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Sword Saint’s Disciple - Volume 2 - Chapter 2

Published at 15th of March 2016 06:52:49 PM


Chapter 2

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2-2. Raza Town and Soldier Guild

The horses’ rest is enough.
It’s time to leave soon.

 

“Neil-san, shall we go soon?”

“Yes, I unders—ugh!” (Neil)

Neil-san staggered while trying to stand up.

“M-my legs are numb.”

His legs fell asleep probably because he’s unused to seiza.
He is crouching with both his hands on the ground.

“…It will be fine if you wait for them to recover.”

However, that defenseless appearance.
My mischievous mind throbbed.

“Fufu~”

“What is it, Cathia-san? That evil smile…”

You cannot resist poking someone when you see his legs are numb, right?
Is it just me?

“That’s right.”

“S-stop――!!” (Neil)

I attacked his calf which he protected by his hands.
A good reaction indeed, I say.
This person is really the type that you can’t help but tease.

*****

“Then, let’s continue our travel, Neil-san.”

“So cruel, Cathia-san…”

I also think that I overdid it a little, but the atmosphere softened so everything turned out alright in the end.
We rode the horses and went onward the Raza Town.
We are likely to arrive before noon.

The territory of Raza is located at the eastern edge of the country.
Raza Town is the central base of land reclamation, and also the accumulation, transportation, and division point of crops from neighboring villages.
Military strength is necessary against monsters when reclaiming lands, so there were many mercenaries and soldiers sent as reinforcements from other territories.
Consequently, the scale of the Soldier Guild is also of some level. Neil-san explained until this point.

“Can you see it, Cathia-san? That is the Raza Town.”

Beyond the highway, the stone wall that surrounds the town came into view.
Fortunately, we did not encounter any monsters on the way.

“A stone wall, huh? Kaisa Village has earth wall.”

“A stone wall is more durable, it also makes the scenery better. There is a small stone mountain nearby so they were brought from there.”

I see, there is also problem of materials.
Making something out of nothing isn’t possible even with magic.
For earth magic, one must pour their Mana into soil or stones.
The three other attributes also follow that rule in almost all situations.
Even if there is magic, the laws of physics are almost the same to the ones in my previous life.
I did not take up a Science course in my previous life so I am not very clear on the details.

“Young Master! Are you here to visit your parents? Who is that beauty!?”

We arrived in front the gates during the time I was thinking.
Among the two gatekeepers, the older male soldier greeted Neil-san.
‘Young Master’?
They appear to be acquaintances.
Oops, it’s impolite to stay astride the horse.
Let’s dismount.

“Please stop with the ‘young master’. I am with a guest from the Kaisa Village. Can we pass?”

“By all means―――― Open the gate!”

The lattice made of iron opened.

The size of the gate allows a carriage to pass by with room to spare.
Now we have to leave the horses in their custody.

We left the horses in the stable near the entrance.

I heard Neil-san being called as ‘Young Master’.
I have a prediction about it.

“Neil-san is the son of the Lord here after all?”

“Yes, that is right. I am the second son so I had to enter
the Knight Order in the Imperial Capital.”

Well, that’s right.
He introduced himself as Neil Raza.
I failed to hear it because of his behavior during our first meeting.

“Therefore, please stay at our manor house today. I will also introduce you to my family.”

Manor house?
I never heard anything about our lodging place today.

“I thought for sure that we will stay at the barracks.”

“It will be at our house no matter what. You are a special guest, after all.”

Ah, his expression is similar to the one Zack-san showed before.
During the time Zack-san had a talk with Grandfather about his new home.

“Then, please take care of me…”

I realized that resistance is futile.
But a feudal lord, huh?
He is an aristocrat. In other words, a politician.
The type of people that I had no relation to in my previous life.
I’m a little nervous.
I have to get used to it now since I am meeting the royal family in the future.

Next task is going to the Soldier Guild.
We went there while I looked around the Raza Town.
There are several food stalls and buildings like warehouses  where crops are accumulated.
Merchants are purchasing here and there, it’s quite lively.
I took a bite of the rye bread I bought since it’s inexpensive for lunch.
Where is the guild?

“We have arrived, Cathia-san. This is the Soldier Guild.”

There is the common crest on the entrance – a shield and two crossed swords.
Easy to understand is good, right?
The building is made of the stone and considerably large.
Inside, there is a bulletin board, reception and waiting room.
I can see desks lined up beyond the reception area, where other staff are working.
It looks more like a government office than what I expected.
Even though this world with magic is realistic, the fantasy impression is――――――

“Oh, if it isn’t Neil.”

The one with overflowing fantasy impression is a black- haired beauty with wolf(?) dog(?) ears atop her head, sitting at the reception area.
Probably wolf.
She has the tone of a handsome man.
Of course, there are no Werebeasts back in the village.

“…What are you doing, Branch Leader?”

She responded to Neil-san who had a perplexed expression.
The receptionist is the Branch Leader.
What the heck is that!?

“We are understaffed since the guys assigned on main jobs collapsed with cold. This is temporary. Then, what is your business?”

“We have a letter from the Royal Capital. You will understand once you read this.”

Neil-san took out the letter from his chest pocket and passed it to the Branch Leader.

“From the Royal Capital? …This can’t be opened here. You guys, come sit here for a moment. That young miss[/ojou-chan] might be the person concerned.”

The Branch Leader stood from the chair.
With the help of a stick――――
Cane?
The lower half of her body became visible from the counter.
Branch Leader doesn’t have a right leg.

“What are you surprised for? Is it your first time in the Soldier Guild? I am not the only one like this, you know?”

With her remark, I looked at other staff members. There was a one-handed person, a person with an eye injury, and I can see people with limp walked by as if it’s something that is a common occurrence.

I came up with a deduction as I thought about it――――

“Are all the main staff injured soldiers?”

“Right answer. Ojou-chan, don’t you have a fairly good perception? You have excellent assessment and you also did not show any pity.”

It’s because I felt more surprised with the unexpected scene.
There isn’t any staff who looked gloomy, it is a proof that they are proud of their battles.
Regardless of the consequence, there is no reason to pity them.

We were shown into a private room which seems to be the Branch Leader’s office.
Then, the Branch Leader opened the letter briefly scanned it.
“――――Hmmm, I see. But to think that Sword Saint was living this nearby.”

She raised her head and suddenly threw the letter.
She declared that after she crossed her arms and faced here.
Every action of Branch Leader is so cool.
Can I call you ‘Anego’?

<Note: Anego literally means older sister. Usually used to refer to a yakuza boss’s wife. Or a strong female gangster.>

“So in short, Ojou-chan only needs to register. After that, give her commissions that will make her stand out as much as possible. Then, I will leave the usually disliked and troublesome jobs to you.”

“Was there anything written about my affiliation?

It’s the question I thought before.

“No, there’s nothing. I have a prediction, but shall I explain it?”

“Yes, please.”

“It’s simple. If you gather enough reputation before reaching the capital, you will be delegated as the head of the Princess’s Royal Guards. If you fail to do so, you will be a common soldier until you stack up enough achievements.”

After considering the risk of failure, it seems like she came to that decision.
It’s politically correct…is it?

“Therefore, you will be treated as a common soldier from the kingdom’s viewpoint after you register. But you have the Former King’s messenger Neil, so you are special. You will not be looked down even if you go to other territories.”

What a delicate situation.
It looks like I will have a hard time in the future if I do not do my best.

“Now then, you need to do a rank examination if you register. Go to the training grounds. Neil, guide her for me. I will follow afterwards.”

“Got it. Will Branch Leader watch personally?”

“That’s obvious. As a former soldier myself, I want to see the ability of the Sword Saint’s disciple.”

She has very high expectations.
I became tense.

******

The training area is an place similar to an open plaza, except it has a thick earth wall.
There is no roof.
Several soldiers are sparring with wooden weapons.
From children to old soldiers, even the races and genders vary. It’s lively.

“Oh! Here you are! Ojou-chan’s redhead is easy to spot, eh?”

Branch Leader came.
It appears like she made me her landmark.
This hair really stands out as expected.
After we entered the training area, we gathered a considerable number of gazes.

“Shall we start? First, show me your Aura.”

Branch Leader set up the aforementioned speed gun, a Mana measuring instrument.

“Yes.”

It doesn’t seem to be a mock battle.
I grab ahold of the Mana flowing inside my body then wear it, such that my whole body is clad in it.
I have no weapon so there’s a slight sense of discomfort.

“A beautiful and powerful Aura… how wonderful.”

Branch Leader murmured.
The Aura I invoked out of my Mana reserve became visible.

“――――Oooh!”

The measurement seems to have ended.
How is it?

“I’m astonished! The Master rank that can only be used by several people in the country? As expected of the Sword Saint’s disciple.”

<Note: Magic Ranks from Chapter 1-5 — Beginner, Intermediate,  Advanced, Master.>

The spectators listening attentively became noisy.
H-how embarrassing.

“Branch Leader, why in such a loud voice――――”

Branch Leader approached me using her crutch that looks like a cane.
She place a hand near my neck and whispered in a low voice.

“Half the reason is on purpose. You need to stand out hereafter, so you should get used to this much. Actually, just being able to use Master Level Aura is enough to be the talk of the town.”

Certainly, I cannot refute with what she said.
But she said ‘half’.

“How about the other half?”

“No, I was just exceedingly surprise. Normally, meeting a ‘Master’ in a lifetime is almost impossible.”

Exceedingly?
Well, never mind.

“What will be the next one? Is it magic?”

“What? Ojou-chan can also use magic?”

“I am a Single Fire only until Intermediate Level.”

“Then, I will examine it for the time being… is what I should say, but…”

Branch Manager looked around the vicinity.
Yes, I know what you want to say.

“The impact is weak after displaying Master Level Aura.”

That is natural.
It’s fine if I did it in reverse order.
However, we are in front of a public.

“That’s right―――― Then, how about I show an original skill? Something with a flashy appearance.”

I have one trick.

“Hou, I’m curious. Do you need a target?”

“Yes, a wooden one.”

A wooden scarecrow was prepared as I requested.
I prepared the wooden sword I borrowed.

“Fuu…” (*exhale)

I enveloped the sword in Mana.
Together with Aura, I mixed in another kind of Mana.
The two of them melted and blended without resistance―――――

“Haaaa!”

I cut the scarecrow with the wooden sword into two.
The two divided parts of the scarecrow scattered sparks and in the next moment―――――
It ignited in a flashy manner.

“Oh, it’s made of wood indeed. Really flammable.”

“…”

The surrounding silence is scary.
Eh, did I make a blunder?

“Uhm, Branch Leader.”

“Wha-what was that, just now! No, I cannot comprehend it. It’s a skill that uses both flame magic and Aura magic. But being able to do it is another matter entirely!”

She kept on talking rapidly.
Was the skill I used really that amazing?

“But it’s theoretically possible in magic books――――”

“It is theoretically possible! It’s impossible normally! What do you think is the use of distinction between rearguard magicians and vanguard soldiers! It’s common sense that you can’t use magic and Aura at the same time!”

It came from an old magic book so I thought someone already achieved it.
Grandfather, why did you not tell me it’s abnormal!?
It’s different from ordinary, but I have an idea why the two types of magic cannot be used simultaneously.

“B-but isn’t it alright since it will make me conspicious?”

Branch Leader let out a long sigh.

“You will surely stand out this way, extremely that is… sigh. Let’s go back to the guild for now and register your rank.”

She said negligently, as if she just gave up on something.
S-sorry, or something.
I dragged along Neil-san who had long became frozen in surprise, and left behind the still noisy training grounds.





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