NOVEL NEXT Chapter 29
Joanie and the mysterious figure faced off with serious expressions as they brandished their swords.
Seeing the fight unfold, one couldn’t help but think, “Is that serious look really warranted?”
“Well, they’re holding up better than I expected.”
A few weeks might not be enough time for a dramatic skill improvement, but it certainly wasn’t too short to refine their poor basics.
She may not feel it, but from my perspective, Joanie from a few weeks ago was distinctly different from the Joanie now.
That’s why she’s holding her ground against the mysterious figure, right?
i “Huh… Yah!” i
With a bizarre battle cry, Joanie swung her sword fiercely.
The mysterious figure easily blocked the blade aimed at their chest and took a couple of steps back.
It seemed the mysterious figure had slightly better physical abilities than Joanie…
Nevertheless, Joanie was able to withstand the onslaught because the mysterious figure’s skills weren’t all that impressive either.
It’s become apparent time and again that those apostles are all terrible at techniques relative to their physical prowess.
With the kind of physical strength they have, one would expect their technique to have grown to some degree, yet it’s curiously lopsided.
Like someone who suddenly grew strong without gradually building up their strength.
Could this be due to Edel’s blessing?
i “Haap!” i
“Ugh…!”
Look at that.
Both seem to be pretty equal in strength, yet one is desperately trying to overpower the other while the other just accepts it without much resistance.
“What a complete mess.”
But at least I’m clear about the issues.
I’ve known what the problems were for a while now, but after witnessing this fight, I’m more certain than ever.
It’s definitely better to fight an opponent of similar skill when identifying issues.
Tang!
While I was watching in a lackluster manner, their swords clashed violently, causing Joanie’s sword to slip from her grip.
She needed to either pick up her sword quickly or step back, yet in her flustered state, she was frantic as a sharp silver blade rushed towards her heart.
i “…Kyaaa!” i
“That’s enough.”
Clang!
i “Ugh?!” i
Crash!
As the sword sliced down at the rapidly approaching blade, the mysterious figure stumbled and fell.
It was a perfect opportunity to end her life.
But instead of stabbing the exposed neck and back, I lifted Joanie, who had collapsed as her strength left her legs.
After all, what’s really scary about dying if you’re just going to resurrect?
Joanie was shivering like a leaf.
Once I handed her the sword that had fallen to the ground, she finally caught her breath and expressed her gratitude in a trembling voice.
“Th-thank you…”
“No problem.”
I nodded nonchalantly.
i “Why the sudden…?” i
The mysterious figure, akin to a lightning bolt out of a clear blue sky, looked taken aback.
Naturally, they’d feel unjust since they thought they had the upper hand only to be interrupted.
I never intended to let her die, but I did plan to step in just before the fight was concluded, so I felt a bit sorry for interrupting.
Even if you die, you’ll just come back, so what’s the big deal?
I retrieved a coin from my pocket and flicked it with my finger.
Ping!
i “Huh? What’s this…?” i
It might not have value as currency, but it could serve as a nice souvenir. It can’t be used for trade, but it’s made out of a good kind of gold, so it could be sold for cash.
The mysterious figure caught the Grasis commemorative coin I tossed, looking perplexed.
i “Why the sudden…?” i
“It’s a reward.”
Since they indulged me with a little fun, they deserved that much in compensation, right?
The mysterious figure inspected the coin, flipping it over and over, then quickly bowed their head.
i “Thank you!” i
That seemed like a general expression of gratitude, but why were they so overly thankful?
Caught off guard by their overwhelmed reaction, I tilted my head in confusion as they hurriedly stuffed the coin into their pocket and ran off somewhere.
Their exit was just as abrupt as their entrance.
As I stared at the spot where the mysterious figure disappeared, Joanie approached and spoke to me.
“…Kana, what about mine?”
“…?”
Did she leave it behind?
I casually ignored her, so she rolled around on the dirt, throwing a tantrum.
“I also want the gift Kana gave me! Give it to me!”
Waaah!
Thud!
“Enough.”
“…Yes.”
As I planted the scabbard right next to her head, Joanie, who had been obnoxiously rolling around, instantly sprang up.
Why is it that people never listen until you resort to violence?
I just don’t understand it.
Tap, tap.
…Ugh, dirt.
As I brushed the dust off Joanie, who had turned her clothes hazy by rolling on the ground, clouds of dust rose into the air.
I stepped back to avoid the dust and began organizing my thoughts.
Joanie’s problem is definitely that she’s too scared.
In a fight, the fundamental principle is to inflict damage on the opponent while avoiding any on yourself; sure, it makes sense to be cautious and avoid injury, but there’s a limit to that.
She’s dodging attacks skillfully and blocking them well, yet only defending without attacking means she has no chance of winning.
To put it more accurately, she seems only to strike when it’s an absolutely certain moment.
In order to gain the upper hand, some offensive action must be taken, but it feels like she’s too frightened to counterattack.
To fix this habit, I had been tolerating the nuisance that the Great Sword “Peep” caused, but to my dismay, “Peep” hardly showed any interest in Joanie, making it all pointless.
Speaking of which, I haven’t seen the Great Sword “Peep” today.
“Where’s the Great Sword Peep?”
“Yuki? Ah… she said she went training.”
I see.
That Peep is as consistent as ever.
I wonder if having the Great Sword here would significantly help Joanie.
Unlike the mysterious figure, there’s a significant skill gap between Joanie and Peep, and given Peep’s personality, she wouldn’t go easy on Joanie during a spar.
The goal is to eliminate her fear, yet it seems she would only grow even more terrified.
…
Ways to rid her of fear…
Well, I do have a good approach.
The Crimson Aegis, where the finest talents in Grasis gather…
…Though that’s a story of the past.
The Crimson Aegis I remember would see all the skilled noble kids joining the royal knights; those who didn’t make it to the royal order were left with inferior yields but decent skill.
Or those who had an overwhelming sense of patriotism and the will to fight.
Those who joined the royal knights didn’t have to fight dangerously against the enemy, and nobles would prefer more protection for their own lives.
Their early demise compared to ours would be ironic.
That said, the Crimson Aegis wasn’t a place where one’s skills would fall far behind either.
The leader of the Crimson Aegis was a position held by the strongest person in Grasis, which meant their standards were quite high.
Even while ignoring the original intention of forming the Crimson Aegis, they continued its tradition faithfully, which is quite amusing.
‘…I got sidetracked.’
Anyway, there were often timid ones among those in the Crimson Aegis too.
“Hii—?!”
“I-I can’t! Just kill me instead!”
Some would freeze up stiff as logs or retreat in fear.
This was especially true for those who had only trained through sparring against other humans and faced monsters for the first time.
Of course, many who lacked practical experience would still fight calmly and perform well.
If they fought properly, they could easily win without breaking a sweat, but instead, they would flee in terror.
At that time, my equally simple solution as the vice-captain was straightforward.
“Go.”
“…W-What?!”
“Get in there and fight.”
“…What? Did I misunderstand you?”
“If you did, I’ll make sure you understand.”
“WAAAAH! Curse you, vice-captain!”
If they were forced into a situation where they had no choice but to fight…
“Vice-captain?”
“Yeah?”
“…Why are you handing me a sword?”
“Because you asked me to kill you.”
“…”
“…”
“…Bring it on, you monster!”
…Instill a greater fear instead.
It is a bit disheartening that they feared something as simple as a sword more than the monsters, but isn’t it better that way?
As a reference, the one who cursed me turned incredibly brave after facing off against monsters for several days, eventually requesting a spar from me.
“Hi—! Vice-captain, scary…”
Although it seemed they developed a different phobia afterward, that’s not my concern.
Even if they were Apostles blessed by Edel, they’re still human.
They shouldn’t differ much from the warriors I trained.
In short, if you push them hard enough, the problems will naturally resolve themselves.
i “W-Why am I suddenly… shaking?” i
Has she sensed something? Joanie trembled and looked around her.
I’m not doing this for my own amusement; I do this for your benefit, you know, right?
Got it?
*
[Look what I got from Kana! LOL]
(Grasis commemorative coin.jpg)
Looks like it’s not the imperial gold coin, but it sure is shiny and pretty.
From now on, this is our family treasure!
[Comments]
– “Lies!”
┗ “But it’s true?? If you don’t believe it, go watch Joanie’s stream!”
– “Buying it!”
┗ “No way, not selling it~”
– “So it was you, the brave one?”
– “Is this for real? How’d you get it?”
┗ “I fought Joanie and blocked the attacks meant to kill me, and then she gave it to me!”
┗ “Wow, I’m so jealous;”
[I want to get a gift from Kana too!]
So, if I stick around Joanie and provoke her, I could get a gift from Kana, right?
Huff huff… A gift touched by Kana’s hands…
I can’t resist this—I’m heading off to beat Joanie up!
[Comments]
– “That’s a bit much..”
– “I can totally imagine you slicing someone right away.”
– “You should stay out of this;”
– “Please die.”
Until now, people who could only watch because of Kana’s heightened guard and barrier finally had the chance to express their pent-up desires as they easily discovered that simply meeting her wouldn’t immediately lead to drawn swords.
[Can I just ask to pet instead of getting a gift?]
I really want to pet Kana’s head…
[Comments]
– “There was a hand, yet there wasn’t one.”
– “??? : Just add a little bit of this, and my hand will become like this…”
– “X-Cross, hands…!”
– “Are you perhaps hoping to become Captain Hook one day?”
– “Is it certain that you’ll get cut off?? LOL”
– “Our Kana doesn’t bite. Instead, she slices!”
[Wow! A fan meeting!]
So, if I go now, Kana will talk to me, shake hands, hug me, pet me, and give me gifts??
I can’t miss this! Hahaha!
[Comments]
– “What’s up with this?”
– “I can’t believe this is happening.”
– “This seems pedo-pedo…”
– “Dude, are you still going to live like this this year??”
With her cute and docile appearance contrasted by her indifferent attitude, Kana still managed to subtly take care of Joanie while tolerating her skinship.
People were captivated by her allure, akin to a grumpy cat that only allows the touch of a butler.
Hearing the news, those wanting to get closer to Kana and those simply enjoying her presence spread quickly.
As they flocked to what was effectively a nonfan meeting, the situation escalated as players in the vicinity gravitated towards Joanie and Kana.
“Hey! Don’t push!”
“Get in line, will you?!”
“That’s not a line; it’s an order!”
“I’m selling corn! Popcorn too!”
Finally, even vendors appeared, turning the scene into absolute chaos, prompting Kana to contemplate deeply.
“Should I just kill them all…?”
Ever since the knights invaded, the slightly improved image of the Apostles in Kana’s mind plummeted.
But the true victims of this spectacle were neither Kana, now a mere spectacle, nor the Apostles facing death.
“Come on out! Let’s fight!”
“Are you really that good at fighting? Follow me to the rooftop.”
“Joanie! I’m your fan! I’ll give you a hug!”
“Eek! W-What are you guys?!”
The biggest victim of this whole debacle was Joanie, who joyfully accompanied Kana to Ordo only to be bombarded with competition challenges.
Joanie was taken aback by the multitude of PVP requests, looking around in horror, only to find every direction filled with eager eyes, akin to tasty prey.
“Waaaaah! Kana! Help me!”
In the end, Joanie threw all pretense aside and clung to Kana’s leg, bursting into tears.