Early morning.
Pleiades Watchtower, second floor, Electra.
“You’re challenging me first thing in the morning?
Did yesterday’s lesson not sink in enough?”
Reid picked at his ear with his pinky, his face full of complete disinterest.
His contempt toward Subaru had already reached the maximum value.
If Subaru had forced himself to keep pretending yesterday and continued fighting, Reid might have looked at him a little differently.
But after running away in such a pathetic state, Reid could only see him as a useless small fry who got everything wrong.
“Yeah.
Not only am I challenging you, I’m also going to the next floor.”
This trial was different from the third floor trial.
After Subaru had pulled out the sword, a spiral staircase leading upward had appeared behind Reid.
In other words, defeating Reid was not the goal.
The important part was how to get past him and go up.
Did even the annoying person who built this place know that placing such an overpowered monster here was basically cheating?
“You’ve got guts saying that.”
Reid laughed carelessly.
“Same as yesterday.
If you can make me move even one step, you win.”
“This time, I don’t plan on breaking through you directly.”
Subaru shook his head.
Then the corner of his mouth lifted, and he took one step forward, pointing straight at Reid.
“What are you doing?
That look on your face is disgusting.
It’s like you’re trying to tell me you’re planning to cheat.
Are you really going to cheat right in front of the examiner?”
Reid laughed loudly and took out his chopsticks.
“You can call it cheating if you want.
Shaula!”
Following Subaru’s shout, a white beam shot forward in an instant.
“Hm?!”
Reid’s hands and eyes moved fast.
His chopsticks danced, precisely catching the incoming white light.
The force behind it was enormous, enough that even Reid could not remain completely unmoved.
“A needle?”
After seeing the attack clearly, he realized that what he had caught was a white needle.
“Now!”
Seeing Reid’s attention diverted, Subaru immediately ran.
His target was the staircase behind Reid.
Breaking past Reid did not necessarily mean defeating Reid.
As long as he could go up, as long as he reached the next floor, that would be his victory, right?
“Playing nothing but petty tricks… Still, this is at least a little interesting, even for me.”
Compared to bullying small fry, blocking the attacks of that lewd woman in the distance while catching this small fry sounded more fun.
“The previous question is canceled.
The next question is… cat and mouse!”
Reid’s figure vanished in an instant.
He was so fast that the air itself burst apart, creating a violent pressure that swept through the room.
In the blink of an eye, he had already appeared in front of Subaru.
“Caught you.”
“No, not yet!
Shaula!”
“As you command, Master!”
Behind him, Shaula spread both arms.
Magic circles formed one after another, and fierce white beams shot out.
They were dazzling and brilliant, each strike containing enough terrifying power to disintegrate an ordinary person.
“You brat, aren’t you worried her attacks will hit you too?”
“Hah, I have confidence in my aiming.
Worry about yourself, you stick swinging barbarian!”
Reid had no choice but to temporarily give up on Subaru and swing his chopsticks to block Shaula’s attacks. Find the original chapter at g.com.
White light collided with the chopsticks, producing a series of ringing impacts.
The magical beams illuminated the entire space.
His hand moved so fast it left afterimages, precisely catching every incoming needle.
“What a monster!”
Seeing that, Subaru could not help cursing.
Right now, he had no time to worry about Reid.
He ran forward again.
The next floor was just ahead.
Once he reached the first floor, the trial would be complete!
“Where do you think you’re going, small fry?!”
Reid swung his chopsticks, and a raging storm was stirred up.
A vast gust of wind rampaged through the sealed room, blocking several needles in front of him.
And that single instant of breathing room was seized by Reid.
He appeared beside Subaru again and kicked without mercy.
“Gah!”
Pain exploded from Subaru’s abdomen.
That single kick sent him flying.
Feeling his stomach churn violently, Subaru rolled several times across the grass before finally coming to a stop.
And the staircase that had been right within reach was now even farther away.
“Is that all your little tricks amount to, bastard?”
Reid held his chopsticks, and a faint killing intent drifted from him.
This guy really would kill Subaru.
“Cough, cough… Cough…”
Acid rose to the corner of Subaru’s mouth.
The food he had eaten yesterday almost came back up, but he forcefully swallowed it down, barely avoiding the most embarrassing scene.
“Master!”
Shaula rushed to Subaru’s side in time and supported him.
“Sorry.
I didn’t think we still wouldn’t be able to break through that monster…”
“That’s Reid, Master.
Even if he isn’t the Reid from the age I know, he’s still Reid.”
Shaula said it as if this were only natural, as if everything was exactly how it was supposed to be.
“I don’t care if he’s Reid or whatever else…”
Subaru wiped the corner of his mouth.
“I want to clear the trial, get out of here, and search for my beautiful Isekai life…”
“Master, why are you still saying things like that?!
This isn’t the time!
There’s no way to get past Reid!”
“And—”
Subaru continued.
“I want to free you, Shaula.
I want to release you from this four hundred year prison.
I’ll definitely do it.
I have to do it.
The Isekai life I keep talking about should include you too.” (TL:my goat)
It was as if an electric current swept through Shaula’s brain, which had never been all that good at thinking too deeply.
She was not stupid.
Absolutely not.
She had her own understanding of many things, and she had her own selfishness too.
Before hearing those words, she had even thought that it was lucky Reid was guarding this floor.
If that were the case, then Master would have no way to clear the trial, and he could stay with her forever.
That kind of thought had crossed her mind.
The life Master wants…
Includes her too?
While Shaula stood there frozen, Subaru had already stood up again.
You really are blocking this place like an impossible high wall, but I’m definitely going to climb over you and leave you behind!”
There was no longer any retreat in Subaru’s fierce eyes.
Seeing that, Reid smiled too.
“So you’re finally planning to show a little backbone?
Small fry, let me tell you, big talk won’t help you pick up women.”
Subaru broke into a run.
And then—
“Too slow!”
“You think that’s enough to get past me?!”
“Go crawl back to your woman and beg her to comfort you!”
Every single charge was brutally crushed.
Again.
And again.
Because Shaula, who should have been supporting him, was frozen in place.
Without her help, there was no way Subaru could push forward against Reid.
Subaru would not blame her.
She had never been obligated to help him in the first place.
The chopsticks stabbed into Subaru’s chest.
A sharp impact struck him, carrying enormous force that sent him flying again.
He rolled miserably across the ground, his clothes completely covered in dust.
“Boring.
I thought you might have some hidden trump card, but in the end, this is all you’ve got.
Without that woman helping you, you don’t even have the right to make me slightly interested!”
“Ah… I already told you, didn’t I?
I’m going to get past you.
So shut that filthy mouth of yours and watch properly!”
Subaru’s face was bruised and swollen as he roared hysterically.
He stood up again.
He was going to charge once more at the high wall in front of him.
Reckless, like Don Quixote trying to strike down a windmill.
“I said it already.
With speed that slow, you think you can get past me?
Don’t make me laugh!”
Reid responded with fury.
He lifted his chopsticks as though he were raising a sharp sword.
He no longer intended to keep playing around.
His next attack would be serious.
Subaru approached.
As long as Reid swung the stick in his hand, this ignorant brat would be knocked to the ground, never to rise again.
Whoosh!
The sound of something slicing through the air rang out.
But something arrived in front of Reid even faster than the sound.
A needle.
“Damn woman!”
Reid opened his mouth wide and bit down on the needle.
With a crack, the needle shattered between his teeth.
“Shaula… Shaula wants Master to stay with Shaula forever…”
Around the Scorpion girl, one magic circle after another formed from gathered mana.
“But… Shaula doesn’t want Master to get hurt.
Even if it’s Reid, I absolutely won’t allow it!”
Needles.
Countless needles.
Like a storm of pear-blossom needles.
The fading white light poured toward Reid like a machine gun, like a torrential rain.
“Do you two really not understand…?”
Reid’s voice came through the downpour of light.
“Do you know how slow this brat is in my eyes?”
“Even if I have to deal with you, lewd woman, crushing a small fry underfoot is ten thousand times easier than picking my ear!”