Hell Mode: Volume 1, page 9
As Allen finally understood the situation and furiously racked his brains for a solution, Krena adorably asked, “If I beat Mr. Knight, do I get to become a knight too?”
The knight captain looked surprised, then replied, “I...suppose if you can beat him, the path toward becoming a knight yourself would be opened, yes.”
“Okay!”
The pink-haired girl was the only person who was smiling at the moment. She stared at the very first real sword she had ever held with sparkling eyes.
The rest of the knights returned and proceeded to herd the gathered villagers backwards to create enough space for Krena and the vice-captain to fight in.
“Please, m’lords, we beg your mercy!”
Gerda could not help but beg for leniency once again, but he was summarily escorted to the edge of the square, with one knight even standing guard next to him.
“Enough, I said. Dverg the Sword Lord defeated a red dragon by himself when he was but ten years old. Your daughter is already five, is she not?” The captain’s point was that Krena should already be more than capable of fighting.
Allen and Rodin hurried to where Gerda was.
Is this really happening?! This has turned into one hot mess!
Even Allen had no idea what to do. He was equally powerless against the knights himself, being only Lvl. 1 and having Summoning only at Lvl. 2. He would not last a second in a direct fight.
Krena and Vice-Captain Leibrand both moved to the center of the impromptu ring, facing each other with swords readied. Whereas the former was a little girl barely over a meter tall clad in little more than rags, the latter was a fully armored man almost twice her height. Their difference in power was plain to see. The villagers all cast pitying looks toward Krena from where they stood at the edge of the square.
Despite the situation, Krena looked entirely unfazed. There was not a shred of worry on her face. Rather, it was as if she thought this was a game. Just as she always did, she named herself out loud using the line that Allen had heard more than a thousand times.
“I am Krena the knight! Let us fight with honor!”
The knight paused briefly, then replied, “I am Sir Leibrand the knight. Come at me.”
There was no referee or starting signal. The battle had already begun. Krena charged forward like how she always did when playing with Allen. She lifted the heavy metal sword as if it was nothing and brought it down in a flash. There was no hesitation whatsoever in her movements, despite this being her first time wielding a sword with a real edge.
The knight parried her attack with his own weapon, causing a loud metallic clash.
Considering how my Sword Mastery is Lvl. 3, Krena’s is probably Lvl. 5, right?
If Allen really was the only person in this world who was in Hell Mode, then the math could be done to figure out Krena’s skill level. Almost all her training had been with Allen, so he could assume the amount of Skill XP she gained was similar to his own. And because he had to earn a hundred times more Skill XP to level up, and because the amount of Skill XP required to level up a skill would go up by a factor of ten for each successive level, it meant Krena’s Sword Mastery should have been higher than his by two.
Even as Allen continued his analysis, Krena and the knight continued slashing at each other furiously, every attack powerful enough to be lethal. The air of the square was filled with the cacophonous clangs of metal on metal.
Most of the villagers had expected Krena to be killed as soon as the fight began. However, she had grown so much from the three years of “playing knight” that she apparently had the ability to stand her ground against a fully trained knight.
The knight captain watched silently with his arms crossed, his face unreadable. Several minutes and dozens of clashes later, the fight that had seemed equal up until now saw a sudden development.
“Kuh!” The air left Krena’s lungs as Leibrand’s armored foot landed squarely on her abdomen. There was no rule that they could only use their swords. The perfectly timed attack sent the girl flying through the air and crashing against a building. She crumpled to the ground, her head bowed. The wall had been made of solid wood, and yet the force of the impact had still left very conspicuous cracks on its surface.
“KRENA!!!” Allen yelled. He and Gerda tried to dash forward to help, but the knights closest to them wrestled them to the ground.
It really was too much for her! She is still only Lvl. 1 while that knight must have way more skills and experience from years of service. There was no hope of winning from the very start. What should I do?!
“What is—?! Stay still, kid!”
“Let me go, you asshole!”
Unfortunately, the man holding Allen down was far stronger than he was. The boy strained to get up, but could not budge an inch. There was no way for him to get free.
Leibrand stood still, choosing not to pursue Krena and deliver a finishing blow. The entire crowd’s eyes were on the limp figure of the girl. Seeing as how the knight had kicked with his full strength using an armored boot, many villagers even suspected that Krena was dead.
The knight captain closed his eyes and sighed heavily. “She couldn’t do th— Hm?”
Just when everyone thought it was all over, Krena slowly rose to her feet, still looking downward. The sword in her hand—which she had not let go of despite being sent flying—came back up as she adopted a fighting stance. Allen watched her with trepidation from his position on the ground.
Leibrand also raised his sword once more. However, he showed no intention of charging forward. Just as before, he was clearly waiting for Krena to attack him.
Krena’s head shot up. She and Leibrand stared straight into each other’s eyes for a while. As the villagers watched nervously, wondering if she was going to continue fighting, Krena suddenly shouted, “RAAHH!” That moment, the cracked wall behind her exploded into smithereens as an aura exploded from her body, enveloping her in a shimmering contour that looked like a heat haze.
Wait, what?!
In the same breath, Krena charged forward once again. She leaped high up into the air and rotated furiously to add centrifugal force to her swing before bringing her sword down. The powerful attack descended upon Leibrand’s head like a flash of lightning.
“Ugh!”
The knight needed to use both hands to block the slash, but the shock of the impact still ran through his body. The attack was so powerful that his feet sank slightly into the hardened dirt ground of the square.
“HAAAAHHH!”
Leibrand also let out a battle cry as the exchange of swords resumed. Sparks exploded in bursts again and again, vivid even under the blazing sun. However, things were clearly different from before. With every blow, the knight lost ground. He stepped back once, twice, thrice, unable to withstand the shock of the blows being meted out. No longer was the fight evenly matched. Even the villagers, most of whom knew nothing about sword fighting, could tell that he was being backed onto the ropes. Krena was swinging her weapon with unbelievable strength and speed, as if the hunk of metal as long as she was tall was but a mere twig.
What? What’s going on?! Wait, could this be...an Extra Skill?
Allen found a possible answer to what he was witnessing within his memories. Back when he had been selecting the settings for the “game” that was this world, he had read in the description for Normal Mode that it included “the opportunity to roll for one Extra Skill.” He now suspected this condition was the same for the residents of this world.
Sword Mastery is just a Normal Skill that even I was able to acquire. Krena must have been born with an Extra Skill that complements her class as a Sword Lord.
The difference in strength between Krena and Leibrand was so significant that Allen had regained the calmness to resume analyzing the situation. Krena losing no longer seemed even possible now. The grip of the knights holding Allen and Gerda down loosened as they, too, looked on with slack-jawed astonishment, forgetting themselves.
“HYAAAHHH!!!” Krena swung her sword horizontally.
CLANG!
A disbelieving “N-No way!” escaped Leibrand’s lips as he stared at what was now the remaining half of his sword. The broken-off blade flew through the air then pierced the ground. However, the knight quickly regained himself and lifted his broken sword to prepare for the next incoming attack.
“STOP! Both sides, lower your weapons!” the captain of the knights shouted.
“Whaaat?” Krena asked in an unsatisfied tone, as if she had not had enough. “No more?”
“That’s right. The fight is over.”
The girl’s shoulders slumped a little, but then she picked herself back up. She trotted over to Leibrand and bobbed her head. “Thank you very much! You’re very strong, old Mr. Knight!”
Leibrand replied with a stiff face, “I-I’m not that ol—”
He never got to finish his sentence, however, as his hips suddenly gave way and his knees hit the ground.
“What?! You there, take care of the vice-captain!” the captain barked with urgency. After all, it was unbecoming for a knight to be kneeling in front of so many commoners and serfs—after having lost to a five-year-old girl, no less. Two other knights lent Leibrand their shoulders and helped him up, carrying him off somewhere. The way they were supporting him indicated that he could no longer even stand by himself. When he passed by, the captain gave him a few pats on the shoulder as if to say, “Well done.”
Krena approached the captain, still holding her sword. The man stiffened slightly as if in wariness.
“Thank you very much! It was fun!”
“Hm— Huh?!”
When the knight captain accepted the sword that Krena was returning, his brows shot up incredulously. The steel blade was squashed flat and its edge was badly chipped in more places than could be counted. Even more surprising was the handle. Although this was also made of steel, there were now ripples on its surface as if it was a stick of modeling clay with the imprint of a child’s hand. The knight could not even imagine just how powerful Krena’s grip had been. A chill went down his back as he handed the weapon that could no longer be sheathed to a subordinate.
“Sh-She really is a Sword Lord...”
“The rumors were true! She defeated a knight!”
“Her swings were so fast I couldn’t even see the blade!”
The villagers were in a complete uproar after having beheld such an unforgettable spectacle. This day, more than two hundred people bore witness to a fight that started seemingly for no reason and ended with Krena’s indisputable victory.
＊ ＊ ＊
When he was freed, Gerda immediately rushed over to Krena to check if she was hurt anywhere. She had just clashed swords what looked like over a hundred times with a full-grown adult. It would not have been strange at all for her to have taken at least a few slashes. What’s more, she had taken the full brunt of Vice-Captain Leibrand’s kick and had been sent flying dozens of meters into a wall. As it turned out, however, she was entirely unhurt—she did not have even a single bruise on her body. She giggled ticklishly under Gerda’s worried fussing. Final damage tally: slightly dirtier clothes. That was it.
Has she always been this tough? Wait a sec, has she ever gotten hurt during our “play knight” sessions?
Every once in a while, Allen had had no choice but to block Krena’s swings with his arms or legs. Whenever that happened, he would end up with painful-looking bruises. Now that he thought about it, however, he realized that he could not recall a single time that Krena had ever been injured.
“Well done developing her abilities as a Sword Lord this far. That was impressive,” the captain of the order said as he approached, calmly offering Gerda a hand. The truth, however, was that another chill had just run down his back when he overheard how Krena was entirely unhurt. The contrast to Leibrand, who could no longer even stand and had to be carried out of the square, was stark.
Gerda looked up warily. Understandably so, as his daughter had just been forced to fight for her life out of the blue. Thankfully, she had won, but one wrong step and she might have died.
The knight captain kept his hand extended as if he wanted Gerda to take it as an indication of his forgiveness. Gerda’s face was all red from bottled-up rage—he had always had a short fuse, so much so that it was almost always he who threw the first punch whenever he and Rodin fought. However, he understood that the difference between his social status and that of the knight captain was like heaven and earth. His precious child, his close friend, and his friend’s child were all there with him. He did his best to suppress his anger and reverently accepted the proffered hand.
Clink.
Gerda started and looked up. Something had been placed into his hand. The sensation as well as the glitter he noticed through his fingers told him it was three gold coins; he had been handed money under the guise of a handshake. Despite being surprised, he managed to pull his hand back in a natural way without saying anything.
The captain turned to Deboji as if nothing had happened and asked, “So then, is there somewhere we can sit down and talk?” This was apparently him showing consideration to Gerda by giving him time to put the money away before the large number of surrounding villagers noticed.
“Y-Yes, milord. A feast is being prepared in your honor at my house.”
“Much appreciated. As for you, your name is Gerda, yes? Can I expect you and your daughter to be in attendance as well?”
“Wh— Um, uh...yes, m’lord.”
Noticing the look that Gerda shot toward Rodin, the knight captain said, “Ah, if you wish, your friend may also join us.”
Allen suspected that the knight captain was actively trying to get Gerda to lower his guard. Rodin nodded at Gerda as Krena invited Allen to come along as well. Just as the four of them were about to head to Deboji’s house together, however, it was revealed that the preparations for the feast would not be finished until around 3 p.m. Therefore, Rodin decided to head back to update Mathilda and Theresia, leaving Allen to stay with Gerda and Krena.
With nothing else better to do, the three went for a walk together. Everything was a new sight for Allen, who was seeing the residential area of the village practically for the first time ever.
This place is huge. The square just now could fit a hundred people easily. By my estimate, this village has a population of, say, three hundred?
As this was the heart of the village, there were quite a few shops lined up. Allen’s eyes were naturally drawn toward what appeared to be a commercial district.
Is that a weapons shop? And I spy plants inside of that place, is it a general store? Or a drug store?
It was not all that far from the square to the village chief’s residence. Allen’s first impression upon laying eyes on it was that it was massive. It seemed roughly the size of two stand-alone houses from modern Japan. Due to having lived the past several years in little better than a shack, he could not help but be overwhelmed by the sight.
When they knocked on the door, they were shown to a room where they could wait.
Because the knightly order arrived pretty much right on time, I guess we can expect the feast to start between 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. Oh, it’s time to do my Creation and Synthesis.
A quick look at his grimoire showed Allen that his MP had topped back up. It did not matter that Rodin and Krena were also there with him, as they could see neither the tome nor the cards. He proceeded to convert his MP into Skill XP.
This was part of the daily routine he had been maintaining ever since he turned one year old. At first, he only managed to do it twice per day on average, but now he could maintain a steady schedule of both Creating and Synthesizing three times a day. He understood that the only way toward power was through diligent and unceasing effort.
After finishing within a few moments, he looked up to study the room he was in.
Looks like commoners really do have a much higher standard of living. Then again, maybe the village chief’s house isn’t the most accurate representation.
Soon Allen found himself with nothing to do once more. Just as he was thinking how much the trope of pastimes such as reversi becoming popular in otherworlds now made sense, he felt a wave of drowsiness wash over him. And of course, once he fell asleep, Krena followed suit, leaning against him. Gerda looked over them with a soft gaze, smiling wryly at how much the two of them slept.
＊ ＊ ＊
“Allen, wake up. It’s starting.”
“P-Papa...?” Allen looked around, rubbing his eyes, and found Rodin looking down at him. Two hours had passed.
Allen and Krena roused themselves, then headed with Rodin and Gerda toward the large room where the feast was being held. The closer they drew, the clearer they could hear the hubbub, indicating that there was already a sizable crowd. True enough, when they stepped inside, they found not only the knights, but also quite a few other villagers and their children present. They were wearing fine clothes, indicating that they were likely important people in the village. As it turned out, this banquet was not just for the knights, the village chief, and Gerda’s group alone.
Hey, that’s the village chief’s son. And that other one...what was his name again? He’s the one who’s an Ax User, right?
Allen looked around curiously as his group sat down at the table they were escorted to. Sharing the table with them was the knight captain, the village chief, a woman who seemed to be his wife, the village chief’s son, the Ax User boy, and a man who was likely his father. Of the three tables in total, this one was at the most honorable position at the front of the room. The remaining two tables were occupied by the other knights and villagers.
Since the Sword Lord had arrived, the feast could finally kick off. After the village chief gave his welcoming speech, the knight captain also stood up to offer a few words of commendation for the progress of the village’s development. However, none of the words entered Allen’s ears.
They’re serving molmo?! I’ve got to bring tw— no, three of them home for mama!
