Chapter20: Karaldin
As we arrived at the training grounds, the examiner came into view in the distance.
It was obvious who the examiner was. There was only one person at the Adventurer’s Guild training grounds.
As I expected, Emily pointed at the man with her hand.
“That old man over there.”
“He looks a bit young to be called an old man…”
I muttered, looking at the man sleeping on a wooden bench.
He didn’t look even thirty yet, so he’d probably feel wronged if he was called an old man.
It might be different from Emily’s perspective, but because I lived in Lakers, my standard for calling someone an old man was a bit higher. People usually called everyone “oppa” there.
I approached the man to shake him awake, but suddenly became curious and asked Emily.
“What’s his name?”
“Uh… Mr. Crayton?”
Judging by her unsure tone and fidgeting, she seemed to have forgotten.
Well, I could always ask his name later.
“Excuse me.”
“Umm…?”
When I shook him awake, the man immediately opened his eyes, stretched, and got up.
“Haaah, what is it… huh?”
Awakened from his sleep, Crayton looked back and forth between me and Emily with a languid expression, then smiled.
“Oh, lovely ladies. I’m Rakars.”
That’s a completely different name.
I looked at Emily with a reproachful gaze, and she turned her eyes to the distant mountains.
“If you have time, how about lunch with me…”
He just woke up, but he’s full of energy.
“That’s okay, I came to take the adventurer admission test.”
When I said that, Rakars’ expression changed as if he was dumbfounded.
“Adventurer? This is where guards take the test.”
It was understandable that he was taken aback.
Female adventurers certainly existed, but most of them fought from the rear. It was generally believed that they weren’t suited for direct combat.
In the Empire, you could find female soldiers and knights relatively easily, but that atmosphere hadn’t yet become widespread in the Kingdom.
“Yes, then I’ve come to the right place.”
At my words, Rakars pondered for a moment, then pointed to one side of the training grounds and said.
“Hmm, I understand. Well, it’s not like there are no female guards at all. First, go over there and pick out a suitable weapon.”
//
I stood facing Rakars, holding a bamboo practice sword.
Emily was watching from the side with sparkling eyes.
Holding a weapon, Rakars declared to me with a sharp glint in his eyes.
“Do your best to attack me.”
Even though it was just a practice sword, Rakars exuded a completely different aura. It seemed he wasn’t going to go easy on me just because I was a woman.
That was actually more comfortable for me.
“Hoo.”
I took a breath and straightened my posture.
Tap.
I rushed towards Rakars and lightly swung my sword.
Steady breathing, light body, and nimble movements.
The first strike was only to gauge his skill.
Clang!
As the practice swords collided, a different light appeared in Rakars’ eyes.
“Hoo.”
You can’t know the opponent’s level with just one strike, but you can learn a lot from the way they swing their sword. After exchanging one blow and creating distance again, he opened his mouth with a sharp smile.
“Not bad, are you?”
From the speed of the sword strike, the steps of moving the feet and shoulders, and the movement of swinging the sword, you can tell how familiar the opponent is with the sword. And even whether that swordsmanship was built up alone or taught by someone.
With this one exchange, he must have realized that I was not an easy opponent.
“Oh my, thank you for the compliment.”
I replied with a faint smile on my face.
Just as he had figured me out, I had figured him out too.
His movements gave off the air of someone who had learned systematic swordsmanship. It wasn’t the haphazard swordsmanship typical of mercenaries or adventurers.
Of course, it wasn’t a sword style in my knowledge.
But,
“You should be a little more careful now.”
I didn’t think I would lose.
I responded with a confident smile, then let go of my left hand and held the practice sword with only my right hand. Using one hand was more advantageous for adding various changes to the Illusionary Sword.
The power decreased that much, so the help of inner energy was even more essential.
It was a swordsmanship that was difficult to use in this world where it was difficult to build up inner energy and where armor and shields were developed, but fortunately, Rakars’ only equipment was a sword.
“Indeed, then I’ll look forward to it.”
Looking at Rakars, who was smiling back, I leaped forward once again.
Whoosh.
With the sound of the practice sword cutting through the air, it plunged down as if being sucked into Rakars’ body.
The moment he tried to raise his practice sword to defend against that strike,
Swoosh.
I rotated my wrist, changing the sword path.
“Hmm!?”
Clack!
Rakars hurriedly defended against the strike, but this attack didn’t end with just one blow. I retrieved the blocked sword and immediately aimed for Rakars’ opposite waist.
Clang!
Once again, he blocked my sword.
Was this the skill of someone who was teaching at the Adventurer’s Guild?
After two defenses, Rakars quickly counterattacked as if he wouldn’t continue to be on the receiving end.
Swoosh!
However, Rakars’ sword, which was flying towards my shoulder, was immediately blocked by my practice sword. A light of bewilderment seeped into the eyes that met mine.
Tap! Clack! Clack!
What followed was a one-sided attack.
The ever-changing practice sword repeatedly plunged towards his entire body, then was retrieved. Rakars could only block the flying sword, losing even the will to counterattack.
I stepped forward little by little, and Rakars retreated little by little.
Thud! Clack! Clack!
“Kuh!?”
He tried to somehow defuse the situation by swinging his sword, but each time, my sword blocked his counterattack, forcing him to defend.
The barrage of sword strikes didn’t just block the attacks, but cut them off.
It wasn’t just swinging randomly.
Every sword strike I unleashed contained the mystery of offense and defense as one, and because of that, his counterattacks couldn’t even reach me, let alone be attempted. In the continuous attacks that made use of the mysteries of illusion and speed, Rakars could only continue to defend.
Whack!
In the end, it didn’t take long for the practice sword to dig into Rakars’ waist and strike his body.
Tap.
As if that was a signal, I stepped back greatly.
“Haa, haa.”
Due to the exchange that lasted for about 2 minutes, he was panting.
It wasn’t that his stamina was weak.
What was important in martial arts was breathing and posture.
If even one of those was disrupted, a person would tire much faster than expected.
“How was it?”
“Haa, Miss… haa. You’re pretty good, aren’t you?”
Rakars looked at me with a dumbfounded laugh.
Unlike him, whose breathing was disrupted, I wasn’t tired at all. It wasn’t a difference in stamina, but a difference in skill. I was able to maintain my pace, and he lost his pace.
“Hmph… where did you learn that? It’s not something that drifters would use…”
Rakars said that and stared at my arm.
It’s not like you can tell anything even if you look.
I smiled and replied.
“That’s a secret, of course.”
It was a martial art in the knowledge of the Succubus Witch, but I didn’t learn it quickly either.
I mastered it by beating up Seran and Keir countless times when I was young.
Hmm, now that I think about it, I feel a little sorry.
But there was no other way back then.
There weren’t any other kids who could be my opponents besides them.
“Damn it, my face is ruined, I want to learn that too.”
“It’s probably impossible.”
“I know. Damn it.”
He spat out with a bitter smile, then straightened his body.
There was no other ill feeling in that expression.
I was worried that he would throw a fit because he lost to a woman, but thankfully, he didn’t.
Of course, if he pulled any tricks, I could just let him win in bed, so it didn’t matter.
Instead of spewing curses, he gave me advice with a serious expression.
“But you can’t become an adventurer just because you’re good at swordsmanship. Especially not a vanguard. Miss, you know how to use a shield, right?”
“Yes, I know.”
In fact, swordsmanship isn’t a very necessary element for adventurers who mainly fight monsters. What they need is defense using shields, archery, and the ability to set traps and find enemies, not skills to fight enemies.
But that doesn’t mean this fight was meaningless.
Defeating the instructor of the Adventurer’s Guild was something to be quite proud of as an adventurer.
Of course, I don’t intend to go around bragging about it.
“Then you pass.”
“Oh? Can I skip it without looking?”
I asked him with a subtle smile.
I already knew that he wouldn’t do the test anyway.
“You want me to be humiliated again? You have a nasty personality.”
As Rakars grumbled, I smiled and returned the practice sword.
“But I’m confident I can win in other ways, how about dinner later…”
“No thanks. I used to sell flowers, so I don’t do it if I don’t get paid.”
At those words, Rakars’ expression was filled with bewilderment.
His expression, which went through embarrassment, shock, and bewilderment, was quite a sight to see.
“…At that age?”
“Believe it or not, I’m 16 years old.”
If it were Earth, I would have been arrested a long time ago, but the Kilkard Kingdom doesn’t have a minor protection law. In the underworld of Lakers, they usually considered someone old enough to work at around thirteen or fourteen.
Back then, I started working at the age of twelve because I developed a bit faster. My growth was delayed after I fully learned the Succubus Art and Yin Demon Art. It seemed like there was some kind of relationship, but there was no mention of it in the knowledge.
I wanted to investigate it later if I had the time and leisure.
“Hmm, is that so…”
At my words, Rakars’ expression changed to a serious one.
Still, he didn’t seem to have any prejudice against prostitutes. It was fortunate, but maybe it was natural.
There aren’t many professions as familiar with prostitutes as adventurers, who live lives close to death. If there were other comparable professions, it would be sailors or mercenaries.
“I don’t know what your circumstances are, but I can ask about that later.”
From his smiling face, I could feel an emotion that was slightly different from competitiveness. Maybe I’ll meet him as a customer later.
“I’m not going to tell you.”
I replied with a smile on my face, then left the training grounds with Emily, who was watching from the side.
//
While walking back down the hallway of the building towards the guild, Emily said to me with admiration.
“Wow, you’re really strong.”
There was no negative emotion in those words. She wasn’t jealous that I was becoming an adventurer first, and she didn’t feel inferior either. What she felt seemed to be pure admiration.
Of course, Emily, who was saying that, wasn’t weak either. Maybe her swordsmanship was similar to Rakars’. Besides, thanks to the Heroic Spirit Art, her stamina and strength weren’t inferior to young people of the same age.
Even though we fell into a world where it’s difficult to build up inner energy, we could still do that much. Of course, we wouldn’t be able to win if they ganged up on us.
“Yeah, I’ve built up some inner energy.”
When I said that, Emily made a face as if she had just realized something.
“Ugh, I knew it. I thought you were too strong. But how did you do it? I can’t build it up at all. Did you eat some kind of elixir?”
An elixir.
Come to think of it, are there elixirs in this world?
When you think about it, it didn’t seem like there wouldn’t be any.
Even if it was just a tiny bit, it was still a world where qi existed.
Knights are stronger than soldiers, and there’s magic and a unique martial art.
It wouldn’t be strange if there were elixirs.
What I ate wasn’t an elixir, though.
“Hmm, maybe you could call it an elixir.”
“What? Really? What kind of elixir is it?”
Emily looked at me with a desperate expression and asked. She must want to learn martial arts like the owners of the memories.
I looked at her with a mischievous expression.
I was going to teach Emily anyway.
It would be impossible to become like the warriors in my memory, but she could learn at least one decent skill.
I whispered softly in her ear.
“Semen.”
“…Huh?”
Emily’s expression stiffened rapidly.
I didn’t stop and whispered once more.
“You know, the stuff that comes out of men.”
“Oh, th-that, could it be…that…”
Then Emily’s face flushed red.
Since she was a man in her past life, she probably knows.
“Ah, no. I think I might be okay without it…”
“I’ll teach you tonight. If you want to learn.”
No answer came.
Still, she didn’t say she didn’t want to.