935: Izario

「Hey, little lady. Can I get a plate?」

「……Nn.」

Of course, the man with a divine sword showed no hostility toward us, merely asking for a plate of grilled meat. There was no reason for us to be enemies, after all.

He was a plain-looking man of medium height and medium build, who looked like an ordinary man you would see anywhere. I guess he’s in his forties or so?

The man’s grayish hair seemed to be cut at random. Also, he had slightly dark stubble, which gave him a masculine appearance. His slightly hunched back made him look strangely tired.

Rather, he looked like an office worker after putting in overtime. Or maybe a middle-manager constantly given impossible tasks?

I’m sure he’d be popular with the bros, but not so much the ladies…

He seemed puzzled as Fran gave him an intense stare, before immediately realizing the reason for this. After smiling, he spoke again.

「Oh. Did you notice my sword?」

「A divine――」

「Whoa there, not another word. I won’t be able to eat my meat in peace.」

He just confirmed that he indeed owned a divine sword. Fran’s gaze fell to the man’s waist. The blade appeared to be a long sword with some flashy decorations. There was a red jewel embedded in the butt of the hilt, and the brim was red as well. However, it felt strangely inconspicuous despite its appearance, or rather, it gave a sort of plain impression.

In the first place, it was strange that no one around us paid any attention to the man. Fran finally realized the anomaly as well.

She scanned the surroundings and tilted her head at the man. Meanwhile, he slightly pulled up his cloak and told Fran in a whisper.

「This is a cloak of inhibited recognition, a powerful item made by a friend of mine. Just the fact that you recognized me shows that you’re pretty good yourself, yeah?」

So his cloak was a magical tool. It can’t fool anyone above a certain threshold, but that threshold seems to be quite high. At any rate, no other adventurers besides Fran had noticed the man.

Fran cast Silence to block off sound and asked the question again. The man, too, recognized the effect of her spell at first glance, and answered with a wry smile.

「Is that a divine sword?」

「Bingo. This is the Flameblade, Ignis.」

「Wow, so you’re Izario?」

「Sure am. Looks like I’ve become quite the celebrity. Even kids from the outside know me now, huh?」

He really is Izario! To think we’d meet him here in Nocta!

Now that we know he’s a Rank S adventurer, it’s strange how our perception of his tired office worker-like atmosphere changed. It’s more like the relaxed composure coming from someone with absolute strength.

「Guess I’ll introduce myself properly. Name’s Izario, one of the few adventurers with a divine sword. “Talentless” or “Incompetent”, I go by either.」

「Talentless?」

「That’s my alias.」

Rank S adventurer with the alias “Talentless”……? What’s up with that?

As Fran tilted her head again, Izario shrugged and held out his hand. A handshake――or not.

His palm was facing upward, clearly signaling that he wanted a plate of meat.

「So anyways, give me a pile of meat, and make it big.」

「……I’ll make it super big if you give me a mock battle.」

Damn Fran, you really went there! It seems she intended to take the chance and challenge him, but Izario simply shook his head.

「More interested in the meat! And booze too!」

「You could get meat and booze whenever you want.」

「Come on, little lady. The guild is paying for all this now. That means free booze, and free meat. I don’t need to say any more, right?」

Izario said the stingy line with the manliest expression he could muster. I was almost starting to think he seemed pretty cool, but now he’s acting like any old drunken adventurer.

「I don’t get it.」

「Maybe you’re not old enough yet. There’s nothing better than free booze, you see. I won’t let the chance escape. Besides, we can’t afford to make a mess here, right?」

It’s true that we would need to use this training ground for a mock battle, interrupting the grand feast currently taking place.

「……What about tomorrow?」

「Nah, I’m taking a request tomorrow.」

「Not even a little bit in the morning?」

「I’ll get tired if I have to do a mock battle before taking a job, so no. I want to be in perfect condition.」

「……I see.」

Izario’s argument was completely justified, so Fran couldn’t say anything in response. She simply shut her mouth in disappointment.

『Fran, show him the letter of introduction you got from Diaz.』

「I have a referral.」

「Oh? Damn, from Diaz-san……? Alright, but now’s still not a good time. Maybe someday later.」

「You promise?」

「Sure, but only after the antidemon season is over. Besides, I’m not all that special. You should try getting someone stronger to teach you.」

「……? Aren’t you a Rank S adventurer?」

「I’m just a dandy that happened to get a divine sword.」

Dandy or not, he’s clearly got a divine sword. How could he be nothing special?

Ignis is a divine sword in the same vein as Ashwrath’s Gaia. Since it rules over the element of fire instead of earth, he should have incredibly high offensive power. I can only imagine the extent of his abilities.

Maybe any random weakling could reach Rank S if they mastered the usage of a divine sword.

However, the man in front of me didn’t look like an adventurer who got this far relying on the power of his weapon.

It also didn’t seem like Izario was acting humble. He really thought he wasn’t worth much.

「Dandy?」

「……Nah, don’t worry about it. See you later, little lady.」

Izario gave one last wry smile as he disappeared into the crowd of adventurers.

（I couldn’t get a mock battle.）

『Well, he is a Rank S adventurer. We can’t help it if he’s busy.』

（Nn……）

Compared to the Beast King and Dimitris, he seemed to be a more sensible person at least. I feel like he will keep his promises.

Only when compared to his fellow Rank S adventurers though. Put him next to any ordinary person, and he’s plenty weird.

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