[The ‘Tin Knight’ argues that no matter how powerful the enemy is, one must find the courage to fight for the sake of their companions!]
[The ‘Tin Knight’ strengthens his resolve, vowing to avenge Sophia!]
“What is this madman saying?”
“Uh… um. Hmm.”
While Dorothea and Adelaide were thinking, “What nonsense is this guy spouting now?” as they watched the Tin Knight’s usual antics…
Damn it, we’re screwed.
Hindler felt cold sweat trickle down his back.
When a man first approached them on the street with a casual attitude, Hindler didn’t take the situation too seriously.
Thracus was crawling with men who couldn’t control their overflowing vigor, and among them were plenty of fools who would approach any beauty they saw.
This was especially true since the opponent looked to be no more than a young man in his early 20s.
Such carelessness inevitably resulted in disaster.
“Ugh.”
“Urrrgh.”
Of the nine Iron Stake Mercenary Company members, seven were lying on the ground groaning.
One had gone to call for reinforcements, so in reality, only Hindler was left.
Twirling a dagger slightly longer than a palm playfully, the young man opened his mouth, “Look, I said I have business with the lady over there, so why are you all jumping in and causing a fuss? Youngsters these days are too hot-blooded, that’s the problem.”
You only said that after you had already knocked down three guys, you bastard!
Hindler’s silent scream never escaped his lips. He was busy considering which would lead to a greater life-threatening crisis: confronting the opponent in front of him or abandoning Sophia and running away.
The conclusion was quick.
The fallen guys aren’t dead but if I run away now, I’ll die later either by Big Sis’ hand or the knight’s hand, anyway!
For the sake of survival and self-preservation, Hindler gritted his teeth and charged at the opponent.
Seizing the gap while the young man was twirling his dagger, Hindler’s sword thrust towards the young man’s chest.
The young man lightly turned his upper body to avoid the thrust, then grabbed the dagger and struck Hindler’s side of the head with the handle.
With just that simple motion, Hindler was sapped of all his strength and collapsed with a thud.
The young man… who only looked young but was actually a veteran adventurer who had lived a long time.
Platinum Peter clicked his tongue, “These guys never seem to run out no matter where you go. Do they spawn from dust or something?”
“That’s an amazing secret of life’s birth. We won’t have to worry about population declines.”
Peter gave a hollow laugh towards Sophia, who answered calmly, “Aren’t you scared, miss?”
“Hmm? Ah, if you mean the food problem due to population increase, that’s quite a worrying topic. It’s a frightening issue indeed.”
“No, no, not that. I mean, now that you’ve encountered me like this, shouldn’t you be a bit scared? That kind of thing.”
“I don’t particularly have any reason to feel guilty?”
At Sophia’s words, Peter made a dumbfounded expression, “No, you used a top-tier adventurer like me with fake intel, and you say you have nothing to feel guilty about. How thick-skinned are you?”
“Ah, I do apologize for not waiting until you returned. Our party is quite busy you see but we paid the proper compensation. Didn’t Kumara’s party deliver the letter?”
“They delivered it but it was filled with ridiculous, absurd content, though,” Peter took out a letter from his breast pocket and waved it. “Miss, do you have a conscience or not? If you’re going to lie, at least make it somewhat believable, so I can pretend to be fooled.”
“Oh, my. I didn’t write any lies, though.”
“The hell kinda bullsh..”
Peter suddenly stopped mid-sentence.
He carefully examined Sophia’s face, then made a puzzled expression, “Wait, is it true?”
“Yes, it’s true.”
“No, why is this? Hmm. No, no, that can’t be, right?”
Peter, who seemed momentarily flustered, soon shook his head.
He pointed to the sky, flicking his dagger, “Miss, the weather is quite nice today. The sun is shining brightly.”
“Indeed, it is.”
“And you’re directly under the sunlight?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Don’t you think there’s a big problem with this situation?”
“Hmm.”
Sophia fell into thought and finally, as if realizing something, she clapped her hands, “Ah, perhaps you prefer slightly tanned skin? I don’t mean to comment on personal preferences, but wouldn’t it be better to ask your lover for such things?”
Crack.
Peter froze as if turning to stone.
The onlookers who were watching the situation, wondering what was going on, also looked at Peter with lukewarm gazes, thinking, “Oh, was this that kind of fight?”
For Peter, it was enough to make him go crazy and jump.
After trembling for a moment, he soon spoke in a gloomy voice, “Fine, I get it. You have no intention of apologizing, is that it? Then I have no choice but to take compensation according to the industry rules.”
Peter gripped his dagger again.
Seeing his somewhat clumsy and sloppy stance, the audience unconsciously chuckled.
However, some skilled individuals among them gulped in shock, seeing the flawlessness hidden in that seemingly sloppy stance.
It was at that moment.
Clank clank clank!
With a noisy running sound that could hardly be called solemn, even as a joke, the Tin Knight intervened between Sophia and Peter.
Faced with the sharp aura that approached close, Peter reflexively swung his dagger.
Clang!
As the sword and dagger collided, a metallic sound echoed through the air—not just once or twice, but dozens of times in rapid succession.
Mana bloomed into flashes of light, and sparks flew as metal scraped against metal, but the two didn’t widen the gap, instead moving even closer to each other.
As Sophia watched the ensuing fierce melee, Dorothea and Adelaide arrived beside her.
Dorothea clicked her tongue, “Whether he’s a legendary adventurer or whatever, that guy is quite persistent. Given the timing, he didn’t come after hearing the news. Was he waiting in advance, predicting our arrival destination?”
Adelaide opened her eyes wide in surprise, “To be able to face off against Sir Knight without being pushed back, he’s amazing.”
It was as Adelaide said, the Tin Knight and Peter were exchanging sword strikes, and their skills were so evenly matched that it was difficult to say which side had the upper hand.
“…Ha!”
Peter’s dagger technique was as unrestrained as Peter’s own personality.
Sometimes it tried to bite at the opponent’s vital points like a snake, and the next moment it fluttered like leaves blown in a strong wind, deflecting the force of attacks.
The reach of the dagger itself was short, but the sword energy emitted from the dagger sometimes extended to the length of a longsword or even longer, cutting through everything in its path with a rustle.
Clang!
However, the Tin Knight and his equipment were exceptions.
[The ‘Tin Knight’ marvels at the appropriate level scaling, saying it’s a difficulty beyond the dojo grandfather!]
If Peter’s attacks were reminiscent of wind, the Tin Knight’s defense evoked the immovable presence of a great mountain.
No matter what angle or type of attack Peter attempted, the Tin Knight skillfully wielded his shield, flawlessly receiving every attack with pin-point precision.
Peter’s sword energy could tear through ordinary defenses like paper, but it didn’t work against the Tin Knight, who nullified attacks by clashing bursts of mana against the opponent’s sword strikes.
The way he used just the necessary amount of mana in the right place and time without any unnecessary waste was a skill so excellent that even Peter, fighting against him, couldn’t help but admire it.
Naturally, perfect defense made more daring attacks possible.
Slash!
Peter’s sleeve was cut, and blood flowed from his forearm.
Peter, who retreated and widened the distance for the first time, had a strange light in his eyes, “Huh, I thought you weren’t ordinary when I saw you before, but this is beyond expectations. I’m not the type to be so obsessed with ‘combat’ itself, I enjoy ‘adventure’… but it’s been a while since I’ve been this interested.”
Bang!
Peter strongly struck the ground with his heel.
Surprisingly, a green wind-like aura surrounded Peter’s two feet, lifting his body into the air.
The Tin Knight, who had only been wrapping mana around his sword and shield until now, was also seen spreading mana to every corner of his body.
It was at that moment when the two warriors were about to clash again.
Shiver.
Feeling a chill running up their spines—nonexistent in the case of the Tin Knight—the Tin Knight and Peter simultaneously retreated without anyone taking the lead.
Right after that.
Boom!
Something fell from above their heads.
The impact shook the ground, sending people toppling over.
Everyone covered their eyes and mouths from the scattered soil and dust.
“Ugh.”
The reason Adelaide was able to open her eyes first was thanks to the countless training sessions she had with the Tin Knight.
Losing sight for even a moment meant prolonged vulnerability.
With an action close to instinct, Adelaide checked the front.
Thus, she saw it.
The sight of a gigantic greatsword embedded into the ground—beyond just being large, it was overwhelming in size to the point of looking like a blunt weapon.
A gauntlet with a beast-like sharp fingertip design gripped the handle of that greatsword.
Armor with a crimson color scheme, where metal and leather were exquisitely mixed.
A bear emblem engraved on the shoulder, a helmet reminiscent of a tiger, and a belt that evoked burning flames.
The mysterious intruder pulled out the greatsword from the earth.
The intruder’s gaze, looking around with indifferent eyes between the helmet, lingered on Adelaide for a moment for some reason.
Adelaide vaguely realized that they were looking at her hair and eye color.
As the dust slowly settled, people who confirmed the intruder’s appearance began to murmur.
“That’s…!”
“When did they return?”
“W-what? Who is it?”
“You idiot, don’t you know the most famous person in this city?”
Amidst the growing murmurs, the intruder turned their gaze away from Adelaide and opened their mouth.
《That’s enough. If people like you fight properly in a place like this, this whole area will be blown away.》
The voice flowing through the helmet had a strange resonance, making it difficult to discern the gender.
It wasn’t simply due to the helmet structure, but a sound imbued with some mana.
Peter answered with sarcasm, “That doesn’t seem like something someone who appeared by shattering the ground out of nowhere should say, does it?”
《I didn’t think you’d listen if I just talked. Besides, if we’re talking about being out of character, you’re no better? A gold-rank adventurer causing trouble on the streets, what would that do to the Adventurers Guild’s reputation?》
“Tch, you’ve got me there,” while grumbling softly, Peter obediently returned his dagger to its sheath.
《You too… Huh? You’ve already sheathed your sword?》
[The ‘Tin Knight’ says he foresaw a future of exciting fights in the martial arts tournament later, so he’s putting away his sword now for the sake of faster progression!]
Of course, the opponent couldn’t hear the Tin Knight’s words.
The intruder showed a puzzled look for a moment, but realizing that there was no immediate intention to fight, they nodded obediently.
The intruder summarized the situation again.
《Anyway, if you want to continue this, do it in the tournament. With fighters of your caliber, it’s guaranteed to be a success.》
[The ‘Tin Knight’ feels proud that his predictions never miss the mark!]
“Tournament? Hmm, well, it wouldn’t be bad to do something like that after a long time. Is there some plausible reward or something?”
《Abundant prize money and a noble title limited to the current generation. Well, these might not be attractive to a gold-rank adventurer like you. Then, how about this?》 Sёarch* The NovelZone.fun* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
Saying this, the intruder tapped their belt with their finger.
《It’s an item called the ‘Belt of Amaryllis’. It’s a treasure that greatly enhances the owner’s physical abilities. I took it from the previous champion, so I don’t mind handing it over if a new winner emerges.》
[The ‘Tin Knight’ feels proud that his predictions never miss the mark, indeed!]
The Tin Knight stared intently at Dorothea.
Dorothea’s face rapidly soured.
At that moment, Adelaide heard the murmurs of the surrounding audience again.
“I wouldn’t be asking if I knew, you idiot! Now tell me who on earth this person is!”
“Oh my, you clueless person!” someone said the name as if chiding, “It’s Kalidahs! The champion of this City of Struggle!”
***
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