Well, uh, you will have to wait some hours before I put up the part 2. I had this completed so I am posting it. I’m right now en route to RL work, so it would take time before I post new part. Wait patiently~. Btw, it’s not a bonus chapter. Two more things before you start the chapter. The call in the title doesn’t mean that Minato got himself a fucking Mobile Phone. It means he is called by someone. The other thing, Volka has been renamed to Volca, and some other words have been changed to. Don’t worry, I would change them all in the previous chapters, in time.

Chapter 23 – Rank and Call

One morning.

In the vacant lands outside of Volka City.

「Yes, I’m beat」

「Au!?」

Holding a dagger (for training), making sharp turns Elk jumped at me, I attacked her incoming leg......that’s what I thought, but Elk skillfully dodged it.

However, due to the trajectory before her jumping my elbow accidently came cutting right in, hit the solar plexus, and Elk crashed down.

「That’s why during the evasion of an attack any careless jumping is prohibited. Especially if the opponent is agile and has great maneuvering ability. You have start your next action the moment you land on surface. While the time you’re in air, basically unless you use floating magic, you can’t evade attacks」

「That is......Keho(*cough)! I do know that, but my body moved on it’s own」

「Well, there’s no choice other than letting your body learn it over time. Let’s be patient」

「I see......Once again!」

Well, roughly it’s like this.

This is the daily routine of us both recently.

We wake up early in morning, wash our faces, get dressed, come to this vacant land, complete the warming-up exercises and then do sparring as called we called it, morning training.

Even though I say that, this is training for『Elk』only, it’s somewhat inefficient for it to become my training.

In the afternoon of the day I met Noel-neesan and took the『Pass』from her.

After returning to the inn, Elk requested me with a docile expression. 『I want to train』.

In short, she is happy that I have made a team with her, and it’s an honor for her that I trust her, but the current her and me are not a good match.

She didn’t want to remain a comrade in name only, neither did she want to only keep on relying on me.

She didn’t want to be a hindrance to me, while going to various danger area or while doing various other quotes, so she wanted to get strong.

Well, I thought her ambition is good, and also hesitated in rejecting her feelings, so i agreed to her.

Though I had rejected her before by saying I can’t teach, still I’m here training with her.

This type of mock battle training is being done everyday.

We’re doing somewhat a real battle, so even if the time is less the things she could are more, including that she learns more while harvesting and exploration, and presents them all here in this『Training』.

[AK: dont get the part... does it mean she knew minato dont or she knew more after training...]

[ET: It means she learns in the training and she also learns it during doing quests and whatnot. She even presents the new things she learnt in the quests and whatnot section during training.]

The portion she learnt there is presented here, gets improvement scores, continues training......this cycle is running.

This is the way of training I did with mom. The only thing I could refer to.

But of course, in my case it was a battle royal between mom’s sparring and demons of forest. That spar was a ultra-serious battle of about 30 min~ 1 hour long.

By the way, the monsters hunted, were either served as food in that day’s dinner, or stored in pantry as preserved foods, otherwise they would be given as fodder to many pets mom had.

In this training too, I can feel like Elk is getting stronger time to time.

Although it’s only my feeling while fighting her.

☆☆☆

After the sparring is completed, during the time Elk is cooling down while reviewing her results, this is the time I enter my training.

Though, it’s only weight and shadow training only.

It’s my daily routine since the time from western-style house. Just in case, I’m doing it everyday.

My physical strength is more than enough, so for it to not decline, I have devised a scheme in my training......to be honest, I can’t call this training to be efficient.

In truth recently –or rather, from somewhat before I left the house– , I don’t feel pain or anything doing push-ups or sit-ups.

Aside from maintaining the current condition, to get more stronger I need more harsher training, I can increase the number of times of my current training but it would increase my time, and also I have no other way too......

「That, can’t you do something about your habit of leaking out what you think?」

「Hm?」

Suddenly a voice from behind hits me.

There Elk is standing while sending her beautiful reproachful stares at me. Not good Not good, looks like I leaked out my words again.

And, the clothes she is wearing is different from her usual ones, no I haven’t seen her wearing it at all.

「......? What happened?」

「No, it’s just that those clothes suit you」

「R-Really? Well, Yeah, Thank you」

Right now, what Elk is wearing, or rather is equipped with is not what she usually wears, the memento of her mother + low quality ready-made clothes......but, everything she is wearing is a brand new, order-made goods.

The hemp cloth with a feeling of oldness, has changed to a healthy and clean cloth. It’s texture too is different.

On her waist is another new robust looking leather belt.

And there is also the memento of her mother, that『Dagger』.

More than anything the main fascinating thing made with fine quality high grade substance is the armor.

Though it’s an armor, it isn’t something massive.

It’s a light armor. This covers the minimum important parts and helps in not restricting movement.

In my previous life’s RPG, only thieves would wear armor like that.

This refreshing green colored armor is, yes, something we requested Noel-nee san and ordered it at some trusted armor shop. It’s made from the scales and skin of the big-serpent –It’s got its official name『Naga』now– and also other materials.

At that time she had said「Just tell me if you need weapon, armor, custom-made article, everything is OK」, so I took her offer.

As expected, making custom-made armors and other things from monsters raw materials is popular among adventurers, so when we took our raw materials the shopkeeper admired the high level of the materials and full-heartedly started making it.

Along with that, we ordered other things to be made too, but that’s for some later date.

And, Noel-nee san who acted as intermediary between the manufacturers, told us that the same type of articles in market cannot be compared to our articles. It’s weight is not more than a feather, but it’s hardness, strength and the pure iron inserted inside it cannot be broken easily. Demon raw materials are really awesome.

Incidentally, using the skin without scales, we had them to be processed into clothes like undergarments.

At one glance, each and every is first-class goods that that a rookie adventurer would is not fated to get, only a veteran adventurer might be able to get them.

Yeah, it does look great on her.

But, the scales and skin of『Naga』were both green. After the manufacturing, it became even more bright.

Inevitably, Elk’s armor and clothes are both green.

And, Elk’s hair and eyes too are green, so after me being『Man In Black』, this time Elk is becoming『Woman In Green』......but like I care

Well her clothes are green, her armor made from scales is dark green almost black you can say......there is not much difference in the hue, so it’s alright, probably.

Incidentally, for them brand new equipments, the required money was given by me to her as a loan.

At first I had thought of distributing the reward from『Naga』taking in the consideration of her financial conditions, this time it wasn’t on whim, but stubbornly Elk didn’t accept it.

She said『You defeated it 100% that’s why it’s all yours. If you want to team up with me, then do that work perfectly』. Well it’s something like her personality.

That’s why, with interest rate I lend her the money......though I’m praying that she forgets about it by the expiration date.

After all, though it’s needed, but I don’t want to do money lending and borrowing between friends.

It’s more natural to think of it as a present from a man to a woman, at least for me.

Elk was against the me offering the raw materials to be made into equipments, but this time I won.

I just said, If you’re going to team with me, then you should have equipment that I can rest assured that you will be safe.

She, who doesn’t think it’s good to rely on me, naturally didn’t made a good face at my request, but there wasn’t any problem in my request.

It’s natural to think, that the other party who is going to be your partner should also have even if a little high survival rate. Even if it’s said to be overprotective.

And, when it was made,

「～～～?」

......She seemed really happy.

The green colored armor equipped on the arms and shoulder, and the clothes covering the body.

After all, as an adventurer, she must’ve have more or less admired these kind of equipments.

Elk realized my eyesight looking at her with glitter in eyes, did get startled as bit, but without explaining or anything just turned around.

「W, Well I still think it’s beyond my means to normally get it......but yeah I’m happy. Since the raw materials are high-class, so it would increase the survival rate」

「Yeah Yeah, it’s fine if you even think that」

Like that for a while, while Elk was getting rid of sweat from training, she looked at her right-now-praised equipment with glittering eyes. Whatever she says, in the end she does like it.

Maybe, the cooling down exercises are some sort of stretching exercise, but to me it’s only looks like she’s making a pose.

The action of the diligent and beautiful Elk in a perfect costume of both hue and design, looks like a fashion show to me.

It has been 16 years and some months since I came to this world, the memories and sense of values deeply rooted into me, cannot help but look at the attire of adventurers as some sort of cosplay.

Though it’s imprudent to say, but. Let me declare! It’s a sight for sore eyes!

While I was thinking this and that, before I knew it Elk stared at me with reproachful eyes. Huh, did I again leak it out from mouth?

「Anyone would be worried, if you make a triumphant pose with a satisfied expression while looking at someone」

historical

......Looks like I need to care of some bad habits inside me.

Anyway, while coversating like that we both completed the preparation, and decided to return to City of Volca.

after we had our breakfast there, for some reason, we both needed to go to adventurer guild.