第７７掘：決闘だぁ！！ (Part2)
"Oh? You aren't going to use magic? I am most grateful for that."
He’s angry. He is absolutely furious! That doesn't look like a face filled with gratitude, does it?
"Ho ho ho. I, the Grand Master, shall bear witness to this duel."
Ugh, great, another troublesome person has arrived!
"If you aren't using magic, then the guild's training grounds will suffice."
With Rock saying that, I found myself forced to fight in the training area.
"Big brother, do your best!!!"
"Big brother is the strongest in the world!!"
"My brother's heroic figure... is there no camera?!"
"Sister, calm down. Just use the call function."
With the little ones cheering me on, it became even harder to refuse. Since Vilia and the others are at the children's dungeon today, I suppose I have no choice but to get motivated.
As I braced myself, the old Grand Master smiled happily, raised his hand, and brought it down.
"Begin!"
The adventurer in front of me stood his ground, gripping his sword firmly while keeping his eyes locked on me. He looked like the type who wouldn't miss even a split second of an opening. He was a far cry from the adventurers who had been chased around by kobolds.
"...I don't know why you chose the same bastard sword as me, but..."
He said that, and in an instant, he closed the distance.
"This is not a blade that a mere bureaucrat or mage can handle!"
As he moved, he swung his sword with maximum force, closing in on me. *Geez, if I take that hit, my arm is going to go numb.* No matter how high my level is, fear is still fear.
*Whoosh!*
With a sharp sound, the sword swung from right to left.
"Gah!?"
The opponent immediately put some distance between us. Why did he back off? Well, that’s obvious—because he felt no resistance.
"Ho ho. This is quite something," the Grand Master said, his voice filled with surprise. "To think that Yuki-dono was capable of this..."
"Oh? You didn't know, Rock?"
"He has only ever distinguished himself in magical combat until now."
"My, my, that is terrifying. Not just at long range, but at close quarters as well?"
What I did was simple. I relied on my stats to step back and slightly shift the angle of his blade. In other words, I parried it. A weapon dictates the limits of its own attack methods. Combat is fundamentally a game of reading your opponent.
In my opponent's case, he was using a bastard sword. A greatsword is meant to crush and cleave enemies with its weight; it isn't meant to be swung around delicately. While one might be able to force it to work in this world using levels and stats, if you wanted to perform other types of attacks, you wouldn't be using a bastard sword in the first place. If you want to attack with flurries, you use a one-handed sword or dual blades. If you want to pierce, you use a rapier. If you want speed, you use gauntlets like Deryu.
Well, it's easy to say, but terrifying to put into practice. I used to think so too, but after leveling up with Kiyu and enduring countless battles with monsters far worse than this, this felt like a friendly sparring match to me.
Oh, and of course, I had pretended to go to the restroom, returned to the inn, and swapped my gear.
*Whoosh! Bang!*
Those sounds echoed through the training grounds.
"Damn it, what kind of reaction is that? Was Seraria-sama's story not a lie after all..." the opponent muttered as he distanced himself again. "But you won't win just by dodging like a willow!"
"So 'willow' exists here too, huh?"
"Eh?"
I closed in on him the moment he closed his eyes to shout. You really should be careful about your timing when you blink.
*Clang!*
For the first time, our swords clashed. Oh, he managed to react? As expected of a high-ranker. We entered a blade lock, but...
"Nngghh... it seems your strength is superior after all...!!"
"Guh!"
Actually, I’m the one being pushed back, but... yeah, that was just acting.
"I'll finish this by overpowering you!"
Seriously, stop announcing that you're putting more power into it.
*Slip.*
Just like that, the opponent suddenly released the pressure of the blade lock, losing his balance. Naturally, he fell forward right into me.
"Gah...!?"
A dull thud sounded as the man collapsed onto his back, his face staring up at the ceiling. All that remained was me, standing with my right hand raised. In other words, an uppercut. It landed perfectly on his chin.
...Ah, I hope I didn't shatter his jaw.
"Match over! The winner is Yuki-dono!"
" " "Ooooooh!!!" " "
The crowd cheered, but I was in no state to enjoy it. The man’s eyes had rolled back, and he was twitching. I couldn't use healing magic—I only know a little bit of it!
"...Ah, how wonderful, my husband."
"Hey, don't just stand there blushing! Hurry up and heal him, Rurua! This is bad, I caught his chin perfectly!"
I managed to bring Rurua back to her senses, and the man was saved from a worse fate. Incidentally, Rurua mentioned that his jaw might have been shattered and his skull cracked.
...I really need to practice holding back, just like with Kiyu.
I didn't manage to reveal everything, but I think I showed at least a small portion of my capabilities. And I managed to demonstrate the rules of magic a little, too...