“...Rest assured. I will not resist in this situation. If you are worried, you may keep your sword raised as we return to the others.”

“………………”

As Ande said, I kept my sword pressed against his neck while making him stand and moving behind him. The scene was completely that of a vicious criminal taking a hostage, but the lives of Sara and the others depended on this duel. I couldn’t let my guard down for even a moment.

Maintaining this stance, I walked through the forest and returned to Basil Plains, where people from both nations were gathered. The power of the physical enhancement magic was stronger than I had expected—it seemed I had blown him away quite a considerable distance.

“...What was that light, sound, and explosion just now? It wasn’t magic, nor did it carry magical energy, so it wasn’t an enchanted tool either. I’ve never seen or heard of anything like that.”

“That was from my homeland… no, it was a weapon from my world.”

“...Your world?”

“Yeah. It might be hard to believe, but I’m not from this world. I’ll explain in detail later.”

In any case, I had to take Ande with me to visit the grave at the Great Mage’s house and explain everything there. ...It’ll be fine, right? He won’t fly into a rage the moment he finds out I’ve inherited all of his master’s power… right?

When I returned to Basil Plains with my sword pressed against Ande’s neck, the place bore no resemblance to its former self. The green plains were completely gone in the aftermath of my battle with Ande. Even the forest behind us had a straight path of destruction where I had sent him flying.

Then, I raised my voice loud enough for both nations’ camps to hear.

“This duel is my—no, Edwards Kingdom’s victory!”

“““UOOOOHHHHHHH!!”””

A tremendous cheer erupted from the Edwards Kingdom’s camp. The knights, Pazia, and Sara all celebrated together.

In contrast, the Bartom Kingdom’s camp was drowning in despair. They had been so certain of victory that they had even wagered their entire nation on this war, only to suffer a crushing defeat. The smug smiles they wore before the duel had vanished without a trace.

“...It seems I have lost. Well, I do feel sorry for them, but they used me for their war. It’s not really my place to say, but they’ll have to bear that responsibility.”

“………………”

The battle had been extremely close. The three days of training, the intel from Boris and the others, the Thunder God’s Bracelet borrowed from Pazia, the stun grenade, the hand grenade—if even one of those had been missing, I wouldn’t have won.

And one of the key reasons for my victory was that Ande hadn’t been fighting with the intent to win at all costs. He seemed to enjoy the fight, seeking to prove his strength and receive his opponent’s full power in return.

If that hadn’t been the case, he could have easily ended the fight instantly with his magic-nullifying ability and high-speed teleportation magic. Honestly, even if we fought again, I couldn’t see myself winning. This victory was nothing more than a lucky first-strike advantage.

“...But Masayoshi, you’re too soft. You didn’t finish me off in the end. That softness will be the death of you someday.”

“Right back at you. You were trying to make me surrender without killing me too, weren’t you? The Great Mage is my benefactor. I don’t want to kill his disciple with my own hands.”

If Ande had been a ruthless opponent who slaughtered all his enemies just to become the strongest, I would have had no choice but to kill him before he could hurt others.

However, according to the research done by the kingdom and Boris’s group, all those who fought against the Great Mage’s successor had survived. Many had even been rescued from monster or bandit attacks, and there were countless reports of him destroying slave traders and criminal organizations. He pursued strength with all his heart, but he didn’t seem to be a truly evil person.

“...Hmph, well, whatever. There’s no point in me staying here any longer. I have no idea what the Bartom Kingdom’s people will say to me now.”

“Master’s house is in the Ruin Forest, right? I was thinking of testing myself against the monsters there anyway. Searching for my master’s house will make for a good bit of entertainment. We’ll meet again, my fellow disciple!”

“Ah, wait a minute! Inside the Great Mage’s house, the black mask—hey, you’re too fast!”

Before I could finish speaking, he disappeared in an instant. I don’t know when he’ll come, but I really don’t want him stepping through that portal to my world while I’m not there! In fact, I don’t even know if someone from this world can actually cross into mine…

Damn it, that teleportation magic of his is way too convenient. And he just left, abandoning all responsibility for what comes next! Maybe I should use this chance to slip away too… No, that would definitely be a bad idea.

“Master Masayoshi!”

“Whoa!”

As I returned to the Edwards Kingdom’s camp, Sara threw herself at me in a hug. Fūsuke was sitting on her shoulder. It looked like he had done a good job protecting her and the others.

“Master Masayoshi, are you hurt?”

“Hoo!”

“Nope, I used healing magic, so I don’t have a single injury left. Fūsuke, thanks for keeping everyone safe.”

My current appearance certainly looked battered. The supposedly sturdiest silver armor from the Great Mage’s house was completely crushed, and the metal plating on my right leg and left arm had peeled off. Even the black mask I had worn for so long was now cracked in half.

But my body was already fully healed thanks to magic. As always, this world’s healing spells were ridiculously effective.

“I’m truly glad you’re safe, Master Masayoshi… You’ve saved me yet again.”

“I did it because I wanted to, so don’t worry about it. More importantly, if something like this happens again, please talk to me about it first. I never want to lose you without even knowing what happened.”

“...Yes. Thank you so much for saving me. Um, Master Masayoshi!”

“Yes?”

“Please marry me!!”