Chapter 20: CH 20

“Hey, Sumire, come closer this way. You’ll get trampled.”

“Mm, I’ll do that…”

Su, who had been standing stiffly to protect me, seemed to get riled up from watching Fikar’s battles, and her shaking and stomping and growling became more and more intense. Dragons were flying creatures, so they weren’t as heavy as they looked, but that didn’t change the fact that they could squash you the same as any 6-meter-long dinosaur. Inching away, I took refuge near Ludo-san, who was about 2 meters to the left of Su and was himself about 2 meters to the right of Lawrence-san and Degis-san.

“It’s rare to see such a spectacular show of strength in Tortea.”

Degis-san’s fighting was amazing, but Kilris-san, who went second, used incredible and flashy magic.

By comparison, Kontos-san, Tortea’s sole magician, was only able to use a very small amount of magic power. For example, to light a fire, he could hold out his hand and the dead leaves underneath would begin glowing red and gradually start to burn, or to cast a curse, mysterious patterns would twinkle like stars in the night sky. It was cool to see and did its job well enough, but Kilris-san’s magic was more direct. Water and lightning could be fired directly from the staff in his hands, even producing flames that made the staff look like a blow torch or a flamethrower. It’s sort of like how Su spits her fire. Maybe that’s why her movements became more erratic once Fikar started fighting Kilris-san?

Kilris-san, attacking at breathtaking speeds, was amazing, but Fikar, avoiding everything, was also amazing. I wondered if his muscles were extra-flexible since he was effortlessly dodging magic left and right.

Weaving between the fire and water, he also lunged at Kilris-san several times. He landed the hits, but when Kilris-san was about to fall over, he would just correct his position with wind magic, so it was hard for either side to come out on top.

“Fikar’s a pain in the neck, but as an adventurer, this is nice to see.”

“Well, as far as we can see…”

According to Ludo-san, it wasn’t uncommon for adventurers to test their strength against each other.

Upon being promoted to 5-star rank or higher, an adventurer would be tested by one of their seniors to get an idea of how they compared to other adventurers of the same rank and to get advice about how to become stronger. It was fairly common to make friends during such tests and many ended up taking jobs together. Many adventurers also chose to take additional tests, defeating a few of their peers before taking the next promotion exams with confidence.

It was to be expected from the idea of an “adventurer”, but the guild was much more heated than I’d expected…

“So, Sumire, how do you want to celebrate Fikar’s promotion?”

“Celebrate?”

“Right. Most Torteans would be satisfied with 3 or 4 stars. When I became 5-star rank, it was the first time in a decade here.”

In the town of Tortea, with basically no threats, few people bothered to go out of their way to improve their abilities. I heard that Ludo-san returned and was promoted last summer, before we came, and that it was an all-night festival in the town plaza.

“The last time someone got to 6-star rank was Gartis-san, 21 years ago…”

Torteans, with their relaxed lives, loved festivals because they differed so greatly from their ordinary routines. Whether it be a wedding or the defeat of a big monster, they always looked for an opportunity to celebrate.

“So, what happens at a party?”

“First, adventurers with some spare time go out to hunt. When they come back, everyone shares the catches and they all sing and dance.”

“Sounds fun~”

“Dancing around a bonfire all night? Well, to be honest, it’s harder than the promotion exam because the star of the show has nowhere to escape.”

Ludo-san, slipping into his memories, was a young man born and raised in Tortea, full of compassion and of good character. It was easy to imagine him being celebrated by everyone in town, young and old, and being unable to turn down any of their favors.

“In my hometown, things get much more boisterous.”

Lawrence-san entered the conversation. He smiled at us, though he hadn’t moved from his spot since Su made threatening noises each time he’d tried.

“It depends on the city, I guess. What do you do back home, Lawrence-san?”

“We bet on the promoted adventurer’s belongings and they take a test of strength. If they lose, those belongings are taken away, so it’s rather harsh.”

“Uwaa…”

That doesn’t sound like a celebration to me. At least if the promoted adventurer wins, the loser gives them a congratulatory gift, but because the celebratory atmosphere invites lots of challengers, the promoted adventurer is usually beaten to a pulp by the end and has to take several days to recover. Too hot-blooded…

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“My brother once took my ornamental sword with our family crest, but he pushed me to work so hard that I was able to get it back by my next promotion.”

“It’s a fierce world, huh~”

“If Kilris loses, it’ll be my turn, but, as if this were a Neygal-style festival, I want you to be the product of the bet.”

“Kuggah…!”

At the same time that Lawrence-san showed a princely smile, Kilris-san made a distressed noise and was seized by Fikar. It certainly looked painful, since Fikar was grasping his neck and mercilessly pressing him against the ground. Maybe he got annoyed after constantly being chased by Kilris-san’s magic. The ground began to slightly shake as Su expressed her joy with her body.

“What do you think? If Fikar loses, will you come to our territory?”

“No, I don’t think I could live in such a harsh environment, so I’ll pass on that.”

“Then how about the royal capital? There’s lots of fun things to do and delicious food to eat.”

“That’s tempting, but I don’t belong to Fikar in the first place.”

Fikar hoisted Kilris-san up like a black bag and threw him in our direction. Kilris-san yelped, but Degis-san moved quickly to catch him. Lawrence-san laughed out loud and walked straight towards the center of the plaza, where Fikar was waiting for him with a slight frown on his face.

Ludo-san tilted his head while gazing at Lawrence-san’s back as he walked towards Fikar, who had just defeated his two comrades unharmed.

“Does Lawrence not like you?”

“I think he’s just using you to get Fikar to fight.”

“No… I don’t think… it’s just that he likes you a little.”

No need for me to follow him, then.

The unlucky Kilris-san, unceremoniously thrown out of his fight, provided background music in the form of muttered curses towards Fikar as the two final combatants unsheathed their swords.

Although the sword Lawrence-san was holding was stronger than Fikar’s, it was still thinner than a typical subjugation sword. Perhaps the sword guard was ornate, since it reflected light brilliantly. In general, it was beautifully polished, so it was probably more suited for ceremonial events and not actual battles. All in all, the blond-haired Lawrence and the silver-haired Fikar facing each other and holding out their swords was a scene with the beauty of a painting.

Fikar’s strength lay in his speed. His sword was not only for attacking, but also for closing the distance so he could make heavy use of kicks and punches. Lawrence-san, although behind in terms of speed, took those attacks in stride. Compared to the fighting styles of Degis-san and Kilris-san, his movements made me believe that his abilities were closest to Fikar’s. Honestly, their movements were too fast for me to keep up.

“Amazing. Even if he looks like a gentleman, he was indeed raised in the harsh Neygal region.”

Even at the distance everyone was watching from, the awesomeness of the two combatants was clear. Everyone watched the battle with bated breath and the scene was silent except for the clashing of swords and the scattering of sparks.

Suddenly, Fikar leapt back.

The sword that Lawrence-san had swung left an afterimage in the form of flames. The flames still covering his blade slowly went out, only to be replaced with the crisp crackles of little lightning bolts. Ludo-san raised his voice in surprise.

“He can use magic?!”

“Hehe… Lawrence is first-rate in both aspects. That’s why Degis and I originally accepted him as a teammate. Let’s see how far that rude man can keep it up now!”

Kilris-san laughed darkly, muttering something along the lines of ‘Crush him down to his bones!’

“He’s too dark-natured…” Degis-san muttered to no one in particular.

On the contrary, Fikar escaped the next attack, too. In addition to the repeated slashes, flames were growing on the ground around them. Knowing that magic requires a high level of concentration, Lawrence-san’s ability to use it even while attacking his opponent made him nearly unmatched among adventurers. He had been chosen to subjugate the Demon Lord for a reason.

Fikar continued dodging Lawrence-san’s attacks. However, the tips of his hair had become damp and his clothes were singed. So long as Lawrence-san’s sword remained coated in lightning, Fikar could not meet it with his metal sword.

Gradually, Fikar was pushed into an unfavorable position.

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