The Spearmaster and the Black Cat

nsidered to have murdered Marin’s parents.” (Shuuya)

Hearing my words, the Earl obediently nods a few times.
And, as if he was struck by an idea, he opened his mouth after revealing an expression that showed signs of him smirking evilly.

“… That’s fine, I guess.
However, what will be the condition in case of your defeat?” (Makfol)

Can I pay it with some compensation?
This rich boy Earl is negotiating unexpectedly.
I already got on the ship, er rather, on the plank.
Going with the flow, there’s nothing but going straight ahead.

“… I bet all of me.” (Shuuya)

“Oooh, got it.
Stick to your words.
Oi, Bimiyal, prepare the contract paper right away.” (Makfol)

The Earl seems to be excited with his blue eyes sparkling.
His chubby head is swaying and his nasal breathing is rough as well.

“Yes.” (Bimiyal)

Bimiyal shows a glad-looking response, too, and returns to the back.
She headed to a file cabinet which has been installed at the wall.

“Cellonias and Shuuya, you will fight in the front garden right away.” (Makfol)

Once the Earl urges us on like that, he stands up from his chair and moves his fat body that looks heavy.

“I leave it to you.” (Cellonias)

Cellonias bowed respectfully.

“Roger—” (Shuuya)

I acknowledge it as well.

“Nyao.” (Rollo)

Rollo, who was curled up inside my hood, moves to my shoulder.
She purred with an out-of-place voice, but no one pointed that out.
Everyone in this place, including the Earl, heads to the entranceway in succession.
While walking, the priestess Marin Peradas had a worried expression and opened her mouth as she felt depressed.

“Shuuya-san, is it alright for you to form such an agreement? In addition, because of me…” (Marin)

“No, it’s fine if you don’t worry, Marin.
Well, I will try to go with the intention of boarding a large boat.” (Shuuya)

… By no means will I get on a boat made of mud that is boarded by racoons*. (T/N: Here in the meaning of “sly foxes”)

“Nn, nyao.” (Rollo)

Rollo also releases a meow similar to 『It will be alright nya』 with a throaty voice and taps my shoulder with one paw.

“Haa…” (Marin)

Is the priestess Marin not fully satisfied with the explanation? Breathing a sigh, her expression is oozing with the colour of anxiety.
Even after hearing my words and seeing Rollo’s attitude, her uneasiness apparently hasn’t been wiped away.
While having such an exchange, we arrive at the front garden.
It’s a beautiful garden which had stone tatami, spreading out on the natural lawn, set up sporadically.
It’s a place where flower beds and pale stone monuments, which are goddess statues, have been placed.
Simple chairs and tables have been put on top of the pretty lawn of the garden.
The servants prepared the setting by working briskly and restlessly.
Sitting down on an arranged chair, the Earl holds a tea cup, which was put on top a brand new tablecloth, in his hand and brings it to his lips.
While sipping on the black tea, he moves to cross his legs, but since his legs are fat, he repeated and failed several times to cross them.

“… Well then, start at any time.” (Makfol)

The Earl raises one hand to signal that it’s fine to begin.
I advance to the centre by walking on the pavement.
And, shifting my sight to Rollo who is on my shoulder, I told her in a whisper 「Leave me for a bit」.
Rollo separates from me while releasing a short, throaty voice.
Once the mercenary-styled man, who was called Cellonias, draws his curved longsword from his waist, he side steps on the lawn and measures the distance while examining my state.
Even though I have confirmed his gaze with a sidelong glance, I deliberately check the surroundings.
I have thought about it a number of times, but it’s a really beautiful garden.
It’s probably the hobby of that Earl? Well, it’s not a bad hobby.
Rollo appears to be observing after climbing on a narrow opening of a small brick flower bed.
She has arranged her two forepaws on top of a platform as if being a doll.
The priestess was next to the Earl.
Placing both hands over her chest, she stands still while looking worried.

“Youngster.
Do you have the leeway to look away? What about your weapon? If it’s the carriage, it’s stopped at the front.” (Cellonias)

I’m not at an age to be called youngster though.
Cellonias in front of me says with an appearance of looking down on me.
It’s an one-on-one showdown.
It’s quite the exciting development.
I’m yearning for excitement.
For some reason such words are played back in my brain with a deep voice.
It’s not a line that should come out in this place.
I have confidence that I would laugh and suddenly spit out milk from my mouth completely like that if that fat Earl had mentioned such thing.

“Oi, I’m telling you to take out your weapon.
What are you smiling for?” (Cellonias)

“… Sorry, if it’s a weapon, I have one —” (Shuuya)

Accordingly I summon the Magic Spear Baldok into my right hand.
Watching me who made a weapon manifest abruptly, even the Earl, who drank black tea while sitting, was surprised, just like Cellonias, and spurt out the tea he was drinking.

“Hou…” (Cellonias)

What’s with that “Hou?”
Though you didn’t expect it either…
I want to punish that composed bearded face, but… to improve the Earl’s impression, it’s not good to torment his subordinates too much.
I will follow that master swordman’s example here and go with waiting for the “counter.”
Setting up the magic spear on my right shoulder while being in a stance of the legs being in a L-shape, I glared at my opponent with a look as if killing them.
Raising my left hand, in order to invite my opponent… I repeatedly beckon him with several fingers.

“Come.
Is that curved longsword a decoration just like your nether region?” (Shuuya)

“Shut up, brat.
Aaah!! Pshaw —” (Cellonias)

— Caught him.
Just like a commander of some warring state, Cellonias shouts while giving me a piercing look and drawing his arranged eyebrows towards the centre.
And, once he prepared his longsword, he ran up to me in one go.

“Chesttt —” (Cellonias)

He releases a yell of fighting spirit.
It was similar to a stance like the revelation style handed down in Satsuma.
It looks like he is aiming to diagonally slash his sword from the shoulder from the left side.
He entered the spear’s distance.
However, I make Cellonias swing the sword on purpose.
Cellonias lowered the sword to cut without using any feints.
While confirming the trajectory of sword which has been swung down, I shifted my torso half a step with the least motion and avoided the beheading sword while feeling the wind pass by.
In that moment Cellonias changes the movement of the curved sword, which had been swung down, into a following rising slash after turning it over.
As expected of the Knight Commander.
But, that second sword strike, the slashing attack isn’t allowed to thrive — swinging the magic spear, I held shortly, bit by bit, I create the character ∞ by drawing an 8 with the spearhead.
The ∞ trajectory of the red spear clashes with the overturned curved sword of Cellonias.
The curved sword, which entered diagonally, gets stuck in, as if being sucked in, between the red spear’s little trench and the red axe blade.
The hand grasping the hilt of the curved sword gets twisted instantaneously.

“— Oww.” (Cellonias)

Unable to bear the pain in the arm that was twisted, Cellonias let go of the sword.
The curved sword falls down as if leaping to the ground.
Having been made to abandon his weapon, I entered the opponent’s bosom and tread on Cellonias’ right foot’s backside with a vertical heel kick with my left foot’s bottom.

“Gyaa —” (Cellonias)

Cellonias stops moving after being pinned to the ground.
From there I aimed for a plain grapple.
Rotating my magic spear, which I had transferred into my left hand, I fix it on Cellonias’ back.
At moment I switched to a stance of being glued closely to him, I make him eat a blow to his solar plexus with the iron on my right elbow while taking even less than a second.
I move back diagonally while hitting Cellonias’ flank with the underside of my right hand similar to swinging down a hammer.
When I retreated, I was able to insert the magic spear’s end between Cellonias’ both legs and made him tumble down.
Cellonias, who fell to the ground, doesn’t even move with a twitch.
Originally I would finish it with a hit to the crown of the head after cutting his legs, but changed it into only making him fall down without cutting his legs either.
Cellonias, who is lying on the ground, can be considered to have lost consciousness at the moment he received the elbow attack to his solar plexus.
On top of not moving while kissing the ground as if he was brought down by Akebono*, he is incontinent and defecating, but… well, since he hasn’t died, it’s probably alright. (T/N: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akebono_Tarō)
His magic combat style wasn’t loaded with much mana either.
As the duel finished too quickly, the vicinity was wrapped up in silence.
The Earl’s side seems unable to believe how easily Cellonias was defeated.

“Nn, nya.” (Rollo)

Rollo, who observed, comes back.
Getting on my shoulder she hits it with a tap-tap as if saying “Good work.”
I look at the Earl’s group.
The priestess is repeatedly blinking her eyes in surprise while being taken aback.
The Earl let his teacup fall to the ground.
His subordinate Bimiyal doesn’t seem to be capable of understanding what has happened.
Making the magic spear in my right hand disappear, I walk towards the location of the Earl’s group who is dumbfounded.
While the other largely-built men are scared by that action, they ran to the Earl’s side in order to protect him.
The magician Bimiyal prepares by holding a pen instead of a wand for some reason.
It’s a dangerous atmosphere, but —

“Umm, Earl-sama, please keep your promise.” (Shuuya)

I make an archaic smile.

“A-Aah, I-I know.
I will definitely keep my promise.
Bimiyal.” (Makfol)

“Y-Yess.” (Bimiyal)

“Hand over the pen and the contract.” (Makfol)

“Yes, there they are.” (Bimiyal)

The Earl scribbles on a high-class-looking parchment that was placed on the table.
The contract was finished quickly.

“I certainly received it.
Well then, please cast recovery magic on Cellonias who is sleeping on the ground over there.” (Shuuya)

“Yea, Bimiyal and the others, treat Cellonias.” (Makfol)

I hand over the document to the priestess.

“With this it will be alright for the moment, I think?” (Shuuya)

“Yes, thank you very much.
Shuuya-san, you are strong.
I got startled…” (Marin)

“Well, I guess so.” (Shuuya)

“Nyaa.” (Rollo)

Rollo purrs with a voice as if saying 『That’s natural nya』.
She hit my shoulder with a strengthened cat punch.
Once Cellonias has recovery magic cast on him, his consciousness returns.
When observing the state of Cellonias being looked after, the Earl addressed me while having a flushed face.
Is he agitated?

“You are amazing.
You are more powerful than I expected.
Shuuya, your movements just now were really great.
Albeit saying that, I wasn’t able to see them well, but I admired your technique to have ended it with a non-lethal blow.
I was pleased.
… Won’t you become my subordinate once you finish the request?” (Makfol)

“I’m sorry Earl-sama, but I have to decline.” (Shuuya)

“W-Whaaatt.
R-Really? … In that case, money, women, items…” (Makfol)

The Earl displays a disappointed expression.
Similar to Tokugawa Ieyasu* he started to chew on a fingernail. (T/N: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokugawa_Ieyasu)
Repeatedly muttering to himself, he starts to speak while opening his narrow eyes.

“Right, if it’s 10 gold, no, platinum coins, how about it? I will prepare the best woman as well.
In addition, exceeding the rank of lower retainer, let’s accept you as my Rakolazei household’s Knight Commander? It will be fine to even grant you Treasured Sword Fingeldo…” (Makfol)

“Your Excellency, what are you losing control of yourself for? That treasured sword is not allowed.
It’s a memento of your late father, isn’t it?” (Bimiyal)

His confidant Bimiyal told him to stop.

“Shut up, Bimiyal! If a sacred beast of protection like Shuuya joins, Holkerbaum will become peaceful.
Besides, someone who pleases me once is…” (Makfol)

What’s a sacred beast of protection? I ain’t no Godzilla.
Do I have to emphasize it since he seems to be insistent?

“— Earl-sama, no matter what I receive, I will never become your subordinate.
Since I have an objective, being shackled down will be troublesome.
Freedom is comfortable for me.” (Shuuya)

“Objective? That’s about the request, isn’t it?” (Makfol)

Is the Earl still unhappy? Such feelings have been put into his question.

“That’s included as well.
But it continues even after finishing the request.” (Shuuya)

“Gunununu, does it go that far? You say you don’t want money, women, honour and items because of that objective?” (Makfol)

“Yea, that’s correct.” (Shuuya)

However, does this Earl want me to become his subordinate to such an extent?

“… As my subordinate, you will acquire as much money as you want, but does that disagree with you?” (Makfol)

“Only becoming your subordinate is disagreeable.
… Honestly speaking, I want money and women.” (Shuuya)

Makfol showed further change due to my honest remark.

“Puu, ahahahaha, you are an interesting man.
You are a honest man.
You make me want you even more.” (Makfol)

“No, as I said…” (Shuuya)

“— For me there is nothing but subordinates who listen to what I say…” (Makfol)

Putting out a hand, the Earl interrupts my words.
Earl Makfol talks while lowering his look in order to leave behind the shadow in himself after seeing the faces of Bimiyal and his servants.

“… A person who refuses my temptations in such way, there isn’t a single person in my surroundings.
It seems to be always the case since my childhood.
… I’m, I’m really lonely.” (Makfol)

Once again he is biting his nails.
Being delighted, being depressed, he is a busy guy.
He begins to mutter to himself at the end of the sentence.

“— Your Excellency, am I not always at your side?” (Bimiyal)

The female secretary reveals a frantic expression.

“Bimiyal… that’s true, but then again not.” (Makfol)

Being told such thing by a beautiful female secretary… isn’t she praiseworthy?
Earl Makfol looks like he is leading a luxurious life, but as a matter of fact he is isolated within that.
It might be a life of loneliness.
I don’t feel any sympathy towards his character at all, but watching Bimiyal, her look was pure.
Therefore, affinity welled up in reverse.
It’s an opportunity.
Shall I help that beautiful secretary?

“Earl-sama, it’s just as Bimiyal-san says.
Don’t you have fine subordinates?” (Shuuya)

“True.
But, even if they are good subordinates for me, they aren’t my friends — ah, right, Shuuya, if becoming my subordinate is no good, won’t you be my friend?” (Makfol)

Friend, huh? Subordinates, since he is bossy with subordinates, it will be settled safely if I become his friend, I guess?
It’s only for now anyway.

“In case of friendship, I’m fine with becoming your friend.” (Shuuya)

Though I’m talking as if it’s fine for me to become one with a condescending attitude, the only person I can call my friend is Quiche…
Moreover I ended up bidding farewell to him.
In reality we are fellow loners.
Although a gloomy expression has appeared on my face, it doesn’t matter.

“Ooooh! You really mean that?” (Makfol)

“Yea… not more than a normal friend.
Therefore I’m not your subordinate.
That’s because I’m free, okay?” (Shuuya)

“Right.
That’s right, friend.
Ahahaha, it’s freedom.
That’s why friend.
You are my friend… from now on we will talk normally without holding anything back.
Friend.
Because we are free.” (Makfol)

“Yes, that’s true.
Haha, I’m freeeee.
What a, haha.” (Shuuya)

I feel like there was a person announcing a minor accomplishment by shouting such line.

“Nya nyaa.” (Rollo)

At that point even Rollo, who reacted to my gambolling words of “I’m free,” started to grumble something.
Rollo stretches out one of her feelers to my cheek and conveys her feelings.
『Friend』『Partner』『Here』『Siblings』『Liking』『Playing』『Sisters』『Playing』.
I have a feeling that sisters is a bit different, but countless deeply affectionate emotions had been conveyed to me…
“Thank you.
Your friend is me.” Does she intend to say that?
— Did you read my heart from my expression?
… I’m deeply moved.
I’m about to cry.

“What’s that black cat?” (Makfol)

The Earl stared at Rollo looking very interested.

“She is my partner.
She’s also my familiar and precious friend.” (Shuuya)

“Oooh, that kind of animal…” (Makfol)

“Nya?” (Rollo)

Rollo looked at the Earl with her round and cute, red eyes.

“I’d like to have her too…” (Makfol)

“Nn, nya, nyaa.” (Rollo)

Rollo turns away her head in a bad mood and dives from the shoulder into the hood.
Somehow she has transmitted the feeling of 『For you it’s impossible nya』.

“Mumu, she hid herself.
I got the impression as if I was made fun of.” (Makfol)

“… That’s just your imagination.
If you are my friend, it makes you her friend.
Isn’t she big-hearted?” (Shuuya)

“Mu, that’s right.
Yes.” (Makfol)

The Earl is in an awfully happy mood after that.
“Let me give you some money since you are my friend.””How about this furniture?” Or “If the treasured sword is no good, how about a treasured tool like this magic wand?”
Thus I warned the Earl with a feeling of scolding.
“A friend isn’t someone that gives presents unreasonably.”
“Giving something sometimes is a good custom.”
Once I explain it with suitable enthusiasm, the young Earl-kun shows his understanding by nodding many times.
The Earl’s “let’s give a gift” attack ends without a hitch.

“Won’t you let me invite you to a feast today?” (Makfol)

Having said that, a dinner party was carried out that evening in the Earl’s mansion.
Having invited dancers and provided plenty of delicious dishes, it has turned into a gorgeous dinner party.
With the priestess Marin Peradas and Earl Makfol getting along well at that location, the Earl with his high tension decided “You are my friend as well.” Once it became clear that she’s a woman, he started talking with an agitated tone as if making a pass at the priestess with her space alien face.
The priestess was confused.
However, the dinner party gets very exciting and this time’s persuasion finishes in a huge success.
At the time of going home from the Earl’s mansion his subordinate Bimiyal quietly started to talk close to my ear.

“We have really troubled you greatly this time.
And, thank you very much for the matter with the treasured sword.
In case of Makfol-sama’s character, he won’t listen if he decides something once.” (Bimiyal)

This person seems to have her own hardships as well.

“Please don’t mind it.
I simply declined it because I really don’t want it.” (Shuuya)

“After all… that’s not the way of thinking of a mere adventurer.
As expected of the gentleman who was recognised as friend by Earl Makfol zen Rakolazei.
This Bimiyal is also happy as if it’s about me.” (Bimiyal)

“I’m glad that you are pleased, beautiful Bimiyal-san.” (Shuuya)

Due to my words, Bimiyal-san laughs with a “Fufu.”

“… Thank you very much.
With you being Makfol-sama’s friend in the future, I shall call you Shuuya-sama.” (Bimiyal)

“Huh?” (Shuuya)

“Shuuya-sama? Something wrong?” (Bimiyal)

Sama all of a sudden, eh?
Well, I don’t think we will meet anymore.
It doesn’t matter, I guess.

“No, it’s nothing.
Well then, we will go home now.” (Shuuya)

“Yes, Shuuya-sama.
We will be waiting for you at all times.” (Bimiyal)

And then we board the carriage to go home and head down the hill.
Within that carriage I discuss the matters hereafter with priestess Marin.

“The matter with the feudal lord is probably alright now.” (Shuuya)

“Everything is thanks to you, Shuuya-san.
Thank you very much.” (Marin)

Makfol, who is the feudal lord, was saved in such manner.
He was able to create a bridge to become good friends with the priestess.

“… That was just by chance.
Rather than such stuff, the raw materials are the problem.
Since they are far away, it will take a bit of time.
Although it might not take as much time as you are expecting, Marin.” (Shuuya)

“What do you mean by that?” (Marin)

“That’s a secret.
Oh, we arrived.
Well then, as I have got some errands to run, see you.
We probably won’t meet until the raw materials are fully gathered.” (Shuuya)

“Is that so? How regrettable.
However, please do your best.
I will wait and protect Holker’s Large Tree.” (Marin)

Bidding farewell to the priestess at that point, I get off the carriage.
I returned to the inn.