ISEKAI? More like I See Crap!-Chapter 116: Just Kicking It ( )

Suddenly—BOOM!!

An explosion ripped through the quiet woods.

The carriage that held Princess Ellyna was violently flung into the air, crashing down with a thunderous CRACK, now lying upside down in a heap of splintered wood and torn curtains.

The ground trembled. Smoke billowed.

The elite shadows that had been escorting the tiger beastfolk were nowhere to be seen—blown away by the force of the blast.

Only two remained:

—The tiger beastfolk, now on one knee, blood trickling from his temple, his ears ringing.

—And Princess Ellyna, still bound inside the wrecked carriage, protected by the relics that had shackled her.

"Ugh... what happened?" the tiger growled, trying to stand.

He looked around—nothing but smoke and silence.

No sound. No wind. No birds.

Then a heavy pressure settled in the air.

A chill ran down his spine.

Footsteps.

Slow. Measured.

From the shadows of the treeline... a figure appeared, cloaked.

The tiger beastfolk’s ears perked. His instincts screamed.

That explosion wasn’t random.

Someone had come for the girl.

What they didn’t know was that before the explosion, Hazuki was arguing with Ridan.

"Idiot!"

"Pervert spirit!"

"You can’t even use proper magic!" Ridan shouted, floating beside Hazuki with dramatic flair.

Hazuki just grinned, holding up his sword. "This is magic, baby!" He channeled his mana—and a burst of flame ignited along the blade.

Ridan squinted. "You’re just using my body to make that look cool."

"Hah? This was my sword before you possessed it, flame boy!"

Ridan narrowed his eyes... then smirked.

"Wanna see what real magic looks like?"

Hazuki blinked. "Oh?"

"Channel all your mana into the sword," Ridan said smugly. "C’mon. Don’t hold back."

"Oho~ fine!" Hazuki tightened his grip and concentrated, pouring his mana into the blade. He accidentally pointed it forward.

"Lemme help you with that~" Ridan chuckled and twisted the spell—compressing the flaming mana into a glowing orb.

WOOSH!!!

A massive ball of fire shot down the road like a cannon blast.

Hazuki’s eyes widened. "OI!!! WHAT IF THERE’S A PERSON DOWN THERE?!"

"AHH!! I FORGOT TO CHECK!!" Ridan yelped.

BOOOOM!!!

A distant explosion echoed moments later.

Hazuki and Ridan stood frozen, smoke curling in the distance.

"...We’re not checking that, right?" Hazuki asked.

"Nope. Keep walking. That was a... fireball of fate. Yes. Destiny chose where it landed."

"You heartless spirit!!" Hazuki snapped. "We should at least check if someone got hurt! Besides, it’s your fault!"

"Ugh... fine, fine." Ridan grumbled. "But don’t blame me if you end up in jail. Or worse—indentured servitude under another Bernardina."

Gulp. Hazuki gulped. "...Okay. We’ll check."

"You got that cloak from the loot before, right?"

"Oh—yeah!" Hazuki dug into the magic bag and pulled out a ragged but dark-colored travel cloak. "Perfect for not getting recognized by, you know, angry villagers."

"Or an angry noble lady whose carriage you turned into fireworks."

"Oi! Don’t jinx it!" Hazuki hissed, throwing the cloak over himself and tightening the hood. "Let’s just move quietly."

He slung Ridan over his back and tiptoed forward, moving carefully along the forest path with a dramatic whisper. "Operation: Sorry-Not-Sorry has begun."

Ridan floated beside him, deadpan. "Worst. Stealth. Ever."

As they crept closer, the smell of smoke and dust hung in the air... and just ahead, shattered carriage wood, burn marks, and splintered trees came into view.

Hazuki’s jaw dropped. "Uhhh... I didn’t shoot that big of a fireball..."

His eyes widened as he approached the wrecked carriage. Among the splintered wood and scorched dirt, he spotted a girl—no, a stunning catgirl, her body bound by enchanted restraints. Her golden hair, soft feline ears, and fierce golden eyes shimmered under the broken daylight.

"Whoa..." Hazuki blinked. "She... she looks like Ellyn... but older?" His mind raced. "Wait... this looks just like the Ellyn I saw in my dream back then. But... that can’t be, right? That Ellyn’s just a kid..."

"Huh? It was—" Ridan started, his tone sharpening.

But before the spirit could finish, a heavy stomp echoed, followed by a chilling laugh.

"You!" the tiger beastkin snarled, stepping forward with a wicked grin. "The black-haired human!! Hahaha! See that, Princess?!" he roared while pointing to Hazuki. "Fate itself delivered him to me! I’ll kill him here—and once he dies, your precious pinky promise will be nothing but dust!"

Hazuki, still under his hood, blinked in pure confusion. "What the hell are you talking about?"

His eyes darted between the furious tiger beastkin and the bound catgirl behind him.

"The one I made the pinky promise with... is Ellyn. A kid. Not this hot adult catgirl with ridiculous curves and perfect skin and—"

"Focus, Hazuki!" Ridan shouted in his head. "That is Ellyn, you idiot!"

"Wha—EH!?"

Before Hazuki could process any of that, the tiger beastkin slammed his massive fists together, cracking the air with mana.

"PREPARE TO DIE, HUMAN!!!"

Hazuki stepped back, eyes wide, sword halfway unsheathed. "Uhh... you sure you don’t wanna talk this out?"

"NOPE!"

"Cool, cool, just checking!"

Hazuki narrowed his eyes, lips curling into a grin. His heart pounded, but his hands were steady.

The tiger beastkin let out a growl and charged, dual swords flashing with murderous intent.

Clang!

Hazuki raised his blade in time, blocking the fierce strike. Sparks flew, but he barely flinched.

"Err... Ridan?" Hazuki muttered while casually sliding back a step.

"Hmm??" the floating sword spirit replied.

"This guy strong?"

"Yeah," Ridan said flatly.

Hazuki parried another blow with ease, sidestepping to avoid a second slash that should’ve been dangerous—but wasn’t.

"Then why is his swing so weak? I mean—"

Clang!

"—he’s fast, he’s got dual blades, and he’s clearly pissed, but... this is like playing tag with toddlers."

Ridan sighed. "Because his level’s below yours now, genius."

Hazuki blinked as he tilted his sword, deflecting another flurry of attacks with casual grace. "Wait, seriously?"

"You just killed that root-vine monster, remember? That thing had years’ worth of poor souls buried under her! Massive XP boost."

Hazuki gave a slow, impressed nod as he ducked under a swing, then slapped the tiger beastkin’s wrist with the flat of his blade. "Ah... so that’s why I feel like I’m sparring with a confused kitten."

"Focus!" Ridan barked. "This kitty might be under-leveled, but he’s still an assassin. He could have dirty tricks—poison, bombs, hidden needles in his butt hair—who knows?"

"Ew, gross." Hazuki leapt back with a disgusted look. "Now I don’t wanna touch him."

The tiger beastkin roared in frustration. "Stop mocking me, human!!!"

Hazuki grinned. "I’m not mocking. I’m just very, very disappointed."

He sighed, spun his sword once, then—

Thud!

With a swift kick to the gut, he sent the tiger beastkin stumbling back, choking for air.

"Seriously? This is the level of an assassin?"

Without waiting, Hazuki leapt into the air—grin plastered across his face—and brought his foot down with a clean, brutal downward kick.

BAM!!

The tiger beastkin’s body smashed into the dirt, the impact shaking the ground and sending dust flying. His dual swords scattered like toys across the grass. freewebnσvel.cѳm

Ridan floated nearby, watching. "Welp. He’s not getting up from that."

Hazuki landed with a soft thud, stretching his leg casually. "That’s it? Not even a trap card? What happened to the legendary assassin danger? Poison needles? Exploding pants?"

Ridan just snorted. "Maybe he left them at home. With his dignity."

Hazuki looked down at the crumpled tiger beastkin.

"Man, I feel like I just stepped on a cat and won a boss battle."

( End of Chapter )