Chapter 99 – Swordsmanship

He said that there is an arena in the capital. Well, it wasn’t a trivial place where opinions clashed and fought in the corner of the room. Of course, it wasn’t a place where slaves were brought in and forced to fight barefoot with lions.

It was a place where professionally trained gladiators competed, weapons were regulated according to the rules, and it was a strict place where you would permanently lose your gladiator qualifications if you killed an opponent who surrendered. Of course, there were only those who voluntarily participated in the sword fight.

However, there were no professional gladiators in the arena’s waiting room today.

The smell of the strong disinfectant that wiped the floor, the faint smell of blood that still lingers, even the smell of iron from numerous weapons originally placed here… It’s been a while since all of them. How many years has it been since you graduated from that facility? I graduated when I was in elementary school, so time passed quickly.

‘It was a problem because it was fucking fast…’

These fucking smells reminded me of an old friend and made me feel bad. Hun feels like a chewy chew, so he will make this baby side or make his body crippled.

“…ㅡㅇㅇㅇ… Master!”

Airi suddenly poked my cheek.

“Ah… I’m sorry, Airi.”

“Why is your expression so grim? You’ve been muttering the number 200 over and over again…”

Damn, another bad habit came out. I thought I had gotten a little better lately, but since I saw that fucking scene in the sewer, it’s gotten worse lately. I thought I’d buried them for quite a while… They’re Black Round Table bastards, Hoon’s bastards, and they look like beggars, so I just want to kill them.

“I’m sorry… I must have gotten a little nervous…”

“Recently, even when sleeping, he talks about that number like he’s talking in his sleep. What the hell is that?”

Seeing Airi’s face kept reminding me of that memory. So I just tried not to look around.

“I wanted to express how cute your face is with numbers… Is that enough?”

“Ah~ That’s an obvious lie.”

Oh fuck, so quick to notice…

“Then you should have said 100 million or 1 trillion.”

“Oh, I see.”

I was at a loss for what to say, so I answered roughly. But a crow was sitting on Airi’s shoulder. What kind of Odin is Ji?

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Now, if I mention that, will you shout ‘Fuck you, what is this!’?

“By the way, since when did you grow the crow on that shoulder?”

Airi glanced at the crow sitting on her shoulder for a moment. Be amazed, curse and drive away the crows.

“Oh boy…? Goddamn kid… He’s the kid I started raising recently… He’s so attached to his shoulder like this… He’s very smart.”

“Well, since Miss Glaceon raises Jeon Seo-eung… Is it fashionable for women to raise birds these days?”

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No, since the saccharin that Glaceon grows has been around for quite some time, it probably isn’t just jumping on the bandwagon.

“By the way, Master! I bought the thing you asked for!”

Airi bought the knife I asked for. Soon, it was the sword that Hun would use in the swordsmanship match against the cub.

“Good job.”

“I gave money to the blacksmith to remodel the original sword… It’s really a swordsmanship fight, so would you be okay with a sword like that?”

“It’s enough to deal with a kid who doesn’t even know the basics of swordsmanship.”

I brushed the dirt off my pants and stood up. It was soon time to enter the arena.

“Well, since you’re Master, of course you’ll win. So, ‘Be sure to win and come back!’ I don’t do the same obvious cheering. Just don’t get hurt.”

“… yes.”

As I was walking down the hallway, Glaceon, who was leaning against the wall, bowed her head to greet me. Should I say that this is not a captured heroine, but a heroine twisted by a strange insect?

“Werner-sama, please take care of yourself.”

“Heh, everyone doesn’t wish me victory.”

“Did you think I was a fool enough to say such a thing in a match where victory or defeat was obvious?”

“hahahaha… Then watch it from the stands. I’ll clean up the bugs that Glaceon-sama got stuck on.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

Passing through the dark corridor, I headed towards the arena where the midday sun was shining. The weather was neither too hot nor too cold, the sunlight not too strong and the cool wind… It was good weather to take a nap at home, but Hoon ruined everything.

The women who came to support me, including Bonnie Glaceon, were sitting in the special seats watching us. Seeing that there was also a crown prince and even a crown princess who said she hated outside activities, it must have been quite a big entertainment.

Hun said while pointing at me.

“Today, I will beat you and give Glaceon-chan freedom!”

Wow… From far away, Glaceon-chan’s expression rots in real time, and Airi was teasing it from the side and got hit… Wow, they’re fighting again… And the crow over there looks like it’s splitting apart… It must be because of the mood.

“If I win today, I’ll interfere with Glaceon-chan again…”

“Noisy.”

I don’t know why that bastard is interfering when I come to the arena to watch the fight. Oh, I wasn’t a spectator.

A man who appeared to be the moderator shouted loudly.

“Ladies and gentlemen! You’ve waited so long!!! Let’s start now the game that got you here today!!!”

Then, a thunderous roar rang out. And Hoon waved his hand here and there and greeted them. Was he more popular than he looked?

“First of all, everyone knows! Let me introduce the players!!! Don’t get angry at me for explaining what I already know! That’s my job!!!”

Then the people burst into laughter as a group. Fuck is that fun?

“First of all, the challenger! The one from the mysterious region of Earth’s Japan! The supernova that surprised the adventurer’s guild recently!!! Masato Akahara!!!”

Seeing that the cheers were quite loud, it must have been a celebrity. Well, unless you were that famous, it must have been difficult for you to visit the crown prince and talk nonsense.

“And next!!! The hero who subdued the demons that threatened the empire and the great wizard who developed countless magics!!!! The number 1 man the tower owners want to marry!!! Werner Alton!!!”

Then, a shout resounded that it would be rude to compare just now. I could feel firsthand that Werner is really being treated as a hero. Well, in reality, it would be like a hero like Kim Yushin or King Gwanggaeto appearing in Fight Club.

“Little girl, the shouts and the lower body… I am bigger than you in many ways, so why don’t you just give up?”

In the first place, the difference in experience was huge, so it was a consideration to give up from now on.

“Shut up! I’ll plunge you into the pit of despair from now on!”

Hun-i drew his sword from his waist. At first, I thought it was something similar to the sword Camellia uses. But sure enough, the shape was identical to that of the Japanese sword. If I had to add a characteristic, would it be that the blade is black?

“The black iron Japanese sword I asked for from a blacksmith I knew was just barely finished right before the match! It’s called Yodo Kurokami!!”

If you translate directly, it’s black paper…

“Haa. The sun will set while talking. In your hometown, do you fight with your mouth?”

“I’ll show you the arcane swordsmanship of the Akahara family. Our family is a martial art that has passed down martial arts.”

“Ah yes then I’ll take out my weapon too.”

I took out a small knife from my pocket and held it up. The blade was a knife about 15 cm long. The weight is not 6 kg… but about 500 grams? It had a taste of gripping the handle and even coated the blade, which seemed like a pretty high-end knife. Apparently, Airi has eyes to see.

“Are you kidding me! To bring a knife like that, not a long sword, to a swordsmanship showdown! You’re looking down on me!”

“Just like arcane swordsmanship or something passed down in your family, this is my swordsmanship.”

The fucking swordsmanship he learned while smelling blood in that fucking facility… It was on a different level from the swordsmanship he learned while wielding a wooden sword with his father or grandfather.

“Tch! Don’t regret it!”

“Then…then let’s start the first match, the black match! As you know, the rule is that if you leave the arena, you lose! Whoever surrenders or faints first loses! And if you win by killing the surrendering opponent, you will be punished!”

With those words, the bell announcing the start of the match rang. I held the dagger in reverse and walked slowly toward him. Not taking a pose was a kind of threat.

Hun-i shouted and came running with a sword.

“You are really stupid.”

To come so close with that sword… Well, I’ve always learned that rush.

I hit the back of his hand hard with the tip of the knife handle.

“Keuk!”

He couldn’t even swing his sword and dropped whether it was Kurokami or Nabal, and I kicked the sword away.

“If the rich is an advantage, you should fight while keeping your distance, you idiot.”

I fixed the dagger again and thrust it into his throat.

“This is cowardice…”

“Did I use poison? Or did I sprinkle sand? You subdued him with a fair sword fight.”

“Keuuugh… This is surrender. But don’t be too proud! In the next hand-to-hand combat match, we’ll show you the unique martial arts of the Akahara family!”

asshole.