“It’s fine. Do my back next.”
I rinsed off the shampoo with hotter water this time and rested her hair over her front and sides, revealing the nape of her neck, which looked reddened. It really stuck out… Perhaps I ought to powder it later.
“Shall I wash your front, too?”
“No need.”
“You don’t have to be shy. It will feel good.”
“I said I’m fine!”
Any further prodding and she actually would hit me. I settled for scrubbing her back. There would be other chances.
“Scrub harder. It always feels like a child is applying pressure when you do it.”
“Sure, sure.”
It was basically servant work, but I didn’t mind this lifestyle. I didn’t know how long it would last, and for that reason, I wanted to wrap up any annoying loose ends when I could.
The fewer deaths, the better. I scrubbed and rinsed the beautiful back before my eyes. She’d need a piece of candy as a reward later, too.
Gray Neighbor was a city surrounded by wasteland, with some exceptions. To the south was an open grassland, which gave way to little patches of woods here and there.
Dangerous monsters often prowled near the woods, and because it was far from the high road to Baradelle, almost no one bothered to come here.
In the middle of the woods was a small open meadow. Because of the trees and the fact that it was sunken a bit lower, this spot was completely out of sight of the greater grassland outside.
The grass originally grew tall and thick here, but I came back at regular intervals to cut it down. I wasn’t a gardener, and no one asked me to do it. The tall grass just didn’t suit my needs. After going untouched for three months, it had grown back to waist height, so I needed to get a sickle and trim it again. It had been the right move to agree to meet during the day.
Because of the late night, Arwin was still sleeping, most likely.
I was about to confront a member of the princess knight’s party. It might very well turn into a duel to the death. The thought of her suffering hurt me, too, but I was not a martyr walking to my doom with full acceptance. When they tried to kill me, I killed them. That’s how I’ve always done it.
When the reaping was done, I sat down on a fallen tree trunk for a break. Soon, someone approached—the sound of crunching leaves traveled through the trees. Moments later, my guest arrived in the open.
“Ah, there you are. I’ve been waiting for you, Sir Virgin Paladin.”
His Lordship Lutwidge Lewster made a sour face.
“You may have escaped death, but don’t let that get to your head,” he said, glaring at me with unbridled hostility.
His helmet was tucked under his arm, but he was otherwise fully armed for battle. His platinum armor, massive greatsword, and red cloak shone like a vision of a heroic knight from some bard’s saga.
“Coincidence will not serve you forever. I’ll end you myself this time,” Lutwidge swore. He took another ten steps and stopped, facing me.
“I take it you’re not interested in talking this out?” I said, standing. “That’s a shame.”
“No, the shame is all mine.” His gauntlet creaked as he clenched his fist. “The thought of a talentless coward like you being attached to Her Highness at the hip makes me sick to my stomach.”
“Let’s not pretend your intentions are so noble, good sir,” I objected. “Did you think I couldn’t tell you’re in love with Arwin? Honor and status are beside the point. You want to kill me because I stole the woman you love out from under your nose. Isn’t that right?”
“No!”
“I’ve been terrified that you’ll toss your armor aside and tackle Arwin to the ground. For all your courtesy and manners, there’s nothing but fornication in that head of yours. Oh, for shame.”
“Silence!”
“Look, I’m a man, too. I know how it is. I was willing to look the other way while you let your mind run wild and turned her into your imaginary sex slave, but this is really going too far. If you were that desperate, I could have introduced you to a whore who looks like her.”
“I said hold your tongue!” Lutwidge bellowed. He threw his helmet at me. The silver helm glanced off my right arm and rolled into the trees behind me. “I cannot abide the thought of a wretch like you cavorting with Her Highness any longer. I will cleanse your stain from the world right here and now, even if it should earn me her displeasure!”
He raised his sword and stomped his boot three times.
In less than ten seconds, the forest was full of the sound of people approaching. There were five, maybe six of them.
The men who appeared all looked like adventurers. They’d probably been hired by the Virgin Paladin; they had that back-alley ratlike look to them. They wore iron breastplates and chain mail, plus iron helmets. One of them who had the look of a thief approached in a crouch with daggers in either hand, light as a cat on his feet.
“There’s no escape for you now. We’ve already confirmed that you have no reinforcements or partners lying in wait.”
“Of course I don’t.”
I’m all the help I’ll need.
“You won’t leave these woods alive, wisecracker,” said Bill, his head bandaged, as he approached with blade drawn.
“Oh, it’s you.” Apparently, he had accepted the Virgin Paladin’s invitation. The poor sap.
“That dwarf helped you survive the Astons, too, didn’t he? Well, he ain’t here today. He’s busy finding the bones of some unfortunate rookie in the dungeon right now…”
“Move it.”
Someone pushed Bill from behind, causing him to stumble. He started to protest but held his tongue when he saw who it was.
“You Matthew?”
A very large man strode forward in Bill’s place. He was about my height, but his shoulders were a full arm’s worth thicker than mine. He carried a custom-made great ax, and his brown eyes were smoldering with fury.
“Name’s Nash. And I’ll kill you for what you did to Nathan and Neil.”
“You their friend or something?”
Dez hadn’t mentioned them having any other partners.
“Their brother!”
I had no response to that.
“I haven’t seen my brothers in two days. But when I went to their room, I found bloodstains. I know you did it!”
I groaned and tilted my head back. Why couldn’t Beardo have mentioned there were three brothers?
“I don’t care what happened between you. I’m gonna make sure you die today,” he said.
“Now, hang on a moment,” I said, holding up a hand as Nash advanced on me. “This is a mistake. You’ll see, if we just talk things out. What happened to those two? It was an accident. I never had any intention of killing them. It’s true! Swear to the gods.”
“You accidentally tossed a rope over the ceiling beam and hanged them?”
“……”
“There was a rope mark over the beam and a great stinkin’ boot print on the chair. Not many people in this town wear clodhoppers that big. I even put the screws on the old man who runs the place, and he told me you were involved in somethin’ up on the second floor.”
“Wow,” I said, honestly impressed. He’d done his research. Contrary to what his appearance suggested, he was actually rather keen. “So rather than hand me over to the guards, you decided you wanted to cut off my head yourself and accepted Sir Virgin’s invitation to violence.”
“Hate to break it to ya, but you’ll die a painful death today.”
“Actually, I appreciate your decision,” I said. “Now I don’t have to worry about being in trouble with the guards. See, if I manage to silence all of you, then I’m in the clear.”
“He’s a dreamer,” spat Bill. “Thinks he’s gonna survive against all of us. With one sickle?”
That reminded me what I was holding in my hands.
“Why, yes, I do think that.”
I tossed the tool over my shoulder; the rusty blade twirled into the trees. I made sure to remember where it landed so I could retrieve it later. Nash was watching me with a suspicious look, but it honestly wasn’t part of any ruse. I’d only brought it to cut the grass.
I already had a weapon, of course.
“Why do you think I called you out here? Same reason as you. So that I can eliminate you without having to worry about the guards.”
I tensed my legs and grabbed the fallen tree I’d been sitting on. It was about five yul (eight meters) long and as thick around as a man. Feeling the sun burning my scalp, I lifted the tree and rested it on my shoulder. It pressed heavily on me but wasn’t too bad. The worst part was the rough bark biting into the skin.
“This is my weapon.”
“Impossible!” Lutwidge gasped, backing away. “You don’t have that kind of strength.”
“This is nothing.”
I lifted the tree up and down with one hand. It was heavy but still a breeze compared to when I lifted a cyclops’s leg. The sky was a brilliant, spotless blue today. It almost made me sick.
I beckoned toward them with my free hand. “Come on, boys. You’re not here for a picnic, remember?”
Despite their hesitance, the men took action. The thief-like man, the nimblest of the bunch, circled around behind me, twirling his daggers. I could feel him closing the gap, feinting left and right.
“There we go.” I grunted, swinging the tree in the direction I felt him coming from. A moment later, there was a loud, dull impact. I turned to see that the thief-like man had hit one of the standing trees headfirst, leaving quite a vivid red impact mark. I could see brain, so there was no need to deliver a follow-up.
“There’s one down.”
The loss of one of their own sent the adventurers into a frenzy.
“W-watch out! He’s got monstrous strength!” Bill warned. They fanned out to surround me at a healthy distance. The sight of their companion going down in a single blow had unnerved them, but they recovered quickly.