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delicatemusickingdom · 7 months ago

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Book 1 Part 1 Chapter 1.2

Chapter 1.2

When people focus, their sense of time becomes warped. Long periods of time can pass by in the blink of an eye, while at other times an instantaneous moment can pass excruciatingly slowly.

Yuri felt like that, facing Flynn. He started to lose track of how much time had passed.

After assuming his stance, Flynn was completely motionless. Yuri started to wonder if time had stopped, but of course that couldn’t be the case.

Behind him, Jareth and the other boys from the lower quarter were probably watching their match with bated breath, but he didn’t have the leeway to pay attention to them.

If he lost focus for even a single moment, he would be taken down in an instant by a single powerful blow. There was no doubt about that. No, it might not be a single blow, judging from Flynn’s behaviour in Jareth’s match earlier. It might be a relentless flurry of blows that wouldn’t give Yuri time to surrender even if he wanted to.

Will I even be able to make it back home without any help, Yuri wondered. It was a passing thought from the back of his mind, but he found it funny that he still had room to make such witty remarks to himself.

To a casual bystander they might look like nothing more than children playing at sword-fighting. While that might be true, at the same time it was also a serious competition — the complete opposite of the words ‘for fun’. Yuri made a conscious effort not to dwell on the irony. Anyway, regardless of what he thought, the reality of his situation wouldn’t change.

On the other hand, Flynn had also sensed that this second challenger was somewhat different from the first. Yuri was obviously playing at it by ear, and his stance was full of openings, there was something about him that made Flynn uneasy. Like there was some kind of hidden power within the boy. If he struck carelessly, he could suffer an unexpected counterattack. Flynn decided to be cautious, and wait for his opponent to move first.

Another long moment passed.

Although they appeared to be at a stalemate, the situation was anything but. Beads of sweat started to gather on Yuri’s forehead.

If I knew this was going to happen, I would have learned how to use a sword at the very least. Though at the same time he thought that, he realised there wasn’t really anyone who could teach him. He hardly saw anyone in the lower quarter carrying weapons, to begin with.

Outside the Imperial Capital, he heard it was essential to be armed in order to defend against monsters. With things like swords and armour. Or blastia. While such convenient and powerful magical devices were regulated by the Imperial authorities, people capable of handling a sword in the lower quarter should be common enough… Or so Yuri thought, but he had never heard talk about it.

Perhaps among the residents, some of them were people who once lived adventurous lives. Well, even if they existed, Yuri had no way of knowing who they were. In the first place, all of the adults of the lower quarter looked like they had zero fighting experience. When he pictured Hanks holding a sword, he could only think of it as a funny joke. Violent weapons such as swords only befitted someone like Jiri.

— Jiri?

The moment he became aware of that name, Yuri felt his thoughts being drawn to it, and he thought, Oh, crap, but it was too late.

“Make sure you’re back by dinner time.” That terrifying voice resurfaced in his mind.

He started to grow worried. What time is it? How much time has passed since then? If we don’t make it back in time for dinner, she won’t stop at just a scolding—

Suddenly, Flynn grew bigger. No — he’d only thought so because Flynn had suddenly closed the distance between the two of them. Flynn thrust out his stick fiercely, as if he was wielding a real sword. Yuri immediately leaned back, barely managing to dodge the blow.

Immediately, Flynn twisted his hand, swinging his sword horizontally. Yuri barely managed to dodge this as well, almost flattening his body against the ground in the process.

He isn’t trying to kill me, is he?!

Without a moment’s hesitation, Flynn’s stick swung down from above. Yuri managed to roll on the ground to avoid it, using the momentum to get back up while putting some distance between them.

But Flynn had no intention of giving Yuri time to recover. He immediately stepped forward and closed in on Yuri, swing his stick without any shred of hesitation.

The attacks came in a consecutive sequence. Yuri managed to evade them by exerting every part of his body to the utmost. He didn’t bother parrying. A clumsy parry would only end up like what happened to Jareth. Until he figured out how to counter that disarming technique of Flynn’s, such a risky move was out of the question.

Yuri knew far too well that Flynn’s technique and skill far surpassed his. Amidst his dodging, he looked for an opportunity to counterattack, but that was out of the question — it was already taking all he had to hold on to his stick, let alone think about attacking.

For a newcomer, he sure knows a ton of skills… and this is despite him being a kid just like us. Yuri licked his dry lips. Did Hanks and the other adults know? Well, even if they knew and told me, I doubt I would have remembered.

Flynn’s movements were flawless and merciless. There was no doubt about it, he had received professional lessons from someone. I don’t know much about the ‘other side of the wall’, but I don’t think they’d teach all of the residents inside how to wield a sword. Which means—

The unrelenting attacks suddenly stopped. Flynn took a step back, readying his stance.

Is he going to unleash a new attack? Careful not to show any sign of doubt in his expression, Yuri observed Flynn warily.

But Flynn was also wary of him.

Flynn had let out a series of consecutive attacks, but unexpectedly Yuri had dodged all of them, even if it was by a hair’s breadth. It’s true he had looked down on them for being rough and uneducated kids, but he hadn’t gone easy on them either. Though black-haired boy’s foundation was lacking and he lacked any sort of refinement, his movements were surprisingly agile, like that of an animal. Flynn still looked down on Yuri with contempt, but that fact alone had to be acknowledged in his favour.

Yuri had no idea Flynn was thinking all this, but thanks to that he had acquired some breathing room.

Taking advantage of the lull in the fight, Yuri voiced the thought that had been running through his head earlier.

“……Do you, by any chance, come from a family of knights?”

He was just blurting out his thoughts, and he wasn’t expecting it to have any effect. But upon hearing Yuri’s words, Flynn’s demeanour changed completely. It was as if a living and breathing thing had suddenly turned into stone, or water had frozen into ice. Flynn’s body stiffened, and his stance relaxed. He lowered his face slightly such that his golden-coloured fringe hid his expression.

Yuri also realised something was wrong. Just as he was about to say something, he heard a sound akin to low growl.

“…………up.”

“What?”

“I said, shut up!”

With a yell, Flynn furiously attacked Yuri. The swing came in so fast, it made Flynn’s previous moves look like a trial run in comparison. Even if it’s just a stick, it can still be life-threatening if it hits me in the right spot!

“H-Hey, wait just a moment!”

But it didn’t look like Flynn had any intention of listening. His once complicated expression was now filled with fury. He looked like he was planning on giving Yuri a thorough beating.

Yuri desperately parried, somehow surviving the onslaught of attacks. Wait, I can parry them? Unlike before, Yuri was able to block Flynn’s stick with his own. Despite the anger-fuelled attacks growing in intensity, they were more predictable than before, Yuri realised.

Something about his words must have triggered Flynn. His golden hair had puffed up in anger, to the point it was detracting from the finesse of his movements.

Swordsmanship — knights — mother and son. So it was like that.

He could provoke Flynn even further. If he did it right, it could even expose him to a counterattack — No, that won’t work.

Yuri firmly dismissed the idea. He didn’t like the idea of relying on such dirty tricks.

Then what should I do? The attacks were easier to handle than before, but only by a small degree. It wasn’t like Flynn was giving him an opening big enough to exploit. And if he dawdled for too long, Flynn would eventually cool his head. If that happened, there would be no chance of winning.

But then, what?

Yuri quickly leapt back, putting distance between them. before surging forward. He swung his stick over his head with all his strength and leapt forward. He got in front of Flynn’s face and, with a battle cry, swung his stick down at his opponent’s head.

“HAAAAA!”

But Flynn blocked the incoming attack diagonally with the side of his stick. Then he twisted his wrist, hooking his stick under Yuri’s, and flicked it upwards. It was the same disarming technique Flynn had used on Jareth — the moment Yuri recognised it, he released his grip on his stick.

Yuri’s stick flew into the air, and Jareth and the others let out a gasp.

Flynn’s eyes widened in surprise.

Paying no heed to his lost stick, Yuri continued his momentum and rammed into Flynn, hitting him squarely in the shoulder. The two boys crashed onto the ground in a tangle of limbs.

Cheers resounded.

Amidst the dusty ground, Flynn lay on his back, while Yuri sat on top, straddling him. His knee pinned down Flynn’s right arm so he couldn’t lift up his stick, and his fist gripped Flynn tightly by the collar.

He was breathing heavily. Sweat dripped down his temple. He had taken a gamble and won — as expected, Flynn wasn’t on guard against attacks outside of swordsmanship. Now he just had to hope that Flynn wasn’t just as skilled when it came to a fistfight.

Will he calm down if I hit him two, no, maybe three times? If so —

Underneath Yuri, Flynn suddenly relaxed, and all of the strength in his body went away.

“!?”

With a confused expression on his face, Yuri looked down at Flynn, who lay underneath and gazed up at him with unwavering eyes. His eyes are blue, Yuri thought. It matches his golden hair perfectly.

“Are you satisfied?”

Flynn’s voice was cold, as if all the passion he had shown just moments before was a lie.

As Yuri searched for a response, Flynn furrowed his eyebrows with displeasure.

“If you’re satisfied, can you move out of the way?”

Surrounding them, Jareth and the others started to get noisy.

“Yuri won!”

“Serves him right for acting so high and mighty!”

One of the boys picked up Yuri's fallen stick and brandished it at Flynn.

“Stop it!”

The shout came from Yuri. The boy holding the stick flinched as if struck by a whip, and threw away the stick.

“We’re done here. No more of this. Understand?”

After seeing Jareth and the others nod with confusion, Yuri slowly got up. After a pause, Flynn got up too — leaving his stick on the ground.

Flynn brushed the dust from his clothes and turned his back on Yuri and the others. Without saying a word, he started to walk back to his house.

Should I say something? Yuri wondered. But what do I even say? Jareth and the others were holding their breath, waiting to see how Yuri would react. Dammit, how can they act so carefreely?

“Flynn?”

A voice that didn’t belong to any of the boys rang out.

Yuri turned around and saw a woman standing on the streets. She wore simple clothes typical that of the lower quarter residents, yet there was a certain air of refinement about her that made her look out-of-place.

“Mother.”

Before Yuri could recall who she was, Flynn spoke — and then the memory came back to him. Several months ago, she was the woman who came to the lower quarter with Flynn — Flynn’s mother.

She looked haggard, as if she had just recovered from an illness, and there was a worried expression on her face. She shifted her gaze from Flynn to Yuri and the other boys.

“And these children are…? Were you all…”

“It’s nothing. They just came to… play. They’ll go home soon.”

Flynn said in a cheerful voice. It was the first time Yuri and the others had heard such a bright tone coming from him. Flynn was even smiling, even if Yuri could tell it was a little stiff.

Yuri noticed Flynn staring at him.

Please shut up and go home. That was what his eyes were saying. It was less of a demand and more of a petition.

Jareth opened his mouth to say something, but Yuri lightly elbowed him in the side, and he fell silent. He gave a small nod to Flynn’s mother, hoping he didn’t look too unnatural.

“……I see. Thank you for coming all the way here.”

Whether or not she knew what Yuri was thinking, she smiled faintly. However, that smile soon disappeared like vanishing mist.

“I’m really sorry, but I have to start preparing for dinner now. Flynn, could you come in and help out?”

Speaking quickly, the mother walked past Flynn. She went through the doorway and disappeared into the house.

It was just the boys once again.

Flynn looked like he wanted to say something to Yuri, but he only turned on his heel and followed his mother, disappearing into the house.

The front door closed. Yuri and the others stood there for a while. No one moved or spoke, like actors that had suddenly lost their turn on a stage.

“……Let’s go home. Grandma Jiri won’t leave any dinner for us.”

Yuri finally spoke. As if the tension had dissolved, Jareth and the others silently nodded.

On the way back, Jareth and the others were quick to forget their lesson, running their mouths about how Flynn narrowly escaped with his life, as expected of Yuri, and so on. At first Yuri only listened silently, but soon he started to grow angry at Jareth and the others, who were the ones to instigate the whole thing. He felt like he wouldn’t be able to settle down unless he told it to their faces.

“Listen here, you all. I’ll let it go this time, but next time, you’re on your own.”

Now that they know what Flynn is capable of, if they choose to mess with him they’ll get what’s coming to them. Jareth and the others probably wouldn’t be able to win even if they all ganged up on him.

But soon became clear that Jareth and the others didn’t take Yuri seriously.

“Don’t be like that, come and help us again.”

“Yeah, yeah, and give that guy a beating again.”

Even Jareth, who had been thoroughly beaten by Flynn, acted like he hadn’t learnt his lesson. To them, Yuri was a person that, no matter how harsh his words were, when it really came down to it, he would always come in and save them. And that Yuri’s current displeasure only stemmed from the lingering feelings of his match. Yuri let out a sigh.

“Today’s win was a fluke. I just got lucky.”

Of course, Yuri knew that luck had nothing to do with it.

That confrontation. When he was straddling Flynn, he noticed that Flynn wasn’t even breathing irregularly. Yuri, on the other hand, was breathing heavily and sweating like crazy. Even though there was a moment where Flynn lost himself in anger, it didn’t affect him as much as Yuri thought it would.

If the fight had continued, and they started exchanging blows with their fists, who would have won?

Yuri felt torn between feeling relief at having been saved, and feeling like he would have preferred to let it play out and see who would have won.

Did I want to beat him? I’m not sure. I didn’t really go into that fight with that intention in mind. But then, what’s this itchy feeling in my heart?

Yuri walked silently and alone, with a frown on his face, all the way until he reached ‘My Home’.

It was well past dinner time by the time they got back.

Yuri was prepared to receive a fist the moment he stepped through the entrance, but Jiri only glanced at his face and the faces of the children following him, and must have read something from their expressions, because she only let out a snort and said nothing. She reheated the food and served it to the boys.

In exchange, Jiri remained there and watched with her arms crossed in silence as the boys ate. Even though she hadn’t ordered them not to speak or said anything of the sort, not a single line or conversation was spoken during the meal.

Overwhelmed by the pressure in the air, everyone tried to finish eating as quickly as possible, barely even conscious of what they were eating or how it tasted.

The dinner was more bearable than to a badly thrown fist.

Unaware of the plight of Yuri and the others, Hanks sat in a chair in the corner of the room, snoring away.

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