Black Iron Magician

While Lilyvia is still spending her dreamy time (heavy labor) with the man she loves, a grueling training session is going on in the basement of the mansion.

「Okay, let’s take a break for five minutes.」

「T-Thank you very much…! Phew~, I worked up a good sweat~」

「Oh, despite your fatigue, you have a nice smile on your face.」

Immediately after bowing, Haruna fell on the floor. Ursula, the eldest of the Irygal Sisters, is standing in front of her, and she is also smiling. And at Ursula’s feet, there are also the figures of Chinatsu and Touko, who are collapsed and out of breath.

「Wheeze…! Sparring against the seven sisters was tough, but a serious fight against Ursula-san is even tougher…!」

「I-I’m going to die…! I’m going to die before I can exchange fists with Derris-danna…!」

「If you still can whine, it means that you still have a lot of energy left in you. Let’s raise the difficulty next.」

「Hiii!?」

「Ugh….」

「Yaay ♪」

The three girls have different reactions each. No, only Haruna’s reaction is clearly strange.

「Still, I’m surprised at how much you have grown. To be able to fight me this far is just like my stupid sisters, you know? As a human being, you should be proud of that.」

「T-Thank you…. But, can we win against Deris-san?」

「I’ve never seen Danna go all out, but in terms of ability, he’s on the same level as Nell-neesan, right?」

「Yes. I was told before I left Carmine that his job level is 11. I’m looking forward to fighting him!」

「I see. I doubted it when I heard that they defeated Mama, but if they were level 11, they still had a slight chance of victory. Seriously, they are short-lived human beings, how could they train to that level? Did they always go through the borderline between life and death, or was there a reason that forced them to do so…?」

「Yes! In Shishō’s case, I don’t think he would take the troublesome path on his own will. So I think it’s the latter!」

「「I agree.」」

The three girls are unanimous.

「Is that so? Well, either way, he gained strength as a result. Now, I will answer the question you asked earlier, whether you three can win against Deris. Frankly speaking, it would be pretty difficult.」

「I knew it…」

「Well, if you ask me whether I can win against Nell-neesan, I honestly can’t imagine her losing. Hehe, as expected of Danna.」

「Yes, Shishō’s wall is high! But, if we bring it into close combat, won’t we be able to have a good fight? I think I’m recently doing quite well against Shishō when sparring with our staff only.」

Haruna took out her Doggan Staff and acrobatically stood up. Apparently, she has already regained her stamina.

「I think that would be the right thing to do. I’ve heard from Mama that Deris is a support magician. But I also heard that he’s incredibly cunning. Even if you three choose to fight head-on, do you think that man will foolishly go along with you?」

「I don’t think so!」

「Absolutely not.」

「Even if it looks like he’s going along with us, we should think that it’s a trap.」

The three girls are unanimous.

「Alright, I’m glad that you are on the same page. Unlike my foolish sisters, you are excellent.」

「It’s simply that our recognition of him is… no, it’s nothing. Please continue.」

「Listen carefully. Your opponent is your master, and he knows all the abilities you have used so far. In that case, it’s best to create new tactics that even your master doesn’t know. Fortunately, you have just leveled up. There is room to add new skills. In addition, there may be limits to what you can do alone, but this battle is a three-on-one battle. Depending on how well you work together, you can expand your tactics infinitely.」

「「「Oooh!」」」

At Ursula’s reasonable explanation, the three raised their voices while applauding. Frankly, they didn’t expect her to give serious teaching since she’s one of the Irygal Sisters. Ursula is useless as a maid, but when it comes to combat, which is her forte, she defies expectations in a good way.

「Fortunately, there’s no time limit for this training. You can train as much as you want to reach your goal――ah, no, spending too much time is foolish. In my experience, it is better not to give time to an enemy who is good at underhanded tricks. The more time you give them, the more their behavior goes beyond your expectations.」

「「「That’s true.」」」

The three girls are unanimous.

「Let’s see…. Let’s set a deadline. One week, yes, one week. During this period, you three have to be able to beat me. If you can beat me while having remaining strength, that’s even better.」

「We have to beat Ursula-san?」

「Why are you confused, Chinatsu? The person you are trying to defeat is level 11, you know? If you can’t even win against me, how are you going to win against him?」

「Well, we just have to do it, right?」

「Right~. One, two.」

Contrary to Chinatsu’s hesitation, Haruna and Touko were motivated. They stood up on the spot and started stretching.

「Haruna and Touko seem to be motivated…. Well, how about you?」

「Sigh. I will do it even if you don’t ask me. But, what are we going to do during that period? I don’t think we can grow that fast if we just train normally, right?」

「That’s a foolish question. We’re going to exchange blows, of course!」

「…… Ha?」

「Did you not hear it? We’re going to exchange blows. You have to think of a way to overcome it while fighting me to death day and night. Unlike in normal times, you have to use your brain even if you don’t want to if you’re in a deadly situation. I will use my abilities to attack you seriously, and you should think and move for your dear lives. I think this is the best solution.」

「………」

Perhaps because it was a muscle-brained solution more than she imagined, Chinatsu’s brain stopped for a moment.

「「I see, it’s easy to understand!」」

「Wait. You two, don’t accept it so easily.」

And she tries her best to stop the two who agreed to it. It seems that Chinatsu’s Danger Detection Skill keeps telling her to stop it. Meanwhile, new visitors appear at the training ground.

「That’s right, you should stop such stupid training. What if they die even before the fight? Good grief, I just took my eyes off you for a minute and this happened.」

「T-That voice is… Nell-shishō!?」

「I’m here too~」

「Alezel-san!」

When everyone looked toward the entrance where the voices were coming from, they saw Nell and Alezel there. Nell looked exasperated, and on the contrary, Alezel had an amused grin on her face.

「Ursula, I asked you to give them some guidance while I was away, but I don’t remember allowing you to be so unreasonable, you know?」

「Hmm, is that so? But Nell is Deris’s wife, right? I thought you would side with him.」

「It’s true that I’m his wife, but I’m also Chinatsu’s master. Being his wife doesn’t matter when it comes to making my disciple stronger. That’s why I brought his natural enemy with me.」

「Oh no~, don’t praise me so much~」

「「「………」」」

‘They are both his natural enemies, right?’, the three girls thought so.