Chapter 17 Actually a Good Student
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Ugh!”
I can barely deflect the quick dagger attacks.
I’m using ‘Physical Boost,’ but it’s not helping at all.
Even though I’m not used to using daggers, I’m just on the defensive.
(Anyway… it’s fast…)
Eventually, I fall for my opponent’s clever feint and, in a desperate move, I try to stab, but she grabs my arm. Before I know it, I’m being twisted under her armpit, and the dagger is taken away from me.
”Wow! Martina! Your dagger skills are super fast!”
Kazumi jumps up and claps her hands.
Martina is teaching Kazumi and Rena how to fight with daggers, so I tried to spar with her first, but I couldn’t keep up at all.
”Well… I just kind of got the hang of it.”
Martina says this while looking a bit shy.
”It seems like Hiroya missed his training, but I got to see something great. So, you really are the ‘Martina’ everyone was talking about from the training center in the royal capital.”
Liz, the archer of previous party, who had come to see my training, looks at Martina with interest.
”?”
Martina tilts her head in confusion.
”Oh, right, I remember now…”
Liz scratches her head, looking a bit apologetic as she recalls that Martina has regressed to a childlike state.
”Ah, don’t worry about it. I’ve heard some things from Isaac and Roana about what happened to me. I grew up, left the village, went to the training center in the royal capital, and just when the 3 of us finally formed a party, I got seriously injured. …I don’t really get it, but Isaac and Roana have grown up, and of course, I have too…”
Martina looks at her hands raised to the sky.
”So, I don’t remember it, but I understand that ‘I had that kind of experience’.”
She smiles innocently. Even I, who know about ‘that incident,’ find Martina’s smile dazzling.
* * *
While Martina continues to teach Kazumi and Rena, I asked Liz, who was watching.
”Martina was making a fuss at the training center in the royal capital?”
”Yeah, I was there at the training center in the royal capital around that time too…”
Liz started to speak quietly while watching Martina, who was teaching with gestures and enthusiasm, even though her words were lacking.
”By the way, Liz, you were 15 back then, right? You and Martina were in the same year.”
”Well, we had different courses. I was in the ‘Ranger’ course, and I got really good with the bow. At that time, a genius girl appeared in the ‘Thief’ course. It was all the talk. I only heard rumors, but apparently, she was perfect at close combat, setting traps, unlocking doors, and detection abilities──Oh! Rena, nice move!”
Rena moves quite quickly, matching Martina’s movements.
”…I heard that even powerful parties from the royal capital were trying to recruit her. But she turned them all down. She said, ‘Because my important friends are waiting for me.’ …But then, why would she bother with goblins…”
As she watches the training, tears start to well up in Liz’s eyes.
”…Those goblins were using ‘Anti-Detection’…”
I nodded slightly, as if I understood.
”I see… They caught her off guard… It must have been tough… Hiroya, you really helped her out.”
Saying this, Liz uncrossed her arms in front of her chest and grabbed my shoulders.
”You have to protect those girls. To do that, you need to get stronger and stronger.”
Receiving Liz’s serious gaze, I nodded.
”Alright! That’s the kind of guy I expected you to be. …Well, I’m still just a beginner adventurer myself, you know. My 2 companions aren’t very reliable either.”
Liz laughed as she said this. Even while teasing her 2 companions, watching them happily complete requests every day made me strongly wish to grow up quickly and go on adventures.
* * *
”I can’t do it! I might be bad at this!”
Kazumi seemed to be giving up. It’s only the first day.
Well, she was pretty clumsy in her past life too… Short dagger combat, which requires skill and speed, might not be her thing.
”You don’t seem very skilled, Kazumi. I thought so, so I brought something interesting for you.”
Liz laughed cheerfully and started rummaging through her backpack.
”Ta-da! This is called a ‘crossbow’!”
What she pulled out from her backpack was a crossbow I had seen in my past life. However, it was quite small.
”This is the smallest and lightest one, so I thought about using two of them. But it turns out this one suits me better.”
She pointed to her favorite ‘composite bow’ strapped to her back.
”It’s really small. The string… 3 of them?”
”Yeah, this is…”
Liz, who moved behind Kazumi to explain how to use it, handed the crossbow to her.
”First, you need to wind this part like this… see how all 3 strings are pulled? Then, you stick this here.”
With a clunk, Liz fitted the wooden frame that held 3 arrows at the top of the crossbow, like a magazine for a gun.
”Now you’re all set. Try aiming.”
Kazumi followed her instructions and aimed at a tree in the yard. The small crossbow was easy to handle with one hand for an adult, but it felt well-balanced for Kazumi’s body.
”Every time you pull the trigger, one arrow will shoot. You can shoot up to 3. Aim so that this dot and this indented part line up.”
”…Okay. I got it.”
”Good, go ahead and shoot.”
With a click, the bowstring twanged, and the arrow shot out, hitting the tree perfectly.
”Ah… the recoil was surprisingly small. I might be able to use this!”
Kazumi beamed with a big smile. So cute!
”──That’s a rare item you have there.”
My master appeared, dressed in leather armor. It seemed he was heading to the barracks.
”This is Sir Guardian Knight. Excuse me for intruding.”
Liz bowed her head.
”Don’t be so formal. You’re ‘Archer’ Liz, right? The kids have been in your care.”
Master waved his hand lightly while laughing.
”A crossbow, huh? It’s been popular in the royal capital lately.”
”Yes. I… I like trying new things, so I gave it a shot, but it just didn’t suit me. So, if it’s okay with you, I thought Kazumi… the young lady might like it.”
Liz seemed to struggle with the unfamiliar way of speaking.
”You can be more casual. …But it’s scary to think that even clumsy Kazumi can use this weapon.”
Saying that, he took the crossbow from Kazumi.
”Hmm. It can shoot up to 3 times.”
He casually aimed with his right hand… and shot.
He deflected Kazumi’s arrow stuck in the tree, and my master’s arrow pierced through.
”The accuracy is good. Even someone without sword skills can become a decent soldier.”
He muttered this as he returned the crossbow to Kazumi. Well, the crossbow’s accuracy might be good, but isn’t my master amazing?
”I got to see something nice. Thank you, Liz.”
”No, I’m just glad Ms. Kazumi can use it. It was just sitting in my backpack unused.”
”──Can I have it? Thank you, Liz!”
Kazumi hugged the crossbow happily.
”I see. Come by anytime. I want to thank you too. Now, I’m heading to the barracks, so see you later, Kazumi.”
Saying that, my master headed toward the barracks.
*
”Kazumi, your dad is such a cool guy!”
Liz watched my master’s back with admiration.
”That’s not okay. Papa is in love with Mama.”
Kazumi said with a sigh.
”No, I’d be fine being the second wife…”
”…Liz… are you going to be my mama…?”
”Liz──come back!”
Rena waved her hands in front of Liz’s face.
”Your eyes are heart-shaped, Liz.”
Martina peeked at Liz’s face and said so.
It was the moment when Liz’s suspicions of being a shotacon were dispelled.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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