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Chapter 58 Part 3 – Huh? My death is suddenly decided right from the beginning? More enemy reinforcements. And who is「he」, my strongest guardian?

At this rate, he will be labeled as an emotionally deficient person who can only say 「boring」 or 「sleepy」 when he sees an opera, a classical music, or a famous painting. I would be so frustrated if Bradd was treated like that.

When I said that as I cried when I was a little child, Bradd looked at me with a troubled expression ……
Then he learned a tremendous amount …….
That really made my heart flutter …….

E-Eh? What was that? What was I just remembering?
I’m pretty sure nothing like that ever happened ……
I wonder if I’ve subconsciously pulled up some memory from a dream ……

M-My face is blushing.
There must be some kind of mistake.
I hope Bradd didn’t read my mind and misunderstand.

I hurriedly focused on the supplementary explanation.

「…… Now the mystery of Addis’s various patterns of attacks has been solved. Those were all attacks with different weapons that has been made invisible ……」

「Yes, the stuffed animals he attached all over his body probably contains a weapon.」

It’s just like what Seraphy said.
Addis had ripped off a stuffed animal before launching his attack.

「Then, I guess that it was a whip that cut up the folding fans I threw earlier.」

Bradd’s words reminded me of the sound of the air being cut that I had heard earlier.

「…… That’s awesome!! Seraphy!! Even I, who have devoted myself to martial arts, can’t see it, but you can. You’ve become so strong. Let’s have a match sometime later.」

Seraphi was stunned when he saw Bradd’s admiring expression.

「Are you an idiot? There is no way I’m strong. If Bradd and I were to have a match, I’m sure you’d knock me out in a second. I’m not proud of it, but I didn’t see Addis’s attack at all. …… Bradd, there’s an attack coming!! Move backwards!!」

Seraphy instantly denied it, but he accurately predicted that an attack was coming.
Bradd moved backwards, but his eyes were filled with confusion.
Another knife passed through the position we were in.
Addis clicked his tongue in frustration.

On the other hand, I had an idea of how Seraphy sensed Addis’s movements.

「…… Could it be that you are reading the wind? Moreover, instead of the present, you’re reading the wind changes that will happen in the future. You’re trying to calculate Addis’s attack from that, right?」

Seraphy nodded and smiled gently at my words.

「As expected from Scarlet-san, you’re right. When I overlap the current wind flow and the slightly in the future wind flow in my mind, I can see the unnatural changes. From there, I can calculate Addis’s actions. Before coming here, Arnold told me about the physical characteristics that Addis was hiding with the ‘Dark Illusion’ and so I have a rough idea about it.」

Bradd was confused by Seraphy’s words.

「Eh? Is Seraphy’s companion, Arnold, acquainted with Addis?」

「No, that’s not it …… Umm, it’s quite hard to explain.」

But I knew exactly what Seraphy meant to say.

Arnold’s partner, the huge white owl, can see through magic and mimicry.
No matter how many disguises I put on as I fled in the previous 「108 times」, that owl can accurately detect my true identity.
And Arnold shares that owl’s vision.
Since a while ago, a huge white figure has been flying above the forest.
It must be that white owl.
The owl must have been relaying the situation of the scene and also Addis’s true body to Arnold.

「More importantly, Seraphy, you shouldn’t continue reading the winds of the future that much……!!」

I was about to continue the rest of the sentence, but Seraphy quickly put his finger to his lips and motioned for me to keep quiet.

I once heard from the chief navigator of the Blanche about this.
Seraphy is the one who takes the helm of the ship when there is a really dangerous storm.

‘The captain can not only read the winds and ocean currents in the present. If he puts his mind to it, he can even『see』the wind and waves that are about to happen. It’s more of a foreknowledge than a prediction. Its accuracy is 100%. However …… because it is an amazing ability, it is also a double-edged sword. It causes too much strain on the body, and the user will be bedridden for a few days ……’

I saw it. The scene of Seraphy quickly wiping away his nosebleed with his cuff to conceal it.
Although he has a composed expression, there’s already quite a considerable amount of strain on his body ……

Seraphy raised his voice to dispel my anxiety.

「…… Duchess!! Please use the archery technique『Meandering Bellows』!! Consecutively!! And please mix up the speed and angles!!」

「…… Leave it to me ……!!」

For the 「Meandering Bellows」 archery technique of my mother, the arrow will sink to right above the ground and then spring upwards, creating a V shape trajectory.
Seraphy has been making my mother repeat that attack continuously since a while ago.

Once the same technique is used repeatedly, Addis’s eyes would get used to it and he would eventually quickly respond to the arrows, but as expected from my mother, she added another trick to prevent that. Even with the same archery technique, she is able to change the timing, speed, and angle of the V trajectory, creating endless variations and toying with Addis.

「…… Tch, these attacks all have troublesome angles.」

Addis the Faceless clearly hated it.
I can’t tell because of his mask, but I had a feeling that he was glaring at Seraphy.

「You’re nothing but a powerless child who can only give instructions ……!!」

Mother’s arrow flew low in the forest underbrush and popped up from there.
Addis still flicked the arrow away, but it seems he can’t return the arrow like before.
He is on the defensive. Even though earlier he can easily catch eight simultaneous arrows ……!!　

I held my breath at the cooperative onslaught of my mother and Seraphy.

It turns out that Addis is not good at dealing with attacks coming from below ……!!
I wouldn’t have realized that ……!!

「A powerless child? That’s right. I’m tired of hearing that. And also, I have never felt ashamed of it. It is because I am aware that I am weak that I learned how to make the best use of other people’s strength. And just like in this situation, I have also learned to recognize the enemy’s weak points.」

Seraphy declared proudly.
It is a philosophy of life that is at the core of his being.
His words carry weight because Seraphy inherited the business as a child and went through a lot of hardships.
I have a lot to learn from him.
But Seraphy’s words to Addis did not end there.

「Humans are strong when they can rely on someone other than themselves.」

Yes, that’s a good point. It is true.

「…… Besides, a truly strong warrior does not underestimate a weak opponent. They would respect their opponents. They have the ability to accept that there are many different kinds of strength in the world. Mrs. Cornelia, Bradd, Sir Valentine, and the『Crimson Duke』. All the strong people I know are like that.」

I tilted my head to the side.

Umm, I disagree with that.
I think my father only has my mother in his mind, not respect for the opponent ……

Seraphy still continued to speak to Addis.

「Well, I don’t think someone like you would be able to understand that though …… Rather, are you even strong? The most you can do is just attacks that rely on magic tricks and weapons to catch your opponents by surprise.」

Hey!? Seraphy, what are you talking about!?!
Seraphi spoke proudly and provoked Addis.
I was so nervous that I gulped.
How can he say that to such a dangerous guy ……!!

「Come on, attack me …… I, who is powerless and can only be protected by everyone else, will defeat you, who boast of your strength. Ah, what was your name again? …… Oh, I remembered it. It was『The conceited idiot who had overestimated his strength』.」

T-That hurts.
Even though I’m someone that is trying to become a shut-in, even my heart was slightly hurt.

「…… How dare you ……!! I’ll make sure you regret saying those words ……」

Addis’s voice was low as he muttered the sentence. It was like a distant thunder.
Seraphy, don’t you think you might have provoked him a bit too much?
I – I have an ominous feeling.