Chapter 7: Prosthetic (Part 2)
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Translator: SFBaka
Fu~a. I honestly felt I haven’t gotten enough sleep yet, but I asked Nanom to wake me up at noon. Let’s just get up. There are still lots of things I needed to do.
Cleria was currently in deep thought in front of a small mountain of luggage. Looks like she was sorting out her things. I would’ve wanted her to rest up more though.
I’ll take a look as well.
The four leather cases were wide open, and she was busy selecting some items from within them. When she noticed I was standing on the side, she hurriedly closed the case with women’s clothing in it. Oh c’mon. I didn’t really intend to check those out y’know. Honest.
Cleria started another gesture game with me after seemingly remembering something. Looks like she wanted to tell me about that “something”.
She took up her sword without removing it from its scabbard and swung it towards the direction the carriage traveled from yesterday. She then pointed at herself.
What?! Was she being pursued? Was Cleria actually a criminal? Like a bandit? There’s also the possibility of a war going on. I made an OK sign with my fingers.
Just how many pursuers were there? Now it was my turn to gesture around. I tried to put up my fingers one by one until I get to the correct number, but Cleria immediately stopped me.
Yeah, I get it. A group composed of ten people was forced to flee after all. It would be safe to assume that the pursuers were more than ten. Cleria made a gesture that conveyed she didn’t have any idea about their numbers.
[Please cease this inefficient process of communicating silently.]
Nanom actually made a rare complaint. I know. Guess it’s all my fault it turned out like this huh.
I gave an OK sign with my fingers to Cleria.
Next up would be how much time we had before they catch up. I pointed towards the sun and slowly moved my outstretched finger towards the western direction. Wouldn’t it seem weird if I started talking while doing this stuff all of a sudden?
Cleria again gestured that she didn’t know.
I gave an OK sign once more.
Well, she was still busy sorting out her luggage earlier, so I don’t think those guys would be coming anytime soon at least.
Guess the gist was: I’m being chased, but I don’t know how many pursuers there are, nor when exactly they would catch up.
I actually wanted to stay here for one more day and then set off the day after, but it looks like I need to change the schedule now. We need to leave as soon as we can, considering the state of Cleria’s foot.
We need to sort out the things we need to take with us immediately.
Was there something like a bag somewhere nearby?
(Please highlight any bags or bag-like objects in the vicinity.)
I immediately saw objects highlighted in red when I scanned around. Oh, so there they are. A large shoulder-carried bag was lying around near the bonfire remains. It even looked like a bag used to store food. Speaking of which, I hadn’t managed to find any food supplies in the carriage yesterday and found it a little strange.
Jackpot! It even contained salt. And this was probably… pepper!? I found myself some treasures right off the bat.
The bag next to it contained cooking implements. There was a frying pan, a saucepan, knives, forks and a lot more. This was also a jackpot!
The other bag contained a blanket. I don’t really need this one since mine’s better. But I’ll keep it just in case.
Other than those, there was a fancy-looking shoulder bag near the fallen carriage. What’s in this? There’s not much content. When I inspected it more closely, I found clothing articles that looked like women’s underwear neatly stacked inside it.
I turned it over to Cleria, who was busy sorting out her stuff. When she saw the contents, Cleria glared daggers at me. No, no. I really didn’t mean to, okay.
Hey, there were also bags hanging on both sides of the horse saddles. I see. Their personal belongings were probably stuffed inside them. Let’s check out their contents.
We finally managed to sort everything out after an hour or so. I touched the medical pill-like object I found yesterday and had Nanom analyze it.
I gathered everything I managed to find and had Cleria take a look at them. I gestured at her in order to ask for permission to put the supplies inside the traveling bags. Cleria nodded in agreement.
(Please check and confirm the materials and supplies, indicate all which are to be given priority and give detailed instructions regarding the exact amount suitable for carrying inside bags. I don’t want Cleria to carry any more than one or two bags.)
One bag was highlighted in blue and the necessary supplies were highlighted in red. I put them inside one after the other. And I’m done. Now for the next one.
I ended up packing one backpack and three bags worth of supplies. Each of them was practically bursting at the seams.
I had my hands full with the backpack, two bags, two blanket rolls, and my rifle. Guess I’d have to throw the bags away if we encounter a situation where I would need to use my rifle.
I just noticed it earlier, but the work suit I hung on my backpack in order to let it dry was now nowhere to be found. It must’ve fallen off while I was running yesterday.
I don’t really feel like going to the trouble of picking it up.
Cleria carried the smallest shoulder bag among the three. She also kept the bag with her personal effects inside with her.
I managed to convey to Lord Corinth the fact that I was being pursued by using gestures. I could not afford to keep this matter to myself. This road would probably be thoroughly scouted before long. There were not many avenues of escape available to us.
I was actually afraid to divulge this matter to Lord Corinth. There was no reason for Lord Corinth, who had no particularly deep relations with me, to involve himself in my troubles. I would not blame him even if he were to express the desire to part ways.
However, even though Lord Corinth seemed startled at first, he did not look to be particularly flustered about it at all. Have I not managed to convey my matters to him properly? No, it did not seem to be the case.
Lord Corinth began to busy himself soon afterward. He seemed to be checking the supplies. He walked around the area and gathered all the supplies near the center of the clearing.
He looked satisfied after gathering most of them and gestured towards me. He was probably asking if it was alright to put the things inside some bags. When I nodded in agreement, he immediately started packing the gathered supplies inside the bags. He seemed to have picked some things to pack in advance.
All the things he put in were the ones that seemed immediately useful to us. Even I was convinced with his selection. I also tried to pick things out earlier, but all of them seemed important, so I could not decide on which to prioritize in the end. Eventually, Lord Corinth filled out his personal bag, which resembled those used by traveling merchants, and three shoulder bags with supplies.
Lord Corinth nodded towards his personal bag and two other large bags and then pointed towards himself. He then nodded towards the smallest bag and pointed towards me. I was convinced for the first time that Lord Corinth actually intended to accompany me.
Lord Corinth truly was an exemplary nobleman. I felt so ashamed that I suspected otherwise.
While he was organizing the luggage, I noticed that Lord Corinth did not possess a sword. Perhaps he lost his when he fought off the Grayhounds yesterday.
I gathered all the swords of my comrades earlier, but I could not possibly bring all of them with me. I decided to let Lord Corinth choose a sword from among them instead. I led Lord Corinth to the spot where I had gathered the swords and gestured for him to take one.
Cleria pulled me towards one spot where a number of swords were neatly lined up. They were probably the weapons of her late companions. She seemed to mean for me to choose one.
If I continue to use the pulse rifle and laser, their energy packs would eventually run out sooner or later. Once that happens, they’d be nothing but useless baggage. It would be nice to have an alternative weapon.
A sword, huh? How nostalgic. Naturally, this was my first time seeing a real sword. But I’ve seen plenty in a VR game.
A VR game that prominently featured swords and stuff was all the rage in the school I attended from Junior High to High School. I was also quite addicted to it back then.
The name of that game was really straightforward. Its title was “Swordsman”. It was your standard RPG, but it also featured a robust PVP mode.
I was completely smitten with this game for four straight years. But the fad soon faded, and I ended up quitting as well.
But before I quit, I participated in a World Tournament for the game which was held on my home planet and ended up placing 9th overall in the final rankings.
It ended up getting shown on the local news through the net, and I was regarded as a sort of hero by the boys in my school.
It might be too late to say this after spending a great deal of time and lunch money playing it, but just why did I devote so much to such a pointless pastime? But well, considering my current situation, my lunch money may have ended up being well spent after all.
I picked a sword that somewhat resembled the one I used in the game and took a bit of distance from Cleria.
Now, how’d this go again? Let’s try to remember that tournament. I was just a 14 year old brat back then. At the time, it really felt like joining that tournament was the climax of my life.
I logged in day after day and even installed and used an overclocking module to play; though it was eventually banned.
I tried to remember what it felt like during my gaming days and slowly brandished the sword. A~ah, now I remember. Those days filled with burning passion…
The longer I swung the sword, the more I remembered. Yeah, I managed to recall it now – the finishing move I used during that tournament.
Corinth-style Swordsmanship Final Secret Technique: Meteor Stream!
It was a blazing 24 hit combo with extreme offensive power!
But now that I think about it, just what kind of naming sense did I have back then?! And by the way, there’s absolutely nothing remotely resembling meteors present in the move. My body steadily warmed up after swinging the sword for some time.
(Please give me some support.)
I transmitted my mental images to Nanom and tried out all the basic combos used in the game. Yeah, my body’s moving well. So it was like this.
The more I repeated the combos, the better I moved. Maybe it’s due to muscle memory or something?
Let’s try out some more advanced ones then. Man, this is actually fun!
I gradually solidified the image of Meteor Stream inside my head. Now I truly remember! This was a move I practiced thousands of times. Tens of thousands of times.
When the image became complete, I performed the true Meteor Stream.
Lord Corinth remained in a daze for a few moments, but when he saw the swords, the look in his eyes changed. He went straight for Captain Antes’ sword.
I was impressed by Lord Corinth’s sharp sense of judgment. Captain Antes’ sword seemed normal, but it was actually a magic sword of considerable quality. I knew this because I was the one who personally bestowed it upon the Captain, but to think there was someone who could see its true value at first glance.
Lord Corinth took some distance from me, got into a stance and pulled the sword from its sheath. I could now finally witness Lord Corinth’s prowess with the sword.
At first, he just brandished the sword normally. The swings seemed simply to be for loosening his shoulders. The sword swings gradually go faster and faster. He then performed a succession of attacks. Such sharp swordsmanship!
Following that, he showed a series of unfamiliar sword techniques one after another. The techniques do not seem to be from any sword school I was familiar with. They would be hard to deal with for those who encounter these techniques for the first time.
Five attacks in rapid succession!? Ah! What impressive moves!
Lord Corinth suddenly paused. He closed his eyes and seemed to be sharpening his concentration. I was sure he was preparing to unleash a powerful technique.
Lord Corinth slowly opened his eyes. His entire aura turned exceedingly sharp. He merely stood in place with sword in hand, but just seeing him like that was somehow terrifying. What impressive sword spirit!
In the next instant, the technique was unleashed. It was an extremely fast-paced succession of attacks. And it did not comprise of only sword strokes. It also integrated martial techniques such as kicking and foot-swiping. The successive attacks continued without pause. The last move was an exceedingly sharp, practically invisible downward strike.
I was stunned to silence.
It was a sword technique akin to that of a beautiful and elegant dance. It was an element not present in any of the well-known sword schools. No one who encounters it for the first time would be able to block that sword. Yes, no matter how masterful the opposing swordsman was. It was an impressive sword technique that thoroughly made me think as such.
This sword technique was definitely Lord Corinth’s trump card. And he openly allowed me to observe his technique.
For any swordsman, their strongest move equates to their very lives. Unless it was between a master and student or lord and retainer, it was something not to be revealed to just anyone. Once it was shown, it meant that the swordsman entrusted the other person with his or her life.
My chest burned hot from the trust Lord Corinth bestowed upon me. It cannot be said that I and Lord Corinth had a relationship built on mutual trust. But if a person does not learn to believe, then nothing would begin.
This was Lord Corinth’s way of declaring that he would put his complete faith in me from now on.
I shall also put my faith in Lord Corinth!
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God how I love these kind of misunderstanding stories, this, above 10000 people, I’m actually a cultivation vigshot, and I’m not actually the evil gods lacky.