The Rising of the Scythe Hero

"Hey. You've got quite the tolerance, huh?"

"Maybe," I nodded to the girl who'd just taken the seat beside me.

"And not much of a talker, huh?" she asked cheerfully. Not that my "quiet type" thing seemed to bother her in the slightest. "Haven't seen you in any taverns before. New to Zeltoble?"

How often does she hang around bars to be that sure? That's some impressive commitment to drinking…

"About a week," I shrugged and tossed another berry into my mouth. The sweet-bitter taste slid down my throat, and I felt… maybe, maybe starting to get just the tiniest bit tipsy.

"Ooh… I see." Her eyes followed the berry disappearing into my mouth, completely captivated. "Do you even know what you're casually munching on right now?"

"Yup."

"And… you feel okay?"

"Yup."

"Oooh…"

This conversation was getting kind of weird. What was she even after?

"By the way… I wasn't being entirely honest when I said I hadn't seen you before." After sitting in silence for a while, she suddenly spoke up again.

"I've seen you too. Here, a couple days ago."

"Oh? I didn't notice… But that's not what I meant. I saw your fights. In the underground coliseum."

"Oh?" I turned toward her, surprised. "So you're into that kind of…" I waved my hand vaguely in the air. "...stuff?"

Honestly, I wasn't all that surprised. Sure, I wore a mask — but that was more for show. It could fool the most clueless nobodies just fine and hide my identity well enough from them, but for anyone even remotely competent or influential, figuring out who I was wouldn't be all that hard.

"Something like that." The girl smirked, resting her head on her hand as she went on. "You're pretty strong. And you drink like a champ, too..." Her face took on a dreamy look. "I think I'm almost ready to confess my love."

"Oooh." Yeah, I really had no idea what was going on in her head. "Be sure to let me know when you're ready."

"I will," she said breathily, casually leaning forward and giving me a decent view of her chest.

Which, by the way, was quite the sight. Honestly, her whole outfit was basically a joke — if you could even call it an outfit. The top was made of tight blue and white fabric that clung to her chest, held in place by a collar around her neck. It only covered the upper part of her breasts, leaving the lower half completely exposed. A decorative ribbon looped around her neck and disappeared under her arms and around her back, like some kind of vest that had been chopped down by 90%.

As for the bottom… it consisted of exactly three parts, one of which was purely decorative. There was a thin fabric belt connected by beads and two metal rings on each side, barely holding the whole thing together. In front hung what was probably supposed to be part of a dress — though it only just covered the important area, falling just short of her knees. The decorative piece was a loose ribbon hanging from the belt, attached by tiny multicolored beads.

The whole thing was sky blue with occasional white accents. And in the end, she was practically naked. Her flat stomach and a portion of her chest were bare, and those long, gorgeous legs and thighs were on full display, like she wanted you to admire them. At least her feet were in sandals…

But calling that "clothing" was like calling a courtesan a priestess of love.

She also had this gorgeous, long black hair — only gathered a bit near the ends with a thin bracelet.

"But that's not what I wanted to talk about right now."

"What a disappointment."

"Yeah… But it can't be helped. What I wanted to say is that, in the finals, you might end up underestimating your opponent. He doesn't look all that impressive, but don't be fooled — he's actually pretty strong for his age. And… can I ask you something personal?"

"Go ahead. Now I'm curious."

"Don't kill him." For the first time since our conversation started, her smile vanished. "I'm sure you can win without going that far. Especially if you take him seriously from the very beginning."

"Hmmm… Will I get something in return?" I asked with a smile.

Though honestly, I wasn't expecting anything. If the situation didn't demand it, I wouldn't kill anyone. Unless he did something incredibly stupid — like my last opponent.

"Oooh… A reward, huh?" she smiled again, dreamily pressing a finger to her lips. "You know, there is something else I've been wanting to show you. I'm not sure if you noticed or not, but… Let's take a walk? It'll be easier to show you that way." She glanced toward the quieter, less crowded corner of the tavern — where a good portion of the patrons were shooting us less-than-friendly looks.

"I think I know what this is about. Well," I shrugged, "why not?"

I paid for the berries and, still in a good mood, stood up with a smile, dramatically offering my elbow as I threw a teasing glance at my new acquaintance. Or… maybe not quite a stranger anymore.

"Oooh…"

A little surprised, she grinned even wider and — without a hint of hesitation or shyness — slipped her arm through mine. And just like that, we headed for the exit.

"I never introduced myself, did I? My name's Nadia."

"Nott."

"Oooh… So 'Hidan' really is just a nickname?"

"Yeah."

"I see…"

By the way, Nadia was tall. Just about the same height as me — maybe even a bit taller. Normally, tall girls weren't really my thing, but Nadia was probably the exception. She was genuinely beautiful. Asian facial features, a perfect figure (which her outfit really didn't bother hiding), an impressive chest, and that confident, mature vibe — it all came together into a very attractive image. Hard not to appreciate that.

It was already late at night. No more pedestrians, escorts, or drunkards in sight — even they had gone home by now.

So a pair of people strolling peacefully along the city's canal roads naturally drew some attention. Though, truth be told, we'd already caught it back in the tavern — I just hadn't noticed right away. And now those eyes were positioning themselves around us, clearly planning something that didn't look too friendly.

"Nott-chan, you've noticed how some duels happen way earlier than originally scheduled, haven't you?" Nadia brought up casually.

"Yeah, there've been a few like that," I nodded.

"There's a reason for it, obviously. And that's what I wanted to tell you. Or rather… mostly show you."

Zeltoble itself, by the way, kind of reminded me of that stereotypical version of Venice — wide canals, arched bridges, and water practically everywhere. Walking around, it wasn't rare to pass another bridge or see boats tied up at docks during the day — ones you could rent if you wanted.

"Oh." Nadia let out a mock-surprised sound right as our "company" finally revealed themselves.

"One, two, three, four… eleven. Where'd they even find that many?" I shook my head.

They decided to show themselves the moment we "accidentally" wandered into a narrow alley between a few buildings. Four in front, three behind, and two on each side.

"Now do you get it, Nott-chan?" Nadia didn't seem the least bit bothered by our situation.

"Yeah. I'd already suspected it, but this is the first time I'm seeing it firsthand."

"That's because you caught their attention by making it to the semifinals so easily. You tried to hide your strength, but honestly? You weren't very good at it." She gave me another cheerful smile.

"Heh. Nothing personal, kid, but you're messing with our plans for the tournament," said one of the fine gentlemen as he stepped forward. "And you, Nadia… well, can't pass up a chance to kill two birds with one stone." He shrugged. "Alright, boys. No need to keep chatting — get to it."

"I'm just a bonus to them. Kids these days are so rude…" Nadia made a mock-pout and leaned closer into me.

Wait… kids? Seriously? Most of these guys looked to be pushing thirty. So how old was she, exactly?

"Hm." I gave the whole armed crowd approaching us a skeptical look. "Tell me, Nadia…"

"Yes-yes?"

"They saw my fights, right?"

"Looks like it," she nodded, clearly catching on to where I was going. Her grin grew even wider — and their advance faltered a bit.

"Then maybe I've miscalculated somewhere, but… These guys," I glanced left and right, "they're stronger than the Great-Horned Buffalo?"

"Nope." Nadia shook her head cheerfully.

"Then… maybe they're stronger than the Manticore?"

The Manticore, by the way, was one of the monsters I'd also faced in the arena. Some kind of weird chimera, though a bit different from the mythological version from my old world. Its body and face were lion-like, but its tail was a snake.

"Definitely not," Nadia replied, her tone growing even more amused.

"Then… that means they somehow decided they could do something to me — even though things significantly stronger than them couldn't. I get it now. They're just idiots." I gave a solemn nod, as if confirming some profound truth to myself.

"Yup!"

"You little—" the leader of the gang was practically fuming. "Get him, boys!"

I let out a small chuckle and smoothly slipped out of Nadia's grip — she still hadn't let go of my elbow. I didn't even bother summoning the Scythe.

I was in a great mood, so this time we'd go without bloodshed. Well — without lethal bloodshed, anyway. Broken noses and bruises don't really count.

Activated Camouflage on myself, threw them into confusion, closed the distance — and in just a few seconds, knocked out the guys in front. Then I went around — left, back, right — dropping them like bowling pins, using their buddies as weapons against each other. Easy work.

No, seriously — what were they expecting?

"Oooh…" Nadia let out an impressed hum, scanning the area with wide eyes. "You know, Nott-chan…" Then, walking toward me with a feline sway, she added, "I think now I'm ready to confess…"

"Go for it," I smirked, standing up from my crouch after making sure that last crack was still in the "non-lethal" range.

"I'm head over heels in love with you, Nott-chan! Will you marry me?" she said, latching onto my arm again — this time making absolutely sure to "accidentally" bury it as deep as possible between her breasts.

"Unlikely. I'm not really interested in that kind of relationship right now." For some reason, her behavior made me smile in that easy, casual way.

"Aww. Well, then how about just as a lover?" she said, pulling back slightly — though still holding onto my arm. And then… "Here." She placed my hand directly on her chest. "My boobs. Consider it an advance. And an apology for the little incident." Still smiling playfully all the while.

squish-squish

I gave the offered compensation a thoughtful squeeze or two, during which her smile wavered just slightly — and a faint blush touched her cheeks. I nodded in approval. Yeah, her chest was amazing. Solid C-cup at the very least, maybe a bit more. Soft, yet surprisingly firm — almost like it was artificial, but probably not.

"That's a very tempting offer. There's a good chance I'd accept."

"Oooh… and Nott-chan's so confident too..." I let go of her just then, not wanting to make the situation any more awkward than it already was. "I'd really love to hear a yes from you someday."

Honestly, I probably would've said yes right then and there — but something told me that anything more than a little groping would've gotten me politely (or not so politely) shut down. I wasn't even sure if this was all part of some game, or just very enthusiastic flirting. And honestly, I didn't want to ruin the mood with someone this interesting. Now I was curious to learn more about her myself.

"By the way, since we're being so open, I wanted to ask you something."

"Yes? I'm a virgin!" she replied cheerfully — giving me the answer I didn't deserve… but maybe deep down really needed. Ugh.

"Not what I meant. I was wondering — are you a Star Hero, by any chance?"

"Oh? A Hero?" Nadia's smile suddenly struck me as… kind of sad? "If only, Nott-chan. If only…"

"I see."

Well, for now I wouldn't press it. Nadia did her best to convince me to drink until sunrise, but I declined, claiming I had stuff to take care of. And just like that, the night came to an end — strange, and in a way, kind of nice. I'll have to make sure I don't forget her little warning about my future opponent…

Actually… did she ever tell me how to recognize him?