I don't know when it started, but I began to learn another language: the language of demons.
Because I had never been exposed to this type of language before, I felt clumsy and slow when learning it, but under the guidance of two master teachers, Katya and Julius, my progress was not too bad.
“Hello...I...I am...Leon Cabreen.”
"Mmm~ That's right. It took me three days to finally be able to introduce myself."
"Ugh... it's so hard to learn."
Yes, the Demon Language is completely different from regular languages. It doesn't have independent syllables or words. It's more like a sentence with a fixed structure. Therefore, even a simple name requires breaking down other sentences that belong to the Demon Language and recombining them into a single sentence.
Although I don't know if this is the right thing to do, this is my current understanding. Perhaps once I fully master the Demon Language, I will become like Katya and be able to communicate freely with people.
While Julius was teaching me the Demon Language, Lilith wasn't idle either. Although she only had one arm left, her fighting skills still shone brightly. At least in every sparring match, I was completely defeated. That's why I shifted my attention to the Demon Language.
but……
What shocked me was that Katya, as a mage, was able to fight Lilith to a standstill, and without me even realizing it, Katya's fighting skills became more and more proficient.
I did participate in learning martial arts at the beginning, but now I'm far behind.
"Ugh... I'm so frustrated..."
Yes, I can't compare to Anna in magic, I can't compare to Ilotti in swordsmanship, and I can't compare to Katya in combat. Now, even learning the language of the demon gods is just a complete mystery to me.
"Hmm... what is it about me that I have that I can't compare to others?"
Perhaps it exists, but we haven't discovered it yet?
But... I guess not...
"Leon! No daydreaming during class!"
"Ouch...it hurts!"
Whenever I lose focus or my attention is drawn to Katya, who is training with me, Julius will tap my head hard with his tiny cat paw.
"Wow... Seriously, Julius, can you stop hitting me on the head? You'll turn me into an idiot sooner or later!"
"Then why aren't you paying attention in class!"
"I'm so sorry, Professor Julius!"
Although I'm already of school age and long for college life, at this moment, I'm starting to feel a dislike for studying.
With this feeling in mind, I continued south, but all I could see was an endless desert.
We repeated the same routine every day, embarking on our journey once again.
Another month has passed...
~~~
Using Rashomon as a framework, I will build walls on all four sides to block the wind and sand, which can be considered a cozy little house.
"Katia, it's time for a real fight with Leon."
After finishing lunch, Lilith stood up and said to Katya, "Without realizing it, I've become Katya's professional sparring partner for training in combat techniques, but it just means I get beaten up every day."
"Ugh, here we go again... You can't do that after a meal..."
"Don't give me that... What's wrong? Don't you want to practice with our clever and lovely Katya?"
"Ugh... here we go again, this is pure moral blackmail! If I don't agree, then I'm denying the fact that Katya is smart and cute."
"Alright... come on."
So, at Lilith's repeated suggestion, my practice session with Katia resumed after lunch.
As usual, magic cannot be used in this battle, and neither side is allowed to do so.
"Katia...remember to strike..."
Suddenly, Katya threw a punch halfway through her speech. In the past, I probably wouldn't have had time to react, but after dozens of sparring sessions, such unexpected attacks have become part of Katya's fighting style, and I've naturally figured it out.
"I'm outta here!"
As I crouched down, I launched a sweeping leg attack at Katya, which was also the moment for me to counterattack.
However... things didn't go as planned. Katya easily dodged my sweeping leg kick and threw another punch straight at me.
"Damn...that's a complete slap in the face!"
Yes, Katya's fist landed easily on my face, and I was completely defeated in just two moves.
"Hmm! There's a flaw!"
Normally, this would be considered a foregone conclusion, but in order to make Katya more adaptable in wartime, Lilith specifically instructed me to launch another attack when I surrendered, which is basically cheating and launching a sneak attack.
Just as Katya withdrew her fist to help me up, I tripped her with a sweeping leg kick and clenched my right fist to strike her cheek without hesitation.
"Ouch~"
Katya seemed to realize what was happening at that moment. She braced herself against the ground with her hands and used the reaction force and centrifugal force to shift into a face-up position while biting my right foot.
She's a girl who lives in the Albad family and can be considered a princess, so why would she act like a mad dog? There's no doubt about it.
—This is what Lilith taught Katya as her trump card for survival!
"Ouch...it hurts!"
The sharp pain in my ankle made me pull my fist back, instinctively cover the source of the pain, and press down on Katya to stop her movements.
The result was that the two of them struggled and tangled together. One of Katya's hands was pinned down, and one of her legs was bent up and I trapped it under her buttocks. To put it bluntly, this is what is called resorting to shamelessness when you can't beat someone.
—What exactly did Lilith teach Katya?!
"Alright, that's enough."
Lilith's voice came from the side, and we finally relaxed. However, the so-called practice turned into a brawl between children, which was really half-baked.
Of course, the culprit is none other than Lilith!
I moved my foot so that Katya could get up. It was clear that she liked this method; after all, when faced with a powerful enemy she couldn't defeat, she could indeed resort to some helpless tactics.
But... what if you encounter monsters?
This method can only be used against humans, and it's not aesthetically pleasing.
In short, this was the first time I managed to fight Katya to a draw without using magic, and in that way.
After the match, we would rest briefly in the cabin, since we still had to travel, so even though we were practicing, we weren't really taking it seriously.
After resolving the Rashomon effect, we continued our journey south.
About another week passed, and finally an oasis appeared before us. To call it an oasis was just to say that some kind of plant that only grows on the ground had appeared on the undulating terrain.
But we all know that this means we have entered the territory of "Dororo".
Only then did I recall that the journey had not been smooth sailing, and I had encountered many situations, but all of them were resolved.
A monster suddenly appeared, which Lilith and Julius couldn't detect in time, but Julius froze it instantly with an ice spell.
Of course, there were also some strangely appearing and extremely powerful monsters that caused us to struggle, but the "Julius" that arrived later could be defeated in one move. To put it bluntly, it is indeed a free and very reliable "worker".
There's Lilith, who ate a piece of poisonous monster flesh and collapsed on the ground foaming at the mouth, terrifying everyone. Of course, with "Julius" around, poisoning is a trivial matter, as it's very good at curing poison.
Of course, there were also times when, while Katya was taking a bath, a certain cat would drag someone out from the shadows, causing me to completely miss the beautiful scenery.
...
But to be honest, none of that is anything particularly noteworthy. The most important thing is that after more than three months, we finally arrived at our destination, "Dororo".
Although it's still several days' journey to "Porto Lucca", it means the walking journey is finally over. From now on, once we reach a nearby town, we can rent a dragon boat and quickly get to "Porto Lucca".
And the journey, which lasted for more than three months, finally came to an end here.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com