Chapter 32 Defeating The Knight Commander In One Punch
The request to find a lost cat was successfully completed.
I delivered Tai-chan (in human form) to Lily-chan, the client.
At first, Lily-chan was surprised, but then she cried tears of joy.
Phew, everything turned out well.
Now, let me tell you about two days later.
The Guild Master, Henrietta-san, of the adventurer guild Divine Gemstone, was summoned me.
"Good morning, Henrietta-san! ...Oh, who's this?"
In the room was Henrietta-san, a beautiful woman with blue-silver hair.
And there was... a bossy-looking old man clad in silver armor.
"Living in the capital city and not knowing me, who am I? What kind of hermit are you?"
"Um... I'm sorry. I just moved here from the countryside recently."
"Hmph! Not knowing the [Great Hero Choyak], you must have come from a really backward place. Well, I'll forgive your ignorance."
"Hi there... Great Hero Choyak."
What a wierd name...
And don't call it a backward place.
Sure, my hometown Dead End Village is really in the middle of nowhere.
It's annoying.
"So, why are you here, Choyak-san?"
"This guild is suspected of harboring dangerous beasts!"
"Dangerous beasts? Harboring?"
Choyak-san nods to someone who seems to be his subordinate.
And then...
"! Tai-chan!"
Tai-chan, the Behemoth I helped the other day, enters.
Now she's wearing clothes... but.
She had a bulky and unpleasant-smelling collar around her neck.
From her pained expression, it's clear that it was forced on her.
Mercury-san, who came with me as buddies, mutters as she sees the collar on Tai-chan.
"That's awful... to be wearing a sl*ve collar..."
"A sl*ve collar?"
"If you disobey orders, a current will flow through it, and as soon as you try to escape, it will explode... it's a magic tool."
"Hey! Why is she wearing such a dangerous thing! Don't do something terrible to her!"
When I tried to approach, Choyak-san's underlings blocked me.
They were wearing cheap-looking shiny armor.
What's with these guys...!
"Leaf, calm down."
"Henrietta-san! But these guys are bad people..."
"Please, just listen to me."
Henrietta-san pleaded with such a serious expression.
I really want to take away that dangerous thing as soon as possible.
But... the guild's leader tells me to calm down.
I decided to obediently follow. Granny Merlin used to say that being part of an organization means listening to those above you.
"I will explain. The other day, there was a strong magic power reaction in the capital city. When we took an appraiser with me, it turned out to be a Behemoth."
Transformation potion is just a medicine that changes appearance.
So, people who are sensitive to magic power can understand it and it can be seen through by skills.
"Upon investigation, the Guild Master here reported to the guild headquarters about [search for a cat]. And the cat was found... But what if it's not a cat! A Behemoth... Isn't it a dangerous monster!"
Henrietta-san reported it as a cat.
She was told the circumstances (that the client had a Behemoth).
But she kept quiet about it.
Why?
It's obvious.
"There shouldn't be any dangerous monsters like Behemoths in this capital city! It should be disposed of immediately!"
"But... Choyak-dono. According to reports from Leaf and Mercury, the mythical creature is very gentle and rational. It's unlikely to harm anyone unjustly like a wild animal would."
"Hmph! How can you believe that? Whether it has intelligence or not, a monster is still a monster! It's a freak!"
...Certainly, I understand the concern about leaving a wild animal in a populated area.
But... as Henrietta-san says, Tai-chan is a good guy who can understand us.
And... disposed?
Don't joke around... If you kill it... Lily-chan will be sad, won't she!
"We saved the trouble of interrogating the kid. This guild, from the top down to the members, kept silent about the Behemoth incident. That's a serious crime! Therefore, this guild will be disbanded immediately, and the Behemoth will be disposed on the spot!"
"What!? Wait... disband the guild!? Do you have the authority to do that!?"
Mercury-san is biting back, but Choyak is unfazed.
"What's the matter, little girl? Are you defying me? Hmm? I could make your crimes even worse, you know? Like, maybe arresting the ringleaders?"
"S-stop..."
"Hehehe! Upon closer look, you have a pretty face. Too bad about your chest... If you were to become my mistress, I might overlook it..."
*Smack*
"Hey."
"What do you want, country bumpkin?"
I swung my fist and landed a strong punch on Choyak's right cheek!
"Aaaaaaaaaa!"
Choiyaku was sent flying and crashed into the wall.
"Choyak-sama!?"
"That fist... it was too fast to see!"
I stood in front of Choyak.
"If you had listened to us, none of this would have happened. Talking about Tai-chan being a villain, shutting down the guild, and trying to make Mercury-san your mistress..."
"L-Leaf-kun... so cool..."
"Saying 'too bad about her chest' was really mean!"
"You don't need to get involved, okay?"
Choyak stands up unsteadily.
"That martial art just now...I feel like I've seen it somewhere..."
"You're so noisy! We, we haven't done anything wrong! You're the one at fault! You took Tai-chan away from Lily-chan, trying to take the guild from everyone! You're the bad one!"
Choyak glares back at me.
"Are you saying it's my fault? Who do you think you're talking to!"
"I don't know! You can't even dodge a kid's punch, just a bossy chubby old man!"
A vein pops on Choyak's forehead.
"You... you... I'm chubby...old man... You insulting me, the Great Hero Choyak?"
"That weird name is so annoying! 'Great Hero' is just too strange!"
"This is not a name, it's a title! Meaning 'Hero among heroes'!"
"Huh? What's that, a hero? Someone like you?"
Heroes are people like Old Man Arthur and Granny Merlin, strong and kind individuals.
A mean old man like this is not a hero!
"I will not forgive you! Receive my lightning-fast sword and perish!!!!"
The old man draws his sword and comes at me to strike...
Huh?
Is this...
Like this...
This slow sword is considered lightning-fast?
Are you kidding me? Wait, maybe this is a feint.
A so-called hero wouldn't use such a sloppy sword.
I see... I guess this is deliberately being shown as slow.
Because it's so slow, it gives me time to think about my next move.
Damn, what a fool!
But, too bad.
As Old Man Arthur said, once your plan is figured out, it becomes a poor plan!
He must be aiming for a counter. But I won't let that happen.
I reach out my hand.
As the sword comes down on me... I grab it with my fingers.
Instead of facing head-on, I snuck up from behind and grabbed with my fingers.
Ha! How about that? You can't counter this!
"Huh!? Th-This kid... not only did you block my sword, but you grabbed it from the other side!?"
"Too slow...!"
A strategy to surprise and lure into carelessness. Nicely done!
I tightened my fist, gathering strength.
"! Stop, Leaf-kun! Do you understand what are you doing!?"
"Yes! Take this with all your might!"
"NO, NOOOOOOO!"
The enemy proved to be quite the strategist, so I delivered a powerful straight punch.
Baaammm!
"Buhooo...!"
Choyak vanished upon receiving my fist.
"Huh!? He vanished!? What's going on?"
"It's [Hakkei]."
"Hakkei...?"
"This technique delivers internal shock, destroying the body from within!"
"Scary! It's like an assassination move!"
"No, it's called [Chugoku Kenpo]. We teach it to everyone from kids to the elderly!"
"It's still terrifying..."
I revive the vanished Chooyaku using an elixir.
"Whaaaay!? Even though he was blown to bits, he came back to life!?"
"Well, if it's within three seconds, even if it's blown to bits, you can heal it with a spiritual potion, right? It's the three-second rule. Don't you know that?"
"HOW WOULD I KNOW THATTTTTTTT!"
Mercury-san screams as usual.
Choyak is dumbfounded, but gradually turns pale.
"That earlier move was [Shirahadori]... and then [Hakkei]... No way! Y-You... no, you're... you're related to... to Arthur-sama?"
"Oh, that's the old man from the village. We've been getting along well."
"EEKKKKKK!!!"
Shaking and shivering, Choyak suddenly trembled.
Huh, what...?
"It is unthinkable that you are the son of the great hero! I deeply apologize!!"
"Well, I'm not really that person's son..."
Choyak rubbed his forehead on the ground, repeatedly apologizing.
"I beg your forgiveness for my rudeness! Without dismantling the guild! Without executing the Behemoth!"
"Oh, is it really that easy to do without those things?"
"Yes! That's why, please, please forgive meeeee! I can't afford to anger Arthur-sama!"
I don't really understand, but it seems like this person knows old man.
"Wow, Leaf-kun, that's amazing. Even though he's the commander of the kingdom's knights."
"The knight commander? This weakling?"
"Y-yeah... you're strong, really."
"Huh? But he seemed super weak?"
"It's because you're too strong!!!"
Well... at least everything seems okay now, which is good!
"Thank you, Leaf. Thanks to you, we were able to avoid a crisis at the guild. I'm grateful."
"From me too, thank you for saving my life."
Henrietta-san and Tai-chan bow their heads.
Yeah, well, it's good that everything worked out!
"More like things were forcefully resolved by strength... But I wonder if the kingdom will stay silent. It's true that the Behemoth is still on the loose."
"Then, I'll keep watch!"
"You, Leaf-kun?"
"Yeah. So Tai-chan won't go berserk. I'll be by her side!"
I see, Henrietta-san nods in agreement.
"Okay. Leaf has the power of an S-rank. Even if the Behemoth goes wild, he can easily handle the situation. What do you say, Choyak?"
"I'm okay with that! So please forgive me! Pretty please!"
"That's the situation... Leaf, what will you do?"
Yeah, it's obvious what I'll do.
"Okay! Tai-chan is okay with it too, right?"
"Of course."
Swiftly, Tai-chan kneels before me.
"I shall now become your subordinate, from this moment forth."
"Um...? I don't really understand, but sure, okay!"
And thus, the whole commotion was resolved smoothly.
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