SWNOVELS Chapter 39: Bare-knuckle arithmetic – Part five
There weren’t many people in the alley behind the adventurer guild Fishermen.
There was an unwritten rule that, when a fight between adventurers broke out in a guild, the people in question should take it outside, so naturally, they went to this alley. Conversely, people that hung around this place were seen as troublemakers, so adventurers didn’t really go there unless they had a reason to. Nick listened carefully to check if there was anyone hiding nearby, lightly clenched his fist and let go, and started getting ready to punch.
Leon walked ten paces ahead of Nick, and turned around.
“This will do.”
Said Leon, to which Nick nodded.
But the moment Nick put up his fists…
“No! I’m sorry about what happened! I apologize!”
“…Ahh?”
Leon suddenly lowered his head, and Nick was perplexed.
“I honestly underestimated you. I looked down on you because Claudine said you weren’t a big deal, but you created a party right after that and started making money. Getting people together and making them work isn’t an easy thing to do is it?”
“Ahh…”
“And you warned me about Claudine too. She’s pretty sly, so she’d cheat me too if I wasn’t careful.”
“…I see.”
Leon’s evil expression was all but gone, and he approached Nick in a friendly manner to gently pat him on the shoulder.
“So I have a little proposal.”
“Proposal?”contemporary romance
“You can take Claudine.”
Nick was not expecting this, and was completely taken aback.
“What are you talking about…?”
“Well, she’s a good girl, but an even badder girl. Get it? There’s a limit to how much you can fool around and work together.”
“…”
“She cheated a lot of people, and a lot of people resent her. You’re one of them right? I’ve had a good time partnering up with her, but it’s time to let go. I’m thinking about coming clean and handing her over to the people that resent her.”
“…So basically, you want me to buy Claudine from you?”
“If you put it in writing that you won’t sue me, I’ll help you in any way you want. Sounds fun right?”
“…That’s stupid, who’s going to want to get involved in the slave trade in this day and age? And why would I want a villain that even villains don’t want?”
“You can just sell her off to a brothel or something when you’re tired of her. And you know…”
“What?”
“You’ve been going around working with that dragon girl, that girl that looks like a noble, and that ignorant priest. I know what’s going on.”
“What do you mean?”
“That dragon girl is the idiot that got tricked right? The one they call a survivor?”
“…”
“The other two are country bumpkins that don’t know a lot about this town too right? You’re a bad guy too.”
“What’s your point?”
“Hey hey, don’t play dumb. You’re just like me and Claudine, tricking them so you can profit too right? I get how you feel, after being cheated once, you’re not going to start helping people out of the goodness of your heart.”
“Ah, yes, I get it… Hahaha…”
“Hahaha! Right!?”
“Hahaha! It’s so funny my stomach’s hurting… Haha…”
“So little Nick, let me in on thagebuah.!”
Leon’s was stopped mid sentence when he was hit on the chin, and was sent flying into a wall.
“Say that again you piece of trash.!”
“D-damn you! Is that how you treat a guy that’s being nice to you!?”
Angrily yelled Leon while staggering. His lip was bleeding, and it seemed cut.
“Nice? You’re lying about wanting to sell Claudine aren’t you? You’re just trying to scam me again because you think I’m doing well. It’s plain as day you loser.”
“Eh, huddling up like that because you’re afraid to be cheated is what weaklings do. Haha, your heart as small as the rest of your body.”
“Ha, did you really think I believed you? Even if you were telling the truth about wanting to sell her, it would still feel good to punch you. Are you really a tiger man? You’re way weaker than dragon people.”
That was when Leon saw red, and drew a curved sword.
He lunged at Nick without making a sound. He was fast, and his movements showed clear intent to kill.
“Wha!?”
But Nick quickly drew his short sword and repelled it.
An unpleasant sound echoed when blade clashed against blade.
“Tch, why are your reactions as good as beast people’s… Just stay still and let me hit you…!”
“Do you really think you can beat me one on one?”
“That’s funny coming from some weak boy that was kicked out of his party!”
Right as he finished saying that, Nick kicked Leon in the stomach, but again, the sound of metal hitting metal echoed.
“Dammit, did you put something there on your abdomen?”
“What the hell do you have on your legs…!”
Nick felt steel with the tip of his foot, but it wasn’t chain mail, it was like a metal plate.
Both thought the other was thorough, and both retreated, becoming ten steps apart once again.
“Ahh!”
This time, Nick made the first move.
He lowered his posture, almost like he was crawling.
“Kuh!”
Leon realized he couldn’t stop the short sword, and stepped back, but Nick wrapped himself around his lower body, almost like a snake.
“Wha…!?”
Before Leon knew it, Nick had put away his short sword and both of his hands were free.
Nick used something like a tackle to take him down to the ground, and used his knee to stop the right hand holding the curved sword.
“Sorry, I’m better at grappling.”
“…Eh, I see.”
Leon had an odd smile, and a chill ran down Nick’s spine.
“《Wind Cluster》!”
“Guah!?”
A cluster of compressed wind hit Nick in the back. Nick tried to move sideways to dodge at the last second, but was unsuccessful.
Nick’s balance was thrown off, but he took some distance.
“That was close, I didn’t expect him to mount you like that.”
“Nice timing Beck.”
A sorcerer looking man attacked Nick.
Nick remembered him, he was one of the people that cornered him when Claudine said her farewell.
“Damn you…” Attacking me two on one…!”
Nick was caught completely off guard.
He didn’t have any intention of neglecting his surroundings, but in actuality, an ally appeared
Something cold followed Nick’s back.
“Eh, you’re the idiot for falling for a surprise attack…”
Said Beck, his neck was viciously grabbed.
“What did you say about surprise attacks?”
“…Gu… a…. gah…”
It was Karan, with anger burning in her eyes.
She easily lifted the man.
“Karan! Sorry, you saved me!”
“I told you… Geez.”
Karan sighed.
But it was not over. The sorcerer named Beck was done, but the same could not be said for Leon.
At this rate, one of them might have died, and just as that thought was popping into Nick’s head…
“That’s enough you idiots!”
An old lady’s angry roar stopped everyone dead in their tracks.
“Geh, the old woman…!?”
“Didn’t I tell you to call me Wilma you idiot!?”
“Ouch.”
Wilma threw a pen and hit Nick on the forehead.
Nick knew that dodging it would only make her angrier, so he didn’t move.
“Keh, you uncute boy. You saw I’m in a bad mood and didn’t even try to dodge did you?”
“So what am I supposed to do!?”
“Isn’t it obvious? Stand back.”
“…Sorry.”
Nick reluctantly lowered his head and stepped back.
“Leon right? You too. And Karan, let go of that idiot.”
“…Tch.”
Leon glared at Wilma in frustration, but quietly put away his sword.
Nick and Leon both knew very well how much trouble it would be if they made an enemy out of a guild employee.
Karan looked disinterested as she let go of the man’s neck, who immediately went running back to Leon while coughing.
“…So, what are you going to do?”
“Ah? Didn’t you come here to stop us?”
“I came here to stop you from killing each other. If you don’t use weapons and set up some ground rules, I won’t stop you.”
Leon smiled.
“…I see, so you don’t want a fight, you want a duel with rules. Time to learn how people do things here at Fishermen.”
“Do what?”
“Ah, you don’t know, little Nick? I’ll teach you.”
Nick stared at Leon’s grinning face, but he paid no attention and continued.
“Bare-knuckle arithmetic.”
The place became silent.
After a while, an exasperated Nick broke the silence.
“…What kind of nonsense are you sprouting?”
“It really exists!”
Nick was obviously fed up, and Leon responded with irritation.
done.co