Chapter 6: B-Rank Adventurer

"Who are you? Even if I'm holding back, there's no way a kid not yet of age can block my sword."

I saw Cyrus's afterimage attempting to sweep my sword away, so I deployed 《Sylphid》 to prepare for it. As expected, the real Cyrus swept at me with the exact same trajectory as the afterimage.

This afterimage is definitely Cyrus's future action. It might only be a fraction of a second, but knowing the opponent's move in advance during close combat is a huge advantage.

Cyrus persistently aimed only for my sword. Every time I managed to block it, his face contorted.

"Kid! I'll ask again! Who are you!"

"If I tell you, will you back off? Will you stop targeting us?"

Thinking that if I ignored him any longer he'd get genuinely angry and stop holding back, I replied. Cyrus answered, baring his teeth.

"No chance. Now I'm interested in you. I can't let you escape."

—Interested in me!? Don't tell me this guy is...?

"You bastard? You just thought something rude, didn't you?"

Anger infused Cyrus's voice, and proportionately, the force deflecting my sword increased. But thanks to seeing the future and 《Sylphid》, I managed to endure.

After exchanging several bouts of swordplay, Cyrus's sword cut through the air as if losing its target. At the same time, Cyrus shouted, "《Water Blade》!" A slash flew from the tip of his sword, striking a member of 'Naraku' who had snuck near Misha.

"You bastard! That's my prey! Lay a finger on her and I'll kill you!"

The 'Naraku' member had apparently tried to kidnap Misha while Cyrus and I were fighting, but Cyrus—his supposed ally—stopped him.

Seriously, what is with this guy? Letting 'Moonlit Darkness' escape, attacking 'Naraku' for trying to take Misha... And what was that slash just now? 《Water Blade》? I don't think that was magic?

Seeing the struck 'Naraku' member flee, Cyrus twisted his villainous face and lowered his voice to ask me.

"Now we won't be interrupted. Kid. Name yourself."

He definitely intends to kidnap Misha. However, he's showing interest in me too. If he keeps being interested in me, Sasha might arrive eventually.

"...My name is Mars."

While locking swords, I answered. The questions continued.

"You're not of age, right? About twelve?"

"No, I'm eight."

"Ha!? Don't lie to me!"

Anger returned to his voice, and power flowed into the sword he swung. Even if he says it's a lie, it's the truth... When I stayed silent, Cyrus, confused, asked again in a low voice.

"No way? Really eight?"

"Yes. I have no reason to lie."

At my words, Cyrus's expression turned serious, and he threw unexpected words at me. The voice was low enough to reach only me, but it was filled with force.

"Oi! I said it before, but wash your hands of this! You can still start over!"

I see, he still misunderstands that I'm one of them.

"I am not their associate. I was just trying to protect Misha... that child, and take her to her mother near the Forest of Magic, when we got captured."

"Is that true!?"

Cyrus opened his sharp eyes wide to confirm, so I nodded silently.

"I see. Then hold out like this for another few dozen minutes."

What? Is his goal to buy time too? For what?

Just as I tried to think, I was pulled back to reality by Cyrus's heavy sword. There was no killing intent in the blade; if anything, it was a sword meant to instruct.

Cyrus's sword was a Sword of Gou Hard. Rather than slicing cleanly, it was a sword that crushed and slashed.

When I trained in swordsmanship, I polished my Sword of Technique, but crossing swords with Cyrus taught me for the first time just how effective a Sword of Gou could be.

As we exchanged blows, accustomed to Cyrus's sword and seeing the future, I used Appraisal to check what was happening to me. My MP had dropped below four digits without me noticing and was still decreasing at a tremendous rate.

—Why!? I'm only using 《Sylphid》!?

I thought that for a moment, but realized the cause was the future-sight ability. Sure enough, when I stopped using the future-sight, the drain slowed to just the cost of 《Sylphid》.

The moment I stopped seeing Cyrus's future, I couldn't handle his sword anymore. A blade I could have blocked moments ago loomed right before my eyes.

Crap! I can't block this, and I can't dodge!

(《Wind Cutter》!)

I deflected Cyrus's sword heavily with a chantless spell. Cyrus blinked, looking like a pigeon shot by a pea shooter.

"Mars!? What did you do just now!? That wasn't a sword skill, was it?"

Sword skill? What's that? But this is a good opportunity. I'll answer honestly and ask about that flying slash Cyrus used earlier.

"Um... that was..."

Just as I was about to answer, a Hido Company thug guarding the venue shouted loudly.

"Oi! Run! It's Fuuga! Sasha of Fuuga is here!"

At this unexpected good news, the members of the Hido and Gedo Companies around me began calculating their escape.

"Gedo! Leave the quest reward! Or else I'll chase you to the ends of the earth!"

True, Cyrus did complete the quest. He drove away 'Moonlit Darkness'. Gedo probably made the quest like that, assuming that once 'Moonlit Darkness' was dealt with, recovering Misha would be easy.

Gedo reluctantly placed a bag of gold coins on the ground and fled with 'Naraku' and his entourage.

Hido tried to run too, but an arrow flew from nowhere and pierced his leg. I thought it was Clarice's arrow, but it wasn't. Ever since Cyrus came close, Clarice had been holding Misha's head so she wouldn't have to look at him, so her hands were full.

"Owwwwwaaaaaaaahhh!!!!!"

Ignoring Hido writhing on the ground, the thugs abandoned him and ran.

And so did the person I had been exchanging sword blows with until just now.

"Tch! She's here early. I'm taking off too. Mars! When you turn twelve, absolutely go to the Lister National School! That's a school where the strongest on the continent, no, the world, gather! And make sure you say this! Say you came on Cyrus's recommendation! Definitely use my name! Got it!"

School? Why him? I wanted to ask, but he melted into the darkness faster than anyone else.

Left in this place were me, Clarice, Misha, the incapacitated thugs and entourage, and Hido, immobile with an arrow in his leg.

Then, a mature woman's dignified voice rang out.

"Boy! Lower your sword and surrender! Or else you'll end up like the man rolling around over there!"

Looking toward the voice, I saw a woman looking down at us from the roof of a building, bow drawn.

Her short cut hair, illuminated by the moon, was emerald green. She wore a deep green tank top emphasizing her ample chest, a dark brown cloak, and a quiver on her shoulder. Pointed ears, and most eye-catching of all, beautiful legs extending from short pants the same color as her cloak, so short they almost revealed her buttocks.

Confirming her appearance, instantly recognizable as Misha's mother, I was hit by fatigue and dropped to the ground. This might be the price for overusing the future-sight power.

"Mom! Mars isn't one of them! He's been protecting me the whole time!"

Misha, who had been in Clarice's arms until now, jumped out to shield me upon hearing Sasha's voice.

Seeing her daughter desperately shielding me, Sasha showed a surprised expression, lowered her bow, and lightly jumped down from the building.

"Misha!"

"Mom!"

As mother and daughter reunited and embraced, Clarice hugged me from behind with a "Good work."

"Yeah. Thanks."

I replied, heart pounding at the softness pressing against my back, as Sasha turned toward us after rejoicing in her reunion with her daughter.

"Sorry for misunderstanding. I'm Misha's mother, Sasha. Could you tell me one thing? Why were you fighting Cyrus? That lovely girl behind you is your comrade too, right?"

Eh!? Does Sasha know Cyrus?

"N-Nice to meet you. My name is Mars. While I was captured together with Misha... Misha-san, Cyrus-san attacked us... Not knowing the circumstances, I was desperate to protect..."

I answered while trying my best not to look at Sasha's revealing outfit, but my voice cracked from nervousness.

"Nice to meet you. My name is Clarice. As Sasha-sama said, Mars and I are... comrades."

When Clarice finished her introduction, Sasha's guarded expression softened.

"So that's it. I had asked Cyrus to search for Misha, so I assumed anyone fighting Cyrus was an enemy. I'm really sorry. And thank you for staying with Misha and saving her."

With those words, Cyrus's actions finally made sense.

Cyrus intended to hand Misha over to Sasha from the start! That's why he kept taking actions to whittle down the forces of 'Naraku' and 'Moonlit Darkness'.

There were still questions, but my eyelids felt like they were glued together.

"I apologize, but I'm a little tired... Could we be allowed to rest?"

"I'm sorry. You're right. You might not want to stay in this town, but we Fuuga will guard you properly, so rest assured. I think other adventurers will arrive in this town tomorrow."

"Thank you. Then we will accept your offer."

Normally, I should feel uneasy about the security provided by someone whose daughter was kidnapped, but the fact that I didn't notice that was probably because I had overused the future-sight power and couldn't think that far... I suppose.

We were taken to an inn, and after cleaning up thoroughly, I crawled into bed.

—Midnight.

My head still felt heavy, but waking up, I used Appraisal on myself.

【Name】 Mars Bryant
【Title】 Wind King / Goblin Slayer
【Status】 Human / Bryant Viscount Family 2nd Son
【Condition】 Good
【Age】 8
【Level】 21
【HP】 130/130
【MP】 7846/7846
【Strength】 84 (+1)
【Agility】 90 (+2)
【Magic】 125
【Dexterity】 113 (+2)
【Endurance】 81
【Luck】 30
【Unique Ability】 Heavenly Gift (Lv MAX)
【Unique Ability】 Heavenly Eye (Lv 8)
【Unique Ability】 Lightning Magic S (Lv 0/20)
【Special Ability】 Swordsmanship B (Lv 7/17) (6→7)
【Special Ability】 Fire Magic F (Lv 5/8)
【Special Ability】 Water Magic G (Lv 3/5)
【Special Ability】 Earth Magic G (Lv 2/5)
【Special Ability】 Wind Magic A (Lv 13/19)
【Special Ability】 Holy Magic C (Lv 6/15)
【Equipment】 Mithril Silver Sword
【Equipment】 Sylph Dagger
【Equipment】 Bracelet of Disguise

It was a short battle, but the fight with Cyrus definitely made me stronger.

And about the thing that was bothering me. The ability to predict the future. When I appraised Heavenly Eye, the result was as expected. It seems to be an ability called Vision.

It's an ability to see 0.5 seconds into the future, but the MP consumption is 10 per second. So that's why my MP drained so much during the Cyrus fight.

But this is incredibly useful in close combat. I'm not used to that vision yet, so I need to train properly to master it.

I washed my face, brushed my teeth, forced my heavy head to wake up, and left the room.

Two unfamiliar adventurers were guarding near the room. One noticed me and spoke up.

"Did you sleep well? Heard you were a big hero. I heard the story from Misha and Clarice-chan while you were sleeping. Sasha-san should be in the lobby, so go show your face. We'll keep guard here."

"Understood. Please take care of things here."

These two must be Fuuga adventurers. Clarice and Misha are beyond the door they're standing at. That's reassuring.

Going down the stairs to the lobby, I saw Sasha sitting on a sofa with her legs crossed.

"Oh my, up already? You've only slept about three hours, haven't you? Are you okay?"

Worrying like a mother, Sasha gestured with her hand for me to sit on the opposite sofa.

"Yes. I'm a short sleeper. More importantly, aren't you going to rest, Sasha-san?"

I sat on the sofa as urged and answered.

"Yes. Right now I have other members resting, and I intend to swap when they wake up. I don't want a repeat of that ever again."

Well, having another kidnapping blunder right after yesterday would be unacceptable.

By the way, Sasha was a B-Rank adventurer.

How high are a B-Rank adventurer's stats? It was from that curiosity that I Appraised Sasha.

"Mars-kun!? What are you doing right now!?"

Sasha leaned forward, her beautiful face suddenly close.

"Eh? Ah, I thought I'd appraise you, Sasha-san, but..."

It was sudden, so I let slip about the Appraisal. Then Sasha taught me in an admonishing tone.

"Mars-kun. You shouldn't use Appraisal out of the blue. People with high magic or lots of experience can sense that something is being done to them, even if they don't know exactly what. There are cases where people were beheaded because they were mistaken for using clairvoyance to peep. When using Appraisal, choose your target. Understood?"

Beheaded for peeping? If so, Sasha has a point.

"Thank you for teaching me. I didn't know that happened. I'll be careful from now on."

I bowed my head immediately. Sasha broke into a smile and sat back down on the sofa.

"As long as you understand. So, why did you try to appraise me?"

"Yes. I heard from Misha-san that you are a B-Rank adventurer, so I got curious about how amazing a B-Rank adventurer's stats are... I'm sorry."

"I see. That's fine. Go ahead and appraise me. But let me hear your thoughts."

Ah, she's probably testing if I can really use Appraisal.

"T-Thank you. Then, here goes..."

【Name】 Sasha Febrant
【Title】－
【Status】 Fairy Race (Elf) / Commoner
【Condition】 Good
【Age】 84
【Level】 50
【HP】 180/180
【MP】 325/522
【Strength】 70
【Agility】 124
【Magic】 144
【Dexterity】 140
【Endurance】 65
【Luck】 5
【Special Ability】 Archery C (Lv 9/15)
【Special Ability】 Wind Magic B (Lv 13/17)
【Equipment】 Elf's Bow

"A-Amazing..."

I was left speechless by the appraisal results. The way she put her hand on her hip and tilted her head asking "Well?", she didn't look eighty-four at all.

"Are you high-class among B-Rank adventurers, Sasha-san?"

"Hmm... I haven't really heard other people's stats so I can't say for sure, but I suspect Cyrus and I are about mid-tier?"

So Sasha and Cyrus are in the same tier level.

"Um, who exactly is Cyrus-san?"

Since the topic of Cyrus came up, I asked.

"He's an adventurer too. B-Rank like me. But rather than an adventurer..."

"A bodyguard?"

Since Sasha seemed to be choosing her words, I interjected. It must have hit the mark because she held her stomach laughing.

"Right. Looking at that face, you might think so. Hmm, I can't say in detail, but despite what you might imagine from that face, I think he's a good person, you know? Especially to children."

She answered with tears in her eyes from laughing too much.

After that, I asked more about Cyrus, but she kept dodging the questions. In that case, let's use the time effectively.

"Umm, could you teach me Wind Magic?"

"Wind Magic? Sure. Come to think of it, Misha mentioned it. That Mars is an amazing Wind Mage. Since Misha, who watches me—a fellow Wind Mage—all the time, says so, I want to see your Wind Magic too. Show me right here."

"Doing it here might cause damage... Could we go outside?"

Thinking normally, she probably assumed magic used by a child would be easy to control, but since I wanted to be taught properly, I asked to go outside.

"Hmm... I'd prefer not to leave this spot too far, if possible... but alright. Wait a moment."

Right. From Sasha's perspective of not wanting to expose Misha to danger, that's natural. My thought of asking to go outside was shallow.

Still, Sasha went up the stairs. She probably went to tell the Fuuga members guarding Clarice and Misha's room that she was going outside.

"I apologize. For making an unreasonable request."

When I apologized to Sasha upon her return, she said:

"It's fine. I'm interested in you too, Mars-kun."

She forgave me with a smile.

Once outside the inn, I first checked the surroundings. As I was carefully checking for suspicious figures, Sasha suddenly cast a spell: 《Search》. In that instant, a gentle breeze wrapped around us.

"Seems safe. Let's go."

What was that just now? It seemed like just a mana-infused breeze blew... Without any explanation, we passed through the town's North Gate and went outside.

"Here should be no problem. First, show me the magic you're good at."

Urged by Sasha, I released magic toward the sky.

(《Wind Cutter》!)

The friction sound of a wind blade slicing through the silent night sky echoed.

"—Chantless!?"

"Yes. I've been using them constantly, so I can manifest 《Wind》, 《Air Blade》, and 《Wind Cutter》 without chanting."

Hearing my words, Sasha blinked in surprise and praised me.

"Since you crossed swords evenly with Cyrus, I assumed you were a swordsman... Now I understand why Misha was praising you so unreservedly."

"No, Cyrus-san was holding back considerably..."

Sasha continued over my words.

"Mars-kun. You can be confident. Even when Cyrus holds back, most students..."

As soon as she said "students," she looked like she'd made a mistake and covered her mouth with her hand.

Students? Does Cyrus run his own sword school or something?

To prevent me from asking questions, Sasha spoke rapidly.

"Can, can you use any other Wind Magic?"

"Yes. Besides those, 《Tornado》 and 《Firestorm》."

"—《Tornado》!? And 《Firestorm》!? The 《Firestorm》 that's a composite of Fire and Wind Magic? Alone!? Show me!"

Since Sasha urged me excitedly, I raised both hands to the heavens and chanted.

"《Firestorm》!"

A storm of fire rose high into the sky, as if burning the chilly curtain of night.

"I've never seen anyone cast 《Firestorm》 alone before..."

The firelight illuminated Sasha's profile as she sighed in admiration.

"Shall I show you 《Tornado》 too?"

When the firestorm vanished and I asked Sasha, who had lowered her gaze, she shook her head.

"No, that's fine. Can you cast 《Wind Impulse》?"

"No, that's the first I've heard of it. Can I cast it?"

"If you can use 《Tornado》, Mars-kun, you can cast most Wind Magic. 《Wind Impulse》 is like an enhanced version of 《Wind》. It's easier to understand if you think of it as blowing the opponent away with a shockwave rather than just wind. It feels like gathering even more mana in your palm than 《Wind》 and releasing it all at once."

I mimicked what Sasha cast, and succeeded on the first try.

MP consumption is 20. I see, the power matches the consumption.

"Also, this isn't offensive magic, but it's useful to know, so I'll teach you. It's called 《Search》. You emit wind into the surroundings and use that wind to detect the state of things around you. It's the magic I used when leaving the inn. Naturally, sending the wind far requires a corresponding amount of Magic and MP. Also, just like Appraisal, be careful because experienced people will notice it. You should avoid using it in the Forest of Magic too. Some monsters are sensitive to mana."

Sasha was scouting earlier! I definitely want to master this!

"Also, if you know, could you tell me what the strongest Wind Magic is?"

I took the chance to bombard her with questions.

"The strongest Wind Magic is probably 《Tempest》. Though I think the only one who can use it right now is the Wind God..."

"Is the Wind God a deity?"

"No, the person who can use Wind Magic best in this world is given the title of Wind God. Second to tenth place are Wind Kings."

"Can you not use 《Tempest》 unless you become a Wind God? Or can a Wind King use it?"

"I think a Wind King could use it... though I don't think there's a precedent..."

"Thank you. Finally, one more thing, please. This is about an acquaintance of mine. They were told they have a talent for an unknown magic. But apparently, they don't know how to use that magic. They really need to use it, but since it's unknown magic, there are no grimoires, and they say they don't know how to train. Is there any way to learn it?"

"Hmm, I'm not sure. I have an acquaintance who uses strange magic too... Sorry I can't be of help. Now, let's head back soon."

"Right. Thank you for teaching me so much."

Upon returning to the inn, Sasha immediately headed to the room where Clarice and Misha were sleeping.

In front of the room were the two Fuuga members from before, plus a new one.

"How is it? Anything unusual?"

"Nothing in particular. Binks woke up, so you should rest too, Sasha."

"Thanks. I'll do that."

Sasha spoke to the three, entered the room, checked the sleeping faces of Clarice and Misha, and came right back out. She must have done so out of consideration for me waiting worriedly outside.

"Both are fast asleep. Misha is actually quite shy despite appearances and doesn't open up easily, but she seems completely attached to Clarice-chan. I'll sleep here with them. What about you, Mars-kun?"

Huh. I thought she had high communication skills since we broke the ice immediately, but I guess not.

"I think I'll rest in my room too."

Truthfully, I wanted to go outside to train 《Search》, but going out alone carries danger.