Chapter 13
“So, how about a spar with me?”
I look at Aila, her eyes shining.
Honestly, there’s no reason for me to accept.
It’s just that if I don’t, she’ll probably follow me around all day.
How do I know? Because that’s the kind of character Aila is.
But if I do accept...
I keep my face expressionless as I sort through what I know.
Aila Seed.
The daughter of the largest mercenary band on the continent.
With her pink hair and sharp eyes, she looks like a delinquent, but she’s so kind she could be called the most virtuous person in this whole story.
Of course, if she were just kind, she wouldn’t be one of the three worst characters.
It’s nice when people are kind. It’s great when they’re in your party and don’t get greedy over items or go out of their way to help others, but...
“But I heard you cursed out Benjamin, too? Well, seeing how he acted, I guess his parents did a pretty bad job raising him.”
She grins brightly.
“He got what he deserved! His parents will probably have a lot to think about now! Maybe Benjamin’s death taught them a lesson?”
That’s the sort of thing she says.
People always have to know what they should and shouldn’t say.
But Aila doesn’t.
It’s like she never installed a filter in her brain.
As a result, party members who travel with her are constantly hit with blunt, well-meaning truths, and their Affinity drops. If you’re unlucky, Aila gets stabbed in her sleep by a party member, dies, and the whole run falls apart.
Just look at the community forums, and you’ll find victims everywhere.
I was one of them once, too.
I took Aila along thinking I could handle her, only to watch one of my allies shout, “Now’s our chance!” in the middle of a fight and use their ultimate move to take her head off. After that, I swore I’d never bring her along again.
Anyway.
“...”
Even if I turn her down, she’ll follow me around and bother me for the rest of the game.
But if I accept and beat her? Then she’ll decide she likes me and join my party without asking.
What a dilemma.
“...”
There is one way, though.
I’m not entirely confident about it.
I can lose.
If I lose, Aila will say she’s disappointed and never challenge the protagonist again.
In fact, that’s the response most people recommend when Aila’s event comes up.
If you let your pride get the better of you and beat her, then bring her onto your team, that run is as good as ruined.
But if you avoid the fight, she’ll follow the protagonist around and harass him endlessly.
After thinking for a moment, I nod.
“Fine.”
Let’s try this approach for now.
Aila Seed stares intently at me, sweating from my Intimidation, but when I nod, her face lights up.
“Really? When works for you? I can make time whenever!”
“Let’s do it now.”
I don’t have class anyway, so I’ll get this over with quickly. No—I’ll get taken care of.
“All right! Come this way!”
Aila Seed nods enthusiastically and starts leading the way.
I follow behind her.
*
“...”
After being turned down, Laura Crown was lost in thought.
Of course, she hadn’t expected him to accept willingly in the first place.
But still.
“Couldn’t you at least pretend to think about it?”
Laura Crown grumbled as she twirled a strand of her hair.
She’d always been pretty confident about her looks, after all.
Of course, she had no intention of seducing him with her looks, but you never knew. There was always a chance.
Back in the kingdom, she’d been called the princess—no, the most beautiful woman in the royal palace...!
Should she ask him one more time?
No. She had her pride. She couldn’t ask again.
Ah, but she really wanted to find some way to put that strength of his to use.
Should she try throwing money at him?
As Laura was thinking this, she heard a murmur of voices.
What was that?
She turned toward the sound, and a strange group caught her eye.
Pink hair shone in the sunlight as the girl crossed the hallway, grinning brightly.
Walking behind her was the man who’d been occupying Laura’s thoughts until just a moment ago.
As always, he followed the girl with a sinister, dreadful aura radiating from him.
And bringing up the rear was Lydia, the half-baked saint candidate, hurrying along after him with short, quick steps.
A crowd of students trailed after them, too.
“...Hey.”
Laura approached the female students murmuring as they watched the group. At her voice, they flinched and looked at her.
“Huh? Oh... why...?”
“What are they doing?”
She gestured toward the strange trio walking down the hallway, and the girls exchanged glances before one of them answered.
“I just heard, too, but Aila Seed challenged Aiden Starfive to a spar.”
“...”
Aila Seed? That crazy bitch?
Laura’s face twisted.
“And Aiden Starfive accepted?”
“I-I guess that’s why they’re going...”
The girls looked visibly frightened as Laura’s expression soured.
But Laura didn’t even notice them. She was lost in thought.
If he won’t grant my request, shouldn’t he refuse everyone else’s, too?
Isn’t that unfair?
Or was it really because I didn’t offer him any money? Aila Seed has plenty of it. Did she pay him for the spar?
“...”
Laura opened the classroom door and started following the crowd.
*
Dark Fantasy Saga has a sparring system.
Though it’s called sparring, it’s really just a place to raise Affinity with characters.
Your Affinity goes up whether you win or lose.
I look at the training ground in front of me.
A wide-open space, with wooden weapons scattered around.
I’d only ever seen it on a screen, so seeing it in person feels pretty surreal.
Anyway.
I look behind me.
Lydia Straw is following close behind, with a whole crowd trailing after her.
Why are all these people following me now? Is a spar really that fascinating?
You’re students. Go study or attend class. I don’t get why you’re so desperate to watch other people fight.
“What weapon are you going to use?”
As I’m thinking this, Aila asks me another innocent question.
I look up and see Aila wearing something like gloves.
“I’m going to fight with my fists! Oh, don’t get the wrong idea! I’m not going easy on you because you’re weak. These are my weapons!”
She says this as she takes up a stance.
She’s a martial artist.
It’s still one of the great mysteries to me how a martial artist can hold her own in a world with so many kinds of power—swords, spears, magic, holy power, and more—but she’s good in the game, so I can’t complain.
How should I let her win?
Thinking that, I pick up a wooden sword.
“You’re using a sword?”
I don’t answer Aila. I lift the sword and inspect it.
This should at least keep me from killing anyone.
“They say you’re not quiet, just rude. Guess they were right!”
Or should I just rely on speed? I need to exchange a few blows with her.
If I go down in one hit, it’ll hurt her pride, and she’ll get suspicious, too.
So I should lose by a hair somehow...
“Here I come!”
-Thud!
The ground trembles, and Aila disappears from view.
No, she hasn’t disappeared. She’s lowered her body and charged at me.
A fist rushes straight toward my face.
I raise the wooden sword to block it, and the impact travels through my body.
“You’ve got quick reflexes, huh?”
You suddenly springing a surprise attack is pretty scary.
“Do you fight with your mouth?”
“Did that bother you? Sorry.”
Even as she says that, Aila’s fists keep coming without pause.
Fortunately, I can read their trajectories.
I don’t know if it’s because of my stats or the Cursed Swordsmanship, but I keep her fists at bay using only my sword.
It’s about time I showed her a counterattack.
-Clang!
I deflect Aila’s incoming punch and swing my sword in the same motion.
A Cursed Swordsmanship technique: Gale.
-Bam!
A sharp tingle runs through my wrist as I swing the sword, and a gust of wind sweeps through the area.
“Eek!”
Aila is swept away by the wind and sent flying through the air, but she regains her stance and lands.
“What was that technique just now? You made a gust like that just by swinging your sword?”
That’s a trade secret, so I can’t tell you.
“That’s none of your business.”
Aila’s eyes light up at my answer.
“I guess you’re right. Then I’ll get a little more serious, too!”
Then Aila charges at me again.
Is she going to use another quick attack?
Thinking that, I block her incoming fist, and
-Clang!
the moment her fist hits my sword, a vibration spreads through my entire body.
Did she deliberately strike the sword to make it vibrate?
My body starts trembling, and Aila smiles.
"You can’t move, can you! All the swordsmen I’ve hit with this have been completely out of it!"
It’s not quite that bad.
But I don’t want to drag this fight out any longer, either.
"Ghh...!"
"..."
I deliberately let out a groan, but my mouth won’t budge.
"Well, I’ll finish this now, okay?"
As she says this, Aila draws her fist back as far as she can.
One of her signature moves: the Straight Punch.
If she uses her Stigma along with it, it’ll hurt a bit when it hits.
Still, it’s better than having Aila join my team.
Thinking that, I relax my grip, and
[Will you really accept defeat?]
[Your negative trait will manifest if you lose.]
[If you turn into a traitor, you will no longer be able to control your body.]
I tighten my grip again, step back, and take up a stance.
"Huh?"
Confusion spreads across Aila’s face as she draws her arm back.
"How can you move—"
Sorry.
"Foolish."
I apologize to Aila as I put strength into my legs.
My body shoots forward like a bomb.
In the blink of an eye, my eyes meet Aila’s. She stares at me, unable to hide her confusion, and
-Wham!
I swing my sword and slam it into her side.
"Urgh...!"
She flies through the air, then crashes down onto the ground.
Screams ring out from the crowd.
[You have won!]
[Awe rises!]
[Awe: 90%]
"..."
I stare at the status window floating before me and sigh inwardly.
I screwed up.