Chapter 81 : The Unexpected Reunion (Part 4)
The two of them began to release their power, they are still holding back but that doesn't mean they will let themselves lose.
The resolve and the urge to defeat the person before them grew even stronger during their first battle.
Iris who thought she's the strongest among her peers right now, felt challenged with the existence of this man with the black armor and distinguished name.
Rei who thought that the girl he was supposed to protect in the future could be this strong, made him want to grow even stronger so he could be the one who stands in front of her.
'I will defeat him/her for sure!!'
They shouted internally and getting themselves ready.
"This has to be stopped!" Miranda shouted. As she's about to walk in, she was stopped by Hughes who raised his hand and getting in her way.
"Hughes–?!" Miranda looked at him in surprise when she saw her husband's face twisted into a wide grin, thinking this fight would be much more Interesting than before.
Rei and Iris began to buff themselves with their own skills.
'[Beast Will]....[Power Muscle]....[Sprint].'
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[STATUS]
NAME: Kiritsuka Rei / Ray Houston
JOB : Blacksmith
Level: 65
[HP: 7350/7350]
[MP: 905/905]
[FATIGUE: 0]
EXP: 300/70500
STATUS POINT : 50
__
STRENGTH : 231 (+35) (+40)
AGILITY : 155(+5) (+35) (+60)
VITALITY : 160 (+35)
INTELLIGENCE : 155(+5)
SENSE : 140(+5)
=======================================
The aura that appeared when he buffed his body, merged into one with Rei's red aura.
'[Enchant : Strength], [Enchant : Shield], [Enchant : Speed], [Sword Dance].'
=======================================
[STATUS]
NAME: Iris May Welford/ Hanamachii Yomi
JOB : Magic Swordsman
[Level: 38]
[HP: 4770/4770]
[MP: 1810/1810]
[FATIGUE: 0]
EXP: 0/16500
STATUS POINT : 0
______
STRENGTH : 128(+15) (+70) (+30)
AGILITY : 128 (+50) (+30)
VITALITY : 108 (+50)
INTELLIGENCE : 226(+15)
SENSE : 90(+15)
=======================================
Iris was pretty much the same as him. The aura that came from her buff magic, merged themselves with her blue aura.
It was quite an unbelievable sight, what's with them became even stronger in mere seconds.
Iris and Rei stared at each other as their eyes shining brightly after using their skills. After that, they jumped straight to each other without hesitation and swung both of their swords.
'[Omni-Slash].'
They said as their swords clashed with each other.
*TAK*
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*TAK*
They swung and thrusted their swords again...
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*TAK*
And again...
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*TAK*
And again...
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*TAK*
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*TAK* *TAK* *TAK* *TAK* *TAK* *TAK* *TAK* *TAK* *TAK* *TAK* *TAK* *TAK* *TAK* *TAK* *TAK* *TAK* *TAK* *TAK* *TAK* *TAK* *TAK*
A loud noises came from their wooden sword clashing to one another, they both increased their speed as they moved themselves and their swords in blinding speed within seconds, and the strikes are coming from every direction.
*SWOOSH*
Rei swung his sword with his heavy vertical slash.
*TAK*
Iris blocked it with the back of her sword and swiftly deflected his sword aside.
*SWOOSH*
Iris quickly thrusted her sword aimed to his neck.
*TAK*
Rei blocked it with the back of his left arm armor guard by shifting the direction of her sword aimed, he doesn't care to use his body to shield it.
*SWOOSH*
Then he swung his sword again that on his other hand from another direction.
*TAK*
But Iris blocked it by pulling her sword back within short high speed, she thrust her sword again...
...block, strike, block, strike, block, strike. They kept this exchange going for quite a while.
It was very intense since it's enough to create strong shockwaves around them. However, they were more focused on their fight rather than their surrounding.
"Ojou-sama!!" Silvi called her name in between their fight.
"Crimson-san! You must stop!" Miranda called his name as well.
The rest of the people who spectated this fight were in awe but at the same time worried. It was just a test but their fight looked more like...
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like a fight to the death.
'To make up for my lack of strength...I used mana to envelop my sword.' Iris thought as their sword clashed again.
'And now...our strength are equal!!' Iris couldn't help but feel something, something she didn't felt in a while.
Excitement.
Her heart was thumping fast, her body began to heat up and her mind became blank for just a moment.
As if this is the first time she has an actual fight because the fight with that Demon from long ago didn't count because she wasn't herself.
But this time, it's diffirent...she became much stronger than before.
And Rei felt the same, he never thought he could fight with someone of her level.
Someone of his own age. They're clashing their swords and having fun with it. Rei unconsciously smiled throughout the fight together with Iris as well.
But they couldn't fight any longer than this. They must ended this fight because they still have another thing to do today.
And so....
*SHINGGGG*
Their swords began to shine as their aura spiked up and channeled to their wooden blade.
'This will be the last!!' They shouted and...
Rei swung his sword while Iris thrust her own
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*SWOOSH*
*TWINGGGG* *BOOM*
Their sword clashed for one last time, creating large explosion that was enough to shake the whole room.
The spectators shielded their eyes after an explosion occurred in front of them but when the worst of it finally died down, they tried to look again and saw there's a lot of smoke surrounding the two of them in the arena.
As the smokes began to dissipate, they saw two silhouettes who stood in the middle of it.
Rei and Iris were standing still...
While holding onto what remains of their wooden sword, the handle.
The two of them stared at each other for a moment. That was, until...
*SWOOSH*
*SHUUSTH*
Rei activited his skill from his glove as it enveloped his hand with red aura that formed into claw, while Iris created a sword out of dark energy from her hand.
'[Beast Claw].'
'[Shadow Blade].'
As Rei's claws about to grasp her and Iris' shadow blade about to strike him...
A sudden voice made them stop
"THAT'S ENOUGH!!"
The two of them turned their heads to see Hughes with a frown on his face. He managed to stop them before their skills could reach the other in a very last second.
The man walked towards them then, "I must admit that was a great fight, but any further you will ended up killing someone. There's a limit to everything."
"Did you forget it was just a test?!" Miranda followed closely from behind and shouted at them furiously.
"Miranda, calm down."
"Calm down?! How am I supposed to calm down when they both are fighting so...so recklessly like that!" Miranda glared.
"I know it was an amazing fight but what the hell are you thinking?! Both of you should have stopped when your weapon broke into pieces! Are you some sort of maniac?!" Miranda scolded.
But Rei and Iris did not show any sign of guilt or remorse and they pointed at each other instead.
"But that was just normal." The two of them spoke in sync.
"Huh?!"
They stared at each other for a moment. "You too?"
"Yeah, I mean...don't you need to fight to death to gain experience?" Rei shrugged while speaking calmly.
Miranda pinched the bridge of her nose, squeezing her eyes shut as if trying to reduce the headache coming her way, " 'fighting to death' of *course*, why am i not surprised."
"But..I was taught that you need to use everything to win the fight even if you didn't have a weapon." Iris explained.
"W-well that's true, but fighting like you need to survive when you train is diffirent!" Miranda spoke.
"Like what kind of teacher who would teach you things like that!"
"My master/sensei?" They spoke together while tilting their head.
Miranda lifted both of her hands up as she looked down with a deep sigh, giving up, "both of you are insane, right from the start."
'And who the hell is their master to teach them like that! If it's Crimson then that's okay but for a young lady like her?!' Miranda grunted in her mind.
Hughes laughed out loud as he approached them, "Hahaha! this is the first time I saw Miranda in so much distress!"
"Shut up, you were the first maniac!"
"And yet, you married this maniac~" Hughes teased.
Miranda pouted like a child, folding her hands to her chest and looked away "Hmph, whatever"
"Well...jokes aside, I think both of you took the fight way too seriously, even after I have told you to hold back...especially you Crimson." Hughes shifted his eyes at Rei.
Rei nodded his head, "I am holding back...that was 30% of my actual power, probably."
"You literally almost blew up the whole room!" Hughes gestured with his hands but sighed deeply, "Anyway, what surprises me more is you...Young Lady Welford, I never thought you were hiding this kind of power."
"Well~ I just don't like showing off my power to anyone, except when I truly needed it~"
"And was that all you got in that fight?"
"Ara~ surely you know that you must show one or two and left the others hidden in the fight, right?~" Iris replied with a sweet smile.
'I see, so she's holding back...' Hughes sighed, '...why do i feel like talking to the same person' shifted his eyes at Rei again.
"Well that's true...but you also did too much. But nevertheless your both weapons got destroyed, so I concluded that the fight was...
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"...a draw!" Hughes declared.
'A draw.' Iris and Rei thought as they glanced to each other.
"Since this is the result of the fight, what will it be? I mean although that young man there was the one who provoke you into fighting, he did lose."
Hughes pointed out Albert as he was struck by the hurtful fact.
"Ugh!"
"But since you, young lady came to replace him, I don't know how to decide this." Hughes explained.
Iris held her chin as she was thinking about it, "Well you don't have to ask me, I already accepted him the moment he came into that room."
Rei looked at her, then closed his eyes and nodded his head, "I'm the same, I was ready to accept any offer she made."
This confused the others because they seem to share a lot of similar thoughts, as if they were talking telephatically.
But it shouldn't be possible because they just met today and it left a question for the others.
"Then how come you both are fighting like this." Miranda asked.
Rei and Iris pointed at each other, "Well....
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I wanna test him/her."
They spoke in sync once again, and it made Miranda sigh.
"I can't believe this...well, since we have our conclusion, the test is over!" Miranda announced, and that concluded the fight.
Although the two of them aren't satisfied with the result, but they somehow understood each other better now.
Through their swords.
"Once again...nice meeting you, young lady Welford, my name is Crimson." Rei extended his arm to her.
Iris smiled and gave him a handshake. "Nice to meet you, Crimson...my name is Iris...Iris May Welford."
Iris and Rei were otherworlders who came from the same world, but they didn't recognize each other yet. But even so, one thing's for sure is that...they have a strong bond that could help them look after each other.
******
After that intense fight, all of them gathered at one place once again.
The Hatchler Inn.
"Cheers!!"
*CLINK*
The party started just like that by clashing their drinks together.
It was a celebration for Fang and Andrew's teams for coming back from their hard long quest. And Rei as their leader.
Sitting next to them, is Iris and her companion. They were forced to join when Rei came together with them.
The party was definitely lively, there's drinks and plenty of food with big portions around the table.
*GULP*
'Woah, so big.'
It was the first time Albert saw such a thing like this. He did live at the Academy but he has never seen this kind of scene before.
'So lively...is this what you call..."a feast" in Adventurer's term?'
Even Iris who has gone to several parties as a noble, she never had this kind of event.
"What's wrong?! You all should eat!" Fang spoke to them with wide smile.
In this past 6 months, he didn't change that much, but his body began to buff up a bit due to gaining more muscle and the aura he emit is much stronger. But he hid it with his easy-going look, as if hiding his fangs. Just like a beast.
"Fang-san, I think you shouldn't force them too much." Andrew smiled.
Meanwhile Andrew is changed more than anyone else. He became much more handsome and it could be said that he still look innocent despite growing much taller and having stronger features. Like Fang, he trained under Rei's guidance and so he became far stronger than he used to be.
Iris observed them one by one using her [Status Appraisal], all of them are above average, but the ones who stood out the most were Fang and Andrew.
'Hmmmm...they all looks so strong, especially these two seems stronger than the rest, I think they are at the level of our elites.'
'But...'
When Iris looks at Rei to use her [Status Appraisal], the status were shown but not his name.
=======================================
[STATUS]
NAME: ?????
JOB : ?????
Level: 65
[HP: 7350/7350]
[MP: 905/905]
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STRENGTH : 231 (+35)
AGILITY : 155(+5)
VITALITY : 160
INTELLIGENCE : 155(+5)
SENSE : 140(+5)
=======================================
'Is this some sort of bug? or my level is still low?' Iris sighed, 'But well...i know the reason why he's that strong now.'
Iris thought while sipping on her glass of juice.
'Mhm! It's quite tasty–'
*DROP*
"...?!!"
Suddenly, a dish was dropped down in front of her by the big lady who towered over her from the side.
It was the owner of the Hatchler Inn, Hilda.
"Ouh! New faces? I see, you must be the new comer that the folks talking about!" Hilda greeted them with a wide grin.
"My name is Hilda, the owner of this Inn and if you have anything to ask, you can come and ask me!"
"Thank you Hilda-san, I appreciate your service and kindness. My name is Iris, nice to meet you~" Iris introduced herself with a smile and Hilda leaned closer to her.
Iris blinked curiously when she moved closer to her, "Hmm?"
"Hoooo, aren't cha quite cute~ no–more like a real beauty~ let me guess you came from a noble family right?~"
Iris smiled, "Yes I am, how did you know?"
"Hahaha! Just from my experience! I mean, there's no way you could be just an ordinary girl with those strong people as your guard."
"I see...is there something wrong with me coming from a noble family?"
"Nope! There's nothing wrong with it, in this Hatchler Inn, everyone can come and go, but please don't cause trouble around here or else..."
Hilda began to grin widely, "You have to face me."
Iris felt a sudden chill down her spine and she responded with a nervous smile.
'Such a strong pressure...it seems she isn't just your ordinary inn owner.' Iris gulped while feeling her cold sweat trickling down her face.
But after a few seconds she regained her composure and smiled at her, "I understand."
"Mm! Good, good!"
Iris nodded, "I can see why this place became as it is with you as the owner, this is a wonderful place to gather from what I have seen." Iris looked at the table next to them.
She looked at Rei and his teammates, laughing and eating their food with so much joy.
"I see, I see." Hilda nodded with her big smile, shifting her eyes towards Albert, "And what about you, young lad?"
As they chat, Albert was confused to eat which food since there's a lot of it to choose from the table.
"Ah- yes?"
"Are you enjoying your dinner?"
"Yes, it looks delightful but...it's quite hard for me to choose which ones to eat first."
Hilda laughed, "Hahaha! Well I don't think this kind of food is something you Nobles usually eat but I can guarantee they are all delicious and caught fresh beforehand!"
"I see, I think I would like to try it now."
"Eat, eat! Become big and strong, young ones like you need some muscle!"
"I thank you for that." Albert nodded.
"And now, phew...I never thought I would see a familiar face in this place again." Hilda suddenly approached a certain someone who sat together with them.
"It's been a while Silvi." Hilda called her name.
Silvi stiffened, she was eating her food quietly and looked like she's trying to not be recognized.
"Do you think you can blend in by erasing your presence? Especially when you know you can't fool me."
Silvi swallowed her food, and replied to her calmly, "As expected of you, to think you would notice me this fast."
"Heh, well I don't hate that part of you. Also, no offense, but damn you're a maid now huh." Hilda mentioned as she looked at her attire.
"I should be the one who said that...I never thought someone as rough like you would be an Inn owner." Silvi retorted.
Hilda shrugged, "It's my retirement plan from long ago, but you, you have more ambition than me...how could you end up becoming someone's maid?"
"Hmmm...it's quite an unpleasant topic that I don't want to talk about, I'm sorry." Silvi looked down to her food, looking grim.
"I see...well, I won't pry any further but I'm glad you look healthy now."
Silvi smiled, "Of course, I am required to be fit and healthy in order to keep serving my Ojou-sama, since I am indebted to her with my life."
Hilda laughed, "Hahaha! It seems she's very loved huh?"
As they talked, Iris, Albert and Harson looked at them with surprise evident in their face and it was enough for them to stop eating their food for a while.
Iris raised her hand, "Ummm..."
Hilda noticed her raised hand, "Hmmm? Is there something wrong, Young lady?"
"It's nothing wrong but...how do you both know each other? What kind of connection do you have with Silvi?"
"Did she not tell you??" Hilda blinked for a moment then she shifted her eyes at Silvi who looked away nervously.
"Hmmm~ I see I see~ now I know what's going on here~" Hilda suddenly smirked.
"H-hilda! Don't say anything anymore!" Silvi flushed when Hilda leaned closer to Iris.
"I shall tell you this...in the past, we were on the same team." Hilda whispered.
Iris widened her eyes when she heard this for the first time, "You and Silvi?!"
"Correct! Not only that! we were one of the S-class adventurers from Aven Town!"
"S-class?!" Iris turned her head towards Silvi, "You were?!"
Silvi fidgeted a bit and nodded, "Yes...Ojou-sama."
Iris blinked twice and her mouth was slightly parted open, 'I never knew...that an S-class Adventurer would be working under me.'
'And here I thought she was just a former ordinary Adventurer, but I guess considering her strength and the fact that she's the grandchild of the two Legends of the kingdom, it should be expected...'
Meanwhile, Silvi was flustered after her master knew about her past identity.
Hilda grinned, she has another idea to tease her.
"Oh, by the way, do you wanted to know her title that was given by people in the past?"
"She has a title?" Iris asked curiously.
"Wait–Hilda?!" Silvi's face became even redder.
"Yes and don't be suprised, her title really match herself perfectly...she was called as, [The Silver Princess, Silvi]."
"[The Silver Princess, Silvi]." Iris eyes sparkled when she heard it. It sounds so cool!
"Yes, it's because of her Ice magic and equally cold personality. She has beautiful silver hair too, of course many guys tried to court her but they all got turned down coldly."
"I know I know, Silvi has such a beautiful hair! It's quite weird for her not to get a husband already!"
"Right?!"
Hilda and Iris talked excitedly about Silvi, as if the said person wasn't sitting there, hearing everything they're talking about. Meanwhile, Silvi's face turned unbelievably red, seems like she couldn't handle the barrage of compliments from those two.
Meanwhile Albert and Harson continue to eat in silence as they listened in to their conversation,
'Cute.' Harson thought while munching on his food.
Iris and Hilda laughed until Iris' eyes fell at Rei who sat with the others.
Hilda noticed her gaze, and smiled. "Are you curious about Crimson?"
"E-eh? N-no...I-i mean yes." Iris was flustered when she was found out.
Hilda laughed, "Hahaha! That's okay! I mean who wouldn't be curious at someone as interesting as him."
Iris nodded, "Yeah...it's just hard to believe that there's someone as strong as he is in this town."
"Well you could say that he found us instead, he's a weird guy and quite the scary one when he came here for the first time."
"Does people really think of him that way?"
"Well is there anyone out there who would eat with his helmet on? And never, for once, remove it?"
"Ugh...I don't think there are."
"Right? and because of his armor looks like that, he sometimes Intimidate some people he met."
"Yes, I can see that clearly."
"Mhm, but deep down behind that helmet, he was a kind and warm person." Hilda smiled. "Look at his teammates, how they were able to laugh and chat with ease with someone like that between them."
"I bet he has the power to connect people and from what I heard, he also taught them how to fight, despite having rank differences."
Iris was pleasantly surprised upon finding that out and then looked at Rei again, "I see."
'So he trained them all? To that kind of level?'
Small smile formed on her face, as if she understood him already, "I think I could understand what you mean."
Because previously, Iris was taught by her teacher–Rowan....
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to sense someone's personality just from the exchange of swords.
'From that fight with him...I could understand his inner thought and what kind of person he is.'
'From the way he fight, it was ruthless and you could even say ferocious as if the technique he used are for subduing and killing someone. But deep behind that swing, if you peel out his outer layers....
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You will find a warm and kind feeling...as if he would do anything to protect someone even if he has to become a monster himself.' Iris thought and closed her eyes.
'Everytime when we exchange swords...it makes me even more curious about what kind of identity you were hiding under that helmet of yours.'
"Hilda-san, does Crimson-san have a title of his own?" Iris decided to ask about it as her final question.
"His title? Hah! Well this is the most interesting part of his, despite only just being a C-class, he already has his own title."
"Can you tell me?"
Hilda smiled.
"He was known as...
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[The Wrath Knight, Crimson]."
To be continue...