The beast tamer exiled from the hero’s party and the cat eared girl from the strongest race meet

Chapter 233 Mock battle

(TL:By Rafael,valhallatls.blogspot.com)

"What are you guys thinking, causing a ruckus in a place like this? If you're planning to cause more trouble, I have my own plans."

Saying so, Arios put his hand on the hilt of his sword.

"Oh, it's not like we..."

"N-nothing at all."

The two men averted their eyes awkwardly.

Seeing them like that, Rain felt foolish for getting angry and let go.

After glaring at them, the men left.

They seem wanting to say, "Remember this," but had already forgotten about it infront of Arios's stern gaze.

"Geez, I'd rather you not bother me."

"My apologies."

Apologizing to Arios was irritating, but...

Since I was at fault too, I decided to say it straightforwardly.

I was about to return to the tent when...

"Wait, Rain."

Arios stopped me. When I turned around, he had a friendly smile.

"You're probably free right now, aren't you? Why don't we have a mock battle?"

"A mock battle? With Arios?"

"Yeah, what do you say?"

I was momentarily stunned by the sudden offer.

What is he saying out of the blue?

It seemed suspicious.

I couldn't help but think he was planning something, like using a mock battle to injure me and get me disqualified...

I had no evidence, but...

We've had enough interactions for me to understand Arios's personality and what he might do.

"I'm sorry, but I'll have to decline. I want to rest leisurely in preparation for the final exam."

"Don't be so cold. Just a light workout. Besides... I can't let you, the one who caused a commotion, go unpunished."

"What about those guys?"

"My comrades are probably giving them a piece of their minds right now. I won't only punish you; I swear to the gods."

"I can't trust that completely, but..."

"If you want, we can take your testimony as well. How about it?"

If he was willing to go that far, it couldn't be a lie.

"We can't just let you off the hook. But since it's not your fault, we need to give you some sort of punishment. So, how about you have a mock battle with me? It'll be a hero against you, and I'll deliver the punishment. That way, everything will be settled nicely, don't you think?"

There was nothing strange about Arios's explanation.

It might be the best way to handle the current situation.

However, I couldn't shake the feeling that Arios was up to something, even though I had no concrete evidence.

I didn't want to be tripped up by something strange...

I glanced around and noticed that other adventurers were watching us.

Their gazes seemed mixed with discomfort.

Just as Arios said, they probably didn't like me for causing a commotion.

Leaving things as they were could also become a problem, it seemed.

I had my concerns, but maybe I should go along with what Arios suggested.

"...Alright, if that's the case, let's have a mock battle."

"I'm relieved you understand my point."

Even if Arios had something up his sleeve, I could thwart it.

I would be cautious and face the mock battle.

"Rain, do your best!"

"We'll root for you! Beat that so-called hero!"

I received encouragement from Nina and Tina.

Their support gave me strength.

Yeah.

I didn't feel like I would lose in my current condition.

Even if Arios used dirty tricks, I had confidence in overcoming them.

I left the tent and moved to the open space where I confronted Arios.

"As for the time... let's say... 10 minutes. If there's no resolution by then, it's a draw. How about that?"

"Sure, that's fine."

"I'd like to ask that girl to be our referee or timer. Is that okay with you?"

Surprisingly, Arios nominated Nina.

I had thought he would conspire together by making someone from his party like Aggus as the referee...

"That's fine, but..."

"I understand. It's fine, right?"

"I don't mind, but..."

"Then it's settled. Nina, please keep time for us. If 10 minutes pass or if we decide the match, please let us know."

"Got it, okay."

"By the way, is that doll also one of Rain's comrades? I've never seen it before..."

"Well, there are various reasons..."

"I see. In that case, let's have her... her is okay, right?... be the referee too."

"Alright. If that's what Arios wants, then I have no problem with it."

"Then let's get started."

"Alright."

We were ready.

"By the way..."

"What is it?"

"What's with those glasses?"

"Oh, it's just a little fashion statement. How does it look?"

"It doesn't suit you."

"You're annoying."

Strange.

Arios was saying surprisingly sensible things.

Could it be that he had a change of heart?

I heard he was scolded by the king...

Did that make him reconsider?

"Alright, let's begin."

"...Understood."

Had Arios truly had a change of heart, or was he plotting something behind that smile?

I didn't know his true intentions.

I needed to be cautious, no matter what happened.

"So, shall we start with..."

"Yeah, let's put the weapons aside."

"Huh?"

"Even though it's a mock battle, there's a possibility of getting injured when using weapons. Of course, I plan to hold back, but accidents can happen."

"Well, that's true..."

"Rain is preparing for the final exam. It would be a shame to get injured. How about we do it barehanded?"

Odd.

Arios was saying nothing but sensible things.

Could it be that he's an imposter?

"What's wrong? Staring at my face so intently. Do I have something on me?"

"...No, it's nothing."

Maybe he truly had a change of heart?

I couldn't help but wonder.

"In that case, let's begin."

"...Alright."

Had Arios really changed, or was he plotting something behind that smile?

I couldn't discern his true intentions.

I needed to be cautious.

――――――――――

"Mmm... it's over,"

At Nina's signal, Arios and I stopped moving.

We had been engaged in the mock battle for ten minutes...

Nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

Arios hadn't cheated or set any traps; he had simply fought fairly. 

Neither of us was skilled in hand-to-hand combat, so we didn't manage to knock each other down, and the fight went on until the full ten minutes elapsed.

Even without using a sword, Arios was strong. His movements were swift, his strikes were powerful, and each move was refined.

One could truly say he was a hero. He had grown significantly since the last time we sparred.

"Phew, that was a good workout. You're not bad, Rain."

"...You too, Arios."

"If we get another chance, let's spar again. See you."

Arios smiled brightly and left.

"Rain... are you okay?"

"Did he do anything to you?"

"No, I'm fine. He didn't..."

Arios hadn't used the mock battle as an opportunity to injure me or set me up for something. 

What had Arios really wanted to achieve? 

...At that moment, I didn't realize that Arios had already accomplished his goal.

TL Note- The villain did the folly.

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