kscans

Chapter 80 - The Outcome of the Match

Meoto-de—a stance from old-style karate.

In a standard karate stance, one hand is held forward in an L-shape, while the other is at one's side.

However, if the forward hand is dedicated to defense, the other hand's attack will be slow and delayed. But with meoto-de, both hands are held close together at the front. This way, the moment one hand defends, the other can instantly attack. Conversely, the other hand can also defend, and the slightly forward hand can immediately attack the opponent.

In other words, the movements are fast and efficient.

However, moving from this stance is quite difficult. I didn't get it right at first, but I practiced it whenever I had time, just in case I had to fight without a weapon. I wanted to think such a situation wouldn't happen, but there are always exceptions.

For example, when entering the room of a person of high status, it is rude to bring a weapon. You must always leave it behind. If you are attacked by a thief or an assassin hired by that person at that time, you would be killed without being able to do anything.

I wanted no part of that.

For that reason, I had been practicing bare-handed fighting. I had devoured books and manga that seemed practical for real combat and worked to master the techniques.

I was thrilled to have landed a punch on Madelo's face. Why? Because until now, every time I tried to hit him, he had dodged every single blow. If that happens repeatedly, any human would get a little irritated. Now that I had finally succeeded, I felt a bit refreshed.

Madelo, holding his hand to his face, said, "...Quite a blow. Well done. ...And your movements are different from before. ...What is that?"

I had no intention of answering his question, but I decided to do so anyway.

"...This is a stance passed down in my homeland. It is simple and unadorned. ...It is called bujutsu."

With that declaration, I took my stance. Madelo smiled slightly.

"...Heheheheheh. ...Excellent. Excellent. ...You are more than I expected. ...This is getting more and more enjoyable."

As he said those words, I could see his fighting spirit swell.

A tremendous fighting spirit—or was it aura? ...In any case, it meant I had fired him up too much. ...But it was too late for regrets. As long as we were fighting, getting the opponent serious was a common occurrence in battle manga. Therefore, I had to accept that fact and simply finish off the opponent before me.

We glared at each other, and then, we both ran.

Our fists clashed. The battle from that point on was fierce. A barrage of punches, more intense than before. What's more, we weren't staying in one place; we were fighting on the move. When I dodged Madelo's right punch with a large sidestep, the wall behind me cracked significantly. The wall was in such a state that it looked like it could collapse at any moment. Madelo immediately turned to face me, about to counterattack, but I used that momentary opening to tackle him. It was easier to break his posture this way than with a punch.

Without losing the momentum from the tackle, I continued to push Madelo.

At that moment, there was a door in front of us, but I didn't notice and broke through it. The impact made me stop for a moment, and Madelo was thrown into the room. There were several beds in the room, and at the back, there was a single desk and four chairs. A liquor bottle sat on the desk. It seemed to be a soldiers' break room.

"...It's hard to fight in here," I said. "...Let's take this outside."

To my words, Madelo replied, "...Fine by me. ...But to be concerned about the location, does that mean we both want to fight all out?"

He smirked.

Apparently, he thought I was referring to the state of the room. ...It really was a difficult room to fight in, but I decided to go with the atmosphere and say nothing. Well then, after leaving the room, Madelo and I prepared to fight again.

Just then, from behind me.

"You there! Freeze!"

At the loud voice, I instinctively turned around. A large number of soldiers had arrived.

Seeing this, Madelo said, "...It seems this is as far as we go. ...I'll have to leave this match for later."

With that, he turned and started running.

I didn't chase after him and stood rooted to the spot. Why? Because if I chased him now, the soldiers would think I was his accomplice. When the soldiers reached me, more than half of them chased after Madelo, while a few of them surrounded me.

"Don't move! ...Who are you?"

To this question, I replied, "I am Shinsuke, an adventurer. ...I came to the castle at the request of the prince to be his playmate. ...I heard the sound of breaking glass and moved to alleviate the prince's anxiety."

I stated it concisely.

"...We will ask the prince if that is true," a soldier said. "...You will come with us."

I didn't resist his instructions and went with the soldiers.

And so, the battle in the castle ended.

The next morning.

Tina and I were in front of the doors to the throne room.

Things had been hectic since then. First, I was taken to the barracks and questioned. After a while, a messenger soldier came and confirmed that I was the hired adventurer, and I was immediately released. After meeting up with Tina, I thought we would go home, but the prince said.

"I'm sorry, but I can't let you go. ...Due to the incident, the castle is on lockdown. ...Even if you completed the request, I can't make an exception and let you out. ...I'll have a room prepared for you, so you should stay the night."

So we decided to stay.

We slept in a guest room, and after waking up in the morning, we had a light breakfast in the room and were preparing to leave when a soldier came.

"You're from 'Red Lightning', aren't you? The king would like to express his gratitude for the incident last night. Please come with me."

And that's how we ended up here.

...Honestly, I'd rather not have an audience with the king.

It was nerve-wracking, or rather, a hassle.

In any case, getting involved in national affairs could lead to trouble later on. Why? Because you get noticed. If the higher-ups of a country remember you, it becomes difficult to move freely.

It's not that I'm planning to do anything wrong, but as long as I'm an Otherworlder, standing out increases the risk of my identity being exposed. In the Kingdom, I kept that in mind and acted inconspicuously, passing on the credit for major incidents to others. I'm content with just receiving money.

I don't wish for anything more.

And yet, why do things never go according to plan? It's a real headache. As I was thinking this, Tina said, "...Shinsuke, I know what you're thinking, but... please be prepared."

She was reminding me.

...No choice, I guess I'll have to brace myself.

To become a man strong in body and mind. That was my vow to my master.

I steeled myself and entered. The throne room was, in a word, simple. The only thing that stood out besides the king's throne was the blue carpet; otherwise, there were only a few vases on the walls. We entered, advanced to a certain point, and knelt.

Then, the chancellor announced, "...His Majesty, King Rukarl, has arrived."

With that declaration, the king appeared from a door at the back.

He looked old, but the presence he exuded was immense and dignified.

He was a different kind of king from the one in the Kingdom, an unapproachable presence.

After taking his seat, King Rukarl said, "...Thank you for your efforts in this matter. ...Even though it was in the midst of a request from my son, I thank you for your service."

With that, he bowed his head slightly.

I tried to stop him, but King Rukarl's eyes pleaded, 'I will not allow that.' I swallowed the words I was about to say.

King Rukarl continued, "...Now, I would like to give you a reward, but rewards for requests outside of the Guild are, in principle, forbidden. ...Forgive me."

He was apologizing.

I thought to myself that there was no helping it.

The only way to obtain money outside of a Guild request was through monster materials. Why? Because it would be considered a bribe. If you were asked to do a job by someone else while on a job, did it, and received money, it might seem normal to the people involved, but it would be a nuisance for the Guild. The Guild's income comes from accepting jobs from clients and taking a ten percent commission from the payment received.

Therefore, it is forbidden for those belonging to the Guild to accept requests and receive money on their own outside of it.

This was the same in the Kingdom.

Once, when I tried to help someone in trouble on the street, Tina got angry and explained it to me. This was common sense in this country, not something the Guild needed to explain.

With that in mind, I replied, "Please don't worry about it. ...Everything was done with your safety as our top priority."

I gave a non-committal response.

To this, King Rukarl said, "...Is that so? ...Then is there something you desire? ...I can grant it as long as it is not monetary."

To these words, I replied, "...Then I have a request. Could you please lift the lockdown on the country?"

To this response, King Rukarl said, "Lift the lockdown? ...Hmm, that is possible. However, it will be lifted tomorrow, so please wait until then."

Knowing my wish had been granted, I said, "Thank you, ...Your Majesty, King Rukarl."

I bowed while still kneeling. Tina did the same.

The chancellor, who had been watching, said, "King Rukarl, it is almost time."

To those words, King Rukarl said, "Oh, yes. ...I'm sorry, but I have work to do now. That will be all for today."

"No, thank you for your valuable time," I said.

With those words of gratitude, Tina and I took our leave.

Three people remained in the throne room.

King Rukarl, Prince Lustolfo, and the chancellor.

After taking a breath, King Rukarl said, "...Lustolfo, things went according to your plan this time, but... I still do not like the fact that there was no reward."

To these words, the prince replied, "Of course, Father, you are free to do as you wish. ...For my part, I am glad that I was able to learn the extent of their abilities, especially Shinsuke's."

To these words, King Rukarl asked, "...What are you planning?"

Faced with a look that said he wouldn't tolerate lies, the prince said, "...As you know, Father, the two major factions in the Empire are vying for succession between the eldest and second daughters. ...According to my information, a noble from the eldest daughter's faction has apparently defected, and the previously balanced factions are now slightly tilting in favor of the second daughter."

To those words, the chancellor said, "...Your Highness, if I may be so bold, that is impossible. ...The eldest daughter advocates for a defensive war, while the second daughter advocates for total resistance. ...These two irreconcilable positions are convenient for the nobles. They can gain by siding with either one."

"...However, to leave one faction and join another... they would be called traitors by both factions. Moreover, even if they win, they would not be able to obtain a high position. At best, they would only slightly increase their existing territory. ...There are clearly only disadvantages."

King Rukarl agreed with the chancellor's explanation.

The only thing nobles think about is how to raise their own status.

For that purpose, they would gladly carry out any unreasonable order from the royal family, even if they were told to let their own child live in the castle, they would accept with a smile, not a displeased face. That is what a noble is.

And yet, for the factions to be tilting means that someone left one and joined another.

To this question, the prince replied, "I share your thoughts. ...At first, I thought it was a mistake, but reports from multiple sources have confirmed its credibility. ...Furthermore, when I went to the Church, I succeeded in making connections with a merchant from the Empire. ...According to a letter brought by a messenger bird to my place yesterday afternoon, the defecting nobles publicly bowed their heads to the nobles of the second daughter's faction in front of the citizens, saying, 'We do not want any reward.'"

The prince's report made the chancellor and King Rukarl look at each other.

Nobles, who did not approve of bowing their heads to anyone other than royalty, had bowed their heads in front of the citizens.

The two of them thought it was impossible.

However, it is often the case in the world that the impossible is true.

King Rukarl asked, "...Assuming that is true, why are those two involved?"

To this question, the prince replied, "...Those two can change something. ...I have a feeling."

It was a very vague answer.

King Rukarl and the chancellor thought so, but they had to start thinking about how to deal with what was to come.