Chapter 7
The Punishment
Translator : PolterGlast
"Whoa? The geezer
from before is here too! This might be fate!"
"What a crazy
coincidence! Why are you two together!"
"The payment for
the vase. Should we make this geezer pay too? These two are in a party,
right!?"
They probably
overheard my conversation with the receptionist about going to see Ginia,
figured that an old man rookie would be an easy mark, and intentionally
harassed me at the entrance.
The fact that it was
them confirmed it in my mind: the vase was definitely cheap, and Ginia was
being scammed.
"W-what's going
on? Did you know this person?"
"No, he just
picked a one-sided fight with me a moment ago. He was at the Adventurer's
Guild, so I think they're probably adventurers."
"What are you
mumbling about! Hurry up and pay the ten platinum coins! If you can't pay...
fuh heh heh, we'll have you pay with your body!"
He drew his sword and
pointed it at me and Ginia.
They're the worst kind
of villains, and I'd love to beat them down, but if they're B-rank adventurers,
I can't win.
...Or so it should be,
but even with a sword drawn and pointed at me, I don't feel any fear, same as
before.
Just as the vase they
called authentic was fake, it's highly likely—no, it's certain—that their claim
of being B-rank adventurers is also a lie.
Once I realized that,
there was nothing to be afraid of.
Without even bothering
to draw my katana, I slowly approached the three adventurers.
"Huh? Why are you
coming closer? Geezer, you are just an extra, I'll seriously cut you down, you
know?"
"If you can cut
me, then try. But in return, I won't hold back."
"Gahaha! Lame!
You're trying to act cool in front of a woman even though you're an old man,
that's what's lame! An old geezer shouldn't get cocky!"
After one of them shouted
that, he came at me, seriously intending to cut me.
But his movements were
slow; a bit better than Ginia's, but not by much.
Just like before, I
took a single step back to dodge, then fiercely grabbed his cheek.
Unlike with Ginia
earlier, I wouldn't do something as gentle as restraining him.
Being careful only not
to crush his face, I slowly lifted the adventurer I had grabbed into the air.
And after raising him
to a certain height—I smashed the back of his head into the ground.
After letting out a pathetic
little shriek, the adventurer collapsed, motionless.
At this sudden event,
the two who were standing by stared with dumbfounded expressions.
"Aren't you two
going to attack?"
"D-don't you dare
look down on us! You're just a rookie geezer!"
Perhaps because he was
panicking, despite having a sword at his waist, he came at me with his fists
instead of drawing it.
This attack was also
surprisingly slow—I don't even need to dodge this punch.
The fist flew towards
my face, but I decided to take it with my face instead of avoiding it.
I adjusted so it would
hit my cheekbone, and before the punch was fully extended, I moved forward into
it.
I heard the sound of
finger bones breaking, but the adventurer, thinking he had managed to punch me
in the face, started to laugh.
"Ha, hahaha! Just
because you got lucky and took one of us down—Uagh, it hurts!"
It seemed the pain
from his broken fingers hit him with a delay, and he clutched his fist and
rolled around on the ground.
To react like this
from just a broken finger, he might not even be an adventurer.
In Furo village, even
a small child wouldn't cry out in pain so dramatically.
Feeling a little
embarrassed that I had been afraid of such frauds, I grabbed the hair of the
rolling adventurer, forced his head up, and smashed his face into the ground.
All that was left was
the one who seemed to be the leader.
With his two
companions taken down so easily, all his earlier bravado was gone, his face
completely frozen in fear.
"W-wait a minute,
I-I'm sorry! I'm really sorry! You only have to pay for half the vase!
Okay?"
He was apologizing
profusely, but the fact that he was still trying to make her pay for half the
vase made me laugh in spite of myself.
It was a laugh of
exasperation, but the leader, mistaking it for forgiveness, also smiled.
I slowly approached
the leader and slammed my fist into his gut.
Grabbing the hair of
the leader, who was struggling and gasping for breath, I gave him my final
warning.
"Don't ever
appear before me and Ginia again. Next time—I might just kill you."
After confirming that
the leader nodded with tears in his eyes, I smashed his face into the ground
just like the others and knocked him out.
The three adventurers
lay unconscious in the shop, bleeding from their noses, while Ginia stood
frozen with her mouth agape.
"Sorry for
roughing them up in your shop. But they shouldn't demand money from you
anymore."
"............Th-thank
you. You're strong, mister."
"No, I think
these three were just exceptionally weak. The 'expensive vase' was probably a
lie, too. They're just con men who are all talk."
"I see. To me,
you looked strong, mister—or rather, I haven't asked your name yet! What's your
name?"
"My name is
Graham Ward. I just became an adventurer a little while ago... an old rookie, I
guess."
"Graham-san!
Thank you so much for helping me!"
"No thanks are
needed. I was being targeted in the same way, so it was almost like I was
fighting for myself. More importantly, could you help me carry these guys
outside?"
"Yes! I'll help,
but... shouldn't we call the soldiers?"
"If we had proof
they committed a crime, I'd turn them in, but without evidence, it would just
be a waste of the soldiers' time. I taught them a firm lesson, so I think if we
just toss them outside, they'll run away on their own."
"I understand.
Let's carry them out!"
And so, Ginia and I
carried the three unconscious men outside.
It feels like I was
suddenly dragged into some bizarre mess, but it was good to learn that even
with one arm, I can fight just fine against weak opponents.
Although it was a
close battle, but I did defeat an Ancient Dragon, so maybe I should have a
little more confidence in myself.
With that thought, my
first day in Biodasdal came to an end.
-----
Thank you for my Patrons !!
[Platinum]
Geral Aponso
MaxKne
[Gold]
B random
DavidA
Nepheos
ShitaiNoKootoRyuu
[Silver]
1EYED_SLOTH
Creris
Frédéric Bertrand-Hudon
Matthew Fraser
Anton Lim
Crushingon
Ctdela
Curious Panda
Joe Smith
Read Advanced Chapters only on my Patreon
-----
