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nEvan D. Sherden. Going to the Hot Springs (4)

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nCrow, who had fallen on the floor, wriggled intermittently. It didn’t seem like he would be regaining consciousness anytime soon. Evan muttered blankly while looking at him.

n“What, why is he lying down?”

n“Because Master hit him! How do you not know that?”

nShine replied absurdly. But, of course, Evan wasn’t convinced.

nIt was embarrassing enough that as an extra himself, he was able to beat Crow. Crow was a significant supporting character. How did it make sense that he was just beaten by a light blow to the back and passed out instantly?

n“Did he even try to land a single attack?”

n“He is lying there unconscious like a doll? That guy was stupid enough to be defeated so easily by you Master.”

n“Shine is right, Evan. Crow is definitely an idiot, but he’s not that stupid.”

nPerhaps because of what they had just seen, Shine and Marquis seemed to be looking down on Crow. But Evan, who knew Crow’s actual ability and weight, couldn’t dare… Eventually, as a result of trying to convince himself of this situation in many ways, Evan arrived at a conclusion.

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n‘Then, after all, Crow’s body was still weaker and young. I guess that’s the reason. The same must be true about his fighting skills.’

nIf you thought about it, Crow became a magic swordsman later in the game. It meant that he was learning magic and swordsmanship at the same time.

nAnd the more someone learned magic since childhood, the better… In other words, Crow was still focusing only on his magical abilities! Evan was glad that the Marquis didn’t allow them to use mana in this duel!

n“But looking at his speed and posture, it seemed like he had trained quite a bit…”

n“Crow turned twelve this year, and he is one year older than you. Of course, he had started training earlier. So Evan, your guess is not correct. But you’re still stronger than him.”

n“Well, my father is right. Maybe this guy had only trained magic until now. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been so weak. After all, Mado city is educating people and improving their magic.”

nShine and the Marquis exchanged looks while listening to Evan’s firm response. Then, as if a silent agreement had passed between them, they both shook their heads. They gave up on correcting Evan’s misunderstanding.

nThey didn’t know that Evan considered himself an extra in reality, and they couldn’t figure out why he was downgrading his own skills so much. Even the Knights’ Commander appreciated him!

n“It was a great duel, Master.”

n“Oh, yes. Thank you, Lua.”

nHowever, as Evan felt the hall’s atmosphere getting worse, Belois, who had a calm composure, praised Evan. She approached Evan and carefully wiped the sweat off his forehead with a handkerchief.

n“Then I will treat Master Crow first.”

n“Ah, yes please, brother.”

nRaihan had completely exited the Church’s authority thanks to the power of the Marquis, but his contract with the former Church was still valid, so he still had the divine power of healing.

nHe asked the Marquis and Evan’s permission to see what he could do to help and immediately exercised healing magic to awaken Crow. It was a proficient skill, and it seemed as he was going to be a promising priest in the future.

n“Uhhh!”

nCrow awakened dramatically. He stood up. Crow was sweating as if he had had a nightmare. When he saw Evan, while Belois was wiping his forehead, he became furious.

nHe made a grunting noise and bit his lips.

nBut Crow knew that if he responded with anger at such a moment, it would get really ugly for him later.

n“Master Evan… I lost. It was a great blow.”

n“No, it was a limited game. That was the only reason I was able to win. I became lucky.”

n“You have a big heart.”

nActually, Crow had to have a much better advantage! He had been learning and improving his fighting skills for three years!

nHe was only at a basic mana management stage, so he had no real magical skill to use!

nHowever, as Evan was serious about what had happened, Crow felt like he couldn’t answer him honestly. He thought, ‘The outcome would have been the same nevertheless.’

n“Yes, it was. Of course, I am not saying that I cannot get over my defeat, but it was not my full strength.”

nIn the end, he chose to follow Evan’s usual path, which was to run away from the main scenario!

n“So, I hope we can duel again later. Next time we would fight each other with full power!”

n“No, sorry, but I will have to decline that offer. I no longer have a reason to duel with Master Crow.”

n“You may not have a reason Master Evan, but I do. On the day when I become confident in my skills, I will come to The Dungeon City of Sherden!”

nCrow shouted and ran away without waiting for Evan’s reply.

nHe ran back as if he had a stroke.

nHow many drops of water in the air were of his sweat or of his tears…? Only Crow himself, who was running without looking back, would know.

nMeanwhile, Evan was angry. He had taken the risk and accepted the duel, but in the end, he had only gotten another sign of death in the form of another future duel with Crow von Pelatti!

nHe wasn’t going to get involved at all in the first place, but he had to adhere by the Marquis’s request.

nWhat if he came back? Would he come back to only defeat or kill him? What’s more, he was the son of Count of Pellati from the Mado Country…

n“The next time he comes back for a duel, I’ll fight him in your stead. You don’t have to accept an invitation from such a person if you don’t want to, Master.”

n“Oh! Please for the last time, Shine! You’re weak right now!”

n“Well, you can train me more, Master.”

n“I’ve been telling you from the beginning that you will someday become the world’s strongest person! You will be the Silent Night Shine!”

n“Hahaha, then you should definitely train a body that serves you! But what did you say about being silent, Master?”

nCrow may be a threat to Evan, but for Silent Night Shine, who easily ranked in the top 5 in the Yo-Ma Great War 3 strongest people, Crow was just an annoying fly! Evan decided to believe in Shine.

nMeanwhile, the Marquis addressed Evan while looking at Crow disappearing in the distance.

n“I didn’t know Count of Pelatti was here. I should’ve known. Everyone go back to the room and have some rest. Evan, you’ll come with me. We have to meet them.”

n“Ugh, is that necessary too?”

n“Sure. In the future, Evan, you will also be actively interacting with the nobles of other dungeon cities. We are like colleagues who share the same goal of protecting the world from the monsters across national boundaries.”

nAs the Marquis dragged Evan away from the others, Evan sighed gloomily.

n“It hasn’t been a long time since I saw my friend’s face directly! What a pleasant coincidence!”

n“Thank you. You look healthy, Count. Your wife is still beautiful.”

n“Oh my goodness, thank you Marquis! Didn’t the wives come with you?”

n“I had a chance to stop by, from my return to the Royal City with my second son. So I am taking a day off on my way back. Evan, this is my friend. These are the people I met when I was young.”

nAt the words of the Marquis, Evan politely bowed his head to greet them and revealed himself. Both Count Melto von Pellati and Countess saw Evan and were blank for a moment.

n“You mean that newborn baby that was so pretty and wonderful back then has grown!”

n“What a cute boy! Evan, come here. Do you remember me?”

n“I remember you vaguely, Madam. It’s very nice to see you…”

n“Just call me aunt!”

nWas Evan just imagining it but strangely, the aristocrats who ruled the dungeon cities were often the owners of an unpretentious and simple personality.

nMaybe it was because of how strong they were.

nThe whole family was so robust that they did not have to exaggerate their strength. Evan liked this attitude of theirs very much, who didn’t like too aristocratic thinking because he still had memories of his previous life.

n“He looks like your wife. His eyes look very good.”

n“Right! He is a child so pretty because he resembles his wife. Even so, only his eyes resemble mine.”

nMarquis of Sherden pointed out.

nWhen Evan opened his eyes at the words of the Marquis, the Count and his wife laughed breathlessly and rejoiced.

n“You two have the same eyes!”

n“How cute and unique is it! You must have turned 11 years old this year, right? He’s the same age as our Arisha. Now, Arisha. Shouldn’t you say hello too?”

nShe finally arrived. Evan’s face turned pale in an instant.

n“Hello, Marquis.”

nEvan didn’t notice it before, but there was a girl who had been hiding behind her parents until now, and then he stepped forward and lowered her head.

nHer name was Arisha, who was the Countess’s second child, who ruled Pellati dungeon city of the Mado Kingdom.

n“Oh, Arisha. It’s been a long time. You have grown up to be very pretty.”

n“Thank you.”

nArisha was a beautiful girl who had soft wavy hair of platinum blonde color that was clearer and brighter than Evan’s brother. She had big deep sea-blue eyes and pure white skin.

nWhat was the best way in which her specialty could be explained? She was one of the main characters. She wasn’t at the level of a significant supporting actor, one of the main characters who filled the screen from the beginning to the main story’s end.

n‘She was one of the two main heroes of Yo-Ma Great War 3.’

nAt the same time, she was the woman who killed Evan the most in Yo-Ma Great War 3.

nThe woman who never killed him directly, but always Evan’s cause of death in one way or another!

n“Sherden, do you remember? First, we had found it unreasonable to have a family crest at all, but didn’t you advise us to make one after the second child was born, so that if we ever decided to marry our children? I haven’t forgotten that.”

n“Yes, it was something like that. I definitely remember now. Hahaha! Evan looks ashamed.”

n“Is it the same for our Arisha? Hahaha.”

nEvan was slowly dying inside. How could someone mistake his expressions for embarrassment right now?

nHe trembled with fear in front of a huge and terrible death sign, standing right before his eyes!

n“… Hi, I am Arisha, ”

n“I’m Evan D. Sherden.”

n“Nice to meet you, Evan.”

nArisha von Pellati greeted Evan with a cool aura and an uninterested expression.

nBeing able to remain calm in front of Evan’s shining beauty, whether it was a woman or a man, was truly amazing, Evan thought.

n‘Arisha von Pellati. Evan D. Sherden’s fiancé…’

nA woman who stayed in the dungeon city of Sherden because of her fiancé. Then one day, she recognized the talent of the protagonist who appeared in the dungeon and helped him by giving him bold support.

nShe was an orthodox heroine who pretended to have a cold personality and always seemed to be uninterested in everything. But in fact, in the game, she fell in love with the ability and courage of the protagonist and became his first supporter.

n… As a result, she left her original fiancé, Evan. Evan, who was miserable and shocked by all of this, contemplated suicide. In this way, the scenario always develops into a suicide case, which was one of Evan’s fatal causes! So arguably, Arisha was in charge of Evan’s dark reality in Yo-Ma Great War 3!

n‘No, that’s not it. Evan, who already had a fiancé in the first place, was still flirting with other women. This led him to his demise! When I think about it, Evan was a really bad guy! Of course it will be different in the future!’

nOf course, Evan, in the game, had a bad personality! Still, the person who killed him the most in the game was standing in front of him right now, and it was not unreasonable at all for him to be shaken! Far from getting engaged, she was such a girl that it would be daunting to rub her hand even once!

n“The two would go very well together. She’s like a fairy.”

n“Wow, their black hair and platinum hair side by side look so pretty! The two are perfect for each other for a thousand lives together!”

n“Yes, yes.”

nThe Count and the Countess were extremely satisfied as they saw Evan and Arisha having a conversation, but the Marquis was not overjoyed like them as he already knew that Evan had refused to be engaged.

nHe now realized why Evan didn’t want to meet the Count. At the same time, he also noticed that Evan was stepping back little by little from Arisha!

n“Evan seems nervous about meeting a very pretty child. We will share all of our stories next time. We came to this village to rest so we’re going to be leaving now.”

n“Huh, couldn’t you at least have a drink in the evening with us?”

n“My friend, I have two wives and a daughter just two months old waiting at home. If it weren’t for Evan’s request, I wouldn’t have stopped here even for a day. I’m very sorry, too, but we will definitely meet later again.”

n“No, I can’t help it. Then we’ll talk about it later. We will talk about Arisha and Evan some time again then.”

nEvan realized that the Marquis was being considerate of Evan, which was why he was trying to finish the meeting quickly. He inwardly thanked his father.

nThe Marquis patted Evan’s shoulder with a bitter smile as if it couldn’t be helped. However, he thought it was necessary to have a serious talk about why his son was already so afraid of women.

nThat evening, Evan and the party took another bath.

nAfter having a lot of fun, they enjoyed the evening breeze on their warm bodies and later relished dinner at the hot spring village.

n“So did you like Steama’s hot springs, Evan?”

n“They were so good, father.”

nAlthough there was an unfortunate encounter, as Evan thought about bout it, he was personally very fond of Steama.

nIt is was a place that could be said to be the most distant environment from death, where all your wounds were healed once you entered it!

nIn Yo-Ma Great War 3, there was a situation where Evan died in a hot spring village!

n“Then, shall we eat and rest and then go to the hot spring again at night?”

n“Father, I wish there was a hot spring in our city as well.”

n“Huh, Abby thinks so too. However, in order to make a hot spring, a special environment must be set up first, so it would be almost impossible to make one in our city. We can arrange hot water, but it would still be different from a hot spring with a special effect.”

nThe words of the Marquis were true. What was so special about Steama’s hot springs was the mysterious water that healed abnormalities just by entering it!

nEvan nodded at the Marquis’ words but then proceeded to ask another question.

n“But father, when a dungeon is created, the terrain usually changes. Why does that happen?”

n“Oh, Evan. Are you also interested in the principle of dungeon creation? As you said, dungeons are created when there are artifacts or monsters that are powerful enough to interfere with the temple. A great mage, who has reached a certain level, also creates dungeons by changing the natural environment with his abilities. However, the principle is often difficult for us to grasp.”

n“Then, if you have such an artifact, could you make a whole new dungeon?” Evan asked another one.

n“It is said that it is also an artifact that can be used to create a hot spring by changing the surrounding environment.”

nMarquis stared blankly at Evan’s words. He had never thought about it before.

nCould an artifact powerful enough to create a dungeon to be feared by all humans also be used to create hot springs?

n“You’re right… It could be possible if the artifact had the nature of a hot spring, but… However, how long would it take for natural hot springs to be formed from such a destructive object?”

n“I was just saying that entering a hot spring made me relax and my wounds healed quickly too, so having one in our city would be nice.”

n“Of course it is. It could have a direct impact on the efficiency of explorers’ who go inside the dungeons. No, wait. It really will. If that’s possible, indeed we should…”

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nThe Marquis stopped talking. His lovely second son’s eyes were twinkling, and he seemed to be able to see the future developments as of now.

n“Evan.”

nA smile spread slowly on the Marquis’ face.

n“Do you have a plan for this?”

n“Oh yes, father.”

nEvan also smiled. It was a smile that looked so lively that it couldn’t be believed that he was the same person as the guy who was afraid of Arisha.

n“There’s something buried around the dungeon that’s near the hot spring village, I think.”

n“Oh, is that so?”

nAt Evan’s words, the Marquis was surprised yet again but nodded nevertheless. Then immediately, all the escorts, including Dain, were secretly assembled.

nThe next day, the wagon of the party leaving the hot spring village and returning to the dungeon city contained a huge slate that they had not seen before in their lives.

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