Chapter 8
When I returned to the guild, the atmosphere was somehow in disarray.
Although the guild was always noisy with laughter and chatter, today the attention circulating in their conversations had turned toward me.
Elena was sitting in my seat.
She said firmly.
"Uncle. I'm going to spar with Darko three days from now."
What?
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
"Well, you see..."
Elena explained how it had happened.
As I listened to how Elena had ended up sparring with Darko, I pressed a hand to my temple.
"So? You ended up sparring, and even bet on the outcome?"
"Yes. He said he'd acknowledge my skill if I won."
Elena looked so triumphant that she already seemed to have won.
"And what if you lose? What did that bastard say he would get?"
"Um... He said I should comfort him. I guess acknowledging my skill is really difficult for him."
"That's how you interpreted it?"
Elena tilted her head with an expression that seemed to ask whether there was another way to interpret it.
"I can comfort him as much as he wants. If you want, I'll comfort you as your uncle. Isn't it hard for you that I'm still lacking in so many ways?"
Heehee.
I turned my gaze toward someone nearby who had been eavesdropping on us. As soon as I glared at them, the spectators lowered their eyes as if they'd been caught in the act.
"Sigh... I don't know where to start explaining this."
"?"
Look at that completely clueless face.
With Elena's personality, even if she misunderstood something out of ignorance, she would honor her promise.
That innocence and honesty were exactly what made her an adult-game heroine.
"Let me tell you one thing first."
I motioned for Elena to move aside and took my seat.
Elena sat across from me.
"You've fallen for a trap."
"A trap?"
I lowered my voice.
"The comfort Darko mentioned isn't the kind you think it is."
"Comfort is comfort. Does it mean something else?"
How was I supposed to explain this?
As expected, I shouldn't beat around the bush with something like this.
I spoke plainly so she wouldn't misinterpret it in some strange way.
"Do you know why adventurers seek out prostitutes after a hunt?"
"Huh? Uh... because they... like women?"
"Because they want to be comforted."
"...What?"
Elena's expression froze.
One beat. Then two.
".......What?"
The color drained from her face.
Her lips trembled, then her ears turned bright red all the way to the tips.
"W-wait. Then, uh? How did what I just said come across to you?"
"Hah. In all my life, I've never seen a woman offer free sex to a complete stranger."
"....!"
Elena covered her face with both hands.
Her ears grew even redder.
"I do go through a lot teaching you, you know."
I spread my legs to show off my thigh.
I slapped my thigh.
"Why don't you comfort me for a change? Sit here and try it."
"W-who said I would?"
Elena shouted.
"I just have to win! How hard can that be? Uncle, I really have gotten stronger, right? Then I've won!"
"You really are simple-minded. If you look at it that simply, sure."
I shook my head from side to side.
"But Darko said he'd decide the passing criteria, didn't he? Do you really think he'll acknowledge that you've improved?"
"Huh? But... wait. I am stronger, aren't I? Doesn't that mean I've passed?"
"That's why you've fallen for his trap."
Elena's mouth fell shut.
"Darko is the one who judges the result. No matter how well you fight, if he doesn't declare that you've passed, it's over. However it's judged, the outcome depends entirely on that bastard's word."
There was no such thing as a fair referee.
Expecting fairness when the judge and the fighter were the same person was like entrusting a vault to a thief.
"Then... I..."
Elena's face went white.
"Are you scared?"
"It's not that I'm scared...!"
"This is why dealing with a blockhead is so difficult. Don't you know that you have to be bold at times like this?"
I glared at Elena.
"You just need to beat him decisively."
"Beat him?"
"So decisively that no one can dispute it. Make it impossible for him to overturn the result, no matter how much he tries to twist it. Then his judgment won't matter."
"Beat him decisively? But he said he's the guild's swordsmanship instructor... Doesn't that mean he's incredibly strong?"
"Are you really the sort to lose to some C-rank parachute hire?"
"But C-rank is really strong."
Generally, people believed that C-rank adventurers were strong.
Adventurer ranks put S-rank at the top, followed by A-rank through I-rank. A C-rank adventurer could claim to be the strongest person in a provincial village.
But F-rank and below were nothing more than neighborhood thugs, with only petty differences separating them; effectively, there were no ranks below F-rank.
The same could be said, in a broader sense, even of the ranks up through C-rank.
My gaze fell to the material bag at my feet.
When I opened it, the Blade Mantis's bladed arms came into view.
A C-rank Blade Mantis.
It was a monster that could be killed easily if you had the technical skill to counter swordsmanship. I had sent her after it expecting her to win, and she had performed splendidly, just as I'd expected.
You worry too much. Have you forgotten that I'm with you?"
I rose from my seat.
"We're changing the schedule. No hunting for the next three days. Until the spar is over, you'll do nothing but sword training."
"What about money if we don't hunt?"
"I'll worry about the money, so you just focus on your sword."
I couldn't let a few silver coins tarnish Elena's record.
If she was going to suffer her first defeat, it had to be at my hands.
Elena clenched her fists.
"I can win, right?"
"You will."
***
The backyard behind our lodgings.
Elena drew her sword.
I drew my own sword from its scabbard, rested it on my shoulder, and faced Elena.
"Do you know what Darko's advantage is?"
"I don't know."
"He's C-rank. Even if he was a parachute hire, he still has enough skill to deserve the rank. He's bigger than you, and stronger too."
Just as there was an overwhelming difference in physical ability between Elena and me, there was also a wide gap between Elena and Darko.
"You can never beat him with strength. So when you fight him, never engage him head-on."
I pointed the tip of my sword at Elena.
"Fortunately, you have talent. I can guarantee it."
Elena's eyes wavered.
She couldn't tell whether my words were making her distrust me or raising her hopes.
"What's with that look?"
"Darko said you weren't talented at teaching. He said it like it was obvious."
"What a load of crap."
I lowered my sword and rapped Elena on the head.
Whack.
"Ow! Why'd you hit me?"
"This is because you're making pointless assumptions. Do you have time to think about anything else right now? Can you win this bet without my help? Is there anyone besides me who can help you?"
"...No, but."
"Then forget those useless thoughts. They'll interfere with your concentration. Think only about winning."
I raised my sword again.
"I'll prove it to you with results."
I slowly brought the sword down.
Elena blocked it with her sword.
I put more force behind it and drove it forward. Elena gripped her sword with both hands, trembled, and dropped to one knee.
"This is the difference a larger frame makes. Never try to match him with strength. If you find yourself in that situation, you'll definitely lose."
"Th-then what should I do?"
"Don't block."
"What?"
I withdrew my sword and took a step back.
"A fight isn't decided by who launches more attacks. And it certainly isn't decided by whether your opponent acknowledges you."
Eck's memories and the memories of my previous life overlapped.
To defeat an opponent with an overwhelming advantage in physical size, reality and games worked the same way.
"One strike."
Elena looked puzzled.
"One strike?"
"Focus on landing one accurate, decisive blow. From now on, I'll focus on teaching you footwork and deflection."
I stamped my foot against the ground.
"Learn it with everything you've got over the next three days. Otherwise, before you comfort that bastard, you'll have to comfort me first."
I used my footwork.
Before Elena noticed, I was standing beside her with the edge of my hand against the base of her neck.
"Focus. First, I'm going to hammer home just how frightening footwork and deflection can be. Block with your sword. Keep me at bay. Is that sword just decoration? Aren't you going to block?"
"A-are you really going to swing it?"
"Do you think I'd be cut by a sword you can barely swing?"
Elena's blade tilted diagonally and came flying toward me.
I caught her sword with mine and guided it diagonally past the outside of my body.
"Swing harder."
"Hup!"
"Is that all you can do?"
"Hah!"
"Put every ounce of strength you have into it!"
"Hyaaah!!"
But I evaded all her desperate attacks with footwork and redirected every one of them with deflection.
When none of her attacks landed where she wanted them to, Elena's assault grew more ferocious.
How many exchanges had we traded?
"That's enough."
"...Huh?"
Both of Elena's hands were empty.
I handed Elena back the sword I was holding.
"Have you cooled off?"
"Yes... How did you do that?"
"You'll have to learn that part yourself from here on."
This time, I pointed my sword at her.
I swung it slowly.
My lightly thrust sword met Elena's, slid along it, and ended up pointing beneath my chin.
'As expected, she learns quickly.'
"Not bad."
I stepped back and assumed my stance again.
"Again."
We continued practicing without rest until sunset.
I sparred with Elena until her concentration finally gave out.
By then, Elena could catch and redirect even my light swings. She used footwork to evade my sword and slipped inside my guard.
'This is absurd.'
Three days.
It could be a long time or a short one, depending on how you looked at it.