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I’m A Villager, So What? – Chapter 36 – part 7

By the way, the constraints imposed on my status by Golgotha Handcuffs were forcibly lifted by my own will the moment I touched the ceiling.
What’s so sad is that I have to dive from a height of 30 meters with a modern Japanese person’s physical strength.
Moreover, the one catching me down below is the instructor, and there is nothing more unreliable than that.

Well, Lilith is probably deploying multiple spells to kill my falling speed.

Softly, the wind barrier created by the instructor envelops me.
And I landed.
The surrounding murmurs reach my ears.

「He did it…」

「…Seriously?」

「There have only been a few who have cleared this… And they are among the few who trained their pure physical strength here. And yet you did it on the first day…」

Receiving those words from behind, I spoke to the instructor.

「Regarding the joint responsibility for my teammate, Saegusa’s clumsiness… I would like to request exemption from now on.」

After a moment of thought, the instructor nodded.

「Well… I guess so. If we skimp on rewards here, it will affect the overall morale… I’ll allow it.」

I nodded, and then Arthur approached me.

「Why is a village boy like you… able to surpass me, who went through hellish training?」

I chuckled in response.

「Unfortunately… it seems my way of training wasn’t ordinary after all. And didn’t the instructor say that? I don’t know the extent of the hell you’re talking about… but it seems like you lacked effort.」

After thinking for a moment, Arthur’s expression visibly changed.
Then, he turned to the instructor and said,

「Instructor! You wouldn’t ask us to use Golgotha Handcuffs in the afternoon close combat training, would you?」

The instructor nodded in response to the question.

「No, that would make the combat training meaningless.」

With a sly smile, Arthur turned to me.

「…In close combat training, it’s a pair activity… Would you like to team up with me, Lute McLane?」

「Why?」

With a disdainful snort, Arthur said,

「It’s unpleasant when a muscle-obsessed villager like you starts feeling superior to me, a noble.」

I see. I basically don’t want to stand out, and I don’t like bullying the weak though.
But well… I don’t really need to be concerned about someone who comes to me saying they want to embarrass themselves.

「…I have no choice. I accept.」

At that moment, Arthur genuinely looked delighted.

「I might end up injuring you, but you have no complaints, right?」

I responded by shrugging my shoulders, expressing my exasperation without saying a word.

That’s my line, you idiot…

In the cafeteria during the day, Saegusa’s scream echoed.

「There’s no way Villager-san can win!」

「… 」

「Even if the other party is rotten, he’s still a noble child, you know? He has been trained since childhood… There’s no way Villager-san can win!」

「… 」

「There’s no way to win! It’s reckless! You should withdraw from the mock battle immediately!」

「…Villager, villager, villager, villager… So what?」

「That’s why it’s reckless for a villager to fight!」

「…Shut up already, you damn sow.」

Upon hearing those words directed at Saegusa, I immediately interjected.

「Why are you getting so angry… Lilith…」

「Where is the wife who doesn’t get angry when her husband is insulted?」

「… Husband?」

Vaguely, I… am aware of the fact that I’m carrying a bomb.
But, if I were to decide what’s right and what’s wrong right now, it will be irreversible in various ways.
Now, while I was contemplating what to do, a small silver-haired man—Brian—spoke up.

「But you’re also an idiot, aren’t you?」

Lilith, Saegusa, and I looked at each other.
Then, cautiously, I asked Brian.

「Weren’t you supposed to not talk to me?」

Brian then raised his thumb and winked.

「I can enjoy someone else’s misfortune this time. Those minor details don’t matter at this point.」

I see.
Die, you bastard… That’s essentially what he is saying.

「So? What do you want to say, Brian?」

In response to my question, Brian began to speak at length.

「He’s a poor noble’s third son.」

「I know.」

「And it seems his father was… the former captain of a certain kingdom’s knight order.」

「… Oh?」

「Well, it seems he was ousted by a man known as the Orc Killer. From there, his father fell from grace… and became the current poor noble.」

Ah, I’m convinced.
Orc Killer… That’s my swordsmanship mentor, Bernard-san, right?
That brings back memories.
I should drop by sometime. I wonder if he really stopped drinking since I tried to stop him a lot of times.

Anyway, I should have some immortal liquor in stock.
Well, it should be fine to have a night of drinking. At worst, the damage to his liver can be dealt with using the elixir mixed with immortal liquor…

And as I was lost in such thoughts, Brian continued proudly.

「From a young age. he received specialized training in swordsmanship and physical enhancement.」

「… Well, I did surpass him in terms of strength, though.」

「Since you’re a villager… There’s no room for growth even if you train your stats and skills, so you’ve been foolishly focusing on pure physical strength through process of elimination, thinking there’s no other way, right?」

「Anyway,」 Bryan clapped his hands.

「He comes from a noble lineage. He’s a born warrior, and he’s been raised that way—there’s no reason for a villager to surpass him.」

After finishing lunch, we completed a 10-kilometer run.
Then, at 14:00, it was time for close combat training.

In the gymnasium, I paired up with Arthur.
The morning’s exchange between us was known to everyone present.

According to the pre-explanation, we were divided into more than 20 pairs and were to give our all in a free-for-all close combat exercise at the instructor’s signal.
Normally, people would be careful not to get injured, but in our case, we approached this situation with a half-serious, almost dueling-like attitude, where we wouldn’t complain even if we injured each other.

That’s why, inevitably, everyone, including the instructor, was paying close attention to our every move.
Arthur, holding a practice sword, smirked confidently as he faced me.

「Hey, Villager? Do you know?」

「What?」

「’The limits of your status’… those words.」

Sighing, I also took up a practice sword.

「By the way… do you also know these words?」

「What, Villager?」

「The word ‘recklessness.’」

Arthur had a puzzled expression on his face.
Perhaps, in Arthur’s mind, he was a lion while I was a rabbit or a gazelle running on the grasslands.

However, that perception was incorrect.
If he is a lion, then I’m a super monster that makes even King Ghid*rah run away barefoot.

Just then, the instructor’s stern voice echoed through the gymnasium.

「Begin!」

At the same time as those words were uttered…

ーThud.

Arthur collapsed on the spot, accompanied by a light striking sound.
As for what I did, I instantly circled around behind Arthur and struck the back of his neck with the practice sword.
The contents of Arthur’s skull were shaken, and in an instant, his vision melted into a blur—and then he flew off to the dreamland.

Well, it is what it is.
Silence fell in the gymnasium.
And then murmurs and whispers spread.

At that moment, Bryan, who was nearby, rushed over to me and exclaimed with a half-scream.

「…What… the… hell? A veteran D-rank adventurer… No, even if that’s an exaggeration, at our age… Still, it doesn’t add up for Arthur to be completely overpowered like this… unless it’s someone on the level of an E-rank adventurer… It just doesn’t make sense.」