Chapter 77

Nainiae was going to use magic.

That meant Basilisk, the one Nainiae was fighting against, was not some nobody.

‘What kind of magic should I start with?’

After fixing the wrinkle on her dress, Nainiae aimed her wooden sword toward Basilisk again. She started to think hard about which magic to use.

It was a different kind of question. She was not thinking about how to aim her sword, what angle to take, whether to stab or cut, or etc. Hence, the tips of her mouth was up a little.

‘That’s right. My young master is watching, so…’

She casually turned her head. Her eye met with Riley who had his head resting on his hand that was resting on the window frame of the carriage.

‘I think this one would be good to show to him as an example for his next study.’

Having decided what magic to use, Nainiae moved her mouth, recited a spell, and charged forward.

"… Haste."

Basilisk had the wooden spear resting on his shoulder. Noticing Nainiae closing in the gap in an instant, Basilisk strained his eyes.

“… What?!”

It was not that he was surprised by her action.

It was her speed.

“Kuk!”

Unlike before, her speed was increased to the point that only thing Basilisk could do was tracking her movement with his eyes. Basilisk hurriedly, without enough time to react properly, swung his spear and blocked Nainiae’s sword.

‘What’s this? All of sudden, her speed is?’

In a blink of an eye, sounds of woods colliding could be heard four times.

It meant she struck her sword four times.

“…Oh?”

Riley, who was watching the duel between Nainiae and Basilisk, opened his eyes wide.

‘Is that the Haste magic that I’m supposed to learn next?’

It was because Riley noticed that Nainiae used the time magic so she could show it to her.

“Tsk!”

Meanwhile, Basilisk, who was skillfully angling his wooden spear and striking against Nainiae’s sword strikes, clicked his tongue and swung his spear in a large motion like a windmill.

“Get off from me!”

“…”

Nainiae, who had one of her eye wide open to concentrate on the fight, bounced off all of the spinning spear movement and charged in again.

‘What is this… It’s like she became a completely different person all of sudden!’

With her right hand on her back, Nainiae was practicing all of the movements she learned in the Iphalleta mansion in flawless motions. Watching this, Basilisk changed the look on his eyes. It seemed he felt he needed to do something different.

‘All right. You want to get serious, is that right?’

BAM!

WHEEC!

The violent sounds of wooden weapons colliding or crossing past clothes could be heard.

Except Riley, people were watching the duel while forgetting to breathe.

“Judging from your moves, it seems like you have basics down to some extent. However, you are forgetting one thing. A spearman doesn’t just use spear.”

Basilisk, who now had his eyes open wide like Nainiae, started to move in a way that was different from how he was until now.

He was not just using his arms and hands for swinging his spear. He started to use his legs as well to attack.

“…?!”

Basilisk, who was skillfully handling Nainiae’s sword play using his spear, suddenly turned his body in a big motion and kicked with his right leg.

“Kuhup?”

By an unexpected strike, Nainiae was struck on the side of her body. She cringed her face.

“… Kuk!”

Nainiae’s arm, which was swinging the sword, faltered for a moment.

Noticing this, Basilisk ceased the chance and started to swing his spear toward Nainiae.

“You said pain is nothing, but it seems like you can’t take much hit?”

Unlike how he had been swinging and stabbing with spear from distance, he fought in close range. He started trash talking again.

“Now.”

“Kuk?!”

“Immediately.”

Once with the spear, another with his elbow, Basilisk pressured Nainiae as he continued talking. He said as he kicked in a large motion,

“Surrender.”

“…”

Nainiae was forced back by a kick. With a violent look on her face, she glared at Basilisk.

“If you surrender now, I will go easy on you so you can avoid getting a broken bone.”

The way he was demonstrating his hand-to-hand combat skill as well was showing that he was not an ordinary mercenary.

‘As expected.’

Basilisk was definitely a skilled warrior.

Nainiae decided to acknowledge that. She dusted off the side of her body and fixed her stance.

“You want to continue? I think the difference in skill has definitely been shown now?”

“Well, I think I got a feel for a real battle now. Swordsmanship is certainly a difficult discipline. I was reminded of it.”

Also, she realized Riley, the young master she served, was at a height in swordsmanship that nobody else could top. Nainiae shook off the sword with a ‘wheec!’ sound.

“… What?”

“Why don’t we stop here?”

Having heard Nainiae’s response, Basilisk gave a hollow laughter as if he was thinking it was a nonsense.

“Ha. You are ridiculous? If I refuse?”

Patronizing Nainiae, Basilisk acted high and mighty.

“…”

Having heard his question, she didn’t give a reply. She charged toward him again.

“No matter how many times you try, it will be the same…”

“… Grease.”

Nainiae decided that was enough for warming up and getting a feel for the battle. She decided to use various magic.

“Ugh? What is this?”

Basilisk had a look of panic. He waved around and struggled with his legs.

“… Were you thinking I would say that?”

It seemed the look on his face and his struggle were all just acts. Basilisk calmly glared at Nainiae, who was charging toward him, and stabbed the ground with the wooden spear he was wielding.

“…?”

Basilisk’s wooden spear, which carried his mana, pierced through the ground that had Grease magic cast on. The spear became a small pillar for him.

“I already knew that you are a mage when I saw you using Blink magic!”

Grabbing on to his spear with both of his hands, he lifted his leg from the ground and kicked Nainiae, who was charging toward him, with his right leg.

“Slippery magic like this… I have seen it enough times.”

Using Nainiae as the stepping stone, Basilisk used the reaction from the kick’s impact to bounce himself off.

While in mid air, he pulled out the spear and got out of the Grease magic’s effective range.

‘… This is the end!’

Basilisk fixed his stance in mid air and pulled the arm holding the spear to the back.

A spear was great for stabbing or swinging, but it was also a great weapon for throwing.

So, Basilisk decided to end the duel with this throw.

‘She may end up not being able to use a part of her body… Still, she is the one that refused to surrender, so don’t blame…’

Basilisk, who was straining his arm and ready to throw in midair, wiggled his eyebrows.

‘… What the?’

It was because he could see Nainiae’s right hand. Until now, it was hidden behind her back.

‘What is that? Why are her fingers… like that?’

It was a horrible looking hand with middle and ring finger missing.

With his gaze caught up in her hand, he had not thrown the spear yet. In that moment, a sharp wind came at his cheek.

“Ugh?!”

Noticing the blood spewing out from the cheek, Basilisk broke cold sweat.

‘What?!’

Looking at Nainiae mumbling with her mouth to recite spells, Basilisk anticipated that there will be another invisible attack and quickly turned his head.

‘Right!’

It was the experience from his work as a mercenary.

The experience was telling him that something was coming from the right side.

“Kuk?!”

Nainiae created another wind magic, Airhammer. The attack struck Basilisk who was in midair.

‘What is this power?!’

It was at a whole another level from getting struck by a sword.

Appearing to be in pain, Basilisk cringed his face and fell to the ground. He got up immediately, fixed a stance and charged toward Nainiae.

‘I can’t let her have time to recite spells. That would be a disadvantage to me!’

One of his arm and entire shoulder felt numb.

Looking at Nainiae wearing a mask on one side of her face, Basilisk decided to attack that side and pierced into the side.

‘As quickly as possible!’

Not targeting the opponent’s blind side was going to be a foolish move for a mercenary.

Becoming of a mercenary who is all about practicality and achieving victory, Basilisk aimed for Nainiae’s blindside. His spear charged toward Nainiae like a snake springing forward to bite its prey.

‘Huh?!’

Basilisk, who was going at it with his spear, suddenly had his face turn pale.

He felt a deadly aura. It felt like something unknown was about to stab him in his neck.

“…”

Before he realized, Nainiae raised the right hand to her left shoulder. Only a moment ago, she had the hand to the front.

Her stance seemed like she was about to move the right hand in diagonal direction and cause something to come out.

‘It’s dangerous. I could be killed!’

Basilisk felt that he would die if she swung that hand.

He hurriedly retrieved his wooden spear and retreated.

At the same time, Nainiae swung the right hand that she had placed next to her face in a powerful motion.

“Icicle Nova.”

Nainiae waved her hand as she recited the spell name.

Spear-like sharp icicles were formed around her in a ring formation. They looked like they would pierce through anything that came near her.

“Ugh. Kuhuk?!”

Basilisk seemed extremely surprised.

Basilisk even forgot to run. He even forgot to take steps back. He was petrified where he stood.

“…”

Gulp.

Looking at a black icicle that stopped just before making contact with his neck, Basilisk gulped dry.

There were cold sweats falling on his back to let him know he was not dead.

“Let’s continue…”

Having heard Nainiae’s voice, Basilisk looked at her.

“…?”

Like a hedgehog, protecting herself with a wall of sharp icicles, Nainiae held a black flame on her right hand and asked Basilisk,

“You are not going to say that, are you?”

Before she realized, she was back to using her crass language from Lower Solia. Nainiae said as she started down at Basilisk.

“Huh…”

It seemed Basilisk lost strength on his leg. Basilisk, who was looking at Nainiae, plummeted down on the ground with a vacant look on his face.

“It would be best if you did not pester my young master.”

Nainiae extinguished her black flame by closing her hand. Nainiae declared her victory.

“You most certainly have solid skills for someone of your age… However, I only spoke the truth.”

Nainiae also removed the icicles, walked toward Basilisk and tilted her head side to side.

“Young Master Riley is even stronger…”

“… Stop! Don’t get any closer to our commander!”

“…?”

A sharp voice could be heard from where the spectators were gathered. Nainiae floated a question mark on her face and looked to that direction.

“Why are you…”

The Lightning Boulder’s mercenaries had their bows tightly drawn and aimed the arrows at Nainiae. They had deadly looks on the faces.

Nainiae tilted her head side to side with a confused look in her eye.

She was aware that she used a pretty dangerous method to fight Basilisk, their commander, but she did not expect that they would react in such a drastic way.

“… You…”

Basilisk asked.

The look on his face was not different from his comrades.

“… Are you a dark mage?”

“…?”

Having heard the question, she asked back.

“Dark mage?”

Nainiae, with a surprised look, observed the surrounding.

“What are you… talking….”

Not just the mercenaries aiming arrows at her, but Reitri, Horai and others in the merchant group all had faces filled with terror as they looked at Nainiae.

“The dark mage that’s been active around Rainfield recently…”

Basilisk, who plummeted down with a vacant look on his face, supported himself with the spear and carefully got up. He glared at Nainiae and murmured,

“To think that… I would run in to the dark mage here…”

Although the atmosphere was serious during their duel, it was not as serious as this.

‘What’s this?’

It was not just serious. The atmosphere was full of wariness. Riley, who was checking out the situation while having his head resting on his palm, furrowed his eyebrows as he wondered what this was about.

“Y… Young Master…”

Unable to withstand all the gazes glaring at her, Nainiae called Riley.

“… Ugh.”

Realizing the situation got tangled up into a complex mess, Riley sighed big enough to make the ground sink.