Black Iron Magician

「Uwaah, they are still drinking….」

「What’s wrong, Nell?」

「No, just talking to myself. It’s so stupid that I don’t even want to explain it.」

「?」

A day has passed since the meeting. When the girls were training, Nell suddenly said such a thing. I wonder if she sensed some kind of presence? But the only people who can drink in this city are me, Nell, and Hund-kun, right?

「Hmm. It seems that Hund still has the upper hand in the underwater battle. Did they not train hard enough?」

「They can put a good fight one-on-one against the champion of the sea, so you should praise them there.」

Today’s training, as mentioned before, is a serious match against Hund-kun. However, the place for the match is in an enclosed place filled with water. Since it’s a place with reinforced glass, we can watch the training from outside like this. The three girls are wearing swimsuits, and they are taking turns to fight against Hund-kun. The girls are now on par with him in terms of status, but this is an underwater field, which is his specialty. The girls can’t move as they want, but on the other hand, Hund-kun’s momentum keeps increasing. The girls are only on the defensive, but it’s still better that they don’t faint.

Hund-kun, who changed into a from specializing in underwater, is in the form of a giant snake, or maybe a long-body type dragon. The surface of his body is covered with tough scales, and he attacks with his sharp fangs and claws while accelerating through the water. Just like when he’s on land, he fights using his body. The girls, who are at a disadvantage because of their environment, somehow managed to fight back using the powers that Hund-kun doesn’t have, such as their specialized weapons, magic, and ki.

「The disadvantageous environment is something you should eliminate by your own power, right? If it were me, I would vaporize all the water first to prepare the battlefield.」

「That only works for you…. Well, they are fighting by using whatever they can use, such as sprinkling poison in the water and making invisible walls. Oh, it’s about time. They will out of breath if we prolong it. Heeey, Zeeex!」

「Fuhaha, I know! Drainage, start!」

Zex pushes the nearby button with high spirits, and Zeta is watching him with sparkling eyes from behind. It seems that they are enjoying their lives as always.

When Zex pushed the button, the water in the room where Haru and Zex were fighting began to be drained. That signaled the end of the training, and they bowed to each other. It was somewhat surreal to see them bowing in the water.

「Puhaa! Whew, Hund-san is strong after all, so it’s worthwhile! I’ll win next time!」

「Being assertive is Haruna’s strong point, but this field is my specialty. You can’t defeat me that easily.」

Haru, who has come out of the water, is having a reflection meeting with Hund, who has returned to his humanoid body. Hund is as serious as Chinatsu, so he pleasantly accepts Haru, who’s a lump of ambition. He’s is a very good rival, telling her his impression of the poison, showing her a better way to swim, etc.

「As expected of someone who leads a lot of subordinates, Hund-kun is thoughtful and he’s good at taking care of others.」

「He’s also the kind of person who can’t refuse when asked. Let’s see, next is Chinatsu, right?」

「No, it’s already the third rotation. Let’s take a break. Look, those two are like that.」

Behind me and Nell, Chinatsu and Touko, who had finished training with Hund, are lying on the bench.

「Haa, haa…. Fighting underwater is more tiring than I expected….」

「I’m not bad at swimming, but… this is really hard…!」

The two of them, wearing a jacket on their swimsuit, are extremely exhausted. They were doing the same underwater training as Haru, who’s also good at swimming that she was called the Small Mermaid, so it’s no wonder that they are exhausted.

…… I don’t care about it, but why did a helper, who’s not even a regular member of the club, get such a grand nickname? Well, I think it’s not strange since it’s Haru we’re talking about.

「Hmm. This is a good experiment that will lead to my training as well. Humans are creatures that can’t live in water, so this is quite interesting.」

「Creativity, hard work, and willpower are important for humans~」

Oh, it seems that Haru and Hund-kun have returned.

「Demon King Hund, good work. I’m sorry that we made you fight the three by turns in quick succession.」

「Don’t worry, I don’t get tired if it’s underwater. Also, you don’t have to use honorific each time you call me. Feel free to call me Hund.」

「Is that so? We’re going to take a break for a while, but we’ll see you later…. Hund-kun!」

「Hey, isn’t that too casual?」

Not at all. In my mind, I’ve been calling you Hund-kun for quite some time. Now that you’ve given your permission, I’ll call you Hund-kun, of course.

「I’m looking forward to fighting you again, Hund-kun!」

When Haru called him using ‘kun’, it’s strange that Hund-kun looks like an old-faced high school student.

「Haruna, you too…. No, you’re just being friendly with me. Okay, I’ll allow you to call me that.」

「Thank you, Hund-kun!」

「Thank you very much, Hund-kun!」

「If possible, I’d prefer you didn’t call me that in front of my men….」

He compromised as much as he can. When Hund-kun’s name was decided, there was someone who entered the room. It was Alezel, with her hop-step gait.

「Heya~. How are you doing~?」

「Ara, Alezel, you came at the right timing. Can you teach them how to fight in the water?」

「What? Me? Why? You can just teach them yourself, right?」

「My solution is not helpful after all. Here, you’re probably the most suitable after Lilyvia.」

「Don’t just decide it. I don’t wanna go in the water.」

「Please don’t force her. I may be inferior on land, but underwater is my specialty. There’s no need to make her lose face unnecessarily, right?」

「No, that ain’t what I mean. It’s easy to win, but swimsuits show your body lines, right? Ain’t it embarrassing?」

「Well, there’s no need to be embarrassed.」

「Hey, Hund-han. I feel like we ain’t on the same wavelength~. I had everyone in the elf village call me the Extreme Speed Siren, so you will get hurt if you underestimate my swimming, y’know?」

A strange nickname came out again. Wait, hmm? You had them call you that?

W-Well, setting the details aside, I’m sure the other Great Eight Demons can defeat Hund-kun easily even if it’s underwater. Lilyvia will fight while acting as the best swimmer in the world, and Zex will use a body that can be used underwater. Rimudo will overturn everything with his size, so it can’t even be called a battle. As for Maria, vampires are weak to seawater or running water, but common sense doesn’t work on that fake little girl. So, unfortunately, Hund-kun has no chance to win. He also can’t win against Alezel.

「Hmm, since this many people have gathered, I want to do something that can be done with this number….」

「Still, asking for something unreasonable is no good, okay?」

「I know. I’m a woman who grows up as a master, you know? It’s hard and fun in moderation, right? Ah, that’s right!」

Nell clapped her hands as if she came up with something. At the same time, I confirmed that Chinatsu suddenly got up from the bench. I hope she doesn’t make a mistake in the degree of difficulty.