And finally, the day of the victory banquet had arrived.
The banquet itself would start in the evening, so first we went to pick up Sylvia-san’s dress. As expected, the Margrave’s family was busy, so it was just us—Sylvia-san, myself, and the others—heading to the store.
(Kara kara kara)
“Haaah… I feel so dispirited…”
“No, no. Today you’re just putting on the dress that’s ready. Nothing else will happen.”
I reassured her.
Sylvia was still nervous from the last fitting, where she had basically been treated like a dress-up doll. She is worried that something similar might happen again.
I am pretty sure there wouldn’t be any surprises this time.
With that, our carriage arrived at the store that served as the Margrave family’s trusted tailor.
“So… how does it look?”
“Wow, it’s beautiful!”
“It really suits you!”
Sylvia-san was already wearing the dress after the size adjustments, and it looked fantastic on her. The green dress matched her hair, and she wore a delicate necklace to complete the look.
Looking at her like this, even though she was about the same height as Shiro, she had the presence of a grown woman.
“Now, we’ll make some fine adjustments, so please come this way.”
“All right, understood.”
Sylvia-san, visibly relieved, followed the store staff toward the back of the shop.
Well, now it was time for me to get a little work done.
“Sue, did you notice?”
“Yes… there’s someone peeking in here.”
Indeed, ever since we had entered the store, someone had been peering inside.
We had been observing quietly for a while, but it was clear they were keeping a close watch on us. Even using my detection magic showed them as a potential threat, so there was no need to hold back.
Then, something slid smoothly into motion.
(Sususu)
“Oh, Ao went outside!”
“That means this will be resolved quickly.”
Ao darted out and approached the suspicious figure. A tiny squeak reached our ears, and almost immediately, the soldiers arrived. Ao, in her usual confident manner, gave a proper salute with her tentacle to the troops.
Now, it was time to get to the bottom of why this person had been spying on us. They would have to explain themselves properly.
“Already over?”
“Boring~”
“That was fast!”
“Well, if you lot had gone wild, it would’ve been quite the commotion.”
Shiro and the others also noticed the suspicious person but since Ao had taken care of it in an instant, they seemed a bit disappointed at the anticlimactic turn of events.
Either way, with the victory banquet still ahead, we’d have to stay alert—who knew what might happen next.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
The fierce battle had torn away Fia’s mask and cloak, revealing her appearance fully to the spectators. She remarkably looks alike to Fana.
“How old is she…? She looks young, but maybe late twenties? Could be a little older…”
And while the shape of her chest closely resembled Fana’s, its size was slightly larger. Truly impressive.
“I’d heard the rumors, but Fia-san is really beautiful.”
“She hardly ever shows herself, so I guess not many have actually seen her in person.”
“Wow… she looks so young. I thought she’d been an S-Rank adventurer for quite a while.”
“About fifteen years, I think? She became S-Rank around twenty, so she’s probably in her mid-thirties.”
“She doesn’t look like it at all.”
“More importantly… don’t those two look insanely alike?”
“Now that you mention it…”
“The way they fight is almost identical, too. Could they be sisters…?”
“They’re too far apart in age to be sisters.”
Even the adventurers in the stands were bewildered. Given how strikingly similar the two were, it was only natural.
“Fana herself doesn’t seem to even notice, though.”
“…That sounds just like her.”
Even with someone almost identical to herself standing right before her, Fana’s expression didn’t change a bit. Without missing a beat, she kicked off the ground and launched another attack.
Fia responded in kind.
“What an exchange…!”
“The Goritia vs. Anje match was incredible, but this… So this is the final exam for S-Rank promotion huh.”
“No, I’ve watched a few exams before, but I’ve never seen a challenger this strong.”
“Hey… isn’t the wind getting stronger and stronger?”
“Y-yeah… if I don’t hold on tightly to the railing, I feel like I might get blown away…”
The fierce battle raging before them had begun to churn the very air of the training hall into a swirling vortex. Gradually, the rotation sped up, twisting into a full-blown tornado.
“W–we’re getting blown away!?”
“What the hell is happening!?”
“It feels like we’re inside a hurricane…!”
“Uwaaaaah!?”
Several spectators were lifted off their feet and slammed into the rear wall by the centrifugal force.
“This… this wind is insane!”
“It’s because both of them spin in the same direction when they slash. The winds aren’t canceling each other out—they’re accelerating and pulling in everything around them.”
As for their strength, the two were nearly equal. Fana was giving her all, but judging by her expression, Fia wasn’t holding anything back either.
“T–ten minutes have passed! That’s the end!”
Randia shouted at the top of his lungs. He, too, was clinging desperately to the railing, struggling to resist being blown away.
“Huh? Already ten minutes? I could’ve sworn there were still a couple left…”
“Don’t say unnecessary things! Ten minutes definitely passed! (My arms can’t hold on any longerrrrr!)”
Looks like they called it a bit early.
As Fana and Fia lowered their swords and stopped fighting, the whirlwind gradually subsided. Eventually, calm returned to the training hall.
“In any case, that was an incredible battle, rivaling even the previous exam. And recognizing that Fana-dono fought on equal footing—or better—with Examiner Fia for the full ten minutes, she too has passed the final exam!”
With that, following Anje, Fana would also be promoted to S-Rank.
“Ah… Fana-oneechan…”
“She’s approaching Fia, like she wants to say something.”
“She must’ve sensed something after all.”
I recalled something I’d heard about her background. Fana had been born into a poor family with eight siblings, but she was said to look completely unlike any of them.
It seemed that as an infant, she had been abandoned along a road and taken in by her foster parents. Though the family was poor, she was raised alongside her siblings without distinction. In gratitude, she became an adventurer at the age of ten, and even now, she continued sending money back home.
If anyone might know about her blood relatives, it would be Fia… or perhaps, just perhaps, Fia is her real mother.
Standing before the possible truth of her own origins, Fana finally spoke.
“Hmph… our fighting styles were similar. …Did you copy me?”
We all froze, dumbfounded.
“That’s what you ask!?”
“You’re supposed to ask about the resemblance of her face!”
“W-wait, maybe she’s planning to get to the real point later!”
Fia let out a wry smile.
“I didn’t copy you. I’m more than a decade older than you, and I’ve been fighting like this for a long time.”
“Hm… I see.”
Fana nodded, as if satisfied. Then, without another word, she pivoted on her heel and began walking back toward us.
“W–wait, Fana-oneechan!?”
“Don’t you have other questions to ask!?”
“You can’t be satisfied with just that, can you!?”
“…?”
We tried desperately to give her a clue, but Fana only tilted her head in response.
Meanwhile, Fia spoke as well.
“Randia, I’ll be heading back now. I only agreed to take part because they insisted during a dungeon run, and I did so begrudgingly.”
“Ah, yes… of course, you were a tremendous help. But… are you sure?”
“Sure about what? I don’t know what you mean.”
“…Never mind.”
Through Randia’s gate, Fia departed. It seemed she had no intention of revealing anything further.
(Well… maybe that’s for the best. For me, my parent has always been Wolf-kaachan. I don’t really care about whoever I’m actually related to by blood. Even if I had been abandoned before I could remember anything, I doubt I would’ve wanted to know who my real parent was anyway.)
Fana was probably the same—having the parent who raised her was more than enough.
With a few days left before the victory banquet, we continued our activities as normal adventurers.
The sales from the food stall had been incredible and the guild is still in the middle of calculating how much would go to us, as well as the share for the attendants who had helped out. So, today, our focus was on hospital duties. Sylvia-san and Fina-san joined us as well.
“This hospital admits a lot of children.”
“So, if possible, it would be helpful if you could spend some time interacting with the children.”
“““Yes!”””
I see…
According to the staff, this is primarily a children’s hospital. I remember seeing a feature about children’s hospitals in my previous life—these places tend to be stressful for kids, after all.
Our group was split into teams: Sue, Shiro and Horn, myself with Fran and then Ao, Fina-san, Pearl and Sylvia-san.
“Y-yes… please, take care of me…”
“Pleasure to work with you.”
Fina-san and Sylvia-san were paired together so they could get along while helping out. With Ao nearby, there was no worry about the treatments going smoothly.
And so, the healing began.
“All right, how does that feel?”
“It doesn’t hurt! Thank you, Oneechan!”
“You’re welcome.”
Sue and Horn, already professionals in healing, treated the children with ease, smiling as they worked. It was completely different from dealing with burly adventurers or seasoned fighters.
Sue had even been punched once by someone she’d healed after being proposed to—so genuine affection like this was a welcome change.
“Oniichan, aren’t you a cook?”
“No, I’m an adventurer and a magician.”
“Oh, really? Mom bought me a fruit sandwich, but she said it was made by the same person.”
Ah, so even here, I’m being treated like a cook. It’s nice that they enjoyed the food I brought from the stall, but… it does feel a little complicated.
“Wow, a slime is doing the healing!”
“It’s so cute!”
“That’s Pearl-chan and Ao-chan.”
I wondered how Fina-san and Sylvia-san would fare, but the children were completely captivated by the slime doing the healing. Through Pearl and Ao, we were able to communicate with the kids while they were focused on the unusual sight.
After all, seeing a slime perform healing was definitely something rare.
At that moment, one of the hospital staff approached me with a request.
“I’m sorry to trouble you, but could you serve fruit sandwiches to the children?”
“Of course. I’ll prepare them right away.”
“That would be a great help. There are quite a few children eager to have some fruit sandwiches.”
It seemed the other children wanted to try the fruit sandwiches that the first kid had called me a cook for earlier. Luckily, the ingredients were all in the item box, so we got to work making them together.
“Delicious! Sweet and yummy!”
“A slime is cooking!”
By making the flavor a little sweeter for the kids, they ate happily. Once again, Ao in action as a cook was a huge hit with everyone.
“This was a very good experience.”
“Yes, indeed.”
The bond between Fina-san and Sylvia-san had also grown stronger, and today’s hospital work ended up being a great success for all of us.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
Randia’s shout made both fighters freeze, as if suddenly snapped out of a trance. The final exam, the one-on-one duel between Goritia, standing as the examiner, and Anje—was officially over.
“Tch… already over? Ten minutes feels way too short.”
Goritia grumbled.
“Exactly! This is so unsatisfying! There’s no way it should end until one of us falls!”
Anje shot back, frustration flickering across her face.
In the end, time had run out while the two remained perfectly evenly matched. Despite being battered and bruised, both of them clearly felt the fight had only just begun.
“Well… if you two insist on continuing, I have no intention of stopping you. But this space will be needed for the next examinee, so I kindly ask that you take your fight outside if you wish to carry on.”
“…”
Both fighters fell silent under Randia’s firm admonition. Perhaps realizing that a change of location was necessary to continue, the tension that had radiated off them slowly began to ebb.
“In any case, having fought Goritia on equal footing for a full ten minutes, Anje-dono has officially passed the final exam! Her promotion to S-Rank has been confirmed! Congratulations!”
As Randia announced Anje’s success, applause rang out throughout the training hall.
“…Come to think of it, that was the exam, wasn’t it? I completely forgot halfway through.”
Normally, this would be a moment of pure joy, but she couldn’t help the small chuckle. Then she turned toward Goritia.
“I’ll save the rest of our fight for another time. I still want to watch the remaining matches, after all.”
“Fufu~ I guess I can’t argue with that.”
Oh no, he had slipped back into his original, feminine manner of speech.
“But… honestly, I doubt I’ll ever get another chance to beat you. You’re only going to get stronger from here on out.”
“Do you think so?”
“Absolutely. I mean, even now, you weren’t going all out.”
“…I was going all out.”
“Huh? Do you think my eyes are that blind? I still remember the martial arts tournament—you used earth magic back then, didn’t you?”
That was true. In this final exam, Anje hadn’t used a single trace of earth magic.
Anje had held her own—or even surpassed Goritia—using only her martial skill. Had she also wielded her earth magic… she might have achieved a completely one-sided victory.
Understanding that, she had deliberately sealed away her magic and chosen to fight on equal, physical terms.
“Hehe… it’s been a while since I’ve felt this sting of frustration… Makes me want to train myself all over again,” she murmured, a gleam of excitement in her eyes.
“Now then, who’s next to step up?”
“I do. I want to fight.”
Perhaps inspired by watching Anje’s battle, Fana immediately volunteered, stepping forward without hesitation.
“Are you okay with that?”
“Yeah, I don’t mind going last.”
Orion replied.
With her consent, Fana stepped into the center of the training hall.
“Now, as for Fana’s examiner—”
“I’ll do it.”
Before Randia could finish speaking, a masked figure in a cloak leapt down from the spectator stands. Judging by her height, the tone of her voice, and her chest, it was likely a woman.
(And… that’s fairly well-endowed. Comparable to Fana… no, maybe even more. Alright, I’ll have to get her to lift me later.)
『As usual, you’re obsessed with breasts Master. Isn’t there anywhere else worth paying attention to?』
“Oh! It’s Fia-shi, then. You shall be the one in charge of this exam.”
The examiner called Fia was likely an S-Rank adventurer as well.
“Could it be… Fia, the Silver-Winged Twin Swords?”
“Strange. I didn’t expect her to take on this exam.”
“They say she’s one of the most anti-social among S-Rank adventurers.”
“Not just anti-social—she spends most of the year delving into high-difficulty dungeons and rarely shows herself on the surface.”
The adventurers watching whispered among themselves, trading rumors about the mysterious examiner.
Fia drew the swords hanging at her waist. Judging by her stance, she intended to fight in her masked, cloaked guise.
“So… she’s a dual-wielder, huh?”
“Yeah, just like Fana.”
It was a rare sight, but Fana showed no surprise. Expressionless as ever, she readied her two swords in response.
“Then, we will now begin Fana’s final exam!”
A sudden gust of wind swept through the hall.
It was Fana who had summoned it.
Unlike Anje, who had fought without her earth magic, Fana had no intention of holding back. She surged forward, using the wind to close the distance between herself and the examiner in an instant.
But Fana wasn’t the only one making the wind her ally.
“T-that examiner… she’s using it too!”
“Really… yeah, just like her!”
Fia was also wrapped in a swirling aura of wind. It seemed she would fight using a seamless fusion of wind magic and swordsmanship.
The two clashed at an incredible speed.
“U–unbelievable… what a storm of blades!?”
The exchange between Anje and Goritia had been so fast that even blinking could make you miss it—but this was on another level entirely.
Neither of them remained in one spot. They darted from one end of the training hall to the other, their positions constantly shifting. On top of that, the four swords—two in Fana’s hands, two in Fia’s—collided again and again like a torrential downpour of steel, crisscrossing with relentless intensity.
“And… they’re evenly matched!?”
“Yeah. On top of that, their sword trajectories are almost identical. That’s probably because their physical abilities—height, arm length, joint flexibility, and even muscle composition—are so similar.”
“Is it really possible for two people to be that alike?”
It was then.
Perhaps unable to withstand the relentless clash any longer, Fia’s tattered cloak was torn away by the wind, fluttering violently through the air. Almost simultaneously, her mask slipped from her face, clattering to the floor.
“Wh-what the—!?”
Anje stared in disbelief, shouting in shock.
The reason was clear—the woman revealed as Fia looked almost identical to Fana. Blue eyes, perfectly proportioned features and a silver hair slightly shorter than Fana’s.
And most striking of all—
(Their breast shape is the same too.)
『That’s gross, Master.』
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
The day after the martial arts tournament, as planned, everyone headed to the clothing shop together.
“Ah… a-awawa…”
“What’s wrong?”
“This… this is an outrageously high-class store. I don’t belong here at all.”
Well, this is the clothing store that supplies the Margrave family after all.
Stepping down from the carriage, Sylvia-san froze completely in front of the luxurious shop. I could completely understand how she felt.
“Come on, let’s go inside.”
“U-um, wait, aah—!”
But Sylvia-san’s hesitation was meaningless in the presence of the smiling Madam. In fact, the Madam simply lifted her by the side and carried her inside the store. At this point, it was best to give up and let her accept it gracefully.
“Welcome!”
“Good morning, Owner. Let’s begin checking the outfits right away.”
“Certainly. And how would you like me to assist the lady over there?”
“Could you also select a dress for Sylvia?”
“Of course. Please, everyone, follow me this way.”
Once inside the store, we immediately began the fittings.
Of course, we weren’t designing anything from scratch. We were simply trying on the finished outfits to make sure everything fit properly. In fact, the whole process was completed in about half an hour.
“Hm… a red dress suits you nicely.”
“A blue one looks perfect too.”
“Maybe green would work well with your hair color?”
“Yellow would be nice as well.”
“Um, excuse me, but…”
Meanwhile, all the women in the group were busily debating which dress colors would suit Sylvia-san best. On top of that, they were discussing which gemstones and accessories would pair nicely with each outfit.
Poor Sylvia-san, reduced to a complete dress-up doll, was blinking frantically, clearly overwhelmed by the unfamiliar situation.
At this point, there was nothing that Ao or I could do. We simply sat in chairs, sipping the tea that had been served, and watched the proceedings unfold.
“Haahhh…”
“Um… thank you for your hard work.”
By the time all the fittings were done—including adjustments for size—Sylvia-san looked utterly drained, as if her soul had temporarily left her body.
The experience had clearly been exhausting for her, and for the victory banquet, she would be wearing a different dress. The outfits she had gone through today would be purchased separately after minor alterations.
Since Sylvia-san, being a halfling, would no longer grow taller, they decided to buy dresses in every color suggested by the women.
As expected, Ao paid for all of Sylvia-san’s dresses without hesitation.
“Now all that’s left is to wait for Ao’s victory banquet.”
“Yes. The Margrave’s household will be hosting it with all their prestige on the line, so everyone should look forward to it.”
“““Yey!”””
A party thrown by one of the kingdom’s most prestigious noble families—there was no doubt it would be something spectacular.
With that, the dress selection, despite all the fuss, was finally completed without issue.
“Heaah…”
Yes… Sylvia-san, it’s time to come back to reality now.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
The effect of Awakening extended to his mind, allowing him to process the battlefield with perfect clarity.
First—Solana collapsed a massive pillar. Second—Rion disappeared into the swirling dust.
As long as he remembered their positions moments ago, it was trivial. Freyr was already a master swordsman among gods, capable of easily surpassing even the Swordmaster skill. If he combined that with the power of Awakening, he could seize the initiative in any situation, no matter how chaotic.
Freyr lowered his sword to mid-stance, the tip pointing downward. He deliberately left his head exposed, baiting an attack.
If he charged, a cloud of dust would move. Rion would also make noise as he moved, due to the rubble he had scattered. All Freyr had to do was wait.
“Wake up!”
That voice reached his ears.
Freyr braced himself—but no attack followed.
A lure, perhaps? He thought. The direction of the voice gave him a clue to Rion’s position.
Gradually, the dust began to clear. Freyr’s eyes widened—not with surprise, but with exasperation.
“Freyja, huh.”
The figure of his little sister, Freyja, floated a dozen steps ahead.
It’s a magical illusion, no doubt about it. His mind is telling him so. Perhaps because the real Freyja lay sealed in ice nearby, the imitation was flawless.
A bitter smile tugged at his lips.
“So… this is your plan?”
Disappointing. Was he trying to confuse me by revealing my sister? Or perhaps he was trying to anger me?
Either way, it was meaningless.
Freyr held his stance. Nothing had changed.
Time dragged on.
Freyr frowned at the phantom’s expression. Though seemingly blank, her gaze was fixed unwaveringly on him.
Looking at his sister’s blue eyes, a single question flickered in his mind.
—What would Freyja-sama think of you, right now?
Perhaps he remembered Rion’s words because his sister and the boy shared the same blue eyes.
He laughed off such stirring of the heart. The answer to that question had already been decided.
Rubble shifted on his right. Somewhere already cracked must have collapsed. Freyr intended to check with his eyes alone. Yet, as if pulled by some invisible thread, he turned his whole face towards that direction.
The moment he looked away from the gaze of the one he had sworn to protect, the fate of the God of Fertility was sealed.
◆◆◆
Step forward.
The resolve slipped out like a sigh, falling between my clenched teeth.
Skill 『God of Mischief’s Divine Protection』 was activated. 【Genie’s Trick】……. A magic that creates illusions.
Using the power of the water spirit Undine, I raised a wall of water—and on it, with Loki’s blessing, I projected an illusion.
An illusion of Freyja-sama.
Creating magical illusions is normally extremely difficult, but by projecting it onto a water surface, as Loki had once done, even I could manage it. I hid behind the illusion, taking advantage of how the water bent and refracted the scenery, making me invisible from Freyr’s perspective.
I waited for the moment.
Freyr would surely look away.
He diverted his gaze for only a fraction of a second. That was enough. Now, I would use the next skill to expand this chance.
Skill 『Divine Protection of the God of Hunting』 was activated. 【Hunter’s Step】……. Move unseen, leaving no trace of one’s presence.
Don’t notice, don’t notice me…
I told myself as I closed the distance.
Freyr reacted though. A thrust of godlike speed shot toward me.
“Hah!”
I slipped past the blade and leapt straight into Freyr’s chest.
“Y-you…”
Freyr’s eyes darted. He was shaken.
I pressed forward.
“You’re lying.”
“What?”
My short sword and his sword clashed with a sharp ting. But I didn’t step back. Now that I had leapt in, this was my only chance.
“You claim there’s no hesitation! Then… was training me, adventuring with me, was all of that a lie too!?”
Through Seiðr magic, Freyr had sealed his memories. Yet the expressions he wore when he trained me, when he fought alongside me—they felt real. Even this god must retain some fragment of his divine kindness.
He cut downward. I followed, chasing the wide opening he left.
“Tell me! What happened? Why are you our enemy?!”
Fire sparked in Freyr’s eyes. His slash grazed my cheek.
“If someone is precious… you can’t do things that would hurt them!”
“…Childish reasoning.”
I understood Freyr’s anger. Even I would have been deeply unsettled if someone had dragged Lu into a fight as an enemy.
My chest ached. The desire to protect family was probably the same for him as it was for me. I reversed my grip on the short sword, moving into a preparatory stance. I met Freyr’s eyes.
“Then… why did you look away?”
“—!”
I could feel the god’s emotions erupting.
After a slash, his sword—once flowing sideways—snapped forward, swung with raw force straight at me. A god striking down a powerless human.
Exactly what I had been waiting for.
A sword approached from my left. I spun my body, deflecting it.
“What—!”
With a high-pitched clash, the sword of the Fertility God Freyr was knocked aside. Even if he didn’t release his weapon, his torso was left completely exposed.
I had practiced countering swords countless times. This was the technique I excelled at most.
Using the momentum of my spin, I swept aside his horizontal slash. Against Freyr, whose Swordsman skill was original, I needed to bait the movement—but I had done it perfectly.
I had provoked him, drawing out a raw, forceful strike.
Freyr’s body faltered.
His eyes widened in disbelief. As if asking, —You read me?
I tilted my chin, meeting his questioning expression.
“…Yes.”
Because we were brothers in the same way, I understood why he was angry. I realized that somewhere along that adventure, Freyr and I had reached a point of understanding.
That was why I could play this game of strategy.
I could read this god—my brother.
“S-Sor—”
My chest ached, and those words nearly slipped out.
For Lu’s sake, the sister I wanted to protect, I pressed forward, pushing aside the brother who was likewise trying to protect his own sister. With a clear ching, the gold coin shot out of my pocket. I thought I saw Freyr’s eyes follow its intricate patterns.
“…What a face you make, hero.”
Freyr’s whisper.
It was the face of the adventurer I knew—Nils. The voice echoed in my mind, speaking as a god, yet with a familiarity I recognized.
And the words continued.
“You swore, didn’t you?”
Yes.
“You made your decision, didn’t you?”
I lifted my chin.
“Then move forward! One who feels no pain cannot be called a hero.”
The final words from the adventurer who had once been my mentor.
“Endure it. And press on.”
With the pain, my resolve ignited. Even through tears, I knew I had to take the next step. The power I wielded was borrowed from the gods—but my determination, my heart, that had to be my own.
Skill 『Sun’s Divine Protection』 was activated. 【Sword of the Daughter of the Sun】…… Imbues the Daughter of the Sun in a weapon.
“Solana!”
『…I know, but you sometimes say the most impossible things!』
The gold coin I had launched clung to the short sword, merging with it into a single weapon. We are now at a distance too close to dodge.
Golden light spilled from the dagger, streaking straight toward Freyr.
『A gentle strength, huh…』
It felt like the god muttered these final words.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
Bathed in a radiant golden light, Freyr fixed his gaze on me.
An unsteady breath slipped from my lips. The light surrounding my enemy bore an uncanny resemblance to my own 『Alarm』 skill.
There was no mistaking it—it was my father’s skill, the one forever etched into my memory.
“…My father’s… skill?”
It was called 『Awakening』, a power that unleashes the user’s latent potential in a single, explosive surge. It was the very ability that had elevated my father to the ranks of a heroic adventurer.
Adventurers who surpassed level fifty, like my father, were rare. Across all of recorded history, their number barely reached a hundred.
I tried to recall what my father had been fighting in his final moments.
A chill pierced straight through my core, as if an icicle had been driven into my chest, threatening to freeze me from the inside out.
“Then….. Ymir killed my father.”
“Indeed. Ymir devoured your father’s skill—and then bestowed it upon me.”
Freyr’s lips twisted into a triumphant grin.
“This is not ‘Awakening.’ In the end, it wasn’t a skill capable of breaking the dungeon’s seal. Still, a power that ‘releases one’s dormant strength’ seems to carry at least enough influence to keep its bearer from being put to sleep by the seal. Thanks to that, I was able to travel just as you did.”
A god should have been affected by the seal. And yet, Freyr had come and gone from the Temple of Odis as he pleased. Without Solana’s light of awakening, even Thor and the others would hardly have been able to step outside.
In this case, there must have been some way to resist the seal. And that way was—my father’s skill, 『Awakening』.
“B-But…! If you had that kind of power—”
“You mean, you, as his son, should have noticed it within the dungeon? The awakening skill that Ymir granted me was, at first, only a fragment of its true strength—a kind of insurance. Between Ymir and myself, we safeguarded that precious power which could resist the seal. And after devouring the orb, Ymir transferred the skill 『Awakening』 to me in its entirety.”
So the light I had seen being passed between them in the Orb chamber was really the glow of a skill.
Freyr slipped a necklace from within his cloak. Once dulled by soot, the divine relic now blazed with a brilliance sharp enough to dazzle the eye.
“The divine treasure of Freyja—the necklace Brísingamen—lost nearly all of its power while I remained in the guise of Nils. Had the relic protected me from the seal, the other gods would surely have sensed it.”
Freyr murmured, “Such a pity.”
He readjusted the grip on his sword.
A gust of wind slipped through the window, whistling softly as it sent a chill crawling down the back of my neck. Until now, I had layered the image of my father over Nils—over the person standing before me. But at last, that image sharpened into something unmistakably real.
I had admired him. I had wanted to become an adventurer like him. And now, that very dream stood in my way.
The swordsmanship of the god Freyr… and the skill of my father, Rutger—the heroic adventurer.
How was I supposed to win against something like this?
Each second stretched, every moment drawn out until it felt suspended in time. It was a prison of thought.
Suddenly, a shout rose up.
Gaps yawned between the walls of the topmost floor, and through them I could see the city below. Outside, a storm raged. Furious winds howled beneath a sky split by thunder and rain. Sigris scattered flashes of blue light as she fought. Loki hurled spell after spell, while the lightning flaring deeper within the city must have been Thor and Uru.
The adventurers were also desperately trying to fend off the monsters, being pelted by the heavy rain.
Everyone was fighting.
And I—I was the key to it all.
Freyja-sama, slumbering within the tower, possessed a vast and immeasurable well of magic. With Alarm, I could release that power—turn her into an ally.
I tightened my grip on my short sword. Planting my feet shoulder-width apart, I lifted my gaze and met Freyr’s eyes head-on.
“…It seems you’ve found your answer to my question.”
Everyone was fighting, believing in me. It had been my own decision that led us here—the choice to protect my little sister. That resolve had drawn countless others into this battle as well.
So I shouldn’t be afraid.
I shouted.
“Freyr!”
If my opponent is a hero… then I would simply have to become one too.
“I will—defeat you.”
Freyr smiled.
Then he stepped in.
A slash flashed toward me like a bolt of light, and I threw myself sideways to avoid it. Even with the Golden Flame at my command, it was a razor-thin escape.
“Wake up!”
From the crystal set in my short sword, the wind spirit Sylph burst forth. Freyr deflected the blade of wind with his sword and kept his distance. At the edge of my vision, a golden radiance flickered.
“Rion!”
Solana loosed a beam of magic-laden light. Freyr darted in a zigzag, evading the strike as he ran.
He closed the gap between us.
“Ugh!”
The short sword I raised on instinct caught the blow. The scent of death brushed past me, and a shudder ran down my spine.
“Is that the end?”
Freyr stood behind me.
A kick followed. Even through my cloak, armor, and every layer of gear, the impact rattled my spine with searing pain. I was sent hurtling toward the ground.
Solana to caught me before I hit. The goddess threw up a barrier of magic to block the follow-up strike.
“Heavy Thrust.”
—But the second stab landed precisely in the same spot in a heartbeat. The barrier shattered like glass.
Solana cried out.
“Get away from me!”
She shoved me back.
However, Freyr pivoted in an instant and surged toward me again. There was no mercy in his assault—no pause for even a breath. It was an overwhelming offensive.
No. I couldn’t afford to lose.
“Hah.”
If I had any chance of winning, it lay in maneuverability.
With his long limbs, Freyr was just a fraction slower than I was when it came to resetting his stance after an attack. It was a tiny opening—but the only one I had.
Terrified as I was, I forced myself to watch the thrust carefully and slip past it at the last possible instant. Marking each step with precision, I circled to Freyr’s right.
I reversed my grip on the short sword.
“Still too slow.”
My passing slash was caught with effortless ease. Steel rang against steel.
He reacted to that?!
Even Solana’s attacks were brushed aside without difficulty. And when we tried to widen the distance, he simply sent blades of magic flying after us, leaving no gap to exploit.
I clenched my back teeth, fighting down the tremor threatening to overtake me.
“…My father’s… power?”
At last, a sliver of distance opened between us. I ran—no, fled—trying to steady my breathing as I went. But my chest felt crushed, too heavy to draw in air.
“You’re a god, and on top of that you’re unleashing your full latent strength—what kind of situation is this?!”
Blades of magic came hurtling toward me.
If I slowed even a little to dodge, Freyr would chase me down without effort. A broken laugh slipped out—half sob, half hysteria.
Then the deluge began again. His relentless assault poured over me like a waterfall. The keen edge of his sword moved almost gracefully, as if dancing through the air—yet each stroke shaved away at my lifespan with merciless certainty.
And it wasn’t only the blade I had to fear. The original form of the Swordsman skill held an endless array of variations: sweeping leg strikes, blows from the hilt, grappling techniques—options branching out without limit.
Keep your distance!
My instincts screamed so—but the instant I reacted, he read me, and a thrust came towards me.
Dodge it!
A split-second reflex, a deadly sweep of the leg in real combat.
Relying on cartwheels to evade, my body was covered in scratches. Solana’s attacks didn’t even faze him. It felt as if his eyes were everywhere—not just behind me, but throughout the very space around me.
—Can I really win?
My resolve began to melt.
At the edge of my vision, I glimpsed Freyja-sama, sealed in ice. My movements had slipped almost entirely into instinct; fear and panic tangled together in my mind, yet my body stubbornly avoided fatal strikes.
Perhaps… the training with Nils back then had prepared me for this, leading me to these rolling evasions.
When I finally rose, Freyr was standing directly in front of me.
“Ah!”
A push against my wrist—Lu’s gauntlet deflected the slicing edge aimed at me. For a moment, Lu’s form overlapped with Freyja-sama’s image.
Before I knew it, I was purely on the defensive.
This is not enough. I am not fighting just to survive—I am fighting to win.
“Solana!”
I signaled to the goddess, and a flash of light streaked across the battlefield.
Freyr dodged—but I tilted my short sword, letting the dazzling golden glow wash over the blade. The reflected light must have stolen his vision, if only for an instant.
I pointed toward the pillar. Solana understood immediately.
“Got it!”
The golden light struck the pillar. With a roar of dust and debris, the stone column toppled toward Freyr.
I had held him at bay with the flames of the fire spirit Salamander, but of course he would have dodged. The unstable footing worked against me as well.
Still, I melted into the swirling dust. This bought me more time to stay hidden from Freyr.
“Solana, aim for the gold coin!”
I steeled myself and took the gamble.
I would—trick Freyr.
Using the very lessons this person had taught me: the art of maneuvering and deception.
Skill 『Divine Protection of the God of Medicine』 has been activated. Achievement unlocked. A new ability has been granted.
Skill 『Divine Protection of the God of Hunting 』 has been activated. Achievement unlocked. A new ability has been granted.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
After spending hours at the stall grilling endless slabs of orc meat, I trudged along the road back to the estate, my body heavy with fatigue. Sylvia-san walked beside me. She kindly helped at the stall and she looked just as drained as I felt.
Sue, too, had treated an astonishing number of injured people, and the effort had clearly taken its toll on her.
“Yaaay— we won! We won!”
““Victory!””
Meanwhile, Shiro and the others—Ao included—were still dancing in celebration, unable to contain the joy of their championship.
But there was something I needed to confirm with Ao.
“Ao, what are you going to do with the prize money?”
Yes, Ao had won the martial arts tournament and earned a hefty reward. The prize had even been increased to commemorate the birth of a baby.
Apparently, Ao had already decided how to use it because she immediately turned to Shiro.
“Ao said, she’ll keep just a little for herself, and donate the rest to orphanages and the like.”
“If she gave it all away, it would feel rude to the tournament’s organizers.”
“She want it to be used in ways that will make the children happy.”
Shiro explained for Ao.
I nodded to myself. It was a decision so very like Ao.
Sue and Sylvia-san both applauded her decision, clearly moved by her thoughtfulness.
With that settled, we decided that as soon as we returned to the estate, we would consult the margrave about how best to use the prize money.
“In that case, we will gratefully put it to good use.”
“To think a slime could be so considerate… truly remarkable.”
The Margrave and his wife readily accepted Ao’s proposal.
According to Ao, she wanted the money used to help the poor, so the finer details, such as where the donations would go, would be selected by the Margrave’s retainers.
“Also, things were rather chaotic with that sudden preliminary round, but it seems everyone’s clothes are finally ready.”
“““Yay!”””
“Let’s go pick them up tomorrow. Since it’s a special occasion, why don’t we attend the celebration banquet wearing those outfits?”
Oh, right—we had ordered new clothes. The timing couldn’t have been better, and it would also serve as a perfect opportunity to demonstrate our manners.
Just then, the Margrave’s wife turned her gaze toward Sylvia.
“Since this is a perfect opportunity, we should prepare an outfit for you as well, Sylvia. You helped guide people to safety during today’s chaos, so you’ve more than earned the right to attend the victory banquet.”
“Oh, indeed. And for that matter, anyone who distinguished themselves during today’s orc incident will be invited to the celebration too.”
“U-um… well…”
“Ao says she’ll treat you to a dress.”
“She told us to pick something cute.”
“I’m sure it’ll look wonderful on you.”
“Ah—yes. Understood.”
They neatly closed in around Sylvia-san, leaving her no graceful path of escape. With everyone pressing her like that, even Sylvia had no choice but to nod in acceptance.
“And there’s one more thing—about that magician. We’ve decided to re-investigate all locations connected to the dark guild. I’m sorry, but I’d like you to remain at the estate until the victory banquet is over.”
“Yes, understood.”
They planned to conduct a thorough search once again, including the inn where Sylvia-san had been staying. There was no helping it, and Sylvia-san accepted the decision without hesitation.
Hmm… with the organization making such a conspicuous move this time, things might stay unsettled for a while. Since we’re deeply involved ourselves, it looks like we’ll be staying in the Northern Margrave’s territory until everything calms down.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
“Well? What do you think? Feeling ready to get serious yet?”
“…Yes. That’s more than enough.”
Goritia’s tone shifted.
Normally, he restrained himself by forcing his personality into a “feminine” mold, deliberately holding back the full extent of his strength. But now, he had unleashed the “manly” side of himself.
“Hmph… you got me going full force right away.”
“Back in the martial arts tournament, it took quite a bit of damage to get you there. I figured you wouldn’t stand a chance against me if you weren’t serious.”
Less than a minute had passed since the match began. That alone was proof of just how much stronger Anje had become.
“You’re the first person to push me this fast. We’ve got nine minutes and a bit left… so I’m going full power. Make sure you give me a fight worth enjoying!”
The sheer fighting aura Goritia had unleashed made the very air in the training hall tremble, sending shivers through anyone present. Even among the assembled warriors—each capable of challenging the boundless wilds—Goritia’s presence alone was enough to overwhelm them.
“Here I come!”
“Right back at you!”
This time, both fighters closed the distance at the same instant. With explosive acceleration, they met in a heartbeat, fists flying.
Doooooooooooon!!
Fist slammed against fist with a deafening roar, sending shockwaves radiating outward in perfect circles. The walls and ceiling of the training hall vibrated under the immense force.
From there, punches and kicks rained down from both sides, clashing again and again, each impact erupting like thunder and lightning across the arena.
“S-she’s holding her own even against Goritia in that state!?”
“Actually… she might even be faster…”
“And she’s not losing in power either. No… if anything, she might even be on equal footing or maybe stronger…”
The adventurers watching the fight held their breath as they witnessed the battle. Gradually, it was Goritia who began to be pushed back.
It wasn’t that he was losing in sheer strength. Rather, Anje’s slight edge in speed meant their blows were connecting at moments when Goritia couldn’t fully channel his power—a subtly disadvantageous timing that left him reeling.
“Hah… not bad at all!”
Goritia leapt far back, creating distance. As he landed, he focused his fighting aura into his fists and shouted,
“Qi Blast!!”
It was a powerful technique that unleashed condensed fighting aura to inflict massive damage on an opponent—a move that had once sealed Anje’s defeat in the martial arts tournament.
But now, Anje met it head-on.
“Doraaaaaa!!”
With a roar of sheer determination, she struck the incoming Qi Blast with her fist, sending it flying backward.
“…What!?”
Goritia let out an incredulous, almost comical gasp.
“W–what the hell… my Qi Blast… she actually punched it back at me!?”
Ignoring his astonishment, Anje focused her fighting aura into her fists once more.
“I’ll return that move… exactly as it came! Haaaah—Qi Blast!!”
“—!?”
The aura-charged projectile now hurtled straight toward Goritia.
“Ugh… Nuuuoooaaah!?”
He raised both arms in a reflexive guard, but he couldn’t fully absorb the force. The blast sent him flying, crashing violently into the wall behind him before he finally came to a halt.
But before he could recover, Anje pressed the attack without a moment’s hesitation.
Pushed to the edge of the wall, Goritia was bombarded with a merciless flurry of strikes. Even someone of his caliber couldn’t parry them all. Her blows landed repeatedly against the armor of muscle that covered his body, each hit clean and punishing.
“Ggh… ugh… each strike… it’s… so heavy…!”
The grimace twisting his face left no doubt—every blow was hitting hard.
Mm… she’s completely surpassed him.
Watching the battle from the stands, I felt a surge of certainty.
“Anje has already grown stronger than Goritia. Back in that martial arts tournament, she was completely overwhelmed by an S-Rank adventurer’s strength…”
“So… does that mean she’s going to win just like that?”
“No… that’s a different story.”
“Huh? What do you mean by that…?”
Tilting her head in confusion, Karen looked at me. I voiced my prediction.
“Sure, by stats alone, she clearly surpasses Goritia. But… a fight isn’t decided by numbers alone.”
At that moment, Goritia’s laughter rang out, sudden and booming.
“Hah… Hahaha—HAHAHAHAHA!! Yes! This is perfect! I never imagined that in such a short time, someone could not only catch up to my strength… but surpass it! But… when it comes to the actual fight, that’s another matter entirely!!”
“—!?”
Suddenly, Goritia intensified his pressure, and with a single, overwhelming push, he forced Anje backward.
Despite having been completely dominant up until now, the tables had turned—Anje was suddenly on the defensive, and a flash of unease crossed her face.
“The difference is experience. Anje-oneechan has grown rapidly, and naturally, she’s gained a lot of skill in the process. But… she’s still only seventeen. Against Goritia, who’s probably well over thirty, she simply can’t bridge the gap in experience.”
“The gap in experience?”
“Yeah. More specifically… it’s the ability to read an opponent’s habits.”
Anje’s fist shot forward.
But as if anticipating it beforehand, Goritia shifted into a favorable stance in an instant and deflected her blow with his own fist. Within this brief exchange of blows, Goritia had already discerned the patterns in Anje’s movements and adapted accordingly.
Gradually, Anje’s attacks began to miss their mark, and she found herself taking several of Goritia’s devastating counters head-on.
“Ugh…”
“Even if your stats surpass mine, I can exploit every opening and every move of yours with the enormous well of experience I’ve accumulated over the years! That’s how a battle is won!”
Truly, this was the mark of a seasoned S-Rank adventurer, a fighter whose skill was honed far beyond mere strength.
But Anje was not the type to be discouraged so easily. True to her Amazoness spirit, she let her fighting spirit blaze even brighter.
“Hah! Impressive! Honestly, if I had won so easily, it would have been a bit of a letdown! Now this is getting interesting!”
The clash between the two fighters intensified even further, each strike and counter growing more fierce than the last.
Only five minutes remained on the clock.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
We hurried through the cleanup as the awards ceremony is to be held on the very same stage. There were still wounded participants who needed treatment so the ceremony is set to begin in an hour.
At last, with all preparations complete, the officials made their way onto the stage. I moved toward the audience as well, eager to watch the proceedings.
“Now then, we will begin the awards ceremony for the Martial Arts Tournament! First, our two runners-up—Martial Artist Zangief and Swordswoman Lulusia. Please step forward before the Margrave.”
“““Woooooh!”””
Despite this being only the presentation for second place, thunderous cheers erupted from the crowd.
Zangief-san, was not the burly, musclebound fighter one might imagine, but rather a small, slender practitioner of jujutsu—a master of technique over brute force.
As for Lulusia-san, she served as a defensive soldier within the Margrave’s domain, and her performance had upheld the honor of the garrison. Though known as a swordswoman, she was said to excel equally in hand-to-hand combat and magic—a warrior of rare versatility.
“Now then, will Champion Ao and their seconds please step forward before the Margrave.”
“““Yes!”””
“““Waaaah!”””
Technically, Ao was still classified as Shiro and the others’ familiar but by now, everyone clearly saw the little slime as a full-fledged martial artist.
Smiling brightly, Shiro and the others waved energetically to the cheering crowd, with Ao wobbling happily beside them.
“To be honest, I had my doubts when I heard a slime would be competing. But once the matches began, your strength was beyond dispute. Congratulations!”
“““Thank you very much!”””
“You were amazing!”
“So strong!”
“And adorable, too!”
As Shiro stepped forward to receive the prize list on their behalf, another great roar of applause swept through the arena. Ao joined in the celebration as well, waving her tentacles enthusiastically at the audience.
“Furthermore, the top finishers in today’s event are hereby invited to a banquet hosted by the Margrave’s household one week from now.”
Oh?
That was the first I’d heard of it.
Perhaps it had been mentioned during registration.
Ao certainly seemed unfazed.
But then came an announcement of something I was even less prepared for.
“In addition, the meat from the orcs subjugated today will be served at food stalls operated by the Margrave’s house. It will be provided free of charge, so please line up in an orderly fashion.”
“““Wooooah! How generous!”””
Hey! I’ve never heard of that!
And since it’s free, it’s bound to draw a staggering number of customers.
“Please rest assured. The soldiers will be joining in to help.”
“Shun-sama need only focus on grilling the orc meat.”
Right…
Apparently, the head attendant had already been informed of this arrangement. When I looked toward the stalls, I could see soldiers inside, expertly butchering the meat.
Hm? Butchering…?
“Huh? Then who exactly is going to grill the meat besides me?”
…They all quietly averted their eyes.
—Hey!
The head attendant just looked away.
Does that mean… I’m grilling all this meat by myself?
And after the closing ceremony, that was exactly what happened. I ended up standing there alone, endlessly grilling meat.
Meanwhile, Ao was apparently speaking with the Margrave alongside the other award recipients, and stayed with Shiro and the others the entire time.
…Yeah. Honestly, this might have been the most exhausted I’ve felt out of everything so far.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
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