After finishing their match, the group was on their way back to the town of Telmus.
"I lost again..."
Yuka was feeling quite downcast. She had been losing to Izayoi and, to make matters worse, had also lost to Lilith recently. The shock was significant.
"Don't be so down, Yuka. Honestly, this was just a simple sword fight, I won only because of that. Who knows what would happen in real combat."
Lilith was trying to cheer up the dejected Yuka.
"Actually, Yuka's power was quite something. I was... a bit surprised when the sword struck the ground."
Recalling the previous scene, Izayoi spoke with a strained smile. He was definitely more than just a bit surprised, choosing his words carefully to not upset Yuka further.
"But Yuka’s abilities were indeed surprising. Being F-rank is like a scam."
Lilith subtly suggested Yuka should rank up, Izayoi slightly shifted his gaze. Yuka, not understanding the underlying meaning, took the words at face value.
"Haha, if that's the case, this guy is not just a scam but outright cheating!"
"Hey, idiot, don't say unnecessary things!"
"Who are you calling an idiot!"
Yuka lunged at Izayoi, who parried her by grabbing her arm.
"Wow, how is it cheating?"
"To be specific, he deflected my sword with the hilt during the fight."
"That is certainly... cheating..."
Lilith, who hadn't expected such a level of irregularity, showed a surprised face.
On the other hand, Izayoi was about to discipline Yuka for carelessly revealing part of his strength.
"Hey? Wait, why are you grabbing my head, ow ow!"
Izayoi shifted his grip to Yuka's head, applying pressure. Ignoring the unsettling noises, he believed in disciplining regardless of gender or age.
"No, it's cracking, it's gonna crack!"
"Izayoi, can you please stop that now?"
Seeing Yuka struggling, Lilith tried to intervene, but Izayoi was relentless.
"Ahhh..."
Yuka fell silent after a final scream.
"Discipline complete."
Izayoi smiled, satisfied, as Yuka, still gripped by the head, swayed limply. Lilith looked pale at this.
"Isn't that a bit too much..."
"Don’t worry, she’ll wake up soon."
Carrying the unconscious Yuka, the group continued towards the town. Despite the added burden, they made it through the forest without issues.
▼
After leaving the forest and Yuka waking up, they were walking on the road to Telmus.
"...Hm? Did anyone else hear that?"
Yuka stopped and tilted her head.
"This is... a scream, perhaps."
"I can also hear the sound of clashing swords."
Izayoi and Lilith became cautious at the distant noises. They saw a carriage surrounded by several men.
"It seems like an attack."
"Wait, isn't that serious!"
Yuka, contrasting with the calm Lilith, was about to rush in to help, but Izayoi firmly grabbed her shoulder to calm her down.
"Calm down, Yuka. Don’t rush in."
"But, if we don't hurry, the people in the carriage will be in danger!"
"What if there are more enemies hidden? What will you do?"
"I'll blow them away, obviously."
Izayoi was having a headache dealing with Yuka’s straightforward thinking. Lilith, trying to reason with her, spoke.
"I understand your feelings, but don’t be hasty. If we rush in, even the original guards might get startled."
"...You're right, Lilith is correct."
Yuka regained her composure after Lilith's rational words and apologized to Izayoi.
"Izayoi, sorry."
"Don't worry, it’s usual."
"Hmph, well, yes..."
Seeing Yuka pouting, Izayoi and Lilith exchanged wry smiles. They quickly discussed their approach and ran towards the carriage.
"First, it's certain there are ambushers. Probably in the woods, I’ll handle them."
"Understood. Then Lilith and I will handle the carriage."
"Make sure to identify yourselves properly."
"I know!"
Yuka nodded dismissively. Izayoi was slightly worried, but believed they could handle it.
"Then, I'll go from the woods. Be careful."
Izayoi dashed into the woods alongside the road. The woods had little underbrush, allowing him to run nearly as fast as on the road towards the carriage. Glancing to the side, Yuka was also running along the highway at a considerable speed, with Lilith sprinting behind, trying not to be left behind.
"Gyaaa!"
"Damn it!"
"Die!"
As their voices became clearer, Yuka accelerated even more. Without drawing her sword, she transferred her running momentum to deliver a powerful punch to the back of a man who appeared to be a bandit nearby.
Witnessing the scene of an adult man being blown away by a petite girl with a mix of astonishment, Izayoi turned his attention to three archers in the trees off the highway who were surprised by the unexpected intruders.
It was troublesome as each of them had climbed different trees, requiring individual responses.
Before the three archers could recover, Izayoi drew his sword. He could have knocked them down with magic, but it could be overkill, and he wanted to keep his cards close to his chest as much as possible. Since Yuka had inadvertently revealed the sword, there was no problem swinging it openly.
"Hmph!"
In a single breath, he cut down three trees, each as wide as a human torso. The archers, unable to respond to the attack from outside their awareness, were knocked to the ground along with the falling trees and fell unconscious.
Confirming the complete silence of the archers, Izayoi turned his eyes towards the carriage on the highway. Yuka and Lilith had already quelled the situation there, and now Lilith was talking to the guards of the attacked carriage.
Izayoi also headed towards the carriage, dragging the unconscious three along. That's when it happened.
"Guh, this brat...!"
"Huh?"
One of the men lying on the ground regained consciousness and attacked Yuka with a dagger he had concealed.
Yuka was completely caught off guard.
"Yuka!"
Izayoi immediately ran towards her, leaving the men he was dragging, but he couldn’t make it in time. Judging that there was no time to hold back, he prepared to construct a defensive barrier immediately—
"You have a bad timing."
A resolute voice echoed, and the next moment, the man was cut in half.
With a squishy, wet sound, the bandit sank to the ground. A sea of blood spread around the man. Yuka stared blankly at the scene.
On the other hand, Lilith, who had cut the bandit in two, nonchalantly shook the blood off her sword and called out to the motionless Yuka, as if concerned.
"Yuka-kun, are you alright?"
"Ah… Yes…"
Yuka seemed to be not entirely there, probably shocked. Lilith gently patted her shoulder encouragingly and then walked back towards the guards.
Izayoi approached the Yuka, who was left standing alone, and placed a hand on her shoulder, just like Lilith did. However, the meaning conveyed by that touch was entirely different.
"Yuka, don’t tell me—"
Sensing what Izayoi was about to say, Yuka’s body flinched.
"—You’ve never killed anyone before?"
At that question, Yuka simply looked down.