Since I had accepted Goblin Rampage’s challenge, I stayed at an inn, ate breakfast at the market, and headed for the east gate.
Good grief, there were so many onlookers. Instead of wasting time watching a boring fight, they should just go earn some money. But apparently, no one wanted to miss the spectacle.
〈The Breeze is here!〉 〈He paid dearly for that fight. If he runs, he can quit being an adventurer.〉 〈Think Goblin Rampage will show?〉 〈They’re locals. However poor their skills, they can’t run now.〉 〈They started the fight, after all.〉
I lined up at the side gate to pass through quickly, and those men followed right behind me.
Looks like the eastern plains will be crowded today. Hopefully, nothing troublesome breaks out.
〈Wait, he’s only Bronze rank?〉 〈Then it makes sense that a few goblins don’t frighten him.〉 〈Looks like he’s only been an adventurer for a year or two.〉
〈Goblin Rampage is here!〉 〈They didn’t run. That’s a Roxanne man for you.〉 〈Guess they’re prepared to lose gracefully.〉 〈Don’t jinx it. I bet on Goblin Rampage as the long shot.〉 〈That isn’t much of a long shot, idiot.〉 〈Why not?〉 〈The other man has fought alongside Strongarm. There’s no real contest, so almost no one bet against him.〉 〈Well, perhaps eccentrics like you did.〉
What a terrible reputation. Still, Strongarm accepted requests from a marquis’s household, so their ability was clearly beyond dispute.
After passing through the gate, I strolled along Blange Highway with a long train of tagalongs trailing behind me.
“Hey, Breeze, how far are you planning to go?” “We have work too, so finish this quickly.”
“I only intend to tease them a little, so there won’t be much to watch. Also, my name is Leon. Please stop calling me Breeze.”
“Understood. Leon the Breeze, right?”
…There’s no dealing with idiots.
Once the city gate disappeared around a bend, I stepped onto the plains and waited for Goblin Rampage. Another crowd of adventurers had gathered behind them to watch.
What a bunch of loafers. I guess my little act at the guild cafeteria spread the rumors pretty far.
With an audience behind them and their own exaggerated confidence on display, Goblin Rampage could no longer retreat.
“I didn’t think you’d really come.” “You’ll regret mocking us.” “You think a weak breeze can defeat us? This isn’t the guild training ground!”
I had no interest in listening, so I wrapped the man in front in a gentle [Whirlwind!] and spun him lightly.
〈Hyeeeh— wha— wh-what the—〉
“What the hell did you do?!”
“What do you mean, what did I do? You came here to fight. Stop performing comedy and draw your swords.”
〈So that’s the Breeze’s magic.〉 〈He’s spinning an entire man!〉 〈They mocked the Breeze, and now the Breeze is mocking them.〉
“Tch! If we all rush him at once, a kid like that’s easy prey!”
“He can’t chant if we keep him busy! Let’s go!”
“Don’t hold back!”
There was no reason to wait for them. I cast [Whirlwind!] repeatedly without hesitation. When the first man’s nose began to bleed, I withdrew the mana, and he dropped to the ground vomiting.
The other five screamed from inside their whirlwinds: 〈Help!〉 〈My eyes! Everything is spinning!〉
After twenty or thirty revolutions, I dispelled the spells. None of them could walk straight, and even those who managed to stand tangled their legs and fell, drawing laughter from the spectators.
〈It looks like Whirlwind, but he’s casting it repeatedly without chanting.〉 〈That “Breeze” nickname fooled us completely.〉 〈It’s still only wind magic, so it may not be lethal.〉 〈Perhaps, but he’s unquestionably skilled.〉 〈A solo hunter must have strong Detection and defense.〉
〈They’re all sitting down.〉 〈They’re even vomiting. They’ll be useless for the rest of the day.〉 〈If he had been serious, they would already be dead.〉 〈In that condition, a single goblin could kill all of them.〉
They could talk all they wanted — I wasn’t interested. I left them there and headed toward the forest.
“Uh, why are you all still following me?”
“Ah, don’t mind us.”
“We’re planning to hunt in this area too.”
“We heard lots of bird calls near that forest up ahead.”
“Good for you. But unless you keep your distance, you’ll end up dizzy and collapsed like Goblin Rampage.”
“H-hey, don’t say scary stuff like that! We’re not trying to get in your way…”
“This many people following me makes Detection and Presence Sense difficult.”
If words don’t work, I’ll teach them by example.
Ignoring them, I walked ahead — though my rear defense was wide open with them behind me.
I turned, caught the five people at the front in successive [Whirlwind!] spells, and released each one after they became dizzy.
Then I created a huge [Whirlwind!] about three meters wide and moved it slowly across the space between me and the spectators.
〈Hey!〉
〈You’ve gotta be kidding!〉
〈Run!〉
〈If that thing catches us, we’re dead!〉
The gawkers scattered in all directions. I didn’t chase — I had no intention of killing anyone — and continued toward the forest.
“That thing could kill us instantly!” “He doesn’t seem to want us dead, but did we anger him?” “Who was the idiot who started calling him the Breeze?”
“Lindy, what should we do?”
“Let’s follow him for today. You saw it too, didn’t you? Whether he’s casting without chants or using shortened ones, he can fire spells in rapid succession.”
“Yes, that speed and continuous casting are impressive.” “That last whirlwind was extremely powerful.”
“Even if he refuses to teach us, we may learn something—perhaps how to cast Shield or Lance more quickly.”
“All right, let’s go. We’ll keep enough distance not to interfere with his Detection.” “Most of the others have already abandoned the spectacle, so perhaps his mood will improve.”
“What’s he doing now?”
“Wait, he’s too far away to see clearly.” “It looks as if he’s kicking the grass.”
“He mainly hunts birds, doesn’t he? I’ve heard Horn Rabbits, Hedgehogs, Jumping Mice, and even Runner Birds hide in those thickets.”
“Bush Snakes live there too, and Red Chickens sometimes build nests in the grass.” “But he isn’t carrying a weapon—not even a stick or knife. Is he hunting entirely with wind magic?” “Something just flew out… and fell.”
“So he really does catch birds with wind magic.”
“Can he strike birds in flight?” “I wouldn’t have believed it before seeing that whirlwind.” “I believe it now.”
“He looks ready to camp, but he isn’t building a shelter.” “He pulled out a camp bed and chair and started relaxing.” “Perhaps this is our chance to ask him.” “What about the other group?” “Who knows? Their goal seems different from ours.” “We’ve never hunted in the same place or even spoken with them. Their plans don’t matter. Let’s go.”
“Those people are approaching the Breeze.” “Move. If they recruit him first, we lose the chance to strengthen our party.” “Offer him thirty percent of the earnings. He won’t refuse.” “Will that still be profitable?” “Most of what he brings to the guild is birds and small game, yet the appraisals exceed a million dara. Compared with our earnings, that’s extraordinary. If we combine his income with ours, each of us could take home two or three hundred thousand dara.” “Then act polite and flatter him so he doesn’t become offended.” “Hurry. We need to negotiate before they reach him.”
By the time I selected a campsite before sunset, more than ten men who had followed from about fifty meters away began approaching. They appeared to belong to two parties, and the group hurrying ahead radiated trouble.
“Breeze, are you really camping here?” “You don’t even have a defensive shelter. That’s careless. Join our party.” “We have a thorn shelter and take turns standing watch, so our camp is safe.” “We’re Black Whirlwind, a fairly well-known party in Roxanne. You’ll earn more with us.” “Your share would be…”
“If this is a recruitment attempt, I decline. As you can see, I manage perfectly well alone.”
“Don’t be so cold. We followed you all day.” “Is thirty percent not enough?” “We sacrificed an entire day’s earnings to invite you.”
“How much do you earn in a day? Today I hunted five Runner Birds, two Green Birds, four Red Chickens, and four Chikki-Chikki Birds. Even if your party earns more, dividing it among all your members would make joining you pointless. Return to the city before dark.”
“We’re trying to be polite here—”
“You should stop there. Have you forgotten what happened to Goblin Rampage this morning? I held back because we were near the city. Out here, there are no witnesses, and I won’t restrain myself.”
Several men gripped their swords or shifted their holds on their short spears while glaring at me. Since the second party was still nearby, I would let them live, but I needed to discourage them from attempting anything.
“Take three more steps and you’ll understand why I can camp safely in a place like this.”
They looked confused, but one man was pushed forward by his companions. Halfway through his third step, something invisible stopped him.
“What the…?”
“What is it, Bill?” “I don’t know. Something is in front of me. I can’t move any farther.” “What are you talking about?”
Another man tried to pass Bill, grunted when he struck the invisible wall, and turned pale as he pressed a hand against the invisible wall of [Dome!].
I had no desire to listen to their uproar, so I formed a [Whirlwind!] twice my usual size behind them. They backed away while muttering complaints.
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