Duel! The Shiga Eight Swordsmen
“Satou here. The word duel makes me picture two esteemed nobles battling with rapiers. Maybe it’s because I think of battles with Japanese katana as ‘swordfights’ instead.”
“Yaaawn…”
“Siiir…”
Tama and Pochi pretended to yawn.
I patted their heads, stifling a real yawn of my own.
“Tired?”
“Just a little.”
Arisa shot me a worried look.
“Pillow.”
Mia patted her lap encouragingly, but that wouldn’t really be practical in a cramped carriage; I thanked her and politely refused.
Like the day before, we were riding three borrowed horse-drawn carriages, this time to go to the Holy Knights’ headquarters.
At first, Liza and I were going to go alone, but Arisa said that she wanted to see us “being cool,” which ended in everyone else demanding to come along, too.
“Satou.”
Mia pointed up ahead.
“There are knights in white armor standing guard. That must be the Holy Knights’ headquarters, then.”
“Mm, elegant.”
“Gorgeooous…”
“Very great, sir.”
Just as the kids observed, the building made of white and bluish marble gave off a very imposing air.
“Looks like the kind of building you’d see in a fantasy MMO.”
I couldn’t help snickering at Arisa’s remark. It really does look like a starting area in a game or something.
“Halt!”
As our carriage drew close to the gate, the knights standing guard on either side of the entrance crossed their spears to stop us.
“I know not who you are, good sirrah, but this is the headquarters of the Order of Holy Knights. None who do not have business here may enter.”
The knight addressed us in a civil but firm manner.
Since I had so many women and children with me, he probably thought I was some stupid noble’s son.
I got down from the carriage alone and showed the Holy Knight my letter from Sir Juleburg, the leader of the Shiga Eight Swordsmen.
“What’s this?”
The knight took the letter doubtfully, but his eyes widened when he saw Sir Juleburg’s seal still intact on the envelope.
“I—I’m terribly sorry! I had no idea you were a guest of His Excellency Sir Juleburg!”
The knight quickly straightened up and apologized, then directed his comrades to let us through. He even generously offered to guide us to Sir Juleburg. I gratefully accepted, because otherwise our large party probably would’ve been stopped again along the way.
“Clang clang clang…?”
“Cling clang, sir.”
“Master, I hear the sounds of battle, I report.”
As the sound of clashing swords reached us, Tama and Pochi latched on to my arm to inform me about it, followed shortly by Huit. The former Number 8 seemed to be particularly touchy-feely and was always clinging to her sisters, too.
Seeing this, Mia grabbed my other hand.
“There.”
“Looks like they’re in the middle of training.”
Mia and Arisa had spotted the Holy Knights training in an arena.
According to my map information, the group consisted of Sir Juleburg and several Shiga Eight Swordsmen, along with members of the Holy Knights.
Sir Juleburg, who had sent me the letter, seemed to be observing the knights’ training from the sidelines.
“Captain Juleburg! Sir Pendragon has arrived!”
Once we reached the arena, the Holy Knight who’d guided us there shouted to Sir Juleburg so loudly that my ears hurt.
“So you’ve come, Sir Pendragon…” Sir Juleburg suddenly trailed off as he turned toward us. “…What is the meaning of this?”
He seemed rather annoyed.
The beastfolk girls and Nana were wearing armor, but everyone else, including me, was in their normal clothes. Maybe that was what bothered him?
“The letter you sent mentioned that I should bring company along, so I took you up on the kind invitation so that they could observe and learn.”
Sir Juleburg’s expression turned sour, evidently remembering his own letter.
I’m guessing he really only wanted me to bring Liza.
“Perhaps I’ve brought a few too many people?”
“…It’s fine.”
He didn’t seem to want to go back on his word.
“Liza of the Black Spear, I challenge you to a duel! It’s payback for our fight in Labyrinth City! Just wait till you see how strong I am after the captain trained me himself!”
As Sir Juleburg sank into silence, a Holy Knight with a white spear over his shoulder called out to Liza.
I didn’t remember his face, but the distinctive weapon looked familiar. He was one of the people who’d challenged Liza to a fight in Labyrinth City and lost.
“Kerun, eh…very well, go ahead.”
“Master, if I may?”
Once Sir Juleburg gave permission for the duel, Liza turned to me to get permission as well.
Sir Kerun may have gotten stronger, but I was sure Liza had gotten even more so.
I nodded at Liza to let her test her own strength.
Liza and I headed into the arena, leaving the rest of the group in the audience seats.
Sir Juleburg announced the duel between Kerun and Liza, and sent the training Holy Knights out of the arena.
“Wait, she’s just a kid. So the ‘Liza of the Black Spear’ Kerun’s always talking about is just some skinny little girl?” A bearded knight with a yellow spear scoffed loudly, picking a fight.
My “Keen Hearing” skill picked up on Arisa muttering, “Wow, he’s just begging to lose after a line like that.” I had to agree with her.
“Liza, before you fight Sir Kerun, why don’t you take on this confident gentleman?” I suggested, after asking permission from Sir Juleburg.
The two of them moved to the center of the arena, and the Holy Knight who would be refereeing told Liza the rules of the battle: It would continue until someone was knocked out, said “I give up,” or until the referee stopped it.
Trying to injure or kill one’s opponent out of ill will was against the rules.
While they were going over this, some “Light Magic” users and high-level priests from various temples put defensive magic on both combatants.
Ultimately, it was only meant to prevent them from seriously hurting each other; they didn’t give them any strengthening or attack-enhancing Support Magic.
“Good luuuck…?”
“You can do it, Liza, sir!”
Tama, Pochi, and the rest of the group cheered her on from the spectators’ seats.
“Tch, what is this, some game for kids?”
The knight with the yellow spear rudely spat on the ground.
“Jagou! Don’t lose to some scaly girl!”
“Show that lizard her place!”
Some friends of the knight with the yellow spear jeered from the group of Holy Knights.
“You know I will! I’ll prove that I’m suited to be in the Shiga Eight Swordsmen, not some idiot like Kerun!” the knight yelled back.
“Combatants, enter the ring.”
Both fighters followed the ref’s instructions.
The knight with the yellow spear was glaring at Liza like she’d killed his mother, but it didn’t seem to affect her any more than a light wind.
“Begin!”
On the referee’s signal, the knight used “Blink” to charge at Liza and jab at her three times in rapid succession.
Liza avoided the jabs easily, then raised her own spear and knocked the weapon from the knight’s hand.
“Wha—”
The knight stared blankly at his now-empty hands.
A short distance away, the spear hit the ground with a loud clatter.
“The match isn’t over yet. Pick up your weapon.”
“D-don’t mess with me! You’ll regret this!”
The knight snarled a classic small-time villain line as he picked up his spear, then filled it with magic power to activate “Spellblade.”
I hate to say it, but it took a pretty long time to activate.
“Eat this! Secret move—‘Helix Spear’!”
Liza instantly activated “Spellblade” on her own Magic Cricket Spear and calmly parried the knight’s attack.
“I-impossible! You parried the unblockable ‘Helix Spear’?!”
The knight with the yellow spear jumped back as he exclaimed in shock.
“When did she invoke ‘Spellblade’?” “She was able to block it with such feeble ‘Spellblade’?” The other knights murmured in surprise as well.
They probably only thought Liza’s “Spellblade” was “feeble” because the yellow spear was giving off so much excessive red light.
“Unblockable? You have much to learn. Besides, unless someone is far weaker than you, it’s far too prideful to assume that such a showy attack will reach your opponent without you even attempting to catch them by surprise or knock them off balance first.”
Liza closed in on him with “Blink,” dodging and knocking away his attacks as she admonished the knight.
Meanwhile, the knight with the yellow spear probably wasn’t listening, since it was all he could do to keep dodging her attacks.
“Wow, not bad. Your spear user’s pretty strong, Sir Pendragon.”
I caught a scent of perfume and felt something soft against my neck, shortly followed by the sensation of metal armor.
Lady Helmina, the gun user of the Shiga Eight Swordsmen, had snuck up behind me and put me in a headlock.
I heard a cry of “guilty” from Arisa and Mia in the spectators’ seats, but I pretended not to notice.
“Yes, she’s an extremely talented comrade.”
I slipped out of Helmina’s headlock without taking my eyes off Liza’s fight.
“I forgot that you’re a skilled martial artist yourself,” she remarked.
“Oh, it’s just a hobby.”
Lady Helmina stood beside me to watch the battle.
“It’s certainly one-sided…but that’s exactly what that moron Jagou deserves.”
Sure enough, it seemed like the knight with the yellow spear was a bit of a problem member.
“So. I heard you chased down those airship attackers, hmm?”
“That’s a misunderstanding. I went to meet up with some friends who were traveling separately and just happened upon them by chance.”
I had forgotten that Lady Helmina and Sir Juleburg had been sent to rescue Duke Vistall’s youngest daughter, who was with some of the airship attackers.
“Just when we finally caught up with them, the attackers had already been captured and the duke’s wife recovered, and we were told that the all-important Miss Somienna was in the custody of guards, too. Talk about a wasted effort.”
It would’ve been rude to say “thanks for your hard work” or something like that, so I graciously allowed Lady Helmina to put her arm back around my neck and grind her fist into the side of my head.
“Ah…”
“Sir!”
There was a development in the battle, which Liza had dominated from start to finish.
The knight with the yellow spear had lost his balance while dodging an attack, slipped, and landed firmly on his rear end.
Liza was holding her Magic Cricket Spear to his neck.
“How shameful…,” Sir Juleburg murmured, just as the referee declared Liza’s victory.
“Not yet! I haven’t lost yet!”
As Liza turned her back on the man to come back toward me, the knight threw his spear at her with Spellblade on the tip.
What an idiot.
Even with her back turned, Liza would never let down her guard.
Liza dodged to the side with “Blink,” then spun the Magic Spear in her hands to knock the knight’s spear up into the air.
Turning around, she flicked the falling spear with her own.
It flew forward at top speed and stabbed into the ground right between the knight’s legs.
“Liza’s too nice,” I heard Arisa mutter with my “Keen Hearing” skill. “She should’ve landed a direct hit.”
Sir Juleburg began reprimanding the knight with the yellow spear at once, and his fellow Holy Knights dragged him to his feet and away from the arena.
“I apologize for my subordinate’s massive failure.”
Sir Juleburg bowed his head to Liza and me.
A few of the Holy Knights exclaimed indignantly about him bowing his head to a scalefolk person, but Sir Juleburg didn’t respond. I guess there were some Holy Knights from old noble families or the northern part of the kingdom who were prejudiced against demi-humans.
“All right, now it’s my turn.”
“Sorry, but I’ll be going first, Kerun.”
Sir Juleburg held out his own spear to stop Sir Kerun and walked over to Liza in his place.
“I am Zef Juleburg the Unstoppable, First Seat of the Shiga Eight Swordsmen. I seek a bout with you, Ms. Liza of the Black Spear!”
Sir Juleburg was now addressing Liza with the polite title “Ms.”
I guess he recognized her strength.
Liza looked over to me for permission, and I nodded, feeling proud.
The thought did occur to me that we might get caught up in something bothersome, depending on the results of the match, but I was more concerned with letting Liza show off the results of her training in the labyrinth.
If anyone tried to recruit her or use her as a pawn, I could deal with that with the help of my personal connections, or even go to the king or the prime minister as Nanashi the Hero, if it came to that.
“I would hear your answer!”
“I, Liza of the Black Spear, subordinate of Sir Pendragon, accept your challenge and agree to a duel, Sir Juleburg the Unstoppable.”
Wow, that was pretty cool.
She must have learned these formalities when she did all those duels in Labyrinth City.
The two stepped into the arena. Liza looked calm and natural as always.
A crowd of onlookers had gathered in the spectators’ seats.
In addition to Holy Knights and squires from the headquarters, there were employees of the building and even officers and nobles who happened to be in the area on business.
“I’ll go easy on you, but don’t let your guard down if you don’t want to die.”
“Of course. I always put my life on the line in battle. However, please do not worry; I would never cross the line in a battle against an elder. I will be sure to hold back.”
“Ho-ho, what a caring young woman, to show such respect for an old man like me.”
“Any kindness of mine is only inherited from my master.”
Once the priests and light mages finished their enchantments, Sir Juleburg and Liza started exchanging thinly veiled barbs.
Judging by the tingling sensation on my skin, they were probably both using their “Intimidation” skills, too.
“She’s a good one, that girl. She isn’t giving an inch against Sir Juleburg.”
Lady Helmina, who still had her arm around my neck, looked at Liza approvingly.
She later explained that trying to intimidate or provoke an opponent before a battle like this was standard practice.
“Activate the arena barrier.”
On Lady Helmina’s command, several Practical Magic defensive barriers formed around the battlefield.
They were produced by the kind of magic device that might be used in a fortress, and they made barriers on a par with those created by greater magic spells by using a huge amount of energy from a Magic Furnace.
They didn’t have the same amount of individual defense power as the Umbrella and Fortress spells I created, but the barriers were stronger than the shields Nana could produce with Foundation.
“This is quite a production.”
“Normally we only use these things for magic battles, but we’ll need them if Sir Juleburg goes all out.”
I couldn’t imagine why a defensive barrier would be necessary for close combat, aside from Liza’s “Spellblade Shots,” but I just nodded rather than question it further.
* * *
“Let’s begin.”
“Very well.”
As soon as the ref gave the signal, the battle began with the first move going to Sir Juleburg.
Despite both sides claiming they would go easy on the other, they were both using “Spellblade.”
“I was thinking this earlier, too, but that girl’s really fast at using ‘Spellblade,’” Lady Helmina remarked next to me. “It doesn’t look very strong, but it’s more stable than even Sir Juleburg’s ‘Spellblade.’”
“That’s our captain. It’s no wonder he’s the top of the Shiga Eight. His ‘Spellblade’ puts that idiot Jagou’s to shame.”
“Look at that scale girl’s wimpy ‘Spellblade.’ She’s fast, I’ll give her that, but I bet it’ll fall apart with one blow.”
“How strange. I could’ve sworn Ms. Liza’s ‘Spellblade’ was stronger…”
I heard a few of the Holy Knights and Sir Kerun chatting.
Since this was a duel, Liza was using only the bare minimum coating to make sure her Magic Cricket Spear didn’t get damaged, but nobody seemed to realize that.
I would think it’d be inefficient to have it blazing at full power all the time anyway. Were most people not capable of managing the power level of their “Spellblade”?
“Here they go.”
Just as Lady Helmina spoke, Sir Juleburg and Liza’s figures both blurred.
They closed in on each other at incredible speed, their spears clashing faster than the eye could follow.
“Six attaaacks…?”
“Liza’s amazing, but Mr. Old Guy is, too, sir.”
“Wait, what?! I only saw one attack just now, though!”
“It looked like two attacks to me.”
“Arisa, Lulu, you can follow most of their movements if you look at the dust at their feet, I advise.”
I heard my group talking behind me.
“Wow, she really is impressive. She managed to block Sir Juleburg’s spear and everything. And what’s more…”
Lady Helmina watched the battle closely.
Liza and Sir Juleburg were moving nonstop, exchanging blows at dazzling speed.
“Sir Juleburg seems tenser than when he spars with Gouen or Heim…”
To Lady Helmina’s surprise, Liza seemed to be at an advantage.
Sir Juleburg’s level was 56, four levels higher than Liza’s.
Yet Liza was holding her own against him with her skillful footwork and spear strikes.
“Ohh, greeeat…?”
“Amazing, sir! He’s keeping up with Liza, sir! Pochi wants to fight him, too, sir!”
“I agree with Pochi, I declare. I would like to try to block those attacks, I report.”
My vanguard seemed excited about the fight, too, from the spectators’ seats.
“Damn, the captain’s crazy, but that demi-human’s crazy, too.”
“Did you see that spear move?”
“Yeah, damn. I’ve never seen anyone block that move of the captain’s with a spear before.”
The audience was roaring at the impressive exchange of attacks between two spear users from very different schools. It was certainly a very high-speed battle.
I’d seen Liza square off with the elf teachers before, but this one was even more intense to watch, since it felt like they were both out for blood.
I kept a close eye on their every move, ready to stop them at a moment’s notice.
Oh?
The two of them jumped back.
“I had no idea… I must apologize for underestimating you, Ms. Liza of the Black Spear.”
“You are very strong yourself. It has been a long time since I sparred with any human this strong besides my master.”
Both combatants caught their breath as they exchanged words.
“I’d better get serious from now on.”
Juleburg grinned savagely and adjusted his grip on his spear.
The red light of magic power glowed from the gaps in his Holy Knight’s armor, and my AR display told me that he had used “Body Strengthening.”
“Then I shall get serious as well.”
Liza, too, activated her “Body Strengthening” and related skills.
Liza’s armor had a recognition-inhibiting device, so there was no magic light from within her armor from the level of strengthening she used.
“The captain’s using ‘Body Strengthening’!”
“Has he ever used that outside of a duel with the other Shiga Eight?”
“Liza of the Black Spear really is amazing, to get the captain to fight so seriously!”
I overheard the Holy Knights talking. Sir Kerun seemed to have nothing but admiration for Liza, despite losing to her previously.
“Incredible… It’s moving so fast that even I can’t quite keep up,” said Lady Helmina.
Now that Liza and Sir Juleburg were using “Body Strengthening” and “Blink” nonstop, their battle was hard to follow, even for someone who was used to following high-speed movements.
“Sir Juleburg’s reaction was delayed? What did that girl do, I wonder?” Lady Helmina murmured as she watched.
It was hard to tell from here, but to Sir Juleburg it must have looked like Liza’s spear had vanished.
It was an attack with a skill called “Gap Attack,” which was virtually impossible to avoid for someone who had never seen it before. The experienced Sir Juleburg had managed to dodge it, though.
Liza’s rapid barrage of attacks, including her assaults with “Gap Attack,” pummeled into Sir Juleburg’s body.
Or so it seemed—until his body suddenly shifted to the side.
“Must be ‘Doppelgänger’—no, ‘Gap Defense.’”
“Wow, I’m impressed you could tell.”
The “Gap Defense” skill Sir Juleburg used was a similar feinting technique to “Gap Attack,” which made it difficult to land attacks in close quarters.
Both of these were skills that we learned from Hayato the Hero.
No one but he and Tama could use the “Gap Defense” skill, or so I thought.
The head of the Shiga Eight Swordsmen really was impressive.
“She’s holding her own against Sir Juleburg…”
“Hey, Heim. How would you fight against her?”
“If it was a fight I could get away from, then I would. If not, I would shoot for a draw.”
“Yeah, it’d be impossible to survive fighting her without a scratch.”
With my “Keen Hearing” skill, I heard some members of the Shiga Eight chatting nearby.
One was Sir Gouen, who I’d fought alongside against the demon in the royal capital the day before.
“Ah, that was close!” Lady Helmina exclaimed.
Liza’s spear had grazed Sir Juleburg’s helmet, sending his visor flying.
I wasn’t sure whether it was a difference in their base skills or the percent of their “Body Strengthening,” but where they had previously been evenly matched, now Liza had the clear advantage.
Sir Juleburg was having an increasingly hard time defending against Liza’s attacks, and faint cracks were beginning to form in his Holy Knight’s armor.
But I seriously doubted someone as experienced as Sir Juleburg would go down that easily.
“ Flash Gravel Senreki!”
In the midst of an attack, there was a flash from the tip of Sir Juleburg’s spear, and countless pebbles of light flew out in concentric circles.
They set up small bursts wherever they hit the ground.
He seemed to have used a feinting spell with a short chant.
“‘Helix Spear Attack’!”
Using the magic attack as a distraction, Sir Juleburg shifted his stance and used a quick attack.
He was aiming not for any vitals, but for Liza’s shoulder.
“‘Blink,’ ‘Helix Spear Attack’!”
Liza had predicted that he would attack during the flash of light, and she used “Blink” to dodge while countering with the same special attack.
Her attack, too, was aimed at the arm holding the spear, not at any vital points.
“Nngh… Not a chance!”
Sir Juleburg forcibly changed the trajectory of his spear.
The two Spellblade-coated spearheads crashed into each other, sending up red sparks between them.
It looked like the clash would go on until one of the spears broke, but it ended within seconds, and both of them jumped away.
Liza still looked energetic, but the older Sir Juleburg was clearly getting exhausted.
His stamina gauge in my AR display made it clear that he wouldn’t be able to fight for much longer.
“You’re strong…Black Spear.”
“You as well, Unstoppable.”
Each of them acknowledged the other’s strength.
“You are strong indeed. Now, there are some moves in this world that are known as ‘novice killers.’”
That probably referred to moves like the “Gap Attack” that Liza used earlier.
“But among those, there are fewer still that cannot be dodged, even if one knows they are coming.”
Sir Juleburg’s spear glowed a brighter red.
He seemed to be preparing to use some particularly big move.
“As a show of respect for your talents at such a young age, I shall share this move with you. It is a legendary technique hidden even deeper within the secrets of ‘Spellblade.’”
Sir Juleburg readied his spear at the hip and started concentrating magic at the spearhead.
“That move…,” Lady Helmina murmured.
Liza held her own spear at the ready, watching his moves carefully in an effort to steal the technique.
I used my “Magic Power Vision” skill to keep a close eye on the flow of magic.
Was this something different from “Spellblade Shot”?
No, judging by the way the magic was gathering, it might very well be “Spellblade Shot.”
“Ooh, the captain’s got a ton of magic in his spear now!”
“He’s gonna use that move that only the strongest of the strong can handle!”
The Holy Knights all started shouting, too, when they saw the Spellblade swelling up at the end of the spear.
It didn’t seem concentrated enough for a “Spellblade Shot,” though.
Maybe it was going to be more of a cone-shaped attack instead of an attack from round bullets?
For someone with strong magical defenses, that didn’t seem like much more than a diversion.
Once he was finished, Sir Juleburg let out a roar and unleashed the magic power.
“Wait, don’t just stand there—”
“Ms. Liza!”
Arisa and Lulu cried out in the stands, concerned for Liza’s safety.
A cannonball of magic power with a swath as wide as a human was tall zoomed toward Liza, speeding up along the way.
As the speed increased, Sir Juleburg used “Blink” to charge at Liza as well.
His attack seemed to be a one-two combo of the “Spellblade Shot” and his own strike.
Once Sir Juleburg’s magic cannonball came close to Liza, her hand finally moved.
She formed a small, red “Spellblade Shot” in the blink of an eye and quickly fired it.
The two masses of magic collided right in front of Liza, and a red flash of light filled the arena.
The barrier around the inside of the arena reflected the red light, making it hard to see Liza and Sir Juleburg inside.
Still, I could faintly see that Liza’s “Spellblade Shot” had broken through Sir Juleburg’s, and crashed into him with the resulting shock waves.
The defensive magic on Sir Juleburg couldn’t handle the burden and dissipated.
Then I saw Liza’s wrist flick slightly.
Uh, Liza?
A second “Spellblade Shot” flew toward Sir Juleburg.
It had been reduced to the bare minimum size and strength, but Sir Juleburg wouldn’t be able to dodge it in his current stance.
Still, he hadn’t remained at the top of the Shiga Eight Swordsmen for so many years for no good reason. With a yell, he produced a second “Spellblade Shot” from his other hand.
Of course, it came at the price of his fist, which was completely broken in the process.
But the old warrior was too determined to let that slow him down.
He used his remaining good arm to charge his spear with magic for one last attack.
But then, Liza’s third and final “Spellblade Shot” struck the wrist of his hand that was holding the spear.
She must have used the triple burst attack that she only just learned the day before.
Liza closed in with “Blink” and spun around, using her tail to swipe Sir Juleburg’s legs out from under him before he could recover. The captain hit the ground, and Liza pointed her spear at his throat, stopping him from moving any further.
The red light finally faded from the arena’s barrier, revealing the results to the audience.
“S-Sir Juleburg?”
“He used ‘Spellblade Shot’! How’d he end up going down?”
I heard cries of confusion from the group of knights.
But that only lasted until the referee declared Liza’s victory.
“The winner is Liza of the Black Spear!”
When those words echoed across the arena, cheers rang out loud enough to shake the royal capital.
I couldn’t hear who was saying what, but it was clear that they were congratulating Liza and celebrating her.
Liza took a few steps away from Sir Juleburg before raising her spear in my direction. It was very like her not to let down her guard, even after being declared the victor.
I shouted out my own cheers with all my might, waving back at her.
We could worry about what this might lead to later. For now, I just wanted to celebrate her victory.
“Remove the arena barriers! Priests, heal Sir Juleburg’s wounds!”
The priests and arena workers scrambled around on Lady Helmina’s orders.
As soon as the barrier walls disappeared, the priests and light mages ran to Sir Juleburg’s side and began to use Healing Magic on him.
Given the remarkable effectiveness of advanced Holy Magic, his broken hand was healing in no time.
“That was amazing…”
Hearing Arisa’s voice, I turned to see my group running from the spectators’ seats.
“Ms. Liza…”
Once his wounds were healed, Sir Juleburg called out to Liza. He seemed to want to talk to her, so I grabbed Tama and Pochi to stop them from running over to her.
“Ms. Liza, your strength is truly impressive.”
“Thank you for the kind words.”
Liza responded with a calm expression, but her tail was whipping back and forth, revealing her true feelings.
“…The Shiga Eight are both the sword and shield that protect the kingdom,” Sir Juleburg said to Liza suddenly. “Thus, I believe that as long as one possesses true strength, a noble heart, and devotion to their kingdom, anyone ought to be able to join, regardless of race or birthplace.”
He seemed to be inviting Liza to join the Shiga Eight Swordsmen, although it didn’t look like she had quite picked up on that.
“There are currently two vacant positions among the Shiga Eight Swordsmen, and some nobles are using them as tools for their foolish power struggles. But I managed to wrest one of the seats away from them.”
I wished he wouldn’t have glared at me when he talked about the “power struggles” part.
One of the seats probably belonged to the third prince, Sharorik, who we’d met in the old capital, but who did the other seat belong to?
Come to think of it, I did hear talk about Sir Torel’s successor in the airship on the way to the royal capital. The other empty seat, then, must belong to the wyvern knight Torel, who Zena met when she ran into a lesser dragon in Zetts County.
“I wish to offer that seat to you… You will accept, will you not?”
His eyes glittered as he looked at Liza.
Next to me, the rest of our group watched Liza anxiously, except for Nana, who just took her shield out of her Fairy Pack and put it on her arm.
“I’m afraid I must decline.”
Liza shook her head, sounding unenthusiastic.
Some of my group, like Arisa and Pochi, sighed in relief. That was all well and good, but Arisa, using the moment to shove her face into my leg, was a bit much. And I wished Mia wouldn’t imitate her.
“But why? You may be Sir Pendragon’s slave now, but if you become a member of the Shiga Eight Swordsmen, you can be freed by authority of the king and even become an honorary count! Why would you reject such an honor and rank that a demi-human could normally never reach?”
Sir Juleburg wore an expression of disbelief, but Liza stopped him.
“It’s true it is an honor I would never have dared dream of.”
“Then why—”
“However, my loyalty lies not with this kingdom but with my master. I am not qualified to be a part of the Shiga Eight Swordsmen, who serve the Shiga Kingdom first and foremost.”
That seemed like a borderline dangerous proclamation.
What if they took that to mean that we’re a private army with no loyalty to Shiga Kingdom?
“That’s right!” Arisa jumped in hastily. “We’re the Pendragon Seven Braves! We’ll become the new protectors of the world, who rival even the Shiga Eight Swordsmen! Right, master?”
Where’d this “Pendragon Seven Braves” come from? Was it a nod to the Sanada Ten Braves, the famous ninja group from the Warring States period?
She was probably just saying this to smooth over what Liza said, but her smug expression made it distressingly possible that she was completely serious.
“Oh-ho! You’re gonna rival the Shiga Eight, huh?”
“But she defeated Sir Juleburg the Unstoppable. They might be able to do just that.”
“Yeah, it’s the birth of a new protector of the Shiga Kingdom, with light attacks from her spear!”
“Black Spear… No, she defeats evil with the light of her spear. Hellsbane Lightspear Liza!”
“Glory to the Shiga Kingdom and the Pendragon Seven Braves!”
The name Arisa had blurted out was getting passed around by the peanut gallery like an official proclamation.
Maybe it was just excitement from the big match, but the energy in the crowd was strange. They were so enthusiastic that I almost wondered if there were confederates in the audience.
Was it that big of a deal that Liza had defeated Sir Juleburg?
Some of the warriors and visitors in the spectators’ seats had apparently seen Liza use “Spellblade Shot” and decided to give her a new nickname.
I didn’t think Arisa’s declaration was enough to put a stop to further discussion of Liza’s joining the Shiga Eight Swordsmen, but it seemed to have at least helped delay the matter. I would have to talk to someone like Viscount Nina for advice on how to deal with it from here.
Incidentally, it wasn’t until much later that I learned that the “Pendragon Seven Braves” was actually a title from Pochi’s novel in progress.
“It’s my turn next.”
“Wait, Kerun. Let me have a go, too.”
“No, it is I who ought to do battle with Hellsbane Lightspear Liza!”
Kerun, the knight with the white spear who’d been waiting his turn the longest, was arguing with the other knights who now wanted their turn sparring with Liza.
“Master, I wish to battle the elderly warrior who Liza fought, I request.”
Nana pressed toward me with her shield already equipped.
“Tama will fight, tooo…?”
“Pochi wants to fight the strong grandpa, too, sir.”
Tama and Pochi hopped up and down with their hands in the air.
Then a much larger hand landed on each of their heads.
“Sorry, no kids.”
It was Sir Gouen, patting their heads.
“Whyyy…?”
“Pochi can fight, too, sir! I train with Liza allll the time, sir!”
“Hmm, this is a real pickle…”
The heroic Sir Gouen looked perplexed at the young duo.
“Allow me to train with you, then.”
This offer came from a warrior with a stern, fatherly face.
Instead of wearing Holy Knight armor, he was clad in a worn-down Holy Knight’s uniform with only a breastplate and shoulder plates. His boots and gloves were made from monster hides.
“Heim!” Sir Gouen exclaimed the man’s name.
Heim was another member of the Shiga Eight Swordsmen, with the nickname “The Weedy.” At level 53, he was one level above the beastfolk girls.
“You sure?”
“I don’t mind. Before I joined the Eight, I often trained noble children in the countryside.”
“Ho-ho, really? That’s news to me.”
“It matters not.” Ending his conversation with Sir Gouen, Heim approached Tama and Pochi. “What say you?”
Tama and Pochi turned toward me, their hopeful eyes asking for permission. I nodded.
“I’ll do iiit~”
“Pochi, too, sir!”
“All right, then let’s use a corner of the arena.”
Heim walked away with Tama and Pochi in tow.
“I’m a little worried… I’ll keep an eye on them to make sure Heim doesn’t overdo it.”
Lady Helmina followed after the three. A lot of the Shiga Eight Swordsmen seemed to be fond of kids.
If anything, though, I was more worried about Tama and Pochi going overboard.
“Master, permission to do battle with the elderly warrior? I request.”
Now that Tama and Pochi were done stealing the spotlight, Nana resumed her request.
“Sir Juleburg needs rest. But I, Sir Gouen the Strongsword, Fifth of the Shiga Eight Swordsmen, will gladly take you on.”
“You are a worthy opponent, I declare. Permission to do battle, master?”
“W-wait a minute, Number 7!”
“Adin, my name is Nana, I declare.”
“This opponent is too dangerous. He is most certainly stronger than us.”
Nana’s eldest sister, Number 1—Adin—seemed worried about Nana.
“Adin, Nana will be fine.”
“But, master…”
Adin tried to continue protesting, but I hushed her and gave Nana permission.
“All right, I’ll give you the first move. Come at me anytime.”
“Understood, I report.”
Some distance from where Liza was fighting, Nana and Sir Gouen’s battle began.
Nana pretended to use a chant as she used the Foundation techniques “Body Strengthening” and “Flexible Shield.”
“Preparations complete. End of phase, I announce.”
“End of phase? I take it that means you’re counting that as your first move?”
“Correct, I respond.”
“Then here I come!”
Raising his two-handed sword above his head, Sir Gouen charged toward Nana, activating “Blink” along the way. He used that momentum to swing his enormous sword down toward Nana.
The sword crashed into Nana’s raised shield, and the ground beneath her feet cracked like something out of a manga fight scene. Clouds of dust rose from the cracks and hid the fight from view.
Even at level 51, Sir Gouen shouldn’t normally have such powerful attacks.
Judging by his skill setup, he had probably used “Body Strengthening” and some kind of “Muscle Enhancement” or “Strength” skill.
“““Nana!”””
Nana’s sisters cried out in concern.
“Master, is Nana all right? I inquire.”
“Don’t worry, she’s fine,” I reassured the teary-eyed Huit.
A red light flashed in the cloud of dust, and Sir Gouen jumped out, followed closely by Nana.
The flash must have been one of Nana’s attacks.
“You’re not half bad— Hah!”
Sir Gouen slashed his sword diagonally toward Nana.
One of the transparent Shields protecting her broke under Sir Gouen’s attack.
“Whoa!”
Nana countered with a “Shield Bash,” sending Sir Gouen flying as he finished his attack.
Sir Gouen soared through the air like a baseball that’s been hit with a metal bat.
“““Amazing!”””
Nana’s sisters exclaimed in awe at her impressive feat.
“Master!” Huit grabbed my arm and pointed toward Sir Gouen.
He had turned in midair and was coming back.
My guess was that it was some kind of “Double Jump” skill like Liza had, not my “Skyrunning” or Pochi’s “Skywalking” skill.
As he returned, Sir Gouen launched a fierce attack on Nana that was worthy of his nickname “Strongsword.”
But having guarded our party from so many monsters, Nana was able to easily and precisely deflect his attack.
“““Master, what is going on here?”””
“““Master, what is going on here? I inquire.”””
As they watched Nana block and parry all of Sir Gouen’s attacks, Nana’s sisters turned to me in surprise.
“She’s been training in the Celivera Labyrinth.”
The moment they heard my response, the homunculi sisters started insisting that they wanted to train and get stronger in the labyrinth, too.
“No, Tria does not really need to get stronger…”
Number 3, who was more interested in cooking, deferred at first, but changed her tune to “Tria wishes to go to the labyrinth, too” when Arisa whispered to her that “You can find lots of tasty ingredients in the labyrinth.”
“Well, how about after we’ve spent some more time relaxing in the royal capital, then?” I proposed, but this didn’t seem to tempt anyone but Huit, and I reluctantly agreed to talk about it more when we got back to the mansion.
“Master, it looks like Nana’s match is over.”
“Mm, a draw.”
Sir Gouen seemed to have ended the battle himself by saying, “I give up.”
“I can still continue the battle, I declare.”
“Nah, I give up,” Sir Gouen repeated calmly.
“My attacks didn’t work on you. Not just my sword, but even using other moves, trying to catch you by surprise, attacking from a distance—you blocked all of it. You’re a shield user on a par with the Holy Shield Sir Reilus himself.”
“No, she’s better.”
A dry voice cut into their conversation.
This person’s face looked familiar. It was the Holy Shield user of the Shiga Eight Swordsmen himself, Sir Reilus, who’d been chaperoning for the former Second Seat of the Shiga Eight, Prince Sharorik, in the old capital.
“It’s Sir Reilus.”
“He’s here? I thought he was still confining you at home.”
“He didn’t come to quit the Shiga Eight, did he?”
“No way! How would we fight powerful monsters without Sir Reilus?!”
The Holy Knights all started chattering among themselves. They seemed to be pretty attached to him.
“Sir Juleburg sent for me. I imagine he wanted me to see the demi-human girl and the young woman you just fought.”
“So he’s saying that if you keep slacking off, the next generation will surpass you, huh?”
“Typical Sir Juleburg.”
Sir Gouen and Sir Reilus began talking comfortably, so I stepped away to go praise Nana, who was with her sisters.
“Master, I only won by default, I report.” Nana seemed disappointed.
“You blocked all of his attacks,” I reassured her. “That was definitely a victory.”
She had perfectly defended against the attacks of a Shiga Eight Swordsmen member who was a higher level than she was, all without using any hidden equipment or the Fortress function that was a major part of her defense strategy. It was definitely a result to be proud of, in my opinion.
“It’s true. I was the shield user of us sisters, but it seems you have surpassed me, Nana.”
“Adin…”
Come to think of it, when we did battle in the Cradle, Adin (Number 1 back then) did use a shield.
The other sisters all complimented Nana, too.
“What’s the big idea? The captain and old Gouen both lost to little girls?”
“Ah, ‘the Grass Cutter’…”
A muscular woman around thirty years old appeared from the midst of the Holy Knights, who were watching us from some distance away.
She was wearing the kind of revealing outfit you might see in a game, but I was too distracted by her six-pack abs and wild-looking facial features to find it particularly sexy. She had a massive Grim Reaper–like scythe over her shoulders, presumably her main weapon.
Her eyes glinted as they fixed firmly on me.
“A black-haired kid—are you Pendragon, one of our candidates? You’re just some pasty little boy. The girl who was just fighting old Gouen looked way stronger than you.”
Her scythe flashed through the air.
It would have been easy to dodge the attack, but I parried it with my Fairy Sword instead.
Belatedly, I realized that the scythe was still sheathed. I had stopped it because I thought dodging it might risk hurting Nana’s sisters nearby, but maybe it would’ve been fine to just avoid it.
“Huh. Guess you’ve got some guts after all. I’m Ryuona, ‘the Grass Cutter,’ the last seat of the Shiga Eight.” She put away her scythe and yanked me over to her. “I’ll show you our real strength, not some useless old fogey.”
“Who’re you calling an old fogey?”
With a loud whoosh, Sir Gouen’s two-handed sword came swooping toward Lady Ryuona. She dodged the sword as nimbly as a leopardess, smirking coolly at Sir Gouen.
This meant that we had now met all the current Shiga Eight Swordsmen:
The First Seat: Sir Zef Juleburg “the Unstoppable,” a level-56 spear user.
The Third Seat: Sir Reilus Kelten “the Holy Shield,” a level-54 shield user.
The Fifth Seat: Lady Helmina Kirik “the Gun Saint,” a level-49 gun user.
The Sixth Seat: Sir Gouen Roitall “the Strongsword,” a level-51 double-handed sword user.
The Seventh Seat: Sir Heim Karaz “the Weedy,” a level-53 hand-and-a-half sword user.
The Eighth Seat: Ryuona Eseb “the Grass Cutter,” a level-48 scythe user.
So many of them had shown up at once that I was getting overwhelmed.
Still, given their nicknames, like “the Weedy” and “the Grass Cutter,” I was sorely tempted to ask if there weren’t any better alternatives.
“Lady Ryuona! There is no need for you to waste your time on such a child! Allow me to show him his place instead.”
The sudden interloper was none other than the Holy Knight with the yellow spear who had picked a fight with Liza and lost pathetically.
He’d been scolded by Sir Juleburg and taken away from the arena not long ago, yet somehow he’d doggedly come back.
“Jagou, eh…,” Lady Ryuona muttered and looked at me. “He’s an arrogant ass, but he is one of the top five strongest of the Holy Knights. Naturally, if you want to join the Shiga Eight, you’ll need to be strong enough to wipe the floor with someone like him.”
No, I really don’t want to join the Shiga Eight, though.
It would be rude to say that out loud, so I kept the rebuttal to myself.
“I may have fallen to that girl’s horrible Magic Spear, but there won’t be another miracle this time!”
The knight pointed his yellow spear at me.
He seemed to be implying that he’d lost because of a difference in their weapons.
“You’ll do it, right?” Lady Ryuona asked.
“Of course he will! Master wouldn’t lose to a useless hack like this guy!”
“Mm. Insta-kill.”
Arisa and Mia responded for me.
“Well? You heard your little friends here.”
“All right. Could I borrow a practice sword so he can’t try to blame it on our weapons again?”
“The nerve! I bet you just want to say that you lost because of your weapon!”
Ignoring the knight, I traded my Fairy Sword for a dulled practice sword that a squire brought me.
“Let’s go, you brat!”
The yellow-spear knight attacked from outside the range of the sword, a standard strategy; I dodged each of his attacks easily as I slowly made my way closer to him.
“I-impossible! Why isn’t it hitting?!”
I mean, that’s because I’m using the “Foresight: One-on-One Battle” skill to start avoiding your attacks before they happen.
Once I had gotten close enough, I used my sword to knock his spear aside and smacked his undefended torso with the simple, Spellblade-less practice blade.
I held back so I wouldn’t cut straight through him, but it still put a serious dent in his armor, and the knight was sent flying sideways.
“Well, you’re certainly a league above him. Your skills would be wasted on an idiot like Jagou—let me try them out instead.”
Lady Ryuona licked her lips and unsheathed her scythe.
“No, I’ve got the next match.”
I didn’t remember promising any such thing, but Sir Gouen eagerly interrupted Lady Ryuona and came toward me instead.
“I don’t think so, old Gouen.”
“Go get Liza to play with you instead.”
“Liza?” Ryuona tilted her head.
She must not have seen Sir Juleburg’s fight with Liza earlier.
Her gaze turned toward Liza, who was sparring with the Holy Knights.
“Ooh, very nice. She’s just my type.”
Swinging her scythe over her shoulder, Ryuona strolled excitedly over to where Liza was fighting.
“Let’s do this, Satou.”
Once Lady Ryuona was gone, Sir Gouen bared his pearly white teeth at me.
A little ways away, I heard Arisa mutter, “Don’t you mean ‘shall we do it?’” and snicker to herself. I don’t know what she was joking about, but knowing her, it was probably some yaoi-related internet meme.
“Nice moves, Satou!”
I dodged Sir Gouen’s two-handed sword with sharp steps.
Unlike fighting Jagou before, it was difficult to avoid his attacks even with the “Foresight: One-on-One Battle” skill.
He didn’t use techniques like Sir Juleburg’s “Gap Attack,” but he was able to move his huge sword remarkably quickly, feinting as if to make big swings, only to turn those feints into perfectly timed swipes at hard-to-dodge angles.
“You too!”
He was like the ultimate form of an orthodox swordsman with both power and speed.
If someone assumed from his muscular appearance that he was a purely power-oriented fighter, they would probably learn their lesson quickly and painfully.
Whenever his sword came toward me at an angle I couldn’t fully dodge, I used “Spellblade” just for a second to parry with my Fairy Sword.
Otherwise, I kept jumping left and right to avoid the two-handed sword.
It was fun to fight him, just like fighting Hayato the Hero.
It sort of felt like a high-level fighting game, trying to read each other’s moves.
“You’re not gonna win just by dodging!”
The speed of Sir Gouen’s strikes kept increasing as I avoided them.
Once in a while, he deliberately left an opening for me, so I made a modest feint of an attack, pretending to fall for it.
“Hah, nice try!”
I thought he was going to dodge or parry and then counterattack, but he had figured out that I was feinting, and he charged toward me without dodging.
I avoided the two-handed sword as it swung down toward me with a roar, but my “Sense Danger” skill set off alarms in my head as I was about to try an attack of my own.
Just as I bent one knee and ducked, Sir Gouen’s backhand chop swept through the air where my head had been seconds ago.
“You dodged that, too?!”
Sir Gouen gave a manly grin.
The scratch I’d made on his cheek a few moments ago was already fading.
“It’s continuous healing with ‘Light Magic.’ If you try to drag out a battle with a ‘Light Magic’ user, it’s only gonna end poorly for you.”
Looking at my AR display, I saw that it was gradually restoring not only his HP but also his stamina.
“Unlike Sir Juleburg, I don’t give myself any pointless handicaps,” he said with a broad smile.
Sorry. I might be more like Sir Juleburg.
He swung down his sword with a smile still on his face; as I parried the blow, this time he sent a kick flying toward me from my blind spot.
Since I wasn’t in a good position to dodge it, I caught it with my hand instead.
Oof, that’s heavy.
If I tried to completely stop the kick’s momentum, I might break Sir Gouen’s knee. Instead, I flipped myself onto his leg and used the motion to launch myself into the air with my arms.
“Seriously?!” I heard someone exclaim from afar.
As the sword came after me, I spun in midair and blocked it with my Fairy Sword.
There was a high-pitched clang and a shower of sparks as the two Magic Swords met, bathing us in red light.
“Damn!”
“How’d he block that?”
“It’s crazy how Sir Gouen just kept going after him, too!”
There were cheers from the crowd.
“Yeah, that was crazy, but what the hell?”
“I’m sure Sir Heim or Lady Ryuona could do something like that, right?”
“No way, not a chance.”
I heard a few comments besides cheers, too, but I ignored those.
> Title Acquired: “Tumbler”
> Title Acquired: “Acrobat”
I ignored the slander from the title system, too, and focused on fighting.
Landing behind Sir Gouen, I spun around and struck with a sideways sweep of my Fairy Sword.
He seemed to be thinking the same thing, as his sword came from the opposite direction and clashed against my own with another flash of red light.
Just as he pulled back, I twisted around again and used that momentum to slash diagonally from the opposite side, this time with a little more force than before.
My blade stopped with a sharp clang.
Sir Gouen had used the same move as I had to swing his sword from the other side.
The shock waves from our swords colliding shook the ground below us.
We locked swords for a few moments longer, then both jumped back at about the same time.
“‘Blink’—‘Burst Hacker’!”
As soon as he landed, Sir Gouen used “Blink” to close the distance between us again and broke out the special move he’d shown off in the fight against the intermediate demon.
For real?
Don’t use that against a human, dude—especially in a sparring match!
If I blocked it head-on, my Fairy Sword might get damaged. Instead, I applied layers of Spellblade to the blade before parrying.
As soon as our swords touched, there was an even bigger flash of red light, sparking in and out like a strobe effect.
Sir Gouen’s blade scratched off layers of Spellblade as it passed, the flying red sparks grazing my cheek and hair.
I kept my sword from being blown away with my maxed-out muscle strength.
> Skill Acquired: “Spellblade Coating”
Huh, I got some weird skill.
“Whew, you avoided that move, too?” Sir Gouen released his “Spellblade” and stuck his sword into the ground. “I’m out of magic. I give—”
“I give up.” Before he could surrender, I interrupted, pretending to drop my sword. “I hurt my wrist just now. It’s against explorer policy to keep fighting when you’re wounded, so let’s wrap up for now.”
I used my “Fabrication” skill to make a vague excuse.
As a bonus, I even feigned my hand going numb.
“Heh, you’re a funny guy.”
Sir Gouen seemed to have seen right through my act, but he was nice enough to laugh it off without further comment.
Hm?
As I leaned down to pick up my Fairy Sword, I noticed something metal on the ground.
It was a brooch with a strange design of eight swords forming a ring.
“Ahh, that’s my sword-ring badge.”
I placed the brooch in Sir Gouen’s outstretched hand.
It must’ve gotten knocked off his clothes in our battle.
“It’s proof that I’m in the Shiga Eight Swordsmen, received from His Majesty when I first joined. You’ll be wearing one soon enough, too, Satou.”
No, I don’t think so.
I wished he wouldn’t say things like that so confidently, making it seem inevitable.
“You have a guest, Sir Gouen.”
“A guest? I didn’t have any meetings planned today…”
Sir Gouen tapped his chin thoughtfully.
“I’m told it is a messenger from your family. I have them waiting in parlor six.”
“All right. Tell them I’ll be right there.” Sir Gouen turned back toward me. “Sorry, but I’ve gotta go. Let’s get a drink sometime, yeah? I’ll get us a reservation somewhere good.”
“I’ll be looking forward to it,” I responded, assuming it was just lip service.
“And I’ll tell you all about how I met my wife and how adorable my children are.”
Nope. Apparently, he really meant it.
With a jaunty, masculine wave, Sir Gouen walked away, past the crowd of Holy Knights.
“Master…?”
“Mr. Heim is amazing, sir!”
Tama and Pochi came back from their consultation with Sir Heim, looking excited.
He’d taught them how to quickly use “Body Strengthening,” feinting techniques, and other moves.
“Zooom and then kapooow…?”
“And clinkety clank, sir!”
They tried to explain how amazing Sir Heim was, but it was a bit hard to follow.
Clearly, they had really enjoyed it, though.
“Thank you very much. It seems like you taught them a lot.” Since Sir Heim had returned as well, I bowed in thanks and apology. “Sorry to have taken advantage of your offer and left them with you for so long.”
“Not at all. These two are going to grow up strong. See that you take good care of them.”
With that, he waved and walked away.
Wow, what a gentleman.
“I had no idea Sir Heim loved kids so much. I always thought he and Sir Gouen seemed to get along well—maybe that’s the real reason.”
Lady Helmina, who’d been watching the three of them, put her elbow on my shoulder and leaned on me.
“Mrrr, guilty.”
“H-hey, quit hanging all over our master!”
Mia and Arisa pushed between Lady Helmina and me.
“Ah-ha-ha, sorry. Sir Pendragon here just reminds me a lot of my younger brother back home,” she replied lightly. “I wanted to try fighting you guys, too, but my specialization in guns isn’t great for close combat with warriors. And since the point of guns is to shoot from a distance, it’d be tough in this little arena.”
I had to agree, even if I did use dual-wielded guns against the demons in Labyrinth City.
“E-erm, excuse me…”
Lulu, who’d been watching quietly, timidly approached Lady Helmina.
“What is it?”
“Did you say you’re a gun user?”
“That’s right. I’m the number-one shooter in the Shiga Kingdom, Helmina the Gun Saint.”
“That’s amazing!”
Lulu clapped her hands together.
“My dear sister Lulu is amazing, too, though! She’s the gun user of the mithril explorer team Pendragon, you know!”
“A-Arisa, stop!”
Lulu hurriedly interrupted her younger sister’s bragging.
“Wow, that’s unusual. I didn’t think there were any other girls who used such antique weapons.”
“Master taught me how to use them.”
“Hmm, Sir Pendragon did, eh?” Lady Helmina shot me a meaningful glance. “Well, all right, then. It seems like anything goes with this guy, so I won’t make any comments.”
Yes, please do refrain.
“More importantly, I want to see your skills. There’s a shooting range for guns and bows over there. Shall we go?”
Lulu looked toward me for permission; I nodded.
Liza still seemed to be in the midst of her sparring marathon with the Holy Knights, which meant we probably still had some time to kill.
Lady Helmina led us to a 500-meter shooting range, surprisingly large for the middle of a city.
“Want to give it a try?”
“Yes, please!”
Lulu drew a gun from her Fairy Pack.
She hesitated a minute, probably waffling between her Fire Rod Gun or a gun with real ammo, but ended up choosing a sniping-oriented rifle.
It was one of my more recently developed rifles, the kind that produced very small acceleration gates, which used a small amount of gunpowder to produce high-speed and high-powered bullets.
Unfortunately, it fell far short of Lulu’s main weapon, the Acceleration Gun, in terms of firepower; it was a little weaker than her secondary weapon, the Fireburst Gun, too, but faster, with a longer range.
But since it used real bullets, they were affected by gravity, too, making it an additional challenge for long-range shooting.
“I’ll try.”
Lulu fired her first shot with the rifle.
A miss.
She adjusted and fired again.
“…Wuh?”
Lady Helmina’s jaw dropped as she looked at the results.
“I’m sorry, I still missed a little.”
“No, no, you definitely hit it! …I mean, how did you even hit the farthest target standing up? That’s for sniping, isn’t it? Usually, a Magic Gun for long-distance shooting needs to be supported by a Practical Magic or ‘Light Magic’ user before they can even hit that special target!”
“Really?”
Lulu looked taken aback by Lady Helmina’s intense expression.
“Really! And you were able to hit the target after just one measurement shot—truly incredible.” Lady Helmina folded her arms and nodded. “Sir Pendragon! I must have this girl.”
“No way.”
“Come on, pleeease! I want to make her my successor! I’ll take good care of her, I promise.”
Lulu looked at me nervously.
“Not a chance. Lulu is my precious…”
Arisa and Mia stared at me seriously.
Feeling the pressure, I spoke my next words with great care.
“…family member.”
Lulu smiled so brightly I wished I could have snapped a photo, and Arisa and Mia both sighed with relief.
Afterward, Mia also showed off her skills with a short bow, causing Lady Helmina to embrace her and declare, “I’m adopting you!” much to Mia’s displeasure.
“That was more fun than I expected,” Arisa remarked.
“Yes, it made for excellent training.”
Liza nodded in satisfaction.
“Yessiir…”
“Pochi is going to practice what Mr. Heim taught us when we get home, sir.”
“Tama tooo…”
Tama and Pochi looked thoroughly satisfied as well.
“Nana, I wish to discuss training programs with you.”
“Very well, I agree.”
The eldest sister, Adin, was talking to Nana about training.
Seeing how quickly Nana had grown, the rest of her sisters were all eager to train in the labyrinth as well.
If possible, I wanted to have them undergo basic training with the elf teachers in Bolenan Forest before they trained in the labyrinth, like Nana and the other girls had.
Once we got home, I was thinking of using the Space Magic spell Telephone to contact the high elf of Bolenan Forest, my beloved Lady Aaze, to get permission.
“Liza and Nana really brought home the wins today,” said Arisa. “Let’s celebrate with a feast!”
“Tria wishes to cook sakura salmon.”
“Good idea. Let’s make a big variety of sakura salmon dishes for dinner tonight.”
The third sister, Tria, began discussing cooking with Lulu.
“Good idea. I’ll pitch in a few…”
“What’s wrong, master?”
Arisa looked at me in concern when I suddenly trailed off.
“Oh, isn’t that muscly guy one of the Shiga Eight?”
“Yeah. I’ll be right back—I want to check on him.”
The normally showy Sir Gouen was standing off to the side with a serious expression.
I didn’t want to stick my nose where it didn’t belong, but I was a little concerned, so I called out to him. “Is something the matter?”
“…Ah, Satou.” Apparently failing to notice my approach, Sir Gouen turned in surprise, then relaxed when he saw it was me. “No, it’s nothing. Just racked up too big a tab at the bar. I was trying to think of an excuse to ask the captain for an advance.”
“That sounds tough.”
Sir Gouen’s explanation seemed forced.
I wondered if his wife or family had asked him to mediate with Duke Vistall after his son’s rebellion, or something like that.
“But I’m sure Sir Juleburg would hear you out.”
I think it’s best to talk things out with a trusted superior at times like these.
“And if he won’t, I’d be happy to do whatever I can to help, even if it’s not much. Please feel free to call on me anytime.”
This didn’t seem like any of my business as an outsider, but it was probably fine to offer to hear out his complaints at the bar.
“I’d be happy to treat you to a few drinks,” I added half-jokingly.
“Heh, much appreciated. Make sure you invite me along next time you go out drinking.”
With that, Sir Gouen walked away, wearing a forced smile.
“Master…?”
Liza looked worried, as did the rest of the kids.
“I think I was worried about nothing. There’s still plenty of time before dinner. Why don’t we stop by some food stalls on the way home?”
“Meeeat…?”
“Pochi wants a meat-filled Mr. Galette, sir!”
I smiled at my group as they gave their usual responses, and we left the Holy Knights’ headquarters behind.
Sir Gouen’s face was still at the back of my mind.
The reason I had meddled in his business earlier was because his expression had struck me as that of someone with some kind of grim determination, like, “I just killed someone” or “I’m about to go kill someone.”
It didn’t seem like he could talk to outsiders about it, which is why I tactfully suggested that he should consult with Sir Juleburg instead.
Sir Juleburg seemed to have a lot of connections and enough negotiating power to wrest free one of the Shiga Eight Swordsmen’s seat appointments from the squabbling nobles. Surely he would help Sir Gouen solve whatever was troubling him.
Sir Gouen was wearing a forced smile right to the end, but he had at least lost his initial dark aura by the end of our conversation, so hopefully he wasn’t going to do anything crazy in the immediate future.
I certainly hoped not, especially for the sake of his wife and children.
No Comments Yet
Post a new comment
Register or Login