Chapter 278 – Bear-san Fights Rutum (1/2)
The match against Rutum was set to start after a short break.
「I don’t want you claiming you lost because you were too tired.」
I wasn’t sure whether it was his pride or maybe even kindness, but Rutum forced me to take a break.
At first, the plan had been to defeat all of his knights before facing him, but it seemed I would actually get to face him without having to take care of the small fries. Well, those knights were weaker than the knight I had just fought, so I didn’t mind cutting out those unnecessary battles.
「Yuna-chan, be careful. Rutum’s personality might be a bit difficult to deal with, but he really does have strength and skill to back it up.」
「Why did I fight the knight instead of him, what’s his name, then? Wouldn’t it have been better for him to participate himself since his job was on the line?」
I could have gotten even more out of it if that had been the case. If he was the strongest, just why had he let me beat up the knight instead of him?
「That knight is Figo. I don’t think anybody thought that he was going to lose. Figo is quite an exceptional knight, so, normally, nobody would think that Figo could possibly lose to a small girl like you. Like, how many people here do you think could win against you?」
Basically, he had believed that even the second strongest person could easily win against me.
Hadn’t anybody taught him not to judge a person by their appearance?
As I pondered this, Figo, the knight I had battled earlier, came up to us.
「Eleanora-dono, just who is this girl?」
「My, that’s a secret, of course.」
「Having my sword stopped by those small arms of hers… was simply baffling.」
Well, I had only been able to do it thanks to my Bear Hands.
「Also, I could see that her advanced swordplay must have been the result of countless hours of combat practice. It is impossible to handle a sword like that unless you have the experience of using it in real combat.」
In my gaming days, I had used the sword against people all the time. I had faced many different gamers with many different playstyles, winning against some, and losing against the others. The experience from the game had been of great use in the match.
「Not to mention, she can even use magic. I had planned on holding back, not using my magic to make it fair, yet she was moving so quickly that I was forced into using it. I was so shocked when she dodged it, and then, when she completely overpowered me with her own magic…」
「I was also surprised by how fast you move, Yu-Yuuna-chan. Those dodges of yours were magnificent.」
Eleanora-san still seemed to be having trouble with my fake name.
「With that timing, you shouldn’t have been able to dodge it.」
「It was just luck.」
Actually, it was because of a habit I had developed. In the game, when players had wielded a single-handed weapon and left the other one free, I had learned to keep an eye on the free hand. Some players would use it to cast magic, or carry a secret poison, a paralyzing knife, or something. Other players had been careful of that, too. I had only applied that knowledge in this battle.
「Still, with the strength of your earth magic, if you’ve used it right when the match began, I think I would have lost right away.」
Well, if I had known I had been allowed to use magic, I would have finished him off earlier…
But it had been more fun this way since I had gotten to chance to participate in a sword fight.
「Miss, I really enjoyed our battle, but I must warn you that you should be careful when fighting against Lord Rutum. If you can, I would recommend withdrawing instead… 」
「I have no intention of doing that.」
「I figured you would say that. I just hope you won’t get hurt.」
The knight left after his warning. He actually seemed to be a kind person.
「Yuna-chan, Rutum is calling for you. Are you rested enough? If you need anything, just tell me, okay?」
「I’m fine, really.」
I had barely used any magic, and thanks to my Bear Feet, my legs didn’t hurt at all. I was only a bit tired mentally. It had been a while since I last participated in a match. Still, it had been quite fun. Maybe it was because I didn’t have my Bear Suit on and couldn’t do anything too crazy, having to be careful of my opponent’s attacks at all times. Just thinking about having to focus so hard again brought a wave of mental tiredness.
Since there were no real problems, I started to head over. I noticed that Rutum had also taken off his armor, and only wore some light weight clothing instead. It looked like he also thought that heavy armor would be disadvantageous for him, especially after watching the previous match.
「Are you ready, Young Lady?」
「Ready when you are.」
「I want to smack that confident smile off your face, but instead, I’ll give you a handicap.」
「A handicap?」
I didn’t really need one. In fact, it would be more appropriate if I gave him one myself.
「Is this your excuse for when you’re going to lose?」
「No!」
「I’d be troubled if you think I’m only as strong as Figo.」
I was definitely stronger than the knight from before, right?
I looked over at Eleanora-san.
「Yes, you are stronger than Figo, but as I mentioned before, Lord Rutum is even stronger than him. I’m not sure why he’s giving you a handicap, though?」
Eleanora-san glanced over at Rutum with suspicion.
「To make her understand the difference between us, of course.」
「Just asking, but would your idea of this handicap be?」
I asked instead of Eleanora-san.
「You can pick any rule you want, Young Lady. Like, you could say we couldn’t use magic.」
「I mentioned this earlier, but if I can use magic, I have an advantage, you know.」
「Like the earth magic you used against Figo earlier? Why don’t you try using that now?」
I created an earth wall with the same amount of magic power as earlier.
Rutum unsheathed his sword, and it shined with a glistening silver color. He proceeded to cut my wall down without issue.
「I can put magical energy into this sword and it will cut anything. Of course, it won’t go through your body if I hit you with it, so you don’t have to worry about that.」
There was no way I wouldn’t worry after hearing that.
In that case, wouldn’t I be allowed to use my mithril knives?
Well, using knives wasn’t really knight-like… Just as I thought about how to go about it, Rutum passed me a sword he had prepared for me, very similar to his own. According to Eleanora-san, it was a weapon used for practice against magic, reserved for high-level swordsmen, especially the price of these weapons was rather high as well. As I was getting a feel for the sword, I suddenly got a good idea for the match.
「Alright. Let’s make it a two-round match.」
「A two-round match, you say?」
「The first match will allow magic. If I win that one, then we’ll fight the next match without magic. If you can win either round, then you win.」
I suggested rules that were actually beneficial to Rutum.
There really was no point in giving me a handicap, after all.
「Young lady, are you trying to make fun of me?」
「You’re the one making fun of me. I don’t need a handicap, and I won’t be happy winning with one. Also, how could I possibly make you acknowledge female knights if you lost only while handicapped?」
Well, if I was being completely honest, he already was at a certain handicap since I had my Bear Hands and Feet on. Without them, I wouldn’t be able to even lift a sword, though, so they were a must.
「Fufufu. It’s been a while since someone made fun of me like this. Fine then. Just don’t start crying when you lose.」
With the match rules set, we separated from each other, ready to begin.
「Yuna-chan, are you really okay with that kind of rule?」
「There would be no point to winning in an unfair way where I get to select rules that fit me.」
「Even if you won while he’s handicapped, his influence would fall greatly as he will have to quit his job.」
「But he would still remain quite influential, wouldn’t he?」
「You have a point, but for such a reason… 」
If I didn’t win without relying on a handicap, this person would surely try to get himself out of trouble with excuses like running out of magical energy or letting his guard down. It was better to give him a handicap myself. First, I would win using magic and then decimate him completely with my sword.
We readied our swords, and Eleanora-san signaled the start of the battle.
I shot out an Air Bullet while running towards him at an angle. Rutum easily cut down the Air Bullet with his sword, so I followed up with a barrage of them, but he cut them all down as well.
「Is that all you’ve got?!」
Well, I couldn’t use my strongest magic or the surrounding area might end up being destroyed, but I really wanted to wipe away that arrogant grin of his.