The adventurer's town of Zeto. In the center of the city is the Adventurer's Guild's Zeto headquarters.

　The exterior is made of stone, and it looks much more splendid than the wooden houses I'm used to seeing in the village. It even had a triangular roof and a chimney, and its appearance was more than enough power to intimidate the countrymen.

　Basically, the Adventurer's Guild is said to be in charge of the Adventurer's Town because of the way it was formed. As the head of the guild is also the mayor of the city, the size of the guild's headquarters is noticeably larger than the surrounding buildings. It looks like it's at least three stories high.

　At the reception desk in the first floor of such a magnificent building, past the wooden door, I was shouting in a careless voice.

''Adventurer registration fee!''

''Yes.

　With an apologetic look on her face, the lady at the reception desk explains to me.

"One rezo........Gerald, we don't have any more money....

　Myl was also making such a noise next to me.

　Rezo is a unit of silver coinage common to the Dunadine continent. To those of us who were born and raised in a rural area, especially in a village without a name, money is a distant thing. To begin with, bartering was the norm in the village.

　However, the money we received as preparation money for our trip had been wiped out on the way to Zeto.

　By the way, one rezo is a unit of money, the equivalent of a silver coin.
　One rez is called one rez for a copper coin, and one gold coin is called one gareth.

　From our point of view, with our current possession of only three reais, or three copper coins, one rezo was a large sum of money that seemed out of reach.

''........Can't you pay the bill?　Look, you know, my career rose--

We don't have such a system in place.

I hear you're a little accommodating.

Rules are meant to be followed.

'I don't even have money to go back to the village anymore!　How am I supposed to earn money if I don't dwell in dungeons?

　When I appeal to her, she gives me an annoyed look as if to say, "I don't need to be told that. Apparently the idea of lending me money or something like that is not in the cards.

　

''........I'll come back.

　With that said, we decided to head out of the building for now. We need to at least earn money for tonight's lodging before it gets dark.

　When we walked out of the guild door, we found ourselves in the central square of the adventurer's town, commonly known as the guild square. From there, cobblestones were laid out in a north-south, east-west, north-south and east-west direction, each leading to a different area.

　I proceeded to one of them, a street called the Adventurer's Street. I've been told that this street is lined with facilities and shops used by adventurers, and if you go straight through to the north, it leads to the Zephyrus Forest, a sealed site (dungeon) on the outskirts of Zeto town.

　Perhaps because the sun is still in the middle of the sky, the adventurer's street was full of activity. Warriors wearing armor and carrying weapons, and hunters carrying lightly armed bows were passing through the hustle and bustle.

　Blacksmiths dealing in armor and protective gear, apothecaries mixing and selling herbal medicines and poison removers, and other miscellaneous goods useful for adventure can be found here and there in the street.

　A building with a sign that looks like a martial arts or swordsmanship dojo also appears around the corner, and a vigorous shouting voice can be heard from inside.

　As I walked absentmindedly, looking at such a scene.

'Hey, hey, Gerald!　What's that?

What?

　Meir called out to me as she picked up the hem of my clothes and tugged at it.

　I look in the direction she's pointing and see a crowd of people there. Apparently, they are in a circle around something.

　It is impossible to see what is going on inside because of the wall of people. But from inside the circle, I could hear a hard sound, as if something was crashing into each other.

'What's going on here?　Don't you want to take a look?

　I can't help but raise an eyebrow at Meir's words. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't interested, but I don't have the luxury of looking at something right now. More importantly, I need money. I need money.

You know what? We can't afford to play or go sightseeing, for all intents and purposes. If you don't have enough money to pay for your accommodation by night, you won't be able to secure a place to stay.

That's probably okay! I'd sleep anywhere as long as Gerald was with me.

What do you mean maybe? And that's not okay with me.

Do you get lusty and can't sleep?

If it's a warning about a hunter attacking you in your sleep, you won't be able to sleep.

Gender-wise, I think Gerald's the wolf and I'm the sheep.

What kind of carnivorous sheep are we talking about?

'Every night I open my crotch in good health and wait for the wolf, but for some reason he doesn't come to eat...'

　I think the wolf is probably a bit taken aback by the fact that the sheep are unabashedly saying such things.

　I think the wolf would be more modest if he had a little more discretion, but.......

"Hey, hey, Gerald~!　Let's just take a look at them.　It's going to be fun!

　Just as I'm thinking about such, slightly rude things, Meir makes a sweet voice and clings to my arm. Her fleshy, growing bosom is pressed against my two arms, probably intentionally, and I flinch.

'You know what, dude? Come on........

　Shiloh," I was about to say, and my words came up from the crowd just then, "Oh, whoa! He was drowned out by the cheers of the crowd.

'Hey, isn't that nice, Gerald?　Besides, you see, maybe it's a clue to make money!

　.........Indeed, like Myl said, it could be at least a hint of what's going on. It wouldn't cost much money to just look at it for a moment, and most importantly, my curiosity about what was going on behind the crowd was even piqued.

'Well, just for a moment then.

Yeah.

　They nodded to each other and both approached the human wall and stood tall. Then, from between the people, they saw two people with wooden sticks in their hands, facing each other in the center of the circle, facing each other.

　Both were men, one lightly armed and short. The other was a large man and wore a suit of armor.

　The crowd shouted in unison, 'Begin! I shout. The armor strikes immediately, but its movement is slow due to its heavy equipment. The shorter one dodges it lightly. Or it occasionally flicks or passes it off. However, he never once seemed to try to counterattack.

　The spectators were counting up the numbers in unison. 'One hundred!　Ninety-nine!　Ninety-eight! . The numbers were getting smaller and smaller.

　The armor seemed to be breathing quickly, but the shorter one didn't seem to breathe as if it was disturbed. Perhaps it's the difference in equipment. The armor was much heavier, and it should be more than double the load on his body.

　Eventually, the crowd went 'Zero!' As soon as he shouted, the armourer slammed the wooden stick in his hand to the ground. The crowd throbbed again and cheered.

　Next to him, Meir.

'She's awesome!　The big guy's attack, not a single one hit!

　He sounded excited.

'Shit!'

　The armor shouted.

'You're losing again!'

Well, if they eat that easily, we're all out of business.

　The shorter one chuckled teasingly and held out his palm toward the armor. With a frustrated look on his face, the armor handed the man a copper coin.

'Maido ari'

　And while the shorter one smiled at him, the armor curled his back and trudged away from the circle.

　The man who had been battling with the armor turns to the wall of people and raises his voice.

'This Gardner is the most protective adventurer in Zeto!　The rules of the fight are simple. We will face each other with sticks, and if the challenger strikes a blow on me while I count to 100, the challenger wins.　The stake can start at one wraith and go on for as long as it takes. Now, you who pass through the Adventurer's Alley!　Are there only cowards and cunts here?　Who's going to give me my first crack at it?　Whoever thinks it's me, come at me one by one!

　Meir was next to me, holding up his hand quickly.

'Come on, let's do it!

Hey, Millie, what's going on?

　I let my hand drop, but the man who introduced himself as Gardner had his eyes firmly on us.

'Oh, nice one, girl. But are you sure?　I hate to say it, but I haven't lost a single game in my time in this business.

It's going to be okay. Gerald doesn't want to lose.

"And that was me?

　Meir slaps me on the back with a bashin. He pushed me into a great recklessness........

　But now that he's mentioned my name, it's shameful to run away here. Reluctantly, I step out, and a wall of people cracks open to make way for me.

　On my way through, a stranger pats me on the back and calls out to me again, "Hang in there, kid!

'Keep up the good work, kid!　I'm not holding my breath, though! 'Give that Gardner a shot, kid! It's a bit reckless, isn't it? Has anybody ever seen Gardner lose with this? No. - Nope. - I don't either. - Rumor has it there's no one in Zeto who can give him a blow to the head, not even the fingers of his own hand.

　You're so annoying. Don't shout at them near me I'm annoyed.

　As I stepped out into the center of the circle, Gardner handed me a stick. I reluctantly take it.

　Even if you look closely, Gardner seems to be rather small in stature. It's a good idea to have a good balance between the two.

　However, it's easy to tell that she has a well-balanced, well-built body. There are no gaps in his or her behavior, and his friendly eyes are even more careful than that.

　The signboard that says he is the best at protecting people in Zeto is also not a badge of honor, judging by the battle he just fought.

'Here you go, boyfriend. Do you understand the rules?　If you can land a blow on me on the count of 100, he wins. If you can't, he loses. The time limit is on the count of a hundred.

I know. And he's not my boyfriend.

Heh. Well, don't be so embarrassed, my boyfriend. How much do you want to spend?

　Gardner said.

Three Wraiths!

　Myl, who had come to the front row before I knew it, shouts back. That's all we have........

　.........Now we can't lose even more.

''Good luck, Gerald!

　I make a goo on my chest and Meir cheers me on. You, remember that when this fight is over, okay?

　One sigh. I don't intend to lose so easily, but it looks like I'd better take out some insurance, just in case.

　The terms of the bet are agreed upon and I face Gardner. Then, immediately, a 'Start!' by the crowd. A voice rang out.

　I chanted a spell to blend in with that voice.

''Enhanced Reflexes.''

　I cast a body-enhancing magic on myself, which strengthens my reflexes and allows me to display tremendous instantaneous power. Because I muttered in a small voice, Gardner must not have noticed that I used magic.

　Even if he could hear me, a person who didn't understand the magic language would never know the meaning of that spell.

''Hundred!　Ninety-nine!　Ninety-eight!

　The crowd's voices beat against my eardrums. I leave it behind and step forward. The first thing I do is try a small hand, and then a right crosscut. Gardner catches this one, but that's to be expected.

　Then a series of blows. Whether it's the face, belly, or legs, I hit him with a stick, no matter where. But Gardner catches it with his amazing reflexes, or brushes it off. His movements are slower than mine, but he is lean in every movement. He is artfully specialized in 'protecting'.

　In the middle of a battle, when I focused on my eyes and 'looked' at Gardner, the magic power covered his entire body evenly. It doesn't even loosen up when we launch an attack. Seeing the magical power covering Gardner, I could see that he was paying attention to our next move without losing consciousness to a single attack.

　In fact, it is as if they have read the trajectory of our initial attack from earlier, and they respond at every turn. Even the blow aimed at my leg to aim for a surprise attack was avoided by only lightly twisting my body just now.

　But that doesn't matter either. If you're going to be able to respond to any number of moves, just give him a barrage of blows so fast that he can't react even if he can see you.

　Once you get away from Gardner.

'What's up boyfriend. Are you out of ideas?

　Nee, Gardner fished up the edge of his mouth. He still had a spare look on his face.

''That's why I'm not like that,''

　That's not what Meir is. At least (...) she's not (...) my girlfriend, at least for now.

　The crowd howls. 'Forty-seven!　Forty-six!　Forty-five! All right, shut up, all of you.

Forty-four!
"'Acceleration,'

　I kicked the ground again, letting the spell blend into my voice.

　The sounds, the landscape, became wind and muddy colors. In that world, I saw only Gardner.

　I added a series of blows. At the same time, I saw the magical power covering my opponent's body. The massive lead-colored magical power does not waver. Right now, I still can't see any fraying.

　A right upper arm, left forearm, chin, and a right body from a side step, pretending to aim at the left brow. Gardner still can't break it up. This guy's sign that he's the best protector in Zeto is not a sham.

　But even so, there is a limit to the response speed of a mere human being. I've become a single wind and without a break, I'm attacking even more viciously.

　With that, the magic that covers Gardner begins to waver and break. At first it's a small, truly needle-through tear, but once you aim at it, the hole once opened quickly becomes larger.

　After that, it was easy enough.

"Mmm, ouch, haha!

　Gardner's breath catches in his throat. I'm not going to miss it.

　I had already figured out the ironclad attack procedure. Three more steps. Two moves. One move--.

Ah.

　I didn't know who had made that voice. It could be Gardner, or it could be someone in the crowd. At least it wasn't Meir, that's all that mattered.

'Yes! Yes!　I knew Gerald would win!

　Myl is over here.
　At the same time as Meille cheered, I heard a wooden stick roll on the ground with a clank clank. I flicked the stick in Gardner's hand.

　And as it is, the tip of my stick stops moving just before it bites into Gardner's throat.

I'm here.....

　When Gardner muttered this to himself as he sat on the cobblestones, I was wrapped up in a roar of cheers.

　Still, though.

　It's a good thing that you can use magic, or not, to make a surprising difference.

　It's a good thing that I have a strong ally in magic, because I was able to win against Gardner, who is older than me and still has much more experience.

　If I improve my skills in magic, I can become much stronger than I am now. That's what I've come to believe.