Sparring Match

The next morning, the fertilizer arrived from Ramiza's shop bright and early.

It came tacked onto her regular delivery run, so there was no extra shipping cost. Economical.

I finished sorting the delivered goods and hoisted the fertilizer bag.

Carrying it out to the backyard, I found Alexia and Finn beating the hell out of each other.

I nearly dropped it in alarm, but on closer inspection their hands were wrapped in cloth to prevent injury.

Also, Elza and Azu were sitting in chairs, spectating.

So this was some kind of training exercise.

Alexia pressed Finn with a barrage of strikes, but Finn dodged them beautifully.

She only blocked the ones that were physically impossible to evade.

The size difference between them was substantial, so even a blocked blow sent Finn skidding backward.

"You hit like a mule! A military noblewoman through and through. Body-enhancement magic comes as second nature to you."

"Former, thank you very much. And you're one to talk, blocking at exactly the right spot every time. A clean hit from me would shatter bone."

"You do realize this is a sparring match?"

Finn sounded exasperated. Alexia glanced toward Elza.

"We have a skilled priestess right here. A few scrapes won't matter. Better training that way."

"This is why military nobles… Makes me wonder if the muscles extend all the way to the brain."

Elza noticed me and waved me over.

Finn and Alexia had spotted me too, but they resumed their bout without missing a beat.

"Good morning."

"Morning."

"Morning. So, what exactly is this?"

Greetings out of the way, I pointed at the two combatants.

"We figured being cooped up indoors all winter wasn't great, so we came out to stretch our legs. The backyard's big enough for some light exercise."

"I came out to check on the garden. I'll pass on anything tiring."

"Elza-san always says that… You're going to regret it when it matters."

"Oh, dear. Then you'll just have to protect me."

Elza pulled Azu's head into her chest as she said it.

Azu flailed and wriggled free.

"So how did it turn into that? I'm surprised Finn agreed."

"Well, Alexia-san kind of provoked her…"

I could picture it vividly.

And Finn, for her part, was the type to accept any challenge thrown her way.

"We decided to keep it to bare hands with cloth wraps and no injuries. I thought that would be safe enough, but…"

Just as Azu said that, Alexia's fist slammed into the ground, producing a heavy thud and what felt like a minor tremor.

"I'm not so sure about 'safe.'"

"A-ahaha. Sorry about that."

I let out a sigh.

With Elza on standby and the fight limited to bare hands, serious injuries were unlikely. I understood that.

The problem was that Alexia's fists packed a wallop even without weapons.

Where that slender frame stored all that power was beyond me.

No matter how many monsters she'd killed, there had to be a limit.

"It's the magic. Body-enhancement magic. She's reinforcing her physical abilities with it."

I was watching with folded arms, and Elza must have read my mind, because she spoke up.

"People tend to think of magic as the four elements, but body-enhancement magic exists too. Azu-chan uses it as well."

"Huh? I do?"

"Sure do. You're probably using it unconsciously. People who have mana but can't cast spells tend to channel it that way."

"Huh. Come to think of it, Azu had zero mana at the start."

"Now she's got about as much as a decent mage. She still can't cast spells, though. She can manage a bit when the Water Elemental assists, maybe."

"I'm glad I've learned to use it naturally, too. Magic seems too complicated for me, though."

Azu stroked the hilt of the Sealed Sword Grungaus as she said that.

It was the weapon they'd claimed from the Giant Centipede, and it had been her mainstay ever since.

She never skipped maintenance, either.

Her conscientious nature hadn't changed, even as she'd grown.

Though I'd rather not deal with a rebellious phase.

"Alexia-chan is especially skilled at body-enhancement magic. She must have trained from a young age. Her mana reserves are exceptionally large, too."

"Being a noble sounds rough…"

The skill with which Finn handled those attacks was equally impressive.

Alexia was the one pressing forward, yet Finn looked to have the upper hand.

Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee, as the saying went.

Still, Finn's precise counters didn't seem to faze Alexia much.

Alexia threw a wide right hook that left her momentarily open. In that instant, Finn's right foot caught her square in the face.

There was a dull thud and Alexia's head snapped to the side, but she didn't go down.

Instead, she grabbed Finn's leg.

"Tch. I give. I surrender."

"Oh? Just when it was getting good."

"You're way too tough. I put enough into that to snap someone's neck."

Charming conversation.

Alexia released Finn's leg and wiped the blood trickling from her lip.

It seemed she'd taken some damage.

"Good work, both of you. Let me patch that up."

Elza used her healing miracle.

"Much appreciated. With bare hands I can take hits all day, but with weapons it'd be a different story."

"Obviously. A bare-knuckle fight is already a massive handicap for me, don't forget that!"

Finn was still a bit sour over the loss.

"Here. This'll cheer you up."

I tossed her a piece of candy from my pocket.

Finn caught it without a word, unwrapped it, and popped it into her mouth.

She was unhurt, so Elza's healing wasn't needed.

I glanced at the small crater Alexia's fist had left in the ground.

And Finn had walked away from that without a scratch.

With Alexia's treatment finished, we finally got to the real business.

"So I just set this here?"

"Yes. Same as at the development site. I've already made a small pedestal for the spirit. It's tiny, though."

Elza placed the pedestal in the garden area of the backyard.

When she set a fragment of the Earth Elemental Stone on top, it glowed for an instant.

"This should restore its power bit by bit as we grow crops. With a garden this small, though…"

"I know. This is a stopgap. I'll secure proper land before winter's over."

"I'm counting on you."

We mixed the fertilizer into the empty beds without delay.

"Um, Master?"

"What is it?"

"I'm going to go see Kazusa while I have the chance."

"Go ahead. I'll leave it to you."

"Okay."