Unchanged Samurai In Another World

Episode 21: Adventurer, Feeling the Growth

“PU-GIII-YI-YI-YI-YI-YI-YI-YI-YI-YI-YI-YI-YIII!!!”

Franz stood against the pig demon that had suffered severe burns thanks to Pamela’s magic.

Though grievously injured and smoking from its wounds, it seemed he still couldn’t finish it off. Although he had previously defeated one pig demon with the help of four others, this was his first time battling one on his own.

…It’s alright. Remember the training. Observe the opponent’s movements and consider the advantageous positioning for yourself.

The wounded pig demon charged forward with a roar. Though its imposing figure was intimidating, thanks to the daily mock battles, Franz managed to remain calm and observe its movements.

It’s right hand clenched, and the shoulder shifted slightly.

───Right slash!

Franz sidestepped to the left, avoiding the sweeping punch, and counterattacked with a slash to the flank as they passed each other.

It’s hard, but I felt something!

When Franz turned around, the pig demon was spurting large amounts of blood from its side, likely having penetrated its internal organs, but it was still not the time to let his guard down. The monstrous life force of these creatures was fierce, surely it could still move with this kind of wound.

As expected, with its eyes gleaming menacingly, the pig demon extended both arms and charged once again.

A charge! Getting caught is bad…!

Franz took a large step backward, creating distance. Thankfully, the opponent was injured and it was not difficult to keep the distance.

“BU-HI-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-YI-YI-YI-YI-YI!!!”

The pig demon growled angrily as it locked eyes with Franz. The adversary was near death, but due to this very fact, Franz had to be extra cautious of any desperate attacks.

“……………………”

After a few seconds of silence, the pig demon extended both arms forward and charged again.

I see… He thinks if he can grapple me, he’ll win.

Franz recalled Cross’s words:

“Anticipate the enemy’s rhythm. Do not let the enemy anticipate yours. Your attacks are all too predictable. It’s obvious what you’re trying to do and where you’re aiming. Your intentions are written all over your actions.”

He must have felt the same way countless times after those mock battles.

Franz took the stance of the “Eight Postures” he had just learned, focusing on the opponent’s movements. Though he hadn’t yet received a passing mark during practice, it was the form he had repeated tirelessly until he collapsed.

“How do I dodge in order to cut?”

Franz slipped under the charging pig demon’s arms, spun half-way around, and took its back. The creature fumbled awkwardly and couldn’t turn around quickly enough.

“Huh!”

Franz delivered a powerful strike to the completely exposed back of the enemy’s slanting body.

“PU-GIIII……”

The pig demon’s back was slashed open, and slowly it collapsed, landing face down.

Breathing heavily, Franz stared down at his palms.

“───Am I getting stronger?”

—

Back when he was a child, Franz read a hero’s tale kept in the Luktstra Church, which inspired him. It was the story of a lone adventurer who fought against a horde of monsters, sustaining many injuries, yet still managed to save the town.

Franz, who was naturally of quiet disposition, idolized that brave hero immensely. Though his parents, being kind-hearted, thought it was beyond him and opposed his dreams, Franz left his family’s dairy farm and became an adventurer in Angila, determined to follow his passion.

Initially, he was filled with confidence.

He spent his apprentice days gritting his teeth at the gap between his ideal adventurer image and reality, but he managed to accumulate funds through miscellaneous tasks and acquired proper equipment. With a self-taught approach, he had tirelessly trained himself in swordsmanship. He secluded himself in the guild’s library and studied in detail about the characteristics and weaknesses of all kinds of monsters. He would often flaunt his knowledge, which many other adventurers, unable to read, did not possess, and basked in a sense of superiority.

But when he faced a monster for the first time, his confidence was utterly shattered.

It was just a single small demon, yet he couldn’t endure the merciless killing intent aimed at him. Without even properly swinging his sword, Franz fled in panic.

This is a dark, bitter memory that only he knew of.

From then on, his life was full of resignation. He gave up on solo adventures and searched for companions. He stopped trying to defeat monsters alone and focused on team coordination. He never confessed this to his comrades, but he also gave up on becoming a high-level adventurer and simply lived by taking safe missions. Somewhere along the way, he lost even the zeal to grow stronger.

—

Now, there is a tangible sense of growth in his hands.

It’s not as if days of intense training suddenly improved his skills. It’s a difference in mindset; he fought focusing on attacking, instead of simply avoiding. Just that, the simple difference.

It felt as if a room inside him, where the light had gone out, was illuminated again. Something that he had long kept stored in there seemed to stir.

If he continues going forward this way, he might be able to take a step closer to the hero he admired.

“……I, can still get stronger.”

A warmth akin to swallowing the sun enveloped his chest and Franz tightly clenched his fists.

“──Wait, this is no time for that. I need to get to Barth… hmm?”

Coming back to his senses, he glanced around to find Cross standing with crossed arms near Barth and the others who were in a fierce battle.

“Franz, are you done?”

“Yeah, I managed to win somehow. Why didn’t Cross jump in?”

“Take a look.”

Following the instruction, Franz focused on Barth’s fight.

“Alright! I got the left leg!”

“Only a bit more on the right! Keep going Barth!”

“This is a breeze compared to Cross’ drills! I could take a thousand more hits!”

Mauri was running around the pig demon with a single knife, having apparently severed the Achilles tendon of its left leg. Pamela was using the centrifugal force of her staff to attack the right knee. Barth was sticking closely to the opponent, blocking all the sweeping punches.

“Amazing…”

“Indeed, Barth’s efforts are commendable. Though Mauri and Pamela’s skills are somewhat crude, it’s only because we trust Barth to block all the attacks that they can move so boldly. Look, the pig demon’s knees are buckling.”

Pamela’s staff struck the right knee, and finally the pig demon collapsed. Barth then pressed it down using his large shield.

“Mauri! Finish it!”

“Got it!”

With the flailing pig demon, Mauri drove the knife into its neck, sealing its fate.

“Guys, I’m impressed! Who would have thought that the three of you could take down a pig demon!”

Franz gave his heartfelt praise. Their victory over the pig demon, despite their lack of close combat preference, was undoubtedly an impressive feat.

“Nah, Barth’s the one who’s amazing! He didn’t let a single blow hit us!”

“We didn’t even think about dodging. We just bashed it!”

“The training has paid off well. What say you, Cross?”

“Top-notch, splendid. You managed to track your teammates’ movements while defending against the enemy’s attacks. Mauri and Pamela executed their training exercises perfectly. I also noted Franz’s battle, where he considered the positioning and distance. Truly, all of you have exceeded expectations.”

Was I really observed…? But, it seems I wasn’t wrong after all. In this battle, I feel as if I’ve grasped something.

“Hurry up with the butchering! It’s far to the river, so we should hurry!”

“Yeah. Let’s split the work. Cross, can you get the rope?”

As they began handling the pig demon’s corpse, Cross looked at him curiously.

“Are we butchering this? Some parts of it can be used?”

“The pig demon’s meat is sold. It’s a popular ingredient in Angila.”

“……Are you eating this?”

Cross seemed genuinely surprised.

What? Hmm…… But…

“That’s what you ate the other day from a street vendor, aren’t you? You said it was delicious and even had a second serving!”

“……Ah. It tasted good, but… It would have been good to know that beforehand.”

Rather, the fact that you ate it unknowingly is surprising.

Cross sometimes has these absent-minded moments and, when faced with something unknown, instead of asking, he goes ahead and makes conclusions on his own.

The other day, he didn’t know how to wear the clothes he had bought, so he tied the belt like a rope around his waist and held his loose trousers with both hands, appearing at breakfast saying “This belt is really tough to wrap.” We were all laughing quite a bit.

“You can’t be picky, Cross! No likes or dislikes! We’ll be eating this pig demon for dinner tonight!”

“Likes or dislikes…? No, you’re right. This is a foreign country. Indeed, a foreign country. When in Rome, do as the Romans do.”

Though he muttered to himself, if he dislikes it to this extent, I think he doesn’t have to eat it…

Cross mentioned that in Nihon, many people held taboos against eating the meat of cattle and horses, which was referred to as “meat-eating.” Some vegetarians existed among the beastmen in the Pharas Kingdom, so it was surprising to hear that there was no nation-wide vegetarianism.

Apparently, he has been hunting since he was young and is fine with eating meat, but the human-like resemblance of the pig demon made him feel uneasy. For them, it’s just a familiar childhood ingredient, so it’s challenging to grasp this feeling.

After somehow transporting the corpse to the river, they butchered it. Even a massive beast like this becomes manageable when it’s broken down for meat.

“Well then, let’s head back to the carriage.”

…………

As the carriage swayed, it was around the time the sun started to set, and they finally saw the castle walls of Angila within sight.

“This time, we managed to earn a decent profit, right?”

“Yeah. The bounty for slaying, pig demon’s meat, herbs, dog demon’s hide. Above all, with no equipment damage, we might earn two to three gold coins.”

Franz was already doing mental calculations of various expenses in his head. Managing the party funds was an essential role as the leader, alongside rent and food expenses. For the unpredictable times, savings were also necessary. An adventurer’s body is their capital. They must absolutely avoid situations where they cannot cover the medical costs if someone is injured or falls ill.

With those thoughts in mind, they arrived at the guild.

“We’re back, Diana. Can you handle the commission fulfillment please?”

“Welcome back! Um, before that, there’s something I need to talk to you about…”

Diana looked far from her usual cheerful self. Was something bad going to happen?

“What is it?”

“Actually, the Guild Master has instructed us to bring you to his room once you returned… Have you done something?”

───I think I know…

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