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TL: ALT
Chapter 29 – Aire’s True Strength (Barehanded)
It was the second day since they left Minamifune-machi.
Wataru was rocked in the hupos with a look of sleep deprivation on his face.
The blue sky, the white clouds, the hot sun, and the lush green grass.
Even such a refreshing landscape didn’t make his heart jump.
Although he had declared that he didn’t have such feelings yet, he was so excited about the prospect of sleeping together in the same bed that he couldn’t fall asleep.
The two slaves, on the other hand, were able to sleep much more easily.
He felt weak and wondered if they weren’t nervous about being attacked.
Wataru is a healthy man, so he has the desire to hold them both in his arms right now.
At the same time, he wants to be a good master and a respected man.
These things are compatible and do not contradict each other in Wataru.
Right now, the scales of these two feelings are balanced, but depending on how things go from here, they could easily tip in either direction.
Wataru continued his peaceful journey, dozing off from time to time.
“But it’s peaceful.”
“Isn’t that a good thing?”
“That is true. But the landscape is so unchanging, I can’t wait to meet Baron Moye.”
Between the post towns, there is nothing but a vast plain.
There are no fields, and the sight of nature itself was a novelty at first, but after two full days, they got used to it.
Wataru chatted with Mariel to pass the time, but Aire was on guard, watching the surroundings.
This was not surprising at all.
Walking down the road from Minamifune-machi, Aire performed her duties as a bodyguard with great diligence.
Her work was reliable, unlike her usual laid-back attitude.
Aire stared into the distance with a squint in her eye.
“Over there… Something’s coming.”
In the vast expanse of the plains, as far as the eye could see, there was nothing to indicate a threat.
Wataru was so surprised that it took him a while to realize what she was talking about.
From a distance, a cloud of dust the size of a pea rose and gradually approached them.
The guards around them seemed to have noticed as well, and suddenly, the area became noisy and the atmosphere tense.
“S-so big…!”
It was an animal of enormous size.
In Wataru’s memory, it was the size of a ten-ton truck.
It had a single horn on its stocky body, and it came at them with a speed that didn’t match its size, stomping on the ground with a rumbling sound.
One of the guards shouted frantically.
“It’s a Galadodos! And there are six of them!”
“Not good; we can’t even form a wall against them. Run, run!”
“We’ll try to distract them somehow. Those of you who can’t fight, drop your baggage and scatter! If you get hit, you’ll die instantly!”
One of the merchants shouted.
“No way! We can’t just throw away our goods! If we do that, we’ll be left with nothing!”
“We will die! Even if we run as fast as we can, we don’t know if we can escape.”
“Damn it! What bad luck!”
One of the merchants lost his cool and tried to run away carrying his goods, but it was too heavy, and his steps were slow.
If he was targeted, he wouldn’t be able to escape.
“Oh dear, I never thought it would come to this. You should run as well.”
Marumaru came over and advised Wataru to evacuate.
Wataru tried to follow his advice and run away, but before he could, Aire said
“I’ll do it.”
“Aire? You only have a wooden sword. It’s impossible.”
“I don’t need a weapon. I’m better off with my bare hands. Master, I’ll definitely protect you, so please trust me.”
Wataru wanted to run away.
But Aire’s serious eyes.
To be looked into those eyes and told to trust her―he couldn’t refuse.
“…Fine, damn it, don’t get hurt. I believe in you.”
“Don’t worry, I’m the best! I’ll prove it!”
Aire faced the Galadodos, pushing through the crowd that was fleeing in all directions.
One of the guards tried to stop her.
He was a warrior with magnificent armor and weapons.
“You idiot, run away! You’ll be crushed!”
“Eehhh, Aire, you don’t have to do this!”
“Please just leave it to me!”
“(Is she really going to be okay? What if she gets badly hurt? There’s no way she can fight that huge thing with her bare hands.)”
Many thoughts come and go.
Aire starts running towards the leader of the Galadodos pack.
There is an expression that goes something like “like an arrow released,” but Aire’s charge is even more than that.
Like a bullet released, Aire runs, kicking up the paved stone road and kicking a great deal of dirt and sand.
She was only running, but it was clear that she was accelerating at an incredible rate.
Aire yelled, her eyes wide open.
“Hyaaaaaaaaaaaahh!
Perhaps there is some mysterious power in the loud roar, as the Galadodos are slightly startled.
The speed of their attack slowed slightly.
Aire lowers her body and focuses on the largest individual at the front of the pack.
The next moment, Aire’s body jumps up, and she grabs the Galadodos’ horn.
“Aiaraaaaaaaaaaaaa!”
“Gyuoooooo!”
In the blink of an eye, the Galadodos’ neck twisted, and a strange crackling sound rang out.
Its huge body sank down and slid across the ground at the same speed it had charged.
Aire had already jumped up and landed away from it.
Without a sound, everyone was transfixed by the bizarre scene and stopped moving.
“…Did she break its neck?”
Wataru, or perhaps someone else there, uttered the words in a daze.
The monster, Galadodos, must have been equally astonished.
The prey that they had thought of as nothing more than food had unexpectedly fought back.
It had defeated the leader of the pack in an instant.
Shaken, the Galadodos hastily changed the direction of their attack and ran off into the wilderness.
Wataru and the others could only look on dazedly as they ran away.
Only Aire ran to Wataru’s side, her chest puffed out with pride.
She had a big smile on her face and skipped along like a child.
“Did you see me, Master? I did my best! Please praise me!”
“…S-So amazing! You’re so strong! As expected from the undefeated warrior of the arena!”
“Hehe. Not that much, though…”
Wataru found himself clapping enthusiastically.
The sound of clapping echoed through the battlefield, which was now filled with silence.
The sound grew louder and louder, coming from countless hands.
The guards who had been saved began to thank Aire, and the caravan merchants followed suit.
Aire was embarrassed as she filled her hands with gifts of food and drink and words of thanks.
“I got a lot!
“That’s great. You can have it all.”
“R-really?!”
“Yes. You worked hard for it.”
“Yay! My master is so generous! But you can have some too. Just a little bit!”
Actually, she wants it all.
It’s hard to believe that the Aire who looks like this has the strength of a fierce demon.
“Put your things down and come over here. Are you hurt? I have a first aid kit with potions in it, so don’t be shy about asking.”
“I’m fine.”
“Well, I didn’t know Aire was so strong. Aire is a talent worth a hundred gold coins.”
“Nya-nyahahaha… That’s because Master believed in me and let me go.”
“Oh, that’s rare. Aire is blushing bright red.”
“Ugh, stop it! Mariel was the one writhing around in the bath!”
“~~! That’s something we have to keep to ourselves!”
“I don’t know anything about that!”
Aire’s face turns red when she’s praised, but the truth is that her skills have just been seen for the first time.
The story of the undefeated warrior in the arena was no exaggeration.
If she had a weapon, how strong would she become?
And how reassuring it is to be protected by someone with such skills.
From now on, no matter what difficulties they encountered on their travels, Wataru had the feeling that they would be able to overcome them somehow if Aire was present.
“Right, Mariel, please check that the item we’re negotiating with hasn’t been damaged by any chance.”
“I understand. It’s a fragile item, isn’t it?”
“Yes. I don’t know how much it would be worth over here. And I don’t want to have to go back to buy it again. Besides, Aire, you can have the smoked chicken breast. You did a good job.”
“Yaaaaay! Chicken breast!”
Seeing Aire so happy about a single food item that could be bought in a supermarket, Wataru once again thought that she didn’t seem that strong.
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