'Don't get hurt.'
Glancing at the man who left just now, the whispered words echoed and tickled my ears.
Yeah. I shouldn't get hurt.
If I get hurt, it would only put me in a difficult spot.
The opponent who came down from the tree was clothed entirely in black, even their* face. The only part that wasn't covered was their eyes.
[ t/n: the opponent is not given any gender-identifying pronouns, so i'll keep it at 'they/them until it's revealed ]
With that appearance, and while even doing a forward roll after jumping to the ground, they just gave the impression of 'Yeah, I came here to kill someone today.'
"State your business. Why are you after us?"
I knew that they wouldn't answer, but I asked this cliché question anyway.
And, just as expected, the opponent did not answer.
Instead of that, they threw away their bow and quiver to the ground, then pulled a sword from their side.
'That doesn't look like a sword that knights use…'
It looked about half as short as a normal sword, as if it's just for sparring.
Even so, it didn't look like something to use for training, but more for practical use. But rather than for protection, it looked like it was meant for hurting someone else.
In the next moment, a silent confrontation ensued.
I knew that they wouldn't answer anyway, so I didn't try to strike an unnecessary conversation.
Shwaaa.
A gust of wind blew by and rustled my hair. I turned slightly so that my hair wouldn't block my vision.
I felt a bit envious of the opponent. It would be so much more comfortable to fight in tight-fitting clothes.
My hair was loose and blowing around me like a fan right now. There was a veil on my face, and the clothes on me was a dress.
'Still, even if it's a dress, I'm glad it's a one-piece dress.'
With today's agenda in mind, I deliberately chose a dress that I'd be able to move in more comfortably.
A light, accommodating dress.
As I thought about my choice of clothing for a moment, the enemy made their move first.
Kicking off the ground, their movements looked nimble.
I didn't notice at first because they were crouching, but as they started to run, the opponent looked a bit short.
I remained still and observed the fast-approaching enemy.
The distance between us narrowed in an instant.
And, without any hesitation, the knife in the opponent's hand rushed to my shoulder right then.
* * *
'Easy peasy.'
Was what Harron thought as they swung the sword straight to Rosetta's shoulder.
The woman was just standing still right there as if her feet were rooted to the ground. She must be terrified. All she was holding in her hands was that strange looking fan.
Of course, they had been surprised when the woman managed to block the arrows with that fan.
But that was all.
She might be able to ward off arrows with that fan, but it couldn't possibly be turned into a weapon when the fight turned into close combat.
What could she do with a fan that didn't even have any sharp edges?
It was also so light that it couldn't even be used to hit someone else with it as a blunt weapon.
Victory would not be achieved without initiative of attack, and a fan couldn't be used as a weapon of attack at all.
At this point, it's obvious who the victor was here.
Harron was a little worried about the man who looked like an escort before.
Two-on-one fights were troublesome.
But then, that escort rolled away and hid in the bushes.
Poor woman.
Why did you choose a coward as your escort.
Well, it was good for Harron anyway since only the woman was the target in the first place.
'Let's get this done and over with, then go get the commission fee.'
That's all Harron was thinking right until then.
Yes—right until Rosetta, who had just been standing still, gently twisted her shoulder away to avoid the attack.
Instead of her flesh, the sword swung through the air.
'Huh?'
What's this.
Not even thinking of this possibility, Harron blinked for a moment.
However, since they were a professional, they quickly came to their senses.
It was a startling scene, so they were dazed for only a bit.
'Yeah, I've been too careless.'
The person in front of them had dodged all their arrows.
'You seem complacent just because you warded my arrows with a mere fan, but I'll end that overconfidence with the next attack.'
Harron took a couple of steps back with the sword in one hand.
Again, Rosetta only watched as she stayed stationed in that same spot.
"Hm?"
The veiled woman tilted her head to the side for a moment.
Doubts and realizations mixed together.
Seeing this as an opening, Harron swung the sword once more.
This time, the attack was aimed at the woman's right thigh.
Harron took advantage of the fact that the woman's lower body was more constrained than her upper body.
Besides that, because it was her leg, it would be impossible to completely avoid the blade just by twisting her body slightly like she did before.
She would need to move her legs quickly, but she would more likely lose her balance from doing so.
And a person who had lost their balance was bound to be careless.
Harron reached behind them using their left hand, then picked out a small dagger hanging from the belt around their waist.
'Once the right thigh gets sliced, I'll stab the left shoulder right away.'
The very moment that her center of gravity would shift even the slightest, that would be their opportunity.
However, yet again, the situation did not go as they had expected.
Before the edge of their sword could reach Rosetta's leg, something solid blocked their attack.
'The fan?'
Shiiing.
As soon as Harron checked what had blocked the sword, the sound of metal clashing against each other rang immediately. It was a sound that was out of place.
At the same time, under the mask, Harron's expression became distorted.
"Uuurk."
A low groan slipped through clenched teeth.
It was impossible to overcome this force.
It felt as if the object that the sword had struck was a huge, solid lump of iron.
'What the hell…'
Harron's wide open eyes were shut because of the pain, and they checked once again just what exactly had blocked their sword.
Still, it was that fan.
'How can a fan stop a sword?'
Mid-swing, too? And what the hell was this pain?
While they were at a loss for words, Rosetta soon began to push the fan beneath their sword.
Taken aback by her strength, Harron clenched their teeth and tried to endure it. But it was useless. The sword, which was aiming for the woman's thigh, quivered and was gradually pushed up diagonally.
Shiiing.
The thinly ringing sound, like the howl of an animal, tore through the air.
Chang!
Before long, as Harron's sword was pushed back by the fan, it flew away in an instant, and the accompanying sound was loud.
It was an incredible sight, but all they could feel was the tingling sensation on their hand.
"Keugh."
Harron clenched their sore right hand—but swung their left hand immediately.
There was no time to feel any pain.
At the unbelievable sight of their sword flying away in an arc, fear started to begin creeping in.
The longer they'd face this woman, the more they'd be at a disadvantage.
Since her body was turned to the right from blocking and sending the sword flying, Harron naturally aimed their left hand towards her right shoulder.
And to avoid that attack, Rosetta leaned back.
The cold blade swung over her nose.
Harron's attack was packed with force, and so they stumbled because it had cut through only the air.
Not missing this opportunity, Rosetta straightened her posture and held Harron down at the same split second.
Then, she tripped them. As they lost balance, Harron immediately collapsed to the ground.
At the sight of the approaching woman, Harron closed their eyes.
However, they felt no pain.
They opened their eyes again, and at the same time as the back of their head was grabbed, their field of vision quickly turned upward.
What Harron saw was the sky.
And the veiled woman.
In that swift moment, Harron was brought to their knees while their head was tilted back.
Crunch.
Harron gritted their teeth, humiliated.
"Are you going to kill me?"
Without answering the question that was spat out, Rosetta reached towards Harron with her left hand.
And that left hand went straight to their neck.
Harron's neck was covered by their thin clothes, but they could vividly feel the touch of that woman's fingers through the cloth.
Gulp.
Their mouth was dry. It felt like those fingers were as sharp as sawblades.
Every place her fingers swept past made Harron shudder under unprovoked iciness and fear.
Ring, ring, ring.
The warning bells revealing the fear they felt were ringing loudly in their mind.
Something's wrong with this mission.
It was a request that Harron shouldn't have accepted.
They should have known it the moment they were offered such a huge amount for just one request.
Even so, hindsight was always useless. Harron had already reached this point.
Their back was numb and their fingertips were cold. Harron closed their eyes.
Then,
Clatter.
A hard object slipped through their fingers. Harron's fingers twitched a few times until they recalled what exactly it was.
It's the dagger they were wielding earlier.
Harron wriggled their fingers and struggled to grab it again.
In spite of it all, Harron took it.
Grabbed it like a lifeline.
It didn't mean that they wanted to attack the woman with it.
Just the fact that they had a weapon in their hands gave them the flimsiest hope that they could escape.
It was a strange expectation to have in a situation like this—to hope, like this.
Unfortunately, however.
Rosetta was greatly capable at breaking people's false hopes.
"What'cha doing?"
A short question could be heard from beneath her veil.
Harron broke out in sweat, blinking back at the lighthearted tone.
'Did I… get caught?'
They felt their heart plummet to the ground.
After flinching suddenly, they soon lost control over their actions.
Moving slowly, Harron's glistening eyes looked up.
Towards the woman who asked the question.
This single moment felt like an eternity.
At that moment, the hand on the back of their head gripped with a stronger force.
"Huuuk."
In an instant, a gasp came up their throat, and Harron let out a rough groan.
Rosetta leaned down further, and the distance between them became even smaller.
"Why are you reaching for that? Do you want to attack me again?"
The sweet voice of the woman could be heard distinctly,
As if she was whispering directly into Harron's ear.
Beneath the sheer veil, they caught a glimpse of the covered red lips.
"I wouldn't do that, if I were you."
And those red lips were shaped like a fine curve.
Seeing the sweet smile on the woman's lips, Harron loosened the grip of their left hand.
It felt like it was all futile.
What's the point of holding on to something like this?
Just, it would only provoke the predator's ire.
The captured prey had no choice but to hold its breath while bowing down with its head stuck to the ground.
Please, Harron could only hope that the monster in front of them was a merciful beast.
Tak.
With a dull sound, the dagger in their hand dropped to the ground.
The dagger clattering to the dust-covered ground felt like a reflection of their future.
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