CH 104

I ran out to start the fight. The reason for this was that I needed to make the first move, and because of the difference in size between me and the adults, so It wouldn’t to go head-to-head.

And the opponent is Tigre-sensei. He’s been called a “War Demon” and an expert in close-quarters combat with “Ignore weapon type”, someone who could have been a hero. I wanted to see how well I could fight.

“Ha! …… Gueh!?”

“Lars-kun!?”

I grunted as a pain shot through my stomach when I should have been slashing. I heard Makina’s voice and then Tigre-sensei opened his mouth.　

“No, that’s too slow. If you don’t cut back faster, you’ll get hit on the way down like now. Then I’ll attack now.”

“…… U-Uwah!?”

Even though he’s only holding a weapon in one hand, slashes are coming from the right and left. Even if I block one side, the slashes will come from the opposite side immediately.

It’s disadvantageous to fight head-to-head. But if he was coming at me from the other side, I thought I could hit him if I slid my sword past his sword before the second shot came. The momentum was building and I smiled at the thought that this would work.

“Not a bad idea, but only if you don’t slash, right?”

“Ah!?”

He must have been able to read my intentions after we crossed swords. He dodged my sword by turning his body away from me. I cried out as the sword slammed down on my back, sending me spiraling. 

I turned around and the teacher swung down at my head without mercy.

It’s a good idea to have a good idea of what you’re looking for.

“Geuk …… H-He’s strong “

I knew it, but it was pathetic that I thought I could manage a little. I’ve been trying to improve my strength and stamina with the “Super Jack-of-all-Trades”.

If you think about it, even if Retzel couldn’t win, the fact that he was able to go toe-to-toe with the two teachers was amazing, even for an enemy.

“Well, even if I give it my all, this is all I could do if it’s just one sword. It would be worse if I used kicks or had weapons in both hands, you know?”

With those words, I realized that I had only been attacked with his sword.

Does that mean he’s doing everything he can to match me? It’s true that if the teacher, who looks like a full-body weapon, had a weapon in each hand like Sarge did, I would be horrified that I could do nothing. But since I said I’d do it, I’ll do it until the end!

“If I make use of my small body ……!”

I knew I had to be ready to outsmart Tigre-sensei, so I bent down and charged, hoping he wouldn’t use his kick.

“Oooooooohhhh!”

“If you’re that low, I won’t be able to swing that hard …… but don’t think I’m the same as the others ……!”

Tigre-sensei bends down and waits at the same level as me, smiling. But from his stance, he shouldn’t be able to land a powerful blow. 

Before my attack could reach him, Tigre-sensei’s sword came from the right. The power of the sword is still reduced, so I easily knock it away. Then, as soon as the sword comes from the left, I–

“T-That guy!?”

The sound of an unpleasant thud and Ryuuze’s voice entered my ears. That’s right, I guarded the sword with my left arm. This way, we don’t have to hit each other with our swords, so I can use my right hand to attack! 

“Ouch ……!?”

And with that, the blow landed on the teacher’s chest and he was able to retreat.

“Yes ……!”

“Damn, you’re good! But if you lose your balance that badly, you’ll be in trouble if you can’t finish him off.”

He took my blow, but quickly adjusted his stance and stepped in. I did some weird strikes and my body drifted, making Tigre-sensei’s movements look like they were in slow motion.

I had a vision of the teacher’s sword swinging down on my head, and then my consciousness was suddenly interrupted.

◆ 　 ◇ 　 ◆

“Oh, no!? Hey, get a grip, Lars!”

“He won’t be able to move for a while. …… Wait, hey, Urka, help me! Lars’ left arm is swollen, isn’t it?”

“O-Okay!”

Tigre-sensei moved him to the shade, and Ryuuze and Urka took off his equipment. Lars’ left arm was swollen and turning reddish-purple, probably because he had struck the wrong spot or because he had thrust himself at the sword. 

When Makina saw this, she turned pale and told the adventurers.

“Is there anyone who can use recovery magic!?”

Then Hauzen-san opened his mouth apologetically.

“I’m sorry, Makina-chan. They’re out of town and there are no wizards here today.”

“I-Is that so ……”

While Makina is disappointed, Luciel applies the wound medicine that she always has on hand, and Kudelica cools the affected area with a cold towel. And then–

“I-I’ll give him a lap pillow!”

“What!? …… I-I’ll do that. Kuu have to practice, right?”

“I think it’s the same for Makina-chan, though? I’ll be watching you, so go ahead.”

” ” “Mumumumu ……” ” “

There was a battle for the lap pillow.

“Ah-ah, I’m so jealous of that Lars”

“But you don’t always talk to girls, do you, Ryuuze-kun?”

“The girls in my class are no good. They don’t have an eye for people …… wait, what are you making me say. I’m saying that Lars is so awesome that it’s no wonder they’re in love with him. I think he made a lot of effort when it was about my father, and I hope to get close to him someday, you know?”

“So you’re thinking about it. I think Lars has helped me, too, by giving me confidence.”

When Urka smiled at the mention of Lars as a friend but someone to aim for, Ryuuze suddenly said.

“You don’t have anyone you like?”

“Eh!? What!? I-I’m …… Er”

And Urka’s eyes swept over it.

“I see, so it’s Makina ……”

“What!? H-How!?”

“No, your eyes often go there a lot.”

Urka sighed, thinking that he was surprisingly astute, and his mouth was agape, saying, “Don’t ever tell anyone”. Then Mash, who was watching the situation, opened his mouth to Tigre. 

“Really, It’s hard dealing with weak children, isn’t it? [Jack-of-all-Trades] of all things, he can’t be more failure than he is. You can do anything you want, but since you’re half-hearted, I think he should just stay quiet”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s just what it means, though? You’re not that strong, aren’t you, teacher? I’m also from the academy, but I beat my teacher to a pulp. There are some teachers who have great combat skills, but they probably don’t fight as much as adventurers, so they’re not as strong, right? And you can’t fight a kid seriously, after all.”

“You ……!”

And Mash’s mouth keep talking.

But Tigre restrained him, and his mouth twisted into a smile as he looked at him. 

“…… Now, now, It’s not just about being strong as a teacher. Your teacher might have done it to boost your confidence, too, you know?.”

“There’s no way. He was serious, you know? But he couldn’t even get close to me against my [Fissure].”

“Hey, Mash, cut it out already!”

“I’m just stating the fact. What’s wrong with that?”

When I heard that, the [War Demon], Tigre, immediately reacted to whether it is a skill that can make long-range attacks. I’m not interested in any skills, but this guy making fun of Lars and his past teachers and getting all high and mighty pissed me off.

“Hey, you said your name was Mash, right? You seem to have a lot of confidence, but would you be willing to fight me one time?”

“What? Why will I? …… Well, that’s okay for me, though.”

The adventurer turns pale and puts his hand on Mash’s shoulder as Mash laughs through his nose.

“You haven’t been back for a while, so don’t do this. You don’t want to get hurt, do you? 　 You’re still young, so you probably don’t know, but that person is–“

Tigre called out to the man who had started to warn him.　

“It’s fine, bro. If it’s okay with him, let him do it, okay?”

“Yeah ……”

“Hmph, I think you should be worried about the injuries of that teacher with the bad eyes expression, you know.”

And then he prepares, smiling even more fearlessly as he continues. 

“My [Fissure] can kill eight Orcs at once, and even four Trolls. I’ve already killed thirty Trolls. I’m allowed to use my skills, aren’t I? I can use my skills, right?”

“Yeah, you can use your skill or anything. I mean, you’re pretty good at it.”

A troll is a medium-sized bipedal demon that runs rampant with its huge size and monstrous strength, and is often overpowered when swarmed. Tigre thinks that Mash’s skills are quite effective, since long range attacks from magic are basically effective. 

However–

“Kukku……”

“What’s so funny!”

“No, well, I just thought it’s so cute to see you bragging about your thirty trolls. You’re young …… Are you about eighteen?”

“…… Yes. If you’re going to go that far, you must have killed something that rivals thirty trolls, right?”

“I guess……”

Tigre closed his eyes for a moment, half-holds his sword and opens his mouth.

“I’ve killed about five thousand humans in one war …… Here I go.”

“What?”

When Mash opened his mouth, It had already been settled.

There’s nothing I can do about it! Tigre-sensei, are you the protagonist ……?

Thank you for reading!

[Afterword Theater]

“Teacher……”

Well, that’s foul play, isn’t it? (Laughs)