Chapter 17
Chapter 17
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: When a Good Person Gets Angry (4)
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"You know the cafe manager here doesn't really like drawing attention. So, I'm going to use my personal recommended method."
"Yeah, that sounds good, but..."
"The easiest way is to spar with me directly!"
With a whoosh, she thrust her fist toward me, and I lightly pushed her hand aside. Just as she said, I had no desire to attract attention, and it was much the same for Cosetica. Why bother with a fight where winning or losing both felt like a loss?
The moment I was about to say that assigning a rank casually would be fine, Big Sister Mina cut in.
"To gauge the cafe manager's skills, we need assurance he won't cause us any trouble."
"Eh? Does the cafe manager have some secret like being a famous noble from a foreign land?"
"Forget it. I'd swear to keep it secret even if the emperor of the Pallan Empire showed up. A Geas-bound contract is mandatory."
"...That serious? Now I'm scared."
"That serious."
As if anticipating this, Big Sister Mina pulled out a pre-prepared contract and shoved it at her. Cosetica checked it over to ensure there were no issues and promptly stamped it.
"If Mina's saying this much, I have to trust it."
"...Thanks."
"Well, personal curiosity too. Wondering just how skilled this cafe manager is that Mina's so obsessed with."
"Then I'll trust Big Sister Mina, not Cosetica."
"Give me some credit too!"
"Trust builds over time, doesn't it?"
Anyway, she showed strong determination herself, and since there was no real reason to refuse after she'd pushed this far, I roughly prepared to head out. She said there was a spot prepared behind the Adventurer Guild for special assessments, so we decided to go there.
Call it a persecution complex if you will. The idea of my face getting around was a huge mental burden, so I covered it completely before locking up the shop and stepping out.
"...Everyone's coming?"
"Hehe. I'm a bit curious."
"Isn't it natural to wonder how he'd do in a real fight?"
"Mm-hmm. And I'll be tagging along anyway."
"Not gonna hide by swinging your weapon around?"
Sigh. Labyrinth City Astraea had plenty of entertainment for anyone else, but apparently I was theirs. I knew it wasn't malicious, and with my hidden past slowly coming to light lately, their interest wasn't incomprehensible...
Once this was over, I really wanted to go back to a peaceful life of just polishing cups.
Me, all wrapped up, and the group passed through the Adventurer Guild.
Big Sister Mina, being well-known, exchanged greetings as she went. Leimi and Dras, who handled adventurers' gear, got nods from their regulars since there were so many customers.
Karin, seeing the Adventurer Guild for the first time, shook her pink hair around excitedly, looking everywhere.
After passing through the crowded area into the guild master's private backyard, we saw a fairly spacious training ground.
"Ta-da! We don't open this place except in special circumstances. Opening it just for you, Cafe Manager!"
The door creaked open, and inside was surprisingly clean despite her saying it wasn't used. They must maintain it meticulously.
According to her, it was for VIPs, so they didn't just let it sit unused.
After opening the door and clearing out even the cleaners nearby, Cosetica faced me. She donned gloves, arm guards, limb protectors, knuckles, and steel-toed boots, then clapped her fists together with a smack.
"Heh. Back in my prime, I flew around quite a bit, you know."
"...You serious? Or is showing I won't hinder your adventurer work enough?"
"Oho! Full of confidence! Go all out!"
"Then, since we're using Geas anyway."
I steadied my breathing. No special ritual was needed to handle mana, but deep breaths helped focus and calm the mind.
Aura could shred flimsy gear and bisect a person, so I wrapped it around my roughly 7kg sword to boost mana conductivity.
Back when I trained obsessively, I could naturally coat my sword or body, but now it took a moment of concentration.
I raised the aura's density and enveloped the entire blade evenly.
Grip stance: left foot forward of the right, sword in right hand horizontal and pulled back inward.
"Shall we start?"
"...I'll be shattered gear and all."
"You said to go serious."
"No, I mean... not to the death...?"
At that, I dispelled the aura and decided to use just the sword. Aura proficiency showed true skill, so they wouldn't just ask about sword insight or mana use.
Seeing me drop the aura, Cosetica shook out her navy hair and reset her stance.
She was the expert. Using leg muscle relaxation, she slid in like gliding, thrusting her left fist armed with knuckles and gauntlet at me. I gripped the 30cm sword hilt short, pulled it to block with the flat, then hooked her low stance's leg with my left foot to disrupt her balance while raising the sword with weight to smash down.
"Kuh!"
She blocked with the flat of her dagger in her right hand supported by her left, but the brute weight and forward-biased balance made it hard to parry.
As her stance crumbled, I recovered the sword and aimed my right foot at her solar plexus, shoving.
Instead of falling back, she rolled to create distance, so I loosened my grip briefly, re-gripped, and swung wide.
Her shoulder guard sliced off and clattered away.
As I moved to press the attack, Cosetica rolled on the ground signaling a stop and said from her prone position.
"No no no no, I surrender."
"...I haven't done anything yet."
"Nooo. The moment that sword touched me, I knew I couldn't win. And that last swing—you adjusted the length, right?"
"Yes. You react fast visually, so I used the trick of loosening from a short 30cm hilt grip to full reach."
The hilt was about 30cm, so shifting from just below the guard to the end changed reach by up to 20cm. Perfect mind game against spacing experts.
"Um, is the reason you use one hand..."
"My main weapons are dual swords, so not used to two-handing, and I keep the left ready for grappling?"
I aura-coated my hand for protection, gripped the longsword blade mid-way with it, grabbed her collar with left, and held the half-sworded blade to her eye with right.
"Like this. Trained in real combat, seen plenty of dirty street fights."
"I see, I see. ...Mina. Any current match for his skill?"
"None."
"I've got some skill myself."
Cosetica eyed me like "What're you saying?" so I offered a hand and pulled her up from her tossed position.
As I dusted my hands to wrap up, Karin spoke.
"Cafe Manager, have you ever... lost?"
"Often until age 8. To my father."
"After that...?"
"Sometimes when politics demanded throwing a fight?"
Well, sure, but this was basically a romance fantasy world. Most bosses needed raw strength to beat, but more often, some mysterious bond of love and affection to take down.
Like RPG bosses not beaten by high stats but by executing mechanics to chip HP.
Still, in this noble world where strength equaled dignity, I'd trained to never be ashamed.
"I get why they haven't come looking for you..."
Karin was probably right. My skill wasn't guest-star level, impossible to drag back forcibly, and if I seriously flexed, word would spread continent-wide.
Sheathing the sword, the guild master rubbed her hands obsequiously.
"Hehe. What's your name again?"
"Julio."
"Julio, it'd be great if you'd be our guild's star adventurer."
"No."
Her ears drooped. Good talent was always scarce, true enough.
But I had no intention of risking my life as a disposable adventurer. No benefit in fame either.
As I prepared to leave, Big Sister Mina patted the dejected Cosetica's shoulder consolingly.
Maybe kicking away another chance for my name to spread to the academy. I closed my eyes, waiting for the freaking status window to vanish and Big Sister Mina to return.
Why was everyone so desperate to claim me?