Hogbeck Territory (7): The Twins and Thor-sama

The cheers urging Thor-sama and the Yuimei twins on suddenly died down. The atmosphere surrounding the two sides facing each other intensified, and the spectators keenly sensed it.

The Yuimei twins were using ordinary bladeless training spears. To me, they looked like ordinary poles, but Thor-sama's weapon was a little different. For one thing, it was longer than normal—roughly an arm's length longer.

Most distinctive of all were the fittings at either end of the shaft. Normally, they would be attached where the bladed sections joined. It looked like a replica of a double-headed spear.

As I watched, Yuimei moved.

I thought they would split up to take advantage of their numerical superiority, but instead they charged straight in together.

Thor-sama stood waiting, completely unruffled.

Meizest was the first to make a move. They unleashed a sharp thrust, but Thor-sama evaded it with the bare minimum of movement. Matching that slight movement, Yuizest swept their spear horizontally.

Thor-sama thrust his own spear out to intercept Yuizest's, seemingly trying to block the attack. As Thor-sama moved, Meizest, who had just launched a sharp thrust, slid their spear in from the opposite direction.

Thor-sama was targeted from both sides, as if caught between them. Just before the two spears crossed, Thor-sama pulled the spear back and leaned far backward, escaping the paths of both weapons, then immediately swung it upward from below.

The instant the twins' spears passed just above Thor-sama's chest, the spear he had swung upward knocked both weapons into the air!

The twins' spears were knocked upward. The unexpected impact made them stagger slightly. Having knocked both spears upward, Thor-sama suddenly brought his weapon down in a diagonal slash toward Meizest with tremendous force!

Just as Meizest seemed about to be struck, Yuizest forcibly pulled them away, barely dodging the spear point. Thor-sama's spear passed by, grazing the tips of Meizest's hair.

The twins pulled each other back, putting distance between themselves and Thor-sama.

That single exchange had been so fast that there was no time to catch their breath. It was a struggle so fierce that it felt less amazing than downright abnormal.

"Oh, this looks like it'll be fun." Thor-sama still looked completely at ease, a smile playing at his lips.

"That should do for a warm-up."

"Indeed."

The twins rolled their shoulders and smiled fearlessly.

The soldiers watching with bated breath erupted into cheers once more.

As if pushed forward by the cheers, Yuimei began moving again. They charged together just as before, but this time Thor-sama also readied himself. Seeing his movement, Yuimei shifted into a front-and-back formation.

Just before they collided, from a distance beyond the reach of an ordinary spear, Thor-sama unleashed a thrust at tremendous speed. It was a powerful blow, the unusually long spear extended to its absolute limit!

Incredibly, Yuizest blocked the tip with the shaft of their own spear. Even so, they could not stop the momentum and were blasted backward. Using Yuizest's shoulder as a springboard, Meizest leaped into the air and attacked Thor-sama!

With arm and spear fully extended, it seemed that even the spear master Thor-sama could not evade the attack. But at the crucial moment, Thor-sama deliberately let the spear's momentum carry them into a diagonal forward spin.

Just as Meizest had earlier, Thor-sama evaded the attack, letting it graze a single strand of hair. Then, carried by the momentum of the spin, Thor-sama drove a palm-heel strike into Meizest's side as they were about to land! Taking the blow squarely, Meizest let out a low "Guh!" before rolling across the floor and writhing in pain.

"That's enough! Thor-sama wins!!"

At Frein's declaration, the venue erupted.

"Fny!?"

Lapilia-sama woke up, startled by the day's loudest cheer, letting out that slightly amusing cry.

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"You should go back to your room and get some rest, don't you think?" I suggested.

"I wasn't sleeping, you know?" Lapilia-sama insisted.

At one point, she had leaned against my shoulder and been softly snoring, but for some reason she absolutely refused to admit that she had been asleep, so, for now, I decided she hadn't been sleeping.

We left the training grounds where the twins and Thor-sama had been fighting and ambled away, the cheers at our backs.

Once the match was decided, the twins immediately—

Again!"

"We'll win next time!"

—demanded a rematch from Thor-sama, but—

"I don't mind, but the one who took that palm-heel strike should rest for a while. I landed it more solidly than I expected." Thor-sama pointed to Meizest, who was clutching their side.

"Are you okay, Mei?"

"It hurts like hell."

"If you want, the one who's still feeling energetic can take on our knight order. Hey, you lot! This is your chance to spar with the 'Twin Flames of the Fourth Knight Order'! Anyone interested?!"

At Thor-sama's call, several spectators leaped into the training grounds.

"Bring it on! All of you at once!"

"Yui, I don't think you can take them all at once."

And, well, it looked like this would continue for a while, so we left midway through to check on Drew.

Frein, who had been serving as the referee, had also been swept up in the festivities and couldn't get away, so only Lapilia-sama, Wickhart, and I headed to the workshop.

The fortress had few people in it to begin with, and since everyone had gathered around the commotion involving the twins and Thor-sama, the other areas were enveloped in an almost deserted silence.

"Ah, that building is the workshop."

Following Lapilia-sama's directions, we reached the workshop and peeked inside. In the dimness, I could see a human figure shifting slightly near the back.

"Drew?"

Looking closely, I saw Drew nibbling on some bread. Drew's hair was a mess, and the look was one of someone who had only just woken up.

"Mmph, Roa, I made a little something..."

"No, finish eating first. I can't understand a word you're saying."

Even so, Drew held out a palm toward me, trying to show me something.

When I peered into that palm, there really was a small, unfamiliar object lying there.