Chapter 174: The True Motives of the Former Gladiator and the Slave Dealer (3/4)

If one were to receive a blow from such a weapon poorly, then one’s weapon will immediately be rendered useless.

But thanks to Ryouma’s experiences, he was able to immediately see through that and act accordingly.

(No wonder the others were acting like that. The ones who wholeheartedly trusted the information they were given must have been in despair. Is this his (Moulton) doing too?　What a nasty guy.)

…Although there was a bit of misunderstanding because of a certain person’s meddling, that didn’t change the fact that Ox acknowledged Ryouma’s skills.

Because of that…

(No matter what I do, just one sword won’t be enough against this foe…)

As Ox calmly judged the skill gap between him and the person before him, he took a step forward.

“…OOO!” [Ox Lord]

He let out a battle cry and quickly closed in on Ryouma.

He had already lost use of one of his hands. He knew that he couldn’t win with just one hand.

So what now? Will he just sit down and accept his defeat?

Ox has been in countless situations, where he was at a disadvantage or had to fight against a foe stronger than him.

And each time he would muster all of his strength and snatch victory from death’s jaws.

“!!” [Ox Lord]

An incomprehensible beastly howl resounded.

Within that was the very essence of Ox’s will… His way of life.

He mustered everything he had and released it along with a swing of his sword. Ryouma immediately judged that Ox’s attack was stronger than his and he took a step back.

“HAa!” [Ox]

“!” [Ryouma]

In the next instant, Ox released his sword and sent it flying toward Ryouma. Ryouma immediately brushed it away, but during that time, Ox drew his second sword. True to his fame of a dual swords wielder, the resulting attack when Ox unleashed his second blade was worthy of being named an instant kill. Two swords attacked Ryouma.

“Ryouma-kun!” [Reinhart]

For a moment, Ryouma and Ox passed by each other.

Reinhart-san cried out too late and the other two merchants couldn’t even react in time.

“Boss is fine. He was able to dodge.” [Fei]

Fei said with a hint of relief mixed in, but just when it seemed as if the two warriors would distance themselves from each other, the battle developed into a fierce exchange of swords.

“…What was that just now?　No. Before that, the sword, it…” [Serge]

“The sword floated!?” [Pioro]

Just as Serge and Pioro said, it seemed as if there was an invisible hand beyond Ox’s left wrist, holding the sword as it chased after Ryouma.

“It’s probably ‘Telekinesis’. A neutral-attribute spell that uses mana to move an object. He must be using that with Chantless Casting to compensate for his missing left hand.

Earlier he threw a sword to get Ryouma to drop his guard, then attacked with another sword. But he didn’t stop there and picked up his sword and slashed up from below. Unlike a real arm, with Telekinesis, he can somewhat ignore the distance.” [Reinhart]

“The boss deflected the sword that was thrown at him and stepped forward and attacked. Then he suppressed the right sword and the movements of his foe, and dodged the attack from the left. The opponent doesn’t have a left hand. He can only use one sword. The boss should’ve been fighting with that premise in mind, and yet he still managed to dodge Ox’s attack in that instant.” [Fei]

As Reinhart and Fei explained what happened, the fierce battle continued.

The right hand that actually existed and the left ‘hand’ formed by magic. The winds from the two swords caressed Ryouma’s cheeks and vanished.

They clashed three or four times in the span of a single breath. If Ryouma were to take even a single one of those attacks directly, he would surely suffer a great deal of damage. A barrage of attacks akin to that of a storm.

But Ryouma took that storm in stride, parrying or dodging each attack, while counterattacking during the gaps.

“Ahh… Wonderful… Truly wonderful.” [Orest]

“Orest. I hate to disturb you when you’re basking in the moment, but don’t you think you owe us an explanation?” [Reinhart]

Reinhart asked Moulton, who was busy watching the match of the two warriors.

Serge and Pioro stared daggers at him.

“I owe you an explanation?　All I’ve done is recommend a good slave to a customer. This is merely the result.” [Orest]

“And yet there are things you didn’t inform us about that very slave you recommended.” [Reinhart]

“You never mentioned anything about him being able to use a second sword using magic.” [Pioro]

“Well I did say that he was obsessed with the sword and that he couldn’t swing his sword like he used to after losing his left hand. It seems there might have been some misunderstandings.” [Orest]

Moulton said as aloof as ever.

“Your Grace, as you’ve mentioned yourself, that is indeed the neutral-attribute spell, ‘Telekinesis’. But I’m sure everyone knows that while the members of the beast tribe may have been blessed with a powerful body capable of many great feats, the mana they possess is less than the other races, making them ill-matched with magic. As someone from the minotaur tribe, even Ox Lord isn’t an exception.

It appears he wishes to fight Takebayashi-sama with all of his might, but alas… He can’t even maintain that state for 3 minutes, by the end of which, he will also be completely out of mana and be so exhausted that he won’t even be able to stand up by himself. Medicine can only heal so much, and depending on the situation, sometimes even it can’t help…” [Orest]