Volume 3 Chapter 1 Prologue
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Several days passed since I accepted Lena.
During that time, I searched for a place for her to stay, gathered household items, and performed the ‘Rite of Life’ every night.
Her eyes have fully recovered, and I can see her body slowly getting stronger.
With the nutritious food I give her each day, she’s gone from looking painfully thin when we first met to being slender and healthy.
Now, as she regains her strength, Lena and I stand facing each other in the garden behind the lodging, each gripping a wooden sword.
”Alright… Here I go. Get ready!” Lena said with a sharp battle cry, stepping forward quickly and thrusting.
”Whoa!” I shouted, surprised by her speed. I barely blocked her strike with my wooden sword, and she immediately stepped back to keep her distance.
Then, she swung wide, aiming for my head. I lowered my hips and dodged just in time.
But Lena wasn’t done—she spun around in a wide arc and tried to sweep my feet with a swift kick.
”Wait! Take it easy!” I yelled, not expecting her to use martial arts moves. I bent my knees and jumped back, avoiding the sweep.
But that was exactly what she wanted.
”Hah!” she shouted as she threw her wooden sword while I was still in midair.
”What!?” I shouted again, blocking the thrown sword with mine.
Seizing the chance, Lena moved in quickly and struck my side with a precise hook.
”Ugh!” The blow hit hard, making it hard to breathe, but I tightened my abs to endure it. I grabbed her wrist during the attack and, using my momentum, pulled her close.
Lowering my stance, I held her on my back and kicked the ground with force.
”Kyaa!” she cried as she spun gracefully in the air and slammed onto the ground with a heavy thud.
”Gah!” I said, lightly tapping her throat with a palm strike.
”That’s it. It’s over,” I said, trying to keep calm even as cold sweat soaked my back. Phew\… that was close. One mistake and I could have lost.
* * *
”Cough, cough… As expected of Sir Soyuz. I couldn’t keep up with you at all…” Lena said, standing up and rubbing her back with tears in her eyes.
No, no, you hit me well just now.
”Lena, you really are a Southlander. That was an impressive move. With training like that, you won’t fall behind in real fights either.”
She landed a solid hit on me—any rookie adventurer could easily take her down. The thugs back in the town don’t even compare.
With some training, she’ll definitely become stronger.
Just in terms of body techniques, she might even surpass me.
’Please let me join your adventure. I want to help you, Sir Soyuz,’ she said so earnestly that I had to test how well she could move.
This was an unexpected discovery.
She once told me about the time she was attacked by a magical beast.
’Everyone else was eaten one by one. I fought as hard as I could, but I was scratched all over and collapsed like this,’ she said.
I understood then—she must have resisted fiercely to survive, which explains the many scratches on her arms and legs.
Are all people from the south this tough, or is Lena just special?
I don’t know, but since she moves like this now, there’s no doubt she’s ready. With a little training, we could go on a simple adventure together.
”Lena, starting tomorrow, we’ll train every day. I’ll help you become a proper adventurer.”
At those words, her face lit up with a bright, blooming smile.
Notes:
• Lena – Female. A young slave girl in her early teens. Her appearance is emaciated with brown skin, long black hair, and grotesque scars across her face, including one that blinds her left eye. She wears a black collar and tattered clothing. Her relationship to the protagonist is that of a rescued victim. She is silent and appears to have endured severe physical and emotional abuse.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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