Chapter 119 – Episode 119. I Like You Like That
He had once learned to wield a sword.
Until you learn that cheating is better for survival than fighting.
“… Your posture looks like it.”
And the experience at that time was not very meaningless after that.
Even if you don’t swing it, as long as you hold it.
Sometimes I showed my opponents that I knew how to wield a sword, and there were many times when I got out of a crisis by inducing that gap.
“That should be enough to intimidate people who see you for the first time.”
And Verdia was watching my posture like that.
As if I had grasped all of my characteristics at this moment when I was only in my stance.
Rather than the awkwardness of the match so far, her eyes staring at me were cold-hearted.
“… Whoa.”
I took a deep breath to alleviate the pressure I felt.
Yes, the opponent is the 10 strongest players on the continent.
Even though she wanted to postpone her lover relationship, she was only momentarily taken aback by the act of giving her a whole plate.
All the more because my true identity is unwelcome to this party.
“You are feeling the pressure.”
As if even her psychology was vaguely revealed, she started glaring at me again with her sword held straight.
With her eyes straight as the wooden sword she held in her hand.
“Even if it’s Dalian, considering the gap between me and me, it’s understandable. It’s a bit of a bit of a bit of a bit of a bit of a bit of a bit of a bit of a bit of a bit of a bit of a bit of It’s okay to quit if you don’t like it…”
Is it mercy that he chooses to step down now, or is it out of pure consideration?
Maybe he’s done judging with just his current posture. Either in a positive or negative sense.
“… No, let’s start right away.”
But I had no intention of letting this opportunity pass.
Because I also wanted to know what her intention was to approach me.
In that sense, I thought it would be better for her to evaluate me based on her area of confidence rather than awkwardly fitting in.
Just as she looked into me, I would get a chance to look into her too.
“Are you okay?”
“It is rather a wish. The fact that the top 10 strong people on the continent are evaluating me is something that I can’t even pay money for, right?”
“… Huhu, it’s good to be confident, so let’s start right away without wasting time.”
Verdia, who smiled faintly, immediately spoke to me as if chanting.
“Come.”
“Please take good care of me.”
After giving her a polite bow, she took her right stance and pointed the tip of her sword at her.
Putting her weight on her lower body, her gaze fixed on her as she pointed her sword at me.
-Tadat!
Her body, spurred on by her body, moved towards her, swinging her sword in her hand.
Fuck! The moment when the sound of a wooden sword colliding with a wooden sword resonated loudly in the training ground. Even though she hit with all her strength, her body showed no signs of being pushed out of her seat.
I just received my sword with the power of pure hands.
“You have quite a bit of power.”
A low evaluation following such a contest of strength. I could feel the tension doubling at the grim words that followed without blinking an eye.
“The skills themselves aren’t very flashy, but they know how to use their powers concisely. It must be that the attitude of being faithful to the basics is ingrained in the body.”
– Whiik!
The sound of the air splitting resonating with the movement of the body.
Even though I was moving so fast that I could feel the wind pressure, her gaze was directly facing me.
“The thing I want to appreciate most is that he doesn’t take his eyes off the target.”
Yes, just like me
As I moved my body sideways like that, I swung her wooden sword again, and her sword flew past my attack so lightly.
“Even though the first attack is blocked, it is likely to be embarrassed, but it is immediately stance and attacks from the other direction. That would be an attitude you cannot have unless you have had the experience of clearly moving towards what you are aiming for.”
Is it possible to know even that part just by clashing swords?
As if a vital part had been detected, the chilly tension overflowed, and soon her sword, which had only parried my attacks, began to move.
-Fuck!
A sword strike that was quickly swung from the front.
Its speed was like that of lightning.
Realizing that she had swung it was when it collided with her wooden sword, which had been raised over her head in a reflex.
-Tack, hit!!
Such attacks continued again, but for me, I could only dodge or defend my sword by relying on my instincts.
I saw a gap that was visible, but I didn’t know if I would take a big damage on my side.
“But your movements are too defensive.”
And Verdia, who accurately points out even that part.
Unlike me, whose posture was disturbed, she did not show a single wavering in her spirit.
“She has a strong tendency to protect herself rather than defeating her target. Rather than trying to win something, she must have had a lot of experience preserving her body.”
One swing for every step taken.
Unlike me, who was sweating to defend against the attack, she was really overpowering me with minimal movement.
As if my movements were all predicted.
Even so, the reason why I don’t lay down right away is because this sparring itself is a means to understand me, not to defeat me.
“Nevertheless, the reason I feel desperate is that rather than avoiding danger, I have always been exposed to danger and have that attitude.”
The evaluation made her angry and strong, but in the end, she suppressed it, caught her breath, and increased her distance.
The appearance of her sword hanging down at some point.
It seemed that she let go of her powers after realizing that she was no match for herself.
Are you belittling it?
Or do you have a plan?
“… Still, if it’s the moment to launch a counterattack.”
Whatever it was, I felt a sense of pride welling up, saying, “I want to take a shot after coming all the way here.”
The moment he closed the distance again and swung his sword towards the upper part, which was difficult to block.
“Are you waiting for an opportunity to come rather than creating it?”
Verdia, who avoided even that by tilting her head to the side, threw her wooden sword at my legs and threw me off balance.
Even though he didn’t have much strength, his body slumps and slumps down helplessly.
Afterwards, when I raised her head again and tried to counterattack her, I could confirm that the tip of her sword held by Verdia was pointed in front of my eyes.
“The ability to seize opportunities is good, but the opponent is not stupid either. If your intention is obvious, you’ll try to block that part ahead of time. Rather, it can be used to sell a trap.”
“… Like now, you mean?”
“Yes, if it was a real battle, that would have been the end.”
Verdia put her sword away and stretched out her hand in the empty seat.
Even before her, she had pushed me sharply and resolutely, but I could feel her consideration for me from the way she stretched out her hand.
Outwardly.
“Of course, considering your disposition right now, I don’t think you’ll approach me right away unless I know you’re reckless…”
However, I could guess that it was also an act to look deeply into myself.
As if wondering why I, with such a tendency, intervene in reckless things.
It’s like wanting to know why I, who belonged to the demon king’s army, infiltrated the warrior’s party and stayed there even though my purpose was accomplished.
“… Dave.”
I was worried that she would push me starting from that point, but her voice as she called my name and met my eye level was much softer than before.
“If digging into you doesn’t feel right, I’ll stop here.”
Is the pity in those eyes because they are worried about me?
Or because in the process of analyzing me, I read something I didn’t even know?
Even though I don’t know the circumstances, do I sympathize with the desperate feeling of my actions and consider it rude to dig further than this?
“No, please continue.”
Yes, because I vaguely felt that feeling.
Even as she pushed me to get to know me, I also got to know what kind of person she was.
Even the 10 strongest people on the continent have a human side.
As if showing consideration like now, the fact that the perception she had of me did not come from being hostile.
“I want to know a little more. What kind of person do you rate me?”
Knowing that will also be essential for the future.
Having made that clear about her, I prepared to attack her again, gripping her wooden sword with her dust-covered hand.
***
And, after a while.
“Haha.”
The moment I took a deep breath and collapsed in the middle of the parade ground.
Looking up at the sky, she realized that time had already passed until the sunset.
To the point where I immediately thought that he had swung his sword mindlessly.
“You have suffered.”
“No, not much to say…”
“Yes, really.”
Verdia gave me a water bottle while continuing to evaluate me.
“It was a sword that made me feel that I had lived through much more hardships than I thought.”
The bottle was cold to the touch, but there was a gentleness in the eyes looking down at me.
Those eyes that feel warmer than the setting sun in the sky.
“And as for other evaluations… Yes, I must say I felt the desire to protect someone.”
“… Can you feel that too?”
I drank a bottle of water, wondering if I was a person who could make such a face, and Verdia smiled and took a seat next to me.
“Because a variety of people gather on the battlefield. Sometimes I listen to their lives and give them counseling. When I contrast those stories with the way they fight, I sometimes realize that what I feel is more or less the same.”
Evaluation based on sense rather than logic.
But she has experience. She has the longest experience of living on the toughest battlefield.
Her title of being one of her top 10 players gave her current statement a strong persuasive power.
“Anyway, a man with something to protect is a wonderful law.”
While experiencing it personally, a word came out of her mouth.
“I like you like that.”
“… Yes?”
As she looked back, wondering if she had heard something wrong, she caught her eyes staring at me.
Without avoiding my gaze, with a faint smile painted on his lips.
“I like guys like you, that’s what I said.”
As if emphasizing that what I just heard is not a lie.
