Volume 11 Chapter 3 Nokin’s Memory
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Thelma let out a big sigh at my words.
”Hah, your thinking is even simpler than my husband’s! No choice! We’ve decided to join in to stop you. Matthew, gather some good fighters from Felward. We’ll stop this fool’s rampage!”
”Uh, should we use Kent to send the Dragonewt?”
”Yeah, let’s ask Beatrice for help. I’d like her strength, too. Can we do it for about 20 dessert tickets?”
”Wha, wait, we’re involving Beatrice?”
”Of course! She’s one of our strongest members.”
”No, no. Beatrice is in Kent’s Hunting Group…”
”Stop complaining! This is for Kent, so she’ll understand.”
The two started their comedic banter, ignoring me.
Geronimo grabbed my clothes from behind.
”Sir Nokin… I think this is a waste of time.”
”Yeah, seems I’ve angered them. I still don’t fully understand why… but whatever. We’re wasting time, so let’s go back.”
The ‘Silver Wolf’ team, led by Thelma and Matthew, seemed strong enough to satisfy my fighting spirit.
…Looks like we’ll have another team to enjoy fighting against.
Secretly feeling pleased about the upcoming clash, I decided to leave the Silver Wolf inn.
* * *
Three days passed since I started staying at Abyss Vena, and then a man from the Garuda Clan, who was investigating Remarque dojo under Hunter Guild, brought some information.
According to the information about the man, after the dojo closed, about ten students joined Hendric’s Hunting Group and are now at Felward Fortress.
Only a cat-type man named Garo remains in Abyss Vena.
Garo was recognized by Belholt Remarque as a spear master.
In his twenties, he trained with me as the spear instructor for the South District army and as the assistant instructor at Remarque’s dojo.
When Belholt got caught up in the troubles of the Dwaid Count’s family, Garo protected his master, lost his position as spear instructor, and was imprisoned with him.
After Belholt died in prison and the Dwaid Count’s troubles were settled by Arbalest, Garo was released and helped me rebuild the dojo.
However, I have no memory of that time and can’t even remember Garo’s face.
Still, I decided to go meet Garo.
The place where I was told Garo was located was a rundown tavern in the back alleys of Huntertown in Abyss Vena.
Opening the creaky door and stepping inside the tavern, I found it empty since it was daytime.
”Sorry, but I’m busy… Wait, Lord Nokin!”
A thin but muscular man in his forties, who looked like a cat, was surprised to see me.
When I saw his face, new fragments of memory floated back into my mind.
In the rain, I saw an image of someone being buried in a graveyard, with Garo in front of me and a woman from the Majin Clan I met at Matthew’s side.
…It seems that coming to the South District is bringing back bits of memory, but they don’t seem to be good ones.
”I couldn’t protect the dojo and it fell apart… What should I say to apologize? While Lord Nokin was away to participate in the Beast King Tournament in the east after the great invasion, Hendric took the students one by one, and eventually, it all collapsed.”
A man who seemed like Garo was bowing down, pressing his forehead to the floor.
Hearing the name Hendric brought back bits of memory again.
A young man from the Majin Clan, crying and clinging to a fallen woman, glared at me with eyes full of hatred.
…Those lost memories must be painful… Maybe I shouldn’t have come to the South District…
”Lift your head. I’m sorry, but I can hardly remember anything from my time in the South District.”
Garo suddenly looked up, peering into my face.
”My earliest memory is being forced to fight for no reason at Gertroud’s military camp. I’ve lost memories before that.”
Deciding to share important secrets of the Garuda Principality with Garo, who I barely knew, felt risky.
”N-no, Sir Nokin! What are you saying? Lady Alonsa has forbidden that!”
Geronimo panicked upon hearing what I said.
”Y-you really lost your memory… You’ve forgotten about master and the young lady…”
”Yeah, forgotten. The Nokin here now isn’t the same Nokin who studied under Belholt Remarque, but rather the Nokin of the Garuda Clan.”
Garo was shocked to learn I had lost my memory, but then he nodded to himself, as if accepting it.
”…That’s right… It’s better if you forget. Those memories have been hurting you and the people around you. If you don’t remember, that’s for the best.”
Garo murmured sadly.
After all, it seemed that what happened here in Abyss Vena wasn’t pleasant for me.
”So, think of me today as needing the help of the esteemed Garo, former instructor at the Remarque dojo, in my role as Clan Leader of Garuda. If you’re skilled enough, I’d like to employ you as the instructor in Garuda Principality’s Spearsmanship with a high salary. Sorry for the sudden request, but let’s see what you can do.”
”Huh!? Right now? …Looks like you’re really Lord Nokin.”
Garo was surprised by my offer, but he quickly returned to his warrior face, grabbed a stick nearby, and stepped into the alley.
I followed him into the alley.
”Please use this as your weapon, Lord Nokin. I don’t want to get hurt either.”
Garo threw a stick at me, about the same length as his.
I caught it and swung it lightly to feel its weight.
It was a wooden stick that seemed like it could break if I swung too hard.
”Looks like it might break…”
”Sir Nokin! Ode will go first!”
Just as I was getting pumped, Geronimo jumped in.
Fully armored in metal, he was there as my bodyguard.
”Is that so? Alright, Geronimo, was it? Before I fight Lord Nokin, let me warm up.”
Saying that, Garo got into a fighting stance, shifting into battle mode.
His calm face turned sharp, glaring at every move Geronimo made.
Geronimo felt the pressure and switched to serious mode too.
He stepped forward, challenging Garo.
With a custom large shield, he guarded his vital spots while rushing in, leaving no openings for Garo, who only had a stick.
However, Garo used the stick’s bend to dodge Geronimo’s rush, then struck at the back of his knee, where the armor moved.
”Guuuh!! Ouch!”
Geronimo, hit on the weak spot behind the knee, stumbled and knelt down.
Garo then delivered a powerful thrust toward Geronimo’s steel helmet.
Thud!!
The stick seemed to just tap the helmet, but Geronimo fell forward to the ground.
”Wow, impressive skills… to handle Geronimo so easily…”
I spoke to Garo, who was catching his breath.
”No, no, Geronimo is quite skilled too. Being Lord Nokin’s bodyguard means he’s tough. The victory was very close.”
”By the way, how did that last thrust take down Geronimo?”
”That’s a technique called [brain-skewer], sending shockwaves to shake the brain with each thrust. It works best against tougher opponents. It’s based on Master Belholt’s skills applied to Spearanship.”
Garo was a skilled warrior.
Yet, it seemed he had become a bodyguard in cheap taverns, worrying about having destroyed a dojo. Such talent shouldn’t be wasted in a place like this.
At that moment, Geronimo, shaking his head to clear a concussion, bowed humbly to Garo.
”I’m truly impressed by Garo’s martial arts. Please, lend your strength to Sir Nokin. Also, I would be grateful if you could train Ode.”
”Geronimo may be rough around the edges, but he has good potential. If it’s alright with you, I can offer my help.”
Garo straightened Geronimo up and then faced me.
”So, may I ask to be hired in Lord Nokin’s land?”
”After defeating Geronimo, I qualify as a member of your elite guard. Now, it’s just a matter of facing me.”
Holding my staff, I lowered my stance.
Garo also took his stance, watching for my move.
A tense air began to fill the space around us.
The moment my foot stepped into Garo’s attack range, I could feel a swift strike aimed at my vital points.
Keeping steady, pressure built between us.
Using concentration to predict all possible attacks drained my patience.
Garo was the first to get impatient.
He rushed in, closing the gap and launching sharp thrusts toward my vital areas.
I blocked deadly strikes with my staff, but since this weapon was unfamiliar, doubts clouded its durability.
Garo’s flurry of attacks kept coming with no break.
”As expected of Lord Nokin. It’s been a while since someone could evade my full strength.”
”Fighting Garo gets the blood pumping!”
The tip of the stick suddenly bent and fell toward my shoulder.
Garo seemed to switch from thrusting to striking with the stick in his hands.
Tried to push my stick forward to avoid the strike, but only my stick broke upon impact, and it came crashing down toward my shoulder.
…This is bad!!
This could be a fatal injury…
Quickly raised my arm to block Garo’s stick aimed at my collarbone, but my hand went numb and became useless.
”Hahaha! You’re really going for it! Let’s fight seriously!”
Dodged the incoming stick again, then closed the distance and charged into Garo’s waist.
We tumbled to the ground.
I managed to get into a mount position.
”Guh! You jumped right in!”
”Now you can’t use that stick.”
”You’re too naive.”
Garo, now on the bottom, used the stick to apply a chokehold on me.
Using the stick and his elbow, he cut off my carotid artery and started to strangle me.
Honestly, I didn’t see that attack coming.
”Guuuu!”
”Don’t forget, the Belholt style is a practical martial art that carries the legacy of Sword Master Dalmoth. There are techniques to counter monsters too.”
My consciousness started to fade, but to escape the chokehold, I grabbed some dirt from the alley and threw it at Garo’s face.
”Ugh!”
I managed to slip out of the chokehold in that brief moment.
Then, I got behind Garo and locked in a triangle choke.
”Looks like it. This is really ingrained in my body.”
Garo tapped out, so I released him from the hold.
”Cough cough… Even though Lord Nokin lost his memory, the skills are still in his body…”
”I’ve seen Garo’s skills. I would like you to work as a martial arts instructor in my country. It would be great if you could help me keep my memory loss a secret.”
”Understood. I will accept that offer. This time, I will meet the expectations of Lord Nokin.”
Garo stood up, and we shook hands firmly.
Thus, I successfully met a new warrior in the South District and added him to my ranks.
~New character~
Freyria… daughter of Belholt Remarque from the Majin Clan.
Former fiancée of Nokin.
Garo, a man in his forties from the Garuda Clan, trained under Belholt Remarque and was an assistant instructor in spearsmanship at his dojo.
Once a spearsmanship instructor for the South District army, he got caught up in a family feud with Lord Dwaid and was imprisoned with his master.
After being released, he worked hard to rebuild the dojo with Nokin, but when Nokin went missing, Hendric took away the students and destroyed the dojo.
After that, he fell into being a bouncer at taverns.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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