Dardos Empire.
It is located in the southern part of Leytesha and greatly faces the sea.
Because of its environment, it is the country with the most developed fishery industry and shipbuilding industry among countries in Leytesha.
We left the Federations and came to the Empire.
We stayed overnight, after shopping this and that in the port town.
Currently, we are walking along the highway connecting the port town to our next destination.
As I say a highway, the highway is better than the forest of Urugus which we used when going to the Federations.
There are few clouds and the sunshine pours gently.
Monsters do not appear too much and it can be said that it is comfortable except for the fact that the hair gets slightly sticky due to the sea breeze.
「The Empire, huh……NomNom. If I am not mistaken, this country excelled in magic, right?」(Elfi)
「To say that it excels, but the magical research is surely thriving」(Iori)
In most cases,the empire is responsible for many of the new magics.
Roughly speaking, the empire invents new magic while the kingdom and the Holy country improve and simplify it.
It was certain that the Empire is the one who spread the existence of “Mind magic” to the world.
「The Empire is a government based on meritocracy system and because of that they always welcome and gather the excellent magicians from other countries. Even that b.a.s.t.a.r.d Luser boasted that he was called out by the Empire」(Iori)
「Gulp……That “Great Magician”, wasn’t it? He’s certainly a capable magician but I could not see him more than a coward-zo?」(Elfi)
「That’s practically right. However, when it comes to magic skill, he is the real deal」(Iori)
Regardless of his nature, his ability that made him known as ” The Strongest Magician ” is genuine. Because that ability of his is beyond the magicians that the Empire is lining up.
He seems weakened now, but he was definitely one of the most powerful humans thirty years ago.
Because he was one of those rear type magicians, he was the kind of guy who can’t demonstrate his skills without the vanguard.
「*HAMU* Chew…… What kind of magician was he?」(Elfi)
「Should I say one of those “Area of Effect” type? He was capable of using magic with the magical power strength at the level of that Ortegia」(Iori)
「*HamuHamu* Munch Munch……How!」(Elfi)
That is why he held the confidence that he can defeat Ortegia even without me.
「Well, I do not care about that b.a.s.t.a.r.d」(Iori)
「*Munch Munch*……*Swallowed*?」(Elfi)
「……You, how long are you going to eat?」(Iori)
Elfi who walks while doing dance steps in good humour with both her hands holding food.
After the hot spring steamed buns which she bought up in the Federations have been completely eaten, now the fish skewers are being held by her.
This fellow always did nothing more than eating something after getting out of the labyrinth, huh.
「You’re wrong Iori. Don’t make light of the deliciousness of the seafood which has just been caught, you should try to eat some too」(Elfi)
「Hmm……No thanks, though it is surely delicious」(Iori)
This fellow, she spent the reward from the labyrinth subjugation only on food, didn’t she………?
She did nothing else than eating all the time while I’m purchasing adventure tools in the Federation and Empire.
「Did you forg
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et? Its easy for me to get hungry with my current condition. My magical power is being consumed continuously in order to maintain my alter ego body. But by cancelling it, I could control my appet.i.te to some extent-zo」(Elfi)
Then Elfi *KyoroKyoro* restlessly looked around before she canceled her alter ego body abruptly.
A floating head and a pair of arms which float on both sides.
Isn’t she looking like an apparition?
She looks like some sort of the last boss in a shooting game.
「Well?」(Elfi)
「Don’t “Well?” me, just turn back quickly」(Iori)
We advanced through the highway while having such exchanges.
As we keep walking, the sun is about to fall.
In the same way as the time in the Urugus Forest, both of us hasten with our preparations for camping outside.
Elfi was getting better at it as she had done it once before.
However, it seems to be more comfortable than before because I have purchased some tools and equipment for camping-out.
I made a soup with seafood using the pot that I bought in the Federation.
I did not have any problems with the ingredients of the dish because I have sufficient ingredients stored inside Elfi’s head.
Though Elfi already ate a lot of fishery products skewer, she is pouring the soup filling her plate and gulping it down.
This fellow always showed that loose face every time she was eating.
「This SOUP! Iori! Call the chef over!」(Elfi)
「Haven’t I told you already, that it was me?」(Iori)
Apparently, it seems she liked it.
「Fuu~……」(Elfi)
After finishing the meal, she let out a satisfactory breath.
Only the sounds of insects chirping and trees *ZawaZawa* rustling could be heard.
「Hey, Iori. What were you doing until you came to this world?」(Elfi)
Elfi who was staring at the bonfire fixedly, suddenly asked about such a thing.
「What I want to say is, you’re unbalanced. If there’s some mature part, there’s some childish part, too. With that much skill and strength, I can say with confidence that it was something that usually comes with a lot of circ.u.mstances before you could reach this level」(Elfi)
「…………」(Iori)
Even though I’m aware of it myself.
I’m poor at judging, completely trusting my comrades and drowning in an optimistic ideal.
It is not my physical body but my mind is badly immature.
「……I was a student」(Iori)
「Student?」(Elfi)
「School……I went to the academy」(Iori)
Before I came here, I was 16 years old and I was a high school student.
I spend my daily lives just by following the flows somehow.
Except for the fact that my parents have died in the accident……I should have been an ordinary student with weak motivation.
「Have you not fought?」(Elfi)
「Not at all, but at least my country was peaceful. There’s no such thing as Mazoku nor magic and I did not care about conflict」(Iori)
I have never experienced being betrayed severely by someone either.
When I said all of those to the human in this world, they probably just see me as a “Flower Pot Head*” guy. TN *someone with not many brains, or someone who’s head is full of nothing.
「The country where Iori lived is surely a nice place」(Elfi)
「……Yeah」(Iori)
「Do you not intend to return to your original world?」(Elfi)
「If everything ends, I think I’ll look for it. However……」(Iori)
「……”However”?」(Elfi)
「I do not know how time works out here and at that place」(Iori)
Three decades have pa.s.sed since I was summoned to a different world, although it is actually different.
If so much time already pa.s.sed there, I will not have somewhere I can call home anymore.
My appearance hasn’t changed that much.
「…………」
Silence.
The bonfire makes crackle sounds.
Has the mood turned a bit heavy?
「Fuu~」(Elfi)
「……Elfi?」(Iori)
As she breathed out, Elfi got up to her feet.
「That reminds me, your strength has returned to some extent after you absorbed the labyrinth nucleus, right. Let me confirm to what extent it has become, shall we?」(Elfi)
「……That was so sudden」(Iori)
「It would be good for working off the meal, wouldn’t it?」(Elfi)
Breaking the atmosphere which became heavy, Elfi turns her arm around.
Well, that’s a good opportunity because I haven’t tried my power properly since my magical power returned.
「Got it」(Iori)
We move to the place away from the bonfire.
It is not so dark at night thanks to moonlight.
We took some distance with each other as we faced each other.
「Fu……it fine to go with the intent to kill」(Elfi)
Elfi had a fearless smile while releasing her magical power.
By regaining both arms her magical powers has increased.
Literally, it seems that she have confidence in her arms.
My physical ability is raised from the effect gained by Jade Longsword and along with that I raise my physical ability with “Body Strengthening” and “Acceleration”. As the amount of my magical power increased, it became possible for me to use some degree of magic without relying on the magic stone.
Nonetheless, by using the degraded versions of “Magic Usurpation” or “Magic Break Suppression” I’ll lose most of my magical power using either of them and I have insufficient magical power to use “Magic Hit Reflection”.
Though, it still doesn’t change the fact that I still lose in the term of power after all.
Despite losing her power, the other party is the former Maou itself.
I enhanced the efficacy of my magic to the limit at the level it won’t burden my body while holding the Jade Longsword.
「It’s a handicap, because I won’t be using my arms」(Elfi)
Elfi let out a smile while raising both her arms that seem like she flaunting me.
She was crossing her arms, but in exchange of that, she is *BuraBura* aimlessly swinging her feet.
I guess she will come at me with her kicking technique.
I took a fighting stance while concealing my sword with my hands attached to the handle.
I drop my waist as I stop my movement.
「…………」
Elfi had a dubious expression on her face looking at me who doesn’t move.
After that, she muttering「Fumu」,
「Well then, I come at you-zo」(Elfi)
With her arms folded, she kicked the ground vigorously.
That make her feet sink as the trees and plants shake by that power alone.
Elfi thrusts at me with the speed of a bullet. According to her words, she won’t be using her arms and she seems to attack me with her footwork and she won’t use either her arms or magic probably because right now she is going to wait and see before making her other moves.
Thus, she makes a leap that cut down our distance in an instant. Meanwhile, I made my move right before Elfi reaches me.
「――――!!」(Elfi)
Iai*. TN * Is a combative quick-draw sword technique.
Counter swordsmanship also called as waiting sword in this world. It is a technique to slash the opponent who has made the first move at the moment they entered the suitable interval.
Dropping the power while placing the weight only on speed.
It is one of the fastest attacks that is as close as possible to the speed of my heydey.
However, with such a blow, Elfi simply coul――――
「Ah!?」(Iori)
「Eh?」(Elfi)
She received it directly without being able to dodge it as the blade pa.s.ses easily through the neck of Elfi.
As it was, Elfi’s head *PoW* as it flew away somewhere in the forest.
While the body which lost its head is falling down to the ground with a flop.
「……………eh?」(Iori)
Elfi which lost her head is reflected in my view while being illuminated by the moonlight.
The sound fades away as it doesn’t even move an inch.
At that time when I thought of what shall I do.
「……Ah」(Iori)
Elfi’s head has returned.
She gets up unsteadily after her head fits snugly into the body which it separated from.
Moreover,a sweat like a bead appeared on her face.
Elfi breathes roughly while she glares at me.
「DO YOU INTENT TO KILL ME!」(Elfi)
「Aren’t you the one that told me to come at you with the intent to kill!?」(Iori)
She seems to have got considerably fl.u.s.tered.
She put her hands on her chest so as to suppress palpitations before wiping her sweat.
No, doesn’t she have no heart right now?
「I-I thought I was going to die-zo」(Elfi)
「……to that extent, huh?」(Iori)
「When I see those flash just now, considerably amount of your power have come back, was it not?」(Elfi)
「……No, not at all」(Iori)
I could not make that speed unless I sacrificed the power. If it’s a human it will be enough to killed them but it’s won’t do so if its a demonic being or a Mazoku. Even with that speed, it would be my end if its being resisted by something such as the flame dragon and the Earth Demon Lord.
「……I’ve thought about it from before but Iori’s swordsmanship is quite a thing-na」(Elfi)
「Well, more or less」(Iori)
……I was taught by my former companion for a while.
「……I’m going to sleep because I’m somewhat tired」(Elfi)
Then Elfi stopped the fight and went back to the bonfire.
Despite being careless, it seems that she was in shock after losing her head.
If that fellow is serious, that won’t be enough to outdo her demon eyes and in the first place, I think that she would repel it with her magical power……
I decided to sleep after I wiped off my sweat.
It was a mystery why Elfi got quite close to me somehow when I put off the bonfire.
I fell asleep while wondering about that.
The next day.
Along with Elfi, I walk on the highway.
The scenery changed as we advanced and the distance gra.s.sland has come into our view.
「……It’s surely nostalgic」(Iori)
「Have you been here before?」(Elfi)
「Yeah, It was when I came here to subjugate the labyrinth of death swamp thirty years ago」(Iori)
I have some familiarity.
During my travelling days, I helped people that were attacked by the demonic being.
So, to show off their grat.i.tude there’s a feast and dance for relaxation.
Furthermore, there are some peoples that I’ve become close with, too.
What are the people of that village doing now?
It was when I was advancing the road while being flooded with such nostalgic feeling.
「……This is」(Iori)
From the front, I heard the neigh of the horse. Besides that, a succession of small explosion sounds also could be heard, too. I exchange looks with Elfi while we’re slowly heading in the direction of the sound.
「Is it a demonic being……」(Iori)
I saw that a carriage was attacked by the demonic being right ahead. The coachman of the carriage and those riding in it are fighting against the demonic being using their magic.
The demonic being that attacked the carriage is known as the “Mud Bear”.
It a powerful demonic being which use earth magic with its mouth to chase its prey.
There’s six of them that are attacking the carriage at the same time.
「……That’s unusual」(Iori)
As for the mud bear, basically, they only act alone.
If that number gathers, it isn’t strange for them to start preying on one another.
Even so, it strange for the mud bear to lead the others.
They let out some hard breathing without letting out a roar while attacking in coordination. It was unnaturalness as they are being manipulated by something.
「…………」
When I feel something strange about it and narrow my eyes.
A scream broke out from the carriage.
Even if there’s only one of them is already a nuisance but right now there are six of them.
It seems that the magician which riding those carriage seems pretty good as they able to hold out, even so, it won’t last for a long time.
What should I do?
『…………!』
At that time, one of the mud bear which attacking the carriage *Gurun* turned its head toward us.
「It seems to have noticed us」(Elfi)
Two of the six stopped attacking the carriage and began running frantically toward our direction.
As I say a bear, their running speed is quite a thing.
「Tsk, we have no choice but to fight?」(Iori)
「Just right, should I also check on the condition of my “arms” that I’ve just regained?」(Elfi)
With that, the one on one battle against the attacking demons has begun.