Black Iron Magician

Chapter 98 Keep in Check

Haru’s powerful blow caused the stone giant to completely stop functioning. There was a situation where Nell had to lend a hand during the fight, but for the most part, it was a battle where they were able to show their abilities. I feel that there was another scene in a different place that made me anxious, but all’s well that ends well.

「Shishō, a blue crystal came out of its crushed head. It’s so beautiful!」

「Wow, it looks like a sapphire.」

「That’s the core of the magic power that was moving the golem. If it’s undamaged, you can sell it for a high price and you can use it in many ways. Put it in Haru’s pouch as a souvenir.」

「Ye~s.」

If you use it as an accessory such as a ring, it will add a bonus to your status. Well, we will receive plenty of money with this request, so let’s think of a way to use it without selling it. Now, let’s just leave the stripping of the stone giant to Haru and Chinatsu after giving them a simple instruction. Anyway, the problem is on Nell’s side.

「Uhh, sob! I-It’s a great honor to be praised by Nell-sama, desuwa…! I-I am…」

「Hey, Deris, help me.」

Complimented by Nell, who revealed her identity, Therese is crying. Most of those who attend the academy aspire to join the Magic Knight Order of the Royal Castle. Of course, Nell, who is at the top of it, is the students’ greatest admiration and the perfect ideal image for them to aim for. Well, setting aside her true nature that likes to rush at the enemy, she’s a knight leader that you can only see at ceremonies. The students must have seen her behaving as a knight leader because of her duty. Well, that figure also leads to the popularity of the Knight Order.

Canon was also deceived by Nell’s outward appearance last year. As he worked with her, he gradually understood her personality. With the exception of Muno-kun, it is customary for knights to wake up from their dreams into reality. Reality is a cruel thing.

「Deris, are you listening?」

「Yeah, I’m listening. Just let her cry to her heart’s content. Therese is still a student. It would be a pity to wake her from her dream.」

「Come again?」

「Waaah, Nell is bad~. She made a girl cry~. Pfft!」

「――Haah!?」

Here we go again…… I want them to do something about their bad relationship. I feel like it will be a problem for my life later on. Ugh.

「Deris-san. We have dismantled it to the appropriate size and put it all in Haruna’s pouch. The storage function is amazing, we could store everything.」

「But, it felt a bit tight, didn’t it? I felt like I was forcing it at the end.」

「Good work. Well, it was big after all. Let’s divide it and put it in my bag later. Will it be okay until we get back?」

「Yes, I think it’ll be okay.」

「Alright. Now that we’ve defeated the boss, let’s go to the treasure room in the back. Therese-ojousama, are you able to walk?」

Therese had been crying until just now. I’m not sure if it was the result of lending Nell’s voluptuous breasts for a while, but she seems to be much calmer now. Yeah, that’s right. They are good. Let’s give my seal of approval.

「… Yes, somehow. I’m sorry for showing you a shameful sight. Ne―― Adventurer-sama, thank you very much.」

「It’s okay. Now, let’s go.」

「Oh, before that. Shishō, Nell-san. It seems that there are people peeking in, should we leave them alone?」

Haru raised her hand and said so while glancing at the passage on the entrance side. Yes, we are actually being peeped at by some people. It’s probably around the time Haru and Chinatsu started dismantling the stone giant. I had a rough idea of who they were, so I left them alone. Haru, who has a sharp intuition, seems to have naturally noticed them. As for Chinatsu, she seems to have noticed them using her skill. But, it seems that she read the air of me and Nell and left them alone.

「……! T-That’s a serious matter desuwa. If they are my father’s subordinates, there’s no point in hiding. Could it be that they are new monsters that are hiding?」

「Unfortunately, it’s a little different. These presences are more troublesome… Deris, I leave them to you. I’ll disguise myself again.」

Nell proudly picks up her glasses and puts them on again. Therese’s reaction was too good, so she seems to be having fun with her disguise, which seems to be a perfect disguise for her. I admit that she is beautiful even with glasses, but I don’t think that she can push through her way with it.

「Well, I’m sure that they will come to us at some point. Haru, try throwing the stone at a place you think is suspicious. Don’t hit them, it’s just to keep them in check.」

「Please leave it to me! I have picked off many runners with a pick-off ball before, so I’m confident!」

Hey, they will be out if you do that… Don’t hit them, okay? I’m serious, don’t hit them, okay?

「It’s okay, Shishō. It’s still safe if it’s just one or two limbs. No, maybe out? Ahaha, therefore, ho!」

Before I had time to make a retort, Haru took out a piece of stone giant (the size of a clenched fist) from her pouch and threw it at the right wall of the passage. The stone, which was accompanied by a brutal change, drew a curve and was about to plunge into the passage in the blink of an eye.

At this point, the presence I had sensed moved. Specifically, there were four people. One person who was cleverly hiding at the front, one person who has no intention of hiding the presence behind the first one, and two people who were doing their best to try to hide their presence. As soon as Haru threw the stone, the one who was watching at the front immediately retreated into the passage, and on the contrary, the one with the strongest presence stepped forward. Apparently, this person is the one who has no intention to hide.

「Wait, Touko-san!?」

It seems that this action was unexpected for the others. And when he heard the name, my suspicion turned into conviction. Touko, it’s a purely Japanese name, an unusual name that I have never heard of in this world. Hey, she even came out that we can see her with naked eyes.

「Ah, it’s Touko-chan.」

「Bleh, it’s Touko…」

The mysterious person who jumped out of the passage was Haru’s classmate, Mizuhori Touko, who we just met yesterday. The reactions of our disciples are different. Well, the only thing that bothers me is that Chinatsu’s reaction is a little disturbing. I guess it’s nothing to worry about, huh.

「Haruna! It’s been 3 years…? Err, 100―― Daah!」

Along with a slightly stupid but enthusiastic shout, Touko kicked up the thrown stone in the air. She is wearing easy-to-move martial arts clothing and her hands and feet are equipped with silver-shining protectors. Just like Chinatsu’s katana, old geezer Joseph probably made them by throwing a lot of money. The stone, kicked by such an expensive thing, changed its trajectory to the ceiling without slowing down the thrown momentum. Then, it pierced the wall while making a roaring sound.

「Ouch…! How can a mere stone be so hard!」

Even though it was a checking throw to see the situation, Touko confronted Haru’s magic head-on. However, she’s just jumping on one leg, looking hurt, but doesn’t seem to be receiving any damage.

「Oi, what are you doing there secretly from a while ago? You three who are hiding in the passage, come out.

I warn them just in case. The fact that I knew who they were made it easier for me. If you listen carefully, you can hear their voices.

「I-It looks like we’ve been found out…」

「Sigh. Yeah, I guess so.」

「N-No way…! Katsuragi and Rokusai-san are seriously together with that man! Moreover, there’s a cute maid and a beautiful woman with glasses! I feel like I can kill someone with my hatred right now…!」

「Ugh…」

Oops, they were also those with faces we know. When Nell saw the three people who appeared, she made a disgusted expression.