Chapter 20 – The Village of Roholon (3)

Rubia and I spent the rest of the day chatting about all sorts of things until nightfall.

We discussed the secret of my Heightened Senses, why Rubia grew to dislike people, the monsters I had hunted, and Rubia’s experiences during her five years as a priestess.

At one point, Rubia even apologized, laughing about how she thought I was teasing her when I first led her to that quiet blacksmith’s shop, and she had gotten mad. I hadn’t even thought about it that way.

We talked so much that by the time we were done, the bottom of the jelly bag was visible.

“Aileen, little kid! Have you had dinner yet?”

Heinzel and Luchi found us.

“L-little kid?!”

Th-that bald man!

I glared at Heinzel and stuffed more jelly into my mouth, my anger making my chewing extra aggressive.

“Pfft… no, we haven’t eaten yet. Have you, Luchi and Heinzel?”

“We were just about to eat. If you haven’t eaten yet, why don’t you join us?”

Luchi gestured toward a nearby shop.

“Stone-grilled steak, huh? Sounds good. What do you think, Noah?”

“Mmph… mmph!”

I nodded enthusiastically, my mouth too full of jelly to speak.

“Heh… alright, let’s eat together.”

Rubia gently let go of my hand and stood up.

“Mmph… mmph…!”

Why is she letting go of my hand…? What if a wizard shows up…!

“Here, give me the bags.”

Before I could react, Rubia took the bags of jelly from my arms and whispered in my ear.

“You need one hand to hold mine and the other to hold your greatsword, just in case there’s a wizard.”

Rubia! You’re not just a priestess, you’re a saint!

“Mmph, mmph!”

I nodded so hard I almost choked, grabbing her hand.

Then Rubia intertwined her fingers with mine, like she always did.

“No, like this. That way, we won’t get separated.”

Her fingers slid between mine, sticky like the sweetness of the jelly I was still chewing.

I wasn’t sure if it was because I hadn’t grabbed my greatsword yet or if it was because of Rubia’s soft, teasing voice.

But her hand, slipping between my fingers, felt as sweet and soft as the jelly in my mouth.

“Right, Noah?”

All I could do was swallow the sweetness and nod.

“Y-yes…”

“Let’s go then. You must be hungry.”

“Y-yeah… let’s go…”

***

“Kahahaha! So, that’s how I took down that manticore—”

The quiet restaurant was filled with Heinzel’s booming voice.

Old man trait #1: Whenever they drink, they always start bragging about their past achievements, no matter how absurd.

“Krr… So, are you saying you took down that manticore by yourself?”

“Well? I did most of the work!”

“Hah, is that so? And who was it that severed its ankle tendons?”

“Sure, Luchi, you did, but I was the one keeping its attention, wasn’t I?!”

“A man with no other talent besides brute force has to do something, I suppose.”

“W-what…?!”

Heinzel’s forehead was bulging with veins, even visible through my perception.

Wow… if I can see them through perception, they must be really popping out in reality…

“Please, calm down, everyone… Let’s just finish our meal first.”

Rubia sighed in exasperation as she cut her steak.

And me? What was I doing?

“Alright, kid, who do you think was in the right here?”

“Noah, doesn’t it seem obvious that the bald guy is in the wrong?”

I was playing the role of the impartial judge in their childish argument.

“Well… the final blow was dealt by Heinzel, and the manticore’s bones are tough, so… I think this round goes to Heinzel.”

Breaking the manticore’s skull was no small feat. That’s something even weak one-handed swords can’t manage!

“Kahahaha! Luchi! Looks like you lost this one! Drink up!”

“Hah, very well.”

Luchi downed another massive drink, easily twice the size of my head, without a second thought.

They’d each already downed six of those…

“Noah, say ‘ahh’—”

“Ahhh… mmph!”

Chew, chew

Mmm, so good.

Thanks to their loud argument, Rubia and I were quietly devouring the rest of the food.

“So, if the young lady is going to learn swordsmanship, she’ll need a proper blade made.”

Luchi wiped his mouth and turned to Rubia.

“Ah, you’re right. What do you think would be appropriate?”

Rubia wiped the sauce from her mouth, setting down her fork and knife.

“Hmm. First, try holding my sword for a moment.”

Rubia nodded and accepted Luchi’s sword.

And then—

“W-whoops…!”

She immediately dropped it.

“Uumph…!”

I barely managed to catch it. Whew…

“Thanks, Noah… but wow, it’s way heavier than I expected, huh?”

“Heh, that’s right. My sword is heavier than it looks. Seems like… strength isn’t your strong suit.”

“Yes… I’ve never really trained in that area before…”

I patted Rubia’s back reassuringly, letting her know it was okay.

“Then a wooden sword might be best for you.”

Luchi nodded, muttering to himself about the size, weight, and shape of the sword Rubia would need.

“Kid, which weapon do you think is cooler—this sword or this halberd?”

Heinzel leaned over, quietly asking me to choose between the two.

Without a moment’s hesitation, I answered.

“Both are lame. Greatswords are the coolest.”

“Eh?”

Luchi stopped his muttering and looked at me.

“Hah, is that so?”

Heinzel, who had been hunched over, straightened up and looked down at me.

“Yeah… greatswords are the best… and I’m the strongest.”

A moment of silence.

The one to break it was Luchi.

“Then why don’t we settle this with a duel, to determine which weapon is superior?”

“Hmm, sounds like a good idea.”

“S-sure…”

“Huh?”

Silence descended once more.

And this time, I was the one to break it.

“Just… make sure not to use your special abilities.”

“Heh, the kid even knows about our special abilities… Yes, we’ll refrain from using them.”

“Hmm, that’s a good idea.”

“N-Noah…?”

Rubia looked at me, clearly worried, as I patted my chest confidently.

“Don’t worry, Aileen. Watch closely. I’ll show you just how strong I am.”

“Kahahaha! I’ve said it before, but this kid’s got guts!”

“Let’s hope it’s not just bravado.”

“Wait… what exactly is happening here…?”

Heinzel and Luchi packed up their things and stood up.

I grabbed Rubia’s hand tightly and stood up as well.

Then, the three of us spoke in unison.

“Let’s go.” “Let’s go!” “Let’s get on with it.”

“Who has a duel right after dinner…?”

Gasp!

“Use proper, polite words… nice words.”

Sigh “Noah, you shouldn’t say things like that. Let’s just head outside.”

“Y-yes…”

***

We left the restaurant and headed to a wide-open area.

It was on the outskirts of the village, beyond the protective fence that kept the monsters out.

This was where we set up for the duel.

“Alright, one of us has to get a bye to the final round. Since we’re only determining first place, that’ll save time.”

“Hmm, sounds good.”

“What should we use to decide?”

“What do we need to decide for? Noah, why don’t you take the bye to the finals?”

“Hmm, excellent idea.”

Me?

Why?

I tilted my head in confusion.

“Kid, you’re the weakest, aren’t you? So, it makes sense for you to skip ahead.”

“Considering our experience in battle, this is a fair handicap.”

Wow.

They’re really underestimating me, huh?

“Just… don’t regret it later…”

I gritted my teeth, stepping back to watch the match.

“Noah… do you really think you can win?”

“Yes. I’ll definitely win. No, I have to win.”

For the honor of the greatsword…!

Sigh “Alright… Just don’t get hurt. I’ll be right behind you… I can heal you if you get a little hurt, but… still, don’t get hurt. Got it?”

Rubia squeezed my hand tightly.

I squeezed back just as firmly.

“The rules are simple. We fight within a 100-meter radius, and stop just before inflicting a fatal blow. Even someone as thickheaded as Heinzel should understand that, right?”

“Hmm, sounds good. But you only have one eye. Can you see everything?”

“Hah, well, your bald head might be too shiny for me to see properly.”

Crack!

Heinzel gripped his halberd handle so tightly it sounded like it might break.

“Watch your eye.”

The mood shifted.

Shing—

Luchi’s sword answered in place of his voice.

“I’ll count down.”

Luchi’s sword leveled with the ground.

Heinzel’s halberd stood upright, ready.

Both of them vanished.

In the empty field, the sounds that followed were hard to believe had come from two men colliding.

I focused all my perception into drawing a mental map of their fight.

The halberd’s movements were wild. The sword’s movements were fluid.

Wildness overpowered fluidity. Fluidity subdued wildness.

The sword flowed. From right to left.

The halberd rose. From below to above.

Heinzel struck first.

His halberd, rising from below, deflected the sword.

But the sword’s flow didn’t stop. It continued.

The sword, thrown into the air, came down in a diagonal slash, catching the light of the moon.

Clang!

The halberd’s handle snuffed out the moonlight.

Then came the halberd’s follow-up, a horizontal slash from left to right.

The sword, still spinning from its earlier deflection, couldn’t block the halberd’s swing.

But Luchi didn’t flinch.

He spun, and with a reverse grip, reclaimed his sword.

The sword pressed against his waist as the halberd swung toward it.

The sword flowed.

Luchi’s movements were fluid.

He didn’t block; he let it pass.

After the halberd’s wild swing, there was an opening.

Luchi didn’t miss it.

Still holding the sword in reverse grip, he slashed upward.

Heinzel gritted his teeth, pulling his muscles taut.

Ignoring the inertia, he yanked the halberd back.

Rip!

His muscles tore, and the sword that had been rising up was slammed back into the ground.

The halberd’s handle struck Luchi’s stomach.

Luchi’s body bent backward, but he caught himself with one arm, stopping his fall.

Heinzel relentlessly pursued, his tattered muscles pulling the halberd up again.

Blood sprayed from his arm, but he didn’t stop.

The halberd came down diagonally.

Luchi swung his sword.

They continued their fierce exchange.

The wildness grabbed hold of the fluidity. The fluidity suppressed the wildness.

Heinzel threatened Luchi’s life. Luchi drained Heinzel’s stamina.

Clang, clang, clang!

The duel escalated into a relentless clash.

Heinzel extended his right arm.

Luchi spun, deflecting the blow.

Luchi’s body twisted in a circular motion.

Heinzel came to a halt.

The sword descended from above. Catching the moonlight once more.

The halberd rose from below. Scattering blood.

Steel met steel.

Wildness met fluidity.

The beast met the hunter.

The beast’s claws tore into the hunter’s flesh.

But the hunter’s trap…

…Caught the beast by the throat.

“I’ve lost.”

Heinzel declared his defeat.

Blood streamed down his neck.

Luchi’s blood sprayed into the air.

“Damn it… even when I win… cough… it’s not really a win…”

His blood shot toward the sky.

The hunt was over.

I… should’ve kept my mouth shut.