Chapter 106 The Blue Thunder Fist (restraint)
Hearing that the Granbell Knights were engaged in battle, I rushed to their aid only to find Thea's father and my father in a duel.
In a panic, I jumped in between them with Thea and managed to stop the fight, but instead, I ended up getting lectured by my father.
"Yumie, what were you thinking, suddenly jumping into a battlefield!? I almost cut you down myself!!"
"I-I'm sorry... but it looked like Thea's father was about to be cut down..."
I never expected things to turn out this way, but I was doing my best.
"Sigh... well, it's fine."
Eventually, my father took a deep breath, then placed his hand gently on my head.
His slow, careful touch, as if to avoid hurting me with his metal gauntlet, was filled with his clumsy kindness... it felt comforting.
"Welcome back, Yumie. It must have been tough during your rehabilitation... you did well all by yourself."
"I'm back, father. It was indeed lonely... but I wasn't alone. Ms. Monica was there... and I made friends too."
Saying that, I turned my gaze to Thea, who had a reunion that was just as, if not more, emotional than ours.
"Thea, you... you're alive... but your arm...!!"
"Yeah... I'm alive. Mom, and everyone else who isn't here, are all safe. I lost my arm, but... I found something much more important than an arm, so I'm okay."
Saying that, Thea glanced at me.
To think she felt that way made me feel shy, or something.
But it also meant that she considered me a precious friend, and that made me happy.
"I see... I'm sorry, Thea... because of my inadequacy...!! I'm really sorry...!!"
"Geez... Dad, have you become a crybaby while I wasn't looking...? It's a bit hard to breathe..."
My father was crying like a man while hugging Thea as tightly as he could.
...Since Thea said it was painful, I guess if that happened to me, I would feel crushed... I wonder if it was a mistake to think such unnecessary things.
Immediately after, my body was crushed by a metallic figure.
"Yumieee!! When did you come back!? I'm glad your body is all better!! But coming back now is way too dangerous, isn't it!? You always do reckless things and make me worry!!"
"E-Elder Brother... it, it hurts..."
Father gently patted me as if he was used to it, but maybe it was because Elder Brother was wearing armor for the first time.
It felt like I had completely forgotten what was happening to my body, and he hugged me tightly.
It was painful and suffocating, and I felt like I might die right there.
"Ah, s-sorry, Yumie!! I was so happy to see you after such a long time that I just couldn't hold back...!! Ah, this armor is so annoying!! Can I take it off!?"
"Of course not, this is still a battlefield."
Finally freed, I watched as the river of death receded, and father said that to tighten his focus.
Looking around, I could see the imperial army commander, who seemed to have been watching the duel between father and Thea's father from a distance, shouting with foam flying from his mouth.
"Hey!! Don't just stop the fight on your own!! Do you understand? You are still our empire's slaves!! If you resist, I'll kill you with the power of your collars!!"
I don't really know what kind of magic tool the slave collar is, but generally, it seems to have functions like "squeeze the neck and kill instantly at the master's command" and "constantly transmit the current location."
In Thea's case, it seems to have an effect that forces absolute obedience to the master's commands, but such things are labor-intensive and costly, and their effectiveness can weaken depending on the opponent's mental resistance, so they are not very favored.
In fact, Thea's father ignored the commander's words and stood up while still holding Thea.
"Dorondo, it seems you don't understand the situation. The reason I... we, the Blue Wolf warriors, have been following you is that our families were taken hostage. Now that their safety has been confirmed, there is no reason for us to fight under you any longer."
"You... it seems you won't understand until you experience some pain!!"
As the commander called Dorondo raised his hand, the collar placed on Thea's father emitted a sinister glow, digging into his neck as if to twist it off.
"Dad...!!"
"Don't worry, Thea. Nn!!"
The father, restraining Thea who was hastily reaching for the collar, let out a roar of determination.
In that moment, the muscles in his neck bulged visibly, and the collar shattered.
"...Huh?"
Perhaps unable to comprehend the meaning of what just happened, the commander stood there in shock.
Meanwhile, other Blue Wolf warriors... while they didn't break the collar with just their neck muscles, they were crushing it with their bare hands.
...Wait, that collar is made of sturdy metal, right?
It should be reinforced with magic, making it impossible for slaves to remove it by themselves, right?
What are they breaking it like it's nothing?
"Carlot, I apologize for the trouble. As an apology, I will offer you all the imperial soldiers here. I'm good at hunting."
"Just leave the commander-level ones. I need to extract information from them. And... be sure to hold back, Leol, because it's in front of the daughters. A violent scene is not good for their eyes."
"I understand. Over these 14 years, I've learned what 'holding back' means."
The father, having released Thea, began to gather strength throughout his body.
With blue lightning crackling all over him, Mr. Leol clenched his fist tightly.
"This is──my full-powered 'holding back.' I will repay you for trampling on the pride of the Blue Wolf for so long!! Prepare yourselves, you maggots of the empire!!"
With a loud bang!! the ground where Mr. Leol stood shattered, and before anyone realized it, he had leaped over the imperial army and was deep in the grasslands.
"(Blue Thunder Fist)!!"
At the same time that Mr. Leol spoke, a blue thunderclap ran across the grassland.
When it settled, what remained was... a blackened, glassified land due to the extreme heat, and only one enemy commander, foaming at the mouth and unconscious.
"Did you see that, Carlot, and Thea? This is what 'holding back' looks like."
I absolutely think it's different.
It seemed that I wasn't the only one who thought so... Even Thea was somewhat taken aback, and I decided not to tell Mr. Leol about that.
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