Enns was the higher-ranked fighter. That much was certain.
He could probably fight Alveld on even terms, at least.
But Axe stood his ground and fought valiantly.
No — he did even better than that.
It was a spectacular fight.
Before I knew it, I was on my feet, applauding.
Ruriha and Mineha, both perched on my shoulders, were clapping too.
Celeste was clapping. Emmy was clapping.
The other first-class delvers as well — oh wait, Narcissus was there too... crying.
Um, maybe that wasn't something I needed to see. He was clapping while crying.
He seemed genuinely moved.
Maybe he wasn't such a bad person after all?
Evening.
A gentle, cool breeze blew softly.
Still riding the lingering heat of the exhibition match, I wandered the streets alone.
From one corner of the city to the next, every manner of stall lined both sides of the roads.
All sorts of voices echoed back and forth.
"Mom, buy me that one!"
"Come on, you already got that one."
"That fight today was incredible, huh."
"I think I'll aim to go further as a delver."
"Are Axe and Ens brothers? They looked alike, didn't they?"
"Hmm. That Ens — he looked just like the young man I helped out twenty years ago."
"Ah, I'm starving. Is Seedle Hall packed again?"
"Wanna go to Gauro's place?"
"That cafeteria's crowded too."
"Ugh, seriously?"
"Take that — One-Slash Demon Sever!"
"What is this. Some kind of Fang move."
"Hey, stop squirming!"
"Cheap, cheap! Hydrangea's famous Hero Yaki!"
"Skewers — skewers! Hero meat skewers!"
"You can only eat it here. Hero-stamped Pan Yaki! Pan Yaki — sweet and delicious — Pan Yaki! Pan Yaki!"
"The rivalry~ showdown~ their fates~ entwined~ ♪"
Hydrangea was seething—erupting, a city in a frenzy. The white-hot excitement stretched on without end.
I'd never seen Hydrangea like this before.
Maybe that was why the lingering heat continued to smolder gently inside my chest.
It felt pleasant. I walked through the Fountain Plaza.
The Fountain Plaza had become a festival of street performers.
Street performers of every kind put on their shows.
Knife juggling. Ring toss. Ball-rolling. Music. Dancing. Every act was magnificent.
"Whoa!"
"Beautiful…"
"She's gorgeous…"
"What a dance!"
What was that? A crowd was forming over there.
I got a little curious and went to take a look.
At the center of the onlookers, in a wide open space, a single girl was dancing.
She wore a dancer's outfit like a pale leotard, draped in thin, ethereal cloth.
A beautiful girl with long two-tone hair in blue and green, streaming behind her.
Her eyes were mismatched too — one blue, one green. With a lovely smile, she danced fiercely and gracefully.
"…'The Dancing Princess of Water and Wind'?"
That was right. I had met her at Cider Hall and seen her at the meeting.
It was Rorif, the first-class delver known as "The Dancing Princess of Water and Wind."
Standing apart from the crowd was a tall knight in full armor.
Her…
escort.
The atmosphere around her was heavy.
She nailed a high-speed turn balanced on one leg.
Two steps. Triple. Turn. Incredible. No hesitation, no disruption in the movement.
She danced fiercely and precisely, as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
When she finished, coins rained down along with the applause.
Lorif bounced up and caught them with a grin.
That was something nice to see.
I tossed a few coins myself, though not much.
Still, a Class I delver doing street performance — that was surprising.
Anyway, time to head to the stalls on the main street.
My stomach was starting to get nicely hungry.
The main street from the square was crowded beyond belief, so I took the side roads and back alleys.
A local's shortcut. Almost nobody around.
"Well then, first—"
Grab something rare to eat at a stall.
"Hey, what are you — let go of me!"
Again. I sighed. At the end of the narrow path.
A woman was about to be dragged off into a nearby alley by a group of men.
Six of them. Dressed like delvers. Ugly faces. Same old story.
She wore a robe with a hood pulled up.
A big-framed guy had her by the arm, dragging her along by force.
Her resistance was useless. They pulled her into the alley. I followed.
"Uwaaaah!"
Just as I reached the alley, I stopped hearing a woman's scream and started hearing a man's instead.
"Kyaaaah! My arm! My arm!"
"W-what the hell are you?!"
"Don't come any closer! Don't come any closer!"
Wh-what was going on? Something was clearly off here.
I peeked around the corner into the back alley and saw... ugh. What was this.
There was a man who'd lost an arm, another man who'd lost a leg while trying to flee, and a corpse.
And a woman with her hood pulled low was looking right at me.
"Wof. Don't tell me—this was your doing?!"
"Huh?"
"You're getting back at me for what happened back there, aren't you?!"
"H-hey, what are you talking about?"
"You're the lowest of the low!"
She suddenly lunged at me.
In her hand was a translucent, square-shaped—no way.
"Banish!"
"Whoa—Banish?!"
I reflexively countered with Banish.
That's when her hood came off. Purple hair and eyes were clearly visible.
"Ms. Narcissus!?"
If she's a second coming of Generous, then naturally she can use Banish too.
But hers is square. Or rather, she's misunderstanding something.
"Die! Die! You womanizer! Player! Party boy!"
"I-I'm not!"
"Enemy of women!"
"Whoa, wait, let me talk!"
My round Banish and her square Banish collided head-on.
Two different vanishing effects clashed and warped the space between them.
Damn, this is tricky since they're both Banish.
Narcissus stopped. Maybe she finally cleared up the misunderstanding.
"I still can't accept it."
"What!?"
The translucent square Banish in Narcissus's hand stretched out long and narrow.
It became like a stick, and its movements changed. Wait, seriously!?
Ignoring my shock, she closed the distance in a flash and swung it down.
Not good! I blocked with my Banish, and it burst apart. Huh?
Narcissus skillfully rotated her arm and wrist, wielding the Banish stick with fierce resolve.
I blocked several strikes with Banish, but only my Banish got sent flying.
Even so, I managed to create some distance.
"Hah… hah… hah…"
I steadied my ragged breathing.
Bad, bad, this is bad. Only my Banish was getting deflected on contact.
What am I supposed to do…!
I never imagined Banish could change like that — and that hers would be stronger than mine.
Narcissus clicked her tongue.
"Tch. I can see it coming, so you think you can dodge? But still—"
The shape of her Banish stick shifted. The tip elongated and warped, curving into a sickle.
A chill ran through me. My spine went cold in an instant.
"How about this?"
"Wha—"
This would — kill me. Instinct screamed and I activated Deep Pensive.
Narcissus's footwork was light and fast… she'd closed the gap.
"Eaaat thiiiis! Slash!"
With a fierce war cry she swung the Banish sickle sideways.
Terrifying. Absolutely terrifying.
But — reading the timing of that sweep with icy precision, I aimed and fired.
"Banish."
"!"
My Banish shattered — but at the same time, it knocked her Banish sickle hard aside.
Narcissus jumps back, startled.
"What was that just now? That glowing blue eye of yours… what is it?"
She holds her Banish scythe pointed downward, on guard.
Her purple eyes fix sharply on me.
"Narcissus, it's a misunderstanding. I have nothing to do with these people."
"Then why are you here?"
"I happened to see someone being dragged away and came to help. I have no connection to them. Please believe me."
All the men are dead. Cause of death is probably blood loss.
They got what they deserved for touching things they shouldn't have, so I feel no sympathy.
But setting that aside, how did this misunderstanding even happen?
Narcissus looks troubled, then eventually nods.
"…I suppose that's true."
"Oh, you believe me?"
"Now that I think about it — I hate to admit it, but those weren't the kind of people who'd sink low enough to use methods like that."
"Sink low?"
I don't really understand, but she seems to have come around.
Narcissus dispels her Banish scythe.
"Oh, if you can use Banish…"
"?"
"Could you help me clean them up?"
"?"
I tilted my head to the side.