Chapter 31: Seams And Unity II

The Gladvain dormitory was seemingly hidden near the main gate of the Kingdom of Lemuria.

They had set up here probably because they wanted to be able to be the first to intercept the enemies, or rather, to spearhead the battle when the country was attacked.

The dormitory was a two-story residence that looked like it was surrounding the training ground in the center.

The training ground was covered with soil in order to prevent injury. In addition, there was a wide array of battle-gear necessary for this world’s combat training. The fact that the gear were well-organized and well-maintained was probably proof that all of Gladvain's kin had a sincere spirit towards martial arts.

The smell of blood and sweat was strong.

Somehow, it reminded me of the kendo training hall.

In the center of the training ground, Shuna and Irvin were facing each other. The spectators were comprised of 20 of Gladvain’s kin and me.

Why did things turn out this way?

「In Gladvain’s name, we’ll now hold a duel between these two people; Shuna, the Dragonshell Slasher, and Irvin, the Dragon Scale. The reason for this duel is because Irvin has sullied our pride. Both sides, don’t fight in a manner that will bring shame to the god that you’re contracted with. No killing, bet your pride, not your lives. Furthermore, the winner will be decided when one of you admits defeat or loses consciousness. There are no objections, I assume?」

The older beastkin declared.

All of the protests that I had made along the way here had been ignored.

The biggest problem was,

「I want to check one thing. I’m someone who failed Gladvain’s trial in the past. What happens when someone like myself wins against one of Gladvain’s kin?」

Irvin was clearly motivated.

The beastkin stroked his long beard.

「Well, I'm not doubting my god’s insight, but if you win, it would mean that you’re the real deal. I’ll see to it that you’re welcomed as a new kin」

「That's good to hear」

Irvin smiled fearlessly.

Shuna, who had been silent, spoke in a grouchy voice.

「You think that you can beat me?」

「I could ask the same of you」

Irvin held up a wooden sword and a wooden shield. Shuna, who had looked like he wasn't keen on it, had a change of heart and held up a long wooden sword as well.

「Well then, begin!」

The two of them clashed together.

You guys don’t intend to listen to warnings and the like from your new leader, huh?

「Come on, you guys! Place your bets!」

A beastkin took charge and put up odds for betting on the outcome of their duel.

Somehow or other, I was getting irritated.

「You guys! Bet on that knight-sama as well! There’s no point if everyone bets on Shuna, isn’t it? Hey, what about you? Who are you betting on?」

I ignored the annoying beastkin and observed Shuna and Irvin closely.

Shuna was superior in offense, and Irvin was better in defense.

However, on top of the fact that Shuna wasn’t used to this sword, the wooden sword was light.

His sword techniques were of an unconventional type that attacked by swinging a heavy weapon with his full weight behind each blow from a low stance, which made it difficult to react to. Given that, it was as if one of his wings had been ripped off. Moreover, killing the opponent on the first attempt was an essential component of unconventional sword techniques. If his techniques were read, their power would be further cut in half.

Irvin's sword techniques were an orthodox anti-personnel type. To put it simply, it consisted of blocking with the shield and attacking with the sword. However, it also used the shield to slash at or knock the opponent down. Because it was an orthodox type, depending on the user’s application of its techniques, it could transform itself as much as the situation warranted.

It might be inferior when dealing with non-human opponents, but if the opponent was human, it exhibited an unwavering strength.

I didn’t take part in the betting, but by my estimation, it was 7 to 3 in Irvin’s favor.

Shuna’s sword blows were all blocked by the shield.

Behind the shield, Irvin stood as firm as a rock.

In my opinion, the decisive difference between the two of them lay in their physique. Irvin was 182 cm, while Shuna was 166 cm. It wasn't just their height. It was their weight, build, and muscle mass as well. If they clashed head-on with each other, the result was obvious.

However, if Shuna wasn’t capable of overturning something of that level, he wouldn’t have been able to face off against the giant or Midoranga in the first place.

After a dozen or so waves of attacks, Shuna changed his stance.

He held the pommel of the sword with his right hand, and his left hand was only supporting the hilt. After a big jump backwards, he darted forward as if pulled towards Irvin and thrust the sword forward.

Irvin dodged that blow.

He did that because he had judged that Shuna’s thrust would pierce through the likes of a fragile wooden board.

That was a bad move.

Shuna let go of the wooden sword and clung on to the shield. After that, he stepped on Irvin's knee and then, using his shoulder as a stepping stone, he jumped. He made one beautiful revolution in mid-air, showing astounding suppleness and jumping ability. His kick, which had centrifugal force added on top of it, smashed the shield to pieces and blew Irvin away.

「Woah!」

Cheers erupted from the surroundings. I was also surprised. I hadn’t known that he was even capable of such acrobat-like stunts.

In any case, Irvin had taken a kick and had been blown away, but he was practically unharmed. He had broken his fall effortlessly and was dusting off the footprint on the chest of his armor.

「Hmpt」

I didn’t know what Irvin was thinking, but he threw his wooden sword away. He undid the buckles and took off his armor as well.

「Huh?」

Shuna was also taken aback.

「With this, we're equal, right?」

Irvin, who had become lightly equipped after taking off his armor, cracked his knuckles.

「Bring it on, you turd!」

Shuna took the bait and incredibly naively, he went at Irvin head-on.

「Oh, that idiot」

As the beastkin had expected, the straight that Irvin threw caught Shuna right in the face. Shuna had thrown a punch as well, but their reach was different.

There was no way that it would end with one punch, so a fist-fight ensued.

As fists met flesh, blood splattered, and bones crackled, the regeneration points of the two of them decreased steadily.

Shuna dived into Irvin’s chest while dodging his punches, and thrust his fist into Irvin's side.

「Urghh」

Irvin gained some separation from Shuna with a kick, and made full use of the difference in their build and reach to maintain his advantage.

The cheers from Gladvain’s kin were getting louder, perhaps because they were excited by the back and forth fight between the two of them.

「Shuna, don't stop! Keep moving!」

「Hey! Knight! The leg! Sweep the leg!」

「The eyes! Aim for the eyes!」

「Gouge his guts out!」

「Finish it with a submission!」

「Don’t throw such soft punches—!」

I had reached the limit of my patience.

Kicking up Shuna’s wooden sword, which had rolled near me, I nocked it to my bow.

「Hey, what are you——」

The beastkin had noticed, but I didn’t give a damn.

「IRVIN!」

I shouted his name and released the wooden sword. I scored a direct hit on his temple, which I had targeted. He crumbled to his knees and lost consciousness.

「Hey, Souya——」

Shuna started to pick a bone with me as I walked up to him. Without letting him finish, I grabbed his shoulder and kicked his feet out from under him.

「Wha——」

I followed him to the ground, put my knee on his neck and pressed down with all my weight.

「？！ ？！」

He frantically tapped my leg in surrender, but I ignored him. Before long, his hand flopped to the ground.

After confirming that both of them had been incapacitated,

「You cur!」

Now, how do I outdo this enraged beastkin?

「How dare you interfere in a sacred duel? You better be prepared to pay with one of your arms!」

The beastkin drew his sword. It was a bastard sword with a wide blade.

The opponent is of a higher rank. If my insight is right, he has more power than Irvin, and is Shuna’s equal in terms of technique. How should I fight an opponent like that?

But before that, there’s something I wanted to say to these guys.

「I don’t give a rat’s ass, you bunch of idiots! We have an adventure starting tomorrow! Our schedule is tightly packed! Don't disrupt it! If you want to see blood so badly, go have a fist-fight with a pig or something!!」

「You’ve got a mouth on you huh? Next, let’s see if you have the skills to back it up」

The beastkin approached me.

I nocked a normal arrow to my bow.

I guess I’ll just give it everything I’ve got.

I released a no-look shot at the beastkin. He caught it with his free hand and threw it away casually.

Fixing my gaze on his forehead, I released several arrows rapidly. He saw through my feint. The arrows were stuck into a wall.

Well then,

I nocked two arrows to my bow. I released them so that they would sandwich the beastkin between them.

The beastkin walked forward without a care. The arrows missed by a hair.

His ability to make snap decisions was superb, but——

「Hmm?」

The arrows had cut the belt on his pants.

The weight of the metal sheath pulled his pants down. With his pants at his knees, his legs got tangled up, making it difficult for him to walk.

Out of regard for the other kin, the beastkin immediately bent down to pull up his pants, allowing me to draw close to him.

I drove a knee with all my might into his face.

I could feel the sensation of his nose caving in. His face was dramatically covered with blood, and he panicked slightly as he choked, perhaps because the blood from his nose had gone down his windpipe. As might be expected from a kin of Gladvain, he didn’t let go of his sword despite all that.

I calmly circled around to his back and took out a garrote. This garrote was a simple tool in which hemp cord was attached to and wound around sticks that made it easy to grip. It was meant for strangling people.

I wrapped the cord around the beastkin’s neck and pulled the grips over my shoulder.

My trifling arm strength and his own weight caused the cord to tighten around his neck instantly. I had gotten caught up in fights several times since I came to this world, and as a result of those defeats, I had settled on such measures.

No matter how sturdy a person was, I could defeat them by jarring their brains or strangling them out.

I made sure that his sword was stuck in the soil. He lost consciousness in about 6 seconds.

The beastkin toppled to the ground when I removed the garrote. He was foaming at the mouth. Well, something of that level probably wasn’t a big deal for the people of this world.

「………………」

Without a word, another beastkin stood before me.

It was a reptilian beastkin with thin vertical pupils and scales on her cheeks and neck. The beastkin’s tail, which was thicker than her legs, was swinging side to side. Appearances were deceiving, but she looked about 12 to 13 years old. She was petite, had an androgynous look and a head of fiery red hair.

「Are you next?」

「………………」

Say something. You’re making it difficult for me.

Everyone else other than this child was also directing their killing intent at me.

There’s no point in regretting what I had done. I suppose I’ll have to defeat them one by one. Besides, it seems like these guys won’t come at an opponent like me with numbers because of their pride.

「Ah—, stop, stop, you guys」

Said someone.

A furry hand was placed on my head.

「Even if you defeat a frail guy like him, no one will think that you’re the least bit valorous. If anything, this guy is the kind of opponent where you lose just by fighting him」

「Oh, Barfuru-sama」

There stood a huge werewolf.

According to my world’s perception, this man was, in a sense, a true beastkin, and the other beastkin were like half-beastkin.

A Lycan, he had protected this right continent to the end from the hands of the vampires. The last of the Endguard. The original owner of my bow.

「Hey, Souya. I came here to try to extort Gladvain because I'm hungry, but what's the fuss about?」

「Uhh, it's a hassle to explain, so is it okay if I don’t? As we’re running away, please buy some time for us. I'll treat you drinks later」

「Yeah, sure」

He generously accepted. The beastkin that I had strangled unconscious woke up just then.

I threw Irvin and Shuna over my shoulders and lifted them up. Heavy. They were fricking heavy.

As I was about to hurry off and escape,

「What’s all this fuss about?」

A woman’s voice that carried well rang out.

Her wavy long blonde hair was eye-catching. She was robust woman with healthy tanned skin and the beauty of a well-forged muscular body. She had a well-endowed bust and was wearing a high-leg dress.

She was Gladvain, a present-day god who had attained godhood from what transpired in that anecdote of her dragon-killing.

「Barfuru-dono, did you cause this?」

「No, I just got here」

「Someone explain what’s going on」

The kin were in a stir.

While shaking his head, the beastkin that I had choked out approached Gladvain.

「I, I’m very sorry, my god. I was trying to remove the person who had interfered in a duel, but………」

「Gainz, did you lose?」

「No, I simply let my guard down, by no means————」

Did he lose in terms of real strength, was probably what he was going to say.

Gladvain’s fist was raised towards the heavens.

The beastkin was flying through the sky.

My eyes weren’t able to catch sight of anything but those two things.

「A person will face defeat no matter how strong he or she is. However, is that person a weakling because he or she had lost? No, a strong person is one who uses defeat as fuel to obtain even greater strength. Weaklings are those people who cannot recognize their own weaknesses」

Gainz-san landed with a painful-sounding squish after finishing his journey through the air.

「Gainz, I’ll ask you again. Are you a weakling? Or are you a strong person who is my kin?」

「I………………I’m, I'm very, sorry, my god」

With his regeneration point depleted, Gainz-san’s face had become a huge mess.

Nevertheless, he stayed firmly conscious and apologized to Gladvain.

「It doesn’t make sense for you to apologize to me, right?」

「The glasses, over there, your skills, were sup, erb………………」

Ah, he’s out.

He didn’t just die, did he?

「Well, foreigner, if I remember correctly, you were with Evetta the last time we met, am I right?」

「You remembered」

Gladvain-sama came up to me.

From her casual, ordinary movements, I felt a tremendous pressure. Her strength was in a completely different league.

「My kin has been rude to you. Forgive us」

「No, I don't mind. Well then, I’m in a hurry, so——」

I want to escape quickly.

「However, the fact remains that you sullied a duel. You’ll have to pay a suitable price for what you did」

「Huh?」

You’re kidding me, right?

If I had overlooked their actions, do you know how much of a negative effect it would have on our adventuring?

「We have our pride. It may be foolish and meaningless in the eyes of others. However, even if it’s naive, there are those who have followed it and passed it down in an unbroken line. Some have even died betting their lives on it. It's a rule to be respected. An outsider who has appeared out of nowhere recently has no right to change it. Foreigner, this is our tradition」

「………………」

Tradition, huh? It's hard for a Japanese to argue back when you say that.

In the eyes of foreign countries, my country is a mass of absurdities. However, even meaningless and ineffectual things can become strength if they are transformed into an idealized form. I couldn’t disregard what she had said as that was something I knew very well.

「For the time being, please tell me what you want from me」

For some reason, I was hiding behind Barfuru-sama.

In case of an emergency, I’ll guard using the Endguard that’s meant for emergencies.

「This would normally be the time when I say that you’ll have to pay in blood. But your skill in defeating Gainz is marvelous, even if you had used tricks to do so. It could be said that you’ve proved your strength. Hmm, let’s see………why don’t we meet in the middle and let a meal be your punishment?」

「Huhh?」

What? A meal as punishment?

「Foreigner, I’ve heard from Medimu that you have confidence in your cooking skills. And it seems that a very delicious offering is sent to King Lemuria every morning. Use those skills to make a lunch that will satisfy us」

「I, see」

If that's all she wanted, then I could manage somehow.

I might be repeating myself, but I'm an adventurer and not a chef though.

「Also——」

「?」

Gladvain-sama continued.

「I’ve heard that you’re married to the Heures princess. She’s invited. Bring her along」

「A hostage, is it? In that case, use Barfuru-sama——」

「Hey」

Besides, if worst comes to worst, this person seems like he won’t die even if you killed him.

「Don't underestimate me. If I wanted to go after you, I'll pull you out even if you’re at the bottom of the sea. I simply want to see her face with my own eyes. I’ve heard that she is here in the city, but as fate would have it, I’ve yet to meet her」

Why do you want to see Rana? Was probably a question that I shouldn’t ask at the moment.

In truth, I had an idea of the reason.

「Very well. Then I’ll make the preparations, so please wait for a while」

「I'm hungry, so be quick」

I took no notice of Barfuru-sama.

I bowed and then left the Gladvain dormitory behind me.

First, there’s a place that I want to bring these two idiots to.

Totally random but just in case you were wondering why I’m using an uncommon descriptor like “older” for the beastkin instead of “elderly” or “middle-aged”, it’s because age descriptors in Japanese can be super vague and the one used here means middle-aged and above. Yes, he could literally be of any age past 30, so I had to go with a vague descriptor as well. And Guan Yu of the Three Kingdoms was said in historical texts to have an 18 inch beard when Liu Bei met him for the first time, so it doesn’t mean that the beastkin is really old just because he has a long beard…

Another random one, but the literal translation of the phrase meaning “taken aback” in Japanese is “take one in the face”. I mean, you’ll be taken aback if something hits you in the face, won’t you? And yes, I brought it up because I found it funny that after taking one in the face figuratively, Shuna proceeded to take one in the face literally. Wait, isn’t this just a joke that got lost in translation…drat.

And yes, you can probably tell, but I have no idea whether that reptilian beastkin is male or female… Come on, use gendered pronouns! Sorry for the rant… (Edit: the gender has been revealed! So edits have been done lol)

Our dear MC is showing growth! Well, if I got my ass handed to me in front of someone I liked, I’d think of methods to not let it happen again too. And though it wasn’t a direct sort of strength, he’s at the very least not a pushover anymore. On that note, I’ll quickly mention that this is the second time that the author had hinted at the fact that Souya had trained in Kendo in the past. Why did I highlight that? No reason……

Why does Gladvain want to meet Rana of all people? Just like Souya, you can actually figure it out already, though there’ll still be a small yet-unrevealed surprise factor to the reason. And more importantly, where is Souya bringing Irvin and Shuna?