After clearing away most of the monsters that kept coming out of the forest, the group finally caught their breath.

“Well, that’s about it.”

“I’m glad there was no damage!”

“I was able to test fire, and there were some monsters I had never seen before, so there was a lot to gain from the battle.”

“Thanks for all your hard work, everyone! It was very cool!”

Lexia, who was leading the evacuation of the villagers, called out to the three of them with a smile.

The villagers ran up to them and thanked them verbally.

“T-thank you very much…!”

“I don’t know what we would have done if it weren’t for you all…”

“B-but, but how can such lovely young ladies be so strong…?”

Emma bowed her head on behalf of the villagers.

“Thank you very much for your help…! You must be tired; please go inside and rest.”

But Luna shook her head.

“Thank you, but with a horde that large, the rest of the monsters may still be lurking around somewhere. Let’s take a look around a little and come back.”

“Well, just in case──”

Just as Lexia was about to say that, a whistle-like cry sounded from the sky above.

“Ho, ho.”

They looked up.

About ten owl-like creatures were looking down at them from the treetops.

“? What is it, those birds?”

“It’s strange. They are not attacking us, but observing us…?”

Tito’s eyes widened beside Lexia and the others, who were wary.

“Oh, that monster is…!”

“T-that’s bad, that’s… Horn Owl!”

“N-no way! If they appear, it’s the end of us…!”

“Horn Owl?”

“It’s already the end? What in the world──”

Lexia and the others tilted their heads as the villagers screamed.

“Ho, ho. Ho, ho, ho.”

The cries of more than a dozen birds overlapped and echoed through the surrounding mountains.

As if in response, the mountainside rising to the east of the forest moved.

“Eehh? T-the mountain moved!”

“No, that’s not it, that’s…──!”

Without waiting for Luna to speak, the snow crumbled and slid down the slope.

“I-it’s an avalanche!”

Brrrrrruuuummmmm!

“W-w-w-what in the world is going on───!?”

A wave of snow rushes toward them, sending up a white puff of smoke and an earthshaking sound.

“R-run───!”

The villagers, who were standing still, started to run.

As Tito ran, she looked up at the monsters who were looking down at them from the tops of the trees.

“Ho-Horn Owl has a habit of hiding its prey under the snow, and it calls for avalanches with a special cry…!”

“I see. So if an avalanche crushes us for preserves, it kills two birds with one stone! That’s very reasonable!”

“This is not the time to be impressed!”

“What are we going to do?”

“We have no choice but to run away! We have to get far away from here as soon as possible!”

However, no matter how strong Luna and the others were to overwhelm the monster flood, they could not compete with the threat of nature.

“Ho, ho.”

The taunting cry of a Horn Owl echoed through the air, followed by waves of snow and a merciless roar as the trees were knocked down.

“No, we won’t make it!”

Tito suddenly stopped and turned around.

“Tito!”

“I-I-I-I’m going to stop the avalanche right here, right now!”

“How?”

“I-I don’t know, but if we don’t do something, the village will…! Everyone will be trapped…!”

Tito turned pale and shouted.

(Good grief, it’s so noisy.)

“!? T-this voice is…!”

The voice came down from above, and Lexia and Luna looked up to the sky.

A small white shadow flew in from the sky and landed in front of the avalanche.

(──[Fierce Wind Legs])

With a calm voice, the shadow unleashed a sharp kick.

Boooooommm!

──It was just a single blow.

A tremendous shockwave was released by the kick, and the avalanche shattered and evaporated.

“Wha…!”

“T-the avalanche was… kicked away…!?”

It was a sight even more unbelievable than the previous monster flood.

The white something that had further dissipated the avalanche flew up into the sky.

Kicking the trees, it danced through the air, killing the Horn Owls in the blink of an eye.

“T-the flock of Horn Owls just in an instant…!?”

“How in the world can someone kick out a swarm of monsters and an avalanche in a blink of an eye…!?”

The small shadow landed lightly, clearing away the avalanche and the monsters without leaving a speck of dust.

(Good grief, what a noisy bunch.)

The little shadow landed lightly on the ground.

A round tail and long ears. The snow-white fur that covered its small body.

It was a white rabbit.

“”U-Usagi-sama…!?””

Lexia and Luna’s cries overlapped.

Then, the rabbit noticed them and blinked at them.

“Y-you people…! Why are Princess Arcelia and her bodyguard in a place like this…!”

“It’s been a long time, Usagi-sama!”

“Thank you for saving us from such a dangerous situation.”

Seeing Lexia and Luna greet the rabbit normally, Noel stands there in amazement, saying, “A-a-a talking rabbit…”

With a puzzled look on her face, Tito gently called out to Lexia and Luna.

“U-um, is this Rabbit-san an acquaintance of Lexia-san and Luna-san…?”

“Yes! Usagi-sama is the Kicking Saint-sama and Ear Saint-sama, you know!”

“”E-eeeeehhhhh!?””

This time, Tito and Noel’s voices sounded in unison.

“Eh, eh, eeeeehhhh! …Huh! I remember my master saying that Master Kicking Saint-sama is a divine beast.”

The Holy is a special existence chosen by the planet to oppose Evil, and the beast bearing the Holy name is called a divine beast.

Noel was also stunned.

“A-a divine beast… I thought it was an existence in a fairy tale, but I never thought it was real… With all of you, I am constantly amazed…”

“Yes, Usagi-sama is a very amazing person! …But not only can you destroy the monsters in an instant… I didn’t expect you to evaporate the avalanche.”

“As usual, you’re out of the norm, or rather, as expected of Usagi-sama…”

Usagi turned to Tito, oblivious to the four people’s surprise.

(By the way, did I hear you say something about a master earlier?)

Tito suddenly snapped to her senses and hurriedly bowed her head.

“Aawawa! T-thank you very much for saving us! Nice to meet you; my name is Tito! I am Gloria-sama’s disciple!”

(Hou, a disciple of the Claw Saint, huh? It’s a strange coincidence.)

Lexia explained to the squinting Usagi.

“I’ve been on a journey to help those in need! We met Tito along the way, and she became our friend.”

(J-journey to help people in need…? You’re a princess, aren’t you? How could King Arcelia allow it…?)

“It’s not that he allowed it; it’s more that Lexia forced her way out…”

Even Usagi seemed surprised at the far-fetched circumstances.

“By the way, why are you here, Usagi-sama?”

(Hmm? I was moving along, killing Evil Beasts, when I realized that I had gone quite far north. I came upon a noisy ho-ho-ho sound and found a village about to be swallowed up by an avalanche.)

“Then, going this far north while defeating the Evil Beasts… Isn’t that practically the same as a journey to save the world…?”

“A-as expected of Kicking Saint-sama, your scale is huge…!”

“You’re as outrageous as ever…”

Usagi looked over at Lexia and the others.

(So, what are you guys doing here on your journey to help those in need?)

“That’s…”

Lexia looked at Noel.

Noel nodded and advanced somewhat nervously.

“I am pleased to meet you for the first time, Kicking Saint-sama. I am the chief court magician of the Romel Empire and the chief of the Magic Development Institute. Actually, my sister was possessed by an ice spirit…──”

When Noel explained the situation, Usagi crossed his arms and took one look at the forest.

(I see. I have been thinking that there was a strange presence ever since I entered this country, but I guess this blizzard is the power of a curse. No wonder the monsters are so noisy!)

“On the night of the full moon in four days, the ice spirit will come out of the rock cave and unleash its true power… but we are in trouble because we can’t beat it.”

Lexia said, and Tito’s ears were flattened.

“The ice army controlled by the ice spirit is very powerful… and although we managed to overcome them last time, they should be even stronger next time.”

“I wonder if we will be able to defend against them when they come to the Imperial Capital along with the ice spirit…”

Even with Luna and Tito, the ice army, which boasts a strength different from that of monsters, was a threat.

Usagi listened to the four explanations and nodded his head as if it was nothing.

(I see. If there are four days left, you can train for three days.)

“Eh?”

(It’s that simple. If you can’t win now, you just have to get stronger so that you can win. I will give you special training.)

“E-eeehhh!?”

“A-are you sure?”

Under normal circumstances, it would have been impossible for them to receive training from Kicking Saint.

(Yeah. I don’t usually take care of anyone other than my disciples, but since you are Yuuya’s friend who is also my disciple and master, I’ll take you under my wing.)

“Huh? Yuuya-san is a disciple of Kicking Saint-sama and master…?”

“W-what does that mean?”

Luna dropped another bomb on the confused Tito and Noel.

“In addition, Yuuya is also the disciple of the Sword Saint.”

“Iris-san?”

“I’m beyond interested; I’m even starting to get scared. Who really is this Yuuya-san…?”

“Well, he’s been creating legends while he’s alive…”

“And I am the fiancée of such a Yuuya-sama!”

“Don’t complicate matters!”

Interrupting the lively foursome, Usagi leisurely crosses his arms.

(I don’t know much about those who use such insidious techniques as curses, but there is no need for me to appear. I will make it possible for you to defeat the ice spirit and the ice army without any difficulty. In three days, you will have it.)

The training would end on the day before the full moon, the day of the final battle.

The four of them looked at each other and nodded their heads, and then they all said in unison.

“”””Please take care of us!””””

＊＊＊

Since intense training was expected, the group moved into the forest to avoid causing damage to the village.

Before the training, Usagi asked the four about the ice dolls.

(So, what kind of enemy are these ice dolls?)

“Y-yes, they are very hard and sturdy!”

“What’s more troublesome is that even if you break it, it regenerates immediately.”

(I see.)

Hearing Tito and Luna’s explanation, Usagi nodded her head.

(I have faced such opponents in the past. But there is no such thing as an enemy without weaknesses. Such opponents──lifeless puppets──usually have a core, a source of energy. You just need to destroy it.)

“Core…”

The four looked at each other.

When they were facing the ice doll, they had no time to think about the existence of such a thing.

Tito raised her hand timidly.

“Um, I’m sorry, we didn’t have time to imagine that there was a core… and we don’t know where exactly the core is…”

(Hmm? It doesn’t matter where the core is.)

“Eh?

(In the first place, the core is a source of energy and a weak point at the same time. And, of course, a weak point is something that is concealed. It’s not going to be that easy to find.)

“T-then, what should we do…?”

(It is easy. Strike them with all the strength you have and destroy them completely. Or cut their whole body into pieces. Then it won’t matter where the core is.)

“!?”

“Y-you are right, but the ice doll is even more robust than Mithril Boar…!”

Seeing the four of them expressing surprise, Usagi shook his head.

(It can’t be helped. I’ll show you an example.)

He turned his back and stood facing the forest.

Then, drawing his legs to his body to the utmost limit, he unleashed all his accumulated strength and unleashed a kick.

(Breaking Kick Flash!)

Baaanngggg!

The power concentrated in one point exploded, shattering the trees in the forest one after another.

“…..”

After the sound of the trees falling down echoed through the air.

The forest in the straight line where the impact had run through was blown away in a complete mess, and a clean main street was completed.

Usagi looked back at the group, who was speechless,

(This is it.)

“That’s impossible!”

“C-could it be that you are unaware that you are out of the norm…?”

“How can Yuuya-sama be following such reckless training…?”

Next to Lexia and the others who were shaken up, Noel was taking notes excitedly.

“I-I see; I guess this can be applied to magic tools as well…! Build up the power to the limit and explode it all at once, and…!”

(That’s right. By concentrating the power to a single point and releasing it explosively, it will surely destroy the opponent. Then, no matter how sturdy the ice doll is, it will be shattered. It would be even better if you could reap them all together.)

“The ones who can do that are limited to the active Holy, isn’t it…?”

(Now, time was running short. Let’s take a look at them one by one right away.)

Thus, each of the four was given special training.