A duel with Galio, the boy whose first love had become badly complicated.
Of everyone on my side, the one most panicked by this development was—surprisingly—Penne.
As she desperately urged me to reconsider the duel, flinging her prized pink twin-tails every which way, one thought kept rising above all others: she really was a good girl.
Still, what had been decided was decided, and choosing to back down here would come with far too many disadvantages.
“I know that too! And I know you can fight pretty well, Crow. But that guy is insanely strong in a duel. His magic is—”
“That’s enough. You can’t go around freely telling people about someone else’s magic. I’m glad you’re worried, but… well, I’ll manage somehow. Apparently, I’m a candidate for the next underboss, after all.”
I covered Penne’s mouth and handed her over to Resina. I was genuinely happy that she cared so much, but judging from what I could observe with my mana-detection skill, I probably wouldn’t have a problem.
While I was thinking that, Resina patted me on the shoulder.
“Crow. Beat that man until he’s just barely short of death.”
“Do you hold some kind of grudge against him, Resina?”
“He’s dangerous. He once lusted after me when I was five years old.”
“…I see.”
“He’s a pervert who becomes aroused while trembling in fear.”
Ah, yes. Resina had mind-reading magic, so even private tastes like that were laid bare before her. A masochistic boy with a complicated first love… Well, everyone had their own preferences, but Resina’s request was apparently that I thoroughly shatter his romantic feelings. Understood.
Members of the Gazania Family rushed busily back and forth, setting up a special dueling area in the office courtyard. Everyone moved while carrying bottles of alcohol… Branch Head Gaccha wore an expression as though the world were ending, while his eldest son Galio looked raring to go. Everyone else had begun predicting the winner, and both sides seemed to be enjoying themselves a little. Well, this was basically entertainment for the feast.
“—We will now conduct a duel between Crow, candidate for the next underboss of the Cineraria Family, and Galio, future head of the Gazania Family. Both parties shall state their reason for fighting and what they seek from the duel. Galio, you first.”
Prompted by a mysterious old man who was enthusiastically officiating the duel, Galio raised his voice.
“When I heard the young miss’s future husband was coming… I looked forward to meeting him. What kind of incredible man had earned the support of both the boss and the chief administrator? I expected a strong, courageous man among men—someone capable of making our young miss happy! But look at this! A painfully ordinary, feeble brat without a trace of spirit is supposed to marry her? I can’t allow it. I refuse to accept it! If someone tries to force through something so completely wrong, I’ll resist with everything I have—even if headquarters itself stands against me. That is my reason for fighting!”
“““WOOOOOOOO!”””
While Galio’s declaration sent the crowd into a frenzy, his father, Gaccha, slumped in a corner like a burned-out, withered tree. Hang in there.
“What I demand from this duel is the end of his engagement to the young miss!”
Although there was the minor issue that Resina and I had never been engaged in the first place.
Galio appeared to have considerable support within the Gazania Family. They were cheering him on with the unity of a true family. How heartwarming.
“Very well. Galio’s claim is understood. Next, Crow. State your reason for fighting and what you seek.”
The old man was having the time of his life.
Well, yes. My reason for fighting…
“First, the reason I’m fighting is… Resina told me Galio’s gaze disgusted her, so I should beat him up. That’s my reason.”
“…Whoa.”
Huh? Why was everyone’s reaction so different from when Galio spoke?
Why did they look so deeply put off? It was fine. They should roar with laughter and use it as entertainment with their drinks. If everyone became too considerate, Galio himself would only feel more uncomfortable.
“What I want from this duel is… I hadn’t decided!”
At my declaration, everyone’s knees buckled.
Hmm. What should I ask for? I hadn’t proposed the duel myself, so nothing in particular came to mind… Ah, I knew.
“I’ll take Branch Head Gaccha’s eldest daughter, Garnet, as my subordinate!”
My declaration brought another roar from the crowd. Good. Being met with complete revulsion during entertainment at a feast had stung more than I expected.
I’d been wanting an alchemist as a subordinate, and Garnet gave off the unmistakable air of an alchemy fanatic. I thought she probably knew all sorts of things I didn’t.
When I glanced at the branch head, he formed a large circle over his head with both arms, so there seemed to be no problem.
“Killing is forbidden in this duel. The first person to lose consciousness or declare surrender will be defeated. Apart from that, anything goes.”
“WOOOOOOOOOOOO!”
“Both parties, take your positions… Attention. Bow!”
And so, the duel began.
◆ ◆ ◆
This concerned a basic mana-control technique—a skill, rather than magic itself—but concentrating the mana circulating through one’s body in a particular place could enhance physical functions. It was what people commonly called physical reinforcement.
And after years of training, the amount of mana inside my body had grown absurdly large. After all, subspace magic was horribly inefficient… As a result, there was an overwhelming difference between the amount of mana Galio possessed and my own. Roughly speaking, it was like one cup of water versus an entire lake.
In other words, no matter how hard Galio tried to reinforce his body with his single cup of water—
“Damn it! Damn it! Why can’t I hit you?!”
The knuckles on both his hands cut through empty air, unable even to graze me while I remained entirely unenhanced. His movements were plainly visible, and I could simply dodge them.
I’d spent a great deal of time in combat training with Resina recently too… Honestly, she was tougher than any monster I’d ever fought. Compared to her, Galio’s fists probably had no chance of reaching me.
I didn’t believe the amount of mana one possessed decided everything in battle. But he seemed to be someone blessed with abundant mana from birth, so his fighting itself was extremely rough.
Against someone weaker, it would be more than enough. But from my perspective, he was merely an opponent throwing slow, exaggerated punches, so not dodging would have been more difficult. Though even if I took them head-on, they probably wouldn’t damage me.
Driven forward by impatience, Galio leaned too far into an attack, and my clumsy foot sweep sent him rolling spectacularly across the ground. He rolled quite a distance.
“Hah… hah… hah…”
Panting heavily, he pointed his index finger at me.
“—Magic Bullet.”
Apparently, he’d decided to change how he fought.
A Magic Bullet flew toward me.
“Hmm… Whether you’re punching or shooting, you’ll need to be a little more creative, or this won’t qualify as a fight.”
I didn’t even need to dodge. The instant the Magic Bullet touched my body, it unraveled and vanished. Every shot ended the same way because his Magic Bullet truly did nothing more than launch a simple projectile. I didn’t even need to wrap myself in armor magic.
“Shut up! Are you even taking this seriously? You haven’t done anything this whole time!”
“Save lines like that until you’ve made me move even one step from this spot—Magic Bullet.”
The Magic Bullet I fired left a narrow cut across Galio’s cheek.
Strictly speaking, I’d improved my magic arts in all sorts of ways, so what I used was different enough from everyone else’s Magic Bullet to practically be another spell entirely… but I supposed that was difficult to tell from the outside.
“Ha ha! You missed too!”
“No, killing is forbidden. If that didn’t make the difference between us clear, you’re not nearly cautious enough.”
“Shut up! Just come at me!”
I see. If he was going that far, his magic was probably useful for defense.
However, it hadn’t stopped the Magic Bullet I’d just fired, so it didn’t seem to protect his body automatically.
There were several possibilities, and I would simply have to test them.
I pulled a war hammer from Storage and readied it.
War Hammer: Heavy Blow.
This was a magical weapon I’d made myself—in other words, a magic tool specialized for use as a weapon. I’d even reinforced it with some of the magical silver we’d collected during our journey, making it one of my proudest creations. For now, perhaps I would test it a little.
“I’ve often thought about this: another way to describe a sparsely populated frontier is as a place where the miasma is dense and the monsters are powerful. If I want to enjoy a slow life somewhere like that, then obviously, I’ll need strength.”
“Wh-what are you talking about…?”
“This magical weapon contains a spell circuit that increases its weight at the moment of impact in proportion to the mana poured into it. I’m about to strike you with what I consider a moderate amount of force… so I’d appreciate it if you defended yourself with everything you have and made sure not to die.”
I poured the smallest amount of mana into the war hammer, and purple arcs of electricity crackled across its entire length, from the butt to the hammerhead.
Upon seeing that, Galio finally seemed to realize he’d been cornered. He crossed both arms before his body, turned halfway to the side, and lowered his stance. Then—his body gave off a dull gleam and transformed into a mass of metal.
“So that’s your magic. I see. In exchange for becoming unable to move, your entire body turns to steel.”
Steel Transformation magic.
So this was the source of his confidence. A poorly executed attack wouldn’t leave even a scratch on him. It would ordinarily be excellent in a duel, and in a group battle, he could be expected to serve effectively as a shield. It was very good magic.
“Galio. If you don’t want to die, don’t release your magic under any circumstances.”
I stepped forward and swung the war hammer horizontally. Galio remained rigid as he flew across the courtyard, then embedded himself headfirst in the wall with a thunderous crash.
I see… This was an entertaining game in its own right, but it was rather troublesome when I considered the duel’s victory conditions.
If I put in any more force, Galio would probably be crushed to death. But if I used too little, I couldn’t damage him. Hmm. What should I do?
“I see. Adjusting my strength to injure you just the right amount may be rather difficult… All right, I’ll change strategies.”
I shifted my thinking and returned the war hammer to Storage.
His magic had a fatal weakness, but he didn’t seem very aware of it… Considering his future, perhaps I should teach him now. It was quite dangerous, after all.