Monster no Goshujin-sama - Volume 9 - Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Cultural Exchange with the Villagers

I took a stroll through the village with Lily. There was a time when we couldn’t go on a walk on our own, seeing as how we couldn’t understand the local language. But now, Rose could make imitation translation runestones, so we had no problem striking up a conversation with anyone we ran into.

We were leisurely taking in the scenery when we suddenly heard someone yelling.

“I challenge you! Let’s see your strength!”

The voice was familiar. We headed toward it, where we found Helena detaining Shiran. Shiran looked just the slightest bit uncomfortable. In contrast, Helena looked a little desperate.

“Oh, Takahiro.” Kei, who stood next to them looking somewhat flustered, spotted us with her keen eyes and ran over. “Do you need something?”

“No, not really. We were taking a walk and heard a bit of a fuss, so we came to check it out. What’s going on over there?”

“Pretty much exactly what it sounds like,” Kei replied, forcing a smile. “Helena wants Shiran to pay attention to her.”

“Aah. So it’s like that...”

“She wasn’t chosen for the suppression operation, and we plan to leave the village tomorrow, so she thinks now is the only time. Helena wants Shiran to acknowledge her, after all.”

While Kei explained the situation, my eyes met Shiran’s. Her troubled expression, half-hidden by her eyepatch, turned to one of realization.

“Very well, Helena. Then how about this?” Shiran said. “Just as I mentioned before, I cannot overexert myself too much right now. That being the case, would you like to have a mock battle with the person I nominate to take my place?”

“A proxy, you mean?” Helena asked.

“Yes. If you win, I shall admit defeat. If you lose, I’ll provide some advice. How about it?”

“Fine,” she said after a few seconds of silent thought.

Helena was being surprisingly agreeable. Maybe she just felt she had no choice but to back down, knowing full well how unreasonable she was being.

“So? Who am I fighting?” Helena asked, her provocative attitude still intact.

Shiran smiled, then turned my way. “Takahiro, may I ask this of you?”

“I don’t mind,” I answered.

Shiran had a hopeful look in her eye, so I nodded along, not really surprised by this development. I couldn’t read her intentions, but I trusted her. I was sure nothing bad would come of it, so there was no need to worry. Helena, on the other hand, was shocked to the core.

“Y-You want me to go at it with the esteemed savior?!”

She turned white as a sheet. Actually, it seemed she hadn’t even known I was here until now. She was panicking, quite spectacularly I might add.

“What if he gets injured or something? That would be pretty serious,” she continued in a fluster. “Sh-Shiran! A-Are you maybe trying to get me summarily executed?”

“No, not at all,” Shiran said, shaking her head. “In any case, you say that, but Takahiro is rather strong. You seem pretty sure of yourself if you think you can injure him.”

“Th-Th-Th-That’s not what I mean!”

Perhaps believing that her statement had also been very rude, Helena’s expression stiffened more and more each second. Shiran had no ill intent whatsoever, so Helena was really just digging her own grave. I couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for her.

“It’s okay, Helena. Takahiro won’t execute you,” Kei said. “I mean, I’ve also trained with him.”

Kei was probably trying to be supportive, but Helena seemed to be at the end of her rope, which just made her lash out at Kei.

“Isn’t that because you’re his mistress?!”

“M-Mis—?!”

In the blink of an eye, Kei’s cheeks turned red as a rose. This scene was familiar by now. By some twist of fate, that misunderstanding had followed her here. This was the first I’d heard of it, though.

“Wh-Who’s been saying such things?!” Kei screamed.

“Everyone! Everyone’s talking about it! I heard it loud and clear!”

“Wh-When did that happen...?”

Kei looked around, her face still bright red, and all the elves in the area averted their eyes at once.

“Well...you’ve been so intimate with the savior, Lady Kei,” one of them said.

“Everyone’s been saying that having such a relationship with a great savior is something worth celebrating. Are we wrong?” another added.

Now that I thought of it, Kei and I must have looked extremely close to any outsiders. At the very least, we didn’t look like a savior and his attendant. The villagers’ hopes were likely a large part of it, but it was understandable that they’d come to that conclusion.

“Y-You’re wrong! I-I’m not Takahiro’s m-mistress or anything!” Kei shrieked, waving her hands about in a panic. She then turned to me as she came to a realization. “Oh. Um. No. It’s not like I hate the idea or anything, I just...”

“Who cares about that!” Helena yelled, ignoring Kei’s tearful pleas. “Anyways! Shiran! You’re telling me to have a mock battle with the savior, right?!”

“Yes. Takahiro is suitable for the role. Besides, he is also my student in the ways of the sword.”

Helena pursed her lips. She was very clearly affected by that last statement. It was the deciding blow.

“F-Fine! I just have to fight, right?!” she said, nodding along but still looking a little nervous.

“I’m glad you accept,” Shiran said with a satisfied smile.

“H-Hmph. Aren’t you all composed?”

Shiran’s smile reined in Helena’s impetuous attitude a little. It looked like they were actually pretty good friends.

“Get ready!” Helena declared, thrusting her finger at Shiran. “I’ll bring you to tears!”

“Please say that to Takahiro. He’s the one you’ll be facing.”

“Like I can possibly say that to him!”

◆ ◆ ◆

Jumping right to the conclusion of the mock battle, Helena was a pretty skilled fighter. The word nimble summed her up very well. Her senses were sharp, her swordsmanship was solid, and her footwork was light. She was quick to step in and was perhaps a little faster than me. Conversely, she wasn’t physically strong enough to catch my blows, but she still managed to hang in there for a pretty long time.

In the end, she gave up due to exhaustion. It had turned out to be a pretty satisfying training session for me, but the trouble came afterward. Some of the villagers among the spectators were hoping to participate.

I’d seen them before. They’d helped out with the suppression of the azure hares. I glanced over to Shiran, wondering what we should do about this, but then I froze. She looked ready to give me a push on the back, probably seeing this as a good opportunity not to be missed.

Before I knew it, a queue had formed. It was too late to refuse now. What followed was an endless repetition of hopefuls and mock battles. At first, it was just the elves who’d gone out to suppress the azure hares with us. After that, others started to join in, and the queue just kept getting longer.

Numbers had a power all on their own. Facing one or two opponents was one thing, but ten or twenty was physically exhausting. The progress I’d made with reinforcing my body produced amazing results, but I wasn’t omnipotent.

“Are you all right, sir?” a young man asked, a wooden sword in his hand. “You seem to be panting pretty heavily...”

“I’m fine... Let’s start.”

To be honest, this was pretty harsh. Still, I started to understand that that was exactly what made it good training. If my usual training with Gerbera was a four-hundred-meter dash, then this was a marathon.

I stepped forward, my feet as heavy as lead. My sword hand was numb. The gap between our abilities was gradually getting smaller. At this rate, I would eventually fall to my opponent. How could I avoid this seemingly inevitable future?

I needed to move more efficiently. Each breath was agonizing, and my body was sluggish. But because of that, I managed to figure out when I was pointlessly exerting myself. Just like I was now.

I fended off an incoming thrust, but I’d wasted energy in the process. I’d put too much strength into it. I’d stepped in too far. And it had tired me out all the more. I focused on shaving off these excess movements one by one while I recalled all that I’d fostered to date. Shiran had taught me well. I simply hadn’t been able to put her teachings into practice.

I didn’t have much talent for fighting. Each and every time I noticed the unnecessary excess in my movements, I remembered what Shiran had taught me and then corrected myself. That was all I could do. It was an irritatingly slow process, but I didn’t hate it. In other words, I was improving, one step at a time.

“Next!”

Partway through, I’d lost track of who was even asking for a mock fight. Fortunately, the elves maintained their enthusiasm, their zeal increasing with the passage of time. I had no shortage of training partners, including those who went right back into the queue several times.

The never-ending training went on—while I kept myself hydrated—until the sun was on the verge of setting. I was dead tired by then, but it was a rewarding experience. My personal improvement wasn’t the only fruit of this training either. After it was over, the elves thanked me as I was about to leave.

“Thank you very much for today, sir.”

I suddenly noticed their attitude. They weren’t acting strangely stiff or awkward, but respectful and gracious. That was when I finally realized Shiran’s intent.

“Thanks, Shiran,” I said on the way back to the house with her and Lily after parting with the villagers.

“What’s this about?” she asked.

“I feel like we’ve gotten closer to the villagers.”

By crossing blades, the villagers who’d once been overawed were now more comfortable with me. The training session had basically been a form of cultural exchange.

“So you noticed?” Shiran said, smiling, though she looked somewhat embarrassed. “Forgive me for not consulting you beforehand. I only thought of it then and there. Besides...I believed you would manage it better if I didn’t say anything.”

She was implying that I would’ve read too much into it. It had in fact worked, so I wasn’t going to complain.

“I think it was time well spent for the villagers too,” Shiran added happily, looking up at the reddening sky. “I don’t mean in the sense that they were able to get some real training. With this, they learned of you as an individual, and not as a savior from their fantasies. What’s more, I can thank you for your help with the azure hares like this. As indebted as I am to you, I believe this is important.” After that, Shiran’s voice turned slightly rueful. “Having said that, I didn’t expect that many people to gather.”

“Yeah, that was pretty much nonstop, huh?” Lily agreed, having watched the training with Shiran the entire time.

“I guess saviors really are a big deal to them,” I said, nodding as I recalled the passion the elves had displayed.

“No, Takahiro. You’ve got it wrong,” Shiran said meaningfully. “To be more precise, they were relieved to be free from the danger of the azure hares. However, I believe that was nothing more than the impetus.”

Shiran could see something that I couldn’t. She narrowed her one blue eye, then continued.

“There is a certain charm to your swordplay, Takahiro. I can feel it myself, and I’m sure the others are the same. That’s the reason all the villagers were so enthusiastic about training with you.”

“That’s a little... How do I even put it? You’re praising me a bit too much,” I said, bewildered by her statement. “I mean, I’ve gotten stronger, yeah, and I won’t deny that... But still, saying that I can attract others with my swordplay is going too far. In truth, if you compare me to any of the other cheaters, I’m absolutely pitiful.”

“No. That is exactly why, Takahiro,” Shiran said, her blonde hair swaying behind her as she shook her head. “Your swordsmanship is an accumulation of steady effort. It is something you have struggled to acquire, all so you wouldn’t be a hindrance and could avoid losing what is dear to you. You smeared yourself in mud, withstood the agony, and overcame fierce battles to the death many times over. These things are obvious when watching you.”

Shiran smiled gently as she went on.

“It may not be something out of a dazzling tale. It may be plain, and even clumsy. But that is exactly why we can sympathize with it. Even Kei admires you. Will you deny her feelings?”

“That’s kinda...unfair.”

“Sorry,” Shiran said with a giggle. “But please do forgive me. I’m very proud I’ve had the opportunity to teach you how to use a sword.”

“You’re exaggerating,” I replied, smiling bitterly.

“Not at all,” Shiran said quietly, shaking her head once more. “Just that one thing gives worth to my existence...”

It really felt like an exaggeration to me. Her statement was so serious. It did suit her, though. The bitterness of my smile only deepened, but for some reason, I was at a loss for words. It was like some large, indescribable lump was tumbling into the depths of my heart. What exactly was this feeling?

I searched deep within myself, but I couldn’t come up with any ideas. It was as if I were trying to feel for an object through a thick piece of cloth. I just couldn’t guess its identity. Was it just my imagination?

“We’ve arrived,” Shiran said, bringing me back from my thoughts. Before I knew it, we were standing before the house we were borrowing. “Well then, I will head to my uncle’s place.”

“Oh, hang on a sec, Shiran,” I said, calling her to a stop.

“What is it?” she asked, turning back to me with a curious look.

I opened my mouth, but I couldn’t find the appropriate words. Guided entirely by my impulse to call out to her, I simply said, “If something happens, let me know right away, okay?”

Uncharacteristically, Shiran stared blankly back at me. When she made this kind of face, she closely resembled Kei.

“What’s with that?” she said, giggling. “Is this maybe about what happened in the afternoon? Just as I said back then, I was only feeling a little sick from the stench of blood. There’s no need for concern. You’re a worrywart, just as ever, Takahiro.”

She spoke amicably, and maybe she was right. Of course I’d worry when she nearly collapsed, but I couldn’t deny that I was overly sensitive to each and every one of her actions.

“Please don’t misunderstand, Takahiro,” she added. “I’m happy you worry about me. Thank you very much. But really, it’s all right.” She really did look happy. “I’m fine,” she added with a smile.

“Is that so...?”

“Yes, it is. More importantly,” Shiran said, changing the topic, “it’s about time for dinner. If we take too long, my uncle will have to wait for us. You need to wash off your sweat, don’t you?”

“Yeah.”

“Very well. I shall inform them of such.”

Her consideration for me made me feel like I was worrying too much. The suppression of the azure hares and the cultural exchange with the villagers had gone so well that maybe I’d become overly sensitive to the tiniest bit of trouble along the way.

“I’ll see you later, then,” Shiran said with a sweet smile before leaving.

We couldn’t keep Melvin and the others waiting too long, so I returned to the house.