Combat Against an Equal Foe.
The killing intent released by the “enemy” shook the dark forest itself. Judging from this killing intent and combat power, the opponent is a Rank 4 Recon Assassin. From the earlier attack, this enemy has no “hesitation.” The lack of hesitation in their actions suggests a firm “belief” and a strong “will” to achieve it. I judge such enemies to be more dangerous than their visible combat power suggests, and I become even more cautious.
In the dark forest, we momentarily caught sight of each other, then I lost sight of the “enemy,” and they know I’ve hidden behind this tree. Falling behind would be disadvantageous. Judging so, I hook the [Blade Scythe Style] Pendulum onto a branch overhead and use the thread to leap onto the tree in one go. But, perhaps the opponent was thinking the same thing, for a knife came flying from somewhere above in the trees at the same time I jumped. But that attack is within my expectations.
Leaping to another tree branch with the momentum of the jump, I evade the knife, estimate the direction and angle from which it came, and the places where one could hide in the forest, and throw the Pendulum. The Pendulum, its trajectory altered by my fingertips and [Thread Manipulation], aims behind a tree, and a faint sound of a blade being deflected is heard, and a figure jumps out from there. Even with Night Vision, I can only make out the outline, perhaps because the opponent’s Stealth level is high. But, if we’re going to “kill each other,” that’s enough. I immediately throw the knife I pulled from the slit in my skirt towards that “figure,” and wind Mana Particles swirl around the “figure” like a current, deflecting the knife I threw. But without even being surprised by that, I feel something being released from the “figure,” and I dodge behind a tree, and something hard pierces the surface of the trunk.
This is… a “Pebble”? Less powerful than a knife, but a small metal lump with sharpened edges, if used by a skilled person, can easily pierce human skin, a type of Hidden Weapon that is difficult to use. And the reason my knife was deflected was probably the wind attribute Magic, [Air Curtain]. This is deployed around the caster to defend against arrows, but being able to use this means they can use at least Level 2 Magic, so I should assume that my throws other than the Pendulum will be almost completely nullified. As expected, a troublesome opponent, but if that’s the case, there’s a way to fight.
“–[Illusion]–“
While leaping from tree to tree, I unleash the Level 4 Dark Magic I had prepared, [Illusion]. With my skill, I still can’t make creatures appear natural, but in this “Darkness,” it’s a different story. Creating the presence of ‘bees rampaging and flying around’ from the surroundings, I kick off the trunk of a nearby tree towards the “figure” that jumped out at that moment, and we exchanged kicks in mid-air.
The opponent’s kick strikes my shoulder, and my kick sends the “figure’s” flank flying. But “not yet.” We can still attack while our bodies are floating in the air. “Aerial Maneuvering” based on momentary sensation and judgment. I swing my leg vigorously in the empty space, change my posture in mid-air, and aim at the “figure” with the readied Black Dagger, but it collides with the knife the opponent hastily raised, and we are both repelled. Again, a little distance is created. At that moment, I dodge the Pebbles released from the “figure” by rotating and swinging my arms, and using that momentum, the thrown [Ball-Shaped] Pendulum, increased in “weight” by centrifugal force, broke through the “figure’s” wind defense while mowing down the surrounding tree branches.
“—!”
The opponent faintly leaked a breath, and finally the “figure” fell to the ground. …A woman? Judging from the weight and build of the kicks, I felt that was highly likely, and I immediately switched to a combat style that emphasized speed. As soon as I landed on the ground, Pebbles were released, aiming for that moment. Without stopping for even a moment, I rolled sideways to evade, and once again slammed the [Ball-Shaped] down from directly above the “figure.”
(Tch!)
But the opponent, in an unstable posture on the ground, slid sideways to avoid the Pendulum, and fired wind Mana Particles in a “line.” I estimate it’s probably [Wind Cutter]. Even if Gelf’s armor were to take it head-on, it wouldn’t be cut apart, but if I were to take it head-on and freeze for even a moment, I don’t know what kind of attack would follow.
“–[Magic Shield (Shield)]–”
I deflect the [Wind Cutter] with the [Magic Shield (Shield)] that I momentarily created to match the wind Mana Particles visible to my “eyes.”
“–[Shadow]–”
In this dark forest, it should be difficult to distinguish the two “me’s” separated. It’s a level that you can understand if you look carefully, but the “figure” attacked both at the same time with “Pebbles,” not even bothering to take the time to observe. The Shadow receives the Pebbles and disappears. But in that instant, I slipped through the Pebbles and approached, unleashing the Black Dagger, but the opponent again showed footwork that slid sideways, dodging my blade, and swung down the knife as it was.
Close combat at a distance where our bodies brushed against each other. Without even feinting, I and the “figure” aimed only for vital spots that could kill the opponent in one blow, dodging each other at the last moment. I dodged the swung-down knife with footwork that also slid, lowered my posture like a cat, kicked off the ground, and swept the “figure’s” feet with my whole body, and the opponent jumped away while doing a cartwheel, again creating distance.
“…………”
This movement… I have a memory of seeing it somewhere. Perhaps the opponent felt the same way, for a strange “pause” of one or two seconds was created between us. At that moment, my [Detection] noticed multiple figures approaching.
‘They’re over here!’
Four black-armored attackers… Annoying. The moment I thought that, I kicked off the ground and threw the [Blade Scythe Style] Pendulum while rotating as if rolling in the low air. The black armor running at the front barely dodged the blade, and at that moment, I pulled the thread, and the scythe-shaped blade tore apart the man’s carotid artery. As it was, I bent my whole body as if grabbing the ground with both hands and jumped out, kicked another man’s feet and rolled him over, and stabbed the Black Dagger into his forehead to the root and killed him.
Two remaining… When I searched for their presence, the remaining two black armors were shot through with “Pebbles” and, at the moment they stiffened in pain, were grabbed by the “figure” that jumped out and had their necks broken and died.
“”…………””
While being wary of each other in the dark forest and using [Stealth], we simultaneously erased our killing intent and observed each other’s state.
“…Sera?”
“…So it was Aria after all. I thought ‘maybe’ along the way…”
Confirming each other, we released [Stealth] and showed our figures.
“Long time no see, Sera.”
“It has been a while, but you’ve become so strong in just two or three years…”
It was a short period, but I learned various things from Sera that were useful for my activities, in addition to stealth warfare and martial arts.
“I heard about your survival from Viro, but it seems that his invitation to you to join the ‘Rainbow Sword’ was ‘securing’ you, not ‘protecting’ you. Apparently, Viro intentionally didn’t tell us about your strength.”
Viro didn’t tell us all of my information. Sera seemed to think that Viro was silent in order to secure me, but that’s probably not all. As if to show that, there are several meters of distance between us.
“Aria, I heard that you were attacked by Grave. So, I understand that you can’t trust us.”
“I have no complaints about Sera personally. But the Shadow Unit is different. I won’t be hostile, and I’ll take jobs like Viro depending on the content, but I won’t return to the Shadow Unit.”
“…Is that so. Even so…”
Sera sighed lightly and stared at me intently.
“I never thought that you would catch up in just three years.”
“I don’t think I’ve caught up in close combat, though?”
“I feel regret that Viro took you, but the ‘Rainbow Sword’ will further extend your power. It’s unfortunate for our son, who was trying to catch up…”
“…?”
When I tilted my head, Sera sighed again and pressed her forehead with her finger as if she had a headache.
“You’ve also become beautiful. You still haven’t cut your hair, have you.”
“Because I “promised” with Sera and Theo…”
The reason I was growing my hair long so that I wouldn’t cut it too much was because of a promise with the two of them. Thinking about it, I trusted them quite a bit… Come to think of it, how is Theo doing? Sera’s gaze at me, who said “promise,” became gentle, and the harsh air of killing each other softened just a little.
“We don’t have time to chat here. I think that last attacker was all of them, but if Aria is here, does that mean the other ‘Rainbow Swords’ are coming too?”
“Only me and Feld, the swordsman, came to help. He’s already started mopping up, so unless there’s someone on Sera’s level, it should be over quickly. …Who are these guys?”
“We’ll also confirm His Highness’s safety, so if you’re a ‘Rainbow Sword,’ please come with us. Let’s talk while we walk.”
“His Highness,” huh? So royalty is involved after all.
As we moved silently through the dark forest, Sera quickly explained the situation.
The current royal family’s popularity is declining due to a certain “reason.”
The main reason is that the Queen Consort, the legitimate wife, comes from a low-status family. The powerful upper-class nobles of the “Aristocratic Faction” are against the Crown Prince, who is of the Queen Consort’s bloodline, becoming the next king.
To stabilize the royal family’s power, they’re making royals and their fiancées, some of whom aren’t even attending the academy yet, explore a dungeon to obtain something. However, the “Aristocratic Faction,” who caught wind of this “dungeon攻略” that wasn’t disclosed to the general noble families, plotted to attack the Crown Prince.
I don’t know if they intended to assassinate him and install a more convenient Crown Prince or capture him and make him listen to them, but a certain royal who sensed the attack apparently tried to trap the “Aristocratic Faction” by acting as bait in place of the Crown Prince.
“…………”
So that’s why there weren’t many guards… They seemed to have chosen knights with considerable skill, but even that was more than “planned.”
Still, given the need for secrecy, it might have been difficult to have more guards…
“That’s quite reckless. Who is this ‘Highness’?”
“It would be best if you met him directly. It’s usually impossible, but ‘Rainbow Swords’ are adventurers of that caliber.”
As we emerged onto a dark road, we saw a large carriage guarded by several knights.
The knights, wary of us approaching, raised their weapons, but when they recognized Sera, they breathed a sigh of relief.
“Sera-sama, you’re safe! The attackers…”
The knight rushed to Sera and spoke, but he also cast a suspicious glance at me.
“This person is one of the ‘Rainbow Swords’ hired by Prime Minister. With their help, the attackers on our side have been eliminated. How is His Highness?”
“The adventurer in question, huh? …They seem quite young. And His Highness is…”
“——Aria?”
At that moment, a light, young woman’s voice was heard, and a blonde girl who looked about my age emerged from the carriage.
“Elena…sama?”
“So it really is Aria…”
Elena Claydale, the First Princess of the Kingdom of Claydale.
She used to be so physically weak that she needed rest, but she had recovered considerably in the past three years. Now, at the age of 11 like me, she had grown with Mana, just like me, and now looked about 13 or 14 years old.
Gazing at each other, no longer children, Elena smiled slightly with a tearful expression and was about to take a step towards me when—
“Wait, Elena!”
A voice calling out to her was heard, and a man in his mid-twenties jumped out of the carriage and stood in front of me, shielding Elena.
“Uncle!”
“Don’t approach carelessly, Elena. I know you seem to know her, but judging from her attire, she’s a rough adventurer. What’s your purpose in approaching us!”
The man protected Elena while drawing a graceful short sword from his waist and pointing it at me.
“…’Uncle’?”
As I muttered that and looked at Elena behind him, she sighed quietly and revealed his identity.
“Yes, that’s right. This person is my father… His Majesty’s youngest brother, Prince Amol Claydale.”
Finally, a new target has appeared.
Why is he here? What is his purpose?
Next time, Prince Amor… Sounds troublesome.
We’ve finally reached chapter 100. I was able to write this far thanks to everyone who read it.
I am also very grateful for the typo reports.
It’s become longer than I expected, but this dungeon arc will also serve as an introduction to the academy arc, so please bear with me a little longer until the end of the first part.
I plan to start the second part, the academy arc, in October.