NOVEL NEXT Chapter 75: Truly…
After Ryan had made his declaration, we went forward with the plan to move away from the town.
The only thing we were sure of was that all of the townspeople were migrating to Beilanea.
Those who had difficulties with sustaining their livelihood were provided with their minimum needs, while the rest only expressed their thanks to us before leaving on their own ways into their new town.
Ryan and the Fal Braves brigade went on to register themselves into the Adventurers’ Guild, intending to assist the rest of the Faltown’s people.
I had told the story to everyone at the Guild beforehand, and they had expressed their desire to help, so things will probably be just fine. Most of the immigrants were adults, so it did not take much for the Guild’s people to assist in taking care of the children.
The children’s parents went on to search for employment in the meantime, and depending on whether they could build a stable livelihood, they may eventually fit right into this town.
Truly, humans’ perseverance with life illustrates how much of an interesting creature they are…
“-there.”
“You were writing in that book again! I think you ought to stop observing humans like they’re some weird exhibit, Master!”
“Hey, no looking!”
“Oh c’mon, please let me read just a bit of that ‘Principles of a Philosopher’ book!”
“Not now! I’ve decided to offer this to your grave, so just wait!”
“M-Master… I never thought you’d care for me that much…!”
“Yeah, all of this is for you to die without any worries!”
“…Ahh! This is bad! I just remembered I can’t die of old age!”
“What a coincidence! The same goes for me!”
“One of us!”
“One of us!”
With me squatted down and throwing around some banter with Pochi, we burst into laughter and slapped each other’s shoulders.
Then, just as I caught sight of Lina and her wry smile in the distance, Pochi ran up to her side.
I looked at Pochi’s wagging tail as she proceeded to go on her way, and then noticed that Lina seemed strongly resolved to get something done as she stepped into my room.
When I inclined my head as if to ask what she needed, Lina stopped and looked up at me.
Ngh – I swear, I’m utterly allergic to this one way she looks at me.
“W-what’s up, Lina?”
You are calm – you are perfectly calm, Philosopher Asley…!
“So you see, Sir Asley, I’d like to…”
Seeing Lina hesitate to speak her point, I asked her despite shaking a tad bit myself, “What is it?”
“I mean, if and when you have some free time, would you like to… umm, have another match with me?”
That came out of nowhere.
What Lina wanted was a rematch she had been waiting for, for the past two years.
But why would Lina, of all people, ask for such a thing? No matter what angle I look at it from, I could not come up with anything.
Still, it was what she wished for, and I would like to humor her as much as I could.
With that in mind, I initiated a Telepathic Call with Lala and Tzar, who stayed behind in Faltown.
[“Hello? Lala? Tzar? Can you hear me?”]
[““Crystal clear, Sir Asley.””]
[“This is damn surprising, Asley! You’ve got a super great spell with you!”]
[“Thanks, Lala. It looks like I might be a little late to return, so could you see if you can find a probable
location for us in the meantime?”]
[““Hmm, yes, of course. This land is quite abundant with the blessings of nature, We must say. Are you sure that We can have it?””]
[“All the townspeople already gave their approval, so there’s no problem at all… Well then, I’ll call again some time later.”]
In requesting Lala and Tzar to cultivate the land of Faltown, I have also asked them to search the region.
Considering that Tzar could use magecraft, we could get in touch relatively easily. If need be, they could use the Teleportation spell as a means of escape too.
I had made use of some conversion codes to make the spell formula recognize specified individuals, in turn making it not to take effect on those other than Lala and Tzar, so there won’t be any issues of unwanted guests.
Lina understood that I had been in a Telepathic Call, so she waited. When I let out a sigh of relief, we continued our conversation.
“All right – where should we do it?”
Lina instantly, intensely brightened up – she was more happy with my reply than I had ever thought she was capable of being.
She sure has gotten beautiful over these past two years.
Her beauty seemed to measure up to that of the angels in literature I had read a long time ago. With how she is now, I wonder what the future has in store for her. That one thing, at the very least, is what I genuinely look forward to.
For that very reason, I would like to safeguard her path forward.
“Thank you very much! There’s a vacant lot to the west of Beilanea that has become a popular sparring spot lately. We can carry out the match there!”
Lina firmly pumped her fists in front of her chest.
In just the span of two years, they have truly become quite bountiful-
“Where do you think you’re looking at, sir?!”
“Yeowch-?! What do you think you’re doing, Pochi?!”
“Biting!”
“I know that! Thanks for the warning, damn it!”
“You are very welcome, Sir!”
Yeah, I’m not exactly in the position to get angry.
This doggo never fails to take things seriously at the worst moments, damn it…!
(Xem: Oh-oh, wait, I have an idea: may be Asley is virgin because this doggo is always getting in his way?)
◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆
We proceeded in the direction of the hilly area to the west of Beilanea, the same region where we had once fought the Ogre King.
A little before that place was, as Lina had said, a plot of relatively flat land that could be considered a large vacant lot.
The location was also a good vantage point, so strong monsters don’t turn up here that often, and being able to still see Beilanea in the distance would put one’s minds at relative ease.
Once Pochi, Lina, and I reached the lot, we were greeted by those who had already been there before us.
In the middle of sparring were warriors – all whom I had become so very familiar with.
The one doing most of the swinging with his sword was Ryan. Those who stood their ground opposite to him were Reid, Mana, and Adolf.
“B-big bro… and big sis?!”
In reaction to Lina’s exclamation of surprise, Reid raised his hands and greeted back.
Ryan averted his eyes to catch Lina for only a second, and then immediately turned back to focus on his training.
Now that’s what I’d expected of a veteran and leader of brave warriors. Perhaps his coming out to the open field has made his true abilities shine through even more than before.
Adolf also was exhibiting quite an amazing level of skill – he was matching his movements very well with Ryan’s signposts.
Mana’s style didn’t quite match up perfectly with either of them, but she was efficient in filling for the blinds spots of Adolf’s movements.
But of course, despite all that, Ryan was parrying the pair’s attacks with ease.
Lead followed them up, jumping to deliver a blow at Ryan from above, but then – whether it was intended or not – Ryan flicked the blade away with his bare hand.
From what I’ve seen, I suppose he’s got, at the very least, the same level of raw power as Bruce?
As for his level… let’s see…
――――――――――――――――――――
- NAME: RYAN
- TITLES: The Strong, Chief, Sword Master, Fal Braves, Brigade Leader, Rank D
- LV: 78
- HP: 2097
- MP: 148
- EXP: 1234900
- SPECIAL SKILLS:
- Aerial Dancer
- Fortify Strength
- Fortify Resilience
- Tempest
- Lightning Blade
――――――――――――――――――――
I knew it – he’d beefed his body up quite a bit since we had last met.
He may still be a new adventurer, but he most likely possessed combat experience on par with The Silver.
Among adventurers, it was a generally accepted notion that one’s actual experience took precedence over levels and raw numbers, too.
With that said, being an experienced fighter implied that one would also be able to level up more easily and efficiently.
――――――――――――――――――――
- NAME: REID
- TITLES: The Strong, Eldest Brother, Sword Master, Fal Braves, Brigade Vice-Leader, Rank D
- LV: 59
- HP: 1129
- MP: 88
- EXP: 320847
- SPECIAL SKILLS:
- Smash-slash
- Fortify Strength
- Fortify Resilience
――――――――――――――――――――
Reid had gone a long way just from fighting near Faltown, it seemed.
If he were to rack up some experience at Beilanea, I’m sure he would become a major carrying force among the adventurers.
On a technical standpoint, he was now about the same level as Betty’s when I had first met her.
――――――――――――――――――――
- NAME: MANA
- TITLES: Elder Sister, Swordsman, Fal Braves, Rank D
- LV: 50
- HP: 982
- MP: 124
- EXP: 219402
- SPECIAL SKILLS:
- Fortify Strength
- Tempest
- Fortify Resilience
- Light Body
――――――――――――――――――――
Mana had improved herself quite a bit too.
I mean, it’s not that I had much of an involvement in that front, but I suppose it was one of my bad habits to often look at things in this manner.
To be frank, Mana here probably was the one who was impacted the most when she had first reunited with her little sister Lina.
Her little sister was technically a former warrior, and she had ended up making comparisons in regards to their abilities. It would suffice to say that she had taken quite a blow to her ego.
Still, it had turned out to be a good thing, since she was not the type to feel down, instead shifting the experience into a newfound motivation.
――――――――――――――――――――
- NAME: ADOLF
- TITLES: Swordsman, Fal Braves, Rank D
- LV: 36
- HP: 620
- MP: 78
- EXP: 88210
- SPECIAL SKILLS:
- Fortify Strength
- Fortify Resilence
- Light Body
――――――――――――――――――――
And Adolf… although he’s technically still in his growing years, he sure has grown up well over the years.
He must have taken in a good chunk of influence from Ryan’s leadership, what with his diligent focus on the town’s rebuilding.
By the time I deactivated the Appraisal Glasses, I saw that Ryan traded a few blows – and then he thrust his sword down into the ground.
“Lightning Blade!”
“”Gwah-!””
“Kya!”
Huh, an underground transmission?
By now, I’d known of many attacks that transmit their effects through the ground for dealing damage underfoot, but a sword technique covering this much area was unheard of.
If I were to guess from its name, the technique made use of arcane energy and geomagnetism to fuel its power.
While I was busy pondering over all that, Ryan wrapped up the battle and turned our way.
And then, it seemed that he finally realized that Lina and I were here to use the space for something ourselves.
“Now this is something to look forward to.”
“…Whatever are you referring to, sir?”
Ryan chuckled in reaction to my wry smile.
“Everything, of course.”
“……”
“Master, Master!”
Ah, there’s my Pochi, planning to crack a joke at the most inappropriate of times.
I am Asley – a man of high class – a man who will become Philosopher. I won’t fall for her petty plot this time.
Now, witness my high art of ignoring things – or so I thought I would pull it off, if not for Pochi taking a totally unexpected course of action.
She blew into my ear.
“Pff-…”
Damn it… That really tickles, damn it!