The Overpowered Dragonslayer

I could hear a sound. A light, rhythmic noise coming in bursts.

I looked around. Everyone was still asleep.

Was Alhechhi up to something?

I sat up, changed, and left the room.

Stepping outside, the cold air bit at my skin.

I was bundled up in cold-weather gear, yet the chill at this time of year still cut right through.

Following the sound, I found Alhechhi splitting firewood.

So that was what I'd been hearing.

He held a log in one hand and brought the axe down with the other to split it.

I'd thought the same during the tournament, but the man's strength was absurd.

You'd need that kind of power to face a Dragon, I supposed.

"You're up. Yohane, was it?"

"Yeah. Thanks for lending us the room. I slept well."

"That's good to hear."

It seemed he'd just finished splitting the last of the wood, as Alhechhi stood up.

He wasn't wearing his armor at the moment.

"It'll get even colder soon, and the snow will bury the roads. If you're heading back, best leave around midday today."

"Even colder than this? That's going to be a problem."

I helped him carry the firewood.

Burning stone was unobtainable in this area, so firewood was their lifeline.

Back at his house, we put the wood in the hearth and got a fire going.

My hands had turned bright red from even that brief time outside.

I held them toward the warming hearth.

Before long, Azu and the others woke up as well.

Azu hurried over and sat beside me, warming herself at the hearth too.

Huddling together made it even warmer.

Then Elza came up from behind and wrapped her arms around me.

Her body temperature ran high.

"I'd like some warming up too."

"Do what you want."

Normally I'd peel her off, but in this cold, I'd let it slide.

Breakfast was reheated potato stew, courtesy of Alhechhi.

A dish that warmed you from the inside out.

After cleaning up, we were enjoying a leisurely moment when Azu approached Alhechhi.

"If it wouldn't be too much trouble, would you be willing to spar with me?"

"Spar? I don't mind, but…"

He glanced my way. If a Dragonslayer renowned across the continent was willing to give pointers, I absolutely wanted him to.

"I'd appreciate it too."

"All right then. Let's do a quick round."

Alhechhi picked up his sword and went outside.

Azu chased after him.

I went out to watch, bringing Elza and Alexia along.

Elza looked like she was enjoying herself. Alexia was studying Alhechhi intently.

Understandable, given that he was the one who'd handed her a loss.

"Having fought him directly, I can tell. The Dragonslayer doesn't have any special techniques. He might have a trump card hidden away, though."

"I see."

"He fights relying on pure strength. Easy to say, hard to do. Among humans, maybe only he and King Grace of Spartia could pull it off."

"Normally, you broaden your options in combat. But at his level, narrowing your options to speed up your decision-making actually makes you stronger."

Elza and Alexia analyzed the Dragonslayer in their own ways.

To my eyes, all I could tell was that the man was strong.

Azu and Alhechhi sheathed their swords, opting to fight with them still in their scabbards.

Alhechhi was in his armor, standing in the same natural, relaxed stance he'd used during the tournament.

No guard at all.

Azu leveled the Ash King's stance at Alhechhi.

His eyes widened slightly at the sight.

Azu struck first.

She closed in so fast that to my eyes she'd practically vanished, and swung at Alhechhi.

She aimed for his neck.

Alhechhi leaned back just enough to evade.

Azu followed up with more strikes.

But each one was blocked by Alhechhi's sword.

Worse, the force of his blocks alone sent her flying backward.

Part of it was the weight difference, but more than anything, the gap in raw strength was overwhelming.

Alhechhi never initiated, simply defending against every attack Azu threw at him.

After a while, Alhechhi finally moved.

Not as fast as Azu, but with fluid agility, he raised his sword and brought it down toward her.

"Don't block it!"

Alexia shouted at Azu.

Azu heeded the warning and dodged. Alhechhi's sword hit the ground.

The earth shook.

"Oh, come on. Seriously?"

I stumbled slightly, but Elza steadied me.

The spot where his sword had landed was gouged out clean.

"That's just unfair."

"It really is."

"Unbelievable. He's like a Dragon in human form."

A one-hit kill. The kind of thing you say as a goal, not something you actually achieve without an overwhelming advantage.

Yet watching that strike, I realized that for Alhechhi, the vast majority of opponents fell within that scope.

Even Azu's fighting spirit flagged at the sight.

But Azu wasn't the type to stay down.

She drew on the power of the Creator King's Apostle, her trump card.

She took her stance again, closed the distance, and brought her sword down with both hands.

For the first time in the match, Alhechhi gripped his sword with both hands and met Azu's strike head-on.

After a shockwave that seemed to shake the very air, Azu's sword was knocked aside.

I stepped in and called the match.

"Speed's good. But you're too weak."

"Against you, most people would be too weak."

"Maybe so, but you can never have too much power. The faster you can bring an enemy down, the better."

The sparring session ended with the conclusion that Azu was too weak against Alhechhi.

"That last one was good. Build up your base strength and you'll improve even more."

That was his final assessment.

Even Azu's trump card had amounted to nothing more than a good strike in his eyes.

Truly, a strength beyond measure.

Afterward, we collected the promised claws and wings from the storehouse.

It was my first time handling Dragon-related materials.

I had the financial means to deal in them now, but without a processor to work the materials or a buyer to sell to, I'd been hesitant. Still, now that I had them, a merchant's job was to add value and sell them.

Things were going to be busy for a while.

After helping out with chores around the house to repay his hospitality and enjoying one more meal, we heeded his advice and set off back toward the Kingdom.

Coming here should definitely be reserved for seasons other than winter.