Chapter 41 – Thirst of Tiger

This chapter is sponsored by: Brandon Erwin. Will post the edited version as soon as my editor completes it. Dayyum editing and proofreading will do no good to my schedule.

EDIT: THIS CHAPTER IS NOW THE EDITED VERSION.

Chapter 41 – Thirst of Tiger

We repelled all bandits who attacked us, several hours later.

The day was getting dark, so the Trader Group stopped moving, and set up tents in the wide-open plains.

Naturally, there was no need to keep the carriages in line at this time, so even taking the point of view of the escorts, they tried to settle as many people as possible in a single place.

The tents were put up surrounding those carriages. It was decided that the people would take turns for the night-watch, and pass the whole night like that. It’s not like everyone has the night-watch duty for every night, but rather the rotation was set to be once every three days, so it can be said the people have quite a lot of time to spare.

Incidentally, we didn’t have the duty of tonight’s night-watch, so we slept without problems today.

And if a great danger came near us and if we didn’t wake up, it would be damned hell, because Alva would wake everyone up by itself. After all his crisis management ability works all time irrelevant of being awake or sleeping.

Or rather, recently it has been following the early to bed and early to rise routine.

Let it be in an inn or anywhere else, by the time Elk and I sleep it is always sleeping from before, and it would always be awake when we wake from our sleeps.

By the way, when me and Elk『do that sort of thing』it just……disappears completely somewhere, so I got no idea about that time. It can be said, it is a good bird which can read the mood.

However just how long does it sleep every day? Or does it sleep at all?

Tomorrow it’s my turn for sleepless vigil, so I will try to check that up at that time……as long as I don’t forget about it.

That day, from around after putting up the tents, the people who tagged along with Trader Group started making the dinner, but I had heard that they would cook for you if you brought the ingredients.

And so, just like that time in『Crimson Forest』, I would gather the ingredients via local procurement, or so had I thought but there were no demons suitable for that, so it went as a failure today.

I thought of paying attention to that in morning, and even go for a lookout in the surroundings. It’s only natural to eat until the stomach’s full after working hard.

I took my portion of this meal made in haste –it was a soup of vegetables, jerky and bread- and talked with my friends like Elk, Zari and Sherry-san while eating.

The feeling was like of an excursion or school trip, but well isn’t it fine to just steel myself at the important points, so I relaxed and enjoyed sitting together.

After some while, some adventurer opened up a bottle of alcohol, with that as beginning other people are threw their reserved attitudes down the drain and became less formal.

Among them there were some who got drunk and tried woo female adventurers and women traders from the Trader Group, they even came to Elk and Sherry-san, but all of their ships sank.

Elk and Sherry-san had been near me since start……or rather they were sitting on my both sides, so every time they brushed aside others, their glare of jealousy would only concentrate on me.

Then they offered us alcohol as service to make us drunk and do whatever they wanted, however after some minutes, they hoped to get a service of just running away from us.

But, it is only natural that nothing goes greatly in this world.

It would be rude for refusing them, so partook their offer and chug the alcohol down as if no tomorrow, and Elk and Zari drank moderately, so they didn’t faint from drunkenness……

I am quite strong against alcohol, but the alcohol, the people who wanted to drag the drunken-me away from two beautie, brought, was completely chugged down by me. I think this is already the fourth bottle that I have opened……neither do I get drunk nor feel unpleasant, but the taste of this is truly bad so I want to stop it already.

And the left Sherry-san, apparently also was strong against liquor, moreover she loved it unlike me.

And so, she’s is drinking all the liquor handed to her in high spirits and her mood seems to get better, more or less she seems drunk but it’s not like her judgment power has gone. She has precisely slapped down the hands trying to touch her.

In the end, after a hour and half since the start, the small party on the first day came to an end, and the painful work of those bastards ended up in vain. THE END.

☆☆☆

Next morning,

I woke up early because I wasn’t used to this sort of environment. I was inside the tent supplied by the Trader Group.

I get out of this highly-efficient-comfortable-for-sleeping sort of sleeping bag, which I purchased from sister and look around the surroundings, there was still Elk sleeping besides, so I get out of sleeping bag quietly as I could.

On the other side was a perch which can be made compact upon dissembling, on which Alva was sitting on. As usual, it was awake.

While thanking Alva for understanding my intentions and keeping quiet, I got out of the tent to wash my face, as there was not much I could while remaining in the tent.

It has gotten somewhat bright now, judging from time it would be somewhere around 4 o’clock.

Just in case I nod as morning greeting to people sitting besides the bonfire for doing sleepless vigil work.

I hold my hands out, making a diamond shape with my thumb and index finger of both hands, towards the top of tub borrowed from Trader Group. Then I used all the moisture present in the air to make water, and accumulated enough quantity to wash my face. The moisture sucked in from the top of diamond shape agglomerate inside it and is shot as liquid water from the below of diamond shape.

While I am washing my face from that water……the clothed entrance of the tent in front of me opens and a Sherry-san who seems to have just woken up comes out. Ah, did I wake her?

「Good morning, did I wake you up?」

「It’s fine, I wake up around this always. You too are quite early in mornings」

「Well my parent instilled early to sleep early to rise routine into me」

Though she has just woken up yet she, who came out with her sword hanging from her waist, stretched her body and combed her hair with hands, and pretty much arranged her appearance.

But, apparently Sherry-san went in the sleeping bag without changing her clothes yesterday, after getting drunk, and so her clothes are wrinkled at several places. Though, she seems not at all concerned by that.

Well, the clothes of adventurers are made by taking in heed that they might not be washed for many days, there are clothes which are hard to get dirty and clothes in which the wrinkles get cured quickly.

……It’s good and all being sturdy clothes, but with a cloth having this much exposure and moreover for females, just what does she do about the armor……I thought.

Then, after completing the calisthenics (?) Sherry-san, as if remembered suddenly, came to my side and hit my shoulder saying “Hey hey”. What?

「Judging from the fight I saw yesterday, your, Minato-kun’s martial arts is self-learned, right?」

「Ah, so you truly can understand that after just looking at it」

「Well yeah. It’s not like that I was made to learn martial arts since I was five just a joke」

Sherr-san said while grinning. Truly she hit the right parts.

Within just 1 fight of yesterday –she watched me sometimes while in between her severe fights- she understood that my close combat techniques are self-learned, are an imitation made by referencing someone else’s movement and the movement which became the origin of it aren’t suited for battles.

She’s truly sharp. Though the close combat techniques are what I learnt from mom, but I was basically more of a self-training person, so other than being taught about the fundamental bodybuilding and efficient movements, I learnt all by myself.

The teaching materials too, other than the movements taught by mom, are all referenced on the transforming heroes who appeared on the telly, well their movement are completely different from real martial arts.

After that in my own way, I chipped off the useless movements, joined them all and trained, then use my tempered body’s basic spec for removing the gaps in them and that’s how I use it in real battles.

If others found out that I became strong with this, well, frankly said half-hearted process, then people who love the true martial arts would truly yell at me『You tryin’ to underestimate martial arts!』, but it’s all good if I am able to fight like this in battles, and like that I am persuading myself.

Well no wonder martial arts which treasure kata would be strong, but this is the result of me pursuing the martial art which seemed to be perfectly in coordination with me both physically and mentally.

I think it’s better to think more at the time some problem occurs in way.

Like that, my pet theory became the topic of talk, we both talked, both had gaps in our movements, and talking about our training periods we both had fun, however I……didn’t realize Sherry-san’s eyes shining with a dangerous light.

Before I knew it her eyes were already 『shining』or rather『blazing』so intently that some sound effects would eventually occur……and she was already too close to me now compared to the place she was sitting before.

“……Shit, did I stimulate her that much”, by the time I thought that it was already too late.

「Hey, Minato-kun?」

「……Yes, what happened?」

Sherry-san’s face was blushing red, and was revealing a smile that somewhat seemed bewitching.

「Why are turning your face away……well it’s fine. Hey, I got a small proposal, you are free right now, right?」

Saying that, as if not having any intention of letting me go; she grabbed my arm with both her hands. Just like a girl walking around the city holding her boyfriend’s arm.

At that moment, two soft things touched my arm and deformed.

「Hey, don’t you think it’s good to move the body before eating breakfast? The food would seem tastier and your body would move more flexibly, so it is good for the escort work after we depart from here」

「Err, umm, yeah……if we do some intense exercise then it would give the negative effects, right? It’s morning, and we have just woke up」

「If it were normal people. People with bodies at our level wouldn’t feel anything like that, right? I don’t have any problem with it, and Minato-kun’s body is already a tempered one」

“So please?” Sherry-san even winked, her actions eloquently said『You know what I mean to say, right?』.

No, I know, yes is truly because I know that I’m having this problem of doing exercise……

「Well it’s natural that you are perplexed on being suddenly asked this……but it’s quite common in this industry. I think it would be good if you experience it right here and now, it’s for you future……please?」

Saying that her both hands left my arm, –though the two soft things are still touching it- , and she stroked my cheeks.

This invitation by this bewitching Sherry-san is something that 9 out of 10 people would truly nod yes though while hesitating.

As to why I am nodding yes to this sort of attack is because……

That is because the other hand of Sherry-san is trying to reach out to the sword hanging from her waist……as if wanting to say『I want to take it out!』.

……I had forgotten due to the sleepy head of mine and the fresh feeling of morning.

That……this person happens to be a Battle Maniac.

That is to say, the next words coming out of her mouth would be……

「Hey? How about before the breakfast……we spar for a bit?」

*Klang* By the time the sword made a sword of coming out of sheath, finally the sun came out.