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071 Words Aren't
Getting Through...
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Translator : PolterGlast
The award ceremony was
supposed to proceed smoothly... but it didn't, and I hadn't expected him could
be that stupid.
"Hand over that
demonic sword to me," Akaba demanded, immediately after we were awarded
the demonic swords.
To say that in this
situation, I truly doubted Akaba's sanity. His brain must be utterly rotten.
The audience chamber
fell silent. What do I do about this atmosphere? I have no idea.
"Sir Akaba. What
foolishness are you speaking?" Princess Ermelda questioned.
"Wouldn't I, a
Hero, be better at wielding a demonic sword than such a weak-looking person,
Ermelda?" Akaba retorted. Informal address? Are they that close? No,
that's not it. The Princess's eyes looked at him like he was filth. So, Akaba
is informally addressing the Princess on his own initiative? ...He's just as
stupid as ever.
"This is a
reward. If you do something worthy of a reward, Sir Akaba, the royal family
will bestow upon you a demonic sword from its treasury," Princess Ermelda
stated.
"I can't defeat
monsters with weak weapons. Just give me a demonic sword from the start,"
Akaba complained.
I agreed that no one
wanted to fight with weak weapons, but I saw no necessity, nor did I think it
was possible, to transfer the demonic sword I received to Akaba. What's more,
what was this Hero, who possessed the Holy Sword Summon skill, even talking
about? I was hiding the fact that I was a Hero, but they were public figures,
so they should use it as much as they pleased. Even with a time limit, the holy
sword is a powerful skill and weapon that can be used in boss battles and such.
And they can use magic too, since they're Heroes.
"You are the weak
one, Sir Akaba," Princess Ermelda retorted.
"What!? You
bastard!" Akaba cursed. Well said, Princess! I don't dislike honest people
like that.
"Baron
Footscythel. That is yours. You may ignore Sir Akaba's words," Princess
Ermelda declared firmly. Akaba glared, but the Princess acted as if nothing had
happened. She completely ignored him (laughs).
"Hey, you!"
Akaba yelled.
Eh, me?
"I challenge you
to a duel for that demonic sword!" he demanded.
This is what it means
to be left speechless. I never thought that something like this would happen.
"Sir Akaba. Do
not speak such foolishness," the Princess admonished.
"A demonic sword
is fitting for a Hero like me, isn't it?" Akaba insisted.
"Sir Akaba!"
the Princess exclaimed.
"Wait a minute,
Akaba. You're being unfair. I'm a Hero too. That right belongs to me as
well," Hayate Uchida interjected.
"Uchida, you
bastard!" Akaba snarled.
What kind of right is
that!? I retorted in my heart.
"Then I'll claim
my right too!" Not just Uchida, but Doi also spoke up. All of them were
the trash who had assaulted me.
But why was the
conversation shifting to them getting the demonic sword I received? Was I going
crazy? No way. I wasn't crazy. These guys were.
" " "
Just hand it over already! " " "
They say there's no
cure for idiocy, and I truly believe it. The Princess was clutching her head.
What do I do about this?
Uchida and Doi used to
be Akaba's lackeys, but they were acting so aggressively now. Was it because
Akaba's father's influence diminished in this other world? Were they getting
cocky after separating from Akaba's group? They're all such scum.
" " "
Hey, you. Hurry up and give me that demonic sword! " " "
"No," I
replied. Why should I give it to them as charity?
" " "
Then let's fight for it! " " "
"Too much
trouble," I replied, but then thought, could I publicly beat these guys
up...? It might be a good idea. I had no intention of seeking revenge on these
guys, but if they pushed me this far, I might as well give them a painful
lesson.
Besides, with the Holding
Back skill that appeared at Reincarnated Hero Lv25, I could beat them up as
much as I wanted without killing them. Punch them and punch them and punch
them, but not kill them. That might be good.
" " "
Are you running away!? " " "
I'm getting really
motivated now. Let's show these guys hell. I could take this duel, since it
would allow me to vent my past resentment without killing them. Though it might
kill my conscience.
Hm, wait a minute. Why
was I so fixated on not killing them? It's true that I didn't want to kill them
at the very beginning of my summoning. I hadn't been killed, so I might have
thought it wasn't worth killing them. But since coming to this world, I've
killed many bandits. Was I becoming tainted by this world...? Environment
changes people. It's a plausible theory. Death is close in this world. Soft
ideas like in Japan don't apply. It's a world where taking and being taken,
killing and being killed, are commonplace.
"Hey, hurry up
and give me that demonic sword!" Akaba roared, pulling me out of my
contemplation. He's so impatient.
"What benefit do
I get from accepting that duel?" I asked, feigning reluctance.
" " "
It's our demonic sword! " " "
What!? I can't
communicate with these guys.
"Your Highness.
May I and Baron Footscythel handle this matter entirely?" the Duke asked.
What is the Duke planning?
"What do you
mean?" Princess Ermelda asked.
"Allowing such
outrage would be a disgrace to the kingdom. We wish to make them understand
that," the Duke explained. I agreed with "not allowing it," but
what would he do and how?
"Understood. This
matter truly cannot be overlooked. Until now, we had allowed the Heroes freedom
due to the burden of having summoned them, but this time, we cannot overlook
it. I entrust Duke Gardland and Baron Footscythel with this matter,"
Princess Ermelda declared. I was surprised that she felt burdened. She
understood that the summoning was an abduction, then. Well, I think that
summoning could have been refused, so it wouldn't be an abduction.
Although the god
(temporary name) didn't say it when I was summoned, I believe that if I had
refused, I wouldn't have been summoned. I think the god (temporary name) wanted
to send me to this world, so it deliberately didn't hint at such an option. I
didn't ask, but I felt a strong conviction about it.
Although it's not
proof, I, who refused to be summoned with these guys, was sent to a different
place in the form of reincarnation. I think it's more reasonable to believe
that I wasn't special, but that there were several options.
I, and my classmates,
probably couldn't have remained calm after meeting the god (temporary name). I
think the god (temporary name) arranged it so that we couldn't think calmly.
That's why I refused to be summoned together and was reincarnated, but if I had
said I didn't want to go, I should have been sent back to my original world.
"So, what will
you do?" Princess Ermelda asked.
"It's simple. I
will have Baron Footscythel duel those three individuals. If any of them win,
they will be given the demonic sword Salman. If they lose, they will pay a sum
equivalent to the value of the demonic sword Salman," the Duke explained,
his lips curling into a grin. I thought that was a mischievous expression. The
Princess seemed a little put off. As did the other nobles. Even if those guys
couldn't win against me, why were the others so put off? ...Ah, right. He's
going to make them voluntary slaves.
When I checked the
demonic sword Salman with Detailed Appraisal, I found out it was a national
treasure, carefully stored. Its value was 250,000,000 Grill. As a national
treasure, it was quite expensive. It was an amount that a Hero with the job
could earn quickly if they worked diligently, but not those guys...
Voluntary slaves
remain slaves for life unless they repay their debt. They have to obey their
master until they repay their debt. Voluntary slaves have rights, but if they
refuse everything, eventually those rights are taken away, and they are sent to
mines or battlefields to be worked to death. The Duke must be aiming for that.
"Does anyone else
want that demonic sword? ...No one, it seems. Then, is it agreed that those
three will duel Baron Footscythel?" the Duke asked.
" " "
Good! " " " (Akaba, Uchida, Doi)
"Do you three
agree that if you lose, you will pay an amount equivalent to the value of the
demonic sword? By the way, the value of the demonic sword Salman is—" the
Duke began.
" " "
Just hurry up! " " " These guys are idiots... Why are they so
stupid? Your influential fathers aren't here in this world, you know? Do they
really think they can live normally by making an enemy of the princess and the
Duke? Unless they have the military power to fend them off, but with their
current strength, no way.
We signed a magic
contract and agreed to the duel. The agreement stated that even if I killed
these three, I would not be charged with a crime, but I was not to kill them. I
had no intention of going that far anyway. In fact, it would be more satisfying
if they suffered under the debt equivalent to the value of this demonic sword.
"Let's get this
over with!" Akaba yelled.
"I'll send this
guy flying!" Uchida added.
"The demonic
sword is mine!" Doi declared.
The three of them
decided the order of battle against me by drawing lots. First was Doi, second
was Uchida, and last was Akaba.
It was a duel, but to
ensure no one was killed, blunted training swords were to be used. Of course, I
would use a two-handed sword.
Doi was a former judo
practitioner, a 100-kilogram class athlete, I think. I remember his academic
performance wasn't great because he rarely attended practice. His shaved head
had grown out, but it didn't suit him.
"Hehehe. I'll get
that demonic sword," Doi chuckled. His weapon was a sword, but it was a
huge sword, large enough for me to hide behind. Wait, its blade isn't blunted,
is it?
"Sir Tsuchii.
That sword's blade is not blunted, so it cannot be used," the referee
stated. The referee was apparently the commander of the Royal Knight Order. His
name was Barbados. He wasn't burly like Barukan; he was handsome and refined,
but I sensed a presence from him that was just as formidable as Barukan's.
I used Detailed
Appraisal on him and saw he was a Sword King Lv43. Like Sword Master and Master
Swordsman, it was a higher-tier job than Swordsman. But his level was even
higher than Barukan's! As expected of the Royal Knight Order Commander.
"I don't have any
swords I can use, so what choice do I have?" Doi complained. Given how
huge his sword was, they probably didn't have a training version of it.
"That would turn
into a fight to the death. We have other large swords, so go change it,"
Barbados instructed.
"The others don't
feel right in my hand," Doi muttered.
"The same applies
to Baron Footscythel. So if you don't like it, you will be considered to have
forfeited," Barbados stated.
"Tch," Doi
clicked his tongue, spat, and went to exchange his sword. His attitude was
terrible. Barbados was surprisingly patient. I almost spoke up like I used to.
This means I'm growing too.
Doi returned with the
largest training sword available and swung it vigorously to test its feel. The
swings were sharp enough to kick up dry dirt. If I had to name it, it would be
a uselessly large fan.
"Now, we will
proceed with the duel for the demonic sword Salman. Killing your opponent is
forbidden, but if a death occurs accidentally, you will not be charged. Victory
will be judged if the opponent falls and does not rise for 10 seconds, or if
they surrender. Attacking a fallen opponent is a foul. Anything else is
permitted. That concludes the rules, any questions?" Barbados asked.
"No! Just hurry
up and start!" Akaba yelled.
"No
problem," Uchida and Doi added.
Barbados nodded and
raised his right hand.
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