Episode 8: I Want to See Your Cool Side
I was taking a leisurely flight through the skies on an Eagle Dragon with Sensei and Anon leading the way toward the headquarters in the Old Capital (Bienetta).
“Son-in-law, you look a bit under the weather, don’t you?”
I had been aware of it for a few days now. Clearly, I was lacking a certain nutrient. To make it through the remaining days, I had to find a way to replenish that nutrient.
And yet… mercilessly, an accident struck to hinder me. The accident was what had just happened—
“Sensei… I’m fine.”
“You certainly don’t look fine.”
Ignoring Sensei’s concern, who usually teased me like a mischievous cat, I reflected on the earlier incident.
With a roar of the dragon, a group of burly men clad in heavy armor descended upon Ashley’s mansion. They rode on Eagle Dragons that seemed to fill the sky, brandishing swords and spears, ready to pierce the heavens, letting out war cries that were almost absurd.
“WWWWWWWWWWAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!”
To put it mildly, they looked like a band of ruffians. It wouldn’t have been surprising if I thought they were attacking! It would have made sense for me to draw my sword and shout, “Come at me, monsters! I’ll protect everyone!”
“Row, stop it. They’re not a strange group. They’re the Berserga Mercenary Corps.”
As soon as Anon said that, the Eagle Dragons began to descend with a flurry, letting out cries like “GGYAAAAAAAHHHH!!” and “GOAAAAAAAHHHH!”
In response to the dragon’s roar, the armored men let out their own battle cries.
“GUN-HO! GUN-HO!” “GUN-HO!” “GUN-HO! GUN-HO! GUN-HO!” “GUN-HO!”
What even is “Gun-ho”? The already bulky armor felt stifling, and with the added effect of their shouts, it was like being smothered by 150% more heat. In contrast, my sanity was plummeting rapidly.
“I’ve always thought…”
Anon tilted their head, having caught my mumble. “Hmm?”
“Vehicles that make such loud noises and their riders should all perish.”
“You sound a bit scary… what’s wrong?”
“I think they should perish…”
Snap!
Anon flicked my forehead.
“Hey! What was that for?!”
“You idiot! What do you mean ‘hey!’? What are you doing picking a fight with the very means of transportation and strength we just acquired?!”
Sigh. It was just a joke.
“Is Anon and the Holy Knight here?”
Amidst the roars of the Eagle Dragons and the men, a deep voice resonated, shaking the very core of my being.
The source of the voice came from the back of a metallic wall built by men as solid as rock.
There stood a man in full armor, clearly larger than the others, riding an Eagle Dragon that was also significantly bigger than the rest. Seriously, that thing didn’t even look like an Eagle Dragon! It was more than twice the size of the others! Was the perspective warped? It was just too big!
And what about that armor? It was at least two sizes larger than the other members!
After all the members landed, the enormous dragon thudded down with a heavy crash. From its back, the man in the oversized armor leaped with a loud, “HAH!” and landed with a thud, raising his sword to the sky.
He was probably the leader of the Berserga Mercenary Corps.
“GUN-HO!” “GUN-HO! GUN-HO!” “GUN-HO!” “GUN-HO! GUN-HO! GUN-HO!”
As if to celebrate (?), the members began to shout in unison. But seriously, what does “Gun-ho” even mean?!
As their voices shook the air, Anon and Ashley stepped forward to meet them.
“I am Holy Knight Ashley Noble. I sincerely thank you, Saga Assaultbody, the leader of the Berserga Mercenary Corps, for accepting this sudden request and for coming all this way.”
Ashley introduced herself and expressed her gratitude. Her dignified presence was truly impressive.
“Ah, it’s been a while, Holy Knight. And you too, Anon.”
The leader—Saga Assaultbody—removed his helm and let out a sigh of relief. Finally revealing his short-haired, ruggedly handsome face, he looked strong, but it seemed like steam was rising from him as if the sweat had evaporated.
To put it mildly, he smelled like a man, and it was overwhelming. Terrifyingly, there were still many burly men yet to remove their helms. When they did, I was sure they would also release that same overwhelming scent.
Please, hold on, my body!!
“Hey, Holy Knight, did you forget? We said we’d take the request, but only if you could meet my conditions. So, we came to see if this request is worth taking.”
Conditions? Worth taking? Oh boy, I had a bad feeling about this! My bad feelings in situations like this had a high probability of being spot on!
“Row.”
Anon suddenly gripped my shoulder tightly from behind. Realizing my premonition was coming true, I gulped and replied, “What is it?”
“They’ve set conditions for accepting the request: payment and another condition. That is, ‘the requester must possess a strength worthy of trust.'”
“Row-kun, when we visited the Berserga Mercenary Corps last time with Anon, I tried to show them my strength as they requested. But Anon shouted, ‘Row will do it!! So Ashley, step back!!’ I had never seen Anon like that before… it’s true! I suggested fighting the leader, but Anon looked so scary at that moment…”
As Anon explained the conditions set by the Berserga Mercenary Corps, Ashley supplemented the situation from back then.
“Hey, um, your fingers are digging into my shoulder.”
“I don’t understand what you’re saying, Row. Alright! It’s your turn! You can either put on a grand show against them or duel the leader! Show me your cool side!”
“Ouch! That hurts! Your fingers! They’re digging in! They’re literally digging in!”
Faced with Anon’s abnormal strength gripping my shoulder, I began to think of the quickest way to escape this suffocating situation.
───────
If you found this interesting, please consider supporting with a “☆” or a review comment; it would make the author happy!