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Chapter 56 Part 2 – Mr. Queer Witch and I are reading each other, causing sparks to fly around. And what are the seven phantoms!? And then, the third person from the five heroes!! Enter the fray, the melee, the great chaotic battle!

「Do you know Princess Margaret? And that abyss-like girl ……」

Mr. Queer Witch suddenly took her gaze away from my eyes.

「Ah, that was a slip of the tongue. Sorry, but I have no intentions of colluding with you. I have my own reasons for having to fight. You are the target. If you want to hear any more than this, you’ll have to defeat me and get the information out of me. Let’s start.」

The battle was starting. Countless vines burst forth from the sleeves of Mr. Queer Witch’s robes as a torrent of green. A green carpet stood between us and Mr. Queer Witch.

I slapped my own cheeks and steeled myself.

That’s right. I said it myself that I would take command in this battle.
That meant that I would be responsible for everyone’s lives.

Don’t get distracted by unnecessary things.
I have to concentrate.
But I’m sure Mr. Queer Witch will be a strong opponent.
Will I be able to win? If I make a mistake in my command, everyone will ……!!

「…… You’re being too worked up, munchkin. All of us will support you. Don’t worry and leave it to us. You are a great girl. If you keep a level head, you won’t lose a battle of wits against any opponent.」

Standing beside me, Bradd put his hand on my head.

My cheeks became relaxed, it had been more tense than it needed to be.
I noticed my sweaty palms and chuckled wryly.

He’s an idiot, but he’s really dependable at the right moments.
Seriously, if it wasn’t me, other people would have misunderstood and fallen in love with you, you know?

I tried to hide that I’m embarrassed and said with a harsh tone.

「You are quite a natural lady-killer, aren’t you? But thank you. I’ll be relying on you.」

Dressed in a maid uniform, Bradd tilted his head.

「…… Lady-killer? I don’t kill women. I don’t want to do anything like that. And besides, my father would disown me if I did.」

…… No, that’s not what I mean.

「More importantly, munchkin, are you alright? You put too much strength when hitting your own cheeks and now your cheeks are swollen like a steamed bun.」

Bradd peered at me with concern.

「…… Haa? Do you want to get killed? These are just healthy baby cheeks!! This is what toddlers are supposed to have. If you ever say that again, I’m going to pinch you as hard as I can!」

Looking at Bradd’s serious expression as he was pleased to say that to me with a hint of sarcasm, I pinched his thigh as hard as I can
I have confidence in my grip strength.

I was a fool for having my heart pound because of this idiot.

By the way, in the village of the〈Lawless Crew〉, steamed buns are offered to the gods instead of bread during festivals.
It is definitely not that the worldview of this story is half-baked, probably.

Bradd jumped up and screamed.

「…… You’re pinching me!! You’re already pinching me!!」

「These hands of mine burn bright red. When it grabs meat, the meat roared and screamed. …… This is just pinching. From here on, by adding a twist into it, the final secret technique of Scarlet style will be completed. Want to give it a try? …… Heat and ……!!」

「I get it!! Sorry!! I was wrong!! I won’t say it again. Scarlet is cute!! Beautiful!! The number 1 person guys want to take as a wife!! This will definitely leave a bruise!! Quickly take your fingers off!!」

In anguish, Bradd continued to heap praises on me and I felt completely refreshed.
I decided to forgive him with a clear and serene mind.
A crisis in many ways was narrowly averted.

「In the future, when you want to make fun of my cheeks. Look at that bruise and remember this fear. That is a proof of submission to remind you not to repeat the same mistake ……」

I win.

I grinned after I stared at Bradd with reproachful eyes and freed his thigh meat from my fingers.
His earlobes were red.

To think he’d say something like, ‘The number 1 person guys want to take as a wife’, really, he did it again without even intending to do so ……
How foolish, really ……

No, most of all, didn’t Bradd smile at the end?
It was as if he was making a farce on purpose to relieve my nervousness.
No way right ……

Mr. Queer Witch had been listening to our conversation and spoke up.

「…… The springtime of youth, huh? Are the two of you done with your lover’s quarrel? Can I attack you now? But to think that at that age, you’d give that mark as a substitute for a hickey to declare ownership. Are you by any chance the possessive type, young lady? Well, a little jealousy always makes a girl cuter, don’t you think?」

It seemed that he suspended the attack until the conversation was over.
He’s a conscientious person, just like the monsters that don’t attack during the transformation period of magical girls.

But, lover’s quarrel!? Hickey!? What is he saying!?
What if other people misunderstand?
This is a terrible misunderstanding!!

But I felt curious and glanced sideways at Bradd, but he only had 「?????」 written on his face. I felt foolish for pondering about his response. I beckoned Bradd to come over to me and kissed him lightly on the cheek as he leaned in close.

「It’s a kiss from the goddess of victory. I won’t let you get away with it if you mess up.」

Bradd’s eyes widened in surprise, then he smiled brightly.

「…… Yeah, leave it to me.」

I smiled and turned to look at Mr. Queer Witch.

「…… For girls, kissing is not just an expression of the desire to monopolize. It’s also an important spell to pray for someone’s safety. You are not the only one who has a reason to fight. Come on then, feel free to attack us now.」

I grabbed both ends of my skirt, bowed lightly to Mr. Queer Witch, and declared war.
I could sense that Mr. Queer Witch had a broad smile on his face.

「I’m so excited now. Well then, I’ll take your word ……!!」

The sea of ​​vines, which had been paused for a moment, rose like a wave and surged toward us.

I pointed the tip of my fan forward and ordered, 「Don’t falter!! Imperial guards, attack with Trident formation!!」

The gallant voices raising battle cries of 「Uwooohhhh!」 and the sound of hoofbeats hitting the ground rang out.
There was also the familiar sound of metal clattering from the spear handles being released from the lance rests.
The imperial guards plunged fearlessly into the vines.

The Trident, a specialty of the imperial guards, is a cavalry attack technique done by a group of three knights on horseback. The attack force of one of the most powerful cavalry techniques as the knights strike in an unbroken straight line is immensely powerful. The mass of three horses and three knights accelerated rapidly and rushed forward. Even a bear would be blown away if it took a direct hit.

The reason why the vines were able to stall the imperial guards earlier was because they were marching slowly while watching over the situation, and also because they were surprised by the unknown attack they ended up standing still and it took advantage of that opening. This time, however, the imperial guards did not let the vines that were closing in get the better of them. The vines were already as thick as an adult’s wrist, but the imperial guards kept moving forward as they tore the vines apart. It was as if the sea was splitting. The vines were writhing like an earthworm meeting its demise.

「…… As expected from you. A heavy mass and velocity without any tricks is the best move in this case. Indeed, the strength of my vines won’t be enough to stop this power. …… Did you expect me to say so? How naive.」

Mr. Queer Witch said so while laughing fearlessly.

I know. If it’s this person, he’ll surely have another attack even if his vines are being torn apart.
Now, what is he going to do?
I watched the area frantically with my eyes.
As long as plants are the means of attack, I should be able to narrow down the patterns to a few.

…… Got it!!

「…… Imperial guards, break off the Trident formation!! Spread out!! Pay attention to your footing!! The ground will probably be slippery!!」

I shouted.
Because I witnessed the severed plants spraying an unusual amount of liquid.
The spreading of the liquid in the air was strangely thick. It was mucus.