Chapter 101: The Melancholy of Sword Princess Aurora
I take the girl named Neia who I´m not sure about being a self-proclaimed hero and go to the great arena and for the time being follow Anzeros inside. This arena is open to Ace Knights and above for training for free, but otherwise only military personnel are allowed to enter. At the time of the duel between Anzeros and Erik, the king was seeing it, so I couldn"t pa.s.s, but this time I can pa.s.s if there was a sign that I was accompanied by an Ace Knight.
“Andy……that girl?”
Anzeros has a suspicious face. Well, does she usually react so when I bring a girl she doesn"t know suddenly in the current busy situation?
"My name is Neia Grands"
Neia introduces herself by taking of her old-fas.h.i.+oned hat. The ears are not exposed from the lightly swollen hair and I don"t know if she"s a human, elf or beastmen. It"s not the first time I meet her, so I keep quiet.
"I am 10-man captain Anzeros. From Celesta´s northern army corps……no, Dianne´s special duty corps Ace Knight”
Anzeros returns with a salute in Celeststyle by putting the right fist on the left chest. They are almost the same height and are smiling a little.
"I came to help you train swordsmans.h.i.+p by Smithson-san´s instruction"
Neia puts her old hat on her head and lightly shakes the handle of the sword on her waist.
“……Andy. This girl…… does her skills stand out?”
“I may or may not stand out”
While I"m on my way, I get to the point of being refreshed.
"She is confident in her sword skills and as we don"t have enough practice partners, it"s worth it"
“……I"m enough. It"s too much”
Anzeros doesn"t rush excessively and begins to stand first and start walking as if she had given up.
“Wasn"t that a little less talking about?”
"Not at all. This is a sacred place for Trot Swordsman. Even if there are no Great Sword Saints or 100-man commander Grants, there are dozens of swordsmen”
Anzeros raises a voice that didn"t stand for her words. That means.
"But after all……isn"t it a big hint for Aurora?"
“Good sense”
Anzeros sighed.
“There are less than 10 days. It may be impossible”
—————————-
In the bas.e.m.e.nt of the arena, there are a lot of training fields of decent sizes separated by a fence and a lot of Ace Knights from Trot are practicing there. Those who swing a sword, those who repeatedly attack a log with a wooden sword, those who somersault and sit down and those who repeat the suspension movement. Many swordsmen are running s.h.i.+rtless in large hallways. It was a really sweaty s.p.a.ce. Traditionally, female swordsmen are not allowed in Trot, so the whole place smells like men. In such a situation, it was not unreasonable to attract a lot of attention in the training field where Aurora stands. After all, she is an elf, a beautiful girl and elegant and strong.
“Guaaa!!”
A large-sized swordsman who has his practice armor broken by Aurora´s sword collapses. The surroundings were noisy.
"That"s it!"
*
A young swordsman who was the referee took a practice sword and stood in front of Aurora.
“Next is me”
“Haa……Haa……I"m fine. Come……”
*
Aurora lifts her sword while breathing out. As expected, her opponents are Ace Knights. Aurora is also an excellent swordsman, but she didn"t seem to win easily.
“I wish Aurora would take a little rest”
"No, thats bad for Aurora. It"s been less than an hour since she started the a.s.sembly, but if she is breathing so much… she can"t do it in a real labyrinth exploration or war"
Anzeros´s evaluation is hard. In the middle of the conversation, another swordsman bought a referee and the match started.
"Seii!! Deyaa!!”
“Kuu……”
*
Aurora barely overthrows the swordsman who comes in with haste. However, as expected, the movement is uninterrupted. And, Aurora switches the handle of the sword from right to left at the moment when the other party sees through the condition and he depths to decide the game at a dash.
“!!”
She attacks again with the sharpness that came back like another person and she gets victory by bouncing her opponent"s sword into the air.
"That"s it!"
Game over. The opponent is replaced again.
"Can she handle the sword on the left as well as on the right?"
I nodded to Neia"s question.
"It can be said she was acrobatic to make up for the lack of stamina. She says it"s almost the same way it can be used”
"I think it"s better to have a s.h.i.+eld than to do such a thing. The burden on the defense side should not be compared to a sword. I"m sure she"ll be able to improve her ability to take over a lot”
“Ah”
……Oh I see. Neia should be a traveler. And having a currency I"ve never seen, she should at least be from quite far away.
"We don"t use s.h.i.+elds much in the Northwest Plains”
“……Really?”
“Yeah. At least Ace Knights might have a use of it”
The s.h.i.+eld is an weapon that isn"t very important here. Although it is used for avoiding arrows, most soldiers in close combat dont use it. One thing is the presence of Ogre soldiers. Their best blow can beat and kill humans, no matter how strong the s.h.i.+eld is. Therefore, the survival rate is still high if it is pushed against a s.h.i.+eld rather than defending poorly. Another thing is the existence of Sword Saints. Their attack power surpa.s.ses that of an ogre. Also against them, the same way is better than to defend poorly. The traditional popularity of two-handed swords among Trot Sword Saints will also spur this trend. ……No, but wait. In fact, it may be necessary for Aurora to win over Sharon. It is also true that the amount of fighting by manipulating a long sword with one hand puts a strain on the grip power. With a s.h.i.+eld, it"s easier to hold down even the same impact.
“I see……if you ask me, that hand will be helpful”
“Andy?”
“Anzeros, call Aurora”
“Eh? A, Ah, yes……”
When I told Aurora about the idea, she looked uncomfortable.
“It"s rather dangerous”
"But if you do it properly, it"ll be a lot easier than it is now”
"That"s right in theory, but it"s a little more than a week to get acquainted with a weapon that I"ve never used before……"
“……Aurora will be able to do it”
The length of the sword that Aurora uses is the limit of the limit for a one-handed sword. It is more difficult than the beginning to use it honestly and to do even the defense. Anzeros, who uses short swords from the beginning, is more reasonable.
"But I was surprised. It"s really something that you can fight with both hands"
Neia, who sits by the wall and is completely in watching mode said that. She, who is wearing an old fas.h.i.+oned hat and a half-length cloak, looked like a doll that a child had finally made of extra cloth when she sat down.
“Andy-san, who is this……?”
"……Ah, she is Neia. She seem to be confident in her sword skill"
“Because I am a hero”
Moreover, she puffed up her chest with pride as she claims her t.i.tle which I don"t understand very well. She"s tall enough to play with Anzeros, but she has quite a bit of chest. I felt that the presence of Anzeros and Aurora staggered a little.
"……If, If you have confident in your abilities, would you like to arrange it? I want as much battle experiences as I can have now”
Aurora barely said without being swept away, but Nia shook her head in trouble.
"Emm……can I say it? It"s a bit rude"
“……Go ahead”
"To be honest, your attack power is too poor. I"ll make you change your eyes even if you close your eyes”
“!”
Neia seemed apologetic, but without any concern, she said that with pity.
"Naa……yo, you mock me, suddenly!"
“I´m not mocking you……then, let"s do it for now?”
Neia stands up with her hat lightly fixed and walks to the center of the training field. The other swordsmen who were fighting against Aurora and Anzeros, were stunned.
“Come on, go ahead!”
Without taking a practice sword, Neia stretches out one hand from the cloak with a strange length and supports only the hat and she smiles, prompting Aurora. Aurora turned the practice sword towards Neia with a resolute expression.
"If it hits you, won"t it be painful?"
“It"s okay. Please feel free to kill me”
Aurora makes a few shots to Neia who says something scary. Nea hits with a step on the left and right without any sign of direct hit. It was a light step like 100-man special duty commander Becker.
"…………!!"
Aurora looks a little and accelerates her attack. After all, Neia dodges it easily. And Neia responds to Aurora´s movement that accelerates more and more with a generous expression.
“Naa……th, this is!?”
"That"s why it"s so poor. There"s not a bit of a surprise”
“That"s not all!”
Aurora emits a shockwave. At that moment, Neia holds down her hat and suddenly made a backflip. The shockwave emitted by Aurora……was canceled by the shockwave emitted by the backflip.
“No way!”
"There are a lot of sonic shooters in Trot. Or rather, is this really out of card?”
"…………"
Aurora´s sword is trembling. It"s both the screaming of muscles and humiliation of the many matches.
“Sonic shooters……don"t ask me”
“Ah……how much Ace Knights?”
The surrounding swordsmen begin to be noisy. ……They can"t fight like that, but I"ve seen heroes many times in the distance, so I can understand. Neia is strong. She is probably at the same level or better than Dianne.
"Your sword is sharp but extremely thin. If you don"t pa.s.s one, there is no second sword that follows. It"s like……”
After Neia lightly lowered the hat"s brim, she smiled with a self-evident smile that could only be seen from the side.
"It"s just a sword that looks like someone"s favorite, imitating that person"s cool battle"
————————–
Night. Goto and Boyd are quietly drinking with Keiron, Lantz and Ogres who have went out to a bar in the royal city. And my lovers and I are celebrating the destination of the trip and requesting hotel meals in a luxurious manner. The hotel that is used instead of Celesta army"s dormitory is a little celebrity-style, with a rich and tasteful taste and Hilda and Dianne were pleased. However, Aurora doesnt come back, after leaving her seat midway.
"Hey Irina, do you know where Aurora is?"
“Hmm? Didn"t she go to the toilet?”
"That"s an hour ago"
"There are times like that”
“……I"ll look for her”
There"s a possibility that she is really clogged, but……I thought the damage that she lost to Neia was resonating. Sure enough, in the corner of the hotel"s inconspicuous veranda, I discovered Aurora drinking a bottle of wine by hand.
“Hey minor. Are you drinking in desperation?”
"……Huhu, do you like wine when you are 12 years old?"
She wasn"t drunk. Perhaps she want to be confused by the alcohol, even though she drinks wine rather than a strong brandy because her pride doesn"t allow.
“……Neia was strong”
“Yes”
In the end, Neia said goodbye with “I"ll see you again” and ended up leaving the arena without holding a sword. I don"t know where she is staying.
“Andy-san”
“Hmm”
While watching the cityscape of the royal city from the veranda, Aurora begins to mutter.
"I was always second"
“……?”
"In Klaves, I was my brother"s shadow. Here, I´m Anzeros"s shadow. Even in engraving I"m behind you. Even at night……I am always in second position in a similar position"
“……That"s the way it is. What will happen later?”
I knew that she was downered somehow, so I chose my words as much as possible and answered her optimistically. However, when Aurora drinks a sip of wine as small as a kiss, she suddenly release a gloomy hot breath into the night of the royal city.
"With my mouth, I always said about trying to do my best and in fact I was trying to do that……but today I learned about the truth"
“?”
"I can"t imagine myself being the best. I"m not prepared. ……I was standing in an uninhabited field that wasn"t behind anyone and I had no idea that I was the only one to base myself on”
“……What do you mean?”
"I mean, my swordsmans.h.i.+p was blind imitation of my brother´s swordsmans.h.i.+p"
She laughs with a chuckle. Was it the power of the alcohol that made her laugh for words that seemed to sink?
“My brother is a genius. I still think so. He was able to surpa.s.s his instructor who was invited from outside the forest, knitted his own style and just pa.s.sed through. I was a splendid imitation of my brother"s brilliant swordsmans.h.i.+p. I intended to become stronger by imitating his swordsmans.h.i.+p and to become a Ace Knight, I tried to make up for the lack of effort and determination by taking advantage of the tenacity of both hands and tricks”
“……No, if you"re actually a Ace Knight, aren"t you a Ace Knight?”
Aurora smiled laughing strangely. No, this is the cuteness of this 17-year-old girl.
“Andy-san, I didn"t want to deny my love for you. I wanted to insist that I wasn"t just a child of a sympathetic country in an era where elves and people argued without meaning”
“U, Uh”
"I wanted to say that I was an elf in a new era. I was born in a new era, standing in my own dignity in a new world and I wanted to fall in love with you as Aurora, the one and only Ace Knight, who wouldn"t be frightened of anyone. ……But all I have is borrowed from people from the old age and they"ve been taken care of me”
“……Do, Don"t think so seriously……you"re only 17 years old, right? Every child is taking care of by an adult. It"s still long, so it"s too early to give up on yourself, isn"t it?"
“……Huhu. It was often said when I was in Klaves. I"m still too early to see myself as a swordsman and I think about it, to my father, my mother and my brother. At that time, I couldn"t believe that I was underestimated because I didn"t reach my brother. In short, they must have been able to see through the proud but mean little me that they could not think of as a single self who came out before others”
“That"s why you talk about yourself so bad”
I gently stroke Aurora´s head, who is depressed enough to cry. This girl is wise. She can"t be fooled by deceiving herself.
“Andy-san……”
"It"s okay. Aurora, I"m really fond of you. I don"t think you"re just an imitator, because I"m fond of you"
“……K, K………Kku……”
She was devastated by Neia because of a small but decisive failure and was completely denied without taking her own values. Looking back on it, the confrontation with Sharon, who opposes all of Aurora"s values, is imminent and it is unlikely that Aurora will be able to defend herself against Sharon´s attack. It is natural that Aurora truly becomes bearish.
“But Aurora, don"t give up. Your talent is real”
“……What a talent?”
Depressed. Having said that her strength and confidence are all borrowed, she may feel that everything has been folded, but borrowing is not always a fake.
"A blacksmith like me is imitating people. We can only imitate people. No genius can make a sword in a way that no one knows from the beginning"
“……That"s right, though”
"And when I"m able to make a real one, my ingenuity will be recognized……what I inherited so far isn"t fake. Don"t make a mistake, Aurora, it"s not who you"re imitating that"s important. No, what you can do with it, what will you do, thicken if you"re thin, add something if you don"t have enough, just learn if you don"t know, try it if you don"t know. Don"t be afraid to throw away yesterday or don"t think it"s cool to accept mistakes. If you want to be the one and only Aurora I love”
I gently hold Aurora"s head on her cheek and whisper into her ear.
“All you have to do is put your heart in the back and say 『It"s interesting』”
“……G, Gusuu……already. Then I feel like a fool”
“Unfortunately I"m stupid, so I"m glad you"re the same”
“……Huhuu. Is that so……then I will fulfill my vows”
Aurora shakes my arm and kisses me with the scent of wine.
“To become your favorite woman……let"s be a little silly”
“Good”
"……Yes. 『It´s interesting』. Let"s go beyond that"
—————————
Next day. After pa.s.sing through the streets where the morning market still remained, I wandered around the arena with Aurora and Anzeros and Neia with her old hat and cloak were standing in front of the arena.
“Is training today?”
“Yes”
Aurora nods powerfully to Neia who smiles.
"Will you help me thicken my thin skills and enrich my poor attacks?"
“I agree”
Neia also nodded to Aurora who said it was easy, which is quite right.
"Then, let"s go out. Smithson-san has asked me to do it”
“Thank you very much”
Neia and Aurora enter the arena side by side as if they had a meeting. ……I thought she wouldn"t come anymore, but surprisingly Neia possess a strong sense of duty.
"Anzeros, then I rely on you for those two. Don"t let them make a mess”
“Yes. And you?”
"I"ll help Dianne"
I ask Anzeros for the rest and I left.
After pa.s.sing a middle-aged man who pa.s.sed on the way, I was scared. Golden gauntlet with a silver crest on the fist.
“……Gold arm……!?”
When I turned around, an elegant man who is wearing an ordinary light green s.h.i.+rt and a leather vest had a characteristic gauntlet. And he responded to my whisper and looked back.
“……Hou, I seem to be known unexpectedly”
The middle-aged man laughs happily with his arms wrapped in gauntlets.
“……You, the royal palace……the gold arm that came to see Trot´s royal family?”
“Ou”
The middle-aged man nodded calmly. I thought I would be attacked because of Felios who left behind a worst impression, but this man is surprisingly friendly.
“Did you meet the king……?”
“Well. Knowing that……are you from Celesta army"s intelligence brigade or something else, boy"
“……No, if anything, I"m involved with the northern elves”
"Hou! Did you meet that brother and sister pair! They would have been nasty guys"
He of the human race who retreated for a moment laughed pleasantly and hit my shoulder.
“……N, No, more than that”
I have to ask something. I"m sure there were many questions. Like there wasn"t. While I was panicking, he suddenly became serious.
"By the way, do you know a little girl who is claiming to be a hero?”
"……E, a?"
“No, it"s fine. Well then”
As it is, he disappears in the crowd with a strange dress.
……Eh? Perhaps Neia is someone involved with Renfangas Kingdom?