17 Chapter 17

After everything had settled down, the aid was taken to jail, and the Earl took Satou, the witch and I into the drawing-room. He asked the maids to bring us something to drink while we sat down. The Earl apologised to the witch for the viceroy's aids actions and for allowing him to go so far without the Earl noticing. After that, he turned his attention to Satou and me and started discussing our rewards.

"So your name is Satou," Earl Kuhanou says. "It seems both you and the hero have been through some hardships. What would you both like for rewards? Goods? Money? I can also provide you with a government job if you so desire."

Satou looks surprised at the Earl's offer of a reward. I have the feeling he thought he might have been punished for stopping the Earl from killing the aid. I don't know why. If he was in trouble, I am sure the Earl would have taken him to jail along with the aid. Still, I doubt Satou would take anything the Earl just offered. He already has more money than he can ever hope to spend, and Satou has told me he wants to explore this world, so he would never take a government job.

I don't have anything I want either. I have money and goods. There isn't anything I need for a reward, but I could use this to improve my magical spell arsenal. It seemed Satou had a similar idea as he said just what I was thinking.

"This may be a bit forward of me, but if I could receive permission to purchase magical scrolls and books within your territory, I would be most humbly delighted," Satou says, making the Earl smile.

"I suppose as an acquaintance of Mistress Witch, it is no surprise that you should have a thirst for knowledge. Very well, I shall issue you a permit," The Earl nods his head. He signals an attendant in the room to start making the arrangements. "And what can I do for you, Hero Kura?"

I was going to ask for magical scrolls and books, but I could always use Satou's permit for that. I think for a moment, then open my mouth.

"Would it be possible for you to give me what food you could spare from your territory?"

Like I said early, there was nothing I needed but the people in the following territory would need those supplies.

"May I ask what you would need those supplies for?"

"After we leave your territory, we will be passing through the Muno Barony," I tell him. "I hear that they are running low on nearly everything, and I wish to help how I can when I pass through that land."

"Okay, then I will have what we can spare prepared for you," The Earl agrees. "Do you have some way of transporting those goods?"

"Yes, I have a unique storage skill that will allow me to transport those goods,"

"I… I see…." I hear the count mumble under his breath about Earl Seiryuu. "It will take me a few days to gather the supplies. Is that alright with you?"

"That's fine,"

After that, we talked a little. Not much happened, with the key event being the Earl and witch wanting to see my holy sword and nearly crying at the sight of it. I was honestly surprised. I didn't think the witch would be that interested in swords or a man like the Earl would be brought to the brink of tears so quickly. I told them the story of how I got the sword and what had happened in Seiryuu city.

The Earl was impressed by my deeds and told me about not only the war with the Kobolds but with the adventures of his youth. There were a few rude stories about his love life that caused the witch to smack the back of his head, and there were a few stories from border skirmishes. But the most interesting story came from the Earl's account of the last time the demon lord appeared.

The Earl was only a young man at the time. He told me how he joined the army. The hero of that time raised and fought demons while the hero defeated the demon lord. The Earl didn't know much about what happened between the hero and the demon lord. Still, he told me about how he and Earl Seiryuu defeated a lesser demon together. He made sure I understood he struck the finishing blow.

Afterwards, there was some talk about the following order of potions. Apparently, many monsters are straying into the territory from the Muno Barony. Some of them are reportedly poisonous, so the Earl asks for antidotes and cure-alls. Satou and I weren't involved in the conversation, so we sat there quietly until the Earl turned towards us.

"Hero Kuro. I am sorry to ask you this after you have done so much, but might I request your assistance in exterminating a group of monsters. Not that far from this town?" The Earl bows his head as he asks. "A group of Spider Bears have moved into the nearby forest. I would send my own troops, but the only ones strong enough are still recovering from the battle at the mines."

"Do you know how many of them there are?"

"About twelve," The Earl replies, raising his head. "We also have a rough location of where they are making their nest."

"Okay, I will take care of them," I tell him, and I see the relief on his face. "But I will need to borrow a shield from you for the fight."

"I will show you to the armoury, and you can take whatever you need,"

The Earl told me everything I needed to know about the monsters as we walked towards the armoury with Satou and the witch following us. The Earl tells me how they fight and behaviour, how they nest and how his troops typically deal with them. It sounds easy enough to take care of them, and Nana, Mia, Pearl and I should be able to handle it ourselves if Satou doesn't want to get his party involved.

When we reach the armoury, I am surprised by the number of weapons and armour. I expected a small room with a few weapons racks and armour suits. Instead, I was led to a two-floored room with more weapons than I could count. I didn't even know where to begin looking for a shield, but the Earl led me to a section locked behind a sturdy-looking door. A guard there quickly stood to attention when the Earl approached, looking nervous and unsure what to do. The Earl just passes him by and leads us into the room.

There are even more weapons and armour inside. I stare at the room, surprised by how powerful the weapons feel even from a distance. Even before the Earl tells me, I know these weapons and armour have been enchanted with magic. We are led to one shield in partially, and the Earl carefully takes it off the wall. When he hands it to me, I am afraid to touch it. It looks so expensive with a golden colour that I think it is made of gold. But it is as light as a feather.

"That shield belonged to a follower of a hero nearly one hundred years ago," The Earl tells me. "No one has been able to gain the weapons approval to use since then. But with you, I know this shield will be put to good use. Take it as my gift to you as payment for this extermination quest. I am sure the shield would want to travel with a hero again."

I don't know what to say. I stare at the shield for a moment before thanking the Earl. Is it really okay for me to take something like this? I have been levelling up my Appraisal and Estimation till they maxed out by scanning random items. Scanning this shield, I learned it has strong magical and physical defence bonuses. The shield is valued at nearly eighty gold coins. I didn't think I could have taken such a thing, but the Earl insisted it belonged with me.

After we were done here, the Earl invited us all to a lavish dinner. Satou turned down his offer since we couldn't bring everyone with us, but after receiving such an expensive gift, I had no choice but to attend. Mia ended up being invited as well at the witch's instance, but unfortunately, due to limited seating, Pearl and Nana couldn't come. Still, the Earl agreed to pay for a meal for them along with Satou and his girls. The Earl was also nice enough to make sure Mia wasn't given any meat making a promise to tell the chief himself.

We parted ways after a little bit more small talk, and Satou received his permission. To my surprise, the Earl also handed me the same permit. I was planning on using Satou's, but having my own is nice. The Earl is called away on business, so only the witch is there to see us out.

We meet up with everyone else at the entrance. Nana is happy about her new shield, swearing to not waste the gift with her unique way of talking. At the same time, Mia was unhappy at first about attending the meal. It was mainly the witch that convinced her to come. Somehow she has a connection to Mia's elven clan and even seems to have met Mia's parents at some point.

"Mr Satou. Hero Kura, I would like to thank you both from the bottom of my heart,"

The witch bows her head as soon as we exit the building. It attracted some attention, but most people soon lost interest as a street performer began to play the flute. They are not bad, but Mia is still much better, in my opinion.

"Um… thanks… a lot…." Inenimaana quickly follows her mistress's lead and lowers her head, nearly causing her bird to fall off.

"By the way, I must confess that I was surprised by your work," The witch smiles raising her head. "Please tell me what kind of magic you used to make so many potions so quickly?"

The old with looked at Satou and me with eyes filled with curiosity. I would feel bad telling her there was no trick, and I don't think Satou wants people to know he was so powerful. Luckily we prepared a backup story just in case someone like the witch questioned us.

"The trick is simple," Satou tells her. "We recovered as much of the potions you made from the broken vials and the bottoms of the crates. We just needed more vials and a handful of potions to fulfil the pact."

"Ah! Now that you mention it, we only made about fifty potions,"

"Yes, Inenimaana worked very hard and drank lots of magic recovery potions," I add.

"They were really sweet and yummy,"

We talked a bit more about making the potions. It seems like our story was good enough to convince them. The witch praises Inenimaana and thanks us once again.

"Mr Satou. Hero Kura, there must be some way I can repay you both for your help. Is there anything you may desire?"

"We were only helping a friend," Satou answers.

We have already gained plenty of information from this event. I learned how to make the clay for the vials and better methods and recipes for making potions. If anything, I say we gained more from everything that transpired than the witch did.

"There is no need to repay us," Satou continues. "If you let us visit the Forest of Illusion some time for a nice long chat. That will be more than enough."

"Of course, you both and those ladies are welcome any time,"

<0>

Mia stayed close by me when we arrived at the viceroy's castle for the meal. There were more people than I was expecting. Like the last meal, I was invited to powerful nobles, wealthy merchants, and top knights attend the meal only in more significant numbers. I can understand why Mia is nervous and keeping hold of my hand as all eyes turn to us when we enter the room.

"Hero Kura I am so glad you could make it,"

Earl Kuhanou is the first one to approach me with a big smile on his face. Both his body and armour have been cleaned up. Gone are the stains of blood and patches of dirt. In their place are shiny pieces of plate armour and the smell of fragrance wood. We bow to each other as everyone watches us and starts commenting on me. I would like to say they were all good things, but I can't help but overhear one person insult my chest, and someone else comments on my butt.

"The pleasure is mine Earl Kuhanou," I reply, just as Henry taught me. "Thank you for inviting us."

"You're the hero? You don't look like much,"

A short man wearing a suit of armour so thick it makes him look fat glares at me. He has an arrogant look in his green eyes, while his long blonde hair is shiny enough to hurt my eyes. The man waves around a mace close enough to my face that I feel the wind. He seems disappointed I didn't react. If it wasn't for my skills telling me I wasn't endangered, I probably wouldn't have been so calm. The man lets out a sigh before slamming his mace into the ground.

"Baron Drills, show some respect for my guest,"

Earl Kuhanou demands, but the Baron just stares at me. He is a lot braver than the viceroy's aid. I will give him that. The Baron doesn't even acknowledge the Earl as he puffs out his chest and stares me right in the eyes.

"You brought your holy sword, right?" I nod my head. "Then fight me and prove you are who you say you are."

I really wasn't planning on fighting. I wore a dress and heels, but I guess it would only be fair to give the Baron a handicap. I take out my holy sword, Gjallarhorn and turn to face Earl Kuhanou.

"Earl Kuhanou, is there a place where I can spare with Baron Drills?"

"Yes, the garden should be more than sufficient,"

The Earl replies, pointing to a large set of glass doors at the room's rear. Judging by the Earl's reaction, I feel he was expecting this turn of events. I also have the feeling from the way other people are looking at me that I might have to spare with more than just the Baron. Well, it shouldn't be a problem, and I should learn some new moves thanks to my Copycat skill.

The Earl was definitely expecting something like this to happen, or maybe he wanted to spare with me. A stage-like structure has been set up on the grass, and even seating has been arranged for the guests.

I climb onto the stage, and Mia nearly follows me, but I ask her to sit next to the witch. She pouts but goes in the end. The Baron and I stand at opposite ends of the stage, a few feet apart, staring at each other. I kick off my heels as the Baron and some mage-looking woman step between us. The mage casts some spell that forms a barrier around us before stepping back.

"The standard rules of a duel apply," Earl Kuhanou says. "On my mark, you will begin combat. The winner will be the first to destroy their opponent's barrier or disarm them." The Baron and I stare at each other as the Earl steps back. "Begin!"

"Try to keep up,"

The Baron makes the first move charging forward with his mace held high. He's not very smart. Even a child could have predicted his attack and stepped out of the way like I did. But the Baron is not done yet. He picks his mace back up and swings at me, but it is easy to jump back out of his reach. The Baron attacks again, swinging at me once, twice and finally a third time, but with each swing of his mace, I deflect with a swing of my sword.

I could have beaten him by now, but if I were to defeat him quickly, he might get mad and try something. So I let the fight go on. I deflect and dodge his attacks and let him dodge and parry my own until finally, I see an opening a decide things have gone one long enough. With a thrust to the Baron's side, I destroy his barrier.

"Hero Kuro is the winner,"

Earl Kuhanou declares as I sheath my sword. The Baron is on his knees, panting and gritting his teeth. When I offer him a helping hand to stand, he slaps it away.

"Fake hero!"

The Baron yells, attempting to hit me with his mace. It was a close call, and I thought I would be able to cast it in time, but I stopped the Baron's assault. I cast Air Cushion slowing his mace before I grab it and disarm the Baron. Before the Baron can even react, the Earl's guards restrain him.

"Throw that man in the dungeon!" The Earl yells, looking ready to cut the Baron down where he stands. "I am sorry, Hero Kuro. I should never have let a situation like this happen."

"It is fine," I assure him. "There is no way you could have known something like this would have happened."

The Earl and I watch the Baron being taken away. He struggles against the guards but cannot overpower them. Ultimately, he is dragged away, muttering something about wings, freedom, and so lord. I make a note of those terms just in case as the Earl calms everyone down. After things go back to normal, I was right about the Earl wanting to spare with me. He challenges me immediately, and we quickly take our position as that mage recasts her spell.

"Begin!"

This time, the mage signals the start of our fight, and the Earl rapidly rushes forward. He is a lot faster than I was expecting from a man his age. In the blink of an eye, he is right in from of me, and I barely can block his attack in time. He's strong too, and manages to push me back. Unlike the Baron, Earl Kuhanou pushes me to the limits as I struggle to defend against his onslaught.

Every attack hits me hard and fast, making my feet slide across the stage. I barely have the chance to counter-attack, and he blocks me with practised ease when I do. Not even using my combat skills can turn the tide. When I use Whirlwind Slash, the Earl dodges. He even sees through my faints when I use Great Decoy. Still, I find myself enjoying our match.

The Earl is a great opponent. I haven't had to push myself this hard since I first started training with Pearl. The crowd starts cheering us on as we clash swords, and I see people placing bets on us out of the corner of my eye. Surprisingly most people are calling my name instead of the Earl they all serve. The Earl does not seem to mind, but I wouldn't do something like that if I was in their shoes.

The Earl forces me to duck as he nearly cuts my head off with a mighty swing, only to narrowly avoid the Earl's knee. He isn't holding anything back. I am forced to roll out of the way getting behind the Earl. I don't waste this opportunity and aim a swing of my own at the Earl's back, only for him to rapidly turn around and nearly knock the sword from my hand with his block.

"Not bad," Earl Kuhanou comments as we stare at each other. "I can't remember the last time someone was able to last this long against me."

"You are the toughest opponent I have had the pleasure of sparing with so far,"

"Complementing me won't make me go easy on you,"

Earl rushes forward again and nearly knocks me over when he brings his sword down on top of me. I swear he would have crushed me if it wasn't for my high stats. Sparks start to fly as our battle picks up the pace, and our attacks become harder and harder. I hope that spell the mage cast on us will still work.

We slash, block, evade and dodge, doing whatever we can to get an advantage. Win or loss, I have certainly learned more than enough from the Earl to improve myself. It is not just his skill with the sword but also the way he uses his eyes to bait me, his posture and his positioning. He truly is a man of the sword, and I can barely keep up with him.

Finally, things started to turn in my favour as the Earl breathed heavier and sweat. I felt like I am cheating with my seemingly endless stamina, but the Earl gives me no chance to feel bad. Even as he grows tired, his attacks remain as strong and fast as ever. If anything, his attacks become stronger and even faster as the Earl's sword gives off a faint glow leaving a red trail in its wake.

"Earl Kuhanou's using spell blade now!"

"How is she keeping up?"

Spell blade? Is that what is causing the Earl's sword to glow and leave a trail like that? I will just have to ask him later as if I think about it now, Earl Kuhanou will defeat me. The fight continues with me blocking, blocking, countering, blocking, dodging, blocking and countering again. Neither or the Earl can land a hit on the other.

My arms are starting to hurt from all the blocking. My legs are starting to feel heavy from all the movement. I am still not as tired as the Earl looks, but I am starting to feel the effects of exhaustion. If this fight continues any longer, both of us might end up collapsing.

The Earl tries to crush me again with an overhead swing, but this time I spin out of the way instead of attempting to stop his blade. I copy the Earl's actions with an overhead swing of my own at the end of my swing, but the Earl is quick to block it. He pushes me back, nearly causing me to trip over before attempting to cut me in half with a mighty swing. I duck under his blade and cut the Earl across the chest as I raise back up.

The Earl blinks as his protective barrier shatter, and the crowd lets out a gasp seeing I won. But instead of looking disappointed, Earl Kuhanou lets out a chuckle as we sheath our weapons. We shake hands as the crowd claps, and those that won their bets collect their winning.

"You're the first person not part of the Shiga Eight Swords to be able to defeat me," Earl Kuhanou says as we step off of the stage.

Afterwards, the meal begins. It was a seven-course meal of fine food and wine followed by mingling with guests and dancing. Although I tried to avoid attention, everyone at the party sought me out. I danced with a few men and was hounded by women interested in any juicy gossip I might have. Merchants once again tried to sell me their most expensive wears. Most of it was junk or stuff I would not need, but I got a Body Strengthing spell scroll for half the asking price and a Healing Aura scroll at a ten per cent discount. They were still expensive but worth it.

The even wasn't all bad. A few people had interesting stories, and some donated money when I told them my plan to head into the Muno Barony and help the people there. Still, some men wanted me to come to a private from with them that night, and old ladies tried to set me up with their grandchildren. At least Earl Kuhanou was there to make sure things went too far with those men, and Mia kept making excuses whenever the idea of marriage was proposed to me.

Mia kept dragging me away to sample the fruit on offer or asking me to teach her how to dance. Mia didn't have to glare at one of the Earl's knights when he asked me on a date to his favourite restaurant. She can give more frightening looks than I ever thought she could possibly make. Even the knight looked shaken as he backed away from Mia.

It was around midnight when we returned to the inn. The evening was still going on, but I excused myself when Mia started falling asleep. I said my goodbyes before leaving with Mia on my back as she struggled to keep her eyes open.

Everyone else was already asleep when we returned to the inn. Pearl does wake up when I open the door and welcomes me back before quickly falling back to sleep. I help Mia get changed before tucking her into bed.

"Ahh!" I jump at Arisa's cry, worried that something might have happened before I relaxed again, realising it is nothing. "Master, how could you? Why visit other women and pay for services when I will do them for free?"

<0>

"Cheers!"

Somehow we ended up having a second party the next day at the pottery studio. At first, we were only here to return the borrowed pottery equipment. Still, after Satou asked about restaurants that serve Demi-Humans, things changed. Unfroutantly there were none in the city. The master of the studio offered to let us use an unused room in his studio, so we took him up on his offer.

Now here we are eating together with the witch and Inenimaana as well as the studio's master and his slaves. We arranged food on a long table we had brought from nearby stalls, and Satou had left over from the meal the Earl provided for them. We had a few acholic drinks, but most of our drinks were my juice and fruit-flavoured water we brought. There was also some tea Lulu prepared and a roosted slice of a Spider Bear Satou cooked.

Early today, we went out and completed the task for the Earl. This time I didn't hold back. I used my Ice Storm spell to thin their numbers, and Satou used some kind of area of effect stun spell. It was child play for everyone else to finish off the remaining Spider Bears. In less than five minutes, we had whipped out the Spider Bear nest, and on our return, we were generously rewarded with money by the Earl. Pearl, Mia and I ended up gaining a level, and Nana raised her level by two by the time the slaughter was over.

So we are celebrating our victory today and the studio's master's reward. Apparently, the Earl had rewarded everyone who helped us. The soldiers will receive a bonus in their pay, and the studio's master's has been given a highly prized government contract. We ate, we talked, and we had a good time.

"This Spider Bear meat is yummy, sir,"

"Its legs are the best part!"

Pochi and Tama dance around everyone carrying spider-like legs bigger than them. I have no idea where all the food they eat goes because they have already eaten one of those legs each. As for me, I can't say whether they taste good or not. I just couldn't bring myself to try them. Spiders have always creeped me out.

"Yum,"

Sat next to me, Mia is eating some stir-fried vegetables. That dish I can confirm is tasty. Mia fed me a mouthful earlier when I asked her if she was happy with her meal. She ended up having to feed Nana and then Pochi and Tama too, who copied her, so I gave her some extra food to make up for the loss.

Everyone had their favourite dish. Liza liked the grilled chicken the best, Nana a pastry dish, while Lulu liked a stew the most. Arisa was the only one not to have a favourite, claiming her favourite would be whatever leftovers she could eat from Satou's plate. She ended up getting hit on the head when she started mentioning stuff about it being an indirect kiss.

We enjoyed our night together, and it was time to leave the city the following day. We left early in the morning with the witch and Inenimaana seeing us off. A messenger arrived from the Earl who sent his apologies for not being able to see me off in person. I'm not sure what is happening, but I heard some of the returning troops from the silver mines have been causing trouble. The messenger has me sigh, showing I received the food supplies from the Earl I requested before returning to wherever he came from.

"I made you both these gifts," Inenimaana hands Satou and some kind of lantern. "It's a magical tool mistress helped me make."

"Thank you, Inenimaana," I smile.

"I will use it with care," Satou replies, gently handing the lantern to Liza. "Thank you for the gift. I look forward to the day we can meet again."

"Sir Satou, Hero Kuro. Here is a gift I received from my grandmother to keep you both healthy,"

The witch stepped forward and started chanting some words while making complex gestures with her hands over us. It doesn't feel like magic, and I don't gain any new skills or abilities. I guess it is just a friendly gesture with no magic behind it. We bid our goodbyes after we thanked the witch and promised to meet again someday.

<Titile Acquired: Friend of the Witches.>

<0>

Before we left, Satou and I found a merchant heading to Seiryuu City. We paid him to deliver some letters for us. Satou was writing to Zena and Martha with Pochi and Tama writing to Martha's younger sister with Satou's help. As for me, I was writing to report what had happened to Earl Seiryuu and letting Henry know of my adventures so far. We left at the same time as that merchant and exchanged some information until we went our separate ways.

Still, as we travel this time, I am feeling more nervous. The Muno Barony is a place that the more I learned about it, the less I wanted to visit. The Muno Barony is a relatively new territory recently rebuilt after Zen destroyed the old Muno Marquisate. At first, the territory was doing well, but everything went downhill. It is suspicious how fast it all happened. Over the course of six months, food production dropped to twenty per cent, crime rose by forty, and monsters flooded the area like there was no tomorrow. Add in a string of mysterious deaths and fires in storehouses, and the whole territory went to hell.

To say that public order is nonexistent in the Muno Barony would be an understatement. Croput soldiers do as they please. Criminal guilds control whole regions of the territory, and from what I was told, nearly every official is corrupt. Usually, Earl Kuhanou and the territory on the opposite side of the Muno Barony would send their troops in to restore order. Unfortunately, the Kolbolts attack Earl Kuhanou and the other territory is in a stand-off with the neighbouring, so no troops could be sent.

I am starting to doubt if we should even go through the Muno Barony, but going around would take too much time. Besides, the witch, at some point, had asked Satou to deliver a letter for her to a friend who lives in the Muno Barony.

We did our best to prepare. We brought plenty of liquor we could use to bribe corrupt guards and protentional thieves. Satou brought everyone leather armour who didn't already have some, and we made sure we had enough supplies to avoid staying in any towns or villages if we had to. Satou had also sewed some iron plates into our armour for added protection.

Our final piece of preparation was to buy two horses. A merchant told us that mounted guards were enough to ward off most thieves, so we made the investments. Like with driving the wagon, we arranged a rotation for most of us to take turns riding horses. I was unlucky enough to get the first rotation even though I barely rode that last horse I mounted. Mia offered to teach me, so we rode together, with Liza teaching Pearl as they shared the second horse.

We make our way to Muno Barony with our guard up. We are ready for anything even though I hope we can avoid trouble.