A few days after Hyshela became a member of the Hoomyr family.
The prospect of returning to the village of the spirits finally came into view, and Virum and the others who entered the Adventurer's Guild to say a few words to Shazar before leaving, went to the reception counter where Celica was, as usual.
It's a good idea to be able to have a good time with them.
''It's quite lively today, isn't it?
"Hello, Celica.
'Oh, hello everyone. As a matter of fact...
Right after they exchanged greetings and Celica opened her mouth to explain the situation, a loudest cheer came from behind Virum and the others.
''Oh! We've won again!
Hey, hey, how many men do you have left?
What's that, twenty or so?
He's a f*cking kid.
From what they're saying, it seems that they're having a match, and that the unusually strong kids are racking up a series of wins against the adventurers.
Suddenly, the man at the back of the line turns around and meets eyes with Wyrm and the others.
''Ah... Oi! The Wyrms are here!
'What! Seriously!
'Mr. Wilm, Meldina and little Cunaria! Over here!
The adventurers who had been making a lot of noise turned around in unison and began to make noise again, as if they were excited to see Virum and the others.
The three of them didn't understand the reason for the suddenness and walked towards the training camp with a question mark on their heads.
''Are you the rumored Virum-san who put down the coup d'état in the Humane Kingdom almost single-handedly?
The one who emerged through the adventurers was a boy.
He was taller than Cunaria, maybe even shorter than Meldina.
He had morbidly pale skin, haphazardly cropped blue-purple frizzy hair, ears shaped similar to those of the elves, and puffy sapphire blue eyes.
He is dressed in skeletal armor, which is probably demonic material, and on his back is a weapon that looks like a cleaver that exceeds his own height.
Judging from the equipment, his fighting style would be a well-balanced short to medium range type.
'Yeah, but. What do you want from me?
The approaching boy stopped in front of Virum and quickly grabbed the naginata he was carrying and slashed at him.
Vilm placed the back of his hand on the hilt of the cleaver that was coming down sharply and received it away, while at the same time sliding his body next to the boy and aiming at his abdomen, he gave a knee kick to the boy.
''Kahaha...!
The boy, shielding his stomach with one hand, is barely able to stand, barely able to use his cleaver as a cane.
But that's not the extent of Virum's work, and he holds the boy, who suffers from not being able to breathe, down with a foot sweep, stepping on the spot where he was met with a knee kick.
''Greetings out of the blue. I didn't mean to kill you, but... what the hell are you doing?
'Whoa! Whoa! I mean, the rumors weren't really wrong... at least I'm obviously stronger than I am now...
Completely incapacitated, the boy coughs bitterly.
'Vil. 'It's a child, okay? You'll have to forgive him for that.
'Master, you can't go any further, can you?
Meldina and Cunaria, judging that the decision has been made, go in to stop Virum in order to prevent him from pursuing it further.
''Ah, I guess Virum is stronger after all.
He was pretty strong, too, but he did it so easily.
Different, huh?
The adventurers around them seem to be getting excited on their own as Virum continues to win over his peers and dodges the boy who was slashed by surprise, without a care in the world.
I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this as well.
In response to Vilm's question, whose tone of voice had been lowered a notch, the boy put his cleaver on the ground and bowed his head vigorously.
'Please! Take me on as an apprentice! I really want to be strong!
What?
What?
"Huh?
'I apologize for slashing at you, as shown here. I wanted to see if the rumors were true or not. You are the real thing. Please. Train me!
The three of them nodded their heads as if they didn't understand the situation, but the person in question seemed to be very serious and didn't lose his or her pleading stance.
The boy's resolve seems to be genuine, and he keeps his head bowed and does not move even slightly.
(I thought I could finally go back to my hometown, but this is it? It's so bothersome.)
'Huh... I refuse. I know you've got your reasons, but so do I. I don't have time to train you. I don't have time to train you.
Make it happen!
I hate it. Unfortunately, the apprentice has the time.
Vilm refused once and for all, but the boy raised his head and didn't seem to back down.
When Virmu again refused once and for all, he lightly placed his hand on Kunalia's head to show his presence so that he could get a better look at her, the boy's eyes narrowed and he looked doubtful.
'So, that boy is Mr. Virum's apprentice...? You're shorter than me! Why is that girl so good and why can't I!
d*mn it. Hey, don't you think that's a little rude to a stranger?
Kunaria, who is usually quiet and rarely speaks ill of others, unusually reveals her irritation and displeasure.
It seems that she couldn't stomach the fact that her short stature, which is a complex, was pointed out straight away.
''It's true that I'm shorter than you in height, but even you aren't that different!
Coona, they're just kids. Calm down a bit.
'Not even close! And I'm thirteen years old. I'm not a kid anymore!
You're younger than me!
From the end, it's a brawl between children.
Meldina tries to stop them from behind to calm them down, but the excited Cunaria seems to be already blind to her surroundings and is eager to argue with the boy.
You're going to have to go up against me! If I win, vacate my discipleship!
'Very good! If I win, you'll have to give it up quietly!
I guess it's called "buying words".
It seems that Coonaria herself doesn't seem to have a proper understanding of what kind of conditions she has just agreed to.
Virm let out a deep sigh at the situation, and Meldina covered her eyes with one hand and looked up at the heavens.
''Virum-san, you heard that, right? If I win, you can take this guy's place as my disciple!
I didn't give my consent, but... well, I'll think about it when I win.
Hey! What are you talking about, even Ville?
Perhaps it was unexpected that Wyrm spoke in the affirmative, but Meldina, who was trying to stop Cunaria, turned around in a hurry.
''The one who was provoked by the other party to win the game was Cunaria. You'll have to take the blame for that yourself.''
But... that doesn't mean...
It's settled. I'm not going to take any chances. I'm going to be Monsieur Wilm's apprentice for life!
Meldina tried to get him to withdraw his conditions even though he was weak in response to a plausible point, but the boy didn't want to miss the opportunity and proceeded to talk and walk towards the training camp.
''We won't go easy on you either, so be prepared!
The still excited Cunaria followed the boy with his footsteps, and Virum, Meldina, and the surrounding adventurers decided to move on as well.
Before the game, a calm Cunaria would turn pale at his own comments a little later.