The fifth day since defeating the Demon Lord. Four days remain until my death.
If things proceed similarly to the previous timeline, today I am supposed to have a simulated match with the Supreme Swordsman Nidorg.
Supreme Swordsman Nidorg, ranked as a Master and holding the 10th position in the rankings. When I traveled various places with Sage Nyau, it was said that the Supreme Swordsman Nidorg died during the dragon attack on the royal capital.
Around noon, as I laze around in my room, a servant comes in and says:
"There's a guest who really wants to meet Hero Agetha-sama, waiting in the meeting room. Could you please come and meet him?"
At first, Agetha seemed reluctant, but considering it might cause trouble for the servants if she declined outright, I managed to persuade her, and we headed to the meeting room together.
"Hey, you're Hero Agetha, right?"
When we entered the meeting room, there was a giant man standing there. He was clad in armor, muscular, and carrying a greatsword of a length almost equal to his towering stature.
"Who are you…?"
"I'm the Supreme Swordsman Nidorg. You must have heard of me, right?"
Saying so, Supreme Swordsman Nidorg grinned.
"Yeah. So, what do you want with me?"
"I heard there's a hero around. Couldn't stand still once I heard that. Came here to challenge you. Let's fight."
"Why? I have no reason to fight you."
"Reason? Is there any reason other than wanting to fight? I want to face strong opponents!"
Quite the belligerent individual. He played a significant role in the 'Battle of Arianne' dealing a massive blow to the Demon Lord's army. I recall hearing that despite his contributions, he sustained injuries, preventing him from going to the Katarov Dungeon for a direct confrontation with the Demon Lord. Instead, he stayed in the royal capital for recovery. From the looks of it, he seems uninjured now, perhaps fully healed.
"So, fight me!"
"No."
"Why the hell are you refusing!?"
"Because I don't want to."
"What the hell are you thinking!? Just fight already!"
"Um, could you please stop?"
Seeing that it might escalate into a fight if left unattended, I forcefully intervened.
"Who the hell are you?"
The Supreme Swordsman Nidorg glared at me.
"He's Kiska. My important person."
Before I could respond, Agetha introduced me.
"Is he strong?"
"Kiska is stronger than me. Especially during the night."
Hey, did she say something weird just now?
"I see, you're stronger than her. Alright, you, fight me!"
Nidorg's attention shifted from Agetha to me.
In the previous timeline, I ended up being coerced into fighting him, and it was a miserable experience. This time, I should firmly refuse.
"Sorry, but please spare me from the fight."
"Why!? Why don't you want to fight me!?"
"That's right. I don't want to fight you because I can clearly see that I would lose to Nidorg-san."
"You won't know until you try!"
"No, I know."
After all, I fought him in the previous timeline.
"Oh, I see. How about this, then? If you win against me, I'll do anything you say. With this, you should feel like fighting, right?"
He's quite generous with "anything." Just how much does he want to fight?
"Well, if I lose, do I have to obey what you say?"
"No, if you lose, there's no need to do anything. I'm satisfied as long as I get to fight."
So, there's nothing to lose, only to gain. In that case, I might as well agree to the fight.
"In that case, can I have 600,000 El if I win?"
"Hmm, a large sum. What do you need it for?"
"Well, I thought I could use it for a present."
"I see. In that case, you'll have to defeat me."
◆
A simulated match between the Supreme Swordsman Nidorg and me was set to take place. The venue was the arena used by soldiers for training.
Somehow, incorrect information spread that the Supreme Swordsman Nidorg and the hero would be fighting, attracting a large audience for our seemingly ordinary battle. I felt sorry for those who came specifically to see that.
"Kiska, are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine."
In the waiting room, Agetha and I were alone.
"Sorry for involving you in this because of me."
"It's not a big deal. I'm doing it because I want to."
"I see. But you don't have to push yourself. You're doing this for the ring, right?"
"Don't worry about that. I just wanted to show off a bit."
"I see. Well, I'm looking forward to it."
"Yeah, leave it to me."
After that, we left the waiting room, and in the middle of the arena stood the Supreme Swordsman Nidorg.
"He's here."
Saying that, the Supreme Swordsman Nidorg smiled. In his hand, he held a wooden sword shaped like the form of the great sword used in the simulated match.
In my hand, there was also a wooden knife.
"No rules. The one who makes a sound first loses."
"Got it."
With a nod, a soldier acting as a referee gave the starting signal.
Instantly, the Supreme Swordsman Nidorg charged straight towards me.
Fast! His large body was approaching with unexpected speed. It was so fast that if you blinked, you would lose sight of him.
However, I had seen this attack before. If it were the first time, I might not have been able to avoid it. But this was my second time facing the Supreme Swordsman Nidorg.
So, I knew this attack was coming.
And if you know, you can avoid it.
"What!?"
That was the voice of the Supreme Swordsman Nidorg. I evaded his attack with minimal lateral movement.
If I could avoid it, there would be a significant opening.
In front of me was the side of the Supreme Swordsman Nidorg.
"Uoooh!"
I roared. Since the weapon I was using was not a real sword but a wooden one, I had to attack with full force to inflict damage!
Crack! A loud sound echoed. The sound was the wooden knife I was holding shattering.
"Ah…?"
I stand there dumbfounded.
After all, I thrust the wooden sword with all my might into the side of the great swordsman Nidorg.
However, it's the wooden sword that ended up breaking.
Is Nidorg's body really that tough?
I'm bewildered by this completely unexpected turn of events.
Without a weapon, I can't continue the fight.
So, it's my loss.
"Hahaha!"
Nidorg bursts into laughter, his mouth wide open.
"Could it be that you knew all along and challenged me to a fight?" If that's the case, it makes sense why he made such a seemingly reckless promise to grant any wish if I won.
After all, Nidorg knew from the beginning. That a wooden sword wouldn't harm him.
This was a battle where the outcome was decided from the start.
"Well, what do you think?"
Nidorg smirks.
It seems I've been played in the palm of his hand.
"All right, it's my loss!" Suddenly, Nidorg declares.
"Really?"
Once again, I was perplexed by his unexpected statement.
"Th-the winner, Kiska!"
Even the referee declared my victory in confusion.
"Well, that was impressive!"
Supreme Swordsman Nidorg approached with a satisfied expression.
"Um, what do you mean?"
"Actually, it's my loss."
"But, in reality, I lost my weapon, so it should be my defeat."
"That's because it was a wooden knife. If you were using a real knife, I wouldn't have come out unscathed. So, you win."
Is that how it is…? Well, winning is always better, so I'm grateful.
"Um, about the promised reward?"
"Oh, of course, I'll give it to you. It was 600,000 El, right? I'll bring it to you right away."
It seems like he will fulfill his promise properly.
"By the way, it was fun fighting you. Fight me again sometime. I won't lose next time."
"Yes, if the opportunity arises, please take care."
Honestly, I thought I had had enough of fighting, but I decided to say that for now.