"Please take back what you just said!"
Alise looked at the black-haired girl before her, who had completely discarded any semblance of decorum. Her tone was unusually serious.
That was only natural. In this world, the status of the gods was deeply rooted in the hearts of those living in the lower world. Insulting a Familia's patron deity was no different from insulting someone's parents.
Just imagine—if someone spoke ill of Freya in front of the upper ranks of Freya Familia, what would they do?
They would beat that person until nothing remained!
The fact that Kaguya dared to insult a goddess like this was proof of her boldness.
Facing Alise's earnest gaze, Kaguya merely sneered.
"What? Was anything I said wrong?"
"You call yourselves a Familia of justice, yet you cannot even eliminate evil. Even if we set aside the wider world, you can't uphold your so-called justice within Orario itself, can you?"
"Or are you saying you've already driven all evil away?"
Justice? You're nothing. You're not even strong.
Back in the Far East, Kaguya's family had handled the dirty work. She herself had been one of the most outstanding among them.
Though she had yet to reach Level 2, several of her abilities were already ranked S. She stood at the very peak of Level 1 and could even fight opponents above her Level without issue.
And what had Alise looked like earlier...?
Bouncing around, grinning foolishly.
Even now, though she seemed more serious, she could not fully conceal that trace of foolishness about her.
This was a member of the legendary Familia of justice?
You must be joking.
She didn't look reliable at all.
"We may not be able to accomplish those things yet," Alise admitted, "but I believe that in the near future, the banner of justice will fly across the entire world!"
"Hahaha! Let justice's banner fly across the world?"
Kaguya laughed. The girl before her was painfully naive—she probably had never witnessed true hardship.
"If that's the case, then today I'll show you just how vast this world really is!"
Kaguya drew the iaito at her waist and pointed it at Alise with one hand.
"If you want me to take back what I said, fine."
"But only if you have the strength to make me shut up!"
"..."
Seeing Kaguya challenge her so openly, Alise hesitated for a moment and glanced at Astraea beside her.
"Lady Astraea..."
"I understand, Alise. Go on without worry."
Astraea instantly grasped the meaning in her eyes and approved her decision.
There was nothing wrong with sparring against this girl named Kaguya.
"It's too cramped here. Let's find an open area. Follow me."
They were still inside a tavern in Orario. Fighting here would hardly be a good idea—it would be far too cruel to the owner.
Alise turned and headed for the exit.
Kaguya frowned.
The next second, without hesitation, she lunged forward and brought her blade down toward Alise's head.
I haven't agreed yet. How dare you turn your back on me?
An enemy won't politely attack from the front. Most will strike from behind.
Kaguya wanted Alise to learn that lesson. So she chose this very moment to attack.
But—
Clang—
Alise had clearly anticipated the strike from behind. She simply raised her scabbard and blocked Kaguya's slash.
Kaguya fell silent for a brief moment at having her attack stopped, while a smile spread across Alise's face.
"What are you talking about? You're actually a pretty decent person."
At such close range, Alise could clearly see Kaguya's blade.
Kaguya was striking with the back of the sword.
Even in a surprise attack, she had no intention of truly injuring Alise—completely different from how she had slaughtered those Amazons earlier.
"Shut up! Since you're not weak, I won't hold back anymore. Prepare yourself!"
Her words were as sharp as ever, but there was now a hint of interest in her eyes.
"If you still want me to retract what I said, then defeat me with your sword!"
"Otherwise, I'll come back tomorrow and insult you all over again!"
"Of course!"
A serious light flashed through Alise's eyes. Insults directed at her goddess could never be tolerated.
Astraea might not mind—but who knew whether Elise would?
If Elise returned and decided she had handled things poorly, what if she added extra training again?
Wouldn't that spell disaster for her?
"Even if it costs me my life, I'll make you take those words back!"
...
On an empty street, Kaguya and Alise stood facing each other, weapons drawn and aimed at one another.
Neither intended to speak further. The atmosphere grew heavy, like a Firestone ready to explode at any moment.
Whoosh!
Kaguya moved first. With blade in hand, she rushed toward Alise without hesitation.
From the seriousness in her eyes, it seemed she truly intended to draw blood.
"Flash!"
At their very first exchange, Kaguya unleashed her family's inherited technique without restraint. A silver arc of light slashed straight toward Alise's head.
Facing such a lightning-fast strike, Alise met it head-on with her sword. Her speed was no slower than Kaguya's.
Clang!
Sword and blade collided midair. Though the sound was not especially loud, it rang sharply through the empty street.
When the first strike proved ineffective, Kaguya did not falter. She adjusted her stance and launched into another attack at once.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
To Kaguya's surprise, every single one of her strikes was blocked by this supposedly naive girl.
Why?
She didn't look that strong at all!
Refusing to believe it, Kaguya decided to draw upon the techniques she had honed in the Far East—the detestable, specialized skills developed solely for killing people.
In terms of slaying monsters, she could never compare to adventurers raised in Orario. Growing up among nobility, she had scarcely even seen a monster.
But when it came to killing humans...
Alise could never be Kaguya's match.
After all, Kaguya had taken far more lives than Alise could possibly imagine.
Sure enough, once Kaguya began employing those lethal techniques, the tide of battle gradually shifted. What had been evenly matched turned into a slight advantage in Kaguya's favor.
But this wouldn't do...
Kaguya understood her own fighting style all too well. Like an assassin, she could not sustain such high-intensity attacks for long.
If Alise continued to drag the fight out, then the moment Kaguya's stamina ran dry would be the moment she lost.