episode_0143

Side Story – Man of Blades 2

“Sniff… . Sniff… .”

“How about it? Do you understand something?”

“Wow! It has the same smell!”

“Oh, then that must be the smell of the culprit.”

Ker, the first heroine I met and the one I completed the strategy the fastest, is useful in many ways.

First of all, thanks to the extremely developed sense of smell, the difficulty of tracking down criminals is greatly reduced.

Also, since its own combat power is excellent, it can easily suppress some minor tricks.

Lastly, I don’t know if it’s because he was raised like a dog (though he claims to be a wolf), but he listens really well.

“Did I do well?”

“Okay. Well done.”

“Then pat me!”

It is a bonus that the rewards for performance are simple.

I patted Ker’s stomach as he lay on the floor. Ker lets out a tickling laugh every time my hand passes over his smooth, well-muscled stomach.

It was a situation where an ordinary man would have dark impulses, but it only gave me PTSD.

I’m smiling now that I’ve gotten used to it, but Ker clearly has a record of eating me alive. And dozens more times.

Sometimes, whenever Ker gets his appetite, my heart beats uncontrollably.

Will it naturally get better over time?

Or should I die to the point where I can say that Ker’s death is ‘at best’?

‘If you think about Kuen, it would have been a good idea for him to be killed by Ker.’

While I was lost in my thoughts, Ker suddenly jumped into my arms.

“Zeke! My heart is pounding. Are you anxious again?”

“…Yes.”

Since I have no choice but to be with Ker for a long time, he is also well aware of my anxiety symptoms. However, I never dreamed that it was because of me.

“Then touch my tail!”

“Why the tail?”

“Yes! Mari says that if you touch my tail, you will be healed!”

“Do you know what healing is?”

“I don’t know!”

Seeing Ker smiling brightly, I felt like all these thoughts were foolish. Plus, touching the fluffy tail made me feel like my brain was emptying even more.

“Ah, my heart has become quiet. Zeke, you’re not dead!?”

“I’m not dead.”

“Phew, I’m glad.”

Ker hugged his tail with a proud expression.

“My tail must have great power!”

“Yes, yes.”

As I got tired, I tried to fall asleep by petting Ker, but I kept hearing him whining.

“Why are you whining so much?”

“Ugh… . Strange. Zeke’s heart became quiet when he touched my tail, but mine didn’t.”

“What?”

“It keeps pounding. Every time Zeke touches me.”

“……”

I carefully removed my hand from Ker.

“That’s a red flag. So let’s sleep separately from now on.”

“Wha!? I hate that!”

“You are rejecting me deep in your heart.”

“No! No rejection! I like Zeke!”

“Oh, stay away! It’s hot!”

“Sweating is good for your health! I like Zeke!”

“Don’t make weird rhymes!”

It was a noisy night in many ways.

*

*

Ryota Hayashi. Hailing from a small island nation in the eastern part of the central continent, he is the heir to the Hayashi swordsmanship that has been passed down from generation to generation. He was one of the typical old-time knights who did a great job against the invading empire during the war, but was eventually taken prisoner, joined the imperial army for the sake of his family, and rose to the rank of knight.

Currently, he is retired and runs a swordsmanship dojo. Perhaps because he was a knight, the popularity of the dojo has skyrocketed and it is always crowded.

“It’s quiet.”

“That’s right. How long has it been since the dojo was this quiet?”

However, as soon as he heard the news about the Blade Man, he closed the door to the dojo. Since the Man of Blades was targeting retired knights, it was obvious that he would also be targeting Ryota, and he took measures in advance out of fear of harm to his students.

“Who did you hear about the Blade Man?”

“Who else but my colleagues? Although he has left now.”

Ryota took a sip of the steaming tea and continued.

“One day, my friend came to visit. I heard that the guy called the Blade Man challenged me to a duel.”

“…You didn’t come and kill me all of a sudden, but you challenged me to a duel and waited until I met my friend?”

“That’s right.”

“And that friend agreed to a duel?”

“Cancer. He’s such a stubborn guy. He said he would end it on his own terms, but he fell with a single sword.”

“Huh… .”

I don’t understand. No, in the first place, I didn’t even expect to be able to understand the way of thinking of swordsmen.

“So, old man, did you accept the duel request?”

“……”

Ryota nodded quietly.

“If you’re looking for a convenient way to commit suicide, wouldn’t it be better to consult a doctor?”

“Hehe. Do you think Nobu will lose?”

“Yes. Your friend died like that too.”

“Hehehehehe. So bold.”

Sereung–. With a sharp sound, Ryota pulled out a long Japanese sword. At a speed that is invisible to the eye.

“Nobu’s sword hasn’t rusted yet.”

Unwavering eyes. I really hate people with eyes like this. This is because it is the look in the eyes of a blind believer who has already made a decision.

In this world, nothing is perfect and nothing is certain, so how on earth can we have such blind faith? I don’t understand.

‘Well, he said he wants to die. ‘What can I do?’

I have to mind my own business.

“Whether or not you duel, I have to do my job. So, I would appreciate it if you could give me one spare room.”

“There is a lot of room left, so use it however you like.”

It’s a good thing I looked at the room in advance. Since there is also a ker, I should choose a room with as few windows as possible.

*

*

After unpacking my luggage in the room, I took out the sword I had wrapped tightly and examined it.

“Hmm… .”

No matter how much I look at it, I still don’t know. What on earth should I do with this sword?

There is rust here and there and it is dirty, so should I clean up the exterior first? Or, since it is a woman’s(?) body, should we leave it alone without tampering with it?

‘Could it be the princess who was turned into a sword by a curse or something?’

Like The Frog Prince or Beauty and the Beast. In this case, the prince is cursed.

‘Well, I think about all kinds of things.’

Hold the sword and take a stance. I try to swing it quickly, but it’s just somewhat sloppy. Besides, the sword wasn’t that heavy, but after swinging it a few times, my arm started to hurt.

“Ugh, it’s done.”

After roughly throwing the sword on the floor, he sat down. It’s not like anyone is taking it away, you just have to take your time and find out.

“Hot!”

Kerr, who was wandering around the room with curious eyes, quickly ran up to me as soon as I put down the sword and put it in my mouth. Then it approached me and thrust its sword at me, wagging its tail as if asking me to throw it again.

“It’s not playing. Put that down.”

“Huh?”

“It’s no use looking at me with such regretful eyes. The sun will set soon.”

I put the hat I brought on the depressed Ker. I made this hat myself for Ker, who is not yet used to sleeping with an eyepatch. It is similar in shape to a beanie and covers half of the face, so it can cover the eyes.

It’s a bonus that Ker likes it because it’s full of my body odor.

Kerr, who felt better wearing the hat, turned over on his stomach and started rolling around on the floor. After calming down the fussing Ker, I lay down and looked at the sword again.

No matter how much I look at it, I still don’t know.

*

“Zeke! wake up! Wake up!”

“Ugh?”

When I suddenly opened my eyes to my body shaking frantically, I saw Ker holding my collar. Even though the curtains are closed, no light comes through at all, so it seems like it’s still midnight. Why did you wake me up?

“Why? Do you want to go to the bathroom?”

“No, no. It smelled. criminal! The culprit!”

“Ah, that’s right. I forgot.”

It came sooner than expected. I thought I would have to wait a few more days.

I roughly put on my outerwear. Even though the day is hot, it is chilly at night.

“Ker, you wait here. Don’t ever come out until I say you can.”

“Wow! Wait, right? Wait for me and be good!”

My anxiety grew as I saw Ker’s legs fidgeting, but I still trusted him and left the room.

As I was walking down the dark and quiet hallway, I heard the faint sound of a knife being sharpened from the other side.

Ryota Hayashi sharpening his sword in the moonlight with a neat posture. And an unidentified man sitting across from him. Although it seemed peaceful at first glance, there was tension between the two.

“I heard that all the disciples were sent away.”

The unidentified man said. Perhaps this man is a man of blades.

“I was so stubborn that I couldn’t send it back. I won’t disturb you, so don’t worry.”

Ryota treats me like a disciple. It seems that his status as an investigator helps him avoid getting caught, but in fact, there is no problem if he gets caught.

“I’m an investigator, not a student. You’re the Blade Man, right? I came to catch you.”

“……”

The blademan looked at me from the corner of his eye and sneered slightly.

“Don’t fuss without knowing the topic, you brat.”

“Do you think they only look for retired knights like this because they know their subject well? Why are you scared to face active duty?”

“Don’t play with your tongue carelessly.”

“The freedom of my tongue is guaranteed by the Constitution. It’s not something that criminals can crack down on.”

“You are urging people.”

“Why don’t you worry about your finances? Don’t look at me with those little eyes, just look at the moon or something. Because after today, I will never see you again.”

Kagak–.

When the sound of the knife sharpening stopped, the two of us also stopped talking.

“Preparations are complete.”

Like throwing a pebble into a calm lake, Ryota’s words were thrown out loud. The room, which had been filled with quiet tension, soon became filled with life.