Chapter 41 – Thirst of Tiger Part 2

Unedited for now, btw the previous is now edited. Same as before this chapter’s this part is sponsored by: Brandon Erwin.

EDIT: This is now the edited chapter

Chapter 41 – Thirst of Tiger Part 2

Frankly speaking, it’s not like I hate her invitation, but I only have a bad premonition and so I hesitate.

I’m doing it every day with Elk, so it’s not like I hate sparring.

In fact, that near-true-battle sparring can be said as a part of training. Even when I was with mom in that western house, the sparring near the end was really deadly,

And Sherry-san is an『A』ranker, the only person, among all people present here, with the same rank as me. She is the only person with ability near mine ever since I’ve left the house, the other people, let it be adventurers or guards were all at most B.

The only person going above that would be Irene-san, but……in that person’s case, she’s just too above me to be compared, that sort of feeling I sense from her.

I don’t want to say something wrong about Elk, who is always sparring with me, but this is a great chance to gain experience.

Even so the only reason I hesitate from taking her invitation is none other than her being a『Battle Maniac』.

The people loving fighting are, well, types of people who love it more than the other people, aside from that reason, they, not necessarily have much difference with other people『in the middle』of fights.

But, the problem comes in later……

It might be an image I made on my own after watching too much fantasy stuff in the previous world, but these sort of people, after the fight ends, keep on demanding the same thing over and over again.

If it’s once per day, it won’t get past the limits of training, but they want it several times per day just to kill time……

Moreover she’s a person I will be together with for 2 weeks, so if she actually challenged me to a spar many times then……

Though I can’t say that for sure, after all I don’t know how much of a『Battle Maniac』she is.

And this is just my intuition but maybe she also is thinking that same as me –that it would be a great experience because our ranks are same-.

But well, I concentrate all too much just because Sherry-san might be faking with that thinking, and it’s also true that this will be good experience for both of us.

After getting out of the house, the fights where I had some resistance would be『Naga』and『Exceed Hopper』, in that case sparring against an A ranker does seem fascinating.

Moreover, because the opponent is a human, I think I can learn something, surely.

I also feel it would be good if I just refuse her invitations if she kept on challenging me in future to an irritating extent.

While calculating the pros and cons, I think about what to do, well, it will surely turn into a good experience, with that pretext I let out my decision.

「……Then a simple and light spar」

At this moment, Sherry-san’s eyes held a light that……would even scare a carnivore with the prey in front its eyes.

Yikes, did I just make a damn mistake in choosing options?

☆☆☆

Not long after morning sun rose up in sky, though it’s still dark and visibility is also not good, in that sort of situation,

We came to an open place somewhat away from the place members from the Trader Group and escorts are sleeping, and here the already regretting me and heavily motivated Sherry-san started our mock battle.

In the surrounding, standing somewhat far to not get dragged into the battle, some adventurers who rose early –of course there is no one who is on sleepless vigil duty- are observing our fight for some reason.

They are all who somehow sniffed something is happening when I was preparing the metal fake swords for mock battle.

There are also people who came here to just kill time because they woke up too early, and also who came to appraise us both. They have even started betting on who is going to win……this is just a mock battle for training and not a battle for deciding who wins and who loses.

Well, it’s not hindering us so I left them alone doing their antics.

It was just right good for them to be here, so I asked one of those onlookers to give out the signal for the start of battle.

Speaking of conclusions, Sherry-san was truly severe through-and-through.

As soon as the signal for start of battle was given, she rushed forward at me with the speed of an arrow, and without any hesitation, pushed her sword forward aiming at my heart. At that time, though I knew it was a metal fake sword, I got scared.

No, seriously, her high spirits is just too unnatural.

Of course my body is strong enough that if I put power in my pectoral muscles and abdominal muscles nothing would pass into my body, let it be fake sword or a real sword, but still there is a thing called instinct, yeah that is what let me become scared.

As for Sherry-san, I sensed that from the first strike.

And that turned into conviction within the n-th minutes long fight.

At the first attack she might have assumed I would evade, so she started a rapid counter attack by swinging the sword.

After that was a true rush of raging billows.

From above, below, right, left, she just kept on rapidly attacking without letting me catch my breath.

And each and every of those attacks used not only the arm but also the trunk of body and the movement of lower half of body, they were sword attacks holding enough power and speed, moreover there were no useless movement and the gaps too were none.

If I evade she would promptly connect it to a different attack and pursue me, if I took the blow head-on she would let the sword flow in way to not kill the momentum and again pursues.

Looking from the sidelines, it would either look like a wild fighting or bewitching sword dance, but in truth they are attacks with tremendous precision and level of completion, and that stuff just keep on coming at me at a great speed and high pace.

“So this is a true powerful person who had completed the『basics』, eh”. I was impressed even during the fight.

Due to that, for around 10 seconds, I only evaded or blocked but didn’t attack. Maybe because of that, Sherry-san’s eyes seemed to be filled with displeasure.

I thought that it would be rude if I didn’t take this mock battle seriously, so I clenched my fists, seeing that she showed a smile saying『Yes that’s the way!』.

……It’s not like I didn’t predict it, but still I’ve got no damn idea how to react to her actions.

As expected of an A ranker, she was truly strong. Her ability was the best by far against all demons and others whom I’ve fought after leaving the house.

It was a fight against an opponent with high and fast thinking, the thing which didn’t exist against a fight with demons. Moreover the feeling is different from mom’s, hence there is a lot I can learn from this.

I also got somewhat happy, though I didn’t use『Magic Arts』, but by the end of fight I too was fighting without any restraint. Of course I didn’t use my whole arm strength, but still it had quite a lot of speed and power.

It was to the extent that I realized Sherry-san’s face becoming too happy, and I was like『Shit, I did it』.

However, if I returned back to the previous power Sherry-san’s mood would become bad, so I continued on like this, after all it was still a good battle.

As a result, most probably the limit came.

Sherry-san used the sword to ward off my fist but the sword was not able to bear the power of it and broke into pieces, hence this mock battle came to an end.

☆☆☆

While watching the onlookers doing the settlement of betting, we both got rid of sweat and were cooling down.

Maybe because she was able to fight against me and got resistance than what she had expected, Sherry-san showed a truly satisfied smile.

……When I thought that, her mood changed and she showed a disappointed face as if pondering over something.

「As expected, a normal fake sword is truly bad. It broke with just this little sparring……I wanted to fight for a little bit longer」

She said. No, you still ain’t fucking satisfied, eh!

In fact, we fought for enough time. When we started the fight it was still dark, but now the surroundings are becoming brighter, 30 minutes have easily passed.

And, though it’s a normal cheap sword but it is made from pure and true iron, if that broke after 30 minutes means we fought that harshly, yet you are not satisfied?

Sherry-san, while remembering the fight from before, showed an expression of ecstasy and faced me……I only feel a bad premonition.

「Hey, how about one more time just now?」

「Rejected」

「Eh, why!? Do you want to fight after the breakfast?」

「No, not that. Didn’t we fight because it would be a good experience, the fight even longed for 30 minutes, isn’t that enough?」

Sherry-san thinks of fighting as the best sports out there, but the reason I fought was truly because of gaining experience and not for a sports like battle.

And that is something I told her various times before agreeing to the mock battle.

But, as expected, after savoring the taste once, she has completely locked on me as the target.

……Well, it’s not like I didn’t expect this, so now is the time for refusing her every time until she gives up.

「And also, you don’t have the spare metal fake sword right? Even I don’t have it, so we don’t have any means of continuing」

「It’s this chance, how about with this. This is more sturdy than those metal swords and won’t break in between the fights too」

「It’s too dangerous! The sword and your thoughts, both!」

This damn dark brown beauty just said those words with a fucking serious face,

No well, I have a body which can block a iron sword even if I’m not serious, but there is obligation for me to go out of my way to accompany her.

Or rather the sword Sherry-san always keeps –The one always hanging from her waist, we weren’t going to use it, so left in Alva’s care- is not iron, right?

If that is true, then it is more f’ing dangerous. This body of mine……ain’t something that will never be cut at all. Even more if someone with her strength attacks at me, it gets more dangerous.

Sherry-san keeps on persuading me saying『Weren’t we holding back before』and『I will just use the back of sword』, however soon she realizes she is not at all persuading me. Just for information, her sword is a double-edged sword, so the back of sword does not exist.

Seeing that she still is not stopping, but even using seductive techniques to persuade me, I ignored and started to leave her……and finally she grabbed my arm and started to swing on it saying『NO! NO!』, holy shit are you a child now!

「If you want to fight that much, then just exterminate the demons that come attacking while we are on the move」

「Those small fries cannot satisfy me. This area is said to be more dangerous than the surroundings of Volka, but the demons are of at most E or D Rank」

「Then try to hold back your urges」

「Having the best meal in front of me, I possibly cannot bear to wait」

Who the fuck is the meal here! Don’t go fucking eating it!!

「And……」

「And?」

「……You weren’t serious before, right?」

…………

「……Well I won’t refuse that, but aren’t you the same?」

She didn’t use the magic, which she said she could use and it seemed like she was hiding various trump cards too……though it’s all my intuition.

The moment I pointed that out……Sherry-san’s hand went out for the sword on her waist just for a second. Is her seriousness something related to that not-normal sword? In that case she will not be able to show it out at all.

「That’s why! Don’t you think it’s a waste to not fight against an opponent who is just suitable for you? we might get more serious than before」

「Nope, not at all. Well, it was worthwhile as a training stuff, but that is already over」

「So you actually cast me aside after using all of me……Sniffle, cold person……」

「I knew that it would come to this……for both of us……」

「But, aren’t there things once can’t back off on! If you’re truly a human with warm-blood flowing inside then you should know, just what sort of feeling I have……I, seriously……」

「I had nothing with you since the start……right? Well then I’m outta here」

「……I will never give up on you……never……!」

「Don’t do your 2 people comedy act and come fast here you two idiots. It’s time for breakfast」

Ah, it’s Elk.