Chapter 30

After preparing to intrude, Irene took a deep breath, pulled back her fist, and assumed a striking stance.

"Wait, wait, you don't have to break the window. You can take down an opponent like that without a scratch."

"Ah, but it's cooler to break the window and barge in with a 'crash!'"

"The glass here is of poor quality and will shatter easily. If glass flies into the room, the inn staff will have a hard time cleaning up later."

"Oh, right. The inn staff haven't done anything wrong, so it would be bad to break the window."

Irene clapped her hands and listened to me sincerely.

"But if something gets broken during the fight, it can't be helped. We can make the opponent pay for it, right?"

"Well, that's true... but try not to destroy the building while fighting."

"Got it! Let's do this!"

Indeed, she is straightforward and sincere, but she can also be a bit thoughtless at times.

Thinking about the inn staff in this situation might seem leisurely, but I don't want rumors to spread that the 'Masked Rescuer' destroyed the inn. I know I pay attention to the details.

"Since the door isn't locked, I'll just go in from the front. Excuse me!"

With a click, she opened the window and entered. The four men inside were so taken aback by her bold intrusion that their reactions were a beat late.

Irene jumped through the window frame and landed silently in the room. Amid the stunned silence, she waved her hand casually.

"W-What are you? A thief, or one of the kingdom's agents?"

"Lord Rague, we must—"

"What are you doing? Call the hired men! It's an intruder, do something—"

"What do you plan to do?"

"Ah!?"

Irene instantly moved behind the man who tried to call for help and placed her hand on his shoulder.

Even with her coat on, she wasn't particularly agile, but her movements were terrifying. Even a tiger person, known for their agility, would raise the white flag against her speed.

"I haven't done anything yet. I was just about to. But it might be boring with you guys. You're not worth me going all out... but you've been saying some pretty nasty things. Oh, the bodyguards seem to be decent fighters."

"R-Run while you can—"

"Hmm, but you're right. D... no, that person is fine, but I don't want others to see me fight."

In an instant, Irene's form split into four, moving behind the four men. What should have been just afterimages struck the men and then converged back into one—like magic, but purely through her physical prowess and footwork. Her speed was so incredible that her techniques seemed to lag behind.

The four men collapsed without even a groan. I saw, however, that Irene had held back with Rague, likely to interrogate him later.

My current form is a small sphere of magic, with a combat rating of about 50,000, equivalent to an SS-rank adventurer. Even at this level, I can barely see her speed—this is the strength of Irene, who exceeds 100,000 in adventurer strength through close combat alone.

"That was the Superior Combat Technique, 'Asura Phantom Fist.' Sorry, I used a boring technique to take you down."

To the observer, it was far from boring. The skill difference was so vast that Irene wasn't even breaking a sweat—she was just playing around.

"Next, the bodyguards... you're not empty-handed, right? Is there something hidden under that cloak?"

"Irene, be careful! They're throwing something!"

One of the bodyguards, a short man, flung his cloak and threw a hidden knife.

Irene grinned, her long braid flying as she knocked the incoming knives away with her fists. With a satisfying clack, the two knives were deflected and embedded in the wall.

"Pretty fast, but aiming for a girl's face is a bit much."

"Damn...!"

He probably didn't expect such a defense, but the man quickly readied another throw.

"Move, I'll take care of it! Wooo!"

The other bodyguard, fed up, charged with his sword, aiming to stab Irene. Irene stood gracefully and smiled.

"You thought having a blade would give you an edge against an unarmed opponent?"

"Shut up!"

Taking her words as a provocation, the black-haired, headband-wearing man lunged with all his might—only to be evaded.

"Here I go!"

With a light battle cry, Irene dodged the thrust and placed her hand on the man's head, jumping up—such a maneuver would be impossible for anyone with average agility.

Her coat flared, and her long legs, visible through the deep slits in her skirt, were exposed.

"Here, catch this!"

"Wha...!"

She then threw her coat at the man about to throw a knife—the knives he threw embedded in the coat, tearing it.

I thought she had thrown it to protect herself, but it seemed she had another reason.

"Hey! That was a favorite coat from D... no, that person! I'm so mad!"

While it might seem odd to complain after throwing it, the coat was a guild-issued item, and the damage would be a necessary expense.

"Don't underestimate me!"

The man who had his thrust evaded by Irene was also A-rank—no pushover. His counterattack, a slash from behind, was executed with a familiar sword technique, showing impressive skill.

But it was still just impressive. To Irene, it was like a slow-motion replay.

"—Ha!"

Irene shouted and planted her feet. The 'Thunder Step' technique she used was a preparatory stance for her next lethal strike.

She dodged the enemy's horizontal slash by dropping her body and then, from a low stance, delivered an upward palm strike.

There was a crack—the sword broke under the force of Irene's blow, hitting a weak point on the blade.

And that wasn't the end—she used the momentum to launch herself upward, slamming her back and shoulder into the bodyguard behind her.

The Superior Combat Technique, 'Rakshasa Star Heaven Strike.' Her beautiful legs extended, focusing all her power on the impact point—there was a sickening crunch, and the bodyguard flew backward, hitting the wall. He clung to it for a few seconds before finally falling to the ground.

The other bodyguard didn't run. Seeing an opening after Irene's technique, he threw another knife—B-rank adventurers wouldn't be able to dodge it, that was the difference between A-rank and B-rank.

But Irene was SSS-rank. No matter how disadvantaged her position seemed, she wouldn't leave an opening against an A-rank opponent—that was the stark difference in power.

"—Ha!"

Irene instantly regained her balance and kicked—her beautiful white leg deflected the knife with precision, and her divine technique began.

She controlled the force of her kick, only slightly lifting the knife.

Then, while rotating, she kicked the airborne knife again. The level of physical ability required for such a move was beyond comprehension—I could only watch in awe.

"Ugh... a monster...!"

The kicked knife pierced the shoulder of the bodyguard's coat and pinned him to the door.

Irene walked over to the now overwhelmed man, placed her hands on her hips, and asked,

"I'll bill you for the door repair. Our boss is very thorough about such things."

"...Huh?"

Irene performed a light 'Thunder Step,' causing the floor to tremble, and then delivered her signature move to the poor bodyguard.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!"

Irene delivered rapid strikes at a speed that couldn't be seen. The impact traveled through the man, leaving countless dents in the door.

"Ugh..."

The bodyguard's clothes were shredded, and he fainted, eyes rolled back. Irene was genuinely angry about the coat being torn. I felt a bit uncomfortable, but the enemy who had provoked her was also pitiful.

Irene sighed, and with no one left to move or watch, she performed a flashy kick and struck a pose.

"I won't let any evil deeds go unpunished! I can't ignore those in need! The absolutely invincible 'Masked Rescuer' is here!"

Of course, no one was listening, but why do she and Miralca always announce themselves after defeating the enemy? Is it really necessary? I understand the desire to stand out, but it must feel good to do it.

"Miralca and I have different opinions about catchphrases."

"What did Miralca say? Yuma and I are going to discuss and decide on one. Mine is cooler, right?"

"It's close... but I really didn't have anything to do."

"I'm also holding back my strength. Oh, is Dick stronger than these people? Want to spar a bit?"

"I'll pass. More importantly, what Rague said is a problem. Irene, can you guard Manalina and the others? I know it's another job, but—"

"Sure. What about these people? Should we ask the guild members to detain them?"

The three men other than Rague and the two bodyguards showed no signs of waking up. If Rague's movements were restrained, Vincebruck would realize his plans were being thwarted.

"Let's get more information from Rague first. Hey, when is Belvekia attacking?"

"...Belvekia... according to the last communication... tomorrow... Lord Jean and I... have a falling out... I was just used..."

As expected, Jean, unable to obtain the princess, was deemed unnecessary by Belvekia and was forced to build a road before being discarded.

"Did you plan to survive by selling your country?"

"...At the border fort, I arranged for my subordinates... to surrender when Belvekia attacks... Ugh!"

Before I could say anything, Irene headbutted Rague. This was her attack when she was truly angry—orc heads are hard, so the impact was greater than it looked.

"What if Albein really loses? You need to punish those who listen to people like this. Dick, is it okay to do it?"

"I understand your feelings, but wait. Before Belvekia reaches the border, we should show them the difference in power. Irene, can you deliver a message to Cordy before guarding Manalina?"

"Sure. Cordy will be happy to be called by Dick. Dick is... a friend, right?"

"Did you almost say something ominous...? Never mind, let's leave it to the Radiant Sword Hero."

The Kingdom of Albein has us, the Demon Lord's extermination team, disguised as the 'Masked Rescuer,' with our absolute power.

The best person to show Belvekia our strength is him.

The Radiant Sword, Cordy. With his power, it will be easy to show the futility of fighting the Belvekia army.

"Oh, right. I did a lot of spinning kicks earlier, but Dick, you were in a position to see, right?"

"...I'll remain silent."

"Ah, well, I was wearing some nice underwear today, but I didn't mean to show it! Forget it, really!"

"I think I saw something white, but I'll pretend it was my imagination."

"Wait, make it red! Not white!"

While I didn't see the full extent of her 'Seductive and Demonic' reputation, watching Irene fight was as graceful as a dancer's performance.