Chapter 208

“Uh, uhhh!?”

The battle began with Yuri’s foolish shout from a distance.

Aila was the first to charge in.

As a holy knight tasked with protecting Daria and exterminating evil, she swiftly drew her sword, not giving Liche, the wizard, any time to chant her magic.

But before Aila’s sword could reach Liche, a shadow stepped in to block her path.

“What on earth are you doing all of a sudden!”

Clang!

It was Arisa, one of Liche’s companions.

She glared fiercely at Aila, her previously clumsy demeanor now completely gone.

“…So you finally show your true colors!”

Seeing Arisa like this, Aila grinned with a warlike smile and charged at her. In an instant, the two exchanged several blows.

“Miss Arisa! I’ll help you!”

Liche began chanting a spell to assist in the fight against Aila.

Soon, a spear of fire, as thick as a person’s arm, materialized. She aimed it at Aila with sharp eyes.

“Pierce through!”

The fiery arrow shot toward Aila at a terrifying speed.

But the arrow, like cotton candy dipped in water, quickly diminished and vanished into sparks before it could even touch Aila.

“…What!?”

Liche was shocked as her magic dissipated on its own, and a playful voice echoed in her ears.

“Hmph. Predictably classic Ancient Empire style.”

“…You!?”

It was Daria, the special operations saint of the Holy Kingdom.

Why do holy knights and special operations saints team up in pairs to carry out missions like exterminating vampires or mages obsessed with ancient relics?

For holy knights, who are specialized in combat, such missions are not unusual.

No, in fact, it’s quite natural.

But for special operations saints, who don’t possess the same physical combat prowess as holy knights, to participate in such dangerous missions might seem puzzling at first glance.

But there’s a reason for everything.

It wasn’t some irrational religious rule or commandment.

Special operations saints are trained in everything from the ecology of monsters to the magic of the Ancient Empire.

They learn the weaknesses of vampire clans, how to counter ancient relics used by criminals, and methods to purify areas contaminated by magic or drugs. They are experts in the knowledge required for their missions.

For her, countering the magic of a wizard using Ancient Empire-style spells was child’s play.

“Magic is like a small architectural structure built by stacking mana. Sometimes, all it takes is a tiny wedge to bring the whole tower crashing down.”

“Ugh…! Just with this…!”

Liche, whose magic was neutralized by Daria’s counter-spell, began chanting another spell, as if this wasn’t the end.

This time, it was a different kind of magic—a bolt of lightning shooting from the ground to the sky.

Even if the chant was slower, it was a meticulously crafted ice spike that couldn’t be countered by a mere wedge.

If one wasn’t enough, she chanted multiple spells at once, summoning several blades of wind.

But…

The lightning turned into static.

The ice spike, which seemed unbreakable, melted into snowflakes the moment it was completed.

The blades of wind became nothing more than a gentle breeze, scattering harmlessly.

All the magic Liche had used returned to nature without achieving anything.

“This… this can’t be…!”

Liche could only mutter in disbelief at something she had never experienced before.

The cycle of chanting and countering spells continued.

It seemed like nothing more than a distraction, preventing her from intervening in Aila and Arisa’s fight.

But there was a significant difference between Liche and Daria.

Liche had to stay still, focusing her mind to chant spells, while Daria, relaxed, would send a tiny wedge of mana to dismantle Liche’s magic just as it was about to be completed.

Liche couldn’t move from her spot, but Daria had all the time in the world to slowly approach her.

Clank.

Daria pulled out a crude mace from her robe.

“Wraith of the Ancient Empire with an evil soul. After subduing you, I’ll listen to what wicked plans you were scheming.”

Wizards, who are physically frail and rely on magic for daily life, and Aila, who, though not as strong, had trained enough to protect herself.

The outcome of a physical confrontation between the two, unable to use magic, was all too predictable.

“No!”

Arisa, realizing this, tried to break away from her fight with Aila and rush to Liche.

But Aila wasn’t about to let her go.

Clang!

“Ugh…! Let go!”

“I can’t let you go.”

Aila smiled calmly.

Seeing this, Arisa realized that this had been their plan all along.

She thought she was holding Aila back, but in reality, she was the one being held back.

Aila was just the bait to keep Arisa occupied.

The real checkmate was Daria.

“Stay back!”

Screaming in panic, Liche began chanting spells repeatedly.

Despite her exceptional magical skills, her lack of real combat experience soon led her to panic, casting spells wildly.

But even the spells she chanted in a relatively calm state were easily countered. There was no way her panicked spells would work.

With a few flicks of her fingers, Daria dismantled all of Liche’s spells and soon stood before her.

Thud.

“Ah, ahhh…!”

Liche stumbled back, tripping over a rock and falling on her backside.

“Miss Clarice! Run!”

“No. You can’t run.”

Daria raised her mace toward the fallen Liche and…

Wham!

Liche was struck on the side and sent sprawling.

Daria, hit by the unexpected blow, rolled on the ground a couple of times.

“Cough…! What the…!”

She quickly looked up to see who had suddenly intervened.

And the one who had intervened was…

“Hawawa! I, I really did it!”

Yuri, who had thrown the punch, looked just as surprised as everyone else.

—

Yuri Blossom is an aspiring adventurer.

Though she hadn’t been serious about becoming an adventurer for long.

Before that, she had no experience in physical activities, let alone the skills required for an adventurer.

The only saving grace was that she was the daughter of a count and had been raised with love, enjoying nutritious food since childhood.

In the modern world of Kurt’s past life, such a diet would have only made her slightly healthier.

But in this world, where monsters exist and potions have visible effects, nutritious food had benefits beyond mere nutrition.

Though she didn’t know how to use her body, she had a slightly stronger physique than the average person. But as she began training to become an adventurer, her stamina and strength rapidly increased.

Encouraged by her quick progress, Yuri decided to move on to the next step: sword training.

Knights, adventurers, and heroes in novels all wielded swords.

So she bought a decent iron sword from the market and returned to her dorm.

But she never actually got to train with it.

Not because her resolve was short-lived.

The day she brought the sword to the dorm, her fellow students screamed in shock, and the dorm supervisor confiscated it, scolding her for four hours and promising to return it only after graduation.

So, despite buying the sword, she never got to swing it properly. In the end, she had no choice but to give up on sword training and compromise by training in martial arts.

It was a compromise to train within the dorm’s rules, but…

No one could have predicted the twist.

She had a natural talent for martial arts.

—

Unlike before, when she had naively declared she would become an adventurer without knowing what it entailed, Yuri now trained herself seriously.

So, when Aila and Daria attacked Arisa and Liche, Yuri steadied her trembling heart and stepped forward.

This was different from before, when she would panic and freeze at the sight of a monster. Now, she was determined to protect the two people who had become precious to her.

Her first act of courage.

‘I, I have to stop that person. But… how?’

In that moment, she remembered a line from a novel she often read, where the protagonist threw a punch.

‘Ah.’

Heavy fists, light feet.

Lower your knees.

Focus power in your legs.

Clench your fists.

Widen your eyes.

Grit your teeth.

Take one big step forward.

Wham!

Daria, struck by the unexpected blow, clutched her side and asked Yuri in pain.

“Cough…! You…! Why…!”

“And you! Why are you attacking these two! They’re such kind people!”

“You… are the ones being deceived!”

“No! It’s you who are trying to deceive me!”

“…If that’s how you want to play, I can’t pretend not to know anymore.”

“Hmph! You should be careful! It’s 3 against 2 now!”

With that, Yuri rolled up her sleeves and took a boxing stance.

The chaotic battle entered a new phase.