The cover art is AI generated. I’ll try making one myself in future, but accept it for now please.
Chapter 15: Horror
As I gained more achievements in the dungeon, recently Luna had stopped accompanying me.
” Luna. Are you not coming with me?”
Early morning.
I tried inviting Luna to go to the dungeon, but she shook her head.
” I think I’ll try to do it alone for a while. Relying too much on Ayame-san isn’t good.”
“I see. That’s a wonderful attempt.”
“Yes!”
Apparently, Luna was inspired by me and reevaluated herself in many ways. Lately, she’s been studying late into the night and waking up early in the morning.
It’s probably dangerous to overstrain herself, but I guess I should keep an eye on her for now.
Then, as usual, I descended into the dungeon, but I was soon to encounter a party of women struggling against monsters.
“Ku…!”
“These guys are too tough!”
“Our magic might not be enough for this!”
As I ventured into the 10th floor, I saw them fighting a golem. I’ve fought golems several times before, and yes, they are indeed tough. I’ve gotten used to them now, but the core inside has to be destroyed; otherwise, the golem will endlessly regenerate.
In other words, if you don’t do enough damage from outside, you’ll never defeat it.
” I’ll help out.”
Since the party might fall apart if I don’t, I swiftly sliced through one golem with my sword.
The core in the center was shattered, and it disintegrated.
“Eh!?”
“Who…?”
“Is that, maybe, the rumored person?”
Each of the three was surprised, but I quickly took care of all the golems.
“Are you okay?”
“You’re amazing! Truly incredible!”
“Even though you’re a swordsman, you’re this strong!”
“Big brother, you’re the renowned swordsman from the Far East, right?”
One of the women asked me that, and I nodded affirmatively.
“Yeah.”
“Really? Then it’s true that you became an A-rank adventurer in the shortest time ever?”
“That seems to be the case, but I don’t really feel it.”
They said it was some kind of incredible feat, but honestly, I didn’t care much. The important thing is to master the sword.
“Wow! Meeting someone so famous, we’re super lucky, aren’t we?”
Perhaps happy about meeting me, the three of them were excited and delighted. Now that I think about it, I was rather feared, so this reaction felt quite fresh.
“Why are you girls here?”
“Ah, it’s for school exercises.”
“Yeah, yeah. When you reach your third year, you have dungeon exercises.”
“If you don’t go up to the 15th floor, you don’t get credits.”
Then I listened to them talk about the Magic Academy, the school they attended.
Apparently, although they are nobles, they are called lower nobles. The academy is mostly controlled by higher-ranking nobles like counts, which makes it quite stifling.
In a sense, the school seems like a microcosm of society.
“But don’t you dislike swordsmen?”
“Not at all.”
“It’s whatever to me.”
“After all, it’s not like they did anything to magicians, right? No reason to oppose them. Well, most nobles in power do look down on them though. There are some who judge magicians fairly – not many, but they exist.”
That was a very straightforward opinion. It’s true, I’ve never heard of swordsmen doing anything to mages. In fact, it’s more like mages look down on swordsmen arbitrarily.
“You probably don’t care about such things, big brother.”
“Well, it’s not something I worry about much. But I can’t say I think this kind of societal situation is normal.”
I have no intention of interfering in politics, but I do think it’s problematic that even in such a wealthy world, there are people suffering.
“Yeah, that’s true.”
“Well, many of the higher nobles are very prideful, after all.”
“Exactly. Sigh, I wish the academy life was a bit easier to handle.”
After that, for some reason, I ended up listening to their complaints about the academy as I headed back home.
The opinions of young women were very helpful and offered a fresh perspective, which was extremely beneficial.
When I excitedly told Luna about it, a sharp cracking sound echoed as the spoon broke apart.
“Ah. It broke.”
“Maybe you should replace it with a new one…”
“Yes!”
Luna smiled brightly and then disappeared into the kitchen.
Scary.[TN: Feel the same about my wife!]
For some reason, that feeling resurfaced, and I realized I was sweating heavily down my back.
What is this? This pressure?
Despite having faced many formidable opponents before, I was feeling a mysterious fear. It wasn’t life-threatening; rather, it was something else…
“So, from today, I will be following Ayame-san!”
“Ah, a, yeah…”
And Luna said that, walking beside me while glancing around nervously as if she were wary of something.
“There’s absolutely no room for carelessness or openings.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Just me.”
“I-I see,”
Luna showed a resolute attitude, her tone becoming sharper than usual. I was pushed back slightly and my voice caught.
Even Luna’s efforts were showing results, as she was able to put pressure on me like this.
“But still, about the magic academy, it seems quite a hard place to live in.”
“Yeah. I was actually planning to enter the magic academy too, but I lost that opportunity.”
“Why?”
“Technically, even commoners with magical talent can enroll. But that place is famous for its aristocratic supremacy. Once I learned that, I naturally decided not to go.”
“That was a wise decision.”
The three people I met the other day, despite being nobles, were struggling a lot. If Luna had enrolled, things would have been even worse.
“However, graduating at the top of the magic academy would mean you have an incredibly formidable skill.”
“Yes. The top students in the academy join the Mage Corps. It’s a sacred space only the chosen magicians are allowed to enter.”
The Mage Corps, huh. I haven’t seen it yet, but I might get the chance someday. Though the group that attacked me before might very well be part of it.
“Well then, I’ll go take on a quest.”
“Yeah.”
As Luna said that and headed to the reception desk, she happened to bump into those three girls again.
“Oh! Ayame-san!”
“Good morning!”
“Are you going dungeon diving again today?”
They approached me in a very friendly manner and started talking. No one at the Adventurers’ Guild had ever acted quite like this toward me, so it felt unusual.
That said, there’s no reason to reject them. I naturally responded to the conversation.
“Yeah. Today, I’ll go with my friend.”
“Friend? Oh, I see.”
“Too bad, though,” I said.
“But you shouldn’t rely on Ayame-san. He’s too strong, and it would be obvious.”
While we were talking, I suddenly felt a chill from behind. Is this an attack by ice magic?! I turned around in a panic—and there, standing with a smiling face, was Luna.
“Oh—so those are the people you mentioned.”
‘…’
Everyone gasped. I thought Luna was completely in control of this situation, but the three girls approached her.
“Wow, so small!”
“So cute! Like a doll!”
“But I’ve got to say, the slightly bigger chest creates a nice, alluring imbalance.”
“Huh? Huh…!?”
Luna was roughly pounded by those three for a while. I watched from a distance, observing.
Afterwards, they went into the dungeon, and Luna was finally released.
“Haa… is this what they call gyaru?”
“Gyaru?”
That word was completely unfamiliar to me. Is it something unique to this world?
“It means stylish girls. They seemed to be noble, but they seemed quite friendly. As expected of a gyaru…”
“I don’t really understand, but those three aren’t bad people. I don’t think Luna needs to be so cautious about them.”
Surely, Luna was worried because her opponent was a noble, and she thought that I was being oppressed as usual.
“Hmm. It’s not quite like that, but I guess it’s fine since everything seems okay this time!”
“Yeah? I see,”
Luna suddenly became cheerful. And so, we headed into the dungeon.
Chapter 16: Invitation
Recently, my daily routine has become to delve into the dungeon and spend my free time as I please.
To master the sword, training is essential. Fighting monsters in the dungeon sharpens my sense of the sword constantly. So that I can be fully prepared to fight at any moment when the time comes.
Fortunately, monsters in this world are abnormally strong. My sword will never dull. However, if I aim for a higher level than my previous life, I have no choice but to accept quests of even greater difficulty.
To that end, I have been steadily completing quests in the dungeon day and night.
It’s impossible to suddenly become dramatically stronger. Growth comes only through small, daily efforts—step by step.
“Ayame-san. I’ll go shopping and then return.”
“Yeah. I have somewhere I need to go.”
“I believe it’s the blacksmith. Are you okay with the location?”
“I’ve roughly grasped the geography of the kingdom. No problem.”
“That’s good to hear. Well then, see you later.”
“Mm.”
After completing quests with Luna, I decided to head to the blacksmith.
It’s not that Amajiki isn’t functioning well, but I simply wanted to see how skilled this world’s sharpener really is.
“Here, huh.”
The shop doesn’t look particularly grand from the outside. It’s probably because the demand for swords isn’t high here. Now, magicians dominate the world, after all.
When I stepped inside, the space was dimly lit.
However, every sword leaning against the wall was stunning.
Given that the level of civilization in this world is far above, the weapons, including swords, are all of high quality.
“Wow.”
I picked one up. It’s well-balanced, and most importantly, it’s sharpened to perfection. It’s also finely tuned so that anyone can use it.
It’s not too heavy, and even an ordinary human could handle it.
“Huh? Oh, you’re a customer?”
Coming out from inside was a portly man with a beard. He looked to be in his fifties. His entire body was covered in soot, and I could tell he was still working.
“Yeah. I’d like to have this sword sharpened.”
“A sword? Coming with something rare these days. Are you from the East?”
“That’s right. I’d like you to take a look at it.”
“As long as you can pay, I’ll have a look.”
“Then I’d like to entrust it to you.”
I have plenty of money. I handed Amajiki to the shopkeeper, who first drew the sword from its scabbard.
His eyes were serious, showing he was a skilled craftsman.
“Hey. Where did you get this top-quality blade…?”
His voice trembled slightly.
“I got it in my hometown.”
“I heard that swords are the main weapon in the Far East, but I never imagined such a fine piece. This must be Artifact-level, right?”
“I hear a lot about Artifacts, but what exactly does that mean?”
“Artifacts are the pinnacle of magical equipment. They are imbued with special skills or abilities.”
“Hm. In that sense, this is indeed an Artifact.”
Certainly, Amajiki has a special ability embedded in it.
“You’re going to sharpen this…?”
“Would you do it?”
The shopkeeper looked serious.
“No problem. I’ll start inside.”
“Can I watch?”
“What? You don’t trust my skill?”
“I’m just curious about your technique.”
“…Well, I don’t mind. I’ll do the job properly.”
Saying that, the shopkeeper went to the back, and I followed.
The workshop inside was larger and more tidy than I expected. There were swords lined up that had just been finished, all identical with no imperfections.
“Alright then, let’s begin.”
“Yeah.”
I silently watched the shopkeeper’s work. It involved nothing complicated—just careful sharpening.
But because it was simple, it also revealed the skill level of the craftsman clearly.
I watch his hand movements intently, but he continues to sharpen with extreme focus.
And how much time has passed, I wonder. Before I realize it, his work has been completed.
“How about it? No complaints now, right?”
“Hm.”
I take a good look at Amajiki as a whole. Indeed, there’s nothing to criticize.
“That was an excellent technique. Here’s the money. Keep the change.”
“Huh…?! Who would pay for gold coins just for sharpening?!”
“I saw the work firsthand. This is my thanks.”
“You, maybe you’re the recent talk, the Swordsman of the East, right?”
Even the shopkeeper knows. I never imagined that my presence would be known this much.
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“I see. You’ve got a legendary sword and are conquering dungeons. Honestly, your swordsmanship shows no wasted motion. It’s barely worn down, and I only did a light adjustment.”
“That light adjustment is important. Thanks for that.”
“I’ve met many swordsmen before. Even though some claim magic is supreme, magicians aren’t very common. Worldwide, there are more people who handle swords. Among them, you exude the aura of a top-tier swordsman.”
“Huh. That’s a flattering compliment.”
If it were a swordsman, one could tell the skill of the swordsman at a glance, but perhaps the same could be said for blacksmiths. However, only a master craftsman can truly tell the difference.
“Now, a sword is a tool. An important one for self-defense. Like I said earlier, people who can’t use magic rely only on swords for protection. That’s why I run this shop—to support those people. Surprisingly, it’s quite busy. Well, it’s a bit embarrassing, though.”
The shopkeeper’s words are reasonable. Magic isn’t accessible to everyone; only a small, talented few can use it. But swords, if you can hold one, anyone can handle it.
While there may be a difference in skill, when it comes to slashing, they can unleash the same power.
“That’s a wonderful belief.”
“Well, this is what gives my life meaning.”
“Please keep this shop running. I’ll give you enough money.”
“Hey now. If my income increases too much, the government will tax me more. From now on, I’d appreciate fair prices. I’ll take you up on your generosity just this once.”
“Huh… I see. That’s the government’s tax system, huh?”
“Yeah. Shops run by magicians are cheap, but blacksmiths, in particular, tend to be quite expensive. It’s tough in many ways, but there’s still demand, so I keep at it.”
“……”
The shopkeeper seems to accept this discrimination as something obvious.
I have no grand justification to change this magic-supremacist attitude.
But, as I interact more with people, I realize there are only problems with it.
“Sword and magic. Which do you think is superior?”
“Well, probably magic. Now, few adventurers are actually swordsmen anymore. They’re not just rivaling magicians; monsters are also evolving to counter magic. Swordsmen can’t keep up. Naturally, a gap forms.”
“Is that so? I’ve learned a lot. Thanks.”
“Haha. You’re surprisingly mature for your age. But I like that. If you run into trouble again, come back. I’ll make sure to do proper maintenance.”
“Yeah. Well, then, I’ll excuse myself.”
And I leave the blacksmith, but I can tell I’m being followed.
“… ”
I deliberately head into a narrow alleyway, luring my pursuer closer.
Could it be someone targeting my money, or someone like Eric who dislikes me as a swordsman, or the magicians who attacked me the other day? Those are the possibilities.
But what feels strange is that they’re not that diligent about hiding their presence.
“What the hell? Who are you?”
I turn on my heel and face the person, my hand instinctively on my sword.
“Do you, by any chance, recognize me?”
The person who appears is a young man, probably in his early twenties.
But he’s completely different from what I expected.
“A swordsman…?”
“Yes. Just like you. Ayame-san.”
I’ve confirmed that there are a very few swordsmen, and some of them are in the Adventurers’ Guild.
“I came to invite you.”
“To where?”
“A gathering of swordsmen. They also handle secret information. You were attacked the other day, weren’t you?”
“You seem to know a lot.”
I haven’t told anyone about that. Luna probably didn’t say anything either.
He definitely has information.
“Someone is targeting you. And I have information about the Ripper operating secretly within the kingdom. Of course, you’re an ally. I don’t ask for anything in return.”[TNL:Remember folks, no such thing as free lunch]
“…I understand. I’ll listen to what you have to say.”
Although I suspected something was suspicious, I decided to follow him.