ch1-ch20 · 016-ch16

Chapter 16: Knight

"My hand bone... it's broken..."

The scarred uncle was grimacing in pain. Huh, just getting hit by a stone broke his bone? That's kinda pitiful.

To that uncle with the broken hand, the aniki gave a merciless order.

"Roan! Support me with eiyō technique! I'll handle this!"

"Y-yes, sir!"

Hearing the aniki's instructions, the scarred uncle moved his left hand slightly.

Then, the vacant-looking Yamanai-kun who had been standing blankly at the side of the shrine collapsed right there.

Did he get released from the hypnotism? Probably to support the aniki, I guess.

"To even use the children of this world... that's unforgivable."

Papa, though quiet, I could feel him getting angrier and angrier. Without thinking, I snuggled even closer to Kiri.

"...mufu"

Why are you a little happy? Jeez~ you're so warm~ no, not in that way.

While we were being all lovey-dovey like that, the aniki kept swinging his arms around wildly and beat his chest like a gorilla.

Then, his pecs got visibly bigger.

Is his shirt gonna rip!? ...It didn't rip. He hasn't trained enough.

"Take this, Black Knight!"

The aniki, now with his enlarged body, charged forward like he was going to body-slam.

People of old used to say, with muscles that inflated like that, power increases but speed is questionable.

Papa just easily dodged the faster tanned uncle earlier.

...Huh? Papa isn't moving? Ah, it's because we're behind him. Ohhh, I see, so he can't dodge... wait, that's bad!

"Mmmnnnnh!"

But Papa didn't run away. He stepped his right foot back once, then kicked that right foot up with all his might to meet the charging aniki.

"Guhb!?"

Critical hit to the chin!

This is payback for all the jaw locks I've endured, serves you right!

"...Heh"

Huh, did it not work much?

"Barrier!"

Ah, behind him, the scarred uncle is reaching out his hand with a "I did it!" face.

So that's what "support" means.

"Die, Black Knight!"

The aniki, having endured the chin kick with his barrier, put both hands together above his head and swung them down.

Ah, I thought he couldn't dodge because of us... but the next moment, the aniki's body was floating in the air.

Papa had wrapped his own arm around the aniki's swinging arm and was performing a shoulder throw!

And not straight behind us where we were, but while twisting his body, diagonally to the left rear. So the soft overcoming the hard was right after all.

"Gueh!"

The aniki was smashed headfirst into the ground and let out a frog-like cry. This is a dangerous shoulder throw that requires special training, so absolutely don't imitate it!

The aniki flipped over onto his back and stopped moving.

Still, for Papa to do something as dangerous as dropping him on his head... he must be reeeally angry.

"A-aniki? No way, he was using 'barrier'!"

"His own body weight was too heavy. Next time, you should try protecting yourself with a 'wall' too."

"Eh?... Yes!"

While the scarred uncle was surprised, Papa had already moved right in front of him. So fast.

And again, a stomach punch.

"Guh... hah"

The scarred uncle also got dizzy and collapsed. Normally, when someone falls forward, you'd probably catch them, but Papa ignored him.

Thanks to that, the uncle gave the ground a lovey-dovey kiss right then and there.

"...kyuu"

He's making sounds, so he just fainted.

Looking closely, the flipped-over aniki's chest is also moving, so he seems to be breathing. Good~ I thought he died.

...Or rather, that's amazing.

Papa took out three big guys all by himself!

"Phew, it's been a while, but it worked out somehow. Ai, Kiriko-chan, are you two injured?"

I stood up to meet Papa as he turned around.

Ugh, it's so frustrating having my mouth and hands tied. Papa, first take off this gag.

"Mm... mm, guh!?"

Huh, my voice won't come out. It's not just because of the gag. Something invisible is pressing on my throat, it's, it's hard to breathe...

"Ai!"

"Hey, don't come any closer. Your cute daughter's life will end, you know."

Eh, eh? Why? The bad uncles are all three defeated...

"You will do as I say. If you do, I won't take your daughter's life. —After all, wagahai is a proud knight."

The one speaking in that low, resonating voice... was Melkid, who had come out of Kiri's bag and was standing there like a guardian deity.