Boukensha Ni Naritai To Miyako Ni Deteitta Musume Ga S Rank Ni Natteta Chapter 22

When Belgriff wakes up Angeline is next to him, asleep. There are two beds in the room, but apparently. she snuck into his bed.

If you continue to act so spoiled, you will have a lot of problems when you return to Orphen, thinks Belgriff with a bitter smile. In fact, since people are seen as adults from the age of twelve, this would not be well regarded.

There's still time before dawn. But even if Belgriff wanted to sleep a little more, his old habit wouldn't allow it so easily. When he lifts the upper part of his body, his muscles and joints begin to complain. But still, he feels much better than he did yesterday. It's probably because of the quality of the bed.

The old man then begins to move his knees and shoulders. Fortunately, he doesn't feel any kind of discomfort in any of them.

“That's good…” Belgriff tapps his knees and shoulders and, after putting on his prosthetic leg, he slowly stands up.

Angeline doesn't seem to wake up. She snores sonorously and turns around. One can clearly perceive the smell of liquor, apparently, she drank quite a lot the previous night.

I told her not to drink too much, but I guess my advice didn't help much, thinks Belgriff as he scratches his cheek.

Outside, the rain has stopped. There are still some clouds but they are thin and they are moving quickly thanks to the wind.

Belgriff takes his sword and leaves the room quietly. The corridors are completely silent. But one can already hear plenty of noise in the kitchen. The servants work hard to prepare breakfast first thing in the morning before the owners of the mansion get up. As Belgriff walks down the aisle, he feels the pleasant aroma of freshly baked bread.

After greeting the guards, the old adventurer leaves the house and sees the morning mist. When he steps on the lawn he clearly feels the moisture on the soles of his shoe. Apparently, it rained a lot the night before. But now, the weather has improved.

Belgriff gently loosens his body as he lifts his sword and begins to swing it as he confirms each movement. Muscle pain seems to have subsided quite a bit, but he can still feel some pain in his joints. Belgriff feels a little confused because when the muscle pain starts to abandon his body, new aches begin to torment him.

He swings his sword continuously as he checks his body and changes his movements slightly in order to find the cause of the pain. When he was still young, he was able to do incredible things, but at this age, his joints and muscles cause him too many problems, so he believes he will not be able to return to that same condition. Yet he wants to explore the limits of his body.

From the foot to the waist and then to the spine, he is aware of the flow of energy as he moves his arms. The old adventurer wants to make sure he doesn't damage his body anymore, but at the same time, he wants to be able to use all his strength in his attacks.

“… Too stiff,” murmurs Belgriff. It is as if the center of his body had s.h.i.+fted during his confrontation with Angeline. Unfortunately, it seems that there is nothing he can do to fix it, at least for the moment. If he takes it easy and works every day, he's sure he'll be back to normal. And once he returns to Tornela, he will have all the time in the world.

It is only natural that at his age, Belgriff would completely abandon the path of the sword, but a selfish feeling would not allow him to do so. What's more, the time he spends with a sword in his hand is considerably longer than the time he spends without one. He will not stop swinging his sword unless he loses his arms completely or his life comes to an end.

After a brief pause, Belgriff relaxes his arms and takes a deep breath. Although his movements were slower than usual, he still feels tired.

After a brief pause, Belgriff relaxes his arms and takes a deep breath. Although his movements are slower than usual, he still feels fatigued.

“Wonderful,” says a voice behind Belgriff. As he turns around, the old adventurer is surprised to see Ashcroft staring at him.

He is leaning against the wall in a relaxed position with his arms crossed but the eyes behind the gla.s.ses are sharp and penetrating.

“The position of your body, the speed, and sharpness with which you swing the sword, none of these things reflects that you have a prosthetic leg. You are quite good.”

“Well, thank you…”

“But I honestly don't see why Lady Sasha thinks so highly of you,” Ashcroft says with a snort. Apparently, he intends to provoke Belgriff but the old adventurer simply smiles wryly and scratches his cheek.

“Yes, I agree… For some reason, Miss Sasha has the wrong impression of me.”

“Mmm…” Ashcroft frowned a little as if surprised. He may have expected Belgriff to respond with a sarcastic comment or an angry look.

I don't think this guy likes me very much, Belgriff thinks. It's probably due to that compet.i.tive feeling that some people have in their youth or the fact that Helvetica and Sasha value Belgriff too much.

It is quite natural that a young man in his twenties who has come to work at the mansion of one of the most prominent Lords in the north doubted a middle-aged man of dubious origin who was suddenly involved in the political affairs of the n.o.bility.

And while Ashcroft's att.i.tude is rude, Belgriff doesn't take it seriously. What's more, it's thanks to this that he has learned to smile calmly in front of a young man of different social standing.

Although there also seems to be some expectation behind Ashcroft's prejudicial sights, as if he really wanted to test Belgriff's renowned swordsmans.h.i.+p.

“You also love the path of the sword, don't you, Mr. Ashcroft?” Belgriff says with a smile as he sees that the young man has a hard time continuing the conversation.

“Yes… My technique is not as good as Lady Sasha's, but at least it's better than what you showed a few moments ago. Apart from Lady Sasha, there is no other person in this territory who is stronger than me, including those in the Adventurers Guild.” Ashcroft gasps for words like a fish out of water.

“I see, that's incredible. If someone with your abilities stands by Lady Helvetica's side, I'm sure she'll be safe.” Belgriff states honestly, but the young man seems to think of it as a snide remark and approaches Belgriff defiantly.

“Mmm, you're petty. I don't care if you're the ‘Red Ogre' or whatever, I don't like you, so don't tempt your luck.”

“No, that was never my intention. Although I'm very grateful for the advice.”

Ashcroft becomes even more frustrated with Belgriff's response. He abruptly adjusts his gla.s.ses, turns around, and quickly walks away. Belgriff laughs loudly as he watches Ashcroft leave. Someone as young and reckless as Ashcroft can be surprisingly cute, Belgriff thinks.

Belgriff carefully cleans the mud on his feet and returns to the room. Angeline is still lying on the bed, sleeping. Belgriff is surprised to find that her daughter drank too much last night but still shakes it a bit.

“Angie, are you going to wake up? It's morning already.”

“Mmmmah…” Angeline opens her eyes slightly and slowly sits on the bed.

Her unfamiliar dress is completely disheveled, her eyes and mouth are half open, and her body sways from left to right.

“I told you not to drink too much,” Belgriff says with a sigh.

“Hm … good morning-… Daddy~.”

“Yes, good morning… Haa… If you're still sleepy, I think you can sleep a little more.”

“Mmmm… Mmnya…” Angeline leans over Belgriff's shoulder and starts sleeping again. It is possible that Miriam and Anessa are in the same condition as Angeline.

Belgriff sighs again and carefully puts Angeline to bed. Then he sits on one of the chairs in the room and looks out the window. The sun has risen completely and the thin clouds he saw during his morning training have completely disappeared. The blue sky stretches all over the horizon, the dewdrops found on the leaves of the trees and the lawn gleam with the reflection of the sun. It is a beautiful sight.

The old adventurer watches as the morning runs its course. The morning mist has cleared and the birds fly freely. Everything that was asleep earlier has awakened, it is as if the world itself begins to breathe again.

I really hope the road repair doesn't take too long, thinks Belgriff as he rests his cheek in his hand.

At that moment someone knocks on the door. The old adventurer says it's all right to come in and a maid carefully opens the door.

“Good morning. My Lady asks if you'd like to join her for breakfast…”

“Yes, thank you. It would be an honor.“

“Then let me guide you…”

“Please wait a moment, my daughter is…” Belgriff gets up from the chair and shakes Angeline to wake her up. “Come on, Angie. Breakfast is ready.”

“Mmm…Later…”

“Don't say that. Lady Helvetica is inviting us.”

“Mmm…” Angeline takes the bed sheets and covers her head with them.

Belgriff lets out a deep sigh. “All right, you don't mind me going, do you?” But there was no answer. Apparently, Angeline has gone back to sleep. Belgriff shakes his head and leaves the room with the maid.

When the old adventurer enters the dining room, the three Bordeaux sisters are already sitting at the table and chatting. Ashcroft is also there, standing next to the table. Helvetica sees Belgriff at the door, smiles at him and tells him to take a seat.

“Good morning, Lady Helvetica,” Belgriff says as he sits where he was told.

“Good morning, Sir Belgriff. Did you sleep well?”

“Yes, thank you very much. The girls seem to have had too much to drink last night, so they may not wake up for a while…”

When she sees Belgriff's bitter smile, Sasha laughs with great force. “Haha, we drank a lot last night! I mean, we had a lot of fun last night!”

“Did they really join Sasha for drinks? Haaa~, my sister has always been a heavy drinker.” Selen says with a sigh.

Now that I think about it, Sasha must have drunk the same as the girls… and yet she is here as if nothing. She's really strong, thinks Belgriff impressed.

As expected, a n.o.bleman's dining table is beautiful and plentiful. Freshly baked soft bread with bacon, hard-boiled eggs, and stew. Sausage, sauerkraut and steamed potatoes, all neatly lined up on the table. It's too elegant, so Belgriff feels a little uncomfortable. When the three sisters do their pre-meal prayer, Belgriff stands still and says nothing.

Everything gets worse when the old adventurer sees the cutlery on the table, he doesn't know how to use most of them and doesn't want to make a shameful scene on that cla.s.sy table.

“Please enjoy the food and don't worry about manners, Sir Belgriff,” Helvetica says with a smile as she sees the worry on Belgriff's face.

“Mmm… but…”

“It' s okay, my Sister has never cared much about etiquette despite being a n.o.blewoman,” Selen says with a warm smile as she sees the worried Belgriff.

“It's just like Selen says. I will always act according to the situation. Why should I behave so formally if I'm just going to enjoy a meal with my sisters and my master?”

After saying that, Sasha takes a slice of freshly baked bread and dips it into the stew, opens her mouth as much as she can and takes a big bite. This way of eating is typical of an adventurer. Seeing that, Belgriff feels a little more comfortable and begins to eat with ease.

“Do you think we can start planning the road repair?” the old adventurer suddenly asks Helvetica.

“No, not at the moment…I hope to have something more definite in three or four days. Are you in a hurry?”

“No, not me. But as this is the biggest project since the foundation of the village, many villagers are expectant.”

Hearing Belgriff's answer, Helvetica giggles.

“I understand. I don't want to ruin the project, so we'll have to wait a bit, but I'll try to speed it up as much as I can. Until then, please relax and enjoy your stay.”

“Excuse me,” Sasha says as she unworriedly peels the sh.e.l.ls of the boiled eggs. “That means you'll be staying for a while, won't you, master? If so, I'd like to ask you to practice with me! If possible, of course…”

“I don't mind. But, I think that with your current abilities you could easily defeat me.”

“I don't understand what you're talking about, but today I'll do everything I can to get you to fight seriously!” shouts Sasha enthusiastically. Belgriff simply strokes his beard as if he knew the problems that awaited him.

At that moment, Ashcroft, who has remained silent all this time observing the situation, intervenes in the conversation with a disgusted face.

“With all due respect, Lady Sasha, I don't think his swordsmans.h.i.+p is as good as you have said.”

“What?!” Sasha screams as she fixes her gaze on Ashcroft. “Is that what you think, Ash? Have you ever seen Sir Belgriff's swordsmans.h.i.+p?”

“Yes, I saw him train this morning. His stance is good and his movements are sharp. But that's all, Lady Sasha. I find it hard to believe you lost to this guy unless of course, he cheated…”

Before Ashcroft finishes his statement, Sasha stands up with an angry expression. “Silence! I won't let you talk like that! You'll only be able to say such things when you've defeated me!”

“I cannot defeat you, Lady Sasha. But I think I can defeat this ‘Red Ogre'.”

“You dare to ridicule my master's techniques… Master!”

Belgriff, who is eating sauerkraut with an innocent expression, is surprised by Sasha's scream and lifts his face.

“Yes.”

“Please, I want you to defeat this idiot and make him understand the reality!”

“Yes…?”

“Excellent, this will be interesting. Let me destroy this illusion. Let's go ‘Red Ogre', I'll make sure to break your nose.”

“Ha ha…”

Belgriff does not understand what is happening and can only tilt his head. Meanwhile, Selen lowers her gaze with a fl.u.s.tered expression and Helvetica smiles broadly.

Without really knowing why, Belgriff follows the others to the training ground. After the rain, the ground is loose and muddy. It's kind of hard to move freely.

When Belgriff receives a wooden sword and swings it up and down to get used to the feeling, Angeline and the girls, who have finally woken up, arrive at the place. Angeline only seems to be a little sleepy, but Miriam and Anessa are holding their heads. Their complexion is not very good, so they must have a strong hangover.

“Uh… I drank too much~…”

“Sasha is very tough… d.a.m.n, my head…”

“Daddy… What are you doing?”

“I really don't know… I think I'm going to have a match with Sir Ashcroft.”

“Mmm?” Angeline looks at Ashcroft as if to a.s.sess his value.

Ashcroft frowned at Angeline's inquisitive look. She painstakingly watches the young man in gla.s.ses for a while, until,

“Fuua~… He's a weakling…” she says in the middle of a yawn.

“What did you say…?!”

Ashcroft is stunned to hear Angeline's evaluation and immediately lifts his sword and points it at her.

“I don't care if you defeated the Demon King… After I take care of this ‘Red Ogre' it will be your turn, you brat!”

After answering Angeline, Ashcroft turns to Belgriff with a grumpy expression.

“My Daddy will take you down quickly…”

“No, Angie. I wouldn't be so sure…”

“It's all right, Mr. Bell~. The only way for guys like him to learn is with a little pain~.”

“Yes… It's a fatal flaw not to measure an opponent's strength before a fight. This will be a good lesson.”

It is unusual for Miriam and Anessa to respond so harshly. Maybe it's because of the hangover or maybe it's because Ashcroft offended a member of their party.

“My seniors are right! As.h.!.+ I hope you learn from this painful experience,” Sasha says aloud.

Somehow, the atmosphere at the training ground has become quite exalted and Belgriff has become the center of attention. The old adventurer feels a little sorry for Ashcroft.

But now that they're here, he can't do much more. Belgriff takes a deep breath and adopts the combat stance he has always used.

Ashcroft also prepares himself. He also has a beautiful stance. It is more than obvious that he is a competent fighter. Regardless of the circ.u.mstances, Belgriff doesn't mind fighting with someone who has good skills.

Right now, both people seem completely different from their usual selves. As Ashcroft and Belgriff stare at each other, the surroundings become silent. But beneath that silence, there is an energy that can explode at any moment.

Due to the ground conditions, Ashcroft cannot advance so easily but the young man does not take his eyes off Belgriff while reducing the distance between them.

He's a good swordsman. With someone like him, Helvetica will be safe in case of an attack, even if I'm not with her, thinks Belgriff.

Suddenly, a lark starts singing in the distance. Belgriff's eyebrows move a bit. At the same time, Ashcroft kicks the ground and rushes towards Belgriff. It's a tremendous sudden power.

However, Belgriff can respond to that movement. He leans his body and adjusts his posture to move the wooden sword toward Ashcroft while stepping forward with his right foot.

Both contenders advance… But something unexpected happens.

Belgriff's prosthetic leg sinks into the muddy terrain more than he would have imagined, making only the upper part of his body move forward. As a result, the old adventurer seems to be falling instead of bending his body.

“Nuh…!”

For better or worse, the accidental movement causes Ashcroft's sword to fail its target. Ashcroft's wooden sword grazes Belgriff's head as he falls forward. The old adventurer takes advantage of the momentum and points his wooden sword at the young man's s.h.i.+n.

Ashcroft screams loudly and falls to the ground along with Belgriff, the young man has an expression of agony as he holds his s.h.i.+n.

“Guoooooo…!”

“S-Sir Ashcroft, are you all right?” asks Belgriff as he quickly gets up and holds Ashcroft by the shoulders.

Ashcroft is covered in mud from falling to the ground and seems to be suffering quite a bit from the blow to the s.h.i.+n. While Belgriff feels bad about what he has done, he can hear cheers coming from behind.

“Hahahaha! I expected nothing less from my master! As.h.!.+ I hope you know your place now, you fool!”

“Fu~. I knew it, my Daddy is strong.”

“Oh wow, not even Ash could against him… I should invite him to the Bordeaux Family after all.”

“Sister.”

“Yes~. I know, Selen…”

Everyone misunderstood the situation. But when Belgriff tries to explain to them that everything has been the result of an accident, Ashcroft gets up with a furious look.

“I don't accept this result! Lady Sasha! This was the result of an accident! He slipped in the mud and his sword hit me by pure chance!”

It's true, you realized everything. Well done Ashcroft, thinks Belgriff. However, Sasha looks at the young man in disgust.

“Ash… Stop wasting your breath… Do you think these excuses work on the battlefield? That with this your enemies will give you another chance? You don't want to accept this result because it's the result of an accident, you say. But the truth is that Sir Belgriff's abilities go beyond what you imagine. While he seemed to be slipping, it was a move to dodge your sword while harnessing the force of the momentum to attack. It's pretty unpleasant to see you making excuses after underestimating your opponent…” explains Sasha as he shrugs.

“M-Miss Sasha? What Sir Ashcroft said is cor…” says Belgriff shyly, but,

“You don't have to explain anything to us, master! You don't have to worry about guys like this!”

“N-No, I really…”

“Mmm, how considerate… Despite Ash's rude att.i.tude, you are still looking for a way to prevent him from humiliating himself even more. You really are a great man, master”.

“Well, M-Miss Sasha? It's not that…” As always, Sasha doesn't listen to what Belgriff has to say.

“You…well…You've had your difficulties too, haven't you, Mr. Belgriff?” says Ashcroft looking at Belgriff's struggle.

“Haha… Not as many as you.”

As the two men begin to create a bond of solidarity, someone puts his hand on Ashcroft's shoulder. Angeline stands next to them, with a big smile on her face.

“… You said that after you had fought my Daddy I would be your opponent, right?” The girl is smiling, but the intense fighting spirit and bloodl.u.s.t makes all the hairs on Ashcroft's head stand on end.

“N-No, I…”

“Now it's my turn. Let's go…”

“Angie… Sir Ashcroft must be tired.”

“Daddy,” says Angeline with that smile. “Shut up and watch.”

That morning, Ashcroft's cries echo throughout the training ground.