“Huh…?”
“No way…”
“The wall…?”
“Ah, because I threw it with so much force.”
Uh-oh.
Something feels off.
Just a moment ago, it was all about goblins and screams, but now, everyone around is staring right at me.
“R…?”
“GOB…”
“OB…”
Even the goblins seem different.
They’re looking at each other and pointing at me.
This is bad, I stood out too much.
…If it comes to this—
“The spot I hit! THAT’S IT!!!”
““““““Huh?”””””””
“The wall! It broke because of the spot I hit!!!”
I shout out, trying to seem harmless.
As expected, everyone here is looking at me like, “Huh?”
But that’s too easy.
If this were some overpowered fantasy story, this excuse might work, but unfortunately, this is reality.
It’s not that simple.
So, what should I do?
The answer is easy.
“…Heian Senji Jujinrei.”
As someone who occasionally uses secret techniques, I quickly form a seal and deploy a spell.
I infuse my words with cursed energy.
“‘It really was the spot I hit!! Now’s the time!! Everyone, the goblins are vulnerable!!’”
“Is that so?”
“It might be.”
“Well, if you think about it, it makes sense.”
“Yeah, that’s true.”
““““““““Okay!!!!!!””””””””
The other students are completely under the influence of the spell.
Alright, alright.
Somehow, the students have started fighting back against the goblins.
Now, all that’s left is…
“…Kasuya , what was that just now?”
Convincing my team members.
Using the spell on them would be ethically tough, after all…
“What are you planning to do? They seem pretty suspicious of you.”
Heh, Navi…
I’ll leave the rest to you!
“…Sigh, how unfortunate, Player. I understand. Now, allow me to borrow your mouth for a bit.”
Wait, you can do that—?
“Sorry to startle you, everyone. Actually, that was a trick taught to me in secret by Professor Ansburna.”
“A… trick?”
Woah, my mouth is moving on its own!
Navi! You could do that?!
“Uh, ahem, well, I wanted to share it with everyone… Magic has a kind of rhythm, like breathing. If you disrupt that rhythm with an attack, it can cause a magic backlash. Have any of you noticed that?”
“Deliberately causing magic to backlash?”
Hey, Navi, I never heard that from the professor.
“Be quiet… Player, defeat that goblin with cursed energy. Make sure to hold back, but make it flashy.”
That’s a tall order.
“You can do it, right?”
Yeah, I can do it, but—
“GOBU!!”
“Take this!”
Smack!
I counter the goblin lunging at me with a backhand to the head.
With the cursed energy enhancing my strike, its head splatters like tofu hitting the ground.
Ugh, gross.
“““““Ugh”””””
My teammates are visibly disturbed.
C’mon, Navi~ how do you plan to take responsibility if my cursed powers get exposed?
“…Did anyone understand what just happened?”
Navi, buddy, you know that magicians can’t sense cursed energy.
How are you going to explain this—
“…Did the goblin’s magic swell up?”
“Yeah, I saw it too. The moment Kasuya ’s punch hit, the goblin’s magic suddenly swelled up.”
…What?
“Player, do you know the art of telling a good lie?”
…With sincerity.
“No. The key is to mix in some truth, and, more importantly, that truth should be something the other person already knows.”
?????
“…It’s fortunate that your team is talented. You don’t need to say anything more.”
Hey, wait, Navi, you—!
Navi releases control over my mouth.
What now—how am I supposed to convince everyone with that weird explanation…?
“Was it that you disrupted the goblin’s magic flow by using its body as an obstacle?”
“Y-Yeah, maybe. Kasuya ‘s magic is faint, but it’s not zero, so it acted like a lid?”
“…Interesting. Is it like judo or aikido from Japan? Using the opponent’s magic rather than your own…”
“…I see, Kasuya ’s wall-breaking earlier… It makes sense that he wouldn’t want to share this technique openly.”
“Whoa… W-Wait, was that move just now a mage-killer technique?”
…Huh?
Everyone seems… convinced?
Why???????
“They can sense magic but not cursed energy. To them, any changes caused by cursed energy would look like a sudden magic surge.”
??????
“They won’t be able to figure out your unique power yet. Is that satisfactory?”
Yeah, that works!
“Kasuya , could you show us that technique again in the next battle? I’m really interested.”
“Uh, sure.”
Amazing, it’s true.
No one’s suspicious, just like Navi said.
But still, this guy’s kind of mysterious… Could be a secret villain.
I can’t afford to lose to him…
“Heh~ this is a pleasant surprise. It changes the way we calculate our combat strength. Kasuya can fight alongside Snow, Aki, and Natsu.”
“Indeed. Reaching the second level shouldn’t be an issue.”
We continue advancing through the dungeon.
There are no branching paths.
Just a single, gently descending wide road.
Some of the other teams are following behind us as well.
“So, the next challenge is when we reach the second level, huh?”
“Yeah, it’s the weight limit and the timing for retreating. But we’ll figure it out after checking the monster strength on the second floor.”
Yeah, Aki’s got it right.
Weight limit and retreat timing… weight limit and retreat timing… wait.
If I use my Land Preservation Skill, I can solve this in no time…
“This… this is no big deal at all.”
“Haha, exactly, but… wait, Kasuya , what did you just say?”
Aki, still smiling, leans in close to my face.
