CH 230

We approached the small figure. It wasn’t too far away, so Makina immediately called out to him.

“‘Thank you for saving me! That was awesome.”

Then the figure that had been confirming Red Elk’s death slowly stood up and turned to look at us.

“Ho-ho, don’t worry about it, I was just coming down to pick some wildflowers and mushrooms when I ran into you. I’m sure you would have managed without me stopping it.”

The person who looked back at me was a woman with short gray hair that was tied back in a bun, who could have been an old lady. She was dressed in loose-fitting pants and a sleeveless jacket. Her hands were wrapped around her knuckles with a white cloth that looked like a bandage. She looked like a martial artist.

“No, but thank you nonetheless!”

“Yes, you’re such a polite girl. I mean, you got a good shot, too, didn’t you? There aren’t many martial artists in the world, so it’s good to see one.”

The old lady said, and Makina replied with a troubled look.

“I’m an adventurer, but I’m not a martial artist. The skill is called [Kaiser Knuckle], a skill that specializes in fists, so that’s just how I fight ……”

“Fumu …… that’s a shame. With that kind of power, it’d be quite something if you train it.”

“U-Um ……?”

The old lady touched Makina’s arms, thighs, and stomach area as if she was checking something. When Makina turned her attention to me, I decided to intervene.

“Is it something you can know when you touch her? I’m Lars, an adventurer in the same party with her.”

“Oh, I never told you my name! I’m Fath.”

“My name is Makina!”

When Makina cheerfully introduced herself, Basleigh-sensei, who had caught up, opened her mouth.

“Whew …… That was splendid, my name is Basleigh. This is my business card.”

“You’re from the castle, huh. That’s very unusual, I thought a Minister Class person would use her own men.”

“I want to see it for myself, you know. Nevertheless, I feel like I’ve heard of the name Fath before ……”

“Does Fath-san live in these mountains?”

“Hey, don’t talk all at once! I have some questions for Makina, too. Why don’t you come to my house? I can at least offer you a cup of tea.”

“!?”

Fath-san carried the Red Elk with ease, and we all gasped. Where does she get that kind of strength from? While I was thinking that, Fath-san started to climb up the mountain.

“I might want to go there? We’re done with our request, so can’t we go …… for a bit?”

“I don’t mind, but does Basleigh-sensei have enough time?”

“As I said, I’ve finished my work for the day. I can leave return anything I want, and if you want, I can go with you to the party!”

“Are you not going to be scolded? …… Let’s go then .”

I use magic to boost my strength and hold the big Red Elk by my sides. I asked Makina and Basleigh-sensei to pull the two horses.

We had already climbed to the middle of the mountain, but after another ten minutes of walking, we found a house in a cleared area where the trees had been cut. Fath-san placed the Red Elk on the ground and I laid two of them down near it.

“Do you think we can leave them outside and the monsters will come for them? Can we leave the horses as they are?”

“Don’t worry. There are no monsters around here that would come near this house. Come on in.”

Fath-san urged us to enter the house.

The interior was very simple, with a living room, a room that was probably a bedroom, and a kitchen. There was a fireplace in the living room, which reminded me of the house on the hill where Nina now lived.

We were ushered into the living room and sat on wooden chairs. After a while, Fath-san came in with tea and we sat down on the same wooden chairs. I did a quick appraisal and the tea was fine.

“It’s a quiet place …… but, do you live here alone?”

“Mhm. Well, I have vegetables and monster meat, so I can be self-sufficient, so it’s not hard. I’m like a hermit.”

Then, for some reason, Basleigh-sensei’s eyes lit up.

“Even though you’re alone–“

Even if she tries to open her mouth–

“What? One person, but a thousand people? What does that mean?”

Makina cocks her head and says a question, and Basleigh-sensei falls out of her chair with a grand gesture. Fath-san replied to Makina with a complicated expression.”

“No, no, not those ‘thousand’ people, okay?”

“Makina-chan! I was just about to say something interesting, but please don’t ruin it with your natural airheadedness!?”

“What? What?”

Makina is baffled by Basleigh-sensei’s self-serving argument. For now, let’s leave Basleigh-sensei alone and continue talking.

“So you’re not going to the town?”

“Well, it’s not that I don’t go, but I guess I don’t see any reason to. The older I get, the less interested I become in the mundane world. Even though I look like this, I was once called “Fath the thunderbolt”, you know?”

So she had that kind of nickname …… When I was thinking that she was like Tigre-sensei, Basleigh-sensei, who was lying on the floor, looked up and started shouting.

“Ah!? Yes, that’s right! Fath …… I thought I’ve heard of her before, she used to travel around the world with her husband when she was young, defeating various monsters and even winning martial arts tournaments many times, that “Fath the Thunderbolt”!”

“M-Mhm, that’s …… You know a lot for a young woman. Well, It’s been a long time since I’ve been out of the public eye.”

Fath-san nodded in confusion at the excited Basleigh-sensei and answered. Then, Makina seems to have figured it out, and her expression becomes cloudy before she mumbles 

“…… by the way, your husband isn’t here …… maybe he passed away that’s why you’re in the mountains?”

But Fath-san and Basleigh-sensei’s words made us squirm again.

“No, that idiot husband left me to find a successor and went on a trip! It’s been two years now. He’s getting old now too that’s why we’re living in the mountains.”

“Yes, yes, after all, you’re husband is “Hind the Sky Ripper”, he’s not going to die so easily! He has great footwork, doesn’t he?”

“You know your stuff …… I’m scared ……”

When Fath-san backed away from Basleigh-sensei, Makina asked her a question.

“Why didn’t you go with him? Does Fath-san already have a successor?”

Then Fath-san smiled sadly and shook her head slowly.

“…… We couldn’t have children. We were both talking about ending our technique here. We wanted to pass it on to our children. I had thought about taking on an apprentice, but it’s hard to find a good one to succeed me.”

“I see, so why is your husband doing this now?”

“…… He said he was bored. Well, he’s been working out since we came to live in the mountains, but there’s no one to test them with. I don’t have any children, so I don’t have the pleasure of watching them grow up. I thought about it, but I don’t know when my time will come. I thought it would be better for me to die in this familiar home, so I didn’t go with him.”

“……”

The air was somehow lonely and we fell silent.

But–

“Ho-ho, but now I’m going to have some fun. I want to see Hind’s frustrated face, Makina. Wouldn’t you like to inherit my skills?”

That’s what Fath-san said!

Oh, an unexpected master flag ……?

Thank you for reading!

[Afterword Theater]

“Oh, that’s a good idea, If Makina-chan gets enhanced, she’ll get more turn.”

I’m not complimenting you on that, okay!?