After spending a while savoring the comfort of Isis-san’s lap pillow and letting my food settle, I finally stood up to resume our tour of the festival.
Just as we were about to teleport away from Magnawell-san’s forehead, I spotted a massive explosion in the distance.
"...Huh?"
Fortunately, it seemed to be quite far from the city where the festival was being held, but I couldn't help but wonder what was going on. Was it some kind of terrorist attack? No, that was impossible. Surely no one would be foolish enough to pull something like that at a festival hosted by the Six Kings themselves.
[...What in the world are those fools doing now?]
"...The usual... fight?"
"Wait, Isis-san, Magnawell-san—can you both see what’s happening?"
From where we were, the massive city sat directly between us and the explosion site. With my human eyesight, all I could make out was a giant plume of smoke.
However, the two Kings seemed able to grasp the situation perfectly even from this distance. They spoke with an air of weary exasperation.
"...Yes... Shaltier and Megiddo are... fighting."
"Why!?"
[Those two have been at each other's throats since the old days. You know how Shaltier is—she has a way of speaking that constantly provokes people. She’s fundamentally incompatible with a short-tempered fellow like Megiddo. Well, at least it looks like they’re both holding back enough to ensure they don't accidentally destroy the island...]
It was the work of people I knew! Alice... I was grateful that she tactfully made herself scarce whenever I was alone with Isis-san or Kuro, but how on earth did she end up in a battle to the death with Megiddo-san in such a short amount of time?
"...Kaito... let’s go... If we don't stop them... it will affect... the festival."
"Wait, what? Hold on, where are we going? You don't mean right into the middle of that..."
"...It’s okay... I will... protect you."
"N-No, that's not really the issue here..."
As I watched more plumes of smoke rise from the horizon, Isis-san spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world. A magic circle flickered into existence beneath my feet.
Look, I knew they had to be stopped, but I didn't see what I could possibly contribute to a fight like that...
The place we arrived at was a literal war zone. Flames and flashes of light collided with thunderous roars, gouging deep craters into the earth. At the epicenter of the destruction stood the two instigators.
No matter how much they were supposedly "holding back" to avoid collateral damage to the city, the sheer violence of it was enough to terrify anyone nearby.
"Ah, seriously?! You're just a gorilla who can't take a joke, aren't you? Is your entire head packed with nothing but muscle?!"
"The hell did you say?! If I'm a gorilla, then you're just a 'female cat in heat' wagging your tail for Kaito!"
"I-It’s far too late to start 'praising' me now, you know!"
"How the hell did you take that as a compliment?! Are you an idiot?!"
"Hey, listen here, gorilla... Kaito-san is the only one allowed to insult me, got it? I'm going to seriously kill you..."
"...Funny. I'd like to see you try."
I didn't quite know what to say. I had no idea what had sparked the conflict, but that brief exchange was enough to tell me they were fighting over something incredibly stupid.
The problem was that even if the insults they were hurling were moronic, both of them were world-class powerhouses. That made for an extremely dangerous combination.
"I-Isis-san? Is this something you can handle by yourself?"
"...Hmm... It would be difficult... but... there was no need to come."
"...Eh?"
I had asked because I was worried it would be too much for Isis-san to stop two other Kings single-handedly, but she simply agreed with my concern before murmuring that our presence wasn't actually necessary.
Almost the instant she said that, the two combatants froze. A voice that seemed to vibrate from the very depths of the earth echoed through the area.
"...What. Are. You. Doing?"
"K-K-Kuro-san!?"
"K-Kuromueina... No, wait, this is..."
Kuro was walking toward them, black mist seeping from her body and her face a mask of pure, unadulterated fury. Alice and Megiddo-san turned pale with comical speed and dropped into perfect seiza positions of their own accord.
Kuro came to a halt before them, looming over the pair with her arms crossed. It was terrifying. It brought back vivid memories of the lecture I’d received just the other day.
"...Shaltier?"
"Y-Y-Yes, ma'am!"
"...Megiddo?"
"O-Oh... I mean, yes!"
"I told you, didn't I? I told you not to fight during the Six Kings Festival... I'm pretty sure I was very clear about that, wasn't I?"
""...Yes.""
Still trembling in their kneeling positions, the two of them looked like death row inmates awaiting the executioner.
Amidst the suffocating tension, Isis-san spoke up quietly.
"...Kuromueina... The verdict?"
"...Flick (Strong)."
""...?!""
Oh, so she was just going to flick them? I guess even when she was angry, Kuro was still kind. Maybe she was especially soft on her "family."
The "(Strong)" part gave me a moment's pause, but it looked like things were going to be settled peacefully after all.
Or so I thought, until I saw Alice and Megiddo-san’s faces turn from pale to a ghostly, bloodless white.
"W-Wait, please?! Kuro-san, I was wrong! I was the one at fault! Anything but that...!"
"K-Kuromueina?! I'm sorry! I'll never do it again! I swear! P-Please, have mercy...!"
Wait, why were they panicking this much? It was just a flick, right? Sure, a flick from someone with Kuro’s strength would probably hurt like hell, but these two were part of the Six Kings. They should be able to take it, right?
"...Kaito... get behind me..."
"Eh? Oh, okay."
I followed Isis-san's instruction and moved behind her. Kuro slowly curled her finger into a flicking position and aimed it at the two of them. Given Megiddo-san's massive size, she aimed for his midsection rather than his forehead.
In the next heartbeat, Kuro’s fingertip flashed with a momentary light. A thunderous explosion followed, and the scenery ahead simply vanished.
"...Eh?"
When the dust settled, all that remained was a stretch of ground melted into glowing slag and a sea that had been physically split in two. Wh-Whaaaaaaaaat?!
"...A-Awa-wa-wa..."
"...Kuromueina's... Flick (Strong)... That... is very... painful."
No, no, "painful" doesn't even begin to cover it! Are they... are they dead?!
"Fugyuuuu... That hurt so much I thought my head was going to fly off..."
"Gah... There’s a hole in my stomach... That stings..."
"...You two aren't going to do that again, are you?"
""YES!""
...They were perfectly fine. They had taken that absurd, logic-defying attack and only sustained those kinds of injuries? These two really were monsters in their own right.
Megiddo-san actually had a hole straight through his torso, but... oh, it already healed. In fact, the split sea had already rushed back together, and the ground was cooling as if nothing had happened. There wasn't even a sign of a tsunami.
"Good. Now, you two are going to work together to fix everything you broke around here..."
"...Eh? But, I mean... most of this was Kuro-san's flick..."
"What was that?"
"Nothing! We will begin restoration work immediately!!"
Well... I guess that’s that. Everything’s settled? I mean, Kuro’s control was apparently so perfect that the city wasn't affected at all, but... yeah, there was no point in trying to make sense of it.
Dear Mother, Father—The fight between Alice and Megiddo-san, which started over something completely trivial, has finally come to an end. It's hard to believe, but judging by the reactions of Isis-san and Magnawell-san, a brawl of this magnitude—seems to be an everyday occurrence.