Chapter 29
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Translator: Xrecker
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: Skill Test (4)
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After leaving the guild, I returned to Cat's Commerce.
I wanted to know if I could sell the spoils I had farmed from the bandits, other than their bandanas, at the guild.
In front of Shasha, I took out the daggers, swords, and bows that the bandits had used and, after asking,
"Hmm~ I think it would be better to go to the blacksmith for these."
"Why?"
"Well, if you're going to sell them as products, they have to be in good condition, right? But most of these have been used a lot, so the blades are damaged. It would be better to sell them to the blacksmith to be melted down and recycled as iron."
"I see."
It would probably be difficult to sell such spoils at the guild unless they were in the category of a famous sword.
This was different from the game.
"Then how about this?"
I had heard several times that Belken had the strength of a knight.
So if this was the sword that Belken had used, it might be valuable enough to sell at the guild.
"Ooh, is this it? Hmm, hmmhmm... it would be better to leave this to the blacksmith as well."
"Why?"
"No, well, it's a good sword, but... look here. It's slightly cracked, isn't it?"
Shasha pointed at the part of the blade near the hilt.
"I don't know if it was struck by something strong, but if it's cracked like this, I can't sell it as a product. But the metal is good, so it will sell for a high price at the blacksmith!"
"I see."
It seemed that the sword had been damaged by the shockwave of Severing Spear.
I should be more careful about adjusting the power of Severing Spear from now on.
"But did you also get a sword like this from a bandit? It seems even bandit captains use good swords these days."
"That's Belken's sword."
"...Pardon?"
"That's the sword that Belken used."
"Belken... you mean the Belken of the Belken Gang?"
"Yes. I annihilated the Belken Gang while I was testing my skills."
Shasha stood frozen like a machine, speechless, then opened her mouth.
"You say that you annihilated a bandit gang as if you just went for a walk. But... is that true?"
"Why would I have to lie to you?"
"Because you wanted to see my cute, surprised face?"
There was no need for that since Shasha was cute even when she wasn't surprised.
"No."
"No, then you really did annihilate them... wow...."
Shasha, who had been staring blankly upwards, seemed to have collected her thoughts and spoke, looking at me.
"I thought you were unusual from the first time we met, but mister, you're really amazing. I've never seen anyone wipe out a bandit gang just to test a skill."
"Thank you for the compliment."
"Hehe, next time, I'll be expecting a monster that's profitable for us, not a bandit~."
"I'll do that."
"Hehe, then~ the timing is just right, so how about a light drink at a cafe? We can order the cookies you like too, mister~."
"That sounds good."
While I was at it, I would also buy some cookies for Pamela to take with her.
After chatting with Shasha at a cafe and taking care of the spoils at the blacksmith, I returned to the Lucadia Academy.
I knocked on the door in front of Pamela's room.
Knock, knock.
"Wh-who is... ah, Mr. Shih-han!"
This time, too, Pamela opened the door slightly and peeked her head out.
"I'm back. Here are some cookies I bought from a cafe, so take them."
"Th-thank you! A-are you all done with your business?"
"Yes. Have you had dinner?"
"N-no. Not yet."
"Then let's eat together. You can have the snacks later."
"Y-yes! L-let's go!"
I went to the dining hall with Pamela and had a meal together.
During the meal, Pamela, who had been glancing at me, asked me.
"U-um... wh-what was your business? Ah! I-if it's awkward to talk about it, you don't have to! I-if you don't want to tell someone like me, it's fine! A-after all, I'm just a weakling with no stamina who couldn't even follow you today because I was so tired...!"
Pamela was her usual negative self today.
Even this negativity was nice to see and hear thanks to her character, but I should try to correct her from saying things like "someone like me" in the future.
First, I ignored the latter half and said to Pamela.
"I went to test my skills."
"A s-skill test?"
"I've learned a new skill, so I went to Valendia to test it. It was also to get used to the skill while testing it."
"R-really? But couldn't you have just tested it at the Lucadia Academy?"
"It was a skill with a surprisingly wide range. Since it was the first time I was using it, it was inappropriate to use it indoors."
"What... kind of skill is it?"
Pamela was a comrade with whom I would form a group and face many monsters in the future.
So she needed to know my skills.
"It's a skill that drops a large spear from the sky."
"Ah... th-then it would certainly be reluctant to use it indoors for the first time. Y-you wouldn't know how high it would appear from."
"Exactly."
Perhaps because Pamela also used skills that were launched into the air, like Sword of Loss and Nail of Shattering, she immediately understood what I had considered.
Let's praise her a little here.
"It's amazing that you understood right away."
"N-no! A-anyone could have thought of something like this! He, hehhehehe...."
Her face was about to melt from pure joy.
"Did you have a satisfactory skill test?"
"Yes. It was perfect against bandits.
"B-bandits?"
Pamela's body stiffened.
"Yes. As it happened, there was a group of bandits near Valendia. Since it was a mountain, the sky was wide open, so it was a good place to use my skill, and since it wasn't a path where people passed by, I didn't have to worry about causing any damage with the aftereffects."
"W-were you okay? If it was bandits, there must have been many of them.... A-and! Bandits also retaliate against those who have harmed them...!"
"Don't worry about that. The bandit gang that was stationed near Valendia has been annihilated."
"A-annihilated?"
"Yes. While I was testing my skill, I took care of the bandit leader and all the captains. I don't know if one or two minions that I didn't know about are still alive, but since the leader and all the captains are gone, it's as good as annihilated."
"Uh, uh, uhhh...."
Pamela was speechless, her mouth hanging open, and then.
"M-Mr. Shih-han, you're amazing...."
She uttered such words in a daze.
"Thank you. But I'm sorry, Pamela."
"Huh?! Wh-what for?"
"By annihilating the bandit gang this time, the Adventurer's Guild has recognized my achievement and will spread the word."
"Th-that's great! An achievement of annihilating a bandit gang by yourself will surely be recognized by the academy! Y-you won't have to worry about the first semester, or even the second semester if you're lucky!"
As expected, it seemed that results in the form of achievements, not exams for classes, were the most important factor for staying in the academy, just like in the game.
"Yes. So if I had waited for you to recover and went with you, you could have gotten the achievement too."
"I-it's fine! Really! I-if I had gone, I would have just been a burden! In fact, you were able to catch them by yourself, Mr. Shih-han. I-I don't like to just follow along and get a free ride on your coattails."
Pamela expressed her will, saying she didn't want to get something for free without doing anything.
"I see. I said something unnecessary."
"N-no! You also said that because you were thinking of me. I-I'm sorry for saying something so presumptuous...."
"No, what you said is perfectly understandable. You certainly wouldn't want to get results by leeching off your comrades. But from now on, let's try to act together as much as possible. Even if I can do it alone, I also enjoy doing quests with a comrade. Of course, I won't force you to take on a task."
"Ah... y-yes! That's right! He, hehehe. I-I also! Enjoy doing quests with you, Mr. Shih-han!"
"I'm glad."
The next morning.
I headed to the academy with Pamela to attend the common class conducted by Roderick.
Before the class started, we entered the classroom and sat in the same seats as last time.
"Hey, is that true?"
"It's true. The bandit gang that was active near Valendia has been annihilated. And by just one person."
"By just one person? Does that even make sense? The bandit gang near Valendia has a considerable number, don't they? Over 100 people."
"Did you hear? The Belken Gang that was stationed in the mountains near Valendia has been annihilated."
"Of course, I heard. The Belken Gang's forces had been weakened recently by a so-called bandit hunter, but I never thought they'd be annihilated overnight."
Around us, the topic of the Belken Gang's annihilation was already being discussed among the students.
Just as I had gotten a title right away, the speed at which the guildmaster had spread the news was incredibly fast.
"M-Mr. Shih-han. Those stories..."
"The news travels fast."
Even though I had requested it to be that way.
"I heard that the one who annihilated the Belken Gang is a student of the academy...."
"I heard that too. Who could it be?"
"Maybe it's one of the seniors who enrolled before us? The Belken Gang was said to have been growing in size at an unusual rate recently, so maybe they did it because they thought of them as a threat."
"But to attack them alone. It seems there's a senior who's particularly energetic and has an overly strong sense of justice."
The classroom was buzzing with talk of the Belken Gang's subjugation.
There were still 5 minutes before the class started.
At that moment.
Arsvald Zenedict entered the classroom.
As soon as he entered, Arsvald looked around the classroom and his gaze fixed on me.
And then, he walked straight towards me.
Thump!
He slammed his palm on the desk.
"Eek!"
Pamela, who was next to me, was startled by the sound.
"Hey, is it true?"
"What do you mean?"
"Don't play dumb."
"No, you just barged in and asked if it was true, but how am I supposed to know what 'it' is? Be more specific when you ask something."
Just like how the characters in the game would kindly explain their situations.
"...Is it true that you annihilated the Belken Gang by yourself?!"
At Arsvald's question, I could feel the gazes of the students in the classroom gathering on us.
"Yes."
I looked straight into the eyes of Arsvald, who was glaring at me, and said.
"It was me. I annihilated the Belken Bandit Gang."
The whole classroom was in an uproar.