Moto Sekai Ichi – 186 | Sousaku – 創作

186　Kisenshou Match Interlude

On that night.

I invited a few people from the community to my home and threw a small party.

"Thank you very much for inviting us."
"We are honored."

The first to appear were the Mix sisters.

To my surprise, the girls greeted me very politely as soon as they arrived. It was a respectful greeting that would have been unthinkable six months ago.

"What happened to the woman who suddenly shoots arrows at you while you're eating? "

"……I-I'm so embarrassed."
"I apologize for Nee-san……"

"I was kidding. Come on in."

Dee's ruggedness was no longer a shadow of its former self.
Jay, the younger sister, had also started to look people in the eye and talk to them properly, although she was still very attached to her older sister.

It would seem that 【Archery】 was not the only thing that was maturing.

Is that the influence of this man?

"――Sorry, Second Penta-Crown. I was foolish."

"What?"

"Unbeknownst to me, I had become dependent on my eyes. It did not live up to expectations. Even though I was able to get my eyes fixed at the time……! "

Alfredo, the Mix sisters' mentor. Right after he emerged from behind the girls, he bowed to me and apologized.

I see, so you are saying that you were looking too directly at Silvia's behavior.

"I think that reflection is misplaced. You have excellent hearing and your vision has been restored, so there is no reason not to take advantage of both. You should rely on your ears and your eyes."

At least I can't do the "listen to the bow" trick. I have to admit that I envy your hearing.

"In my ears and my eyes……"
"Well, good luck next time. It's a lot more fun when you can use your ears and your eyes at the same time."
"……I see. Ahh, right. I seem to have forgotten something important."

Alfredo paused for a beat, said "Thank you," and then continued speaking.

"Next time, let's see a fun match that will have people on their feet in the gallery."

Yeah. That's fine. But――

"I'm looking forward to it. But that doesn't mean I'll be in the audience seats."

"! "

He got me! I looked at Alfredo, who looked at me with that kind of look on his face and smiled.

"……Who would have thought there would be such a mansion in the kingdom?"
"Papa, we're so late! This place is very famous in the knight's order."
"This neighborhood is unusually safe."

The Virginia family was next to appear.

Silvia's father, Noir, led the group, along with her sister, Claris, and her brother, Alex. In order, they were: an austere bearded old man who personified seriousness, a slender, tall, jovial short-haired version of Silvia, and a male version of Silvia who had a chuuni-promoting air.

"Your Excellency Second, we, the entire Virginia family, are deeply honored by your invitation――"

When he and I came face to face, Noir-san began a long and formal greeting.

Both Claris and Alex, as one might expect from a knight at heart, were standing straight and lined up next to Noir. And as soon as the greetings were over, the three of them bowed beautifully.

"I'm sorry for the short notice, but I'm glad you could make it. Since Silvia is the star of this evening, please do not worry about me.
"Ha! "

It's been a while since I've acted like "some big shot," but it's still embarrassing.

However, Noir-san still seemed to be fooled, and gave me a vigorous, admiring salute.

……Claris-san seemed to know the facts. The edges of her mouth twitched as she held back her laughter.

Alex-san is an enigma. He doesn't make eye contact easily. But the way it looks, I can't describe it well, but it's kind of ...... Muratti-like, rather than me being disliked.

Well, just like that, all the attendees were gathered.

Now let's get this party started.

Today is a momentous day.

"You know! I think Silvia's act of daring to mention the name of that special technique was very good! "
"Right! I thought so, too, and taught her to proclaim it."
"Umu! You know your stuff! You can take care of Silvia! "
"It's an honor! "
"Well be imposing on you! Ahahahaha! "

Alex, he was a very pleasant person.

At first, we were probing each other, but after the drinks started to flow, it has been like this ever since.

Claris-san laughed endlessly and loudly while watching Alex-san like this. She's a real laugher, this one.

"Aniue, you are drinking too much! "
"Don't worry about it! How can I not drink alcohol on such a joyous day?! "
"That's right, Sylvia Virginia Kisenshou! Don't you realize that you have become a Kisenshou?! "
"Well said, Second! That's exactly what I was thinking! Silvia, you are not self-aware enough! "
"You are now a Kisenshou, so act like a Kisenshou! Strive to make those who admire you do more than admire you! "
"Fuck! What a sick line! Brilliant, Second! "
"I know! "
"Ahahaha! "
"What is it with these boys……?"

Silvia sighed with annoyance.

But she didn't feel bad, secretly muttering, "Silvia Virginia Kisenshou......" with a grin. We can hear you perfectly.

"Silvia is a Kisenshou....... That little, little, Silvia...……?"

Away from our noisy group, one man was drinking silently in the corner of the sofa. It was Noir-san.

Noir-san watched Silvia from afar while gently patting Eko's head as she curled up on the sofa, sleeping peacefully.

"You've grown a lot……since the last time I saw you……uh, uhh,……"

The ice in the glass on the table clinked.

Noir-san began to cry quietly. Again. This was the fifth time today. He's a total crybaby.

"I knew they were always lively, but ...... never had I expected them to be such a spectacle."

"It's a little too lively for my taste."
"Would he be offended if I told him that he should behave like a crown holder because he has won five titles?"

"Hahaha! Say it, Jay. That's what tonight is about. The main character is Silvia Kisenshou. He should know very well."

"……You laugh like that, Master."
"……Yeah, I was surprised, too."

"I think I had a little too much to drink. Well, it's time to pour a glass of wine for the star of the day. You two can have all the fun you want."

Parties are held for everyone's enjoyment……

Alfredo said as he reflected upon it, then sat up.

"Enjoy, right? Jay, did you have fun today? "
"Yeah, I did. How about you, Nee-san? "
"It was frustrating, but fun, very fun. But……"
"……Right."
"Yeah. I have a feeling I'll enjoy it more next time."

"Haa…… So they finally went home."

Midnight.
After the three members of the Virginia family, who had been thoroughly exhausted, were transported back by horse-drawn wagon, I finally got a chance to catch my breath.

The fact that Yukari didn't say anything to me until this late in the day means ...... I guess it's not my turn tomorrow either.

The girl in question, tomorrow's star, as usual, has gone to bed very early. She was completely relaxed. Nothing to worry about, it seems.

"――Second-dono."

As I watched the carriage leave in the distance from the balcony, where the night breeze felt good, Silvia called out to me from behind.

"Ah."

I stepped slightly to the side, and Silvia lined up next to me.

"…………"

Silence flowed after that silent surprise.

I couldn't quite bring myself to say it.

I knew what I had to say, but I was somewhat embarrassed by the uncharacteristic nature of the situation.

"Thank you."

Then Silvia opened her mouth first.

"Thank you for bringing me up to this point, when I as a knight wasn't happy with anything I was doing."

A word of appreciation for me.

It was so straightforward that it was inexplicably ticklish.

And above all, Silvia has always been sincere. Her mind is clear. I was, like, so pathetic.

"……From now on, the defense awaits. Many fierce competitors will be fighting to knock you off your feet. You have to be above them all. The amount of practice will be incomparable to the past. The burden of carrying this load will grow by the day. It's harder than you think."

"Even so."

"……I'm trying to use you guys. I'm training my team members to be more efficient and safer in their dungeon crawls. Naturally, they will be exposed to more danger in the future than ever before. The skills required will also be increasing. I am sure you will have a hard time. But even so――"

"Even so! "

This was the clearest declaration of all.

Even so, I still want to say "Thank you". Stubborn words, typical of her.

……Oh, yeah, right. Even so, if you're going to follow me...... I'd like to say this with all my heart.

Silvia, congratulations on obtaining the Kisenshou. I'm proud of you."

"――～Uh! ! "

We faced each other head-on with our intentions, I told her how I honestly felt, and Silvia looked as if she had been moved to tears and then embraced me energetically.

Oh, you must have trembled, you must have been worn out. And now, you must feel relieved.

I've said it many times, you are the best, truly. You really did a great job.

I'm glad from the bottom of my heart that this girl's efforts paid off. I have always watched how she never cut corners, never took it easy, faced herself, fought against herself, never succumbed to herself, and worked hard every day. Such a great girl won. How could I not be happy?

That said, there are some things that are unforgivable――

"…………"

Well, let's just hug each other like this for a while.

So, I guess it's time for that old fucker to spit it out……?

"――The small nation of Shizun? "
"That's right. It was a small country west of the Sacred Country of Kamel."

The torture by our maids, which had been solemnly executed since the end of the Kisenshou battle, finally reached its conclusion, and Ras organized the information Ernte had given up and passed it on to me.

Ernte heard that "there is a perfect medicine available in the small nation of Shizun," and he went out of his way to obtain it.

The person who told Ernte this story seemed to be a man known as "Seram," a summoner.

"There is something familiar about it. What was it……?"
"Do you know about this Seram guy, Senpai? "
"Yeah. It sounds like I've heard the story of the small nation of Shizun, and Seram, somewhere……"

No, I can't remember.

As I was pouting and groaning, Windfield appeared without any particular sound.

"The small nation of Shizun was invaded by the Marubell Empire after the revolution of the Sacred Country of Kamel. Seram was a summoner you ran into in Badgordo, an Imperial agent, I was told."

"OOOOH, that's it! "

As expected of our military strategist. Her memory is also there.

"Oh, now that you mention it, I think I heard it from Steam. Some small country was invaded by the empire right after the revolution or something."
"'This place has a nice view to keep tabs on the weakened Sacred Country of Kamel, so let's take it for now', that kind of thing? "
"No, no, this isn’t like stealing a spot for cherry blossom viewing……"
"Ras-san, nice bukkomi."
"It's tsukkomi. What's a bukkomi? Why fishing?"

Are you watching, Champani? This is what we call a real natural tsukkomi.

"As expected of you, Ras."
"W-What? "
"……As expected."
"Like I said, what's this about?! "

A truly fully automatic tsukkomi machine.

"Alright, for now, I get it. So the Marubell empire sucks."
"Yeah, that's right. Definitely, sucks."
"Then after the title fight, we can finally go out and crush them."
"Yeah, let's, do it."

And so, it turned out this way.

Windfield will have all the ideas on how to crush it. I can just throw the whole thing off. After all, I'm just a pawn.

"Oh, and by the way, what happened to the old man? "
"……Do you want to hear it? "
"…………No, I'll stop."

======

Thank you for reading.

Cheat sheet

Status Details

HP　Hit Points
MP　Magic Points
SP　Stamina Points
STR　Short range attack skill power, strength, physical power.
DEX　Long range attack skill power, dexterity, hit rate.
AGI　Quickness, avoidance rate.
INT　Attack Magic skill power.
LUK　Good luck, critical rate.
VIT　Simple defense.
MGR　Magic defense.

Skill Ranking

From lower (16th) to higher (1st) class, then it changes to the “Dan” system of martial arts, which means Grade

16th class
15th class
14th class
13th class
12h class
11th class
10th class
9th class
8th class
7th class
6th class
5th class
4th class
3rd class
2nd class
1st class
Grade 1
Grade 2
Grade 3
Grade 4
Grade 5
Grade 6
Grade 7
Grade 8
Grade 9 (Can challenge Title when all related skills are at this level)

Types of combat skills

Named after shogi pieces (The word in bold is the one being used in this translation). From easier to acquire to harder.

Pawn/Soldier (Fuhyou)
Lance(Kyousha)
Knight (Keima)
Silver General (Ginshou)
Gold General (Kinshou)
Bishop (Kakugyou)
Rook (Hisha)
Promoted Bishop/Dragon Horse(Ryuuma)
Promoted Rook/Dragon King (Ryuuou).

List of Swordsmanship skills

【Swordsmanship】　Damage： STR Dependent.

《Dragon King Swordsmanship》　Powerful ranged attack forward + stun.
《Dragon Horse Swordsmanship》　Powerful ranged attack in all directions.
《Rook Swordsmanship》　Very strong single-target attack.
《Bishop Swordsmanship》　Quick and powerful penetrating attack.
《Gold Swordsmanship》　Ranged attack in all directions.
《Silver Swordsmanship》　Strong, single-target attack.
《Knight Swordsmanship》　Precision attack＋added damage against vital points.
《Lance Swordsmanship》　Penetrating attack.
《Soldier Swordsmanship》　Normal attack.

(Rook＋Knight, Silver＋Knight, Lance＋Knight, Soldier＋Knight are possible for Combine)

List of Jojutsu (cane) skills

【Jojutsu】Thrust・Strike・Sweep

《Dragon King Jojutsu》　Extremely powerful wide-area attack
《Dragon Horse Jojutsu》　Wide range defense + knockback
《Rook Jojutsu》　Very powerful ranged attack
《Bishop Jojutsu》　Rush piercing attack
《Gold Jojutsu》　Very strong defense
《Silver Jojutsu》　Powerful ranged attack
《Knight Jojutsu》　Rush attack
《Lance Jojutsu》　Piercing attack
《Soldier Jojutsu》　Conventional attack

List of Spearmanship skills

【Spearmanship】

《Dragon King Spearmanship》　Extremely powerful single-target attack
《Dragon Horse Spearmanship》　Powerful long-range attack (shockwave)
《Rook Spearmanship》　Rush attack (charge thrust)
《Bishop Spearmanship》　Powerful ranged attack (Cleave)
《Gold Spearmanship》　Counterattack (Counter)
《Silver Spearmanship》　Powerful single-target attack (charge thrust)
《Knight Spearmanship》　Forward leaping attack (leaping thrust)
《Lance Spearmanship》　Ranged attack (Cleave)
《Soldier Spearmanship》　Normal Attack (Thrust)

List of Archery skills

【Archery】

《Dragon King Archery》　Powerful on-impact ranged attack.
《Dragon Horse Archery》　Powerful piercing ranged attack.
《Rook Archery》　Very strong single-target range attack.
《Bishop Archery》　Strong piercing range attack.
《Gold Archery》　Range attack with added knockback.
《Silver Archery》　Strong single-target range attack.
《Knight Archery》　Precise sniping range attack.
《Lance Archery》　Piercing range attack.
《Soldier Archery》　Normal range attack.

List of Shield Arts skills

【Shield Arts】

《Dragon King Shield Arts》　Very powerful ranged attack to the front.
《Dragon Horse Shield Arts》　Reinforced defense + all-range attack.
《Rook Shield Arts》　Powerful forward Rush attack (VIT converted to STR and added to net STR)
《Bishop Shield Arts》　Great Reinforced Defense (16th class: 250% ~ Grade 9th: 600% Defense)
《Gold Shield Arts》　Range homing defense ＋ Knockback（While active, attacks within a certain range would redirect themselves towards the shield）
《Silver Shield Arts》　Reinforced defense (parry grace time reduced by 0.01 second, successful parry triggers counterattack effect)
《Knight Shield Arts》　Defense + Knockback.
《Lance Shield Arts》　Piercing Reflective Defense
《Soldier Shield Arts》　Normal defense.
Success condition for parry: Activate the skill 0.287 to 0.250 seconds before the attack reaches the target.

List of Magic skills

【Magic】 (Four attributes: fire, water, wind, and earth)
Advantages and disadvantages: Fire>Earth>Wind>Water>Fire
・First Form　Normal Attack （Preparation time： Super short. Cooldown： Super short）
・Second Form　Extended range attack （Slow. Long）
・Third Form　Strong single-target attack （Short. Short）
・Fourth Form　Powerful extended-range attack （Super slow. Super long）
・Fifth Form　Very powerful extended-range attack （Slowest. Longest）

【Magical Magic】
《Combine》　Combines two magic skills into a single attack.
《Synergy》　Overlays two magic spells on top of another magic spell.
《Charge》　Magic attack that increases in magnitude the more it is charged up.

List of Thread Manipulation skills

【Thread Manipulation】
《Dragon King Thread Manipulation》　The most powerful single attack, limited to the restrained target.
《Dragon Horse Thread Manipulation》　Simultaneously emits multiple threads, forcibly restraining the touched object.
《Rook Thread Manipulation》　Very powerful single attack using a bundle of threads
《Bishop Thread Manipulation》　Powerful penetrating attack using thread like a needle.
《Gold Thread Manipulation》　Thread restraints on objects within a 4-meter radius.
《Silver Thread Manipulation》　Powerful single-target attack with a bundle of threads
《Knight Thread Manipulation》　Manipulate monsters, humans, and puppets using strings for a certain period of time.
《Lance Thread Manipulation》　Penetrating attack using thread like a needle.
《Soldier Thread Manipulation》　Single target attack with a bundle of threads
(Gold + Lance or Bishop can be Combined)

ToC