"What!"

　The moment I saw a huge battleax that was thrown down to me. Ray almost reflexively kicked the floor and tried to escape into the room...

"Oops!"

　You ought to be called a Rank A adventurer. Elk's swinging Battleax jumps up just before the blade touches the floor to escape Ray and follows him into the blow.
　Ray's misfortune was that Elk, a Rank A adventurer, was better than expected. And Elk's Battleax must have been a magic item.
　On the other hand, Ray's good fortune was that he had just come back from outside and was wearing a dragon robe. And it would have greatly diminished its power by the action of the battledax bouncing up just before it came into contact with the battledax was shaken down.
　As a result, Ray's body is blown away and knocked against the wall of the room, although he is not fatally injured by the Dragon Robe's defense.

"d*mn, d*mn, d*mn, d*mn, d*mn!"

　壁に叩きつけられて一瞬息が詰まったレイだったが、すぐに体勢を立て直して目の前でバトルアックスを持っているエルクへと向かって怒鳴る. ……いや、それは既に吠えると表現した方が相応しい. 現に食堂にいた客や冒険者達の大半はその声を聞いた瞬間ビクリと身を竦めて動きを止め、数少ない高ランク冒険者達にしても金縛り状態になることはなかったものの、反射的に戦闘態勢を取っていたのだから.

「……レイ. 悪いが、俺はお前を殺さなきゃいけないんだよ. 許せ、とは言わない. 俺を恨んでくれてもいい. 憎んでくれてもいい. だが……その命、ここで散らしてくれ」

　一見無表情に見える様子で呟くエルク. だが怒りのままに叫んだレイは、そんなエルクの状態を見て違和感を覚える.

（何だ？　今のエルクの様子は……別に操られているって風でもない. かといって、殺気の類も殆ど……ちぃっ！）

　考える暇すらも与えまいとしたのだろう. Elk, armed with battleaxes, rush into the room.
　Pull your right side of the body back on the spot to avoid being swung down.

(d*mn it! All my weapons are hard to use in this room!)

　Ray's basic weapons are death-size and throwing spears over two meters long. Both of them were long-handled weapons, and they were not sufficiently powerful in this small room.
　Of course I have knives. But Ray's conclusion was that such a knife could hardly counter Elk's huge battleax.

(But it's better than bare hands.)

　Whisper, select a misril knife from the list that quickly came out of your mind. The next moment a misril knife appears in the right hand.

「……」

　その様子に特に何を言うでもなく視線で一瞥し、再びバトルアックスを手に襲い掛かって来るエルク.
　横薙ぎに振るわれるその一撃を床にしゃがみ込むようにして回避し……

「甘いっ！」

　バトルアックスが頭上を通過する直前、エルクのそんな声と共にバトルアックスから紫電が発生してその雷をレイへと叩きつける. だが.

「甘いのは……そっちだよっ！」

　レイはそんな言葉と共に、自分の真上で止まっている腕を掴み上げ、そのまま強引に2mを越える巨体を持つエルクを床へと叩きつける.

「がはっ！」

　背中をまともに床へとぶつけられたものの、それでも掴んでいたバトルアックスを離さないのはさすがと言うべきだろう. それどころか、反撃だとばかりに再びバトルアックスから幾筋もの紫電が放たれては、レイへと叩きつけられる.

"I told you," It's sweet... oh!"

　Once again, the body is lifted with the wrist of the right arm gripped and knocked to the floor.
　over and over again
　Elk's mistake would have been that he didn't know the Dragon Robes' performance. The strength of the dragon robes, made from the skin and scales of dragons that have lived for a long time, could not be demonstrated in the magic item that was the origin of the party's name, Thunder God's axe.

"Oh, what's the fuss about?"
"What the hell is that!"

　Several figures appear at the entrance of the room when they hear the screams of women, Ray's roar, or the sound of the battle taking place in the six-mat room.
　And what I saw was a small Ray hitting the floor endlessly, grabbing Elk's right arm over two meters high.
　If you look at this from the end, you can see that Ray is doing more harm to the Elk unilaterally. Elk's own famous and popular character in the city of Gilm would also have been influential. Ray is famous among adventurers, but he is rather famous in a bad way. That'since...

"What are you doing? Let go of Elk!"

　The first man to rush to the floor holds Ray down as he tries to knock the elk to the floor.
　Of course, that's not the extent to which Ray can manage it. But it is true that his movements were interrupted...

"Oh, my!"

　Elk wakes open Ray's right arm while screaming.
　All Ray could do at that time was to strain Elk's right arm and crack his right wrist.

"It hurts!"

　Despite a slight frown at the pain, Elk leaps out of the floor. He then kicks the floor again and attacks Ray, who is at odds with the man who rushed to the scene, with the axe of the god of thunder in his hand that he never let go of even if his wrist is cracked.
　Those who had finally come to see what was going on, probably understood what was going on. It's not Ray who's attacking Elk, it's Elk who's attacking him.

"What? Hey, Elk!"

　The man who was at odds with Ray muttered to himself... more precisely, he was waving up Battleax towards Ray, but that wouldn't stop the current elk. A man who twitches his cheek with fear at the huge axe approaching him.

"Oh, I'm in the way!"

　Furious at such a man, Ray forces his hand out of control and kicks it into his torso.
　At the same time, with his axe in hand, he made his way to the window to distance himself from the approaching elk... smashed the glass and ran out.
　そう、部屋の中にいて自分が得意とする長柄の武器を使えないというのなら、それを使える場所へと移動すればいいのだとばかりに.
　問題としてはレイの部屋が2階にあったことだが、その程度の高さから飛び下りるのはレイの身体能力であれば全く問題が無い. 殆ど音を立てずに地面へと着地し、衝撃を殺してすぐさま背後を……自分の部屋のある場所へと振り向く.
　その時に見えたのは、数秒前のレイ同様に窓から飛び出してくるエルクの姿だった.

「……ちっ、諦める様子は無いか」

　舌打ちをしながら、ミスティリングからデスサイズを取り出して構えるレイ.
　同時にエルクが地面に着地し、こちらもレイ同様に殆どの衝撃を殺したままで着地する. その体術はさすがランクA冒険者と言えるだろう.

「お前が何で俺の命を狙っているのかは知らない. だが、俺の命を狙う以上は自分も命を奪われる覚悟があっての行動だな？」
「……ああ」

　an elk that answers short and groaningly. Ray frowns faintly at the sight and at the sight of the distress.

(What's the matter with you?) Nevertheless, I can't take it easy to catch someone who is as powerful as Elk. If possible, why do you keep me alive and attack me? Wait a minute. Why is there only one Elk here? I know Rodos isn't here because he's no match for me. But Min himself is a Rank A adventurer and even a skillful wizard. It should also be an elk stopper that can easily run away. Isn't that Min here? Is that possible? Maybe...)"So you risk your life, Ray! Otherwise you'll die!"

　With Ray's disconcerting voice, Elk kicks in the ground and quickly pauses, halting the axe of the god of thunder.
　I guess the same was true of Elk, as well as Ray, who couldn't use his main weapon in the room. The speed of the step was incomparably sharp compared to that of indoor combat.

"Let them do whatever they want!"

　Ray also wields a death-size and intercepts the axe of Elk's god of thunder.
　The sun has already set, and the scythe and the axe collide with each other in the dark of the night to create sparks, and at the same time, purple electricity runs from the axe.

"Phew!"

　Elk's miscalculation is the weight of Ray's weight and death size itself. Elk, who is confident in his physical strength, and his favorite magic item, Raijin's axe, which is the name of the party, loses by force, loses by the weight of the weapon, and loses by the speed at which he wields the weapon. Nevertheless, the reason why Ray can't be blown away in one shot like all the people he's been dealing with so far is because he's so good at Elk.
　Ray's miscalculation is that Elk's lightning axe is a higher level magic item than expected, and it can be matched to death size. Initially, he tried to cut off the Raijin's axe with magical powers, but the Raijin's axe with purple lights was able to strike with magical powers.
　There are miscalculations on both sides, and at the same time, the tide of battle continues to favor Ray.
　But Ray was aware of the unnatural nature of Elk's behavior, and therefore did not intend to decide the battle, even though the battle itself was in his favor. mutter in the eye of Elk, handling a blow from the axe of the god of thunder.

"I don't know why you're doing this, Elk, but I can guess that Min isn't here."

　The voice of an axe and a sickle clashing against each other, for a moment... yes, but only for a moment, Elk's face twitched, and at the same time a look of hesitation appeared in his eyes.
　And Ray, who was watching Elk's face up close, couldn't have missed it for a moment.

(Perhaps Min and Rodos were captured and held hostage or something, and the conditions for their release were my life...

　Ray and Elk are axing each other while they think like that. その度に火花や紫電が周囲へと散らばり、宿屋の方からも何事かと視線を向ける者達や、レイの部屋から先程集まってきた者達が庭で戦っている2人の様子を見守っていた.
　迂闊に手を出してこないのは、さすがに2人の戦いに手を出せば自分達の命が無くなると理解しているからだろう.

（ここまで話しても俺への攻撃をやめないが、その割には最初のようにこちらの命を奪うかのような攻撃ではない. となると恐らく……）

　殺気の籠もっていない、既に剣舞とすらいってもいいようなやり取りの中、デスサイズと雷神の斧が打ち合わさった時にレイは再び小さく呟く.

「監視役がいるな？」
「っ！？」

　その言葉に驚きつつも、すぐさま微かに頷くエルク.
　それを見てお互いに鍔迫り合いに近い状態のまま、タイミングを合わせてお互いに後方へと跳んで距離を取る.

（なら、この下らない茶番を終わらせる為には、まずその監視役をどうにかしないといけない訳か. Fortunately, this is the inn's backyard. The stable is just around the corner. Then the thing to do is as simple as that!)

　Once they've distanced themselves from each other, they kick the ground again and begin to strike each other with an axe and a sickle.
　At first glance, the conversation seemed to be nothing but a serious fight. A swift wave of death size, Elk received the blade of Death with the axe of Thunder God, gliding it away, and Shiden was released on the counter.
　However, the two communicating with each other exchange information while fighting with sickles and axes.
　The results revealed that Min and Rodos were being held hostage and Elk was being forced to fight. The hostage-takers are watching the battle as they enter the streets of Gilm as a watchman. The total number of enemies is only four, and there is only one observer. The two hostages are said to be in the city of Abuero.
　With all that information, Ray quickly gives directions to Elk, who is fighting with him.

"Look, I'll make a big attack at once. You avoid it and attack me in a way that blows me away. The destination of the blow is in the stable. I'll ask Seto to find me a watchman."
"…can you? They're good at hiding in the dark." It's hard to find."

　Ray nods small, fluttering the axe of the god of thunder, scooped up from below.

"Oh, Sett has a good night's eye, and above all, he is the best person I can rely on right now. -- all right?"
"I can't help it. I can only rely on you. I asked."

　A small nod to the apologetic Elk...

"Now... let me decide!"

　He declared so loudly to the watcher, and flashed a death-size blade right next to him. Elk avoided the flash by sinking it to the ground and wielding the axe of the god of thunder... Ray, who received it with a death-size handle, was blown away as if by Elk's force, and drove into the stables.