Chapter 81 What It Means to Be a Man
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
(Gorge’s POV)
Ms. Roana and I keep walking through the forest all night long.
Fortunately, we were able to escape without any major obstacles, thanks to all the monsters we hunted near the dungeon.
”Probably, Master’ party is also entering the forest, heading for the dungeon. I heard there was a school day, so they might be about 2 days behind us.”
We slow our pace a bit, walking in the dim morning light filtering through the trees.
”So, if we follow the reverse route of their entry, we will definitely meet Master.”
”…You mean Hiroya, right? What could a young boy like him teach you?”
Ms. Roana looks at me with a puzzled expression.
”Well, it’s because of the skills of my master, who managed to win over all those beautiful older sisters.”
I puff out my chest with pride as if it were my own achievement.
”…So it’s not about swordsmanship, huh…”
”When I was in the royal capital, all the older sisters I was excited to talk to were all my master’s women.”
”…But they aren’t Hiroya’s women, right? Wait, no…”
”?”
”…Martina was totally in love with Hiroya…”
”Right?”
”But Hiroya’s girlfriend is Kazumie, right?”
”Tsk, tsk, tsk. Ms. Roana, you don’t understand. Liz and Rena are both totally in love with my master. No doubt about it.”
”…A harem at that age… Not just in swordsmanship, but in that way too, he’s a scary kid…”
”Anyway, if we can meet up with my master, we’ll be fine…”
Just as I say that, I feel a pressure approaching from behind.
”Ms. Roana! We need to run!”
I push Ms. Roana forward and turn around, drawing my sword.
Soon, Asuka appears from deep in the forest.
”…I couldn’t find that thief, but I caught up to the main group…”
Asuka, with her sword drawn, approaches me.
”Gorge… I was told to kill you, but even if it was for a short time, we were in a party together. If you step aside, I’ll let you go.”
”I can’t do that. A man must protect women. That’s my belief.”
Asuka is an incredibly skilled swordswoman. There’s no way I can win against her.
”I liked that about you.”
She lowers her sword and slowly approaches me.
”When I heard you betrayed us and ran away with Roana, I thought, ‘Ah, that’s so like you…’.”
”…Confessing right before killing me is a bit late…”
I start to back away slowly from Asuka’s quiet killing intent.
”You are completely different from that jerk Otto. …But I’m still his sl*ve…”
Asuka raises her sword and attacks.
I manage to raise my bastard sword to block, but she quickly repositions her sword and thrusts straight at me.
”Ugh!”
I try to dodge by leaning back, but the tip of her sword grazes my side.
”…It’s frustrating… being a sl*ve…”
She pulls back her sword and thrusts again. With my stance completely broken, I have no way to dodge. The tip of her sword pierces my left shoulder.
”Ugh!”
”I have to kill the first guy I ever liked…”
Asuka approaches me as I fall backward.
”…I’m not dead yet…”
”…I want to kill you and then follow after you, but… sl*ves aren’t allowed to die by their own hand… please spare me…”
Asuka swings down her sword from above.
”Hardening!”
My special magic. It temporarily hardens my body like stone.
The blade bounces off. I take this chance to strike back.
”I usually don’t cut women, but I have no choice.”
I slash upward at Asuka’s feet with my bastard sword.
”Ugh!”
Asuka, still off balance, kicks the blade of my sword away to dodge. What reflexes this woman has!
But in that moment, I manage to stand up and create some distance from Asuka… or so I thought──
”This is the end!”
Asuka quickly regains her stance and is already right in front of me, sword ready at her waist…
”You pierced my hardened body…”
Asuka’s sword is buried deep in my hardened stomach, all the way to the guard.
”…Gorge… goodbye… nchu…”
The hardening gradually dissipated, and Asuka hugged me and kissed me.
”Yeah… goodbye… but I’ll save Roana… I’ll buy some time… with my… life!”
I hugged Asuka back and chanted ‘hardening’ again. But…
”…Thanks for the wonderful hug…”
My body was gradually peeled off by Asuka’s brute strength.
”Guf!”
Eventually, the sword stuck in my stomach was pulled out, and fresh blood gushed out.
(Well… if I can die like a man, that’s good…)
Asuka’s sword was swung down towards my neck.
And I closed my eyes and accepted it.
──Clank!
But the sound──it’s just the blade bouncing back.
”‘With my life’… you barked well. You’re a worthy disciple of mine. Gorge is a man among men.”
I opened my eyes slightly, and the small figure of my master gave me a sense of reassurance.
”Mas… Master”
My master came… he used his sword to block Asuka’s blade…
”I won’t let you die yet. Roana is also protected by Liz and the others. Rest assured.”
My master is still cool…
* * *
(Hiroya’s POV)
”Hiroya!”
Asuka, the female swordswoman, stepped back and readied her sword.
”…Gorge is my precious disciple. I won’t let you kill him.”
I sheathed my ‘Yamikirimaru’ and slowly closed the distance with Asuka in an Iaido stance.
”Come on…”
Asuka beckoned me with the tip of her sword.
”Physical Boost!”
I kicked the ground and rushed into Asuka’s embrace at lightning speed.
”Physical Boost!”
Asuka shouted and drew her sword, clashing blades with my ‘Yamikirimaru’.
──Clank!
(It bounced!)
I tried to run through and sheath my sword, but Asuka launched a series of attacks.
”I’m good at ‘Physical Boost’ too! Somehow I managed to dodge your first strike!”
With a seductive smile, Asuka delivered a swift thrust.
”I won’t let you sheath your sword! The strategy to defeat your swordsmanship is to ‘dodge the first strike and launch a continuous attack’!”
I somehow managed to continue parrying the abnormally numerous thrusts.
”You’re not bad… how about this!”
When I raised my sword to defend against a thrust aimed at my throat, Asuka’s kick landed squarely on my side.
”Guff!”
I was sent flying and rolled on the ground. That was quite effective…
”A kick from your small body is a pretty intense damage, right?”
I endured the pain and managed to stand up.
”I had high hopes for you. I thought you would kill Otto… that bastard.”
Asuka advanced, her sword ready.
”But you’re still not good enough… you can’t kill him…”
”We’ll see about that.”
I didn’t sheath my ‘Yamikirimaru’, but held it vertically in front of me.
”…That stance…”
”My master is the best knight in this country…”
Yes. This is the knight’s stance.
”…Are you trying to fight me with that makeshift swordsmanship?”
”… Let’s give it a try.”
I provoked Asuka with an orthodox middle stance. My master’s swordsmanship, though not flashy, was a ‘solid’ style. It gradually overwhelmed the opponent with precise and accurate offense and defense.
”You’re bluffing!”
This is probably Asuka’s specialty. She delivered a series of swift thrusts. But I easily deflected them all.
Asuka increased her speed, but I continued to bounce her blade.
”Damn!”
I entangled her sword with my blade and twisted it out of her grasp, then flung it high into the air.
With Asuka now unarmed, I pressed the tip of my sword against her throat.
”Checkmate.”
”You… can use the knight’s style too…”
”My master is excellent, and I’m pretty good at learning too.”
With the tip of my sword, I sliced through the scarf wrapped around Asuka’s neck.
As expected, there was a slave mark on her neck.
”Hmm… by any chance, is this one too?”
I sliced Asuka’s waist with ‘Yamikirimaru’.
The waist part of the armor, which was cut in two, fell to the ground, and the ‘crotch tattoo’ was visible through the slit in the torn underwear.
”So… you’re enslaved by Otto…”
At that moment, a heavy impact struck the back of my head.
”Ouch!”
”You pervert, Hiroya!”
I was hit hard by Kazumi from behind.
”Well… I just wanted to make sure…”
I hold the back of my head with teary eyes. It hurts…
”Even if they’re the enemy, it’s a girl we’re talking about!”
Saying that, Kazumi picks up the scarf I cut and drapes it around Asuka’s waist.
”I’m sorry for Hiroya being reckless. I’ll make sure to wrap something around you later so it won’t be visible.”
”Hiroya, you really deserve to be hit for that…”
Rena says this while treating Gorge, looking exasperated. I’m really sorry…
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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