Silverback and Crow

"That couldn't be helped." Silverback scratched his head. "I was five feet tall when I was five, and six feet tall by the time I was eight."

When the conversation veered toward Silverback, the tense atmosphere began to ease. Only then did Sally let out a long breath. Judging by the mood, unless Lude was the sort of lunatic who made small talk before killing someone, they probably wouldn't end up fighting after all.

However, just then, Silverback suddenly spoke up. "So, big brother, why'd you come into our home and attack Sally?"

"Gah..." Sally sucked in a sharp breath. Before Lude could answer, she hurriedly said:

"It was my fault! I was blind and stole this gentleman's things. He followed me all the way here to get them back, so this whole thing... It was my fault from beginning to end!"

"Oh, I see." Silverback scratched his head, hesitated, then decided to keep quiet.

Silverback was a pretty straightforward guy, but that didn't mean he was stupid. Of course he could tell that Sally was doing everything she could to stop them from clashing with Lude.

He also knew he was better at fighting than thinking, so he simply gave up on thinking.

Crow, who was well-traveled, could handle investigating and analyzing; Sally, with her extraordinary intuition, could make the decisions. All Silverback had to do was fight.

"Looks like we've reached an understanding."

Lude smiled at the three of them, then yanked the metal rod from around Sally's neck. "Then, once Miss Sally has changed, let's go have a meal together at the Golden Eagle Tavern. There are a few things I'd like to ask you."

Change? Sally rubbed her neck, looking confused. Why did she need to change?

Before she could ask, Silverback suddenly let out a chugging laugh like a tractor engine starting up.

"Sally, hurry up and change your clothes! It's not like we haven't seen you looking like that before, but that was when you were three or four!"

Sally looked even more confused. What did he mean, they'd seen her like this before? And what did he mean, when she was three or four—

As her tension gradually eased, Sally finally realized that the damp chill between her legs wasn't a trick of her imagination caused by nerves. For a moment, her head spun. A crushing wave of embarrassment swept away all thought.

Clutching her crotch, she let out a scream and leaped through the window like a startled rabbit.

Seeing as Sally probably wouldn't be back for a while, Lude turned his attention to the two men in front of him—or, more precisely, to Silverback. He couldn't help wondering whether that enormous, tower-like body held enough strength to rival his own.

"Hey, big guy." Lude smiled amiably. "Come on, punch me. Let's see what you've got."

Silverback paused. Once his brain had sorted out what Lude meant, a beastly grin spread across his fearsome face. He clenched his fist. "You asked for it. I only held back because of Sally. I wasn't even planning to fight you!"

Lude nodded with a smile. This one seemed just as restless as the others.

Still, Lude didn't dislike blunt, straightforward men like him. They were simple and direct to deal with. As long as you had the ability to earn their respect and treated them with enough respect in return, they'd consider you a close friend.

"Get on with it." Lude beckoned with two fingers. "Or are you all bluster, relying on your size to scare people?"

The moment Lude finished speaking, Silverback's right arm—thicker than Lude's thigh—came hurtling toward his face with a heavy rush of wind.

The punch struck like a battering ram, making even the air shriek as it broke.

Yet in the face of this lethal blow, Lude neither raised an arm to block nor shifted aside to dodge.

He simply raised one hand, calmly.

Unlike Silverback's mighty show of force, Lude's movement was feather-light, as if he were brushing away a speck of dust.

A thunderous boom rang out, and dust kicked up by the shock wave obscured the two men. Crow had already leaped backward just before they collided.

But when the dust settled, the sight before him made his eyes widen.

Lude's palm had been pushed back three inches—and only three inches—before he firmly caught the punch!

How was that possible?

Silverback's innate strength was far beyond what an ordinary person could manage. He had enough power to strangle a wild boar with his bare hands!

Silverback looked just as stunned. He knew Lude was incredibly strong, so he hadn't expected to knock him down with a single punch.

But he hadn't known how Lude would take it. Would he use a soft technique to deflect the force, dodge to the side, or meet it head-on?

He'd never considered that someone could casually catch his iron fist head-on with a single palm!

Was this even human?

Silverback was stunned, but Lude wasn't. He knew that with a reckless brawler like this, the only way was to make him submit completely in one go.

In an instant, Lude's open hand curled into a claw. His five fingers clamped around Silverback's fist like welded steel bars.

Then Lude twisted his wrist down and pressed. The sharp pain in Silverback's wrist made him stagger, and he crashed to the ground like a toppled mountain.

By the time Silverback came to his senses, he was already kneeling in front of Lude.

Before he could react, Lude had already changed his grip, supporting Silverback by the wrist and pulling him back to his feet.

Then Lude patted his magnificent bicep. "Not bad strength, and your speed's passable too. But remember to pull your fist back as soon as you've thrown a punch."

The gentle, earnest advice made Silverback's face turn red in an instant, but he didn't know what to say, given his limited education.

Fortunately, just as Lude had expected, someone arrived to break up the situation.

"Silverback!" a girl's voice scolded from nearby. "What are you doing? I told you not to provoke this gentleman!"

Silverback sheepishly got to his feet. He was about to speak, but Lude cut him off.

"It's all right." Lude smiled warmly at Sally. "I got excited and wanted to spar with Mr. Silverback."

Silverback paused, then winked at Lude. His movements were so exaggerated that both Crow and Sally saw him. Crow and Sally covered their faces in unison, and even Lude couldn't hold back a laugh.

Still, Lude had a good impression of Silverback. He couldn't help thinking of Cao Cao sizing up Dian Wei.

A simple, honest fellow like Silverback might do things that were hard to watch, but at least he could be counted on to stay loyal.

Treating a friend as an equal even when there was a vast gap in strength was no easier than refusing to yield to force.

"Then let's go."

Lude glanced at Sally, who had changed clothes. "Let's head to the Golden Eagle Tavern. There are a few things I'd like to find out."

Sally was now wearing a light gray tube dress, with a hemp cord cinched around her waist to outline her slender figure. Her feet were still wrapped in only a few strips of linen, revealing slightly reddened soles and ten neatly trimmed toenails.

In the moonlight, the soles of her feet looked smooth and unblemished, without the calluses most people who went barefoot for years would have.

Strange, Lude thought. Could this be the influence of some kind of Psionic Energy?