In the middle of the beach with the blue sea. There I face Eric with my wooden sword at the ready.

　Eric's equipment in front of me is leather armor and a wooden sword just like mine.

　It's a standard piece of armor that's different from Luna-san's speed-oriented armor and a wooden sword that's easy to turn around.

　Even when we've struck each other with tongs before, he hasn't done anything strange with this, and he's probably not the anomalous type like Luna-san.

　But he was standard, but never weak.

　The swordsmanship that comes from the beach-trained legs and hips and the trunk is sharp and unflappable.

　The thrusting techniques he showed during the attack with tongs were quite sharp.

　I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make the most out of your time in the event that you don't have a lot of time to spare.

　I'm not a good swordsman, but this is an opponent you can't be too careful with.

I'm not going to be shy about it, Alfried. I'm going to make up for this in the end!

　This guy's got a bad look on his face.

　If I had the chance, I'd push him into the ocean or roll him around in the sand. I get the feeling he's thinking about that kind of thing.

　If you've got a mind to do it, I've got a mind to do it too.

I've got a hunch they're trying to pull something like this off, but are you guys ready?

"Yes!

Shouldn't we use tongs as a weapon?

I don't want it!

Then let's begin.

　What a way to start.

　With that thought strongly in my mind, Eric and I kick the ground at the same time.

　We start running down the foothold, which is softer and more unstable than usual.

''Whoa!''

　I poured out my eyes on the sand beneath my feet as Eric closed in on me with such a scream.

　Then I dashed to the spot where the sand had risen the most and braked suddenly.

'f*ck you, Alf--bwow!

　Then the sand flies vigorously to Eric's face.

　Reflexively covering his face with his arms, I instantly fire a thrust at Eric's torso.

'That one!'

　Eric raises his arms to cover his face. And it's the center point of his body, and the thrust, a point attack, will be difficult to handle.

　I had a feeling that I was going to win, but my prediction was betrayed and the wooden sword cuts through the sky.

　Don't tell me your body is soft like Luna-san's and you're deflecting it backwards!

'Whoa!　I'm not going to let another cowardly hand get the better of me!

　I didn't expect it, but it wasn't. As soon as Eric realized that his vision was blocked, he was the first to roll over.

　How could he do that right away? People panic when their vision is obstructed.

　I was going to go to finish Eric off, but as expected, the other party is not an amateur either.

　I'm not even going to have time to remove the sand from my face, so I immediately stood up.

　d*mn, I missed it.

''It's heartbreaking that you're a coward. I was just trying to unleash my thrust on Eric.

There's no way!　There's no way I'm going to stop my feet from thrusting out there!

　Indeed, Eric is right.

　There's no need to stop your feet if you're going to unleash a thrust at that timing. Even if you were to switch after seeing Eric's move, it's obvious that Eric's attack is faster.

　However, people can't always give the best answer. Sometimes they make the wrong decision.

'Al, definitely on purpose.

Ha-ha, that was deliberate.

...and unlike Eric, he's smart.

Totally....

　I hear those words coming from the outside world, but I don't care. My dad Nord has his head in his hands, but I don't care. I don't care. The game is all about winning.

　So, what's our next move? If it weren't for Father Nord, I could use magic with a degree of power that would be undetectable to ordinary people.

　I could sneak in and roll up the sand or tangle it around my legs. Or change the trajectory of a sword with a psychic. Pulling your clothes to break your stance.

　Oh, there are so many tactics that can come up with magic.

'Yeah, I don't know what you're going to do to me if you move!

　As I was pondering my next move, Eric got the idea and closed the distance.

　Yes, you've done my least favorite thing.

　I stopped pondering and intercepted the sword that was being swung down for the time being.

　The sound of the wooden sword clashing with the wooden sword, a dry sound is heard--.

''But boo!　The sand on the wooden sword........!

"Ha-ha-ha, that took you, Alfried!

　This bastard put sand on the wooden sword when it rolled over just now.

　Moreover, the position where Eric is is upwind. It means that I'm the only one who gets hit by the wooden sword and the sand attached to it flies away.

"You filthy bastard!

'This is a coincidence!　It's called the difference in daily conduct!

No one who insists it's a coincidence is going to say it took you!　

'Yeah!　Shut up!　Screw you here!

　Eric, who has figured me out, turns red and slashes at me.

　I get rid of the sand in my eyes and use my senses to avoid the wooden sword.

　Since I can't see because of the sand, I have no choice now but to duck and buy time to get rid of the sand.

''This!　d*mn it!　d*mn it!　Why don't you hit it!

　I hear such a voice as I take a pause from Eric and avoid the wooden sword.

　I'm good at evading Elinora's sister's attacks, which are carried out at a fast speed on a daily basis, so I'm good at evading them. And even if the visibility is poor, it's because of the spatial grasping ability cultivated by spatial magic.

　I'm confident in my sense of timing.

''I'm surprised. Alfried-kun is incredibly good at timing.

''That's right. His sword is subtle, but for some reason he's just good at getting in time and avoiding them.

''Well that's because I usually have a conflict with Elinora. I think it's better to avoid Elinora than to have a decent confrontation with her.

　You're exactly right, Luna. It's a fool's errand from my point of view to have a fight with sister Elinora. Because I don't always think about winning, I fight with an eye on how long I can keep fighting without getting injured.

'Oops, dangerous.'

　As I was thinking about this, a wooden sword passed in front of my face. ''That's dangerous.

''d*mn!　We were so close!

　Eric looked frustrated as I used the momentum of my stance to retreat.

　I was about five inches away from him, though.

　I lightly wipe the sand from around my eyes.

　Thanks to my flashy move, most of the sand around my eyes had been removed.

　Now my vision is fine, too.

　This time, I'll attack from here.

　After confirming that my vision is good, I run out to Eric.

　Then Eric is blatantly wary of my face, as if he thinks I'm going to do the sand skipping I just did.

　If Eric is lost and wary, our swords will be easier to pass. The idea is that you can swing your sword without worrying about your opponent's counterattack.

　I perform pure sword skills without doing any particular small tricks.

　Eric seemed confused by this, but he calmly dealt with my wooden sword. He matches, flicks and deflects the wooden sword without wavering.

　I still feel that the sharpness of my swordplay is not as sharp as it should be due to the unfamiliar sandy soil.

　When we were fighting for a long time, I couldn't afford to worry about my feet, and my legs felt more tired than usual. My breath has come up a bit.

　Eric, on the other hand, is used to the sand, and he looks cool. The sand doesn't take his feet off the ground, and he doesn't look tired.

　His unshakable torso makes his attacks heavy and precise.

　Every time Eric and I strike for a long time, the difference in strength, the speed and accuracy of our swords, is highlighted.

　He felt that I had shown off. Eric attacks me furiously, swinging his wooden sword furiously.

　And Eric's right hand holding the wooden sword was pulled back wide.

　This is the thrusting technique I saw at the party.

　Convinced of this, I squeeze out all the energy I have left and deflect my body. From there, I closed the gap between them and counterattacked in one fell swoop.

　I thought so, but Eric's wooden sword had changed its trajectory midway through the course of the attack, changing to a swing down from a right angle.

　Seriously? I'm not going to move my body in a hurry, but it won't listen to me. The body is not extremely soft like Luna-san's, so it's impossible to deflect the body here.

　--Ah, this is my loss.

''That's it!''

　As I was staring at the wooden sword being swung down with such conviction, Aegal-san's voice rang out.

　The wooden sword stopped about five inches above my head.

　As I was relieved that he stopped it properly, the wooden sword moved and knocked me on my head with a knot.

''Ouch.''

'I win!　Alfried!　Did you think that last one was a thrust?　Hahaha, I thought you'd remember that and be on your guard!　Hahahahaha!

　Eric says with a smug look on his face while slapping me on the back with a bang.