Vol 2 Chapter 14.2

2nd Volume, 14th Chapter 【The Designated Quest】 2nd Part

――Afterward, there was nothing special――It was calm and peaceful.

I downed the black tea, which Logins-san brought, *guit* in one gulp. The black tea here was as delicious as ever.

When a florid scent tickled my nose, I turned my sight around.

N? Lim, who would always relish its flavour, wasn’t trying it out today…

「There’s… some kind of smell…」

「Really? I can’t sense it at all.」

Upon Lim’s words, Marita held herself back from drinking it and tried to notice the smell.

Seriously? Has it expired? It tasted delicious, though.

「…The tea may have gone stale… I’ll have it replaced right away. By the way, how was the lunch today, Marita-sama?」

「Ehehe, to tell you the truth, I exchanged it with Seiji’s bento under a mutual agreement…」

The agreement was post exchange, though. She was just acting like a good kid in front of Logins-san.

Right after the gentle laughter resounded inside the room――I felt a sense of incongruity which I couldn’t put my finger on.

――Something… was strange…

There was still some time till dusk, yet――――

――――Wasn’t the mansion unusually quiet?

It was as calm… as midnight…

――The moment that question crossed my mind, the footsteps of someone running echoed inside the corridor.

Those presumptuous footsteps felt abnormal. I laid caution bare and whipped my sword out.

The air carried tension with it to Marita. The little girl held her breath and peeked.

――The next instant, the door as if kicked was thrown open. What appeared were――two suspicious people with their bodies clad in black mantles and their faces masked.

What’s going on…? I mean, where are the guards…?

「Ooh, everyone really is asleep~ there can’t be any job as easy as this.」

「You, can’t you see a human moving in front of you? Secure the target right away. As for the obstacles… get rid of them…」

Asleep…? No, it’s not the time to think about such things… Their target must be Marita.

They didn’t seem to be friendly.

I tried to confirm the status of the enemy… but I couldn’t…

Because their faces are hidden behind the masks?

It wasn’t a skill that could see through someone hidden under cover. Since they had their faces completely hidden, it was impossible.

One of them, who was confirmed to be a woman from her voice, took a whip out.

What’s that… Whip Arts…? Does such a Skill even exist?

――Calm down. I must concentrate on the enemy in front of me.

Unless I grasped a Skill, I couldn’t steal it. So, there was no use in deliberating.

If I read the enemy’s strengths with my own eyes――

――――It would be my victory.

「Lim, protect Marita. I will keep them company.」

To test the ability of the enemy, you would throw your strongest piece. Because the objective of the enemy was not clear, Marita would have to kept away from damage.

…When I took a peek at Logins-san’s status, he had fairly high combat skills. Therefore, I would be glad if he provided reinforcement. However, to keep Marita safe, I had to keep myself from being nearby her.

「Hey, hey. Does this guy… intend to take us on…?」

「You, too, get ready. Don’t make light of your enemy, or you’ll get into trouble.」

…I had been reduced to a guard… Adventurer was fine, too… However, what I always longed for was―――a knight 「……Naa!」

While spitting such words, I kicked the floor hard and bounded.

Although Marita’s room was too big to live in――――it was too good to fight in.

I ate the distance to the enemy completely and shook my sword off.

The target of my first attack was not the woman holding the whip――but the man next to her.

「Uoo――」

The man faintly groaned, but he caught the attack with the weapon which he already had set up underneath his mantle.

I see. So, the man’s weapon was… twin swords, huh…?

Two somewhat long, somewhat short [swords]… geared with my sword at the last moment giving sparks off…

As for the strength, mine was higher… I would be able to press him…

「Wait… What’s with this guy? Don’t you think I should have known about this beforehand?」

If I lop one of his arms off, he would be neutralized, no…?

From the corner of my eye, I caught sight of a whip lashing at me. I dropped back dodging it barely.

The man chased me without a second thought and struck the twin swords down.

He was strong, certainly… but his sword line was rough compared to mine…

――Even though he had two swords, I would definitely come out on top!

With both of my hands firmly gripping the hilt of the sword, I caught the enemy’s attack. By letting it slide over the sword fuller, I advanced one step forward.

「Fuu――」

I set my blade line up on the leverage point, where the enemy was clutching the sword at, and put all my power in.

One of the enemy’s swords danced in the air and tumbled onto the floor with an unpleasant *gyugiii* metallic clank.

First one――down!

I swung the unedged [blunt] side of Noir down at the enemy’s neck.

With just one sword left, he wouldn’t be able to block it.

――However, the woman interrupted yet again.

It wasn’t the whip, though. This time, something soared at me.

Springing to the side, I dodged it and breathed in.

Strangely… These two were cooperating, so it was inevitably difficult…

I wanted someone to help me a little, too.

But I had already said, ‘leave it to me’… So, it would be difficult for me to ask for help now…

…Since the woman was interrupting again and again, I decided to tidy her up first.

Having switched the target to the woman, I dashed.

The woman, who had expected it midway through, held her hand up. Just like before, an object flew at me.

I had confirmed its nature last time.

It was an ice shot.

A Water Magic user… huh? It was easy to imagine ice through water…

However, its shape was the same as an icicle’s. If it stuck into me, it wouldn’t merely result in pain.

I was prepared, though. I invoked 《Shield of Fire (Fire Shield)》 which offset it. I advanced further.

After closing in this much… the sword would hold an advantage over the whip…

「Even magic――?!」

With the back of the sword, I hit the hand which she was wielding the whip in hard.

The sensation of fist bones fracturing transmitted to me. Even though healing was possible via Water Magic, she wouldn’t be able to lash the whip for now.

The man screamed. He seemed to be invoking some magic. I thrust the sword at the woman’s scruff.

「Don’t move… Start explaining…」

I ordered the man to drop his weapon.

「――What are you guys doing――… What’s the meaning of this?」

However, a newcomer barged into the room and spat those words out loud.

Without minding that I had the woman seized, he proceeded in our direction.

s.h.i.t… What do I do?

While unease was swelling up inside me, a reliable voice arrived from behind me.

「…I will take it over from here…」

It was Logins-san.

Thank G.o.d… Now Logins-san can take on the newcomer while I――

「――Ga……a」

Through the back of my defenseless head, an intense shock ran through.

Before I could even squeeze a word out, I collapsed onto the floor.

Eh… What… happened…?

Amidst faint consciousness, I lifted my eyes up.

What entered my sight――――was Logins-san silently staring at me.

…What’s the meaning of this…?

――I couldn’t make sense of it…