Chapter 5: 4

Shrouded Feelings

After catching up with Rufa and Garnet, the latter mentioned that she came to visit her grandfather’s grave.

“No, my grandfather is still perfectly—”

“What were you doing here, Alba-sama?”

Rufa covered Garnet’s mouth with her hands as she asked me, so I spoke about Chidori-san. Though, I kept most of what she told me a secret, as it’s a private thing.

“You’ve gotten fairly close with Chidori-sama. I’m a bit jealous.” Rufa said with a smile, but the corners of her mouth were twitching…or was that just my imagination?

Garnet seemed worried, so she whispered into her ear.

“Wouldn’t it be better to openly voice your jealousy in this case? It’d make you look cuter.”

“But, I wouldn’t want him to think of me as a clingy woman…”

“You’re plenty clingy and frankly…gross.”

“I don’t want to hear that from a dwarf wearing a fake beard!”

Just when I thought Rufa wasn’t feeling well, she now flushed furiously in anger…It seems like her emotions are fairly unstable.

“You okay?”

“My head is okay!”

I called out to her in worry, when Rufa screamed in response. Yeah, she’s definitely not okay. But at times like this, if I’m too obstinate and keep asking, she’ll just get angry at me in return. I learned that from my childhood friend. But I’ve got just the perfect method that I learned from Gramps!

“Rufa,” I called her name and gently touched her shoulder.

“Y-Yesh?!”

“Isn’t there anything?”

“…Huh?”

“Anything you’d like me to do.” I gently smiled at Rufa, who tilted her head in confusion.

“E-Even if you suddenly offer me that…Where did that come from?”

“I want to thank you since you’re always looking after me.”

Rufa blushed further, as I voiced my genuine feelings.

“Let me do something for you, Rufa,” I said with a sweet tone, using Gramps’ technique to ‘Keep on pushing as they fall.’

And since I was looking down at her while asking, it had an even more significant effect.

“…You perverted disciple,” Garnet grumbled, but I chose not to listen to her.

I continued to quietly observe Rufa, who started fidgeting.

“Then, I’d like you to stop walking around without your helmet from now on.”

“Huh?”

“Be it with Chidori-sama and the other times, I’m getting worried,” she said.

So basically…she’s worried that people might find out I’m a hybrid with a fairy?! Or, has Rufa already realized? And she’s pretending she doesn’t know to warn me?! What kind people they are!

“He’s getting another misunderstanding,” Garnet sighed, so she probably realized.

I guess I was being foolish that I would be safe as long as I didn’t show my wings.

“Got it. I’ll wear my mask.”

“Really? That’s a relief…”

Seeing me nod, Rufa sighed in relief. I feel bad worrying about her like this. I should keep this promise in mind. I’ll just have to tell Chidori-san about this and join her tomorrow wearing my armor. But as that thought crossed my mind, Garnet poked her finger at me.

“Alba, a question. Did you properly explain your background to Lady Chidori?”

What is she talking about? I mean, even a child knows how to introduce themselves.

“Yeah, I told her my name.”

“Really? Did you really?!”

I nodded again to reconfirm. I swear, Mama is always worried about me.

“All right, I’m gonna color your armor pink the next chance I get it.”

Garnet read my thoughts yet again and ran over towards the inn district at full speed. Please, spare me of that cruel fate!

“Hee, hee. You two have gotten so close.”

Rufa cheerfully laughed as she watched me run off. All right, she seems fine. But now I’m worried that my armor is in danger.

*

I somehow cooled Garnet down and protected my armor, and the next day, we once again headed down the labyrinth. Normally, we should be taking a day off since this is our third adventure in a row, but yesterday and the day before, we pretty much just walked around randomly.

“Let’s search around the south today.”

“The Plunderers defeated Glutton yesterday, so he should be back to its original spawn in the north.”

Oh, huh? So its respawn point is always the same? We talked like that as we headed south, where we defeated about 50 monsters.

“In the end, that Hidden Plant never showed up, eh?”

“It’d be a problem if it appeared in larger numbers, but if it doesn’t spawn at all, the other adventurers won’t realize that something is amiss.”

So it’s troublesome either way? And we can’t even get its magic stones, so there’s nothing to gain from this, really.

“But it is a strong enemy, so the mana we get to absorb from it is—Hm?” Garnet seemed shocked as she crouched down and pressed her ear against the ground.

“What’s wro—Huh?” Rufa froze up as her long ears twitched.

“A large monster is approaching us…Could it be?!”

“There’s only one possibility here.” Garnet’s face distorted in agony as she readied her shield and mace.

So far, we’ve only encountered small monsters that attacked from the shadows, so when thinking of a monster that you could hear from a distance—

“Guroooooh!”

My suspicions turned out to be correct, as a loud roar split my ears, followed by a large creature appearing in front of us. Its body was large enough to block the path ahead of us, with four legs holding up its weight. Its giant nose had a certain charm to it, but the teeth growing from its mouth were ominous and colored in blood-red, creating nothing but fear. This must be the guardian wandering the second floor…

“The Gluttonous Glutton…Why is it here?!” Rufa screamed in terror, but Glutton just glared at us.

“Somebody must have been foolish enough to challenge it but ran away, pulling it towards us.” Garnet put up a hypothesis as she clicked her tongue.

“Let alone Alba-sama, I think we both are too weak to fight this guardian…”

“It’s do or die now, I guess.”

Even if we tried to run, we have Glutton running after our backs. I don’t think there’s any way to get out of this other than to defeat him.

“Alba-sama, I hate to ask this of you, but please assist us.”

“Its frontal attacks are exceptionally strong and his skin is tough, but that’s all there is to him.”

“Understood.” I nodded towards Garnet’s explanation and readied my greatsword.

So unlike Sloth and his howl, it’s more about raw power here. If so, I’ll fight this guy head-on.

“Graaaaaaaah!”

Glutton stormed towards us, as I swung my sword vertically in a straight line—Kurokage Style Sword Technique: Rice Mower. An aura blade shot from the sword, slamming right into Glutton’s nose. As a result of that, his red fangs were blessed off, and his nose split in two.

“Guuuuuh?!”

“A bit too shallow.”

It turned into a deep wound, but nothing that would be fatal in the long run. But if one attack isn’t enough, then another just has to follow—

“Guraaaaah!”

Before I could attack again, Glutton turned around on its feet and dashed in the opposite direction—In other words, he ran.

“…Huh?” I was dumbfounded, as I lost my chance for another attack.

I’ve never seen a monster attempting to run from a fight. Let alone the guardian of a floor. Monsters are supposed to be lumps of mana and not living beings. Thus, they should not hold any emotions, hunger, or desires, as well as no desire for self-preservation. All they do is attack humans. And that’s why even the weakest monsters like kobolts don’t run away from battles.

“Garnet, what is going on here?”

“I wish I had an answer…”

Rufa and Garnet seemed just as confused.

“Let’s chase after it,” I said and started running in the same direction as Glutton.

That’s also our way back, so we have no other option but to get after them. Although, I have a bad feeling about this. Like this, we reached the magic circle that led back to the first floor, but we were greeted by an unimaginable scenery.

“…He’s eating?”

The injured Glutton was eating a part of the wall of trees. Each giant bite turned into particles of light that were absorbed by it. Oh yeah, it’s made of mana like the rest of the labyrinth, so…Wait, this is bad!

“It’s using the mana of the labyrinth to heal itself?!”

As if it heard Rufa’s mutter, Glutton stopped eating the wall and started regenerating. Finally, lumps started to grow on both sides of its head, as another two heads grew from it.

“It has three heads?!”

“It’s like the Cerberus of the legends…”

If you were to give it a name, he’d be Glutton: Cerberus Mode…Wah, that sounds hella cool. However, this isn’t the time to enjoy my name creation. We have to defeat this thing and warn the other adventurers.

“Rufa, Garnet.”

“Yes, I’m sorry for being flustered.”

“It may have three heads, but what we have to do remains the same.”

The two responded to my call and we all readied our weapons.

“““Gwooooooooo!”””

“Let’s go.”

Garnet and I started running, as Rufa stayed behind and started casting.

“O Flame, stand tall and block their assault—Fire Wall.”

A large wall of flames started to grow in front of Glutton to cover its vision. I thought this would allow us to go for a straight attack, but—

“““Groooooah!”””

Glutton roared as the three heads pushed their heads into the fire, sucking it up.

“It ate my magic?!”

“That’s going beyond simple gluttony, I swear…”

Rufa screamed in terror, as Garnet swung around Glutton’s left side, slamming her mace and shield into the monster.

“Over here, you pig!”

Naturally, Glutton didn’t understand this phrase that would make a certain group of people very happy. However, it slowly turned towards her, gulped loudly, and then all three heads spewed fire.

“Guh?!”

“Garnet!”

Seeing her friend engulfed in flames like that, Rufa screamed. I suppressed my desire to go help her right away and went behind the Glutton’s back. Garnet would never let me live this down if I wasted the opening she created. As Glutton was still busy spewing flames, I swung my sword with all my might and slammed it into his left back leg.

“Fall!”

Even if it grew two extra heads, it only has four legs. And in order to keep such a tall body standing, it would need all four of those.

“““Guuuuuh!”””

With one less leg to stand on, Glutton roared in pain. With one more head, it was hard to keep his balance. I do feel bad, but this isn’t the time to show remorse.

“You’re not getting a moment’s rest.”

Before it could grow yet another leg, I swung my greatsword down at Glutton’s large back. A swing straight down, right back up, a diagonal slash, right back from there, a stab, and a horizontal slash. However, Glutton still didn’t disperse despite all its injuries. Its toughness was on an entirely different level. So not only his head evolved, his sturdiness also leveled up drastically? That thought crossed my mind as I kept on attacking, when—

“““Gruuuuuhaaaa!”””

Glutton raised a scream, and right as I thought it was going to spew something at me, it inside pushed its back towards me with great momentum.

“What?!”

As I had just thrust my sword at him, I was in a position unable to evade, pulled deeper into the wound I caused, and slammed against the wall of trees.

“Ugh!”

That one attack made my breathing halt. Without the Providence Guard, I may have folded like a paper there. However, how did it manage to push itself backward without any solid ground to stand on? Did it manage to breathe in more air thanks to its three heads and build up strength through that? My assumption seemed to be close on the mark, as Glutton growled again to crush me fully.

“““Gruoooooh!”””

“You…!”

Put in a rough place between the wall and Glutton’s back, my armor showed no signs of giving in. However, I was slowly getting buried inside the wounds I created on Glutton. My armor may protect me from external harm, but once I suffocate, there’s no saving me. I gotta say, I think monsters do know what pain feels like, but it’s impressive he’d use his own injuries to his advantage.

“Fine then, let’s see who breaks first.”

Will I suffocate first, or will he break down from his injuries? I poured aura into my sword that was still buried deep inside of him—Kurokage Style Sword Technique: Explosive Needles. Sharp needless scattered from my blade, biting deep into Glutton’s body.

“““Guhiiiiii?!”””

Glutton roared in pain, but he still didn’t collapse. That’s why I took a deep breath and continued this onslaught of attacks a second and third time. Right when I was about to fire it off for the 5th time, the wall of meat ahead of me dispersed, and my sight was filled with particles of light.

“Did I win?” I stood in a daze, as a red medal rolled along the grass.

This was proof that we’d defeated the guardian of the 2nd floor, and we could now move on to the 3rd floor…However, I had something else to worry about.

“Garnet!”

“No need to scream, I’m just fine.”

Looking over, Garnet sat on the ground, waving her hand at me. Her bangs got flamed and there were slight burns visible on her arms and legs, but her life didn’t seem to be in danger. Her large shield, burned pitch-black, probably protected her.

“Thank God…”

“You’re in a far worse state than me, aren’t you?”

Garnet saw me relieved, as she threw a complaint at me. In the meantime, Rufa came dashing towards us.

“I’m so glad you both are safe…I thought my heart was going to stop.”

“Sorry.” I apologized and lowered my head.

In response, Rufa quickly did the same.

“I should be the one to say that! Not only did I not help you, I even made the enemy stronger with my magic.”

“I don’t think anybody could have predicted that it would eat your magic like that. So, don’t worry about it,” Garnet cheered up Rufa.

The fact that a guardian could just grow three heads like that was unheard of, so we should be happy that we got out of this mess like this.

“If you feel bad, then cast some healing magic on me.”

“Yes, yes. As you wish.”

Garnet waved her burnt hand at Rufa, who showed a bitter smile. Seeing this casual exchange finally let me take a breather. Things went out of control for a moment, but I’m glad we managed to defeat the guardian of the 2nd floor. And while I was filled with a sensation of pride and accomplishment, I reached for the red medal on the ground—only for a sound like something cutting through air to reach my ears. Immediately after, my body shook. Huh? I’m getting attacked? I heard the sound of an arrow dropping…Why? I was utterly bewildered, as another five arrows came flying.

“Ugh!”

I tried to use my sword as a shield, but only succeeded in blocking three arrows, as the other two stabbed into both my legs, forcing me down on my knees. Looking down at the arrow, the head was crushed horizontally to ensure it went between the gaps of my armor. Almost like they knew they’d be dealing with me…

“Alba-sama?!”

Paired with Rufa’s scream, I looked towards the north path from where the arrows came. Slowly, a face appeared that I hadn’t seen before, but it belonged to a girl I knew very well.

“Kehehe…Once you obtain the strength of a 5th-floor adventurer, not even the Dark Knight can hold up.”

They were wearing makeup and wigs, but I knew instinctively. It’s one of the girls who once tried to set me up and get me killed, Eclair-san. She carried her large hunting bow, laughing eerily as she looked down at me. It hasn’t even been a week since those last events, and yet the aura she emitted had grown significantly stronger. However, before I could even ask for an answer, another familiar voice reached my ears.

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‘Oh god of light Ord, restrain mine enemies with your might—Holy Bind.”

From the west came the priest Jam-san with a chant, as Rufa and Garnet became unable to move.

“Ugh!”

“You!”

As they were in the middle of healing Garnet, they had no time to react, now in their bind. The spell made its way towards me, too, but I used my Demon Eater greatsword to dispel it. However…

“Just like the real one’s sword, this one can deflect any kind of magic, can’t it.”

Now a voice came from the east, which utterly shook me as I’d heard it a lot over the past few days.

“…Chidori-san?”

She wore eastern armor with her tachi at her waist. The last time she had worn this outfit was when we first met at the Eternal Maiden. Or actually, we met up at that sweets store, too. Then again, this wasn’t of any importance, as Chidori-san simply glared at me.

“Alba-dono, you truly are the Dark Knight?”

She pulled her sword and showered me with killing intent like never before…But,hold on? Don’t tell me—

“You didn’t know I was the Dark Knight?”

“You god damn fool! That’s why I told you to properly introduce yourself!” Garnet roared in anger.

Hold on, this isn’t the time for that! But as I tried to make up an excuse, the spearman Cracker-san came running from the west.

“This is the end.” She licked her lips, as Chidori-san also approached me.

While I was on my knees, I was surrounded from all sides, bringing me into a helpless situation. And even if my head was functioning well, my heart was filled with doubts. Leaving aside Eclair-san’s group, why is Chidori-san attacking me? I thought we were getting along just fine…But, did she forget that I’m that person inside the armor, or maybe I angered her in some way? Because if I hurt her, I’d like to apologize. However, I promised Rufa to help her, so I can’t get killed here either. I just opted to protect myself and readied my greatsword.

“Die!”

I tried to stop Cracker-san’s spear, which gave me no means of protecting myself against Chidori-san’s approaching tachi, so my fate had been sealed—or so I thought. But instead, an attack almost too fast to witness with the bare eye sent Cracker-san’s head flying straight off.

“…Huh?”

I let out a voice full of bewilderment, or maybe it was actually Cracker-san, I couldn’t tell. Her spear was still pointed at me as a sprinkler of blood gushed from her headless body, which collapsed shortly after. And a moment after that, her head landed on the ground, too.

“…”

I was too shocked to even say anything, as Chidori-san moved her sword to send a blade of white aura directly at Jam-san next.

“What…Why?!”

As this happened so suddenly, Jam-san could neither dodge nor cast defensive magic, so the blade of aura simply sliced through her.

“What is going on?”

Garnet and Rufa were freed from the bindings of light, but even as they stood up, they failed to comprehend what was happening. And as if to answer all this confusion, Chidori-san turned towards us and deeply lowered her head.

“Alba-dono, please let me apologize for rudely attacking you during our first meeting.”

I mean, I’m not bothered by that. You wanted to get revenge for your father. I doubt anybody could blame you for that. More importantly, why did she betray Eclair-san and the others despite being their ally?

“Wh-What are you doing?!”

As I thought, this wasn’t how they planned things, because Eclair-san screamed in terror. Chidori-san looked over at her with a deadly glare.

“I don’t remember ever becoming your ally.”

“What?!”

“How could I put my trust in people who’ve leeched off others to obtain strength, rather than worked endlessly to reach it themselves?”

“Urk…”

Learning of the fact that Chidori-san was never on their side, Eclair-san couldn’t hide her fury.

“That’s why I’m not picking any sides and choosing the man or anything like that!”

“Didn’t have to add that part,” Garnet commented on the Divine Speed Samurai who puffed out her chest.

Chidori-san however predicted she didn’t hear that and instead pointed the tip of her blade at Eclair-san.

“Now then, you deserve punishment for attempting to deceive me.”

“Y-You damn…!”

Eclair-san knew that running was futile, as she instead roared in anger while firing off another arrow. Chidori-san calmly swung her sword as she approached her. Eventually, Eclair-san ran out of arrows, so she was forced to take out her small dagger. However, Chidori-san didn’t hesitate a moment to strike her down with one swing.

“What a difference in strength…” Rufa could only gasp at the sight unfolding in front of her.

Their aura had become plenty strong over the past few days, and I could tell after receiving those attacks personally. However, the difference in experience most likely led to their downfall. And as Chidori-san swung her tachi to rid it off her enemy’s blood, she looked all too beautiful for me to even speak.

*

“Thank you so much, Chidori-san.”

Alba thanked Chidori for saying him, who shook his head.

“No, apologies for only arriving this late.”

Although she had believed Alba, she didn’t completely see through Eclair’s facade. For that, she had to allow them to stir up Glutton and attack Alba from the shadows.

“Princess, would you mind healing Alba-dono’s injuries?”

“O-Of course.” Rufa was surprised to suddenly be talked to by Chidori, and made her way towards Alba.

“It’s not anything that needs immediate treatment…”

“No can do. I was useless during the fight against Glutton, so let me at least do this.” Rufa asked Alba to sit still and began using Heal on him.

Chidori watched this, and then pointed the tip of her tachi at Alba with a pained expression.

“Alba-dono, I request a duel.”

“Huh?”

“The winner is allowed to ask any one request of the loser. Would you agree to that?”

“Huuuh?!”

Alba couldn’t hide his shock, as Chidori put her sword away, taking an iaikiri position.

“Chidori-sama, what are you saying?!”

“I’m well aware that this is a selfish request, but it is why I have come here.”

Rufa loudly protested, but Chidori silenced her with a glare. The only reason she joined Eclair was to be given this chance now.

“In-fighting between adventurers is strictly forbidden. However, the law does not reach down to the pits of the labyrinth. I hear bouts like these happen frequently.”

In fact, many disputes that can’t be resolved with a mere argument usually are brought to the entrance of the first floor where it’s absolutely safe, looked over by a judge.

“If you and Alba fight, you won’t get out of this unscathed.”

“Correct,” Chidori commented on Garnet’s retort with a genuine nod.

She was fully aware of Alba’s strength, so if they were to engage in a serious fight, let alone one of them, they both might end up dead. But even so, Chidori had no intention of stepping back.

“I already paid the cathedral the resurrection fees for both of us. I’m sorry to even ask this of you, but as proof of my potential loss, I want you to carry my dead body there.”

“Even if you say that, this isn’t…”

“I don’t mind paying you money, either. Please, grant me this request.”

Garnet tried to get between the two, but Chidori only looked at Alba. Unlike before, he now wore his mask, so it was impossible to guess what he was thinking through his expression. However, he still stepped in front of her, tilting his head.

“What’s your reason?”

“If I win, I want you to join the White Wings and help me fight the Dark Knight.” Chidori answered, which Rufa the most shocked out of everyone.

“What?! You can’t do that!”

“I feel bad for all of you, but defeating the Dark Knight is the reason I came here.”

“Urgh…”

Chidori once again silenced Rufa with a sharp gaze. With someone as strong as Alba with them, Chidori’s allies may be willing to challenge the Dark Knight once again. She may receive blame and resentment from the princess, but Chidori could not ignore this.

“And, I’ve always wished to indulge in a genuine battle with you.”

If Chidori were to fight with him, who possessed the same equipment as the Dark Knight, she would learn from this experience, but more than anything, it was her desire as a swordsman to fight someone as strong as him. She added many more reasons to make herself sound more believable, but that was most likely the greatest driving force.

“Is it still not good enough?” Chidori asked, anxious.

After a brief silence, Alba’s shoulders moved up and down like he was chuckling, and then readed his greatsword.

“No, that is plenty.”

“You have my gratitude.”

Chidori thanked Alba and his mentality, as she strengthened the aura filling her body. Garnet knew that there was no more stopping this, so she dragged Rufa away before she could get between them. After confirming that, Chidori observed Alba’s posture.

A reverse flank posture?

Just as Chidori, he had moved her left leg a bit back and had the tip of his sword pointed behind him. It was a popular technique against prey who was unaware of a possible attack, or to prepare a counter attack against an inexperienced enemy, but someone with Chidori’s level of swordsmanship would not fall for this.

No, Alba-dono would not be so foolish.

He must know Chidori’s strength all too well. He must see a possibility of victory if he were to take this stance regardless. However, as she couldn’t even fathom what technique he may show her, Chidori smiled.

Intriguing.

Unlike all the monsters Chidori had gotten tired of slicing down, she now would be fighting to the death with an opponent she didn’t know nearly as well. Surely, this would bring her sword technique to a different level. Chidori smiled from the bottom of her heart as she slowly made her way towards Alba, who responded by emitting pitch-black aura. Their auras collided, as a tense atmosphere filled the air. And finally—the first one to move was Chidori.

“Here I come!”

She began with a technique she had developed solely to defeat the Dark Knight. The aura she charged inside the scabbard she exploded instantly, and pulled the sword with that momentum. Against the all-mighty Dark Knight, any minor attacks and techniques won’t work. If so, Chidori opted to return to the basics of swordsmanship where speed and strength mattered, delivering a blow quicker than the opponent could react—Personal Style: Thunderclap Draw.

The scabbard couldn’t withhold this explosive aura, as bits and pieces were blown everywhere, but before they could stab into Chidori’s armor, the blade was already on its way to Alba. No average human would be able to react, working against defensive or evasive movement.

I got him now!

Just like back when she greeted death itself, her thoughts sped up faster than the world would turn, as she was certain of her victory. Even if Alba possessed the same moveset as the Dark Knight, this supersonic attack at such distance could not be avoided, not even by him. After all, his greatsword was several times heavier than Chidori’s blade. Granted, imbued with magic and as a magic item, it would definitely weigh less than the average great sword, but not enough to catch up to Chidori’s blade. And this should be the case for the actual Dark Knight, which is why Chidori opted to test her new skill on Alba like this. However—

…What?

In this world that was slowed down, Alba didn’t swing his greatsword. He threw it away and moved his right hand that previously held onto the hilt.

He let go of the hilt? No, this is a blade?!

From the scabbard that was the greatsword, another smaller and narrow blade appeared. However, that wasn’t what truly took her by surprise.

He’s using the same skill as me?!

Alba also exploded the aura he stored inside his greatsword to pull a smaller one at supersonic speed.

It’s a duel!

There was no more means to stop her blade, all they did was wait for their blades to strike through the other’s body. As this was outside any of Chidori’s expectations, she could only curse her inexperience and respect the person she was fighting. However, something was off about this.

No, this isn’t a simultaneous duel…

Alba didn’t even point the blade of his sword at Chidori. Instead, he was aiming for Chidori’s tachi. He rammed the pommel of his sword into the blade that was aiming to slice him in two.

He stopped my sword with his pommel?!

It was a divine skill on the level of hitting an arrow with another arrow mid-air, which Chidori certainly didn’t expect. Sparks flew because of the collision between blade and pommel, creating a severe shockwave right after which caused a cloud of dirt and dust to whirl in the air, sending Chidori’s sword flying from her right hand. It soared through the sky, twirling wildly as it eventually stabbed into the ground. At the same time, Chidori released her posture and showed a fresh smile.

“It’s my loss.”

*

“You did it! Well done, Alba-sama!”

“I get you’re happy, but read the room, won’t you?”

Before I could even show any happiness, Rufa immediately jumped in joy, only to be scolded by Garnet. At the same time, a sigh of relief escaped my mouth. I’m so glad that worked out! I would have been in a deep mess if I messed that up…At that distance, if that attack hit me directly, not even my armor would have helped me, and the ground would’ve gotten splattered by my guts. And it’s all thanks to Master teaching me this way to block Chidori-san’s attack. And since that’s the case, there is only one possible explanation…

“Alba-dono, thank you very much for granting me this duel.”

As I was lost in thought, Chidori-san approached me with a smile. And then she sunk to the ground, sitting like a convicted criminal waiting to have his head sliced off.

“A warrior won’t go back on his word. I will listen to whatever you order me to.”

Why is she looking at me like she’s gonna commit seppuku any second? But, there is indeed one request I have.

“I can really ask for anything, right?”

“Yes.” Chidori smiled.

All right, I got permission.

“Alba-sama, if you want to do this sort of ‘J-Just kill me’ play, then I’m always willing…”

“You be quiet.”

Garnet covered up Rufa’s mouth before she could finish her sentence. I just passed that long and voiced my request.

“I want you to come to my hometown.”

“…What?” Chidori-san clearly didn’t expect those words, as her eyes shot wide open.

My childhood friend may keep calling me dense, but even I’ve figured it out by now. Chidori-san’s father…is Master, right? Because I never asked for this name, I couldn’t say for certain, but they must be the same person. After all, the techniques that Chidori-san and I use are far too similar. One day, we found Master’s dead body washed up on I-Rapsel, but that was probably the result of his Return Reserve spell malfunctioning after he was killed by the Dark Knight. After that, Grandma resurrected him, but he lost his memory, which matched what Chidori-san said.

Gramps and the others seemed to have had a hunch, but I had no reason to really confirm anything. And after his memories returned, he decided against going back. He proclaimed that it was as gratitude for having his life saved, but in reality, it’s all because his own home would only go through more trouble if they found out he was still alive. The people in the Wano Country might fear he had returned to claim more lives after obtaining greater strength in the labyrinth, which could then hurt Chidori-san and his wife.

He even said it himself. “If a dead hero is the best hero, then it would be best for me to remain a walking corpse,” he would say while drinking sake, but his tone sounded lonely and defeated. That’s why Master can’t leave I-Rapsel. However, a life away from his loved ones is something he didn’t deserve, and I can see that Chidori-san hasn’t forgotten about him, either. So, how do I do this? Easy, I just get Chidori-san to I-Rapsel! I might have to ask Gramps and Grandma for advice regarding the danger of revealing I-Rapsel, but I doubt they’ll speak against it.

That being said, this is quite the clever answer, if I do say so myself. Now nobody can call me ‘Alba Albatross’ ever again. Or so I was bragging to myself, offering my hand to Chidori-san. Her face was beet-red with dampened eyes, as she deeply lowered her head.

“I may be inexperienced, but I’ll do my best to live up to your expectations.”

Huh? Why is she talking like a woman that was just wed off to a family? I was utterly confused, when I heard footsteps approaching me.

“…Alba-sama.”

“Eeek?!”

Rufa’s voice sounded like a demon’s, which made even me shriek in terror. She’s definitely pissed, although I don’t know why. I turned around and prepared myself for the worst, but to my surprise, she wasn’t angry. Instead, she was bawling her eyes out, large drops of tears dropping to the ground.

“Am I not good enough?”

“Huh?”

“Do you like big-breasted girls with black ponytails that much?!”

“What are you saying?!”

She clung to me with tears in her eyes which made my heart skip a beat, but her statement left me even more baffled.

“I’ll do my best. I’ll use breast expansion magic every single day!”

“Calm down,” I told Rufa to get her back on zero.

However, now Chidori-san stood up and roared behind my back.

“Alba-dono, I understand the difference in culture from our hometown, and I don’t mean to tell a hero how to live his life, but should you really be whispering love to two people at the same time?!”

“What are you saying?!”

Now even Chidori-san has gotten crazy. She’s making it sound like I’m a cheating bastard who’s constantly two-timing.

“Not being aware of it makes it even worse.” Garnet watched me being approached by the two and sighed.

Stop looking at help me.

“Like I care, fool.” Garnet immediately cast me aside and headed over to the dead corpses of Eclair-san’s group.

“Alba-sama!”

“Alba-dono!”

Rufa was still crying, with Chidori-san blushing, as I was left helpless. Tell me, Gramps, how do I get out of this?! I remembered his words about a three-way being a man’s romance and whatnot, but I knew all too well that wasn’t the right thing to say.

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