Chapter 45

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I'm sorry for the abrupt ending m(_ _)m

"Still, it's amazing you didn't die."

Vaiz, holding a knife, spoke to me without moving a step.

"I did apply the medicine properly, though..."

It seems he can't quite believe I'm still here.

"Yeah, the medicine did work. I did feel the pain."

Indeed, it had some effect, but only a little.

I didn't intend to tell him that much, though...

"..."

Silence once again dominated the space between us.

However, whether we were talking or standing silently like this, the knives remained poised.

We were still watching each other's moves.

"...Hey, can I ask you something?"

In the midst of this, Vaiz lowered his guard and asked me that.

"...What?"

I, on the other hand, continued to hold my knife, not letting my guard down, as I didn't understand his intentions.

"Since we're going to fight seriously, wouldn't you rather do it in a wider space instead of this cramped room?"

"...Huh?"

Of course, I understand what Vaiz means, but his light tone in this tense atmosphere surprised me a bit.

"Well, if that's all, I don't mind..."

For me, fighting in a wider space would make it easier to move, and I'd be grateful for that.

"Is there a good place around here? The outskirts of the town we were in earlier would be fine, but I don't want any interference..."

...A place around here that is wide and suitable for fighting, and where interference is unlikely...

That place, right---

And so, we arrived at a place where we could fight seriously.

This was the place where I and other adventurers have been beaten and beaten again, the place where adventurer training sessions are held.

Here, the adventurers of the ogre extermination party won't come, and no one other than adventurers would come here unless they had a special reason.

"Huh, I didn't know there was such a place in town..."

As expected, Vaiz, who had only recently come to town, didn't know about this place.

"Then, shall we start this time?"

With those words, I once again pointed my knife at Vaiz.

"Ah, when I say start, I don't want to just stand there doing nothing like last time. How about we throw a stick, and when it falls, we both charge? That way, it won't take too much time."

"...If you're okay with that, I don't mind."

Vaiz's suggestion would indeed save us from wasting time.

Besides, the sooner we finish, the more time I'll have to heal everyone as 'Anest'.

"Then, I'll leave it to you."

"...Yeah."

If someone asked if it's safe to trust what the traitor Vaiz says, I can't say it's absolutely safe.

However, considering that he followed me without even looking at the king we met on the way here, I somehow feel it will be okay, which is a strange feeling.

Vaiz picked up one of the sticks lying around.

"Don't lose easily, okay?"

"Sure, I'll leave it to me. In fact, I'll cut you down---"

After saying that, Vaiz threw the stick high up into the air.

At the same time, he moved further away from me and waited for the stick to fall.

While keeping an eye on the stick's trajectory, we didn't take our eyes off each other.

The stick rotated as it approached the ground.

When I confirmed it, I crouched down to get ready to move quickly to Vaiz's position.

...Finally, the stick hit the ground.

By the time the clear sound of it hitting the ground was heard, Vaiz and I were already running towards each other.

Gripping our familiar knives, we focused solely on the enemy in front of us.

I'll decide this in one strike---!!

The distance between us had already closed to within arm's reach.

Vaiz made the first move.

He held a knife in his right hand, just like me, and aimed to strike.

Indeed, his attack was fast... but not as fast as Mr. Dude!!

I dodged the attack, though it was a close call, and there was nothing else to do.

...Because my arm would finish the job on its own.

As always, my arm extended towards Vaiz.

And the knife I held would slash him---

"What!?"

---It didn't happen.

My knife was blocked by another knife hidden in Vaiz's other hand---.