Chapter 149 - A Simple Cook (1/2)

Chapter 149: A Simple Cook

As I lifted the tent flap, I caught sight of the guard stationed outside. As soon as our eyes met, his giant body stiffened into a frantic salute. “G-Gen—”

“Remember…” I reminded, winking at the terrified guard as I pressed my finger to my lips.

Without waiting for a response, I made my way back to the growing cluster of soldiers cheering louder than before.

The fight between the half-elf girl named Cedry and the long-armed Jona seemed to have come to an end as a new pair of fighters brawled it out on an earthen platform a conjurer had erected.

The casual spar of the two soldiers had escalated into a full-blown event as the audience moved logs and tree stumps to make seats. Some of the more enthusiastic members of the crowd began making wagers with their peers, from the meat slices of their next meals to more precious resources like alcohol that they had smuggled inside hidden water pouches. All in all, the encampment had a jubilant atmosphere that was unbefitting of this continent’s current circumstances.

Blending myself in with the crowd, I made my way toward the front of the makeshift arena where I found Cedry and Jona spectating from the ground.

“It was a good fight,” I remarked, taking a seat next to the dagger-wielding soldier named Jona. “Who ended up winning?”

The half-elf who fought using gauntlets. just like my father. looked at me with a victorious smile as she raised up her hand flauntingly in front of Jona.

Jona ruffled his short, disheveled hair in frustration. “One time, Cedry. You’ve won one time.”

“The first victory of many to come,” she snickered.

I chuckled, looking at the two of them bicker. “I wish I could’ve seen how it ended.”

Letting out a laugh, Jona stuck out a hand. “My name is Jona, and the immature girl next to me is Cedry. I don’t think I’ve seen you around. Are you a new recruit?”

“I guess you can say that.” I shook both their hands. “You can call me Arthur.”

“Well, Arthur, judging by how things are going, it looks like we’ll be able to enjoy a lot more fights tonight,” Jona said, focusing back at the fight currently taking place.

The fight had just ended with a large, bear-like augmenter finally landing a finishing hit on his light-footed opponent. As the defeated soldier jumped off the stage, nursing his stricken cheek, my gaze fell on Jona and Cedry once more. Jona’s features were fairly ordinary, with sharp angles and a slight, beaked nose. Cedry, on the other hand, stood out a bit more. With her radiant gaze that seemed full of life and her playful demeanor. I wouldn’t be surprised if she were popular with both men and women. Just in the short time I’d sat down next to them, at least a dozen or so peers walked by, making jokes or congratulating her on her win.

“—country bumpkin! Get your head outta yer ass,” a loud, gritty voice snapped.

I turned toward the source of the voice only to see the bear-like augmenter staring back down at me.

I looked around until I realized that he was talking to me. “Do I really look like I came from the countryside?” I asked Jona.

“Stop going after fresh recruits, Herrick, and grow the balls to at least spar with someone in your weight class,” Cedry hissed back, eliciting a howl of laughter from the rest of the crowd.

I got up to my feet. “It’s okay. We’re just having fun, right?”

“Y-Yeah,” the balding Herrick quickly agreed. “I’m using this chance to show the new recruits some pointers!”

Taking off my cloak with Sylvie inside, I hopped up to the elevated stage and held out my hand. “Well then, please give me lots of pointers.”

Herrick grabbed my hand, squeezing it a little too tightly for it to be a warm gesture. “ I’ll give you the first move.”

Letting go of my hand, he spread his arms out with a smug grin pasted on his greasy face as his eyes glanced over toward a group of girls seated in the audience.

While Herrick’s body seemed a bit too round to be efficient in battle, the layer of mana enveloped around him told me he was a competent mage.

Wanting to see how he fought, I limited the amount of mana I willed into my body as I stepped in range to attack.

As my fist approached his abdomen, I could see the mana gathering where he thought I’d hit. The giant augmenter barely flinched as my fist sunk into his heaping stomach.

“You’re going to have to try harder than that, country brat!” he chuckled as I pulled away.

I shook my hand. “So strong.”

“Now, let me show you some pointers.” His smile grew as he glanced again at the group of girls watching us.

He swung a giant hand to swat me off the platform. Taking the hit, I landed on my bottom rather embarrassingly but without any injuries. “Oh man, I couldn’t even react.”

There was a bit of irritation on my opponent’s face as he assumed I’d go sailing off the stage, but his arrogant smirk was still there. “You’re lucky I held back or you would’ve gone flying. Those Alacryan bastards aren’t going to go easy on you, though.”

“You’re right. Thank you.” I tried to sound enthusiastic like a country bumpkin who was now part of a military filled with mages of noble blood but it was becoming tiring.

The fight went on for several more minutes with Herrick trying to swat me out of the arena using his meaty hands while I pretended to get the full brunt of his attack only to stumble a few feet.

“Come on, Herrick. I know you’re going easy on him but don’t baby him all day!” a soldier cried out while his peers agreed.

“I-I just don’t wanna to hurt the twig, you know?” he replied, his frustration evident on his face.

So far, I’d gathered that by the callouses on his hands and the way his arms naturally attacked, he used a heavy axe as his primary weapon. However, besides his decent control in body-strengthening, he had no other tricks up his sleeve. Deciding that my assessment of him was over, I used the chance when Herrick reached over to grab me by twisting my body and tossing him over my shoulders off of the arena.