Mariel's appearance upset Iris.
　However, she quickly changed her mind and stood facing Farren.

'Thank you, Mariel.
It's okay. Leave the small fry to me, ...... and do what you want.

　It's not that Mariel's "small fry" included weak opponents.
　There are some who have dropped back in alarm when she appeared - but Mariel's blade caught even them.
　--That was the Steel Thread Sword used by Fis Maiden, one of the Swordsmen.
　Iris has not actually fought with it, but she has seen it in action.
　It's not only the user, but also ...... the fact that Mariel's skill is out of the ordinary when she uses that sword at will.
　...... At the very least, Iris can't use that sword.
　You can find a lot of people who are looking for the best way to get the best results.
　But Marielle can wield it at will.

"...... You dare not aim at me, huh? But I never thought we'd be so overrun by a single person.
If you wish to surrender, you must release the wards now.
Lifting the wards? Stopping me alone won't stop this magic. But I'm not going to surrender. I'll take care of Iris. I'll take care of the girl.
"Ha!

　The mages who had been holding back also started to move.
　He glanced at her, but she just nodded with a gentle smile on her face.
　I'll take care of it--that's what I meant.

(Though I didn't think I'd be able to help not only the doctor, but his family as well: ......)

　In the current situation, I would honestly appreciate it.
　What Iris needs to do is to defeat the enemy as soon as possible.
　Therefore, Iris focused on one person, Farren Torbert, and grabbed his sword.
　It was Iris who made the first move.
　She kicked the ground to close the distance between her and Farren.
　Farren was not armed - if they were fighting at close quarters, Iris would have the advantage.

You can't expect me to let you get close to him easily.
"Ah!

　I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but it's a good idea.
　You'll be able to find out what it was that cracked - you'll run your thoughts through your head and realize that it was a misunderstanding on Iris's part.
　You feel the cold air beneath your feet. It was the Ice Spear that extended from his blind spot.
　Iris leaps to the right to avoid the attack.
　If you look, you will see that Farren himself is covered in cold air. The ground around him was gradually covered with frost, freezing his surroundings to a crisp.

"Is this the first time you've seen a mage use cold air?
I've heard that ...... ice magic is difficult to handle. I've heard that it takes a lot of practice to get it up to a real-world level.
I'm perfectly capable of handling it.

　I can handle it perfectly." As soon as Farren said that, cold air spread around them at once.
　The ground froze and the trees and plants transformed into beautiful ice sculptures that looked like they were created by an artist.
　Furthermore, the ice on the ground changed.
　As the thorny path was formed, Farren continued in an indifferent tone.

"Now you can't get to me. Even if you were wearing shoes, these icy thorns would easily penetrate.

　He was probably referring to the fact that Iris was barefoot.
　It's true that Iris can't get close to it under the current circumstances - but that's only if Iris doesn't do anything.

Do you really think I can't destroy it?

　I'm not sure what to do, but I'd like to know what you think.
　The lightning strike that spread out around her easily destroyed the ice thorns that Farren had created.
　Farren's eyes widened in surprise.

"!
"Now--

　The moment Iris tried to close the distance between her and Farren, she felt something like a chill.
　It wasn't a chill that he was giving off, but something that he sensed was a trick.
　Instantly, Iris leapt up to get some distance from Farren.
　If you look at where he was a moment ago, you can see signs that he was trying to catch Iris.

"...... So it's powerful enough to freeze you instantly.
You've noticed. This is the power of my magic.
I told you, with that kind of power...
I told you. I told you this was for the good of the country. You don't understand.

　It's certainly not something Iris can understand.
　What Farren is doing is clearly an act of treason against this country.
　But Farren insists that he is doing it for the good of the country.
　In order to confirm his true intentions, he needed to be defeated anyway.

(Perhaps an attack from this distance, even if it reached him, would not be enough for me to defeat him. (Probably I can't defeat him even if he can reach me from this distance, though I'm sure Dr. Schweizer can use the Invisible to hit him. ......)

　Iris's long-distance attack is the "flying thunder", which flies a blade of lightning.
　It's fast, but not very powerful. If a wall of ice is built, it will be easily blocked.
　While facing each other, Iris exhaled quietly.
　A white breath entered her gaze, and she looked directly at Farren.



"Give up. You're a swordsman, you can't get close to me.
There must be some reason why you don't come any closer than you have to, right?　For example, you can't move ...... there in order to maintain that magic.
"......

　Farren didn't answer.
　If you can move while maintaining that magic, then you can approach Iris.
　But the reason he didn't do that was because he thought it would be difficult to move with the magic intact.
　The reason they don't chase Iris as much as they should is because their magic is of the type that "unfolds" on the spot.
　In other words, it is like a "ward" that can only be activated in a certain place. If you take the time to ......, Iris has a chance to win.
　But that would be a conflict of interest.
　But that's not in the interests of Iris, who needs to defeat Farren as soon as possible.

"...... There's no point in thinking about it. I'll decide in one blow--

　Iris made up her mind and stepped forward.
　I'm going to do it in one blow." Iris stepped forward with determination, finding herself on the edge of Farren's magic and leaping for it.
　But no matter how much Iris tried, she couldn't get to Farren in one step.
　Even if she stabbed her sword into the ground and unleashed a thunderbolt, it would not last.
　If his feet touched the ground, he would be caught.
　Farren knew this, and as if to push him even further, he aimed the Ice Spear at the spot where Iris had landed.
　I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but it's a good idea.

"What?

　Farren's eyes widen in surprise.
　Before landing, Iris had landed on the Wall of Magic that she had created.
　It also tilted its direction slightly towards Farren and put a lot of strength into its legs. --This is a technique used by Luino Tomra.
　The moment he kicks out, the wall of magic power fragilely collapses, but Iris instantly closes the distance to Farren.
　Farren also reacts, but Iris is faster.
　I'm not sure what to do, but I'm going to do it.

"Gah! Ha! ......
I'm not sure what to say.

　You'll be able to find out more about this in the future.
　It's a great way to make sure you don't get caught in the middle of the action.
　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

...... Hmm, I guess it was too much to ask to use it right off the bat in a real battle. But it worked.

　Using the techniques of those he had defeated in the past, Iris had defeated Farren.