The Former Child Prodigy Vs. Eight Star Varnir And His Right-Hand Man Raios

I found the man named Varnir whom I had been looking for, but— for some reason, he suddenly declared that he was going to kill me.

Huh!? I do not even recognize this guy!?

And Glantz—or rather, apparently Raios—had also been after my life, so what exactly did this mean?

“Seize him!”

At Raios’s words, the five men in the room rushed at me.

…I really could not make sense of this. It did not feel like they were simply rebuking a trespasser. They looked fully intent on killing me, so for now, I supposed I would defend myself.

I struck the man I was restraining in the stomach with a sharp blow. His body crumpled with a dull groan. While that was happening, the other men rushed straight at me.

“Prepare yourself!”

They shouted things like that.

I wanted to talk, but there was no room for conversation at all. For now, I supposed I would make them be quiet… As long as that self-proclaimed Varnir and Raios were here, I should be able to figure out the situation.

I knocked all five men unconscious in the blink of an eye.

…Good grief. Being five against one actually helped me. They had probably gotten in each other’s way and had been unable to attack me properly. Otherwise, there was no way I could have won.

Raios trembled.

“W-what…? My subordinates were taken down this easily…”

“Do not cower, Raios. I, one of the Eight Stars, am here. That man has no chance of winning.”

“Y-you’re right! Of course, Varnir-sama!”

For the time being, since things had calmed down a little, I tried speaking to them.

“Sorry, but are you Varnir?”

“Indeed.”

“I see. I do not intend to do anything, really… I was just asked to deliver something. I was told to hand this to you.”

Saying that, I took out the red crystal and showed it to the two of them.

In that instant, Varnir suddenly changed color.

“Y-you, that is!? Where did you get that!?”

“Huh? A man who was attacked by Hellhounds gave it to me. He told me to hand this to you.”

I really did not understand what was going on… I should just shove this crystal onto him and hurry home…

“From that man—!?”

For some reason, Varnir was in an agitated state.

“Did he—tell you anything?”

Tell me anything?

“Yeah, quite a few things.”

That was how I answered. It was true that we had talked.

“After that, he passed away. He entrusted me with the duty he had to fulfill—with that sort of proud expression on his face.”

“He entrusted you with his duty…? Y-you—! So you found out!?”

Varnir’s face turned bright red.

…Huh, I was praising your subordinate, so what was this reaction about?

After that, he muttered under his breath,

“That fool… so he had noticed after all…”

or something like that.

“It seems you truly are someone who cannot be allowed to live…!”

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaat!?

How did you arrive at that conclusion!?

“Wait, I have no idea what you’re talking about—”

“Silence! Magic Spear!”

From Varnir’s outstretched right arm, a spear of white light shot forth.

I reacted—I moved to the right and dodged.

With a thunderous roar, the wall behind me collapsed.

“Raios! Do not let him escape! We finish him here!”

“Understood!”

Drawing his sword, Raios lunged at me. At the same time, as if to restrict my movements, Varnir rapidly fired off Magic Spears.

Raios’s loud laughter rang out.

“My attacks and Varnir-sama’s support! No one has ever broken through the coordination we polished over such a long time! A nobody like you could never—guh!?”

Raios took one blow from me, went flying spectacularly, crashed into the wall, and lost consciousness.

Varnir was visibly shaken.

“I-impossible!? Our coordination was broken so easily!?”

I was not really listening much to what Varnir was saying.

I was thinking through things in my own way, trying to understand what was going on. After all, even if I asked properly, they would not answer me…

These two wanted to kill me. But I could think of no reason why I should be killed.

The moment he saw that crystal, Varnir became even angrier at me—but that man had said to deliver it to Varnir. That was an obvious contradiction…

To begin with, he had said he was one of the Eight Stars, but was that coordination just now not a little too weak?

By the time I had thought that far, I reached a conclusion.

…Ah, I see. So that was it…

I pointed straight at the self-proclaimed Varnir.

“I understand now. Everything. What the two of you are plotting.”

At my words, Varnir’s body twitched.

“…What did you say!?”

“You are a fake. You are neither a member of Black Dragon’s Fang nor Varnir.”

“Huh?”

A flicker of agitation ran across the face of the usually composed Varnir.

I became certain—so that had struck home.

“The two of you pretended to be members of Black Dragon’s Fang in order to damage its reputation. Two months ago, using Raios there to try to kill a complete stranger like me must have been part of that as well.”

The deductions I had assembled in my head came spilling smoothly from my mouth.

Wonderful! I was really sharp today!

“The moment I met you here—I naturally thought you were members of Black Dragon’s Fang, but you are not. You are trespassers as well. If you were the real Varnir, you would have gladly accepted this red crystal, but you did not. That is the proof.”

I pointed at the “self-proclaimed” Varnir.

“Who are you!? State your name!”

“Uh, no…”

At my words, the self-proclaimed Varnir’s eyes darted.

“Well… I am Varnir, though?”

“You are still insisting on that!? Give it up already!”

At my words, Varnir’s face turned bright red.

“Y-you spout nothing but nonsense! Fine then! Regret angering me, one of the Eight Stars. I may not be on the level of Orfred-sama, but I too am a wielder of both sword and magic!”

The moment he said that, Varnir drew the broadsword at his waist.

“Explosion!”

At Varnir’s shout, the space where I had been exploded.

But it was too slow.

I had already started running toward Varnir, so I was no longer there.

“Do not underestimate me! Explosion!”

He activated it again.

I felt magical power acting on space. It had been deployed precisely along my path of advance—in the very space I was about to pass through.

So he had predicted my speed and set it there in advance—

I could avoid it if I stopped, but that would only be possible a fraction of a second later. I could not stop that easily!

In that case—

At the same time as I ran through, I swung my dagger.

A single flash!

I cut through the very magical power that had been deployed.

“Wh—!”

I closed in on the astonished self-proclaimed Varnir.

“Tch!”

At the same time as his click of the tongue, Varnir’s sword came at me, but I casually knocked it aside with my dagger. One after another, I deflected the blades Varnir brought down on me.

“Daaaaaaamn youuuuuuuuuuuuu!”

With a scream, Varnir raised his sword high overhead. Far too wide an opening! I did not miss the gap and slammed a sharp kick into Varnir’s stomach.

“Bughwaa!?”

Letting out a cry, Varnir flew backward and slammed into the wall.

“Gah… Th-this me… one of the Eight Stars… me…”

“One of the Eight Stars? Give it up, that lie has already been exposed. The proof is there—”

I pointed at the self-proclaimed Varnir and continued.

“There is no way one of the Eight Stars could be that weak, right?”

There was no way a pillar of the Imperial Capital’s greatest fighting strength could be defeated by someone like me.

The instant he heard my words—

Bang! With a great noise, Varnir slammed his fist into the floor.

“Y-you bastard! Just because I let you talk! Do not take mocking me too far!”

His eyes were blazing with rage.

…Hm? Had I hit the mark by saying he was not one of the Eight Stars?

Varnir swayed to his feet.

Then he took a small container from his pocket. Inside was a pale pink liquid. With a snap, the self-proclaimed Varnir broke off the tip of the container with his thumb.

“It is a drug created through research on the Doping Kobolds. This was the one thing I did not want to use, but I will never forgive you—!”

The moment he said that, the self-proclaimed Varnir suddenly gulped down the liquid from the container.

“Uoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!”

The self-proclaimed Varnir’s scream echoed through the room, as if he were spewing out the energy overflowing from inside his body!