By the Grace of the Gods (LN) - Volume 13 - Chapter 4

Chapter 8, Episode 4: After the Match

“That’s the match!” Sebas called. The air was filled with the stench of blood.

“It seems you’ve...bested me,” Sever said.

“You think so...? It sure feels like...I’ve lost... Ow.” Flinching in pain, I assessed both his condition and mine.

“I thought I’d just barely won,” Sever groaned. “Only for you to keep fighting...”

“Mostly thanks to my gear...” I countered.

Our attacks had landed nearly simultaneously. Just as my sword had sliced through his armor and into his left shoulder, Sever had thrust his halberd—holding it just below the blade—between my arms and into my right shoulder. By the time I’d made a last-ditch effort and held my sword to his throat with just my left hand, his Wind Cutter had torn open my gut.

“Master Ryoma, while you had the opportunity to slit Master Sever’s throat, the injuries to your shoulder and abdomen are significant enough to be fatal without access to immediate healing. Therefore, I declare this match a draw. Lower your weapons, please, both of you, so you can be treated. Master Ryoma, your wounds in particular require immediate attention,” Sebas calmly announced.

Both Sever and I lowered our weapons. Suddenly, Sever fell to his knees. Now that the battle was over, I felt my pain intensify, and I nearly fell back onto the ground before Sebas caught me and gently laid me down. I watched my own blood begin to stain my armor red. My shoulder was in pretty bad shape, but not nearly as bad as my stomach... Judging by the speed of the bleeding, my major arteries were intact, but the cuts were just too big. If the bleeding didn’t stop soon...

“Miss Remily!” Sebas called.

“Yeah, I’m on it!” Remily answered. “Mega Heal! What kind of sparring was that...?”

“Gave me quite the scare,” said Reinhart. “I kept imagining that one wrong move would kill one of you.”

“My apologies, My Lord. As the referee, I should have—”

“You are not to blame, Sebas. I could not have interrupted that match either,” Reinbach interrupted.

Still healing us, Remily joined in. “Mega Heal. He’s right. Nothing you could have done, Sebas. Mega Heal,” she repeated, casting the spell again. She went on: “I couldn’t even tell what was happening towards the end. My barrier wasn’t much use either, from how quickly you boys broke it down. Now that I’ve treated you, you’ll be fine...but you went way too far. I bet you couldn’t even hear us.”

I was blown away. From Remily’s casual comment before about reattaching limbs, I had expected her to be adept at healing magic, but this was incredible. In the blink of an eye, my pain was gone. Not so much as an itch in my shoulder or stomach. They’d probably completely healed without even a mark. Remily had taken no time at all to cast her spells once she’d seen our wounds. I would’ve had to use a slime’s vision, not to mention keep up immense concentration, to even attempt the speed and accuracy of Remily’s healing. And all while she was having a casual conversation.

His pain evidently alleviated, Sever turned to me. “I do realize I got carried away... I apologize.”

“Oh, the same goes for me. I’m sorry,” I said.

“Lucky for us, both of you are alive and healed. And Ryoma, you have exceeded my expectations. If it looked like you were not ready for the Sea of Trees, I was going to talk you out of going or send bodyguards with you. But seeing how you went toe-to-toe with Sever, that won’t be necessary,” Reinbach admitted.

“The only reason this match ended in a draw rather than my loss was because it was exactly that. A match. In the real world, he could’ve utilized traps or familiars in addition to himself. Besides, what I found lacking in him through our match was experience. I suspect that you haven’t been using physical energy, or magic, for very long,” he said to me. “Your dexterity and swordsmanship were flawless, except that turnaround at the end.”

I had a feeling he’d seen through me. “You have a great eye. When I use more than a certain amount of physical energy, my body becomes too agile, and my senses can’t keep up. As for magic, I had been focusing my training on that while I worked as an adventurer. I’ve been calling myself a spellcaster...but you’ve shown me how much I still have to learn.”

“It is said that it takes five years from when someone first feels physical energy for them to learn how to coat their entire body with it. Furthermore, it is said to take twenty years for using physical energy to become second nature...and a lifetime to master the craft. Most people do require that long. But if you keep up your training and gain more experience, I soon won’t be able to even draw a match with you.” His eyes flashing with confidence and his smile sportsmanlike, Sever extended his right hand to me. I sat up and shook it, each of us acknowledging the other’s strength and spirit.

“Aren’t you glad?” Remily muttered from beside us.

“What?” I asked.

“Nothing, just something Sever and I were talking about,” she dismissed. “By the way, what do you mean ‘call yourself a spellcaster’? I understand what you’re saying, but why?”

“Oh, well... I know I can handle myself in a fight, especially at close quarters. But it’s difficult to get strangers to believe that when I look like this. Explaining and bargaining aren’t my forte, so...showing off my magic and familiars is usually the quickest way to convince them.” I mentioned how I had nearly been detained at the guild in the previous city I’d stopped by for the same reason. They’d asked me to explain, so I’d gone into detail using other examples. All of that was in the past for me, but that didn’t stop the other four from getting sour looks on their faces.

“A fighter of a certain caliber can judge their opponent’s strength without seeing them in action, but those are a minority of the population...” Sever said. “Even in the Knight’s Order, I remember a fair share of new recruits who were skilled at sword fighting and knew it, causing a lot of trouble.”

“Those who can’t judge your strength like to judge you by your looks instead,” Remily chimed in. “I’ve had a few run-ins with the type you’re talking about. They’re also the type to never punch up. A good show of your power, and they’ll tuck tail. Knock a couple of teeth out, and they’ll never so much as come near you.”

“Right. I have a gang of hobgoblins living in my Dimension Home armed with spiky weapons and armor. Usually I call them out if someone doesn’t trust me when I tell them what I’m capable of. That takes care of most complaints, and the others I take care of myself—after all, it’s self-defense. It makes things pretty simple, really. It almost never gets as complicated as it got at the guild branch in my last stop.” In that sense, the first exam I had to go through really had been easy.

“From what you have told us, this guildmaster must have wanted you to fail the exam so he would not be accused of withholding an exam from you,” Sebas said.

“It would be interesting to hear the guildmaster’s side of the story,” Reinbach said. “So far, his treatment of you has seemed lackluster. Of course, he could not allow anyone to test for the next rank if they had not earned it, and if there were doubts as to their eligibility, it would not be amiss to seek confirmation. However, I do not condone detainment or stripping of rank without careful consideration.”

“I kept telling them to contact the other guild branches that have records of me completing quests, but...from how they talked to me, they must have thought I’d skip town if they gave me time to. That was the worst part. If they hadn’t tried to test me then and there, we could have avoided that tragedy...”

“What kind of tragedy are we talking about?” asked Remily.

“During the match, the Dark magic I cast—mostly as a diversion—was too effective... My opponent, the proctor, started wailing, rolling on the ground, dripping sweat and tears and drool... Bodily fluids leaking from every orifice, really—all until he passed out. It was pandemonium there.” He had become so hysterical that I’d let my thoughts drift, wondering if this were the real-life version of how someone who’d failed a Sanity check in a tabletop game on Earth would act.

Because I had defeated the proctor, I had actually proved my strength in the end. But it was a trade-off: the mood of the training grounds had turned almost unbearable, not to mention the terrified looks people had given me this morning. A part of me didn’t blame them for acting that way after what I’d shown them.

“To make matters worse, the first exam was held in a training ground attached to the guild’s branch building, with plenty of onlookers... I should have just hit him on the head and got it over with.” Perhaps his fate had been crueler than death. He had accused me of plenty of things before the match, but I still couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty, remembering him on the ground. “In any case, I showed my strength and received my new rank in the end. They’re not causing me any more trouble. I won’t be using their guild branch ever again, so I don’t have any reason to interact with the guildmaster in the future. They may decide to send an apology letter or something to Duke Jamil, but I’ve asked Reinhart to take care of anything like that.”

“Oh? Did you return the favor in some way?” Remily asked, a look of mischief spreading across her face.

Not exactly. “I just sold off a lot of loot and monster parts to the local Merchant’s Guild,” I said.

Selling parts and spoils was an important part of an adventurer’s income. Most adventurers tried to take out other monsters in addition to the ones they’d been commissioned to kill for quests. Selling the materials alone would net them more money, and they might even find a quest later on that asked for a part they already had—which would net them easy points towards their next rank. Since I was taking on these quests to raise my rank, I had no reason not to do the same. I had a huge stockpile by the time I’d made it to the Adventurer’s Guild in question, but I’d never gotten the chance to sell them the loot after that first exam. So I’d taken my merchandise to the Merchant’s Guild, where they’d naturally asked me where I had gotten so much loot, and why I hadn’t sold it to the Adventurer’s Guild if I was an adventurer myself.

“Of course, I had to answer his questions,” I explained. “I was doing business with him, even if I didn’t intend to return. Besides, I was confident in my innocence, so I simply told the merchant everything that went down and encouraged him to verify my story.”

When I had, the merchant seemed to understand why I had come to him. Generously, he’d even offered to buy the materials I would get from the second exam. Unfortunately, I couldn’t make him any promises, because I had no idea what the Adventurer’s Guild would throw at me. Instead, I’d only told the merchant that I would see him again, if only the guildmaster would give me an apology.

Sebas finished my thought. “Then if you’ve never visited this merchant again, there’s been no reconciliation with the guild.”

“The guildmaster never formally apologized, I assume,” added Sever.

“I never so much as saw his face. A receptionist tried to apologize in front of a crowd instead, but I made it clear that I wasn’t asking for an apology,” I said.

“Instead of accepting the apology... Unless you never let her finish it in the first place.”

“Remily, you make it sound like I’m plotting some sinister revenge. Honestly, I did not expect an apology from her,” I insisted.

The receptionist had doubted me at first too, but I could understand why. And moving up the chain of command to deal with a problem above her pay grade was the right thing to do. So I had never put much blame on her to start with. Neither did she; she just wanted me out of there as quickly as possible. No apology had been made after I’d told them I wasn’t expecting one, so I could still honestly claim they never gave me a proper apology. Personally, it didn’t matter to me if I’d been given an apology or not, but if they were going to give me one, it should have come from the guildmaster. Even then, I wouldn’t have expected him to grovel or make a public apology. Still, the least he could have offered was a little conversation in a room, just like how they’d taken me aside when they’d tried to get an admission of foul play out of me rather than verify my accomplishments.

But all the guildmaster had done was make one of his subordinates apologize at the front desk, not even bothering to show his own face. How could I find any sincerity in an apology like that, let alone trust the guildmaster? I didn’t demand an apology because it was meaningless.

“It’s his prerogative if he wants to make his subordinate do the dirty work and pretend it’s all water under the bridge. Of course, it’s not my concern or responsibility for how that comes across to his guild members and clients,” I added. As soon as he’d found out I was an engineer in the service of a duke, the guildmaster had immediately lost all the wind in his sails and approved me for the exam. He seemed like the sort of person who would be hurt a lot more by a ding in his reputation than by the humiliation of having to offer an apology.

When I shared this with the group, the three men shared an awkward chuckle.

“The guildmaster’s reputation will be affected to some degree,” said Sebas.

“News travels fast in the Merchant’s Guild, whether they decide to take public action against the guildmaster of that Adventurer’s Guild or not,” Reinbach offered.

“From what you tell us, you simply handled your business and left,” Sever chimed in, “but it’s easy to see your action as calculated retribution.”

“And what’s wrong with that?” Remily countered. “This guildmaster wouldn’t have to worry about his reputation if he’d done everything by the book, would he?”

“No skin off my back, at least,” I said. “Except that I can’t use my Adventurer’s Guild card until I make it back to Gimul. Just in case they inserted some fabricated records against me.”

I’d be able to pass through cities just fine using my Merchant’s Guild card, but I wouldn’t be able to stop by any Adventurer’s Guild on the way back to Gimul. A shame that I couldn’t take on any C-rank quests for a while, since I was itching to try my hand at one once I hit that level...

But that could wait.

“Might I suggest we visit the adventurer’s guild in Teresa, then? Reviewing the records on your card should take no time at all,” Sebas said.

“Great idea,” Remily agreed. “If we vouch for Ryoma, it shouldn’t take long for them to accept his abilities.”

“The guild branch is located near the city gate. We can stop on our way back to the inn,” said Sever.

“Let’s get moving then,” Reinbach concluded.

“Oh, th-thank you!” I blurted out.

Before I knew it, we were headed to the Adventurer’s Guild branch in Teresa, and I didn’t expect to encounter any trouble, considering the status of my current companions. From booking me a room at the inn and indulging me in a sparring match, to even offering me lessons in magic...they were really being too good to me. While I’d had some bothersome encounters so far, reuniting with Reinbach and Sebas and meeting Sever and Remily had reminded me how nice it was to be with generous, kind people.

Soon, through Sebas’s Space magic, the world around us had shifted, and we were standing outside Teresa’s city gates.

***

After making sure my guild card was clean at the Adventurer’s Guild, we walked through the dusk-darkened streets back to the inn. Now we would each prepare for tomorrow’s expeditions.

I was given a servant’s room attached to the room designed for nobility, so I first returned with Reinbach to his room.

There, Reinbach handed his coat to Sebas and said, “I am glad to see that the guildmaster did not cause you any more trouble.”

“Me too. Thanks to your help, things went very smoothly at the guild here, and I won’t be nervous to use my guild card,” I said.

Maybe it was inevitable, considering that three people who would have received the royal treatment at any guild—the former duke, the former Captain of the Knight’s Order, and the former royal sorcerer—were accompanying me, but I was met with utmost respect and service at the Teresa branch. I detected a little awkwardness on the other end, but they ran my guild card, no questions asked. As it turned out, my guild card was properly marked with C rank, and no records had been added.

“You need only to ask, and I will always lend a hand for something as simple as this. To reiterate what I told you before the sparring match, I owe you a great debt, and this hardly scratches the surface of repaying you... In fact, now it seems I owe you another debt altogether,” Reinbach said.

“Separate from defending Gimul?” I asked.

“Indeed. For agreeing to that match with Sever. To tell you the truth, his spirits have been low for a long time. Aging is one factor, but I suspect his new desk job has not been suiting him well. While he still had opportunities to fight on the front lines, he did well—but ever since he was appointed Captain of the Order... These last few years in particular, it seemed that he had grown weaker every time I saw him. After facing off against you, I see a good deal of the old spark in his eyes. Though I admit I did not expect him to register as an adventurer at the guild... Once he sets his course, there’s no stopping him.”

“Yes... That even surprised me,” I admitted. While we were all happy for Sever’s reinvigoration, none of us expected him to go and become an adventurer.

It was so unexpected that his friends even asked if he wanted to reenlist in the Knight’s Order instead. To that, however, Sever had said, “It would be selfish of me to ask to be reinstated after I retired against the advice of others. Besides, my replacement has already taken over the post. My return would disrupt not only the Order, but all departments. As an adventurer, I will use whatever time and strength is left in me for the betterment of others.”

Sever was determined, just as he must have been when he’d resigned from the Knight’s Order. In the time it had taken for them to review my guild card, he had already registered. As an A rank, I might add—with his promotion to S rank almost guaranteed. Sever almost sounded like he’d wanted to start at F rank, but the Teresa guildmaster had insisted that, considering the experience and strength guaranteed by Sever’s past as a Knight’s Order captain, he could not start him at any lower than A rank. As soon as that process had been completed, the adventurers—many of them ruffians by nature—had started making way for Sever wherever he walked. Combined with the attitudes of the receptionist and guildmaster, who’d behaved as though it were a high honor for him to even register at their branch, I felt like I had seen a glimpse of how much trust and goodwill Sever had accumulated throughout his career.

“If I was able to help in any way, that’s wonderful. I really appreciated his sparring with me. It reminded me of how much more I have to learn,” I said.

“If sparring aided you in any way, I am pleased,” said Reinbach. “But thanking you for your efforts is another matter. I want you to reach out to me if there is anything you need help with. I will not promise to solve all of your problems, but I will do what I can. The least I can do is offer advice.”

“I promise I will.”

Reinbach seemed satisfied with my answer. He looked me up and down. “How do you feel? You lost some blood in the match, did you not?”

“I’ll be fine,” I answered. “Remily closed the wounds right away, so I just feel a little tired. Some iron and a good night’s sleep are all I need.”

“Then you take the first bath when it is ready. I have already asked the inn to start one. Until then, rest in the room next door,” Reinbach said.

“Thank you; I’ll do just that.” I went to the neighboring room to rest up as Reinbach watched me with a smile.

Tomorrow, we would head out to the City of Lost Souls as planned. It would do me well to get myself in the best condition I possibly could.