315. There is no winning or losing at the festival (complete)
“I’ll teach you how to use a bow. Still, since there are so many eyes, wouldn’t it be good to have a variety?”
“Thank you.”
The unknown middle-aged man was kinder than I thought.
“First, relax your body as much as possible. Then, as you raise the bow, push the bow and pull the string. It will be easier to think of it as dancing a waltz with a bow. You will make the bow move smoothly and gracefully. “
Looking at the expression waltz, it didn’t seem like he was from the East; he must have been a stranger who came to see the festival.
I followed his explanation and put it into action.
Pulling the bowstring required more strength than expected.
As expected, the archer’s main stat was strength.
I actually had a chance to raise an unreasonable strength archer in a game.
‘I felt closer to a sniper holding an anti-materiel sniper rifle.’
I remember that he wasn’t a very good character in the game because he didn’t have much to do with long-distance sniping.
As I was lightly pulling the string, the prosthetic hand holding the bow creaked.
“…Are you okay?”
“I guess I can shoot.”
After what happened in Yue Country, the condition of the prosthetic arm deteriorated rapidly. I was trying to refrain from using prosthetic hands as much as possible because it didn’t cause a huge hindrance to the battle and I didn’t have time or space to fix it, but in the case of the bow, I couldn’t do that.
I felt like I had enough practice, so I waited for the contractor to proceed further.
“Two coins, two challengers. Who will guess the coins and win the doll… Fame…!”
The broadcast started again and people shouted and cheered.
It may seem like I am no match for that man, but the audience was already completely immersed in it, not caring at all about whether they would win or lose, and just putting everything else aside, thinking that they had something fun to watch.
Then the middle-aged man fired an arrow first.
ㅡNeedle liquid.
The arrow went straight through the road.
ㅡQuack!!
Hit the exact center of the coin hanging on the target.
“”Wow…””
“I got it right! I got it right again!”
I didn’t use any magic or magic tools.
I succeeded purely with my own skills, and it looked very easy.
To the point where I thought maybe I could guess it.
Doing something that seemed difficult with ease also meant that one’s abilities were outstanding.
“Now, let’s continue and see how the blind archer’s skills are…!”
Then who is this archer?
“Zeto!”
“Zeto, cheer up…!”
“You know it’s a foul if you shoot a bow well, right?”
At that time, along with the cheers of the cadets, several names that were famous among the archers were passing through my mind.
Keyring.
The sound of bells was heard along with the silence of the audience.
The employee who rang the bell quickly got out of the way and I let go of the bowstring I had pulled.
***
So you guessed the coin?
That can’t be possible.
The arrow stopped flying and fell to the ground.
I thought it would fly quite a bit even if I pulled it without using mana, but it seems like the middle-aged man was just strangely strong.
The audience burst into laughter at my poor archery skills, but it didn’t make me feel bad.
“It was quite fun, wasn’t it?”
“That’s right. Jeto is a bow. If it weren’t for a festival, it wouldn’t have been something you could see.”
“They say it’s a foul if you shoot well with a bow.”
“All the archers at the academy must have stood up.”
We were taking a break away from the shooting range and chatting.
“It’s a shame. I was wondering if you could give me a doll as a gift.”
“To be honest, it wasn’t a shame.”
“I was able to guess it right.”
“Yes, yes. You’ll be fine.”
The prosthetic hand was properly fixed, and the aim seemed to be accurate.
At that time, I was bickering with Amon, claiming that if I had put even a little mana in my arm, I would have hit it.
“There, a friend with his eyes covered with bandages…”
Someone calls me from behind.
It was the voice of the archer who had just beaten me at the target match and got the doll.
“…What’s going on?”
I soon see his face.
Long brown hair and brown eyes.
The appearance of a middle-aged man who is tall but has no significant features.
It was possible to vaguely guess what kind of person he was by looking at the black robe over the armor.
“The power to pull the bow was weak. Was this really your first time shooting an arrow?”
“Yes, it’s difficult to use a bow as a cane.”
I patted the bandage and made a joke.
“It doesn’t seem like you really need a wand… Anyway, your aim was accurate. I’m honestly surprised. I’ve never seen blind arrows that accurate.”
“That’s too much praise. I didn’t get it right in the end. So what happened?”
“Still, I also have pride, but I can’t just ignore it. If it’s okay, will you accept this?”
A middle-aged man handed me a teddy bear that was ‘split vertically around the torso.’
“……”
After receiving the doll, I quietly traced the cotton protruding from the doll’s body.
Even though the doll is not bread, is there a need to pursue fairness even by cutting a healthy doll in half?
Other people’s reactions were similar to mine.
I tilt my head at his eccentricity.
There is no such thing as a fair result in the first place.
It was clearly my defeat.
Nevertheless, seeing him go this far, it seems that he was worried that he could have lost to a ‘blind man shooting an arrow for the first time’.
“You should have picked up a bow and not a sword.”
“…Thank you…?”
As I was answering his well-wishes, my voice rose in doubt. At least it wasn’t something to say to a man whose eyes were covered with bandages.
“…Is there anyone who would like to have a half-doll?”
I asked the girls whose eyes were sparkling as they looked at her doll.
“”……””
At this, Aizel, Yuri, and Kaen exchange glances. Surprisingly, Lucia didn’t seem to be interested in dolls at all.
When it was split in half, it contained a more special story, and I thought it would be a perfect item to remember the festival with.
It would have been better if there had been three complete dolls, but unfortunately, I only had one in my hands.
I didn’t mind having it, but honestly, it was useless.
If it were a doll, wouldn’t Ray be crazy again?
But will Ray really want to see this doll?
‘What is this trash…’
I thought he was a noble person as long as he didn’t say anything harsh.
At that time, I was wondering what to do with the doll.
The middle-aged man looked at the glances exchanged between the three women and opened his mouth.
“…He was a sinful man. Instead of doing that, why not share it fairly?”
He must have noticed that they were fighting for wits, so he suddenly took out a dagger from his pocket and cut the doll, which was already in half, into three pieces.
Head, torso, legs.
Now, a cotton ball that looked like a doll was handed to the three women.
“”……””
The three women’s shocked reactions.
“I guess you are cadets of Innocence Academy. I hope we get a chance to meet again next time.”
With those words, the middle-aged man shook off his hands and suddenly disappeared, as if he had finished his job.
I finally remember.
It would be correct to say that it came to mind.
This is because he touched the feeling that I had been spreading much narrower than usual during the conversation we had just had.
It was because there were fewer people around than before.
As expected, it was not a major character.
Even in games, you only see names and faces once in passing.
He was also a character who only appeared late in the game, closer to graduation from the academy.
‘If I were to be honest, I wouldn’t even call it an appearance…’
At the end of the game, when you enter the principal’s office, you will be able to see a newspaper. The title of the newspaper article with his face on it in large format was as follows.
‘One arrow and one knight commander. The face of Dane Wacker, the suspect who assassinated the Commander of the Imperial Knights, is revealed.’
Dane Wacker.
He later kills one of the knight commanders of the empire. And that too with one arrow.
I don’t know the reason.
I don’t even know what the story is.
What I do know is that it was a sniping shot from a very long distance that would be difficult for most archers to fire, and that one arrow pierced the skull of a strong man, such as a knight commander, who could easily be called a ‘monster’.
‘You were in the East at this time.’
Should we consider him a villain since he killed the knight commander?
Otherwise, the knight commander was actually a villain, and he was just seeking personal revenge.
I couldn’t remember every word that was written in the newspaper, so there was little information. That newspaper article was also Dane Wacker’s only appearance.
‘Should I tell them to look for information through Keraf?’
He was a ‘proven’ person capable of killing a knight commander with a single arrow.
It would be a lie if I said I didn’t have a desire to recruit him. Snipers were not that common among wizards and archers, so the advantage they could gain was very large.
However, the story will vary depending on what he follows and what his story is.
“He’s an unusual person.”
“Sure.”
“There is nothing but the body…”
Three women staring blankly at the back of Wacker.
Aisel and Kaen didn’t seem to think anything of it, and Yuri was in tears.
The only thing they have in common is that they were hugging a useless cotton ball as if it were precious.
I guess this is also a memory.
There was a strange feeling of satisfaction on their lips.
‘It’s fairness…’
The feeling of fear at the gruesome state of the teddy bear with its limbs disintegrated was probably due to my mood.