In truth, shortly after Shulim started watching, she had already realized that Arthur was a hired hand or guard employed by those nobles. She surmised that they had promised him payment beforehand, but when the time came to pay up, they tried to welch on the deal. Arthur had attempted to demand what he was owed, which enraged them and led to the beatdown.
Because commoners from the capital's slums were at an overwhelming disadvantage against the nobility here, resisting meant they might use retaliatory measures later. Arthur likely had people he couldn't afford to see implicated, which was why he hadn't fought back.
Shulim had initially considered the possibility that Arthur had simply been tricked, but after their brief interaction, she realized the boy in front of her was no fool. He had certainly investigated the character of those nobles beforehand. Even so, he had still taken the job, meaning he was so desperate for money that he had no choice but to gamble on the character of scum nobles...
“...Well, though I sympathize with you, I ought to be going.”
“Huh?! Just like that? You're way too cold-hearted!”
Arthur shouted as if deeply aggrieved, hiding the fleeting shadow of gloom that had crossed his eyes earlier.
“? Why do you say that? Didn't we just meet?”
“Exactly! We've already known each other for several minutes now!”
“...”
“...”
“What are you actually trying to say?”
“Hmm...”
Arthur put on a thoughtful expression, though his eyes glanced toward Shulim's pack.
“Shulim, even though I haven't seen you in action, you're pretty strong, right? So, I wanted to ask...”
“Do you have teammates?”
“...Not today.”
“Hmm, so not today...”
Arthur picked up on the implication in Shulim's words, his face instantly breaking into a punchable grin.
“How about it, Shulim? When you enter the dungeon alone, why not partner up with me? If the two of us work together, even the lower floors won't be a problem, right?”
Shulim didn't answer Arthur's proposal right away, instead giving it serious thought. The lower floors were filled almost entirely with C-Class dungeon monsters. While she could handle them alone without issue given her strength, being swarmed by a large number of monsters at once would still be troublesome.
At times like that, having a capable teammate to throw out and draw fire would indeed make things much more convenient. However...
“...I don't understand. With your strength, why haven't you formed a team?”
Arthur showed a somewhat awkward expression and scratched his head.
“...It's the same reason as before: I need to make money. Finding reliable, strong teammates who stick around isn't easy. And even if I found them, making money wouldn't be their primary goal...”
So he took a liking to my strength and wants to team up to dive into the lower floors for money. It's clear he's racked his brain trying to earn cash...
“You want to borrow my strength?”
Arthur's eyes lit up, and he quickly nodded. “Yes, exactly! How about it? It benefits you too! When the time comes, we can split the rewards based on contribution!”
“Is that so...”
Clang—!
Suddenly, a flash of sword light gleamed in the dungeon.
Clack!
Arthur parried Shulim's sudden sword strike with his worn iron sword, cold sweat breaking out across his face.
“Hey, hey, hey! Isn't this way too sudden?!”
However, Shulim did not answer. She withdrew her sword and slashed back at an even faster speed.
In an instant, a torrential storm of attacks descended before Arthur. As he desperately parried, his body was continuously forced backward.
“Hey! Are you playing for real?!”
Shouting was useless, of course.
“Dammit! Reinforce!”
Arthur rapidly incanted a spell, his body quickly covered in a faint white light.
At the same time, Shulim also activated Reinforce.
Seeing the identical light ignite across from him, Arthur felt his whole world crumble.
“No way, you know it too?!”
Clang! Clang! Clang...
After both sides used Reinforcement magic, the intensity of the fight surged instantly. Sparks scattered everywhere across the dim expanse of the dungeon.
This is bad, my sword isn't gonna hold out!
Looking at the multiplying nicks on his iron sword, Arthur felt a pang of heartache. Even though it was cheap trash worth less than a thousand Cole, it was still his most valuable asset.
“Ah, dammit! Sorry—I'm gonna have to get a little serious—!”
As he shouted this, the mana around Arthur suddenly surged.
Seeing this, Shulim leaped backward to open up some distance.
“Flame Sword—!!!”
Whoosh—!
Serpent-like flames coiled around Arthur's body before rapidly spreading over the iron sword, transforming it into a massive sword of fire.
“This fighting style...”
This was not a spell actually named Flame Sword, but a combat style he had developed by combining fire magic with close-quarters martial skill.
“If we stop now, we can still sit down and talk this out nicely!”
Arthur held the giant flame sword, pointing it at Shulim without launching an immediate attack.
“...Let me think.”
Arthur: “?”
How did he do it again...
“【ᛖᛃᚱᚪיᛏᚠᛜᛁᛄᚾᛒᛜᚢᚪᛖᛡᛞᚠᛟᛃᛜᚣᛏᚠᚢᛜᛣᛒᚱᚠᛋᛜᛣᚢᛜᛞᛈᛃᛡᛚᛖᛋ】”
“Fire Thorn.”
This was originally a Third-Tier fire restraint spell, but the boy before her had developed a new way to apply it.
Whoosh—!
“N-No way—?!!”
Arthur's eyes nearly popped out of his head. Looking at the identical giant flame sword opposite him, he felt a surge of pure absurdity.
She... copied it after seeing it just once?!
That's my specialty move!!!
“Let us continue.”
Boom!
As the words left her lips, the roaring giant flame sword struck toward him.
“No way! W-Wait a minute...!”
A while later, Arthur was sitting on the ground looking thoroughly battered, while before him, a sleek, deep-purple sword was leveled right at his face.
“Regarding the partnership,” Shulim said calmly, “I approve.”
She then sheathed her sword.
Arthur let out a breath of relief and complained, “Your way of giving approval is seriously way too dangerous...”
As he spoke, he patted the dust off himself and stood up.
He extended his right fist.
“Allow me to introduce myself again. I'm Arthur. Please look after me from now on!”
“Mm. Shulim.”
Shulim also extended her right fist, bumping it against his.
The partnership agreement was officially established.
...
It was three days after meeting Arthur.
Shulim witnessed a dramatic scene.
Slap—!
In the bustling plaza of Manacos Magic Academy, a crisp slap caught the attention of passersby.
“Pervert! Trash! Scum! How can you even call yourself a noble?!”
Two noble girls were fiercely shouting at a noble boy. Tears glistened in the eyes of one, while the other's face was filled with indignation.
Across from them, the noble boy who had been slapped out of nowhere held his red, swollen right cheek, looking completely bewildered and lost.
“Listen to me, I really didn't do it!”
The noble boy was breaking into a sweat from anxiety.
“What is there left to explain?!” the indignant noble girl berated loudly. “We caught you red-handed! You underwear thief! Disgrace to nobles! Scumbag!”
The crowd immediately went into an uproar.
They looked at the noble boy in disbelief. Who could have guessed that a boy who looked so decently dressed would do something like this!
In an instant, whispers erupted around them, and most of the gazes directed at the boy were filled with disgust.
“I-I-I-I... I didn't! I didn't! Believe me, I really didn't steal your underwear!”
Rate on N.U.
