CH 288

“Is that true, Lux? You have proof of that, don’t you?”

“Yeah, I’m sure. The proof is …… this.”

In response to the shocking statement that Varnish was not Zanbia’s biological child, I asked him a question and he showed me a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket.

“Impossible …… Impossible …… Varnish is not my child, you say! Then I’ve been–“

“We’ll talk about that later! If you don’t want to die, keep your head up!”

“Y-Yeah ……”

He shouted at the distraught Zanbia, forcing him to step back. Now that we’re in this situation, I’m sure the other side will come at us with everything they’ve got. 

“Hmmm, proof, huh …… Well, it doesn’t matter, now that it’s come to this. We just need to get rid of you and take the medallion …… Why did you die? Somebody here killed you, and that’s the end of the story.”

“You’re accusing your own people of murder? As expected of the Gospel’s Descent. Albatross and the others, since the rest of the Clan were like that, you must be like that too, right?”

“……”

When I say that, the smile disappears from Sonia’s face. She narrowed her eyes, looked at me as if she was trying to evaluate me, and then started talking.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Even if I am, what would be the point of it?”

“In case you’re wondering, I’ve been pushed around by your buddy Retzel, and he also took care of me in the Oriola territory. I don’t want to get involved, but if you’re going to hurt my friends or people I know, I’ll deal with it accordingly.”

“You fools, you–“

I don’t miss the chance that Sonia gives a signal, and I slash at the man who steps in. I don’t know why, but the fact that they let her back off at all suggests that Sonia is more important than these guys, that she’s playing the role of commander. 

So I thought that if Sonia was close by, she might be waiting for instructions, so I took her by surprise. And it was apparently correct, for he glanced at Sonia for a moment, and then took up an intercepting posture. 

“There’s an opening!”

“Un ……!? Sonia-sama!”

I slash at him from below, swinging my sword up, and even though he hurriedly guard it with his sword, he falls far back. I lunged further to cut into Sonia, the commander in chief. 

“Don’t be flustered! You guys, surround them. If we do it all at once, it doesn’t matter how powerful his magic is.”

Sonia snapped her fingers and the other two closed in on me. I see. If they fight properly, they’ll certainly be able to move well. 

“Move!”

“I won’t let you hurt Sonia-sama!”

“There!”

“Keep him down just like that! I’ll slit his throat.”

I kicked them away, and then Sonia and the other one tried to move. So I smiled wryly and said to Sonia.

“Is it all right being distracted by me?”

“What the hell are you talking abo–Guah!?”

“Sorry, I’m late!”

Sonia couldn’t finish her sentence, but was kicked in the back by Makina and stepped on her. The men may have sensed the situation and formed a formation to protect Sonia. Yes, the Makina and the others came in through the open door. 

“What a nice scene you have here, Makina. My body is warmed up from dealing with the monsters. You can resist in vain, you know?”

“Fuhahahahaha! Evil is destined to be destroyed!”

“Little girl ……! The minister and the old hag too …… it seems that it’s true that Albatross and others have been beaten …… I even put him in my eyes, what a useless man.”

“Kuku, you’re making an ugly expression, you know, Sonia-san? I’ll give a fitting end for a wicked woman — Hyaaa!?”

“Shut up! Lux can’t move anyway, so don’t get carried away just because we have the same number!”

Sonia, who’s stomping while saying her message, threw a dagger at Basleigh who had triumphant look, took out a short sword from her skirt, and rang her finger.

“How dare you kick my ass, you little bitch! I’m going to brainwash you and use you as a plaything for Varnish.”

“I refuse!”

“Sonia, I’m your opponent! !”

Using water jail on Sonia, who lowers her posture and approaches Makina, and throws her to the ceiling. The man who was hiding right behind Sonia confronted Makina with his sword. 

“Oraaaaa!”

“What! Lars, I’ll leave you to it.”

“Take care of that too, and be careful.”

The other two–　

“Will you still come at me, knowing that I’m Fath the Thunderbolt?”

“Defeating an old lady can still bring me fame, after all. And I can’t disobey Sonia-sama’s orders.”

“Hmph, looks like I’m being underestimated. Well, I’ll give you a light massage. Basleigh, wait a moment.”

“Hya! Whoa!?”

“How quick!”

“Hurry up, Fath-san! I’m too fragile. I’ll be captured in no time!”

“Who would want to do that to a strange woman like you …… Gueh, w-what!?”

“What did you just say ……? I’ve lost my temper for the first time in a long time …… Goraaaaa!!”

“You’re a strange woman, after all!? Damn, If I kill the minister, even I ……!”

–It seems that they’ll be fine. I’m worried about Basleigh-sensei wielding the hammer, but Fath-san is nearby, so it won’t be a big deal. When I turned my eyes to Sonia, she changed my posture in the air, kicked the ceiling, and charged at me.

“You’ve got a bad habit, there!”

“Tsk, that’s a disturbing spell, why don’t I do this then?”

She manipulates the Water Jail to shift its position, and as soon as she lands, she breaks the water chain and then stabs it with her shortsword at high speed.

“Oops ……! Tah!”

I evade it and aim for her stomach with the hilt of my sword. But Sonia stops quickly, distances herself from me, and smiles as she licks the shortsword.

“You can’t hit me. You’re trying to stop me without cutting me to death, but I’m going to show you that I’m not so naive.”

“I’m not going to do it. .”

“He’s gone!?”

“Over here!”

“Kuh ……!?”

In order to disable her, I aimed at the side of her body, where even a crack will cause extreme pain whenever she moves. My sword is single-edged, so if I use its back, I can swing it out and she’ll not die. But I guess she had good instincts, because she used her shortsword to guard against my invisible blow.

“How powerful! But there’s a gap after the action.”

“That’s what you think, right? Tigre-sensei said that to me a lot of times!”

“Guha ……!?”

There was a time when Tigre-sensei saw through an opening after a confident blow, and I remember the devastation I suffered. I was able to get over it quickly, but my teacher praised me for using it as a fake, as a means of luring my opponent in the opposite direction.

“Ahhhh, Sonia ……!”

“Shut up, Dad. That is the true nature of your wife, who you have been with for over twenty years. You don’t even know if Varnish is really her son.”

“Uhh, muuu ……”

“I’m not interested in the succession to the throne. I just want to live a quiet life with my sister. You are definitely my father. I only saved you because I wouldn’t sleep well if you died.”

“Lux, you …….”

That’s what I heard when I sent Sonia flying. Zanbia looked at Lux’s closed left eye and sagged down.

“Cough …… What strength …… I didn’t know you could do swordplay as well as magic ……”

Sonia glances at Makina and the others. Fath-san had already defeated one of them and had joined Basleigh-sensei in the fight. Makina’s opponent was more experienced, and the two went back and forth. Even so, if she can get him with [Kaiser Knuckle], she’ll be able to finish him off. 

“Kuku …… Twenty years of planning gone awry …… I guess I’m the one who underestimated you? But, I still have–“

“You’re taking a Monsterizing potion?”

“……!? You know of it?”

“Yeah, I’ve seen it in Oriola territory, and there was an adventurer who turned into an ogre some years ago. If you use it, you can’t turn back into a human, right? I’d appreciate it if you’d give up.”

“Don’t get smart with me, kid! If I turn into a monster, I can take care of all of you!”

I put my left hand on the windowpane as Sonia took out the medicine bottle. 

“I’m fine with it, but …… Maybe you can’t beat me, .”

At that moment, the magic was released into the sky, emitting a sound like the cry of a dragon. The window frame was destroyed with a roar, and as the mass of energy disappeared, Sonia fell to the floor on her butt.

Picking up the medicine bottle that had fallen, I smiled and opened my mouth.

“Game over, I guess?”

“Kuh …….”

In that moment, I saw Sonia sagging down. But there’s a dull glow in her chest–

Hm, somethings wrong with Sonia’s behavior ……?

Thank you for reading!

[Afterword Theater]

“Well, he’s overwhelmingly powerful, after all.”

He can defeat it if it’s about Retzel class, so I hope there are no monsters like Tigre-sensei class or Sarge class.

“There are no enemies ……”