.

"Why are these guys B and C rank...?"

"Next."

I was sitting there, fiddling with the wooden sword I had been given, when a deep voice echoed through the dojo, signaling the next opponent. A huge guy stepped forward. He was unarmed, but I guess it's fine for me to use a wooden sword since grandma didn't say anything.

"Pleased to meet you!"

"Y-yeah, you too."

Apparently, the people I'm sparring with are high-rank explorers from grandma's dojo. But there are also a lot of younger explorers, about my age, sitting in the audience watching, so it's probably a demonstration for their benefit too. Just like I train up people I find talented, grandma's also training a bunch of newcomers. I guess showing them a match with someone closer to their age makes sense.

"Begin!"

As soon as the referee's voice rang out, the muscular guy closed the distance. The only prohibited moves in this spar are offensive magic. That means the guy in front of me is fully utilizing his magic control and circulation. When he launched a right straight punch, I dodged it with minimal movement, stepping back. Immediately, he followed up with a roundhouse kick.

I guess that's one difference between fighting monsters and humans. Though, I caught it with my left hand easily enough.

"What the...?"

"You're full of openings."

Since she told me to go all out, I won't hold back, even against an older opponent. He crossed his arms to defend against my warning strike, but I slammed a palm strike into his guard, sending him flying into the dojo wall.

"That's enough!"

"It seems like you usually concentrate magic in your fists for your attacks, but that kick was pretty sloppy."

"Guh... th-thank you very much!"

"Thank you very much."

"Next."

Is this really okay? Grandma's just sitting there, watching, and the only words she's uttering are "Next" whenever an opponent is defeated.

"Pleased to meet you."

"Pleased to meet you too."

"Begin!"

The next challenger was a slender woman, holding short wooden swords in both hands. She took a stance and moved forward with a deceptive rhythm, a style clearly designed to confuse the senses. It was the kind of movement meant to trick intelligent opponents. But her rapid attacks were no match for grandma's, so I blocked them all with my left hand, not even bothering to use my sword.

"!? What...?"

"Oh."

Realizing her attacks weren't landing, she threw one of her wooden swords at me. I casually deflected it with my left hand, and when she used the sword as a distraction to close the distance, I sliced her remaining wooden sword in half using magic-enhanced precision.

"...Huh?"

"It's over."

"I-I yield..."

"That's enough."

When you cut someone's sword cleanly in two, they usually freeze for a moment. Taking advantage of that, I tapped my wooden sword against her neck, and she quickly surrendered.

It seems some of the challengers watching have seen my streams and are sweating a bit, seeing me fight without using my familiars. People often assume that familiar users like me are physically weak, but my mentor is Kamishiro Kaede.

"...This is boring. I'm going next."

"...Wait, what!?"

Why!? Isn't this supposed to be a show for the new explorers, with some training thrown in for the more experienced ones?

"What are you surprised about? These young fools were just warm-ups... I haven't had a good match in a while, so I'm stepping in myself."

"Uh... but...?"

Do we really need to do this? I mean, if I don't use my familiars, she's just stronger than me. Japan's strongest explorer isn't a title she holds for no reason!

"I'm getting old, you know... It's about time you stop messing around and take on the title of Japan's strongest."

"No, no, no... I'm only 18."

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"All the more reason. Youth is an advantage."

She's serious. It's been about a year since I last fought grandma properly, and honestly, I don't think I can win. It's not about my current skill level; it's just that the image of Kamishiro Kaede in my mind is unshakable.

"Come at me whenever you're ready."

"... Please go easy on me."

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The moment the referee shouted "begin," I crouched on the spot. At the same time, a kick from grandma, who had somehow moved behind me without me noticing, sailed over where my head had been.

"Not bad."

"Do you know how many times I've been kicked in the back of the head by you!?"

After enduring countless harsh training sessions where grandma's kicks landed on my head, I'd learned. At first, I couldn't even react, but now I can! I'm going to beat her this time. She started this fight, so I'm not holding back!