| Author: Tensei Mikami | Original Source: Syosetu | Word Count: 2269 characters |
| Translator: Jiro | English Source: Re:Library | Word Count: 845 |
| Editor(s): Robinxen | ||
Seletina was weak. That was an undeniable truth. She was a weak, frail, and sickly young girl who had just turned ten. Her hands were soft and free of any calluses. Her limbs were smooth, without even a hint of muscle on them.
And due to her otherworldly beauty, no one thought of associating her to conflict.
Gil had realized the very same thing after exchanging blows with Seletina and observing her.
He was convinced that she had never engaged in any type of rigorous training, much less a fight to the death.
Seletina’s body was the last thing one would think of when it came to the body of a warrior.
Then how?! Gil thought.
How was it that none of his swings landed on her?
For a moment Gil entertained the thought that she could have the blood of the Beastians (Beast Tribe), who were renowned for their innate fighting skills, but that didn’t seem to be the case.
As Gil looked at Seletina who was handling his flurry of attacks, with nothing besides a knife, the seeds of fear and even awe took root in his heart.
An adult and a child. A man and a woman. A knife and a katana.
The young girl was now squaring off against Gil after narrowing that impossibly large distance with a single stride.
As already mentioned previously Seletina was by no means strong.
To begin with, Seletina was nowhere near strong enough to receive Gil’s blows.
It was thanks to Orthus’ experience that, even with her body, she’d been able to turn, what otherwise would have been a one-sided slaughter, into a respectable duel.
The reason Orthus had been hailed as a hero, and the reason that he’d become a beacon of hope for the people stemmed solely from his absolute mastery of the sword which could not be achieved by any ordinary person.
The sagas’ portrayals of the hero’s prowess weren’t just for show.
Gil swung down his blade. Seletina, in turn, used her knife to parry the strike. This required no strength.
Seletina almost magically altered the trajectory of Gil’s swing by having his sword slide down her knife’s side.
In the space of a blink, she repeated that several times. It was a truly superhuman feat.
Seletina moved her knife without hesitation, as if in a rehearsed play, and repelled each and every one of Gil’s blows.
Just what am I fighting?
Inevitably, Gil felt the shadow of death encroaching upon him.
His heart raced wildly, sweat began to pour out of every pore, and viscous saliva filled his mouth.
It was clear that there was a significant skill difference when a swordsman’s attacks were controlled in such a one-sided manner.
Gil’s confidence in his abilities was far from modest.
He had performed countless feats and had been hailed as a sword saint in his younger years when he was a mercenary.
Furthermore, he was one of the few who had experienced the Elugor Disaster and lived to tell the tale.
But the girl in front of him made it seem like all his accomplishments had been for naught.
At the moment, it seemed like Seletina had been sent to disprove everything he had accomplished thus far.
I-I’m going to be killed. This young girl is going to kill me.
Gil’s head became flooded with images of Walldam’s body. His mind was overtaken by fear. And a sword bound by fear was far from sharp.
Seletina noticed this. There was no way she would miss this opportunity. She parried Gil’s katana to the side and thrust her knife…
Cough!
A blank frame appeared inside Gil’s head. Seletina was writhing in pain right before his eyes. A single cough1.
The trajectory of Seletina’s knife altered involuntarily, and the thrust lost speed.
Gil’s leg then moved before his brain could even send the signal. The sole of his leather shoe dug deep into Seletina’s stomach.
Seletina’s body flew like a kite with its string cut before slamming into the hard stone wall behind her with a groan that resembled a frog being squashed.
Seletina’s body bounced off the wall like a rubber ball and she fell to the ground.
Gil was gobsmacked by the outcome.
Seletina crawled on the ground, writhing in anguish and coughing hysterically. She coughed up a couple of mouthfuls of blood, possibly indicating injury to her internal organs.
A good distance away from her, her knife was also sprawled lifeless on the ground.
Seeing the lovely girl in such a way was excruciating.
“D-Did I win? Or I guess it’s better to say that I lived…”
As exhaustion ravaged his body, Gil mumbled.
Even though he no longer felt the shadow of death that had hung over him throughout his confrontation with Seletina, his hands still trembled from fear.
Gil took a moment to collect himself before tightening his hold on the katana and turning to face Seletina.
I should kill this monster right here and now.
Gil wiped the sweat from his brow and walked towards Seletina.
