“Hey, we’re done for today. Let’s pack up.”
I tell this to the black-suited dealers, who nod quietly and start moving. Some customers are visibly upset, but neither side wants to get caught. The evacuation proceeds mostly smoothly.
The back door is at the bottom of the stairs. If they could come straight here, we might run into them before escaping, but that’s unlikely to happen.
However, it’s somewhat concerning that a subordinate who has experienced this many times before is panicking so much.
And the woman who instilled such fear in my subordinate, too.
“…Maybe I should go down and take a look.”
I mutter this and turn back towards the stairs. Normally, we’d escape immediately and set fire to the building to end it, but this time I thought I’d at least see what kind of woman she is.
“I’m going downstairs. You guys continue evacuating the customers.”
“Yes, sir!”
Hearing the black suits’ response, I open the door leading to the stairs. The end of the dark staircase is dimly lit.
Just as I was about to descend, I heard a sound from below.
The screams of men.
Then, the sound of intense sword clashing. A rumbling vibration as if something heavy had collided with the wall.
There shouldn’t have been that many people, but judging from the voices and sounds, it seems my subordinates are at a disadvantage.
What on earth are they doing?
As I descend the stairs, screams and angry shouts echo repeatedly, but there’s no sign of the fight ending.
I reach the bottom of the stairs and peer through the gap in the shelves.
What I saw was a woman knocking away three men who were attacking her with swords, using just her fists.
“…What… what is that…?”
At a glance, I realize this is not normal.
That woman broke the sword with her bare hands, and with just one hand at that.
The moment I realized this, I turned my toes towards the back door.
“You’ve got to be kidding me. I’ll take on knights or nobles, but that kind of monster is beyond my expectations.”
The customers are coming downstairs too. I should quickly open the back door and escape.
Thinking this, I unlock the back door and grab the handle.
But it doesn’t budge.
“…Is the key unlocked? Why, why… No, I can get out through the window. I’ll break the window…”
I hurriedly try to break the boarded-up window with my sword to make an escape route.
However, although I can see outside, an invisible wall blocks my escape. While I’m struggling with this, the customers who were first urged to escape have gathered on the stairs.
I thrust my sword at the invisible wall, but it’s easily deflected.
“W-What’s going on…”
Confused, I unconsciously mutter these words.
Immediately after, I hear the sound of intense slashing and something large breaking behind me. Turning around, I see that where the shelves should have been, there’s nothing, and light from the adjacent room is shining through.
And in that light, a silhouette of what appears to be a young girl emerges.
Wrapped in what looks like white mist or cold air, the figure approaches, trailing a white haze.
“…Oh, it seems I’ve saved myself the trouble of going upstairs.”
The woman smiles as she looks at me.
“…Gh! You lot, come down here!”
I yell, taking a stance to secure the back door. I hold two swords, one in each hand, pointing the blades at the woman’s face.
With the sound of hurried footsteps, my armed subordinates come down. Three in black suits can use magic. They should be able to attack from the top of the stairs.
The hallway is narrow. If we press her with numbers from the stairs and our side, we won’t lose.
I kick away the fleeing customers to clear my view.
On the stairs are subordinates with swords and others preparing magic. And I’m in a stance with my dual swords.
Despite this, the woman’s smile deepened.
“I’m glad you didn’t run away. Now, please surrender.”
[SIDE: AOI]
There was a woman with a clearly different aura at the end of the dark hallway.
At the top of the stairs and further down the hallway were men and women in noble-like attire, but they were cowering against the walls in fear.
The thugs coming down the stairs and men in black suit-like clothes, as well as the tall woman holding a sword at the end of the hallway, were all cautiously closing in, but with an air of confidence that they wouldn’t lose. Despite this being their hideout, they were kicking over fallen chairs, shelves, and destroying things.
Their intimidating presence was different from the run-of-the-mill opponents I had faced earlier.
As expected, these must be the executives of the Nevis family.
Normally, when facing skilled opponents, I’d prefer to keep my distance and continuously fire mid-level or higher magic spells.
However, in this narrow space, doing so would undoubtedly cause the building to collapse, burying everyone alive.
“I guess there’s no choice. Let’s go with close combat.”
Sighing, I chant body enhancement magic again. All the opponents so far seemed to have some combat skills, but their movements were full of wasteful motions, likely self-taught. From my perspective as someone who has practiced kendo for a long time, there were plenty of openings I wanted to strike. As I was thinking this while looking around, I noticed a wooden stick rolling out from a shelf the woman had kicked over.
It looks like it could be a broom handle, or perhaps a tool used in the casino. Either way, a familiar weapon would be better, so I pick up the stick and check its grip. It feels quite good, similar to the wooden sword I usually use. Since I’ve put up a barrier to prevent them from escaping outside, there’s no need to rush.
“…Hey, missy. If you don’t want to get hurt, stick to the wall and tremble.”
Uttering such words, the men came down from the stairs. Further up, magicians were chanting spells.
Are they trying to somehow deal with me without accidentally attacking their comrades below on the narrow stairs? Is it a binding spell, or perhaps magic that can attack from above?
As I was watching with interest, the men who had approached me swung down their swords.
I deflected the blade with my palm and struck the man’s abdomen with the stick in my other hand. The stick sank deep into the man’s body, sending the adult male flying like a ball.
“Gah!?”
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The man crashed shoulder-first into the stairway wall and lost consciousness, his eyes rolling back. The violent impact caused debris and dust to fall from the ceiling.
Everyone’s movements stopped, perhaps due to the slight tremor in the building.
At that moment, the magician at the top of the stairs released a spell. A black mist-like haze overflowed, spreading to fill the ceiling.
It’s a magic I’ve never seen before, but what could it be?
I’m curious, but if that magic is the type that can harm multiple people, it might be difficult to protect everyone here.
So, I decide to nullify it.
“Invisible Block”
As I mutter with magical power, a thin invisible plate appears under the black haze. Since it covers the entire ceiling, that mysterious black haze shouldn’t reach us.
“…Well, I’ve memorized their faces. I’ll ask about that magic when I catch them.”
After muttering that quietly, I strike down the man in front of me with an overhead blow to the head.
“Ugh, w-what the hell is this person…!?”
“J-Just a stick? How…”
Hearing such cries, I bring my hand in front of my face.
“When I learned body enhancement magic, I trained with medium-sized magical beasts. I can fight reasonably well.”
“What part of that is reasonable!?”
As someone shouted that, a voice came from the top of the stairs.
“A-Aoi-sensei…!?”
“Huh!? No way!?”
It’s a young voice. By the time I looked up, they had already hidden themselves, but it was probably a student from the academy.
Did they think they’d be scolded, or perhaps expelled?
Either way, calling out my name was a misstep.
“Sensei…?”
“No way… a teacher?”
The man in the black suit blinked and looked at me.
Immediately after, the woman at the bottom of the stairs shouted.
“Bring those brats here!”
At that instruction, the men at the top of the stairs looked startled and ran off.
This is bad. If they’re taken hostage, I won’t be able to make a move.
The moment I made that judgment, I was already dashing off with enough force to break through the floorboards. I climb the stairs, knocking away anyone in my way.
As I reach the second floor, a wide casino hall spreads out before me. Spotlights illuminate the dimly lit room, and under them are rectangular tables with cards and small spheres.
Surprisingly, it has the atmosphere of an elegant, high-class casino.
However, the interior is also filled with a white haze like smoke, making it difficult to locate the students.
As I’m scanning the room, I hear someone rushing up the stairs behind me.
“Use the brats!”
Shouting, that woman appears. She spins two swords simultaneously in her hands and takes a stance. The way she manipulates the two swords as if they were extensions of her hands is impressive.
As I’m partially focused on her, I hear voices from the back.
“A-Aoi-sensei!”
“Don’t attack us!”
Saying this, two boys come out. Behind them stand three men in black suits, pointing their swords at the boys’ necks.
The sight makes my blood boil with anger, but if I move, the two will be in danger.
At that moment, one of the men in black suits tells something to the two boys.
Immediately after, the boys’ faces turn pale, and with tearful eyes, they look at me and open their mouths.
It’s a magic chant.
What were they told? What kind of magic are they trying to cast?
Questions arise and disappear in an instant, but the last word that remains is just one.
That man, what should I do with him?
Without moving from my spot, I glare at the men in black suits. One of them opens his mouth with a twitching cheek.
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