--Orba Chamber of Commerce Headquarters Courtyard.

　Where Huta and Prim were taken out, there was a visitor waiting for them.

　While talking with Beatrix and the others, a man was gazing blankly out the window the entire time. He stood slack-jawed, holding a heavy iron club in both hands.

　Beatrix had a chair prepared for him, and he took the spot with the best view and rested his cheek on it.

I don't want the princess to find out that I killed you. She's going to trample on your honor if you die, so I'll tell her first. I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
Well, yeah. In any case, you're going to have to live with that for the rest of your life.
Do you have any spare ...... weapons?
I'll get you one. Don't worry, there's no detailing or anything.

　Beatrix snapped her fingers in a cumbersome manner and one of her men came over to Huta with two axes.

　He takes it, checks the weight, and nods.

He's my man. I paid him a lot of money to be my bouncer. I paid good money for him.
...... What's the win condition?
If you can stop him, do it.　If I kill him, he wins, right?
Okay.

　Huta nodded and walked over to the bouncer.

　A small sigh escaped Beatrix's lips as she watched him go.
　Prim scrutinized her eyes from next to him, reading the emotions behind them.

"Did you say Beatrix? You.
What is it?

　She picked up a pastry from the side table and looked up at Prim with a disturbed look in her eyes.

　I'm not interested in brawling," she said.

You're not really interested in brawling, are you?
"......

　She opened her eyes lightly. Then she gently brushed her lips.
　And then.

"Pfft.
"What's so funny?
"Interested or not, it doesn't change what you do. I'm not going to change my mind now.
I don't know.
Why don't you trust the merchant instead of me?　I don't care if you trust him or not.
This guy is ......!

　Beatrix lost interest in Prim and turned her attention to Huta and the bouncer.

What's your purpose? What do you want? You lied to me about your interest in me, and you dragged me into this situation.
"It's time to shut up, loser.
"Yes, I am, .......

　The blood rushed to Prim's head as she was humiliated.

　But then she calmed down.
　Defeated. That's sort of Prim's response.

"......, so you were there.
"Even a nobleman bows to me. That's what being the head of a trade association is all about, right?　Of course they're invited.
So you knew about Futa's ability from the start.
How would I know that?
...... What?

　Are you an idiot?　I'm not sure what to make of it.

You're not a warrior, so how would you know what you're capable of? The only thing that's clear is that you're weaker than that guy.
"...... Gosh.
So I'm not interested in the extras. ...... But I know in my bones that my bouncer is strong. So I'll hit him. If he dies, so what?

　I've given up on the whole "not caring about people" thing, Prim.
　But what does it mean to have the strength of a bouncer in your bones?

　The answer came naturally out of Beatrix's mouth without needing to ask.

He's the one who single-handedly drove my caravan to destruction. He hired a lot of mercenaries. I almost died too.
You made him your bouncer?

　You're hiring a man who ruined everything you care about as your bodyguard.
　I wonder if this woman lacks resentment or hatred.

　After all, isn't she afraid of hiring the person who came to kill her as a bouncer?

　Beatrix snickered at Prim's question, which was filled with all sorts of meanings.


It's all about money.




　It's nothing.
　You just gave the people who came to kill you enough money to buy them off and then hired them for more money.

　Dignity, courage. Emotions, circumstances.
　There was a real businessman there who solved all that with money.

Yeah, like... --Like the whereabouts of the maid.











Oh dear. The chairman is also in trouble, isn't he?

　He was in his early thirties. 　
　He was probably in his early thirties.
　He threw down the right armchair, stroked his beard and smiled thinly.

I'm Wind. I'm a bouncer at the Orba Trading Company.
My name is Futa, from .......
Yes, I've heard a lot about you. ...... Well.

　He grabbed a swinging iron knife and twirled it around.

I've heard about you. I've heard that you came to this business to look for someone important. And apparently, our chairman is involved in the matter.
...... I'm here to ask you to give me some information about Corona.
I see.

　Even with Futa's physical strength, this iron door is a heavy weapon.
　He must have studied very hard to handle two weapons that are normally used with one.
　He wielded it with ease, spinning it around as if he were killing time, and looked at Futa.

"I have a six-year-old daughter.

　The words were muttered softly.

　I'm not sure what you're talking about," he said, raising one eyebrow at Futa, who gave him a friendly smile and continued.

Until recently, I was sickly and weak and desperately in need of money to pay for even a single medicine. I would have done anything for my daughter. I killed, I stole.

　That's when Beatrix hired him, he says.
　I owe her money. He's paid well, and he's loyal to her.
　His daughter's medicine was paid for easily if he fulfilled the request. Whether or not the request was in accordance with human decency is beside the point.

　But that's why he looked at Futa.

"You have the same eyes as I did back then. I owe the Chairman a debt of gratitude, but ...... I don't want you to have any regrets. --Go get your loved ones back.
"......

　Wind knows.
　He heard what was said in the room. He also knows that Beatrix has no eye for a fight.

　He can play a hundred games and never get caught. That's what he's trying to say.

"Thank you for your concern.

　--Earlier, behind Beatrix, he'd been listening.

　I'm sure he's not a bad guy.
　He's not a bad person. He's just someone who will kick aside ethics and morality for what's important, and he's a decent person to live with in peacetime. In other words, a person with values similar to Futa's.

　That's why he made the suggestion, and that's why I appreciate it.

　I don't have time. I'm in a hurry. And this Wind guy sure looks strong.

　But the suggestion did not sway Huta.




But you have to be ready.




　Not because he had promised her.

　Even if he had no regrets about the game, he would have made the same choice.

　Because...




I don't mean to go easy on you, but...



　After the arrangement with Beatrix. Prim was the only one who noticed.

　Huta's change of appearance.

　A tingling fighting spirit rushed towards Wind. 　




I'm so overwhelmed right now that I'm ...... afraid I might actually kill you if I'm not careful.
"What?





　I don't know what's going on with her right now.

　This Beatrix woman has almost certainly made contact with her.

　I'm not sure what's going to happen to her.

　Futa's mind was filled with frustration and anxiety.

　There was no room for him to think about anything else.




"Haha!

　Wind let out an involuntary laugh.

I see, I see. I see.

　He couldn't bring himself to say much more than that.

　He was afraid he might actually die.

　So, I did the best I could.
　He gripped the knife with his cold, sweaty hands, as if to respond to the fighting spirit that was being thrown at him.



"All right, come on, kid.





　"Come on, young man." Wind of the Iron Curtain threw a sortie at us! The signal to begin was given by the black suit.




　The signal to begin was given by the black suit.
　Beatrix raises the corner of her mouth to show off her skills.


　But Beatrix's only miscalculation was...



　But Beatrix's only miscalculation was that she misjudged Futa's ability.



　--Futa is not a swordsman.



　He's just "unemployed."


　Because of that, he can't fight the way a swordsman fights. He can't fight like an assassin. You can only mimic. You can't take it easy.

　So you depend on your opponent's fighting style.


　In front of you is a master of the art of killing who wouldn't hesitate to kill for someone he cared about.


　That is. 　



"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!



　A blow is struck.



　An iron knife that aims for life without mercy, a deadly blade that reaps life in the fewest possible moves.

　One blow to the head and it will crumple and die.
　Human beings are easily killed if they are conscious.

　That is why we must protect ourselves from a deadly weapon.

　In other words, you must abandon all defenses to avoid that blow.

　That's it.



　--That was the mission of the Wind Earth Note that had just been slammed into the outer wall.




"Where's ......?



　Beatrix let out an involuntary squeak, but it meant nothing to the two fighting men.


"There!
I'm not sure what to say.


　He blocked the blow, but was blown away by its power and slammed into the ground a couple of times.
　When I finally regained my position and stood up, a dull lightning bolt swung right in front of me.

　As soon as I rolled over to avoid it, the earth-shattering impact echoed through the house.

You'll be able to get a lot more than that.
"Not yet, ......!


I'm not sure what to do.


　The iron door slammed into the ground, and the full force of the strike caused cracks to appear in the ground.
　As it recoiled, Futa closed in on Wind and gave chase with the left-handed sword.

　What Wind can't resist is Wind.

　The armoury of the interceptor is not designed for protection at all.

　It is a bludgeoning weapon that can become a deadly weapon because it is a lump of iron that has been struck, smashed and loaded with momentum.

　If you are on the defensive, the weight of the weapon will be a detriment, and the force of wielding a heavy weapon and the damage caused by being struck will accumulate one after another, causing fatigue.

　Therefore, the armorer is all about the offensive.

　The violence he wields is like a storm, snapping and crushing his opponent's blade without allowing even a single counterattack.

　The one who knew this better than anyone else was supposed to be the Iron Penetrator, Wind.

　And yet, why?

　Wasn't the man in front of him a spearman?

　He was as skilled as if he had been with the iron vehicle for years.

　And the way he moved, knowing how to push the people in front of the knife as well as himself.

　If you take the strike of an incoming armored vehicle head-on, you are already on the verge of another armored vehicle. Like a bow being squeezed, the iron axes are swinging wildly left and right.

　The aim of each shot is precise and fast.

　Because Wind was used to exchanging lives, he could understand that each attack was truly worthy of reaping his own life.

　Once you understand, you have no choice but to keep taking them.

"......, this is it!

　A laugh escaped from Wind's mouth.

　One after the other, the man in front of him aimed his armor at Wind's vital point.
　There was no hesitation at all, and the defensive Wind was already breathing hard.

　And then...

.

　And then..." At the moment when his piercing gaze and Wind's eyes intersected. Certainly, the wind has shrunk.

　He's definitely coming to kill us. His cold-heartedness was the same as my own.

　I had to admit it. That this Futa was a vastly superior man to me.


　This isn't a fight.

　There's no need to win.

　The rewards were great, but now his daughter was healthy.

　And his daughter's life - and his own food - is most important to him.


　At this point, Wind made a move that invited a heavy blow from Futa.

"Ah!

　Futa twitched.

　It's not an opening, but it's just barely there.
　It is impossible to consciously create such a gap unless you are a great martial artist.

　Futa knows whether he has the skill to do it or not.
　He has the power to make that invitation.




　But I had my reasons for accepting the offer.

　Taking a gamble here was not a bad idea, considering the short term consequences.
　And even if this opportunity was an invitation, Wind didn't have anything better than Futa.

　The trajectory of the opponent's skill can only be seen through imitation.

I thought I'd been spotted, but ...... I dared to come on.
Still, I'll just hit him from above.
Well, that's true. It's not an invitation to defeat him.


　The only reason I was able to keep it off was because I had to.

　Considering the weapon of the iron handgun and the fighting style of wielding two of them, even a single blow would result in immediate death.

　It would be even worse if the target was coming from a precise point of impact.

　That's why I had no choice but to take it out with the Iron Door.

　He invited Futa's interceptor into the gap he had created - the purpose of the invitation was to take him out with his own interceptor.

　Once he created a distance between him and Futa.

　That's a bad move. He's on the offensive and has a huge advantage.

　--Wind saw it as a good thing. And...




"Well, you're very strong.



　And with those last words.
　With those last words, Wind was blown away by the full force of the strike of the iron knife he had swung.



　There was no need to pursue him.

　He chose this ending on his own - his back crashed into the tree and he was crushed.



"...... No. I'd love to have a 'proper' match again.
"Yes, that's the time.


　Huta knew he had the iron sword in his hand.

　This was the cleverest way to defeat Futa with the least amount of wounds when he was really trying to hit him, which could have killed him.

　Wind may not have been as strong as Futa, but he was a bouncer with great survival skills.


　As a result, Futa was left holding the victory in his hands.

　He took a breath and turned around.

"Well... --Now... you'll have to give me what I promised, Beatrix.

　The little box she was playing with.
　And whatever information she may have on Corona.
　Huta stared at her, trying to get everything out of her.


　And then, out of the corner of his eye, Beatrix said.


"Ugh ......, are you kidding me?


　I'm not sure what to make of that.
　I'm not sure what to make of that.

　The cupcake she had been picking was lying at her feet.