Chapter 13

Today is the fifth day of the tenth month, the day of darkness, hehehe... It's the day when I, Lord Kent, a dark attribute mage, can best exert my power... or not.

The days of the week are named after attributes, but this is just for convenience; apparently, the power of magic doesn't become stronger or weaker depending on the day.

Since my work at the Garm potato warehouse ended yesterday, I came to the guild today to look for a new job.

Yeah, as usual, there's a huge crowd in front of the board where requests are posted in the morning.

Probably, the better jobs are available early in the day; everyone's eyes are bloodshot, and it's a bit... no, quite scary.

As usual, I decided to wait until the commotion died down and headed for the wall, where I saw Girik, the dog-eared one with no cuteness, standing alone.

Hmm, where is the cat-eared angel, Muelle?

"Good morning, Girik."

"Huh? Oh, it's you, kid..."

I could have pretended not to notice and turned around, but I greeted Girik.

I'm a polite man, you see, not because I'm afraid of being caught for not greeting him later or anything.

"Um... Is Muelle not here today?"

"Who? Mieu?"

"Yes, I thought I'd greet her if she was here..."

"Mieu is at the mage training session..."

Ah... Why can't he answer normally? Does he have to be so dramatic every time? This dog brat.

By the way, there are mage training sessions, huh?

"Um... Are there mage training sessions?"

"Who? Of course there are. For the first four days of the week—fire, water, wind, and earth—the mages and knights train together, but for the last three days—darkness, light, and star—they train separately. Remember that!"

"Yes... I'm sorry."

I see, so they train together until a certain point, and then they split up when it gets more specialized, right?

By the way, what do they do in the mage training sessions? Can I watch them?

"Um..."

"What, you're still here..."

"Sorry, can I watch the mage training session?"

"Yeah, it's held at the training ground, so you can watch freely."

"Oh, really? Thank you."

If watching is allowed, I should definitely go.

Of course, I just want to see how the mage training sessions are conducted, not to worship Muelle or anything.

Let's go to the training ground!

"Wait a minute!"

"Ugh... My, my neck..."

When I was about to go to the training ground, Girik grabbed me by the collar.

"What is it, all of a sudden..."

"I'm coming with you. I'll keep an eye on you to make sure you don't look at Mieu with dirty eyes..."

"But I'm not here for that..."

"Shut up, let's go..."

Damn, this dog brat has a good nose for these things... No, no, I didn't mean it that way, really.

By the way, I'm not a kitten, so don't grab me by the collar like that; everyone's staring.

Damn, I'll make you bark someday!

When we were taken to the training ground, people were gathered in a different place from where we had our training.

It looked like an archery range, with sturdy earth walls and targets in the form of dummies.

Well, well, there's the cat-eared angel, Muelle, with her light pink tail swaying.

I think that's the movement a cat makes when it's interested in something, so she must be listening to the training attentively.

Hmm, the guy next to her is glancing at Muelle...

"That guy, looking at Mieu..."

"Ugh... Gah... My neck, my neck..."

"Oh? Sorry, sorry..."

"Please, enough..."

Muelle is a cat beast person, and Girik is a dog beast person, so they're not actually siblings, right?

What kind of relationship do they have? A cliché childhood friend with a crush?

While I was thinking about that, it seems they're about to start the practical part.

The first man got into position and aimed at the target.

"Mana, oh Mana, the Mana that governs the world, gather, gather in my hand and become fire, dance, dance, fire, dance and become a fireball! Haaa!"

Ouch... What's with this painful incantation... I thought, but then the man swung his arm and threw a fireball about 15 centimeters in diameter at the target.

Ah... It fell short and landed in front of him.

"Hmph, serves him right..."

Ah, he was disappointing, as expected.

"Creating the fireball was decent, though..."

Eh... That was decent...?

"Hey, hey, Reinhardt, did you see that?"

"I did, creating the fireball was quite smooth."

"Eh... Does magic really require such a long incantation?"

"Yes, for powerful magic, you need to repeat the incantation."

"Eh... If you take that long, you'll be killed by a monster."

"That's why mages practice casting while moving and work in teams with knights. To us, Lord Kent, who can use magic without incantation, is the abnormal one."

"Is that so..."

By the way, since the training sessions for mages and knights are separate starting from the day of darkness, this must be a beginner's mage training session.

While I was thinking about that, it was Muelle's turn.

"Mana, oh Mana, the Mana that governs the world, gather, gather in my hand and become wind, dance, dance, wind, dance and become a wind blade! Yaaa!"

Unlike the fireball, the wind blade is invisible. A moment after Muelle swung her arm, the straw dummy was cleanly sliced.

Oh, Muelle's tail is pointing straight up, looking proud.

"Of course, Mieu. With this, she's sure to advance to the next level."

No, no, why is Girik so smug? He didn't do anything.

But, it's only two more levels until the training is over, and then she can go into the dungeon alone.

Hmm? Is the dungeon not as dangerous as I thought?

"What are you doing here?"

This voice... I turned around hurriedly to see Donovan.

"Peeping again, Girik?"

"Tch, no... I was just..."

Again? Donovan definitely said "again," you perverted dog.

"Are you just tagging along, Kent?"

"Yes... No, I wanted to see what the mage training session was like..."

"Hmm, I see, so you're here to find a way to counter mages?"

"Eh? No, that's not it..."

No, I'm not thinking of anything that grand.

"But don't worry, Kent. When fighting a mage, just punch them before they finish their incantation, and you win. Even if they finish, just predict their movements and dodge."

Wow, here comes the musclehead who solves everything with strength!

"Yeah, perfect timing, Girik, give Kent a good workout."

"Huh? Why me, with this kid..."

"What? Do you have a problem with that?"

"N-no... That's not it..."

Hahaha, Girik's tail is trying to hide between his legs, he's so scared.

"Listen, Girik, Volzard is a frontier town. Once you step into the Forest of Demons, it's a place ruled by monsters, not humans. To survive in such a place, we need to raise people. The more capable people we have, the more the town will develop, and that will eventually benefit us. Instead of chasing after women, think about raising the next generation!"

"Yes..."

Hahaha, Girik's volume has decreased by at least 20%, serves him right!

"What are you grinning about..."

"N-no... I'm not..."

Oops... My smile must have shown how happy I was.

"I'll take good care of this one..."

"Wait... I just came to watch the mage training session..."

"Listen, Kent, thinking is not bad, but remember when you survived the Forest of Demons. In a crisis, you need to move correctly based on instinct. For that, training is the only way."

"Yes..."

No, there was no way to escape this situation.

Ah, I should have just looked for a job instead of talking to this dog brat... But it's too late now.

There's no way I can escape from Donovan after failing to escape from Girik.

So, the preparations are complete.

I was made to wear a leather helmet, chest armor, and gauntlets, and given a wooden sword the size of a dagger.

By the way, these gauntlets must be really smelly, right? Do they have scented soaps in this world?

"Listen, Girik, aim only at the parts of Kent's armor. Kent, you can aim anywhere, even at vital points!"

"Hmph, I won't be hit by a kid like you."

Girik held a regular-sized wooden sword in his right hand, looking confident.

But you'll soon realize that your confidence is misplaced.

Hmm... I didn't expect to show off the results of my training in the Forest of Demons so soon.

"Please, let's begin!"

I held the dagger in a guard position and faced Girik.

You can only look down on me for now, it's showtime.

With a sharp step, I raised the dagger to strike...

"Ugh..."

Before I could strike, I was kicked in the solar plexus and fell over.

That's not fair... No one told me kicking was allowed.

"Too slow, and full of openings. Get up, next, next!"

"Ugh... This time... Haaa... Huh, eh, kyah!"

This time, I feinted an uppercut and guarded against the kick, but I was hit on the head with the wooden sword.

"You were only looking at my feet. Come on, attack!"

"Ugh... Haaa... Huh, yaa... Ugh, gah!"

I guarded against the kick and the head strike, but I was hit in the right side with a knee.

"Gah... Cough, cough..."

Ugh... My ribs are creaking, and I can't breathe.

I used full self-healing. I won't let this happen again, I'm going all out from now on.

"Ugh... I'm coming!"

"Hmm, you've got some spirit, come on!"

Thinking I could at least land one hit, I charged, but I was only beaten up.

The reach difference is too much, damn it, I can't even touch him.

In that case, I'll use full self-healing and keep coming at him.

"Gah... Ugh... One more!"

"This kid... Haa, stubborn! Come on!"

"Ugh... Igyah... One more!"

"Haa, haa... Are you a zombie? Come on!"

Using full self-healing, I managed to stand up, but my knees buckled, and I fell to the ground... and my consciousness faded.

How long was I unconscious? It feels like I'm lying in a futon.

As my muddled consciousness cleared, I felt a warm, soft warmth on my cheek.

It seems to be breathing slowly.

"Huh... Is someone here?"

It seems there's someone in the bed with me, holding me.

Confused, I tried to wriggle out, and the mysterious person woke up.

"Mm, mm... Good morning, Kent."

"Eh, eh! Muelle?"

Why am I in bed with Muelle? What's going on?

Did I unconsciously take a step into adulthood?

"Sorry, when I saw you sleeping so peacefully, I got sleepy too and joined you in the bed... hehe."

I got Muelle's "hehepero"!

"Ah, um... Where are we?"

"Oh, this is the guild's infirmary. You fainted at the training ground..."

"Ah, I see... So I didn't even touch him..."

"It's not your fault, fighting Girik is tough... By the way, Kent, you're pushing yourself too hard, me!"

Hyaah! Muelle gave me a "me"!

"Sorry... I just felt frustrated..."

"Nyahahaha, Kent is a boy after all..."

By the way, Muelle's face is so close, if I lean in a little more, I might kiss her.

By the way, would it be okay to kiss her?

Gurrr... Kyururu...

Hauu, why does my stomach have to growl at this moment?

"Nyahahaha, after all that fighting, you must be hungry, I'll treat you to something."

"No, that's not necessary... I got a good workout, so it's not..."

Muelle's index finger covered my mouth.

"You can't embarrass your big sister. In situations like this, you should accept the treat."

Of course, I could only nod.

Muelle took me to the guild's tavern for the first time.

It's usually crowded with people finishing their work in the evening, but it's empty now, around late lunchtime.

When Muelle and I tried to sit at an empty table, a man nearby called out to us.

"Hey, kid, you noticed me? You took quite a beating, didn't you?"

"Um..."

Who is he? He has light brown hair, a mustache, and looks like a slightly bad guy, probably in his forties.

"Man, you took quite a beating, even Girik was getting tired by the end."

"Ah... Now that you mention it..."

I was using full self-healing, so I wasn't really aware, but now that he mentions it, Girik did seem pretty tired.

"Still, you look pretty good for someone who took that much of a beating?"

"Uh? Yes, um... I have a constitution that heals when I sleep...?"

Trying to explain without revealing my light attribute self-healing, my stomach growled loudly again.

Gurrr... Kyururu...

"Hahaha, good for you, kid! Get beaten up, sleep, eat, and grow! Hey, bartender! Give this kid a big meal!"

"No, I can't accept a treat from someone I just met..."

"It's fine, it's fine, Kent, this guy is rich..."

"Muelle...?"

Hmm, is this slightly bad guy trying to hit on Muelle?

If he's into something like that, I'll have Fred, the ninja skeleton, kill him quickly.

"Ah, you're new to Volzard, aren't you?"

"Yeah, you survived the Forest of Demons, didn't you? That's impressive."

"No, I was in a daze and don't remember much..."

"Still, you survived and escaped, and people with such good luck are welcome here. Welcome to my town, Volzard!"

The slightly bad guy spread his arms dramatically.

"My town...?"

"Yes, this is Lord Claus of Volzard."

"Eh? Excuse me, it's a fine day... I'm honored to meet you for the first time..."

"Ah, none of that, I don't like formalities... I'm Claus Volzard, nice to meet you, Kent."

"Yes, nice to meet you."

Lord Claus's hand was thick and strong, not the hand of someone who does desk work.

I didn't expect such a free-spirited person, just from hearing reports from Basten.

But if he's the lord, he must be rich, so I'll accept his treat without hesitation.