Today, the Second Time
The next time I woke up, it was already well past noon. Feeling a little groggy, I headed downstairs, only to find that Lily and the others were already up and gathered around the table.
"Good morning, everyone... Is Flute off today?"
I greeted them, but no reply came back. Puzzled, I tapped the shoulder of Millie, who was nearest to me.
"Nyaah!... Owwww!"
She let out a scream, clutching her head. When I looked at the other three,
"My head is pounding..."
"I feel awful..."
"It hurts... It's so rough..."
"We drank too much... Ahh~ Tenma, good morn~ing... blegh"
...All four of them were hungover spectacularly. I pulled four bottles of my special status recovery medicine from my bag to serve as hangover cures, and had each of them drink one.
After they took the recovery medicine and I cast a recovery spell, their symptoms seemed to improve considerably.
"Old man, another serving!"
"I want another serving too!"
"Make mine a big portion!"
No, let me correct that. They were completely cured, and were now eating the old man's special sick-day (hangover) porridge.
"...I'll just have the soup."
Flute still didn't have much of an appetite, it seemed, and was only drinking soup.
"So, Flute. Is today's work off, then?"
"Yes, I took the day off just in case. ...Right about now, the Guild Master is probably working in my place."
She had apparently dumped the job on the Guild Master, reasoning that it wouldn't make much difference at this point.
"I see... Ah, I'll be heading out soon."
The moment those words left my mouth,
"Tenma, you're already leaving?!"
All three of them—cheeks still full of porridge—reacted with startling intensity.
"No, no. I just wanted to go around and say goodbye to some people who've helped me out."
Once I explained the situation, they said "Got it, have a good one," and went right back to their porridge.
Once outside, I headed first for the Knights' Order headquarters. When I gave Primera's name at the reception desk, they told me she was currently on patrol around the city, so I relayed my message and said I'd come back later before moving on.
Next, I made my way to the Gunjou City Council building and asked the front desk to call Mr. Marx for me.
Marx happened to be free and arrived right away. The moment he saw me, he bowed his head.
"Thank you for everything you did for Serna back then. Now then, what brings you here today?"
"Yes, actually, I'll be leaving this city before long, so I wanted to stop by and say my goodbyes."
Upon hearing that, Marx's expression turned surprised, and he lowered his voice.
"Is this because of yesterday's duel, after all?"
He asked, but—
"That's part of it, but I was originally traveling before I came here, and I've decided to use this as an opportunity to set out on the road again."
"I see... Actually, I have a house nearby, and Serna is there right now. If you wouldn't mind waiting a moment, I'll go get her."
Once I agreed, Marx hurried out of the reception room at a quick pace.
He returned in about ten minutes, but Marx was so out of breath he could barely speak. Serna, on the other hand, had been winded when she first arrived but had caught her breath within a minute or two.
"It's been a while, Serna. How are you feeling?"
Serna had been captured by bandits not long ago and her stamina should have been quite depleted, but to all appearances she looked perfectly fine.
"Yes, Tenma. You helped me so much back then. The recovery medicine you gave me worked wonderfully — I'm actually feeling better than before."
She smiled brightly. Then her expression suddenly turned serious.
"Tenma, could you please take me with you on your journey? I want to repay you somehow!"
Hearing those words, I—
"No. I can't take you along."
I refused flatly. Marx looked quite surprised at Serna's words, but showed a visible sense of relief at mine.
"May I ask why? Could you tell me the reason?"
"Because you'd be a burden. And I can't very well take someone without firm resolve on a journey where their life could be in danger."
Then, looking at both Serna and Marx—
"If anything happened to Serna, I'm not prepared to take responsibility for it."
At my words, Serna said—
"...I've been rejected, have I? That's a shame."
She didn't sound all that disappointed, but I knew I'd come across as harsh, and I did feel sorry about it.
"So, Tenma, where are you planning to head next?"
Marx stepped into the conversation… Honestly, I'd forgotten he was even there.
"I'm thinking of making for some dungeon. What happens along the way, I can't say."
"I see. It is quite a distance to any dungeon, after all."
"But Tenma, couldn't you just fly there? Wouldn't that be faster?"
Serna's point was perfectly valid. But,
"Come on, Serna. Where's the fun in that? There's no romance to it at all!"
I was about to nod in agreement. Marcus did have a point, but,
"Marcus. I understand what you're trying to say, but that's not the reason."
I gently dismissed Marcus's words, then turned to Serna.
"Serna, this journey is something like training for me. So, I plan to travel by carriage in order to gain as many different experiences as I can."
As a man, I could sympathize with Marcus's opinion, but the latter reason carried more weight as a purpose for the journey. Well, you could also say there was a bit of personal enjoyment mixed in.
"Oh, is that so... I assumed the only objective was reaching the dungeon."
"Well, it's partly that, but I've also been going around saying goodbye to the people I've come to know along the way."
After that, the conversation drifted into lighthearted topics. It only lasted about an hour because of Marcus's work, but it was an enjoyable time.
During that conversation, I also asked Serna about the other women. It seemed all of them were on the road to recovery... but while their physical injuries and stamina were improving, the wounds in their hearts had not yet fully healed. Apparently, some of them would break down in tears or fall into panic when they saw a man or when someone approached them.
Serna said that the only thing to do was wait for time to heal those wounds.
After that, I decided to visit the Knights' Headquarters once more, and parted ways with Serna and the others in front of the council building.
Serna seemed intent on watching me leave until I was out of sight, and every time I glanced back our eyes met, which left me feeling somewhat self-conscious.
When I arrived at the headquarters, the receptionist was the same person as before. She said word had already been passed along to Primera, and she led me straight to her.
"Hello, Tenma. I heard from the receptionist that you've decided on a departure date?"
As soon as I was shown into the room, Primera asked me that.
"Yes, I'm thinking of setting out in about two to three days, so I came by to say my goodbyes."
"Oh, I see. That's quite a quick decision."
Primera had been present at yesterday's meeting with the duke, so she wasn't surprised that I was leaving the city. However, she likely hadn't expected me to leave in just two or three days — she seemed taken aback by how soon it was.
"Is His Grace not here?"
"Oh, Father already left yesterday. Apparently, he wants Legil transferred to the Royal Capital as soon as possible."
Quite the carefree duke. He usually seems spacey enough, but when it counts, he really moves fast.
"I see. Then, if you get the chance, please pass along my regards to His Grace."
"Of course. I'll make sure to."
After that, we were making idle conversation, when—
"Primera, sorry to interrupt!"
So saying, the Knight Order's Commander-in-Chief and three Captains walked in.
"Is something the matter, Commander? And you as well, everyone."
At those words, Commander Alan—
"It's not some big deal or anything — Tenma's leaving the city, so we came to say goodbye!"
"That's right, Primera. He made a huge contribution to keeping the peace around this city. I'd say it's only natural to come see him off."
As Santos said that, Aida chimed in next—
"If anything, I'd say the real problem is that you didn't bother letting us know about this."
With that, Aida fixed Primera with a sharp glare.
"Now, now, calm down. You already knew Primera was out of the loop."
Simon, too, had seemed about to back Primera up, but in reality—
a verbal jab—
was what he was delivering.
"Ah! I'm so sorry! I completely forgot!"
That was probably proof that Primera was saying unnecessary things. The men were laughing, but Aida had started fiddling with her weapon and armor equipment.
"Ah, we got sidetracked. So anyway, we came here to see Tenma's face."
Alan steered the conversation back, perhaps to cut into Aida's spirits.
"I'm terribly sorry about this. Normally, we should be the ones coming to visit..."
"You don't need to be so formal. This isn't like the Royal Capital's knight order — it's not such a refined place. Besides, we came here because we have a request for Tenma."
Alan cut off my words and launched into whatever this request was.
Alan's request was, in short, about a sparring match. However, it was a somewhat unconventional format — five team leaders against me one at a time.
The sparring was to take place at the training ground.
But, judging by the results, it was a complete victory on my end. After all, all five of them wielded swords, their coordination was clumsy, and they didn't seem to be fighting seriously to win.
"Next, I'd like to request a one-on-one match format."
With that, Alan began deciding the order for the five of them.
First up was Aida. From the look of her, she seemed to be a speed-focused swordfighter type with a lot of moves.
"Well then, nice to meet you."
Taking those words as the signal, Aida charged straight at me with slender swords in both hands. As a feint, I thrust out my sword (a replica), and she deflected it while trying to get behind me — but my kick connected with her torso, knocking her back in front of me.
Aida hastily crossed her swords into a defensive stance, but —
"Too slow!"
My single swing cut upward from below against Aida's right sword, sending her blade flying into the air.
The impact seemed to numb Aida's hand, and she couldn't withstand my follow-up strike with just one sword, so she lost.
"Alright! My turn!"
The second fighter, Santos, was swinging around a massive sword like a claymore with one hand.
His attack style was the close-and-slash type — threatening if it connected, but nothing to write home about if it didn't.
Thinking I'd swoop in close, I found that Santos's previously empty left hand had somehow acquired a machete-like sword without me even noticing.
The claymore was probably a decoy, and this sword was the real weapon. But I didn't let that slow me down and pressed in even further.
"Hmph!"
While pinning Santos's left hand down, I drove my left palm into his gut with an explosive burst of force (or something like it).
"Guh!"
With that groan, Santos dropped to one knee and surrendered.
The third fighter, Simon, was — how should I put it — a bad matchup for me. His fighting style centered on fencing-like thrusts, overwhelming opponents with sheer volume of attacks, and he could also deftly adapt his weapon and style to match his opponent.
Against me, though, his thrusts were easily read and his attacks too light — the classic jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none. I beat him with straightforward offense without breaking a sweat.
The fourth opponent was Alan.
"You're strong after all... even the Royal Capital didn't have anyone this skilled. Who was your master?"
"My father and grandfather — Merlin and my past life included. Though at this point, it's more of a self-taught style."
I didn't have the luxury of using polite speech. Alan was clearly the strongest person I'd faced so far.
"Here I go!"
The instant I steeled myself, Alan's presence vanished. To be precise, he was suppressing his presence as much as possible to make his attacks harder to sense.
I took the initiative and launched a thrust, but he deflected it with absurd ease.
As if in retaliation, Alan's razor-sharp thrust came at me. After that, we exchanged a flurry of strikes, but neither of us could land a decisive blow.
To reset, Alan leaped backward. Seizing the moment, I charged in with everything I had and unleashed a thrust. Alan tried to dodge by shifting his body, but —
"Too slow!"
I swung my blade in a horizontal arc toward where Alan was dodging — a flat thrust. Even Alan was caught off guard by this, though he blocked it without difficulty. However, that moment of surprise had created an opening, and —
"That's my win, right?"
A blade from a counter-slash was pressed against my neck.
"Well fought."
He muttered that and shook my hand; the squad captains welcomed it with applause, but —
"Um... I'm not finished yet, you know..."
Primera raised her hand quietly and murmured.
"Oh, we forgot!"
At their words, Primera slumped in dejection, hugging her knees — but —
She managed to compose herself and go through with the match, and to my surprise, she turned out to be quite capable.
Still, her fundamentals were solid but her adaptability was lacking — throw in even a slight feint and she'd fall for it almost comically.
"Stop toying with me!"
She screamed that over and over during the match, but I'd say the blame falls on the one who keeps falling for it.
She lost handily in the end, but once she got used to the feints, she put up a pretty decent fight.
"Tenma. Sorry to spring this on you right after, but could you train the others too? No need to hold back, of course."
Saying that, Alan brought over several top members from each squad.
"Since one at a time would be a pain, would it be all right if I took them all at once?"
"I don't mind. Just between us, it's embarrassing for all the squad captains to lose to a fifteen-year-old kid. So I'd like to subject the lower ranks to the same fate and at least create a few accomplices."
He whispered that rather underhanded thought into my ear.
"Then wouldn't it have been better not to do this in the first place?"
When I asked that,
"I had such a good chance to fight someone outside the knight order for real, and you're telling me you're giving up already? What a waste!"
He declared with his chest puffed out.
"I mean, I understand, but... don't blame me if I crush your confidence."
Saying that, I turned back to the knights.
"All of you, come at me at once!"
I provoked them. The result was... my victory in about ten minutes. Twenty knights in total, five from each squad — at first they closed in on me in a tight circle, but the five from the Fourth Squad charged in recklessly, destroying their coordination. One by one, they were defeated.
When every last one was on the ground and I returned to where the squad leaders were, they all wore grim expressions — but Primera in particular looked the most uncomfortable.
"We're going to need a fundamental overhaul of our training... especially the Fourth Squad."
When Alan muttered that,
"...Yes, I'm terribly sorry..."
Primera replied in a voice so faint it could have disappeared at any moment. Starting the next day, an intensive training program for the Fourth Squad — including Primera — under Alan's supervision was set to begin.
Years from now, the Fourth Squad, once called the worst of the bunch, might come to be known as the finest elite unit in the Gunjou City knight order... I could only hope.
As if she had sensed my ridiculous train of thought, Primera was watching me with resentful eyes.
"Well then, I'll take my leave now."
I slipped away from Primera's gaze and departed from the knight order.
After that, I stopped by the guild, but the guild master was absent as usual, so I decided to head back to the inn.
In the dining hall of Mantokutei, Flute was still there, rushing about in a fluster.
"Welcome back... What's the matter, Flute? Why are you in such a hurry?"
"Oh, Tenma. Actually, Lily and the others are..."
At those words, I hurried to the room where Lily and the others were, and —
"Ugh, I feel so sick~"
"Bleh, I'm gonna throw up..."
"It's all gonna come out~"
The three of them were lying on their sides with their bellies puffed out.
"...What on earth is this?"
When I pointed at the three of them and asked Flute,
"The result of stress eating. To blow off steam about not being able to keep up with Tenma, they kept eating and drinking from the moment you left until just a while ago..."
I worried for nothing. Seriously, how many hours had these three been eating?
"Aaah, Tenma. Sa~ve~ us~pleaaase~"
"I feel soooo sick~"
"Give us medicineee~"
"Go to the bathroom and puke it out! That's the best medicine there is!"
At those words, slowly... truly slowly, like turtles (though I feel like turtles might actually be faster), the three of them headed for the toilet.
I wanted to think no more about what happened after that, but just then—in the dining hall bustling with the dinner crowd—the sounds that the three produced rang out, sounds that absolutely did not need to be heard. Apparently, some fraction of the customers who were there at the time left without even placing an order.
The three girls had job-changed from heroines to barfines... possibly.
Sorry for being gross.
The next chapter is planned to end Volume 2.