Combatants Will Be Dispatched - Volume 1 - Chapter 4.3

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“Hey, Six, looks like we meet again!”

Heine appears before me, her red eyes glinting like flame, as I lay helplessly behind Rose.

She doesn’t appear to have noticed that my power armor is on cooldown and that I can’t move.

“It’s been a while, Heine of the Flames. You seem pretty excited today. Glad to see you’re doing so well.”

“Of course I’m excited! This is war!! Now let’s get this started, Six! We can fight to the death today! There’s no one to interrupt us!”

Heine appears satisfied with our conversation, and she’s raring to go. In no time, she forms a ball of fire on her palm…!

“Wh-whoa, hold up! What’s the rush? I actually had something I wanted to ask you!”

At those words, Heine stops to listen. Good! Need to buy as much time here as possible!

“Something you want to ask me? What is it?”

“What do you eat to get boobs like that?”

Heine throws a fireball in lieu of an answer, which Rose hurriedly swats aside.

“Well, Boss, you can just add this one to your ever-growing list of dumb ideas. Seriously, what were you thinking? Or are you just not thinking at all?”

Damn. Harsh.

“Oh? Swatting aside my flames barehanded? I’m impressed. The knight from earlier was a huge disappointment, but I think I’ll have a lot more fun with you!”

Despite having her fireball deflected, Heine looks oddly happy. She eyes Rose with considerable interest.

All right, she’s in the mood to talk. This is the perfect opportunity to buy a little more time.

…Or so I thought.

Snow runs toward us, bawling her eyes out.

“Waaaaaaaaah! Six! Siiix! The frost blade! My brand-new frost blade! That bitch melted it! You’ve got that weird projectile weapon, right? Use it to avenge my poor Iceberg!”

C’mon, don’t turn the conversation back to fighting.

“Oh, right! That weird weapon! Whatever, this sounds like more fun! Bring it on, Six! I heard you took the treasure from the Tower of Duster! I knew you’d be able to do it! You’re so impressive for a human! Come on, let’s get to it!”

I have a woman literally throwing herself at me, and I’m terrified instead of ecstatic!

Heine flings another fireball my way, and Rose swats it down again.

“Six, hurry up and avenge Iceberg! I still have payments to make on it! My precious frost blade! The poor baby I cradled on my bosom every night… The frost blade I waited for ages and ages on a wait list to buy!”

I plead at Snow in silence, tearfully begging her to stop pouring gas on this fire.

“…Hey, Six, why is that girl protecting you? …Wait, you’re not paralyzed, are you?”

Dammit! She figured it out.

“Griffin, draw that girl away from Six! I’ll use that opening to cook him!!”

“Dammit, Snow! You useless— You’ll pay for this, you idiot!”

“What did you say to me?! And for that matter, why can’t you move?! Dammit! I can’t do much without my sword, especially against that sort of flame…”

If you’re that useless without your sword, why the hell did you even bother coming?!

Snow, thrown into confusion by my rage, stands watching as the griffin charges toward us. Rose jumps in front of the oncoming beast and draws in a deep breath.

“Drown in a sea of hellfire…! Sleep for all eternity! Crimson Breath!”

Rose takes the time to recite her little incantation before unleashing her flame breath at the charging griffin.

“Damn! That girl’s too well adapted to us! Screw it! Excessive force it is!”

Heine’s just about had it with the griffin cowering at Rose’s flames, and she raises her arms. Even with Rose in my way, I can feel the heat building as Heine draws more and more fire into her palm.

“Say, Rose, do you really need to go through that little spiel?! Is it really something you need to recite?!”

“I’d rather not say it, either! But I promised Grandpa! I can’t help that!”

While I’m bickering with Rose, Heine’s flames intensify, turning from red to blue…!

Has it been three minutes yet? It feels like I’ve been waiting here forever!

“Rose, I believe in you! You can shrug off a little flame like that, right?!”

“Y-yes, the blast lizard meat’s given me flame immunity, but Boss, there’s a big problem!”

Noting Rose’s desperate expression, I uneasily ask, “Wh-what is it?”

“I can’t have my clothes burn away in public! And these are the only clothes I own……”

“I’ll happily buy you new ones!”

Evidently coming to the conclusion that it’d be best to grab me and run, Rose tries to pick me up.

“Y-you can’t expect a maiden to be okay with public nudity just like that…! …B-boss, why do you weigh so much?! Nrrrrgh! I’m as strong as a one-horned ogre, b-but I can’t even get you to budge!”

“The power armor’s weight is why I can’t move! Just need a little bit longer… Once the suit finishes cooling down, I’ll get my strength back. Just hold on!”

Oblivious to our panic, Heine’s flames go from blue to a blinding white.

“Make your peace, Six! For your sake, I’ll make it quick!”

“Hey! That’s one of the lines prohibited by the villainy manual! Rose, we’re saved! I bet we’re about to be rescued by a brave, elegant heroine responding to my distress!”

As I wander off into my own little world, Rose struggles to move me.

“Boss! Snap out of it! I’m about to get flash-stripped in public! No one will want to marry me! Can I pleeease just run away now?”

“I’ll happily take responsibility if that happens, so don’t leave meeee!!”

At that moment…

“O Great Lord Zenarith, I beseech thee! Deliver disaster upon this woman! Make her limbs fall asleep!”

Just as Heine prepares to lob an enormous fireball, she freezes in place as though petrified.

“Guh?! Wh-what the hell?! No way…! A curse?!”

Heine’s eyes go wide in surprise at her sudden paralysis, while I, also stuck in place, offer thanks to my savior.

“Grimm, you saved my ass! You can be useful after all!”

“Indeed, indeed. Now you, too, have borne witness to Lord Zenarith’s power… Wait, just what did you think of me until now?”

The long-awaited announcement in my head saves me from having to answer that question.

“Thanks, Rose, I’m good now.”

Freed from babysitting me, Rose turns her glare back to the griffin, her true rival.

Heine, too, appears to recover from her paralysis, slumping her shoulders in disappointment.

“Oh, I give up…,” she mutters. “And here we were just about to test the golem’s abilities… Things always seem to go wrong when you’re around. Hey, Six, you sure you don’t wanna join us? Name your demands. I bet we can meet most of them.”

“Quick! Block Six’s ears! Or just go ahead and get rid of that woman!” Alice barks out orders, trying to drown out Heine’s voice.

“Boss! Talk to me for a bit! Don’t listen to the enemy’s words!”

“C-Commander! Forget about that woman and let’s go on another night date!”

My two subordinates step closer, desperately trying to come up with things to say. At that moment, my senses sharpened by countless battles alert me to danger!

“Whoa!!”

I roll forward, mostly out of instinct, and dodge a lethal blow. Looking back in panic, I see Snow standing, dagger in hand.

“Wha—?! I thought you couldn’t move! What are you doing dodging that blow?!”

“What the hell are you doing, you crazy bitch?! At least wait till I actually turn traitor!! Seriously, all of you?! Do you really think I’d just happily run off to join the enemy?!”

Man, screw these guys! Just who the hell do they think I am?

“First off, we’ll triple your pay. Next, Six, have you ever heard of a demon called a succubus?”

“Yes, ma’am, I’m quite familiar with that demon.”

“Hey, Six, stop listening so attentively! Don’t answer her that politely! Stop getting baited and draw your gun!!” Alice shouts quickly in a rare display of anxiety.

“…Ugh, seriously, no trust at all. S-sorry to disappoint you, Heine of the Flames. I’m not so easily swayed by riches or women…”

I stand, dusting myself off and reaching for the gun on my hip. Heine smiles invitingly and outstretches her right hand.

“Come, Six, take my hand. I’ll get whatever woman you want to take care of you. Teasing succubi, haughty-yet-submissive Lilims, devilishly beautiful vampires, sirens gently cooing in your ear…”

“Grimm! Shut that woman up with a curse! Six can’t resist that charm magic much longer!”

“That’s charm magic?! I don’t feel any magic in the words, though…!”

“<…Sorry, Alice… I think I’m done for…>”

“<Get it together, Six! Also, stop speaking in Japanese! It makes you sound serious!>”

Alice cries out desperately just as a white blur cuts in between Heine and me.

“Gotcha!”

Seeing her opportunity, Snow lunges with dagger outstretched at Heine’s arm.

Heine had put out the flames so she could offer her hand to me.

Snow strikes with her dagger, a silver glint flashing in the air. Heine quickly draws her hand backward; the blow glances off her gauntlet, sending a piece of it flying. The piece glows red as it tumbles in the air.

“Ack! My sorcerer stone!!”

All of Heine’s attention turns to the stone, as though Snow and I have suddenly ceased to exist.

Heine’s gaze falls on Alice, who snatches the gem out of the air.

“…Oh? What’s this? Seems pretty important based on your reaction.”

“N-not at all! It’s n-nothing important…”

Heine’s eyes belie her words as she stares desperately at Alice’s hands. I stand next to Alice, gazing closely at the gem in her hands.

“If it’s not important, I guess we can just hang on to it.”

“Agreed. No need to give things back to the enemy. Especially if they’re trivial.”

“Ah! Um! W-well…that…um…that actually is important…,” Heine stammers out after hearing our conversation.

“Oh, that’s a sorcerer stone. Magic users need a conduit to cast spells. Usually they use something like a staff, a ring, or maybe a bracelet as a conduit, but it seems that’s what the gem is for her. The gem’s overflowing with magic. I imagine it must’ve taken a lot of time and effort to shape it into such a powerful conduit.”

Grimm peers at the gem in Alice’s hands, looking rather impressed as she describes what it is.

“…What happens to Heine without it?”

“She won’t be able to use magic. She could use something else as a conduit, but she won’t be able to wield a power befitting one of the Demon Lord’s Elite Four.”

Alice and I exchange glances, then look back at Heine.

“…Eeep! Wh-what are you plotting, Six? Y-you’ll be joining us and bringing that stone with you, right? Right?! Please tell me I’m right!”