10

Armored and well-equipped swordsmen were struggling against bandits wearing leather armor and wielding crude weapons. The worst off were the mages. They couldn’t even cast attack spells and were fleeing in panic from the bandits.

“Sophia-san! Over there! The one wearing the black robe with a hood!”

“Understood.”

Sophia drew her sword and sprinted across the battlefield in a low stance.

“What’s with that woman?”

The bandits noticed Sophia and shouted.

“She looks like a pretty good catch, but those cold eyes—no charm at all.”

“Yeah. Well, if it’s just for fun, we’ve got time. …All right, boys! First come, first served!”

Some of those who had been chasing swordsmen and spellcasters turned toward Sophia.

“Disgusting.”

Several bandits stepped in between the mage and Sophia, blocking her path.

They raised their axes and swords and rushed at her.

However, there was an overwhelming difference in movement between a knight of the Silver Snow Knights and common bandits. Refined, efficient, wasting no strength, delivering maximum force with minimal motion. What mattered in swinging a sword wasn’t excessive muscle, but sharp movement using body rotation.

Three bandits lined up in front of Sophia, but while they were raising their weapons, she slipped into their guard with quiet footwork.

“H-Hey—!”

It was only then that the bandits, who felt as if she had teleported, realized their danger.

She slashed once at the man in the center who had raised his axe with both thick arms. The sword passed through, and a moment later blood sprayed as both arms were severed. She braced with her left leg, halting her forward momentum and storing the energy within her body. Her right leg swung around with a twist of her torso, carrying centrifugal force, and slammed into the bandit’s exposed chest.

The energy stored by the sudden stop and the centrifugal force were released in a single point into the enemy’s chest.

The man wore leather armor over a body like living muscle, but Sophia’s kick sent energy directly inside, destroying his internal organs.

His heart burst, blood spraying from his eyes, nose, and mouth as he died without ever making use of his muscles.

The kick sent the obstructing mass of flesh flying backward, and Sophia immediately dealt with the bandits on her left and right.

Frightened by what they had just seen, the remaining bandits faltered. Even with swords in hand, their strikes were weak.

Even with the power she had already expended, Sophia easily knocked aside their blades. At sword’s reach, a swordsman who flinched posed no threat at all.

With movements ingrained through thousands upon thousands of repetitions, she matter-of-factly severed the heads of the men to her left and right.

Another layer of bandits fell. Three more stood behind them, but they too were dispatched without note.

“It’s been a while since I stood in a battlefield like this, but there were no issues.”

She had cut down many foes, yet there was hardly any blood on her blade, a testament to her skill.

Laika had been watching her the entire time. The movements were fast, but not impossible to follow. Yet the way every unnecessary motion had been pared away was beautiful to behold.

“…That level of movement—she has to be among the very best even within the knight order.”

And yet, why did someone like her revere that suspicious Ains? Laika found herself wondering.

“Laika-sama, it looks like I can manage things here on my own. Please leave the treatment of the wounded to you.”

Sophia tossed the leather pouch of potions she had received from Ains to Laika.

“Got it. I’ll finish treating everyone quickly and head back to you!”

Clutching the pouch, Laika ran toward the injured.

After watching her go, Sophia spoke again.

“At this rate, it seems things may be resolved before Ains-sama arrives. But that shouldn’t be a problem. Opponents of this level likely aren’t even worth observing for Ains-sama.”

She pointed her sword toward the black-robed mage who had been watching without interfering.

“You don’t mind using magic, do you? If you don’t, these bandits—these training dummies—will be dead very soon.”

She provoked him.

“Well now, impressive skill. You’re clearly different from ordinary swordsmen. Looks like these guys alone won’t be enough. I suppose I’ll join in.”

The man in the robe bowed politely and introduced himself.

“I’m Corbelli, a sorcerer of restraint. I despise filthy swordplay so much I can’t stand to watch it—so I’ll be restraining your movements as well.”

Corbelli aimed the staff in his right hand at Sophia.

“Let’s start with a warm-up. Try to dodge this!”

Three fireballs launched from Corbelli’s staff and flew toward Sophia.

“With attacks of this level, you can hardly call it a warm-up.”

Sophia cut all three down with her sword.

“Oh? Even if they’re low-tier, you sliced magic apart with a sword. That blade of yours isn’t ordinary, is it?”

“You noticed. Correct—this is an anti-magic sword. It can be used as a normal blade, of course, but its true purpose is countering magic. It can cut down even high-tier spells, but why don’t we test just how skilled you are?”

Now Sophia moved.

“Hmph, cheap provocation. Getting cocky just because you blocked low-tier spells. Abbreviated incantation: ‘Fire Lance ×5’!”

Five blazing spears appeared in midair around Corbelli.

“Fire Lances are nothing to worry about.”

Sophia deflected the incoming spears. Those she judged wouldn’t hit, she avoided with footwork. It was trivial. Even mid-tier magic was easily handled.

Next, Corbelli summoned twenty Fire Lances and fired them all at once from every direction.

She didn’t panic. She simply judged—what to evade with footwork, what to deflect with her sword, and what to cut down completely—and moved exactly as required.