As expected, it was extremely unlikely that he could concentrate anymore.
His physical condition was also at its worse.
He decided to return to the inn, take a couple days of rest, and then challenge Sasala once again.
「Ah, um……Please wait. Erm……About the “test”……」
「Mu?」
Could it be that she is going to say that there is a limit to the number of challenges that could be made? If that were the case, he felt that with today’s accident, it should not be counted.
Sasala straightened her posture.
「Um……You saw it, didn’t you? My thrust.」
「Didn’t a bother come in the middle of it.」
「Th, that was the second one……desu. I am talking about the first one.」
Diablo remembered how Sasala slowed down her attack when he asked her to “wait”.
──If she says that that was a disqualification, I have no words to give back.
Was there any enemy that would stop from being told to “wait” in an actual fight? Even if he were to say so himself, he blurted out something stupid.
He thought of an excuse.
「Ahー……Actually, at that time, the presence of the Evil Monkey was already……」
While breaking out into a cold sweat, he tried to come up with a suitable reason.
Sasala’s eyes sparkled.
「Th, this is a first for me. To have my thrust evaded!」
「Mumu?」
「I was thinking “couldn’t you also have warded it off with your sword at that time”.」
「That is only natural. You, had slowed down your attack after all.」
「Eh? Erm……I didn’t slow it down.」
Rem and Shera were also in agreement.
「……It was an attack so fast I couldn’t see it. It wasn’t any different than before.」
「Yup, yup. It was faster than slashing with a sword, wasn’t it.」
Diablo tilted his head.
「You say some strange things. The first time, didn’t you clearly thrust slowly?」
Sasala spoke being somewhat excited.
「Slowly! This is, the first time my own thrust was described like that.」
「C, could it be……」
「I am a Master Swordsman. There is no way I would make a half-baked attack. I had not aimed for a vital spot, but it was a serious thrust that I put all of my energy into. And you, had evaded that!」
「Se……」
Seriously!? is what he was about to say.
*Futsu futsu* Joy came welling up.
Sasala made a declaration.
「You pass! Diablo, I welcome you as a disciple of the Master Swordsman. M, my disciple……You are number one.」
Disciple number one.
「What, did you say……?」
In response to her words, not just Diablo, even Rem and Shera tilted their heads.
Sasala scratched her head.
Her bushy dog tail flapped about.
「Ufufu……Having no one able to receive my full-powered sword, I became a bit uneasyー. I finally have one～.」
「You said that you were acting as the Master Swordsman, since half a year ago, right?」
「Y, yes. Several very strong looking Warriors, had come by but……They didn’t quite make it.」
「Do you know a man called Emil?」
「Au, I’m sorry. I am not very good at remembering people’s names……」
「He is a strange guy that self-proclaims himself to be an “ally of women”. He has a long name of Byushe-something.」
Sasala made a displeased face.
「H, he did……He said that he defended himself against the sword of Faltra’s Feudal Lord, so I guess that was amazing……But, while thinking “if he were to become my disciple, would this person stay at the estate? That’s a bit scaryー”, I cut him down.」
「What happened?」
「Although I cut him about a hundred times, he was unable to block even one of them, and I felt relieved. Ah, I told him to please come again after he went around to various countries and got him to leave……」
「You, that’s just a sheetty game, isn’t it!?」
Diablo involuntarily shouted.
*Biku* Sasala was taken aback.
「Wa, wawa……W, was something……wrong with that?」
「It was said that to receive the Master Swordsman’s instruction, they need to be a level 80 Warrior──did you know that!?」
「Eh? Level? What is that?」
「Were you not taught about that part by your predecessor!?」
She did her very best to remember.
「Ah……ah……Come to think of it, when people came wanting to be his disciple……Tou-sama would test them.」
「Umu.」
Sasala, as if yearning for the past, made distant eyes and spoke.
「He would slash at about three times slower than usual, and if they could catch that blow, then they would passー.」
「Thattt isss theee original difficulty levellll, you damned imbicileeeー!!」
「Hii～!? I’m s-s-sorryー.」
「You mean to say you tested me at three times that level!?」
「Awawa……W, was it wrong of me to slash at you with my full powerー!?」
「What did your predecessor do!?」
「Hauu～, he held back……I had forgotten this whole time……」
When Sasala escaped to close to the wall, she hugged her tail and trembled. Her pointed ears were drooped down.
Diablo took a daunting pose.
His drowsiness had been blown away.
「You, do you not know about your own level either!?」
「Ah……uh……I was told once……by Tou-sama……」
「And what did he say?」
「”When you win against this father of yours, I shall deem you as level 200” is what he said……」
「Level 200!?」
His head, felt dizzy.
He felt as if the ground became slanted.
He could understand why he was unable to see through Sasala’s slash before. It was an unknown high level that he had never fought against before.
The highest level implemented in the MMORPG Cross Reverie went up to level 150.
She was far higher.
To think that she would reach such height with just a few years of training.
So she was a prodigy.
──I might be able to understand a bit why the previous Master Swordsman had turned into an Oni out of jealousy.
One couldn’t imagine it from seeing her tremble like a scolded dog, but this young Dwarf girl, she was a much higher level than anyone he had fought up until now.
Rem spoke so as to pacify him.
「……Diablo, everyone makes mistakes.」
He wasn’t mad anymore, but he replied with a Demon King-like self-important attitude.
「There won’t be a next time.」
Sasala nodded many times.
Diablo asked with an exasperated sounding tone.
「To begin with, I seem to be disciple number one but……You are able to provide proper guidance, right?」
「It, it is fine……Tou-sama had said this. That the arts of a Master Swordsman are not for the sake of fighting, but for the sake of teaching people.」
「What will we do tomorrow? If you say that it is cleaning the estate, or working in the fields, I will be going home.」
He understood that basics and spirit training were important, but he didn’t know when the Demon King army would invade Faltra City. If there was a need to settle down there, he intended on coming back again later.
Sasala had a nervous look to her.
「E, erm……Since you will be fighting against me with a wooden sword……How does that sound?」\n「Uーmu」
He had nothing but unease.
With her being a level 200 Warrior, he found it scary since it seemed like she could do a one-hit kill even with a wooden sword but……
「I, I can properly hold back!」
──Ehhー? Can you really?
That was how he felt, but he decided to trust her on it for the time being.
Rem squatted down in front of Sasala.
「……May I ask something? I have two requests for the Master Swordsman.」
「Auu……If you are fine with someone like me.」
Having suffered from Diablo’s anger on top of already being a timid person, she had shrunken down to being servile.
「It is something that only you can do. With the correct intensity that you mentioned earlier, could you test me as well? If it is somewhat slow, I might be able to handle it somehow.」
「B, but, aren’t you a Summoner……?」
「……I had said this before, but in order for me to fight against the Demon King army as well, I want to become stronger.」
「Uuー, I understand.」
It turned out that Rem would also take the test.
Shera raised her hand.
「Then, I’ll also take itー. It seems like it’ll be boring if I just wait alone after all.」
Rem glared at her with scornful eyes.
「……You’re an Archer.」
「I told you I’m a Summoner!」
「Hawawa……This is about becoming a disciple of the sword though～!?」
Quarrelling a bit, in the end, Shera also ended up being able to take the test.
Going “for the other one”──Rem started again.
「……This one, is a much more major request.」
「Wh, what is it?」
「Could you come to the Fortress City Faltra, and fight against the Demon King army together with us?」
「Eh……?」
「I understand that Sodmas City at the foot of the mountain has flourished thanks to the Master Swordsman. However, if Faltra City falls, then this place will also become isolated.」
「Yes.」
「……It would not be an exaggeration to say that the protection of Faltra City will influence the destiny of the Races. By all means, please lend us your strength.」
Shera put her hands together.
「As expected of you, Rem! If she does that, it’ll be something really pleasant! I’ll ask too, please do it, Sasala-chan!」
Being petitioned like that, Sasala pondered.
「U, un……We are friends, so I feel like, I want to do something about it but……There is still the matter about Tou-sama.」
「Ahh, that’s true! In that case, we’ll need to settle that!」
Shera said that, and Rem had no objections.
Liked it? Take a second to support Novels on Patreon!