Even Grandmasters Hate Dishes
Econ leisurely drew up his strength and flashed a grin.
Is it because he's young—practically a child? The kid's overflowing with confidence.
Betting everything on a match so obvious even a three-year-old could see the outcome… Just as Sheryl had said, Raon was stuffed full of arrogance.
It's a little different from what I expected, but I ought to teach him a proper lesson.
He hadn't gotten Sheryl's permission, but it would be fine. All he had to do was break Raon's spirit somehow.
"We can start, right?"
Econ cocked his chin to the side and tightened his grip.
"Yes. Whenever you're ready."
"Hm?"
He squeezed with a grip that would have made most swordsmen scream, but Raon's expression remained as calm as ever.
So he does have some strength in him?
Well, that was why he'd challenged him to arm wrestling in the first place. There were swordsmen who looked scrawny but packed surprising power, and Raon seemed to have that kind of practical muscle.
Won't matter, though.
Econ smiled and shot a glance at the Heavenly Sword Squad swordsman beside him.
"Are both of you ready?"
The Heavenly Sword Squad swordsman asked, shaking the clasped hands of Raon and Econ.
"Yeah."
"Yes."
"Then—begin!"
The moment it started, Econ poured every ounce of strength into his grip. He didn't even need to pin Raon's arm—he'd just crush him with raw grip strength.
The collision of force blooming from their locked hands made the boulder their elbows rested on shudder as if it might shatter.
What?
He was putting out a considerable amount of power, yet Raon's expression didn't change in the slightest. His hand didn't buckle. It simply held.
That's… odd.
The strength he was using now was over seventy percent of his full power. Even a reasonably strong swordsman should have yelped and yanked their hand away. But Raon's face was as tranquil as if he were sipping tea.
"Vice-Commander. You are putting in effort, yes?"
Raon lowered his brows slightly, as if to ask whether Econ was even trying.
"Ha!"
A vein popped on Econ's forehead.
I was going to go easy on him…
He'd liked the kid's fighting spirit, so he'd planned to keep it light. But that insolence needed to be thoroughly corrected.
"Of course not! This is where it really starts!"
Econ drove power through his entire arm and shoved against Raon. A monstrous force erupted, enough to send tremors through the very ground in which the boulder was embedded.
This one's going to hurt!
He exploded every ounce of physical strength his body could produce, crushing down on Raon.
And yet.
Wh-what?
Econ's lips trembled.
Why isn't he budging?! Why isn't he going down?!
Raon's arm didn't yield or even waver. It was planted like a thousand-year-old tree. A massive wall. No—it felt like an endless mountain was holding the line.
"Nngh!"
He clenched his teeth and lifted his head to look at Raon.
"Ah…"
His hair stood on end as he met those crimson eyes, still as a lake on a dark night. He was giving it everything he had, and Raon's expression hadn't changed at all.
"Hmm?"
Raon tilted his head as if something didn't add up.
"Let me ask again. You really are using your strength, correct?"
"Y-you, how…"
Even his voice was calm. This made no sense. What kind of monstrous strength was this?
"My turn, then. Here I go."
With those words, an overwhelming force slammed into him. It felt like being struck by a tidal wave that had surged all the way to the heavens.
"Ghhhkk!"
It wasn't just arm strength. The grip crushing his fingers felt like it would snap them, and a groan escaped him before he could stop it.
"Nngh!"
He bit his lip until it bled and poured power into his arm, but Raon's strength was beyond anything willpower could resist.
A t-troll? No, even an ogre wouldn't cut it!
The monstrous power was so far beyond any monster he could name that his shoulder felt like it was about to tear off. It was so overwhelming that his aura stirred on its own.
No! Absolutely not!
He could lose, but he would not lose by cheating. He forced the rising aura back down into his aura core.
"YAAAAAH!"
Econ roared and wrung out his last reserves. The title of Heavenly Sword Squad vice-commander, and the dismissive words he'd thrown at Raon before the match—he refused to lose.
Unable to withstand the colossal force of the two men, the boulder crumbled. When the blooming dust cleared, what remained was the back of Econ's hand, pinned to the ground.
"Kh…"
Econ let out a thin groan. The pain radiating from the back of his hand was enormous, as if the bones had been pulverized, but he was too mortified to even show it.
He lifted his head and looked at Raon. The boy hadn't shed a single drop of sweat. He was casually dusting off the back of his hand.
A m-monster…
No other word came to mind. Only "monster" floated through his head.
"That was weaker than I expected."
Raon smacked his lips.
"Those muscles."
He pointed at the swollen muscles of Econ's right arm.
"Did you grow them for show?"
"F-for show? My perfectly trained muscles are for show?"
Econ's jaw trembled. For someone who cultivated strength the way he did, being told he'd built his body for looks was the worst possible insult.
"L-left hand!"
Econ withdrew his shattered right hand and thrust his left forward.
"I'm left-handed! We go again with the left!"
Raon didn't look at Econ, who was thrusting out his left hand through gritted teeth. He looked past him, at Sheryl standing behind.
So even the Heavenly Sword Squad Leader isn't expressionless.
Sheryl's narrow eyes were blown so wide they looked as round as a full moon. She looked like her soul had half left her body. It seemed she hadn't even considered the possibility that Econ might lose.
"Hah…"
"Th-the vice-commander lost? In a contest of strength?"
"What in the world…"
The Heavenly Sword Squad swordsmen were trembling at the jaw, equally stunned by a result none of them had imagined. Watching those mouths that had spent the entire day finding fault snap shut was deeply satisfying.
"Wooooaaaah!"
"Raon!"
"Vice-leader!"
"Fuck yeah! We're free from chores!"
The Light Wind Squad swordsmen, by contrast, grabbed hold of one another and erupted in cheers at a victory none of them had expected.
"Let's do it with the left too! I told you, I'm left-handed!"
Econ glared at the celebrating Light Wind Squad and thrust his left hand forward. Having his muscles called decorative seemed to have wounded his pride.
"And why would I do that?"
Raon tilted his head, smiling.
"What?"
"The match is already over. I won. There's no need to go again."
"Th-that's…"
"Wouldn't it be better for the Heavenly Sword Squad to start discussing among yourselves who handles which chores?"
"The luggage!"
Econ jabbed a finger at the packs stacked beside the tents.
"Just as you proposed—if we lose this time, we'll carry your luggage as well!"
"Ah, that's quite all right. Dorian."
"Yessir!"
Raon flicked his fingers, and Dorian trotted toward the tents with a sheepish grin. He juggled the swordsmen's packed rucksacks, then popped them one by one into his belly pouch as if it were a circus trick.
"You see? We have the finest quartermaster there is. We don't need the help."
"Ah…"
Watching that, Econ's outstretched left arm began to tremble.
"However."
Raon pointed at the sword at Econ's waist.
"If you'll give us lectures on the Heavy Sword and the Hard Sword every evening, I'll take you up on it."
"L-lectures?"
"Yes. Not some half-hearted overview—if you'll teach us the true meaning of the Heavy Sword and the Hard Sword, I'll settle it with the left hand as well."
"That much? Anytime!"
Econ looked ready to stake his life on it, so long as he got another match.
"Then if I win, you take the chores back—and you apologize to the muscles you insulted!"
Apologize to the muscles. A muscle-head's pride, it turned out, ran even deeper than expected.
"Understood. I accept."
"Good! Let's do this!"
Econ dropped onto his stomach right there and stuck out his left arm.
"We're doing this lying on the ground?"
"That boulder was tilted toward my side, so I couldn't put out my real strength! I've got my sleeves sorted too—this time will be different!"
Left-handed, a wobbly boulder, and fluttering sleeves. The excuses were impressively varied.
"Very well."
Raon took Econ's hand with a light smile.
You fool!
Wrath scowled at Econ.
You think a muscle-pig like you can break This King's elegant, springy power?!
He smacked Econ about the head, ranting about how pathetic the man was.
"Th-then—begin!"
"UORYAAAAH!"
The instant it started, Econ exploded the strength of his entire body and drove in. The claim that he was left-handed seemed to be genuine—he was far more powerful than he had been with his right.
Still meaningless, though.
To someone with a system, right hand or left hand made no difference. He could put out a Strength of 180 with either arm, and if he so much as thought about breaking something, he could even call on the power of his King of Destruction title. No matter how strong Econ was, as long as he was human, overpowering Raon was out of the question.
"This is getting dull. I'll finish it quickly this time."
"What?"
Raon casually turned over Econ's left hand, which was trembling with strain.
He hadn't even used aura—just pure physical strength—and a sizable crater opened in the ground.
"Ah…"
Econ lay sprawled on the dirt with his left hand buried in the hole.
"Th-this doesn't make any sense!"
Consecutive defeats seemed to have knocked his soul loose; drool was trickling from the corner of his mouth.
"How does that kind of power come out of such skinny arms?! He's got nothing but lean muscle—why is he so strong?!"
"Unlike those fashion muscles of yours, my arms have real combat muscle compressed into them. Combat-compressed muscle, you could say."
"F-fashion muscles. My muscles are fashion muscles…"
Beaten twice, Econ couldn't even muster a retort to "fashion muscles." He buried his head in the dirt.
"He… he lost again?"
"…He's not even a match."
"That was completely one-sided!"
The Heavenly Sword Squad swordsmen sank to the ground, their eyes gone vacant, as if the situation had driven them to despair.
"Insane…"
Even Sheryl's usual icy composure was nowhere to be seen. Her face had gone pale, and her lips were trembling.
"Well then. Let's settle the terms."
Raon stood and casually brushed the dirt from his clothes and hands.
"Horse care, dishwashing, cooking, tent setup—every chore the Light Wind Squad has been handling until now goes to the Heavenly Sword Squad. And every evening, we attend Vice-Commander Econ's swordsmanship lectures. That's correct, yes?"
"……"
Neither Econ, nor Sheryl, nor the Heavenly Sword Squad answered. They were still standing there in a daze, unable to collect themselves.
"Chores are over!"
"Wooooaaaah!"
"We can actually travel in peace now!"
"Time to show them what nitpicking really looks like."
The Light Wind Squad swordsmen's faces bloomed with smiles at the thought of paying back every petty complaint they'd had to swallow until now.
"This is why I said I didn't want to do this!"
Econ's face twisted as he shoved himself to his feet. He waved his dirt-caked left arm at Sheryl.
"I told you I'm no good at this kind of childish nitpicking!"
He shot a rapid look at the still-dazed Heavenly Sword Squad swordsmen.
"Ah, right!"
"They did the work so well there was nothing to pick at."
"It was hard to find fault the way we were told to."
They sighed, claiming the Light Wind Squad had prepared camp so perfectly there had been nothing to pick a fight over.
"The way you were told to?"
"What is that supposed to mean?"
Marta and Burren tilted their heads.
"You already know we were forcing the complaints, right?"
"We weren't looking for a fight. We were following orders."
"We were trying to keep it reasonable, but you lot have a pretty high tolerance for that kind of thing…"
The Heavenly Sword Squad swordsmen scratched their heads, looking embarrassed.
"Don't tell me…"
"You received those orders from the Heavenly Sword Squad Leader?"
Every eye in the Light Wind Squad turned toward her.
"Huu…"
Sheryl let out a sigh and nodded. She looked considerably drained.
"Yes. I gave the order."
"Why?"
"The Light Wind Squad performed outstandingly in both the mission and the spars, so I wanted to press down on you a little, lest you grow arrogant. But seeing how you handle your work, it seems my worries were unfounded. I'm sorry."
She closed her eyes and apologized honestly.
"We're sorry too."
"You really do good work. Forcing the complaints was exhausting."
"Yeah. We ended up getting more and more childish about it."
"You don't look like rookies. You lot are going to go far."
The Heavenly Sword Squad swordsmen bowed their heads in apology as well, heaping on the praise.
"So that's what it was."
"I did think it was strange."
"They were doing it for our sake."
The Light Wind Squad nodded, apparently swallowing Econ and the Heavenly Sword Squad's explanation whole.
"Well. If you did it out of concern for us, I understand."
Raon smiled as he looked at Sheryl and the Heavenly Sword Squad.
"Th-thank you!"
"Right. Broad-minded as well as strong."
"As expected of Sir Rimer's disciples!"
"However."
Just as the Heavenly Sword Squad swordsmen were smiling, trying to let the whole thing blur over, Raon raised a hand.
"A reckoning is a reckoning. You'll still need to do the work."
The reason Econ, then the Heavenly Sword Squad, then even the Heavenly Sword Squad Leader had apologized in a chain was obvious. They wanted to skip the work they'd taken on and seize the initiative again.
Who do they take me for?
What they wanted was to soften his heart so the work could be split down the middle. But an apology was an apology, and a bet was a bet. The work still had to be done.
"You see those, yes?"
Raon pointed at the pile of dishes stacked behind them.
"Start with the washing-up, if you would, and sort out the night watch among yourselves as well."
"Ah…"
At that, Econ and the Heavenly Sword Squad went pale. They clearly hadn't expected him to remain this cold even after an apology.
Hmph. Fools.
Wrath lifted his chin as he looked at the Heavenly Sword Squad.
Did you think this viper would simply let an opportunity like this slip by? He'll bite down and never let go.
He was right. What kind of training opportunity was this, that he would just let it go?
"A promise is a promise. The work will have to be done."
Sheryl let out a low sigh as she looked at her swordsmen.
"Until the mission is over, the chores are yours. Start with the dishes…"
"Why are you talking as if it's someone else's job?"
Raon tilted his head at Sheryl.
"What?"
"Think back to when we first made the bet. What did I say?"
"Wh-what are you talking about?"
"I said, if I won, the Heavenly Sword Squad would take over the chores we'd been doing until this mission ended. The Heavenly Sword Squad."
"Ah…"
At that, Sheryl's face went a sickly blue.
"You didn't say a word when I made the proposal earlier. You wouldn't go back on it now, would you? The renowned Heavenly Sword Squad Leader?"
"Th-that's…"
She was so badly flustered that her face flushed red. The sight of a Grandmaster losing control of her expression was a novelty all its own.
"Whoa!"
"H-he's insane. Actually insane…"
"He planned it this far from the start?"
"Is that thing even human?"
The Light Wind Squad and the Heavenly Sword Squad burst out in the same breath of awe as they watched Raon dominate the situation.
"I-I swear. I'm never messing with that guy again. I'd rather die than make an enemy of him."
"You're slow. I already made that vow back at Habun Castle."
Crain and Dorian shook their heads.
Hah—you've even got that woman by the throat? Vicious. Utterly vicious! There's no viper like you even in the Demon Realm!
Even Wrath looked appalled as he stared at Sheryl.
"All right, all right. We're short on time."
Raon clapped his hands, gathering everyone's attention.
"The Heavenly Sword Squad Leader and her members will go wash the dishes—and pick up some extra firewood on the way back. Vice-Commander, you'll be starting the Heavy Sword lecture now. Let's move."
Raon grinned at the hollow-eyed Heavenly Sword Squad and Light Wind Squad.
Six more suckers on the list.
Leaving the Heavenly Sword Squad to go "talk things over," Raon sat down in front of the campfire with the Light Wind Squad.
"I-is this really okay?"
"Not doing the work is great, but should we really be poking the Heavenly Sword Squad…"
"The, uh, the aftermath is a little scary."
Burren, Dorian, and Crain glanced back at the Heavenly Sword Squad, smacking their lips uneasily.
"Just think about the lectures."
"So we're just gonna keep getting played like suckers? You're swordsmen—why the hell are you so scared?!"
Runaan looked pleased at the prospect of the lectures, and Marta was grinning as if a weight had lifted off her chest.
"Don't worry. They're not the type to hold a grudge over something like this."
Judging by what the Heavenly Sword Squad had done, what they'd just said, and the Heavenly Sword Squad Leader's character, they weren't people who would retaliate over a matter like this. For now, all they needed to do was enjoy the breathing room.
"R-right, I suppose?"
Dorian nodded and pulled snacks from his belly pouch.
"Haa. I feel like I've developed an ulcer lately."
"Same here."
Burren and Crain clutched their stomachs, grimacing.
"Still, not doing chores is pretty nice."
"Night watch for me. I hate having to get up in the middle of sleep."
"Dishwashing was the worst for me."
"Ah, yeah. Come to think of it, dishes really are the worst."
Raon was smiling, listening to the Light Wind Squad's idle chatter, when footsteps approached from behind.
They sounded like they belonged to someone coming to give a lecture, but they were far too quiet to be Econ's.
When the footsteps stopped in front of him, he lifted his head. The Heavenly Sword Squad Leader stood there, her purple hair stirring in the wind.
"I'll be giving the swordsmanship lectures in Vice-Commander Econ's place."
She looked down at the Light Wind Squad, arms folded.
"Whaaat?"
"Th-the Heavenly Sword Squad Leader?"
"Whoa…"
"W-why?"
The Light Wind Squad members stared at her with their mouths hanging open.
Just as I thought.
Raon smirked as he looked at the Heavenly Sword Squad Leader. He'd folded her into the chores on purpose, then staked a bet with Econ for swordsmanship lectures, hoping it would come to this. It had played out exactly as predicted.
D-don't give me that! You're no god—how could you have planned this far?!
Wrath stammered, thrown off balance.
It's true.
Raon smirked at the faintly blushing Heavenly Sword Squad Leader.
I figured even a Grandmaster would hate doing the dishes.