Chapter 241: Glory afterglow
Hank Bronson. 27 years old. He has a slightly round face, a slightly unreliable look and is now stubble. Is there any part of the beard that can’t be helped if traveling alone? His favorite weapon is the bastard sword. A slightly half-finished sword that is a little long to handle with one hand and a little light to handle with both hands. Bronson is a Celesta-like swordsman who uses it to fight in a slightly irregular way. He doesn’t rely on his sword and is flexible. He has no hesitation in martial arts or handling sub-weapon daggers. However, due to lack of decision-making power, and still not each part that can be relied on here, such as Aurora dexterity and Mikagami’s leg strength, he couldn’t get over the Ace Night exam until now. It is Anzeros´s evaluation.
“Being able to pass the Ace Night exam, did you take measures against the rock dolls?”
“Yes, because the stab blow that I had been polishing for a long time now passes through the rock dolls……”
“Wait a minute, Bronson”
“?”
Stop Bronson, who happily started speaking in honorifics. Bronson who is apt.
“You’ve become a 10-man captain. If so, honorifics are prohibited”
“Ah, no, but……”
Bronson is older than me. However, that doesn’t really matter in Celesta, where long-lived species are sometimes mixed. However, it is a tradition in the whole army that honorifics are sealed once when they become 10-man captains. Even when I became a 10-man captain, honorifics were banned by Isaac, Anzeros and Keiron as a ritual to be included. More than 10-man captains are managers. This creates the awareness that I have joined the position I have seen above.
“Do you know? All 10-man captains are of the same rank. There is no refraining from taking care of juniors who take time and effort”
“Haa……but Smithson……i, it’s a strange feeling to say something……no, I don’t think so”
“It’s a good thing. You’re older”
We laugh and I tap on his shoulder, urging him to a nearby vacant lot where Laila and the others are waiting. Dianne, who was listening next to me, also smiled.
“But everyone is like that at first. You would have been afraid of Isaac at first, aside from Anzeros”
“Don’t say such a thing”
Yup. Well, Isaac’s boss’s skin has been outstanding since that time and his body is big and reliable. However, while it was being mended while drinking many times, he suddenly got a tame mouth on the board. ……Since we first met, Anzeros has sometimes become a talker because of the good taste of my hometown.
“It was Bronson”
“N, Nice to meet you, Naris-san, Jeanne-chan”
“Haa. Thank you for your cooperation”
Yes, Naris and Bronson have very few contacts. The opportunity to remember each other was equal to zero.
“But now I can go to the Great Arena in the royal capital! You can guide me!”
“Ah……I’m sorry, I grew up in Celesta……and I just became an Ace Knight, so I´m not a good guide”
“No No, I don’t want you to guide me separately, but I can’t seem to enter unless you’re present to see it”
“Oh, that’s the way it is……”
Bronson smiles at Naris’s momentum.
“I don’t care, but Naris is equivalent to a 10-man captain when converted to the rank of the Celesta army, so you don’t need any honorifics, Bronson”
“No, but something like this……after all, let me be honorific for a while, including 10-man captain Smithson, it’s difficult to change your attitude one by one”
“……It’s originally a penal regulations, though”
If you use honorifics, you can have a glass and the brand depends on the mood of the other party. That was my promotion penalty.
“Ho. Can I take off?”
“Go, but it was good timing. If you weren’t good at it, you’d be able to challenge the Little Snake Mountains by your own without catching up with Isaac´s group, Bronson”
“I don’t hate mountains, but I was born close to the snake mountains, so I’ve been climbing a lot since I was a kid”
“Winter snowy mountains should not be combined with Celesta’s Snake Mountains”
As Dianne says, there is a danger that it will be difficult if you challenge alone. Even though he’s an Ace Knight, it’s hard to beat nature.
——————————————-
Landed in the suburbs of the royal capital for the first time in a while. It was evening.
“The sun sets early. Let’s see the town again tomorrow, Naris”
“Yes. …..Is there a place to stay?”
“There are hotels that have military contracts for that. There should be no problem”
We hide the carriage in the depths of the forest and walk toward the royal capital a few kilometers away.
Then enter the royal capital.
“Haa, is that Trot´s castle listening to the sound? The glass sparkles in the sunset and it’s pretty”
“No, that is Anzeros’s parents’ house. The castle is over there”
“Eh!? Anzeros-san is a princess who lives in such a castle!?”
“You’ve seen Linda-san……”
It’s true that Neumann’s house is so big that it looks like a little castle at first glance.
“That is the royal castle, that is the arena. The mansion with the tower over there is the Gardner family”
“Everything is so big that it smells like a fake……”
“I’ve lived in the royal capital for seven years, so leave it to me……but I don’t really know the aristocratic living quarters. I only went in and out of the craftsman’s district”
“Well, that’s the way it is. Even if I’m told to show you around Rennesto, I don’t know anything other than the apartment, centre and the workplace”
“You’re on good terms, Naris-san and 10-man captain Smithson……”
Bronson is surprised by us being familiar so he laughs. Before I knew it, Naris was entwined in my arms again.
“I folded my arms before I knew it”
“I don’t know! Don’t ask me!”
“Then who are you asking!”
“When did you start working? 10-man captain Bronson”
“Ah……”
“No, you don’t have to answer, Bronson. It seems barren”
It’s supposed to be a sexy development, but why does Naris slurp like this?
In Trot and Celesta, the inn also serves as a bar. Or rather, it should be said that there are many annexes because of the demand for accommodating sickness as it is. Aside from the countryside bar, which is basically used only by locals, like Polka´s bar, in places like the royal capital, a good hotel has a lively bar.
“Because this is a hotel contracted by the Celesta Army. Most of the guests are Celestians. I think Naris can drink more comfortably than outside”
“I want to drink local alcohol because it’s a big deal”
“Patience in that area. Or, if you’re just Laila, it’s okay to drink outside. If you’re from a different race, you can’t even get caught up in a woman of the same family”
“It’s also dull”
Laila and Dianne are drinking immediately. When it comes to liquor, there are wines from the eastern part of Celesta and ogre killer from the south, which are familiar to the Celesta people. I have to rely on Trot stocking for ingredients and the food is Trot-style.
“Well, I don’t want to be struck like in Schrantz”
“Let’s go to Bronson for a toast for the time being”
“Yes”
“Sorry, Naris-san, Jeanne-chan and 10-man captain Smithson”
Lightly meet a glass of white wine.
“Kanpai”
Thereupon.
————————————————
I didn’t remember the night well. Diane and Laila were at the table nearby and Bronson was also present, so I don’t think there was a rare event. But.
“Ngo”
“Hey Naris. Why are we sleeping together?”
“Ngu?”
In the morning, Naris was sleeping with me for some reason. Moreover, she is in her underwear.
“……That Smithson´s heavy responsibility……?”
“I don’t really remember yesterday……”
“……Zu. Maybe I have a hangover”
“Anyway, why are you sleeping here?”
“At once, 10-man captain Smithson fainted, so they asked me to take you to the room……I remember undressing poker with the resurrected 10-man captain Smithson for some reason”
Really?
“But I remember when I took off the first piece……”
“It’s you. Why are you saying that rape is prohibited with the momentum of alcohol?”
“I don’t know, ask me when I’m drunk! I don’t think humans are raping again even though they’re crazy!”
“That’s what I want to hear! What’s the matter with you?”
“I don’t remember”
“……Do you want to check it?”
“……If it’s 10-man captain Smithson, you should definitely have done a vaginal cum shot”
Naris is on all fours. As a matter of course, I’m trying to check the condition of Naris’s crotch by lowering her pants. ……What are we doing? Are you a little sleepy?
“Hey Naris”
“……Is there semen in it?”
“No, it’s not. If you think about it, it’s strange, this situation”
“……Hmm?”
Naris is having trouble seeing me from her arms and crotch, and I’m a little worried about her face. And.
“Why are you looking into my ass as a matter of course!”
“I think it’s strange!”
“Because I’m not alert at all!”
Naris gets up angry and tries to raise her pants. Suddenly Bronson comes into the room.
“10-man captain Smithson, get up……?”
“……Ginyaa!?”
Naris screams strangely, rolls up the sheets at her feet like a tornado and wraps them around herself. And I’m bounced off and rolled to the ground.
“……T, That, maybe Naris-san is a female slave?”
“It’s different from what you’re saying!?”
“No, I haven’t heard anything about that”
I thought that the word “female slave” had permeated firmly in the crossbow corps. By the way, we seem to have really just drunkenly knocked down, after we confirmed later with Laila’s audible sound detector information.
After having breakfast, we all head to the great arena with Bronson at the top.
“I wanted to see it once. The great arena that is said to be second only to the Luxe Empire on the continent”
“Is there a bigger arena in Luxe empire?”
“Martial arts are really popular over there. It seems that they will bother to catch monsters from the labyrinth to make them fight in the arena”
“I don’t know what that means……if you want to fight, go to the labyrinth yourself……”
“Well, there are many people who want to see the battle”
Bronson shows the emblem to the guards, despite me and Naris chatting. We are in the name of an attendant. There were a lot of people to accompany for a little, but we managed to convince the guards.
“Haa. It’s amazing. This is an arena where half of the 100,000 citizens of the royal capital can enter……!”
Naris´s eyes shine. At the time of Aurora, the main training ground was underground, but this time we visited the above-ground part. Every time I see it, I sigh. The glory of the Trot Kingdom, which has such a huge building. ……It’s a thing of the past to say glory now, but even so, the huge manpower of the Trot Kingdom, which led to the construction of this large facility, has not disappeared just by sleeping. Humans can create such a city. That kind of emotion comes to me when I see such a huge building.
“Every Trot swordsman will do his best dreaming of standing in the middle……10-man captain Anzeros said”
It will be the first time for Bronson to be here. After all, he was looking around as if he was impressed with its size.
“When I look at it like this, I want to do just the performance. Nobody’s watching, 10-man captain Bronson, do you want to do it?”
“Eh……”
“No, it’s no good, that’s true”
I hope I can’t find it, but if I can find it, I’ll do it. Red Arm, who is also a stranger, would do without permission with Bronson who is close to a stranger. At least one hit at the underground training ground, if a person with a strong territorial consciousness and exclusive feelings looks at such selfishness……!
“Who are you?”
“!”
Sure enough. Several swordsmen appeared from the entrance to the audience seats nearby and looked at us. Uniformly, a terrible look. Look at Naris and Dianne with a particularly steep look.
“This is the holy place of the Sword Saints. It’s not a place where celesta country people like you can play”
“…………”
Dianne frowns.
“Hey, it’s a sudden greeting, isn’t it?”
“Naris”
I hold Naris. For a human, the words of the male leader with a considerable physique were very clicky, but seeing Dianne and being able to make such irreverent words is a postwar Sword Saint, no, Ace Knight. He is a young rascal because he doesn’t know anything.
“……Is that an Ace Knight because of his appearance?”
A giant points to Bronson with his sweaty arms. I think they’ve been training until now and have come to cool down.
“Is it a good idea to take a woman and a child to the sanctuary of Sword Saints? It’s nice, but don’t misunderstand that you are the same as us just because you came here”
“……What”
Bronson slightly intensifies his mild-mannered face.
“After all, it’s a labyrinth test where you can escape and hide, such as Celesta’s Ace Knight. After all, it is only a test full of loopholes and it hits only the number of heads after all. It’s a problem to think that you can line up as Sword Saint just because you’re chosen for that”
“……Hou”
It was Dianne, not Bronson, who responded.
“In that respect, we, Sword Saints, are all over the country and the selected swordsmen who can easily defeat monsters show each other their strengths and the elite selected from them becomes the elite. I don’t care about the same cheap emblem as you, but it goes without saying that there is a difference in power”
“I see. ……But there are things I can’t understand
Dianne shrugs her shoulders.
“You look weak for that”
“What……!?”
“I don’t think you have enough arms to look down on Bronson. Naris, you looked down on with a girl and child is part of the heroic Gauntlet Knights. What’s the best thing about self-supporting good for nothings that can’t feel the other person’s ability”
“You……I don’t know who you are, but you cant say whatever you want……!”
“She is 100-man commander Dianne. I think she’s probably bigger than you”
“Have you ever known the ranks of country people?”
Waa. Amazing. Sword Saints also have such simple idiots.
“If you say so much, let’s take a look at the proud arm of an Ace Knight! It’s a fight you sold, don’t complain with one or two broken bones!”
“Ho. Dianne, will you sell it now? Weird”
“If 100-man commander goes on her own, yes”
“……Bronson. Please show them”
“Eh, eh……is it mee……?”
Dianne pushes Bronson’s back.
“I think the technique of hunting rock dolls has been completed. Hit one with the intention of showing it”
“……That’s what I’m doing with one or two broken bones. I haven’t practiced how to adjust it”
“You don’t seem to complain. Well, if you don’t die, you can make excuses”
Dianne grins. It’s rather scary.
“That woman there, come down too!”
“……Eh, me too?”
Naris is nominated.
“If you’re a member of the heroic Gauntlet Knights, show your skill! Gauntlet Knights, after all, I thought it would be a pain to treat them the same as us, even though they´re knights who can only be on the front line!”
“……That, 100-man commander Dianne. It’s a little crazy, but if it’s 2 to 1, wouldn’t it stand out?”
“……Don’t worry. It seems that there will be more people out there, not just 2 to 1”
Looking at it, it was not only the leader giant, but also the other swordsmen who descended into the arena. There are three or four people.
“I’ll also join in”
Dianne joins Naris who is reluctantly descending. At that point, the other party has become a little pitiful.
“We, Sword Saints, have a collaborative actual battle sword as our body! It’s good to be confused, but I think we’ll fight together in numbers at the same time”
“You don’t have to match the numbers. Come on with everyone”
Dianne provokes. Naris and Bronson took the wooden swords of their respective lengths, with a grinning face asking, 「Seriously?」.
“Make a fool of someone”
“……It’s more annoying for a young man who doesn’t even know the real Sword Saints Brigade to say that he is a Sword Saint……”
Without taking a weapon, Dianne unsalted her folded arms and squealed her arms to intimidate them.
“Bronson. Knock this huge guy down. Naris, you and I will take care of the rest”
“Uwaa. There is a rough outline……I like it”
“I’m a little troubled, it’s really difficult to adjust”
The giant approaches Bronson who is whining.
“I can’t help but think about it!!”
As expected, Sword Saints. They step in quickly. However, Bronson pretends to be unsuspecting and shakes his cloak. ……It is a fighting cloak with a weight at the hem.
“Gu!”
The hem of the cloak is struck on the side and the giant flutters.
“Oh, you´re pretty young when I see you up close”
“Don’t underestimate me!”
The giant swings a long wooden sword down to Bronson who can avoid it. However, Bronson jumps back and dodges the blow. ……His jumping power is rather amazing. He jumped out of the range of the sword.
“……Please don’t resent me”
Then, he holds the wooden sword that seems to be a little too long from Bronson’s physique. Bastard sword. A long, thin sword called a 「One-handed and half-sword」. Bronson holds the wooden sword with a length that imitates it and waits.
“A knight who just runs around……!”
Also, a quick step in the example. Bronson waits for it. The moment he thinks it’s too late, he shoots a stretchy orbital thrust. The giant Sword Saint was pierced through his shoulder despite being a wooden sword.
“!!”
“I said I can’t control it”
Bronson laughs lightly and hits the giant’s chin with his palm. The giant collapsed like magic.
“Haa……amazing”
“Naris, I’m going over there!”
“Yes, yes, it’s okay because they’ve settled on themselves!”
Bronson’s fierce blow, ignoring the sharpness of the sword, took a breather for the other Sword Saints.
“Do we end up being beaten!”
“Don’t be fooled by two women!”
Three people attack Naris and Dianne. Naris seems to be a little annoyed and Dianne flicks their swords to remind them of the difference in power.
“Ku……not yet, pick up the sword……!”
The good news is that Naris, Dianne and Bronson aren’t aggressive and the swordsmen who are still trying to fight badly at the time of their birth are stopped by an angry voice.
“That’s it!! You guys, is it a duel or just a private fight! Depending on the situation, it’s imprisonment!”
The one who jumped into the arena while scolding loudly was……that breastplate.
“Erik Randall”
“……100-man commander Dianne”
It was Erik.
“This is……”
“It’s just a practice, no problem. ……But I think the huge one over there need some treatment”
“Ha……Bowman, you again? Angus, Beckett, what are you guys doing?”
“……”
“I, I’m sorry.”
“That, tsk……”
“Next finish! She is……”
“Good. I was a little nasty too”
Apparently, Erik is the mediator of the Sword Saints who are training here. Dianne suppresses Erik, who is trying to tell them who they picked a fight with, with a bitter smile.
“……After all”
“Yeah. They were the ones who became Ace Knights in the recent Trot-style exam……Usually, Grants-sensei was glaring at me, but sometimes I was in trouble because he showed off the Sword Saints supremacy”
“Sword Saints, who knows the age of Sword Saints in a curved manner, does not despise others……because they know the horror of despising”
“I’m sorry. Due to the poor supervision of my juniors”
“It’s hard, you too”
Erik´s earnest apology.
“I was a little grown up, I”
“I, I’ve done it properly, have I?”
Bronson and Naris also seem a little awkward. ……A new visitor appeared in such an arena.
“Oh, this is rare. Sometimes it’s good to get up early.”
“?”
I was in the audience and looked back with Laila.
“It’s been a long time, young man”
“……Eh”
My spine reacts chillingly. Good old man ……But the most difficult thing in Trot Kingdom. Ulysses Ernest, the former king.
“E, a……eee!?”
“It’s a lot of surprises, right, Gardner”
“……Then the predecessor. He is……?”
“Umm. I told you”
King Ulysses……no, the former king smiled and nodded to the tall old man who was set aside.
“The man who defeated Arthur”
That introduction is too dangerous. Wait a minute, King.