Ch. 147: The Tavern and the Wizard
Alicia: “Thanks for today.” Igni: “Hm? Me?” Alicia: “Thanks for accepting the Dragon Slaying Quest.” Igni: “Don’t worry about it. It was you who asked me after all.”
Igni, Alicia, Yoori, and Sara sat around a table as they ate a meal together.
Ellie excused herself saying that she had work to do and didn’t come with them. According to Alicia, “She probably saw that she couldn’t use Igni anymore, so she lost interest.” Igni couldn’t understand if they cared or hated each other.
Their relationship seemed pretty dry, but Igni’s relationship towards Fray couldn’t be described as simply dry, so for him, sibling relationships tended to be like that.
Yoori: “Aren’t you departing tomorrow? Have you received any news from the 1st Squad?” Alicia: “........they were annihilated.”
Yoori: “AーAnnihilated?” Alicia answered Yoori nonchalantly, but Yoori’s eyes only widened with her words.
Alicia: “Yes, annihilated. The 1st Squad lost 40% of its members.”
Yoori: “........is that called being annihilated?”
Alicia: “If more than a 3rd of the members are unable to continue combat, it’s considered an annihilation.”
Alicia drank her fruit liquor while speaking.
Alicia: “And my sister is out somewhere doing who knows what…….I really don’t know what she’s thinking sometimes….”
There is a slight growl to Alicia’s grumbling.
Igni: “Well, it’s okay. I’m here, so everything should be fine.”
Alicia: “..........well, that is true but…..”
Igni: “Hm? What’s the matter? Is something bothering you?”
Alicia: “It’s……..embarrassing that we can’t take care of the Empire’s problem with the Empire’s people……..that’s all.”
Igni: “What are you talking about? We’re friends, right?” Igni adds more.
Igni: “When friends need help, they help. Countries or nationality doesn’t matter.”
Hearing those words, Alicia quietly sets her mug down on the table.
Alicia: “.........yes. Maybe you’re right.” And she silently agreed to Igni’s words.
Sara: “Igni, it’s hard to eat this.”
Igni: “I’ll cut it for you. Hold on.” And not paying attention to the conversation at all, Sara pointed to a large piece of meat on her plate, and complaining to Igni, Igni took a knife to help her. From a bystander, they would just look like siblings.
Igni cut the meat into bite-sized pieces, and placed the meat back onto Sara’s plate. A moment later, he heard a crowd cheer from somewhere behind him.
Igni: “What is it?”
Yoori: “Igni, over there.” Yoori points towards the source of the noise.
There, some very beefy looking men clenched their hands and were groaning.
Igni: “What’s that?” Yoori: “An Arm Wrestling Tournament, apparently.” Igni: “Oh……” Things like this was common in taverns.
The Adventurers enjoyed bragging about their strength, and if a group of guys get together, they like to know who’s the strongest.
This is especially true when they’re drunk.
“If you can beat this guy, we’ll pay for your drinks and meal!”
A strong looking, muscular man seated himself overbearingly, and a skinnier looking fellow was noisily calling for challengers.
Igni: “They’re trying to draw in more customers, huh”
By doing a strong man competition like arm wrestling will lighten up the mood of the tavern, and an energetic tavern will draw more customers. That way, the people coming to see the competition would leave more money behind for the tavern.
Yoori: “Igni, do you want to try?”
Igni: “No, I’m good.” Igni kindly refuses Yoori’s offer.
A man who lightly shows off his strength cannot become popular.
A popular man will choose his time and place to show off his strength.
And as Igni convinces himself of this, he sees a familiar group of men participating in the arm wrestling match.
Igni: “.........hm?” Yoori: “What’s wrong?” Igni: “Oh no, it’s just that I know those guys…….” Yoori: “You already made friends? Was it a girl?” Igni: “No, it’s a guy but……” Igni felt a little offended that Yoori assumed that he became friends with a girl, butーー
Igni: (But if Yoori is thinking that because he’s popular, is that so bad……?)
And Igni tilted his head to watch the men in the arm wrestling match.
It was one of the few people Igni felt comfortable around ー Fram.
The owner of the fiery colored hair just like Igni challenged the bulky man…….and lost.
Igni: “Oh crap.” Alicia: “He lost.” Igni: “Yup, he did.” The match was almost instantaneous.
Alicia: “Do you think you could win, Igni?” Igni: “I wonder. If I don’t use my Spell, I may lose.” That group of men have been working out their physical strength continuously to be able to swing their weapons.
Though they may be slow, they are the vanguards, the defensive wall for the Wizards that aggros the enemy and buys time.
Alicia: “Even you couldn’t beat them, Igni?” Igni: “Yeah, of course.”
But Igni chuckles because he would never opt to not use Spells during actual combat.
If this was actual combat, if Igni is cornered to a space where arm wrestling combat was the only method, he would have already lost.
Fram, who just got whooped pretty horribly, came back to the table next to Igni’s table teary eyed.
Fram: “Hm? Oh, why….it’s Igni.” Igni: “It’s been a while, Fram.” Fram: “Were you perhaps…..watching?” Igni: “Yeah, saw everything.” Fram: “Ugh……that’s embarrassing.”
And Fram blushed with shame.
And Fram took a look at Igni’s table and drew back in surprise.
Fram: “........whoa, Igni. You’re amazing. What’s with all the girls?”
Igni: “They’re friends.”
Fram: “Wait, wait, man. I envy you. We don’t get to see much girls around.”
Igni: “You’re an Adventurer?” Fram: “Yeah, I’m pretty good, even if I look this way.” And Fram rolled up his sleeves to show off his arm.
“Cut that out. B-Rankers should know their place. You’ll just embarrass yourself.” But the man with black hair immediately stopped him.
Igni: “Well, isn’t a B-Rank pretty amazing?” Igni heard that the Average Rank of an Adventurer is C.
So as a B-Ranker, you’re a pretty good Adventurer.
“There’s always someone stronger.”
And the man with black hair shrugged at Igni’s words.
“But you guys……you don’t seem like Adventurers.” Igni: “We’re students. We’re from the Wizard’s Academy.” “Ah, no wonder you have so many girls with you.” And the man with black hair looked at Sara, Alicia, and Yoori in turn.
Yoori was a little uncomfortable at the man’s gaze.
Igni: (No, Yoori, you really look like a girl no matter how you look…..)
Alicia: “........as B-Rankers, why aren’t you participating for the Dragon Slaying?” Alicia spoke up suddenly.
Igni: “Oh, Fram’s group just came to town recently.
Igni answered Alicia’s question instead.
But Fram seemed equally curious about the question too.
Fram: “Dragon Slaying?” “What are you talking about?"
And the two who just arrived in town looked at her in confusion.
So Igni summarized the situation for the two.
“I see. So there was a Quest like that.”
Fram: “That would have been bad. I’m a [Fire] Type Wizard, so this would have been a really bad match for me.” And the black haired man and Fram both looked relieved.
B-Rankers would have a tough time on a Dragon Slaying Quest.
And Fram turned out to be a [Fire] Type Wizard.
Igni could not help but feel closer to this man possibly because of that.
As Igni dwelled on the thoughtーー
Fram: “Well, we’ll be here in the Imperial Capital for a while, so if you need anything, just give us a holler.” “Yeah. But we’ll probably just get in the way of Wizard Academy students.” The two casually offered their aid and laughed.
And Igni appreciated their gesture.
