Chapter 383 : Delica’s Swordsmanship
『Onii-chan.』(Nicola)
As we continued deeper into the forest, Nicola suddenly talked to me through telepathy.
She seemed to detect enemies nearby.
『How many?』(Mark)
『Not that many. Just a few goblins.』(Nicola)
『Then we don’t have to interfere. Let’s see how Delica will handle them.』(Mark)
We knew that there were goblins hiding in the shadows ahead of us, waiting to ambush us, but we decided not to tell Delica.
She was walking while holding the handle of her sword tightly. She was ready to fight at any moment, but she didn’t seem to be aware of the enemies ahead.
ーRustle
Not long after, I heard the sound of rustling leaves from above.
I looked up and saw a goblin jump off a tree, trying to hit Delica with its wooden club from above.
However, Delica immediately stepped aside without even looking up, resulting in the goblin hitting the ground instead of Delica’s head with its club, and thenー
「ーHaa!!」(Delica)
ーshe quickly swung her sword and sliced the confused goblin in the torso, killing it right away.
「Hmph! Trying to ambush me, huh? Goblins are dirty as always.」(Delica)
While saying that, Delica flicked off the blood from her sword and sheathed it back like a samurai who had just finished her enemy off.
「Well done, Delica!」(Mark)
「Kyaa~! Delica-chan, you’re so cool~!」(Nicola)
「Delica… Marvelous…」(Diadora)
Watching her flawless sword technique, the three of us were impressed.
We wanted to clap our hands, but we had to keep holding hands to hide our presence from the enemies so that they only focused on Delica.
Delica, who couldn’t feel our presence but heard our voices, scratched her cheek with her index finger shyly.
「Th, thanks, but it’s nothing. I knew there was a goblin on the tree the moment I heard a suspicious rustling sound from above, so I simply dodged it. I can’t use magic like Mark, and I can’t detect enemies’ presence like Nicola, so I need to be quick, right? Anyway, let’s continue.」(Delica)
After collecting the dead goblin’s ear using her pocket knife, Delica continued heading deeper into the forest. We followed her while holding hands with my Stealth Gift activated.
Just like before, goblins kept coming one after another, but Delica defeated them by herself without a problem.
I’ve seen her fighting with a sword a few times, especially when we went to Sadola Town. Back then, when we fought grass wolves on the way to that mining town, Delica’s movements looked awkward since she had just started practicing swordsmanship in the dojo.
But now, I can tell that her swordsmanship has improved a lot. Her movements, her techniques, her footwork, her speed, and her accuracy in swinging her sword have become so much better. She can proudly say that her hard work practicing swordsmanship all this year has paid off.
However, compared to other fighters I know, she is still far behind.
I’ve seen Jack’s older brother, Luck, slaughtering goblins and kobolds in this forest before. As an adventurer, he had powerful sword techniques, and Delica still lacks in strength compared to him.
Other than him, another melee fighter I know is Ester. Even though she’s not yet an adventurer, her skill with her dagger was even faster and more brutal than Luck’s with his sword. Compared to her, Delica looked like an amateur.
Speaking of Ester, I wonder how she’s doing now. She decided to stay in Tryon’s castle and train under Maya’s guidance. Maya is probably the strongest fighter I know. I hope those two are getting along well as master and disciple.
Anyway, the fact that Delica still has a huge difference in fighting capabilities compared to them shows that she still has so much room for improvement. She is a quick learner, so I’m sure she will become as strong as they are in no time.
「ーHya! ーHaa!!」(Delica)
ーSLASH! SLASH!
The goblins kept coming at Delica. Even though they attacked her at once, Delica was able to handle them with no problem.
She’s really gotten used to fighting these monsters.
After the fight, she didn’t forget to collect their ears, which could be sold at the Adventurer’s Guild for good pocket money.
「Delica, how far do you plan to go today?」(Mark)
I asked her while she was collecting the goblins’ ears.
「Dad told me to stay in the goblins’ territory when I go alone, but since you’re with me today, he said I could go further.」(Delica)
「I see.」(Mark)
If we go deeper, we will enter the kobolds’ territory. Those monsters are slightly stronger than goblins, and what makes them terrifying is that they are good at hunting their prey as groups, so it’s not a place for beginners to set foot in.
It seems like Gauche knew that I would go with Delica today, but… how could he trust the safety of his daughter to me that much? He knows I’m not an ordinary kid, but he rarely sees me fighting monsters.
Come to think of it, the day after we decided to join Delica in her training, Gauche came to our inn and talked with Celine. At that time, I noticed him occasionally glancing at me. He must have asked Celine how strong I am to decide whether he could trust Delica’s safety to me or not.
Well, there are only goblins and kobolds in this forest, and with Nicola, Diadora, and me around, Delica will be completely safe.
After she finished collecting the goblins’ ears, Delica stood up and turned to Diadora with a smile.
「Since I got my dad’s permission to explore deeper, I’m going with you to the spring that Diadora-san talked about.」(Delica)
「Delica… You are going too…?」(Diadora)
「Yeah. You said it was a beautiful place, so I want to see it myself.」(Delica)
「Yes… It’s a beautiful place… Thank you, Delica… I love you…」(Diadora)
Diadora was so happy Delica would come along. She let go of my hand and hugged her.
「Di, Diadora-san, you’re tickling me…」(Delica)
Delica blushed. She wasn’t expecting Diadora would hug her.
「Your face turns red again… I knew it… You areー」(Diadora)
「I’m not a tomato spirit!」(Delica)
Watching the two hugging, Nicola sent me a telepathic message.
『Hoho~ not bad. Looks like she has mastered the secret technique of pretending to be innocent to hug someone. Welcome to the club, Diadora-chan!』(Nicola)
『Oi, Diadora is genuinely innocent. She’s not a pervert like you.』(Mark)
『You’re talking as if you know what she thinks.』(Nicola)
『Well, I don’t know what she thinks, but I do know how she feels. We’re linked, remember?』(Mark)
『Dammit! You make me jealous! Anyway, I’m going to hug Delica after her!』(Nicola)
Just when Nicola planned to hug Delica too, Diadora let go of Delica and immediately covered her mouth and nose with both hands for some reason. She then bowed and trembled as if she was going to puke.
「Hnnghpuu…」(Diadora)
「Diadora-san? What’s wrong?」(Delica)
「Delica… Stinks… You smell like goblins…」(Diadora)
「Huuh!?」(Delica)
Delica panickedly sniffed the collar of her shirt, her arms, and her hands. She then squinted in disgust.
「Ugh… She’s right… Guys, don’t get too close to me for now…」(Delica)
She has been fighting so many goblins by herself, so it can’t be helped.
『So? You still want to hug her?』(Mark)
『Maybe after she takes a bath…』(Nicola)
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Shame, should have hug her before it happens, would be funny to see Nicole regretting a bit