Chapter 1: An Underdog’s Valiant Struggle

MAY 10, 2020 ~ FLAMETJD

 

The creature was a fallen beast, more commonly known as a Vulgar.

Unlike regular wild animals, Vulgars were aberrants which had developed sudden mutations. More aggressive and violent than their kin, they caused destruction to villages and their natural surroundings alike. Because of that, many countries marked them as priority targets for extermination.

It goes without saying, but fallen beasts were dangerous monsters. Although the Adventurers’ Guild took on Vulgar-hunting missions, not many were up to the task.

Right now, the carcass of a Vulgar bear lay dead. It was crisscrossed with wounds from countless gashes and slashes, particularly on its nose, throat, upper right arm, left wrist and tail. Those wounds hadn’t been made by a single strike, but by dozens of unbelievably accurate slashes.

Upon seeing its injuries, one could deduce how the beast died. It had been the result of a fight between it and a certain sort of person. A single warrior, weak in strength, directly engaged the beast. They accurately targeted its vitals, slowly wore down its stamina, and repeatedly pelted it with feeble blows. At last, they emerged victorious.

It wasn’t a normal way to fight, although it wasn’t superhuman either. What was praiseworthy was the fact that this person had had the guts to fight a fallen beast with an ordinary warrior’s strength and the willpower to persevere until the end.

“…Wha–?!”

The disbelieving girl looked around frantically and began to panic, because she did know one such person – or rather, she knew only one person in the entire world stupid enough to do that.

“Ugh…”

She heard a small groan. Swiftly directing her attention to the source of the noise, she spotted a small figure moving weakly at the base of the nearby cliff.

“Sorry, Leila… I snatched your prey…”

The figure sported a mop of black hair and wore a polished suit of black chainmail. He was just over ten years old, a young man around Leila’s age. Leaning against the cliff face, he gasped for breath. His right hand clutched a bloodsoaked sword.

He was far from unscathed. She saw several gashes on his body, cuts caused by various hard and soft blows. Maybe it was his luck that he hadn’t sustained a single lethal injury, but the enemy he faced could’ve killed him if he hadn’t been careful.

“What are you doing?” Leila asked.

The boy laughed weakly, tossing aside his cheap and battered weapon. “It’s obvious.”

“C’mon, I don’t get it. That’s why I asked.”

“Well…” He trailed off awkwardly. “Actually, I’m not too sure myself.”

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There’d been fallen beast sightings in the area, and the people who lived nearby took the proper countermeasures: they fortified the city defenses and requested the Guild Alliance for reinforcements to be sent to the Adventurers’ Guild in their city. A decision was immediately reached to dispatch a warrior even stronger than an adventurer with the hope that the fallen beast would be swiftly slain before it could cause any great harm.

Leila noticed another presence. Behind the boy, a child who looked even younger than him clung tightly to his back. Several herbs were strewn around them – the sort that might be boiled in water to brew fever medicine.

Ah. She understood. A picture formed in her mind: someone in the child’s family came down with a fever, but their supply of herbs had run out, and the adults wouldn’t permit him to forage in the mountains when a fallen beast was in the area. Naturally, the child decided to slip out on his own and the boy, noticing his absence, rushed out himself as well.

Still, a fallen beast was extremely dangerous. A normal adventurer would’ve avoided its habitat and helplessly waited for the cavalry to arrive. But children cared little about the instructions of adults and acted without thinking.

That was her guess, at least – albeit a well-informed one based on the scene she saw. Besides, he was who he was. No matter what happened or where he went, that fact would never change.

“Jeez, you…”

“I know what you want to say. ‘Why the hell didn’t you wait for the great and amazing Regal Brave to arrive?!’ or something, right?” The boy turned, grimacing in pain, and gently ruffled the younger child’s hair. “I don’t have anything to say. I ran out here on my own, and now I’m in this state after just one fight… ah, dammit, why am I so weak…?”

According to the law, that fight was an unsanctioned engagement.

Not only did he make a mockery of the Church by interfering in the Regal Brave’s mission, he ended up in such a sorry state because he wanted to steal her glory. It was as he said; a foolish struggle from start to end.

Heh. Good grief, it always ends up this way whenever I’m with him. The corners of Leila’s mouth lifted ever so slightly.

As always, she had no idea what she wanted to do or accomplish. Even though she, the Regal Brave, was called the continent’s greatest fighting force, she couldn’t protect anything beyond her reach. Even if she’d achieved the most important objective – saving the city from destruction – she couldn’t have done such a small thing.

In other words, if he wasn’t here, the child would’ve died. The results showed that he had been able to protect that which the Regal Brave couldn’t.

Respect, envy, just a little bit of fondness… as the girl’s overflowing feelings gushed up, she neatly sorted them out and locked them back down in the bottom of her heart.

She fixed her smirk back in place. It was the crooked expression Leila Asprey – a nasty, arrogant, aloof girl, the boy’s fellow junior apprentice, and current Regal Brave – frequently wore and knew people disliked.

“Hey, just save what you can, okay? Leave whatever you can’t save to me.”

The boy grunted in displeasure. “Not happening.”

“Seriously?”

“Huh?”

“You’re such a mess.”

“Hmph.” He fell silent. Leila smiled faintly at the look on his face.

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