"You must be Mr. Hikaru. Nice to meet you, I'm Refreia's mother. It seems you've been taking care of her around this town."

"Ah, so you're really her mother. Nice to meet you, I'm Cross Hikaru."

"May I talk with you while we walk a bit?"

"Eh, yes"

Refreia's mother seems completely unfazed by the duel commotion.

No, that's impressive. Is dueling really common in this world? ...I've never seen it before.

Still, she probably thinks I've been cheating on Jeanne, just like she did.

No, in the first place, it's unclear whether Refreia and I even have that kind of relationship... No, but from Refreia's perspective, I clearly told her I wouldn't get involved with anyone like that. Even if Jeanne is a transfer and an abnormal existence, it's not unreasonable for her to feel betrayed just by being with me. After all, even the loving twin

birds didn't hesitate to leave without dissolving their bond. So from this person's

point of view, I must seem like "the man who deceived her daughter"... Thinking about it like

this, her composed, cool expression suddenly feels strangely

terrifying. I want to know why Refreia returned so soon and started talking about marriage, and what happened with the Holy Knight trial, but I don't feel like I can

ask. "Are you sure... about not stopping the duel

?" In the end, unable to find a proper opening, I asked that.

No matter how you look at it, Reflair is out of control, and Jeanne's acting a little strange, so I'm counting on a sensible person to step in and stop them.

"There's no need to stop it. Considering what's ahead, establishing a hierarchy will be necessary."

Huh?

"Hierarchy...? What kind of hierarchy?"

"Hikaru-san, you'll be troubled by this girl, but please take care of her."

"Eh, well... I mean, what exactly do you mean by 'hierarchy'..."

"…………"

Reflair's mother falls silent.

Actually, she's just plainly saying "Take care of this girl," but that sounds like marriage is already a given...

No... that can't be... This is just Reflair going off the rails as usual...

We walk in silence for a while.

It won't take long to reach the plaza before the labyrinth from the street market.

Behind us, spectators slowly followed, drawn by the spectacle.

Probably entertained by the word "duel."

A duel between two heavily armed female adventurers—perfect entertainment in a world lacking amusement.

No, seriously, how did this even happen?

◇◆◆◆◇

The duel between Jeanne and Refleia begins.

I tried once more to stop it, but failed utterly. Even Refleia’s mother scolded me to just watch quietly.

In the end, I could only nervously watch from a short distance away.

Well, both are skilled fighters, so it probably won’t get too dangerous.

…Probably.

Refleia initiated the battle with her attack.

A powerful strike delivered with fierce determination.

The sword wielded by Reflair is nearly as tall as she is, and likely heavier than her own body weight. Unlike the typical sword with a fine tip designed for slashing, this is a forward-weighted blade where thrusting is hardly considered. It's not something you'd normally expect to swing around, yet through years of rigorous training—or perhaps because she was naturally strong—she has developed the sheer strength necessary to wield it effectively.

I had quietly summoned Darknight and had him standby, just in case I needed to end the fight immediately depending on the situation.

This is a genuine duel using real weapons. Even though there's a great healing scroll available, there's still a risk of serious injury, or worst case, a fatal accident could occur.

Reflia's first strike was a sweeping slash aimed at Jeanne's shield.

Despite everything, it seemed she still had a calm part within her. If she had gone straight for a fatal strike to the head or neck, Reflia would have considered stopping her by force, but it looked like that concern was unnecessary.

　

To Reflia, the attack was meant to use the weight of her sword to send her opponent flying and render her combat-ineffective.

However, Jeanne effortlessly blocked it with her shield, the clash echoing with a fierce metallic sound.

The speed and weight of the blade were extraordinary, causing only a slight knockback—nothing more.

(If she had taken that hit, Reflia would already be at a disadvantage.)

Refleia's strength lies in her rapid strikes with high-damage weapons, but she doesn't fare well against Jeanne, whose defense is as tough as a turtle's shell. After narrowly avoiding a blow, she only exposes her openings.

Her mother must have realized that at a glance.

I didn't miss the quiet whisper, "That child is still inexperienced."

Refleia's attacks continued afterward, but every one was deftly blocked by Jeanne's shield.

Jeanne seemed to be enjoying Refleia's assault, deliberately appearing to accept the blows.

Watching the duel between the two, Refleia's mother quietly spoke.

"Hikaru-san. Since my daughter rarely talks about you, I don't know much about your circumstances. You were the one who gave her that flower... that's certainly true, isn't it?"

"Flowers? Ah... the glowing ones, right? Yes, that's correct."

"What about Flora's illness?"

I thought it might be about the duel, but apparently it doesn't hold much importance in her mind.

Flora—wasn't she Refleia's younger sister's name?

"I've heard it's a serious illness."

"I see..."

The situation isn't clear, but something must have happened with that flower.

I gave Refleia a miracle cure, but maybe it didn't work when she took it, or perhaps it worsened her condition due to side effects...? The flower itself was said to help with a different illness, so it seems it's no more valuable than just a glowing flower after all...

"Why did you give your daughter that flower? Did you know about its medicinal effects?"

"No. I knew it was said to help with a different illness than my sister's, but since I had nothing of real value on hand, I intended it as a farewell gift."

"Does Reflira have that much worth?"

"Not exactly worth... At that time, there was something I desperately needed, and I asked her to help me, even though it was a great burden. In truth, I ended up putting her in danger—she nearly died during the battle with the Demon King, suffering deep wounds. So I don't think a flower like that could ever repay her... Was there something wrong with the flower?"

If it's worth something, perhaps a noble has shown interest in it.

If so, it might have sold for a high price. Since she mentioned she didn't have much money for her sister's treatment, maybe she returned with her mother?

"With that flower, Flora's illness was cured—so suddenly, it was as if the long suffering had been a lie... Today, I came to express my gratitude, and to speak with you about that child... Refrea."

It seemed she was about to explain why she had come today.

But was her illness really cured by the flower?

"Was it really cured by that flower? No, that couldn't be..."

"The day she returned was exactly the day the doctor was visiting, and even the doctor was astonished. So, we were able to have her prescribed the medicine and take it right away. Flora was able to stand on her own just two days later."

"Is that so? Congratulations."

Regardless of the circumstances, it's wonderful that her illness has been cured.

The item鉴定 result for that flower did indeed list a different illness name, but perhaps Refrea didn't know the official name of the disease, or something along those lines. People often remember illnesses by their common names.

In any case, I had already given her the universal remedy in hopes of curing her younger sister, so the fact that her sister's illness was cured was within expectations.

I just didn't expect her to return so soon—apparently, she came to thank me.

...Refrea, meanwhile, suddenly started a duel frenzy.

"So you returned in a hurry. Refrea, you'd just come back after deciding to become a Holy Knight, so I was surprised. Oh, don't worry about the flower. It was pure coincidence that your sister's illness was cured by it, and I gave it to you myself."

That flower was what's known as a 'Top-Rare Material,' and by obtaining it, I earned three points.

A single achievement granting three points, a divine gift, was something only rivaled by defeating the Demon King.

It truly was an extremely rare occurrence, but what's given is given.

Neither more nor less.

"No, we simply can't accept this. The Ashbord family has received such immense gratitude from you. If we don't repay this kindness, we won't be able to face the Great Spirit."

"Eh... really?"

I was about to say it was overly dramatic, but I recalled that Refleia once mentioned that was part of their family creed.

They even came here accompanied by their mother. It didn't seem like a joke at all.

"I understand. Then I'll accept your feelings, at least."

I answered promptly, taking the initiative.

I already knew what this calm mother was going to say.

"That wouldn't be repaying the favor at all. As Reflea mentioned earlier, you were planning to marry that girl off to you—"

"No, no, no, there's no need for you to repay it that way. I truly received the favor first, and I'm just returning it to you—so it's settled."

"…You weren't actually dating that girl, were you? If you're not satisfied with her, there's always your younger sister, Flora—"

"I'm telling you, that's not what I meant."

Just like Reflea's mother—she wasn't someone you could easily figure out.

In fact, she seemed to be listening, but wasn't really hearing a word. Just like my own mother, I guess that's just how mothers are.

…No, Nanami's mother wasn't like that, so maybe she was just an exception.

In any case, you shouldn't treat your own daughter like an object. That kind of thing—well, it's about the person's feelings... or maybe the person themselves doesn't even feel that way.

So, does that mean they came back after gaining their parents' support...? Could it be...?