Chapter 37 – Melancholy of『Black Lion』 (1/2)

Did you wait?

Actually, I, unknowingly slept while writing my novel, due to which I woke up just 2 hours ago. And after doing some tweaks with the TL, I’m posting the chapter here.

After this, I need to go with my sister for shopping. So don’t believe KnM Chapter anytime soon.

Chapter 37 – Melancholy of『Black Lion』

Today too, wind-cutting sounds reverberate in the vacant land. It was sparring with Elk, which had already become a daily routine.

Even the recently increased onlookers don’t know about this place, so practicing here is just alright!.

It’s that usual sight, but there are some things different from before.

First, there is a spectator. Well, the spectator is only Alva.

At the time I am about to leave the house (sometimes even before), it keeps on staring at me intensely. As if saying『Take me too!』

Well, I can leave it at inn, but there is no harm even if it comes here so I take it out here. ……Recently, another reason has been added.

And recently, in non-combat times it rests on my shoulder or sometimes on top of my head. At the time of training and battle, it rests on some appropriate tree in the vicinity.

And the other thing that changed is, Elk. Recently, though gradually, she has gotten able to move more better compared to before.

A week before, her battle posture was full of holes, but now, though it can’t be said perfect by any standards, it sure has improved.

Her way of taking balance and movements of legs have improved, her style of hit-and-run has gotten to the point of being conducted with just a single step. The careless jump I pointed out the other day is also almost gone.

Her powerless attacks by just swinging the dagger have gotten better, she is now able to give out an attack with enough back power to follow-up.

The dagger coming at my throat while making an beautiful arc was considerably different from before in speed, sharpness and even power.

As a bonus, her means of attack is not only dagger, she even uses elbow or knees at the right time, increasing her attack frequency, coincidentally the gaps in her form vanished.

I just explained it quite simply, but this is, in truth, quite a great thing.

After all it was only three weeks before, when we both started this training.

Showing this much progress in such less time isn’t something a normal person can do?

In the first place training like this show results little by little that the person themself don’t become aware of it.

Marathon and Boxing, from Earth can be considered great examples.

Running for months, years, and then finally the time is reduced by several seconds only,

Or Punching the punching bag tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of times and then finally the power of fist is slightly increased.

Like that, the things that take lots of time to complete, Elk did it in just three weeks with visible results already.

Though she has her technical foundations built hard, but still this is impossible without a great talent potential. NO MATTER HOW YOU THINK IT.

If the current Elk fought against a crowd of goblin alone, she would be able to insta-kill five or six goblins without even getting scratched.

Side-by-side she is even training about magic -Though I’m able to do much help here-, going at this rate she is sure to grow even more than I had thought.

With a little more training, she might even fight against Little Beasts.

The studying of that『Dagger』is also finished and it’s gaining it original shine little by little, depending on the power of magic, she might be fight even more powerful demons.

「But, still there’s a long way to go」

「—–Wha!?」

I dodged the dagger attacking towards my throat, and hold her arm.

Using that momentum, I used the one-armed shoulder throw, and threw Elk.

Most probably, Elk fell on the ground without understanding what actually happened.

Though, the place I chose to throw her was soft with somewhat grasses growing on, it shouldn’t be painful as it looks. Though, she is choking on the leakage of somewhat air which was present in her lungs.

「In terms of sharpness, the attack was fine, but the more larger you swing, the larger the gap is, we have to do something about it. In that case, the scariest would be the counter defense just like what I did」

「You mean making a countermeasure for it? For instance?」

「In my case, when I have to counter attack upon getting my fist blocked would be, rotating while dodging and using that momentum to dash out a roundhouse kick, moving inwards and then doing a tackle.」

「Setting the kick aside……I’m powerless, so tackles is impossible. So this is the new assignment.」

「Yep, analyze and cognize it yourself and it’s all good.」

I lend my hand to the exhausted-looking Elk for standing up.

She somewhat breathed heavily, but Elk finally stood on her own two feet.

In comparison with that, I am well, still with lots of composure. Even my breath isn’t disordered.

「Fuu……you seen too full of composure. Even the time in forest, or when we were fighting continuously, you were always calm. Just how much stamina you have got?」

「Dunno? Now that you say it, in the past some years, other than when training with mom, I have never exhausted my stamina」

「Ah, I see……」

The training with mom was……Yeah, just completely……Yep.

The situation where mom’s attack with power more than a bazooka, either fist, kick, with super fast speed coming at me from any direction was just too much. These two situations just can’t be compared.

Even more, not only close combat, she would even use magic, and attack from genuinely every direction with no dead angle to be found, unless and until I sharpened all my senses to their extent and used full speed along with power, I would’ve died easily.

With that much, my stamina and endurance would barely last 30 minutes or so.

Incidentally, during training, mom got too high because of happiness at my growth that she raised the level of her magic and the result……a scorched of 1 km of diameter, where no vegetation would ever grow, was created. At that time, well I almost fucking died.

Thinking about that, everything else just seems like eating a cake.

A full marathon can only be considered as a jogging to me, even a triathlon might be a good exercise.

……I thought about it after saying, but aren’t I myself quite a monster?

While I’m thinking that, Elk said words filled with sarcasm.

「Truly impressive, right……The great『Black Lion』」

Elk smirked.

「……Just stop with that……」

I become dejected.

☆☆☆

『Black Lion』

The『Second Name』of mine, which I was told by Zari the other day.

The originators were, unexpectedly, the subordinates of Suura-san who just happened to be in the carriage on that day.

According to what I hear, that『Recruit-oriented Group』was, well full of new recruits, and are great people who are considered as promising by the surroundings.

Moreover with this matter, where no matter what, not even one person may come back alive, they all made it back alive, this made them centre of topic.

Inevitably, it also reached to my『Adventurer in Black』stuff. Then they even added something totally pain in the ass thing like『If he wasn’t there, we would’ve been exterminated』.

At that time, some person unintentionally said my second name, and with that as the trigger, the name『Black Lion』came into existence.

……Currently, the name is being rapidly spread out.

It says,

That adventurer, without using magic, just uses his fist and legs to beat various kinds of demons to pulp.

It says,

He runs through the battlefield like a gale of wind, mows down every enemy, and even saved his comrades from crisis.

That bravery is exactly like a fierce lion……!

……Rumours like that too, are all what I heard from Zari.

Just F’ing Shut UP!! Don’t add that name which seems like Chuunibyou at it’s peak! Please I beg you!

Or rather, though I rarely use magic, but didn’t I damn use weapons! Ah, well, I think it doesn’t matter, but STILL!

And there more stuff to come,

Like, because he can defeat demons empty-handed『Deadly Body』

Like, because I use gauntlets, rod, iron ball, and all have black luster so I’m also called『Kurogane』

And because I wear black clothes all over and because I burnt the last grasshopper with just bare hands, I’m also called『Char-griller』

Starting from Chunibyou it goes away from it, and whats more, I’ve got lots of other second names for myself. I just damn HATE IT!!

Or rather, the last『Char-griller』, it sounds less of second name and more of insult to me.

While enduring the embarrassment which came by remembering it, I increased the speed for close combat with the person who made me this embarrassed, Elk.

And Elk was just having her hands full with evasion while shouting『Sorry! Really sorry!』, suddenly my ears catch the sound of something nearing us from the brushwood on the other side of vacant land, I even heard the breathing of that animal.

I looked over there only to find, two stray wolves who-god-knows-when entered here and were heading towards us, while drooling, revealing their hunger.

However, their prey wasn’t me or Elk, rather……a simple-looking bird sitting at a place slightly away from us, it was Alva.

As for that Alva, it’s sitting on the mountain of scraps rather than some tree, while watching the wolves. Surely he noticed them, but he doesn’t move.

There is still 20 meters between them, not a distance one could just cross in a single jump.