Chapter 28: Sparring(2)
Chapter 28: Sparring(2)
Furuku was hungry. He hadn't had a proper meal recently, as they'd been busy turning all the humans into ghouls.
"Buhiik... hungry."
"Furuku, you really need to stop eating so damn much."
Nassen shook his head. He marveled at his own rotten luck for ending up with a partner like this.
Still, Furuku followed orders well enough, and their plan was coming together smoothly.
Nassen had gathered as many ghouls as he could from the nearby villages. He would have loved to wipe out an entire village, but that would draw too much attention.
The blonde-haired woman might notice his arrival and prepare for it. So, he had been moving from village to village, gathering ghouls little by little.
"From now on, failure is truly not an option. There's a limit to how many lies I can tell the higher-ups."
"Buhiik. I know. But... those bitches are too strong."
"Furuku, if we fail again, the higher-ups might send him."
"Him?"
"Don't you remember the one with the lion head?"
Furuku's face went pale. The one with the lion head was dangerous. Furuku had thoughtlessly challenged him once and had nearly been eaten alive.
That man was one of the organization's high-ranking executives, famous for brutally devouring any member who caused trouble.
Since Furuku and Nassen were also aiming for executive positions, they couldn't afford to defy him.
"I hate him. He's scary! I'd rather run away than see him again! Buhiik!"
"There's no way you can run. That's why we absolutely have to succeed this time. No matter what."
"Lion-head is scary! Scary! I want to run away!"
"Calm down and listen to me!"
Only then did Furuku seem to shake off his fear and quiet down.
"If we just succeed this time, the higher-ups won't have any reason to send Lion-head. There are thousands of people in that castle. And we can't let that bitch Victoria get away. They said she'd make a fine offering."
"...I'm hungry. Buhiik. Come to think of it, we still haven't recovered the White Witch's Seal. At this rate, we're really going to be killed."
"Right. That's why you have to do a good job, you understand? If you just do as I say this time, everything will work out."
"I get it! Furuku is good at following orders."
"Haaah."
Nassen sighed. Furuku was drooling as he stared at the ghouls.
"I'm going to scout inside the castle. When I give the signal, send the ghouls in. Got it, Furuku?"
"Got it."
With that, Nassen started moving toward the castle. When he was just a small dot in the distance, Furuku shouted desperately.
"The ghouls! Can I eat just one! Nassen!"
"Absolutely not! Don't you dare eat a single one!"
"Buhiik..."
Nassen suppressed his churning stomach and started running toward the castle.
*
At last, the main event was about to begin. The Guard Captain and Kerry.
The two of them stood in the center of the training ground.
The crowd erupted in cheers.
"Woooah! Guard Captain! Put that size to good use! I bet my entire fortune on you!"
"That outsider's got some bulk on him, too, though?"
"Go, handsome outsider!"
The men in the crowd scowled at the women's cheers. What a bunch of petty bastards.
The announcer was also acting as the referee. It really felt like a proper match.
"Both combatants, salute each other."
Kerry knew the salute. You raised your sword in front of your body, then brought it down.
Had this really needed to blow up into such a big deal? By the time I came to my senses, this was the situation.
Well, whatever. I have the results of my special training. Now, I didn't feel like I'd be outmatched in the slightest, even by a Guard Captain.
"My husband, do your best! You can do it!"
I heard Natasha's bright voice. Turning my head, I saw Lina, Natasha, and the old crone cheering from within the crowd.
At Natasha's cheers, the glares from the male spectators grew even sharper. Eat your hearts out, you bastards.
"Hmph. Seeing you parade around with women, I don't even need to see you fight to know you're all talk."
The Guard Captain started picking a fight. He'd been trying to start a psychological battle even before we stepped onto the training ground, so this was nothing new.
"That pretty face of yours confirms it. You're just playing at being an adventurer."
As he spoke, he proudly stroked a scar on his face. He looked like an idiot, trying so hard to strike a pose.
Is that his idea of a taunt?
The roar of the crowd drowned out any conversation on the training ground. He was using that to his advantage to try and provoke me.
Tsk, tsk. Pathetic.
I came from a place where "yo mama" jokes were standard trash talk even in the most trivial of games. I was practically immune to a taunt of this level.
"Hey. Why are you getting so worked up over a woman?"
"..."
The Guard Captain's expression began to harden.
"Ah. Is it because you've never even held a woman's hand? Your mother would be so sad to know her son is living like that, wouldn't she? Oh, wait. Should I have asked if you even have a mother first?"
"Wh-what? You son of a bitch. Did you just bring my mother into this?"
The Guard Captain started to charge forward in a rage, but the announcer stopped him.
The announcer had been talking with Victoria for a moment and hadn't heard our exchange.
"Calm down. You can do that once the duel starts."
The Guard Captain continued to seethe despite the referee's intervention. Trying to win with trash talk against me when he had zero immunity to it himself. What a foolish choice.
As we took our positions, the residents began to shout for the match to start. Just then, the sound of a horn echoed through the cheers.
The duel had begun.
It was a duel with wooden swords, but in the hands of a man with the Guard Captain's build, it looked like a terrifying weapon.
Apparently, my inquiry about his parents' well-being had struck a nerve, because he charged at me the moment the horn blew.
"You bastard!"
Whoosh-!
The wooden sword narrowly missed Kerry. But just because it was a narrow miss didn't mean it was hard to dodge.
On the contrary, his attack was so straightforward and predictable that it was easy to evade. The less movement I used to dodge, the easier it would be to launch my next attack.
He's more worked up than I thought.
The Guard Captain hadn't seemed like a pleasant fellow to begin with, but now he was like a raging boar.
All I did was ask about his mother, but it was more effective than most taunt skills.
Whoosh-
The wooden sword missed Kerry again. I'd been tense about facing a Guard Captain, but what was this?
I thought he'd be a force to be reckoned with, but he was just an empty vessel making the most noise.
Compared to Lina... he's a complete beginner.
Perhaps he seemed that way because he was so agitated. In any case, Kerry was leisurely dodging the Guard Captain's wooden sword.
Watching him, Lina nodded. The special training had paid off. The Kerry from before the training would have had trouble with the Guard Captain's aggressive charge.
"All you do is run around like a scared little man! Getting cold feet now, are we?"
"Bastard. Your lines are so third-rate."
In truth, there was a reason Kerry was only dodging.
Though his attacks were linear, the destructive power of the wooden sword, coming from that massive frame, was real. For a duel, he was swinging with reckless abandon.
It's not as easy to close the distance as it is with Lina.
The Guard Captain was swinging his sword like a brute, but for me, who had only been learning swordsmanship for two weeks, breaking through that guard was a difficult task.
But I can do it.
It was all thanks to the Guard Captain getting worked up. His physique was better than mine. He also seemed to have a fair amount of real combat experience. He showed no hesitation in striking a person. In fact, his swings were filled with malice.
This is the perfect chance to test the techniques Lina taught me.
For a guy who only relies on strength, the best way to deal with him is to turn the tables with technique.
Lina had called the techniques she taught me "cheap tricks," but I didn't see them that way.
To me, who knew nothing of swordsmanship, this was a badass, otherworldly style of sword fighting. I even gave it a name.
I call it...
Rina-Style: First Sword!
I'll give you a taste of the high-priced private tutoring I got directly from a regressor!
Kerry, who had only been dodging until now, suddenly charged forward. The Guard Captain, who had been chasing him, flinched for a moment at his momentum.
But that was all.
What's a punk like him going to do by charging in? He looks like a damn pretty boy!
The Guard Captain was confident in his strength. Kerry was a big guy, but he wasn't bigger than him.
The Guard Captain planned to overpower Kerry with sheer force when their wooden swords met.
The two wooden swords clashed. For a moment, a dangerous sound erupted, making one question if this was really just a duel.
A gasp escaped the crowd.
But Kerry didn't waver in the slightest. He was taking the Guard Captain's powerful blow and deflecting its force.
Huh? Huh? Suddenly my sword is...
Kerry visualized the technique Lina had shown him and began to replicate it perfectly. For a moment, it was as if one could see an echo of Lina in Kerry's movements.
By the time the Guard Captain came to his senses, Kerry's wooden sword was pointed at his neck.
The duel was over. It was Kerry's victory.
The villagers roared at what looked, at a glance, like a spectacular victory.
"Waaaaah! Not bad! That outsider!"
"The Guard Captain fought well, but the outsider was a cut above."
"Dammit! I lost my entire fortune. How are you going to take responsibility for this, you big oaf!"
"You're so cool, handsome outsider! Kyaaaaak!"
Kerry slowly lowered his wooden sword. The Guard Captain was still frozen in place, his eyes wide with shock, as if he still couldn't process what had happened.
"My husband!"
Natasha ran onto the training ground and hugged Kerry, as if advertising to everyone that he was hers.
Lina and the old crone also watched Kerry with pleased expressions.
But the festive atmosphere was cut short by a knight's sharp cry.
"Lady Victoria speaks. Everyone, listen!"
Victoria had been watching from a good spot a short distance away, seated in a comfortable chair.
She rose from her chair and began to approach. The status of a noble was absolute.
One wrong word or a single displeasing glance could lead to untold suffering. That was the unjust reality of this world.
"That was amusing. Your name was Kerry... was it not?"
"Yes."
"You have won the bet."
I know that much.
The commoners watching now didn't know it, but this whole event had started from a small bet. Causing trouble over nothing.
"Then... may we trust that you believe us now?"
"Ahaha. You say the most interesting things. Why would I have any reason to distrust the words of powerful people like you? If you had a mind to, you could have taken this castle long ago."
"..."
"You even hid your true strength from the Guard Captain until the very end. That thoroughness was impressive."
"No... that's not it..."
Kerry decided to give up on explaining.
Victoria acted the part of a dignified noble, but she was surprisingly a bit of an airhead. She wouldn't believe me now no matter what I said.
"I wish to formally hire you as my escorts. Of course, the wages will be very generous. If I can hire you with money, it is not a price I am unwilling to pay."
She said she'd pay a very generous wage. Coming from a noble who valued her reputation, "generous" meant she would pay extremely well.
Giving a mediocre amount would be beneath her dignity.
Just then, Lina started to step forward. Knowing her personality, she was about to say they didn't need any payment. But not a chance.
"Thank you, Lady Victoria. We will gratefully accept without reservation."
Kerry spoke deliberately loud so everyone could hear. Lina seemed to contemplate for a moment, then quietly returned to her spot.
Of course we have to take what's offered. No matter how much money a regressor has.
"Haha. You truly are an interesting man. How about it? Would you like to spar with me next?"
"..."
Is she trying to kill me just because I accepted her money?
Seeing Victoria's expression, I could tell it was just a playful suggestion. But of course, I refused. Why would I risk my life in a duel?
Hearing Victoria's offer of a generous wage, the resentment I'd been feeling melted away.
She's not as bad as I thought.
She was our Lina's companion in her past life. There's no way she could be a bad person. I'd gone through some trouble because of Victoria's prank, but there was no harm in having learned some swordsmanship, so I decided not to hold it against her.
"Well then, shall we return to the castle to continue our discussion? First, we'll have a party to celebrate your victory, and then I will slowly hear about these people who are after my life."
I glanced at Lina, and she nodded as if to say it was fine.
The surrounding villagers were still in a festive mood. The Guard Captain, of course, was sighing heavily with a face like death.
I didn't know what punishment Victoria would mete out to him, but his future looked quite bleak.
Serves him right. Heh heh.
Just as we were about to head to the castle with Victoria, a guard came running from the distance, making a commotion.
His frantic appearance immediately drew the attention of all the residents.
It was the same for Victoria and us.
The guard ran up breathlessly, paid his respects to Victoria, and began to speak urgently.
"A horde of several hundred ghouls has appeared before the castle!"