I hate being wed in a fantasy world!

“This is worrisome.” Ara-san says as she looks at Inoue's goons who are part of a light show. She's still standing at the border, yet she knows that I can hear her well.

While I try my best to not look at it, I feel anger welling up because of Fake's cheating. I mean, whatever effect it is, when it's also influencing his posse, it can't be legal, right? Too bad that I don't know the rules of dueling. “Isn't that cheating?” On the other hand, Ara-san was able to give the signal, so she may know and she can even hear me while whispering from that distance.

“Most likely not. As long as there is no direct interference coming from them, it's legit. It's Masahiko-kun who has initiated it, so it counts as his power.” ...I hate to admit it, but it makes a bit of sense. I mean, even if he's using their power, we're in a world of magic. I expect that there are hp-drain spells here as well, which had to be considered when making dueling rules.

“How's Rine doing?” As my eyes are constantly at the cliffs, I have only a rough image of what is going on.

“All things considered, bad.”

“What!?”

“She's not fighting using her full capacities. I believe that she may be stressed.” Well, it sounded like she was about having a breakdown after I pushed her into the duel... dammit! Should I have done it myself, after all?

“Ara-san, be honest. If I were at full health and would fight her in her current state, would she still kick my ass?”

“Certainly.” That sounds about right. “Masahiko-kun is doing better than expected, yet he also falls short.”

At least this is right. ...strange. I have the feeling that we're being observed. Not by anyone I can see, though... maybe someone using a skill? Or Hoshibashi in stealth-mode? “Ara-san, can you hear something strange?”

“I don't know what you mean.”

“Feels like something is observing us.”

“...I will try my best. I sense no spirits within my spirit sense radius though.” I also can't sense it with [Wild Eyes], yet...

“Kyou-san?” The girl next to me is at odds with herself. Her eyes are looking enchanted at the fight between her two friends and she may occasionally warn one of them, but isn't cheering for anyone. “Something is strange here.”

She gives me a silent look before rolling her eyes. “I'm still angry at you.”

...what? ...does she refer to our fight yesterday? There are literally a billion things more important than that! “Take it seriously.”

“That's what I'm doing. Whatever it is, do you think I can help!? Despite being so useless to you?”

“This is not the time to bring-”

“You're right. Yet you're just questioning something that strikes you as strange and want to let me know that. Message received.”

This-! No, don't let her into your head! Still, she has basically determined what I wanted from her without me saying anything. Kyou-san and I have our looks to communicate, yet this is another layer, she read me like a book again!

...strange. The feeling of being watched is now gone. I have the feeling that this will end up badly.

―○●○―

Correo is back with Lent and Star. With his Thief's Mantle he can easily escape the sight of the heroes due to two effects. The first emulated stealth-related skills heroes use, the second protects him from being detected by [Skills] of heroes. It's a one-of-a-kind relic he obtained when he visited the Temple of Blackness, an old ruin of the vrykolakas.

The best part would be that it looks like an old, worn-out traveler's mantle. Only a handful of traders or a merchant would be able to see its true value. Yet they lack the ambition to visit ruins of old which are dangerous places altogether. They’d rather fund an expedition than go themselves.

Lent listens to Correo's report, about the duel between the princess and Inoue-dono. “If things go on, Inoue-dono will lose,” he ends it with his personal estimation. The princess is ahead in every regard and Inoue-dono can't close the gap. Even though his sword is intriguing Correo and he would love to examine it and learn its powers, it alone won't be able to turn the tide.

“The princess is strong, after all,” Star says while flexing his muscles. He's a violent fellow who looks for the fight. He's also sure that all he needs is enough time without interference to beat her.

“Correo, return and observe them more. Star and I will block off this path and circle around them so that we have a better attacking angle. If you need to, buy a bit of time until we're there. All of them are weakened, it's the opportunity we have been waiting for. Now all we need to do is seize it.” Correo would do things different, yet he yields control to Lent this time.

“As you wish.” Whether they succeed or fail, this will serve as a good lesson. Correo has no doubt that he will get away at least. With this certainty, the merchant starts walking back to do the part he has accepted to play this time.

For a moment, Correo considers whether he should release his oni-servant, yet he disregards this thought. While she may be a great distraction, her punishment isn't over yet. If the need comes for him to act, he will have to do without her. He also wants to stay on the good side of Inoue-dono's party if things go wrong.

Correo channels his magic into the mantle the moment he comes close enough. He learned the hard way that there is one species that can still easily detect him if he's not careful: Elves. In a sense, elves stand for everything that can go wrong. Up to this day, Correo doesn't understand their magic, and finding their settlements is challenging at best. Too bad that the raid of Aroahenn only yielded subpar magic items and relics. Yet the Lady was pleased with the results overall.

After making sure that he's outside of the elven woman's area of awareness, he sees how Inoue-dono is standing up again. He bleeds from his nose and it looks like he's enduring much pain. While his companions cheer for him, the princess looks at him silently. Correo knows exactly what she thinks: She wants him to give up but respects his determination and doesn't want to belittle him by asking him to surrender.

This is illogical. She had a dozen chances to knock him out or to break a limb or two, yet she holds back. There is something about her... doubt. As a merchant, Correo knows how to read people and while the princess was an open book last time in that tavern, an example of openness and certainty, this time she's obscured by doubt and conflict.

Momokawa Kyou is in pain, unable to connect to the selfishness that gave her security. Katsuragi Kenta is paranoid and second-guessing himself... Could it be that he overestimated them? Still, something feels wrong about that, it's like Correo almost has figured out why he can't truly appraise them.

Katsuragi Kenta looks at Correo for a second, yet the mantle makes him nigh invisible and every [Skill] a hero uses to detect him will be useless. In a sense, using [Skills] can even add to his concealment as heroes trust too much into them.

The princess and Inoue-dono enter another bout, Inoue-dono puts much effort into each attack and in the end, both kick each other at the same time, though the princess has much more weight in her attack. He's sent to the ground, he comes back to his feet and takes his stance. This sums up the whole battle.

If Inoue-dono wasn't a hero, his body would have already submitted. With each exchange, the number of bruises grow, every time he hits the princess, she deals more damage to him. He also doesn't know that the princess has become a hero as well and therefore also doesn’t realize that fighting until she's exhausted is not an option. Yet every hit the princess takes, no matter how weak, will make it easier for Lent and Star to take her down.

This ends though. While Inoue-dono has a second weapon and therefore outnumbers the princess, it comes with demerits. The weight, the balance, the limited space. Princess Katarine initiated another bout, after the tenth parry her sword uses both of Inoue's blades to bounce off and she thrusts through Inoue-dono's armor into his right shoulder. His hand suddenly opens and lets go of his magic sword.

What follows is a barrage of elbow strikes and punches, face, torso, side, everything the princess could hit, while she disarms Inoue-dono from his nonmagical sword as well. Then she let go of her sword as well, kicking all weapons out of the boundary in the process.

She hooks both hands behind his head and jumps with a knee-kick into his face. Even from this distance, Correo could tell that blood sprinkles the red rocks of this canyon. The princess lets go of the hero and jumps back a bit to give him time to fall to the ground.

With nothing but pure willpower, Inoue-dono stays on his feet. He's no longer surrounded by the magic light, yet he refuses to give up. “[EXQUIP]!” He yells, most likely because that's the only way he can communicate at this point. He may barely hear his own voice with all the pain he must feel. Yet two clubs appear into his hand and he takes another stance.

That is the second when it looks like Inoue-dono will claim the advantage. However, with two swift kicks, the princess sends the clubs also outside the ring, while she makes sure to add a third kick right into the face again.

Correo knows that the best he can hope at this point is that Princess Katarine will use up more and more stamina. While her body can move with the tiniest spark of it remaining, there is a limit. For the next few minutes, however, all he and the audience can see is how Inoue-dono is brutally beaten down again and again while the same keeps on standing up. He doesn't even resist anymore, as if it takes all of his power and will to get back to his feet. Without a moment of hesitation, as if he would stay down for even two seconds, he would lose the duel.

“Masa, you can do it!”

“Keep going!

“Do your best!”

His friends cheer to him, even though Akiyama-dono is about to cry and the rest look grim and hurt.

“Masahiko, stop! Please, give up!” Only one single voice carries a different message. “You will die at this rate! You have lost, come to your senses!” Momokawa Kyou yells to Inoue-dono to stop.

Her companions say nothing. Katsuragi gloats, more and more entranced by this. Correo has no idea what the elf is thinking.

Where are Lent and Star? They should be here by now...

―○●○―

Lent and Star have successfully blocked the path by using brute force and magic to create a wall only the princess and the elf will be able to overcome quickly. They have also made a shortcut to come from the other side, so that their prey have no escape route.

With a final spell, Lent opens the rock before him and he's back to the old path. Yet he sees a rather unusual sight here... a traveler. It's an old man with white hair and beard and an old, worn poncho. The strangest thing is that that old man is sitting there, as if he was waiting. “Yo.” He greets them with a smile.

Star steps between Lent and that man. “Careful,” he says full in a cautious voice: “This one is dangerous.” Since becoming a true hero and deleting his former self, Star has very honed instincts that warn him whenever something is endangering his life. It hasn't kicked in when he faced the princess, yet with this geezer...

Lent trusts his partner, yet seeing this wreck of a human makes him wonder. “Greetings, sir.” He says in his most elegant voice: “This is a dangerous path, so I would recommend you to turn around and try another.”

“Too bad, I'm tired because I hurried along this route. Took a while and my bones are screaming. Let me tell you, being old sucks.”

“Sounds bad. Old man, do you have business with us?” This attitude also alarms Lent, there is something wrong with this geezer. If Lent would need to put a finger on it, it'd be the confidence that saturates all of his words.

“Depends. What is your business with Kenta and Masahiko?” Lent expected a lot, but not that.

“That is none of your business.”

“It became just now.” The old man stands up and takes off his poncho, revealing a muscular yet old body. It's apparent that he used to be even more buff. “You know, I grew to like those two. The same for Kyou, Ara, and Rine. So I ask you to leave them alone. You stink of danger and slime.”

What is wrong with this guy!? Lent sighs and lifts his hand: “[Firebird]!” This is a potent fire spell that keeps attacking the target several times by imitating a bird. So far nothing survived the onslaught, yet even if it isn't enough, it will buy time for a longer chant.

The [Firebird] flies towards the geezer, so fast that even blinking would be too long to see it coming. Yet the old man raises his fist.

*Crash*

With a single punch, he sends the spell into the ground which causes it to dissipate... “Wait, it can't be! You can't punch fire!”

“You can't?” The old man says mockingly: “Sorry, I just did that because I didn't know.”

“[Stalagmite Prison]!” A rock-dome encases the geezer and the stalagmites inside will stab him from all sides. If something as ephemeral as fire can be avoided, maybe something solid as rock is enough.

The [Stalagmite Prison] begins to show cracks and breaks down. “Brittle.” The old man comments on that. This can't be! Lent was able to trap Laharl, the general of the undead army, with this spell for some moments! This time, it just fell apart, as if it has met something even harder than itself!

Star begins screaming in anger. He has just changed to [Berserker], his muscles grow and grow, he seems three times larger than usual due to the sheer mass he brings. “[Titan's Blow]!” He swings his bladeclub at the old man with enough power to transform people into red dust.

For a second, the geezer lost his smile. Then he catches the weapon with one hand, the rocky ground below him cracks and basically explodes, yet he stays uninjured. “Berserker?” He asks with a contemptuous smile. “Seriously? Berserker? Let me teach you a lesson, youngster.” Star yells louder and louder as he puts all his strength and weight into his weapon to no effect. “[Fury] is a weapon. You're supposed to control it, not the other way around. Let me show you.” It's like a wave that cuts through Lent. He was about to chant a spell, but for a moment he paused as he sensed something beyond anger coming from the old man. Then the bladeclub, a solid piece of metal, begins to bend under the grip of these wrinkled fingers.

With a minute movement, Star is hurled to the side, right into the hard walls of the nearby cliff. Half of his weapon is still in the grasp of the geezer.

Lent can't help but to spit out: “What are you!?”

“Just your run-of-the-mill barbarian. Oh, you don't know us? Well, this is unexpected. Usually that's the part where people shit their pants.”

“Don't make me laugh. I'm a true hero, I won't be afraid of you.”

“And here I thought it would be over quickly.” He turns his head to the hole in the wall as Star emerges from it, his cuts over all his body visibly healing. “So you can regenerate as well. Feel really confident about that, right?”

“HYAAAARGH!” Even with half a weapon, Star channels his [Fury] to destroy that person before him.

“*Sigh*, already lost it.” Star swings at the old man who just raises his arm and blocks the blade with his skin alone! This has to be like Star's [Ironskin]-skill! “About every barbarian can regenerate, so of course we have ways to deal with it for when we fight each other.” The geezer ignores Star's second hand, trying to rip off his face, raises his fist again, and punches Star's torso so hard that even Lent is feeling the pain.

Star falls backwards and in his armor is a melted hole surrounded by metallic bubbles. The skin underneath glimmers orange-red as if it were burning. “YOUUUU!” Yet Star isn't even slightly impressed and stands up as if he was feeling nothing.

“So you can also turn off the pain? That's a hero. Able to use many skills, enduring, and cocky.”

Lent has enough: “[Wind Weasel]!” The magic wind-blade hits the geezer across his torso with no visible effect. “[Crystal Torpedo]!” The crystal missile travels underground and hits the old man in the back, but he doesn't even shirk!

Star attacks once again, yet all it took to interrupt this assault was another, single punch. This time, it gave an ugly sound of flesh grinding stone, as Star is burying a hole into the ground. “This will take him a while,” the white haired monster says while looking at its work. “I hope he's tough enough to survive that.” Then it turns its head towards Lent. “I believe you're rather squishy, right?”

Lent starts running. He knows that he can't beat this... this thing! All of his confidence has broken apart as he faced something that he lacks the means of even hurting. After his skirmishes with the undead army, he grew more and more confidence, yet he has seen a new summit to reach...

Something hits him in the back. It's not a fist, it's the rest of the bladeclub. Lent feels like he just evaded a shattered spine, yet the shock and force made him lose consciousness immediately.

―○●○―

I can't stop smirking. Seeing Inoue getting beaten the crap out of him is just so refreshing. I know that I should stop paying attention to that, it's distracting me. There is a series of strange noises coming from far behind, yet they have paused, which makes me worry even more.

Ara-san is also cautious, yet this may also be a lure. If we go away, it may also cause Inoue's friends to interfere with the duel.

“Hff... hff...” Inoue stands up again, his face swollen and bloody, his broken arm black and blue, and his legs shaking. Bleeding from several wounds, he refuses to stay down. I have to admit that I underestimated him. I was sure that he would throw in the towel quickly, yet his pride causes him to just not admit when he's beaten.

Other than to me at times, he can simply surrender and nothing bad will happen. What an idiot.

I was worried whether Rine would bring the mental strength, but just like always: The moment the battle begins she puts everything else aside. She may be not at her best, but she's still focused.

“MASAHIKO-KUN, THIS IS ENOUGH!” Kyou-san still begs to him, yet I'm sure that he can't even hear her anymore. Even if he could, he wouldn't listen to her. “RINE-CHAN, PLEASE END THIS!”

Rine silently nods. It seems that she accepts that the only way to end this is to put him out for good. She begins spinning for a heel-kick aimed at his temple.

Then something cuts through the space between them. A barrier made out of orange light! Rine foot hits it but is repelled. The barrier has cut the whole place into two areas. One for Rine, Ara-san, Kyou-san, and me, one for Fake and his posse!

For a second, I see a blur moving through the barrier, halting next to Fake. Correo! He blurs again and he and Inoue are gone! I try to get past the orange barrier, yet it also repels me. The shrimp tries the same, she also can't move through it.

Then Correo is back. “No hero can pass this light.” He says with a smirk to me before looking at Inoue's followers. “Sorry to interfere, heroes, but if you lose here, your lives are at risk.”

“KYOU-CHAN!” Despite the explanation just now, shrimp tries to overcome the barrier. Ponytail hurls a rock at it with magic, yet it also can't pass.

“Kurosawa-dono, we need to go. The barrier won't hold long enough and I can't use my boots for short distances, so I can’t help you and her.” He grabs shrimp and blurs away, carrying her along. I can only see him accelerating or decelerating thanks to [Focus]. This is what his boots do?

He comes back for each of Masahiko's posse, one at a time.

“FUCK YOU, CORREO!” I scream in pure anger.

“Kenta-kun, I can circumvent the area with [Acrobat].” She makes the offer to jump over it, yet I know she's not keen to do so on her own. She may take Rine along, but the last of them will be away before Kyo-san and I even get a chance to get there.

“Stay here.”

“KATSURAGI!” The dark one is the last one who is here. In untypical anger he yells at me: “I'LL GET YOU!” Then he's also picked up by Correo and vanishes.

Kyou-san looks terrified for a second, then resolve takes over. “What do we do, Ken?”

“...we'll wait.” A few seconds later, we're rewarded with Correo, coming back on his own, behind the barrier only he can cross. “This is the part when you fight all of us?”

“Don't be silly, Katsuragi-dono. Today we lost again.”

“You don't look unhappy with this.”

“Why should I? Lent extended the offer of the Lady towards you and you have declined it. I have no reason to pursue you for the time being.”

“What about Rine?”

“I don't know yet. I have to return to the Lady and ask her what to do.”

“Are you mocking us!?” I spit these words out. Everything this man does makes no sense. “Why are you even here then!?”

“To ask you to reconsider the offer. Especially you, Princess Katarine. You can be much more than you are right now.”

“I don't like you,” Rine answers without batting an eye.

“Too bad. We have a lot to offer you. Relics, magic items, troops, everything a hero can wish for. With the help of the Lady and me, subduing the Demon King won't be a pipe dream, if you want to keep that quest. I can even offer you experience crystals.” I read about them from my hero-manual that was in my backpack the moment I was summoned. Basically crystallized [Experience].

“Take your crystals and don't bother us anymore, Correo-san!” Rine says without even thinking about the offer. “We won't serve a deity that uses methods like yours!” While I agree on the denying, I can't help but want the crystals and other resources. I mean, how much easier would it be, if we had all of that!?

“Then it's official. I will report to the Lady exactly that. She has the authority to decide how you... what are you doing, elf?” Correo asks Ara-san who has started to poke the orange barrier with her staff.

“To create a barrier specifically against heroes means that you used a relic. Something that creates a powder, which you have sprinkled in concert with your Seven Miles League Boots. Resourceful.”

Correo's voice becomes audibly hostile, it seems like Ara-san hit some sour spot: “So you know about my boots?”

“Were they supposed to be a secret?” She asks in her nonchalant manner. “It doesn't matter. To answer your prior question, I'm examining the barrier.” She moves alongside the barrier with the staff still on it or rather being repelled slightly with every step. Then she stands right in front of Correo, only the orange light separating them. “I'm Ara'ainn the hero-sage, therefore learning how relics work is part of my job description. They interact with heroes in a way, most if not all use the status as a base. Therefore I have an interesting theory.”

“Which would be?”

I guess, only I notice. Notice how Ara-san changes her class. Alfr muscles don't change much with a [Class-change], Ara-san theorized that alfr muscles are differently built than human muscles and can work better without becoming greater. In a sense, this logic may also apply to folkmen, who are half as tall, yet much stronger than humans.

Ara-san quickly moves her arm through the barrier and grabs into Correo's pocket, only to change her class again, this time to [Acrobat]. Her arm is immediately repelled out of the barrier again. She makes a quick backflip and presents a pendulum as a trophy.

Correo looks as shocked as I am, as we just have established that neither heroes nor their attacks can pass the barrier. I, however, understand what happened: She changed to [Accountant], her base-class! This area doesn't repel heroes, it repels their [Classes]! This must mean that I can pass the barrier as [Student]!

Wait, isn't a base-class basically not another class with some special rules to it!? Well, let's not overthink it at this moment and concentrate on what's going on now!

The bearded man jumps back and stares daggers at Ara-san. It seems that he doesn't know what happened, yet he doesn't like the fact that we have that pendulum.

Ara-san touches me with it, then Rine and Kyou-san. “I won.” She declared without any context known to me, but it infuriates Correo. Is there something going on between the two of them!?

The barrier starts to fade. “You have.” He answers in cold anger. “Keep the price.” He tips his head once, turns around, and he activates his Seven League Boots once more. He got away, but somehow I feel like we have won.

“I will explain everything on the way,” Ara-san says while her ears are moving up and down. She's gloating! She's more self-content than ever before!