Chapter 4 - Newcomers
Some time after the bird meat barbecue.
According to Josephine-san, the camp’s insider, about ten new arrivals are set to join us today. They must be the poor girls who were apprehended. It turns out, though, that they’re a group of adventurers and traveling healers. Even Josephine-san isn’t sure why they’re being detained.
It would be great to hear their stories since they’ve traveled far and wide.
When dinner time came, while I was gathering supplies with Frederica and Zenobia, a crowd of new arrivals started filing into the dining hall. They must be the ones we’ve been hearing about.
Well, there are beastfolk and elves in the mix. The group spans from young girls to elderly women. A few of them are looking around the room with extreme caution. This doesn’t bode well.
“Hey, hey, can’t even say hello? Newbies!”
“Here, it’s the norm for newbies to greet everyone around!”
“Stop standing there and get some tea for us!”
And there it goes. The usual hazing of new arrivals. It’s honestly terrible.
The right thing to do here is to introduce yourself casually and gracefully ignore any unreasonable demands… but I’m curious to see how they handle it.
The elderly woman is impressive. She’s completely unfazed, even looking amused as she waits to see what her younger companions will do. The elf next to her seems to share a similar demeanor. On the other hand, the youngest-looking beastgirl is visibly trembling from the tension.
The two middle-aged women and the calm, homely one, along with the laid-back, gentle elf, are quietly observing the situation.
The real challenge lies with the remaining young ladies. The wild-eyed elf is looking for a fight, and the warrior-type woman is already on high alert.
They don’t look like pushovers, but let’s see how it plays out.
“Hey, out of the way! You’re blocking the path!”
At just the right—or wrong—moment, a large woman appears.
“Move it, stupid, uh… urgh…”
She collapses with a thud.
The warrior-type woman advances silently and starts throwing quick body blows at the large woman without a word.
Caught off guard, the large woman goes down easily, like a trained dog.
Still, to launch a preemptive strike against such a bulky opponent… she’s definitely a fighter. This is going to be interesting.
The dining hall, usually noisy, falls into an uneasy silence.
Even as the tension builds, the warrior-type woman, clearly enjoying herself, starts goading the others.
“Look, I can only greet you this way. I’m supposed to go around and greet everyone, right? Be a dear and let me do that.”
Of course, she’s extending the same courtesy to me. Challenge accepted, of course.
I always accept challenges and never back down.
As I stand up, a few rowdy types start pushing forward, eager for some entertainment. They’re all starved for fun, and there’s no helping that. The warrior looks serious, but the old-timers look thrilled. The contrast is amusing.
“Alright! So, who wants to greet me first, kiddo?”
The woman who stands up is slender and often participates in our training sessions.
Those who train are well-prepared, so this could be a good opportunity to see the fruits of our labor. Zenobia, standing next to me, seems to be thinking the same thing.
As the two challengers step forward, the fight begins without any ceremony.
The slender woman starts with some light strikes to test her opponent. Though the strikes are sharper than expected, the warrior-type woman dodges them with ease.
She deflects the increasing pace of strikes with perfect precision, countering with a single, decisive blow. Despite the initial show, it was a clear victory for the warrior.
“Pfft, that was a waste of time. Who’s next?”
She taunts her opponents, emboldened by her win.
I think the slender woman did well, but she was up against a tough opponent.
The warrior-type woman is strong. She has a powerful punch, and her dodging skills are exceptional. It’s not normal to avoid every attack so cleanly. Perhaps she has a skill or talent for it.
“Next is me! Here I come!”
This time, a petite girl steps forward. I recognize her from our training sessions.
She’s a cute one and has a natural talent for throws. Her technique for disrupting an opponent’s stance and the timing and speed of her moves are impressive.
The warrior-type woman seems a bit uncomfortable facing a girl.
“I don’t hold back, even against girls.”
“Great! Here I come!”
She lunges forward, but the warrior dodges effortlessly.
But it feels a bit forced. Having observed her before, I can tell that she’s just pretending to be wide open, setting a trap for a counter.
After a few repetitions, when she finally catches a counter move, she grabs the warrior’s arm.
Or so it seems. She’s quickly thrown off and ends up dangling by her wrists.
“Well, well, I give up…”
It’s understandable. The strength difference is too great. It was a good strategy, though.
After that, three more try and fail to beat her.
Her dodging skills are phenomenal, almost mesmerizing. However, this is a re-education camp, and we can’t let new arrivals walk all over us.
“Zenobia, what do you think?”
“Pretty good. I might not have won against her on my first try.”
“So you can beat her now?”
“I wouldn’t say ‘easy win,’ but I wouldn’t lose.”
“Fitting for Zenobia. Anyway, thanks for your opinion.”
Zenobia gives me a wry smile and a gesture, encouraging me to go ahead.
Alright, my turn.
“I’ll go next.”
I declare this as I stand up.
“Yukari!”
“Yukari’s up!”
“Counting on you, girl!”
“Oh! Onee-sama!”
“If you lose, I get to grope you!”
There’s always that one dimwit in the crowd.
“I heard that, you know.”
I glare at them. They tend to get overconfident if you let them slide.
“Well, if you’re tired, we can do this tomorrow.”
“Pfft, no way. I’m not even warmed up yet. Bring it on.”
“I’m Shinogami Yukari. You might know my name from all the commotion. What’s yours?”
“What?”
“This is a greeting, right? I’d like to know your name.”
She and her companions are fascinating, and I want to hear their stories. To foster a good relationship, it’s best to start with the basics.
“I see. Alright, my name is Ophelia. If I beat you, will things settle down?”
“Probably. I think you’ve made enough of an impression.”
“Then, I’ll fight until I’m satisfied!”
As she says this, Ophelia charges at me.
I calmly assess the situation and kick at her chest.
It was supposed to be a difficult move to dodge, but she slipped past it and avoided the kick.
Or so it seemed. Perhaps she has some kind of illusion or evasion skill tailored for close combat.
But it’s too unfair to use such a skill in close combat. I step back to reassess.
“Teach me that move later. I don’t think I can do it, though.”
“…Hmph.”
She doesn’t respond to my quip.
From observing her fights with others, I know this will be challenging. If it’s an illusion-based skill, fighting blind or by sensing her presence might not work for me.
Based on what I’ve seen, she doesn’t seem to use illusions when attacking, so I’ll use the petite girl’s strategy.
I come up with a plan, but Ophelia isn’t making a move. I’ll have to take the initiative.
I approach casually and start striking.
I wasn’t expecting them to land, but I’m ready to grab her if I can connect. With my skill, I have monstrous grip strength.
Ophelia continues to dodge cautiously, as if sensing something.
I keep striking without showing any intention to grab, waiting for her to launch a counter.
I’m in no rush. If I can’t beat her with simple strikes, grabbing her is my only option. Once I have a hold, I’m certain I’ll win.
“What are you planning?”
“I’m not planning anything. I’m just attacking persistently.”
“I don’t like it. I’ll settle this in one more move!”
“Ophelia, be careful. She’s trying something. Go for the one-hit knockout!”
“Got it!”
The wild-eyed elf offers Ophelia some advice.
Even if it’s a one-hit knockout, I’m not fazed. Let’s see what happens.
I’ll stand my ground and overwhelm her with a decisive win.
“Here, give it your best shot!”
“Darn it! You’ll regret this!”
She starts with a low stance, and I wait.
There’s a bit of distance, so I expect her to charge with a running start. But it’s a kick!
She’s never used a kick before.
But it’s just a faster and stronger regular kick.
In this world, people generally fight with weapons. Unarmed combat is more like a brawl. There’s no formal martial arts without weapons, as far as I know.
Skill, close-combat technique.
This is the second gift I’ve been given.
I’m probably the only one who can perform such advanced unarmed combat in this world. A skilled physical fighter like her shouldn’t be able to beat me.
Of course, my victory is due to the magic-sealing bracelet, which nullifies the effects of any physical enhancement magic. Otherwise, a fighter with magic would be far superior.
Once I’m released, I need to regain my magical abilities as quickly as possible. For that, I’ll need to study and prepare more.
The new arrival’s cry of dismay echoes through the hall. The elderly woman and the elf next to her have quietly finished their meal while watching the spectacle. They’re as resourceful as ever.
Incidentally, my consecutive wins are largely due to the bracelet. Normally, adventurers and mercenaries use physical enhancement magic, which significantly boosts their strength, reflexes, and even their vision. Without it, and with my unknown close-combat skills, I have the upper hand. I shouldn’t get too cocky. Yes, indeed.
Once I’m released, I need to regain my full magical abilities as quickly as possible to ensure my survival. I’ll need to do more thorough preparation and research.