The Water Magician

"To think that Lord Vogue would be defeated... However, it doesn't matter. I just have to take down everyone."

Desai declared.

"Not happening!"

Mifa stood in front of Princess Shio Fen, ready to protect her.

Even Mifa understood that her master, Abel, could no longer move.

It would be meaningless to let Princess Shio Fen die now after she had risked her life to protect her.

Moreover, Mifa's value lay in protecting Princess Shio Fen.

But...

Suddenly, the door to the audience chamber burst open.

"Eh?"

"What happened?"

Both Mifa and Desai couldn't grasp what was happening for a moment.

"[Downpour][Ice Coffin]"

Rain fell only around Desai for a brief moment, and the next instant, he was trapped inside a coffin of ice.

It was just when Desai was about to pull out a talisman from his pocket.

"Abel!"

Entering through the door was a robed mage with water attributes.

"You're late..."

Even though he was panting heavily, Abel managed to smile with one side of his face.

"If it's a pinch, you should properly say 'echo of the soul'! You left it hanging!"

"I forgot..."

Ryo scolded, and Abel laughed once more.

"For now, here’s a potion."

Ryo said this and took out a potion, making Abel drink it.

Finally, they could take a breath.

"Ryo-san..."

"Ah, Mifa is safe, right? As far as I could see with the sonar, you shouldn't have any major injuries... Are you hurt?"

"Um... Yes, I'm fine."

Mifa didn’t understand the meaning of sonar but conveyed that she was uninjured.

"Um, is that Princess Shio Fen over there?"

"I am Shio, granted the title of Princess Fen. You must be Ryo. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"How polite. I am Ryo from the Naitorei Kingdom. It's a pleasure to meet you too."

As they exchanged such greetings, Abel, who had regained some mobility thanks to the potion, stood up and approached Vogue.

He placed a finger against his neck.

"You're still alive... quite resilient."

Abel muttered.

"Is that the person who almost defeated Abel? That black sword looks kind of cool."

"Is that what you're impressed by? Lord Vogue is said to be the best swordsman in the country."

"I see. It's impressive that you were able to win against such an amazing person."

Ryo nodded repeatedly in admiration.

He mumbled that he would have liked to see that fight...

"With the sword held in reverse grip, finally."

"Reverse grip? What advantages does holding a sword that way have?"

Ryo asked, tilting his head at Abel's unexpected response.

Back on Earth, he had seen depictions in manga and anime of characters fighting while holding knives or shurikens in reverse grips... but he couldn't grasp the actual benefits.

However, the Abel before him had fought in reverse grip and defeated a strong enemy.

"My left hand was numb. I had no choice but to take the blow with one hand."

"Holding it in reverse grip allows you to take blows?"

Ryo sat down next to the fallen Vogue, still tilting his head, and pulled Abel's magic sword out from Vogue's right side.

"...Ugh."

A small sound escaped from Vogue's mouth.

"Hey..."

Abel protested at the shocking sight.

"Abel, you have a potion for yourself, right? After you pull out the dagger from your left side, why not use it?"

"Yeah, I’ll do it... but a bit more carefully..."

"You should apply or make someone drink the potion as quickly as possible if you get injured, Kenneth said."

"I, I see..."

While Ryo experimented with Abel's magic sword held in reverse grip, Abel pulled out the dagger lodged in Vogue, sprinkled half of the potion on the wound, and forced the rest down his throat.

"Ah, I see. By lifting my pinky and ring finger a bit and changing the wrist angle, I can indeed support the sword with my entire forearm."

Ryo moved Abel's magic sword lightly while simultaneously moving his arm.

"I see. By keeping the sides tight and bringing the sword closer to the body, you can withstand a full force strike with both hands. The movement naturally follows the rotation of the legs and hips."

"I had only thought that the benefit of holding the sword in reverse grip was that it was easier to thrust it into the opponent, but... Abel, you noticed it well."