Chapter 81 – Friction (1)

Belloc examined the skill. As expected, no kind explanation popped up. Therefore, he could only make vague guesses this time as well. Lightning Sword, the Archdemon taking the form of a dragon, defeat, the changed power. Was it some kind of skill enhancement? The lightning that killed a dragon? At any rate, he would have to use it himself to find out.

He invested points into strength and stamina as he always did, and then opened his eyes. The noisy surroundings had quieted down before he knew it. The performance had ended. The dancer reached out with a slender arm and lightly wiped the sweat from her face. Soon, carrying the basket she had placed beside her, she walked up to the customers.

-What a truly sweet voice. It sounds like jade beads rolling.

-If it’s not rude, may I ask the lady’s name?

The customers threw flirtatious remarks or admiration while tossing copper and silver coins into the woman’s basket. Smiling brightly, the dancer bowed to them and walked up to Belloc’s group. Soon, she held out the basket and spoke.

“Merciful Shatra. Blessings to the strangers who have come from afar…”

Belloc tactfully put a silver coin into the basket. The dancer bowed her head and moved her slender legs to walk out of the tavern. That was the end of it. Nothing like anything happening between the two of them occurred.

The dancer went to sell her talents at another tavern, and the stranger sat in his seat, drinking beer with blank eyes. Kara, who was resting her chin on her hand and looking at Belloc, muttered.

“How about giving her a bit more money to get some information about this place?”

“From that woman just now?”

Kara was startled and covered her mouth. Soon, she shook her head.

“No, there’s no need to get it from that woman. There are plenty of other people.”

Kara slightly turned her eyes. Adel sat with her axe handle leaning against the table, silently drinking. The witch’s brown eyes seemed to waver, but then looked at Belloc clearly again. She spoke.

“In any case, it is a clear fact that we need to know how things work around here. The skin color is different, the accent is slightly different, and even the god they believe in is different. In this land of sand, we are thorough strangers and wanderers. Perfect prey to be skinned alive.”

“Hmph. No matter how much those dark-skinned bastards attack, do you think they could even touch a single hair of Sir Belloc?”

Adel snorted and brandished her fork. The leftover sausage was poked hard, dripping juices. Soon, it went straight into her small mouth. Behind Adel’s mumbling voice, Belloc spoke.

“For now, we must stay in this city until the repair of our equipment is finished.”

The deadline the dwarf spoke of was a week. Currently, except for Kara, both Belloc and Adel had only their weapons on their bare bodies. On top of that, because the demonic mana remained in the bodies of the two women, crossing the desert in this situation was impossible. Even if they went, they didn’t know where to go. Damn it. He felt like a lost child.

The few windows of the inn squeaked and screamed. Through the gaps, the cold wind of the desert crept in. The crackling fireplace, the steam rising from the soup, and the warmth of the people neutralized it, if only a little. Every single one of these things was slowly dissolving the fatigue of the arduous journey. Belloc leaned back loosely in his chair. As he did, he thought.

Although it was now a faint memory like fog, in the scenes he had watched through the monitor, there were a total of five Archdemons. Since one of them was killed by him, the remaining number was four. The goddess’s words, “Insufficient,” probably came from this too. If it had been the him of the past, he would have rushed the blacksmith and put all his effort into finding the locations of the remaining Archdemons. However, it was not so now.

He would no longer live as if chased by something. He wouldn’t blindly believe in the goddess’s promises or whatever. At least for now, he decided to only think about the matters right before his eyes. As if making a vow to himself, he spoke.

“Since there is still time, let’s look into it little by little. Whether it’s this city or this country…”

Belloc trailed off for a moment. Time might not be on her side. But he had not forgotten. In any case, she was a companion who had shared life and death with him. If the opportunity arose, he would definitely find her.

“Even if it’s the lost elven lady.”

Kara bit her lip and closed her eyes. The fact that Isabel had taken an arrow in her place came to mind.

“Yes. Let’s make sure, absolutely sure, to look for her. How much she must be suffering right now…”

“We will surely be able to find her. Her appearance is on the conspicuous side.”

The two nodded with heavy faces. The empty mugs and plates rattled as a brown-skinned server quietly approached and took them away. The three stood up and headed upstairs.

Sleeping in a strange land could feel uncomfortable at first glance. However, compared to sleeping outdoors, it was no different from heaven, so they soon fell asleep, snoring softly.

#

“They say most Arian people worship and serve a god named Shatra. He is a male deity with the head of a dog who governs life and death.”

“They say disappearances are occurring occasionally in the city right now. There’s a rumor that a large-scale search for the culprit will soon take place under the Lord’s command.”

“Altanis, the city we are in now, is quite a distance away from the Kingdom of Adria. It’s not the center where the capital of Arian is, but it’s a city where discrimination and wariness toward outsiders are fully active. To return to our homeland from here, we’ll have to cross several cities, and the number of villages will be double that. It’s a journey that will easily exceed a few weeks and take several months.”

“It is said that due to the monsters roaming outside the town, the supply of food and other daily necessities is slowly starting to experience problems. It is fine for now, but if this situation continues, prices will skyrocket.”

After daybreak, Kara and Adel wandered the market, squares, and streets, returning with rumors they had gathered in their own ways. Belloc also filtered out the absurd rumors he had heard and spoke of those that could at least be considered information.

“I heard that the culprit of the disappearances is hiding in this city’s sewers. And there’s also talk that the stench from the sewers is getting worse as time goes on.”

In the backyard of the inn, Kara spoke while stroking her chin.

“Let me summarize the situation. So… this place is also a mess. Due to the overflowing monsters, not only the country but also the city is in chaos. And we’ve been thrown right into the middle of it. Plus, we’re foreigners who don’t have the protection of the law, and our status doesn’t pass well either. Great, it’s the absolute worst situation.”

Kara chuckled and clapped her hands. Adel had a nervous expression, gripping her axe handle tightly and slamming it against the yard. Belloc could tell the reason why she was doing that. It was probably because she had faced discrimination and contempt from the Arian people here while gathering rumors. Although he had attached Kara to talk on their behalf to prepare for such situations, it seemed just listening from the side made her blood boil.

“Ugh! Damn it!”

Adel sat down while clutching her chest. It was because the mana inside her body wriggled when she got excited. She chanted a prayer and emitted holy power. It was to purify the residue of the Archdemon. Leaving Adel alone, Belloc looked at Kara.

She was fully dressed in the leather armor Belloc had bought her, and at her waist, she carried a rapier, a staff, and even a grimoire. Toward the female warrior who revealed her supple figure without regret, he spoke.

“Have you adapted to the armor a bit?”

Kara stuck out her tongue and replied.

“It’s hot. It’s stuffy. It sticks to my body and is uncomfortable.”

She seemed to still be doing fine. Belloc let Kara’s complaints go in one ear and out the other, and picked up a branch that was rolling around. At this, Kara was startled.

“Why… why?”

“Draw your sword, Kara. I will teach you a bit of swordsmanship.”

“Do I really have to learn it? I’m a mage, not a swordsman. Besides, even if something happens, you guys will protect me…”

“Haven’t we already experienced an emergency once? If you learn even a little, it will be of great help. It will be a trump card.”

Kara squirmed and mumbled, but eventually nodded. Belloc also did not mean to tell her to neglect magic and focus on swordsmanship. He only wanted to build up her stamina while helping her adapt to moving in armor.

“Look at the guard under the blade. There’s a round steel plate-like thing attached, right? With this, you can block or deflect the opponent’s blade.”

“Just because the sword looks thin, there’s no need to obsess over thrusting. If you put some strength into it, you can split bone and all. But since you are a mage, it would be best to focus on covering your openings when they appear after casting a spell.”

Belloc lightly swung his sword and exchanged blows with Kara. Correcting her posture here and there, he taught her how to swing the sword, how to avoid being cut by her own blade, and a few swordsmanship techniques that could be used in actual combat.

Contrary to her hesitant attitude, Kara participated in the training quite diligently. Even when she rolled on the ground multiple times and her red hair was covered in dirt and dust, she jumped up and swung the sword. The battles with monsters she had experienced seemed to have given her a lot to think about in many ways. Sensing her breathing and emotional fluctuations, Belloc stopped the training at the appropriate time. Not bad. She was quite talented.

“Pant, pant, I’m dying… It would be much easier to learn a few new spells instead!”

Kara shrieked and lay down on the ground with a thud. The hot desert sun and the yellow sky filled with sand came fully into her eyes. Watching this, Belloc and Adel chuckled. Soon, leaving Kara alone, the two also began to spar. The greatsword and the axe clashed with a ringing sound, filling the backyard. In that manner, the group gathered rumors about the city, rested at the inn, and treated the aftereffects of the war. A week passed like an arrow.

“O Goddess who shines solely upon me. Please give me strength.”

Adel placed her hand on Kara’s head while looking at the small holy book in her hand. Soon, a clear red light emitted from the paladin’s hand. Kara let out a small groan as the light enveloped her body with crackling sparks. As the light of the holy power faded, she gasped for breath and muttered.

“Is it over?”

“Hold on.”

Adel touched Kara’s forehead once and also placed her hand on her abdomen. Then she nodded.

“You are purified. Demonic mana is no longer felt from your body.”

“Thank you, Adel. Thanks to you, I survived.”

“No need for thanks. We are companions.”

Adel patted the back of Kara, who was sitting on the bed, with a slightly subtle smile. Then she looked at Belloc.

“Sir Belloc. It is finished.”

“You’ve worked hard, Adel.”

Belloc spoke in a rather indifferent tone, as he always did. It was not intentional. The behavior and speech inherent in this knight’s body were just like this. Ordinarily, Adel would have passed it over quietly too. However, this time was different. Her black eyes trembled slightly, showing a trace of hurt.

“…It’s nothing.”

Belloc was slightly flustered. Was it because of the close distance? His sharp senses were perceiving all of Adel’s emotions in detail. He hesitated for a moment. If it had been his past self, he would have just let it go. However, it was not so this time.

After hesitating for a moment, he gently placed his hand on Adel’s shoulder. Touching not cold armor, but a shirt fabric and a bare hand full of calluses. Belloc stroked the back of her neck and spoke in a much softer voice.

“Because you were here, I was able to come this far. And I was able to survive. I am always grateful. Your loyalty, your heart that thinks of me. All of it.”

Adel’s eyes trembled greatly. The hurt look contained inside vanished instantly. She bowed her head deeply, mumbled something, and wiped her eyes. Adel spoke.

“Let’s go find the equipment. By now, that blacksmith should have finished the work. If the work isn’t done yet, I will pull out his beard.”

“Right.”

Belloc chuckled, wrapped his arm around Adel’s shoulder, and moved his feet. ‘He was a man who knew how to say such things?’ Kara followed the two with her mouth wide open. Soon, when the three arrived in front of the dwarf’s blacksmith shop, an anomaly occurred. A group of soldiers blocked their path.

“Foreigners. Wait a moment. Sir Avenmaha is currently here.”

A guard with copper skin dressed in chain mail spoke in an arrogant tone.

Avenmaha? What kind of bastard was that? As Belloc thought that, Kara whispered in his ear.

“He is the son of the Lord here. I heard he causes trouble whenever he’s bored and commits thug-like actions.”

So he’s the relative of the highest authority in the city. If friction occurs, it will be tiring. Should we come back later? Around the time he thought that, two loud voices echoed from inside the blacksmith shop.

“My Lord! Haven’t I told you repeatedly that the owner of that spear is already decided!”

“What?! A mere blacksmith raising your voice to me now? You! Do you want to die!”

“No, that’s not it…”

“Besides, so what if the owner is decided? In this city, my word is law and will! Stop talking nonsense and give that spear here immediately!”

A spear a noble would covet? It seemed that bastard was coveting his weapon now. Belloc frowned. It was due to the thought that he would get caught in something troublesome. His gaze turned. It was toward the soldiers who blocked the blacksmith shop and were smirking at the group.

Looking at the soldiers, he thought. Would the Lord’s son listen to him? Or should he beat these guys up and retrieve his item? Or should he wander this desert while wanted by the city? Whatever the case, he would be using some strength for the first time in a while. Belloc swung his arms and loosened his shoulders.