Toasteful: Chapter 75, Part 3

　"No way!! You dodged it...!!"

　"It was a close call, okay!!"

　In return, I retaliated by swinging the spear back at Kehiko. Kehiko also used his spear to catch my attacks one after another, blocking them, and sometimes counterattacking. Sharp clanging sounds echoed through the dojo.

　"This is getting us nowhere...!!"

　As we locked in a stalemate, I gritted my teeth in frustration. If I were to enhance my strength with spiritual power and push forward all at once, I could probably overpower him, but she would likely deflect and redirect my attacks. And then he will take advantage of the moment I lose my posture. This is a bad move. In that case...!!

　"Wha-?"

　In an instant, I enhanced my arm strength and pushed through the deadlock... and I let go of my spear. I threw away my spear. In response to my push, Kehiko leaned forward, off balance. I then struck him with a foot strike. As his posture broke down, I rolled toward him.

　"This is bad...!?"

　"Seriously!?"

　Right before I rolled over, Kehiko slammed the handle of his spear into my side. The blow, delivered from a collapsed posture, was sharp in its habit even with my enhanced spiritual power. So, I wanted to avoid catching it in the flesh.

　"This is...!!!!"

　Quickly, I caught the spear that I had let go of earlier as it fell freely to the ground, using acrobatics to do so, and used it to catch the incoming spear strike. Not by taking it head-on, but by redirecting it. But...

　"Guu...!?"

　I managed to deflect it, but the force was too much. My posture crumbled, and I fell to the ground.

　"I got you...!!"

　"Do you really think so!?"

　At the same time, Kehiko and I throw our spears. Our spears collide in midair and blow each other up. The sound of impact was intense, and there was a slight scream from the audience.

　Meanwhile, I use the time I've bought to get up and charge forward. A moment later, Kehiko, standing on his knees, also pounces on me.

　"Too naive!!"

　"Whoa!? You've got to be kidding!"

　In the one-on-one match, Kehiko had the advantage. I jumped at him, but he grabbed my arm and slammed me to the floor from behind. It was a modified version of a judo throw. I was passive-aggressively, but there was a loud impact. I coughed and there was another small scream from the crowd. Seriously, I didn't quite manage to take the fall properly...!!

　"Oh no...!?"

　And then, Kehiko looks down at me and leaps at me. Seeing that, I swung my arm. It was a knife-hand strike. I aimed for Kehiko's neck with my spiritually-enhanced knife-hand strike. He catches it, but he looked pained. It was not a good decision to catch a spiritually enhanced knife-hand strike with a bare body, even if Kehiko was wearing a kagote (handguard). But Kehiko still aimed at my face with his other hand, and I was too late to react. Then Kehiko's fist approached my face...

　"You're too naive!"

　But I grab Kehiko's wounded wrist with my hand. Then I swung it sideways and slammed it against Kehiko's other fist from the side. The trajectory of the fist deviated. Kehiko's fist grazes my cheek. And then I released his wrist from my arm and thrust straight towards his throat. I stopped just short of actually hitting him.

　"...This is no good. I give up."

　There was a moment of silence, and then Kehiko uttered the words of resignation, sounding deeply disappointed. At the same time, the crowd erupted into a much louder commotion than before.

　"Wow, seriously?"

　"So Kehiko-san lost!?"

　"Are you kidding me? I bet 50 mon on him, you know...?"

　These were the voices coming out from the audience. It was mainly from Kehiko's men.

　"Well, well, that's great. Did you see that coming?"

　"No way, I never expected this."

　"Even in the village's sumo tournament or martial arts competition, Kehiko has always been unbeatable."

　The village peasants were genuinely surprised. To them, Kehiko, who served as the boss of the guards, was literally the strongest person in the village. And yet, Kehiko had surrendered. It was a startling event.

　"Well, as expected. No one can beat a person with spiritual power in a one-on-one fight."

　"No, no, he put up quite a fight for a mere mortal, didn't he?"

　"But then, he's a servant after all. He hasn't been trained to fight against others and his spiritual power is limited."

　Such harsh evaluations were given to the servants of the Kizuki family by the hired exorcists from the merchant guild. From their point of view, the result of the match was nothing but a matter of course. This is what happens when a mere mortal is pitted against a being with spiritual power on equal terms. It was really a bland, scheduled match.

　As I try to get up, Kehiko holds out his hand to me. I take it and stand up, being pulled by him.

　"Well, well, looks like I lost one. I didn't expect you to drop your spear and come at me like that."

　"On second thought, I wasn't suitable for a spear duel. I am sorry."

　I apologize, gasping for breath. I find myself getting a bit too worked up. I had put too much into it. Or rather, it had turned into a purely physical battle midway through. I don't know what I'm doing...

　"No, no, no, I did say you were free to do whatever you wanted. After all, the way of the warrior is the way of the beast. I should have expected that much."

　Kehiko smiles with amusement and satisfaction. I couldn't understand what was so amusing to him, and honestly, I don't want to know.

　"I apologize for going too hard on your arm. I may have used too much force. Do you need medical attention?"

　I suggest with a bow. I hadn't held back at all. If I had, I would have lost the fight for sure. But he had been hit by a spiritual knife-hand strike without any good protective gear. Bruises were certain and bones were cracked or even broken. The gap in physical ability between someone with spiritual power and a mere human was that significant.

　"Oh? No, no, don't worry about this minor injury. It'll hurt for a few days at most..."

　"No, he is right. Please go to the doctor as soon as possible. Kehiko-sama."

　Kehiko dismissed, but before he could finish, a cold voice interrupted. It was Suzune, standing at the entrance of the dojo.

　"Well, well, isn't that Suzune?"

　"Why do I have to be greeted with that expression?"

　She stomps into the dojo and stares at the man, who is more than two sizes bigger than her, with a stern look in her eyes. Kehiko gave an awkward smile. He looks like he's having a hard time.

　"As the protector of the village! As the protector of the Lord's family! You should be aware of that! Engaging in a gambling match? And getting injured like this!! What do you plan to do in case of emergency?"

　Suzune accuses Kehiko as if she were trying to make a point.

　"No, but... I've got permission from the boss..."

　"But he didn't ask you to do anything that could hurt you!!?"

　The maid shouts loudly. And then, her anger is directed at me.

　"You too! As someone in charge of protecting young lady, you should be more careful with your reckless actions! What was that fight just now? Did you really think you could engage in such a match without anyone getting hurt!?"

　A look of anger and displeasure shot through her eyes. A small girl, a child who should not know martial arts or how to handle a weapon, but I flinch involuntarily. It was that powerful.

　"Oh, scary, scary!"

　"Yeah, she's a real smooth-talking maid, isn't she? I'm at a loss for words."

　"For a maid in service, she's got quite the temper. Scary indeed."

　"She's not bad-looking. She just needs to be prettier if she had a softer side. She's like a wild horse. Wonder if there's a man who can handle her?"

　The guards who were whispering amongst themselves nervously were immediately silenced by Suzune's piercing gaze. They hurriedly pretended not to know. The maid, on the other hand, gave them a stern look.

　"...It was a reckless act. I apologize."

　"...As always, you're quite eloquent with your words. I wish you would show your sincerity by your actions, not your words."

　I apologized frankly, but the reply was bitter and sarcastic. But I had no excuse because it was all true. Unlike a certain gorilla-like figure, she didn't seem like the type to forgive easily, especially with humor or jokes. She was not in the mood for that.

　"Why don't you just forgive and forget, Suzune? It's not unusual to get hurt in hand-to-hand combat."

　A voice from behind her quieted Suzune, who was in a rough state of agitation. Upon looking back, I was slightly surprised and sighed at the same time due to the striking appearance of the person who spoke.

　Pure white... unadorned white coat and a red hakama, it was a typical traditional shrine maiden outfit. It was not a modernized shrine maiden uniform, but a traditional shrine maiden garb.

　Her bluish-black hair was pulled back in a ponytail. On her head shone a golden crown.

　The intricate goldsmith's work alone was worth a treasure. It was likely enchanted with appropriate curses to prevent theft.

　She held the Kagura bell in her slender hands like a white fish. The bell, which symbolized the ripened rice plants in its shape, was a tool used to pray for a bountiful harvest.

　With her naturally well-defined features, the main character exuded an aura of sanctity that was difficult to penetrate.

　"Oh, Miss..."

　"How divine you are..."

　The villagers who were watching our match, especially the older ones, kneeled and bowed in reverence. It was a natural attitude toward the daughter of the village headman, but it probably held even deeper significance.

　"Oh, it's all right, it's all right. You don't have to be so formal! Just do as you always do!"

　She says hurriedly to the kneeling elders, but to no avail. To the villagers, her current appearance was a sign of respect that should be shown to a shrine maiden, who was the lifeline of the farmers that lived in harmony with the earth. Even I, a former tenant farmer, understood this feeling all too well.

　"Hey, Miss. Are you done practicing?"

　"I'm taking a break. So, I was wondering what you were doing since you're all here... But then, you should have invited me too. It's lonely being left out."

　Kehiko asks, and Tamaki's pouted slightly. Kehiko laughs and cries his shoulders out.

　"A noblewoman like you shouldn't watch a sparring match between men. Especially a shrine maiden. You couldn't be hurt. And let me remind you, it's impure."

　"Is that why you haven't been teaching me how to use my sword lately?"

　"Please don't be so hard on me. I need to make a living too."

　When the main character grumbles, Kehiko pleads his case. Apparently, even she couldn't train with a risk of injury during the harvest festival, let alone a dangerous match like this.

　"Hmm... Well, that can't be helped. But you're amazing, you know that? I can't believe you made Kehiko give up. I can't believe it."

　"Well, it was a conditional match."

　Tamaki praises me as if she is admiring me, but I humbly declined. It wasn't a modesty, but rather a fact that the match we had earlier was not meant for real combat.

　In fact, there is no need to fight with the same weapon as a spiritual power user, let alone face them head-on in a one-on-one battle. The other party can use traps or poison, not to mention projectiles. They can ambush them from behind while they are unaware, especially if there are multiple people. If it is the army of the Imperial Court, they can use a barrage of large tubes and matchlock guns to deal with them. Even if it's not someone like Gorilla-sama, but just a servant, someone like me can be killed by that. (If anything, the Imperial Court might have hidden modified youkai or poison gas that specifically targets exorcists or spiritual power users.).

　Anyway, it is only a match with no intention to kill each other. It is just like sports. It may be exciting to an amateur, but it's just a pastime no matter how far it goes. As long as there is no thought of actual competition, it cannot be used as an indicator of one's ability.

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