Chapter 41: Paper Ball

“This time it’s 30 seconds. I’m getting the hang of it. Let’s keep going!”

“Come on! You wooden block!”

***

“35 seconds.”

“Again.”

***

“A new move? No, I reacted wrong. I shouldn’t have blocked!”

“Again!”

***

“Not bad, you even started attacking with vines because of my pressure!”

“Last time!”

***

“Eh? Siloque, are you not fighting anymore?”

Cass didn’t understand why Siloque stopped at that moment.

Only one vine was left of the Maple Court Knight, yet Siloque took the initiative to stop and retreated back into the lake.

Siloque’s Lv hadn’t risen, but through countless brushes with death against the stronger Maple Court Knight, his AGI (Agility) stat had skyrocketed.

Now, he could whittle down the last vine of the Maple Court Knight without taking any damage.

Unlike Cass, who could use his innate for defense, Siloque—who was afraid of pain—had zero margin for error.

A single hit and he would basically lose all mobility.

By burning his nerves, he kept raising his reaction speed, fighting the Maple Court Knight with nothing but a 60R Greatsword.

Challenging the limits of his body.

“Cass, it’s your turn. I deliberately pushed it into phase two.”

“What? It has a second form?!”

Cass looked at the Maple Court Knight on the shore. The monster did seem strange.

The Maple Court Knight didn’t return to the Rune Maple Tree.

Instead, it suddenly bent over, the two blobs of red phosphorescent fire in its bucket-shaped helmet swelling.

As it straightened with a surge of battle aura, the deep green vines around it grew wildly and then turned deep red, like living flames, its body swelling to twice its original size.

“……………”

The Maple Court Knight silently looked down at Cass and Siloque in the lake.

Monsters couldn’t speak, but Cass felt…

“Siloque, does it look… angry to you?”

“Well, if an enemy kept buzzing around like a mosquito you couldn’t kill, you’d get pissed too.”

“I-I see. If you want me to take over, I will.”

Cass drew his Straight Sword, preparing for battle.

“If the last vine of the Maple Court Knight isn’t cut, it shifts to the next phase. The victory condition is still to sever all its vines. If you can beat phase one, I believe you can handle phase two.”

“Siloque, don’t tell me you planned to let me…”

Siloque nodded.

“….Alright, I’m going in. By the way, just two phases, right? There’s no third or anything?”

“……”

“Don’t go silent, Siloque!”

“Ah, no, no, there isn’t. Anyway, you can definitely do it.”

“Sheesh… I’m getting used to your style.”

“One last thing—watch the direction of its vines. Now it can use them for ranged attacks and set traps at your feet when you’re not looking, binding your movement, and also…”

Cass raised his hand, signaling there was no need to say more.

“I’ll figure out the rest in battle. Just hold the rope tight, Siloque. My life’s in your hands.”

Cass flashed a fearless grin and walked to the shore.

Damn it… show-off.

Siloque watched Cass face off against the Maple Court Knight, not worried at all that he would lose.

Cass’s talent could sap an opponent’s kinetic energy, but with his low Lv, the skill’s effect area was only palm-sized.

At first, Cass only used to nullify enemy attacks.

Now, Cass had learned to enchant the tip of his Straight Sword with .

As long as the enemy’s defensive shield wasn’t perfectly smooth—even with a tiny gap between atoms—the sword could “slide” through.

An unstoppable attack.

The reason for this application was simple.

Chopping vines one by one was exhausting. But if he could cut three at once…

The swift attacks of the Maple Court Knight forced Cass to turn theory into practice.

As the fight went on, he mastered the technique.

Cass grew rapidly.

So fast that Siloque felt like he was just leeching experience.

There was another reason Siloque targeted the Maple Court Knight—it fought a lot like Cliff.

Or rather, their talents were similar.

Cliff’s talent—Hunter’s Forest.

It was a domain-type ability that covered a radius of about 50 meters, turning the forest into his shelter.

Not only could he command vines for ranged attacks while moving, he could also merge into the woods, making it impossible for enemies to locate him.

It allowed both attack and defense.

In the first round, he dared to toy with Bried and Kersey in the dueling arena right in front of Cass because his talent concealed everything from outsiders.

“Tch.”

Siloque shook his head, banishing the unpleasant memory.

Anyway, the offensive drive and rhythm of a phase two Maple Court Knight was on a whole other level from Cliff’s, though its attack range was less.

If Cass could win, his chances against Cliff would increase by 40 percent.

Cass would probably have to fight for at least half an hour this time, just in time for the meeting with Hil to go home…

***

At the entrance of Siloque’s house.

“Huh? Why?”

“Hil refuses.”

“What about Uncle and Aunt…?”

“Hil refuses.”

Bried looked awkward.

The repeated rejection left Bried frozen in place.

She just wanted to visit Siloque, but she couldn’t even get through the door.

“Hil… are you hiding something?”

“Nope.”

Hil took the snack box, then suddenly leaned closer, making Bried jump.

“Bried-neesan, did you fall asleep and get confused? Hil wants to play games, and Bried-neesan has class tomorrow anyway. Big brother will find you for training, so you can ask him anything then. So, tomorrow, okay? Good night, Bried-neesan.”

“…Alright.”

With things at this point, Bried didn’t press further.

“Good night, Hil. It’s been a while—you’ve gotten cuter.”

“If Hil gets any cuter, the world might explode. Come play again sometime, Bried-neesan.”

Hil smiled and closed the door.

She leaned against it.

Looking at the snack box, her expression turned complicated.

She could just ignore big brother from now on.

But that strange intuition… and her pure, natural disposition…

Hil wasn’t good at handling it.

“Making a high school debut is amazing, big brother.”

A friendship that had been frozen for years warmed in less than a week.

Not much different from the Bried she remembered.

But her attitude was much more gentle than three years ago.

“You owe Hil one, Siloque-nii.”

Hil had noticed Siloque lied to Bried.

“Honestly, what’s so great about childhood friend routes.”

She’d thought the scent of perfume on Siloque last time was from Bried, but it wasn’t.

Bried smelled like a bakery.

Unlike the faint lavender fragrance she caught before.

Her opponent was more deeply hidden than she’d thought.

She had to become an Explorer quickly.

The more time they spent together, the more her big brother would see her charm…right?

“Although big brother is more interesting now, and even pats Hil’s head… Hil feels like he’s not hers anymore…”

Trying to sound cheerful, Hil hummed the victory BGM from the game as she put the snack box in the fridge.

***

Bried set off for home.

“Hil’s grown up, too. Those twin tails still suit her.”

Bried smiled warmly.

She hadn’t been able to see Siloque, but reestablishing their sisterly bond was good enough.

As kids, they played together all the time.

Now that she thought about it, when did they start drifting apart?

Bried realized she couldn’t remember how they’d become distant.

“Forget it…”

She decided not to dwell on it.

The past was in the past. What mattered was the present.

Bried enjoyed the cool night breeze, opening the iron fence gate that had stood at Siloque’s house for years with a creak.

“Trash?”

Years later, Bried would reflect that destiny often worked through coincidences like this.

When she’d arrived earlier, carrying the snack box, she hadn’t noticed her surroundings.

Now, with her hands free, she spotted a crumpled piece of paper under the gate.

Did it fall from a trash bag?

She picked it up and unfolded it.

At the top, in crooked red crayon, it read “Marriage Agreement.”

Two names were scrawled at the bottom.

Though messy, she could make them out.

“Ah……”

Bried was at a loss for words.