116. [Altora] In the West

 

—A certain city in the western lands.

In a dingy alley at dusk, three shabby figures wandered aimlessly. Two large men and a small girl. Their facial features, oddly refined for the squalid setting, stood out amidst the stench of sewage and rotting garbage.

「H-Hey. Maybe don’t spend all our money on medicine. That’s our last stash—you should plan better…」

「Hah? Shut the hell up. It’s my money. I’ll spend it how I damn please.」

The blond man walking in the center crushed a green pill between his teeth, muttering bitterly as the medicine’s taste spread across his tongue. The big man beside him fell silent, while the girl on the other side sucked on a grass stem and looked hungrily up at the sunset-stained sky.

「Correction requested. That is shared property. Bread. Bread must be prioritized. Strong recommendation to head for a bakery immediately.」

「Yeah, yeah, whatever. Damn, everything’s gone to hell. Even this medicine’s barely working now that I think of it as a souvenir from Marge…」

The Swordfighter: Altora Carmancy.

The Palace Gatekeeper: Gordon Fortlace.

The Talented Mage: Eria A. Arlma.

No one in this distant city of Fathie would ever imagine that these grimy vagrants were once part of the legendary S-Rank party Silver Divine Sword, alongside Tina Rayleigh and Marge Siu. Ever since the day they cast Marge aside, everything had fallen apart. After barely surviving the brutal mountain crossing, the remaining three finally drifted into the western city Fathie.

「Still can’t believe that ‘Unmelting Ice Statue’ sold for such a good price.」

「Tactical victory. Effective presentation remains key.」

「Damn right. Told you, didn’t I? Instead of saying some washed-up adventurer like Marge made it, I claimed we found it deep inside an unexplored cave in the mountains. Jacked up the story real good. That’s how you get value.」

「Affirmative. Altora’s underhandedness remains S-Rank. He should change careers from adventuring to scamming.」

「Eria, you ever say anything that’s just straight praise?」

It had been several months since Altora suddenly said, ‘Let’s go find Tina’. That was the beginning of this trip.

In the end, there was nothing left of the Silver Divine Sword. Someone from Duke Abik’s side had retrieved it and used it to offset the damage Altora had caused.

The trio had been counting on that sword, which he’d left behind on the plains, to fund their journey. When that hope was dashed early on, Eria came across something strange.

The so-called Unmelting Ice Statue.

「…Marge said it was a snake of ice that wouldn’t melt for a thousand years.」

「Perfect for summer.」

「Affirmative. Can chill drinks. Chill fruit. Chill cake… my hunger worsens.」

As Eria’s stomach gave an audible grumble, Altora sighed and thought back on his fight with Marge.

The Unmelting Ice Statue was created when Marge froze Altora’s arrow mid-flight and transformed it into a snake-shaped sculpture of ice—purely to show off. Left untouched in the center of the plains, Altora later stumbled across it, lugged it back to town in a sweat, and found that it fetched a decent price.

It hadn’t been hidden. The duke’s men who came for the sword likely saw it too. Impressed by the craftsmanship, sure—but in the end, it was just ice. They must’ve assumed it would melt in a few days and left it there. So it remained, until Altora and company arrived over four months later.

The fact that no one had touched it in that entire time—even in the middle of an open plain—was probably the last bit of luck they had left.

「Damn, now I’m getting thirsty. We’ve got money, let’s find a tavern or something…」

「N-No way! If we waste money like that we’ll be flat broke again in no time!」

「Don’t give me orders, Gordon! You wanna boss me around, earn a higher rank first!」

「No, I mean, that’s kinda late to start talking about now…」

「Alert. Unknown individuals approaching from ahead.」

At Eria’s calm observation—clearly disinterested in the argument—Altora and Gordon both turned their eyes forward. Their arguments were never more than a pastime, anyway.

And indeed, someone was running toward them through the twilight gloom. A girl in front, followed by two flashy green-haired men.

「Tch. Just a brat.」

「Wait… she’s being chased, isn’t she?」

「Agreement. If caught, it will likely not end peacefully.」

Gordon and Eria had it right. The approaching girl was pale with fear, gasping for breath, constantly glancing behind her as she ran.

When she finally reached them, she clung to Eria.

「P-Please help! Help me! Please!!」

「Hypothesis: Situation critical enough to seek aid from total strangers.」

What now? Eria glanced up, silently asking for input. Altora replied with a dispassionate snort.

「Not my problem. Leave her.」

「H-Hey…」

「What? If it bothers you, Gordon, go play hero on your own. But clean up the mess yourself.」

「Ugh…」

This was clearly trouble. They’d just arrived in this city, and picking a fight with locals right away wasn’t exactly smart. Gordon fell silent, eyes averting.

Realizing no one would help her, the girl wiped her tears and prepared to run again—but it was too late. The men were already right behind her. The weapons they carried—knives and clubs—were far too much for someone chasing a lone girl. Or maybe that’s just normal armament around here, Altora mused, not particularly invested.

「Ngh…!」

Even though she knew it was futile, the girl ducked behind Altora for cover. The men, grinning, strode forward.

「The more you run, the more time passes, and the more interest piles up. Why don’t brats ever get that?」

「But—but my dad was tricked…!」

「Doesn’t matter. We’ve got the loan contract. Either pay up, or pay with your body. Hey, blondie, quit standing there and move! Huh…?」

One of the green-haired thugs shoved Altora and tried to drag the girl away. But even after being struck on the shoulder, Altora didn’t budge. The man flinched, clearly startled, and Altora clicked his tongue.

「You lend her money or what?」

Sensing something was off, the men hesitated—but still pointed at the girl, unwilling to back down.

「Yeah, that’s right. So we’re here to collect.」

「‘If you borrow, you repay.’ That’s how it works, yeah?」

「…Yeah, no argument there.」

But the girl tearfully protested.

「B-But! Everything—the interest, the deadlines—none of it was what my dad was told! That’s fraud! You damn scammers!!」

「He signed the papers, didn’t he?」

「Too late now. Deal with it. So move it, blondie.」

This time they shoved Altora harder, and he staggered. One of the men reached for the girl’s arm—but Altora caught his wrist with his left hand.

「W-What the hell, man? Let go! You playing hero or something!?」

「Nah. Just think of it as fate. Lemme teach you guys about ‘the thing I hate most in the world.’」

「Hah? Quit yapping and let go unless you wanna get hit! I’ve got [Strike Boost] y’know!?」

The flashy green-haired thug tried to intimidate him, but Altora didn’t flinch. He simply clenched his right fist.

「The thing I hate most is—」

Eria, catching on, gently covered the girl’s eyes.

「Debt collectors! Got that, you useless trash!?」

And now, here’s a question:

In this world, combat strength is supposedly determined by one’s Skill. Altora and his companions no longer have any Skills. That should mean their former strength is all but gone.

So then: can a former S-Rank adventurer without Skills really be weaker than some back-alley thug? If they don’t have a weapon, can they be beaten by a street punk?

The answer is, of course, no.

「Guh—!?」

Altora’s right fist smashed clean into the man’s face. The thug—despite his [Strike Boost]—collapsed to the ground without even landing a blow.