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Volume 3 Chapter 25
"That's enough!!" [Sebasu]
As blood spurted into the air, the butler whose uniform had been dirtied from the clouds of dust, called the fight.
"Looks like... I lost..." [Shiva]
"... Ah? Wasn't it my? -Ow..." [Ryouma]
The two fighters whispered that as they grimaced in pain.
Wounded and bleeding, the two were only enduring.
The armor covering Shiva's left shoulder was cut, bleeding. His neck's scruff, pierced by the tip of Ryouma's blade. On the other side, Ryouma's shoulder was pierced from above by the blade of the halberd with a shortened handle that Shiva was using. And his abdomen was suffering from a large wound incurred from the 'Wind Cutter' spell that Shiva fired off.
The 'Wind Cutter' spell is an elementary wind magic, and is often considered to be the first step in one's study of the element. Because of this its consumption of magic power is low, and its power is also proportionally weak. But in Shiva's case, he trained this elementary spell, and although he can't fire it consecutively, he became able to cast it chantlessly while possessing great power. On top of that, he could shoot it from a number of angles, turning it into a quick and powerful shot.
Although simple, the 'Wind Cutter' spell is effective in any situation. Combine that with Shiva's ability and experience, it's a frightening weapon. All the more so for humans that don't have a natural armor like carapace, scale, or flesh like some magical beasts.
It was by that magic that Ryouma was hit in his armor's seam. The attack didn't cause an instant death, but if left alone, Ryouma could bleed to death. In fact, if it weren't for Ryouma's physical pain resistance skill Lv 8, he'd be writhing in pain at this very moment.
"I thought I had stopped him with my spear, but to think he would actually retaliate like that..." [Shiva]
Their attacks came mostly at the same time, but Ryouma's was slightly faster. And the moment Ryouma's attack sliced Shiva's armor apart, wounding him. Shiva's halberd pierced Ryouma's right shoulder that was thrusted towards him from the last attack, and in the next instance, he fired off his 'Wind Cutter'.
Shiva thought Ryouma's sword had finally come to a halt there, but then Ryouma pulled out his sword from Shiva's shoulder and armor. Because he was unable to move his right hand because of the halberd, he let go of his sword. And as a last resort, he focused his ki into his left arm, and thrusted into the scruff of Shiva's neck.
Then Sebasu who was acting as the referee said,
"If Ryouma-sama had fully swung his sword, then that attack would have definitely lopped Shiva-sama's head off. At the same time, Ryouma-sama would have also suffered a life-threatening wound. So as the referee, I decided to put a stop to the match here. Now please sheathe your weapons, and quickly get yourselves healed. Especially you, Ryouma-sama." [Sebasu]
At Sebasu's calm declaration, the two warriors sheathed their weapons. Immediately after, Shiva fell to the ground into a sitting position, while Ryouma fell down. And as Sebasu-san held Ryouma up, and gently made him lie down on the ground, more blood flowed out of Ryouma's wounds.
"Remiri-Sama!" [Sebasu]
"Yeah, yeah, I'm healing him! 'Mega Heal'! Sheesh, what kind of match was that supposed to be anyway?" [Remiri]
"One mistake, and either of you could've died." [Rheinbach]
"My apologies, as a referee-" [Sebasu]
Sebasu tried to apologize, but Rheinbach stopped him.
Although Sebasu-san was the referee, and although he should 've stopped the match earlier. The battle was just too fierce right from the start, and he couldn't enter the fray. Nevertheless, he did his best as the referee, went as close as he could, and tried to see the fierce fighting to the end while not getting in the two fighters' way. His dirtied clothes were proof of that.
Because of that Rheinbach stopped Sebasu from apologizing, and while Remiri healed the two fighters, he said,
"Sebasu, you're not at fault. I couldn't get in between these two either." [Rheinbach]
"'Mega Heal' 'Mega heal' Exactly, so don't beat yourself up over it, Sebasu-chan. 'Mega Heal' After all, even I couldn't keep up with their movements at the end." [Remiri]
Said Remiri as she healed the two warrior's wounds with advanced healing magic that made it look like she was turning back time, leaving not even a scar to be seen. As a result, Ryouma was too shocked at the efficacy of advanced healing magic to hear what the adults were saying.
"Sorry, but he wasn't an opponent I could hold back against. In order to measure him up properly, I needed to go at full strength." [Shiva]
"I know that but..." [Remiri]
"Well they're both fine in the end, so isn't it fine? Neither lost their life, and neither got any scars." [Rheinbach]
Then Rheinbach asked,
"With this he should be more than good enough to enter the Great Forest of Shurus. And I don't have any complaints either, so I suppose we can send him off without worrying, right, Sebasu?" [Rheinbach]
"Yes. With that much ability, he should be fine even without any escorts." [Sebasu]
"Right. Although for him to actually manage to force Shiva to go at full strength, and come out on equal footing... the power of the godchilds are truly frightening." [Rheinbach]
Just as Ryouma finished checking his wounds, he was finally able to shake himself from his amazement, and the word 'godchild' entered his ears, causing him to tilt his head. Judging from the context, he knew that they're talking about him, but he's never heard of the word 'godchild' before.
"Godchild? What is that?" [Ryouma]
"Oh, you didn't know? Well, I guess it's not that common of a word... Godchilds are people who appear once every several hundred years, possessing power, abilities, and knowledge that far surpasses other people." [Rheinbach]
That 'godchild' Rheinbach was talking about, that comes once every several years, are most likely earthlings just like himself, thought Ryouma. At the same time, Ryouma started to wonder whether they knew that he was an otherworlder, but after hearing from Rheinbach, he finally understood the situation.
The otherworlders who come into this world all leave behind some sort of mark in history. And there are even some who inherit the ideas of those otherworlders. Amongst the otherworlders are people who inherit important positions, people who discover a number of things, saving lives until today. And even those who claimed to others that they were called here to this world by the gods.
The people of this world couldn't ascertain the authenticity of having been called here by the gods. But there was no denying that these people did exist, and they possessed knowledge and abilities that transcended others'. So the people of this world honored them, and were grateful. And with fear, they came to call these people that possessed transcendent knowledge and abilities as 'godchild' or 'the apostles of god'.
"So I'm the same as those so-called 'godchilds'" [Ryouma]
"Well yes, there shouldn't be any mistake. Actually, on top of Shiva's level 7 halberd arts and his position as a former knight commander, he is also the nations' strongest knight. For a 12-year-old child such as yourself to fight him on equal footing, that is something that far surpasses the territory of 'genius'. On top of that, you even have talent in various magic and knowledge in various areas. So just thinking about it a little, it's not really a hard conclusion to arrive to." [Rheinbach]
Said Rheinbach with a bright smile, to which Ryouma then asked with conviction,
"Not hard, then... Could it be that you knew from the start?" [Ryouma]
"Ever since you stayed with us at the Town of Gimuru actually. I told you before, right? You are too skilled, so you should be careful of bad people, or something, right? And besides, godchilds all possess high skill levels and special skills since a young age. And they all also appear as orphans or people with no relatives." [Rheinbach]
He noticed that quickly, thought Ryouma to himself, shocked. But that was almost right after we had just met when we went to the church to get my status board made.
As Ryouma was thinking to himself, Sebasu said in a calming voice.
"Please don't be concerned. Regardless of whether Ryouma-sama is a godchild or not, we will neither put you in harm's way, nor try to bind you." [Sebasu]
"Our relationship won't change. All the more so if you truly are a child of god." [Rheinbach]
Ryouma trusted the Jamil Household, so he wasn't worried about being treated badly by them in particular. But he was curious when he heard Sebasu mention something about being 'bound', so he asked about it. The one who answered however, was neither Rheinbach nor Sebasu, but Remiri.
"The godchilds all possess great talent and great power, so getting them as one's subordinates would reap great profits. But you know, it's also because they possess great power that should they be offended, they could cause great damage. Such calamities have occurred many times in the past.
That's why all the nobles in the country have wordlessly agreed to honor the will of the godchilds. How each one honors or dishonors this tacit agreement is up to each individual, but should they anger a godchild, the nobles will ostracize them, seize their properties, and/or even execute them." [Remiri]
Ryouma's eyes opened wide in shock.
"No way... why would a country do so much for an individual..." [Ryouma]
"It's not an exaggeration at all." [Remiri]
Remiri then brought up a previous case.
Once upon a time in this country, the Rifo-ru Kingdom, appeared a child of god. That godchild was a man who rode upon an iron horse that knew no rest, and would ride across the country at a frightening speed. Moreover, being skilled in dimension magic, he would carry with him a great number of commodities as he travelled around the country.
That man's abilities caught the eye of the king. And so the king ordered him to enter the army. But the man wished for freedom, and he obstinately refused the king's orders time and time again. He was the sort of man that would absolutely never yield, so in the end, the king decided to threaten to take away his freedom, forcibly binding him as his servant. But the man rebelled, and he mowed down all those who tried to catch him. Riding on his iron horse, no one could catch him.
After that, the man would raid the residences and carriages of the nobles, pillaging their money and their goods. And no matter how many tried to catch him, not one man could catch his iron horse. Gradually, the man gained comrades, and he became a problem that even the country's army couldn't handle.
With his new comrades, his larceny reached a new height, and he stretched his hands even on the nobles of the other countries. It was a disaster. On top of that, when the man would run away, he would announce that he came from Rifo-ru, and that the king of Rifo-ru tried to take his job and freedom away, so he's doing these things as a form of protest.
Gradually, criticism towards the country that caused the disaster began to propagate both in the country and outside. Soon a conspiracy theory about how the thieves were actually a special force disguised as a thief, sent by the country to pillage other countries' treasure.
As a result, the relationship with the other countries worsened, and the power of the king fell. In the end, his younger brother stole his position, and as punishment, the king was executed.
"The other countries calmed down a bit after the execution of the former king that was the cause of the disaster, but the relationship was still strained. It would have been fine if the godchild was also arrested, but in the end no one could catch him, and the stolen treasures were never recovered." [Remiri]
Hearing that, Ryouma remembered what the magic God, Fer Noevir, had told him, and he understood.
Ryouma never had any intentions of committing any atrocities with his powers, but ever since hearing about how the otherworlders abused theirs, he's been making sure to keep his abilities in check. But that was only something personal. Ryouma never had any perspective as the assailant or as the victim.
A victim would obviously try to prevent a disaster from happening. Especially, if there's a high chance of it occurring.
"I see..." [Ryouma]
As Ryouma mumbled that, Shiva, who's been quiet until now, asked,
"Since you understand, I'd like to ask, now that you know the truth, what are you going to do?" [Shiva]
"Even if you ask me that... I'll still continue my training all the same, get my grandparents' inheritance, and continue my life as a researcher and as an adventurer. I don't really have anything I want aside from living a leisurely life." [Ryouma]
Shiva heaved a sigh of relief at Ryouma's response, and said,
"Exactly as Rheinbach had said, huh?" [Shiva]
"Eh?" [Ryouma]
Ryouma alternately looked between Shiva and Rheinbach, then Shiva explained.
Actually, when Ryouma left the inn, Rheinbach talked about the possibility of Ryouma being a godchild and his personality. There he mentioned that Ryouma was an unselfish person with no interest in money or honor, and would rather spend his days fixating over his hobbies without living in luxury.
And while that wasn't exactly correct, it wasn't wrong either.
While Ryouma was working hard back in Earth, there were also times when he thought to live a more comfortable life. But of course, that doesn't mean to say that he wanted to live luxuriously.
Cheap, delicious food was more than enough. Clothes that wouldn't get him laughed at was sufficient. And a warm, strong house that wouldn't break during storms, and stay warm even during the winter was all that he wanted.
Ryouma isn't completely free of desires, but he is more than content just having the necessities of life.
On top of that, this world could be said to be the embodiment of Ryouma's hobbies. That's why Ryouma is more than satisfied just living his life here normally, working as an adventurer. As a result, he really doesn't really have much more he could ask for.
He's also not the type to show off his abilities ostentatiously, and neither is he the type for needless violence. Although he might not seem to act as young as his 12-year-old self would suggest, he's definitely a good boy.
That along with Ryouma's response just now and the air about him showed how little intention he had of harming the kingdom, bringing Shiva great relief.
"Don't worry, it's nothing." [Shiva]
"I see." [Ryouma]
Ryouma didn't pursue the meaning behind those words any further. Shiva was the former knight commander so he figured it wouldn't be strange at all for him to be thinking about something. What's important is that he seemed to be relieved, thought Ryouma to himself.
After that, the atmosphere became silent for a bit. The one to break that silence was Remiri.
"Hey~ Ryouma-chan." [Remir]
"What is it?" [Ryouma]
"If you don't mind, could you show us your status board?" [Remiri]
"My status board?" [Ryouma]
"Yep, your status board. We think you're a godchild, but if you could show us your status board, we could find out if you really are one or not." [Remiri]
Ryouma was surprised again when he heard those words. Ryouma's only heard about the term 'godchild' today, so of course he didn't know that you could find something like that out just from looking at the status board.
Ryouma wondered whether he should show his status board or not, but thinking to himself, "What's the point in hiding it after everything?" He showed his status board.
"There's a column for titles in the status board, right? Is there a "Favorite Child of the Gods" title there?" [Remiri]
"... Ah, there is." [Ryouma]
Looking at his status board, Ryouma saw that there was in fact such a title. So he made the column of titles visible for others to see, and he handed the status board to Remiri.
"He really is a child of god, huh? Even though I'm a dark elf, I never really thought I'd get a chance to meet one." [Remiri]
"Same. Magic aside, I don't think I could get him to go all out in martial arts." [Rheinbach]
"So you left it to Shiva-chan?" [Remiri]
"Yes. Although I think today's meeting was actually by the gods' wills. I've always been planning of having Ryouma meet Shiva to measure his abilities, but I didn't think we'd end up meeting today. Remiri, if you hadn't seen Ryouma staring at the carriage we were riding on... No, if we had gone here either by my slave demons or by Sebasu's dimension magic, then we probably wouldn't have met Ryouma, right?" [Rheinbach]
"Yeah, that's true. If Remiri hadn't suggested to travel via carriage since we hadn't met in such a long time, then we would have already gotten an Eternal Darkness (herb) and be on the way home now." [Shiva]
As Shiva agreed with Rheinbach, he looked at Ryouma's status board. Then suddenly, his eyes opened wide.
"Ryouma-kun, this title is... ?" [Shiva]
As Shiva said that, he pointed towards the two titles beneath the title, "Favorite Child of the Gods, " toward the "Disciple of the Sage" and the "Disciple of the Martial God". Ryouma replied,
"Ah, those are my grandparents who raised me. They are the ones who trained me in the foundations of magic and martial arts." [Ryouma]
It was Ryouma's prepared reply.
Silence flowed for a few minutes, then they asked for the names and race of Ryouma's grandparents. Immediately, the four adults were shocked, and they finally understood why Ryouma was so strong.
"Unbelievable, to think that Ryouma would actually be the disciple of the martial god and the sage..." [Rheinbach]
"In all these years I've lived as a dark elf, this must be the most surprising thing I've ever heard." [Remiri]
"So a godchild could show that much power after receiving guidance from those two." [Shiva]
When Ryouma heard Shiva's words, he couldn't help but ask,
"Shiva-san, do you know my grandparents? You said 'those two' just now, right?" [Ryouma]
Shiva vaguely nodded, and then said,
"I only really got to exchange some words with them a few times. When we were still mere soldiers, they were invited by the country, but they refused that invitation and in exchange they taught martial arts and magic to select individuals for some time." [Shiva]
"Of course one of those soldiers that were selected was me. Moreover, being just mere soldiers at the time, they weren't someone we could freely call out to." [Rheinbach]
After that, they decided to continue their conversation while eating, so they went back to town.
While eating, Shiva and Rheinbach spoke heartily. After that, Ryouma asked for advice in combining his magic with his sword, and he was told that he should at least find a way to cast his magic faster.
The group then discussed their plans the next day. Starting tomorrow, Ryouma will be learning from Remiri, and will be undergoing magic training while they search around the Town of Departed Spirits.
After their discussions ended, they went on their own ways, and Ryouma rested in a room that was prepared for him. There he was visited by Rheinbach and Sebasu.
"Ryouma-kun, do you have some time?" [Rheinbach]
"Yes, please enter." [Ryouma]
Ryouma welcomed them. And when Rheinbach entered the room he said this,
"Actually, I wanted to thank you. Thank you for having a match with Shiva. There hasn't been anyone whom he could fight with in these past few years equally, and on top of being made to do a lot of paperwork during his time as a knight commander, he became anxious over his age.
But thanks to you today, he was able to go all out, and has been feeling better since. And now it looks like that dominating spirit he once had is back. He's tired, so he's sleeping now, but it's really been a long time since I saw him make such a satisfied face." [Rheinbach]
"I'm happy I could help. I've also come to understand the places I'm lacking, so I'm also grateful to Shiva-san." [Ryouma]
"I see. I'm glad to hear that it was mutual." [Rheinbach]
Rheinbach laughed as he said that, then taking Sebasu with him, he left the room after telling Ryouma to enjoy himself, but to make sure to get some good night's rest as they'll be leaving early tomorrow.
After sending them off, Ryouma meditated until supper time, played with the slimes, and then he slept right after supper.
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