Chapter 60: Resounding Sword Fight at the Venue
Chapter 60: Resounding Sword Fight at the Venue
「Maid-san, give me some wine………」
「Yes……… ah no you can’t. This is a drink for adult you see.」
Even though I wanted to drink some liquor, it seems like it’s impossible. And I’m being reproached as a kid.
「…………can’t be helped, shall I eat some food while drinking fruit water then…」
I’ve just finished greeting around the place with Nord-tousan.
Jeez, there are a lot of people with long names. I almost forgot about them. I don’t think it is possible to greet and remember this great number of people’s names so suddenly.
But thanks to Nord-tousan’s follow-up, I can finish what I had to do safely.
And then, just like that, Nord-tousan got surrounded by young noble ladies and the knight’s children who were waiting.
『Do you still stay in the royal capital Nord-sama? If you would like, how about coming to my residence to have a tea party? 』
『In that case, how about coming to my residence? Please come and instruct me on swordsmanship!』
『Please tell me the story about Dragon Slayer! I’ve only heard about it from plays and stories from others.』
Ohー, oohー, so popular Popular as rumored.
There are a lot of young noble ladies, but there are also many males as well.
Although those young noble ladies are a step too late as they’re about to aggressively attack him by closely sticking their bodies, they still ask questions boldly, and Nord-tousan listens to them all and answers them politely.
In that instant, those young noble ladies’ faces turn sullen……… Women are really scary. I think it’s funny for someone to interject them with talk about swordsmanship, when those young ladies are surely happily conversing with Nord-tousan.
I wonder if this is a world where you can’t survive if you keep backing out…
Incidentally, Elna-kaasan seems to be having a lively conversation with the noble’s wives somewhere.
Keeping a smile on her face, yet occasionally she sends a nasty glance to Nord-tousan.
I guess it’s because of those young noble ladies fawning all over him while ogling him.
And Nord-tousan also notices it, but because Nord-tousan is kind-hearted, he can’t push them away just like that.
Receiving my fruit water from a waiter, I pretend to be someone unrelated to them and walk toward the opposite direction.
Nord-tousan told me to pass the time freely and there is no problem with that. 「If you can, please try to get along with the other noble children」 he said.
When I looked around the venue, children the same age as me were forming groups and talking to each other.
Children of nobility with high rank acting self-important, and children who praise and flatter them while smiling as if yielding to them.
It appears that it would be difficult for everyone to get along with since they all have too much pride.
Rather than that, the people who lined up on this long table are to my liking than those people.
These guys gathered here in the royal capital, forced to wear brightly-colored, beautiful accessories. And the unbearable scent is tickling my nostril.
These nobles here seem to be easier to get along with.
Let’s get along with them using the royal capital’s delicacies provided here as planned.
In a good mood as I take the individual plate, I also take the meat that was served on the platter.
Picking the meat with silver tongs, then vegetables, seafood……… I wonder if this belongs to the shrimp category? But the tail is very long. Well, it’ll be served here since it’s a noble’s party. There’s no way that it’s a suspicious food I think. Let’s not hesitate over it.
Crap……… I’ve been underestimating these noble dishes.
The chefs’ abilities are better than I imagine. Is this the ability of the chef employed by the Duke’s family………
Alfried is being attacked by delicious foods.
I wonder just what kind of ingredients they use to mix into the sauce on this meat when they make this dish.
Uーn, I don’t get it. This sauce makes the oil from this thick meat to have a lighter taste and stimulate one’s appetite.
Maybe they use ingredients that can be found in the royal capital. I’ve never tasted this kind of sauce.
And when I realised it, there’s hardly any food left on the table near me.
I’ll say this just in case, there is absolutely no way I ate them all.
It’s the boy in front of me, eating the food like an idiot.
He’s been eating like mad since a little while ago.
The maid servant who passed nearby looked at the empty plate, then tidying the plates up in a hurry as they moved to the back.
Most likely, food should always be placed and served on this table. The servers seem to be having it hard.
Oh, there ‘s still a piece of meat right in front of me.
And it happens to be my favorite part of meat. Let’s eat it.
Thereupon, my silver tongs bumped into the tongs of the boy in front of me.
「「……………………」」
The boy’s eyes and mine met.
A boy with a slightly stern look with his brown hair parted in the middle. He can barely be considered a noble thanks to wearing that light brown suit of his, but if he is not wearing it then he will only be seen as a kid with a stern look.
「What House are you from?」
Just where did you go in junior high school? Sounds like that to me.
「When you ask for someone else’s name, you should name yourself first, you know. 」
Casually, I reached out with my tongs to prevent the boy from taking the meat.
「Kuh………youu. I’m Eric Sylford (エリック＝シルフォード).」
Sylford? Ah, I think I’ve heard about them before?
「I’m from the House of Slowlet, why asking?」
「Oi, what about your name?」
「Well, but I thought you’re asking for my House?」
「You, 」
「Okay okay, my name is Alfried Slowlett.」
「That’s a Baron House right?」
「Sure, why?」
When I replied like that, the boy Eric moved my tongs aside by hitting it *kotsun*.
「Since that is the case, you’d better give it up. I’ve got my eyes on this meat.」
Saying that, when he’s about to take hold of the meat just like that,
「Ah well, you’re also from the House of Baron aren’t you.」
With my own tongs that have been pushed aside, I defend the meat.
Since he knows that I’m also from a Baron House, he then tries to discourage me from taking the meat by speaking in a way like a higher rank noble to those of lower rank. What a sly guy.
「Do you think that a Baron, from the eastern countryside at that, would be comparable with my territory?」
「But, your territory is located in the southern countryside isn’t it.」
That’s right, this Eric, his house of Sylford’s territory is located at the southernmost tip of Misfrit Kingdom’s countryside. The distance from the royal capital is around the same as the Slowlett territory.
Nord-tousan shows me their location on the map, it is confirmed.
I’m envious of their territory, abundant in fruits, and their territory also faces the sea. This guy can eat sashimi as much as he likes. So envious.
「So you’re looking down on my territory, huh! 」
「But the first one who squabble over this is you isn't it!」
My eyebrows and Eric eyebrows slanted like the character of eight (八), and we glared at each other in point-blank range like a small-time yakuza.
「「…………」」
And then we laugh at the same time *fu*.
It’s really embarrassing to have a fight simply because of such a thing.
「This is a place where the Nobles Exchange Meeting is organized. To quarrel over such a trivial thing………」
「Indeed. Why don’t you try to act violently here. It will only throw dirt to each’s House reputation………」
Clink.
「「…………」」
The air between us froze.
「「Give it to me!」」
Along with both of our angry voices, our hand started to move.
An exchange of offense and defense over a piece of meat started.
The other side’s tongs is trying to reach out using the shortest distance, so I acted quickly and tried to pull the meat close to my side.
If I manage to pull it to my side, then it’s mine. If the distance is quite far from the other party’s, then it will become difficult for him to take it.
「Kuh, what impertinence!」
It seems that Eric notices my aim, he entwines his tongs with mine to block my move.
I twisted my wrist to escape his restraint.
The meat is yet to be moved from the middle of the plate.
This appears to be like Princess Marin to me.
For the time being, this plate is like the place where the princess is kidnapped by the dragon and imprisoned.
Thereupon, the meat currently being alone, is like the princess waiting for help to come.
A fierce battle is currently being fought in front of her eyes. The princess watches anxiously at the knight who came to rescue her.
Meat 《Princess》. This knight Alfried will show you how I defeat this evil enemy and rescue you!
But, the evil enemy will not tolerate it.
And when I escape from his restraint, this time I fiercely push out my tongs and attack him incessantly.
Silver sword? The swords violently clash, raising spark.
I determine Eric’s fierce attack, divert it, and then stop the blow.
「Shhh!」
Along with a short shout, his right hand pushed out like an arrow shot out from a bow.
His aim is precisely the middle part of my tongs, and two strikes at that. It feels like he’s going to send my weapon flying.
I evade it by turning the grip around with my fingers.
For an instant, Eric’s expression distorted at this time.
That’s not it, the two strikes previously were a decoy! So his real aim is the meat, huh!
And unsurprisingly, the third strike slightly veered off from my weapon, heading toward the meat.
I put my tongs between them.
I thought that I would be able to accurately intercept Eric’s thrust like this, but he quickly pulled back his tongs. And just like that, Eric tightly grasped his tongs like a sword and swung it downward diagonally from the left.
Facing that, I responded by holding my weapon in a reverse grip and made a slash just like when using a sword.
The silver tongs let out a noise as if protesting the overly rough handling.
Eric nimbly slashes back at the tongs that rose sharply, and attacks in succession.
As expected, I have to defeat this guy first if I want to take the meat.
Maybe he didn’t think that I’ll be able to defend against all of his attacks, Eric eyes opened wide.
Switching from defense to offense, I change my tempo and add in feints before I thrust my weapon.
Eric takes it in a calm manner, as he grew accustomed to it. Each time the tongs met, the shock transmitted strongly.
There’s no longer any expression of disdain on Eric’s face, only a serious expression as if facing an opponent with the equal skill.
Even though it would have been fine to be careless as it was!
After evading my continuous attack, Eric forcefully dived in and made a thrust. A blow that uses the force of the body’s rotation to cut through the air.
I accurately hit the side of his tongs.
「Naaa!?」
Eric’s body is now wide open and shows an opening.
I pushed out my finger in front of that Eric, and said a word.
「Light.」
In response to my word, a strong flash of light shone for an instant.
「Nggyaaaaaaaaa!? Eye, eyes, my eyeeeeesss! I, I can’t see!」
It’s fine to grab the meat now, but since I don’t know what he would do, I had to strike.
Giving a sidelong glance at Eric who is noisily rolling around on the ground *batabata*, I leisurely took the meat on the plate.
For the current me, this unpleasant noise is the best spice of dressing for this meat.
Eric’s ear-splitting scream, I’ll forgive him.
「Well then, itadakimaーsu!」
「You can’t eat it, okay? Al?」
When I turn back to look, there is the Dragon suppressing hero who looks to be extremely angry.
The venue has turned quiet, still as death.
「……………I apologize for the trouble I have caused…………」
× × ×
『Did you see it just now…』
『Yes, Father It seems that he has a decent sword skill. And the way the grip rotates………I guess maybe it’s because he’s been using a hidden weapon or or something for a long time. But the opponent’s family is also said to be a family of swordsmen, so he didn’t get completely outdone… 』
『……Lim (リム).』
『Yes?』
『That’s certainly true, but should not forget about the last blow. That magic, the magic Light was cast while the chanting part is omitted………』
『Is it true?』
『Aah, it is. He just said the word Light, without chanting.』
『To be able to omit magic chant and to have such sword skill……』