Chapter 36

Chapter 36: Did Adrian Hart Float Away, or Can't I Lift the Knife Anymore?

Amidst laughter and cheers, today's business came to an end. As the guests left, they chattered about this and that, knowing that witnessing excitement today meant they'd have gossip or bragging material for tomorrow.

Whether Artoria was strong or not, or whether Tom was clever or not, were just topics of discussion for them. After all, they weren't freeloaders and wouldn't get beaten up.

Adrian closed the door, ready for his evening practice.

When his energy was replenished, he paused to draw a prize. He didn't expect any powerful treasures, just something practical. Today's luck—

[Congratulations! You've received: Tom's Vintage Car x1, Tom's Family Invisible Ink x1]

[Stored in your inventory.]

"Another Tom-themed haul today." Adrian closed the page casually, but he realized something was off and reopened the inventory.

He remembered that vintage car. Tom had bet all his belongings, and when chasing after a white cat, he even went as far as signing a contract promising his "one-arm-and-one-leg" as collateral, and even "twenty years of servitude."

Adrian wondered if Tom had managed to pay it off in the end…

However, the real focus was another item:

[Tom's Family Invisible Ink: Apply it on yourself, and others won't be able to see you. Be careful not to get it wet~]

This was amazing! Adrian took out the item, a black bottle with a red label reading INVISIBLE-INK.

Removing the cork, he dipped his finger into the ink. "Ah ha! My finger is really invisible!"

As the ink flowed from his finger to his palm, his hand also turned transparent. It seemed like a single application was enough, and there were no gruesome effects like seeing internal organs through the skin.

Tom glanced at it without much interest. It was just invisible ink, right? 

Artoria came closer and curiously touched Adrian's invisible finger, only to find her hand disappearing where it touched the ink. "Even though there's no magical aura, it can still make you invisible. A magical item indeed." She moved her hand, not feeling anything abnormal. "But the shadow is still there."

"This doesn't seem logical…" Adrian examined the shadow of his hand. It was indeed still there. He gave up on his limited knowledge of optics and began to think about how to use it.

First, he couldn't do anything that would get him in trouble. Otherwise, the content of this chapter would be invisible along with him.

So, maybe it could be used for reconnaissance? Or for Robin Hood-style wealth redistribution?

Hmm… What's the point of having this invisibility? I might as well sell it to Sanji later.

With a thought, Adrian smeared a bit of ink onto a bamboo sword. He wanted to see if he could create an invisible sword.

However, his disappointment grew when the bamboo sword showed no change. Adrian realized that even the bottle of ink hadn't turned invisible. Does that mean I'll have to get undressed if I want to be invisible?

He tried applying some to his sleeve, and the sleeve along with a part of his arm became invisible. However, when he put his shirt back on, the sleeve remained invisible, and his body didn't.

Why does this work like that? Does it recognize what needs to be invisible? It seems like invisible clothes are out of the question.

Adrian put away the ink, washed his hands, and continued training.

After a sparring session with Artoria—during which he got quite a beating—Adrian felt upset. He shouted, "Tom, how about you and me spar?"

Tom, holding a small fish snack, pointed at himself, looking puzzled.

"Exactly, I mean you."

Tom shook his head slowly, showing no interest in fighting.

You lazy cat. Adrian made a promise, "If you win, you can have my milk tomorrow morning."

Tom's eyes lit up, and he dashed over, grabbing a bamboo sword and standing opposite Adrian. He was eager to try.

Artoria walked over, raising her hand, "Begin!"

The two wielded bamboo swords, clashing and hitting each other. Each move was calculated and precise, following the basic techniques Artoria had taught them.

Although Adrian was frustrated, he had to admit that he had been practicing diligently for so long, and Tom, who had learned only once, was already more skilled.

After dozens of moves, Adrian began to feel that maybe he wasn't weak at all. Maybe Artoria was just too strong in swordsmanship?

Tom seemed a little impatient. He took a step back, and raising his hand, signaled for a break.

"What's wrong?" Adrian asked.

Tom put down the bamboo sword, reached behind his back, and took out a red robe. He put it on and then took out a black wide-brimmed hat with white decorations and placed it on his head.

"Is this really necessary for a practice session?" Adrian didn't understand Tom's intention.

Tom picked up the sword again, nodding to indicate he was ready.

Adrian noticed that Tom's stance had changed, but he didn't think much of it. After all, I'm already so strong.

"Watch my sword!" Tom's clear voice made Adrian feel a little dazed. Tom was actually willing to speak!

Startled, Adrian quickly blocked the bamboo sword aimed at his abdomen. But Tom's swordplay was quick, and he recovered it just as quickly, leaving Adrian swinging at air.

At that moment, Tom's second strike came, and Adrian felt a pain in his abdomen. He instinctively bent over, only to be met by Tom's third strike against his neck.

"Winner, Tom!" Artoria regarded Tom with newfound respect. She hadn't realized he was skilled in swordsmanship.

Adrian sat down, doubting the meaning of life. So, what you're saying is that I managed to hold my own against Tom for dozens of moves because he used unfamiliar sword techniques, essentially suppressing his strength? Damn, I'm so jealous… I'll draw a circle to curse him so he can't catch the little female cat...

Tom swung his sword a bit and performed a gesture of respect that Adrian didn't understand.

"Okay,

 I've lost. Tomorrow's milk is yours."

Tom smiled, turned around, and was about to reward himself with a fish snack, but Artoria stopped him.

"How about you spar with me too, Tom? The wager can be tomorrow's milk, or if you want some other snacks, that's fine too."

Tom thought for a moment and nodded. "Watch my sword!"

...

Half an hour later, Adrian watched in amazement as the two engaged in combat. They fought from one end of the courtyard to the other. If they hadn't been sparring, the tavern would have been destroyed.

While on the surface, it was hard to determine who had the upper hand, in reality, Tom didn't really want to fight anymore. After battling for so long, he felt tired, yet he was still agile enough to evade Artoria's attacks.

Artoria was also astonished. Many of the attacks she believed impossible to dodge were somehow avoided by Tom using incredible moves.

Tom's evasion ability was quite mysterious. When he was calm, he could navigate through a hail of bullets without a scratch. When he was flustered, he might not even realize he needed to dodge a falling telephone pole.

This sparring session fell into the former category. Focused on dodging, Tom's agility was frightening.

In the end, Artoria relied on intuition, anticipating Tom's evasive patterns, and finally, she managed to place the bamboo sword against Tom's neck.

Adrian wondered if, in the next second, Tom would retract his head into his neck like a turtle…