The girl accepted Nellin’s invitation, brought over a chair, and sat beside her.

“What do you want to eat? My treat.”

“Meat. Anything.”

“Good, good! Hey! Bring us your tastiest meat dish!”

“Coming right up!”

Godric’s Party stared at Nellin, bewildered by how quickly she had acted.

“B-Big Sis Marin?”

“Why are you suddenly acting like this?”

“Huh? Like what?”

“Why are you buying a meal for a kid who challenged you to a fight out of nowhere?”

“What are you talking about, Godric? Are you deaf?”

“What?”

Smiling, Nellin patted the girl’s shoulder.

“She said she’d give me money. Her prize money. How could I not feed such a good kid?”

“...”

Every member of Godric’s Party fell silent, looking at Nellin and thinking the same thing. Oh, she really doesn’t think she could lose.

“I didn’t say I’d give you money.”

“Yes, yes, you said you’d give it to me if I won. Same result, though.”

“You don’t know that yet.”

“Oh, but I do!”

“...”

The girl was visibly brimming with irritation, but Nellin’s attitude toward her did not change. Godric’s Party watched the pair, sweating nervously at the thought that the girl might attack right there.

Fortunately, she did not suddenly lunge at Nellin.

“Here’s your food!”

“Oh, that looks good. Dig in.”

“... Okay.”

Once the meat dish arrived, the girl focused on the meal before her as though nothing had happened.

“What are you lot doing, not eating? Hurry up before your food gets cold!”

“Yes, Big Sis Marin!” they chorused.

With the atmosphere somewhat more relaxed and Nellin urging them on, Godric’s Party resumed their meal.

After they finished eating, Nellin spoke as she left the restaurant with the girl.

“Hey, I’ll go give her a little fight. Wait here.”

“Shouldn’t we come with you?”

“Nope. Just wait. Got it?”

Having firmly told Godric’s Party not to follow, Nellin told the girl to come along.

As they walked along, the girl asked,

“How much longer are we going to walk?”

“Until we lose the busybodies sticking their noses into other people’s business.”

The girl nicknamed Snowflake Fist—Claire—was the champion of the Black Dragon Festival. Some people had recognized her when she entered the restaurant and spoke to Nellin, and their interest had been piqued.

“I don’t care.”

Though the girl said she did not care who watched, Nellin merely grinned and quickened her pace. Able to sense exactly where their pursuers were, she shook them off in less than five minutes and reached the sparsely populated outskirts of the city.

“This should do.”

“Why do you care about other people watching?”

The girl questioned Nellin’s behavior, which she could not understand.

“Huh? For your sake, of course.”

“For my sake?”

“Sure. You won today. Having people see you lose to someone else before the day’s even over would be... kind of pitiful, wouldn’t it?”

‘She’s looking down on me.’

Nellin spoke confidently of beating her, without the slightest doubt. Hearing that confidence only made the girl feel that Nellin was not merely underestimating her, but mocking her as well.

Fierce fighting spirit and irrepressible killing intent filled her eyes once more.

“Look at those eyes. You’re just itching for a fight. Well, then...”

Nellin drew a wooden sword from the Inventory at her waist and pointed it at the girl.

“Come at me.”

TAP!

The instant Nellin finished speaking, the girl charged at her with the speed of a gale. She now unleashed the ability she had kept in reserve on her way to the finals, since no one had been stronger than her.

Golden-yellow eyes streaked through the night. Reaching Nellin in an instant, she clenched her fist and drove it toward her face.

But...

WHOOSH!

Nellin dodged the punch with a slight tilt of her head. Unfazed by the miss, the girl immediately moved to her next attack.

“Hyaah!”

Using her flexibility and strength, she twisted in midair, spinning to launch a kick at Nellin’s face.

CRACK!

Nellin casually raised her wooden sword to block the kick aimed at her face, then smiled, baring her teeth.

A chill ran through the girl.

“...!”

Her instincts warned her to put distance between them immediately.

But it was too late.

THUMP!

With her free hand, Nellin seized the girl’s ankle and hurled her onto the bare ground. The girl rolled across the ground, then immediately steadied herself and rose.

‘She didn’t... follow up.’

Nellin could certainly have chased after her and attacked once she threw her. But she had not.

In other words...

‘She thinks I’m not even worth the effort.’

She was being thoroughly underestimated.

The girl was furious. Yet she did not surrender to her anger and rush in blindly. That brief exchange had shown her just how strong Nellin was.

‘She’s strong.’

This was no weak opponent. She was skilled enough to easily block the girl’s attacks and counter them.

But that was no reason for the girl to give up the fight.

‘A little... faster.’

“Whooo...”

Exhaling deeply, the girl began circulating mana throughout her body. At her command, the circulating mana suffused her muscles, strengthening her body.

‘Oh, she can do that at her age?’

While the girl enhanced her body, Nellin felt a small spark of admiration at the sight of a technique that was difficult to master so young.

“This time will be different.”

CRACK!

The moment the girl kicked off the ground, it cracked beneath the force.

‘You won’t dodge this time!’

She had no intention of dragging this out. Determined to end it in one blow, she thrust out her fist.

“That’s vicious.”

But her fist never struck Nellin’s face.

THWUMP!

Nellin stopped the fist aimed at her face with one hand.

“!?”

“Why do you keep aiming for my face? It makes your attacks completely obvious.”

“How...?”

“Did you think you were the only one who could enhance yourself with mana? And your control’s so rough that mana is leaking all over the place. Here, for instance.”

WHACK!

Nellin’s wooden sword slammed into the girl’s side.

“Gah!”

“Oh? Now that you’ve been hit, you’re letting it leak here instead?”

CRACK!

“Agh!”

Nellin mercilessly struck every spot where the mana circulation was uneven with her wooden sword. The girl tried to resist, but Nellin had her fist firmly in her grip, and she could not break free.

With one fist immobilized, she tried to block or dodge the wooden sword. But like a writhing snake, Nellin’s blade slipped through the gaps and struck her without mercy.

“S-stop! I lost!”

“Where are your manners?”

WHACK!

“Aagh! I-I concede, ma’am!”

“Yes, that’s better.”

Once the girl surrendered, Nellin released her fist and lowered the wooden sword. Then she grinned at the girl, who was rubbing her sore bruises.

“Well? I was right, wasn’t I?”

“... Yeah.”

The girl had no choice but to admit it: Nellin was far stronger than she was.

At the same time, she was delighted.

‘I found her. Someone who can teach me.’

She had found a master who could make her stronger.

‘Someone who’ll let me kill more monsters.’

She had found someone who could teach her the strength to kill more of those hateful monsters.

‘What? What’s with her?’

The girl suddenly looked at Nellin with expectant eyes. Nellin was puzzled, but quickly found an explanation.

‘Does she admire me that much? Ah, even if I hide my fame, I suppose there’s no hiding the dignity that radiates from me.’

As Nellin basked in her own greatness, the girl spoke.

“Come with me... please.”

“Why?”

“I don’t have the money on me... ma’am. It’s at the inn... ma’am.”

“Oh. If that’s what this is about, forget it. You don’t have to pay.”

“Huh? But...”

The girl recalled how Nellin’s attitude had changed immediately when she offered her prize money if she lost.

“I was just teasing. Actually, I’d wanted to see what you could do ever since you were in the restaurant. You struck me as unusual.”

“Unusual?”

“Yes. I was curious because your eyes were filled with hatred and killing intent far beyond your years.”

“...!”

“You’re much stronger than the mediocre lot, but you’re unpolished. Well, keep training hard.”

Sensing that Nellin was about to leave, the girl hurriedly called her back.

“Wait! ... Please! Stay a moment! ... Please!”

“Huh? Why? Want another fight?”

The girl shook her head vigorously.

“No... ma’am. I have a favor to ask... ma’am.”

“A favor?”

“Take me as your student... please. I want to get stronger... ma’am.”

“A stu-dent?”

To Nellin, the request came out of nowhere. She had only agreed to humor a kid who had no proper grasp of either her own strength or her opponent’s.

There must have been some tragic personal story behind those eyes, but that was no reason for Nellin to interfere. Meddling could entangle her in troublesome affairs, and above all, the girl herself might get angry and tell her to mind her own business.

“I don’t want to.”

“I’ll pay for lessons... ma’am. With the prize money.”

“No, I don’t need lesson fees or anything. I just don’t want to.”

“Why... ma’am?”

Nellin’s reason for refusing the girl was simple: it was a bother.

She was already training Godric’s Party for fun. Adding the girl to the mix seemed likely to make things tiresome. More than anything, the hatred and killing intent the girl harbored gave Nellin a feeling that making her stronger might only lead to her running wild and causing trouble.

“Because you look like you wouldn’t listen to a damn thing I said.”

“I’ll listen... ma’am.”

“Then why do your eyes look so vicious?”

“Vicious?”

“I can see the hatred and killing intent creeping into them, you know. People like that tend to be stubborn as hell and won’t listen to a damn thing. Besides, you...”

Nellin asked a question that cut straight to the heart of the girl’s motives.

“Why do you want to get stronger?”

“... To kill. To kill every monster.”

That answer alone made it easy to guess what had happened in her past.

“Did monsters kill your family?”

“Not just my family... Everyone in the village... Monsters killed them all.”

‘Is she something like the village’s only survivor? That makes her even more trouble.’

“That’s why I want to get stronger. I’ll get stronger... and kill every monster.”

“You know that’s impossible, right?”

“I’ll do it even if it’s impossible. Monsters... I’ll kill them all.”

Hatred and killing intent blazed in the girl’s eyes.

“Then that’s all the more reason I can’t.”

“Why? Oh... ma’am.”

“I’m looking for a monster, you see. I’m traveling from place to place right now to find it.”

“You’re looking for a monster to kill too... ma’am? Don’t worry... ma’am. I won’t steal your revenge... ma’am.”

“No, it’s not revenge or anything. I want to find it and dote on it.”

“Dote on a monster? You can’t dote on monsters. They all have to die!”

“That’s why I can’t teach you. You might end up killing that monster on sight.”

“Ugh...!”

The girl could not understand the idea of doting on a monster. Yet she did not know when she would meet someone as strong as Nellin again. Her desire to grow stronger, together with her curiosity, prompted her to speak.

“What kind of monster... ma’am?”

“A slime.”

“A slime?”

“Yes, a slime. I once met a clever slime that’s friendly toward people... and understands what you say.”

“A slime...”

She had never imagined Nellin would name a slime, counted among the weakest monsters. The unexpected answer left her bewildered.

She hated the monsters that had attacked her village. As a result, she had vaguely regarded every monster as something to kill.

Yet even she had never slain a slime. To grow stronger, she had fought only monsters that posed a threat to people. By her standards, slimes barely even qualified as monsters, so she had never counted them among the things she should fight.

After quickly sorting through her confused thoughts, the girl spoke to Nellin.

“So I just need to find it... ma’am?”

“What?”

“If I find that clever slime, will you teach me... ma’am?”