Chapter 49

" Heard it! Now that I know, I'll come straight for you! Get ready!"

Elinora-nee-san, who had crawled out of the hole, came along the path where my footprints remained, with a delighted look on her face.

Even though it's a snowball fight, it's strange that she's channeling magic into her fists and feet.

I think she's planning to punch, not just play a snowball fight.

Elinora-nee-san, who is coming straight for me, I throw snowballs at her.

The snowballs flying towards Elinora-nee-san, who is charging straight ahead, are all deflected by her fists.

"I don't get it!? The contents are ice blocks made with ice magic!?"

"These snowballs are unusually hard! What are you doing!?"

Why can she channel magic into only parts of her body, yet can't make hot water three times out of five?

It's still a mystery.

Elinora-nee-san, lowering her body, approaches me quickly.

"Toll! I'm borrowing your snowballs!"

"O-Oh!?"

Since making snow won't be in time, I use the non-elemental magic Psychic to levitate ten of Toll's snowballs. Of course, the contents are reinforced with ice magic, making them ice blocks in name only.

I throw them at the approaching Elinora-nee-san from all directions.

The speed is incomparable to throwing snowballs.

Each one has the power to knock her down with a single hit, yet none of them seem to hit.

Elinora-nee-san twists her soft body and moves like she's crawling on the ground.

The ice blocks she judges will hit are shattered with her proud fists and kicks.

I don't understand. Not at all. When did Elinora-nee-san change her job from a swordsman to a boxer?

All the ice blocks are shattered by Elinora-nee-san's body, scattering like crystals. Amidst the silver powder, her brown ponytail swings wildly. It must have looked beautiful to others, but to me, it looks terrifying.

"Give up!"

I throw a regular snowball at the approaching Elinora-nee-san.

"Huh! Now you're throwing such a thing!"

She sniffs and tries to deflect it with a relaxed expression, but I change its trajectory with Psychic.

"What!?"

Originally, it was aimed at her face, but it grazes her arm and hits her chest.

*Thud!*

The sound was like it hit something hard.

...

...

...

...

It's no good... If I laugh now... I'll be killed.

What a cruel world. To make such a difference in the chest area.

I look at Elinora-nee-san's chest, where the snowball has collapsed, and fine snow is flowing down, like sliding down a flat slope.

It's a stark contrast to Shira-san.

"Ha ha ha"

Ah, no good. I couldn't help but laugh.

Thinking I would be killed, I raise my gaze to see Elinora-nee-san, as expected, with her shoulders shaking.

"I demand a small fireball that can burn anything!"

The spell, chanted in frustration, gathers magic in Elinora-nee-san's palm, creating a burning fireball. It is launched with great force, melting our ice wall.

All the snow in its path melts, revealing the original ground. The power is as strong as ever. She's only good at making it unnecessarily hot.

The villagers exclaim in awe, while Toll and Asmo scream.

"Al! It's bad! Our defense wall!"

"It's hot! The balls are melting!"

"Wait! I'll rebuild it!"

Aiming at the supply team is so unfair!

"Will you let me do that? Emma! Lend me your wooden sword!"

"Here!"

With Emma-nee-san's stern voice, the thrown wooden sword lands perfectly in Elinora-nee-san's hand. Damn, to carry a wooden sword even on a day like this.

"Toll, Asmo! Get ready to regroup!"

"Got it!"

"Al, I won't let you escape! This humiliation... I won't forgive it."

I want to retreat too, but the sister in front of me won't allow it.

With the ice wall gone and the snow underfoot melted, Toll and Asmo retreat to a house.

But the enemy won't let them escape, and happily throws snowballs. Toll, who was in front, seems to be lagging behind.

Asmo hides behind the house, and Toll finally reaches the side of the house.

"Alright! If we hide behind the house, we're safe!"

"Shira! Aim for that!"

"Got it!"

Snowballs are launched from both of their hands, hitting the icicles hanging from the roof.

"Ha! What are you aiming at... Oh!"

Toll narrowly avoids the icicles falling from above by diving.

"Welcome, Toll."

"...Ah."

Toll, who leaned forward, is immediately pinned down by Emma-nee-san.

N-No, I'm not jealous or anything.

Meanwhile, Asmo seems to have noticed that Toll is in danger.

This is bad.

Then I see the icicles from earlier and have an idea, giving Asmo an order.

"Asmo! Tackle that house!"

Asmo, understanding my intention, nods with a dark smile.

The others still don't seem to understand what's happening, looking puzzled.

Right, let's sink the enemy along with Toll. This is kindness. What happens to a soldier captured by the enemy. This is a chance to eliminate the enemy completely, not to make a sacrifice... definitely not. This is the correct judgment of a commander.

"Toll, don't take it personally."

"...What?"

"What is it?"

"Is he going to do something?"

The sound of Asmo from behind the house makes Toll and Emma-nee-san, who had pinned him down, freeze.

Then, the house is hit with a shock, creaking.

*What is he doing to my house! It'll break!*

*Just calm down*

*It's getting interesting, be quiet*

*O-Oh, interesting!?!*

Then, a large amount of snow slides down the sloping roof and lands on Toll and Emma-nee-san.

It's a snow slide. A winter trick often used on friends under a tree.

"Uwaaaah---"

"Kyaaaaaa---"

Their screams are cut off before they can finish.

However, Shira-san stopped before reaching the house, so they are safe. Well, Asmo can handle it one-on-one---

"Why is Asmo buried too!?"

Looking at Asmo to confirm, I see him buried on the opposite side of Toll.

I-I don't understand. Did he not predict that it would fall on his side too?

"Ah, ah, this is no good. It's a retirement."

Laughing, I dig out Toll and the others. It seems Shira-san has switched to the rescue team.

Now only Elinora-nee-san and I are left.

"You tried all sorts of tricks, but it looks like a total defeat."

Elinora-nee-san, with her sword ready, gives a warlike smile.

She still seems full of energy.

What should I do? My comrades are all out, and I have no snowballs, so I can't use Psychic.

It's too disadvantageous to fight Elinora-nee-san. Actually, I just realized, she's going to attack with a wooden sword... Should I just throw ice blocks with ice magic? No, that feels scary for later, so I'll hold off. There's no more snowball fight to use as an excuse.

Other snowballs... Ah, there is one. A super large one.

The moment I think of it--- I channel magic into my feet and jump onto the roof of the house.

"...What are you planning?"

Elinora-nee-san raises a cautionary voice, but I answer with a smile.

From the roof, I can see the mayor's house. I lift the large snowball there with Psychic.

Wow, it's a bit heavy and hard to control, but it's fine.

*What is that?*

*Is that a huge snowball!?*

*...Where did it come from?*

*Was it blocking the mayor's house?*

*Ah, that super hard snow that no one could move?*

*The mayor can't go out until the snow melts. That's a disappointment.*

The villagers murmur as they see the floating giant snowball.

Then I launch the snowball at Elinora-nee-san.

It's not very fast due to its mass, but it will cause a lot of damage if it hits. However, it won't hit Elinora-nee-san.

"There's no way I'll be hit by such a big snowball!"

"Is that so?"

To that end, I launch a large fireball, infused with high magic, into the launched snowball.

It hits the center of the snowball perfectly, causing an explosion and breaking it apart.

The giant snowball shatters, and many compressed snow blocks, now as hard as ice, rain down.

I control all the ice blocks that might hit the villagers or houses with Psychic. This way, no one gets hurt, and I can use them as my ammunition. Two birds with one stone.

Elinora-nee-san, who is closest, is not hit by the ice blocks but is seen crouching and running around, swinging her wooden sword.

She dances, slicing the rain of ice blocks with her wooden sword. Sometimes she deflects and redirects them, and other times she cancels them by making them collide with each other.

It's difficult to predict the trajectory of the ice blocks, yet she moves brilliantly.

Is she really human? Her physical abilities surpass those of a human. Even in the midst of the ice storm, her sharp gaze pierces through to me.

I judge that I can't defeat Elinora-nee-san with just the ice blocks from the shattering, so I launch additional ice blocks that I had previously controlled. A continuous barrage of attacks, one after another, aimed at Elinora-nee-san. The rain of ice blocks from earlier has stopped, but the attacks are relentless.

If I don't act, I'll be defeated. Despite being in a dominant position, I feel anxious.

This is because my intuition tells me that if she gets any closer, I'll be killed. I can't let her get close. Those eyes are dangerous.

I launch over a hundred ice blocks with Psychic, but only one hits. The same trick won't work twice. I've been changing the trajectory unpredictably, but they are all deflected. It's as if she can read my thoughts.

What's going on?

I realize there are no ice blocks around me. In a panic, I try to use Psychic to lift the fallen ice blocks to replenish my supply.

Seizing the opportunity, Elinora-nee-san runs towards me at high speed.

I hastily throw a few ice blocks to intercept her, but she uses the remaining ice wall as a shield and a foothold to attack me.

"Fall down!"

"Ah!"

I thought of extending an ice wall, but my sixth sense whispered that it would be split in two, so I used the shield as a foothold to escape into the air.

I keep doing this, jumping higher and higher.

"Wait!"

Behind me, Elinora-nee-san uses my shields to approach me in the same way.

How far will she chase me!?

I quickly dissolve the shield to prevent her from climbing up, but Elinora-nee-san jumps up before it disappears.

She's been using things made by human magic as footholds.

I extend a shield to the next foothold and jump. At that moment, I extend an ice wall vertically behind me.

"Wh-What!?"

Looking back, I see Elinora-nee-san with her sword stuck in the ice wall, barely hanging on.

Seeing the wall easily pierced by the wooden sword, I am stunned.

Phew, it's a good thing I didn't use the ice wall for defense just now. I'm glad I trusted my intuition.

Anyway, I need to make Elinora-nee-san understand the situation.

"Hey, Elinora-nee-san, do you realize how high we are?"

"...Huh?..."

Elinora-nee-san, surprised by my question, slowly looks down.

Unlike the ground, a cold, strong wind is blowing. Below, the villagers are tiny, and the houses are small. Even our mansion is visible.

Elinora-nee-san's face turns pale as she takes in the view.

"......Th-That..."

"Let's go down now, shall we?"

"Wait! Me too!"

"I'm not messing with ice statues, you know."

"But Al and the others said you did."

"How do we get down? We could make a long slide with ice magic. Of course, I'll go alone."

"Ah! I'm sorry for doubting you!"

"And...?"

"Eh? Is there something else?"

"If the match continues, we should continue it."

"......I give up."

"Huh? What? I can't hear you."

"I give up!"

Elinora-nee-san, with a half-crying face, shouts.

On this day, Alfrid managed to win against Elinora-nee-san for the first time.