Chapter 234: Accompanying the Delinquent Adventurers (1/3)
I just greeted them a little, but before I knew it, twelve delinquent adventurers that have been waiting in front of the adventurers guild were all lined up in a row in front of me.
They bowed simultaneously and greeted me.
If they do something like that in town, they’re bound to gather attention.
I finally couldn’t stand all the gazes, so I told them to raise their heads, and then hurriedly took them away to Darson’s store.
“Good morning!” [Ryouma]
“You came. Come in.” [Darson]
As expected, Darson-san was also shoveling snow in front of his store, but upon seeing us, he stabbed the tool in his hand into the snow and invited us inside.
“Do you mind if we take a look at the store goods?” [Ryouma]
“Not at all. Look as much as you’d like.” [Darson]
“Thank you. Alright, you heard the man, go ahead and choose a weapon you like. Just be sure to handle the items carefully.” [Ryouma]
“Ussu!” [Delinquent Adventurers]
“And quietly.” [Ryouma]
“Just leave it to us, Aniki.” [Delinquent Adventurers]
They replied in a quiet voice. This is probably that kind of stuff, huh.
While I was thinking that to myself, Darson-san called out to me from the counter.
“Ryouma, are these people the rumored delinquent adventurers that have gotten popular lately? Wogan told me about them, but they seem to be doing pretty well, aren’t they?” [Darson]
“You think? Well, they’re not rebelling at least.” [Ryouma]
“You managed to get a group of rebellious adventurers to stop being rebellious. That’s plenty. And aren’t they calling you ‘aniki’?” [Darson]
“They’re only behaving because they’re scared. And they’re calling me ‘aniki’, because they think I’m older than them… You know how there are races that look like kids despite actually being old?” [Ryouma]
“Ah, well, I can understand. You don’t really act your age, after all. Sometimes you act just like an old man.” [Darson]
“What!?” [Ryouma]
That can’t be! I’m only eleven! That’s a reference joke by the way, a pretty old one, so I guess that kind of speaks for itself.
Well, I am aware that I’m mentally old, so I guess I don’t really feel like denying it.
“But why are you giving weapons to these guys? You’re paying for everything, right?” [Darson]
“Because the very day I was left in charge of them, I broke all their weapons, that’s why.” [Ryouma]
That day I brought them somewhere no one could see us, then just as the guild master told me to, I gave them the most thorough reality-check I could give.
“I provoked them quite a bit too.” [Ryouma]
At first, we fought bare-handed, but they were a lot more stubborn than expected and refused to accept their defeat.
They kept coming up with excuses, saying stuff like ‘that still wasn’t my full strength’, so I healed them, and crushed their excuses one after another.
“In the process, I had to let them use their weapons. Because of that I ended up breaking all of their weapons. Those were their personal belongings and something they need to do their job. Also, even if they were the ones who picked a fight with me, I was still the one who provoked them to use their weapons and broke them, so I figured I should at least compensate them.” [Ryouma]
“Did you really have to come buy it with them, though? I think most would’ve just given them the money.” [Darson]
“There was something bothering me too.” [Ryouma]
“Something bothering you?” [Darson]
“I feel like the weapons they were using didn’t really suit them. For example…” [Ryouma]
When I saw one of the delinquent adventurers finish choosing a two-handed sword, I called out to him.
“Benno-san.” [Ryouma]
“Yes, Aniki! What is it?” [Benno]
“That two-handed sword resembles the weapon you used last time, huh.” [Ryouma]
“Ah, yes. I figured using something that resembled my last weapon would be best.” [Benno]
“Can you try a.s.suming stance for a bit? You don’t have to swing.” [Ryouma]
He didn’t really understand what I was trying to do, but he obediently wielded the two-handed sword in front of him.
But because of the weight of the sword, the tip of the sword was swaying a little.
During our recent battle, it even seemed like he was being pulled by the weight of his weapon.
“I see. His stature doesn’t match the weapon. I would recommend that you either use a lighter two-handed sword or a long sword that can be used with two hands. A blunt-weapon of the same weight works too. If you really want to use that weapon, you should train your body first.” [Darson]
“You heard the man.” [Ryouma]
“Is that true?” [Benno]
“Darson is a specialist when it comes to weapons. Moreover, he’s also your senpai. He used to be S-Rank, you know? He used to work with the current guild master, Wogan-san, too.” [Ryouma]
When I said that, even the other delinquent adventurers, who were eavesdropping, were shocked. Looks like they really had no idea.
“That’s an old story already. But that doesn’t mean I’m talking out of my a.s.s either. No matter how big or small, in the end, a sword is a weapon meant to cut, and you can’t cut anything if the blade can’t get deep enough. Well, that’s about all I can really say to new adventurers.” [Darson]
“Is there a special reason why you’re so hung up about two-handed swords?” [Ryouma]
“Not really… I’m just using one since there was a two-handed sword covered in dust back at my parents’ barn.” [Benno]
“If you don’t need your weapon to be a two-handed sword, then I recommend using this opportunity to pick a different weapon. Of course, I won’t force the matter. This is related to your life, after all. Also, you should receive some training from the guild. The weapon you pick and the way you use it will greatly affect the outcome of your battles.” [Darson]
“U-Ussu!” [Benno]