Vol 1 Chapter 9 (2/2)
After nodding silently, Lim proceeded toward Bays-san.
She didn’t have any weapon. From forearms till upper-arms, her arms were covered with……leather gloves.
The armor was minimal in order not to impede movement.
That she has Body Arts skill……and high Lv at that——is her fighting style barehanded (fist)?
Catching her figure from the corner of my eye, I resumed my conversation with Arnold-san.
「I’m sorry. She doesn’t talk to anyone beside me. Although it was rude of her, I hope you didn’t mind.」
「N-Not at all, I didn’t mind……Did something happen?」
When the contest between Bays-san and Lim started, the two could be seen moving.
I see. So the gloves act like a guard.
The short spear slid on top of the gloves, reaching her chest——and.
「It’s not an interesting story……However, if you’re still interested, would you please be concerned about Lim?」
「Wouldn’t that be personal?……」
Isn’t it bad to pry into the matters of the people you just met?
「No, I’m not asking you to go that far. Just ‘hi’ and ‘h.e.l.lo’, when you two meet in the guild and in the town, would do. I wonder if Lim will start to cheer up if she talks to someone her age.」
To be exact, there’s a difference of two years but I’m sure it doesn’t matter to Arnold-san.
「What if I’m a bad guy? Won’t you be putting your daughter in danger?……」
I tried my utmost to put up a bad-guy face.
Is it really alright for him to tell the circ.u.mstances of her daughter to a stranger?
「Kuhahaha! Well, no bad guy would say that they are bad. Also……from your eyes, I can tell that you’re a reliable person. You can call it intuition.」
I ended up getting laughed at.
I get it. This man is authentic beast.
Being a human, I don’t think I could do that.
「Oh well, it’s not an uncommon story. To the east of Merville town, there’s a mountain range called Rave.」
I have been around for some time now, so I have gotten a hang of the geography.
Merville is a commercial town which falls inside the territory of Lech.e.l.le kingdom. Neighboring Lech.e.l.le kingdom in the east is Sven empire. Covering the border between the two is Rave mountain range.
The checkpoint is situated at the rift between the mountains where the elevation is low.
「Lim and I used to live in a beastkin village in the south across the border. One day……the village was attacked by the demons. The best I could do was to take Lim with me and escape.」
According to him, it’s not uncommon……Don’t scare me.
So demons do exist.
‘Possess superior abilities but in hostile relations.h.i.+p with other races’, was it?
Considering how strong Arnold-san is, how strong would the demons be?
「Sven empire tends to persecute demi-humans, so we crossed the border and took refuge in Lech.e.l.le kingdom. However……Lim has yet to get over the attack on the village and is still far from her cheerful self.」
There was one more thing I wanted to ask……but I left it for some other time.
This story is too heavy to stomach.
「I……see. Oh well, I won’t take it as merely a traveller’s account. I’ll try to talk to her……」
「I appreciate the gesture, Seiji.」
Arnold-san was wearing a broad smile, unbefitting his rigid, beast face.
At the same time as our conversation ended, the contest between Bays-san and Lim was about over, too.
From the glances I took time to time, I could tell it was a close contest. However, it was decided with the short spear pointed at Lim’s throat.
「——Papa, I lost……but I pa.s.sed.」
「Is that so? It’s my turn then. The least I can do is clear away my daughter’s shame.」
Arnold-san clapped my shoulder and leisurely walked forward.
……Please don’t expect too much of me, okay?
Because I had replaced Arnold-san, Lim was standing quietly next to me.
「……」
Oh well, it’s not like my interpersonal communication skills are zero.
I know that she’s depressed but she’s keeping it to herself, not letting others know.
It’s called putting on a brave face.
「Congratulations, err……Lim. That you were able fight Bays-san barehanded, it was amazing.」
「……E」
She was probably thinking that I wouldn’t talk, so she was surprised.
「Just now, I was talking to Arnold-san. He said that it would be better for you to talk to someone your age.」
「Is- that so?」
Un, she’s able to communicate a bit……Oh well, isn’t it natural?
Earlier, she was probably not able to hold a long conversation, so she cut it short to just greeting——
「I knew I would be exhausted after moving so much. In times like these, nothing beats eating something sweet.」
From the rucksack, I took out an object wrapped in paper.
To tell you the truth, this lunch is Dario-san’s work.
Because I didn’t know as to how long would the exam take, I had Dario-san make lunch for me. (※ Extra charges)
And this dough was the leftover from last night’s menu — special dessert.
Stuffed inside this baked dough were honey-soaked fruits — fruit pie.
Because it was bit-size, there wasn’t much volume. When you’re tired, however, it’s most welcomed.
When I opened the wrapper, sweet fragrance wafted out. Slowly, I held it out in front of Lim.
「E……Is- that okay?」
Her expression was puzzled but her eyes were honest.
With her pin-ears standing erect, her hand slowly reached out.
「Don’t be reserved, please. It’s totally delicious, isn’t it?」
Lim put the pie in her mouth. Her expression after tasting the flavor was so funny compared to her expression from a while ago.
「Thank you very much.」
「Don’t be formal, please. We are of same age, after all.」
「Th……anks.」
「Aah, it’s good that it suited your taste. You seem to have a sweet tooth.」
……N?
Just now, there was something similar……
No, it must be my imagination.
Thereafter, came the not-so-awkward silence as Lim and I watched Arnold-san’s contest.
——Examinees who pa.s.sed the primary exam.
Seiji・Agatsuma
Lim・Fan
Arnold・Fan
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