Volume 7 Chapter 4 Provocation Resistance Lv.⓪
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”I’m not saying you should do it for free. Isn’t that right, Cassandra?”
”Tch… Of course not. Hey, you. What is it you want?”
Vice-Captain Cassandra, who clearly hadn’t considered the “Reward”¹, asked me with a look of pure loathing. In contrast, Captain Emily wore that wicked smile again. I didn’t sense any true malice, so it was fine… but she certainly seemed to be enjoying herself.
But a Reward, huh? I’d feel guilty fleecing them for money, and there wasn’t anything in particular I wanted. Well, there was, but it wasn’t something Vice-Captain Cassandra could provide. If that’s the case… her body?
Vice-Captain Cassandra stood about 175 centimeters tall with a sturdy build and a fairly large chest. She was close to Ines or Vanessa in that regard, but she was taller and more muscular, making her breasts look slightly more modest by comparison. That said, they were by no means small.
”…What a vulgar gaze, filled with the base desires befitting a lowly adventurer. You lecherous brat.”
”Uh, sorry.”
Cassandra spat the words at me. Her eyes grew even sharper. It seemed she caught me stealing a glance at her chest. I’ve heard women are sensitive to where a man’s eyes wander… I’d let my guard down. Since it was a fact that I’d looked, I gave up on making excuses and simply apologized. After I’d gone to the trouble of giving a proper greeting, my first impression had officially hit rock bottom.
Still, being called a “lecherous brat” when I was an old man on the inside felt incredibly jarring. Not that “lecherous old man” would have made me any happier. By the standards of this world, I was an adult, so I was rarely called a “kid,” but it seemed Vice-Captain Cassandra really had it out for me. (Back in my previous life, there were always those toxic old-timers who’d call the new hires ‘fledglings’ or ‘punks’…)
”Hmm… then how about this for the ‘Reward’? For the duration of this quest, the loser must obey the winner. If Daisuke loses, he takes the job without a Reward. If Cassandra loses, she becomes Daisuke’s attendant—no, his slave.”
”Captain! That’s going way too—!”
”The proud Royal Knight Cassandra wouldn’t lose, right? Or would you rather admit defeat now and apologize to Daisuke for your rudeness?”
”I will win! That ‘Reward’ is perfectly fine!”
”She says. What about you, Daisuke?”
Are you serious? Vice-Captain Cassandra totally fell for Emily’s provocations and accepted a duel with a crazy “Reward.” Her provocation resistance is way too low. And as for this “Reward,” even if I lost, it wasn’t a huge deal. I could actually earn the twenty gold coins—the original quest reward—in a single day.
I didn’t know what the mental toll of being worked to the bone during the quest would be, though. While forcing myself on an unwilling partner went against my principles, she had technically agreed to it, and refusing now would likely just piss her off more. If she truly hated it and begged me to stop later, I just wouldn’t go through with it.
”That works for me.”
”The conditions will be ‘Guild-Style Individual Rules’², all right?”
”Understood.”
”I have no objections.”
”Good, it’s settled. Naturally, I’ll act as the witness. We’ll do it in fifteen minutes at the training grounds, so get yourselves ready.”
* * *
Vice-Captain Cassandra went back to her room to prepare. The training grounds were apparently adjacent to the station. Still, things had escalated quickly. What was Emily trying to achieve? Was Cassandra’s constant snapping just that annoying to her? I didn’t think she was the type to bully someone for something that petty.
”I played it down earlier, but since you’ve been working solo, you must have gotten pretty strong, haven’t you? Once Cassandra experiences your strength firsthand, she’ll quiet down. Give her a good lesson.”
”I don’t mind that, but…”
”Fighting different types of opponents is good experience for her. Besides, Daisuke, you find Cassandra attractive, don’t you? You can do whatever you like with her.”
”I can certainly handle that. But are you serious?”
”Yeah. Her stubbornness is a headache, and while she’s missed her marriageable window because she’s had no luck with men, she’s a serious, good person at heart. She’ll change once she knows what a man is. This is actually a lucky break for her. You teach her, Daisuke.”
Captain Emily revealed her hidden motive, her face softening like a kind elder. It felt a bit meddlesome, but she clearly cared about the Vice-Captain in her own way.
”If she’d moved to a desk job, she might have had more encounters. Her insistence on staying in the field, on the front lines, is just a reflection of her strong sense of responsibility to protect this country.”
”I see. So it wasn’t just harassment.”
”Hey now, as if I’d do something like that.”
”I’m joking.”
”Oh, so Daisuke can tell jokes too. You’re so quiet I didn’t think you had it in you.”
Captain Emily teased me with that wicked smile again. She really had a strange sort of pressure about her.
”Daisuke-san³ is always telling me jokes.”
”You were there, Mercedes?”
”I’ve been here the whole time! I only stayed quiet because Vice-Captain Cassandra would have yelled at me if I spoke up! Look, Captain Emily, Daisuke-san is just terrible!”
”Hm? Don’t you die if you aren’t talking? Unless you’re asleep, that is.”
”Even you, Captain?! That’s so mean!”
Since she’d just been scolded by Cassandra, I played around and teased Mercedes, who had unusually faded into the background. Emily seemed to know exactly how to handle her as well, and we exchanged a knowing smirk.
”Hey, you two! Why are you so in sync?! This is wrong! Don’t bully me any more than this!”
* * *
After teasing Emily and Mercedes until Mercedes pouted like a child, I promised her double the snacks as an apology, which fixed her mood instantly. (Is she actually a kid?!) I gave some snacks to Captain Emily as well, and while she was happy, she wasn’t as hooked. She seemed like the type to prefer booze.
When I put on my gear and headed to the training grounds, Vice-Captain Cassandra was already waiting there, standing tall with her arms crossed. There were a few knights training nearby, but the area around Cassandra was completely empty. It seemed she was feared by her own subordinates.
”You, I hear you have a strange Class called ‘Onanist’ and aren’t a combat type. You probably raised your Level by riding the coattails of a party, but I won’t be fooled.”
”Hah, is that so?”
”Prepare yourself. I’m going to expose you for the fraud you are!”
Good grief. It didn’t feel great being treated as an enemy when I hadn’t done anything to deserve it.
”Cassandra, his fighting style is different from the knights you’re used to, but Daisuke is strong. Take this chance to get properly worked over.”
”I will win! Just watch from there!”
”Heh, I intend to.”
Responding to Emily’s encouragement—though I couldn’t tell if she was being supportive or just messing with her—Cassandra barked back. After our talk earlier, Emily’s “worked over” sounded entirely different to my ears. She glanced at me with a smirk; her choice of words was definitely on purpose.
”Well then, let’s get started. Both of you, take your positions. Mel, tell the others to stay back.”
Just like when I dueled Gerta, we faced each other about ten meters apart. Since I was going along with Emily’s request, I decided I’d give her a thorough “working over” (in the combat sense). I decided to use my usual one-handed sword and a buckler. Since this was a lesson, I could probably switch weapons midway. If I used too many different things, the inconsistency with my Class and Skill Levels would stand out, so I’d limit myself to three or four.
Vice-Captain Cassandra used a one-handed short spear and a large shield. An orthodox knightly style. Her strength was equivalent to a B-Rank adventurer, and her equipment was made of Radiant Iron⁴ to match. It was quite expensive stuff, but it seemed the Royal Knights provided proper gear to their members. The knights training nearby stopped what they were doing to watch from a distance. While it wasn’t the same environment as an adventurer’s, battles between high-Level individuals were likely a rare sight for them.
”Are you ready? Both parties, the ‘Oath’.”
”Yes. I ‘Swear to the Gods’ to fight according to the ‘Conditions’ of a ‘Guild-Style Individual Rules’ match. Should I lose, I will ‘obey Vice-Captain Cassandra for the duration of the quest’ as the ‘Reward’.”
”I ‘Swear to the Gods’ to fight according to the ‘Conditions’ of a ‘Guild-Style Individual Rules’ match. Should I lose, I will ‘obey Daisuke for the duration of the quest’ as the ‘Reward’.”
”As the ‘Witness,’ I ‘Swear to the Gods’ to judge ‘neutrally and fairly,’ and to ensure the loser fulfills the ‘Reward.’ Now… Begin!”
”……”
I expected Cassandra to charge, but she remained stationary with her shield raised. She was surprisingly calm. It was a bit of a letdown, but since it gave me an opening, I decided to use ‘Appraisal’⁵ to visually violate her and strip her secrets bare.
『Appraisal』
Vice-Captain Cassandra was Level 46, Class: Knight. Her ability scores and Skill composition were weighted more toward defense than offense; she was quite capable when it came to “protecting.”
With a C-rank growth rate for STR, she was a well-rounded combatant. On the flip side, her AGI and DEX were low, meaning she wasn’t suited for initiating attacks. In a one-on-one duel, she likely relied on counters. Her Spear and Shield skills were Level 7, while her Resistances ranged from 4 to 7. She also had Level 5 Healing Magic. It was rare for anyone other than a Priest to use Healing Magic, so she seemed to excel at a war of attrition. She had Self-Buffs, of course, but as expected of a knight who fought in a unit, her detection-type Skills were low level.
Overall, she was a hard worker who had clearly put in years of effort on the front lines. Her stubbornness was just the other side of her strong convictions.
”What’s wrong? You talked a big game, but have you turned coward?”
”I didn’t intend to talk a big game… but you’re right, there’s no point in just standing here.”
Waiting was a waste of time against a counter-specialist like Cassandra. I’d take the bait and launch an assault. First, let’s see how her defense measures up. I stepped in with light footwork and slammed my sword, reinforced with magic, against her shield.
Cassandra caught it with her own magic-reinforced shield, her posture remaining rock-solid. I attacked repeatedly, shifting my position with quick steps, but every strike was blocked perfectly. I couldn’t land a single clean hit. The violent, high-pitched clang of metal on metal echoed across the field.
After about a minute, Cassandra seemed to have adjusted to my rhythm. Her spear thrust out in its first counterattack. She had parried my sword with a forceful shield bash at the moment of impact, breaking my balance just enough to create an opening.
”Whoops, that was close. Yeah, this isn’t going to work.”
”Obviously. It seems you aren’t just some lecherous brat after all.”
I dodged with an exaggerated movement and took a large backstep, putting distance between us. Cassandra’s reply was as sharp as ever. While the suspicion of me being a “fraud” seemed to have vanished, my popularity rating with her was still at zero.
—
Summary:
Daisuke is challenged to a duel by Vice-Captain Cassandra, who is provoked into a high-stakes ‘slave’ wager by Captain Emily. The match begins at the training grounds, where Daisuke uses his ‘Appraisal’ skill to analyze Cassandra’s defensive build. The chapter ends with Cassandra successfully countering Daisuke’s initial flurry of attacks.
—
Trivia:
- Daisuke can earn 20 gold coins in a single day, making the quest reward trivial to him.
- Radiant Iron is the standard high-end material for Royal Knight equipment.
- Cassandra is a rare non-Priest character capable of using Healing Magic.
- Daisuke is mentally an ‘ossan’ (middle-aged man) despite his young appearance.
- Captain Emily is intentionally using double entendres like ‘work her over’ to tease Daisuke
—
Character Insight:
Cassandra is a ‘hard worker’ whose stubborness stems from a deep sense of responsibility to her country, while Emily plays the role of a meddlesome matchmaker disguised as a teasing commander.
—
Lore And Worldbuilding Context:
The author uses ‘visual violation’ (shikan) as the kanji for Appraisal to emphasize the invasive nature of the skill in this specific series’ tone.
—
Glossary:
Notes:
• Cassandra – Vice‑Captain of the Royal Knights, mid‑20s, short brown hair, scowling beauty, 175 cm tall, muscular, sturdy. Called ‘The Ogress’ for strictness and Iron Claw. Hardworking warrior with high defense and healing magic, but poor scouting; Ability Faction member, niece of Günther. Recently enslaved after a duel, wields a short spear and Radiant‑Iron shield, leads the Third Unit, and despises adventurers.
• Emily – Captain of the Knights’ Order, a 30‑year‑old with a striking purple wolf‑cut hairstyle and powerful aura, wears his hair wavy and tied back. Boisterous, sharp‑witted, battle‑crazed and teasing, he sports a wicked smile and an “older sister” aura. Married, he leads the Third Unit, chaperones a high‑school girl party, and is often late because the Knight Commander overloads him with work.
• Vanessa – Red‑haired, ponytail‑tied older sister adventurer with a toned, muscular build, large breasts and thick thighs, wearing revealing gear that exudes a wild, sexy vibe. Member of the all‑female Wyvern Slayers, saved by Daisuke and now guides Nicola’s first dungeon run. She thrives in Orc‑infested zones, has Sleep Resistance, and combines a charming personality with a well‑toned body, skilled in exploration and rough play.
• Ines – 170 cm tall, voluptuous swordsman (Level 21+, D-Rank) and leader of the Gale Party, with long emerald-green hair, blue eyes, and a statuesque, erotic silhouette. She wears heavy armor styled like a college girl, radiating a goddess-like smile despite her shy, naive nature and easy embarrassment. Logical yet deeply affectionate, she adores Daisuke—her first lover and shield-vanguard—worries she’s a nuisance, yet boldly asks to bathe with him, her warmth and devotion shining through her armor-clad grace.
• Daisuke – Mid-40s Japanese reincarnated adventurer, physically youthful but mentally middle-aged from a corporate past, blessed by the Green God and bearing the unique Class ‘Onanist’. B-Rank (Lv69), wielding a one-handed sword and buckler, with high Fortitude, Lust Control, Item Box, and mastery of Earth/Wind magic, stealth, high-speed combat, transformation, and cleaning magic. Manages slaves Ilse, Liese, Camilla; mentors Rin and Cassandra; dates Ines; pursues Regina and Dietlinde. Owns a Royal Capital house, runs a growing harem, cooks expertly, and coordinates missions for the Royal Knight Order—his lecherous inner monologue contrasting sharply with his disciplined exterior.
• Mercedes – Brown semi-long hair, white frilled one-piece dress, Mercedes—also known as Mel—is a gluttonous, airheaded yet perceptive Knight Order subordinate and companion to Daisuke, who affectionately calls her “Mercedes-san.” Energetic and talkative, she’s easily teased, bribed with sweets, and prone to accidentally breaking walls or equipment. Though a high-ranking noble and Home Secretary of Maultasche, mother of Patrizia, and skilled in combat, destruction magic, and shield teaching, she’s terrified of Vice-Captain Cassandra and stressed since the Hero Party incident. She despises goblins/orcs, feeds Daisuke intel, seeks a Reincarnator boyfriend (often rejected), and views dungeons as divine trials—yet her informality around knights and sweet tooth make her endearingly unorthodox.
• Gerta – B-Rank adventurer and former opponent of Daisuke, once leader of the Beast Fang, a towering 190 cm muscular beast-woman with golden-brown flipping hair, jagged teeth, a lion-like tail, and a wild predatory aura; wields a greatsword and commands Maten, Magic Blade, and Roar, thriving on strength and exhibiting masochistic tendencies in combat and intimacy, valuing power above all—her rough, intense dynamic with Daisuke cemented his martial arts legacy.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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