Chapter 03 …
At Iz’s Tavern, Part 3 — The Ruffians’ Revenge —
“Alphy, wake up!”
“I-it’s not even sunrise yet…”
“Didn’t we talk about leaving town early yesterday? Get up already!”
“Ugh… I drank too much…”
Because she had driven off those thugs the day before, Alphilis had suddenly become the center of attention. The men at the tavern surrounded her and kept forcing drinks on her one after another. At first she desperately tried to refuse, but the naïve Alphilis had no idea how to handle a crowd of drunk, overly friendly men in high spirits.
When Anorn went downstairs about half an hour later to check on things, she found Alphilis completely plastered, slurring things like, “Mooore booze, bring me moooore…”
Even Anorn realized this was bad. She somehow rescued Alphilis from the crowd, dragged her upstairs by force, and put her to bed. But by then, Alphilis was already too drunk to even take a sobering medicine.
“There’s no bath available anymore, so I brought water for you to wipe yourself down with, okay? I also prepared some hangover medicine and a tonic, so take those first. I’ve already arranged food and horses too, so I’m going to pick them up. As soon as you’re ready, head to the eastern gate. Got it?”
“Okaaay…”
Alphilis could tell she was still half asleep, but she had recovered enough sense to understand that the Sister was right—they should leave town as soon as possible.
And honestly, Anorn’s efficiency and kindness really made Alphilis feel, deep down, she really is a Sister after all.
“Even though you can’t use healing magic.”
“I HEARD THAT, YOU KNOW!?”
“Kyaaa!?”
Alphilis had just started changing clothes, so she hurriedly covered herself.
“It’s not like anything’s gonna wear out just because we’re both girls.”
“Wait, weren’t you supposed to be getting the horses? I didn’t even sense you there!”
“I can hide my presence if I want.”
“Where did you even learn that!?”
“If you’re not ready in fifteen minutes, I’m leaving you behind, okay!?”
This time she really did leave to get the horses. Her rough footsteps stomped away down the hall.
“She didn’t see it, right…? This mark…”
When her master had engraved that mark onto her body, he warned her never to show it to anyone.
At first Alphilis hadn’t understood why. But since it concerned her own life, she studied and learned more, and gradually began to understand. After everything she had experienced since then, she now clearly recognized it as something that absolutely could not be shown to others.
If someone carelessly saw that mark… she herself might become a target for elimination.
“How did my life end up like this…?”
Alphilis couldn’t help resenting her own misfortune. And yet, she still considered herself lucky to have met her master.
She understood that the fact she was alive now, living a relatively normal life, was practically a miracle. Under normal circumstances, she could easily have been disposed of the moment her master found her at age ten.
If all she cared about was survival, then remaining secluded in the mountains forever would have been the correct choice.
Even so, she couldn’t suppress her desire to learn more about the world. She wanted to experience things like romance too, just like ordinary people.
After all, Alphilis had only recently turned eighteen. Her soul was still youthful, overflowing with vitality and freedom.
Meanwhile, Anorn was lost in thought while making preparations.
“I hope that girl actually took the medicine…”
Thinking fondly of Alphilis’s unexpectedly careless side, Anorn headed toward the stables.
Though she was a Sister, she couldn’t use healing magic. In exchange, however, her knowledge of medicinal herbs was considered among the best in the entire Church, and she took great pride in that.
Moreover, through rigorous training, she had become exceptionally skilled in anti-magic and anti-undead spells. She also knew self-defense techniques, and considered herself highly capable as an adventurer.
Because of that, she had never regretted being unable to use healing magic.
Well… except for once.
“Well, I wasn’t originally a Sister anyway. There, there, good horsey…”
As Anorn exited the stable leading two horses, a deep, threatening voice called out behind her.
“Don’t move, you damn bitch nun.”
Meanwhile, Alphilis had already finished preparing and was waiting near the gate for the Sister.
Dawn was breaking, and the town gates would open soon.
And really, the Sister’s medicine worked wonders. Alphilis could already feel her condition returning completely to normal.
Since she was standing around with nothing to do, one of the gate guards wandered over and spoke to her.
“Hey there, missy. That was pretty satisfying yesterday.”
“Gate guard? You know about me?”
“I stopped by the tavern late last night. Didn’t see the incident myself, but with how rowdy things were, I had to ask what happened. Turns out some beautiful traveling swordswoman beat the stuffing outta those good-for-nothing thugs.”
“They’re from this town?”
“Unfortunately. Been troublemakers since they were kids. Never worked honest jobs, even turned to banditry. I’ve even heard rumors some of them are murderers. Been hoping somebody would do something about ’em.”
“Doesn’t this town have something like a militia?”
“We do, but they outnumber us. There’s about…”
“Twenty of them, right?”
“About that many. Wait—how’d you know that…? Ah—wawawa!”
The elderly gate guard instinctively backed away and fled.
The infamous men from the conversation had gathered near the gate.
And this time, every single one of them was fully armed.
“So you’re the one who messed up my boys yesterday.”
The speaker was an especially huge man. Judging by how he stood at the front, he was clearly their leader.
“Oh my, I’m not caring enough to look after that many men.”
“You sure ain’t scared. Surrounded by over ten men and not even flinching.”
“So what do you want? I was just about to leave town.”
“Now, now, don’t say that. My boys wanted to thank ya for yesterday.”
“If it’s a boring kind of thanks, I’ll pass.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll make sure you enjoy yourself. Right on top of my lap, heh heh heh.”
As he spoke, the men slowly closed in around her.
Fourteen of them this time, maybe.
“So this is how it’s going to be after all…”
Alphilis sighed.
“I said don’t move!”
The man shouted, but the Sister kept walking calmly without slowing down at all.
“Don’t ignore me, bitch!”
The man grabbed a chunk of wood nearby and hurled it at her, but the Sister dodged it casually without even looking back.
“That’s dangerous. What if you’d hit one of my precious horses?”
“Worry about yourself instead of the damn horse!”
“Why should I worry about someone I knocked out in one hit yesterday?”
“That was because I let my guard down! This time I’ve got backup! It won’t go like yesterday!”
Looking closely, Anorn realized it was the rat-faced man from yesterday. She had been so uninterested in him that she had practically forgotten his face already.
This time he had five companions with him.
All armed.
“Actually, isn’t this even more pathetic than yesterday?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I mean, six grown men armed with weapons surrounding one frail little Sister? At this point you’ve already stopped being men. You’re just pathetic little— ah, wait, maybe not men at all. More like eunuchs. Though honestly that’s probably insulting to eunuchs.”
“Y-you bitch!”
“Oh my, did you just call me a ‘damn nun’? Nice wordplay. Sadly, I’m not actually ordained.”
“Shut the hell up!!”
The rat-faced man charged at her, face red with rage.
Anorn calmly watched him approach, one hand resting on her hip.
Just as his sword seemed about to cut into the Sister—
Kiin!
A sharp metallic sound rang out.
The man’s sword stopped dead.
For a moment it looked as if he had cut off the Sister’s left arm.
At least, that had certainly been his intention.
“Wh—”
Before he could finish speaking—
CRACK!
A dull snapping sound echoed.
The rat-faced man’s body flew through the air.
No—he was launched completely airborne.
He smashed through part of the stable wall and slammed into the far wall beyond it, where he collapsed motionless.
“Oops… maybe I overdid it?”
“W-w-wha…”
The remaining men turned deathly pale.
It was impossible to believe what they had just witnessed.
A full-grown man had been sent flying an unbelievable distance by a single blow from a Sister who wasn’t even particularly large.
When they looked back at Anorn, they realized she now held mace-like clubs in both hands.
“You know, I may be a Sister now, but I used to be something else. Circumstances happened, so I changed my name and profession. But honestly? Being a Sister is way more convenient than I expected. These flowing clothes are perfect for hiding weapons, and people lower their guard around you. Plus, it boosts the elegant, pure image by at least thirty percent, right?”
She even winked while joking around.
But to the men, this Sister was now nothing short of terrifying.
With a dazzling smile, Anorn addressed them again.
“Well, I am technically a Sister, so I won’t kill you. Besides, if I go too far, the High Master Bishop’s punishment is terrifying. But if certain important parts of you get crushed and you can never function as men again… sorry in advance♪”
“Eek!”
The cheerful Sister Anorn slowly cornered the men, while the five armed thugs trembled so badly their swords shook in their hands.
Hunter and prey had completely reversed places.
Meanwhile, near the gate…
“GYAAAH!”
The wrists of the first two men who tried grabbing Alphilis were severed cleanly above the hand holding their swords.
Everyone froze in shock.
Hyun!
A sharp sound rang out as Alphilis flicked her whip back into position with her right hand.
“Y-you bastard! Ain’t you supposed to be a swordswoman!?”
“I don’t remember ever introducing myself as one. I mainly use a sword, sure, but when you travel, you often end up fighting many opponents at once or at mid-range. This is simply my countermeasure for that.”
As she spoke, Alphilis held her stance flawlessly.
Even an amateur could tell her whip mastery was exceptional.
“Surround her! A whip can’t attack every direction at once! Box her in and attack together!”
The men spread out around her.
(Not bad. That big guy’s experienced.)
Alphilis calmly observed them while staying alert on all sides.
Being surrounded was certainly disadvantageous.
But it also made taking everyone down at once more convenient.
“Go!”
At the leader’s shout, the surrounding men attacked simultaneously.
Even then, Alphilis remained calm.
Her whip lashed out, the flat of it smashing directly into the faces of four men in front of her.
Ordinarily, a whip’s lethal force only exists at the final few inches of the tip. But in the hands of a master, it could even decapitate a person.
Even the flat of the whip, striking the face directly, caused unbearable pain.
As expected, the struck men collapsed instantly.
But the others kept coming.
Without missing a beat, Alphilis scattered powder from her pouch behind her.
The men leaping from the rear were hit directly by it and immediately collapsed screaming.
It was blinding pollen harvested from a specific plant.
At that moment, the remaining two men swung their swords down at her.
Alphilis casually caught both blades with the armored gauntlet on her left hand.
The men realized too late what had happened.
Hidden blades sprang from the gauntlet and slashed across both men’s faces.
Blood sprayed everywhere as the men crumpled to the ground.
Though some blood splattered onto Alphilis herself, she didn’t even blink.
“What… what the hell?”
The remaining men stared in disbelief.
In only moments, eight grown men had been defeated by a single woman.
Even the leader couldn’t hide his shock.
(I’ve never seen someone like this… not even female mercenaries on the battlefield fought like her. Who the hell is she?)
“D-damn it…”
The men besides the leader turned to flee.
At that instant—
Whsh!
Something sliced through the air.
“Ah… ah…”
The fleeing men collapsed.
Daggers were embedded in their backs.
“Don’t worry. It’s paralysis poison. You won’t be moving for a full day, though. Nobody’s dead. Well, I can’t exactly call them unharmed either, but they brought this on themselves.”
“Who the hell are you!?”
“Just an ordinary traveler. Nothing worth mentioning.”
“There ain’t no ordinary traveler that fights like this!”
“I’ll take that as a compliment. So? Still want to continue? Or would you rather surrender quietly to the militia?”
“No way I’m backing down against a woman! Fight me with a sword!”
The giant man raised his blade and charged.
“If you insist.”
Alphilis finally drew her sword.
She leapt backward to evade his sweeping slash.
Then, as he followed with an overhead strike, she twisted sideways and smashed the hilt of her sword directly into his face.
“Guh!?”
As the man staggered backward, Alphilis pressed the attack.
(She’s going high!)
The instant he raised his sword to block her downward strike—
(W-what? The trajectory changed!?)
Alphilis’s blade shifted course mid-swing, slipping around his defense before carving diagonally across his body.
The man collapsed, clutching his shoulder.
“How…?”
“You can’t do something this precise if you’re swinging with pure killing intent. Besides, unless you’re on a battlefield, you generally don’t block swords with your own in one-on-one combat. It ruins your blade. Remember that. (Well… that’s just something my master taught me.)”
“D-damn you…”
Alphilis kicked away the sword he dropped.
At that moment, members of what appeared to be the town militia finally came running over.
“Are you alright, miss!?”
“Oh, Gate Guard. Did you go call for help?”
“Of course I did!”
“Well, thanks anyway, but it’s already over. They should all still be alive, so make sure you haul them off properly.”
“Good grief…”
Ignoring the stunned townspeople who still couldn’t process what had happened, Alphilis calmly gathered the weapons she had used and returned to her relaxed posture as though nothing unusual had occurred.
“The Sister’s late… What’s she doing, I wonder?”
