NOVEL NEXT chapter 81
81. Oh, Limberton (2)
After the supplementary class ended.
Limberton, with arrows slung over his back, headed towards the Shulafe Pavilion.
He couldn’t hide his joy, his steps light and buoyant.
‘That instructor. Their skills are no joke!’
The deadly flaw of the bow, the aura.
A bow is something that cannot pierce the aura, nor can it contain it.
Yet, the rotund instructor claimed it was possible.
—For a brief moment, it is indeed possible. You see, the aura that is released vanishes once it leaves the body, right? But, for a fleeting instant, it lingers in the air.
The aura is akin to the flame of a wick.
When it falls from the wick, it extinguishes, but in that process, there exists a moment where the flame hovers in the void.
—Of course, the time the aura lingers is exceedingly brief, so one must launch the arrow swiftly. The tension of the string must be incredibly strong, requiring immense physical strength as well. Moreover, there’s the drawback of a short range.
There are many demands, and the bow’s advantage of long-range effectiveness is halved.
However, there was a corresponding benefit.
—In close combat, it can pierce even a knight cloaked in aura. Well, one must reach a high level to achieve that, though.
It can pierce.
This single fact thoroughly dispelled the doubts I had harbored about whether wielding a bow was indeed the right choice.
‘There’s much to do! I need to work on my arms, and I must master the release, which is a higher level of aura manipulation.’
Limberton ran with a heart full of joy.
He was eager to share this revelation with Hessel.
What kind of reaction would he have?
If I told him that the bow he insisted I wield was, in fact, the answer…
‘That guy. He must have had no idea and kept insisting I take up the bow, right? Did he ever think it would turn out like this? If he knew, wouldn’t he be shocked?’
It was the moment he stepped onto the path and turned the corner.
Suddenly, a woman with vibrant lavender hair appeared.
She greeted him with a snort.
“Hey there! Pigeon Limberton.”
Limberton’s eyes widened, nearly popping from their sockets.
“Eek! S-Silla!!”
“I’ve been waiting. I had business with you because of those Shulafe folks lately.”
Silla seized him by the collar with an overwhelming strength.
Limberton could barely resist, his rigid steps dragging him toward the looming place.
In that instant, the bow strapped to his back fell.
Thud.
A minute later, someone’s hand reached for the bow that lay forlorn on the ground.
Hessel grinned as he watched the direction Limberton had vanished.
“Are you going to help that man, Limberton?”
“Isn’t it only natural?”
“Hmm, but the opponent is a woman?”
“What of it? A wicked little brat needs to be taught a lesson to come to her senses.”
* * *
“Do you see that mountaintop over there? This time, bring back some ice from there. It should look almost like glass.”
At this point, I thought it was time to get Bellen some proper ice.
The essence of the spirit is fundamentally unique in taste.
Because of this, adventurers seek out taverns near the essence to add a peculiar acidity when distilling liquor or making fermented drinks.
“That should be enough to nod in agreement for making fermented drinks, right?”
Bellen didn’t just buy alcohol; he also made it himself to be self-sufficient.
Like a wandering knight, he learned various brewing methods from different places, and now his skills were at a master level, with standards that were quite strict.
“……I suppose so.”
Leana nodded, her eyes filled with doubt.
I had already received several questions about how I knew that.
Each time, I had calmly kept my mouth shut, and it seemed she had accepted that it was no use now.
“But I don’t know if this is okay. Is it alright for me to know something like this alone…?”
“Is that again?”
She had an unnecessarily stubborn side.
I couldn’t help but smile gently for Leana’s sake.
“Do you want to back out now? Well, fine. Because of your inaction, your aunt will continue to live as a recluse until the end of her days.”
“…?!”
Leana flinched.
I drove the point home once more.
“Because of your pitiful conscience.”
*Tsk, tsk, you look just like a cowardly kidnapper, threatening someone.*
*Threatening? No, it’s motivation.*
Leana, seemingly reluctant, narrowed her eyes and nodded.
Having said what I needed to, I turned my back.
But then I heard some unsettling news.
“But, is Limberton going to be alright?”
“Hmm? Why do you ask about him?”
“Actually…”
What followed in Leana’s words was the unmistakable sense that Shilla’s gaze upon Limberton was anything but ordinary suspicion.
“I’m not sure what their relationship is, but it didn’t feel good. Recently, the Adel clan has been harboring ill feelings towards the Shulafe clan.”
After the recent defeat of Emeric from the Bürger clan, the Shulafe clan had grown brazen, and it seemed the Adel folk were not taking it lightly.
Thus, every night, they trained in preparation for the upcoming magic practice.
This was not something to be easily overlooked.
[Shilla en Lionheart]
● Blessing
◆ The Favor of the Tyrant of Subjugation, Abel ◆
Ξ Bow your head. If you do not wish to have your neck severed by the swinging blade.
Receive a 1.2x stat boost against the weak.
Slightly increase strength upon subjugating a target.
Receive double attack power when striking the neck.
● Traits
◇ Fierce Charge ◇
◇ Berserker’s Strike ◇
Just as Delrago had become a lazy man under the blessing, the ‘Favor of the Tyrant of Subjugation, Abel’ had a tendency to make one a bit hot-headed.
This trait was particularly pronounced against the weak; if a weakling were to provoke anger, the bloodlust would boil, awakening the latent sadism within.
Originally, this trait would shine in large-scale massacres, but not now.
For if Limberton, who had resolved to train earnestly, were to break, it would be a significant loss.
After all, the magic practice was just a month away, and such a fate would mean a loss of power.
“Thank you for letting me know.”
I finished my brief words and dashed off to find the path Limberton often took.
As I wove through the streets, I spotted a bow lying on the ground.
Looking around, I could see Limberton being dragged away in the distance.
* * *
“Brings back memories, doesn’t it? We used to meet often in places like this.”
In the quiet backyard, Limberton stood frozen, staring at Shilla.
Sila approached Limberton, placing her hand flat against her crown, comparing their heights.
“Wow, I’m still taller than you? Guess your growth plates are as foolish as you are.”
Sila boasted over a mere centimeter of difference.
Limberton barely managed to calm the trembling turmoil within him.
The incident at the court ball was already a thing of the past.
Yet, the bitter laughter laced in Sila’s voice began to awaken another vivid memory.
“Speaking of which, remember? During our summer retreat at my house, you were just pitifully sniveling.”
The swordsmanship training organized by the renowned Lionheart family.
Not born into a particularly affluent lineage, he had no access to excellent sword instructors, so all the nearby families of similar standing sent their children there.
Of course, he didn’t want to go.
But his father, unaware that the disgrace at the ball was Sila’s fault, had thrown a fit, leaving him no choice but to attend.
‘What awaited me was, as expected, nothing but cruel torment…’
Still, Limberton steeled himself, gazing into the eyes of Sila, which had once terrified him.
Suddenly, he recalled something Hursel had said.
In that moment of sheer fright, watching the woman dragging a corpse at the entrance of the corridor where the sentinel stood, he had clearly uttered:
– Now you know, Limberton. Which side are you on? If you knew it would be like this, would you have stayed away, sulking and remaining in limbo?
He had come here to change.
And to find a girlfriend.
If he lingered in those pitiful days, he would live and die alone.
Limberton barely managed to curl the corners of his trembling mouth into a smile.
“I cried? It’s only natural for tears to fall when you get hit in the eyes.”
No sooner had he finished speaking than Sila’s foot swept past his ankle.
In an instant, Limberton lost his balance and fell to the ground.
Thud!
Sila glared down at him, her forehead creased with anger.
“Who told you to speak without permission?”
Limberton chuckled softly.
Sila, though not particularly feminine, was biologically a woman nonetheless.
She spat out her grotesque words with ease.
“I wish you had come wearing a skirt instead of pants. This is a perfect spot for a glimpse of your underwear.”
—
“Looks like you’ve gone into heat again while I wasn’t watching, huh? I suppose it’s time to educate that rotten head of yours once more.”
“Heat? What am I supposed to do about that? Honestly, I didn’t mean it. Maybe back in the day, but now it’s hard to see you as a woman.”
At those words, it seemed as if a snap echoed in Sylla’s mind.
“But you know, Chickadee, here, even if I half-kill you, the professors wouldn’t bat an eye. Why? Because I’m of the Adel clan, and you’re just a bug. And because of you lot, I’ve had to endure a month of hell. Still, as a kind-hearted lady, I’m thinking of punishing just you and then forgiving you. How about that? Doesn’t that sound fair?”
With a voice laced with fury, Sylla grabbed Limberton by the collar and lifted him up.
Yet, Limberton maintained his cocky demeanor.
“Your touch is a bit rough, isn’t it?”
“This is hardly rough, you fool!!”
Sylla’s fist flew toward Limberton’s face.
Crack!
With a brutal punch, consciousness flickered and his knees buckled.
Sylla seemed satisfied, trembling slightly as she smiled in ecstasy.
“Hehe, shall I carve a bruise into your eye for old times’ sake? Speak up if you want it. It’s you who’ll be humiliated for getting hit by a girl!!”
Smack!
A heavy impact struck near his eye.
Then, a burning heat ignited in his solar plexus.
Gag!
“Cough!”
In just three blows, Limberton nearly lost consciousness.
However, perhaps the terror of that moment flared vividly, and he lost all resistance, completely surrendering.
As he fell to the ground, cheek pressed against the dirt, Sylla clenched her fist tightly.
With all his might, Limberton squeezed out his voice.
“Ugh. You, you won’t have a man to take you because of your personality.”
“You b*stard!!”
Smack!
Her descending fist struck his cheek hard.
Limberton’s consciousness faded away.
Looking down at Limberton, Sylla spoke with a hint of disappointment.
“Eh? Is it already over?”
Then she kicked his folded arm, forcing it open.
—
—
Sila lifted her right foot high.
“Normally, I’d consider breaking just one of your arms, but that won’t do. For a while, you’ll need someone else to feed you.”
A punishment for daring to crawl up.
It was the moment she intended to stomp down on Limberton’s arm, ensuring he would never speak so insolently again.
Then, from afar, footsteps echoed.
Thud, thud—
A deep, resonant voice followed.
“What do you intend to do to our archer?”