Volume 6 Chapter 10 I'm Fishing For Trouble, But...
As if that words had triggered it, the vague discomfort I felt on my skin turned into a clear hostility. The piercing hostility felt like it was cutting through my skin.
Mikage and I each took up our weapons and prepared to fight back. Aina, too, gathered her magic and raised her staff, ready to act at any moment.
--Suddenly, a lone swordsman appeared in front of us without making a sound.
I don't know if we were off guard. What I do know is that the swordsman slipped through a momentary lapse in our attention, perhaps as brief as a blink, and appeared right between us.
The figure was deeply cloaked, making it hard to identify, but the slender scabbard at their waist revealed them to be a swordsman.
There was no time to wonder where they had come from. As we froze and stared in shock, the swordsman slowly placed a hand on the hilt of their sword, as if time had slowed down just for them.
"--Sorry!"
Mikage was the first to snap out of it. She quickly pushed Aina out of the way and threw herself between her and the swordsman. In the next moment, the sharp clash of metal rang out, and Mikage was sent flying.
As Mikage tried to regain her stance, the swordsman moved in to finish her off.
"You bastard!!"
I gripped my black spear tightly and aimed to strike the swordsman in the back, but just before I could step forward, I heard the sound of metal scraping from somewhere. Instinctively, I swung my arm, but something coiled around my black spear like a snake. It was a thin chain with a weight at the end.
'More are coming!'
"No way!"
Before I could trace the source of the chain, Gram's warning rang out again. Another chain with a weight flew out from somewhere and wrapped around my arm.
"Yukina-sama!?"
Mikage tries to run towards me as I'm being hindered by chains. However, the mysterious swordsman who appeared earlier interrupts.
"Don't get in the way!"
Mikage gets angry and swings her sword, but the swordsman effortlessly dodges with a swift movement.
"--What... is this guy!?"
Perhaps sensing that the swordsman is no ordinary person, Mikage's turbulent emotions slightly calm down. Grinding her teeth, she continues to exchange sword strikes, but the swordsman evades or parries every one of them.
It must be quite surprising. Mikage struggling so much against the same opponent.
I'm supposed to be a promising newcomer in the guild, but to be honest, in pure one-on-one combat, I'm not just a step but two or three steps behind Mikage. I've improved somewhat compared to before, but in training mock battles, I'm overwhelmingly losing.
Now, even though she shines as the Silver Flash under her nickname, she can't reach the mysterious swordsman. That just shows how incredible his skills are.
'Hey, don't get too distracted by Mikage!'
Startled, I look around and search for Aina, who was pushed by Mikage. Just like the swordsman, someone wearing a cloak to hide their identity is approaching the fallen Aina. Even if she tries to counter with magic, the distance is already too close. If they close the gap while she's chanting, there's nothing she can do.
'Partner, there are only a "few people" behind the chain!"
Understanding Gram's intention, I put strength into my arm entangled by the chain.
For a brief moment, I managed to find my balance. As soon as I sensed the slackening, I quickly gathered the entwined chains and pulled them in one swift motion. Looking at the end of the chains, I confirmed that three figures were being dragged by each chain. It was clear that my strength, honed through Enchantment - Weight Increase, was far too overwhelming for them to counter.
"If you want to challenge me in a strength contest, bring at least ten times more!! Uwaaaah!!"
Swinging the chains (actually two) in a manner similar to fishing, I swiftly lifted them up and slammed them towards the unidentified person that was approaching Aina. They probably didn't expect a person to come flying at them. Before they could evade, they were caught up and sent flying.
'Seems like you've been doing similar things a lot lately!'
Recalling the events at the previous trip in Gram's words, I quickly untangled the loosened chains and rushed towards Aina. Fortunately, it seemed I reached her before anyone could intervene. The others who were present cautiously distanced themselves upon seeing me free.
"Thank you, Yukina-san."
Aina woke up and I held the black spear. There were several shadows in the distance looking in our direction. They managed to sneak past Gram's detection, how long had they been hiding? Right now, they are wary of me and did not close the distance.
Taking advantage of that, I directed my words only to Aina.
"Can you provide support to Mikage?"
"...Dealing with humans moving that fast, it's difficult. There's a risk of involving Mikage-san if we're not careful."
While keeping an eye on the duel between Mikage and the swordsman, Aina's response was not promising.
It's disappointing, but it was an expected answer. If the opponent were monsters, it might be different, but in a situation where even tracking movements from a close distance is challenging, targeting only the enemy is unrealistic. Even if I tried to intervene, I have no confidence in keeping up with the constant changes.
'But this is bad. Mikage isn't in top form right now. At this rate, she'll be pushed back little by little.'
I could see that Mikage wasn't as sharp in her movements as usual. She seemed to be swinging her sword somewhat roughly, lacking her usual sharpness. In contrast, the swordsman gave off an impression of calmness to the extreme.
I wondered if there was a way to only reach the swordsman with attacks.
As I pondered this, a memory of having a similar thought crossed my mind.
'Oh, partner, you've come up with something interesting.'
The situation was clearly not good, but Gram's somewhat cheerful voice was reassuring at the moment.
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