He didnât win.He had handled requests alone until he became an adventurer.The requests included collecting herbs in a certain part of the forest, or chasing away animals from villages in the capital cityâs hinterland at night. These requests were merely odd jobs for beginners, but he continued to work at it until he became trusted by the Guild.He persuaded a senior adventurer to teach him to use weapons.
He was confident.He had even been invited to a party.He had planned to surpass Wynn, who had not yet become a knight.
However, he sawing that he couldnât do a thing in that duel.On the contrary, he lost in front of his crush after meeting her again after four years.By the time he swung his sword, Wynnâs sword was already pointed at his face.Unable to stand the sight of Leti, smiling brightly, so close to Wynn, without saying a word, Abel ran to his room, grabbed his stuff, and dashed out again.He wanted to leave the place as fast as he could.It was not yet the meeting time, but he ran straight for the Adventurerâs Guild.It was his dream to be part of an adventurer party.As he waited to meet his fellow party members at the Guild, he tried not to think about his match with Wynn.
He tried, butâŠ
Though it was his dream, Abel sighed as he trudged towards the end of the line in the adventurer party.
âWhatâs wrong, Abel?â
â⊠Regus-san.â
Lost in thought, he hadnât realized that he ended up beside a man with a gigantic stature.
It was Regus the axe-wielder.
He was the leader of the party who invited Abel.He was a veteran adventurer acknowledged by the capitalâs Adventurer Guild. This time, parties were being assembled to subjugate a bandit group.
âYou have such a gloomy face, even before the mission. Were you ignored by a woman?â
âUghâŠâ
Being right on the mark, the words hit Abel like a brick.
âWahaha! I was right on the mark. Who is the other girl?â
âItâs somebody Regus-san also knows.â
âHou? If itâs a girl I know, Flowering Moon Innâs Mira? Roadside Pebble Innâs Merril? Or is it Connie?â [1]
ââŠItâs Leti.â\n
Among the smiling adventurers, Regus listed the popular shop girls one by one.
With a peeved expression, Abel interjected with a whisper.
âLeti? The Leti that always stuck to Wynn?â
âOh? That Leti-san.â
Upon hearing Wynnâs name, Abel frowned.Regus
âIf itâs Leti, thatâs impossible.ââAh, it really is impossible.ââThatâs whyâŠââWhat are you guys saying!â
Overhearing his conversation with Regus, the other party members said that it was impossible, to Abelâs indignation.Upon seeing their uniform faces of pity, Abel became incensed.
âItâs just that, that girl isâŠâ
Letiâ Leticia van Mavis.
The adventurers were able to find this out with their intelligence network.The adventurers affiliated with the capitalâs Adventurer Guild were in contact with their junior adventurers.Mingling among the adults, they came in and out of the Adventurerâs Guild, completing odd jobs and errands as a pair.At first, Thinking that it was a childish exploration, they were made light of, but upon seeing them cross swords with the Guildâs training facilities, they were slowly acknowledged.Showing swordsmanship uncharacteristic of children, the novice adventurers who hadnât learned the skills tried to leave the training center faster.Eventually, upon not seeing Leticia anymore, and Wynn had saved up the money for the admission fee for the knight school and was admitted, so their visits decreased. But the pair left such a strong impression that they werenât forgotten.Later, when Leticiaâs many achievements as the Brave reached them through rumors, those who knew her when her younger self realized the difference in their abilities.
âWell, we should stop talking about difficult matters. Sheâs out of reach.â
âI didnât know that!â
âEither way, doesnât Leti-chan like Wynn?â[2]
âUuhâŠ.â
Abel frowned, unable to reply.Leticia had always followed Wynn around since they were young.Through observing the coupleâs duels, they could see that Leticia held feelings for Wynn.
But Abel didnât notice that.Even if Regus hadnât met Leticia since she returned victoriously as the Brave, from Abelâs behavior, it was easy tell that Leticia strongly yearned for Wynn.In the first place, they were of different social statuses.Apart from being the Brave, she was also a Dukeâs daughter, giving her a position among nobility second to only royalty.Even if Wynn had her heart, it would be reckless for an unrelated person like him to obtain her hand.\nâEven then, I wonât give up! Iâll raise my fame, and then, Iâll confess to her!â
Abel raised his fist as he proclaimed.After the mission, Regus, wearing a wry smile beside Abel, planned to tell Abel about the value of information gathering.
âConcentrate, focus on the opponentâs movements.â
To Locke, who was clad in light leather armour, most important goal was to be able to stop the agile Wynnâs movments.With his strength magically enhanced, if he could stop Wynnâs movements, then he could win.Holding his wooden shield in front of him, he observed Wynnâs movements.It was an opponent he had faced countless times.In order to tempt Wynn into attacking, he slowly closed in on him.When the shield blocked the very first attack, he would thrust out just as Wynn stopped moving.Wynnâs stance dropped slightly â
Dan![3]
With his step creating an intense sound, he instantly moved towards Locke.Quickly and pointedly, he aimed below Lockeâs shield, his abdomen.
Gak!
The sword collided with the face of the shield.
âURAAAAAAH!!!â
Locke stopped Wynnâs blade with his shield, and thrust at Wynnâs throat with a shout.Wynn took a hanmi pose and then leapt to the side.[4]Then Locke once again held his shield up, as Wynn raised his sword, gauging the distance between them.
âOoh, Locke-san, that was pretty strong.â
Leticia, who was observing their spar in a place slightly removed, commented.
âAh, thatâs because Locke was the runner-up in last yearâs knight selection tournament.â
Maybe I should leave these names in romaji⊠roadside pebble more elegant sounding⊠lolâback I was for some reason thinking that these adventurers would betray Abel, but⊠they seem decent. Theyâre on my ship!âback SFX, not a nameâback https://pequeniosuniversos.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/hanmi-hitoemi-01.jpg Iâm pretty sure itâs about this, and not about half a body dodgeâŠâback No intent on reform from the inside?âback pronounce the oooooh not like âlookâ, but like the beginning of the âaâ in âwallââback Smart choiceâŠâback