Mebius World Online – Mari’s VRMMO Diary, Embarking on a Laid-back Adventure as a Novice - Chapter 141
141. Mari-nee and End of the end of skill
“Roulette-san…”
If she was concerned about maintaining Caldia’s face, I intended to stop her.
Although we are here as representatives of the king, fighting for the nation’s prestige shouldn’t be part of our duty.
However, my concern was dismissed by Roulette-san’s calm tone.
“Don’t worry. It’s not a matter of revenge.”
After smiling slightly, Roulette-san’s expression turned serious.
“It’s just that… there’s something I want to confirm.”
Following Roulette-san’s gaze, Ben-san remained silent, as if indicating he didn’t mind if she continued.
Herel-san and Sahar-san showed no reaction.
After confirming this, Roulette-san swiftly leaned out from the terrace and descended onto the stage.
Noticing her, Jade-san, who had just finished carrying Graham-san off the stage, approached.
Moving at a relaxed pace, Roulette-san eventually faced Jade-san at the center of the stage.
“My name is Roulette. But perhaps it would be better to say it this way: I’m a friend of Maria-san.”
At that moment, Jade-san’s eyebrow twitched slightly.
Given the recent interactions with Graham-san, it seemed like there might be more to it, but since they had only met for the first time at the pier, there shouldn’t be any other connections.
Even after searching my memory, nothing else came to mind.
“I’m Jade. So, you’ve come to assess me as a friend… Friendship between women is a wonderful thing. Though, saying something like this might be considered harassment?”
“I don’t mind. But if I may say one thing, friendship isn’t bound by gender. And the way friendship is demonstrated… differs, doesn’t it?”
Roulette-san said meaningfully, staring straight at Jade-san.
For a moment, Jade-san’s face became serious, but then he laughed happily.
“Well, I’ve been bested. I wonder why you can keep staring at me, but from here on, I’ll let my actions speak.”
As Jade-san took a stance, Roulette-san nodded and moved.
Slowly, as if drawing a circle around Jade-san…
Following her with his body and feet, Jade-san kept a vigilant eye on Roulette-san.
After a while of this circling, Roulette-san stepped forward with her left foot, hiding her right hand at her side, and in it, she held a small hand mirror that hadn’t been there before.
The sunlight reflected from the mirror directly into Jade-san’s eyes.
“Damn it, such a pretty face yet such relentless tactics!”
Unable to open his eyes, Jade-san cursed, while Roulette-san stomped her right foot on the ground and sprinted forward.
Without losing momentum, she leapt into the air.
In mid-air, she performed a front flip and delivered a heel strike to Jade-san, with all the speed and weight behind it.
An unexpected quick attack.
If it were me, I might have been defeated before even understanding what happened, but Jade-san, with his vision still impaired, instinctively leapt back to dodge.
A clear evasive maneuver, different from anything before.
“Good grief, that was close!?”
Half-opening his eyelids, what Jade-san saw was Roulette-san, closing the distance without a moment’s pause.
Moreover, the kick aimed at the midsection suddenly shifted its trajectory to a lower strike.
Caught off guard, Jade-san took the hit without a chance to evade.
Receiving the blow that seemed capable of slicing through, Jade-san muttered,
“A seamless transition from a mid to a low kick without losing balance, that’s impressive.”
“You speak well for someone who drew back their leg just in time to mitigate the damage.”
“That’s the advantage of experience, Nee-san.” (Missy or similar but towards older women)
While Jade-san smiled wryly, Roulette-san’s expression grew even more serious.
“But to accurately target me with such a series of attacks… it seems illusions don’t work on you. Judging by your skills, you must be a frontline combatant. So, your trick must be those glasses, right?”
“Who knows?!”
Just as Roulette-san’s knee slightly lifted, a front kick was launched.
“Oh, dear. A kick with almost no preparatory motion? Who are you, Nee-san? I can count on one hand the number of opponents who’ve delivered such sharp kicks.”
“Even if you say that while neatly maintaining distance and handling it, I can’t exactly be pleased!”
In a complete change from before, Roulette-san unleashed a barrage of kicks like a storm.
No longer displaying the same composure as before, Jade-san used both hands and feet to defend.
Even to an untrained eye, it was clear that an incredibly high-level battle was unfolding.
Mareus-san and Kanna-san were also astonished, but unlike me, their surprise was directed at Jade-san.
“Unbelievable, he’s deflecting all her kicks.”
“It’s different from how he dealt with Graham and Argos. He’s handling it solely with martial arts. Who exactly is this old man? He’s not my type due to his age, but he’s kind of charming!”
Kanna-san, you completely ruin it with that last remark after saying something reasonable in the first half.
As I thought this, even Sahar-san seemed perplexed, unsure how to react.
While half-believing that he would actually respond, I suddenly felt a sense of unease about the battle unfolding below.
The fact that Jade-san hadn’t attacked even once.
It seems I wasn’t the only one who found it puzzling.
“Are you pretending to be a feminist by not attacking on your own?” Roulette-san’s voice carried a quiet anger.
“Not at all. I believe in gender equality. But now I understand.”
“You understand? That’s a poor take.”
“I’m always serious, sadly… Nee-san, you’re afraid of your own power, aren’t you?”
“!”
“Your attacks are fierce, but I don’t sense a willingness to forsake defense and focus solely on attacking. It feels more like you’re hoping I’ll fall quickly, a rather passive approach.”
“Don’t talk as if you know anything!!”
Roulette-san increased the speed of her attacks even more.
Despite this, Jade-san’s defenses seemed more composed than before.
“Did I hit a nerve? Your attacks are becoming monotonous. At this rate…”
As he deflected a wide kick, Jade-san closed in and swiftly snatched Roulette-san’s glasses.
“You’ll end up losing something important.”
“You bastard!!!”
Roulette-san’s scarlet eyes were revealed, emitting an intense killing intent.
At the same time, a kick of unimaginable speed lashed out at Jade-san.
Something no ordinary person could possibly evade.
Or so I thought…
“To think you possessed such power.”
It didn’t hit Jade-san.
Moreover, he didn’t even make an effort to dodge like before.
“Why, even though the attacks are sharper now?”
“Probably because he made her look directly at him, at the old man.”
“What do you mean… Oh.”
“Right now, Roulette-chan is seeing the old man with her naked eyes. Just like Argos and Graham-chan.”
Kanna-san’s words were confirmed as Jade-san handled the increasingly fierce attacks, no longer needing to move his feet.
“Fearing one’s power isn’t a bad thing. But being too afraid isn’t good either. There’s something to be seen in accepting that fear as a weakness, Nee-san.”
Just after saying this, as Jade-san and Roulette-san crossed paths, Roulette-san collapsed to her knees.
“Oh.”
But before she hit the ground, Jade-san caught her.
“It seems that deep down, you were aware of it, hence the rage. But I can’t speak too grandly either… Now then.”
After gently laying Roulette-san at the edge of the stage, Jade-san looked at me.
“As I said, we’ve met again, haven’t we? Jou-chan.”
With his palm up and fingers beckoning, he gestured for me to come.
Even I knew that this was a gesture of provocation.