A blonde girl and a silver-haired girl.

Seeing the massive monster attacking the two of them, my eyes opened wide.

“Why is a Cyclops here?”

Normally, it should be deep in the Ville Forest. So why was it here?

There was no time to ponder. The Cyclops raised its club high, preparing to strike the immobilized pair.

“Flare! Get them!”

“Got it!”

Flare accelerated with incredible speed, reaching the two girls just before the Cyclops could bring down its club. She grabbed them both under her arms and leaped back to safety.

“Eek!”

“What!?”

The club crashed to the ground with a deafening sound that drowned out their screams.

A crater over ten centimeters deep formed from the impact. The Cyclops’s devastating power was clear.

Even so, we had to fight. Escaping with two injured people would be difficult.

I glanced at Flare, who looked back at me. I nodded, and she flashed a confident smile as she turned back toward the Cyclops.

“I won’t let you have your way any longer. I’ll defeat you right here!”

“GRAAAAA!”

Thus began Flare’s battle with the Cyclops.

The Cyclops’s biggest strength was its monstrous power—possibly on par with a Minotaur.

But—

“Amazing…”

“She’s overwhelming it…”

Even the two girls couldn’t help but gasp at Flare’s clear advantage.

While the Cyclops possessed incredible strength, it was no match for Flare or even a Minotaur in terms of speed. By employing hit-and-run tactics, Flare avoided damage while landing precise hits on her foe.

At this rate, it seemed safe to leave things to Flare. I ran over to the two girls.

“Are you two alright?”

“Who… are you?”

“Are you with that amazing girl?”

“I’ll explain later. Let me see your wounds.”

They snapped back to their injuries and showed me their wounds. The blonde had a hurt right arm, while the silver-haired girl’s left leg was badly injured. The blonde’s wound was minor, but the silver-haired girl’s injury was severe; she could neither walk nor run.

I took out a healing potion and applied it to their wounds.

“Hang in there; this will sting.”

“O-Of course! Ow!”

“...!!”

Though the pain likely matched the severity of their injuries, there was no helping it. For now, this would have to do until the Cyclops was defeated.

Looking back at Flare’s fight, she was still clearly in control, though her caution against the Cyclops’s strength prevented her from landing any major blows. To defeat it quickly, I should probably join in.

At that moment—

Thud Thud—something large approached.

“No way…”

“It can’t be…!”

The girls turned in despair toward the opposite side of Flare, and I turned to see the source of their horror.

“You’ve got to be kidding.”

A second Cyclops had appeared.

I couldn’t afford to panic in this emergency. If I didn’t decide on a plan immediately, it could be disastrous.

Not even Flare could handle two Cyclopes at once. That meant I had to take down the one here.

Yet I wasn’t without hope. I still had a strategy.

“Who knew my insurance would come in handy so soon.”

With my hand on my belt, I walked toward the Cyclops. The girls looked at me in surprise.

“Are you really going to fight!?”

“Are you as strong as that girl?”

“Unfortunately, I’m not as strong as Flare. But…”

I unhooked a second case attached to my belt and took out a doll.

“GRAAAAA!”

The Cyclops, seeing my movement, charged forward, each heavy step reverberating through the ground. Normally, the sight of a giant monster charging would be enough to make someone tremble, but I didn’t falter.

“Come, Tetra—Form Shift!”

BOOM

An explosive sound echoed as if the ground itself had shattered. The Cyclops’s massive body was sent airborne.

Standing directly beneath it was a girl with blue hair, fist raised.

“pup-puppeteer!?”

The two girls behind me spoke in shock as they watched the sequence unfold.

The one who had just sent the Cyclops flying was Tetra, my second contracted doll—a martial artist-type fighter.

“...”

“Well, it is what it is.”

Tetra’s movement was guided by my skill, Magic Thread Manipulation. Unlike Flare, she seemed to lack a will of her own.

But I’d anticipated this. Flare once told me that she gained her will because I’d always treated her with heartfelt care. Of course, I valued Tetra just as much, but I’d brought Flare into more battles, and so I thought about her more often.

Perhaps Tetra might also gain a will of her own someday. Talking with her would be wonderful. And for that hope, we couldn’t afford to lose here.

“Hey Ike! Should I come and help you out too?”

“No, Flare! Keep focusing on your Cyclops! I’ll handle this one with Tetra!”

“Got it!”

After giving Flare instructions, Tetra and I faced the Cyclops again. Despite being knocked back, it was still able to move. Even without words, I could tell by its face that it was furious, and it fixed its one eye on Tetra.

“GRAAAA!”

With a roar, it swung its club down toward Tetra.

But—

“...”

“Grh!?”

She dodged to the side, avoiding the attack, and immediately launched her counterattack.

“Gyaa!”

“Damn!”

The Cyclops swung its club horizontally, but I had Tetra retreat to avoid it. Her strength was in close-range combat, using speed and power, but she struggled to get within reach of long-range foes.

Usually, Flare would draw the enemy’s attention, creating an opening for Tetra. But this time, Flare was preoccupied with her own opponent.

It was up to me. Resolving myself, I drew my dagger.

The Cyclops’s eye was fixated solely on Tetra. This plan might work.

As Tetra dodged another club swing, I sprang forward.

Now’s my chance!

Using its bent knee as leverage, I jumped high. Its one eye was right in front of me.

“Take this!”

“!?”

My dagger plunged into its eye. As expected, this spot was softer than other areas, so my strength was enough to wound it.

“GRAAAAAA!”

“Gah!”

Just as I predicted, this wouldn’t be a fatal blow to a B-rank monster.

However, it was enough to make it focus its rage on me instead.

“Time to distract it—Decoy!”

With my skill, I fully shifted its focus to me.

The Cyclops raised its club high.

“What are you doing!? Run!”

A voice of concern came from behind, but running wasn’t my only goal—I’d dodge and draw its attention.

“Gah!”

Swinging down, the club barely missed me as I shifted to the side.

“Guh?”

The Cyclops seemed stunned for a moment, but quickly resumed its attack.

I dodged its relentless strikes, each close enough to feel the force. With each evasion, I felt my senses sharpen.

Watch, watch, watch. Observe, observe, observe. Sharpen, sharpen, sharpen.

I vowed never to let my dolls get harmed, and to do that, perfect vigilance was essential. My skill wasn’t something granted; it was earned through pure determination.

The two girls behind me murmured, but I was already too focused to hear them.

The Cyclops had a blind spot, and Tetra capitalized on it, landing repeated blows.

The Cyclops couldn’t find its assailant, and its fury turned to me entirely.

After multiple heavy hits from Tetra, I deemed the next strike the final one.

“Dark Veil!”

I cast a shadowy spell, covering the Cyclops’s vision. Now it wouldn’t see us.

Amidst its confusion, Tetra closed in and landed a heavy blow.

With one final punch, she created a gaping hole in the Cyclops’s body. It collapsed and turned into a magic stone.

The battle was over.

And at that same moment—

“Haah!”

Flare swung her sword, beheading the other Cyclops. She’d finished her fight as well.

“Whew…”

I exhaled, feeling my focus dissipate as reality settled back in. Exhaustion hit me, but so did a sense of accomplishment.

“...You’re incredible.”

“Wow…”

“Huh? Sheena?”

I thought I heard something behind me, but that could wait. For now, we had successfully defeated both Cyclopes.