Episode 37: The Training Grounds

 

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Having parted ways with Rain and his group, Raven and Lugas subtly showed the collar—the enslavement magic tool—attached to their ankles to the knights patrolling the royal capital, and then left the city.

 

Their destination was the training grounds built by the "Black Mist Blades" near the royal capital.

 

This training ground was constructed outside the city because it was not possible to secure sufficient land within the royal capital. It is used for a variety of purposes, including party coordination in environments similar to actual missions, large-scale magic training utilizing the vast land, and dangerous experiments in magic tool development.

 

After about fifteen minutes of travel from the royal capital, they arrived at the training grounds, which were surrounded by high walls. From the outside, the training grounds looked like a small fortress city.

 

Inside the training grounds, apart from a few buildings such as food storage, armory, and archive, the natural landscape was almost unchanged.

 

It seemed that at this time, new adventurers who had just joined recently and young adventurers aiming for greater heights were undergoing training.

 

"It's been a while since I've been here. It's nostalgic," Raven said.

 

"High-rank adventurers don't have much time for training. Even though it's close to the capital, it's hard to come here when we have other jobs," Lugas replied. "But now's not the time to be nostalgic."

 

Raven sighed and started looking for the person they came to see.

 

The reason they went out of their way to visit this place was to 'persuade' Brown Orcus, the oldest adventurer in the "Black Mist Blades" aside from the clan master, Gild.

 

The executives of the "Black Mist Blades" generally also serve as heads of central operations within the clan. Just as Raven is responsible for scouting new recruits, Brown is responsible for training the adventurers who join.

 

Although the actual training is conducted by individual trainers, Brown oversees them.

 

Brown is not only highly skilled but also highly respected. Raven and Lugas aimed to succeed in persuading him and make him an ally to make their strategy easier.

 

"Brown, I need to talk to you," Raven called out from behind to Brown, who was watching the training with his arms crossed.

 

"Hm? You two? It's rare to see you here," Brown responded in a calm voice as he turned around. This was because Raven and Lugas were also trained by Brown, making them his apprentices.

 

"So, you need to talk to me?" Brown asked.

 

"Yes," Raven replied.

 

"Let's change locations," Brown said, leading the two away from the training adventurers to a nearby hut.

 

Once they settled down, Raven began to speak about their distrust of Gild, their relationship with Rain, and their plan to betray Gild.

 

Brown listened to their story without anger or agitation, occasionally nodding.

 

"I see. So, you want me to join you," Brown said.

 

"Exactly. You understand, don't you? This won't work out well. There's no need to stay on a sinking ship. If you help us, everything will go smoothly," Raven said.

 

After listening to everything, Brown chuckled.

 

"To think that you two, who used to be just kids, would come to persuade me with your own thoughts," Brown said with a nostalgic look.

 

However, he then gave his conclusion, "But my answer is—no."

 

"…What!?" Raven exclaimed.

 

"Are you serious?" Lugas asked.

 

They were surprised because they thought they had a good chance.

 

"I have sworn loyalty to Gild-sama. His words are the will of the clan. I cannot betray him," Brown explained.

 

"Didn't you understand anything I said!?" Lugas shouted, hitting the wall with a thud.

 

"Don't underestimate me. I understand perfectly. Indeed, your points are correct. But just because they are correct doesn't mean I can betray Gild-sama," Brown said firmly.

 

"That's what you don't understand! Raven, what should we do?" Lugas asked.

 

Raven responded without hesitation, "We didn't come here just to listen to your opinion. If you won't agree willingly, even if you're our mentor—"

 

Raven quickly set an arrow in his bow and aimed it at Brown.

 

"We'll make you comply by force," Raven declared.

 

"Right!" Lugas said, drawing his sword in sync with Raven's change in stance.

 

"I'd rather not hurt you. We're serious. If you change your mind, let us know early," Raven said.

 

"…" Brown remained silent.

 

In the next instant, Raven mercilessly shot an arrow aimed at Brown's right shoulder from close range.

 

The arrow, imbued with wind attribute magic, left a green trail as it flew straight.

 

Boom!

 

The entire building shook from the impact.

 

However—

 

"Did you think such an attack could leave a mark on 'Ironwall Brown'?" Brown said.

 

The arrow that struck Brown's right shoulder from close range left not even a scratch.

 

Brown's occupation was 'Knight'. He excelled in defense and acted as a tank in battles against monsters, taking all the damage for the party.

 

Brown's body, wielding earth attribute defense skills, glowed faintly yellow.

 

"Of course not. That was just a warm-up," Raven said.

 

"Don't be ridiculous," Brown dismissed.

 

However, Raven and Lugas were not without a plan.

 

They knew from the start that their attacks wouldn't work against Brown's super defense skill, 'Ironwall Iron Shield'. They had prepared a countermeasure.

 

The seemingly aimless initial attack was to make the following explanation more effective.

 

"This is real," Raven said.

 

During the time Raven had bought, Lugas equipped a silver bracelet on his arm and slashed at Brown's shoulder with his sword.

 

Confident in his defense, Brown didn't bother to avoid it.

 

"Hmph, such an attack—gahhh!" Brown screamed.

 

Lugas' sword pierced through Brown's 'Ironwall' and inflicted severe damage on his shoulder.

 

The pain was so intense that Brown collapsed on the spot, sweat beading on his forehead.

 

"What... How... How did my 'Ironwall' get pierced?" Brown gasped.

 

"Let me explain. It's this," Raven said, showing the same silver bracelet Lugas had equipped just before the attack.

 

"This is a magic tool recently developed by the clan," Raven explained.

 

"I... I know that. It’s supposed to increase accuracy, but significantly lower attack power. So why..." Brown struggled to understand.

 

"I've observed your 'Ironwall' for years. The key to its super defense is the micro-vibrations created by magic power. It nullifies energy by reflecting it. However, a highly precise attack, like threading a needle, can bypass this reflection," Raven explained.

 

In battles with monsters, this weakness could be ignored. But against an enemy using this magic tool, Brown's strength was completely nullified.

 

"To think I'd be caught off guard by a magic tool developed by the clan…" Brown said in disbelief.

 

"Do you think this is a coincidence?" Raven asked.

 

"…!" Brown's eyes widened.

 

"This is too effective against you. It’s like this magic tool was designed specifically to counter 'Ironwall'. The increased accuracy is fine, but the reduced attack power is meaningless otherwise," Raven continued.

 

"…!" Brown's expression changed as he seemed to realize something.

 

Raven sighed, picturing a silver-haired girl in his mind.

 

"Leisha Gracia. We were ordered to kill her by Gild when she disobeyed. If you hadn't shown compliance, they might have used this magic tool to…" Raven suggested.

 

Brown's eyes widened in realization but then he shook his head vigorously.

 

"…Gild-sama would never do such a thing. He saved my life long ago when I was a rookie. I've dedicated my life to repaying that debt and serving the clan. He understands that better than anyone," Brown said, as if convincing himself.

 

Raven knelt down to look Brown in the eyes.

 

"Just this once, I’ll break the rules and speak informally. You already know, don't you? We, and you, are not valued anymore. I don't know how things were in the past, but it's different now," Raven said.

 

"…!" Brown gasped.

 

"No matter your feelings, we all respect you. Choose. Will you side with Gild or us?" Raven asked.

 

Lugas, who had been watching, knelt beside Raven.

 

"If you continue to obey, the clan will be destroyed. I don't know about the past, but if the master you knew was so great, he wouldn't tell you to do something wrong, right?" Lugas said.

 

"…You might be right," Brown admitted, pressing his injured shoulder as he leaned against the wall.

 

He then looked at the two of them and finally made his decision.

 

"Alright. I will choose the right path."

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[Translator Note]
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