118. The Hero Party's Regret (5)
Do-il of the Sylvester Knights.
Chosen as Hare's opponent, he was not pleased with the current situation.
*Why on earth did the Knight Commander assign me to do this?*
Do-il had heard many times since childhood that he was exceptional.
That he was strong, with the build of a warrior.
Hearing his family say he would become a great knight someday, he had come to the capital.
And as if to prove their words true, Do-il held an overwhelming position even among the recruits.
However.
*To make me face a girl like that. This is ridiculous.*
Gripping his large greatsword with both hands, Do-il met eyes with Hare standing across from him.
His face quickly turned red.
Hare had a face far too lethal for an adolescent boy.
*She probably isn't very skilled, but she is cu-cute. Small face, delicate body. Like a fragile squirrel.*
Hare, who stimulated protective instincts.
She smiled and waved toward where the old man was.
"O-Old man...! I'll definitely win...! Please keep watching...! Hehe...!"
A bright smile.
A happy expression.
Do-il's heart was stolen by Hare once again.
However, when she finished her greeting and met his eyes again,
Do-il's heart sank.
*What, her expression suddenly changed... It's sharp...?*
Where did the girl who was smiling just moments ago go?
Hare faced Do-il expressionlessly.
Her gaze reached not Do-il, but Lee Jun-woo behind him.
It meant Do-il had never been in her consideration from the start.
Hare muttered to Do-il in a low, cold tone.
"You there..."
"H-huh? Me?"
"Why do you keep grinning while looking at me...? You're disgusting... I don't take care of my skin for you to smile at me...? It's for the old man... Why are you smiling...?"
"...I'm disgusting?"
Thud—
The heart of a young adolescent boy.
Wounded.
Do-il muttered to preserve his last shred of pride.
"Wh-what's disgusting about me—"
"I hate it when anyone other than the old man smiles while looking at me... It's disgusting..."
"..."
Crumble—
Do-il's last pride collapsed.
His fluttering heart turned into a pounding one.
Gripping his greatsword tightly with both hands, Do-il muttered lowly.
"...I was going to go easy on you because you're cute, but I absolutely won't now."
"..."
Hare didn't respond at all and pulled out a small wooden dagger from her pocket.
Moving her eyes quickly, Hare assessed her opponent.
As the two stood facing each other for 10 seconds.
"Then, you two! Begin the sparring match, but avoid attacks that could endanger lives!"
Tweet—!
With the whistle sound, the match began.
Do-il charged forward using his large body and strength as he usually did.
"Uwaaa—!!"
Do-il swung his large greatsword horizontally.
Dust rose and obscured his vision, but Do-il could feel the sensation at his fingertips.
*I felt it hit the greatsword. Did I get her? If she was hit with that much force, her bones would have broken. Was I too harsh?*
A bit of guilt washed over Do-il.
However, when the dust cleared and his vision became clear,
Do-il couldn't help but be startled.
"I-I felt contact?! Wh-what is this?"
Leather was caught on the tip of his greatsword, and Hare was nowhere to be seen.
That leather was the outer garment Hare had been wearing just moments ago.
Do-il's mistake, confusing it for a human body because it was made of leather.
"Wh-where is she!? Sh-she's as fast as a squirrel—!!"
The moment Do-il turned his gaze to find the vanished Hare,
the match was already as good as decided.
Hare descended from the air, muttering slowly.
"Right-handed from how he grips the greatsword... From the start, his right shoulder was shifted to the right... Probably a horizontal slash... Is this enough information for the old man to praise me...? Hehe, I hope he praises me..."
With an eerie voice, Hare descended from the air.
Her landing point was behind Do-il.
Hare gripped her dagger in proper form and began to act swiftly.
"...Well, I need to win this match first."
Neck.
Ribs.
Liver.
Solar plexus.
Hare expressionlessly stabbed various vital points on Do-il in an instant.
Though not as fast as when practicing, she attacked only precise locations.
Do-il covered his mouth with his hand due to the surging pain and nausea.
"U-urgh...!!"
Thud—
No matter how strong or large his body was, Do-il was human with vital points.
Seeing the situation that occurred in an instant, the receptionist firmly declared.
"V-victor. Juliana Hare. Awarding Adventurer rank Gold..."
"Waaa~!"
Hare passed by the fallen Do-il without a care.
Only the old man was reflected in her eyes.
"Gold means I-I did well, right...? O-old man...! How was I...? Did I do well...?"
Lee Jun-woo lightly patted Hare's head.
"You did well, Hare. If your opponent's rank had been higher, even above Gold would have been possible."
"He-hehe...! It's thanks to what you taught me, old man...!"
Hare rubbed her head against Lee Jun-woo's hand, savoring the joy of victory.
"I did well, right...?"
Lee Jun-woo looked at Hare and recalled the match that had just occurred.
The speed and accuracy of grasping the opponent's information and immediately executing.
*As expected, comparing children of the same age to the Hero Party is...*
Nonsense.
A promising knight of the Sylvester Knights ended up in that state against Hare.
Perhaps even making the comparison would be rude to the Hero Party.
*And Luna's fight too...*
There's probably no need to watch closely.
No matter how he thought about it, it was hard to imagine Luna, the Hero, losing.
The skill gap between the Hero Party and the knights was that great.
"Luna is Platinum. Hare is Gold."
As expected, Luna's match was easily decided.
What was certain was that it didn't even take 30 seconds.
The opposing knight seemed well-balanced and talented among his peers, but
he was pushed back by Luna's pure strength and defeated.
"But is it okay to win this easily, Irina?"
"...I didn't expect them to be defeated this easily, but it's fine. Those guys were among the stronger recruits and needed to taste the bitterness of defeat."
"If that's the case, that's good, but I wonder if they won't be too discouraged."
The moment they thought they were the best,
if they suddenly tasted bitter defeat, they might let go of everything they were doing from the shock.
There were quite a few cases where talented knights changed their profession to adventurers or became street thugs from such defeats.
"Still, there's no need to worry, Jun. If they were the type to give up from this kind of defeat, I wouldn't have agreed to it. Rather, it would be better for them to set you guys as their goal."
"...Set the Hero Party as their goal?"
That's not quite right.
The Hero Party's skills aside,
it would be better not to set their mental state as a goal.
I answered Irina seriously.
"Don't ever tell those kids to set the Hero Party as their goal."
"What's the reason?"
"...Just don't. It's bad for their education."
Irina seemed not to understand my words, but
perhaps because I spoke seriously,
she nodded and said she understood.
As I was having such light conversation with Irina, the receptionist came from far away holding necklaces.
I called Luna and Hare, who were sitting quietly in chairs.
"Luna, Hare! Come here, it's really time to leave now."
"Okay, old man!"
"I-I'll be right there...!"
Patter patter—
The two came running immediately upon hearing my voice.
With very annoyed expressions.
"I barely survived because you called me, old man! Those guys are really annoying!"
"R-right...! Those idiots kept talking to us and it was annoying...!"
"Idiots?"
Are they talking about those knight kids?
I turned my head to check the direction where they were.
The two were fixing their gazes on Luna and Hare.
*They're not discouraged, but fell for them at first sight.*
Well then.
These two would have outstanding looks even among their peers.
It's natural for their hearts to be moved.
I asked Luna and Hare lightly.
"Do you like those two?"
Luna and Hare recoiled and shouted.
"What are you saying, old man! Why would I like a kid like that! I like someone older than me! Someone reliable!"
"R-right, old man...! I-I absolutely don't like those kids...! I-I really hate them...!"
"...You don't need to answer so strongly."
The two reacting as if pricked by sharp thorns.
Since they seemed to genuinely dislike my question,
I stopped questioning them and decided to leave this place quickly.
Saten and Estia were waiting at home.
It was better to complete the mission quickly.
"We'll be going now, Irina."
"Alright, thanks and take care. I have something to say before you go, can you lend me your ear for a moment?"
Something to say.
I brought my ear close to hear what Irina had to say.
Irina whispered quietly in a stiff tone.
"...The capital's movements are unusual, so be careful, Jun. I'm only telling you this, but the Church and the Knights are shaking. We'll have to watch their movements for a while to know... but it would be better to be cautious."
Irina said that and then made an expressionless face as if nothing had happened.
It seemed to mean not to speak about this matter out loud.
I bid farewell to Irina and left the Adventurer's Guild.
"Now we just need to go do the mission. Before that, Hare. What was it you wanted to say earlier?"
"O-oh, that...! What I saw at the market was...!"
Hare uttered words I could never have imagined.
"I saw a Demon King at the market...! The one called Greed...! He was wrapped in bandages all over his body...!!"
"...What?"
Greed.
The Demon King of Greed I failed to eliminate last time.
A thought automatically came to my mind.
*...How is Hare alive after meeting a Demon King?*
Surely, if Greed had wanted to,
he could have easily killed the Hero Party's Thief.
Was Hare's statement a kind of fuse for a bomb?
New text began to appear before my eyes.
[Hare returned safely without any injuries after meeting the Demon King. And that Demon King is hiding nearby, waiting for an opportunity. If you go on the mission, you'll encounter the Demon King. Will Jun-woo still go on the mission?]
[1. Go.]
[2. Don't go.]
If I can't eliminate him, it's better not to go.
There's no need to face the Demon King and invite danger, and it would needlessly drain my strength.
However.
*Number 1.*
After checking both futures, I had no choice but to pick number 1.
The reason was just one.
It was for Luna and Hare's growth.
*Even if it's a thorny path for me, if it's for the Hero Party's growth, it doesn't matter.*
The reason to do the mission is greater than the reason to abandon it.
Now that the Demon King is weakened is an opportunity for the Hero Party's growth.
*I'll use that Demon King as a stepping stone for the Hero Party's leap forward.*
Thus, I chose option 1, where the Demon King of Greed was waiting.