Chapter 74
The force in Al's roar cowed Mary-san's subordinates. But knowing they still had the advantage, the three children conferred and attacked simultaneously.
"Don't underestimate me!"
Al swept the sword in his right hand sideways. All three swords were knocked away at once and flew off in wild directions. Al grabbed a barrel from the deck with his free left hand. Then he lifted it one-handed and hurled it at the enemy.
The masked sailors dodged the barrel as it struck the deck and rolled toward them. Al charged into their midst, swinging his sword and knocking the weapons from their hands.
Beside Al, who was fighting fiercely, Ray was fighting as well. Somehow, he had procured a deck brush and was swinging it around like a spear.
Ray thrust and swept with it, sometimes hooking an opponent's leg with the brush's tip and knocking them down. Unlike Al's boisterous fighting, his was remarkably quiet.
Al and Ray held their own even aboard the rocking ship. The masked sailors could not get near them.
The tap-tap of approaching footsteps reached the two men. A pair of slender, long legs came into view, belonging to Mary-san, who held a sword in one hand. Her unruly red hair streamed behind her, and she wore a confident smile.
"Huh, not bad. For a landlubber, it's impressive that you can move that well aboard ship."
Mary-san nodded, clearly impressed.
"Hey, you two. How about joining my crew?"
"Huh? Are you kidding me?"
"My only master is Romelia-sama."
Mary-san was trying to recruit the enemy in the middle of the battle. Al furrowed his brow, while Ray replied in a hard, sharp voice.
"Why? What's so great about that woman?"
Mary-san gave me a sidelong glance, then shook her head with a grunt.
"I'm the better woman, though."
As Mary-san proudly thrust out her ample chest, Al and Ray spat back at her.
"You don't even understand that, so we're not joining you."
"Exactly."
Al and Ray said it in unison. Mary-san's eyes narrowed with displeasure.
"Fine. If you won't join me, then you'll have to die."
"If you think you can, try it!"
With Mary-san pointing her sword at him, Al leaped at her.
Mary-san seized the long red coat draped over her shoulders and threw it at the onrushing Al. He knocked the coat aside with his left hand and slashed, but Mary-san had already slipped away to the left.
After Mary-san evaded Al's attack, Ray thrust at her with the deck brush.
"Don't point that filthy thing at a girl!"
Mary-san swept her sword once, severing the handle of the deck brush.
The brush head fell to the deck. But Ray found the shorter weapon easier to use, so he treated the remaining handle as a spear and thrust with it.
Mary-san danced aside with her long legs, evading Ray's attack. Al slashed at her with his sword as well, but she deftly dodged that attack too.
I was amazed by Mary-san's footwork. It was not simply a matter of superior physical skill. She calculated the ship's rocking and the movement of the waves as she moved. That allowed her to evade attacks with minimal movement.
A confident smile played around Mary-san's red lips. But her nimble footwork came to a halt when the ship's rail blocked her escape. While attacking, Al and Ray had driven her to the Lazybones' starboard side.
Al took up position in front of Mary-san, while Ray positioned himself to her right.
"Ray, let's attack at the same time!"
Al coordinated with Ray. Mary-san, meanwhile, narrowed her large eyes and watched the two of them in turn.
Al charged with a shout, while Ray thrust without a word. With attacks coming from the front and right, Mary-san seemed to have nowhere to run. But she turned, hooked one long leg over the rail, and kicked off it to leap into the air.
As Mary-san soared through the air, Al changed the trajectory of his sword to slash at her. But at that moment, Mary-san's body glowed green. Wind sprang up around her, lifting her into the air. Al's sword cut through empty air, and Mary-san sailed over his head and landed behind him.
Ray's eyes widened in astonishment. He must never have imagined using magic to change one's trajectory in midair. I had never seen magic used that way either. It was an astonishing idea and application.
Mary-san landed and pointed her sword at Al and Ray. They tensed, but behind them were the ship's rail and the open sea. They had been the ones cornering her, but now they were cornered.
"If this fight had been on land, I'd probably have lost. But here, we're on a ship—and if you fall overboard, you lose!"
Green light radiated from Mary-san's body. Immediately afterward, a powerful gust swept through, blowing Al and Ray off the ship and into the sea.