Chapter 49: The captain was hit

The dining room was spacious, with plenty of open floor space around the tables. EeDechi and Brain stood at opposite ends of the clearing, facing each other with cold stares, ready to "spar" a bit.

EeDechi's face was blank, her posture loose and casual, as if she didn't give a damn about Brain.

Brain, on the other hand, was all business. His left hand gripped the scabbard, his right clutched the hilt, and his feet were spread apart, poised for action.

Brain half-drew his slightly curved long sword, and EeDechi's lazy eyes suddenly sparked, locking onto the blade in his hand.

The adventurer captain's brow furrowed slightly, her hand brushing the hilt of the giant sword strapped to his back. That's when Brain made his move.

He lunged forward, drawing his sword in a flash. His muscular arm swung, the blade's cold gleam slicing through the air, aimed straight at EeDechi's head!

But he deliberately used the back of the blade, so when it came down and met EeDechi's head, it only made a dull THUNK.

One hit, clean and done! Brain was pleased with himself. He sheathed his sword, a mocking smirk curling his lips. "All that big talk earlier, and I thought you'd be something special. Guess you're just all bark, no bite."

When he struck, EeDechi's eyes were blank, like she didn't even register what was happening. So he'd only used the back of the blade to smack this cocky adventurer girl on the head, hoping to knock some sense into her.

Brain had figured that after taking a hit to the head, this stiff, serious girl would at least yelp in pain or maybe clutch her head and jump around—that would've been way more entertaining. But EeDechi just stood there, stone-faced as ever, which left Brain bored as hell.

"Clearly, your skills don't match your big mouth. Go practice some more," Brain said with a shake of his head, turning to head back to his seat at the banquet.

"Hold up, let's go again," EeDechi called out, brushing a few strands of hair messed up by the back of his blade.

Brain waved her off. "Fight's over. No need."

"If you're too scared to fight, then let me take a look at that sword of yours," EeDechi shot back, her tone still rude as hell, dripping with a bossy attitude.

This girl still hasn't learned her lesson, Brain thought.

"Fine, one more round," he said.

Brain stepped back into the clearing, and the two faced off again. He drew his sword with a flash, the blade's cold gleam slicing through the air. His furious strikes wove a web of silver lines, like a storm of blades raining down on EeDechi.

But this time, things were different. EeDechi moved with light steps, her body twisting and dodging, a streak of black lightning weaving through the net of his blade. She slipped past every one of Brain's precise strikes with ease.

Brain took a step back, sheathing his sword, his expression turning grim. He could tell this girl's movements had suddenly gotten way faster—freakishly so.

EeDechi looked at Brain, finally drawing the giant sword from her back. With a straight face, she offered, "Maybe you should try using a Martial Art."

Brain's mouth twitched. He was being underestimated, and it was time to get serious. Using a Martial Art might end up deadly, but this girl needed to be taught a lesson.

His left thumb pressed against the round guard of his sword, pushing the blade out of its sheath just a finger's length. His right hand gripped the hilt tightly, his eyes locked in focus.

In an instant, his pupils dilated.

Martial Art: Field, activated!

Martial Art: God Flash, activated!

The two merged into one: Martial Art: Tiger's Throat Bite!

Brain lunged forward like a pouncing tiger, his blade roaring out of its sheath with a piercing, thunderous gleam, slashing toward EeDechi's arm with the force of a raging storm!

But the sword halted mid-strike. The razor-sharp blade felt like it had slammed into a mountain, caught in a crevice of stone, its ferocious power vanishing without a trace.

Brain's face twisted in shock. He stared at his sword, dumbfounded, as EeDechi's hand steadily gripped the blade, holding it as casually as if it were a plain iron rod.

"Did you really use a Martial Art?" EeDechi asked through the glinting blade, her eyes earnest, not a hint of mockery in her tone.

"You…" Brain instinctively tried to yank his sword back, but it was as if the blade had fused with EeDechi. No matter how hard he pulled on the hilt, the sword wouldn't budge an inch.

EeDechi yanked the blade, sending a surge of force straight through the hilt. Brain stumbled forward, letting go of the sword to avoid crashing face-first into the ground.

He stared at EeDechi, his eyes filled with dread. Suddenly, he was thrown back to that night—the first time he ever doubted his martial skills. A silver-haired girl in a black dress had faced his deadliest strike, effortlessly caught his sword, and then defeated him with just the nail of her pinky.

EeDechi's mind wasn't nearly as turbulent. She studied the sword she'd snatched, turning it over in her hands. Under the white glow of the magic crystal chandelier, the slender blade with its subtle curve gleamed with a cold, sharp light.

Still gripping the blade, she muttered to herself, "Look at the blade pattern, the tsuba, and that sharkskin grip—yep, definitely a Japanese katana."

The adventurer captain focused on the sword and cast a spell:

5th Tier Magic: Artifact Appraisal!

Lines of text appeared in her vision.

[Item Name: Japanese Katana]

[Type: Sword]

[Source: Item generated by the YGGDRASIL system]

[Quality: Decent]

[Enchantments: Sharp edge, rust-free, lotus leaf surface]

[Note: This was a weapon once used by the subordinate of one of the Eight Greed Kings' favorite underlings—Gray Night Samurai.]

[古代の戦場(Ancient battlefield)

土地を引き出すナイフ(A blade that draws out the land)

血の音(The sound of blood)]

EeDechi's gaze lingered on the cryptic Japanese text at the end, her brow furrowing in thought. "This… is this some kind of haiku written by Google Translate?"

Nearby, Barrett, watching the fight, shook his head. This outcome didn't surprise him—he knew the captain's strength all too well.

Still, he couldn't help but grumble to himself. EeDechi, always trying to play the big shot in front of the princess, had to go and let herself take a hit, getting whacked on the head with a sword. This whole "play weak to crush them later" act was a bit much, wasn't it?

But Barrett had it wrong. Truth was, at the very start of the duel, when Brain drew his sword, EeDechi's eyes caught the unique design of the blade. From its shape, she pegged it as likely a Japanese katana.

But this was an isekai world of swords and sorcery—where did a Japanese katana come from? Distracted by the thought, the already laid-back EeDechi zoned out for a moment, letting Brain land a hit on her head. Not that it mattered—even if Brain had swung the sharp edge, it wouldn't have scratched her.

Snapping back to the moment, EeDechi fixed her gaze on the terrified Brain and asked, deadly serious, "This sword—where did you get it?"

Brain didn't answer. His face was pale, twisted in despair. "Are… are you going to kill me?"

He still remembered that night facing Shalltear, the silver-haired girl in the black dress. Back then, he realized no matter how hard he trained his entire life, he'd never match her strength. Trapped with no escape, no way to fight back, he'd been consumed by hopelessness and fear. Now, facing this adventurer with equally terrifying power, he thought she must be cut from the same cloth as that girl.

"Why would I kill you?" EeDechi frowned. "What's with you, kid? Can't handle a little loss? You look like you've seen a ghost. Let's eat first, and I'll grill you about this later."

EeDechi knew the info tied to that sword—YGGDRASIL, the Eight Greed Kings, the Gray Yaksha—was huge. Like Ainz Ooal Gown, they might not even belong to this world.

Princess Renner, who'd been sitting primly at the banquet, stepped forward and urged the shaken Brain to return to his seat and finish dinner. Brain was technically under her command now, having done some jobs for her.

Renner had thrown this modest banquet hoping to win over EeDechi and her crew, the Last Defender of the Way adventurer team. But she hadn't expected EeDechi to be so damn disrespectful, ignoring royal etiquette with crude behavior. It pissed Renner off, but she couldn't exactly kick her out.

Then Brain showed up, got into a spat with EeDechi, and they started throwing down.

As the host, Renner should've stopped the duel, but she wanted Brain, the genius swordsman once on par with the former Warrior Captain Gazef, to knock EeDechi down a peg. She didn't intervene. What she didn't see coming was EeDechi wiping the floor with Brain, whose skills were legendary. That bumped EeDechi up a few notches in Renner's estimation.

The banquet wrapped up, everyone stuffed and happy—except for Brain, Sean, and Stella.

Princess Renner set down her empty wine goblet and turned to EeDechi, her tone earnest. "I've got a job I'd like to entrust to you. Can we talk privately?"