Chapter 12: We Can’t Study Together

“Sir Knight, how did you become so strong?”

“Look at me—when I face those monsters, I can’t even put up a fight… If my teammates aren’t by my side, I have no idea what to do.”

After receiving Alet’s permission, Flaf finally relaxed a little.

At least she wouldn’t be left stammering and tongue-tied, unsure of what to say.

“Strong? Not really.”

“If I were really that strong, back on the sixth floor, I would’ve led you all out safely.”

Alet’s tone held not a trace of humility.

He truly believed what he said.

Not only did he not think of himself as strong, he even felt he was a bit too weak.

With Miss Mero, a mage, and a bard supporting him, he still couldn’t wipe out the entire group of Lava Slugs in a short time.

It was only after they left, through a drawn-out battle of attrition, that he managed to wear down and kill a good number of them.

The efficiency was far too low.

“Um, you… No, Sir Knight, you don’t need to be modest.”

Flaf instinctively spoke in honorifics, then suddenly realized and quickly swallowed her words to reorganize her sentence.

“Sir Knight, you’re really strong! At least to me, you’re very strong.”

She smiled awkwardly, waving her hands at Alet.

“For someone at my level, it’s actually quite simple.”

“Do physical training all year round. Practice swordsmanship and hand-to-hand combat.”

“Fit in some magic training in between. Do actual combat drills every so often. Best if it’s a Death Match. To avoid getting rusty.”

“Read more books, study the traits, species, characteristics, and abilities of all kinds of monsters, and then work out targeted strategies. Memorize everything, to make sure you can use it all at a moment’s notice.”

“Finally, review often. Keep it up for about ten years and that’s enough.”

Alet explained all this calmly.

After he finished, he paused, then added one more sentence:

“It’s not very difficult, just a bit time-consuming.”

He wasn’t showing off, just stating his honest view—

After all, that’s exactly how he’d gotten this far.

For him, even when all that was put together, it still wasn’t as hard as learning how to serve milady.

Just combing her hair alone, Alet felt, was far more complicated than all the above.

That was how he thought, but Flaf didn’t necessarily feel the same.

The young elven lady was left dumbfounded.

Physical training, magic practice, monster research, and on top of that, actual Death Matches?

And keep it up all year round?

For ten years?!

Flaf felt a little dizzy.

Back in her territory, just practicing the lute and memorizing music sheets would leave her cross-eyed and dizzy. She’d always be inconsistent, three days of fishing and two days of drying the net.

Every time she barely practiced for a bit, she’d find an excuse to sneak off and slack.

Yet this man before her, could rattle off such a terrifying routine as if it were nothing?

Is this guy really even human?

And he even said it wasn’t hard?

“Sir Knight, you really… are too modest.”

“With that kind of determination, you’d succeed at anything.”

Then, a sudden flash of inspiration struck Flaf’s mind.

“How about, using this as a reason, I ask Sir Knight to study the Monster Encyclopedia and such with me? Just say it’s to get stronger together!”

“With that legitimate excuse, not only can I spend more time with Sir Knight, but Miss Leader surely wouldn’t blame me!”

“After all, becoming stronger is for the sake of the adventurer party!”

Thinking of this, Flaf’s little face immediately flushed with excitement.

For a moment, her small head was already imagining sitting with Sir Knight by the Library fireplace, paging through the Monster Encyclopedia together.

The two of them kept just the right, not-too-close, not-too-far distance, with steaming coffee at hand.

At some point, upon encountering something she didn’t understand in the encyclopedia, she would lean closer to Sir Knight, shyly asking him about monsters.

And Sir Knight, with patience and gentleness, would hold her hand and gently explain to her…

Don’t ask where the Library’s fireplace came from, or where the hot milk and coffee appeared.

Just say—isn’t it wonderful!

So wonderful Flaf felt like she could float away.

“No time like the present—happiness starts now!”

With this thought, Flaf squeezed out a sweet smile and sidled up beside Alet.

“So, um…”

“Sir Knight, I’m actually quite interested in monsters too.”

“Would you like to…”

Just as Flaf, face bright red, was about to say “study with me,” Alet straightforwardly pulled out a book as thick as a dictionary from his satchel.

Then, he tossed the book directly into Flaf’s arms.

Flaf was so startled by the brick-like weight that she nearly fell over.

“This one—memorize it all.”

“Eh?”

“It has my detailed notes on every type of monster. If you memorize it, you’ll be a monster expert.”

“If you want to get results even faster, copy it by hand once a week.”

“Eh?!!”

“No, no…”

“Sir Knight, can’t you study with me? Like, help answer some questions?”

“Too much of a waste of time. Besides work, I have to serve milady. I don’t have that kind of free time.”

“…”

After hearing Sir Knight’s cold words, Flaf’s face immediately turned into a “TAT”.

“Why is it like this, so mean…”

After walking for a while, the two finally arrived at Dice Town.

The whole way there was peaceful—they didn’t see a single monster.

Whether it was day or night, this little town never seemed to rest for a moment.

Ordinary humans, fluffy beastmen, burly dwarves, and even rare elves could all be seen here.

Waves of people from every race surged through the broad streets.

Aside from that, the dazzling shops and hawking vendors overwhelmed the eyes.

All these elements merged together, forming this clamor and bustle.

“So many people… It feels like Dice Town is never empty.”

Flaf looked around, and even though she’d just been hit by Alet’s lack of tact, she was still infected by the lively atmosphere.

“It’s right next to the dungeon—of course there are always lots of people.”

Alet scanned the area briefly; at this hour, most of those lingering in town were rookie adventurers.

There were almost none as experienced and seasoned as Alet.

Of course, that was normal.

After all, in broad daylight, the old hands were all probably hard at work inside the dungeon. They wouldn’t be out wandering the streets.

Their equipment was crude, their bodies clean, not a scratch in sight. Some even clutched maps, looking for landmarks.

One glance and you could tell they were fresh-faced newcomers drawn here by fame.

If they really went into the dungeon, they’d probably take a beating on the first floor and come back looking miserable.

After just a quick glance, Alet shifted his attention back to Flaf.

“What’s on milady’s shopping list?”

“Ah.”

Realizing Alet was talking to her, Flaf panicked for a moment, then hurriedly fished out the list Mero had given her.

“Mm, just regular items. I know where to buy everything. Sir Knight, you just have to follow me.”

Flaf gave a little smile, her eyelashes fluttering in the sunlight.

“Understood. Let’s go, then.”

As soon as he finished, just as Alet was about to move, a rustling noise came from a nearby patch of bushes.

Even in the midst of all this noise, his ears could instantly pick out important sounds.

At the moment, the two were near Dice Town’s main gate, right beside wild forest land covered thickly with shrubs and undergrowth.

Those areas were almost completely undeveloped—wild monsters often showed up there.

“What is that?”

His combat instincts kicked in, and he turned his head, hand immediately going to the hilt of his greatsword.

Flaf, oblivious to Alet’s actions, was still absorbed in looking at the goods.

Strangely, just a moment ago there had been several rustling noises, but when Alet looked over, everything fell silent.

Something wasn’t right.

Very not right.

Alet frowned, slowly approaching the bushes where the noise had come from.

Reaching the bush, he crouched down, slowly reaching out his gauntleted hand to part the leaves blocking his view…

Twig by twig, leaf by leaf, the greenery was pushed aside.

The areas concealed by deep shadows, those deadly hiding spots, were gradually exposed to the sunlight.

Alet held his breath.

He had a feeling—whatever it was, it was about to show itself.

But when he finally cleared the bush completely, he was shocked to find—

Nothing at all.

“Impossible.”

Just now his ears had clearly picked up movement—there was no way nothing was there.

Holding onto that thought, he carefully examined the soil beneath the bush.

Sure enough, there was a small scrape on the ground.

Something had just been here, nearby.