After we finished the wild tomatoes quest, our lives were peaceful for the following month.
Our daily activities consisted of nothing more than a simple routine which are waking up at dawn, taking a bath, having breakfast, looking for safe quests, completing those quests, enjoying a picnic-style lunch, finishing up our work, having dinner, taking another bath, and then sleeping at night. Nothing flashy.
None had also gained some height and muscle mass. She no longer looked malnourished.
On the contrary, I was quite sure she was now almost as tall as I was, even at her age.
This must have been because she was half-beast. They grow fast, or so I had heard.
She also no longer seemed to be constantly out of breath anymore. On the contrary, she can now ran around like a normal girl of her age should, even while wearing her armor.
---
Today, as always, None and I were standing in front of the quest board, now filled to the brim with quest parchments. Around us were familiar faces, Isobel the receptionist, Alex and Marigold the adventurer couple, Vess the bartender, and a surprising number of new adventurers.
I wondered if something big had happened around here that's lured in this many adventurers.
As per usual, I picked the quest that seemed to be the easiest. Today was no different.
"Pick up 10 wild radishes."
That seemed like a perfect quest for today. I plucked the "Radish Gathering" parchment from the board and got in line with the other adventurers waiting to speak with Isobel about their quests.
But as I waited, a voice shouted from behind me, "Hey! I was here first!"
I turned around to see who had yelled.
What I saw shook me to the core.
A burly, tall man with tanned skin and a bald head stood there, a black skull tattoo covering half his face, which was riddled with piercings. He wore a biker-style black leather jacket and matching leather pants. Strapped to his back was a gigantic steel greatsword, nearly as large as my entire body.
He stared straight into my eyes, his gaze paralyzing.
"Move out of my way!" he shouted.
I was about to step aside. I didn't want any trouble.
But None, who had been standing beside me, stepped forward instead.
"Watch your damn mouth!" she shouted back, her voice roars like a lioness.
"You damn brat!!!" he roared in response, veins bulging across his forehead.
The commotion was loud enough that people around us began to stare. Some even started cheering, eager for the fight that seemed about to break out.
Then, in that exact moment, None hurled her canteen filled with milk straight at the bald man's head.
"I challenge you to a duel!!!" she roared.
The bald man's eyes twitched with rage as he raised a handkerchief to wipe the milk from his face.
Meanwhile, I just stood there, doing absolutely nothing, completely bewildered.
Today, my disciple seem to be… a bit violent?
---
It was the same sparring ring where I had fought Alex before.
This time, however, I was just one of many spectators standing outside the ring, cheering for my disciple.
On the right side of the ring stood None, my disciple. She had changed out of her usual Burdenmite gear into standard training equipment, a wooden sword and shield paired with leather armor, perfect for sparring practice. She held a basic sword-and-shield stance.
On the left side of the ring, the bald man had ditched his massive steel greatsword for a wooden one. It was still large, but not quite as absurd. He had also shed nearly all his clothing and now wore only a fur loincloth, like some kind of barbarian. Or perhaps his class really was a barbarian. He raised his sword high, ready to strike his much smaller opponent.
"Five silvers on the big one!" one spectator shouted.
So the game had begun, huh?
"One gold on the big one!" "Five golds on the big one!"
And another.... And another... And another..
It seemed no one wanted to put their money on the losing side.
Then another voice rang out, one that was quite familiar.
"Ten gold on the small one!" Alex and Marigold shouted in unison.
I didn't know why they chose to bet on my disciple, who was clearly seen as the losing side.
And yet, for reasons unknown even to myself, I shouted, "None! I believe in you! Fifty gold on the small one!"
Hearing my voice, None's cat-like ear twitched. She nodded, as if she understood the assignment.
In the meantime, Isobel, who was acting as the referee, blew the whistle to start the match.
In the blink of an eye, the bald man slammed his greatsword into the ground, causing dust to burst upward like a smoke bomb.
"I won!" the bald man shouted in triumph. I had no idea what kind of triumph he felt after thinking he had defeated a little girl tho.
"Too slow!" None roared from within the cloud of smoke, the sound of her footsteps echoing from the blade of the greatsword.
Seconds passed, and the dust settled, revealing None standing atop the greatsword's blade with a smug look on her face.
When the bald man saw that insulting sight, he immediately yanked his greatsword from the ground, causing None to fall.
He used that moment to swing the broad side of his greatsword at None like a baseball bat.
But unexpectedly, None adjusted her posture midair, planted both feet against the blade, and kicked off, springing herself upward like a trampoline.
In that moment, the bald man realized what she was about to do, but he was too slow to react.
Pushing her shield forward, None launched herself downward and struck the bald man square in the forehead like a human missile.
*Crack!*
The shield shattered from the impact, sending the bald man crashing into the ground, completely incapacitated. None remained standing, huffing triumphantly after her exhilarating first victory.
"Wow… but when did she train for all of this?" I wondered in bewilderment.