Chapter 31: Man of Steel (4)

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Michael Irons

Lv.4

Race: Halfling

Class: Knight

STR 12

DEX 07

INT 04

MEN 14

CHA 07

--

Miki's level, as expected, was the same as all of ours.

His automatically distributed stats were also evenly spread, focusing on Mentality and Strength, the main stats necessary for a knight, making him what one could call an ideal tank.

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[Class Skills]

Guard

Parry

Taunt

Shield Bash

[Unique Skills]

Oath of Protection

???

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Not only that, but his skills were also all top-notch skills that were indispensable for a pure tank.

From 「Guard」, which allows him to take damage for an ally, to 「Parry」, which allows him to perfectly counter an enemy's attack without taking damage.

To 「Taunt」, which can forcibly draw the aggro that tends to shift towards high-damage dealers to himself, and 「Shield Bash」, an effective CC skill that can easily put an enemy in a ‘fallen’ state.

The objective data was telling us.

Miki was an excellent tank.

It just went to show how foolish those who had mistreated Miki for the sole reason of being a halfling were.

Of course, he wasn't completely flawless yet, and he did have one ‘trait’ that could be a fatal flaw not just for a knight, but for an adventurer in general, but even including that, Miki was an excellent tank that no one could deny.

And such an excellent tank should have equally excellent equipment.

“My… shield?”

“We happen to have a spare one.”

It was time for the 「Shield of Water's Protection」 to meet its owner.

“It’s an item we received from the Stout Knight Division. It should be much better than that old shield.”

“A-Are you serious?!”

At my words, Miki's eyes began to sparkle.

But that was short-lived, and after glancing at us, he tilted his head with a puzzled expression.

Of course, since none of us were carrying a shield.

At Miki's reaction.

“──Hehehe.”

Ibi let out a triumphant laugh, as if she had been waiting for this.

“You're doubting now, aren't you, boy? Thinking, ‘Where the f*ck is the shield?’”

“What? Ah, no! I…”

“Ah, no no. No need to apologize. It’s a natural reaction.”

She then playfully wagged her index finger, then immediately swung the bag she was carrying to the front.

She looked just like a child introducing a new toy, anticipating a reaction.

Well, I understood that feeling.

“──Ta-da.”

If you have a 「Magical Travel Bag」 in your hands, you're bound to want to try something like that at least once.

“W-Whaaat?!”

Like pulling out an item of a size that could never fit inside a normal-sized bag.

For example, something like a large shield.

You know, the kind that looks like a normal bag on the outside, but is bigger on the inside, so everything just fits in, yet the weight remains almost the same.

That thing commonly called an extradimensional pocket.

The fantasy world's answer to ‘So how the hell do they carry all that stuff?’.

The 「Magical Travel Bag」 was this world's version of that item.

As is often the case with such items, it was set to be expensive and rare here as well, but we didn't have to pay the price.

We just received it.

When we met Aqua at the great temple.

He said it would surely be helpful for this request.

Having obtained such a precious item, she probably wanted to show off this trick(?) to someone.

“Oh, ooh…!”

Sure enough, Miki's eyes sparkled as if he had seen a wonderful magic show, and he clapped his hands like a seal.

Getting a better reaction than expected, Ibi also shrugged her shoulders with a slightly excited face.

That's how good Miki's reaction was… so to speak.

He seemed pure, so it was fun to surprise him.

“Hehe. Curious how I did it?”

“It's a 「Magical Travel Bag」!”

“Right, a magical trav… huh? Ah, you knew?”

“Yes! I've seen one a few times!”

“…? You’ve seen one?”

Then why were you surprised?

Ibi's expression quickly turned awkward, as if she wanted to say that, but that was just how Miki was.

The scary part was that it probably wasn't even an act.

Anyway, Miki, who received the shield from Ibi, flinched in surprise as soon as he held it.

Then he turned the shield, which was as tall as him, this way and that, examining every nook and cranny.

“Th-This is a very good shield…?”

“It’s one of the treasures of the Stout Knight Division.”

“Ah, I knew it! ……What?”

Nodding as if it made sense, Miki chewed on my words a moment later, and then.

“Whaaaat──?!”

He was so startled he looked like he was about to jump out of his skin.

I said his reactions were good, you get it now, right?

“It’s called the 「Shield of Water's Protection」. It's an item that was used by the previous Knight Commanders.”

“Th-The Knight Commanders?!”

“We received it from the person who is the current acting Knight Commander. Marin.”

“M-Ma──”

As I deliberately spoke as if it were no big deal, Miki's jaw dropped, and he began to tremble, as if he didn't know if he was worthy of even touching such an incredible item.

“D-Do I… dare to hold such a magnificent item…?”

“You can not only hold it, but use it too.”

It was an artifact I had brought for you from the very beginning.

“More importantly, there's no one among us who can carry it. Except you.”

Putting aside the lack of shield proficiency, Rine and I just didn't have the ‘Strength’ to lift it.

And for Ibi, who had relatively high ‘Strength’, it was completely incompatible with the rogue's combat style, which required agility.

So, it was only Miki.

“From today, that shield is yours.”

At this firm statement of mine, Miki's worried eyes sparkled again.

As he jumped up and down, unable to contain his joy, he looked just like a puppy wagging its tail happily.

“Thank you! I will do my best to become a knight worthy of this shield!”

Though I think you already are.

One day, Miki will realize it too.

And it's my role to help him with that.

* * *

It was a full day's walk from Stout to our destination, the 「Forgotten Stareon Temple」.

And since that was obviously not possible, we found a suitable spot to set up camp before the sun set.

By the time we had set up our individual camps, which we had prepared in the 「Magical Travel Bag」 (I had said we should bring spares, but in fact, it included one I had brought for Miki from the start), the sun had set.

No matter how temperate the region, it still got chilly at night.

So after a simple dinner with the supplies we had prepared, we gathered around the bonfire lit in the middle of the circle of camps, and somehow, it naturally turned into a campfire-like atmosphere.

Normally, around this time, unidentified assassins would have popped out to attack us, but the merchant company guys who were behind it were probably locked up in prison, being squeezed for the taxes they had avoided for so long.

And since we didn't have to set up camp in a dangerous place where monsters appeared, at least for tonight, we didn't have to worry about any external attacks.

Meaning we could just sit back, relax, and enjoy the beautiful night sky.

“Hey, you.”

As I was blankly counting the stars that adorned the night sky, Ibi, who was sipping from her cup, suddenly spoke.

“You’re from a noble family, aren't you?”

“…!?”

At these words, Miki, startled, turned to look at Ibi.

Most people would at least try to think of a way to hedge here, but Miki didn't.

“H-How… did you know…?”

He just admitted it cleanly.

As if he didn't even know that the question itself was a de facto admission.

“You can tell just by looking.”

At that, Ibi chuckled and continued.

“In the first place, that halfling heavy armor you're wearing is not something ordinary halflings can get.”

“…!”

Ibi was right.

The very fact that he was wearing halfling heavy armor was a hint to Miki's identity.

Armor in this world, especially heavy armor, usually came in two types.

For tall humanoids, and for dwarves.

The one for tall humanoids was, of course, too big for halflings.

And the one for dwarves, while similar in average height, had a very different body shape, so it was also too big.

And the reason these two were the mainstream was because there was that much demand.

There was no problem with supply.

On the other hand, halfling heavy armor?

So few people wanted to wear it that it was barely made.

No demand, so no supply.

That's why halfling heavy armor was mostly made by craftsmen on special order for an individual.

It wasn't something you could find lying around in equipment shops.

And yet, Miki's armor was not a worn-out antique, nor was it a modified piece of armor from another race that had been forced to fit his body shape.

It was unmistakably a well-maintained new item.

Perfectly tailored to Miki's body shape.

Made just for Miki.

Would a rookie adventurer in a desperate situation, who said he would work just for meals, have saved up penny by penny to buy such an item?

Unlikely.

It was more likely that he had it from the beginning, before he became an adventurer.

And that would have been possible because he came from a family with the means to do so.

That was Ibi's reasoning.

And in fact, she was right.

“Besides, you recognized the 「Magical Travel Bag」 at a glance. It's not like these things are just rolling around on the street.”

“Ah…”

Miki, as if belatedly realizing his mistake(?), buried his head in his knees, which he was hugging.

“Th-That is…”

Then.

“……It’s as you say.”

Deciding that it was impossible to hide it any longer, Miki finally admitted it.

When he raised his head again, he had a somewhat dejected face, as if he was pathetic for being found out in less than a day.

--

Evie

[History] Success

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“I'm not really interested in noble sirs, so I don't know much about those fancy-pants families…”

Meanwhile, Ibi, who had succeeded in her dice check, continued to speak.

“But I have heard stories about a family of halfling heroes who wear armor.”

The Irons family.

The moment Ibi mentioned this name, it wasn't just Miki who reacted.

The ‘voice’ inside me also reacted.

The Irons family.

You have heard this name before.

In my case, I didn't even need to pass a dice check.

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[History] Success (Bard)

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There is no one among bards who does not know the name of the Irons family.

The heroic tales of brave halfling knights in armor have always been a popular subject for songs.

You have probably sung one yourself at some point.

“So? Are you an Irons too?”

“…….”

At Ibi's probing question, Miki couldn't easily open his mouth.

He clearly had a story he couldn't tell.

Then, a moment later.

“…L-Later,”

“Later?”

Miki struggled to open his mouth again.

“Later… when the time comes… may I tell you?”

That it was difficult to talk about it now.

He might not have realized it himself, but this too was a de facto admission.

“Well, do as you please.”

Perhaps that's why Ibi also lightly raised her hands and took a step back.

“You don't seem like a jerk like the other noble bastards.”

She wouldn't kick him out, Ibi added playfully with a chuckle.

--

Companion Quest

「Irons in the Fire」

Continue your adventure until Michael brings up the story first.

--

At the same time, a companion quest began.

In short, it meant I had to raise Miki's affection level.

“A guy who hides his family, a guy who hides her past, and a guy who hides his face. Hmm, what a perfect party.”

“You can say that again. And there’s a guy who hides his booze too.”

“Ha, what are you talking about now?”

“Don’t play innocent. I saw you earlier. Hiding that last cup.”

“What? When did I? ……F*ck, you saw that?”

“Monopolizing is bad, Ibi. Now that we’re on the subject, give me a drink.”

“Pour it yourself, you bastard.”

Ibi, resentfully, threw the nearly empty bottle at me, and I caught it and poured it into the empty cup I had placed next to me.

“Hey, hey, leave some, will you? Leave some. If you pour it all, you're dead.”

“I left some, I left some.”

I thought it wouldn't be a bad idea to borrow a little more of the alcohol's power for what I was about to do.

Ibi didn't ask any more questions, but Miki still had a gloomy expression.

So it was my turn to step up.

After taking a sip of the wine, I put down the cup and picked up the lute instead.

──Plink.

And the moment I lightly plucked a string, the gazes of the three of them turned to me in unison.

“Let's drink from the joyful cups”

Then I began to sing.

“And the fleeting, fleeting hour is intoxicated with pleasure.”

Miki watched my [Performance] that began like that, as if mesmerized.

His gloomy expression from before was gone, and his eyes sparkled, not wanting to lose to the stars in the night sky.

Seeing that, the corners of my mouth went up as well.

“Let's drink, my love, for love among the cups will have warmer kisses”

Isn't this the role of a bard?

To comfort those weary of life and lift their spirits.