At that time,
The sounds of fighting, bellows of warriors resounded inside and outside of the forest.
As thought it were woken up by those, it secretly raised up its green-coloured big lizard-like body.
Without anyone knowing, the woken up monster, didn’t take much time before……reaching the battlefield filled with the ulterior motives of adventurers and demons, 『North』and『South』.
「You, bitch……don’t interfere! 」
「I will do it, do you slut!」
*creak creak boom!*
Holding the dagger in one hand, and using the recently improved Taijutsu along with Body Enhancing Magic, she had just recently started to dabble into……Elk was protecting the Dryads while beating the hunters of『North』.
Moreover,
While protecting the Dryads and taking on several people head on, she still had the composure to judge her abilities.
Compared to Minato she had always been sparring against……their movements were slow, had too many gaps and had too many useless movements. Reading the trajectory of their attacks, and predicting their next attacks were both easy. ……There was even time when she had enough composure to think that she hadn’t thought about the next attack following next attack.
Elk had always thought it was just him flattering her, but……she was shocked at her power to overpower these men, who were『hunters』.
(……Minato and others (?) are also fighting right now……I will make it do somehow solely here!)
「That’s right! Outsiders just fuck off! Why are you protecting them from before! They are demons, don’t ya know!? Yo don have any obligation to protect it!」
At the moment……Elk’s expression became strange because the words she was about to say were completely overlapping words that Minato would say.
「……Well, I got friendly with them, didn’t want to let them alone……just a whim, yeah whim」
「……!? Don’t fuck around! Our future livelihood is at stake!」
“That, don’t hinder because we got an important reason for that.”
「Don’t go kidding around! We don’t want go to a place like that!」
「That’s right, that’s right!」
The hunter shouted with nerves appearing on his face, that was scary. That impact wasn’t something normal……the Dryads faltered screaming『Hiii!』.
「Yeah, got it. Damn it, just you wait green bitch! Just as my friends gather here, you will be……」
She couldn’t deny it……and an example of a『Black Man』flashbacked in her mind, and Elk’s warped strangely.
「W-What is……Gyaaaaaaaaa!?」
「「「!?」」」
Abruptly the scream of the man, who just went to call for backup, resounded.
(……What? Demon……?)
The brushwood behind the last man present there shook, and from there that『something』appeared.
The moment he raised his sword, an attack from the『something』came and the man was split in two half, up and down.
He wasn’t even able to raise death agony……everything happened so fast that it seemed like he didn’t even realize that he was dead.
As for Elk,
She at once spread out her hands to protect the Dryads behind her, and didn’t point her dagger towards the……demon (probably).
The creature in front of her……had little differences from the traits she and Minato had heard from a group of Dryads……even so her eyes were nailed on the something strange creature.
Like that the glaring competition between Elk protecting the Dryads, and that『something』continued for a total of……some seconds.
It didn’t even take couple of seconds before it went away from her eyesight.
It was even couple of seconds later that Elk……squeezed out those words from her throat while losing all her power.
At the same time,
「Haaaaaaaahhhhh!!」
Minato warded off it with his gauntlets, and tending to counter it let out a left straight punch.
She should’ve evaded the attack with her rotating, but this power. If she had took it head, god knows what would’ve happened, even spectators could easily understand that.
Moreover that sword……at one moment it seemed to be clad in red magical energy, the next moment it was clad in flames burning crazily. That sort of sword attack was deployed along with severe heat.
Sherry who was trying to step forward for another sword attack couldn’t find any gaps in Minato, and so stopped in her tracks.
「……You sure are having a great sword. It’s my first time seeing something like that」
「……I know it’s late, but just why did you proposed to have a mock battle with that sword」
However, there was timid expression on Sherry.
「It is called as『Joker Metal』……well, even I don’t know the details. No matter how much I overuse it, it wouldn’t have any problems, so it helps a lot」
Immediately after,
The minute she rushed in the range sphere, the fierce fire blade rushed at him from down, above, right, right and every other place.
If the opponent were hunters from『North』they would’ve been, in one second, torn from limb to limb while being grilled too.
That heat was something one would find difficulty breathing in but it didn’t seem the same for him, there was not even a speck of anguish on his face. He was handling the rapid attacks with an expressionless yet bored face.
「H-Hey what the hell is this fight……」
「So this is……A Rank……」
「……Hah」
Sherry said.
The perfectness of timing was also a main factor in that perfect punch that any ordinary person wouldn’t even see……but Sherry reacted at the last moment, and forced herself to change the posture, then jumped back.
Minato’s black fist, as if getting sucked in, attacked the stomach……part of the armour covering it……
This was an profound armour that could even stop an attack from a steel sword and arrow completely.
Sherry landed and fell on her knees while coughing violently.
This scene looked like that just a single attack had changed the situation.
「Geez, I knew you have a crazy power, but for it to be to this extent……. From the impact I understand that it would end for me if I took even one head-on……*sigh*, it made learn a lot」
「……That was great. Then, let me tell you one more thing」
In the eyes of Minato saying those words casually was the『bored』expression.
「You see I’m still a child, and I have my extreme preferences of other people……and among them, there some people whom I hate a lot, truly hate them」
「No……they are people『who love to force sense of values on others』」
「I don’t give a shit no matter how others perceive things, or have sense of values and doctrines, unless it cause me harm. But I hate people who keep on pushing that to others without minding any trouble caused to the surroundings.」
Minato kicked the ground and attacked.
It was later by the time she even tried to evade, the part that took the impact was crushed into pieces and blew away.
She had the choice of evading or handling it well with just sword, however she couldn’t do any in time, like that every time the fist was fired the armour would break, indent, and the parts would be blown away.
There wasn’t any composure left in Sherry’s expression, but……even so, from the smile on her face, it could surmised that she was enjoying this situation also.
The figure of Sherry, who saw the momentous gap during the rush and escaped, now completely different from some seconds before.
Her appearance while breathing heavily was already filled with scars all over her body……in the first place, the difference between the ability between the two was made obvious in the exchange of offense and defence just now.
「Good, you are indeed good……! Among the people I’ve met, you are without a doubt the strongest! To the point I can’t see my winning! This is……this is the fight I had always been wanting to do……!」
「Hahahahah! What are you saying? A fight this enjoyable……I can’t possibly stop it in between, right? Let me ask you, if there was the best dish in front of you, the naked body of a non-resistant girl, would you be able to hold back? As a man」
「Oh is that so? Then as a man……you need to learn being more greedy!」
This fight had reached a point where it wouldn’t stop until one died. The fight between Ecstatic Sword and Displeased Fist, currently again were going to clash against each other……at that time.
「……Hm? You who are—–Guhahah!?」
The hunters of the『North』were observing……err, sightseeing the fight between the two while surrounding them.
No, he was kicked out was a certain person.
And, due to the abrupt incident the hunters were shocked, and while their stares concentrated, the certain person was……
「Good enough now, both of you Stop! Mission completed, Rescued safely. Now stop with you acting already」
Zari Tranter said, while his orange hair fluttered, just before Minato and Sherry collided.
Then the next moment,
「You’re too late Zari! I was already feeling chilly sometimes! Couldn’t you have been any faster!?」
「Eeh, is it done already? Tch, I wanted to fight a bit more」
「See! Because she is like this that it was quite difficult for me!」
「「「……!?」」」
The hunters were magnificently confused seeing Minato and Sherry talking in a friendly manner, while the dangerous atmosphere from before went away as if it were a lie.
Well, in short, it was all an act.
In the first place, the biggest out of place feeling was Sherry-san being heavily armed.
It was quite plainly obvious that she wouldn’t be able to fight properly while wearing that heavy-looking armour, that armour was even suiting her in the first place……at first even I had though『Eh, costume?』.
The reason it came to light was because, the town head truly said to Sherry-san that『Minato-dono seems suspicious』.
That was because he had said something crazy……and also because of an unusual line he said on『that night』.
The town head, during the conversation……said『Just who』when there was no possibilities of the raid being an unnatural one, at that time. As if he knew that some human was the reason being the assault.
Sherry-san told me that night, that there was another unusual place in town head’s words.
「However……『Wing Boa』,『Lizard Kong』and『Rhinosaurus』……these demons surely never appear in this area. Just who……」
The town head only reached the place after the corpses of every demons were tidied up.
After all he shouldn’t have seen the corpses, after we people tidied it up.
When Sherry-san asked about it in nonchalant manner, the town head stammered a bit and told that it was his subordinated, who came report about the raid of demons told him about their species.
But, it was still strange. Rather, with his that statement the fishiness only increased.
I asked about it to Sherry-san. The snake with feathers and wings was from a species called as『Feather Snake』……their behaviour was like that of migratory birds, and were a type of demons which wouldn’t live in a fixed area.
Although the『Wing Boa』living in『North』didn’t appear in this area, their appearance was quite known via various books and documents.
For argument’s sake, let’s say the subordinate didn’t know the name of『Feather Snake』, but he couldn’t have mistaken it as『Wing Boa』, now could he?
In short, the information about the species of demons didn’t reach to the town head via his subordinate.
Why was he able to think up to there.
The suspicions were weak, but they were all without doubt certain doubts.
The daughter of town head went to rest couple of days after getting infected by an endemic disease.
After asking the person said to be her attending doctor, it came to light that it was all a lie……and Sherry-san was now even more convinced that,
The daughter of town head was taken to『North』as an hostage, and was being forced to cooperate in the work these people were trying to do. As a part of that, some false information reached Sherry-san’s ears, trying to instigate enmity between us two, at that time, Sherry-san completely noticed.
At that time, Sherry-san, being a dark Elf, used『Telepathy』and proposed this offer to me.
They were failures as covert observers. Learn something from Zari.
Like that I agreed to Sherry-san’s offer, left the protection of Dryads to Elk and Zari, along with searching for the hostage, like that I started battle with Sherry-san. To buy time.
I could pulverize steel with my bare hands.
That’s right it was just an act……it was supposed to be.
From the time Sherry-san clad her sword in flames……I thought『Huh?』……
『Her eyes, were serious at that time』.
And started the fierce attack that would kill anyone, if it weren’t me.
『Good, you are indeed good……! Among the people I’ve met, you are without a doubt the strongest! To the point I can’t see my winning! This is……this is the fight I had always been wanting to do……!』
『Hahahahah! What are you saying? A fight this enjoyable……I can’t possibly stop it in between, right? Let me ask you, if there was the best dish in front of you, the naked body of a non-resistant girl, would you be able to hold back? As a man』
『Oh is that so? Then as a man……you need to learn being more greedy!』
「Wait Sherry-san!? Dan-oi, that’s dangerous! Ow, hot!? No, this is an act, this is an act, right!? It seems to become more serious……hey your eye are serious!?」
『No, calm down you battle maniac! Hasn’t this surpassed the level of acting! It burns, you know!? If it wasn’t, it wouldn’t just end with injury!?』
『Wtf you say!? Hey you, you just said『serious』and『enjoyable』right, right!? Or rather, you’re killing intent is out, sword speed is already too serious, and it is hot even without burning』
And as if trying to support it, Sherry-san’s eyes were still sparking.
W-Well ignoring that.
「Yeah, it’s all fine, now. I rescued the daughter of town head, and delivered her to him just before. That’s why, stop the act, OK?」
「It was fine if you have come a little la……」
Forcibly cutting the conversation, I glare at bushes, behind which they were hiding.
It would help me cool down, let’s start another riot!