Chapter 149: Constance’s Training

In the end, the chaotic negotiations concluded with Ron and the other party reaching an agreement: he would write a letter to "suggest" that Klade withdraw his troops, since the earth goblins were not, in fact, his subordinates. In return, Carolina was required to release one thousand slaves. After restoring them to the status of free people, Klade would escort them to Delusional Land, with Ron guaranteeing they "would not be threatened by Carolina again."

Furthermore, Carolina must also compensate Ron with provisions and 120,000 Gold Coins for various losses—including repairs to the trading post and surrounding villages, compensation for casualties, and the cost of the various Magic Materials used.

Sera’s ring alone was worth a small fortune.

In the end, Ron made a small gesture of hospitality by allowing the Carolinians to camp outside. His reasoning was that he didn’t trust them, having already survived one of their assassination attempts.

Although the middle-aged envoy protested vehemently, in the end, he had no choice but to begrudgingly find a place to rest on the outskirts of the trading post. And as it turned out, Ron’s worries were far from baseless.

...

When Ron walked to the area behind the trading post, he discovered that Annie had recently expanded the excavation into the mountainside, carving out a new area to be used as a training ground.

The project had always been in the plans, but its priority was bumped up at Seymour’s suggestion after the young people from Rose City arrived.

Sending these greenhorns, who only knew how to street brawl, into the wilds of Delusional Land would have been murder. Even the Zor wouldn’t be that depraved.

"Ron! Over here!"

Aive and Sera were on the training ground, trying to help Constance select some gear better suited for life in Delusional Land.

"A Swift Sword and a dagger? Absolutely not!" Aive argued loudly with Constance. "What do you think you are? Some kind of swashbuckler? A Sword Saint?!"

"Unless you plan on staying within the territory forever, I absolutely will not allow you to use such a ridiculous setup!"

"You should at least have a Small Round Shield and a suit of Chain Armor! That’s the only way to have a basic level of safety!"

Sera’s take was slightly different from Aive’s. "You may be a bit older than me, but I’m far more experienced."

"Little trinkets like that won’t survive long journeys and constant fighting in the wild. If you’re set on dual-wielding, I’d suggest this pair of battle axes instead."

"Or perhaps you’d be interested in some of the bigger, heavier weapons?"

"I don’t like those," Constance said plaintively. "I can’t swing a weapon that heavy like you can."

"Can’t you just trust me? I’ve been training with a Swift Sword for almost ten years, I—"

"Experience sparring indoors with a private tutor?" Aive sighed. "Out in the wild, even an enemy on their last breath can launch a fatal attack on you. No one pulls their punches, no one keeps score, and there’s no referee to call fouls. You have to throw out most of what you learned and get used to how things really are!"

"So I should wear a turtle shell like you?" Constance said with disdain. "I absolutely, *absolutely* do not want to look like that. Besides, I don’t have the stamina for it!"

"Er, maybe you could consider Casting?" Ron looked at her. "That way, you wouldn’t have to..."

"Sorry, I don’t have the aptitude for that," Constance said, shaking her head. "Maybe I could be a longbowman, like my great-aunt?"

As she spoke, the Half-Elf took a longbow from the rack and fired three consecutive arrows at a target one hundred and fifty meters away.

Although none of the arrows hit the bullseye, at least none of them missed the target either.

"Acceptable, judging by the results alone," Delaford, who had been pretentiously drilling the newcomers, remarked as he came over for a look. "But this is indoors, with no wind. Can you guarantee that kind of accuracy out in the wild?"

Saying this, the goblin took down his own shortbow to demonstrate. A shortbow doesn’t have the range of a longbow, so he stood seventy or eighty meters from the target and also fired three consecutive shots.

"The bullseye... They’re all bullseyes!" Carlos, who had come over to watch the commotion, was stunned. "Do it again! Do it again!"

With his tendency to get carried away, Delaford naturally wouldn’t pass up an opportunity to show off. He fired several more volleys, eventually even performing all sorts of trick shots to demonstrate situations one might encounter during an adventure.

Although the accuracy of these subsequent shots was less than ideal, considering the bizarre postures he was adopting—which left even Ron baffled—the performance was still acceptable enough.

"I think I’ll give up on this," Constance sighed. "But I really don’t understand. Why won’t you two just let me use the weapon I’m best with?"

"Because what you call ’your best’ isn’t something you can actually use effectively in a real fight," said Victoria, who was resting there with Silvia. "Besides, you should know yourself that your physical conditioning isn’t on par with your cousin’s or Sera’s. That weapon combination leaves you far too vulnerable."

"I can dodge, and I can parry! What’s so bad about that?" Constance picked up the Swift Sword from the ground and executed a few flashy moves.

It had to be said, with her looks and her performance, she certainly looked the part—if Ron hadn’t seen how Sera and the others fought, that is.

"How about this, sister," Silvia said, twirling the Walking Stick she’d been inseparable from ever since it came into her possession. "Their fighting styles don’t quite match yours. How about you let me test your skills?"

"It just so happens that I know a few tricks in that department myself."

"Uh, if I remember correctly, you’re a Mage, aren’t you?" Constance raised an eyebrow.

"When it comes to slaves, Carolina doesn’t care whether you’re a Mage or not," Silvia said with a small smile, taking a stance and holding her Walking Stick like a sword. "I’m what you’d call the lowest rank—just barely passing."

"After all, in Carolina, anyone who doesn’t pass doesn’t usually live to talk about it."

"Should I switch to a Training Sword?" Hearing Silvia’s words, Constance couldn’t help but feel a little dismissive, and she immediately made the offer.

"Just use your regular pair, miss!" Seymour said with a faint laugh. "Otherwise, I’m afraid you’ll end up in tears."

"Don’t talk nonsense, Seymour. Am I the type to bully a novice?" Silvia shot him a glare. "I know how to hold back."

"Right, right," Seymour said, dropping the subject. He went back to helping Delaford train the new arrivals from Rose City. "You’re the expert on holding back."