Mob Yandere

"...I'm here to guard the young lady of the Hotaruya family...?"

"I already know that. That's why I'm coming up with reasons in my own way. Come on, don't you feel like punching me in the face?"

"No, that's hilarious."

While it might be acceptable for hot-headed southern people with a lot of bloodlusts, I have no intention of starting a fight or causing a commotion.

But, of course. Ignoring his advances any longer won't lead to anything good. So, I will tell him about the matter.

"...Yesterday, before I took my night shift as a guard, Lord Hotaruya asked me for a favor. He asked me to do it as long as it doesn't cause injuries or interfere with the work."

"Oh, finally!!?"

Kehiko's eyes immediately change color at my words.

"I'm sure your Lord will contact you later."

The native of the south smiles and his subordinates followed suit. They had already started to place bets on the order of matches and who would win. These guys... If they're so eager for a match, they should just fight someone like Uemon or something.

(No, that would kill them instantly?)

In a group, it is impossible for a single person to win against the top exorcists in a fair and square one-on-one fight, no matter what means are chosen. It's obviously impossible to win such an obvious battle. But maybe it's precisely because I'm a person with such meager spiritual power that he can enjoy it. But it's a nuisance to me.

"Servant, what is your weapon of choice?"

"I usually use a spear."

"I remember that. That was quite an excellent weapon too. All right, I have one for training. Use that. And a spear, huh? It's been a while."

Kehiko ordered me regarding the weapon I would use for the match.

"It's been a while? Does Kehiko-dono not often use a spear?"

I couldn't help but ask at the strange remark. The word "warrior" gives a strong impression of a sword, but that's just a biased view.

In reality, a weapon like a sword, which has a narrow range, is only useful in close combat situations, excluding exceptions like exorcists. Weapons have evolved to attack enemies unilaterally from a safer distance. There is no reason why a soldier with a bow or a spear can be defeated by a soldier with a sword if they are only human. If the enemy is a monster, it is even more reckless to fight close to it, and if possible, a firearm or a large cannon should be used against it.

Furthermore, in terms of cost-effectiveness, simply using stones for throwing is the most effective. It is even argued that in the actual Warring States (Sengoku) period, stone throwing was a much more important main weapon than the sword.

It was only after the Edo period in my previous world that the katana, the Japanese sword, came to be valued. Besides, during times of peace, there was no need for many people to carry bows or spears on a daily basis, and carrying a sword for self-defense became more common. And as more and more warriors started to carry a sword for self-defense, swordsmanship became the most familiar martial art for most of them (though it is said that spearmanship and archery were more popular among the senior warriors).

...However, towards the end of this period, swords were sometimes devalued and treated as mere decorative items or even made without blades to reduce weight. This may have been because many warriors had become government officials and had less need for swords as self-defense weapons, ultimately leading to their defeat by the civilian soldier of the new government.

Unfortunately, this world is far from as peaceful as the Edo period in my previous world. Death is too common. Even warriors do not have the time or resources to appreciate swords as decorative items. If they had the time, they would have made themselves a heavy armor made of black steel.

"No, I'm also an instructor for my boss's brats. Especially his youngest daughter. Such a nuisance. I told her a naginata is more like a lady."

"I see."

Although he casually said those words, inwardly he clicked his tongue. It was true that as the head of the Hotaruya family or the village head, the Hotaruya family would hardly have any occasion to directly use bows or spears. Nor would they ever have to deal with youkai, for that matter. Rather, it would be enough for them to dabble in swordsmanship meant for self-defense against humans to some extent. However...even the main character.

(After all, it's already decided that girls should use naginata.)

If they were exorcists, it would be a different story, but when it came to court nobles or warriors, the martial art for girls would be naginata art. The next is Kyudo (archery). In any case, it is difficult for a woman to wield a sword, which was a lump of iron. It is not encouraged as it could easily result in self-inflicted wounds...and it was also one of the conditions for a bad ending. It's not funny.

(Come to think of it, was the initial weapon proficiency randomized at the start of the game? Truly an April Fool's version.)

I don't know the actual game, but I could see the malice of the development team blatantly throughout the game. Perhaps if the game were really made, the initial weapon aptitude of the main character would be fixed on a sword. That's something those developers would do without hesitation. But why does using a sword as the main weapon attract the dark side of spirituality?

"Well, don't worry too much. It's true that lately, it's all about swords, but isn't the spear still good enough?"

"...That's a valid point."

I responded as nonchalantly as I could. The information made me want to let out a sigh in the morning, and I just felt drained...

...

...

After breakfast, I went to my subordinates to help them with their work and finished at around 11 o'clock in the morning.

I then stretched my body and performed unarmed combat training, wielding my personal spear. The spear dance was crude and barbaric, designed solely for combat.

The movements were a combination of spear techniques that had been refined and passed down from generation to generation by Kizuki's servants through countless sacrifices, with modifications based on their own experience, nature, and habits. The opponent whom they learned had more spiritual power than they did, so they often performed more rigidly, but in my case, I developed a more energy-efficient and softer spear technique, redirecting and flowing with the incoming force.

After wielding the spear in this way for a while, and when my body woke up and regained its instincts, I headed towards the dojo set up in the house. The fact that we were indoors instead of outdoors was one of the conditions presented by Yoshinori. Compared to outdoors, the risk of injury was lower.

But as I stepped into the dojo, I was taken aback by what I saw...

"Hey, what's this? Why are there so many people?"

I ask Kehiko, who is standing right in front of me. I had assumed that they were just Kehiko's lackeys or some local villagers, but there were at least fifty or more people, and it seemed like more were still arriving. They were of various backgrounds, including members of the Tachibana Trading Company stationed here and hired laborers by the Kizuki family. Some of them were even eating lunch boxes and sweets while watching.

"It's a rural area here, and with the youkai situation, entry and exit are restricted. Besides, the higher the betting stakes, the more profit you can make."

"Is this some kind of spectacle?"

"Or was it your doing? The people who gather are quite a bunch..." I ask. ...Well, in the past, the execution was considered entertainment, so perhaps this is still a relatively mild fate? Anyway, I don't feel good to be exposed to the public.

"Well, well, by the way, the one in charge of the bets is the young lady from that trading company over there. It seems like the merchant received a license for gambling operations from the imperial court, so they're managing it."

"Really..."

Kehiko points in that direction and I sigh. There was a girl with honey-colored hair writing odds on the blackboard. Next to her was a bucket filled with coins, mostly copper, piled like a small mountain. She was definitely the game master.

"Well, even if she smiles at me..."

Kayo smiles at me, perhaps noticing my gaze. Huh? Did she just bet five ryos on me? That's not easy to do.

"Alright then, shall we start? Here, this is your weapon."

Kehiko throws out a spear whose tip is covered with layers of cloth instead of a blade. Receiving the spear, I gave it a few swings to feel its weight and balance.

Although the tip of the spear was protected, the handle, which was also made of steel, was firm and heavy enough. Even without using the tip of the spear, it is quite dangerous just to strike it, even by just swinging it. ...Hmm, this will do.

"If either one of you surrenders or gets poked somewhere, you lose. Everything else is fair game."

"Does that include martial arts?"

"In a real fight, eye gouging and groin strikes are effective. but let's spare each other from those."

I smiled through my face and held up my spear. Kehiko does the same. And then there is silence.

...The commotion that had been echoing around us just moments ago had suddenly quieted down. And I look silently at the man in front of me.

"......"

"......"

Neither of us moved. Or rather, we couldn't move. We were both waiting to see what the other would do.

The spear is a multi-functional and easy-to-handle weapon that can thrust, slash, sweep, and cut, making it easy to handle. But it is also a complex weapon due to its versatility and the variety of attack methods it offers. Unlike the sword, it is possible to change the distance between the two to some extent, and the abundance of attacking methods means that it is not easy to read through their attacks. Hence, the standoff.

Silence, silence, silence... How long had it lasted? Just as some of the spectators were starting to get impatient and about to say something, it began.

"...!!"

"Tch!!?"

I blocked the head-on thrust with the hilt of my spear. At the same time, I swept it out and attempted to cut it diagonally across.

The intricate knot of our clash, which lasted only a few moments, unfolded in just over ten exchanges. We each took a few steps back, and with just that, we exhaled deeply. From the crowd, there was a small gasp.

"Ugh...!!? This is hard to pull off!!"

"What a heavy strike! This is tough...!!"

At this moment, Kehiko and I realized each other's strengths, weaknesses, and nuances.

My strength lay in my quick judgment born from my spiritual power and experience of narrowly escaping death. The spear is a weapon that clearly reveals the difference in muscular and arm strength. And the arm strength obtained by spiritual power is far more powerful than that obtained by training muscles. Depending on the amount of spiritual power, it is possible for even a child to overwhelm a muscle-bound man in a one-sided manner. Moreover, a spear fight that requires a rich variety of techniques demands momentary judgment.

On the other hand, the strength of the man in front of me lies in his experience and courage in interpersonal combat, which is also my weakness.

Unlike warriors, the necessity of combat is low for servants who learn martial arts to prevent rebellion, and we generally do not consider combat against humans as our main focus, assuming fights against youkai. Even if we can apply them to some extent, it's not good for fighting against people who have weapons. Furthermore, the brave southern warriors are fearless of danger, which is exactly the opposite direction of my fighting style, which avoids risks to survive.

The problem is that, unlike Youkai, his brute force is not just mindless beastly violence. Kehiko's attacks were rough and fierce, but at the same time, they were cleverly executed.

"......"

"......"

Silence reappeared again, but we both understood each other's abilities and strengths, and weaknesses. Therefore, we moved our feet to try to gain an advantage from each other's blind spots. We strike each other with the tip of our spears, trying to gauge the distance. We circled each other, swirling like a vortex, while keeping our spearheads pointed at each other...

"......!!!"

Kehiko was the first to lose his patience. With a shout, he thrust his spear upward from below and then swept it aside. It was the same move as before, but this time I blocked it. But then he rotated his body and swung the spear down as if to slam it.

"Kuh...!"

I quickly squatted and evaded, but it was a bad move. Kehiko leapt up and thrust his spear from above as if it were a projectile. I performed a backflip, and the spear stabbed into the spot where I had just been. I don't miss the opening at the same time.

"I got you...!!"

I immediately strengthened my legs with spiritual power and leapt forward like a rabbit, completing a backflip and landing in a crouched position. From there, I closed in on Kehiko in one fluid motion.

I sprinted as fast just like an Olympic runner and instantly entered the range inside Kehiko's spear. I then aimed the spear at his chest and tried to thrust it forward, but he defended his left shoulder.

"Uou...!!?"

"Hey, hey, did you manage to block that...!!"

I reflexively defend myself against the spear handle that hits me from the side like a stick fighting. My feet stopped moving, and then Kehiko closed in and launched a spinning kick at me.

"Oh, so close!?"

I ducked to avoid the blow, which was clearly aimed at my face. Seriously, is he trying to kill me!!

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