I left Maria at ho and went to the tavern. It was the first day of work after the vacations, but there was no particular change. I greeted the manager, Lynn-san, and the custors briefly and went to work.
As usual, I was working mainly on cleaning up and washing dirty dishes. However, as I was working for the first ti in a long ti, my dish-washing speed had beco abnormal mainly due to my higher Status. I had to be careful to keep my hand speed down so as not to look suspicious.
Of course, I wouldnt neglect gathering information during my shift. If there was a custor I judged I could chat with, I would broach the subject with him or her. There simply wasnt enough information regarding the 20th floor if I only listened in with Dinsion.
That day, I was getting my intel from a certain familiar warrior Onii-san, Crow-san.
Huh. So there arent many monsters on the 14th floor?
Yup, thats right. Its the total opposite of the wetlands of the 13th floor; the 14th floor is a barren landits a vast expanse of desert with no water at all. It doesnt have many monsters, and it has a few area bosses as well. Few people go there to explore or hunt monsters. Usually, they just take the Main Road and go straight to the 15th floor.
I see. Desert sounds hot, doesnt it?
Exactly. The temperature on the 14th floor robs your body of water. Thats why there are so many unexplored areas on the floor.
Huh
Crow-san was soone I had a close relationship with ever since he had called out to on my first day on the job. He was usually drinking when I was working.
Thus, I found ti between chores to ask him, a seasoned explorer, about such things. However, if I chatted too long with Crow-san, the manager would take notice of . I had obtained enough information about the Labyrinth for the day, so I decided to end the chat early.
Thank you, Crow-san. Youve told
It was then that an unusual group ca crashing into the store.
I didnt recognize any of them. Their attire wasnt crude, as was often the case in Varte, but rather well-crafted, beautiful, and clean. Above all, they looked well-off. That was my first impression.
The woman walking at the forefront of that wealthy-looking group was a beastfolk. I felt sothing particular to the strong from her, so I focused my gaze on her.
Status
Na: Serra Radiant
HP: 256/256, MP: 101/101
Class: Knight
Level: 21
STR: 6.22, VIT: 7.91, DEX: 8.89, AGI: 10.02, WIS: 5.60, MAG: 7.77, APT: 1.57
Innate Skills:
Instinct: 1.77
Acquired Skills:
Swordsmanship: 2.12
Holy Magic: 0.89
A level in the twentiesa visit from one of the best and the fiercest of the Allied Nations.
She was a young beastfolk woman with bluish silver hair. She had a tuft of hair tied in a knot to the left, and her hair was down to her waist in the back. Both of her ears were animal ears, and she had a tail resembling a wolfs, making her a beastfolk. She wore comfortable clothing, minimal silver armor, and had a sword hanging at her waist.
Above all else, her eyes were distinctive. The sharp, slitted eyes revealed the rigor of the woman.
She passed her gaze throughout the entire tavern, seeming to be looking for sothing. The other custors were beginning to notice the group, wondering what was going on.
Perhaps she grew impatient; she began to speak loud and pronounced enough that everyone all around could hear her.
A man nad Christ is supposed to be working here.
?!!
My heart leaped out of my chest.
She had nad . I hadnt expected that at all.
A single sentence from her and several of the custors passed their attention to . It was inevitable since the regulars knew my na. Their gazes led her eyes to fall on , and beastfolk then called out to .
Are you Christ Eurasia?
With a much sharper gaze, the woman glared daggers at .
I was at a loss for an answer.
The problem was that I couldnt see her agenda. This atmosphere was nowhere near normal, and the armored n she brought with her scread danger to . I wanted to play it cool as much as I could.
But even if I lied, soone else could have confird my identity, and thatd be the end of . I had no choice but to tell her that it was my na.
yes. Im Christ, a waiter here.
I see.
The woman, after confirming my identity, took a breath and continued her words solemnly.
My na is Serra Radiant. I am one of the Celestial Knights of Whoseyards. I have only one matter of business with you: I have co to challenge you to a duel.
With those words, she lifted her sword, still in its scabbard, to indicate her intention to fight.
The bar was buzzing. So were astonished to see Serra Radiant in person, whoever she was, as well as her sudden challenge to a duel.
I dont understand what youre saying. Why challenge ?
I tried my best to remain calm and inquired about her true goal. I rembered I had received advice from a knight nad Palinchron before. Still, I didnt understand why I was in that situation at all.
Why, you ask?! You dare to ask with that mouth of yours?!!
Radiant-san, perhaps not pleased with my response, grew furious. Crow-san then stood up for .
Oi, you hold your horse. I dont care if youre a knight from Whoseyards or my arse; you cant just rear your heads here and act like you own the place. This is a tavern. Dont ss with the waiter.
Other custors with whom I regularly interacted stood up as well.
It looked like sothing important was about to happen. One by one, custors who seed to know how to hold their grounds stood to speak up as well.
I only watched coz I thought this was gon be fun, but if you gon hurt one of ours, then we talk together.
Dont think you can make a fool of Varte.
We dont know each other much, but Christ boyo is no stranger to us.
Many other voices went on to condemn Radiant-san.
They were agitated for my sake, making my heart flutter. It seed like, before long, I had been recognized in my own right.
Aint that right, Manager?! One of them shouted.
Before I knew it, the manager had co out of the kitchen and was standing behind . He spoke over my head.
Dont get too crazy, you dang fools. This Whoseyards Ojou-chan aint gonna go berserk in the store right now But Ojou-chan, rember that thiss a tavern. A store. You interrupt my business things gonna get ssy for both of us.
The manager was also a man nearing the 20th level. He didnt take a step back against the dangerous group of people.
Do forgive . I guess I was a little over my head. I apologize if I was interrupting your business. However, we have a mission we must fulfill on our part. That is to duel with that man and get our lady back.
Radiant-san bowed and talked with the manager calmly. She had seed agitated earlier, but she turned out to be quite the reasonable person by nature. The manager listened, cracked a smile, then asked .
Hou, that sounds amusing Oi, Christ. You seduce so noble lady or sothing?
Eeh Do I look like I would?
I an, surprisingly, its slender guys like you who tend to well, you know?
I know what? I didnt.
The atmosphere was bleak and high-strung not even a second before, but as soon as it was clear the whole thing was about so lascivious affair, the manager shifted to a lighter tone.
Radiant whatever girl. You heard what our Christ said. But well, this sounds sensitive. Id bet you want to talk it over. If a duel is what you want, cant you wait until this guy takes a break?
Indeed. I didnt an to cause trouble to the store either. Youre right. We shall rest until that guys break ti. Of course, we will order in.
With that, Radiants group took their place at the larger table.
And thats that. These Whoseyards knights ca for a al. You lots dont need to mind them. Go back to your plates.
Oi, oi. You sure about this, manager?
Sure or not, this got nothing to do with the store. Its Christs problem. It dont look like so baseless resentnt, so we just gotta wait and see.
Well, youre not wrong
* * *
* * *
The manager hushed the custors. That was not good for , though. I wanted everyone to help more.
No, manager. This is baseless. I dont rember ever doing anything wrong.
You bastard! You still want to feign ignorance?!
When I spoke up, Radiant-san glared at with a frightening expression.
The knight missy sure sounds convincing, though Just talk it over, Christ.
The manager put an end to the conversation, making it sound like I was reaping what I sowed before he retreated to the kitchen.
Fufu. Your ti is numbered. Prepare yourself.
Radiant-san muttered loud enough that I could hear her.
Just the thought of having to work with that murderous stare clinging to until break ti made let out a huge sigh.
Haa, what the hells
Still, I had no choice but to do my job as usual, up until the end of my part-ti shift, though
***
So, who is this lady you speak of? Is it Dia?
After enduring the work hours like I was walking on a knifes edge, I took my well-earned break and sat down at the sa table as Radiant-san. Her fellow knights stood behind , blocking my escape route.
Through Palinchron, I had confird that what they ant by their lady was not Franrhle, so for good asure, I brought up Dias na. After all that was said and done, I still couldnt believe Dia was being honest with his gender, and it wasnt hard to believe that he was actually so kind of runaway noble lady.
Dia who? Dont play dumb. Who else but our lady Lastiara-ojousama?
Radiant-sans voice turned one pitch lower when she ntioned the na Lastiara.
She probably didnt want the na to spread.
Lastiara? Aah, that troubleso girl.
With those last few days that had been condensed with events, it took a while to rember the girl I had t on my first day. The girl was still high on my list of dangerous individuals, although her freaky impression had faded with the arrival of Alty and Franrhle in my life. The whole debacle was caused by that girl.
Troubleso, you said?! You dare to call her like that after you kidnapped her?!!
Hang on. ? Kidnapped Lastiara?
Yes. Our lady has gone missing, and on her mo, she said she she! E-el-elo-eloped with the crook that is you!!
Haah. Eloped, you said.
There was no way she had eloped with . I had never even seen Lastiara since that night.
It was a clear case of false accusation, and it was Lastiara who threw in the hot water.
The next ti I saw her, Id beat the hell out of her. With my level, I figured should be able to.
Radiant-san was so agitated she wasnt speaking clearly, but she still kept on taunting .
Ourladyourladyourlady! Our most precious and kind lady!! All she ever talked about in the cathedral was you! How she happened to et you by chance in the Labyrinth, what kind of man you were, all the things you had done, she kept talking about you every day, every single day with that beautiful smile on her face, and us Celestial Knights who had to listen to your wretched na from her lips again and again and again do you even know how we feel?!!
Calm down. Have so water.
This is no ti for water!! Spit it out! Where did you hide our beloved lady?!!
I told you, I dont know what youre talking about. I havent seen her since running into her in the Labyrinth. Shes the one who lied to you. I an, its her were talking about I bet she ran away from ho just for the fun of it.
All I ever thought of Lastiara as was so kind of freak who took delight in her mischief. I did feel sorry for Radiant-san, but screaming at my face wouldnt give her anything.
Fu-, fufufu You an our lady did it just for fun? Running away from us? For fun? How could that modest and caring lady of ours do such a thing? She would never. Dont think I dont know when youre trying to pull the wool over my eyes. That is why we must duel. I will deal with you through the duel. We can look for our lady at ease after youre gone!
Ive no reason to accept your duel, though
Even if you dont accept it, you and our lady will never be united either way. You must defeat all of the Celestial Knights, or we will hunt you for the rest of your life.
Lastiara isnt with , even if you hunt down. You can co to my house to make sure of it if you want. Shes really not with .
I know how your perverse mind works. Youre trying to distract with false information, arent you? Hah, you wont deceive . I will catch you by the tail no matter what.
Hmm.
We werent even on the sa page. I hadnt the foggiest what happened, but Radiant-san was hellbent, convinced I was behind it.
I could continue to plead my innocence, but Id hate to be followed around all the ti. I wanted to keep as much information about hidden as possible. Grinding levels for Maria, for example. By the looks of it, she was willing to chase around the clock, following even when we explored the Labyrinth.
I calculated the gain and the loss in the corner of my mind.
I judged that taking up the duel itself wasnt a bad idea. My tolerance margin for risk had increased with the rising of my level, after all.
I understand. Lets duel then. If I lose, I will tell you everything. I dont know Lastiaras whereabouts, but I swear I will cooperate fully in your search.
Hou Finally, you gave up. Actually, no, Id say its more apt to say that youve realized your sin and are ready to take the punishnt for it.
No, dont kill off, please. I accept your duel, but let give it a rule of my own: Nothing that will result in a grave or permanent injury. You kill, you lose. You win only when your opponent admits defeat. After all, peace is best.
Mhm. Very well. I never fancied violence myself. Right, why dont I start by beating you until you give up on doing evil ever again.
The beastfolk knight claid she had never fancied violence in the sa breath that she declared shed beat into submission. I found it hard to believe she hated violence at all.
She was soone Id prefer to avoid contact with if at all possible.
If I win, dont show up before again.
Sure. The duel, of course, will be a one-on-one match.
Thats what Im thinking as well.
Good resolve. Fufu. Bring this outside.
With a single command, the knights lined up behind and cleared the way for us.
I got up to walk outside, finding the worried looks from people around . Lynn-san, who had been eavesdropping as she did her waitress chores, tried to talk out of it, but I turned her down.
Ch-Christ-kun
Its okay, Lynn-san. Weve already made the decision. Worst cos worst, I wont die.
I answered her with a smile, my voice loud enough to be heard by the manager and the custors.
Th-thats right, but Be careful, Christ-kun
My smile didnt crack even when Lynn-san showed her worry.
After all, that wasnt exactly a bad Event. If anything, it was a good Event.
I had always wondered I had managed to defeat Tida, even when humanity as a whole had a hard ti fighting him. If so, then just how strong was I compared to the rest of humanity
And then, conveniently, soone with a level in the twenties had appeared before . She was enraged at the mont, but her personality seed to be one that valued civility and humanity. She even accepted the lenient rule I had proposed to the duel. It was too good an opportunity to affirm my rank in terms of strength at the mont.
My level was at about half of Radiant-sans. However, I wasnt inferior to her in terms of Status. Any slight nurical differences could be covered with Dinsion, and I could read her tactics from her paraters.
I also had so new magic I wanted to try. It wasnt wrong to say I had my own interest in that one-on-one match.
Yes, thinking positively Her group had co all the way to the tavern for . I couldnt possibly miss out on the advantage.
With that rational answer, I walked away with a thin smirk on my face.
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