"Ehh?!"
Euri didn't expect such words to come out of the archer's mouth. An archer, challenging a swordsman in her native land, was something you'd rarely see.
"Are you serious?" asked Euri, unsure of what to reply. "I—I mean... You're an archer, after all!"
"I challenge you to a duel. Is there a rule that an archer cannot engage in a battle against a swordsman?" replied Maeyurai in a daring tone.
"Well... There's none, but—"
As soon as Maeyurai heard her answer, he immediately butted in, "Then fight me! Look, I carry no bow in my hands. Because I don't need any to defeat you."
His provocation triggered a hidden mechanism in Euri: her pride in protecting her dignity as a swordswoman.
Such words she couldn't tolerate, and so she answered, "I accept your challenge!"
Good, this is a great step forward. Who'd have known I'd run into a swordsman immediately?
I feel bad that I have to use this tone to such a timid person, though...
I'll apologize after the battle.
Maeyurai shook his head lightly and replied with a small smirk. "Let's start."
He immediately conjured a flaming bow and drew it, forming a fire arrow on its string to the bow rest. He paused momentarily, as if waiting for Euri to do something.
In response, Euri unsheathed her katana in a panic and prepared for what was to come next.
A few seconds later, Maeyurai released the arrow, letting it swish past the air.
Euri brought her katana forward and blocked the arrow. It bounced back, the dull side hitting her head. "Ow!" she uttered, immediately fixing her form right after.
The flames that gushed away after contact with her katana were hot, their heat radiating off of Euri's bright, delicate skin.
Relentlessly, Maeyurai continued to conjure more arrows, raining them down at Euri as she continuously blocked each flaming projectile.
Even if it had only been for a while, her movements hadn't slowed down even for a bit. Because of how flimsy she looked, one would think she gets tired easily.
Though she may look fragile, she carries the blade on her waist. Appearance isn't the window to one's true soul, after all.
"Firecracker."
Maeyurai had activated his technique and ran forward right after. The Firecracker wasn't meant to hurt, but it was a diversion so he could get closer.
However, it might not be as good as he thought it'd be to get close to a swordsman, being an archer that he is.
The Firecracker clacked and flashed in the air, quickly nearing Euri. At the back was Maeyurai, hidden behind each bright explosion.
"Ah! Oh no!" exclaimed Euri as she realized that Maeyurai was nearing. She still had to recover from her recent swing from blocking the firecracker.
A long crackling object sparked in Maeyurai's right hand. He'd formed a lightning bolt and was planning to defeat Euri with it.
"Sorry, Euri, for what I'm about to hit you with!"
Crackle—Clash!!
Then came an outcome Maeyurai had overlooked, one he didn't expect because he judged Euri's capabilities poorly.
He thought he'd be able to defeat the clumsy woman in a physical battle—but he was gravely wrong.
I'm... Being pushed back?!
Where is her strength coming from?!
She can't be stronger than I am with how she looks!
Euri managed to react in time to Maeyurai's attack and successfully blocked it.
Now, she realized that Maeyurai actually had the disadvantage in a close-ranged battle—all because her opponent was actually an archer.
"I—I don't know why you would be attacking a swordsman up close when you're an archer... But you'd have better chances at beating me from afar...!"
She had placed all her strength into her arms and pushed Maeyurai back with incredible strength.
Despite such a petite body and her height of 5'3, she carried quite the power in her muscles!
Maeyurai recoiled back from the force of Euri's arms, the lightning bolt in his hands dissipating right after.
"How did you do that?" asked Maeyurai as he anchored his rear foot to stop his momentum.
"Huh...? Do what exactly?" Euri replied, not lowering her guard to intercept any sneaky attacks from Maeyurai.
"Never mind," answered Maeyurai as he conjured another bow made of fire.
A civilian watching from the back yelled out loud, his voice capturing the attention of other people around.
"Euri is fighting against an archer!"
Maeyurai's gaze snapped back to look at where the voice came from. His eyes made contact with the civilian, along with several others who quickly ran their way to watch the duel that was currently transpiring.
"Tch," Maeyurai uttered in annoyance. "Great, just what I need."
The disquieted Euri immediately melted at the presence and crushing stares of the people around them.
She fiddled with the hilt of her katana and brought it up close to her chest, shrinking away as her social anxiety flowed in her veins.
Her breathing slowly became unstable—she couldn't handle being watched by so many people.
Of course, Maeyurai had noticed it right away. How her eyes darted around nervously, her shoulders taut, and her knees that slowly pressed together as they trembled.
"She seems to be in a state of distraught," whispered Maeyurai to himself, the flaming bow in his hand fluttering. "Is it because of the people? I don't get it. Why is she acting like that?"
The puzzled Maeyurai couldn't understand what Euri could be feeling. He was a person who never felt anxiety in front of several people, after all.
Regardless of anybody's opinion, Euri's reaction to public attention seemed overdramatic, not just to Maeyurai.
"Must be some kind of disorder," said Maeyurai as he pulled the bowstring taut, a fire arrow forming after.
The nervous Euri kept in place, each beat in her heart growing in pace after the former.
Fwoosh!
The fire arrow zipped past the air and struck Euri's blade directly. Maeyurai intended to wake her up.
"Uwah!" Euri cried out, tears forming under her eye. She couldn't handle any more and was about to break out.
"Huh? Is she crying?" said the confused Maeyurai.
"I surrender, you can take the win!"
A pause. Then, a loud, confused remark from Maeyurai.
"Hah?! That's it? You surrender already? You haven't even shown me anything yet!"
Euri's stance wavered as she heard Maeyurai's voice.
"I—I'm sorry... I can't stand being around so many people..."
Her hands fiddled around the hilt of her sword, stirred in a mixture of anxiety and disgrace. Her eyes shifted around—and met Maeyurai's for a brief moment.
She turned away from Maeyurai—then disappeared.
"She ran..." muttered Maeyurai, his voice hushed.
*
In a dark alley not far from Sanrovina's home, Maeyurai stood silently, lost in what he had to do next.
"From the transient moon, to the everlasting sun."
Tapping his foot on the ground, he didn't expect that the signal that Sanrovina gave him would actually work.
But he was immediately proven wrong.
"That was anticlimactic," said Sanrovina, who had arrived a few seconds after Maeyurai recited the signal. "Though I didn't expect you'd already have your first win."
"Yeah, I know," answered Maeyurai as he turned around to look at her face. "I forgot to ask, but can you give me some names I should take note of for the errand?"
"Some names? Ah, you want to find the known swordsmen much more easily. That does make sense."
Maeyurai nodded. "Well, of course. I don't want to spend a single day searching for zero clues. I only have three days after all."
Sanrovina crossed her arms, tapping her finger lightly against her bicep. "You did forget to ask me some crucial information back in the house."
"No, it's because you didn't tell me," sharply replied Maeyurai.
"How is it my fault?" Sanrovina raised an eyebrow as she paused. "You heard the errand and immediately went out right after. I couldn't stop you because you were too eager to get finished."
Maeyurai blinked. "Right, my fault. Anyway, at least give me a clue for what I have to do here in Yugihanata."
He lowered his head, glancing at the ground and then back to Sanrovina's face. "Who are the swordsmen I need to hunt?"
Sanrovina chuckled. "Hunt, eh? I like how you phrase it."
"Since you've already defeated Euri due to her resigning, you only need to defeat three more here in Yugihanata," she continued. "Then, you can move on to Tahaktatsu."
"Three more? Not four?"
"Yes, three."
Three... huh?
It means that I have to beat six in Tahaktatsu and four in Yugihanata. But why did she say earlier, I have to defeat five in each city then?
Or... the last opponent is in Yugihanata... Which could be Sanrovina herself—or someone far stronger.
Let's hope that Lucia is not one of my opponents.
"The swordsman you need to defeat is named Yerei Ibarra," said Sanrovina. "You can often see him north of Yugihanata. The second swordsman is Juno Asagi; she's in the east, where you first met me. The last one is going to be Maname Kirsaki, also in the east."
Maeyurai clasped his hands together. "Okay! Ibarra, Asagi, and Kirsaki. I'll remember that."
After speaking, he immediately continued. "But I am curious about one thing..."
He paused, gathering his thoughts to come up with a better question.
"I remember that in Yugihanata, people treat swordsmanship as art. So why is it that some swordsmen know how to fight?"
Sanrovina blinked, taken by surprise by his question. "That's a great question. The main reason is that the swordsmanship here, while treated as art, is still practiced for protection. It's just taught in a way more convenient for a dance, not by combat style."
"Makes sense," Maeyurai nodded. "Can you give me a specific character trait that the three individuals you spoke of have, so that I can search for them more easily?"
"Well, Ibarra is a fairly tall male, about a few inches shorter than I am. He has long, indigo hair, longer than yours. Ibarra should be easy to spot. He can be a little... overwhelming, to say the least, about his character."
"Then, Asagi," Sanrovina continued. "A female as tall as you. Let's say she's the quiet type who always looks harsh. She has this sharp gaze that can penetrate even through a diamond, and her red hair makes her look mad all the time. Though she's actually super kind and incredibly energetic."
"Kirsaki, however... She's a tough one to deal with. She does have blonde hair, which should be easy to spot in a crowd, but with how agile and introverted she is, you can rarely see her. She's like Euri, but doesn't break down easily."
The different descriptions Sanrovina gave left a mark on Maeyurai's mind. He made sure he wouldn't forget it.
"I see... Are they as strong as Euri, or stronger?" he asked in a curious tone.
"Possibly stronger," Sanrovina replied. "The three of them train harder than anyone else in this city. They all want to defeat Kaienley, after all."
Defeat Kaienley...
He has many rivals, huh?
No wonder he's such a popular figure. I'd guess he's the type to enjoy battles.
"Understood," said Maeyurai as he turned away from Sanrovina. "If there's nothing else, I won't be needing your help until I defeat these three now. I'll figure out what their Attributes and Affinities are mid-fight."
"Go on ahead, archer," Sanrovina replied. "Show everyone what you're made of."
Afterwards, Maeyurai walked off the alley, waving his hand without looking back at Sanrovina.
"Time to head to the treehouse."