第二十五話 ミスリル剣の行方
「まあ、所有者が出てくれば話が早い。そっちの頑固爺よりは話しやすいことだろう。オレ様が言いたいことはただ一つ、ミスリルの剣を売れってことだけだ」
「断る。俺も必要だから依頼して作ってもらったんだ」
B級以上の冒険者に適した武器は、この冒険者の都でも簡単に手に入るものではないはずだ。
ここで譲ってしまえば次がいつになるかはわかったものではないし、元より俺達にそんなことをする義理はない。
このヒルデとやらもそれがわかっているため、反りの合わない頑固鍛冶師のベルガに付き纏って脅迫まで行っていたのだろうが。
「そう熱くなるなよ、重騎士。別にキサマがそんな装備を持ってたって、大した意味はねえよ。雑魚が剣だけ整えて、何がしてぇんだか。わかってねぇんだなぁ、この世界ってもんを」
ヒルデが俺を馬鹿にするように肩を竦め、首を左右に振った。
「レア武器が手に入るって浮かれちまってるんだろうが、ラーナに黄金ってもんだぜそれは。冒険者ってのは、案外狭くってな? 上の奴に目を付けられちまったら終わりだぜ。一つ勉強させてやるよ。躍起になってオレ様に楯突くのと、素直にミスリルの剣を売り渡すの、どっちがいいか。別に買い叩こうってつもりじゃねぇよ。充分な金は出してやる」
「充分な金......ね」
ただ、ヒルデが相場よりずっと高値で買い取ってくれるとは思えない。
それに俺からしてみても、多少いい値段で買い取ってもらうより、いい装備をして少しでも高レベルの〈
「三千万ゴルド出せば充分だろう? ハッ、キサマからしてみれば、想像もできんような大金だろう。アイテムを整理して適当に金を作っておいてや......」
「断るな。三千万ぽっちじゃ話にもならない」
その辺りを提示してくるとは思っていた。
〈ミスリルのインゴット〉が二千五百万ゴルドが相場なので、鍛冶費用に色を付けてその辺りが相場だという考えだろう。
その分の損失を考えると三千万ゴルドで首を縦に振る道理がない。
「お、おい、小僧......。このガキ、見かけと言動こそチンチクリンじゃが、実力の方は本物じゃ。B級冒険者で、〈
ベルガが恐る恐る俺にそう言った。
「そういう人間が嫌いだから、信念のために仕事を断っていたんじゃないのか? 俺もこいつは好きにはなれない。交渉も応じる気はない」
「儂は覚悟してやっておるが......小僧らはまだ若い。ギルド内で厄介な敵を作らん方がいいぞ」
「そうなったら、また別の都市に行くだけだ。それに俺は、自分がそいつより弱いとも思っていない」
冒険者ランクなら、俺もB級になったところだ。
レベル的にも充分戦える範囲だと思っている。
あまり格下だと軽んじられるいわれはない。
「キサマ、面白いことを口にするな。無名の重騎士風情が、このオレ様より強いと」
ヒルデが口許を隠し、笑い声を上げた。
狙いがあるとしたら、俺の隙を作るため。
俺が背後へ跳んだと同時に、ヒルデが動いた。
剣を抜き、俺の胸部に刃を向ける。
その際に、机の上にあった鍛冶道具がひっくり返った。
「ほう、反応はいいな。このオレ様に偉そうな口を叩くだけはある。だが、ステータスがお粗末すぎる。重騎士の限界だな。よかったな? もう少し頭に来てたら、このまま殺してたぜ?」
ヒルデが俺から退き、剣を鞘へと戻す。
さすがに殺意はなかったのだろうが、あまりに人に刃を向けることに躊躇いがなかった。
「だ、大丈夫ですか、エルマさん!」
ルーチェがあたふたと俺に駆け寄ってくる。
「ととっ、突然、何考えてるんですか! 貴女!」
「騒がしいな。実力不足をわかりやすく教えてやったまでのことだ。オレ様も意外と優しいだろう?」
俺は体勢を戻しながら、ヒルデを睨んだ。
「不意打ちを受けたからと言って実力差の証明には何一つならない。冒険者同士の戦いはクラスの相性も大きい上に、クラスによって得意とする間合いや条件も大きく異なる。完全に平等な条件の決闘は成立しないといわれているくらいだ」
わかりやすいところでいえば、〈マジックワールド〉では魔法型クラスと白兵戦型クラスが決闘を行えば、その勝敗は最初の両者の距離で決定されるとされていた。
当然、遠ければ遠いだけ魔法型クラスが有利となる。
「おいおい、実力差があるのは充分証明できただろう。屁理屈を捏ねて。じゃあなんだ、条件を整えてやって、それでオレ様が勝ったらミスリルの剣を諦めて譲るってことか? それならいくらでも受けてやるがよ。このオレ様が重騎士相手に負けるわけがねぇんだからな」
「一般論を口にしただけだ。それにその決闘で俺が勝っても利益がない以上、受ける理由が......」
「うだうだとしつこい。だから有り得ないって言ってるだろ。だったらオレ様が負けたら、ミスリル剣のことは諦めた上で、剣の市場価値分キサマに払ってやるよ。どうだ、これなら逃げる理由はなくなったはずだよな?」
ヒルデが舌舐めずりをし、嘲弄するように薄い笑みを浮かべる。
「乗るべきではないぞ、小僧。元々魔剣士のようなクラスは、一対一の戦いを得意とする。小僧の論に乗っかって言えば、実力比べのために決闘を行うのがそもそも不公平というもの......」
ベルガは心配げな様子であった。
だが俺は、さっと手を伸ばしてベルガの言葉を止めた。
「本当にその条件でいいんだな? だったら喜んで受けてやる」
ルーチェとベルガが同時に真っ蒼になった。
「さっ、さすがにまずいですよぅ! 相手はB級冒険者で、魔剣士なんですよ! 速くて攻撃力があって遠近両用のスキルを持ってて......決闘じゃ敵なしのクラスだってことは、アタシだってわかりますよ!」
俺は床に散らばっている鍛冶道具へと目を向けた。
「楽に数千万ゴルドが手に入るなら逃す手はないしな。小銭稼ぎついでに軽くお灸を据えてやろう、ヒルデ」
「舐め腐った態度は気に喰わんが、キサマが馬鹿で助かった。言い逃れできんよう、ギルドの職員を立会人として呼んでやる。後悔するなよ」
Volume 2 - Ch 25
"Well, with the owner here things will go faster. He should be easier to talk to than this stubborn old man. I only want to say one thing: Sell that mythril sword to me."
"I refuse. I had it made because I needed it."
Weapons suitable for adventurers of B rank and above are not something easily found, even in the City of Adventurers.
If we let this one go, then who knows when we'll have the next chance to get one. Also, we are in no way obligated to sell it to her to begin with.
This Hilde must be aware of that too, and that's why she kept pestering this stubborn old man Berga instead, and even went as far as to threaten him.
"Don't get so worked up, Heavy Knight. It's not like you having that sword would really mean anything. What is even a small-fry like you trying to do with a weapon like that? You really don't get how the world works, do ya?"
Hilde shrugged her shoulders and shook her head to mock me.
"You must've got a big head from the prospect of getting a rare weapon, but this is just giving gold jewelry to a Rana. Adventurers are a surprisingly exclusive bunch, ya know? If a top dog singles you out, you can kiss your progress goodbye. Let me enlighten you then. What do you think would be better for you? Getting worked up and trying to futilely go against me, or obediently selling me that mythril sword. It's not like I want to rip you off, ya know. I'll give you more than enough money for it."
"More than enough money....huh."
However, I don't think Hilde would pay significantly more for it than its Market Value.
As for me, rather than selling it for a somewhat good price, it would be much more efficient to use it to delve into a higher level Dungeon.
"30 million gold should be more than enough for it, right? Hahh, that must seem like an unimaginable sum of money for you. Let's just sort it out and let me take out the mon-"
"I refuse. A pittance like 30 million is not nearly enough for it."
I expected her to offer around that much.
With the Mythril Ingot's Market Value around 25 million gold, that price would seem appropriate if you count in the smithing fee and a small extra.
If I consider the lost opportunity cost, there is no way I would just nod to a 30 million gold offer.
"H-hey, kid.... Although this brat looks and acts like a runt, her abilities are the real thing. She's a B rank adventurer, with a solo Dream Lord subjugation on her record. However, her character is absolutely rotten. You might not want to go against her like this."
Berga told me nervously.
"Isn't it because you dislike people like this that you refused to make something for her? Well, I also don't like her. I have no intention of negotiating either."
"I'm prepared for whatever may come of this, but....you two are still young. You should avoid making a troublesome enemy like this within the Guild."
"If it comes to that, then we will just move to a different city again. I don't think I'm weaker than this one anyway."
In terms of adventurer rank, I've just become a B rank too.
In terms of levels, I should also be more than able to fight her.
I don't like her looking down on me like this without any basis.
"You bastard, you say some funny things. A shitty nameless Heavy Knight says that he's stronger than me?"
Hilde started laughing while covering her mouth.
Her aim must be to get me to lower my guard.
Just as I jumped back, Hilde moved.
She pulled her sword out and pointed it at my chest.
The smithing tools on top of the table fell down from her movement.
"Hoh, nice reflexes. As expected of someone who would talk back to me like that. However, your Status is just too pitiful. That's the limit of a Heavy Knight, I guess. Good for you, huh? If you've managed to piss me off even more, then I might've just killed you on the spot, ya know?"
Hilde stepped back from me and put her sword away into its sheath.
It didn't seem like she had any intention of actually following through, but she also had no compunction about pointing a blade at someone.
"A-are you alright, Elma-san!"
Luce rushed up to me in a panic.
"What do you think you're doing all of a sudden!"
"So noisy. I just showed him the difference in our abilities. How unexpectedly nice of me, right?"
As I left my fighting stance, I kept glaring at Hilde.
"Just because you launched a surprise attack, that doesn't mean it managed to prove anything. A fight between adventurers depends a lot on their respective Classes. Depending on the matchup, the distance between the participants and other various conditions could make all the difference. They even say that it's impossible to set up a truly equal duel between people."
In simple terms, in Magic World the winning chances of a duel between a magic user and melee fighter was decided solely on their relative distance at the start of the duel.
The farther apart they started, the larger chance the magic user had of course.
"Oi oi, this should've easily proved the difference in our abilities. Don't try to deflect with some weird logic. Or if I fight you in even terms, then will you give up that mythril sword and let me have it? If that's the case, then I will face you anytime. It's not like I could lose against a Heavy Knight like you, hah."
"What I said was simply the common view on the topic. Nonetheless, since there is nothing in it for me even if I manage to win that duel, I will have to refu-"
"Yap, yap, yap, just shut up already. I told you already that's impossible. If I lose for some reason, then I will not just give up on the mythril sword, but I will even pay its Market Value to you. There, now you have no outs left anymore, right?"
Hilde licked her lips and sent a scornful smile at me.
"You shouldn't take her up on it, kid. The Magic Swordsman Class specializes in one-on-one fights. Going by your logic, it would be unfair to try and compare your abilities in a straight fight to begin with....."
Berga looked worried.
However, I raised my hand to stop Berga from speaking further.
"Are you really fine with those terms? If so, then I will happily accept."
Luce and Berga went pale simultaneously.
"I-I don't think that's a good idea! She is a B rank adventurer and a Magic Swordsman to boot! They are fast, have high Attack, and Skills for both close and long range.... Even I know that they are supposed to be unbeatable in a duel!"
I moved my gaze towards the smithing tools lying scattered on the floor.
"There is no reason to refuse an easy few dozen million gold. Let me teach you some humility for some pocket change, Hilde."
"I don't like your shitty attitude, but I'm happy that you're this stupid. I will invite a Guild employee to serve as a witness, so you won't be able to weasel your way out after. Don't regret it later."
The Reincarnated Heavy Knight Who Was Exiled After A Supposed Big Miss Is Unparalleled With His Game Knowledge
大ハズレだと追放された転生重騎士はゲーム知識で無双する
https://www.novelupdates.com/series/the-reincarnated-heavy-knight-who-was-exiled-after-a-supposed-big-miss-is-unparalleled-with-his-game-knowledge/
Action Adventure Fantasy Romance Shounen
Abandoned Children Adapted to Manga Adventurers Alchemy Arrogant Characters Artifacts Blacksmith Calm Protagonist Clever Protagonist Determined Protagonist Dungeons Fallen Nobility Fantasy World Game Elements Guilds Hot-blooded Protagonist Level System Love Interest Falls in Love First Lucky Protagonist Male Protagonist Mystery Solving Naive Protagonist Nobles Poor to Rich Previous Life Talent Reincarnated in a Game World Romantic Subplot Skill Books Strategic Battles Strong Love Interests Strong to Stronger Sword Wielder Underestimated Protagonist Weak to Strong
https://ncode.syosetu.com/n8465gx/
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