Black Iron Magician

「Hmm. The size of the room is about right, I guess. Since Deris put a barrier carefully, I’m sure it’ll be fine to do it a bit recklessly. Probably.」

Deris repeatedly asked her to not do it recklessly. However, reality can be cruel.

「Shish…. err, Adventurer-san. What kind of training are we going to do here?」

「Yeah, that’s right! I’ve been wondering the same thing! Since you were so confident, you’re going to do something astounding, aren’t you!?」

「Ahaha, Touko-chan, calm down.」

Nell raised her glasses meaningfully and then smiled meaningfully. The moment she saw that smile, Chinatsu felt a chill running down her spine. Having become a disciple of Nell, Chinatsu has become the second most understanding person after Deris. She knew that when her master, the beautiful adventurer lady with glasses, smiled like this, nothing good would happen.

「Well, it’s very simple. Today’s training is direct instruction! I will fight you directly and show you where you need to improve each time. Of course, it will be in the form of a mock battle!」

「Oof, I knew it…」

There seems to be no dissatisfaction with the fact that she is instructed in the actual battle against her master. However, Chinatsu knew. This instruction is close to the actual battle to the death and the battle is adjusted by Nell’s opinion, intuition, and mood. A painful counterattack will be added to check whether it can be avoided at the last moment. If you are not careful even a little, getting a serious injury is inevitable. If that happens, you will be given a simple treatment and bandage, and she will leave the rest to you to manage somehow. Chinatsu has only experienced this once, but that time she used up all her strength and was prepared to die.

「Hee, a mock battle against us, huh? You sure are confident. Should we do it one by one?」

「We don’t have time to do it leisurely at this hour. Come to me together. Do it with your maximum output, maximum firepower, and the best movement you can do now. Otherwise, you won’t be able to get out of bed tomorrow, you know?」

「…… Fine!」

「We will be in your care!」

「P-Please go easy on us…」

The mock battle is about to begin, one person took on Nell’s provocation, one in the usual condition, and one is somewhat a bit scared. The three are in full combat gear and Nell, who is dressed casually, only holding the sword with the scabbard on. Touko is using her spare because one of her foot protectors was damaged, but her equipment is roughly the same as when she was in the ruins.

「I’m sorry for saying this when you are all smug, but we’ve known each other quite long. We can work together from the beginning, you know?」

「What are you talking about? I’m telling you to do your best while cooperating. Otherwise, you’ll be too sore to teach.」

「………」

「Touko, calm down!」

Chinatsu desperately restrains Touko, who was about to go immediately. Losing composure means death. Anyway, she has to share this fact with the others. With Nell’s permission, Chinatsu decided to gather everyone together for some strategy time.

「――You mean, this is almost the same as an actual battle?」

「Yes. I’ve known her for a while and I’ve fought with her before… It’s better to think that she’s on the same level as Deris-san. Carelessness and holding back are unnecessary. I think it’s best to give it your all from the start.」

「I agree with Chinatsu-chan’s opinion. At the moment when the mock battle begins, I will scatter poison with dark magic, so Chinatsu-chan will do the support with light magic, and Touko will immediately activate Berserk

――」

The time is about three minutes. The three devise a plan in this short time while remembering the meeting in club activities. The key to this battle will be how much teamwork the three of them can demonstrate. Nell was observing the three while elegantly sipping the tea, which she received from Gobuo.

「――Well, it’s time. Are you ready?」

「We are ready!」

「I see. Then, I’ll leave the start signal to Gobuo.」

Nell handed the empty teacup back to Gobuo and instructed him to give the signal. Gobuo agreed while saying gobugobu.

「Gobbu! Gobugoobu, gobu.」

「… Hey, Haruna. What is that goblin talking about? He has been like that since he was told by that Nee-san.」

「It’s a rule confirmation such as don’t aim at vital parts. Gobuo-kun is quite diligent, and it seems that Shishō told him carefully.」

「No, even if you say it, I don’t understand goblin language…」

The translator (Haru) explained Gobuo’s rules on his behalf. Don’t destroy the training ground, he emphasized it three times. It seems that it’s a message from Deris, but Nell paid no attention to it.

「Goobu.」

「Then, let’s get started.」

Gobuo, armed with a helmet for safety, raises his arm high. Haruna and Touko come forward and Chinatsu is behind them to support them. Naturally, Chinatsu has pulled out her katana and Haruna is also ready with a black staff in her hand. As for Nell, she remains standing and does not touch the handle of the sword hanging on her waist.

(Don’t joke around. I will knock you down right away…!)

Touko’s job is to activate Berserk right away. Haruna, another vanguard next to Touko, moves in the same way as Touko, but she has magic as support. Her enthusiasm is tremendous as she has the chance to beat Nell in practice. If she loses her reason, her wicked mind will lose, so she is burning up her fighting spirit while she still can.

「Gobu!」

And now, Gobuo’s arm has been swung down.

Haruna creates Viobom in front of her and tries to kick the emerged large ball of water at Nell, Chinatsu applies Regen and Reflect to everyone, and Touko tries to expose her instinct by unsealing her Berserk fully.

「What are you just standing there for?」

「――Gah!?」

The floor where Nell was standing had been gouged out, leaving traces that looked as if it had been blown off by some kind of impact. And by the time she recognizes the pain, it’s too late. Nell’s right knee was slammed deep into Touko’s flank. The next moment, she was blown away and crashed into the wall. Thanks to Deris’s barrier, a painful sound echoed through the training ground, but the wall was not destroyed.

「Touko, was it? I thought about it when you did that before, but you are full of openings until you finish activating the skill. If you’re going to do it, do it while fighting. Otherwise, you will die someday, you know?」

The strategy changed. With Touko out of the match, Chinatsu moves to the front line. Chinatsu, who instantly revised the plan, uses her katana, and Haruna canceled the magic and switched to a direct attack with the black staff. They attacked together, but Nell stopped their attacks with her sword, which was slightly pulled out, and with her other hand that was free. The sword and katana seem to be in rivalry and the grabbed black staff doesn’t move at all.

「Compared to that, well, the two got a passing mark. Haruna is doing it with the preparedness to die as usual, and Chinatsu is trying to do her best.」

「… Just who do you mean by that!?」

Touko, who has turned into a beast, glared at Nell from the wall.