Arc 8
Origin: Lazy9
Translator: 9
Editors: IcedTea, rrelentless
Original Link: Arc 8
Ch 47
The Girl That Didn’t Have It Part 1
◆Avangard Kingdom: The Harbour◆
「The liner heading to the Magic Kingdom, is it? With that attack the other day, the ship was damaged–the repairs might take a bit of time.」
Roel was relieved that the liners themselves were still able to move, but we don’t know when we’ll be able to ride on it. So, for now, we can’t do anything about it. But still, it looks like you can reserve some tickets, so we did just that and left the harbour.
「Here you go, make sure you don’t lose it, ok?」
After saying that, for some reason, Roel made sure the tickets were in her hands. I know that if it’s me, you’ll get anxious, but still…………..
However, with this delay, we have too much time on our hands–we don’t know what to do ‘til then. Well….we only have one thing we can do.
◆Avangard Kingdom: Guild◆
The moment we entered the Guild, we were bathed in glances all at once.
“It’s the Tougi Taikai–!” These kinds of words….are they people who saw my matches? Anyway, their gazes hurt. Am I being praised or being trash talked? I am confused enough that it makes me uneasy. “It’s Ryua-“, “a kid like that-” hearing those kinds of broken phrases really pierces me. Among them men wearing armor proudly walked through the crowd towards us.
「We are “Royal Knights”. Your match during the Tougi Taikai was magnificent.」
「T-thanks.」
The people wearing that heavy armor stood in line–seeing that makes you hold back your breath. The 5 Royal Knights people stood tidily in one line. I’m happy that you praised me, but why so suddenly?
「Also the attack on the other day, that too was a splendid deed. By all means, we would like to welcome you to “Royal Knights”. How about it? 」
「I- don’t really have any interest in those things, so….」
「I see. However, we will always welcome you at any time. If you feel like it, you are free to come here.」
Saying that, he passed over a paper showing me the place where the Royal Knights are located in the town. From here it’s not that far, but now’s not the time to go there. Understanding that I have no interest, the Royal Knights marched out in a line, their armor making clanging sounds as they left.
「It’s somewhat….They are people that make you hold your breath……」
Roel and I basically had the same impression of them. In that brief moment of relief, another group came to us.
「Please! Come to our Forest Archers Union party! 」
「If you are with us, Black Thunder Spirits, it will really save us!」
「If thou want to knoweth how to use thy power, then thee should come with us. However, thou must aim seriously for the top, that is.」 (9: help I don’t know how to TL JP samurai talk to English samurai talk orz) (Ren: just go with old English) (IcedTea: I went with mediaeval knight’s English for the most part.)
There were people who frantically invited me, and for some reason, there were people who acted very self-important, but I simply refused them continuously. Right now, I’m quite used to it, but from the beginning, I am bad with meeting people I don’t know. It’s more stressful than fighting. Several times, I became really tense and couldn’t talk properly. Roel looked distressed from being jostled around so much, so I forcefully slip us out.
「Haa….Haa….Um, but we are already in a party, so…」
「It’s fine if you come along! After all, you’re cute! 」 (9: die!!!! die!!! Ryua cut him to pieces!!! Cut him!!!!)
「C-cute?! I’m not something like that! 」
Roel held her cheeks with both of her hands, appearing quite abashed. More importantly, they make Roel seem like some extra bonus, and it makes me mad. (9: KILL!! KILL!! KILL!!) (Ren: GET AWAY!!! GET AWAY!!!!)
「Don’t treat Roel lik-」
「Oh, what’s this uproar about?」
Just when I was about to say something, before I knew it, Kirkton appeared in front of the entrance and looked at us. Tilting his semi-oblong head, it looked like he really didn’t know what’s happening. I wonder what the Commander of the Kingdom is doing in this place. Everyone seemed to be surprised from the unusual spotting of the man, but soon dispersed.
「Nmu? Did I happen to disturb something? 」
「Hello, Kirkton-san.」
We both greeted Kirkton together. “Oh!” Kirkton revealed a smile. It’s like he just said “I was waiting for you,” and then spread his arms wide and wrapped us in them.
I wonder if this guy uses 2 swords. There were two scabbards with their swords hanging from his waist. Though I didn’t have time to watch him fight before, for some reason, I’m getting curious.
「So Kirkton-san also comes to the guild.」
「Well, you see, I thought that maybe I should make some quests. With the accidents the other day, the training was not enough, as I thought, and reflected on it. Even though it’s the soldiers’ job to protect the country, we had to rely on the adventurers. So if we have some adventurers with good skills come join and coach their combat styles, then I think we can get better. Ah, in the end, we have to rely on the adventurers. Hahahahahahaha! 」
I understand that they want to request adventurers for their training, but still, do you really need to make a quest for that? I was curious, so I tried asking him.
「Um, won’t the Big Five do?」
「They themselves are busy, you see. Though, of course, I would be happy if they did. That’s right! You–may I ask you!? 」
「E-eh? Me? 」
「Yeah, if it’s you who brought down the Revived Demonlord Army, then I’m sure the morale of the soldiers will rise.」
「B-but I don’t know if I can do it…..」
I completely cut off the words I was about to say. For some reason, I began wondering…..I just saw Kirkton wearing his mantle now, is it a hindrance when he fights?……I ended thinking absent-mindedly. No–moving on, more importantly, coaching. In other words, is it something like teaching someone how to fight? Anyhow, since the ship is still not repaired yet, I decided.
「Hey, Roel. Is it fine if we take Kirkton’s quest? 」
「Eh? Yeah, I’m fine with it, but…..I probably can’t help you with it. Since I am not skilled enough to teach people how they can improve, and they’re soldiers and I’m a healer, soo…..」
「Ah, that’s right. It’s ‘cause Roel is a healer」
「But, if you want to do it, then don’t mind me. And I also might learn some things if I watch.」
I really feel like crying every time Roel displays her kindness. This might be exaggerating, but I really think of it like that. (9: for me every time I read that, I feel like the evil part of me is screaming in pain)
「Yes, if you are fine with me?」
「Oh, that’s great! So you are willing to do it! Well, that really helps, you know! 」(IcedTea: You know here too??? Why do people feel the need to say you know all the time…..)(9: its actually me, its just that i can’t really find another good substitution for when i am translating this kind of line)
He grasped my hands very tightly–just how happy is he? After that, Kirkton stood beside me saying “hurry, hurry” until we finished with the quest procedures….he was so noisy. Though I haven’t really talked with this person, somehow, my image of him has changed somewhat. If I had to say it, unexpectedly, he’s a lot like a child.
「Yosh, it’s finally done. This may be sudden, but come with me.」
We went to the castle together with Kirkton. There are ruined buildings here and there, but was this part of the place not damaged? If you compare it to those, it’s pretty much clean. I’ve heard that the Big Five defeated the monsters that attacked the town. Even the monsters in the Coliseum, if it’s just me, is too much to handle. Really, those guys are awesome. (9: no, you can probably handle it one hit, just that the coliseum might get erased).
So, A rank….I want to quickly take the advancement exam. Of course, going to Ikana village is the first priority, but now that I have learned more about the world, my way of thinking has changed.
「For some reason, I feel like we are being watched……..」
Because Roel was looking around restlessly, I too turned around. Among the people we have passed, there were many who turned around to look at us.
「After all, you totally became a celebrity after winning the Tougi Taikai. Perhaps guilds too might have their attention drawn to you.」
He was right, but still I can’t agree with the final match’s outcome. I want to fight Tifelia-san again. And because of that, I want her to get better quickly. If I could do something about it, then I would’ve, but really, nothing comes to mind. If it’s Cynthia, then, does she have some kind of medicine that works?
◆Avangard Castle◆
「Now then, we’re here. The training grounds are behind the courtyard. We’ll be walking a bit more.」
「For Ryua-chan to teach someone, it’s something to look forward to.」(9: agreed….Fufufufufu)
For some reason Roel is excited. I feel nervous coming here, since for me to teach someone is a first. And more than that, it will be people I don’t know…..I might shy away.
When we came near the Castle courtyard, I suddenly got curious about Tifelia again. As I said before, I can’t do anything about it, but can’t I give her something? Let’s try asking Kirkton-san if we can meet her later.
「This is the entrance to the training grounds.」
We opened the door. Just like the courtyard, the space had a wide open canopy. The soldiers were yelling something that I didn’t understand while exchanging blows with spears and swords. Or doing push-ups again and again. Unconcerned with the open sky, it looks like the heat is focused here. Without thinking, I started fanning myself with my hand.
「After the event a few days ago, they gained this fighting spirit. I’m really happy about this, but we can’t just neglect reconstruction. We really haven’t taken the time to train.」
「A-amazing….Um, I’m just a chaperone, so can I watch from the sides? 」
「Yeah, I don’t mind.」
I wonder if the heat from their vigour overwhelmed Roel. “Totetotetote”(footsteps) She jogged towards a suitable place and stopped there. Then, she sat on the floor hugging her knees; I stared at her sitting in that position. It’s somewhat cute. (9: Commander! our yuri sensor had detected yuri essence!!)(9: it looks like this http://blog-imgs-23-origin.fc2.com/r/o/c/rocketsquare/080724rena.jpg)
「OK! HALT AND A-A-ATTENTION! 」
I wonder where that voice came from; it had a volume where it resounded throughout the entire training grounds. The entire intense training grounds fell silent. They stopped sparring, and then all greeted Kirkton at the same time. Everyone did it at the same time, so it kinda felt nice.
「Yesterday, we had a talk about our training. As everyone already knows, the champion of the Tougi Taikai, Ryua-kun, has come here to coach us. And also, you should’ve also heard about her feat during the attacks the other day.」
It’s a somewhat crude explanation, but still, the soldiers’ gazes were concentrated on me. This is something that I haven’t felt, even when I was fighting during the Tougi Taikai. My heart started to throb; I thought I should say something, but the words just won’t come out. Just as I thought, I am really bad at this kind of thing. Really, I don’t know what to do.
「That child will train us? Certainly it was an amazing fight, but….」
「Wuun, so the commander got fired up too.」
「What the heck are you saying?!? Didn’t you see that fierce, god-like strength? It’s an excellent chance, you know! 」
I wonder what’s with this mood. It looks like it’s just Kirkton who is fired up about this. It may be that not everyone agreed to this, and Kirkton just forcefully advanced with this. Somehow, the situation is dubious.
「Um, coaching is….what should I do?」
「Let’s see. First make a group, and then I’ll have Ryua-kun watch over them. You will look over their movements, then if you think of something, I want you to say it freely.」
So it’s like that, I see. So it’s the bad points….but from what I felt from their spars earlier–
「Then, why don’t we start at once! Bull and Skin! You guys are first! 」
「Y-Yes sir!」
The both of them replied at the same time and took their stances with their swords. And, as if everyone surrounded it, all of them paid attention to the match. It’s like the noise earlier was a lie, and right now, everything has fallen to silence. Looking at how all of them were seriously watching, just as I thought, everyone is serious in making an effort. I guess it’s natural.
「Toaaaaaaaaaa!」
「Nanno!」
The sound of metal of the swords clanging together and a solid shout for power. It was about an even spar. Something like fighting spirit is being passed down. Was it because of the intense training earlier? Their sweat was scattered around, and their fatigue seemed to be piling up. After a few minutes of exchanging blows, the guy called Skin won. The point of Skin’s sword is pointed right at Bull’s nose. That’s right. Since it’s just training, it would be bad if you hit them.
「Stop right there!」
「I-I lose….」
In the state of sitting on his bottom, Bull recognized his defeat. Skin didn’t become excited and was expressionless. Is he not happy with it?
「That was a good fight. Now then, Ryua-kun, how was it?」
「H-how was it?」
「The two you saw just now. Don’t hold back and say what points they should fix.」
「L-let’s see…」
The two raised their breathing and looked at me. Being watched makes me too nervous, so please look the other way. The points they should fix….can I just say it? The both of them right now…they would die on just the first floor of the Caves of Hell. I can’t express it well; I can only say good luck to them.
「Um, they are kinda slow.」
「Slow? Their movements?」
「You have to go like ‘gaa’ and when you get closer, you have to go ‘kaaan’ so you won’t be blown away.」(9: Ryua is so cute~ XD)
「G-gaa~? Kaan? 」
「And then you go shuu~」(Ren: Awww~ XD)
Everyone was dumbfounded and left their mouths hanging open. This is bad; it’s totally not being understood. Really, what should I do? How did it come to this, since you know, they are slow, you know.
「Let’s see, Stun-san’s movement….when you hit with your sword this way, it’s slow. If you have too much of an opening, Bull-san just has to thrust his sword this way, and he will win, I think.」
「……It’s Skin.」(9: I honestly think stun is better than skin….)
Skin corrected me, annoyed . Even though I just got his name wrong, he became somewhat mad. (IcedTea: Uh…I would too….)
「I see, what she was trying to say is that the two of you have too many useless movements. Be conscious of the actions between your strikes. In a battlefield, just a moment of time can make you lose your life. Especially Bull, you don’t move after you see your opponent’s move, always anticipate it. Reacting is not enough, and you were late in receiving that last blow.」
「Y-yes sir!」
In the end, Kirkton ended up explaining everything. I wonder what this is….it feels bad. Ah, that’s right, it’s awkward. Yes, this is it.
「Ok, then next! Ange and Ritta!」(9: I really wanted for Tusk to die in that explosion)
「Ye-Yeshir!」
Ritta? That’s right, she too is a solder, so it would be obvious that she would be here. I didn’t notice her mixed in the crowd. Now that I look at it properly, there are quite a lot of women here. Compared to the men, they were wearing lighter armor for easier movements. If the sword and spear is that thin, then it looks like anyone can use it.
「What’s the matter!? Hurry up! 」
「Yeshir!」
「What’s with that reply!」
「Yessir!」
He was not the same Kirkton as before. He spit on the ground and was really glaring at Ritta and shouting at her. At this point, Ritta looked like she was about to cry. The hand that was holding her spear was trembling. She looked just like a newborn deer compared to her opponent called Ange who faced Ritta with a calm attitude.
「Begin!」
Begin or not, it was not even a match. Ange’s first thrust made Ritta’s spear fly far away. And furthermore, Ritta wasn’t even able to grasp the situation. The spear she was supposed to be holding was not there, and she just stood there dumbfounded. Inside the silent training ground, laughter leaked out.
「Um, I win the match, right?」
「Y-yeah」
Even Kirkton was surprised, but he can only nod from her claim. Should I also give advice here? What should I do….it’s just another thing that I don’t know. I feel so bad for Ritta, but I can’t think of something.
「…….Ritta, come here.」
Ritta walked before Kirkton with unsteady steps. Still, it was too much, so he might help her relax. I can’t give advice to her on anything, so in the end, I’ve noticed that Kirkton did everything, but that might be fine. Kirkton is the best person to understand these people. Then it came to coercive instruction; the dry sound of a slap resounded. Ritta fell to the ground with her cheek slapped.
「If you are not willing, then get the hell out of here!」
「Ee………」
「Did you not hear me? I said get the hell out of here! 」
「W-wait a bit. Kirkton, isn’t that too cruel?」
Even though I entered between them, Kirkton’s angry face didn’t change. On the contrary, I think he didn’t even hear what I said. It looked like Kirkton was only looking at Ritta behind my back.
「Then Ryua-kun, what point should Ritta fix so that she can improve?」
「T-that is….」
「Existence.」(Ren: Can I hit this guy?)(9: yes you may)
I heard it from among the crowd of soldiers. I don’t know who said it. However, it plainly showed that some guy held malice. At that moment, Ritta threw her spear and ran towards the exit of the training grounds. Right now, I’m sure that Ritta is crying. I’m more angry at the bastard that back-bit Ritta than Kirkton who slapped her.
「Let’s continue. Next….」
「Wait a minute, what about Ritta?」
「We have no need for those who run away. Next!」
Kirkton declared it all business-like. I thought he was that interesting person we spoke with earlier. So he was this kind of person. I stopped thinking, and just kept on watching the people who Kirkton was instructing. (IcedTea: Wow….assholes the lot of them….and Ryua, stand up for her, would ya!)
◆Avangard kingdom: Back Alley◆ <Ritta’s Perspective>
Ritta, after abandoning her training, was walking alone. From the day she had enlisted, not even once did she slack off. And as a result of that, she always showed up diligently. Commander Kirkton may have gotten mad at her, and a part of the soldiers may want to make a fool of her, but she still worked hard. If you work hard, it will alway bear fruit, so she came to believe. However, it was already her limit. Something inside her had broken. Diligence….that thing was now thrown away. When you have something useless, there is nothing that can be done. After all, she herself didn’t have the qualities to begin with. From the start, the reason she became a soldier was simply because she admired the Master Knight Tifelia. More than walking the path of an Adventurer, being a soldier in the castle defense will get her closer to Tifelia. Since her motive was foolish, it was inevitable that she could not advance. After such a long time, she just had started to think poorly of herself.
「…….I want to run away.」
Having an uncertain step made her unable to walk straight, like a drunkard, and she entered into a back alley. She didn’t have any particular purpose. Ritta could only lament her powerlessness and was in shock because of it. That time too, when she, an Avangard Kingdom soldier, couldn’t even defeat one monster…..she had smeared the so-called reputation of her country. If her brother hadn’t appeared, she would certainly have died. Always relying on someone so she could live……..Ritta became unable to stop hating herself. (9: uhg… the feels) (Ren: I can relate…) (IcedTea: Truly hating, resenting, and despising yourself is some of the worst psychological torture in the world. It goes so far beyond complaining, pessimism, and even depression. To hate your own thoughts, your own existence….that’s some dark shit.)
「……I, I wonder why I became something like a soldier?」
She kicked an empty box that had been scattered around. It flew farther than what she had expected and hit a wall quite a distance away.
I wonder what kind of alley shop, some raw trash is piled up and some bucket is just left behind, you can’t really say it’s a clean place.
She didn’t come here with any purpose, so she finally started to feel disgusted by the place.
「Let’s go back.」
「The young lady right there.」
After suddenly being addressed, she searched for a bit for the owner of the voice. Who knows when the person got there, but a suspicious middle-aged person was seated cross-legged in the alley. His mouth was covered by black beard, and he wore a turban and something like a bathrobe as an suit. A barren back alley, and then suddenly, there’s this guy. Ritta decided to ignore the person and kept going.
「Young lady, don’t you want to get stronger?」
Ritta twitched while reacting to those words. The person was looking at the back of her hair; she too didn’t turn around towards the man. The middle-aged man who spoke didn’t show any signs of moving away from where he was.
「The power to protect those dear to you….I have it, you know.」
It was an unnatural honorific. As I thought, I should just go, she thought, but for some reason her feet stopped, and she found herself listening to him intently. It was obviously suspicious, but even though her brain understood it, the man right there has the thing she needs. If she were in a normal mental state, she would’ve avoided him by now, but the Ritta right now was not in that stable mindset, and such a thought was in the corner of her mind.
「Why don’t you take a look? Hohohoho!」(9: Santa Claus? Christmas is still next month, you know.) (IcedTea: You too 9? Why the you know….and Mysterious Man used Present: It’s Super Effective!)(9: note i translated this back on nov)
She finally turned around. And in front of the turban-wearing middle-aged man was placed a spear that shone with a black lustre―――
** IcedTea: Dun dun dun dun!! Sorry for the cliff. The chapter is just too long. This is only part one and it’s like 12 pages on the doc. Hope you enjoyed it! P.S. Lustre is such a great word….
【The Bird King Who Rules Over the Skies -Barts- HP 17900】
One of the 12 Demon Generals of the Revived Demonlord Army. He appears as a Birdman, and there are wings growing on his back. His talons can hold an entire human head and crush it. While flying in the sky freely, he uses his specialty strategy to chop up his opponents by releasing vacuum blades in all directions.
Ch 48 The Girl That Didn’t Have It: Part 2
◆◆◆◆
◆Avangard Kingdom: In Front of the Castle Gate◆
The training for that day had ended, and the day turned to night. After that incident, in the end, Ritta didn’t come back. I want to chase after her, but right now, I am being entrusted to a quest which I just couldn’t neglect. Kirkton noticed my intentions and gave me this assignment.
Kirkton the Captain and the off-duty Kirkton: it’s as if they were different people.
Actually, as we were parting, Kirkton returned to the mood which I knew before.
「I’m really grateful for what you did today, and I believe it was a good stimulus for my subordinates. By the way, I would like to consult with you on something. Tomorrow afternoon, I wonder if it would be fine if you could join us for combat-training with monsters?」
「With monsters? I’m fine with it, but is it alright…?」
After all had been said, I realized that it wasn’t something to should’ve been said to a Kingdom’s soldier. But still, Kirkton smiled and ignored it.
Since he was like that towards Ritta earlier, I thought that he would get really mad at me.
It seems that Roel got bored halfway, so she was trying to bearing her drowsiness.
Letting her get bored…..I feel kinda bad about it.
「That’s right! If the monsters are our opponents, there might be someone who will get injured. Isn’t it fine for Roel to tag along and use her recovery magic?」
「Fuua!」
Roel, who had been staring at the night sky, leaked out a weird voice upon suddenly being mentioned and pointed her face towards us.
「That’s a good idea. Can I ask you to come with us?」
「I gratefully accept!!」
And then, for some reason, Roel squeezed her fire rod tightly. It kinda felt like she was going to join a fight….I wonder if it’s just my imagination?
「Kirkton-san, Ritta is….」
「…..I feel sorry for her, but I cannot always spoil her.
If she can’t recover from this, then that means she should stop.」
「Does Ritta have no talent as a soldier?」
「I cannot say that she has no talent at all. You may not believe it, but during the enlistment examination, her performance was good. Especially during the vitality test, it can be compared to a high ranker. That slender body of hers should have been through some considerable training. But, whether she is fit for being a soldier is another story entirely. I understand that she feels down about the situation of her brother, but nevertheless, I can’t let her get by with that excuse.」
I understand what Kirkton is saying, and I believe it is correct. But still, I somehow can’t just forgive how he treated her earlier. If he truly thinks of his subordinates, then he should help her. But if it was me, I wonder what I could’ve done?
Even though I am saying she should be helped, I can’t think of anything.
「Well then, it will be early in the morning, so I will be waiting for you. After all, the reward is quite an amount! Hahahaha!」
After saying that, Kirkton waved his hand as he saw us off. I wonder if that guy lives in the castle. Since he is still wearing his armor, maybe he has something to do after this. While walking with Roel, I suddenly remembered something when looking at the fire rod she was carrying.
「That’s right, if monsters are the enemy, then I have to buy a new sword.」
「Won’t the sword you’ve been carrying from the start be fine?」
「It is dangerous since it has an explosion enchantment……in the worst case, it would be very bad if someone else got rolled up in the explosion. Mmm, I wonder if there are any weapon shops open?」
「The shops in this city are open until late at night, Cynthia said, so don’t worry. It should be like she said, so wanna go and see?」
If I remember it correctly, Kozow’s shop in Kwimwill would be closed at this time. In the past, after we finished a quest, we tried going to his shop at night, but by then, it was already closed.
I remember Roel complaining “This is why rural shops are–” back then.
It may be a bit late to say so, but compared to Kwimwill, it is more crowded here. When I first went to that town, I was surprised by the amount of people there, but now it’s not that big a deal anymore, I think. Though, after thinking about it, I wonder if I have gotten used to the outside world.
◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆
◆Avangard Kingdom: Weapons Shop◆
「Looks like it’s still open. How should I put it….it’s really different to Kozow-san’s shop….」
Peeking inside, there were various kinds of weapons and protectors lined up. There are a lot them even just on the wall. It’s totally different to Kozow-san’s shop, which is like a narrow, indoor storage room.
Kozow-san is a good person, so I don’t think badly of him at all, but still I can’t help but compare this shop to his.
I thought that I should just get whatever there is and then leave, but with this much, I just don’t know what is what. And they’re expensive….even the cheapest falchion–a weapon with a slightly curved blade–is 2,200 gold.
「The sword on that wall, it seems to be 40,000 gold…I don’t really know much about it, but what’s the difference between that one and that cheap one over there.」
「That defender can be substituted as a shield because of the width of its blade. And most of all, when you position it a certain way, it has an enchantment effect of increasing the party’s defense.」
The one who answered Roel’s question was Aude. Why is this guy here as if it’s normal?! Even though up until now, I completely forgot about his existence…… (9: Ouch.) (IcedTea: I mean, I forgot too….)
「Yo, you two. Long time no see.」
「Ah, Aude-san! When did you come here to Avangard?」
「Just a while ago. Well, on the way here, a group of monkeys attacked me and I also got pecked by some birds, it was so troublesome. Though, thanks to my partner, I was somehow able to get through ‘em.」
I know it’s not good, but for some reason, I just can’t come to like Aude. He acts too familiar, and watching him tap Roel’s shoulder just makes me more irritated.
「Since I’m C Rank, it was not all that hard. Ah! Did you hear that? It’s C Rank. Haha, how troubling…」
「So Aude-san became a Rank C.」
「It sure was hard, but because I have talent, it was destined to happen. The two of you too, there is no need to be too affected by your rank. The result for each person depends on their effort. Just do it at your own pace.」
「We are rank B, you know…」
「Yeah, yeah. Oh, that’s right. I wonder if there is something good here?」
Aude showed off his money to us, bought a spear in a good mood, and then went out.
What in the world is with that guy….I don’t have the time to deal with him–I came here to buy my own sword.
「Hmmm, I wonder which is good….」
While pointing at each one of them with my finger, I noticed some unusual presences. And then once again, there was a crowd in our surrounding.
It seems like they are even observing what weapon I’m going to chose…really, what stubborn stares.
「So it’s the kid who won the Tougi Taikai…..I think the weapon she will choose will also be top grade.」
「If it was me, I would probably choose that defender. With that strength of hers, she wouldn’t be satisfied with a half-assed weapon.」
I was just about to take out a sword that I did’nt even know the name of in the unsold products corner. Do I really have to buy that defender? I’ve pretty much used up all of the money on hand, and the rest won’t even reach half of the price of the weapon. I wonder what this detestable feeling is.
「Ryua-chan, don’t mind them. So how about this?」
What Roel pointed at was not in the unsold products corner, but a bit above the falchion. It was a bit big, but the price is reasonable, so let’s go with this.
「A b-bastard sword?!」
「No, it’s an indication that this shop doesn’t have an appropriate weapon for her. So that’s just a simple defender-it has no merit for her to pay for it.」
Ignoring the noisy gallery, I bought the bastard sword. Compared to the mithril sword, the blade is longer and broader…it kinda feels powerful. This might be similar to the sword that Seigel lent me that time. After we left the shop, I once again stopped to test the sword.
「Hey, look at that. She is swinging that big sword with just one hand….」
「That sure is outrageous strength…..I wonder how high her Lvl is?」
Peeking out from the shop entrance, I could see that the gallery was still noisy. Let’s go back quickly to the inn. I wonder what’s on the menu for today….I hope there aren’t any strange, bitter vegetables. If there is something like that, then I’ll have Roel eat it.
「Those people are still looking at us…….hey, Ryua-chan. You mentioned it earlier, what is an enchanted effect?」
「From inside a weapon, there is something that attacks along the weapon, and furthermore, there is an effect that follows it, though I don’t really know how a weapon becomes like that. That person said so. 」
Yes, that person. This, as well as the abnormal statuses, were taught by that person. On that day, it was that swordsman who saved me. And besides that, he taught me a lot of things. Thinking about it now, it was thanks to that person that I, who didn’t know that anything goes in the outside world, have enough knowledge to survive.
I know it won’t come true, but just once more, I’d like to meet with that person. When we meet, I’ll give my thanks, and once again, talk about various things.
「I–I wonder what’s happening there?」
On the street, there were 2 adventurer-like people fighting. Something like this has also happened before, even though this rarely happens at Kwimill. While I was absentmindedly looking at them, suddenly someone entered between the both of them. That ahoge protruding out of her hair…looking from behind, I’m sure that’s Ritta.
「Put those weapons down right now!」
「Shut the hell up! That bastard stole the weapon that I was aiming for! 」
「Did you even reserve it? Wasn’t it first-come-first-serve?」
「Both of you are guilty! Please, put down weapons!」
I don’t know who the excessively angry one is, but I know the other one. I think it was Griiman from the final match of the preliminary round. That extravagant equipment stands out even in the night. More importantly, Ritta, who I thought was gone, showed up. I wonder what she was doing. Even though just recently, she tried to stop someone and then failed. “If I don’t stop her again, she might really get injured this time” is what I thought, but Ritta is a soldier of the castle. I’m not going as far as Kirkton, but if she can’t handle this much, then she is not suited to be a soldier. Maybe I should just be a demon at heart for the moment. But still, if I can’t watch anymore, I’ll immediately help her.
Yosh, let’s go with this.
But, if I remember it correctly, Griiman should be an A-rank Adventurer. If he got serious, not just Ritta, but even the other person will be in danger.
「Weren’t you hesitating over whether to buy it or not? A poor plebeian who hesitates at that price should just obediently buy a simple iron sword.」
「You bastard, I know about it, you know. If I’m not mistaken, you’re the guy who lost in the preliminary round of the Tougi Taikai to a kid. You even had a hole punched into your armor and got blown away—that was so funny, hihihi!」
「What the hell did you just say….? If I just had a better equipment, such things won’t happen again. Don’t ever open that mouth again.」
Finally, Griiman drew out his sword. It was a different weapon than when he fought against me. There was a gem-like stone embedded in the edge of the sword–it was a rapier. Is he also going to boast about that, too?
「This sword is what you would call the Sunshine Sword. It has an enchantment effect of adding the light attribute to your attack. And it’s also light, so everyone can handle it–so even supporting jobs like healers want it. Well, I knew about that, so I monopolized it! How is it? Is it too dazzling to the poor plebeian like you? Nn? After all, a simple 15 thousand gold is trivial to me. Even if you spent your whole life, you won’t get it with your income.」
“15 thousand!” Both me and Roel shouted at the same time. And because of that, the two of them noticed us, but Riita interrupted with a warning and then they faced towards her.
「That’s enough!」
「Get out of the way! I can’t take it anymore!」
Riita, who was warning them, was thrust away, and then finally, the guy violently pointed his sword at Griiman.
「Making a fool out of the me Hell-Bear Killer Darz? I’ll beat the hell out of ya!」
「Killing a hell bear? Ah I see, anyone can kill a bear cub.」
As I thought Riita can’t do it….giving up on ritta, just when I was about to stop them, Ritta grasped both of their hands. “Oh?” the two raised their voices and in a moment, a scream resounded on the street.
「Ooooooooooow! L-let goooo!」
「If you have reflected on your actions, then I will let go.」
「It’s gonna break, please staaahp!」
Their weapons fell from their hands. And yet Riita was still not loosening her grip. For Ritta to have that kind of strength, maybe what Kirkton said was true. Even though they are not that strong, they are still soldiers. Saying such a thing in front of them may make them angry at me, but I just unknowingly received a better opinion of them. But still, she should really let go of them right about now.
「Ritta, I think it would be fine to let go of the-」
「Eh, Ryua-san?」
Ritta brightened up when she saw us, and at the same time, she release the two. And then Griiman saw me. He had face like he was holding something back, and he let out a hysteric voice.
「Y-you are-! Damn it, that armor was expensive, you know!! Pay me back!!」
「Ritta, that was amazing. Just as I thought, you are training habitually, right」
「Don’t f**king ignore me, DAMN IT!」
She is smiling–it seems she is in a good mood. I can’t think of her as the same person as in the morning. I wonder if something good happened to her.
「I’m sorry for showing an unsightly side of me. Also, I also have to apologize to Captain Kirkton. I….ever since that happened, I have been thinking.
If I always stand down, nothing will happen. If I run away from this, I am disqualified as this Country’s soldier…..」
Ritta scratched her head and embarrassingly smiled. I’m glad, I was thinking over what happened after that, but it looks like she is fine.
「And so Ryua-san, please coach me well tomorrow!」
Is she that energetic? I thought as she sprinted towards the dark night. I wonder if her house is somewhere around here? She said the she will apologize, but I wonder if that scary Kirkton will forgive her….I’m only a little worried about that.
Watching her appearance, I suddenly noticed it.
「It sure is reassuring that Ritta-chan is fine.」(Roel)
「I wonder if Ritta bought a new spear?」
「A new spear? Why?」
「Because she is carrying a different spear before. It was a pitch black spear.」
「I didn’t notice that–it’s surprising that Ryua-chan observes those things.」
「What’s wrong with that…」
Roel giggles as she smiled. Roel was kinda annoying so I grabbed her cheeks.
「Wuhat are yu dyuing!?」
「I was kinda annoyed.」
「Oi. Ryua, was it? I haven’t forgotten the resentment over the armor, ok?」
Griiman put a hand on my shoulder. It was annoying, so I shook it off, but it seems that I did more damage than I expected it to.
「Oooooooooow! This time it really brokeeeeeeee! Damn that strength!!!!!」
「……somehow this situation’s become kinda stupid. Let’s go home」
Darz was shocked to see Griiman unnaturally rolling over. From that start, I wasn’t even talking to him. So, Roel and I walked towards the inn. There were still shouts behind us, but sooner or later, he will probably get embarrassed and stop. After all, we are already out of the crowd.
So that we wouldn’t see that embarrassing figure, we didn’t look back and walked towards the inn to heal the fatigue of the day.
========================================
Monster Encyclopedia
【Great Boar HP 933】
A wild boar that was brutalized by adapting with the severe environment. Because it can even break the trees it charged through, it’s strong and might often surprise middle ranked adventurers.
Ep 49–The Girl That Didn’t Have It–Part 3
◆Avangard Kingdom: Training Grounds◆
Today was the day Kirkton had told us about: from morning onwards, there would be real training.
It seems that they have a shift system with their training and their usual jobs, so they’re pretty tough compared to how they look. Obviously, there needs to be a night shift, so Ritta had been complaining about something like that since it’s hard on the skin.
But right now, Rishia was approaching her 3rd consecutive training match.
「Stop the match!」
「I-It’s a lie right? For me to lose to Ritta….」
「Ehehe, I won!」
Ritta was expressing her joy while hopping. And before her was a female soldier who stood there holding her spear and staring vexingly at Ritta as if she couldn’t believe it.
「Ritta, aren’t you in great shape today!」
「Thanks!」
Those 2 girls, who I believe are friends of Ritta, celebrated her happiness together. It’s not that her opponent is weak……rather, Rishia was stronger than Ange whom Ritta lost to yesterday. And against that opponent, Ritta easily stopped her spear–and in another instant, Ritta’s spear was pointed at her throat.
Kirkton was expressionless, but unlike yesterday, he didn’t shout. Though he requested some criticism of their movements from me like yesterday, but today, he said something else to Ritta.
With that difference in ability, scolding the other one would make it too pitiful. (IcedTea: Really….’cause that’s what he did to Ritta………)
「Fumu, looks like you’re in excellent condition. However, it’s almost as if you are a different person…」
「No way~, it’s gotta be the result of my everyday effort, you know~」
Ritta winked at Kirkton……….Somehow, she really does seem like a different person.
It seems that Kirkton faltered because of that since his yell didn’t come out right.
「That Ritta–are you sure she didn’t cheat just now?」
「Like having the weakness of her opponent?」
「Pfft. That’s a bit too much…..wait, it is possible….」
A group of the soldiers was talking trash about Ritta. Those soldiers haven’t even won a single spar……..Their swings are uselessly wide and all of their movements are messy. Most of all, their war-cry-like yell is too noisy.
Their speed is not nearly good enough–the monsters might even yawn from it. But when I try to point it out, they secretly click their tongues *tch*. If they’re like that, then I’m going to go home. (9: Ryua is being toxic, kinda cute)
「Ryua-san, did you see it? Is there something I have to look out for?」
「L-let’s see…」
I was surprised when Ritta suddenly appeared right before me. She is happily wagging left and right, waiting for my reaction.
Something to look out for is it? There are a lot of things, but if say that, I hope she won’t be down. I’ll just say something nice while her mood is good today…I don’t want to see her down.
「It’s dangerous when you *gaaaaa*, so sometimes, you should quickly *hyuuu* to change from offense to defense.」
「Understooood! Thank you very much! Ufufu~」
「E-eh. Starting in the afternoon, we will be having training outside the fields. Until that time, I grant you an hour for break.」(Kirkton)
I’m confident about this: Ritta absolutely did not understand it. After all, Kirkton was a little bit surprised too.
Ritta only thinks about attacking, and that is dangerous. And because of that, she often makes herself open. And if that opening was take advantage of, then in a blink of an eye, she might lose her life. But still, I think that the style somehow suited her thanks to her ridiculous physical strength.
Ritta being that amazing–I can’t think that she is the same Ritta from yesterday’s spars.
「So this afternoon, we will be having an actual combat with a monster. I’m looking forward to it, right, Ryua-san!?」
Ritta hugged my arm. I seem to be seeing more than one of Ritta’s unexpected sides today. And, for some reason, I’m more curious about Roel who is glaring at us with puffed cheeks. And then, like a sore loser, she hugged my other arm. Both sides are getting heated….. (9: my yuri sensors detected something!! T-this is…yuri!!)
Please excuse me from eating lunch in this condition.
◆Lunch◆
「Avangard Restaurant’s food is so tasty that people talk about it all over. After all, various famous people even came here to eat.」
The restaurant that Ritta showed us was a place with inorganic (not wooden) tables and chairs arranged in a fixed distance from one another. I imagined that it would be something similar to Pablo’s shop, but it was totally different. For meals, you can only choose from A and B; there isn’t anything like a menu.
「Umm, would it be fine to eat with you?」
The one who said it was one of the 2 girl friends of Ritta. It looks like their ages are about the same as Ritta’s. When I imagine a soldier, it would be a brawny person, but it seems that there are girls like this too.
Irin and Shuri, from the story I heard, seemed to have joined around the same time Ritta did. It seems that, one way or another, its thanks to these 2 that the slow Ritta was able to make it to where she is now. Certainly when they are here, Ritta frequently smiles. No, somehow, it feels like she’s been having fun ever since.
「Ryua-san, I saw your fight, you know! Even though you are about the same age as us, to be fighting with Tifelia on equal terms–we weren’t able to believe it!」
「From my analysis, neither of them were serious in that fight. It is hasty to conclude that they are on par.」
The thoughtlessly loud voice came from Irin, a pink, plump sheep-haired girl. The one who seemed to analyze things was a girl with green hair and glasses and looked like a serious person, Shuri. The more I look at them, the more I wonder why such normal girls became soldiers. Though, the girl who analyzes is not quite normal…….
「When the Demonlord army attacked, it seems that you played a big role. Captain Kirkton told us to step back, so we seriously stepped bac-」
「Irin, from my analysis, that conversation should be prohibited in front of Ritta.」
「Ah……sorry.」
Ritta who sat besides them got a little dark. However, that was only for an instant, and then Ritta laughed exaggeratedly, which gathered the attention of the entire restaurant
「C’mon, I don’t really care about it anymore, ok? In the end, I survived, so it’s not counted! Not counted!」
Watching Ritta laugh, the 2 friends looked like they had noticed something different. Even me, looking at Ritta, there is something weird about her.
「Now, now, let’s eat. Let’s eat four sets like Roel-san!」
「*phumu?!*」
There were plates in front of Roel enough for 4 people and she got embarrassed about it a little too late. It seems that she hasn’t swallowed the food inside her mouth, and she ended up making a strange sound. With this much, I won’t be able to cover for her…even the 2 friends of Ritta’s were lost for words. After all, while we were talking, without any of us noticing it, she had already eaten 4 persons’ worth. (9: I somehow keep forgetting that Roel is a glutton, though it’s kinda cute.)
「A-as expected from someone who made a party with Ryua-san….」
「From my analysis, that is rude to Ryua-san.」
Even if you don’t analyze it, I already understood that it’s rude…though, I can’t bring myself to say it….
*********
◆The Mithril Mines◆
A dungeon not far from the Avangard Kingdom castle town, the mithril mines. In the past, it seems that it was a series of mithril mines that functioned properly, but right now, you can’t find any more mithril, and so it was abandoned. It also looks like this place relied on imports of mithril-made weapons and armor.
<Danger Level 21>
More dangerous than the monsters, the dungeon has a series of complicated tunnels that make it easy to get lost…it’s a place where, if you are not B-rank or higher, you are not permitted to enter.
And in this dangerous place we were walking through was the training grounds for field combat. Among the soldiers, there were people who looked obviously uneasy. For sure, compared to Kizel Valley, the presence of dangerous monsters was greater by far.
I wonder why Kirkton chose this place for training? There won’t be any worries of getting lost near the entrance, but even so, considering of the abilities of the soldiers, it’s too dangerous.
「Are there any cowards here? If so ,then you should go back quickly. Only those who seriously want to become strong should remain. Don’t worry, I won’t condemn anyone who returns.」
In a strict voice, Kirkton declared this to all the soldiers. What remained was the silence of the abandoned mines and that of the soldiers.
The silence was the expression of their will; no one was running away from here.
「Good, then let us begin. Few days ago, the monsters that attacked the kingdom were, it goes without saying, all strong monsters. And most of them are worthy of being as strong as a floor monster with a danger level of 20.
Fights against the monsters with the soldier’s skill level became fultie, and many of them died in the line of duty. I’ll have you men and women receive their wills. Of course, I am not saying that I need you to be able to fight them immediately. However, I’ll have you at least able to defeat the monsters here easily.」
「Th-that’s good. I thought that our opponents would be the floor monsters here. I was really having chills over my life….」
The soldiers who made a stir received a sharp glare from Kirkton. It was as if the glare told them that complaints were prohibited. But still, no matter how severe it is, I think that this is too strict. But I can’t really say that to Kirkton right now.
「Even if we don’t include the strength of the floor monster here, you would still be in a bad spot. However-」
Kirkton cut off his words and once again glared at the soldiers. And the soldiers held their breaths….
「We are the ones who will protect this Country.」
The importance of those words—I think everyone here understood its meaning. There is not even a single person who leaked his/her dissatisfaction anymore. So, that means they have decided to put all their effort into it, huh.
「In this narrow passage, monsters won’t be able to surround you. That means, you can safely fight one on one to a certain degree. Though, just as I was talking about it, it looks they have already appeared.」
【Goblin x 2 appeared! HP 153】 (9: yay goblin finally appeared!!)
It’s a monster with the same height as a human kid. In their hands, one held a club, and the other a rusty sword. They sprinted full speed out of the inner part of the tunnel.
「Hou, a goblin is it? An opponent with good timing. In this passage, they won’t be able to attack at the same time. Now then, who will go?」
「I will do it!」
The one who came forward was one of the soldiers who talked about Ritta behind her back. This may just be my intuition, but with that person’s ability, he won’t be able to handle that speed. Hopping left and right, the goblin toyed with the person using movements completely different from a humans.
It splendidly evaded the soldier’s wide blow, and the goblin struck out with its rusty sword. It wasn’t enough to severely injure him, but still it was enough to make blood fly out.
「U-uuuuwaaaaaah!」
The human soldier who wasn’t able to react to the counterattack endured the pain and, in a panic, the soldier randomly swung his sword around. And jumping backwards without delay….and towards the goblin head, the one who thrust her spear precisely at it was Irin.
【Irin Attacked! the Goblin received 170 damage! The goblin was defeated! HP 0/153】
「According to my analysis, the nimble movement may easily puzzle you, but if you look carefully, it’s monotonous and full of openings.」
「Why are you the one explaining, Shuri….」
“Ooh” the soldiers were in admiration. I see…as soldiers, their skills are sparse, and so, I starting to understand Kirkton’s worries. In the attack a few days ago, there were soldiers who were able to fight back and soldiers who couldn’t. Even though she joined at the same time as Ritta, I can only say that that one hit is splendidly done.
「So, depending on the spot you aim, and not depending on the power you put into it, you can give it a serious blow, right?」
「Eh? Yeah, yes, that’s right! Ehehe~, I got praised by Ryua-san.」
Irin seemed to blush shyly.
There is no time for that though, as the other goblin had jumped towards her—their distance is close to nil.
However, it was only up till there. The Goblin’s head was caught by Kirkton and was slammed on the wall. And then, without delay, he dealt a final thrust into its stomach.
「Fuaa…..that was shocking~」
「Don’t be negligent! Just now, you might have died one time already, you know!」
「I-I’m sorry…..」
Inside the narrow cave, Kirkton’ angry roar resounded. It is a reasonable point, but that right now was also my responsibility. Still, I didn’t know that she would be so happy and end up that defenseless.
「You guys too, don’t think you are not involved! Those monsters are always aiming for your lives, you know! Just like that!」
While Kirkton was facing the soldiers, he sliced a goblin which had drew near behind him into 2 pieces with the sword in his hand. The other sword stayed as is in its scabbard.
After those 2 goblins, it seems that one more appeared. At any rate….why is this Cave so full of goblins?
「Before we knew it, it looks like the cave became a den of goblins. The big shots are probably inside the inner part.」
「Roel, please heal that person.」
「Ah, O-ok.」
With Roel’s heal, the wound that the soldier had closed. The groaning person–was he feeling mortified or miserable?–he didn’t even say thank you.
「Is there someone here who’s afraid? If there are, then you should go back immediately!」
「Me me! Please let me fight them!」
The one who energetically raised her hand was Ritta. The quiet soldiers suddenly became noisy.
Kirkton and her 2 friends too–no one wasn’t able to say anything for a while.
「Ritta, are you sane?」
「If we fail at only this much, then the name of our Avangard Kingdom will die out, you know?」Ritta cheerfully smiled at the worried Irin.
Kirkton silently nodded and stepped back, leaving the vanguard to Ritta.
From the vast floor of the entrance and the continuing narrow passageways, we watched Ritta’s fight on the wide floor.
However, the monster that appeared was more than what we imagined.
The rock monster advanced towards us in the narrow passage while bending over. Every time one of its two feet took a step foward, a rumbling shook the cave. The uneasy soldiers, with their weapons on hand, backed off.
Kirkton, seeing that monster, grabbed Ritta’s shoulders and hurled her backwards. Ritta, who raised a tiny scream “Kya”, rolled over on the ground.
I immediately understood what kind of opponent it was that he had to do that.
【The Robust King of Caves has appeared! HP 2850】
「I-It’s a floor monster!」
Someone shouted it and at the same time, everyone readied their weapons.
A Rock humanoid–an expression that suited such monster. It’s not like a beast which pants in excitement, but rather trudges forward in an inhuman matter, passing forward through the narrow passage.
「Retreat outside! This monster’s opponent is me!」
「Kirkton, it’s fine. I will-….」
「It’s not something that I need your help!」
「Captain, I told you to let me do it.」
「Didn’t I tell you to retire back, didn’t you hear that, Ritta!?」
Not listening to Kirkton’s order, Ritta, carrying her spear, walked towards the rocky monsters with unsteady steps. Once again, Kirkton tried to throw Ritta back, but at that time, Ritta had already attacked the monster.
【Ritta attacked! The Robust King of Caves received 588 damage! HP 2262/2850】
With Ritta’s attack, the monster’s shoulder was easily pulverized, dropping one arm onto the ground. Not giving the monster any chance of fighting back, Ritta thrusts with rapid movements.
「kyeeeeeeeeeeeee!」
【Ritta attacked! The Robust King of Caves received 421 damage! HP 1841/2850】
【Ritta attacked! The Robust King of Caves received 579 damage! HP 1262/2850】
【Ritta attacked! The Robust King of Caves received 390 damage! HP 872/2850】
【Ritta attacked! The Robust King of Caves received 488 damage! HP 384/2850】
The whole body of the monster was scraped off by Ritta. Now, it’s was barely standing on its 2 legs. The one whose mouth had dropped opened wasn’t only me. Everyone here had no words towards that fight.
「Oh my? Is this possibly the atmosphere it gives off when it isdying? Captain~ please look at me, ok?」(IcedTea: F**king notice me SENPAI!!!!!!!!!)
With her back facing the dying monster, Ritta stuck out a peace sign towards Kirkton, who was still holding onto his two swords, astonished. Then, she turned around, and at the same time, the monster’s head was smashed in as if being mowed down.
The fight ended.
【Ritta attacked! The Robust King of Caves received 401 damage! The Robust King of Caves has been defeated! HP 0/2850】
The leftover body crumbled down, and then it became sand, leaving no trace of its presence.
「Yay~ I did itttt! Aren’t I really strong!? Ehehehehehehehehehehehe~」
Holding onto her spear and spinning around on one foot, Ritta was drunk on victory, but no one was able to offer her any words of congratulations.
As she rotated her spear and took various poses, Ritta soaked in the hymn of her victory.
Ep 50 The Girl That Didn’t Have It End
◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆
◆Avangard Kingdom: Training Grounds◆
For an instant, I felt like I saw the Spear Ritta was holding glow. All us were taken aback, but before long, Kirkton started doing his thing and stood before Ritta.
「Ritta, where did you get that spear?」
「Yes? Oh, who cares where I got it~」
「Answer me.」
「I forgot~」
She rubbed her spear with her cheeks, making it feel like Kirkton’s questions were secondary. Irin and Shuri wanted to say something while carefully observing this situation. I wonder if there was something wrong with that spear….and how did Kirkton notice it?
「Surrender your spear to me.」
「No way!」
「Give it to me, that’s an order!」
Kirkton put his hand out, but Ritta stuck out her tongue and took a mocking attitude–she is not complying at all. When Kirkton took one step closer, Ritta’s facial expression suddenly changed, and she took a defensive stance using her spear as a shield (holding her spear out diagonally).
Her eyes felt pitch black, making me unable to feel life within it. Even though she was laughing earlier, her expression changed as if her soul had been extracted, and she began screening Kirkton (blocking his movements).
「Ritta, what does this mean?」
「Captain Kirkton, taking this spear from me, what are you planning? Are you saying that I should go back to being Ritta the weakling again? 」
「Didn’t you know about weapons that give its owner power in exchange for their body and soul? You may not notice it, but after yesterday, this morning, and right now, you are worn out. If this goes on, you will die, you know? So pass that spear over now!」
「Captain Kirton, you don’t like me, right? That’s why you slapped me with all strength yesterday, right?」
Only after she said that did I notice that one side of her cheeks looks like it has thinned a bit.
Kirkton, who noticed this slight, felt his expression change slightly.
Shuri fixed her glasses into position, and once again stared at Ritta.
「Ritta-chan, it’s best to follow what Kirkton sai-」(Roel)
「Shut up!! Everyone is just making fun of me!」
Even Roel, who timidly talked to her, was also rejected.
Those lightless eyes dully drifted past me, Kirkton, and the other soldiers. She rotated her spear with one-hand like it was part of her arm. It’s a battle stance, a position that says she won’t let anyone take one step closer to her.
Kirkton sighed as he gave up, and then drew his two swords from his waist.
「If you are going to continue in this stubbornness, then even if it’s unreasonable, I will snatch it away.」
「Just as I thought, Captain hates me. Even though I am desperately doing my best, no one would recognize me for it. I’m not that much of an idiot; I know what that everyone was laughing at me secretly. Even Captain thinks that I have no prospects, so he considers me a nuisance. That’s why you are going to kill me here, right?」
The atmosphere in the tunnel froze abruptly while the spear sucked in a black aura from Ritta’s body.
The soldier who had backed away, and those soldier who had mocked her in low voices–uneasiness spread through their ranks.
Roel and Ritta’s two friends worriedly rushed over to Ritta, but Kirkton obstructed them with his hand.
That Ritta over there is not normal. Even if it’s people close to her, she might still kill them. I felt her bloodthirst swell beyond even what I could muster at the moment.
「If you don’t have power, you can’t protect anything–you can’t do anything. Do you understand how I feel?」
「I’ll listen to everything you want to say later. Pass over that spear now, or else you will really die, you know!」
「LIES!!!!」
Ritta screeched in a voice like that of a different person and thrust her spear towards Kirkton with the intent to kill. Easily evading it, Kirkton counter-attacked by pulling on the spear shaft. And, using that opening, her closed in on her…….but the spear mowed through the air towards him again, driving him away.
Kirkton evaded with a back step while Ritta slowly approached him, closing their distance.
That black aura — I felt like I’ve seen it somewhere before.
But, even more than my suspicion toward the spear, I can’t help but feel uneasy about this situation. There’s Ritta’s sudden change…..but above all, there are her two friends who are watching her, looking very worried. Irin was getting teary eyed while not letting Ritta out of her sight.
From Kirkton words, it seems that the spear is driving Ritta mad.
I’ll stop it then.
I’ll be taking that spear.
「Kirkton, back down.」
「I don’t need you help.」
「Listen to me.」
Kirkton seemed to have given up fighting since I’m not going to back down. He put his sword down and stepped back.
Even while looking at me, Ritta is still expressionless, lifeless, as she focused her dead eyes towards me.
「Ritta, let’s stop this okay. Your friends are getting worried.」
「Ryua-san, are you also making fun of me? Even though the only one I believed in was you….」
「Then I want you to believe in me now.」
I know that it’s pointless to talk with her. Every time I take a step forward, Ritta steps back while still in combat stance with her spear.
In an instant, I approached her and grasped the black spear. Suddenly appearing right in front of her eyes, it was as if I had teleported, and her body quivered, unable to even attack me.
Ritta put more power in her hands and tried to wrench her spear away, but I don’t have any intentions of letting the spear go.
「Ryua-san, please let go. Why are you doing such horrible things to me?」
「Becoming strong this way has no meaning, you know.」
「I — I am not strong like you. Because I am not strong, I am treated like a fool — I wasn’t even able to defeat one monster. That day, the person from the Demonlord Army released a monster towards me — I wasn’t able to fight back, you know. If Onii-chan didn’t rescue me, who knows what would have happened…..Ryua-san, you don’t have any experiences like this…you can’t understand how I feel. And yet, you are obstructing me — I am already……I don’t know what I should do anymore, you know! I’m a girl that doesn’t have anything!!」(9: Well, I think Ryua had it worse, though…)
Tears started to accumulate in Ritta’s eyes while trying to get me away from her spear.
I have a lot of things to say, but I want her to understand this one thing. But to teach her that..this spear is a hindrance.
「Ritta, even without this, you can become strong, you know. This spear won’t be able to do anything for Ritta. And, even if I’m unable to understand, I think that the two people behind me are different…after all, they are crying for you to that extent.」
I put clenched hard with the hand holding the spear. As the spear started to crack, it bent.
And shattered.
The blade tip rolled onto the tunnel floor, and Ritta, who has parted with the black spear, was released from the black aura.
A strong wind pulsed outward from Ritta, and the soldiers carrying their weapons were blown backward. And in an instant, as if something inside her was released, the light in Ritta’s eyes returned.
Ritta collapsed onto the ground like a puppet whose strings snapped.
「R-Ritta!」
Irin and Shuri rushed toward Ritta who stood up weakly. And just as she was about to fall over again, I rushed over and supported her with the other two.
The miasma she had earlier had disappeared, and the Ritta I knew had returned.
「U-um, I….」
「Ritta, I’m sorry. After this, we will share your problems together! 」
「Analysis….doing it seems to have made me lose sight of what’s important. I too shall apologize, Ritta.」
「I — I made trouble for everyone….」
Spilling large tears from her eyes, Ritta was supported by her two friends. And no one there could poke fun at the sobbing Ritta.
****************
◆Avangard Kingdom: Sickbay◆
「For a while, just give her some time to rest and then there will be no problems.」
It seems that because Ritta was released from the spear at an early stage, there is nothing particularly wrong with her body.
I thought Ruru would need to use Recovery Magic, but she didn’t do anything. It looks like Ritta only needs to eat 3 meals a day and rest to recover her vitality….but, overall, it seems that the damage was limited because of their daily training.
Ritta sat on the bed inside the sickbay while Irin and Shuri attend Ritta. If these 2 are here, then there will probably be no problems. (9: no, they will have a threesome when everyone is gone)
「Ritta, are you awake?」
The one who entered the sickbay was Kirkton. By no means he would come over to her to scold Ritta, but I’m a bit worried…
「Captain, I’m sorry, I’m fired, right?」
「Originally with the violations of orders, I would have reported it in the conference, but I shall ignore it. I didn’t see anything. 」
「Is it fine…? To do that much for a failure like me…..」
「Right now, focus on recovering. Our conversation can continue after that.」
Saying only that, Kirkton started walking out, but as he approached the door, held onto the door knob.
「When you are perfectly healed, don’t overdo it. Hold back especially with your individual training.」
「C-Captain….um, did you know about it?」
Without answering Ritta’s question, Kirkton left the room. He didn’t get mad at all….on the contrary, I felt like Kirkton recognized Ritta’s effort.
「Captain is usually ultra strict, but he looks out properly for us, you know.」
「According to my analysis, if Ritta didn’t really have the qualities he wanted, then he would have already driven you out.」
「I-I see….and yet, I even said such words……」
Ritta, who started blushing, once again wiped away her overflowing tears. Irin gently brushed Ritta’s head—-seeing made me realize how nice it was to have friends. If there is such a person I could call friend, then it would probably Roel who was crying, touched by this scene.
「*sniffs*, I’m so gwad. Rweally, I’m so gwad.」
「You don’t really have to cry that much….」
She is even sniffing her nose.
「According to my analysis, you could say that Captain knows everyone up to their underwear.」
「Geh! That’s disgusting! Stop it!」
Leaving those two’s jokes aside, I feel like Kirkton was somewhat desperate to do this much. Even without the Floor Monster, thinking about the difference in abilities between each soldier, I think that dungeon is too dangerous for them.
From my impression of their movements, most of them lack combat experience with monsters. Even though, they could just fight the monsters around the castle…..
「Let’s go.」
「Yeah, ah, that’s right. What about training after this?」
「On the quest document, there is no written time period, you know? The important parts are omitted.」
「Geez, if you know your subordinates’ underwear, I’d at least expect him to write it out properly.」
「T-that was a lie for sure….」
For some reason, Roel seems really embarrassed and was holding down her robe.
If he had just left the sickbay, then he should still be around here.
We left the place to search for Kirkton
**********
◆Avangard Kingdom: Prime Minister’s room◆ (3rd person)
「Fumu, is this that spear? Well then, I shall keep it under my custody.」
Bermund picked up the fragment of the spear and observed it at every angle. If you were to say that he had expertise in this area, that would be wrong. However, there is a certain matter here that must be reported to the Prime Minister first, even before the King.
While having doubts on the reason why, Kirkton abided by it.
「Let us pass this to the analysts. And even though I’m saying that, Kirkton, you have an inkling of what is going on, am I right? To be able to make such a finely crafted weapon with such a high curse, the truth is that there is only one person in the world who could make this…」
「There are many ways for this weapon to have been picked up…..I believe it is hasty to think that it was the work of the Death Weapon’s Dealer.」
「Did you not hear from Ritta’s story? Moreover, to think that for someone whose existence seemed to have vanished ten years ago, and all of a sudden, today, he showed his tail. And after the raid a few days ago. this, Isn’t it suspicious?」
「Are you saying that the Death Weapon’s Merchant is connected that bunch?」
Not answering that question, Bermund played with fragment of the spear in one of his hands and shook his head. It may had been a hasty conclusion, but Kirkton too believed that it was the case. The tournament entree Kweed–the sword he had carried too had been proven by the analysts to have been made by the Dealer.
The Death Weapon’s Merchant, a mysterious person who spread extremely dangerous weapons up until 10 years ago. His goal is unknown and his identity also. Hearing from the people who received his weapons, there were those who claimed it was a manl there were those who said it was a woman–and so not even a trail was left.
A large amount had already lost their lives due to the curses of these weapons.
To think that the person had once again appeared here, Kirkton became irritated at his own negligence.
「You are not responsible for this.」
As if seeing through Kirkton’s mind, Bermund declared so. That face full of wrinkles—-Kirkton still did not know how to face the Prime Minister. Even he, who boasts a long military career, can’t raise his head against the Prime Minister.
「Good grief. It looks like there is much more to come until the peace reigns within this kingdom. Really….」
Towards the Prime Minister who had a loathsome expression, “If you will excuse me…” Kirkton left the room.
*******
◆Avangard Kingdom: Inside the Castle◆ (Back to Ryua)
「Ah, found him!」
No matter how much we looked for him, we couldn’t find…..I wonder which room he was in. And as he was leaving that castle, I was about to call out to him, but for an instant, I hesitated. That face was something he never showed during training–a tense face.
I wonder if something bad happened?
「Huh? Y-you girls. So you even came in here. Just when did come in?」
「J-just now. Is something the matter?」
「No, its nothing…..」
For some reason, Kirkton was flustered. Both Roel and I exchanged glances while in doubt and then asked him about the quest documents.
「I apologize; I have been careless. The training ends today. From the start, it was just a way to put life in my subordinates. I shall report it to the guild. But more than that, I want to apologize for what happened today. To be helped once again…..」
「Don’t mind it.」
「Is that so, then that is good….」
Suddenly talking so fast, and suddenly feeling relieved…..there is something weird about him. Maybe he is tired. If so, then talking to him now would be wrong. We had said our thanks and left the place.
「Didn’t Kirkton-san seem weird?」
「Yeah, but I think he is just tired, for sure. Even I was really tired after the matter with Ritta.」
「Then, let’s go back to the inn. I hope the repairs for the ship will be done soon.」
Ritta who had that black spear, and then the Kirkton today. There is something familiar about it, but thinking about it didn’t get me anywhere, so it just disappeared from my head. More importantly, we need to hurry up and go to Wizard Kingdom. I still haven’t gotten any clues about the info that I want.
If I meet this Sage Hust, would I be able learn something? I wonder if Tolppo is doing fine?
While having thoughts of the unknown land in my chest, let’s sleep on this warm bed.
———————————————————————————-
◆Xin Report◆ (AKA kanji-less hell) (Brand new segment: Courtesy of the Author)
(9: Well, Xin is a character that appeared in the demonlord meeting: the clown fairy or something. She will be writing reports like this starting from this chapter. Everything is written in hiragana and kana, which is basically to a child’s handwriting, so I will translate some words as purposely misspelled to reflect that.)
(IcedTea: I refused to edit this one. That way, you can see it in its pure unadulterated glory. You can also see how hard 9 tried to keep it close to the original—-and how little sense it makes. I’ll start editing it next time?)
——Starting Here——–
showtening it to xinrepo!
Ryua’s ecorogy← i dunno (9: xin wrote i dunno not me)
Part 1
——
name is Ryua
name of her comwad is Roel
Roel calls Ryua Ryua-chan owlder guys cawll her with kun, maybe she is cawlled in many ways
her favowiit food is i don’t know she dericiousrly eats evewything
the food she hates is mostwy vegetavles when she puts it in Roels plate roel gets mad and say to her eat it properry Ryua get depwessed
twoday she is dowing a solders cowch training she says hyuu or shyuu she teeches them in stewpid words
i think she is not that smwart
she saw a wooman solder being scolded if they are scowlded then you shoold just liv them arown it seems Ryua has a kind pershonality.
Twoday she is gowing to boght a wepon
she chows a cheap wepon
she dos not have enough moni it seems
she is cwose friends with the wooman solder the wooman solder looks like she likey likey ryua
hyuman relayshon is good
Twoday is Misril mines
dere wer many solders
the captane with a long hed is as always mad
it sims that Ryua dos not like it
when i sii her fays she looks in bad mood
the friend wooman solder defeated the froor monsta
dat spear it is provably that guy who maid it
when we toght that he is not dere he was just hir that loiterrring guy
ryua stoppd the mad wooman solder
it wownt breik even if a hundred king elephant ryds on it that guy’s spir was brooken
she is stewpid but her power is dangerus
i kinda get it dat dows three getting defitted
「phew, i think this is gine~. really, The great Maou-sama’s right hand is why do i have to do this….just have that old man marrionatte do it.
ah, i’m tired I’m tired. good night~」
Monster Encylopedia:
【The Robust King of Caves】
It is said that vengeful spirits had possesed the rocks inside the cave and made it a monster.
It’s nature is not understood well.
It has a normal pattern of melee fighting; however, it has high physical and magical resistance, so adventurers who look down on it either have their skulls crushed or scurry home exhausted.
