Chapter 10: Guess It’s About Time We Deal with That Bastard

That afternoon, I bid my final farewell to my sister in this life.

"Big Sis… Take care of yourself."

"Ilia, be careful on your way back."

"Thanks for the invaluable intel."

This town’s security wasn’t great. According to the goddess, the demons would soon invade.

As much as I hated to part with her, sending Ilia home early was for her own good.

"Be careful on the road. I’m not too worried since Sarah’s with you, but… watch out for suspicious people wearing masks."

"Uh-huh. I’ll be careful, yeah."

"...That sounded half-hearted, but fine."

I didn’t plan on dying, but this was clearly a life-or-death battle. I might never see my sister again.

I wanted no regrets in how we said goodbye. I hugged her tightly and whispered a promise in her ear.

"We’ll meet again, Ilia."

"...Yes, Big Sis."

Clutching the pendant she left behind in my hand.

---

The carriage carrying the two of them disappeared beyond the town’s borders.

With that, my farewell to Ilia was complete. Now, it was finally time for the decisive battle.

"I’ve already sorted out the request. We leave in three days."

"Understood."

Karl and Maika had already secured a job while we were out shopping. Apparently, they’d taken on a merchant escort request.

"It’s a food merchant. There’s a good chance this place could be attacked."

"Destination and duration?"

"From Lewin to Yowin. Round trip, about five days."

Five days, huh? That meant I’d have to take a break from my part-time job. I’d let the boss know today.

"...I’ve got all the travel preparations ready. Bought everything we need."

"Then tomorrow, we’ll just meet the client. After that, it’s business as usual—gathering intel until we leave in three days."

The real fight was about to begin.

There was no telling if the demons would target this merchant, but if they attacked, we might be able to bring back a demon corpse.

That would be the ultimate proof of their existence. At the very least, Sakura would cooperate. The other nobles would realize it wasn’t the time for infighting.

If we ran into an enemy too dangerous for us, we’d just have to rethink our strategy. Either way, we wouldn’t know until we fought.

"Everyone, brace yourselves."

"Yes."

My heart was already prepared. All that was left was to get my muscles ready tonight.

---

"Got a request as adventurers. Gonna need time off from my part-time job."

"The hell? Why’re you taking a long-term request now? I told you the showdown with the other families is coming up."

"Found a guy who looks a lot like my hateful little brother. Took the job to get info on him."

"...Can’t you turn it down? I’ll pay you extra."

"Boss, need some time off."

When I casually asked for a shift change, he made a face like he’d bitten into something sour.

"Things are about to get serious. The young lady might be in danger."

"A turf war? But isn’t it peaceful now that the three families are balanced?"

"Heard Punko and Somi signed a truce. If that’s true, we’re next."

Well, damn. The balance of power had collapsed.

"Even a shady guy like you counts as decent muscle. Stay, will ya?"

"Can’t. Already took the request."

"I’ll pay extra."

"It’s a matter of trust, Boss. You get that, right? Adventurers like me live by our rep. Lose that, and nobody hires you—"

"Your face makes ‘trust’ a hard sell."

"Fair."

Ouch. Hitting me where it hurts.

"Well, whatever. If shit hits the fan when you get back, I’ll help."

"...Tch. Fine."

But my real goal was slaying demons. I didn’t have time to get tangled in this town’s power struggles.

I owed Sakura, so part of me wanted to help… but the timing was just bad.

Nothing to be done about it.

---

After Securing Time Off from Work

I asked Lev to teach me combat basics.

As a noble lady, I’d always been distant from vulgar brawls—at most, I’d squabbled with my little sister.

That’s why I wanted proper training from a professional adventurer.

"...Irine. Your strength is impressive, but your movements are still sloppy."

"I only know body-enhancement magic. When it comes to combat, I’m an amateur."

"...Got it. I’ll teach you."

Lev-chan was our party’s close-quarters specialist. Since we’d grown closer, I’d asked her to “teach me how to fight” during our downtime, and she’d agreed.

Her style involved dual-wielding daggers, but she advised me against it. With my need for spellcasting gaps, a speed-focused approach wouldn’t suit me.

"Irine, you don’t use weapons—can’t you wield a staff?"

"Magically, I could use one. Martially? Absolutely not."

Most mages carried staves to amplify spellpower, but I had no plans to equip one. My magic was already potent enough; boosting it would make control harder.

Once, I’d borrowed a tutor’s staff and fired an advanced spell into the garden. The results were… catastrophic. My base firepower was excessive—adding a boost risked disaster.

Why gamble with uncontrollable explosions when my spells were already lethal? Plus, magic staves were prohibitively expensive, even for nobles.

"...No staff? Then I’ll teach you hand-to-hand."

"Please do."

"Combat fundamentals are about reading opponents. A strong hit means nothing if it misses, and even a weak strike to a vital point ends fights. You must understand movement flow—"

Lev slowly raised her fists, adopting a stance directly in front of me.

"...What do you think I’m aiming for now?"

"Hmm. A straight punch, perhaps?"

"...Look closer. My weight’s shifted forward."

The petite girl suddenly pivoted, using her lead foot as an axis to spin 180 degrees. A brutal sweep kick halted just shy of my shin.

Had that connected, I’d have been floored before reacting.

"Oh my!"

"...It was a roundhouse kick. My forward lean telegraphed the pivot."

"I see. So noticing your imbalance could’ve predicted it?"

Wait, is this girl crazy strong? That kick was blinding—no thug I’d fought before moved like this.

"...We’ll start with quiz-style drills. My father trained me this way."

"Understood. I’m in your care."

"Next time, try reacting before I explain. I’ll critique your instincts."

Having reliable allies was a boon. As a combat novice, her adventurer’s expertise was invaluable.

Later, I’d train with Karl too—he needed spell lessons from me.

"Next scenario. Irene, what’s your move—?"

"Like this!"

And so, under my junior’s tutelage, I endured rigorous drills. Lev-chan’s friendship paid off beyond expectations.

---

"...How’d you handle this?"

"Tank the hit and counterpunch!"

"...Wrong! At least try dodging, Irene!"

Regrettably, I struggled to apply her teachings.

"If someone flanked you like this—?"

"Cover my head, endure, then headbutt them!"

"...Tch. No."

I’d failed to learn evasion. While I could now block reflexively, directional dodging eluded me.

But trading blows suited me. If I could guard reliably, counterattacking felt natural.

"That’s a tank’s strategy, not a mage’s—"

"My enhancement magic boosts defense too. Withstanding minor hits enables faster counters."

"...Huh. If your defense scales, I guess heavy infantry tactics work. Father said to adapt to one’s strengths."

I’d unintentionally deviated from Lev’s vision of “dodging while spell-countering.” Instead, I’d embraced “absorb and retaliate”—a style that resonated deeply.

Maybe this is perfect for a muscle-confident fighter like me?

"...For this brawling style, you’ll need arm/leg guards. Let’s shop tomorrow."

"Thank you!"

"Next, I’ll teach how to deflect blades with gauntlets—"

Good. Establishing a combat style beat mindless swinging.

"...Wait. Spellcasting requires incantations. When did you cast body-enhancement?"

"Oh, I pre-cast it before training! Mana discipline, you see~"

"...Right."

Phew. As expected of a top adventurer’s daughter—she knew magic theory.

She’d almost caught me not using enhancement spells. I avoided them to maintain muscle strain during workouts.

---

Later That Night…

After a satisfying training session with Lev, I hit the town under the cloak of darkness.

"Oh, if it isn’t Monkey Mask. What brings you here?"

"Hmph."

No shady business—just a drink for intel-gathering, now that my night shifts were on hold.

As a noble lady, nighttime escapades were forbidden. But now? Intel collection was my righteous excuse.

With the drunk-handling skills I’d honed lately, I might pry loose rumors about demons or the like.

"You drinking here too? Never see you outside brothels—thought you were a regular."

"Not that into women."

Drinking for leisure, not work, was oddly fun. No pretenses, cheap booze, rowdy fools—it all went down smooth.

"Lucky break, Monkey. Lady Sakura’s about to grace this joint. I’m on seat-saving duty."

"Oh? Her ladyship’s visiting? Inspection?"

"Nah, just thirsty. If she’s in a good mood, she might even buy you a round."

Perfect. We hadn’t talked much while I was in "monkey mode." A prime chance.

"Didn’t peg her for a drinker."

"She gets cute when wasted. Any idiot trying to take her home gets gutted—kinship be damned."

"Yikes. Scary."

Note: Avoid anything resembling a pickup line. My current cover’s male, after all.

"Speak of the devil—here she comes."

Sakura entered, her usual fluffy tea-colored hair bouncing. The noble/commoner divide meant she’d dressed up, but—

"Wait, why’s she with some guy?!"

"The hell?! Which trashbag’s putting moves on her?!"

The problem? A sleazy-looking man clinging to her arm, chattering away while gripping her hand.

What the hell’s he doing?!

"...That bastard. One second unsupervised—"

"Uh, hey. That guy…"

"Yeah, I know him."

The idiot attempting to flirt with nobility was none other than—

"Karl, that harem-building asshole who sweet-talks every woman in the party. If he’s targeting her, I’ll murder him."

"Oh damn."

There he stood—face flushed, utterly wasted, in full "compliment machine" mode.

"Look, her ladyship’s eye-signaling an SOS. Go help."

"Obviously. That bastard’s getting a swamp baptism."

…Was he intel-gathering too?

Why’s he drinking alone?! Where’s Maika, his damn babysitter?!