Yuu Tanaka Read online

  someone who used it frequently. Fake Identity aside, there were things that it couldn’t

  reveal—namely experience and mentality. Someday, their overreliance on Identify

  would get them in trouble. Fortunately, today might just be that day. Gammod charged

  his cadets with the cruel task of figuring out Fran’s real strength.

  Red sighed and shrugged to his friends, signaling that Fran was no big deal. The rest

  of the adventurers immediately relaxed. They thought the Guildmaster was only showing

  Fran the training room and wanted to introduce her.

  “All of you are going to spar with Fran today.”

  “Are… you sure?” one of the adventurers asked.

  “Yeah. Fran, don’t go easy on ’em. Beat ’em up to your heart’s content.”

  “Hm.” Fran nodded.

  The adventurers smirked, all except Mr. Straitlaced. They thought Gammod was giving

  them free rein. That she’d acted out of line and needed a good beating. “You got it, boss.”

  “Good.” Gammod only made matters worse. He purposely let the misunderstanding

  hang.

  Never mind bones, their egos were going to be shattered once they saw what Fran was

  capable of. I could sympathize with the young and talented adventurers. Better for

  them to break their noses in training than to suffer broken bones on the battlefield.

  “Dufaux, you’re up.” Gammod pointed at Fran’s first victim.

  “Who, me?”

  “Did I stutter?”

  “No…”

  Fran stole a glance at Gammod, who responded with a smile and a wink—giving her

  the assurance that she could whale on his pupil all she wanted.

  Don’t go overboard.

  Hm. I’ll make sure he can still come back with a Greater Heal.

  That’s going overboard! At least make it a Mid Heal!

  Fran readied me and walked to the middle of the arena, unable to conceal her

  enthusiasm.

  Dufaux, the young Illusion Blade, took his time entering the arena, blissfully unaware

  of the pain that was to come. He looked disappointed at having to fight Fran, since he

  was convinced that Gammod would bring him an actual challenge. The dwarf stood

  between them as referee.

  “You’re all going to fight Fran at least twice.”

  “What? I don’t think she’s going to last.”

  “All depends on how you fight.”

  Dufaux shrugged, unsure of how to respond to that.

  “I have healers ready, don’t worry. Come on, get started.”

  “Yes, yes. I swear you only call me for these occasions.” An ordinary looking middle-

  aged woman came into the training hall at Gammod’s behest. She looked so plain that

  her name could have been Villager A, for all I knew. She looked very out of place.

  A quick Identify ratified my view of her. She was strong—stronger than the young

  adventurers assembled here. Healing Magic 3 immediately caught my eye. She was a

  high enough level to use Greater Heal.

  “This is Beth. Former B-Rank, now a happily wedded housewife.”

  “I still get requests from time to time.”

  “Come on, we pay you well enough.”

  “That doesn’t make me your private healer! Well, you’re a great help to our finances,

  at least. My husband is so bad at saving money. Ha ha ha!”

  She looked like an ordinary woman, but that might be testament to her expertise. I

  expected the adventurers to underestimate her, but they took her seriously enough.

  Even they knew the top healers. They were relieved, although their contempt for Fran

  remained. They just took it as a sign that they were allowed to go all out.

  Fran had the exact same thought. She grinned.

  “Bow.” Gammod signaled the fighters to get ready.

  “Name’s Dufaux.”

  “Fran.”

  “Begin!”

  On his mark, Gammod started the match. However, the two combatants were at a

  standstill. Each waited for the other to make the first move, albeit for completely

  different reasons.

  Fran had a habit of waiting for her opponent to act first. It gave her a chance to knock

  Dufaux out in one blow, since he’d already underestimated her abilities. On the other

  hand, Dufaux thought it was good manners to let a weak opponent go first. He trusted

  his friend’s Identify and expected Fran to be another weak Black Cat. Considering his

  level, he should have judged Fran’s abilities regardless of Identify…

  In any case, he wasn’t going to make the first move. He would be a gentleman and give

  Fran the first attack. Expectation was a terrifying thing.

  “What’s wrong? Aren’t you going to attack?”

  “Can I?” Fran asked.

  Her question was directed at Gammod, but Dufaux thought she was asking him.

  “It’s good manners to let the weaker combatant have the first move.”

  Those were fighting words. The hilarious irony almost made me laugh.

  “Hm?”

  Nothing.

  “What are you mumbling about?” he said. “Come on, I have to get back to work. I don’t

  got all day to play with you.”

  “But you said the weaker combatant has the first move.”

  “So?”

  “So you should go first.”

  That would get his attention. Fran was only stating the truth, but that statement dealt

  huge damage to Dufaux’s ego.

  “Don’t go acting smart on me, kid.”

  “How am I acting smart?”

  “I mean don’t get in over your head! You think I’m weaker?! Huh?!”

  “Yeah. Anyone can see that.”

  “You little…!”

  Wow, this guy had a short temper. I thought it was childish to believe his friend’s

  Identify without a second thought, but this was getting hard to watch. But then,

  despite his abilities, he was only twenty-three and still ignorant of the ways of the

  world. He was inexperienced and liable to get in trouble outside of battle, despite all

  of his training. This blind spot might be why Gammod asked Fran to spar with them.

  “Dude, just hurry up and make the first attack.”

  “Yeah, you’re getting into an argument with a kid. Really?”

  “Get this farce over with so we can leave.”

  Dufaux’s companions were egging him on now. They didn’t think he was about to lose,

  either.

  “Shut up! You want me to make the first move to a newbie?!” The jeering only made

  him more stubborn.

  Can’t be helped. I guess you’ll have to hit him first.

  Hm. Sure.

  Fran readied me. “I’m going to attack you now. Block it.”

  “What are you telling me that for?”

  “Here goes.”

  “Huh—?”

  Dufaux barely had a chance to react. Sharp pain rushed through his right leg as he lost

  his balance and fell to the floor. Fran was in front of him before he even knew what

  was going on.

  “Gaaaargh!” He screamed, holding his freshly chopped stump.

  Was that too much?

  I thought Fran wanted to let Dufaux show off his abilities by purposely giving him an

  easy first strike.

  Now the others won’t think twice about attacking me.

  I see.

  Dufaux was a howling witness of what would happen if you didn’t take Fran seriously.

  I think you got the point across.

  “Next. Rachid.” Gammod’s voice boomed through the training hall.

  “What? Me?”

  “Ready up!”

  “S-sir!”

  The next victim frantically stumbled into the arena. He was the lancer who had egged

  Dufaux on.

  “I’m Fran.”

  “R-Rachid. Wait, no, I’m not ready!”

  Gammod ignored Rachid’s pleas. “Begin!”

  “Hm.”

  “Gyaaaa!”

  The fight was over as soon as it started. Fran lopped off the tip of Rachid’s spear, along

  with his right arm. The rest of the crew finally grasped that Fran was no ordinary girl.

  Their anxiety was palpable.

  “Next. Naria.” Gammod pointed to the archer who had teased Dufaux earlier.

  “Uhhhhh.” She tossed a glance at Rachid, who was receiving treatment for his wounds.

  “My goodness, it’s such a clean cut!”

  “It hurts…”

  “Come on, man up and stop struggling!”

  “Ow! Don’t hit me…!”

  “I did nothing of the sort.”

  The healer was saying things like, “You want me to kiss it better?” while administering

  Greater Heals. The blood pouring out of Rachid’s arm should’ve made for a gruesome

  scene, but the old healer was smiling and unfazed. She wasn’t a former B-Rank for

  nothing.

  Naria glanced at Red, begging for help. The Shielder noticed her gaze and responded

  to it with a frantic shake of the head. He couldn’t make heads or tails of it—Fran’s stats

  were still as weak as before.

  “I’m Fran.”

  “Umm…”

  “And this is Naria. Begin!”

  “Wait, no! Dammit!”
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  Naria stepped back the instant the match began. After watching her two companions

  get mauled, she decided to make the best of her panic. She drew her bow, preparing

  to take aim, but Fran was too close.

  “Shit, why is she so fa—gyaaa!”

  Naria lost in the same manner as Rachid—by losing her right arm.

  Next up was a big man named Miguel. He walked steadily into the arena and was the

  first among the crew who looked like he considered Fran a legitimate threat. He tossed

  a cursory glance at Red, but the Shielder could do little more than shrug.

  “I’m Miguel.”

  “Hm. Fran.”

  “Begin!”

  “Haaaa!”

  Miguel actually came at us full force. Good on him. Unfortunately, his attack was

  nothing to write home about. While he knew that Fran was concealing her stats, her

  appearance was still that of a weak little girl. He brought his greatsword down on her

  head, intent on crushing her through sheer force.

  I guessed we could give him and Red a little bit of a show.

  “Hm!”

  “What?!” Miguel gasped in shock.

  Fran positioned me to block. Their swords clashed, and although Miguel put his entire

  weight into his strike, Fran didn’t flinch.

  “Hmph!”

  “Aaaargh!”

  Fran braced herself and thrust forward. It lifted the big man—he lost his balance and

  fell over. Miguel and Red couldn’t believe their eyes. Fran shouldn’t be able to overpower

  him, let alone with one swing. And yet she did so easily. Of course, that wasn’t the end

  of the show.

  “Stun Bolt.”

  “Guaaah!”

  “No way!” Red shouted in disbelief as Fran used Thunder Magic—a skill not listed in

  her stats.

  “Ha!”

  “Urgh…”

  Fran kicked Miguel right in the face, sending his paralyzed body flying several meters.

  Red could only croak in disbelief. “Why…?”

  “Yes, Red?” Gammod asked innocently. This was the exact development he was looking

  for.

  “S-sir, what’s with this beast girl?!”

  “What do you mean?”

  “She’s not supposed to be this strong! Identify listed her as being low level and unable

  to use magic! And what she did to Miguel…!”

  Gammod grinned. “You don’t know who she is?”

  “No!”

  “A Black Cat girl, able to use Thunder Magic and neutralize Dufaux in a second. And

  you don’t know who she is? None of you?”

  “…”

  Gammod’s question was answered with silence. I couldn’t believe none of them guessed

  “Black Lightning Princess” with all the hints he gave them.

  The Guildmaster sighed, clearly frustrated. “This is why I’m worried sick about your

  development.”

  “…”

  “Your heads are inflated beyond belief. You go hunting without a shred of information

  and leave everything to blind luck. You rely on Identify so much that you can’t tell

  when you’re facing a powerful opponent, and you immediately get obliterated as soon

  as the bell rings.”

  Gammod didn’t mince his words. He wanted Fran to break their egos; it was the whole

  point of these matches.

  Gammod introduced Fran to the silent and dejected adventurers. “This is the C-Rank

  adventurer, Fran. Also known as the Black Lightning Princess. She’s the guild’s top

  rising star, especially after beating an A-Rank in the Ulmutt fighting tournament.”

  The adventurers’ eyes went wide. They might not know who the Black Lightning

  Princess was, but they knew how hard it was to place in the tournament.

  “That’s the tournament you failed to get into, by the way.”

  The cadets knew firsthand how difficult it was to pass the qualifiers.

  “What?”

  “No way!”

  “I think I heard rumors about her…”

  “I mean, she’s a Black Cat…”

  “You could’ve figured out who she was,” Gammod shouted, “if you paid the slightest

  bit of attention!”

  The adventurers slumped in unison. They knew their information game was slacking,

  and it had caused them great physical pain.

  “There are skills that allow people to fake or hide their Identify stats. Keep relying on

  it, and you’ll walk into an early grave.”

  “Yes, sir…”

  “Remember that there’s always someone better—”

  Gammod gave his cadets an earful and only stopped when Beth the paramedic started

  yawning.

  His lecture was a useful refresher to me. What happened to the cadets could happen

  to us at any time. The matches reminded me to be more mindful of who we fought and

  how we fought them. The tournament taught us the terror of a difference in strength.

  The sparring matches taught us not to forget the basics.

  “Phew. Sorry about that, little lady.”

  “Hm. You took too long.”

  “Yeah. You got the point across, though. Sparring with tougher opponents is how you

  grow. I hope you can whip ’em into shape.”

  “Of course.” Fran grinned.

  The adventurers couldn’t sneer at her any more. In fact, they were cowering as if

  they’d been thrown naked to a pack of wild animals. I felt a little bad, but Gammod

  announced that the sparring would go on. The adventurers were completely annihilated.

  Fran beat them all without giving them a chance to show what they were made of. It

  took less than five minutes.

  “Is that all you’ve got? You guys are pathetic…”

  “Urgh…”

  “I’m sorry, sir…”

  The adventurers looked dejected. Gammod’s attempt to motivate them with tough

  words had failed. They knew how weak they were, and they had lost all confidence in

  themselves. We might have completely shattered their spirits. Fran tossed a glance at

  the Guildmaster to see if he wanted her to continue. Broken adventurers might grow

  depressed and might quit adventuring altogether, but Gammod only nodded, unfazed

  by such trivialities.

  “You sure?”

  “Yeah. If this is enough to make them quit, that means they’re not cut out for it. Better

  to quit while they’re still alive.”

  Willpower cannot be trained in a mechanical way like the body. Adventuring required

  a certain type of character, and it certainly wasn’t for everyone. Gammod was being

  kind—letting them leave before they were killed in the line of duty. With their abilities,

  it was only a matter of time before they started exploring dangerous dungeons and

  Haunts. By then, it would be too late to make them realize their weakness.

  “We’ll begin the second round. Dufaux, Naria, Miguel. Step forward.”

  “Sir…”

  “Eek.”

  “Yeah…”

  The adventurers answered, making it apparent they had already given up. Naria was

  already terrified.

  “Three-on-one now. That okay with you?”

  “Hm.”

  The adventurers were definitely not okay with it, but Gammod didn’t ask for their

  opinion.

  “Let’s see… the little lady won’t fight back to begin with. If you manage to land a single

  hit on her, you win.”

  You can’t just throw in new rules like that! Either way, the restriction only served to

  motivate Fran. I sometimes forgot that she was still a child, and this was like a game

  to her. Life also returned to the adventurers’ eyes as they saw that they had a fighting

  chance. With the three of them together, they might be able to hit Fran before she

  wiped them out.

  “Ready? Begin!”

  “Raargh!”

  Miguel rushed forward to open the match. He swung his greatsword, but the move was

  so awkward that we could tell it was a feint. Dufaux jumped out of the big man’s cover

  and did a decent job at concealing his presence. Meanwhile, Naria pelted Fran with