“Phew. Admittedly, I was a bit worried, but I handled that better than I thought,” Ryo said as he and Abel took a carriage back to the guesthouse.
“Told you it’d be easy.”
“I don’t want to even think about what could’ve happened if fistfights broke out in the conference room.”
“Good thing they didn’t, then, huh? Besides, that’s pretty standard for adventurers.”
“Really?”
Adventurers could be quite rowdy, but Ryo—a mild young man—naturally couldn’t relate.
“Let me guess,” Abel said with a sigh. “You’re thinking about how you’re a good little boy who never causes any trouble, right?”
“Whoa, that’s right! How’d you know?”
“’Cuz I know better than anyone that that’s not true.”
“Lies and slander.” Ryo scoffed, refusing to accept the nonsense coming out of Abel’s mouth. “If I say I’m a meek young man, then it’s the cold, hard truth.”
“Did you know you smile when you fight? It’s especially scary when you’re up against a strong opponent. Someone who’s actually meek wouldn’t do that.”
“That’s ridiculous!” Ryo gasped, taken aback by the fact that he smiled during battle, or perhaps by Abel’s suggestion that a truly meek person didn’t act this way—or, most likely, by both.
“Looks like there’s some kind of commotion up ahead,” Ryo said as their carriage approached the castle’s main gate.
“Huh?”
Puzzled, Abel stuck his head out the window.
“Okay, yeah. Looks like an argument. We’re right in front of the main gate, though—shouldn’t the guards have driven them off already?”
“While I doubt they’d hesitate to dispatch a vicious, cruel, and evil swordsman—someone like you, for example—they’d surely feel guilty about using force against civilians.”
“Wish you’d feel guilty about even half the stuff you say to me, Ryo.”
The coach arrived at the gate, and Ryo and Abel heard a voice shouting from the scuffle.
“There it is! That’s the carriage!”
Ryo and Abel looked at one another.
“Looks like we’re their target.”
“Seems that way.”
“Abel, what do you want to do? Should I eradicate them with a volley of Icicle Lances?”
“No.” Abel frowned. “I wanna know why they’re after us. I mean, it’s no guarantee that they’re even enemies, right?”
“How naive, Abel! You have to strike while the iron is hot! Dally once and you’ll be one step behind.”
“Yeah, I understand what you’re trying to say, but...what if they’re civilians, like you said earlier?”
“In that case, leave it to me. I’ll simply pin all the blame on you.”
“Yeah, not a chance in hell.”
They were at an impasse.
“You can stop here,” Abel told the driver, and the carriage came to a halt.
He immediately got out. The people making a fuss at the gate ran over to them. The fellow at the front had an athletic build like Abel’s, though he was a bit slender for a swordsman. He wore his long hair in a ponytail, and his stubbly beard gave him a rough look.
“Adventurers?” Ryo muttered through the carriage window.
Indeed, the five people looked like a well-balanced party by the looks of things. They had a swordsman, a scout, a shield bearer, a magician, and a priest.
“Can we help you?” Abel called out.
“You’re Abel, aren’t you?”
“I am. Who’s asking?”
“Got a favor to ask. Come, spar with me.”
“Do what now?”
Ryo, Abel, and the five adventurers decided to discuss the matter right there in the square. In the shadow of the main gate, they sat on stone chairs around a stone table. When Ryo started making coffee, Abel glanced at him but no longer questioned where the water magician had gotten the tools from. He knew he’d made them, but where had the coffee beans come from?
“I keep some roasted beans in my bag just in case something like this happens,” Ryo explained, like he’d read Abel’s mind.
Four of the adventurers stared at Ryo while he proceeded to brew the coffee. Meanwhile, the swordsman looked at Abel.
“We’re the B-rank party Five Mountains, based out of Thebes. I’m Ceferino, the leader and swordsman.”
He explained that since there were only two B-rank parties in Twilightland’s capital, Five Mountains was originally scheduled to attend today’s meeting. However, they’d been called away on an urgent request from the archduke and had only returned to Thebes a short time ago. They’d hurried to the guild headquarters but had missed the pair. After hearing about the chaos during the seminar, the party wanted Abel—so they’d run over here to meet them as quickly as they could.
“Guess we’re all caught up,” Abel said with a nod.
“How about some coffee?” Ryo asked, pouring and distributing seven cups. “Is there more to the story?”
“I’ll have a cup, thanks. But no, that about sums it up.”
Ceferino took a sip, and his party members followed suit.
“Wooow...”
“Incredible.”
“Delicious...”
Murmurs of pleasure came from the group. Ryo’s head bobbed happily in response.
“I have to hand it to you, Ryo, your coffee’s always so damn good,” Abel said.
“Isn’t it?” Ryo nodded in satisfaction.
They relaxed for a bit, enjoying their drinks. Eventually, Abel looked at the swordsman.
“If you’re sure about it, I’d be happy to spar with you,” he remarked.
“Ahhh, thank you so much!” Ceferino replied, beyond grateful.
And that was how a duel between an A-rank and B-rank swordsman began in the castle’s courtyard.
Abel wielded his usual magic blade, lit by a red glow. Meanwhile, Ceferino used a slender, single-edged sword with a curved blade.
“A Japanese sword?” Ryo muttered, unable to help himself.
He and the others had stepped back to watch the swordsmen spar. His Murasame was also shaped like a Japanese sword—much like the Mikazuki Munechika, famed as one of the most beautiful katanas, with a pronounced curve near the guard that softened toward the tip.
Ceferino’s sword, however, resembled the Otenta Mitsuyo or Sohayanotsurugi, its curve running almost evenly from guard to tip...
Of course, it wasn’t a matter of one style being better than the other. And even though nobody had asked, Ryo nodded firmly.
“They’re both beautiful,” he said.
“Ceferino’s family has passed that sword down for generations,” explained Ilana, the magician of Five Mountains. “He may not look it, but he comes from a family of knights who emigrated from the Kingdom.”
Incidentally, all five members of the party were twenty-five years old. Ceferino and Ilana were childhood friends, which explained why she seemed to know so much about him.
“His parents died just before he came of age... That sword was one of the few possessions they left behind, and he cherishes it deeply.”
“I see,” Ryo said with a nod.
Even from a distance, it looked like a well-made katana. Of course, Ryo had no idea whether it was actually a Japanese sword or not.
Abel’s and Ceferino’s swordplay was a sight to behold from the very first parry, but that might’ve been because it was a mock battle, not a real fight with lives on the line. Still, sparring was dangerous—one mistake could be deadly, and serious injuries weren’t uncommon. Even losing a limb wasn’t unheard of...
Klink, klink, klink.
Their swords clashed endlessly. Ceferino had asked Abel to teach him, but Abel certainly wasn’t in a position to lecture. It’d become a fierce contest between swordsmen of nearly equal strength, the balance shifting frequently between offense and defense.
“Ah, clean strike, Ceferino! You’re pretty good at this, y’know...”
“Not really. I know you’re holding back, Abel.”
Only people truly skilled with the blade could maintain a full conversation while fighting. In fact, the better fighter often gave advice during sparring matches.
“I don’t think there’s anything more I can teach you,” Abel said honestly.
Ceferino’s swordsmanship had no weak points. He could attack and defend at an elite level, and he could transition between the two with shocking ease.
“You didn’t even need this, did you?” Abel asked. “You just wanted to gauge your strength—or, if you’re lucky, beat me.”
“I’d love to win,” Ceferino said, grinning. “But the real question is—will you let me?”
“How about you see for yourself?!” Abel replied.
“Ceferino looks thrilled...” Ilana murmured.
Ryo nodded. “Abel looks like he’s having fun too.”
The other three members of Five Mountains nodded in agreement.
Both men took things up a notch, but it was impossible to tell who held the advantage from the sidelines.
The one on the left deflected the other’s downward strike and countered with a diagonal slash. His opponent slipped back to avoid it and then lunged just as the other man leaned forward.
In an instant, the gap between them collapsed to the width of a fist. Two right hands gripped their swords, but their free hands—
“A liver blow!” Ryo shouted.
“At the same time!” Ilana said.
Each man had struck the other in the right side of their trunk, just below the ribs—right over the liver. With so little muscle protecting it, that spot is one of the human body’s weak points. In professional boxing, a single clean liver shot can drop even a seasoned fighter. It’s far more effective than most other body blows!
It was unclear whether either swordsman understood the underlying mechanics, but they’d transitioned from sword to fist so fluidly that they obviously had experience in fistfighting. Ryo was impressed by their talent and experience as adventurers.
However, even though the liver blows had seemed equal in force, the next few moments proved otherwise. Abel stepped back within sword range again, but Ceferino’s feet didn’t budge. Abel’s liver blow had effectively immobilized him! He pointed his sword at Ceferino’s throat...and the mock battle came to an abrupt end.
Ceferino collapsed to his knees, and Nieves, the priestess of Five Mountains, repeatedly cast Heal on him.
“Ceferino was his name, right?” Ryo asked Abel, handing him a handmade potion. “Was he strong?”
Abel downed the potion, but he didn’t seem to have any major injuries. “Yeah, I actually had to get serious for that one.”
After a while, Ceferino stood up, came over to Abel, and bowed.
“That was very educational. Thank you.”
“Nah, you’re the real deal. I couldn’t afford to hold back by the end there.”
Ceferino smiled shyly. Instead of being upset with the damage he’d taken, he seemed pleased that an expert of Abel’s caliber had taken him seriously.
“Maybe we could spar again tomorrow...” he said, uncertain. “Well, I know you’re busy, so if that doesn’t work, maybe the day after tomorrow? Or the day after that?”
“Uhhh...” Abel scratched his cheek, struggling to find the right words. He had anticipated the request, but he still had to consider his schedule. As an A-rank adventurer, he was one of the “star attractions” of the delegation, which meant he was booked for nearly every one of his days in Thebes.
But then support came from the sidelines.
“Ceferino is the strongest adventurer in this country,” Ilana said. “There’s no one here who can spar with him when he’s fighting at full strength.”
The other three nodded in agreement.
Abel mulled it over for a while. “Hmm. Starting tomorrow, we’ll probably be returning at around this time. That work for you?”
“Of course!” Ceferino didn’t even hesitate, his head bobbing eagerly.