"You noticed, huh? I want to ask you something, did you really defeat a minotaur?"
"Yes."
"I don't believe you." Waldo's eyebrows furrowed.
"Believe what you want to believe. What do you want from me?" He asked as he saw him getting his sharp axe.
"Please, duel with me."
"No." He flatly refused.
"Please, duel with me. I have my own reasons." Waldo bowed his head.
(I thought he's gonna assassinate me. Oh, I think I was wrong. I've forgotten, this is no longer Japan when assassins are often tailing me.) Cimmerian's hostility seemed gone already.
"Fine. Please promise to never bother me anymore after this, okay?"
"Okay. Thanks. Here I go…"
Waldo never wasted any more time, he rushed at him while swinging his heavy axe. Its look was really ominous that it could easily intimidate all opponents.
(Oi, what's wrong with him? He agreed, right? Why isn't he pulling out his sword? Wait, don't tell me—!") Waldo thought.
When his axe reached Cimmerian, it was dodged without difficulty. And before he could strike again, his hand went numb and he was kneeled down in the grassy ground.
(He hit my wrist hard to weaken my grip of my weapon? And then, he kicked my calf at the back to force me down?)
It was all too sudden, but he was defeated without using any weapon at all.
"Are you satisfied now? Because I'm quite busy."
"Y-Yeah, thank you."
(This is so lame. How can I avenge my parents if I'm so weak like this? Waldo remained down and frustrated.) His spirit was broken.
He knew the kick was painful. So it'd be natural for Waldo to be unable to stand right away. Cimmerian extended his hand to him to help him stand.
"Thank you."
"It's fine."
Cimmerian went to his main destination. He left him standing there while soul-searching. He didn't know why Waldo challenged him, but he accepted it anyway.
He reached Chief Feldor's residence. The old man was sitting on a bench outside again while wearing the same gray yukata-like or bathrobe-like apparel.
"I've been waiting for you. Come inside."
"Thanks!"
The two sat down at the same table and chairs as before.
"So, how much would those cost?" He directly asked.
"Cimmerian, let me commend you for defeating a minotaur. Not everyone can defeat that, you know."
"I couldn't care less about the standards. Anyway, about Waldo, do you know why he challenged me into a duel?"
"Oh, he did? Well, I don't know what he's thinking. But, as I have said before, not all adventurers could defeat a minotaur just like you did. For example, Waldo's parents. They were adventurers a few years ago. Waldo was twelve when her parents' party was annihilated by a black minotaur." Feldor wore a somber expression as he remembered Waldo's parents.
"So, he wanted to test my ability as a benchmark of defeating one?" Cimmerian hit it right.
"Yes. I think you're right. Ever since then, he'd dreamed of becoming an adventurer and avenge his parents' death."
"No. That's a height of folly. That won't do any good. Minotaurs are powerful creatures. Besides, the minotaur who killed his parents may have been dead by now, in the hands of another adventurers."
"You're right. But the apparent reason why he couldn't fulfill his dream lies in his lack of strength. Think about it, without his colossal axe, he's not any different from a normal villager." Feldor stated as if it was a long-existing fact.
"Yeah. Though I hate to say it, I agree with you."
"Anyway, those cores approximately amount to 12 golds. I'm going to send someone to Gamus tomorrow."
"12 golds? That's plenty. May I have 6 golds? From now on, let's split all my earnings half."
"Wait!" Feldor was confused, "are you fine with that? You know, if you wanna give the money to the village's treasury, a gold or two would be enough."
"That's fine. Anyways, who's this person you wanna ask to?"
"Ah, yeah. The adventurer's guild do not actually buy crystals from unregistered folks. So, I'm planning to have some famous adventurers in the City sell it for us."
"I'm fine with that. Another question, how's my brother, Vaissien, doing on his first month?"
"He's looking fine. He's a lot like you in talent. Also, he has more resilient body than yours. He's going to become good. You mustn't lose as well."
"That's good then. Oh, I remember, this sword really is quite strong." He unsheathed it. "Were it not for this, I wouldn't have defeated that minotaur. Again, I give my thanks."
"Is that so? Ha-ha-ha, you're welcome."
"Chief, are you in the mood for a duel?"
Usually, Feldor would be the challenger, but now, it was Cimmerian who initiated a duel.
"Hey, what's so sudden, I thought you were exhausted on your mission today… You should rest your body as well."
"No, for some reason, my exhaustion always disappears after a few minutes. I'm in good condition again. I want to confirm something as well." His face was as aloof as ever.
"Is that so? Fine."
The two unsheathed each of their swords. Feldor used one of his two green-sheathed ones. They went on the wide front yard where today's training happened.
"Cimmerian, give it your all. I'm gonna attack you now with the intention of killing you."
"Come…"
The two flew so fast. It was very much different from the last time when they were happy and talking. This time, Cimmerian's concentration was fixed on his enemy and surroundings. For Feldor, his face was apparently grim yet composed. Grucia was watching the two as they disappeared in the dark. The only ones visible were the thin sparks from where the strikes of the blades forcefully colliding. The air was so heavy that it made Grucia shiver.
Feldor, on the other hand, was very resilient. He thought of properly correcting all the mistakes and veers of his slashes. So, he was extra careful with his locomotive and spatial perception while dodging Cimmerian's surprise and tricky attacks. He knew that the enemy was already a sword expert even greater than he was.
In this world, those who mastered the way of the sword were called "sword artists." Every sword artist possessed different degree of talent, but the most talented one could only be determined by a single parameter—the ability to learn, refine, and improve oneself after every experience. Feldor knew that Cimmerian embodied this talent with flying colors. He confirmed it just a few seconds after the duel started.
Cimmerian no longer threw useless strikes. Instead, he concentrated his barrage of attacks on Feldor's weak spots which he had learned from their last duel. However he noticed something weird. All of them never worked. He seemed fighting a different person. What worked was a strategy he invented impromptu. Hence, in about two minutes, Feldor fell to the ground, and at the same time, a sharp blade pointed at his neck.
"Ha-ha-ha. Amazing. I lose." Feldor muttered as he began to relax.
"That was helpful. Thank you for the duel."
"Cimmerian, I think dueling with me would no longer do you any good. You're above my level now. It's time to move to another level."
"Another level?" Cimmerian pondered. "You're right, but how am I gonna do that now?" He asked.
"Simple. You just have to study magic."
"Magic???"