Chapter 636: Street corner surprise
Gloria, who had been out of town with Anzeros, returned in the evening. And sigh.
“Haa……that was exciting”
I wondered what had happened and when I turned to Anzeros, she smiled bitterly.
“Apparently, around Klaves and Harmonium, there’s not much of this kind of rough atmosphere……well, it’s certainly one of the safest places in Celesta”
“Are you into the atmosphere?”
“I don’t know. I’ve seen a few fights in the area and I’ve seen the Holy Warrior Alliance walking around”
“The Holy Warrior Alliance is from the Valerie Union?”
“Yes. Those white people”
The white people are the knights selected by the union of small nations who are said to be more than equal in power to the knight class of Celesta and Trot. White armor is their trademark. They are also famous for rarely fighting in actual battles, but the fact that they can now be seen in Rennesto is a good sign. ……I was surprised that Tetes and Dianne are not here to give us explanations at times like this.
“I wonder if it’s Sir Buster’s invitation……. The dragon’s transportation has brought a direct flight from Renfangas to Kalwin and he may be trying to intertwine them as an afterthought and lead a soft landing for the demon territory pacification project
“……Thanks for the commentary, Aurora”
Aurora took over for me. When I stroked her, she puffed out her chest and closed her eyes in a proud manner. It’s so cute. Aurora is like a furry dog.
“Or maybe he’s trying to intimidate us by showing us the fact that Renfangas got in on the project that even dragons are involved in”
Irina came next to me, wanting to be stroked. I guess this one is more like a puppy. However, Gloria shook off our hopes of being convinced, saying, 「That’s not it」.
“You saw merman and lizardmen walking around! Isn’t that amazing!? Why are there mermen there!?”
“……There were mermen?”
“……Yeah”
When I checked with Anzeros, she laughed again and said, 「That way, huh?」. I haven’t encountered merman that many times either and I might be surprised if I saw him in Rennesto. I don’t think of Rennesto as a watery place.
“And then there’s that ogre who can stop it in one shot……and I thought I was watching a story”
“……Ogre”
“It’s Grand Knight Chief Annette……”
“……It’s always a spectacle”
I mean, isn’t she too much of a fighter to go out and break up fights, that woman? I think the damage seems to be rather extensive when Grand Knight Chief Annette is in the mix.
“I lived in a city of Celesta, even though it was on the outskirts and worked as a prostitute in the melting pot of demi-humans……I thought I was used to the bustle”
“Well, I guess you can’t just say it’s bustling”
I thought I’d seen a lot, but I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw Grand Knight Chief Annette go on a rampage. I’d seen dragon, Dianne and even Sir Bonaparte’s battles, so I couldn’t believe it.
“Besides that, there’s a daily ruckus of violence here and there……thanks, Anzeros-san”
“Ah, well, I’m used to it”
“Did you ever have to show off your skills?”
“Hmm, a little bit. You know, we’re elves. I guess they thought elf girls were easy, so I lightly picked them up in the back alley”
Anzeros turned her wrist as if she was spinning a ball. So she folded them up with her bare hands without even drawing her sword.
“If this is the Gauntlet Knights, I’m sure the thugs will run away just by looking at them. It’s hard not to be intimidated by looks”
“Only the Gauntlets……I don’t think anyone here would recognize the Ace Knight insignia”
Especially since Anzeros is so small and cute, wearing a sword or insignia on herself would look like a joke. In fact, their combat power far exceeds that of an ace knight, even to the point of being considered master knight level.
“Aurora is nice……she’s tall and gives the overall impression of being a princess, so she’s not to be underestimated over me”
“Not really. There are many servants who assume that the art of self-defense for a woman of status is only a half-baked taste……”
“They’re still more hesitant than if they think you’re a girl with no status”
“……If you’re not particularly ill-dressed or vulgar in your manners, why is it that you don’t have more style, Anzeros-san?”
“I think power is a kind of talent……”
“I agree”
I nodded to each other with Anzeros. I guess it’s important to grow up in an environment where you’re respected.
“The Lord should also be able to show a respectable demeanor that he just doesn’t usually show……”
Emma says so, but that’s a kind of super forced acting. It’s not something that lasts that long. I think that if I tried to give that kind of air to those thugs, they would probably just say, what the hell is this guy doing with a funny, clear look on his face?
“In that sense, I wonder if Herman and Rainer were born with something”
Beatrice joined the conversation.
“Herman, in particular, was famous even as a child for his creepy, blank expression”
“Ah……that guy. He was beaten to a pulp by Anzeros”
“……You beat him up? He’s the second strongest after Rainer”
Beatrice looked at Anzeros with a shocked look on her face. I somehow knew that we’d defeated him, but by the time the battle was happening, Beatrice had had her arm chopped off and was bedridden.
“Well, he was certainly strong, but……I borrowed this power from Laila”
Anzeros snapped her fingers and a fireball appeared on her hand, then disappeared.
“What’s that ……?”
“Dragon breath. If I wanted to, I could set this room on fire. I won’t do it though”
“……That’s terrible, isn’t it? Herman, did you get hit with that kind of fire?”
“Well, I’d say it’s half and half……between that and a normal fistfight”
“Anzeros was not beaten in a fistfight either. I mean, she was almost completely unscathed and won by a landslide. Considering that Herman had suit armor, it wasn’t that bad of a handicap”
I defended him, but Beatrice did not seem convinced.
“You know, no matter how much armor you have on that can make you forget you were hit once, do you think you can fight properly with someone who can turn the whole place into a sea of fire in an instant? Isn’t that cowardly?”
“Umm……when you put it that way”
But you know what? I can’t fight fair and square in that situation. I mean, I think the Sea King Ring is a pretty unfair item. And while we were talking, Neia came back.
“I’m back. ……Are you talking about Herman? What a coincidence”
“What do you mean by coincidence?”
“I heard that Berga-san is taking care of Herman right now. I just heard from Buster-sama”
“Berga!? Why Berga!?”
Berga did not participate in the operation to suppress Kalwin and he does not have much of a connection to it. If it is at least entrusted to Grand Knight Chief Lister, why Berga again?
“Why Berga again? I heard that Annette had a say in the matter”
“It’s a mess!”
It’s true that the atmosphere is similar! And Anzeros, hearing this, looked strangely thoughtful.
“……Maybe it was Herman that I saw just now”
“……Eh, what did you see?”
“He wasn’t wearing armor or anything and he had a different kind of atmosphere……and he was also wearing a round head. He reminded me a little bit of Herman, he was strangely built for a human being”
“……Was he really that different?”
“Because he looked so young again”
Neia and Beatrice looked at each other as Anzeros said this in a troubled tone.
“Emm……Anzeros-san, he’s not that old……”
“He should be about twenty this year. He was five years older than me”
“Twenty!?”
I thought he looked older than me!
“If he was that old, he wouldn’t have been left alone for generations after Bryan and Neia without a hero’s name. He was so strong”
“I, Is that so……?”
Come to think of it, the former Explosion Hero died while Neia was away and was replaced by Herman. Certainly there’s no reason to save him until he’s older than me.
So, I was strangely curious, so I hurriedly started a re-search for Herman with the group participating in the suppression operation. Or rather, if we were looking for something, it would be 100-man commander Becker. I asked him for help and within 30 minutes he told me that he had found someone who looked like him in a nearby downtown area.
“But even I wouldn’t have known if you hadn’t told me……what’s that?”
Herman, who was in the company of ten people, including 100-man commander Becker, myself, Neia and Beatrice, Anzeros, Aurora, Hilda and Irina, Maia and Luna, split up and hid behind buildings, bushes and wooden barrels, while we observed. I don’t know why, but he was on a date with a woman I didn’t know. A beautiful woman who had some sort of married woman vibe about her.
“Hahaha, no, I was kind of like Berga’s apprentice. I’ve been training every day up until now……but honestly, if I’d met a beautiful woman like Merié, I might not have become a swordsman! You see, if you’re a swordsman, it’s hard to stay in town. Well, I think it’s important, right? I’d rather do something like plowing the fields, blacksmithing, cooking, etc”
“Oh, dear. But it’s not easy being a farmer, you know? The farmers in this country can use their farmland as much as they want, but it all goes to waste when the invasion comes in the fall. Demons often appear at other times of the year as well”
“Hahaha, but still, compared to our countryside, it’s……”
“It’s so rural that it’s harder than here”
Herman’s voice is so high-pitched that it’s hard to believe he’s the same person as when he was sulking. It’s hard to believe even when I see it.
“What……happened……?”
We all held our breath, watching Herman’s sudden change, not understanding what he was thinking. A shadow suddenly appeared behind us and Maia and Neia reacted quickly, thrusting out their flash swords and icicles.
“Hey, wait. A dragon and a hero”
“……Berga-san?”
Berga, still in armor as usual, lightly shied away, but that was all the reaction he got, as if he knew in advance that the sword and icicle were going to stop short.
“Peeping at Herman? ……Even the white clan chief. I can’t say it’s in good taste”
“Mu……”
“B, But more importantly, what was that? Herman wasn’t that kind of character, was he!?”
I said and Berga sniffed.
“I brought him over because I wanted him to be a capable leader of Kalwin, but he seemed a bit too excited. Buster had gotten tired of him, so the training was passed on to me. I don’t mind training people, so I accepted”
“……S, So, how did it turn out like that? I didn’t keep him for that long”
“He didn’t seem to know any women. I asked an old friend of mine to take care of him. That’s all”
“Your old friend is……that woman?”
“Even though I’m like this, I have skill, status and money. Felios is a bit of a clean freak, but I personally don’t dislike relationships with women. I don’t intend to get too involved, but the other person gets involved
“You’re suddenly starting to brag……this old man”
“Shut up, Smithson. You’re the only one who has no right to make fun of me about women”
He coughed.
“Merie is one of those women. Well, I’m only friends with her occasionally, but… it’s fate. I told her she had a promising virgin and left her to it and within a week, she was like that”
“Ah……”
So he left it to his mistress to take Herman´s virginity. I don’t really understand it, but I guess that’s how relationships work.
“Well, I’ll let Merie do what she wants, but……it’ll be hard for that brat to really turn Merie’s attention to him. But that’s also what he gets for”
“……That’s disgusting”
“Dreaming of a beautiful woman and then one day seeing reality, that’s what makes a man a man”
Berga said with a knowing look on his face. He gestures to us as if to say, 「Scatter already」. ……I look at Herman again, still as excited and at the peak of happiness as ever. Live strong, Herman…….