It seems Father is the kind of person who feels an unusual thrill when giving money to women.
It is quite a shocking fact, but for now, since he also wants to give money to Jisrare-san, it looks like I can cooperate this time.
「Then let us work together and think of a way to make Jisrare-san accept a large sum of money」
「Eh…」
Even so, this is quite a difficult problem.
Jisrare-san usually hesitates to accept even small treatment fees. Getting her to accept a large reward will be a tough task.
Yes, it will be a tough task. It will definitely be a tough task.
After all, Jisrare-san is the kind of person who, would heal broken bones for just a small treatment fee.
While I was thinking something like that, not sure if it was clever or not,
「Hey」
「Oh?」
A somewhat green-looking person was walking toward us.
「Hello, Yggdrasil-san. It has been a while」
「Hmm」
It was Yggdrasil-san. It had been about a month since I last saw her, and now she had appeared.
「I received your message yesterday. So I came right away」
「Thank you very much for coming all this way」
「Hmm. It was already quite late yesterday, so I came today instead. But it seems I may have arrived a bit too early today. My apologies」
「Not at all, I am glad you came」
I am grateful. Yggdrasil-san came as soon as she could, even considering our situation.
Though, judging from what she said, it did not seem like she was particularly busy yesterday or today… but still, I am grateful.
「So, what is it? Were you training?」
「Yes. I was practicing swordsmanship with Alec. During this journey, Alec seems to have acquired a skill art called 『Parry』, and it is quite an excellent art」
「Oh? 『Parry』, you say?」
「It allows him to deflect attacks, and well, you see, 」
Father began enthusiastically explaining just how amazing my 『Parry』 is to Yggdrasil-san. It is a little embarrassing.
「…Very well. Show it to me as well」
「Eh, to you, Yggdrasil-san…? Well, I do not mind, but…」
「In that case… yes, I shall throw a punch at you now」
「…You want me to 『Parry』 your hand?」
That is… I hesitate a little.
Just by appearance, Yggdrasil-san looks like a little girl, so using a sword to 『Parry』 the hand of such a young girl feels very wrong.
Of course, in reality Yggdrasil-san is undefeated, and someone like me should not be able to even scratch her, but still…
「Do not worry. I will not do anything that might harm you, even by accident」
「Ah…」
Instead, Yggdrasil-san reassured me.
…Well, that makes sense. Our positions are completely reversed. It is arrogant of me to worry about Yggdrasil-san.
「Alright then, shall we do it」
「Hmm」
I still do not feel completely comfortable, but if Yggdrasil-san wants to see it, I will cooperate.
I should at least be careful so the sword does not go toward her face.
「Then, here I come」
「Yes」
After putting some distance between us, Yggdrasil-san and I faced each other.
Alright… I will watch her movements closely and parry at the right moment,
「Ah, speaking of which, besides the normal 『Parry』, there is also the 『Glowing――』」
There is also something like a 『Glowing Parry』, what do you think?
――I was about to make that joke, but Yggdrasil-san was already charging at me.
No, she was leaping at me. She had already jumped.
「『――Parryyyyy!!』」
「Ooooh!」
Ah, that startled me… Before I realized it, Yggdrasil-san was right in front of me, thrusting her fist forward.
She even made a small jump, so maybe it was a Superman punch. I did not see it clearly…
As for me, I was completely off guard, and I was not even holding my sword ready.
From a relaxed stance with my arms hanging down, I used 『Parry』, which made it scoop upward from below.
And as a result, Yggdrasil-san was launched high into the air.
「Whoa… She is flying really high…」
She must have gone over ten meters…
I could never launch Yggdrasil-san ten meters into the air with a sword, so this must also be the effect of 『Parry』.
It seems that by deflecting Yggdrasil-san’s Superman punch upward, she was sent flying into the sky.
She went straight up vertically, so this no longer feels like simple deflection…
I mean, if deflecting it sends her ten meters straight up, how much force was she trying to hit me with, Yggdrasil-san…
「Ah, she is falling」
While I was absentmindedly watching and thinking about various things, Yggdrasil-san came back down to the ground.
――She came down covered in moss.
「Ooooh…. What is this…」
「Ah…」
I did say 『Glowing Parry』 out loud…
To be precise, it was 『Glowing――』『――Parryyyyy』, but it still seems to have been recognized as 『Glowing Parry』.
I was thinking about 『Glowing Parry』, saying 『Glowing Parry』, and then deflecting with my sword, so of course 『Glowing Parry』 activated…
As a result, Yggdrasil-san ended up covered in glowing moss and is extremely confused.
「What is this, Alec…. What did you do…」
「…………」
No, really… I do not think this one is my fault, but… is it…?
◇
Yggdrasil-san was launched high into the air, but it seems it was not a perfect 『Parry』.
According to Yggdrasil-san, she judged that if it continued as it was, things would get dangerous for me, so she deliberately went along with the 『Parry』.
In other words, she practically launched herself halfway. It seems my 『Parry』 is still not refined enough to fully deflect Yggdrasil-san’s Superman punch.
I am grateful that Yggdrasil-san was careful about that, but… it is still true that she threw a punch with ridiculous power at me, and I cannot help but question that a little.
――Putting that aside, after finishing that hectic early morning training, we all had breakfast together, including Yggdrasil-san, and then I returned to my room with her.
「So, you have returned noja」
「Ah, yes. I came back three days ago」
Now that I think about it, I had not even greeted her properly about that.
Things suddenly turned into a 『Parry』 situation.
「By the length of the journey, was it about a month?」
「Yes, I traveled for about a month」
「I thought you would be traveling for two years…?」
「Well, yes…」
Of course that is true… Various things happened, and I ended up cutting the trip short again, but I was definitely planning to travel for two years.
「So then, how did this happen? Why did you return?」
「Ah, that is… um…」
「Hmm?」
「How should I put it… My face… is just too handsome…」
「…………」
After hearing my words, Yggdrasil-san fell silent, her mouth moving slightly.
Even if you make that face, it is the truth, so it cannot be helped…
「It seems to surprise people…」
「Well, I can understand that… but still, there is nothing you can do about your face, is there? What will you do noja?」
「Jisrare-san said she will somehow take care of it」
「Somehow…?」
I do not actually know what she plans to do.
「…Well, it is fine. In any case, welcome back. Good work, Alec….Ah, yes. Thanks for your hard work」
「Ah, yes. Thanks for your hard work」
After saying 『Thanks for your hard work』, she must have remembered something. We exchanged a high five, then followed it with our usual greeting.
「Now then, take this」
「Ah…」
Yggdrasil-san busily took something out of a cloth bag and handed it to me.
….It was a branch from the World Tree.
「Um, this is…」
「You have returned from your journey, so this is a celebration…」
「I see…. Well, I am grateful. I am grateful, but…」
It seems Yggdrasil-san has decided to give a branch of the World Tree as a celebration whenever someone returns from a journey, and once again, I received one.
But, is it really okay for me to accept this…?
Last time, I got a branch after a one-day journey, and this time, I got one after a one-month journey…
If I exploit this system, I could endlessly mass-produce branches of the World Tree…
next chapter: 『Parry』 VS Boar
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