NOVEL NEXT Chapter 59: –Duel
The next morning after, we accepted the Level III quest from the Adventurer’s Guild:escort the wagon that’s loaded with magic tools.
To meet with the client and other escorts, we went to the guild a little before noon.
We entered the building and asked the usherette, we then got led into the reception room.
After a while, the client and 4 other escorts appeared. The usual Demon Race receptionist girl also showed her face, maybe to bear witness.
“I’m the client, Gomugo. I deal in magic tools. Please take care of the escort tomorrow.”
Gomumo the client had 2 horns sprout out from his head.
It looked like he was from the Dragon Race.
Middle-aged and no white hair yet, but the wrinkles on his face stood out. His height was about 170-centimeters-tall, he had a mustache like a hairy caterpillar under his nose.
He seemed to be a good guy.
“I’m a Level II adventurer, Lute. I’m doing this for a test to get up to Level III, but that’s a different matter, and I will give it my all to do the job. Please take care of me, too.”
After I showed him my adventurer tag, we shook hands.
Snow, Chrisse, and Xiah gave their own greetings after me.
The greetings went on smoothly.
“Gomugo-san, no matter how much you need some hands, requesting kids like these for the escort is just a waste of money.”
The first three that took up the post as guards all had horns growing out of their foreheads, so they must had been Dragon Race. A giant of a man who made holes in his helmets and protruded his horns from there, a nimble man shorter than me, and a leader-looking man next to them who interrupted us.
The leader-looking man was easily 180-centimeters-tall, his forged muscular body without any excess fat could be seen even through his civilian clothes. He also had neater features than the other two.
His hair, which was just a little long, was tied behind his head, and from his waist hung an expensive-looking sword that looked out of place with his rough civilian clothes.
From the looks of them, they all appeared like veteran adventurers.
“Symil-san, you’re being rude no matter how-”
“I’m only telling the truth here. The adventurer business is not a kid’s playground. I don’t know what they’re planning to do; but if they don’t do it well, then not only us but also Gomugo-san may face danger. Because of that, it’s be better to clearly tell them this.”
I can understand the leader-looking man—Symil’s point.
A Level II caravan escort is not individual but group work.
One person’s mistake can plunge the whole team into danger.
Again, it’s not impossible for them to think we’re going to push all the work to them and just take the money.
Because in reality, aside from Xiah, we’re all 13- and14-year-old kids.
The Demon Race receptionist girl started speaking.
“Symil-sama, they’re adventurers that have been judged by the Adventurer’s Guild that they can be Level III without any problem. Actually, Xiah-sama is a B+ rank magician, not even to say Snow-sama is a A- rank magician. You can’t judge a book by its cover, you know?”
“B+ rank, and even A- rank, you say !?”
Even the two men behind Symil made surprised faces.
Gomugo, the client, smiled like he got an unexpected piece of luck.
“Now that is reassuring to have an A- rank magician escort me. Looks like the security is guaranteed this time.”
“Ku…!”
Gomugo, who held the right to employ, had totally wanted to hire us.
If it’s like this, then no matter how much Symil and the gang make a fuss, the decision won’t change.
Instead, if they make too big of a fuss, it wouldn’t be strange if their contract got cancelled.
I tried looking at them, they look like they’ve totally lost their faces as adventurers.
The receptionist girl poured more oil onto the fire.
“Furthermore, Snow-sama and Chrisse-sama are also Lute-sama’s wives, you know. The marriage to these beauties of Lute-sama’s is really enviable–really… jealously … enviable.”
Scary, scary.
She was radiating a dark malice just like a monster straight out of a Japanese horror movie.
I felt that I was gradually getting to understand the reason why she couldn’t get married.
“Ah, and to even be able to marry two beautiful girls like them at the same time…!”
Symil’s group shivered with shock.
“Ehehehee, Lute-kun, she said we’re beautiful girls. Us. Beautiful girls.”
[You’re making me embarrassed.]
Snow and Chrisse were happily fawning on both sides of me.
Snow even started sniffing my scent.
Stop it, you, don’t sniff at me in front of other people.
“E..even flirting …”
Symil and company made bitter faces and gritted their teeth loud enough for us to hear.
They literally worked with their own lives on the line to finally reach Level III.
And yet from below, a boy younger than themselves brought along some overpowered but beautiful girls to help rise to Level III—one of the girls he brought along was even an A-minus-ranked mage, a rank only a handful of talented people could reach.
If I were in his shoes, I’d probably be like him…. no, I’d even be more envious, I’d be hatefully envious.
“……. Alright. I’ll accept that the girls are strong. But! The boy, just the boy, I’ll never accept him! You fight me and show me what you’ve got right now!”
Which is why I kind of expected it to turn out like this.
I breathed a sigh and gave him my conditions.
“Alright. Let’s fight it out. However! No hard feelings, no matter who wins or loses. After this, neither of us will say or do anything to provoke each other. We will go on this quest and do it businesslike—these are my conditions.”
“Alright. I swear on my name as an adventurer. But if you lose, I’m going to have you do as I instruct throughout this job.”
“Alright. If your orders aren’t unreasonable, I will do as you say during the quest. Of course, that is if I lost.”
“You’ve got guts. I’m looking forward to seeing you suffer.”
Just like that, Symil and my duel began.
▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼
The location for the duel was at the practice grounds behind the Adventurer’s Guild.
This was the place where normally retired former adventurers would take newbie adventurers for practice, and it was also where the Adventurers’ Guild staff would teach the art of self-defense.
It was the size of a gymnasium.
Laid along the walls were materials, lumber,swords, spears, greatswords and the like that had their blades destroyed during practice.
Symil and I stood 5 meters away and faced each other.
The Demon Race receptionist acted as referee.
“You can use your usual weapons inmagic tools, because by Snow-sama’s and Xiah-sama’s grace they will use healing magic. Most injuries can be healed, but please be careful not to kill your opponent.”
We nodded to her words.
I chose to use the S&W M10 4-inch revolver hanging from my gunbelt, Symil chose to use the sword hanging from his waist.
As he slowly drew the sword out, he began saying something.
“I’ll say it before we start, I’m Symil. Symil the Gale is my name.”
Sorry, I still dunno you.
“This is my Gale Sword imbued with wind magic. Feel free to let it cut you!”
In short, a magic stone charged with wind magic got inserted into that sword, from the name it sounds like it has the power to shoot out kamaitachi or blade of wind.
Why are you taking the trouble to tell me your power.
And calling a sword socketed with just a magic stone the Gale Sword or whatever, so lame …. did he name it himself? I questioned his taste.
Symil showed a composed smile, he must’ve thought of my astonishment as panic.
The receptionist girl raised her right hand.
“Well then, start!”
“Uooooo! Mince him! Gale Swo–GYARGH!”
I activated Body Strengthening on my entire body for just 5 seconds just in case.
I did a quick draw in under a second, hitting Symil on the shoulder.
He was taken by surprise by the sudden pain and sound of the gunshot and grasping his shoulder, dropped the sword that he had raised overhead.
“D-, damn you…”
As an active adventurer, Symil seemed to be able to bear the pain, and thus he tried to pick up the dropped sword with the hand on the other side of his immobile shoulder.
BANG.
“…!?”
I shot another .38 Special (9mm) in between his outstretched hand and the sword.
“…… you still want to continue?”
I pointed the muzzle at him as a threat and muttered in a low voice:
“I-, I give!”
He immediately understood that he couldn’t win and declared his loss.
This way, I could get him to recognise me without a problem, and we were then able to accept the quest.
We once again introduced ourselves to a dejected Symil and checked their adventurer tags.
Symil’s group were all Level III adventurers.