CH 29

Lunamaria ②

「Nice, Larz! You totally tricked that coward and got him right where you want him!」

Miroslav praised Larz with a smile of satisfaction on her face.

In response to that, he smiled in a self-conscious manner.

「Sorry, Miro. I completely forgot about what you told me our way there…I wasn’t putting on an act to manipulate him… I was seriously angry at that guy」

「Hehe, it’s because you’re that type of person, I’m sure he’s on his guard now. With that, you’ll be able to free that Ciel girl from his grasp. It’ll be a great achievement for you」

After she said that, Miroslav held Larz’s hand with both of hers and smiled.

Larz smiled bashfully.

Lunamaria was clearly perplexed as she watched those two.

When her eyes met with Miroslav’s, Miroslav looked down and spoke,

「But I didn’t think that the other side would be after Luna instead of me. That was the only thing that I did not expect. I’m sorry for that, Luna」

「Umm…」

「But it’s all good!」

Miroslav raised her voice and spoke over Lunamaria when she was about to say something.

「There’s no way Larz will lose to that coward. Larz is level 16 and the other person is level 1. No matter how badly he messes up he still won’t lose. You might be feeling uneasy about the condition of becoming a slave, but please trust Larz. I want you to do this as well」

With that, Miroslav bowed her head deeply.

Then, Lars also nodded strongly at Lunamaria to try to get rid of her uneasiness.

「It’s just as Miro says. I will never lose to a coward who harasses a slave that can’t fight back. Um, I didn’t mean to put you up as a wager, but I want your consent. I also want to help that girl named Ciel…please!」

Even though Larz was saying please, he did not doubt for a second that Luna would refuse him.

He was confident in his victory and he believed that his comrades were also confident in him. There was no way that she would refuse him, he thought.

However, Lunamaria did not nod, she couldn’t nod.

It’s because she could feel Sora’s hidden power more than anyone else here.

After seeing him for the first time after a while, he looked even more powerful than before.

Since she expected it this time, her body did not freeze up like before, but she still felt a feeling of pressure when she saw him. It was as if Sora had a grip on her heart.

If she was asked if Larz could win versus him, she could only shake her head.

When Larz noticed Lunamaria’s hesitation as if she was questioning his ability, he was going to open his mouth again in an outrage.

The one who put a stop to that was Iria, who had been silent this whole time.

「Stop it, Larz. We all know what each other is capable of, no? It’s not that easy to accept having your own fate decided by other people’s victory. Of course Luna would be hesitant」

「A-Ah, you’re right. I’m sorry, I might have gotten a bit too defensive」

「But still, isn’t it strange?」

「What is?」

「You’re level sixteen, the other side is level one, you’ll win if you two fight, don’t you think? But Sora knows that as well. So why would he accept such a disadvantageous fight?」

「Why, you ask…? He probably thought that he could win, right?」

「That’s what I’m saying, why does he think that he could? He accepted the duel because he believes that he has a chance to win. And we’re the ones who have no idea what’s making him think that. He didn’t show his face in Ishka for nearly two months after the king of flies incident. It seems that he took a trip to the Empire, so it’s possible that he obtained some kind of strange power from there」

Larz knitted his brows and went into thinking after hearing what Iria said.

At this point, Lunamaria began to reveal the thoughts in her mind for the first time to her comrades.

「Larz, about what Iria just said…」

「What is it, Luna?」

「This is just my intuition as spirit user, so I don’t have any concrete evidence on this but…the Sora right now is different from the Sora from the past」

「Different?」

「Yes. I’m afraid that he isn’t a level one anymore. I could feel a power from him that can’t be compared to before. I think something happened at the king of flies’ nest」

She did not mention anything about a dragon because she might lose all her credibility if she did. That’s why Lunamaria explained Sora’s abnormal situation in a simplified manner.

The crease between Lars’ eyebrows deepened after he heard her words.

It was Miroslav who spoke out to him then,

「Larz, there’s no need to worry」

「Miro?」

「So what if that guy leveled up? Even if he spent those two months hunting monsters, the highest he could be now is around level 3. He might have reached 4 if he fought non stop, but that should be the limit. Yeah, his power would have doubled or tripled if compared to his past self, but he would still be a child compared to you」

Miroslav raised her voice as she explained it like a matter of fact.

「A guy who’s been doing nothing but gathering herbs all these years versus you, who has gone through many dangers as an adventurer; there’s a big difference not only in your levels, but experience as warriors as well. That gap can’t be closed in just two months, don’t you think?」

「Yeah! Of course!」

「Besides, I have a clue on why he’d think he could win like Iria said 」

「Really?!」

「Yes. That guy has already said it last time. He paid thirty gold coins to buy that girl named Ciel. Where did he get his money from? During the incident from before, he also had the money to call for a priest who could use 『Sense Lie』. What about that money? In my opinion, he most likely looted the belongings of the dead at the king of flies’ nest and sold them for money」

Hearing what Miroslav just said, Iria mumbled something under her breath as if something came to her mind.

「…Speaking of which, that guy did bring back the identification tags of some adventurers」

「Yup. He did bring back their identification tags to report to the guild…but he must have kept their money and equipment. If he didn’t do that, there’s no way that a bum who got kicked out of the inn without ever paying any tips would suddenly have gold coins」

「Is that so? I also noticed an unfamiliar looking sword by his waist from the other day」

「Yes. He must have gotten that from selling the dead’s belongings. There’s no other explanation for it. The reason he went to the empire was to sell those things that he could not in Ishka. And then with the money he got, he went and bought a weapon and a slave in his arrogance. Now that man is flaunting to everyone around him with a smug look on his face. You can see his evil intentions from how he went out of his way to live at the same inn that he stayed at before」

「So, that means, the chance of victory that he thought he had from what Iria was talking about earlier…」

「I bet it’s that sword by his waist. Haha, that guy’s like a kid who has never touched a sword before but he got his hands on his parents’ sword and now he’s swinging it around in joy. That is clearly the case」

After she had cut down Iria and Lunamaria’s worries, Miroslav faced Larz again.

Then, she gently reached out and put her hands on his cheeks.

For a moment, Lunamaria felt like there was something wrong but she thought she was probably thinking too much.

「Larz, it’s the job of an adult to teach bad children a lesson. It’s the responsibility of a senior to teach the newbies who get full of themselves just because they’re leveling up quickly. Let’s show Sora the power of a real adventurer, a real warrior, shall we? You should do it for that poor therianthrope girl as well…」