Volume 3 Chapter 49 Interlude： Minori and Ferron (Part I)
*This is from Minori's point of view.*
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"I didn't expect to fight you again."
I held my Magic Sword in both hands and glared at the Dark Mage Ferron in front of me.
Suzu also held her staff, ready to unleash the high-level magic she had already finished chanting.
Now, we just needed to work together.
Ferron stared at us with a sneer, chuckling as he spread his arms wide.
Even though his right arm looked burnt and useless, a palpable aura of killing intent rose from his body.
"So you're the swordswoman Minori. I don't know about fighting you here, but──well, that's fine. It's just a mission I failed once, and this time, I just need to make it a success."
"Shut up, Dark Mage! No matter how many times you come at us, we will destroy you! We won't forgive you for hurting Belle and Ai!"
With Ferron maintaining his relaxed attitude, I shouted and rushed forward.
With the Magic Stone of Great Absolute, the tentacles won't work on me, and close combat is in my favor.
I need to take him down quickly and help Big Bro Ryuuji!
But just as I got close, a wall of tentacles appeared from the ground.
I didn't stop and cut through the wall with my left hand's Magic Sword, *Resist*.
──But Ferron is not on the other side of the wall.
"Where did he go!?"
"Kyaa!?"
The moment I lost sight of Ferron, a scream from Suzu rang out behind me.
When I turned around in a panic, I saw my little sister blocking the staff that the Dark Mage swung down with her own staff.
From the looks of it, the <Great Magic Stone of Diamond> isn't working.
Is that staff an ancient artifact that cancels out enchantments or something?
That's troublesome.
"Oh my, did you block it? This must be a result of my master's training."
"You jerk!"
Immediately, I changed direction and headed to support Suzu.
But again, a wall of tentacles appeared in front of me.
Oh, come on!
It's in the way!
And when I slashed ahead, there was only Suzu.
When I turned back at the sound of a chuckle, I saw Ferron back in his original position.
"...What kind of trick is this?"
"I don't know."
In response to my mumble, Suzu said that she didn't understand either.
Is he moving with some sort of teleportation while we can't see him?
"His teleportation is like magic, right? So there should be some kind of constraints. We need to figure that out. Suzu is flying up with <Flight>. That way, you won't be targeted by close-range attacks."
"But if I do that, I'll be finished if targeted by a magic attack."
"Ah, I see..."
Suzu's point made me bite my lips without taking my eyes off Ferron.
When using <Flight>, she become defenseless.
The <Great Magic Stone of Diamond> and <Anti-Magic Stone> cannot be used together for some reason.
Therefore, we can't deploy physical and magical defenses at the same time with the magic stones.
"...Huh? Wait a minute?"
I thought of something and called Suzu to suggest it.
Then my little sister frowned and shook her head.
"No way, Sis! It is dangerous. You'll face Ferron one-on-one."
"It's too late for that. Plus, I don't plan on losing even if it's one-on-one."
Suzu is probably worried, but I don't think I will lose to Ferron in close combat.
If I lose here, I won't be able to face Big Bro Ryuuji or Lene.
My sister thought for a moment, then nodded, looking a bit unhappy.
"Okay! Please!"
"Got it."
Leaving just a plain response, Suzu started chanting for the spell "Flight."
Ferron looked puzzled, as if he knew about this magic.
"...Is your little sister going to quit the battlefield? To think you could defeat me alone is quite the underestimate."
"I have my own plans."
I shrugged back at Ferron, who clearly showed his discomfort.
I don't have any obligation to accommodate his convenience.
I confirmed that Suzu's chant was complete and she flew high up into the sky, then decided to observe Ferron closely.
At that height, any magic attack shouldn't reach her.
And I were watching Suzu with my eyes.
Sweat were running down my cheeks.
"Oh my, what's wrong? You seem anxious."
"...I don't understand what you are saying."
Ferron, who was clearly flustered by my taunting, let out a laugh through his nose, but I vaguely realized the reason.
He probably didn't want his teleportation tricks uncovered since Suzu was watching from above, or maybe──
"If you feel like someone is watching, you can't teleport, right?"
"........."
Even though it was just my muttering, Ferron couldn't respond at all.
It seems like I hit the jackpot.
I thought it was strange.
If he was going to teleport, he could have just done it directly, but he went out of his way to create a wall of tentacles.
That was probably a Constraint for performing the teleportation technique.
Ferron was quiet for a few moments, but his face changed to one of determination, and he got ready with his staff in his left hand, pointing the tip toward me.
"...I was a First Rank Adventurer in my past life. I can't fall behind a Second Rank Adventurer. If you can do it, then go ahead and try."
The atmosphere was different from before, and Ferron looked just like a master swordsman, with no openings in his stance.
Is he really a Dark Mage?
I swallowed nervously, but I tightly gripped the hilt of my Magic Sword with both hands.
Here, losing is not allowed.
"That's what I hope for."
Saying that, I stepped forward toward Ferron, holding my Magic Sword with both hands, and ran.
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