kscans

Chapter 169 - The Duel and the Dog-Eared Swordswoman

I was walking to the inn alone. It was located in the area controlled by the dog-eared One-Land family. If I recalled correctly, at Mo's mansion, her suggestion had led to a plan for everyone to take a bath together. It should have been a promised time of bliss. Then Mo started saying unsettling things about traveling with me, and marrying me. Well, she'd been saying it for a while now. But it was the first time her parents had heard it. At a glance from Augustus, Patricia had punched me, and at a glance from Marina, Wake had thrown me out of the mansion. I wondered what I had done, but her parents must have thought I'd done something. Come to think of it, I remembered the mischief I'd gotten up to with Mizuki-chan.

"Master!"

Famu came running up to walk beside me.

"What about Mizuki and the others?"

"They're having a dinner party, and then they're staying the night."

It seemed I was the only one who got kicked out; Mizuki and the others were fine.

"I see. You should go back too, Famu."

"No, I will stay with you, Master."

Her tone felt stiff, different from usual.

"What, are you angry?"

"Mo is the one at fault. You did nothing wrong, Master. And yet, Patricia punched you. I said I was leaving, but Mizuki and the others said they would stay."

Mizuki and the others probably stayed to avoid a complete breakdown between me and the Star Union family. I wanted to believe it wasn't just for the bath.

"Mizuki and the others stayed to mend the relationship between me and Mo's parents."

"Is that so?"

"So you should go back and make up with Mo."

"..."

Famu fell silent and looked down.

"Famu, cherish your female friends. With a face like yours, you can make as many male friends as you want. But female friends are difficult to make in the first place. Sometimes, you can't make them no matter how much you wish for it. I'm envious of the relationship you and Mo have."

Would my words, coming from someone with neither male nor female friends, even resonate? For a moment, the faces of Beers and Fang flickered in my mind, but I immediately banished them. I patted her on the head.

"One more thing. It gets harder to make friends the older you get."

"Master... I'll go back."

"You should."

A part of me wanted her to say she would stay anyway, but I gave her a light pat on the back. Her retreating figure, running off under the reddening sky, seemed to shine a little brightly.

I found the inn right where Claire had told me it would be. As was common, the first floor was a pub and dining hall, with the inn on the upper floors. I'd heard that Shizuka, Reeni, and Fang's group were also at this inn. And they had said Yanan's group was at the same inn too, so I might be able to see them if they were having a meal. As I was thinking this and about to enter, a dog-eared girl who had been standing at the entrance approached me. She had long hair and ears that stood straight up. Her slightly upturned eyes made her look strong-willed, but her features were noble. Her chest was probably a little smaller than Mizuki's. She wore the clothes of a town girl, but they looked somewhat unnatural on her. Maybe it was because she was carrying a katana just like mine.

"I've been waiting for you,"

she said. I instinctively looked behind me, but no one was there.

"Me?"

She nodded. I had no idea who she was.

"I hear the dog-eared girl with you is looking for a girl named Sameim."

"...Don't tell me, you're Sameim?"

She neither confirmed nor denied it. She just showed the faintest smile. She seemed quite different from the impression I'd gotten from Famu. And for Famu's childhood friend, she seemed older. She looked closer in age to Cecily or Aira than to Famu or Mizuki. A dog becomes an adult in less than a year. Was it the same for the dog-eared race? Would Famu become an adult like her in just six months? I remembered that her chest had grown. While I was lost in thought, she took off her glove and tossed it towards me. It hit me in the chest and fell to the ground.

"Sameim, what is the meaning of this?"

"I would like to request a match. If you win, you may have me. If I win, I shall have your dog-eared girl."

If she was going to join us, it was an offer I couldn't refuse, but I had no intention of using Famu as a gambling chip. Just as I was about to decline, the guys who had been drinking in the inn came outside and started cheering. It was a scenario I'd experienced somewhere before. Come to think of it, Famu had been a gambling chip that time too. Why was I always getting into trouble in front of inns? Did I look like an easy mark?

"I heard you were bought as a slave by some adventurer. Do you even have the authority to do this?"

In response to my words, she rolled up her sleeve. There was no slave mark. Come to think of it, she wasn't wearing the light blue clothes or any items. In other words, she served no one, and this challenge was of her own free will. The customers who came out of the inn started making a commotion.

"Stupid woman. There's no way Mash is gonna lose! I'm betting on the man!"

Among the customers was a guy who was immediately starting a betting pool to make some money. I looked to see who was instigating our duel and saw it was Beers. I regretted almost counting him as a friend a moment ago. Next to him were Fang and Doris. And Shizuka and Reeni were there too. Reeni gave me a thumbs-up as a sign of support. Fortunately, Yanan and the other Earth Dragons were nowhere to be seen.

"I don't want to duel. I don't think I can win."

"Is that so? Then I'll be taking the dog-eared girl."

She didn't seem to be listening to me.

"Gahahaha! Playing humble, are we? There's no way you'd lose to a woman like that!"

"Gah..."

With Beers egging everyone on, it seemed like avoiding the duel would be impossible.

"For starters, can we change the location?"

"Very well. Follow me."

She nodded at my suggestion and started walking, guiding me along.

"Hey, you're not fighting here?!"

Beers was yelling, but of course, I ignored him. I followed her.

"Is Sameim famous in Miglutt?"

"I wonder. I doubt many people know about Sameim,"

she answered. It was because everyone, except for my acquaintances like Beers's group, looked uniformly surprised when they saw her face. And while I thought everyone would follow us, no one did. Even Beers and his group were being held back by the other customers. She had a strange atmosphere, or perhaps a powerful presence, or maybe I should call it dignity. She had something in her demeanor that made people obey. Since she was Sameim, I had no choice but to follow, but I too was drawn by something she possessed, walking behind her. The sun had set, and night had begun. There was no one on the streets. With no knowledge of the area, I had no idea where I was being led. I hadn't wanted Beers to come, but I wished someone else had. I wanted someone to mediate. Eventually, we reached an oval-shaped plaza. It was a training ground of packed earth. A crescent moon hung in the sky, casting a pale, bluish light.

"A chariot training ground..."

"That's right. Though chariots were used a long time ago. The city's army doesn't have them anymore,"

she answered.

"Well then. Shall we begin?"

She tapped the hilt of her katana and drew the blade slightly from its scabbard. The embroidery on the hilt and the design of the guard on her katana were closer to a traditional Japanese sword than mine.

She kept her hand on the hilt and slowly lowered her stance.

"I don't want to fight,"

I said, a little too late.

"Then you will simply be cut down where you stand,"

she replied.

"Then can we at least change the prize?"

"Now that you've heard the name Sameim, your demand will not change. Nor will mine."

"How about wooden swords, then?"

She didn't answer. Resigned, I drew my sword and took a stance. She pressed the mouth of her scabbard with her left thumb, pushing the sword slightly forward.

"An Iai draw..."

"So you know of it. As expected of an otherworlder hero."

She smiled. Then, she released a sharp killing intent. I felt a sense of wrongness in her form. Sameim was supposed to be a village girl, just like Famu. And yet, here she was with this commanding stance. Famu's growth rate was fast thanks to my special skill that boosted experience gain. It had been less than a year since she was taken. Could someone improve this much in such a short time? Was she really Sameim?

For a while, we faced each other with our weapons drawn. I couldn't gauge the distance. Not knowing the length of her weapon, I couldn't grasp her range. If I approached carelessly, I'd be cut down in a single stroke. A drop of sweat trickled down my back. If I panicked, I'd lose. But it was also true that we couldn't stay like this forever. I could read her sword style. From that stance, she could only unleash an upward diagonal slash or a horizontal one. And if she had the same profession as Famu, she would have the vacuum blade technique, Kikuichimonji. She might unleash it if I tried to carelessly close the distance. If I could parry that, I'd have a chance of winning. I closed the distance ever so slightly, as if reeling in the earth with my toes. In that instant, with a fierce cry, her body moved. And a white blade danced. I moved my sword to where I predicted hers would be, only to be violently knocked back. She swung the sword she had slashed upwards with into an overhead stance and closed in on me. I caught the down-swinging blade with my own, a hair's breadth from my skin. A lock of hair fluttered down, and blood trickled from my forehead. I tried to retreat to create distance, but she wouldn't allow it, stepping in and delivering a second, and then a third, strike. It was so fast I could hardly keep it in my sights. It was an attack meant to overpower an enemy with brute force. To put it bluntly, it was a sword style full of wide swings with no openings. I weathered the attack, thinking of Avea's complex style that targeted weaknesses and openings. My skin was cut several times, and blood flowed just as it had from my forehead. I could block the attacks with my sword. But if this continued, I would just be cornered. Timing my move with her strike, I stopped retreating and stepped forward, stopping her attack. A harsh metallic clang echoed as our blades locked.

"I never thought you'd be able to block all of my strikes."

She smiled, saying something Avea might have.

"Shut up,"

I barked. Her body was about half a head shorter than mine. I tried to use that height and weight difference to push her back, but her body didn't budge an inch. Her legs and core were unbelievably strong, a strength you couldn't perceive from her appearance. I kicked out to sweep her leg, but she leaped back to dodge it while swinging her sword down at my wrist. I parried the blade upwards and drove my own towards her head. Another harsh metallic clang rang out. My sword, which had clashed with hers as she swung up from below, had broken at its base. The tip spun through the air and stabbed into the ground.

"...Tch!"

I hastily leaped back, still clutching the hilt of my now-pointless sword. She didn't pursue. I reached for my short sword, then stopped. No other sword could stand against her. The only option left was to summon Laciel. I didn't have time to hesitate before her swordsmanship. Just as I was about to shout, she held out a hand to stop me.

"Wait. Are you planning to summon a goddess?"

"You know about that? Yes."

"By the time she descends, what are the chances I could cut both you and Lady Laciel down?"

It wasn't something she should be asking me, her enemy, nor was I obligated to answer, but she asked nonetheless.

"If you can break through the charm effect."

"Can you really summon her? Is it truly Lady Laciel?"

"As thanks for breaking my sword, I'll summon her for you right now. See for yourself."

"Understood. I surrender."

As if the fierce battle until now had been a lie, she sheathed her sword and readily admitted defeat. I pulled the broken tip of my sword from the ground. All things with form eventually break. And yet, an unbearable sense of loss washed over me. This blade had saved me from countless predicaments. Above all, it was one that Aidan had forged for me. Holding this sword made me feel as if Aidan was lending me his strength. It would never be whole again. But I couldn't bring myself to throw it away, so I put it in my storage.

"I'm sorry. I thought that last strike was dangerous. It's not much of an apology, but please, accept this sword."

She said, offering me her own katana.

"No, that's yours. I can't accept it."

"What are you talking about? As we promised, I am now yours. That is why I want you to have this sword. I have other katanas."

She insisted, pressing the sword into my hands.

I returned to the inn with her in tow. Beers and the others had waited for me.

"How'd it go?"

he asked in a low voice, his brow furrowed. Was he actually worried about me?

"Yeah, I'm fine."

Doris came over and cast a healing spell on me.

"So, did you win?"

Fang asked.

"Yeah... somehow."

Hearing my voice, Beers thrust his fist into the air.

"Yahoo! I won the bet!"

He started collecting money from the surrounding customers. I was furious with myself for even considering him a friend for a single second, so out of spite, I snatched a handful of the money he'd collected. With that money, I ordered food and ale for myself and her. Shizuka and Reeni came over too. Beers and the others seemed to be celebrating with the other patrons.

"This is Sameim. I'll have her meet Famu tomorrow."

The two of them exchanged looks with uncertain expressions.

"Are you going to do it with that woman?"

Reeni's words made me spit out my ale.

"Shizuka, don't teach Reeni weird things!"

"Whaat? You brought her back to the inn for that, didn't you?"

Shizuka's point made me come to my senses.

"Come to think of it, I did just bring her back on impulse."

I glanced at Sameim.

"It's alright. I came here with that in mind. I'm prepared."

Her face reddened as she averted her gaze. We had only just met, maybe an hour ago. Was she serious? I casually reached out and kneaded her breast. It was a good breast, firm yet soft. I didn't forget to find the small bud and make sure it was standing at attention.

"Nnh, kufu..."

She let out a sweet moan but showed no sign of resistance. She seemed to be serious. She kept her head down, her face bright red. She seemed innocent, but I wondered if she had any experience with this sort of thing. Her bashful figure was incredibly cute. What happened to the killing intent she had directed at me just a little while ago? Had she been desperate to get Famu back in her own way? But then again, she had surrendered so easily when I was about to use my special skill. It felt like I had just been tested. Famu's face flashed in my mind. Even Mo, who was in an impossible situation, had a strong aversion to becoming my lover. If Famu heard that I had slept with Sameim, she might stop speaking to me.

"Um... shouldn't we do this kind of thing in our room... nnh."

she said, letting out a sweet sigh.

"Sorry. But it's weird to leave just one of them standing..."

I said, and after making the other one stand at attention as well, I pulled my arm back. And then I noticed Shizuka and Reeni staring at me with cold eyes.

"Wh-what?"

"Why isn't it me! Seriously, please, let's just have sex already!"

"I-I'm not doing it today. Not with Sameim!"

I declared, and Sameim looked surprised.

"Why..."

"It's so you can meet Famu. Do you know how worried she was about you? You were worried too, weren't you?"

"I..."

She faltered at my words. Something still felt off. Was she really Sameim?

"Anyway, it'll have to wait until after Famu and Sameim meet tomorrow."

"So you're not doing it today?"

Shizuka pressed.

"...Probably not. I think."

I moved my fingertips, as if savoring the lingering sensation of her breast on my palm.

"Then I'm sleeping in Mash's room tonight, too."

"Reeni will sleep with Mash too!"

Reeni added after Shizuka's declaration.