Chapter 297

Just before Nana and the others raised the signal for war, around the time Tatsuro and Ai were challenged to a fight, Tatsuro was consulting via telepathy.

{Even if they say they’ll return her, Nana has already secured Leah. All that’s left is to make sure they never dare to meddle again… So, what do we do?}

{If it’s just fighting, isn’t that fine? At this point, negotiations have already broken down… Wait, have they? They did say they’d return her, technically.}

{Let’s call it a breakdown. They’re demanding a fight on their terms, and they clearly have no intention of apologizing.}

{Got it. That makes sense! So, they can think whatever they want, and we’ll do things our way too, right?}

{Exactly.}

To onlookers, the two appeared to be silently staring at each other. Growing impatient, the Lord Don pressed them to decide.

“Hey! Are you fighting or not? Hurry up and choose!”

“Sigh… So noisy. Fine, fine, we get it. Do whatever you want.”

As he spoke, Tatsuro pulled out four sheets of paper and had Tsukuyomi create a writing desk with Ice Magic in front of him. He began writing letters to Cardina and the others.

The Lord, curious about what he was doing, assumed it was some kind of preparation and lost interest, proceeding on his own.

“Then, let’s get started. Eduar, Andoni.”

“Yes.”

“Right.”

A blue-haired elf with a braided scarf, called Eduar, and an orange-haired beastman named Andoni stepped away from the Lord’s sides, slowly descending the two-tiered staircase.

Meanwhile, Tatsuro finished writing the four notes and sent them to Cardina, Jeanne, Nana, and Athena via Item Box.

“There done.”

“Finished your preparations?”

“Yeah. Everything I needed to do is done.”

“Good. Shall we begin, then?”

Eduar, with a relaxed air, waited for Tatsuro to finish before pulling out an unusual staff from his Item Box. It was a single rod entwined with plant vines, adorned with greenish-brown diamond-shaped plates resembling leaves.

Following suit, Andoni drew a red sword with a blade made of Crimson Oni Stone, a material compatible with Swordsmanship and Scythe Arts, and held it in an overhead stance.

Despite their battle-ready demeanor, their expressions were casual, as if they were about to toy with a couple of rookies.

Tatsuro, seeing through their attitude, felt his collector’s spirit ignite. They’re ripe for the picking.

“Those look like impressive weapons—a staff and a sword. They must be rare and valuable.”

“Hm? I don’t know about Andoni’s, but my staff was crafted from materials of a monster that only appears in a high-level dungeon. You won’t find anything like it around here.”

“Mine’s no ordinary blade either. The blade is pure Crimson Oni Stone, crafted by a master who works exclusively with it. It’s top-tier.”

“Then how about a bet? Instead of just fighting?”

“Huh?”

“What?”

Caught off guard by the sudden proposal, Eduar and Andoni blinked in confusion. But Tatsuro, expecting this, continued.

“I have four raw Dragon Eye Jewels here. If we lose, you can have them all.”

“What?”

“Dragon Eye Jewels!?”

Obtained by chance during negotiations with Fornacis, these jewels were highly versatile, enhancing any metal they were mixed with, making them coveted everywhere. However, their rarity meant supply never met demand.

Now, four of these jewels were before them—if they could defeat this boy and girl, they could each claim at least two.

“But if we win, we get that staff and sword. What do you say? Deal or no deal?”

“That’s interesting. We’ll have them appraised afterward, but if they’re real, it’s worth the bet. I’m in. If Eduar doesn’t want to, I’ll do it alone.”

“Hold on, Andoni. I never said I wouldn’t. …It doesn’t seem like a bluff. Fine. The winner takes the loser’s designated items. Lord, is that acceptable?”

Indeed, Dragon Eye Jewels were valuable, but they believed their completed staff and sword were worth more. Confident in their victory, they casually accepted the bet.

The Lord, finding this amusing, slapped his knee in approval.

“That’s the spirit! I don’t mind. It’ll make both sides fight harder with a prize at stake.”

“Then it’s settled—”

As Tatsuro’s plan came together and they prepared to fight, a massive crash echoed from outside the castle.

As everyone except Tatsuro and Ai braced themselves, wondering what had happened, an explosion soon resounded from within the castle.

“What’s going on!? Send someone to check immediately!”

“Yes, sir!”

Intaiya, who had introduced himself as the secretary, rose from his chair at Don’s command and hurriedly left the Audience Chamber.

Despite the obvious crisis, Don sat back down as if everything was resolved.

“Now, begin.”

“We don’t need to go?”

“No need. I’ve summoned the entire Lyusiten Territory Elite Squad for emergencies. Intaiya has special command authority, and he’ll handle it well.”

“Then no problem.”

The Elite Squad, officially the Lyusiten Territory Elite Squad, was a group Don had assembled, consisting of individuals with unique skills or exceptional talents.

The name was disappointingly straightforward, but with the residents’ tax money poured into it, their abilities were formidable. Most issues could be resolved if they acted together. Well—most issues.

{No problem, huh? They seem pretty confident, but will Cardina and the others be okay?}

{They’ll be fine. Their very existence is practically a cheat.}

{And our Dragon Force has grown ridiculously too. So, we just need to take those guys’ gear, right?}

{Hey, watch your words, Ai. This is a mutual bet, not stealing or forcing anything.}

{With Spirit Eye already gauging their strength, it’s like cheating at rock-paper-scissors.}

{That’s supposed to be a secret, Mom.}

{Oh, right, my bad, dear.}

While casually discussing how to use the gear they’d win via telepathy, the other side finished their preparations.

The carpet was cleared, creating a wide space in the center of the Audience Chamber, roughly the size of a gymnasium. Tatsuro had expected to move elsewhere, but this space seemed sufficient for a skirmish.

“So, a two-on-two team battle?”

“We’re used to this, but are you sure?”

Tatsuro and Ai could drastically power up just by sticking together, with perfect information-sharing through telepathy and mental imagery.

In contrast, Eduar and Andoni didn’t seem close enough to coordinate effectively as a team.

Tatsuro’s suggestion was a subtle warning, as they’d have a better chance in individual fights.

But they didn’t take it as such.

“That’s our handicap. We can’t lose, so this is as much as we’ll give. A team fight gives you more openings to exploit. Lord, is this acceptable?”

“If it’s too one-sided, it’ll get boring. Approved.”

“Not like it’ll make a difference. Hahaha!”

The Lord and his men, utterly convinced they wouldn’t lose, laughed arrogantly.

Even Ai, irritated by their attitude, bristled.

{Grrr, these guys are so annoying!}

{Don’t let it get to you. They’ll regret underestimating us. We just need to do our thing without getting cocky.}

{Yeah, you’re right. I’m going all out from the start, Tatsuro!}

{Got it. Leave their magic to me. I’ll wipe it all out.}

Despite his words, Tatsuro was just as annoyed, his grip tightening on Amaterasu.

As the situation progressed, Ai took the front with her Gem Sword, Tatsuro in the rear, forming a vertical line.

Andoni, with his Crimson Oni Stone sword, took the front, with Eduar in the rear, mirroring their formation, both sides facing each other at a distance.

“Let the signal to start be mine. Here we go—BEGIN!”

The moment Don pompously gave the signal, Ai and Andoni charged with swords in hand, closing the ten-meter gap in less than a second.

But even in that brief moment, the gap in their skill was clear.

“—Guh!?”

Though they started simultaneously, Ai covered more ground and swung faster.

Her Gem Sword, cloaked in red Ki shaped like a lion’s claw, nearly sliced Andoni’s head vertically. He barely managed to parry with his Crimson Oni Stone sword, also imbued with Beast Spirit Technique resembling a lion’s claw.

But the timing was so close that blood trickled from his forehead.

“This won’t kill you, huh? Then—”

“What is this girl!?”

“Huh?”

Ai had intended to stop just shy of cutting through his forehead, but his ability to react let her gauge his level. This time, she extended lion’s arms made of red Ki from both sides of her Gem Sword, aiming to crush Andoni from both sides.

But Andoni countered, summoning lion’s arms via Beast Spirit Technique from both sides of his sword. Their swords clashed head-on, and the lion’s arms grappled on both flanks, holding each other at bay.

“Wow, you can summon both arms too? Impressive!”

“…That’s like indirectly praising yourself.”

“That wasn’t my intention.”

“Damn it! Eduar, hurry up and help! What are you doing!?”

Unable to take his eyes off the girl in front of him, Andoni couldn’t check on Eduar but called out, sensing he wasn’t getting support.

Realizing Eduar had no leeway to assist, cold sweat ran down his back.

“What’s with these brats!?”

“Then I’ll kick it up a notch!”

“—Tch!”

Unlike Andoni, who was already near his limit, Ai’s potential seemed bottomless. Clicking his tongue, he decided to play his Trump Card.

Meanwhile, the magic battle had quietly begun at the signal.

Eduar initially planned to create twenty Tree Magic golems, sending half to support Andoni and the other half to attack Tatsuro.

If successful, Andoni could quickly neutralize the girl, making it two-on-one.

As a Magic Elf, a highly magic-specialized elf race, Eduar could summon twenty plant golems in a single second.

That’s all it would have taken—but Tatsuro was faster and more precise, firing a one-meter-wide Laser Cutter that curved to avoid Ai and Andoni, mercilessly striking the forming golems.

“This makes magic unusable then!”

With his high Magic Detection, Eduar sensed the laser’s power and, while continuing to create golems, retrieved plant seeds from his Item Box capable of blocking it and scattered them on the floor.

With a wave of his staff, the seeds sprouted, growing into trees with giant disc-shaped branches that formed a dome around him, shielding him from the laser.

Smirking triumphantly, Eduar thought he’d won, but Tatsuro was distracted by something else.

“Oh! Not only is it sturdy, but it has natural Magic Resistance too! What an interesting plant—perfect as a souvenir for Jeanne. Tsukuyomi, can you pull one up for me?”

Tsukuyomi’s core, embedded in Tatsuro’s coat, blinked. Multiple massive water spheres, resembling Thunder Drums, appeared behind him.

Slime-like tentacles extended from them, wrapping around the base of all the trees, freezing stakes with Ice Magic to uproot them entirely and deliver them to Tatsuro.

“Oh, uh, one was enough, but… oh well. Thanks, Tsukuyomi.”

Smiling wryly at Tsukuyomi, who seemed to demand praise while waving the trees, Tatsuro stored them all in his Infinite Item Field.

“Huh?”

In contrast, Eduar was dumbfounded, unable to process how his view had cleared in an instant.

For Tatsuro, it was just like collecting plants, but who could imagine dozens of trees, each over a hundred kilograms, being uprooted simultaneously?

Snapping back to the fight, Eduar used the time gained to complete twenty-six humanoid plant golems armed with swords and shields.

“Go, golems!”

“Not so fast.”

Following Eduar’s command, ten golems rushed to aid Andoni, while the rest charged Tatsuro.

Their speed matched a level-30 martial artist—slow for Ai but fast for Tatsuro.

With high agility, they could dodge normal attacks automatically, and their decent Magic Resistance made them troublesome in numbers—or so it should have been.

“W-What…?”

Eduar hadn’t expected all twenty-six golems to reach their targets unscathed, given Tatsuro’s magical prowess.

He had them move erratically to avoid targeting and kept their shields up to boost defense, expecting at least a third to survive.

But Tatsuro swung his staff horizontally, unleashing twenty-six massive lasers that curved to track the golems, obliterating them effortlessly.