Before they knew it, Yuka and Lilith had grown closer. Izayoi and the others, trying not to mind this too much, had travelled to a nearby forest about an hour away from the town.
The initial awkwardness had disappeared, and Yuka and Lilith were engaging in cheerful conversation. Meanwhile, Izayoi was quietly picking the designated herbs and putting them into his bag.
"But I was surprised to find out that Lilith-san is an A-Rank adventurer."
"Really?"
"I mean, why would someone as incredible as you be drinking with him…"
"Hehe, Yuka-kun is still too young for alcohol. You’ll understand in another two years."
"Is that how it is?"
It was a warm and friendly conversation. However, considering they were in a forest where monsters roamed, it was surprising they could chat so carefreely. Izayoi didn't stop collecting, even as he marveled at their ease.
After a while of mindlessly picking herbs, his bag was finally full. He sighed, and as he stood up, the two approached him, sensing his movement.
"Good job~. Watching you silently pick herbs was quite surreal."
"Hey, Yuka-kun, don’t tease him too much."
"It’s fine. He always makes fun of me anyway."
Yuka snorted and turned away. Lilith watched her reaction with an amused look, while Izayoi felt like it was already too late to fix certain things.
Seeing the chaotic situation, Izayoi resigned himself to whatever would happen. Next to him, Lilith sighed audibly.
"It really ended without anything happening."
"We are in a rather safe part of the forest. Even if monsters appeared, they wouldn’t have shown their true strength."
"True. In that case…"
Lilith smirked, and Izayoi could easily imagine what she was going to say next.
"Won’t you spar with me?"
Izayoi, foreseeing this, looked up at the sky. He had a hunch that Lilith was somewhat of a battle junkie. He recognized it quickly, having dealt with a much worse one, Gynos, who enjoyed crushing him as he grew stronger.
Thanks to Gynos, Izayoi had become strong, but he wasn’t exactly grateful for the continuous injuries. He shook off the memory of Gynos’s savage laughter and pondered how to deal with Lilith, when Yuka, who thought she was unrelated, entered his field of view.
—Alright, decided.
"Yuka is stronger than me."
He said, pushing the responsibility onto her.
"Wha!? What are you saying—"
"Oh, really?"
Lilith’s eyes resembled that of a predator finding its prey.
"Indeed. Her movements back then were splendid."
She was probably recalling when Yuka broke a table at the guild. Lilith’s smile deepened.
"Well then, Yuka-kun, would you be my opponent?"
"Wha!? Wait, eh?"
Yuka, not expecting to be involved, unconsciously nodded to Lilith’s words.
"Great! Let’s go to an open area nearby."
"Um, okay…"
Yuka was dragged away by Lilith. She sent a resentful glance at Izayoi, who pretended not to notice.
—Forgive me, Yuka. I’ve had enough of battle junkies with Gynos.
But considering Lilith’s smooth maneuvers and knowledge of the area, she must have planned this from the start. A tough opponent indeed. Izayoi followed them, looking up at the partly cloudy sky.
There was a circular opening in the forest, where Yuka and Lilith faced each other. The friendly atmosphere was gone, replaced by tension.
Izayoi watched as a referee from a distance.
"Only use magic for physical enhancement. Be careful not to go too far."
"We know."
"Of course."
Despite the warnings, it was uncertain how much they would hold back.
"Begin!"
At Izayoi’s signal, they both moved. Both were eager to take the initiative, and their swords clashed at incredible speed.
"Haah!"
"Kuh…!"
Lilith, who collided with Yuka’s blow, which had strength comparable to a demon’s, showed a surprised expression but managed to absorb the shock by leaping backward.
"What power… I can’t take her head-on."
"Was I… that strong?"
Yuka, likely unaccustomed to fighting humans, was bewildered by Lilith’s serious response.
"But this is convenient… I can try it out."
Lilith muttered and readied her sword, and Yuka did the same.
"Here I come!"
Yuka made the first move to break the deadlock. She charged with enough force to shatter the ground. Lilith, however, didn’t move from her spot. Yuka’s sword approached Lilith at a speed that cut through the wind.
"Heh."
With a breath and a relaxed move, Lilith slightly shifted her body and deflected Yuka’s sword with her left blade. "Wha!?"
The sword that was perfectly parried stuck into the ground at Lilith’s feet with its momentum.
Seeing this, Lilith scrunched her face considerably but immediately swung her right sword horizontally.
"That was close!"
Yuka ducked instantly, avoiding it, and while pulling her sword from the ground, she jumped back to gain some distance. However, Lilith, not letting this opportunity slip, danced forward attacking.
"Haah!"
"Whoa, wa!"
With her inherent reflexes, Yuka managed to block the continuous attacks with her sword. However, she couldn’t keep it up in her unstable stance.
"Not yet…!"
The bare blade approached Yuka, who still hadn’t regained her balance. Yuka desperately parried with her sword, but she was at a disadvantage due to the number of attacks.
"Damn it…!"
Yuka tried to land a blow while looking for an opening, but she couldn’t find any in Lilith’s graceful movements. Even when she forcibly swung her sword, it was parried. Moreover, Lilith precisely exploited Yuka’s vulnerabilities, making it unmanageable.
As mentioned earlier, Yuka's swordplay is straightforward to the point of being naive. It could even be called overly honest.
On the other hand, Lilith’s style is based on parrying, assuming a one-on-one battle. Additionally, she uses dual swords to increase the number of attacks, maximizing its advantage.
The advantage of dual-wielding is not just an increase in the number of attacks and power, as one might think. It allows for an integrated offensive and defensive style, blocking with one sword and attacking with the other. While it may not be very effective against monsters, in one-on-one combat, depending on the wielder, it can dominate the battle. Lilith possesses the skills and experience to do so.
Moreover, Lilith’s movements were flawless, like a refined dance. Her swordsmanship, combined with this, was nothing but trouble for Yuka.
Realizing the disadvantage, Yuka immediately tried to gain some distance, but Lilith kept close, as if not letting her escape.
"Ah, enough! You’re so persistent!"
Yuka swung her sword horizontally with all her might. Lilith was ready to parry this blow as well, but the sword’s momentum was so intense that she switched to dodging.
"Got you!"
It was natural that a huge opening appeared when making a large swing. Yuka, who was full of openings after swinging, had swords pointed at her neck and side.
"Lilith wins."
As Izayoi declared the outcome, both of them lowered their swords quietly.