kscans

Chapter 83 - Sword Clashes and a Ship

Goblin Knight.

A monster that steals knight's armor, adjusts it for its own use, and fights like a knight.

It is a high-ranking monster among Goblins.

...A rare case indeed. I said, "A Goblin Knight, huh? ...A worthy opponent."

As I was about to grab my sword, Tina said, "...Shinsuke, please take care of the surrounding Goblins. ...I will fight the Goblin Knight."

To this proposal, I asked, "...It's rare for you to say something like that, Tina. ...May I ask why?"

Tina rarely asks to fight a specific monster.

Why? Because her goal is to defeat them, and she has no interest in the honor that comes from it.

Tina said, "...I want to become stronger, too. ...I have feelings of wanting to be protected by you, but I am a warrior. ...All I can do is fight."

She said this with a slight smile.

...I see. She doesn't want to lose her sense of purpose.

"...Understood," I said. "Leave the surrounding Goblins to me. ...Fight to your heart's content."

With that, I stood next to Tina.

The Goblin Knight gave an order to the Goblins.

The Goblins charged. There were ten of them. The only weapons they had were clubs.

I activated my fire magic.

"Flame Barrage!"

With flames enveloping my sword, I cut down the Goblins.

My movements were like flowing water.

Previously, during the undead subjugation, a spear wielder named Sakura had shown me her fluid movements, which were magnificent.

Since then, I had been practicing whenever I had free time. This was my first time using it in a real battle, but my movements seemed to be smooth. I finished off the last one. Seeing this, the Goblin Knight let out a shriek and charged towards me.

Was it aiming for me?

...As I was thinking that, Tina appeared from my side and confronted the Goblin Knight.

The clash of sword and rapier, slash and thrust. The performance of their weapons was almost evenly matched.

For it to be unscathed after clashing with an Orichalcum sword, the material of the rapier must be first-class. ...This meant that their individual skills would decide the outcome. ...Tina's movements were powerful yet efficient, with no wasted motion. She parried her opponent's attacks with her sword and delivered slashes in a crossing pattern. The Goblin Knight's attacks were all thrusts, with high accuracy, always aiming for the opponent's vulnerable spots, leaving no openings.

When Tina launched an attack, it blocked with its shield, not just taking the blow but deflecting it.

...Its proficiency was high; it was accustomed to battle.

If Tina's was a powerful sword, the Goblin Knight's was a flexible one.

...It was a good match.

The sword fight was fierce, with both of them countering while blocking each other's swords. It was truly a contest of swordsmanship. ...No one could tell what the outcome would be.

It seemed that both the person and the monster knew this as well.

...At this rate, it would be a battle of attrition. There would be no end to it.

One of them had to do something to take the other by surprise.

...Tina thought about using magic but decided against it.

The reason was that she used it too easily.

...No matter how much she wanted to defeat her opponent, if she used it willy-nilly, she would be at a disadvantage as soon as it was seen through. ...That's why she had to be able to defeat her opponent with swordsmanship alone. But the Goblin Knight didn't think it could win with just its sword.

...After all, there were two enemies.

If it exhausted its stamina defeating one, it wouldn't be able to defeat the other.

With that judgment, the Goblin Knight decided to use a trick.

It swung its rapier wildly to create distance from Tina. Then, it held its shield in front and took a stance that hid the rapier.

Tina thought, (Is it planning something? ...In that case, I'll imbue my sword with magic and end it in one blow.)

With that thought, she channeled magic into her sword.

The two glared at each other.

The Goblin Knight was the first to move.

It charged with its shield in front. ...A rapier attack from behind the shield, or an attack with the shield itself? It was one of the two. The distance between them closed, and then, the Goblin Knight suddenly held its shield horizontally. ...A shield attack. A difficult tactic to see through for the first time.

However, Tina calmly brought her sword down from an overhead stance.

"...Dorryaaaaa!"

With a manly roar, she swung down with all her might.

The shield was split neatly in two.

The Goblin Knight was so surprised by this that it missed its chance to bring out its rapier.

Tina relentlessly followed up with an upward slash from a low stance, cutting through the Goblin Knight's armor and body.

With a spray of blood, the Goblin Knight shrieked and writhed in agony.

Tina silently sent its head flying.

The battle was decided.

Their skills were almost equal, but in the end, Tina's tactic had won out.

I approached and said, "...Looks like you're okay. ...Are you injured?"

To this question, Tina replied, "...I have a small scratch on my face, but it will heal if I leave it alone. ...Thank you."

She answered with a nice smile.

However, there was something about the recent battle that bothered me, so I asked, "...By the way, what was that shout earlier?"

To this question, Tina replied, "...I can't get fired up any other way..."

She looked down, bright red.

...It seems she's embarrassed.

I decided to leave it at that.

Well then, pulling ourselves together, we collected the magic stones from the Goblins. There was only one noteworthy item among the weapons and armor: the rapier the Goblin Knight had been holding.

I picked it up and activated `Analysis`.

...50% iron, 30% Mithril, 20% Orichalcum.

...A fine weapon. An item of this caliber was likely held by a knight who served some noble. ...But that knight was probably dead now.

With that thought, I asked, "...What about this weapon? Do you want to use it, Tina? ...I'm not good with them."

To my words, Tina replied, "...I'm not good with them either. ...I'm better at slashing. ...In that case, we should probably give this to the Guild. ...It's the rule in every country to hand over weapons and armor obtained from monsters or bandits to the Guild."

She suggested.

...I agreed with this. ...It was a weapon made with Orichalcum. We couldn't just sell it to a weapon shop.

It would cause a bit of a stir.

Since I didn't want to stand out too much, it was better to submit it to the Guild's Disassembly Shop and get some money for it.

...Someone would probably use it someday. A weapon is beautiful only when it's used. We collected the spoils of our hunt and headed for the Republic.

We arrived in the Republic.

We passed through the gate smoothly and headed for the Disassembly Shop next to the Guild.

We handed over the Goblin magic stones and the weapon.

The staff member said, "...Yes, the magic stones have been confirmed. ...Are you sure you don't want to take this rapier?"

For the final confirmation, I said, "Yes, ...we're not skilled with that weapon."

Tina nodded as well.

The staff member said, "...Understood. ...In that case, the buyout price is... twenty gold coins in total. After all, weapons made of Orichalcum are high-grade."

With that, he placed thirty gold coins on the counter.

I put the gold coins in my wallet and left.

As the Disassembly Shop staff member was about to store the Goblin magic stones and the rapier in the back of the Guild, the Guild Master, who was passing by, asked, "...What did those two submit?"

To this question, the staff member replied, "Ah, yes. ...Eleven Goblin magic stones and a rapier made of Orichalcum."

To that answer, the master said, "...A rapier? ...Sorry, but could you show it to me?"

The staff member nodded and handed over the rapier.

The master looked at it carefully and then said, "...Will you sell this to me?"

To these words, the staff member said, "Huh? ...Um, items submitted here are supposed to be bought by merchants at a later date..."

To the stammering staff member, the master said, "I know. ...But I want this now. ...Wait a minute."

He placed the rapier on the spot and hurried back to his room.

...The master returned with a wallet in his hand.

"...I have forty gold coins. ...Will you sell it to me for this?"

It was a shocking price.

The minimum price for a weapon made of Orichalcum was twenty gold coins.

...To buy it for double that, the staff member said, "...Understood. If it's your request, Master. ...But please keep this confidential."

He requested in a whisper.

...The staff member accepted the forty gold coins and handed the rapier to the master.

He thanked the staff member and returned to his room.

Sitting in his chair, he gazed at the rapier.

"...Welcome home, little sister..."

He muttered with a face full of sorrow.

When we arrived at the port, a ship was docked.

I asked a crew member who was there.

"Excuse me. ...Are the ships running again?"

The crew member replied, "Ah, yes. ...If you'd like to board, it's three small gold coins per person at the reception over there."

He pointed the way.

I thanked him and bought two tickets at the reception desk.

We boarded the ship, and it departed a short while later.

The ship was a sailing vessel, moving forward with the wind. It was quite comfortable and looked like it would be a pleasant voyage.

When the port was no longer in sight, we were watching the sea while enjoying the sea breeze.

...As I watched the schools of fish that looked like flying fish that I occasionally saw, I thought, 'This is peaceful.' Tina was watching as well. Just as I was hoping this quiet time would continue, from behind.

"Sir! You're causing trouble! ...You'll bother the other passengers."

It seemed some kind of trouble was brewing.

I turned around to see a fat, merchant-like man staggering around, chugging from a liquor bottle.

He shouted loudly, "Huuuh? ...Shut up! ...Who cares about the other passengers! ...Who do you think I am!? ...I'm a high-ranking member of the Republic's merchant association! ...A superior being who is gracing the Kingdom's merchant association with my presence! ...Instead of overlooking something like this, hurry up and bring me the finest liquor!"

He was chugging from the bottle as he spoke.

...What an annoying drunk.

People like him who think they're so great are sure to have an attitude of, 'It's only natural,' no matter how much trouble the people around them go through. ...Really, human nature doesn't change even in another world.

...With that thought, I ignored him. He wasn't worth getting involved with.

...As I was watching the sea for a while, a crew member said, "Sir!! Don't!! Please don't throw things into the sea!!"

When I glanced over, the drunk said, "Shut up!! ...I know. You're going to say the half-fishmen will get angry, right? ...Even if a monster like that comes, I can handle it with my power! ...You powerless commoner!"

With that, he threw the liquor bottle into the sea.

...Hey, hey, according to the Guild Master, half-fishmen show no mercy to those who pollute the sea.

...Just then, a pillar of water rose from the sea.

Immediately after everyone saw it, a half-fishman emerged.

With the weapon in its hand, it smashed the drunk's head.

His torso collapsed in a spray of blood.

The half-fishman that landed on the deck said, "You who defile the sea. ...I'll sink this whole ship."

With that, the half-fishman, Madelo, the half-tuna fishman, radiated killing intent.