Chapter 451 – 451: Gale And Blazing Flame
“Lyfa…”
“Why? You gotta do this with some heat, right?”
“It’s too loud… my ears hurt.”
“Ahaha! My bad!”
The adventurers around us started whispering.
“Who are those two?”
“Why are they looking for the Dungeon Crasher?”
“Come to think of it, he’s not around today, is he?”
“It’s his day off. Besides, it’s also Renny’s day off today.”
“Ah, is that today? No wonder the Lightning Spear and Shadow Cat went to the training grounds together.”
“…I don’t think he’s here, Lyfa?”
“What? A wasted trip? Well, we’ll probably meet him if we wait at the guild.”
That’s when it happened.
“Huh? Who’s looking for Rent?”
From the direction of the training grounds, a black cat demi-human rogue woman and a pink-haired, very provocatively dressed, probably… elf-looking spearwoman appeared.
The Dungeon Crasher’s name was definitely Rent.
Judging by the way the name rolled off their tongues and the familiar tone, it was easy to deduce that they were related to the Dungeon Crasher.
Lyfa thought the same.
Lyfa grinned and approached the black cat demi-human woman.
“Hey, black cat! Do you know where the Dungeon Crasher is?”
“What business do you have with Rent? And who are you? That outfit… are you from Bridan?”
“Ah, I haven’t introduced myself. That’s right! As you said, I’m Lyfa Tizan from Bridan! I came because I was curious about what this Dungeon Crasher, who’s all the rage, is like! Well, I’m also looking for a husband while I’m at it!”
“A husband?”
The spearwoman next to the demi-human woman looked me up and down before asking.
“Is the elf girl there with you?”
“Yeah! Hey, Gracia! You should introduce yourself too!”
“Haa… alright.”
If possible, I would have preferred a more subdued approach.
But what’s done is done.
I stepped forward and began my introduction.
“Like Lyfa next to me, I’m Gracia Locke from Bridan. My purpose is the same, to see what kind of person this Dungeon Crasher is and… to find a husband.”
“Hmm~ I understand that you’re curious about what kind of person Rent is… but what’s with the husband hunting?”
“Husband hunting is husband hunting. Lyfa and I are looking for a strong man to be our husband. …We’re at that age, you know. We have to think about marriage.”
“Oh, oh my, is that so?”
“That’s… a, a big deal.”
“Huh?”
Somehow, their reactions were strange.
What should I say… it was a reaction mixed with embarrassment and a hint of pity.
“…Hey, Ninya. Do you think they’re the same type as Lelia?”
“Hmm~ I don’t think their worries are as serious as Lelia’s. Maybe they’re just looking because they’re at that age?”
“Right?”
“…Is there a problem?”
“Huh? Oh, no. It’s nothing! Ah, but you said you’re at that age, how old are you two?”
“We’re 25.”
“I see. That’s 5 years older than me. But is 25 the age to rush into marriage?”
“Of course, if you pass this age, you’re a total old maid, you know? If you’re over 30, there’s almost no hope.”
The elf-looking woman next to Lyfa broke out in a cold sweat at Lyfa’s words.
“I, is that so? I think there’s still hope even if you’re over 30…”
Could she be an unmarried woman over 30?
If so, I had unintentionally said something quite rude.
“Hey, more importantly, introduce yourselves.”
“Ah, right! I’m Noah! I’m 20, and this is…”
“I’m Ninya~. I’m 28.”
Hmm? Contrary to expectations, they were only slightly older than us.
Then what was that reaction just now…?
No, more than that, let’s prioritize the purpose of our visit here.
“Noah, Ms. Ninya, as we said, we are very curious about what kind of person this Dungeon Crasher… Rent is and how strong he is. Could you tell us where he is?”
The arrogant, cold woman persona is something Lyfa created that’s only for men.
There’s no need to adopt such an artificial attitude towards women.
The woman who introduced herself as Noah said, spreading her fingers.
“If it’s Rent, he’s at Renny’s dorm, the Fox’s Rest, the library, and the magic city.”
“Hehe, Noah, you’re making it confusing by saying that, aren’t you?”
“But it’s true.”
“…Before coming here, I heard some information about the Dungeon Crasher from an adventurer. Information like he multiplies or flies in the sky… it seems to be true.”
“Hehe, you seem to know in advance.”
Noah’s reaction.
Judging from that reaction and the detailed information she just gave, she seemed to be very close to the Dungeon Crasher.
Of course, the elf woman next to her as well.
“Excuse me… what is your relationship with the Dungeon Crasher?”
Noah was the first to answer my question.
“With Rent? Hehe, we’re in love with Rent♡ We’re his lovers♡”
Noah said with a bright smile.
And Ninya next to her… was also smiling and agreeing.
We had encountered their lovers before the Dungeon Crasher himself, who we had expected to meet.
“What… are they the lovers of a playboy?”
“Lyfa…!”
Lyfa had made a slip of the tongue.
We still didn’t know anything about the Dungeon Crasher.
But Lyfa had insulted him in front of the Dungeon Crasher’s lovers.
“Ah.”
Lyfa belatedly realized her mistake.
“Huh?”
“A playboy?”
In an instant, Noah’s eyes narrowed, and she looked at Lyfa with hostility.
“Hey… what did you just say?”
It was a cool voice, not the bright and lively one from just now.
My intuition told me that I had to immediately clear up the misunderstanding… no, admit our mistake and apologize.
“I’m sorry. That… Lyfa here basically prefers one-on-one relationships and has a pure side… so she had a bad impression of the Dungeon Crasher based on rumors.”
“Hey, Gracia! A pure side! Isn’t that just common sense!”
“You should apologize first, Lyfa!”
Lyfa flinched at my scolding.
“Ugh…”
Lyfa scratched her head awkwardly and apologized to Noah and Ninya.
“S, sorry. It’s natural that you’d feel bad if your lover was insulted… I heard he was a guy who was fooling around with eight women, so… I imagined the worst on my own.”
At Lyfa’s apology.
“…Ah, is that what it was?”
Fortunately, Noah withdrew her hostile gaze and returned to her lively self.
“Hehe, well~ if you only hear the rumors, Rent is a heartless womanizer~.”
“But in reality, he’s the best man who loves us all♡”
“Yeah, yeah!”
“I apologize once again for my friend Lyfa’s rude remarks.”
“It’s okay, it’s okay. I don’t mind it now.”
“It was something that could be easily misunderstood~♪ Ah, but I have a question~.”
“What is it?”
“You said you were looking for a husband, right?”
“Yes.”
“It’s quite a distance from Bridan to Pland… weren’t there any men who could be your husbands along the way?”
“Unfortunately, there were no men who met our standards.”
“They were all weaker than us! Hahahaha!”
“Ooh~ judging by the way you say that, you must be quite skilled? Do you have adventurer identification tags?”
“Of course! I’m an A-rank adventurer in Bridan. Ah, according to the warrior who said he was staying at the same inn as the Dungeon Crasher, we’re on par with the A-ranks here?”
“Huh? A warrior staying at the Fox’s Rest…? Could it be Kizal? I haven’t seen him lately.”
“Ah… I think that was his name. He said he was on a bodyguard request.”
“I see…”
“I fought him and won, so I heard a lot of things. Like how the Dungeon Crasher multiplies and flies in the sky. And that he has eight women. He also said that he was having a great time with his eight girlfriends… but honestly, it’s hard to believe.”
“Hehe, well, I guess that could be the case. But we’re so in love with Rent that it’s not just a great time, it’s like honey is dripping from us~♡”
“Hmm… is that really true?”
“It’s true, it’s true♡”
While Lyfa was talking to Noah, Ninya asked me a question.
“Hey, are you also an A-rank adventurer from Bridan?”
“Ah, yes.”
“Do you have any nicknames?”
“Yes, I’m Gale, and Lyfa is Blazing Flame.”
“Wow, Gale and Blazing Flame… those are cool nicknames? I’m Ninya of the Lightning Spear. Noah is the Shadow Cat. We’re both B-rank.”
B-rank.
Compared to other regions, they were equivalent to A-rank.
But Ninya in front of me… I could vaguely sense that she was stronger than the warrior named Kizal who I had sparred with before.
I wanted to meet the Dungeon Crasher as soon as possible… as someone who aims to be a knight.
No… as a martial artist, I wanted to see how skilled Ninya was.
“Hmm~♪”
Was it as if she had read my thoughts?
Ninya smiled and asked us.
“Hey, you two are planning to stay in Pland for a while, right?”
“Huh? Well… we came here after traveling for a month, so we’re planning to stay for at least a week. We also have to find husbands.”
“Hehe, I see. Then~ since we met like this, how about we have a spar? Noah and I were in the middle of sparring anyway…”
Ninya looked at me.
“It seems like you want to test your skills too♪”
“Oh? What’s wrong, Gracia, you’re being unusually aggressive?”
“No, I haven’t said anything yet…”
“I can tell by your eyes. We’ve been together for years. Hehe, I want to fight Noah too. Even though it was my mistake… that cold gaze you sent me was quite intense… it was so strong that it made me nervous.”
Lyfa grinned, showing her teeth, the smile she always had when she really wanted to fight.
I already knew from a long time ago that she wouldn’t be satisfied unless she fought when she was like that.
◈-Lyfa’s SIDE
The gaze that was born from my rash words.
The gaze of anger at the insult of a precious person.
The gaze that glared at me with the intent to take my life if I crossed the line.
I felt the gaze of a proud warrior from the cat demi-human woman named Noah.
To be honest, I didn’t think she was more skilled than me.
But that gaze alone was so intense that it made me feel cold for a moment.
She seems weaker than me…
But I had a feeling that fighting her would be very thrilling and exciting.
Even after talking to Noah a few times, I didn’t think she was a bad person.
She wouldn’t forgive those who insulted her precious people, but she was an easy person to talk to normally.
I could feel that atmosphere well, even though we had only talked a few times.
But because of that gaze just now, I wanted to spar with her no matter what.
At that time.
The woman named Ninya next to me asked for a spar.
And fortunately, Gracia was also showing a strong competitive spirit towards the elf-looking woman next to her.
That Gracia, she says she’s different from me, but she doesn’t realize that she’s secretly more obsessed with competition and winning.
In the end, when you’re in front of a strong person, you’re itching to test your skills.
And now, I’m facing Noah and standing in the center of the Pland training grounds.
The first spar is between me and Noah.
Then, it’s Gracia and Ninya.
“Hey, Noah. After the spar, introduce me to the Dungeon Crasher.”
“Okay~ but you can’t insult him as soon as you meet him, okay?”
“I know. I know that my words back then were wrong. I’ll judge what kind of person the Dungeon Crasher is with my own eyes.”
“Hehe, then I don’t mind. Ah, but you can’t fall for Rent because he’s too cool, okay? Well~ if Rent likes you, I’d welcome you.”
“Hahaha! You don’t have to worry about that. No matter how cool and strong he is, I like a man who is steadfast and only looks at me? I’m not interested in a harem man.”
“Really~? Aren’t women from Bridan all about strong men?”
“Well, there are women like that, but at least I’m not one of them. Anyway… isn’t it time to stop the small talk?”
I get into position and prepare for the spar.
“Well, right?”
Noah also took out a dagger and got into position.
A quick draw and a stable balance.
The basic qualities of a good warrior.
Her fundamentals are very good.
“Aren’t you going to take out the other one?”
“I have to taste it first, right?”
“Hahaha, I guess that way we can enjoy it longer. Then… let’s begin!”
Thwack!
And Noah and I charged at each other at the same time.
It’s time for a fun spar!
