Chapter 57

"Here comes Takano Ran!"

"Here comes Takano Suya!"

The moment the piglet cast a spell at me, the battle log appeared. It seems the battle with the mother and child set had begun.

So, before the mother could stop her, Miu stepped forward and approached Ran. If he attacks, she'll counter. She'll show him a playful tussle. It's a cute tussle, so I hope everyone will be captivated.

I don't know what Ran's goal is, but it's probably something a punk would think of. It's nothing serious. That's for sure.

Because he put my parents in danger. He's definitely an idiot. If he just played with horses and deer, it would be fine, but he shouldn't have come in front of me.

However, if I show too much of my true self to my parents, they might think I'm delinquent, so I'll hold back a little in terms of mood while closing the distance with Ran and check his level.

"Takano Ran: Level 37"

For the heir of a count's family, his level is surprisingly low. In the game, the high-ranking nobles I beat up usually had levels over 40. But this phenomenon shows a characteristic unique to reality. That is, he's not wearing 'Magic Armor.' If he had it equipped, his level would be higher.

This is because the method of checking levels in the game has been adapted to the characteristics of reality. 'Investigate' is a command to check the level and strength of an enemy from the player's perspective. Since strength equals level, the enemy's level can change depending on their equipment. I noticed this because the levels of Yakei and the others were usually much lower.

However, this punk has this level without wearing 'Magic Armor.' He's quite strong. The heir of a count's family isn't just for show. But I won't lose. I'll show him the power of a reinforced human from the game.

"Take this!"

I quicken my step, accelerate, and close the distance. Surprised by the unexpected speed, Ran's eyes widen, but since he's good at fighting, he immediately assumes a stance and faces me.

I lean forward, accelerate, and dive in. Ran throws a fist wrapped in wind.

"Brat! Feel the difference in combat experience!"

'Wind Strike Punch'

Wrapping his arm in a tornado with a magical blade, Ran throws a punch. The smooth motion of his punch suggests he's been practicing seriously. Even a graze from the tornado, which carries the force of a physical blade, would easily tear me to shreds.

Does he not know the meaning of holding back? He seems possessed by a horse and a deer, so he probably doesn't know. Or he might be counting on healing magic. He probably thinks that even if he injures me, I can heal myself with recovery magic. He's truly a scumbag.

The approaching stormy fist blows my hair back and aims to hit me with its terrifying spiral wind. The movement of his punch is practiced, showing he knows the basics of martial arts.

But it won't reach me.

'Thief Step II (Thief Step)'

I change my stepping foot into a complex step, swaying my body rhythmically to increase my speed.

"What!"

With small, complex steps, Miu moves quickly, leaving afterimages that make it hard to tell where she is, and Ran's eyes widen in shock.

Ran, undaunted, continues to throw punches. The storm rages, and several punches aimed to tear Miu's body apart approach, but I observe them calmly.

I sway my body to the side, sliding to avoid Ran's punch with ease. The wind makes my gray hair flutter.

Glancing at Ran's punch as it passes by my side, I close the distance even more. The skill 'Thief Step II' increases my speed by 40%.

In the game, increasing speed doesn't significantly raise the evasion rate, so I rarely used this skill. Skills and magic that increase speed often have poor effects, which is a common template in games. Even with increased speed, dodging enemy attacks is quite difficult.

But in reality, the effect of skills changes dramatically. With high speed, I can maintain an advantage throughout.

It seems this punk is good at fighting with a 30% focus on physical techniques and 70% on magic. This is because he's trying to damage me with the storm wrapped around his fist rather than hitting me directly.

My battle knowledge tells me that his fighting style is that of a mage. Then, there's no problem. It's my turn.

"It's a playful tussle!"

Finally, I've closed the distance to where my short limbs can reach, so I crouch low and kick at Ran's legs.

'Trip Kick'

The martial art 'Trip Kick.' Magic power gathers in Miu's leg, turning it into a fast, wind-like spinning kick that knocks out Ran's right leg, which was his support.

"Ugh!"

Without support, Ran falls on his butt and groans in pain. His movements slow down, probably due to the pain.

'Trip Kick' doesn't deal damage but has a high chance of causing a 'Stun' status, stopping the enemy's movement for one turn. I see, this is how it works in reality.

"Follow-up attack!"

I stomp the ground hard, jump high, and align my toes to aim at the fallen Ran.

"Brat!"

'Storm Wall'

The fallen Ran immediately casts a spell at me. The area in front of him darkens, and a localized storm wall forms, as if in a box. It seems he's good at storm-based magic, as his name suggests.

If I rush in, I'll get hurt. I can heal, but... this is my best outfit today.

"Ugh"

I spin my body to change direction, give up on the follow-up attack, and land on the ground. If my precious clothes get torn, I'll cry my eyes out. Miu is a cute girl. My body and mind would be overwhelmed by the tears.

"Hmph. You're just a fake mage who can't fight! You can't stand up to my magic!"

Ran, mistaking my fear for his magic, smirks confidently, stands up, and crosses his arms.

"Wind, gather!"

He chants sloppily, gathering mana in his arms. I can see the mana gathering, the faintly glowing green particles flowing into his arms.

"Is it visible during battles?"

I nod in understanding. Indeed, it would be problematic if mana wasn't visible during battles. It's both practical and visually appealing.

I realize this new, rather trivial game feature, but Ran's technique, with its charging time, seems powerful.

To do this at a royal party where children gather is beyond just being possessed by a horse and a deer. This punk has no sense of the situation at all.

I'm taken aback, but his magic might still be dangerous. I decide to use a martial art to stop him, but my resolve is pleasantly betrayed.

Countless leaves dance in the gathering wind, mixing in. The avalanche-like leaves cover Ran's face, and he frantically tries to dispel them by waving his arms wildly.

"What the hell? Why are there so many leaves?"

Despite trying to remove them, the leaves keep coming like a muddy stream, causing Ran to panic. A mischievous girl's voice taunts him.

'Leaf Avalanche Technique'

"Uncle, play with me too. Let's play a lot~"

Waving the hem of her kimono like a butterfly, Tamamo, who has transformed into a fox girl, grins. She waves her arms, spins her body, dances, and sways her fox tail, moving her fox ears, and casts her magic.

She gives me a V sign, and I smile and nod in approval. Miu's friends are all good kids.

"Don't underestimate us, brats!"

'Wind'

The punk, with those words, releases a burst of wind from his body, blowing away the leaves. The magical wind must have dispelled the leaf magic. The leaves that were dancing so much disappear as if they were an illusion. At least he can make timely battle judgments.

But Ran's magic is over.

"Ugh, what is this?"

Fine threads of light are wrapped around Ran's neck and limbs, taut and ready to cut into his skin if he moves.

Five glowing crystal orbs, like marbles, are deployed around Ran, and the threads of light are emitted from these crystals.

'Light Thread Binding Array'

"It's best not to move, Mr. Takano Ran, while you're not wearing 'Magic Armor.' These threads have quite a sharp edge."

The calm voice belongs to Tamamo's father. The ring on his index finger glows, and his expression is cold as he narrows his eyes at Ran.

"Damn, you magic item user! Do you think you can get away with this?"

"That's my line. I didn't expect you to cause a disturbance at this party. Does the head of your family know about this?"

"Shut up! I'm from the Count's family—"

Ignoring the shouting Ran, I dash forward and leap.

"Playful Tussle Kick!"

"Ugh"

As a daughter, I'll return the favor for what her father did. I kick Ran's shocked face with my right foot, then spin my body and deliver a heel drop. I'll show the results of my somersault training.

"Playful Tussle Heel Drop!"

"Oof"

A cute, chick-like voice for the follow-up attack. The kick lands on his head with a thud, and Ran groans in pain, swaying.

"Hey, Mii-chan, be careful!"

Fearing that the kick will blow him away and the threads will cut his neck, Tamamo's father hurriedly dispels the threads. But there's no need to panic.

I land on the ground and point at the fallen punk, announcing loudly for everyone to hear.

"Uncle, it's okay. This person has a 'Magic Barrier' deployed."

"What! You're wearing a combat magic suit?"

Tamamo's father exclaims in surprise, and the crowd murmurs in disbelief. They didn't expect him to have a 'Magic Barrier' deployed.

"Hmph, it's for self-defense. For self-defense. Damn, why did the brat's attack penetrate it? Is it defective?"

Ran stands up, showing his frustration, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth. Yeah, 'Magic Barrier' is just a defense for me. I can penetrate it and deal damage.

When I did the 'Trip Kick,' I felt a strange sensation. This punk had a weak, invisible 'Magic Barrier' deployed. His clothes must be special. That's why I, with my bare hands, could attack without hesitation. Thieves' bare hands don't deal much damage. Mii-chan could have taken him down even without a 'Magic Barrier.' No comment, please.

"For self-defense? If it's for self-defense, it should be a more powerful 'Magic Barrier.' It doesn't need to be invisible and should react to surprise attacks. It's not always deployed. Did you come here planning to fight from the start?"

Tamamo's father, in a questioning tone, spits blood-tinged saliva on the ground, looking uninterested.

"Ha, you don't know."

"Brother... Why are you doing this?"

The father, whose body has recovered, asks Ran in a calm but angry voice. I think this punk's thought process is bugged.

"There's no brother better than me. I just wanted to show you a bit of my power."

"......Are you talking about our childhood? I'm different from the past."

"Hah! Just because a recovery mage brat was born, you think that changes things? You're still weak. If you understand, hand over that girl to me."

"Huh?"

The father, trying to have a serious conversation, is taken aback by the unexpected response. Yeah, I get it. Why does he need to hand over Miu just because he's weak? Is this punk actually an alien? The story doesn't make sense.

"Can you protect her? That's why I, the next head of the Takano Count's family, am offering to take her in."

"I thought you were an idiot, but... I am weak. But I want to protect Miu and my wife, and I won't hand her over to you, Mr. Ran."

The father, holding his head in pain, says. Yeah, this alien's thought process isn't human. Maybe he's from Mars? Or is he a squid in human form?

Everyone falls silent at the absurdity, while Ran remains confidently smug.

He's so stupid, he might even get away with calling this a party attraction. Maybe he can bluff his way out by making animal sounds. Are sheep "baa baa"?

He's so ridiculous, it's almost entertaining.