A mid-level (middle-aged) office worker's laid-back industrial revolution in another world - Chapter 119

Translator: NovelMultiverse | Editor: NovelMultiverse

Takeo ran at Alice with a frontal charge.

Alice took up a sideways stance and began to swing down diagonally with the sword in her right hand.

Takeo readied the blade in his left hand and got into a stance ready to defend against the wooden sword attack.

Then, Alice realized something.

“Since when did Takeo-sama have a knife in his left hand?”

Though she had this realization, she couldn’t stop the swing of her sword, and Takeo received her attack successfully.

Alright! Now I’ll pull back with the sword in my right hand, and at the same time, hit him with my left hand! Alice thought. But then, something happened right as she was about to pull back her sword.

There was a feeling of breaking through something with her sword… Crack!! She hit Takeo’s knife.

!!

Alice pitched forward ever so slightly as some pressure beneath her sword gave way. Then, Takeo released the knife from his left hand. The resistance beneath her completely disappeared, and her center of gravity jolted forward.

Alice’s sword shot forward with nothing beneath it and landed squarely on Takeo’s arm. “Guh!” Takeo gasped in anguish, but her sword had come to a complete halt on his forearm. When the resistance had given out, she hadn’t been putting enough force into the sword to push him back with a hit to the arm.

Takeo grabbed Alice’s right wrist with his right hand immediately, as if he was waiting for her arm to be stopped there.

What!? Alice was surprised, and Takeo proceeded to pull on her arm, leaving her right flank completely open.

I messed up!! she thought, and at that moment, Takeo took up a sideways stance and charged straight into her right flank… he lunged forward with his right leg and hip-checked his right hip into her right hip while bringing his right hand to take hold of her left hip.

No, you don’t! she thought, and punched his right arm with her left hand, but the punch had no weight behind it and wasn’t as strong as it should have been. It had no stopping power, and his arm continued to take a good hold on her left hip.

And, finally, Takeo shifted her weight onto his hip.

“Uryahh!” he grunted.

“Kyah!!” she yelped.

Takeo lifted and threw Alice. 

Alice was in shock that she had just been thrown, and her thought processes stopped for a moment.

When she hit the ground on her back, Takeo had his right arm pinning her neck and right shoulder, and Alice’s left arm was pressed under his left side.

————————

Takeo charged at Alice.

As he charged, he switched the knife he held in a reverse grip in his right hand to a standard grip in his left hand in such a way that Alice wouldn’t be able to see.

Alice was attacking one-handedly, with only the sword at the ready in her right hand.

…Is she seriously just easily swinging around a two-handed sword with just one hand?… The thought crossed his mind briefly, but he knew he had to concentrate on stopping the sword attack.

Then, as he readied himself to defend against her sword, he realized that she had taken a sideways stance, this time.

Just as I suspected… he thought.

“Shield x5, in front of the knife” he activated and stopped Alice’s sword. He noticed a sly smile on Alice’s face.

This was her plan! he thought, and at the same time, a sound of something breaking and a slam was heard as his knife stopped Alice’s sword.

Alice’s slight smiled turned into a shocked expression.

Takeo activated “Protes x15” on his knife, and for a moment, he pushed back, and then quickly let go of his knife.[Read this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at the “Novel Multiverse dot com” website @ novelmultiverse.com]

Alice’s sword was pushed directly into Takeo’s left arm. A sickening cracking sound came from his arm when taking the blow, and he involuntarily let out a gasp of anguish, but as he took the hit on his arm, he saw Alice’s right hand directly in front of his face.

Takeo hurriedly grabbed at her right wrist with his left hand.

He lightly pulled on her. Then, he saw that an opening had been made in Alice’s right flank. As he quickly pushed his body into this exposed area, perhaps because he had lunged in, he realized that his hips were in a slightly lower position than hers. Can I pull this off? he thought, and threw his right hand around Alice to her left hip.

As he went to take hold of her, Alice punched him with her left hand… He heard a small cracking sound come from where she hit him. Without thinking about the pain, he wrapped his left arm around her waist and got in position to throw her.

“Uryahh!” he grunted.

He flipped her over his hip, and as Alice hit the ground, he went down, too. Then, without pause, he trapped her right arm under his left side and pinned her neck and shoulder with his right arm.

The hip flip to a scarf hold… he had pulled off a move that he had learned in class when he was a student.

..

As soon as he pinned her down, Takeo activated “Care x15” on himself, and recovered.

The pain in both of his arms subsided, and he increased the strength of his pin. Underneath Takeo, Alice thrashed about in an attempt to break out of the pin, but it appeared she was going nowhere.

“Uuuughh…” she groaned.

“Harold!!” Takeo yelled out to the knight commander acting as referee.

Harold immediately came over.

“Yo, you called?” said Harold.

“…Harold…What do you think?” said Takeo.

“What do you think, Takeo?” Harold asked back.

“Maybe a tie, if you’d give me a break, here?” said Takeo.

“If you say it’s a tie, Takeo, it’s a tie,” said Harold, and stepped back from the two of them.

“Fight over!!! It’s a tie!!!” he announced.

“OOOOOOOHHHH!” the stands roared upon hearing the declaration.

————————

Takeo released his pin and let Alice up.

“Wow, Lady Alice. You’re really strong,” Takeo said, sitting with crossed legs, smiling grimly and looking over at Alice.

“…T…Takeo-sama!” Alice said, getting up and embracing Takeo.

“What!? What’s this, all of a sudden!? Are you hurt?” asked Takeo.

Takeo, surprised at Alice’s actions, hugged her back.

He activated “Care x15” and recovered Alice.

“Fuueeeee… Back to the usual Takeo-sama…” Alice said, and began to cry.

“It’s been me this whole time, you know??” said Takeo.

“But, but, fuueeee…” Alice couldn’t stop crying.

“Oh my,” Takeo said, smiling worriedly, and patting Alice on the back.

“Well, what do you expect?” said Harold as he walked over. Behind him were several soldiers following him.

“Hmm? Why?” Takeo asked, looking at Alice, confused.

“I mean, my god… your demeanor before and during the mock battle, Takeo… Have you ever shown that side of yourself to Alice?” asked Harold.

“No, I guess I haven’t,” said Takeo.

“Exactly. So, of course, she’d be frightened at your sudden change. That was a real warrior’s face you had on,” said Harold.

“Is it really that frightening? Personally, I was just observing my opponent seriously, and I didn’t want to say anything to give away what I was thinking. And what exactly is a ‘warrior’s face’?” asked Takeo.

“Ah… a ‘warrior’s face’ is shown when someone is in a state of preserving one’s presence of mind before a battle. When observed by onlookers, it shows a sense of vigor, or… it exudes an atmosphere of being ‘ready to fight’. It’s an ideal state to be in when faced with an altercation,” said Harold, with a sigh.

“I see… Well, alright,” said Takeo. 

As that conversation took place, the soldiers had been healing Takeo and Alice.

“…How casual of you … You know, Takeo, it takes most soldiers a long time to master that state…” Harold said, exasperated.

Then, we saw the head commander coming towards us.[Read this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at the “Novel Multiverse dot com” website @ novelmultiverse.com]