Chapter 47: We’ve hunted some of the orcs living in the forest over there
To make Dant-san’s group feel welcomed, I asked the villagers to prepare a feast for them in the village plaza.
Thankfully, the villagers—especially the housewives—obliged. They did their utmost to prepare dishes made with orc meat as well as those made with the crops we harvested.
As for the drinks, it was of course going to be the alcohol we made.
“It’s so delicious!”
“I’m glad you like it. That one’s made from the crops harvested in this village.”
“What about this meat…?”
“It’s orc meat. We’ve hunted some of the orcs living in the forest over there.”
“““It’s orc meat!?”””
Voices of surprise came not only from Dant-san but also from the soldiers acting as his guard.
“There seems to be a fair number of orcs in the forest, so supply shouldn’t be an issue for the meantime. My point is, please don’t hold yourself back.”
“…supply shouldn’t be an issue…”
“He’s bluffing, right? He’s got to be bluffing, right???”
Dant-san’s group seemed to still be tensed.
They should be able to relax a little once they drink some of our alcohol though…
I thought so, but then, Millia suddenly stood up and addressed the whole crowd.
What is she going to do?
“As our entertainment for tonight’s festivities, our village’s esteemed fighters would like to hold exhibition matches.”
Huh? They’re doing what? How come I didn’t hear of this before?
That said, exhibition matches would definitely make things exciting.
After Millia was done with her announcement, Balrath-san and Perun-san—who both had [Sword Techniques]—walked to the center of the plaza.
A short while after, a fierce, lightning-fast sword fight began.
Meanwhile, the villagers watched with gradually increasing excitement. There were even some who stood up and shouted to cheer.
The two were really amazing. I had seen them spar before, but it felt like they were so much stronger now than back then.
“““…”””
Huh? Is it my imagination or have Dant-san’s guards completely stopped eating…?
“Excuse me, but ahm, is the food perhaps not to your liking?”
“O-oh, it’s not that! The food’s heavenly! It’s, it’s just that…I can’t stop watching…”
Because it worried me, I decided to ask so.
The one who hurriedly shook his head and answered my question was Bazara-san, the leader of the guards.
Well, duh. They’re fighters, so of course they’d be focused on watching the exhibition match.
“There’s no doubt about it…those two, they have the [Sword Techniques] Gift…but how, how can there be two such people in a remote village?”
Bazara-san uttered something under his breath, but it was likely an analysis of the fight that only a fellow fighter would understand, so I didn’t bother asking.
After a while, the exhibition match ended.
Balrath-san and Perun-san made their exit, only to be replaced by two others.
Much like before, the replacements began a mock battle.
“…huh? Don’t tell me this place has more people with Gifts…”
We had more villagers, so as to be expected, we had more people with Gifts.
Including the children who couldn’t unlock their Gifts yet, about 10% of the population had Gifts. That was easily over a hundred people.
From those, 31 had combat-type Gifts. However, excluding the children, the elderly, and those who had stamina issues, the count goes down to 24.
To name a few of the Gifts present in our village: [Sword Techniques], [Spear Techniques], [Axe Techniques], [Grappling Techniques], [Whip Techniques], [Bow Techniques], and [Aiki Techniques].
As the night went on, it became more and more apparent that each of those 24 villagers would participate in tonight’s series of exhibition matches.
As for the other villagers, they enthusiastically cheered the fighters on.
“Wow. The whip flows so freely! It’s like part of their arm or something!”
“That’s it! There! Go!”
“Oh my, you’re so cool!”
On the other hand, Dant-san’s group was eerily quiet. It could be that they were just so focused on watching.
They look a bit pale though…
When the exhibition matches for the 24 villagers who had combat-type Gifts were over, those who had magic-type Gifts stood up and walked toward the center, fully intent to showcase their Gifts.
Magic-type Gifts were even rarer than combat-type Gifts. In fact, we only had a total of 8 villagers who had such Gifts. That count included Selen as well as two children who were yet to be blessed.
“There are even those who can use magic? What the hell is going on in this village…?”
“Ahm, are you sure you’re alright? I guess the food’s really not…”
“No, no, I’m fine! Really! So don’t mind me please…!”
Even though he definitely didn’t seem alright, Bazara-san shook his head rapidly.
