Chapter 41
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: An Offer and an Opportunity
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“I apologize.”
Demian bowed his head politely.
“I like it here.”
“You like it here?”
Wilkis looked at Demian with a puzzled expression.
“Erkal is definitely…”
Wilkis hesitated, glancing at Tarone and Basel.
He knew that what he was about to say would be quite rude to them, as they were serving in Erkal.
“…Are you sure you’re not interested? Becoming a knight means your status will rise to that of a quasi-noble. You wouldn’t be a commoner anymore.”
Wilkis urged him again.
He believed it was a definite waste to leave such talent here.
“I will deeply consider the Baron's kindness. I appreciate the offer, but I will remain here.”
A polite but firm refusal.
At Demian's words, Wilkis couldn't hide his disappointed expression.
Wilkis nodded.
“If that's the case, so be it. Have another drink on me.”
“I will accept it with honor.”
Demian had already met not only nobles but even royalty in his past life.
Though he could be sharp-tongued, as if his words were tipped with blades, he was also perfectly capable of pleasing them like this.
As Demian held out his glass, Wilkis grinned and poured the drink.
“For the Kingdom!”
“For the Kingdom!”
Following Wilkis's lead, the others echoed the toast and drank.
Gulp, gulp.
After quickly emptying his glass, Demian carefully set it down and saluted Wilkis.
“Glory to the Kingdom!”
Placing his right fist over his left breast in a salute, Demian soon left the barracks.
“Hoo.”
The heat of the strong liquor flooded his mouth.
Demian circulated his mana to purge the alcohol from his system, then looked toward the entrance of Erkal.
*…Now.*
The demonic energy of the Bronserian Forest had been purified.
Historically speaking, this was an incredibly significant event.
*In my past life, the Bronserian Forest was subjugated by the Empire, but…*
Now, it had been accomplished by the hands of our kingdom—by Demian's own hands.
No one knew what changes this would bring in the future. But…
*For the next year.*
He had secured the exclusive rights to everything that came out of the Bronserian Forest for one year.
*I'll scrape together every single thing I can get in that year.*
This was the turning point.
In the next year, he could accumulate far more wealth than he had ever managed before.
Having organized his thoughts, Demian headed to the personnel office to send a letter.
* * *
A few days passed after the subjugation.
The successful subjugation of the Bronserian Forest brought a customary reward to the Neokalitz Unit.
“I can't believe they gave us a whole week of leave.”
“The other seniors are going wild right now. They're saying they're going to make up for all their hard work…”
“…The taverns are going to be packed.”
He could picture it clearly without even seeing it.
With a week-long vacation free of training, how much would they let loose?
However.
*Swish! Whoosh! Fwoosh!*
Dianal and Kyle turned their gazes toward the sound coming from beside them.
The spear Demian wielded was now making a completely different sound than before.
Kyle swallowed hard and said.
“…Doesn't it seem like he did something to that spear? Otherwise, there's no way it would make a sound like that when he swings it…”
“He seems to have changed a lot since the last subjugation.”
Dianal looked at Demian.
Indeed, his entire aura had changed since the subjugation, and more importantly, the movements of his spear had become more concise yet more powerful.
*…How much wider has the gap between us grown?*
Even before, fighting him on equal footing was impossible.
But now, against this completely changed Demian, it was difficult to even gauge the extent of that gap.
“Hoo…”
After training with his spear for a good while, Demian, drenched in sweat, took a deep breath.
“…Hm?”
Demian then noticed Kyle staring at him.
Demian said to Kyle.
“What are you looking at so leisurely?”
“What?”
“If you're just going to sit around, then come at me. Let's have a light spar.”
Demian beckoned to Kyle with his finger. In response, Kyle shot up from his seat.
“Alright! You seem to have gotten pretty cocky lately. I'll beat you to a pulp today.”
“Hehehe, aren't you the one who's going to get beaten?”
Dianal, who was beside them, let out a small laugh. Kyle snorted roughly in response.
“Hmph! I've prepared a secret weapon to deal with this guy, so watch closely.”
Kyle picked up a handaxe and a shield.
Ever since Demian had given him advice, he had been continuously using the handaxe and shield.
And in practice, it was much more comfortable for him to fight using them.
Kyle charged at Demian.
“Don't you dare make excuses later that you're tired right now!”
“What a ridiculous worry.”
Seeing Kyle charge, Demian immediately thrust his spear.
The extended spear aimed for Kyle's chest.
*Whoosh!*
Kyle twisted his body lightly to dodge the spear and immediately swung his handaxe at Demian.
His plan was to first target the man's legs to hinder his movement.
*Fwoom!*
“…?!”
But before Kyle's handaxe could connect, Demian had already pulled his leg back and extended his spear.
*Bam!*
“Kuhk…!”
*Was my movement too wide?*
Kyle carefully swung his handaxe at Demian again.
He chose an attack that wasn't a large motion but one that could surely hit his opponent.
*Swish! Whoosh! Whiff!*
But all of Kyle's attacks cut through empty air.
Before his handaxe could even touch Demian's body, Demian had dodged the attacks as if he had already predicted their direction.
“…”
Dianal watched Demian's movements, not missing a single detail.
*His movements are like a ghost's.*
Demian's movements were fascinating every time he saw them.
How could he possibly move like that in an actual fight?
And then.
“This bastard…!”
Frustrated by his constantly missing attacks, Kyle gritted his teeth and swung his handaxe horizontally.
*Fwoom!*
His handaxe missed again.
But at that moment.
*Swiiiiish!*
After swinging the handaxe, Kyle spun around and swung the shield he'd held back at Demian.
“…!”
At the sight of Kyle's shield flying at him, Demian's eyes widened and he threw his head back.
*Flick!*
Kyle's shield grazed the front of Demian's hair.
However.
*Thwack!*
With a dull thud, Demian struck Kyle hard in the side with the shaft of his spear.
“Gah!”
As Kyle collapsed to the ground, clutching his side.
“Oh? S-Sorry!”
“Guuuhhh…”
Demian approached Kyle, who was on the ground.
The man clutched the spot where he'd been hit, his face contorted in pain.
“Ugh… you bastard. Didn't you hit me a little too hard?”
Kyle, who had fallen, slowly pushed himself up and spoke to Demian.
Demian looked at him with a bewildered expression.
*…This ridiculously tough bastard.*
An ordinary person would have lost consciousness from that last blow.
But Kyle just rubbed the spot a few times with his hand and got up.
Demian asked Kyle.
“Are you okay?”
“I'm not okay. It's not broken, is it…?”
“By the way, what was that technique just now? I've never seen it before.”
The moment he spun while swinging the handaxe, it seemed he had moved the shield into a blind spot.
Because of that, he hadn't been able to predict the man's movement.
It was a completely different style from Kyle's usual way of fighting—a remarkably creative and clever attack.
Kyle burst out laughing at Demian's question.
“Hehehe, it's a special move I practiced for a long time just to use on you. But… damn it, I can't believe it missed so anticlimactically.”
Kyle couldn't hide his disappointment.
Demian shook his head.
“No, it was a really good attack. I never even expected the shield to come flying at me.”
“…Really?”
At Demian's praise, Kyle grinned.
*…Simple-minded guy.*
Just then, Dianal approached and said to Kyle.
“From the opponent's perspective, the attack would have been invisible. Because you're so big, Kyle, the shield was completely hidden the moment you spun.”
At the same time, he spoke from a third-person perspective.
“When you attack with the shield, it might be a good idea to vary your patterns by striking upward from below or attacking horizontally. Oh, and aiming for the opponent's thigh to hinder their movement would be good too.”
“That's a good suggestion.”
Demian added a word.
“Ooh! That sounds great!”
“If you practice it properly, it could become your own unique technique.”
Dianal encouraged Kyle.
Kyle let out a low laugh.
“Heheheheheh, does this prove my genius? Well then, I'll go and refine this special move a bit more.”
Kyle immediately started running toward the training ground where the wooden dummies were.
It probably meant he was starting to see a path forward in his own way.
After Kyle left, Demian asked Dianal.
“Are the swords suiting you well?”
“It's still a bit frustrating when I can't take down monsters in a single blow.”
“Hehe, is that so?”
“But it's gotten a lot more comfortable lately.”
Dianal said, lightly lifting the swords hanging at both his hips.
Demian nodded in response.
“It will be time to change soon.”
“…Change what?”
“Because you can't fight monsters forever.”
Demian's expression turned serious.
Because when the age of war arrives, he will have to face not monsters, but strong 'humans'.
At those words, Dianal tilted his head.
“What does that…”
But at that moment.
“Demian! Someone's here for you!”
“Ah, I was wondering what took so long.”
As if he already knew who had come.
Demian immediately gave Dianal a nod and started running toward the unit's entrance.
Left alone, Dianal mulled over the words Demian had left him with.
“…'You can't fight monsters forever.'”
What could those words mean?
Deciding he would have to ask Demian later, Dianal also started walking toward the training ground where Kyle had gone.
“It's been a while.”
Waiting in front of the unit was, as expected, Diel.
Diel said to Demian.
“I received your letter and put together a team to come to Erkal. Including the merchants, it's a group of about fifty people. But… is the content of that letter really true?”
“Of course. Did the Guild Master come with you as well?”
Diel shook her head at Demian's question.
“My father is in the capital. I've come here as the person in charge.”
“You'll be establishing a branch here, won't you?”
“After I hear what you have to say.”
At her words, Demian grinned.
“There will probably be a lot to do from now on. Quite a few changes have occurred with the subjugation of the Bronserian Forest.”
It had been impossible to write down all the detailed information in a letter.
However, perhaps because the credibility Demian had shown before was quite good, Diel had immediately formed a guild team and come to Erkal after just one letter.
An action that couldn't be easily taken without mutual trust.
This alone showed that Diel trusted Demian considerably.
Demian led Diel to a quiet place.
“Let's go. It seems we have a lot to talk about.”
“I came with high expectations as it is. I might be disappointed if you don't live up to them.”
“Keke, let's go.”
At his words, Diel nodded and followed Demian.