svetikya #251 - Ricardo the Dragon Slayer
#251 - Ricardo the Dragon Slayer
“Ah hahaha — — — — — — !”
“Waah!”
The morning's tranquility was shattered by a massive volume, loud enough to be heard in every corner of the spacious mansion. Zunzun, jolted awake by the deafening roar, tumbled out of bed, landing painfully on his butt.
“What’s going on?”
A maid, wearing an embarrassed expression, approached.
“Lord Zunzun, you’re awake.”
“Who is it? Why is there such a racket in the hallway? Doesn't that guy know who I am?”
Without even waiting for Fulaim to help him dress, he angrily pushed open the door, only to see a broad, tall, and furry figure.
He couldn't see the person's face, but his entire body was covered in brown fur. Dark coffee-colored hair ran vertically from his back to the top of his head, giving the impression of a punk hairstyle from behind.
His muscular body was clad in leather clothing, exuding a sense of wildness reconciled with civilization after a brawl.
Steel shoulder armor protected his upper body, emblazoned with the emblem of the Hoxin Trading Company.
Judging from the back, he was undoubtedly a Kobold, a type of demi-human, and he also bore the mark of the Hoxin Trading Company.
This guy…
Whether it was Zunzun's malevolent glare or the Kobold's sensitivity to gazes, he paused for a moment before turning his head.
“…Hmm?”
“Hey, down there.”
“Sorry! You’re too small, I didn’t see you!”
His voice was as deafening as before, like a strong wind sweeping through, blowing away Zunzun's sleepiness and dawning clarity.
“Your voice is too loud!”
“Is that so! My apologies!!”
“Hey, can't you understand human language? I said your voice is too loud!”
“I am terribly sorry!!!”
You son of a…!
Zunzun wondered if this Kobold was deliberately antagonizing him. The more he spoke, the louder the Kobold became, causing Zunzun to raise his own voice in response. However, this seemed to please the Kobold, who then amplified his volume even further.
Was this a competition to see who could shout the loudest?
“Give up, Zunzun.”
Natsuki Subaru, covering his ears, emerged from behind the Kobold's broad frame, looking distressed.
“This guy is clearly the type who won't listen to reason, you know?”
“You saying that makes me understand immediately.”
Zunzun couldn't help but retort.
At the same time, he gave up on arguing with this guy. He knew that dealing with this kind of simpleton was the most annoying.
“Young man, judging by your appearance, you must be the sixth royal candidate that Lady Anastasia mentioned! Are you going whale hunting with us today too? Great, I will definitely protect you! After all, you are our Lady's fiancé!”
“Hold on a second, we're not even close to that yet!”
Zunzun glared at him.
He wondered if it was intentional to say something so easily misunderstood. Combined with his loud voice, many people stopped to listen.
They stared at Zunzun with curiosity, scrutiny, and resistance, their eyes filled with various hidden meanings.
“What did you say!”
“Your voice is too loud, you idiot!!!”
Zunzun tried his best to raise his voice, but he couldn't match the Kobold's volume. However, his actions seemed to satisfy the Kobold.
“Not bad, a strong one!”
“…Where exactly did you see that?”
Loud voice equals strong?
Meaning unclear.
However, this further confirmed the fact that the Kobold was a simpleton.
The Hoxin Trading Company emblem combined with the Kararagi accent of the beastman left no doubt that he was a member of Anastasia's mercenary group—the Iron Fang.
“I'm Ricardo, nice to meet you!”
“As expected.”
With his loud self-introduction, Zunzun confirmed his identity.
Staring at the Kobold's bright eyes, Zunzun nodded seriously and said, “There's a lion hidden in your eyes.”
“…Hmm?” Ricardo was visibly taken aback for a moment, but quickly grinned foolishly, revealing his large mouth. “Thank you for the compliment!”
“He’s calling you a loser, you idiot!”
He hated guys who couldn't understand metaphors the most.
Looking at Ricardo, who was grinning and showing his sharp fangs, Zunzun, at a loss with this kind of simple-minded character, said, “Alright! It’s decided, from today onwards your nickname will be Dragonslayer! You can stand tall…”
Before he could finish, a furry hand covered his mouth. “I say, young man, you can’t just say things like that.”
Ricardo's voice was much quieter.
He had rarely chickened out like this.
…He had to, though. He had to know that this was the Dragon Kingdom, the country that worshiped dragons the most. The title of Dragonslayer was already blasphemous. In addition, he was a demi-human with a special status. The demi-human war from more than a decade ago had not yet extinguished the people's anger.
If Ricardo's Dragonslayer title were to spread, it would be no different from dancing on a grave.
Zunzun pushed away the furry hand and rolled his eyes in annoyance, then looked at Ricardo teasingly.
“Chickened out? Say something louder, let me hear it.”
“Well…”
“That's surprising. Ricardo's ears have always been deaf to anything bad said about himself, I didn't expect you to be able to subdue him.”
While the three were talking, Anastasia walked over with a sly smile.
She probably wanted Ricardo, with his wild and disobedient personality, to intimidate Zunzun and Natsuki Subaru, but unexpectedly, he was instead suppressed by Zunzun.
“What are you talking about? I didn’t say anything bad, on the contrary, I was praising him. Right, Dragonslayer Ricardo?”
“Cough cough, what are you saying, I don’t understand.”
Ricardo coughed loudly, as if to cover up Zunzun's voice. This guy had even lost his Kararagi accent.
Anastasia blinked her eyes.
“It's truly surprising that you were able to achieve this. You should know that the trick to getting along with Ricardo is to avoid accidentally getting close to him. I didn't expect there to be other ways.”
“I wish you had told me before I met him. You're really a bad person.”
Natsuki Subaru couldn't help but complain.
The newest chapters are first published on 69shu!
Unlike Zun Zun, who could subdue the loud-mouthed dog-man with just a few words, he had been bombarded with the loud voice since early in the morning.
“Sorry, I really wanted to see how Natsuki would react.”
“Not only is your personality bad, but your character is awful too.”
As soon as he finished speaking, a large, furry hand appeared on Natsuki Subaru's head, gently squeezing it.
“Ouch, that hurts!”
“Hey, little bro! Don't talk to Miss like that! Be a little gentler to our employer. Miss is picky with everyone, that's why she has no friends! So if you start being nice to her now, you might just win her over!”
The second half of the sentence was directed at Zun Zun.
It was unclear whether this was a well-acted play orchestrated by Anastasia behind the scenes, or if Ricardo was simply this kind of person. If it was the latter, it could only be said that beneath his wild exterior, he hid a delicate heart.
“Miss Anastasia is a very excellent woman.”
“…Eh?” X3
Hearing Zun Zun say this, the three of them were stunned.
Natsuki Subaru reacted the most strongly, quickly shouting, “You say this person is an excellent woman? Listen, Zun Zun, you definitely haven't met an excellent woman before if you're saying that. Oh, right, the Bowel Hunter, Felt, Priscilla, even Crusch… I see, it's a pity you haven't met an excellent woman. But! That doesn't mean Anastasia is an excellent woman!”
Recalling the previous loops.
Although he had carelessly fallen into her trap, his feelings towards Anastasia were definitely not good.
“Little bro, you're being too harsh… but, I kinda feel the same way.”
“Hey, which side are you on? Weren't you just praising your Miss?”
“Ricardo, shut up.”
Anastasia kicked the dog-man.
Zun Zun shrugged and said, “I'm not flattering or saying insincere words, but speaking from the heart. You should know that Miss Anastasia single-handedly created the Hoshen Trading Company, which has limitless potential. Her wisdom, talent, and魄力 are all top-notch, and I admire her greatly. Even having the status of a royal candidate only accelerated her rise…”
He turned his gaze to Ricardo and the other Iron Fang mercenaries.
“Plus, she has you all, these excellent subordinates. I can't imagine a scenario where she wouldn't become an excellent merchant.”
“Wahahaha! Little bro is right! We are the Iron Fang, the most excellent mercenary group in Kararagi!”
Ricardo vigorously patted Zun Zun's back, his loud voice once again deafening.
If he used that much force on Natsuki Subaru, he would probably be sent flying. However, Zun Zun simply endured it silently, at most rolling his eyes in annoyance.
The Iron Fang mercenary leader's narrowed eyes flashed with a sharp glint.
Anastasia didn't say anything, covering her slightly flushed cheeks with her hands. She was probably not very good at being praised.
Natsuki Subaru was shocked by the greedy merchant's stark contrast.
It might really be as Ricardo said, that being gentle to her would make it easy to win her over. At the same time, he cast a strange look at Zun Zun, wondering if Zun Zun was actually a master of romance.
“It seems you've already met.”
Crusch appeared before them, looking majestic.
She wasn't wearing her usual military uniform, but rather a set of light armor. Honestly, from the outside, it didn't seem to offer much protection.
But as the saying goes, the less you wear, the higher the defense.
Zun Zun keenly noticed that Crusch's armor was a top-grade magical artifact, with an effect that seemed to provide a powerful shield as long as her magical power wasn't completely exhausted.
“Miss Crusch has arrived at just the right time.”
Anastasia retorted.
In her view, Crusch's appearance was nothing more than an attempt to ruin the great opportunity for Zun Zun's feelings to warm up towards her. However, Crusch had no such intention.
“I don't know if Anastasia Hoshin, you have some misunderstanding about me, but I'm not here to argue with you. I just want to tell you that it's almost time. Please come to the hall as well.”
After saying that, she turned and left.
Anastasia pouted and said, “In the end, isn't she just here to spoil things?”
“Alright, alright, Miss, have you forgotten our purpose? Right now, that side is more important, isn't it?”
Ricardo wanted to pat the cotton candy girl's back, but he was afraid that she would be as easily damaged as cotton candy, so he could only stop his hand in mid-air and then place it on Zun Zun's shoulder.
“Aren't you done yet?”
Zun Zun rolled his eyes at the awkward dog-man and said to Anastasia, “That's right, the White Whale is the priority now. We can talk about the rest of the things after we come back.”
“…I know.”
She nodded obediently like a gentle and considerate little wife.
This nearly made Natsuki Subaru, who knew her true nature, drop his jaw. Of course, Ricardo was the same.