After The Duel Was Settled

The offensive fire spell, Fireball, had been launched as though to break up the fight between Nick and me.

Well, I’d sensed magic coming and dodged just in case, but it didn’t seem to have been aimed at me. The flames weren’t very powerful either, so even if they’d hit me, they wouldn’t have done any damage.

The one who cast the spell was a young girl… No, not a girl. She was an elf.

She was the mage from the Twilight Ravens we’d met at the Guild Hall.

Nick called her name suspiciously.

“Conche.”

“You snuck out in the middle of the night, so I followed you to see what you were up to, but that’s enough.”

“The fight isn’t over yet—”

“It was over the moment it started. Wake up and realize he’s been playing with you this whole time.”

“Playing…?”

“If this kid got serious, he’d take you down instantly. If you’d kept going, you might’ve ended up breaking the bones in your fingers.”

“—”

This elf was calling me a kid. She looked and talked like a young girl, but she really was older than me after all.

Conche walked over, slapped Nick on the back, and urged him to get up.

Then she looked at me and spoke.

“…What exactly are you?”

“Nothing more and nothing less than an ordinary B-rank adventurer.”

“I already know that. What I want to know is why you’ve got such an absurd amount of magical power. Are you really human?”

Ah, right.

Some elves had a skill that let them sense how much magical power someone possessed, didn’t they?

I let out a breath before answering.

“I consider myself human, at least.”

“What’s with that answer? That sounds incredibly suspicious—”

“Don’t sweat the details. At the very least, I’m not going to harm you guys.”

“Yeah, I know that much. I can tell you’re a good kid, Roy.”

Calling a guy in his thirties a good kid… Just how old was this elf, anyway?

Apparently he’d hurt his lower back when he landed on his backside earlier, because Nick was rubbing it.

Conche cast Healing Magic on Nick’s back.

As I scratched my cheek and watched, Nick stepped forward after being healed and gave me a small bow.

“Thanks for humoring me this late at night.”

“Ah… Yeah.”

I hadn’t expected such a polite thank-you.

How should I put it… well, he wasn’t a bad guy.

I would’ve preferred him to come during the day instead of this late at night, but then Yuri might’ve gotten dragged into it.

Nick spoke with a self-deprecating smile.

“Conche was right. The fight was already decided the moment it started. You weren’t serious at all.”

“…”

Well, I couldn’t deny that.

If I got serious, there’d be all kinds of collateral damage.

I’d been holding back so we could keep the duel contained.

And, well… part of me had also thought it’d be a little cruel to knock him out in one hit.

“After fighting you, I get it now. I understand why Yuri Claudevel fell for you.”

“Wha…!?”

Yuri had fallen for me!?

S-Surely that couldn’t be true, right? I figured she was fond of me as someone who’d taken care of her, but…

No sooner had I thought that than—

“I’ve fallen for you too!”

—Huh?

Nick stared at me with sparkling eyes.

No, no, no. Like I said before, I’m not into that sort of thing… I started to think, but the intense look in Nick’s eyes wasn’t romantic at all.

It was closer to the admiration a child might show toward a Hero or legendary warrior.

“I’ve fallen for your manliness and your strength!”

Oh, that’s what you meant by fallen for me!!

Nick clenched both fists and passionately continued.

“Your swordsmanship was so clean it was practically art, your movements were as light as the wind, and despite all that muscle, you’re unbelievably flexible… Every single bit of it hit me right in my weak spot!”

No, no, no, it didn’t need to hit anything! It absolutely didn’t!

I frantically shook my head, then looked to Conche for help, but she merely shrugged and shook her head.

Nick dropped to his knees in front of me and bowed deeply.

“Please take me as your disciple!! Master Roylotte!!”

“No, no, no!! I have a strict policy against taking disciples!”

Just as I was about to back away, he wrapped his arms around my waist as though trying to stop me from escaping and clung on.

“Once a month is enough! I’ll pay you proper tuition!”

“You’re already plenty strong! You’ll be fine!”

“You literally just told me I still hadn’t trained enough!”

Daaaaamn it! Why did I have to say something unnecessary like that!?

Hey, quit making your eyes all watery!! Looking at me like that isn’t going to change my mind!!

And let go already!! Having a grown man hugging me isn’t making me happy in the slightest!!

Conche looked at me with something resembling pity and said,

“Give up. He won’t let go until you agree to take him as a disciple.”

“…………”

In the end, Nick’s sheer persistence wore me down, and I agreed to take him as my disciple.

Never thought I’d end up being adored by the famous leader of the Twilight Ravens.

“Don’t go spreading it around that you’re my disciple.”

“Understood, Master.”

“And stop calling me Master.”

“Understood, Teacher.”

…I wanted to tell him not to call me Teacher either, but this looked like it could go on forever, so I gave up.

At the very least, I made him promise not to tell anyone outside his party that I was his teacher.

If word got out that I was Nick Bluestar’s master, people would probably start showing up one after another asking to become my disciples too.

“Well then, Teacher! I’ll come back here at the end of next month!!”

Looking completely satisfied, Nick climbed onto his wyvern and waved at me.

I waved back with a somewhat exhausted expression. It wasn’t exactly unpleasant to have someone admire me, but the guy was seriously intense.

Conche mounted a smaller wyvern, then looked toward me and said,

“Take care, big guy. Apparently Vanrost is looking for Yuri Claudevel.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“Well, someone like you probably doesn’t have anything to fear from that trash Hero anyway.”

“…”

I didn’t respond to that and merely smiled as I waved them off.

I’d heard that the Eto Branch of the Guild Hall was extremely thorough when it came to protecting personal information.

The Hero and his companions probably wouldn’t find this place that easily… but you never knew where information might leak from.

I’d need to stay cautious.

Good grief. I really didn’t want to get dragged into anything as flashy as a conflict with the Hero.

I remembered Yuri’s smile.

And the happy days I’d spent with her.

…I’ll have to protect them.