Kays Translations

Chapter 38

The term “Beastkin” refers to a collective group of races that, while similar to humans, contain the genetic traits of animals or specific monsters.

Because of that, there is a wide variety of sub-races, each possessing unique characteristics and abilities.

Commonly, they excel in things like “presence detection”, “agility”, or are simply “physically powerful.”

However, if that were all, they’d be outright superior versions of humans. Whether by divine design or the mysteries of life itself, each beastkin has their own weaknesses—so they aren’t complete upgrades over humans.

Still—there are exceptions, albeit few in number.

And the Silver Fox Tribe is said to be one of them—

No way… seriously?

I already figured Melt was capable just by watching her movements during guild registration, but—right now, her opponent is likely one of the elite adventurers, the cream of the crop, right?

Just by watching them, it’s clear that her opponent has precise movements, quick swordplay, and excellent control of their body—all telltale signs of a true expert.

Honestly, if I hadn’t taken them out with a surprise attack last time, I probably would’ve had a tough time. That’s the kind of swordsmanship we’re talking about here.

And yet—

“What the hell! What ARE you?!”

“Yup! Ha! One more time!”

Melt, with a cheerful smile, effortlessly deflects and redirects sword swings that are barely even visible to the eye—like she had anticipated them all.

This wasn’t the level of a master. It was something beyond that. Frankly, even I don’t think I could go toe-to-toe with her in a swordfight.

“Gotcha!”

“Gah!”

I couldn’t see any openings, but somehow, Melt slipped past Letty’s blade, pressed her back tightly against Letty’s, pushed to break her balance, then—without even looking—swung her wooden sword in reverse to knock Letty off her feet and send her rolling on the ground.

“Alright! I win!”

“Why?! What the hell just happened…?”

Melt didn’t seem especially serious. But even so, having used all her techniques, she looked content—savoring her victory.

“Don’t mess with me!”

“Wah!?”

Suddenly, Letty, still on the ground, pointed an arm at Melt and fired a ball of flame.

Magic…! This was my first time seeing someone actually use it in person. But wasn’t this supposed to be a mock battle?

Was magic even allowed!?

“Letty! Use of magic in mock battles is strictly forbidden!”

A sharp rebuke came from Shuris, who was observing.

…So Letty broke the rules in a tantrum. Melt looks unharmed, thankfully.

“Wow, that surprised me… So magic is allowed in mock battles?”

When the flames died down, Melt reappeared as if nothing had happened.

But as the smoke cleared, we saw a wall of earth had been raised to protect her—it must’ve blocked the flames.

Was that Shuris? Or did someone else jump in to help?

“Then I’ll use some too, okay? Here goes!”

But it turned out our assumption was wrong.

Earthen chains emerged from the ground and pinned Letty down just as she tried to stand up.

That earth wall earlier—Melt cast it?! She can use magic!?

“Now it’s definitely my win, right?”

“…Yeah. I lose by disqualification.”

Letty was clearly defeated in spirit.

She probably didn’t expect even a surprise, rule-breaking magical attack to be completely countered.

It was total defeat—anyone could see that, and even Letty herself seemed to accept it.

“…Mock battle over. Melt-kun, you’re strong. Very strong. Maybe even stronger than Same-san, don’t you think?”

“Hmm… I’d probably lose. I don’t think I could deflect his attacks.”

“…I see. Honestly, I wanted to use this mock battle to determine the rest of our security team… but now, it doesn’t really matter who we assign. Melt-kun alone is more than enough.”

I have to agree. I asked her to go all out, but I didn’t expect this—didn’t dare imagine she was this strong.

Who is this girl? The questions just keep piling up.

“Same, I won. So? Am I strong?”

“Honestly, I’m really surprised. Also, you can use magic? Looks like earth magic, maybe?”

“Yup, that’s about right.”

“Man… I wish I could use magic too.”

Unfortunately, Same (that is, me in this body) can’t seem to acquire any new combat skills.

Guess I’ll just have to rely on my true self, Shizuma, when the time comes.

“Melt-kun, thanks for helping with the mock battle. We’ll choose the other two guards on our end, so you’re good to go for today. I’ll take the wooden sword back.”

“Okay. Here you go—it’s a nice sword!”

Shuris accepted the wooden sword from Melt and examined it closely.

She looked quite serious. Maybe even she sensed there was something abnormal about Melt’s fighting.

“Alright, we’ll be heading out now. Shuris-san, thank you so much for accepting the security request.”

“Likewise, I’m grateful for this valuable opportunity. Thank you, both of you.”

“C’mon, Melt. Let’s go home.”

“Got it! Bye, Letty-chan! And you too… um, bubbly lady!”

“Still won’t call me Shuris, huh?”

“Hmm… maybe in a little while?”

“Haha, alright. I promise I won’t bubble up anymore.”

And with that, we left the Clan Home behind.

“Letty. You really are still just a child, aren’t you?”

“…I’m sorry.”

“You were completely overwhelmed by someone you looked down on as inferior. I understand that it frustrated you. But what you did was the lowest, most cowardly act a warrior could commit.”

“Yes, I agree.”

“…After this security mission ends, you’ll be demoted. Your pay will also be reduced for the next six months. Accept that without complaint. Understood?”

“…Yes. What I did warrants that.”

After the two left, Shuris passed judgment on the immature swordswoman.

She wouldn’t be expelled—but that wasn’t out of kindness.

Rather, it was because “releasing a child who has become intoxicated with power and whose ego has bloated this far into the wild is dangerous.”

If Letty weren’t of noble birth, without any backing, Shuris would have had no hesitation in recommending she be locked in the guild’s prison and charged as a criminal with confinement.

But her noble status made that impossible. That’s how protected noble daughters are in this country.

“…Look closely at the wooden swords. Neither yours nor Melt’s have any dents. There are hardly even any scratches. Do you understand what that means?”

“…It means she completely read and matched my moves, right?”

“Exactly. Even I couldn’t pull off something like that. Of course, it’s possible she managed it only because your strength isn’t that different from hers.”

“…If it’s just raw strength, I think I had the upper hand.”

“I see… Then what is she, I wonder? She said she couldn’t beat Same, but how did they look in your eyes—you, who fought both of them?”

Shuris, evidently deeply intrigued by the earlier battle, questioned Letty in detail.

How did Melt compare to Same, whom Letty had once fought?

It was the curiosity of a warrior—and a growing wariness toward an unknown powerful individual.

“I think… she was telling the truth. There’s a limit to what you can parry. Honestly, I don’t think anyone could deflect that man’s—Same’s—attacks. They were just so fast, powerful… violent. Probably, if he’d hit a wooden sword, it would’ve shattered into pieces on contact.”

“…Terrifying. Those wooden swords are made from highly durable Axebreaker wood.”

“Captain, are you planning to scout those two?”

“I doubt it’s possible. I can’t picture someone like Same ever working under anyone.”

“True.”

“And—trying to have Melt serve under someone might cause serious political trouble.”

Saying that, Shuris touched the earthen wall that had been left behind in the arena—the one Melt had created.

“Look. This isn’t just any dirt wall. It’s packed with layers of grass roots woven tightly throughout. And it’s incredibly compressed. Not just fire—”

Shuris suddenly punched the wall hard.

It didn’t crumble. It only dented slightly.

“It could block most attacks. She didn’t just manipulate earth—she manipulated the life of the plants.”

“Wait… Then did she fight using Life Magic?”

“No, this is Nature Magic. Life Magic doesn’t have that much effect on plants. It’s limited to healing.”

“Nature Magic…? That’s something only the beastkin of the phantom races can use…”

“…That might be the case. We can’t make a move lightly. Whatever her origins, trying to force her into servitude would be like picking a fight with that nation.”

“…I feel like this might be the beginning of something big.”

“Hold on to that feeling. The ability to see the big picture is an even rarer gift than strength in battle.”

And so, Shuris turned over thoughts in her mind.

Are those two enemies of the state?

And will this immature swordswoman grow into something greater?

Should she keep watching over them both from now on—

“Want to grab something to eat on the way back? It’s getting close to evening.”

“Then let’s go get pie! I went with those three I did a quest with the other day—it was great!”

“Oh, nice. I haven’t had pie in ages.”

On the way home, I wandered through the adventurer’s quarter with this innocent powerhouse of a girl, heading off to dinner.

She feels… vulnerable. Like someone who’s prone to falling into danger even more than I am.

Melt is too valuable. And yet, her mind is still so immature.

…That’s why I’ll stay with her. Well, yes—because I want to, too.

“The fried pie is my recommendation!”

“Oh, that sounds kinda heavy.”

“Ahh, I’m starving—I haven’t gone all out like that in forever.”

“Yeah, yeah. Alright, Melt. I’m sure the security job will be fine, but be careful, okay? Since you did great today, and I’m sure you’ll keep doing great, dinner’s on me.”

“Really? Yay! Then I’ll order a lot!”

There’s definitely some reason why Shuris took this job.

Maybe Melt will end up in danger too.

Still, it’s unlikely anyone could deal with her by force alone.

And the Glory Knights are sending two veterans.

The real issue is—what’s going to happen at that auction? No one can predict that.

“I’ve got a lot more to think about these days…”

“Right? And they’ve got pumpkin pie today. I need to decide what to eat~”

“Haha, yeah, good point.”

Well, for now, like she said—let’s just focus on the pie.

In that case, I’ll have the Bacon and Pumpkin Pie, please?

Actually, pumpkin’s one of my favorite foods.

And so, I spent this peaceful moment watching Melt’s eyes sparkle at the thought of the feast to come.

Even if somewhere out there, incidents or ambitions are beginning to stir—

Even then, let’s enjoy this moment.

My life in this world didn’t exactly get off to a smooth start.

But I’ve decided I’m going to enjoy it to the fullest—

Meanwhile, Shizuma’s classmates had been gathered at a place known as the Arcane Arts Research Tower, located in the country of Golda.

Children who had been fed lies disguised as justice and purpose listened intently to the mage’s explanation, steeling their resolve.

“As I said earlier, there will be some degree of rejection and pain caused by the rebound. Of course, we will administer a solution to ease it quickly—but still, be prepared.”

“Y-Yeah! Got it… Start with me.”

Muraki, the classmate with the greatest aptitude for frontline combat and the strongest physique, stood inside some sort of magic circle, his expression tense as he spoke.

“You’ve got this, Muraki! If it works… we’ll become strong in no time. We’re getting stronger—for the sake of the world. We have to overcome this.”

“Yeah!”

That’s right—their king had decided that slow, steady growth wouldn’t be enough to catch up to Silent.

So instead, they would gain experience and power through unorthodox means.

A vast trove of knowledge and the memories of predecessors—

Through a kind of forbidden art, they would absorb part of the strength and experiences of people who had once fallen in dungeons.

No one knew where this magic had originated, but its ability to create powerful warriors was already proven.

And now, it would be applied to the students—individuals with the extraordinary potential to become heroes.

All for one goal: to wage war on the Holy Principality of Lendia.

Unaware of that purpose, the students were about to be altered—by forbidden techniques and unknowable magic—

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