Chapter 16 | The Assassin Is Defeated
My match with Tarte began. I had a hunch she wouldn’t act like her usual timid self, and that turned out to be correct.
Her fighting style was different, too. Typically, she began by studying me. On this occasion, she rushed forward with a forceful one-handed spear thrust, her swiftest and longest-reaching attack.
Tarte was going out of her way to take the initiative. It was an effective maneuver because it came from a range beyond the reach of my sword.
She’s fast.
I’d assumed her speed would increase with Beastification, but this surpassed my expectations. I was in a tough spot.
Curiously, Tarte handled herself perfectly, despite Beastification raising her strength and swiftness. Compared with how clumsy she’d looked during training only moments ago, it was shocking.
I just barely managed to deflect Tarte’s attack with my sword, but she quickly drew her spear back and started thrusting at me in rapid succession.
Every one of her strikes made good use of distance, always coming at me from a length where I couldn’t counterattack.
While quick, the blows all had substantial weight behind them, too. Had Tarte just been using her arms, I would have been able to knock her weapon aside and move in. However, she threw her whole body into every thrust.
Whenever I tried to get near her, she moved back. Every step she took was levelheaded and astute.
I thought I would try to wait for her to run out of breath, but her stamina had increased, too. As I was dealing with her constant pressure, I actually seemed like the one who’d give out first.
My hands went numb. I couldn’t afford to take any more of this. My defeat was imminent.
“I’ve never seen you fight like this, Tarte!”
Still, I refused to allow myself to lose. Since moving in close wasn’t an option, I jumped back to escape Tarte’s reach. Then I took a moment to collect myself. I needed to do something about the dullness in my hands and my labored breath.
Tarte froze for a moment. In a battle between a spear and a sword, the latter needed to get within striking range. Tarte knew that, and I’d surprised her by going out of my way to distance myself even further. But that hesitation only lasted for a second, and she charged forward.
Hmm. She fights calmly and efficiently, but her movements are predictable. It’s foolish to use the same strategy against me twice. I might need to correct that.
I matched her by dashing forward with all my strength.
“Wha—?”
That flustered Tarte. She held out her lance as she ran to add force to her thrust. Yet, if I could get near enough to her, her attack would be effectively meaningless.
Unfortunately, I still wouldn’t be able to draw close enough to strike with my sword, but I had a different goal in mind.
The tip of her spear and that of my sword collided, and the former broke.
Swords were shorter than spears, but they were more durable. Also, charging in close to Tarte had weakened the force of her attack, which led to my blade breaking her weapon when they collided.
Tarte looked unsure how to respond to this development. I, on the other hand, was prepared. Seizing upon her moment of hesitation, I took a step forward and delivered an uppercut with my left hand. This move was much swifter than pulling back to slash with a sword.
The impact should have rocked her jaw and caused Tarte to lose consciousness. Yet, it felt astonishingly soft.
Impressive.
I laughed. Tarte had bent her neck the moment my hand collided with her chin, weakening the power of the blow.
My attack should have been guaranteed to connect, but Tarte had avoided it on animalistic reflex. It was unbelievable how strong Beastification had made her.
Tarte’s eyes seemed to shine as she bent backward, and before I knew it, I was hunched over in pain from a muted impact. She had driven her knee into my stomach.
“Gah-hah!”
She followed that by striking me with an elbow from above, the force of which caused me to collapse. Tarte straddled me as I lay on the ground and pinned down my shoulders.
“Haah… Haah…” From her position above, she gazed down at me while panting heavily. Her expression resembled a hungry animal that had trapped its prey. Those fox ears that looked so cute before now lent her the countenance of a true carnivore.
“You win, Tarte. I can’t believe you beat me. Can you please get off?”
If Tarte had gone for my throat instead of pinning down my shoulders, she could have killed me. This was her victory. It was the first time I’d ever lost to Tarte in a mock battle.
Evidently, I still had more to learn. I’d been foolishly convinced that my uppercut would decide the fight.
Perhaps I’ve grown a bit complacent. I need to reassess myself, I thought. Allowing yourself to believe that a skirmish was over before confirming your opponent’s death was unacceptable as an assassin.
“Lord Luuugh.”
The match was over, but Tarte still hadn’t released me. On the contrary, she seemed highly excited and increased the pressure on my shoulders.
Initially, I thought her beastly instincts were telling her to keep fighting, but then I realized it was something else. There was no doubt she was acting on impulse, but the look in her eyes didn’t seem combative.
As I pondered that, she tore off my clothes. It was an amazing feat, considering they were defensive equipment woven with thread strengthened by mana.
Tarte leaned forward and started rubbing her entire body against mine. Her fluffy fox tail swayed from side to side, occasionally tickling my thighs. It was pleasant, but her incredible strength kept me pinned.
I had thought that her fox-form Beastification would only bolster her legs, but it must have strengthened her arms, too. So much so that she currently overpowered me.
“Haaaah, Lord Luuuugh.”
Tarte’s body was unbelievably hot, and her scent was causing my head to spin. If this continued, it could affect my behavior.
At last, I understood. The fire in Tarte’s eyes wasn’t a desire to hunt; it was carnal excitement. I was Tarte’s prey, but it was a sexual conquest.
All right, what should I do here?
I looked to the side and saw Dia glaring at me. Unsurprisingly, being assaulted by another girl in front of your girlfriend was not ideal.
Tarte likely wouldn’t be too pleased about her first experience being carried out in broad daylight. Unfortunately, she’d lost all reason, and I didn’t know what she’d do if I resisted. She could beat me until I stopped moving and then take her time doing as she pleased.
I guess I have no choice. I’ll use Beastification, too.
If I did, I’d have the strength necessary to overcome her. There were a few reasons I didn’t like that option, but I couldn’t afford to hold back.
Meanwhile, Tarte had begun to squirm and was trying to move beyond nuzzling. Her chastity was in danger. I needed to hurry.
However…
“Huh? Wh-wh-what am I—? I-I’m sorry! I didn’t intend anything like this! I, um, I…”
As soon as Tarte’s fox ears and tail disappeared, her eyes lost their beastly lust, and her face turned so red it seemed like steam was going to come out of her ears. She covered her face with her hands.
“Uh, first of all, pull those clothes back up,” I instructed.
“Eek! Y-yes, my lord!”
Looking very unladylike as she sat on top of me, Tarte panicked and tried to stand. Her efforts only resulted in her tumbling and exposing something even more shameful.
Yep, she’s back to normal.
She hurriedly straightened herself up and then furiously bowed her head. “I am so sorry. My vision went red, and before I knew it, I was doing that…”
“I know. That’s a flaw of Beastification,” I said.
Obviously, Tarte wouldn’t have attempted something like that in her right state of mind.
“Argh, I’m never going to use this power again.”
“Did you initially hesitate because you had a feeling this would happen?”
I’d thought it was because Dia and I wouldn’t stop raving about how cute she was.
“U-um, the first time I used Beastification, I got this peculiar feeling when I looked at you, my lord, and that’s why I didn’t want to use it…”
“I see. Still, you should become able to repress those instincts with training. You probably don’t remember, but you beat me. Surely it would be a waste if you didn’t master such strength.”
Beastification made Tarte very strong. Her physical abilities increased, and she gained the wild intuition of an animal. It also cleared her of hesitation, which directly improved her combat ability.
Tarte’s usual consideration of others and lack of confidence often caused her to falter, which was a dangerous thing in the thick of a fight. This skill relieved her of that weakness.
“I will try my best. But if I seem like I’m going to do something weird, please stop me,” Tarte implored.
“I promise I will.”
This was a painful lesson for me as well. I needed to remain diligent.
Dia then walked up to us. “You know, Lugh, you didn’t put up much resistance. Did you, by chance, want Tarte to have her way with you? Is that the kind of thing you enjoy? Hmm.”
I thought she would be angry, but judging by her facial expression and body language, it seemed she mainly wanted to tease. Perhaps she was only slightly jealous.
“It would have been dangerous if I had accidentally encouraged her. That’s all.”
“Oh, really? I understand. You don’t have to worry, Lugh. I accept whatever sexual fetish you have,” Dia replied.
“You don’t believe me, do you?”
“I truly don’t mind if you’ve taken a liking to Tarte’s fox ears and tail.”
So that’s it. Fox Tarte certainly was cute. So much so that I wanted to use her fluffy tail as a pillow.
Doing so while Tarte was so excited could prove dangerous, however. Who knew what she might try while I slept? I’d have to wait until she could handle her transformation better.
After a week, Dia and Tarte both had a handle on their new abilities. I completed my arrangements for obtaining some appraisal sheets. They were scheduled to arrive in five days.
What’s more…
“So they’ve made their move.”
Something that appeared to be a demon had surfaced in the north, and I’d received an order of dispatch. This was going to be my first job as a Holy Knight.
All my preparation for demon slaying was complete. The only thing that remained was to test it.
Should my spell succeed, it could change everything. Being able to kill demons meant I could save the world without assassinating Epona. If more people became capable of fighting demons, Epona would have less riding on her shoulders, decreasing the chance of her plunging the planet into ruin.
This is going to work. It has to.
No Comments Yet
Post a new comment
Register or Login