Chapter 376


Chapter 7: Old Friends in a Strange Place

Suddenly, as the blue-haired girl issued a declaration of attack, the character with bangs immediately gripped his large sword tightly, ready for action.

However, after waiting for a while, Tilysha made no threatening moves; she just pulled something out of her pocket, held it tightly in her hand, and scattered a few bean-like items around her. After that, there was no further movement.

The two sides stared at each other for a moment, and a few angry symbols popped up on the forehead of the character with bangs. With a roar, he charged forward, dragging his unusually large iron sword behind him!

“Tiger Fall Slash!”

He jumped up, spun his sword, and brought it down with force!

Though he was in mid-air, his movements flowed smoothly like water, and the seemingly heavy sword didn’t slow him down at all. Clearly, despite his foul mouth and temper, he was indeed a skilled fighter.

Moreover, he showed some mercy—it was obvious to Miss Vilyric that he was using the back of his sword rather than the sharp edge, so even if Tilysha got hit, she would only sustain minor injuries and wouldn’t die on the spot.

As for whether the character with bangs truly knew how to cherish a lady or was just adhering to the guild’s dueling rules by not going for a killing blow, it was hard to say.

But even with little battle experience, Tilysha understood the importance of not letting the enemy get too close. She took a deep breath, and her fingertips emitted a jade-green light, curling slightly.

“Boom!”

To the astonishment of the guild’s officials and the companions of the character with bangs, the stone-paved ground of the dueling area actually buckled upwards, and a thick green vine burst forth, smashing directly toward the airborne character with bangs!

“??!!”

Although surprised, the character didn’t falter; his rich combat experience kicked in as he quickly adjusted his sword to counter, attempting to split the thick vine in half.

Then, he was smacked away with a ‘whap!’.

It wasn’t that Tilysha’s summoned plant had grown strong enough to withstand a full attack from a high-tier adventurer. It was simply that while he was focused on the frontal attack, two other vines had stealthily risen up from his blind spot and twisted together mid-air, delivering a solid hit to his back.

Clearly, Tilysha had intentionally made the first plant look so intimidating and loud.

In fact, standing still at first wasn’t due to a lack of tactics but rather a deliberate ploy to lure the character with bangs closer, so he wouldn’t see the seeds scattered far behind him.

“Pu…”

Miss Vilyric couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight, completely surprised that this normally simple little village girl could become so cunning in battle. What a lesson about appearances!

Thwacked away like a pesky fly, the character with bangs performed an elegant parabolic arc in the air, rolling several times upon landing before finally stopping, looking like it hurt a lot.

Perhaps Tilysha hadn’t anticipated her strategy working so easily, as she stared in astonishment at her opponent rolling around on the ground without launching a follow-up attack.

Eventually, the character with bangs covered his mouth, having lost a tooth when hitting the ground, and, barely propping himself up with one hand on his sword, roared at the blue-haired girl with both anger and a hint of wind in his voice.

“You coward! Resorting to sneak attacks! Are you brave enough to face me head-on?!”

Physically, he was alright, though Tilysha had probably held back as well, but a heavy fall like that seemed to harm his pride more than anything else.

“Huh?”

The little girl blinked, instinctively glancing at Miss Priestess, who was trying to stifle her laughter, then turned to her opponent, innocently saying,

“But Miss Xi Fu Lin taught me to fight this way; it’s just a simple maneuver of front and back attacks. Aren’t adventurers supposed to be skilled? How could you not see that?”

“You…”

From the tone and expression, the character with bangs saw no mockery or sarcasm on the blue-haired girl’s face, and as she stated, it was indeed a simple tactic used even by many magical beasts.

He was just mad, coupled with the fact that the opponent appeared soft and cute, lacking any weapons, making him slightly underestimate her.

Yet, in front of his opponent, he couldn’t say that, so he could only grit his teeth and huff, maintaining his stance.

“That doesn’t count; let’s go again!”

“What do you mean again? Aren’t you embarrassed enough?”

A deep, authoritative voice filled with strength and reliability rang out from afar, accompanied by the sound of heavy footsteps approaching.

Hearing that voice, the previously defiant character with bangs suddenly shivered, his fighting spirit being extinguished almost instantly as he sheepishly looked at the towering figure striding toward him.

Like a child caught sneaking out to the internet café, he awkwardly opened his mouth, gaze drifting.

“Captain, why are you back so early…”

“Early? Not really. If I were any later, I wouldn’t get to see our valiant little brother Cyril in action, now would I?”

The tall man, referred to as the captain, wore full dark armor, had a steel helmet, and wielded a diamond-shaped shield, but carried no other weapons. By the sound of it, he was clearly more mature and seasoned than the character with bangs.

Accompanying him were at least twenty adventurers of both genders, including the Priest who had previously warned the character with bangs, making the situation quite evident.

“Captain, I just…”

“Just what? That you felt annoyed with a few girls and wanted to teach them a lesson using force? Cyril, when I took you in and agreed on our rules, I don’t remember saying a great sword was for that kind of use!”

“I…”

“What do you mean ‘I’? Hurry up and get down?!”

“Y-yes!”

The sudden increase in volume startled the character with bangs again, and cold sweat started pouring out as he quickly sheathed his sword and trembled off the stage, obediently standing beside the tall man without daring to speak.

“Huh? Aren’t we fighting anymore?”

Tilysha was taken aback by the sudden development. The captain turned and instantly softened his voice, smiling with warmth.

“We’re not fighting, we’re not fighting. I concede for this kid. This was a mistake on the part of the [Black Knight Mercenary Corps]. Little girl, why don’t you come down, and we can discuss how to resolve this?”

“What a pity, I just started to feel it…”

Initially resistant, Tilysha seemed to get excited again after landing a solid hit, but she wasn’t one to seek fights, so she nodded, recalled her protective plants, and jogged back to Miss Vilyric’s side.

At this moment, the captain turned back after a brief discussion with the approaching guild personnel and looked at the three girls standing together.

“It’s all a misunderstanding. I am the captain of the [Black Knight Mercenary Corps]… Wait a minute, you…”

The man paused, suddenly staring intensely at Miss Priestess’s face, which bore a quirky smile. After a long moment, he ripped off his helmet, revealing a rugged and astonished face filled with disbelief.

“Miss Vilyric? Are you really Miss Vilyric?!”

Ah, so it’s not just a coincidence after all.

The black-haired girl smiled as well.

“It’s been a long time, Uncle Lester.”