Vol 4 Chapter 2 (2/2)

(3, 4, 5,8 people, huh?)

On his way to the royal castle, s.h.i.+n felt the glances directed to him.

Hidingskills of both martial arts and magic were used, surrounding s.h.i.+n as he moved while his observers maintained a certain distance. The colors displayed on his map were green, so they didnt seem to be hostile for the moment.

Theres no sign of them making a move, huh? From what Ive heard of the princess, I have a feeling that she wouldnt think of doing something like this.

From Barluxs story, he had the impression that the princess was likely to come over directly rather than hiding and watching.

Though it was just his a.s.sumption, there might be other forces that were moving.

Ah, I want to go back

They were certainly s.h.i.+ns true feelings.

Though he couldnt return now since he had come this far, he disliked unpleasant things. With that state of mind, s.h.i.+n stepped forward to the royal castle.

Excuse me, I received a summons from the second princess and so, came here. Can you pa.s.s that on?

Ive heard the news. Please present your permit.

s.h.i.+n talked to the palace guard, that was defending the castle gate, to obtain permission to enter.

As for the story, it seems to have been well circulated. The palace guard checked the permit s.h.i.+n received from Barlux again and then put him in the guards office which was located beside the gate. It seemed that the palace guard didnt intend to open the gate for s.h.i.+n alone.

I will call your escort now. Please wait for a while.

Okay, I got it.

Because he had nothing to do, he looked around to kill time.

The maintained road extended to the inside of the castle. One could get off from a wagon that entered inside without getting wet even in the rain.

After waiting for a while, he saw a mounted figure coming in his direction. A person in red armor was taking the reins. The person stopped the horse in front of s.h.i.+n and dismounted.

Excuse me. You are the adventurer s.h.i.+n, correct?

Yes, I am, and you are

I amGadras Jarre. I have been ordered by princess Rionne to greet you. Ill be your escort, so follow me.

I understand.

s.h.i.+n nodded and followed after Gadras.

s.h.i.+n, while walking, checked Gadrass stats.

Gadras Jarre Level 188 Dark Knight

Level 188. s.h.i.+n remembered that numerical value. He heard it when the first time he met Barlux, the leader of the knights might be him.

As for Gadras main job, Dark Knight was one of the advanced level jobs that derived from a knight. Moreover, the armor he wore was a lower end Unique grade Scale Horn Armor. It was occupational equipment that required suitable stats and level, and a tiny presence of sharpened valor was emitted from it.

No matter how much s.h.i.+n was regarded as an upper cla.s.s Chosen One, he kept thinking about how someone who was considered a part of the kingdoms strongest force came to pick him up expressly.

Did they want to indirectly convey that he was worthy of it?

Or, was it because an ordinary soldier couldnt hold him down if he acted out violently?

It was impossible for s.h.i.+n who was not familiar with this cla.s.s of people to read into the thoughts of these royal n.o.bles.

s.h.i.+n followed Gadras obediently, but somehow they hardly pa.s.sed by anyone.

You, are you actually of a n.o.ble family lineage somewhere?

Gadras asked out of the blue.

No, Im just a commoner you can find anywhere

If Schnee and the others were to hear that from s.h.i.+n, Are you in any position to say that?, would probably be the reply he would get.

Is that so? Ah, just call me Gadras. I became a knight from an adventurer, so to be humble myself doesnt match with my nature.

Then, Ill call you Gadras-san.

Well, thats fine I guess. Lets return to the topic at hand. When I was summoned to the castle for the first time, they were shocked by my armor. As an adventurer raised as a commoner, you should also pay attention to your attire properly. There are many ignorant people, so your clothes can be easily misinterpreted.

It seemed like it wasnt necessary to come dressed in formal attire.

Did I make a mistake? s.h.i.+n thought, but decided to heed Barluxs advice for the time being.

Its because I heard that you should maintain a neat appearance from the guild master. Actually, I was worried if this was fine.

Well, its not a bad thing to choose clothes according to the destination. And I think its rather nice.

Since its my first time coming to a castle, I prepared it in a hurry.

As they walked while having such exchanges, Gadras stopped in front of a door. As s.h.i.+n looked at the door, he noticed that the grade of ornaments was different from the others.

Princess Rionne is in here. You dont need to be so tense too, because the second princess is not the kind of person who demands formalities from an adventurer.

Ill do my best.

Gadras knocked on the door, and reported that s.h.i.+n had arrived.

Before long, the door was opened from inside. When Gadras and s.h.i.+n entered inside, the door was closed immediately.

s.h.i.+n wondered whether there was a female maid, but it was a male knight who opened and closed the door.

Feyzel Adith Level 172 Paladin

As for his appearance, he had the look of a mild-tempered man with blond hair and blue eyes. His main job was a Paladin. This man might be a Chosen One too.

On that subject, Wilhelm also said there were more Chosen Ones than the ones publicly announced.

Since he couldnt stare at the man too much, he turned his attention to the front right away.

There was an elegant table and a fancy chair in the center of the room. A beautiful woman was sitting on the chair. Fine golden hair was tied at the back of her head, but it still reached all the way down her back. Her deep crimson eyes, which looked like rubies, stared at s.h.i.+n. Her figure was pleasant too, even a certain part of her seemed to rival Tiera.

Only her clothes were far from the image of a princess. For the upper half of her body, a leather type armor covered from her chest to her abdomen. In addition, a white jacket was worn above it. And for her lower half, there were red hot pants and boots that went up to her knees with a similar color.

Speaking of the jacket, because it wasnt b.u.t.toned, s.h.i.+n could clearly see her cleavage pushed up by the leather armor from his location. This was totally different from the princess he imagined.

Rionne Strail Bayreuth Level 230 Magic Swordswoman(T/N: I may have stated her main job as Dark Knight before.)

Although her name and level were displayed, s.h.i.+n understood that excluding him, she was the strongest in that room simply from the presence she emitted.

s.h.i.+n guessed that she probably wore those clothes for combat. Apparently, a match seemed inevitable.

Thanks for coming. Im Rionne Strail Bayreuth, this countrys second princess. My best regards.

Im the adventurer, s.h.i.+n. Thank you for inviting me here today.

He bowed his head while introducing himself.

Oh my! This is turning into a serious talk. I dont really care for etiquette, so you dont need to worry about manners. Feel free to call me Rionne.

Then, Rionne-sama it is

Though s.h.i.+n thought isnt it bad? for the princess to not care about courtesy, but still, s.h.i.+n avoided pointing it out.

As she frequently appeared in the downtown area, her activities as a princess would put adventurers to shame. Theres also such a thing, s.h.i.+n convinced himself.

Her beautiful appearance was princess caliber, but she didnt exude the dignity of someone from a royal family. Was this a positive or negative for the royal family? It seemed opinions could differ on this matter.

Princess, I wouldnt do that in the first meeting. It will cause a misunderstanding. (T/N: Having a boy call a girl by her first name is typically done only by those in a relations.h.i.+p.)

He is a person who we may soon fight together with as a companion. Wouldnt this be better than creating a strange barrier between us because Im from the royal family?

s.h.i.+n, its unfortunate, but this is how the princess is. Please dont worry about your social status and act casually.

YesI, will do my bestI guess?

s.h.i.+n thought rather than a princess, she should be called a sociable adventurer.

Gadrass tone too, for some reason, became less formal. Apparently, this seemed to be their usual way of exchange between lord and retainer.

When s.h.i.+n fleetingly glanced at Feyzel, while feeling at a loss, he saw that the man stood upright like one of the rooms furnis.h.i.+ngs as if saying its of no concern to me.

Um, for now, I want to ask you the reason why I was summoned

Muu! You dont have to use formal words, you know?

Well, for some reason, thats kind of..

Just because the person in question permits it, it didnt mean that the surrounding people would accept it in the same way.

Even if the princess has no bad intentions, since there was an observer there as well, it would be troublesome for him if someone later said he acted too familiar.

Well, theres no helping it if s.h.i.+n said so. Now then, the reason why I invited you today, I think you may already heard it from Barlux, but its the matter of the Skull Face. It was the one that was level 359 and wielded this.

As she said that, Rionne opened a huge case that was located under her feet.

Wasnt that a job for a maid? was what s.h.i.+n thought, but unfortunately, there wasnt a single maid in that room. Incidentally, there wasnt even any tea prepared.

What Rionne took out was the greatsword, which had belonged to the Skull Face that s.h.i.+n had previously defeated. It should be too heavy for a woman, but Rionne lifted it with one hand like it was nothing.

That is certainly the one the Skull Face had at that time. I remember the decoration and the aura covering the blade.

Because it was a pretty memorable opponent, he also remembered its weapon well. Secretly, he activated his Appraisal skill, which he forgot to do so during the battle. For the first time in here, s.h.i.+n found out that it was a Legend grade greatsword. There was an inscription on it too which seemed to say Muspelm.

Yea, the Skull Face had considerable skill, I believe?

Thats right. If my weapon was a bit more fragile, I think I wouldnt have been able to do anything but run away.

It was able to rally with this greatsword thats equivalent to our countrys treasured sword, Wazamono, huh?

She may have heard the story about how the swordSeveral Stroke, which s.h.i.+n had equipped at that time, had become only a hilt.

As for Muspelm, it was a 2 mels sword with a thick blade. If the other sword was not as good as Wazamono, it would be unthinkable for it to be able to exchange blows directly.

I obtained that katana by chance in the middle of my journey. I think its performance was at least Rare grade though.

Actually, it was only a reinforced Normal grade katana, but s.h.i.+n lied because he didnt know what the value of a maximum reinforced weapon was in this world.

As for the matter of whether or not it was possible for a Rare grade to exchange blows with Muspelm, it should be believable since it ended up getting broken from the excessive force.

So now youre just using an ordinary weapon, s.h.i.+n?

No, I received an escort request towards Beirun earlier and we exterminated some bandits on the way. Since one of the bandits was using a Magic Sword as a weapon, Im using that now.

As for the bandits belongings, the property rights basically moved to whoever subdued them.

Since its possible that his current weapon would be examined, he used that excuse to add credibility to his story.

I see. If its a Magic Sword, then it may be a good fit for you.

Its good if thats the case. But Ive almost never used it after I obtained it, so I cant say for sure.

You can get used to it, right?

Probably.

Right, this is the flow of events that usually precedes a fight.

s.h.i.+n exchanged words with Rionne while thinking that. The weapon from the monster, in addition, the monsters skillsthough it took the flow of a natural conversation, if combat-related talk continued in this way, it was obvious that the final result would be Lets have a match.

Fumu

?

Against his expectations, Rionne who nodded once, fell silent.

As for s.h.i.+n, he had the hesitant reaction of a What should I do? decision.

Well, is something wrong?

No, well, you are different after all, s.h.i.+n.

Different?

s.h.i.+n couldnt figure out the flow of the conversation, so the question was reiterated.

Adventurers that suddenly stand out like you, are usually Chosen Ones. Though Gadras was like that too, when it was judged that his ability ranked in the upper cla.s.s, it was customary for him to be invited to the royal palace.

Well, thats understandable.

However, there are groups who use Chosen Ones to attempt a.s.sa.s.sinations from the inside.

Thats also dangerous, right?

Then, is it fine to suddenly let me meet the princess? s.h.i.+n wanted to ask.

But, he didnt interject because she wasnt finished with her story.

Though I had my suspicions about you, I thought it would probably be fine.

Eh? I dont remember having said anything that would clear myself from doubt though.

Of course, its because of my intuition.

Ehh

A monotone sound came out unintentionally.

That too, seemed like it couldnt be helped. s.h.i.+n had never heard of someone determining whether an opponent might bring harm to the country by relying solely on intuition. What would she do if it hadnt worked out?

Ah, a monotone sound came out!

That cant be helped. Moreover, if its like this, people wont be convinced by such things since there is no concrete evidence.

No problem. I have the Intuition skill. I was born with it and my intuition never misses a thing. Besides, even though I may appear this way, I am one of this countrys princesses. Ive developed my ability to judge character!

With a smile, Rionnes words were heard by s.h.i.+n and he tried to recall the effect for Intuition.

It should only be a battle support skill. If anything, he had a feeling that it was suitable to say it was just a womans intuition.

(CouldIntuitionpossibly enhance a womans intuition?)

s.h.i.+n unconsciously wondered about such a thing.

You might say the biggest deciding factor is that you hold a letter of introduction from Tsuki no Hokora.

Right

Under the current situation, it was the strongest piece of identification.

That letter of introduction is impossible to replicate and Schnee-dono would never hand it over to a group plotting an a.s.sa.s.sination. As for a letter of introduction carrier, its almost certain that their theft countermeasures are not ordinary. Therefore, a story of someone stealing a letter of introduction is unheard of until this very day. In fact, this acted as something like a final confirmation.

I see, then the main question is?

So its come to this. Let me say it without beating about the bush. I want you to fight with me!

Not that, princess! Youre supposed to tell him about government service!

Gadras promptly interrupted Rionne who had challenged s.h.i.+n for a match.

Somehow, this turned out differently from their briefing session.

What are you talking about, Gadras? Either way, for his true ability, how can I judge it accurately if we dont cross swords?

Even if you yearn for it, you could wait a bit longer before saying it. What kind of place is it for a princess to challenge an adventurer with something like, Fight with me!?

A lady-like princess is the elder sisters responsibility!

R-Responsibility

Gadras seemed to have it hard with one thing or another.

Since its the wish of the princess, I dont want to decline, but if possible I would like to ask for a weapon used for training purposes.

Though s.h.i.+ns weapon was not lacking, still, it was unclear as to how long it would be able to keep up a rally directly with a Legend grade weapon.

Okay, I understand. Ill lend you a weapon used by our knights. It doesnt matter if you destroy it.

Well, thats fine. Though, I want you to forgive me if that sword breaks in the middle of the fight.

While saying that, s.h.i.+n kept secret about the even more dangerous items that lay in his Item Box.

Then, lets head toward the training ground immediately.

The princess began to walk triumphantly.

Contrary to her personality, she walked elegantly without pause. If one only saw her movement, everyone would think that she had a graceful character.

Without taking the huge case, she held theMuspelmin one hand.

Princess

Its tough, isnt it?

You understand?

s.h.i.+n felt sorry for Gadras who dropped his shoulders.

Shortly after s.h.i.+n and the others left the room.

Feyzel, who had remained in the room, let the tension out of his shoulders as he felt the presence of s.h.i.+n and the others go away.

He seemed to be tense and before he noticed it, he felt that his muscles had become quite stiff. He took a deep breath and felt somewhat better after taking a short break.

Im so tired.

Other than Feyzel, a males voice suddenly echoed through the room that should contain n.o.body else.

Yeah, indeed.

Feyzel, who began to talk, replied without any surprise. The owner of the voice was Feyzels co-worker.

Are you feeling nervous about the other party as well?

Yeah, as expected from a letter of introduction carrier.

A slightly tired smile appeared as Feyzel answered.

Feyzels role was to obtain the other partys information with his own skills.

You saw it, didnt you?

I saw it. But perhaps, his stats might be falsified.

That person was the most abnormal among all of the people who had come in so far. Feyzel continued, and waited for a response from the owner of the voice.

To that extent?

Im sure about it. That person, named s.h.i.+n, has a level of 200. Job of samurai. However, if I were to really say my impressions of when we faced each other, I would have rewritten the information.

Feyzel was a Chosen One that specialized in uncovering the ability of the other party, therefore he was sure of it.

Rionne and Gadras didnt notice the abilities of s.h.i.+n, but Feyzel felt exactly a fragment of the power leaking out from his body. In fact, the right answer was beyond the level he stated.

Though I failed to obtain any sufficient information, I can only say this. He is strong! Even more so than we imagined.

Since you say it to that extent, I should report this matter to the King.

Please do so if possible, Id be saved the trouble if you convey it. Also, dont make any needless trouble, I guess? Like what you did to Wilhelm, if you make a foolish move, it will be terrible. At least, I dont want to fight him.

Understood. I must not make an enemy of an upper cla.s.s Chosen One.

By the end of those words, the voice was already inaudible.

Apparently, it seemed to have gone to report.

Good grief! I want to go home today already!

I feel like I am dead instead of living.

Muttering so, Feyzel left the room.

Vol. 4 Chapter 2 Part 3

s.h.i.+n, Rionne and Gadras visited the training grounds that the knights used.

I want to confirm something. For the time being, were not going to fight next to soldiers that are training, are we?

No, it wont go well if we were to fight there. Today, half of the soldiers are out for practice and the rest have other work thats not in the training ground. Though some may sneak a peek, it cant helped with so many people. Or, is s.h.i.+n the type that does not want to be seen by people when he fights?

To tell you the truth, I want to refrain from exposing my abilities expressly. At the guild, we fought in an empty training center.

I see, youre a cautious one, arent you?

Isnt that how an adventurer should be?

Unlike knights, adventurers often traveled alone. And in case of emergencies, they would have one or two trump cards prepared, s.h.i.+n thought.

Well, if I had to say it, most adventurers try to show off their power to gain fame. If their talent is recognized, then they can also enter government service like me.

Gadras, who was a former adventurer, answered s.h.i.+ns question.

Thats how it is, huh?

Of course there are also guys like you who dont reveal their hand and hide their trump cards.

Although it didnt seem to be unusual, somehow people like s.h.i.+n appeared to be in the minority.

Personally, I dont prefer the types like s.h.i.+n. People who think that they can act that way, even if theyre powerful, I dont like them for some reason. By simply having power, you must think about how to properly use it.

The obligations of a person with power, huh?

Its the duty of the strong. When I notice a strong person with power, I often think, What kind of influence does their power have on themselves and their surroundings? Even though what I hope to see doesnt always happen.

Since Im from the royal family, Id say that I tend to think that way, Rionne continued and smiled wryly.

From the beginning, for royalty, their existence would significantly affect people with their actions. In some ways it could even be said that both royalty and chosen ones were somewhat similar.

That was why Rionne was taught by the royal family to live the ideal life of a person with power. At the same time, she also noticed the existence of the unreachable status known as a princess.

She felt obligated to fight and swung her sword day and night, to control her power. She learned more about military knowledge than etiquette or her studies. Looking at her hand, which held the sword, no one would ever think that that was the hand of the countrys princess.

Its difficult, isnt it?

Though Im telling you about someone elses problems, I guess even you can commiserate, huh, s.h.i.+n?

Its because I dont serve the country, isnt it? Again, I have my own way of doing things as an adventurer. Besides, its tiring to think about such things around the clock, so I do everything moderately. If not, then you wont feel relaxed, right?

s.h.i.+n didnt mean to deny Rionnes thoughts.

In fact, it was important to act with such thinking in mind. However, different people have their own viewpoints and capabilities. If there was a person who had their own way, without noticing it existed, there would also be a person who acted their own way and yet noticed it existed.

As for what would happen as a result, only G.o.d may know. Of course, it was unreasonable for s.h.i.+n to entrust everything to the heavens, so he moved and thought accordingly. Whether or not it went smoothly, it was hard to say.

Im a bit jealous, for you to be able to say that.

Well, when something bad happens, the troublesome ones usually dont change though

If you enter the military, you may be able to decrease the troublesome things a little, you know? Though I cant say it will be as a General, I can promise you a reasonably high position.

An additional bonus comes along in various other ways instead, huh? Im terribly sorry, but Ill still have to decline.

s.h.i.+n evaded the casual invitation from the second princess smoothly.

He didnt have any intention to enter a military which would restrict his movements. For s.h.i.+n, who lived in a world without a cla.s.s system such as n.o.bles and royal families, their ideas were beyond his understanding.

Although he was familiar with the meaning of a fantasy system in games and manga, he didnt understand it in this world.

Thats too bad. Its not easy to encounter an upper grade Chosen One. So, it seems like weve arrived?

Rionne shrugged while stating her disappointment, she probably thought that s.h.i.+n would have agreed.

And then, she stopped in front of a somewhat ordinary door.

Here?

This is because you requested a fight that no one will see. So we will borrow this place.

Saying that, Rionne pushed the door open.

Inside, there was a transition point similar to what s.h.i.+n saw in the adventurers guild. (T/N: metastasis point had been changed to transition point)

So we are going to teleport?

Thats right. Didnt you also do so in the guild?

Their destination, after transferring right away, was a round open s.p.a.ce about 100 mels in radius. It was different from the place where s.h.i.+n fought against Barlux.

Its constructed differently from the guilds training ground, huh?

Its been said to be made with a battle between Chosen Ones in mind. Besides, theres no one here so we can fight as much as we want. Actually, even if you didnt say anything, I was planning to fight you here anyway, s.h.i.+n.

Although it was a test of strength, even if a chosen one used only a tiny portion of their power, there was no guarantee that this tiny amount would be the same amount as that of an ordinary soldier. But, it seemed this place would be alright, if that was the case.

It was decided, huh?

I couldnt find any other place for our purpose, except this. The transition point is a technique from before the Dusk of the Majesty, and we havent been able to completely solve it yet. What was it made for? To tell you the truth, its not known yet. But its pretty st.u.r.dy, so its thought to have been a training ground in the past.

I see, s.h.i.+n thought.

He thought it was strange because he was told that transposing magic was lost, but a transition point had been set up here like it was perfectly normal. To manufacture a transition point, the technique of transposing was needed.

(HmmI wonder if this place was for some guild house originally.)

If one said guild in this world, it would usually refer to an adventurers guild.

However, there were many players guilds and their corresponding guild houses that existed during the game era. The structures and styles varied according to the guild. Some made castle, while others used a shop. There were no similar guild houses.

And, a transition point was standard equipment for a guild house. As for the royal magic library that s.h.i.+n had visited before, the unusually high level barrier skill was understandable, if it too was installed by a guild. Perhaps, that was also just equipment repurposed from a guild.

Lets begin now. First, you should choose a weapon of your liking. Do you need a change of clothes?

No, theyre fine as is.

Just like the match with Barlux, they didnt battle immediately.

Several mels ahead of s.h.i.+n, there were swords and spears that were previously prepared. It could be said that they were used for training because they were made from iron and had edgeless blades. However, if it was swung with the strength of a chosen one, the damage inflicted may not be small.

Then, Ill take this.

s.h.i.+n chose a standard one-handed sword from among the weapons.

It was maintained properly, but its quality was not so good because it was for training. As for Rionne, she chose a thick-bladed greatsword. The blade was almost 2 mels in length, similar to Muspelm, and she swung it around like a branch from a tree.

When I see that in person, something feels out of place.

Such a thing would never happen if it was in the game.

It was different if it was a monster, but the scene of a sword that was about the height of a body, being swung by a womans slender arm was very strange to see in reality.

Speaking of the person in question, it seemed like she intended to warm-up. s.h.i.+n heard the sound of air being cut through every time the greatsword was brandished. Since its no use to keep watching forever, s.h.i.+n too, lightly swung his sword and relaxed his body. With their preparations completed, they got ready with their weapons in the center of the training ground.

This is a fight to check your ability, so Ill let out some of my power to an extent!

Please go easy on me.

s.h.i.+n replied with a wry smile, to Rionne who was fully motivated.

Gadras played the role of referee. Points would be given to each of them, and if he judged the blow would cause a fatal injury he would end the match.

Of course, even if it was said to be a fatal injury, they would stop just before the blow landed. After all, with the ability of these two people, doing that would be a piece of cake.

Alright, lets begin!

Rionne stepped forward when Gadras shouted.

With her greatsword on her right shoulder, she approached s.h.i.+n using the most direct path, with s.h.i.+n doing the same. Facing against the greatsword coming from a diagonal direction, s.h.i.+n prepared to swing his sword from his waist. If he rallied directly, theres no doubt that s.h.i.+ns sword, which was inferior in strength, would break. Thus, he aimed to strike at the flat part of the g