CH 52

Chapter 52 – Glasses boy doesn’t hold back

Translator’s Notes: I’m picking up this series for the foreseeable future, so I figured I’d note some changes from the previous translation here.

Sash -> Chace – This is how his name was originally translated. I’m just moving back to it.

Levant -> Leavant – This is how Cherry’s surname was originally translated. I’m just moving back to it.

Cherry’s Gift: Principality Magician -> Magic Circles – It’s a bit hard to explain this one without getting into the nitty-gritty of Japanese, but the gist of it is that “Principality” is a part of what creates the word “Magic Circle”, and the previous translator didn’t notice that this is what was being referenced on her Gift (because only a part of the word “magic circle” is in her gift). The exact translation would be “Magician of Magic Circles”, but that would sound lame, so I’m gonna translate it as the Gift of Magic Circles.

Demon Beasts/Magical Beasts -> Demon Beasts – The translation for this has gone back and forth between those two terms, and both translations are right due to the way Japanese works. In this novel it is particularly hard to decide on which translation is ideal, because the beasts drop Magical Stones and have Magical Cores (so they feel like Magical Beasts), but Horun is the Saintess of Demon Exorcism (so they feel like Demon Beasts… And well, Saintess of Magic Exorcism doesn’t sound right), which creates a messy situation, as the author is basically using both Japanese meanings, but in English we can only choose one. I’m going with Demon Beasts because I want to stay consistent with Horun’s title.

Megane-kun -> Glasses Boy – All titles of this novel start with “Megane-kun” and then list something else, and I’m not one to keep honorifics, so I’m changing it to Glasses Boy. This is more of a thing for the titles than to the chapter itself though, on the chapter itself I might translate it differently based on context if it comes up.

That’s all for the notes. Any future notes will probably be put on the end of the chapter instead of at the start (and they’ll probably be much shorter if they do appear), but I figured I’d list this at the start since I’m picking the novel up now.

Anyways, onwards to the chapter proper.

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When I got closer to Chace, I couldn’t help thinking, ‘It’s rough’.

Chace was there, swinging a wooden stick as if it was a sword.

There were visible signs of anger, and his movements were quite sloppy. He didn’t seem to be thinking of anything.

Repeating movements without thinking is important, but that’s only effective after you already know what to do. There is no point in repeating it if you aren’t doing it in a proper pattern.

Chace was sweating so much right now, that his body was covered with sweat, and the cloth around his hand was soaked with blood, which probably came from blisters.

He is clearly serious about it, and his motivation is genuine too. He said that he wanted to become stronger, and he surely meant it.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to push himself this far.

… But I’m still curious. I couldn’t help it, so I decided to call out to him, “Hey, Chace. Hey, hoodlum. Hey, hey, Chace whose hair is shriveled up. Chace who looks like a thug of a back alley. Chace who is a scoundrel with a foul mouth and evil eyes. Chace whose skill with the sword isn’t that great. Chace whose sword abilities are quite questionable. Or rather, as far as I have seen, you don’t seem to know how to handle a sword at all, Chace. To put it bluntly, you don’t have any skill with a sword, so this is all a waste of effort-”

“Shut up, you bastard! I’ll kill you!” Chace turned towards me and threw his wooden stick in my direction.

Oh, that was dangerous. Chace isn’t good at throwing though, so I was able to avoid the stick.

“I was calling out to you because it would be dangerous to approach during training. Did you finally hear me?” I asked him.

“I heard you from the beginning! I heard and ignored you as you kept disparaging me! Why do I even have to explain that!?” Chace exclaimed.

“I don’t get what you’re saying, but I guess it’s all good now?” I asked.

“You totally get what I’m saying! I’m mad at you for belittling me! What else!?” Chace replied.

Well, he seems to be angry for some strange reason, but that’s fine.

“I wanted to tell you a thing or two.” I told him.

“You said way more than a thing or two, yet you still want to say more!?” Chace asked.

Well, none of those were related to the main point.

Chace sighed, wiped the sweat from his face and asked, “What is it?” he seemed to have calmed down a bit.

“There’s something I have been wondering about for a while now, so I came here to say it.” I told him.

“Huh? And what is it anyways…? Isn’t it what you said earlier? About being a hoodlum with a foul mouth, evil eyes and lack of talent for the sword?” Chace asked me.

No, “Those things are obvious to anyone that looks at you, so there is no need for me to say it again.” I replied.

“… You really aren’t trying to pick a fight, are you? You really didn’t come here for fighting, right? You’re just saying that bluntly, aren’t you?” Chace asked me.

“I don’t have time to pick fights with people.” I told him.

“You’re amazing…” Chace replied with a dumbfounded face.

I think it’s normal though? But I guess Chace might struggle a bit with understanding that.

Chace took a deep breath, “So, you think I have no talent to use a sword.”

“I think you don’t. No talent at all.” I told him.

“You could mind your words a bit…” Chace sighed.

“I was just doubting your sanity while seeing you practice on your own without anybody teaching you when you have no talent at all, you know? Isn’t that the definition of insanity?” I explained.

“Choose your words more carefully and stop spewing poison naturally. Why are you like this?” Chace asked.

Well… I guess it’s unusual for me to talk this much.

“I don’t think I would be talking like this if it was to someone I didn’t care about.” I told him.

I’m not sure what I think of Chace, but it’s true that I am curious about him, so he doesn’t qualify as someone I don’t care about.

So that’s why I have something to tell him.

He told me to choose my words more carefully, but I don’t think we’re in the kind of relationship where I can choose them.

At the end of the day, my relationship with Chace’s may not be like the one with Florentine, but I still feel some emotion towards him after going towards that tough carriage trip and eating together.

“… So? What is it that you wanted to say?” Chace asked me.

Oh right, my analysis of my relationship with him isn’t relevant to him.

“At that time, I told you that the blacksmith wasn’t going to make you a weapon because you’re weak.” I said.

“Aah… I already told you that this hurts my feelings.” Chace replied.

“Yeah, but that doesn’t matter.” I told him.

“… You really don’t care about me, do you?” Chace asked.

I already told him that I do care, so I don’t need to repeat it.

“Let me revise that. You are not weak. I think you’re strong, actually.” I told him.

“Huh…? You know, I lost to the old man. I’m weak, just like you said. I’ve already accepted it.” Chace replied.

That was the way Chace judged it, but I have a different opinion.

To put it simply, “You’re strong, but you’re also stupid.” I told him.

“Oh, alright. You really came here to pick a fight.” Chace said.

“Well, that’s all I wanted to say, so excuse me-” I turned around and started leaving.

“As if I could let you go now, bastard!” Chace grabbed me by my neck.

Why are you still getting me involved? This is annoying, “What? I already said what I wanted to say. I’ve finished my business here.” I told him.

Really, I don’t want to hear anything else from him either.

“You know it would be really easy to beat you up right now.” Chace said.

“Mmm… Yeah, I agree. Especially when considering your Gift, it would be really hard for me to escape. So, in these conditions, I don’t think it would be possible for me to win.” I replied.

“However, I don’t think you came here just to pick a fight. So tell me why.” Chace said.

“Eh? Why I think you’re stupid, you’re asking?” I asked him.

“Not that, you idiot! I already know I’m not educated or anything like it, so tell me why you decided to tell me that!” Chace exclaimed.

Oh, I see. So that was the problem. I didn’t notice it at all.

“Because a sword is no good.” I told him.

“… Huh?” He seemed confused.

“Your gift fits a spear better. You move fast, so why not use a weapon that can fully benefit from your speed?” I explained.

Chace went quiet, let go of my neck, then grabbed my shoulder and forced me to turn around.

Hey, I don’t have a habit of staring at men, you know?

… Ah, he looks serious. I don’t think I can escape this.

“A spear? You think a spear is best for me?” Chace asked me.

“In my opinion, you’re a total amateur with a sword.” I told him.

Or rather, just thinking about the battle with the old man already makes this much clear.

It’s obvious if you see him move from the side, but maybe Chace himself is the only one that doesn’t notice it.

“Basically, there are three stages for an attack.

“In the first you ready yourself up, positioning yourself appropriately.

“Secondly, you deal with the attack range. You move or intercept your opponent.

“Third, the attack itself.

“How fast you do it, and how smooth is your transition between those steps are what separate a good warrior from a bad one.” I told Chace.

I experienced this myself from my training with my master back in Albat Village. Then I had to practice it over and over again.

“On the other hand, if we try looking at your actions when you faced the old man, they would be like…

“First, you readied your stance.

“Second, you closed the gap between you and the enemy.

“Third, you readied your stance.

“Fourth, you attacked.

“You slowed down in front of the old man to prepare your attack, essentially losing the advantage created by your fast movement.

“If you want to make full use of your Gift, then the simplest way to do it would be to attack and move at the same time.” I explained next.

And that’s why a spear would be ideal.

I looked at the place where the old man made Chace trip. Chace did not teleport to that location, there was weight in his movement as he dashed there.

So, if he can collide with the enemy while holding a sharp protrusion ahead of himself, that alone will already be an attack, as his movement speed will be added to his attack.

That’s what is frightening about spears. Even an inexperienced user can already deal enough damage to inflict fatal wounds on monsters if they try.

To put it simply, a sharp, heavy and fast spear blow can be easily aimed from before he starts moving, and can also be quite deadly.

Moreover, if he improves the way he uses a spear, then he can become even stronger. A novice spear wielder can already be deadly, but an experienced one is much more dangerous.

Even if Chace doesn’t have talent for the spear, just like how he doesn’t have talent for the sword, he still has a real desire to become stronger. If he can use this determination and find a good master who can teach him how to use the spear, then he’ll definitely become stronger.

In the first place, Chace is already weak now, so there is no way he’ll become any weaker from training.

It was a bit troublesome, but I tried explaining all that to him.

That’s what I was curious about. Why didn’t Chace choose the spear, when that weapon was much more suited for his Gift than the sword?

“From what I have seen, you have no talent for the sword… You just swung it around with all your strength and simply harmed your own hands in the process.

“I would feel sorry if I didn’t say it clearly, but if you are going to keep trying to use a sword, then think about efficient movements and try to put your entire body’s strength into your sword attacks.” I told Chace.

“Enough talking about the sword! I know I have no talent for it, so that’s enough!” Chace exclaimed.

“I think you’re honestly stronger with your bare hands. With them, you should be able to move and attack at the same time.

“Haven’t you done it before, actually? Used your Gift to win fights? Considering how short-sighted your thinking is, I think you should be able to use a spear for the same reason. You can just thrust your spear in a straight line while you move forward with all your speed. That’s suitable for someone like you.” I told him.

“Since when do you talk this much!? And why do you keep being expressionless and nonchalant while you’re at it!? Is this how you’re actually like when talking!?” Chace exclaimed.

“I thought I should say this much, because I dunno when I’ll feel inclined to talk to you again.” I replied.

“So you actually want to keep going!?” Chace asked.

“You have a foul mouth, so if I speak in a straight-forward manner, you might get annoyed.” I told him.

“Your mouth is being pretty foul right now too! You’re politely cursing me here! Can’t you stop doing that!? Don’t you know how to stop using abusive language!?” Chace replied.

“Also, I don’t like talking to you that much. I think you’re too troublesome, so I’d prefer to keep a reasonable distance from you in the future. I’d be grateful if you could cooperate on that.” I said.

“Alright, I’m really going to kill you someday.” Chace told me.

Finally. Chace seemed to have return to normal. To the same behavior he had back when we were in that hellish carriage journey.

This conversation must have eased some of his strained feelings then. Normalcy is important, so I’m glad this worked out.

Hopefully he won’t repeat this kind of behavior even if he gets too emotional again.

At the end of the day, unreasonable training that wastes your own body is no good.

Good grief, I feel tired. I said a lot of things that I didn’t really want to say.