Defiled Hero Chapter 006
Defiled Hero
A-Rank Monster and Former A-Rank Party
I stood up, going to the roof rack where the male elf was.
「...I feel something ominous.」 (Male Elf)
I took a low stance on the roof rack atop the carriage, speaking to the male elf who was looking deep into the forest.
「We came straight here, but what now?」 (Izayoi)
The elf man was somewhat surprised and turned around, looking at my face, but immediately turned back to face the forest.
The morning sun hidden in the mountain shone forth on the path before the carriage, as birds far in the distance ascended as one. It"s close. Everyone"s realized that an Aspis has come.
「We"re gonna ambush it. Watch it, boy.」 (40 year old man)
Moving away from the carriage on the road, they stopped near a cliff which jutted out.
Ambush? Are three people enough to defeat an A-rank monster? I have a weapon, and I probably won"t have to fight, but...
(Astrea. Check their statuses for me.) (Izayoi)
『Okaay... Ah, they"re outdated, but they have guild registration cards. Is that information fine?』 (Astrea)
(Yeah, that"s fine.) (Izayoi)
【Aaron】 Age：42 Race:Human Guild Rank:A
《t.i.tles》 【Blunt Attack | King】 【Magic Machine Technician | Tier 1】
【Rosef】 Age:35 Race:Dwarf Guild Rank:A
《t.i.tles》 【Fistfighting | King】 【Blacksmith | King】 【Blunt Attack | Tier 2】
【Bratt】 Age:120 Race:Elf Guild Rank:A
《t.i.tles》 【Archery | King】 【Wind Magic | King】
…no way.
I haven"t actually met them, but I"ve heard all the rumors. The strongest guild party, 《Berserk Fang》. The leader is Aaron.
The three of them mowing down enemies one after another was reminiscent of a rampaging boar. Summoned to this world as a hero, I spent a year studying and acc.u.mulating knowledge, venturing around defeating monsters all over the place, but I didn"t hear their names much.
A long time ago, I would have liked to fight them. To think I would meet them after they moved on to more... shady jobs... They seem similar to me.
Because they"re a former A-rank party, there should be no reason to worry.
Disembarking from the imperial carriage, they got off one by one holding their weapons, preparing in front of the forest.
「Old man, step back, I"ll do it myself.」 (Izayoi)
Heading past them, I advanced towards the forest.
「Hey, boy, what"re you thinkin"? I dunno how strong you are, but it"s impossible to do it yerself, ya" know?」 (40 year old man → Aaron)
「That"s right. I saw you beating up the thieves. You have the ability to beat an A-rank monster. However, there"s no reason to fight alone. We"re here too. It"s safer to fight together,」 the male elf Bratt said, indifferently. That"s right. When I fought the thieves, I was by myself. If someone else could do it, they wouldn"t rely on me and leave me out of it. Therefore,
「—If I do everything myself, the time spent and work required will be the lowest.」 (Izayoi)
『Izayoi! It"s coming!』 (Astrea)
The ground shook as if a tremor was quickly approaching. From the forest shrouded in darkness, two sharp lights caught my attention.
Confronting them, I took one step forward.
「Don’t do it! Think like an adventurer!」 the male elf shouted.
Retiring from being an adventurer and delving into shady dealings, and you tell me to think like an adventurer? Knowledge, instruction, I no longer need such things. Continuing to advance, with glinting eyes that threatened to devour their prey, I looked behind me at the three and flashed a small smile.
Pretending to not notice the Aspis, they probably thought I was suicidal. Surprise colored the faces of the three as they ran towards Izayoi.
「You retired adventurers should just be quiet and watch.」 (Izayoi)
With a violent impact, many trees were obliterated.
A giant serpent appeared, with a cry like the rushing wind. I looked back as the serpent opened its great maw, baring its fangs. I was about to be devoured.
Holding the scabbard and grabbing the hilt, I drew the sword and struck a fang.
The sword blade was chipped where it made contact with the fang, I wonder if it"ll be alright. The Aspis" sharply-pointed fang and the hilt of the sword collided with an explosive impact. Trees swayed, and dirt was blasted into the air.
「*Rushaaaa——*」 (Aspis)
The large body of the serpent bent and wiggled, and was sent flying. I won the power contest, huh. How"s that.
Holding it in my hand, I inspected the blade. It was slightly cracked, but not completely broken. It was stronger than I thought.
The Aspis was on guard. It"s two fangs had been reduced to one. Blood flowed from the cut fang. A small distance away, the beautifully-cut fang rolled on the ground.
「B-boy, are you some kind of monster...?」 (Aaron)
「I wasn"t even able to see that move...」 (Male Elf → Bratt)
The large serpent intended to continue fighting with only one fang, how courageous. I"ll be the one starting this time.
Kicking the ground, I shortened the distance in an instant. Contorting my body in the air, I used centrifugal force to smash the other fang. Without a chance to react, the serpent lost it"s second fang.
「*Sshaa——*」 (Aspis)
Immediately after smashing the fang out with the hilt, I planted a kick squarely in the center of the large serpent"s head. Blood splattering everywhere, the fighting spirit disappeared from the serpent"s eyes. I sent a murderous gaze towards the serpent. It feebly slithered away into the forest.
「Hey, kid! Is it alright to let it leave?」 Aaron said, artificial arm waving towards the giant serpent.
「Yeah, I removed the Aspis" fang. Anyone who goes to subjugate it shouldn"t have a hard time.」 (Izayoi)
「But you know, for having done that much, is it okay to let someone else have the subjugation award?」 (Aaron)
「I"m fine on money. I don"t need the paltry sum of money for its subjugation. Defeating it with the point of subjugation has its own issues. This is the most time and energy-efficient way of dealing with it... If I left it to you guys, you"d be done for. (Formerly) the guild"s strongest party.」 (Izayoi)
At my words, the old man (Aaron) muttered "sheesh" in amazement, and scratched his head with his artificial arm.
「How did you find out we"re 《Berserk Fang》? Have we met before?」 (Bratt)
「No, we haven"t.」 (Izayoi)
On the move again in the imperial carriage, I exuded an aura that said to leave me alone. It only made Bratt more interested. Rosef the dwarf was silent as usual.
「Even though we"ve never met before, why... I got it, you recognized the Aspis before I did. Are your observation skills good?」 (Bratt)
『Everything is Astrea-chan"s power~』 (Astrea)
(Right, it"s all thanks to Astrea. I know that already, so please be quiet.) (Izayoi)
「However, it"s odd. I haven"t heard of someone as good as you before. I heard from Aaron that you secluded yourself in the mountains, but it"s still weird... May I ask your name? I am called Bratt. That lump of flesh is Rosef.」 (Bratt)
「...Izayoi.」 (Izayoi)
「Sir Izayoi is it? I haven"t heard that name before. You said you had business at Reyl Lake, but what are you planning to do?」 (Bratt)
「...I secluded myself in the mountains, and I want to see the current state of the world.」 (Izayoi)
After that, Bratt continued the barrage of questions as the carriage rocked gently back and forth while proceeding down the road.
「Hey, Bratt, don"t trouble the kid. We"ll be at Laketown soon. That"s enough for now~」 (Aaron)
It"s just about noon, huh. Poking my head out from the top of the carriage, I could see a lake spread out from the bottom of the hill, with a large town located next to it.
「Please forgive me sir Izayoi. I’ve shown my bad habit of asking too many questions. I"ve gotten older, but my thirst for knowledge hasn"t waned...」 (Bratt)
「Don"t worry about it.」 (Izayoi)
Being able to get a good amount of rest before leaving was fortunate, and the three men’s partner taking care of the Aspis was good as well.
I had a few regrets about the unexpected development, and gazing upon the lake spreading before me, I let out a sigh.