Black Iron Magician

「「「………」」」

「Fufu, I’m sure you’re so surprised that you can’t even speak. People who see my status respond in the same way after all. Ahh, it’s frightening that I born as a prodigy desuwa!」

「H-How should I put it, er… Goshujin-sama, pass.」

「Gobu.」

Don’t push it to me! Damn, this is completely unexpected. I have to think about it, about why did Therese choose this skill composition, including her personality!

「―― I understand. Yes, I understand your true intention, Ojou-sama! Protecting the people is your belief. Your party friends are no exception since they are also important to Adelheit! Then, you become the shield of your party even during the battle and protect them! Isn’t that right, Therese-ojousama!?」

「Oh my! You’re the first person who understands my thinking that much since my mother and father desuwa! You are truly a wonderful adventurer, Deris-san! I wonder if you’ll make an exclusive contract with my family!?」

「Ohh.」

「Gobu.」

Lily and Gobuo, who used me as a shield, gave me applause, but I’m not happy at all.

「Adventurers are not meant to be tied down. I’m sorry, but I refuse―― oh, it looks like they are back with a monster.」

「Shishō~, I’m sorry to have kept you waiting~」

「A wild boar-like monster is heading your way, please take care!」

Wild boar… Ruins Boar, huh? It’s the strongest enemy in this place, which appears at the bottom layer and very rare. Both of them sure have the good luck to get this guy. Well, it’s level 3 though.

「Ojou-sama, a level 3 ruins boar is coming. It might be a little tough, but are you okay?」

「No problem! It’s like taking candy from a baby desuwa!」

I’m sure it is. With her status, she’s unlikely to be hurt even if she got a surprise attack. Well, in the meantime, the agitated ruins boar came straight toward us.

「Now, come!」

「Fugoo!」

Therese set up her large shield, no, her staff, and provoked it. Perhaps reacted to it, the ruins boar’s target seems to have been set on Therese. She is conspicuous and comes into your sight even if you hate it, so she may be excellent as a tanker. As she intended, the ruins board hit Therese’s shield head-on.

「Hmph!」

「Fugo!?」

The big boar rushed through with considerable momentum. Even so, Therese is keeping her stance without fear and without moving even one step. Rather, the ruins boar, who hit with its head, is the one who gets injured, huh?

「Take―― this!」

「Gabu…!」

Then, the monster was defeated with a single blow by the shield bash that was sent out after that. As you can see, the result is a complete victory without any damage. It’s a wonderful staff handling.

「Everyone, how do you think? Can I be useful?」

「Yes, it’s wonderful. A ruins boar may have been a little too weak to be your opponent, Therese-ojousama. With that in mind―― Haru.

「Yes?」

「Go have a match with Ojou-sama for a bit. Also, do it seriously.」

「E-Ehh!? Are you sure!?」

「D-Deris-san, I think that’s dangerous. Haruna can’t hold back, you know?」

Haru bite into it and Chinatsu tried to stop it. Ahh, right. They haven’t seen the status of Therese yet. If her status is so inclined this much, as a master, I want to see how much the current Haru can deal with it.

「Chinatsu, don’t worry. I’m sure Nell will be fine with it.」

「Eh? Is that true?」

「Well, I’m sure she’ll be fine. She’s a prodigy after all.」

「E-Ehh…」

「Then, it’s fine, right? I can have a match with Therese-san, right!?」

「That said, it’s just one attack at Therese-ojousama. Haru will attack and Ojou-sama will defend. It’s that simple. How about it, will you do it?」

「I want to!」

Haru is showing her eagerness while jumping. On the other hand, Therese is polishing her shield excitedly, she seems to be satisfied. Ah, as expected, this young lady is the type who is motivated when others have high hopes for her.

「Therese-ojousama, are you fine with it? I think it’s not a bad opportunity to test your strength with someone outside the academy…」

「Yes! I won’t refuse if someone asked me! I will do it!」

「That’s great. Then, when Ojou-sama is ready with your shield, my disciple will attack. Do you understand?」

「I understand desuwa!」

「I’m also okay with that!」

As Chinatsu let out a sigh and Nell watches with some interest, the two face each other. Just like in the battle against the ruins boar, Therese sets up her solid shield. Facing her, Haru is challenging with her bare hands. She’s waiting for the signal to start while creating a rhythm using her footwork.

「Are you ready?」

「I am! Let’s see the power of the adventurer who defeated the griffon desuwa!

「Yes! I will do my best to live up to your expectations!」

「Then―― start!」

I swung down my raised arm and announce the start. When my arm was about at the height of my waist, Haru was already in front of Therese’s huge shield.

「Hah!」

Haru hits with her fist upward. As usual, she adds Gravi and Heart Hash, making it heavy and can cause a disturbance. She’s probably not familiar yet with All Break, so she’s not using it with them. Also, there’s no poison. However, it seems that she was chanting another magic instead of poison.

「――!?」

The moment Haru’s fist collided, Therese’s solid shield floated up easily. It seems that Therese is surprised. Her eyes are wide open after all.

「She lightened the shield with Gravi, huh. Well, I guess it works better than poison.」

「Although, it’s difficult to control because she’s piling up the same magic. I guess her current limit is 3 types of familiar magic at the same time, huh?」

While Nell and I had a conversation leisurely, the match continued. The shield floated up and Therese’s defense was broken. Now she can easily hit her fist. After breaking her defense with the first hit, Haru launched the second hit with smooth movements. However, it stopped just before it touched the abdomen of Therese.

「…W-What’s wrong?」

「It was a one-hit match…! I can’t hit the second time…!」

Yes, this is a one-hit game. There is no second hit. As long as you decided the rules, Haru will do her best within those limits. She’s basically a good girl, so she will definitely keep her promise.

「Yes, this is just a test of ability. Therese-ojousama, I’m sure there are times like this, so please never let your guard down.」

「… Fufu, the world sure is a big place! I understand desuwa. This Therese Batten promises to not let her guard down! Ohohoho!」

And then, this young lady is really not wavering. Now that we have confirmed each other’s abilities, let’s head to the rumored passage.