Izayoi only squinted his eyes but did not deny it.
Because more than half of what Asuka had said was the truth.
When it was the battle with [Perseus], Asuka’s strength was clearly lacking and knowing that point, she had accepted the task assigned to her.
However, during the time of [Black Death Demon Lord]’s battle, though it wasn’t a direct order, he did make it known that he wanted Kudou Asuka and Kasukabe Yō who were at the front lines to maintain a distance away from the Demon Lord.
For Izayoi had judged that at the scene then, the only candidate who could go on par with the Demon Lord wasn’t Asuka and not Yō as well……it was Leticia alone.
“In the end, your decision might have been right. Who knows? Maybe Izayoi-san should be left to assign the roles this time as well…… but this time, there’s no news of Kasukabe-san and Leticia. Though it might be reckless, we must still forcefully break through into the enemy’s encampment. Or else the people that we want to rescue might not be able to come out safely.”
“So, please let me go with you.”
For Asuka who had a high amount of pride to say such a thing, it was clear that she was serious about it.
Hence Izayoi did not give his answer simply, but continued to ponder over it with his arms folded across his chest. And after a while, he suddenly posed a question to Asuka:
“……Why does Oujo-sama want to come along with me? For Kasukabe and Leticia?”
“Yep.”
“Really? But I don’t want to bring you along.”
Izayoi immediately gave his reply. His sharp and cold tone did not leave a single shred of ground as he rejected Asuka outright and caused the atmosphere of the place to suddenly drop to the freezing point.
Compared to the anger of being rejected, Asuka was experiencing a numbness in her body due to her anxiety.
Izayoi leaned forward to observe Asuka’s expression as he calmly gave his advice:
“Oujo-sama, I do admire that determination in you. But I still do not want to bring you along. For in the case where we meet with some trouble, with a Demon Lord---or perhaps an unknown threat that’s of an equal calibre, Oujo-sama will be finished on the spot.”
“N…No way that’s going to happen. I…I’ve also faced [Black Death Demon Lord] before……”
“That was just the result of coincidence. If Oujo-sama were to fight Percher in a proper duel, there’s no odds on your end at all.”
“……What?!”
The unexpectedly blunt reply caused Asuka’s retort to be trapped in her mouth. Clearly, Asuka had not expected Izayoi to reject her with such a finality in his voice.
Izayoi stood up and scratched his head as a troubled look came over his face.
“But, I can also understand the direction where Oujo-sama is coming from and the determination and feelings that back it. If it were me seeing my own people being made a of fool in such a manner, I would also be unable to stay quiet about it. I would surely want to exact my revenge on those guys……but if Oujo-sama were to be with me, my actions might get restricted during the critical moments and I would rather try to avoid that situation.”
“……”
Hearing how Izayoi described her to be [A Bother] in a roundabout manner, Asuka could only grind her teeth for she was clear that her Gift was unsuitable for search missions. However aside from that point, she still wanted to play a part in helping Kasukabe and Leticia.
Not knowing how to reply to that, Asuka could only lower her head and it was then that Izayoi’s lips parted into a grin.
“But, if Oujo-sama does possess the strength to defeat Percher, it will be a different matter altogether.”
“……Eh?”
“There’s still a lot of unstable factors between the new combination of ochibi-sama and Percher in battles. There’s no saying that things will always progress smoothly for them on the battlefield every time either. So with that in mind, allowing them to gain some experience from fighting Deen whom we know is the natural opposite to their powers, isn’t a bad idea too.”
Izayoi glanced at Asuka with a smile at his lips.
Asuka had also caught on to the implied meaning as she replied:
“In other words, you want me, alone……to battle against the combination of Jin-chan and Percher?”
“Yep. As long as Oujo-sama wins one of the bouts, I will bring you along.”
Izayoi nodded his head as he glared at Asuka challengingly.
If you want to demand for something, you must show your strength first. That was Izayoi’s letter of challenge.
Asuka also took on a [That’s how I would want it] attitude as she rested a hand on her hip while pointing at Izayoi.
“Great! I couldn’t have asked for more! I will show Izayoi-san that you are wrong.”
“Nn. Do your best then.”
---That is if you really can win……Izayoi softly muttered under his breath.
While Jin was stumped by the schedule that was going off topic, he still lightly clenched his fist to give himself some encouragement.