Volume 1 - CH 12

How was I able to obtain combat skill that I didn’t manage to learn until now?

Furthermore it wasn’t just Short Sword skill that I had been training for. I also obtained the skill Martial Art at the same time. In addition I also obtained Pressure……could it be, that time.

I must have obtained Pressure from when I directed “killing intent” toward Viro. In that case, it would make sense if I also obtained the other skills at that time too.

I had been training in short sword skill all this time, but I was able to obtain martial art skill must be from all the practices of falling safely and the way of moving my body that Feld taught me. For all of them to bear fruit simultaneously like this……perhaps experiencing a real battle where I risked my life had given a strong impact into my soul.

「Come on, don’t just look dazed over there, we’re going to the guild.」

「……Yes.」

Viro lightly tapped my shoulder and started walking ahead. I hurriedly followed behind him while continuing my thinking for a bit.

Skill wasn’t something that could be obtained that easily. I knew that I had knowledge that rivaled adult though it was unbalanced to certain aspects and better foundation than the average children to obtain skill, but although obtaining short sword skill was just to be expected, being able to obtain martial art too was too much of a result. But according to the “knowledge” of that woman, it seemed there was a story 『Being able to cut down a man with a sword is to have the skill of dan one』. I didn’t know whether in that woman’s previous life, dan one was equal to level 1 or not, but I obtained the skill might be because I went through such fight that pushed me to the limit.

Well, Viro wasn’t serious at all in that fight though, but being captured by a thief would be the same as being death or worse, so I was also desperate at that time.

However I got the feeling that it was slightly different with the case of Pressure. Certainly my fight against Viro served as the impetus, but a normal kid……no, even a normal adult couldn’t learn Pressure easily.

A battle that put your life at risk. A clear intent to kill your enemy. And then……experience I guess. A normal commoner would never emit something like killing intent. And a child who was able to emit killing intent and learn Pressure might be a very odd existence from the perspective of ordinary people.

……It would be better if I didn’t expose my hands to much until I became a bit stronger.

.

I followed behind Viro outside the slum quarters and came out to the main street.

「…………」

I believed that I had cleaned up myself somewhat, but I felt a little dirty again after going through that fight.

I cleaned myself partly so that I wouldn’t be 『sized up』 when making a deal, but the biggest reason was because I didn’t want to stand out. More than three weeks had passed since I killed the old hag, so it was hard to imagine that there was still pursuer searching for the culprit, even so surely there were still people in this city who remembered that such incident had happened at the neighboring town.

The clothes she was wearing was somewhat worn out, but it was a simple type of clothing that most people worn, and her hair was sprinkled with ash so that her originally 『pink blond hair』 didn’t stand out. ……And yet, I felt “gazes” from several people being directed to me as I walked on the street.

Was it because they were thinking of me as a resident of the slum quarters? Nobody said anything because right now I was together with an adult, but if I was alone here there was a possibility that I would get dragged into some kind of trouble. While I was thinking such thing, I turned my gaze to the adult in question Viro. It was then he looked back with a slight grimace and met my gaze.

「……What?」

「Aa~……you know, if you want to hide your face, how about you use something more proper to wrap around your neck? I’ll buy it for you over there.」

「……It’s fine I guess.」

I see, the ragged cloth that I wrapped around my neck to hide my face was standing out. This fabric was just a makeshift scarf that I got from cutting ragged clothes that I didn’t use anymore with a knife and wrapped around my neck simply to hide my face. I had washed it, but certainly its appearance was still not good.

「Oo, I see. Theen……oh, over there.」

Viro looked relieved for some reason and looked around before he found a stall and headed there. I also followed behind him toward where he was looking at.

「Yes, welcome-!」

The auntie who seemed to be the stall owner called out to Viro cheerfully. It seemed this stall was selling cloth, but it also sold some simple clothes that served as example of the clothes at the same time.

「Do you have something like muffler to be wrapped around the neck? One that can hide your face.」

「I don’t have muffler in this season, but if it’s a thin shawl then I got some over here.」

「I see……I don’t really understand what you want so you can choose yourself.」

「Yes.」

I didn’t really get it but I wouldn’t hold back if he was buying for me. But, this country was located at the south part of the continent, so they basically only had thin clothing for protection against cold. And so I chose something long with pleasant texture on skin. When I took off the ragged cloth wrapped around my neck, I heard a small commotion for some reason.

「Oh my……」

The auntie slipped out an astonished voice. I looked around wondering what was going on and found a girl around ten years old staring at me with a face that was as red as Shuri. I wasn’t used of getting seen with that kind of gaze, so for now I wrapped the new black shawl around my neck. When my face was covered I heard faint sighs from around me.

「……?」

I couldn’t understand and turned my gaze to Viro. He was pressing his head with one hand as though he was enduring a headache and sighed.

「……Let’s just go.」

「Yes.」

I didn’t know what happened, but it seemed that Viro was prioritizing heading to the guild. Once more I followed behind Viro who started to walk away. Viro was muttering 「That makes you stand out even more ain’t it……」 with a small voice.

.

「And this is the adventurer guild-!」

For some reason Viro spoke loudly in self-abandonment with a voice that reverberated through the street.

Viro entered inside with a walking pace that got slightly faster. I also followed slightly behind him. Although I had knowledge, this was my first time coming here. I didn’t know what this place had. As I entered inside while being slightly on my guard, I felt the gazes from several adventurers inside on me, but I couldn’t see any sign of anyone trying anything, perhaps because Viro was together with me.

As I looked over the inside of the guild, I saw a board that had many papers pinned on it and several counters with receptionists behind them.

The adventurer guild was derived from mercenary guild. It was a support group for mercenaries that specialized in exploration. Their sponsor was the merchant guild, and in exchange the merchant guild was prioritized for buying the monster materials and finding from ruins and other places that the adventurers obtained. At the beginning when the guild was just formed, adventurers also received request from the country to investigate undeveloped region that would be developed and so on. Even at the present situation where adventurers were working like magic stone miner, high ranked adventurers who could deal with requests like capturing dungeon or dealing with high level monster would be able to obtain pretty great benefit.

「Newcomer registration for one person please.」

Viro said that at one of the counters. The woman at her late twenty who was sorting out documents at the other side of the counter raised her face. Her almond eyes slightly widened when she saw Viro and me who was behind him.

「Is it for that pretty gi……cough, for that kid? She looks really small, does she has any combat skill?」

「Yeah, she has. It’s short sword skill.」

I nodded slightly to confirm Viro’s words. When the receptionist saw me nodding, she smiled as though she was being healed for some reason, then her gaze return to being a glare toward Viro.

「Then let’s carry out the test. Is it fine to do it right now?」

「That’s fine but……you, your attitude is too different between both of us.」

「Test?」

The two looked at me simultaneously when I muttered.

「Yeah, in order to check that you really have the fighting skill that correspond to rank 1, you will have to demonstrate a Battle Skill. You can do it right?」

Viro lightly asked me that, but I quietly shook my head.

「……I can’t use Battle Skill you know?」

「What-!?」

It seemed that the fact that I didn’t have skill until just now had slipped out of his memory.

「You can’t use it even though you can fight that much and also use body strengthening-? ……Damn.」

「If you don’t mind, how about receiving a short course of Battle Skill for short sword level 1? Though it will cost you. The fee will be five silver coins.」

「There is that but……in that case I can also borrow a place and be the one teaching her.」

「Is that so? Then it will cost you one silver coin to use the underground training ground for one hour, will that be fine?」

「I think that way will be faster. ……Wait, that’s right, you can use Heal’s spell aren’t you?」

Viro recalled that and asked me with a small voice. Then the receptionist who heard that showed a surprised expression and lowered her voice too.

「She can use light sorcery in that age……? In that case you can also pass the test by displaying Heal. We can ask the adventurers around here, there must be some of them who have injury on their body right now. ……No, please wait for a bit.」

The woman thought of something and headed toward another staff behind her. They talked about something before returning immediately.

「My apologies. In case of young sorcerer──especially when their element is light, there is a risk that some unscrupulous adventurers will work them like a slave before throwing them away. It will be a different story if you are joining this person’s party, but if you are also going to work solo sometimes, it will be better if your information isn’t being spread out for a while.」

「My party isn’t active right now after all……」

「Then, we will have to wait until a trusted adventurer arrive before giving the test……」

「Viro. I want to learn Battle Skill.」

The two of them turned toward me at the same time again when I spoke out once more.

「If it’s just the room usage fee, I’ll pay.」

「No, I can pay for just that amount as a necessary expense. Certainly doing it that way will leave fewer problem for later.」

「Then, if you have decided, can I take a look at your tag first? Also please write the age and name of the person who will be registered.」

「Age……ten years old.」

「Is she ten years old? It feels like she is younger than that though.」

「It’s just a difference of one or two years right? And name……you, what’s your name?」

From Viro’s perspective, it seemed that I looked like eight or nine years old right now. Also he only noticed after this late that he never asked me my name until now. He raised his head from the paperwork and looked back at me.

「……Aria.」

「Ou, I see, I see.」

The receptionist who was watching our exchange was looking at Viro with a very stern gaze while muttering.

「How can you not even know her name……. You aren’t kidnapping that child aren’t you?」

「……Don’t be rude. Take a damn good look at the person’s face properly first before making your judgment.」

After being told that, the receptionist stared fixedly on Viro’s face.

「……You aren’t kidnapping that child aren’t you?」

「Hell no-!」