Chapter 21

Allen stood there, having defeated the Chimera with not just one, but eight strikes.

"Wh-What’s going on, Allen!? What was that power!?"

"Weren’t my legs too fast!?"

Ria and Rose pounced on him with incredible speed.

"I’m surprised too, you know."

That move had at least the acceleration, sword speed, and strength of that genius swordsman, Shido.

It felt like all my levels had gone up a notch.

(Is it the experience from fighting the out-of-this-world genius, Shido? Or is it a side effect of the spirit core taking over my body?)

In any case... this means I can survive.

I can still get stronger!

"Ugh, I need to train more with my soul equipment..."

"I don’t want to be left behind anymore..."

Having successfully completed the three requests, we decided to return to Bones for a moment.

"Hey, you finished all three already? You guys are amazing!"

Bones, who had been busy with paperwork, stopped his work and smiled happily.

His smile is still as terrifying as ever, but I’m getting used to it little by little.

"See, just as I said, monster extermination was the right choice, right?"

"Yes, thanks to you, it was a great experience."

"Hahaha! That’s great, that’s great! But this time, it was just a warm-up. There are confirmed to be monsters even stronger than the Chimera in that forest, so we’ll be taking on more challenging requests from now on."

"Yes, thank you very much."

From then on, we took on various requests.

Of course, not everything went smoothly.

During the Giant Slime extermination, Ria and Rose’s clothes were melted... and there were various other incidents.

In the end, I managed to avoid trouble by lending them my top, but...

When they both started sniffing at the same time, I was really worried.

I hadn’t been sweating that much, so it should have been fine...

A week has passed since I started living as a Demon Swordsmen.

People get used to things more easily than you think, and now I don’t even notice this building that stands out so much from its surroundings.

I’ve also made a few friends among the Demon Swordsmen.

While Ria and Rose were in the restroom, I was idly looking at the request board when,

"Hey, Allen! Can you come here for a moment?"

Dread, holding a small glass, called out to me.

"What is it, Dread? I don’t drink alcohol, you know?"

Since that incident, he seems to have cut down on his drinking, and I haven’t seen him drunk like before.

"Hehehe, you’re still as serious as ever! Well, just sit down for a bit! There are some things only men can talk about, you know?"

He said with a grin.

Knowing Dread, it’s probably not a good conversation, but I didn’t want to refuse, so I reluctantly sat down next to him.

Then,

"So, which one are you with?"

"Excuse me?"

Suddenly, he asked a question that made no sense.

"Come on! Don’t try to dodge it! I’m asking which one you’re with—Ria, the blonde with the big chest, or Rose, the cool beauty!"

"Eh, w-well, that... it’s..."

I was flustered by the unexpected question.

(Is this what they call a... love talk... or something like that?)

Then, the Demon Swordsmen who had been listening in on our conversation joined in.

"That reaction...! Could it be both!? Are you dating both of them!?"

"Ah, well, if you’re that great, I guess it’s to be expected... Man, I’m so jealous..."

"But, even if it’s both of them, there must be one you like more, right?"

"Wait, hold on! We should check how far things have progressed first, right?"

The conversation quickly took a strange turn.

(I have to stop this...)

If such rumors spread, it would cause trouble for Ria and Rose.

"I-I’m not dating either of them!"

This is something I had to make clear.

If it was just a rumor about me, I could let it go.

People say that rumors last for seventy-five days, and eventually, they’ll be forgotten.

But I can’t let a rumor that would cause trouble for my important friends go unchallenged.

But,

"Come on!"

"Being with them all the time and saying ‘I’m not dating either of them’ doesn’t make sense!"

"Ah! You can’t get away with that, Allen!"

My voice didn’t reach these drunk Demon Swordsmen.

(Drunk people are... like this...)

No matter how much I tried to reason with them, it wouldn’t have much effect.

No matter how detailed I explained, they wouldn’t listen.

So I said,

"Anyway—don’t spread any weird rumors, or I won’t be responsible."

I gave them a gentle smile and drove the point home.

"O-Of course, I understand..."

"Hehe, just kidding... Allen?"

"Don’t take it so seriously... Okay?"

Finally, they seemed to get it and quickly changed the subject, their eyes darting around.

Then,

"Al-len!"

"Let’s take on the next request."

Ria and Rose were waving at us from the reception desk.

"Ah, I’m coming."

Then, the three of us went to Bones to get our next request.

"Alright... I want you to take this request."

"This is... an escort mission?"

Escorting a cart from Aurest to Drestia.

A common escort mission from the capital to the ‘Merchant City.’

"Yeah, it’s just a short distance from here to Drestia. It should be an easy request for you guys, but... there’s a bit of a catch. The old lady who’s the client has a weak back... I want to make sure nothing happens, so I’m asking skilled Demon Swordsmen. Can you take it?"

I glanced at Ria and Rose, and they nodded immediately.

We seem to be on the same page.

"If it’s us, we’d be happy to take it."

In a village like Goza, everyone helps each other out.

When the rice crop fails, other farmers bring their own crops.

The same goes for wheat or potatoes.

We should help those in need.

"Ah, that’s great! I can count on you guys!"

Bones said, stamping the request form with a big stamp.

"And one more thing—this is a request from me."

He took out three gold notes—30,000 gold—from his pocket.

"I want you to do some market research for me."

"Market research...?"

Probably, he’s going to ask us to do some errand with that 30,000 gold...

Honestly, it doesn’t seem very related to training.

"You guys are going to Drestia for the escort mission, right?"

"Yes, that’s right."

"In Drestia, a big festival called the ‘Great Trade Festival’ starts tomorrow and lasts for three days. I want you to buy various items from the stalls and tell me your impressions."

Saying that, Bones handed me the 30,000 gold.

"..."

"What...?"

"Is he telling us to enjoy the festival?"

"No, that’s not it. That festival is incredibly popular. I want you to find out the secret of its success. It’s for the festival the Demon Swordsmen’s Guild will be holding in the future. This is an important request, so don’t get the wrong idea."

He emphasized that it was an important request, but...

"Well, that’s..."

It seemed a bit forced or made up...

It was obvious he was telling us to enjoy the festival.

Bones shook his head and sighed deeply.

"Ah... Allen... Training isn’t just about pushing yourself to the limit. Proper rest and mental satisfaction are important too. This kind of ‘leisure and play’ is essential."

"Ah... I see..."

"Basically, what I’m saying is—you’ve been training too hard every day for the past week. Take a break!"

Finally, his true feelings came out.

"Eh, eh..."

"But, but...?"

"We’re on suspension."

When Rose said this, which was a very reasonable point,

"Ah, that’s why this is my ‘request.’ If anyone complains, just tell me, and I’ll take care of it!"

He cracked his knuckles.

...He’s really intimidating.

"U-Um, understood... Thank you."

I decided to accept his kindness, as it would be rude to refuse after he went to so much trouble.

"Hehe, thanks a lot!"

■

After that, we went to the client, an old lady named Shandi, and set off from Aurest.

On the way from Aurest to Drestia,

"Phew...! You guys are students from the Thousand Blades Academy, right?"

Shandi said, her eyes wide.

"Y-Yes, technically."

...We’re on suspension, though.

"Having students from the Thousand Blades Academy as my escorts is a huge relief. But is it okay? This request is cheap, you know? I’m a poor wheat farmer."

She pointed to the large bags of wheat loaded on the cart.

I had seen a little earlier, but the color and texture were good, and the bran layer was just right.

It’s a fine first-class wheat.

It should fetch a good price.

"Hehe, it’s not about the money."

This is purely voluntary; we’re not doing it for the money.

In fact, we haven’t received any payment for any of the requests we’ve taken so far.

"But, the Thousand Blades Academy... It’s said to be in decline these days, but for our generation, it still has a strong image of being the ‘strongest.’”

Shandi then told us stories from the past.

"Especially Reia Rasnote, the Black Fist! I’m not very familiar with her, but I think she’s a ‘no-sword style,’ right? She was really cool... She beat up all the swordsmen! It was so satisfying to watch a woman do that!"

She made a punching motion with her right hand.

"The only one who could match her was Felis from the Ice King Academy! But even she never won, apparently."

"Wow, really?"

It was an interesting story.

As we continued to listen to stories about the old Thousand Blades Academy, we arrived at Drestia before we knew it.

Fortunately, we didn’t encounter any harmful beasts or monsters.

"It’s a relief to finish the job without any problems."

"Thank you. It was nice to have someone to talk to. Well, I’ll be going this way... Huh!?"

Shandi suddenly froze like a stone statue in the middle of our conversation.

"Sh-Shandi!?"

"What’s wrong!?"

"Are you okay?"

"M-My back...!"

She said, her face contorted in pain.

Come to think of it, Bones did say the client had a weak back.

"Let’s get you to the hospital!"

When I was little, Old Bamboo had a bad back and was bedridden for a week.

A bad back can really make it impossible to move.

"It’s no good! This cargo has to be delivered by noon today..."

It seems there’s a deadline for this wheat.

And it’s noon today—only about an hour left.

"I understand. I’ll take responsibility for delivering it!"

"Is that okay?"

"Yes, leave it to me."

"Then, please take this..."

She took out a piece of paper from her pocket.

It had the delivery deadline, delivery location, and purchase price written on it.

It seemed to be a contract.

"I’ve received it. Ria and Rose, please take Shandi to the nearest hospital."

"Um, that’s fine, but..."

"Is Allen okay on his own?"

"Yes, leave it to me. ...How about we meet at that big clock tower when we’ve calmed down?"

I pointed to a prominent clock tower in front of us.

"Okay, I understand."

"Be careful."

"Thank you. I’ll leave Shandi to you."

Then, I headed to the delivery location with the contract Shandi had given me.

"Alright, this is it."

The location on the map was a store called ‘Rocky’s Shop.’

(I shouldn’t bring all the wheat into the store; I’ll just take one bag.)

I opened the sliding door and carried a bag of wheat into the store.

As I walked in, I saw someone who looked like the owner in the back.

"Oh, a customer?"

"No, I’m a Demon Swordsman. The wheat farmer, Shandi, hurt her back, so I’m delivering it on her behalf."

"Hmm... a Demon Swordsman, huh? Can I see the contract, please?"

"Yes."

I handed him the important contract she had given me.

He took it and said,

"Hmm..."

Instead of looking at the wheat I had brought, he stared at me from head to toe.

"Well... I’ll give you half the price."

"Half the price?"

"You’re a bit slow, aren’t you? I’m saying I’ll buy it at half the contract price."

"What!? What do you mean!?"

"This wheat is... of very poor quality. You should be grateful I’m buying it at half price."

He took a pinch of wheat from the bag and said so.

"That’s not true. This is very good wheat!"

"Hah, what does a third-rate Demon Swordsman like you know? Huh?"

"One look is enough. In my village, agriculture is thriving, and I’ve seen a lot of wheat. I can confidently say that there’s no quality issue with this wheat. In fact, it’s a fine first-class wheat!"

The owner made a loud, exaggerated clicking sound with his tongue.

"Tch... You’re a troublesome kid. —Excuse me, can you come here for a moment?"

Then, two tall, muscular men appeared from the back of the store.

"Oh, oh... Is there a problem, Mr. Rocky?"

"Hmm, looks like a swordsman, but he’s just a kid, isn’t he?"

"Sorry to cause trouble... There’s a disrespectful kid causing problems."

The two men looked at each other and shrugged.

"Hey, little guy? Kids should listen to adults and keep quiet, you know?"

"It’s not too late to apologize to Mr. Rocky, you know?"

These two seemed to be the store’s bodyguards.

"...Mr. Rocky"

"Hehe, what is it?"

"—This fine wheat shouldn’t be undervalued and bought cheaply. Please buy it at a fair price."

Hearing that, he sighed deeply.

"Ah... That’s the problem with Demon Swordsmen. They’re fundamentally lacking in brains. ...Gentlemen, I’m afraid I’ll have to ask for your help."

"Hehe, can’t be helped, can it?"

"This is part of the job, you know."

The two men cracked their necks and shoulders and approached me.

Then,

"Here... let’s see!"

One of the men threw a big right straight punch.

(What is this...?)

Inefficient weight shift.

Unnecessary large preparatory movement.

The grip on the fist was loose.

It was nothing compared to Bones’ artistic right straight.

"Sorry."

I quickly delivered a backfist to his vulnerable groin.

"Ugh, g...!?"

He turned pale from the sudden impact and collapsed unconscious.

"What did you do!?"

"Um? Didn’t you see?"

Looking away during a fight... These two seemed to be just big guys with no real skills.

"Heh, you’re kidding me!"

The remaining man raised his right hand and swung at me, just like the first one.

It was the same clumsy strike.

"Sorry."

I delivered a backfist to the same spot, knocking out the second man.

Now we could have a proper conversation.

"Alright..."

As I took a step towards Mr. Rocky,

"Ah, ah, ahhh!?"

He seemed scared and fell back, desperately trying to move away.

"I’m not... making any unreasonable demands. I’ll say it one more time. —Will you buy it at a fair price?"

"A, aah! I, I understand! O, of course! I’m sorry, I swear I won’t do this again! So, please, spare my life!"

I never said anything about taking his life... but whatever.

"Thank you. I’ll start unloading the wheat now. Where should I put it?"

"P-Put it all in front of the store! I’ll take care of the rest!"

"Alright, that’s a relief."

After unloading all the wheat from the cart in front of the store, he handed me a small leather bag with cash.

"The full amount as written in the contract. Please check it carefully."

I checked it, and it was indeed the full amount as per the contract.

"—I’ve received it. Thank you. I’ll be on my way now."

As a matter of courtesy, I bowed slightly and was about to leave when,

"...Who are you, anyway?"

He asked me one last thing.

"I’m not anyone special. Just a third-rate Demon Swordsman, as you said."

And so, I managed to deliver the wheat safely and headed to the meeting place with Ria and Rose.