NBAA Vol. 7 Chapter 6 Part 8
“So we’ll be leaving tomorrow morning, then?”
“That’s how it will be. Even if we go now, it will still be night, so if that’s the case, let’s rest here today and try tomorrow.”
“But we’re leaving the wolf carriage behind, right? Are we heading there on foot? It looks like it’ll take a while…”
“That’s why we need to leave before dawn. Make sure to stock up on food and medicine now.”
“Ugh… seriously?”
Dain, who was not an early riser, frowned at the words about leaving before dawn. But it was clear that Shizune was right, and he reluctantly went back to his room to start getting ready. The others returned to their rooms, and Reito went to the back of the inn where their wolf carriage was parked.
“The wolf carriage… ah, he was really there.”
“Woof!!”
“H-Hiek!? P-Please forgive me!!
At the place where the wolf carriage was located, there was a man named Gari, who was wearing pants that were torn at the buttocks, and Ullr, who was holding a piece of cloth from his pants in his mouth.
The moment Gari saw Reito, he hurriedly approached him to ask for help.
But he had heard the information from Airis beforehand, so he clenched his fist and punched him, while holding back.
“Hmph!!”
“Geffu!?”
Gari, who had been punched out, fell backward with a bloody nose and stopped moving, perhaps knocked out.
Reito clapped his hands and sighed at the sight, then made a short communication with Airis.
『Airis, is there a bounty on this guy?』
『No, there is no bounty on him. But his face is known among the guards, so I’m sure they’ll catch him if you turn him in…』
『I don’t like the idea of bringing in someone with their butt exposed… I can’t help it, should I threaten him?』
After communicating with Airis, Reito borrowed a tub of water from the innkeeper’s well and doused Gari with it.
“Wake up.”
“Bhaa!? W-what…!?”
“‘Heavy Strike’!!”
“Uwah!?”
In front of Gari, who had awakened, Reito wrapped his right hand in crimson gravity magic and slammed his fist into the ground. Then, his fist sunk into the ground and a crack appeared.
When Gari saw this, his face turned pale, and Ullr, fangs bared, approached him from behind.
“Grrrrrrrrrrr…!!”
“Gyaaah!?”
“Hey, look this way.”
Grabbing Gari by the neck as he screamed and tried to run away, Reito activated his “Intimidation” skill and threatened Gari.
“Don’t ever appear in front of us again. If you want money, work hard.”
“Y-Yes!!”
“If you understand, go.”
Reito wondered if it was okay to let the villain go, but he decided that this threat was enough, and released Gari.
Gari ran off, despite the fact that his buttocks were exposed. In doing so, he apparently encountered the innkeeper’s daughter who had come to hang out her laundry, and the girl screamed.
“Kyaaaaaaaaaa! A-A pervert!”
“No, it’s a misun—”
“Hey, what’s all the fuss about… what a mess!! What kind of things are you showing someone else’s daughter!”
“Aaaaaaaaahh!!”
The voice of the innkeeper also echoed, and Reito, who confirmed that multiple footsteps were receding, smiled bitterly and used the magic of “Earth Block” to return the ground where he had slammed his fist to its original state.
“Well done Ullr, great job~”
“Woof!”
“Ah, no licking allowed now. Let’s wash out your mouth first.”
“Whinnee~”
Stopping Ullr, who was about to run up to him happily, Reito burned the cloth of Gari’s trousers, which had fallen on the ground, with the “Fireball” magic.
“Well, before we leave, I’d better get myself ready too…but I’ve got plenty of medicine stocked up, and I’m usually stocked up on foodstuffs, so I guess that won’t be a problem.”
Reito had made sufficient preparations before he left the city. Rather, it was necessary to prepare food for Ullr before leaving (as the amount provided by the inn would probably not be enough). He would need to buy it now and give it to Kotomin before he left.
“There’s only about two months left until the tournament…I wonder how strong I’ll be by then.”
“Woof?”
The reason why Reito came to the Great Labyrinth this time was to practice coordinating with Shizune during battle, and also to become stronger himself, and he decided to do everything he could before the main battle of the tournament.
At that moment, Gonzo came to Reito.
“There you are.”
“Huh? Gon-chan, have you finished your preparations yet?”
“No, Dain offered me a bet. We played rock, paper, scissors to decide who would prepare for the two of us. And since I won, Dain went shopping.”
“Dain, how reckless of you…”
“Woof…”
The image of Dain carrying several days’ worth of food for the gluttonous Gonzo in a cart flashed through his mind, and Reito sang along in his heart.
Gonzo, wearing the fighting fist that Reito had given him, pumped out his fist like a karate punch.
“Nnnn!”
“Huh? Are you going to train your fists today?”
“Yeah, if we’re going to challenge the Great Labyrinth, I won’t be able to use my usual club.”
The steel club that Gonzo usually used was not a weapon, but merely a training tool that he equipped to train his body. Still, it was often used in battle, and could be used for both attack and defense.
In this world, there were magical metals that are harder and lighter than steel, but steel was cheaper and easier to obtain. Gonzo favored a steel club, believing that the greater the weight, the better his body would be strengthened.
“Gon-chan, can I hold your club for a moment?”
“I don’t mind…but isn’t it heavy?”
“Thank you. Wow, that’s heavy…”
Reito, intrigued by Gonzo’s club, received it from him. The weapon was made as a special order for the Giants and was quite heavy. Even Reito, who normally used a great sword with one hand, staggered under the weight, but managed to stay on his feet and swung it with his right arm.
“Hmph!!”
“Oh!”
Gonzo cheered as it was the first time he saw someone other than the Giants swinging his own club with one arm.
Reito slowly lowered the club after confirming that his physical capabilities had increased to the point where he could handle the Giant’s weapon even in his natural state.
“It’s pretty good. It’s perfect for training.”
“Right?”
“How long have you been using this, Gon-chan?”
“It’s been around the time I became an adventurer. About five years ago now…”
“So…since you were ten years old!?”
Gonzo’s real age was actually not that different from Reito’s. Reito had heard before that Gonzo admired adventurers and joined the Fang Dragon guild. Gonzo said that he learned how to train with a club from Gigan, the guild master of the Fang Dragon.
“My master believes in training not only physical strength but also the muscles of the entire body. That’s why I am also training my body like my master. However, the Fang Dragon’s adventurers other than me have also received guidance from my master.”
“Is that so? If I had become a Fang Dragon’s adventurer, I would have been spending my life training every day. I’m glad I joined Black Tiger guild…”
『If Mr. Reito hadn’t joined the Black Tiger, Bal would probably be dead by now.』
If Reito had joined the Hailstorm or Fang Dragon guild instead of Black Tiger, Hailstorm and Black Tiger would never have reconciled, and Bal could have been killed by Gain. If she had joined Hailstorm, Maria would have discovered Reito’s true identity at an early stage, but in that case, there was a possibility that the other Hailstorm adventurers who admired Maria would have treated Reito with envy.
As it turned out, it was probably for the best that Reito had joined the Black Tiger guild.
“Now then, I have to train hard too. Ullr can help too.”
“Woof!!”
“Ah, but if you make too much noise, you’ll be a nuisance to the inn, so please be quiet.”
“*Whine*…”
The two and one wolf work hard at their own training in the garden of the inn.
Gonzo repeated the steady fist-pumping motion, while Reito did push-ups with Ullr on his back for muscle training.
“Hmph!! Hmph!!”
“One hundred and fifty-five, one hundred and fifty-six, one hundred and fifty-seven…”
“Quaaah… (yawning)”
“It’s a very manly scenery…”
“Um, Shizune?”
During training, Shizune appeared carrying a paper bag.
She tossed Reito and Gonzo a piece of fruit from the paper bag while exclaiming in astonishment. When they hurriedly accepted the fruit, they discovered that what she had given them was a fruit called “Min fruit”, which looks very similar to an orange. It was also a fruit that Reito often ate when he lived in the abyssal forest. Apparently, they were also sold in this town.
Shizune also offered Ullr a Min fruit.
“I wonder if you can eat it too?”
“Whiiineee~”
“Ah, Ullr doesn’t like fruit. He prefers meat.”
“Well, I don’t blame him.”
“Delicious, thank you.”
After thanking her while stuffing his face with Min fruit, Gonzo took off his jacket, became half-naked, and pumped his fist again. Shizune looked at the muscles in his upper body, and she was impressed by the lack of unnecessary fat.
“As expected. Even though he eats such a large amount of food every day, seeing that he doesn’t have any unnecessary fat shows that he has put in a lot of training.”
“You move your body as much as you eat, that’s all.”
“Those are the words I would like to hear from the fat small bearded dwarf tribe. Anyway, you have also participated in several matches in the arena, right? What are your achievements?”
“Oh, Gon-chan was also in the arena?”
Since this was something he didn’t know about, Reito couldn’t help but interrupt the conversation.
“Yeah, there’s someone I really want to fight.”
Apparently, Gonzo had been competing in the arena for a while now, and his number of fights had already surpassed Reito’s.