Chapter 9 – Approaching Darkness
A week has passed since then.
I was actually wondering what would happen with Luna’s situation, but the contract was officially canceled, and her family seems to have regained peace.
And now, I am heading to her hometown village to greet Luna’s parents.
I told her not to worry about it, but it seems that not only Luna but her parents also really want to meet me in person and thank me.
Since it would be rude to refuse, I agreed to it, and now I’m here.
“Excuse me. My father still can’t move properly.”
“No, it’s fine. Besides, going out of the borders like this isn’t so bad.”
The kingdom is quite prosperous, but from this distance, I see scenery surprisingly similar to where I originally came from.
It’s full of trees and plants, and the sunlight is pouring down from the sky.
No matter which world I’m in, this scene remains unchanged.
“By the way, I heard the contract was canceled, but does Magic Crest have absolute enforceability?”
“Yes. That is an absolute obedience contract. If both parties agree, the contract will definitely be fulfilled.”
“Almost a curse, then.”
The binding power is so strong that it’s almost like a curse.
Though witchcraft exists in my world as well, this is as close to it as it gets.
“Exactly. Curses can be cast unilaterally, though.”
“I see.”
While we were having that conversation, we arrived at the village.
It’s not as bustling as the kingdom, but there are still a fair number of people. And somehow, it feels lively.
I like this peaceful atmosphere.
“Ayame-san. My house is over here.”
“Oh, yes.”
Following Luna, I saw a somewhat larger house.
This is Luna’s family home. It’s bigger than I expected.
“I’m home! Dad, Mom! I’ve returned!”
“Excuse me.”
When Luna raised her voice loudly, someone who seemed to be her mother appeared from inside.
“Luna, welcome back!”
“I’m back!”
“Um… and this is…”
Luna’s mother looked at me curiously.
“I am Ayame. I’ve been indebted to Luna.”
“Are you Ayame-san? I truly appreciate everything you’ve done for her.”
Luna’s mother bowed deeply in gratitude.
“Please heed no mind. I simply did what was right.”
“You’re so humble. By the way, Luna—could it be that…?”
She stared back and forth between my face and Luna’s.
“Wait, wait, I’m not like that yet!”
“?”
I didn’t understand the meaning of their exchange.
Then, as we were led inside, I saw her father, who looked quite thin and gaunt. But his complexion didn’t look particularly bad.
He must have exhausted himself considerably over this affair. I sympathize with what he’s going through.
“You’re the one who resolved this incident, aren’t you…?”
“Ayame. He’s Luna’s father, I believe.”
“That’s right. I really don’t know how to thank you for everything this time.”
“I merely did what was right. And I want you to think of this as a way of thanking me for taking care of Luna.”
“I truly, truly thank you so much.”
Luna’s father clutched my hand tightly and bowed his head deeply.
I never thought I would be appreciated this much, but I suppose I must have been quite a burden on their minds after all.
“Here, this is a small token of my gratitude.”
The father was about to hand me a pouch wrapped in leather. I accepted it and checked the contents, which turned out to be a few gold coins.
I don’t know the value of money in this world, but this one gold coin seemed to be quite valuable.
“Isn’t this too much?”
“No, not at all. You have done more than enough for us. Please, accept it.”
“Well, if you say so, I’ll take it. Thank you.”
I thought that too much hesitation might cause them to feel uncomfortable, so I decided to accept it graciously and use it as funds for my future living expenses.
After that, they insisted I stay for a meal.
Since I was feeling pretty hungry, I agreed to the suggestion.
“U-mazing…!?”
It was an unbelievably delicious meal. This meat dish—it’s incredibly tasty!?
Thick slices of meat were covered with some kind of thick sauce. The sweetness, saltiness, and acidity—those flavors were perfectly balanced.
Different cultures have different food traditions, but could the level of cuisine here really be this high!?
Having barely eaten anything these past few days, it simply permeated throughout my entire body.
“Fufu. I’m glad you enjoyed it.”
“Mother is a culinary genius!”
“Oh, nothing will come of praising me like that. Hehe.”
Luna was also completely absorbed in her meal.
What a lovely family. It’s thanks to these parents that Luna has grown up so straightforward and honest.
“And then, Ayame-san—she shouted ‘Gyun!’ and *shun!*—and he cut it! It was really, really amazing!”
“I see. But Ayame-san’s swordsmanship must be truly incredible, winning a duel against a noble. That’s like, the ‘Sword Saint,’ isn’t it?”
“Sword Saint?”
While Luna was praising my achievements, I found myself curious about the word ‘Sword Saint’.
“Ah, Ayame-san, since you’re from the East, you might not know about the Sword Saint.”
“Please tell me more.”
Father explained to me what the Sword Saint was.
“The Sword Saint is a swordsman who has perfected the way of the sword.”
“Really! Even in this world, there are still outstanding swordsmen?”
“Yes. Though this world is mostly about magic, it doesn’t mean swordsmen have gone extinct.”
“So, where is this Sword Saint?”
“I believe he has a dojo deep within the Arcadia Great Forest.”
“Alright. In that case, I’ll head over there.”
I stood up energized and decided to go meet this so-called Sword Saint.
The swordsmanship that survives in this magic-centric world must be quite formidable, no doubt.
I too was once called a swordsman of great skill, but just the thought that there might be a swordsman at my level or higher makes my heart race.
“The meal was truly delicious.”
“No, no. Ayame-san, thank you so much for today.”
“Once again, I really appreciate it. Thanks to you, we were saved.”
Luna’s parents expressed their gratitude again, but I didn’t feel uncomfortable about it. I was happy that there are people in this world I can save with my sword.
“It’s only natural for a samurai. Luna, thank you so much for everything until now. You were a great help.”
When I was about to open the door and leave, Luna lightly grabbed my arm.
“U-um!”
“What’s wrong?”
Luna’s eyes seemed to hold a strong determination.
“Can’t I come with you!?”
“It’s fine, but are you sure? Don’t you have something you need to do?”
“Well…”
Luna glanced briefly at her parents behind her. I remembered she mentioned helping out her parents’ work during the meal earlier.
“Luna. Go ahead and do it.”
“Ayame-san. If it’s alright, could you please take me with you?”
“I wouldn’t mind either, but is that okay?”
“Yes. It’s important for young people to travel and see different places. Besides, my daughter can handle most household chores. Please, take her along.”
“Hm. I understand. I’ll allow it.”
Father’s eyes were serious. He wasn’t entrusting his precious daughter to someone just for fun or as a whim.
Traveling together, compassion in the world. Sometimes, it’s not so bad to have companions on the path to mastering the sword.
“Well then, excuse me.”
“Father, Mother. Thank you! I’m going now!”
And so, we headed towards the Arcadia Great Forest to meet the so-called Sword Saint.
†
(Third-person perspective)
“Did the heir of the Carter family really lose to a swordsman?”
“Huh? What’s that about?”
“Defetead by a swordsman…? Is such a thing even possible?”
“The Sword Saint?”
“Apparently, he’s a swordsman from the east.”
Five magicians gathered around the Round Table.
Four men and one woman. All dressed very properly, and each is the head of a duke family.
These five duke families, each specialized in one of the core magic elements, are collectively called──the Five Houses of Magic(Elements).
“A magician losing to a swordsman… That could shake the status of magicians itself.”
“That’s indeed a serious problem.”
“What should we do about that swordsman?”
“We should measure his abilities.”
“But he defeated Eric, who was planning to join the Magic Corps. An ordinary magician might be easily overpowered.”
From this conversation, a proposal is brought up.
“In that case, shall we send our elite?”
A man with long, light blue hair and glasses—the head of the Grace family—spoke.
“Oh? Is that okay?”
“Yes. There’s something I want to test experimentally. Actually, I’m thinking of having my daughter participate too.”
“Riana-chan, huh? If she’s as talented as I think, she should be fine.”
“Then we’ll report any progress.”
The regular meeting of the Five Houses of Magic(Elements) concluded there.
As each of the five heads begins their journey home, a man appears before the head of the Grace family. It is Grey Grace, the eldest son. He walks closely behind, accompanying him.
“Father, thank you for your hard work.”
“You’ve heard about the Carter family, haven’t you?”
“Yes.”
“If this continues, the nobility’s standing might be in jeopardy. Take the Frost Ice Corps and verify the strength of that swordsman.”
“Understood. And that swordsman—would it be alright to kill him if necessary?”
“Of course. Life or death doesn’t matter. If he threatens Magaheim, dispose of him.”
“At your command, Father.”
“The Carter family’s son’s abilities are nothing impressive. As a silent magician, show that there is always someone greater—even above that swordsman.”
“Yes. Certainly.”
The son bows respectfully, but a twisted smile spreads across his face. It’s as if he’s looking forward to the hunt that’s about to begin.
In Magaheim, there is no need for beings superior to magicians. That has long been common sense among nobles.
A deep darkness born from the ideology of magic supremacy was about to strike Ayame.
Chapter 10 – To the Sword Saint
“Ayame-san. Once again, thank you very much.”
“There’s no need to worry about it. This is the path of a samurai.”
“As a token of my gratitude, I will be taking care of you from now on, Ayame-san!”
Somehow, that ‘from now on’ sounded unusually strong…?
And the eyes that are steadily staring at me, despite the smile, lack any light—that’s at odds with the smile itself.
Well, perhaps I’m overthinking it. I shift my focus and turn the conversation to the Sword Saint, addressing Luna.
“So, where do you think the Sword Saint is?”
“The Sword Saint, you say. As my father mentioned, there are rumors that he lives deep within the Arcadia Great Forest, but the details are unknown.”
“I see. There’s only one thing to do—search everywhere.”
“Yeah. We’ll just have to look around and see if we can find him.”
“Yes! Let’s do our best!”
Luna and I immediately begin heading into the dense forest, and I can easily tell that this place is indeed dangerous. If we’re not careful, we might quickly lose our sense of direction.
And there are so many trees, the sunlight barely reaches through.
I’d prefer not to move when it’s cloudy or at night when the sun isn’t out.[TN: I also need sun to charge myself]
“Thinking about it, Luna has come here alone so many times.”
“Haha… Honestly, I was feeling a bit reckless”
“I’m glad I was fortunate enough to be able to help.”
I recall the first time we met, just a few days ago, though it feels like ages ago now.
“Ayame-san is truly my savior!”
“That’s an exaggeration. I’m just an ordinary swordsman, nothing more.”
“No, no. But I think you’re really cool, Ayame-san,”
Luna says, glancing up at me as if she’s peeking at my reaction. It seemed she was expecting something.
“I see,”
I replied casually, and Luna suddenly let her shoulders slump and murmured, “Well, yeah, I guess that’s true…” as if giving up.
Despite that, we keep walking, but I haven’t seen any buildings that look like someone lives here.
Soon, the sun starts to set, and it’s getting dangerous to keep moving.
“Luna. Let’s stop here for today.”
“Understood. It’s dangerous to travel at night.”
After eating together, we decided to sleep, but I sat down, keeping my sword upright, to rest.
“Ayame-san, don’t you want to lie down too?”
“There’s always the presence of monsters. Luna, you should rest peacefully.”
“But…”
“Don’t worry about it. It’s called being fit for the task. I have the surrounding vigilance and meal preparations handled by Luna,”
“If you say so.”
If the presence of monsters doesn’t disappear/.
It’s pretty clear that they are constantly watching us, waiting for the right moment to attack.
The murderous aura these monsters emit keeps me on alert as well. By radiating my own murderous intent, I prevent them from suddenly attacking us.
“I had a little dream,”
Luna suddenly speaks, lying beside me.
“What kind of dream?”
“To travel around the world. Ever since I was young, I loved adventure stories, and I’ve always wanted to set out on a journey if I ever got the chance.”
“That’s wonderful.”
“Yes. I will always support you, Ayame-san.”
“That would be a big help.”
“Well then, good night.”
“Sleep peacefully.”
“…Suu.”
As soon as those words end, I hear Luna’s faint breathing.
We’ve been walking all day, after all. For a young girl, it’s natural to be exhausted.
I look up at the sky.
“It’s beautiful,”
The stars that adorn this night sky come into view.
Though I’ve grown accustomed to being reincarnated by now, when I think about it, I’m reminded strongly that this is another world.
By the way, the Sword Saint. I’m really looking forward to meeting him.
In Magaheim, swordsmanship that has survived is no ordinary skill; it has undoubtedly reached the level of an expert.
With such expectations, I fell asleep.
The next morning, I woke up at the moment the sun rose and looked around.
“Did they leave?”
I had my guard up so I could detect any abnormality immediately, but there didn’t seem to be any particular problem.
It seems even the monsters have given up.
“Luna.”
“U-uh, hmm… hehehe. I’ll be …. Taking care ofAyame-san forever…”
“It’s morning. Let’s go.”
I slightly strengthened my body, and Luna suddenly opened her eyes and got up.
“Ha! Oh, it’s morning?”
“Yeah. It’s about time we move out.”
“Y-Yes! Understood!”
We busily prepared to move, and then started traveling through the great forest.
On the way, of course, we couldn’t avoid combat with monsters. Some monsters fled from my murderous aura, while others violently attacked, thinking their territory had been disturbed.
However, thanks to Luna’s help, it was not particularly difficult.
“Is this all?”
After wiping the blood off my sword, I sheathed it.
“Good work.”
“Still, Luna’s magic is really handy. Scouting especially is very useful.”
“This is my specialty!”
Given Luna’s magical traits and her personality, being a rear guard fighter probably suits her.
Luna performed scouting and quickly assessed the number of monsters. During combat, she cast weakening magic on the monsters, while casting strengthening magic on me.
Handling multiple spells accurately at the same time is probably beyond an ordinary mage’s skill.
Luna tends to underestimate herself, but her actual ability is probably much higher.
“But we’ve advanced quite a bit, and I don’t sense any human presence.”
“Yeah. I wonder if the Sword Saint is really here.”
“Or, this could be…”
I only just now realized that I felt something like a barrier spreading around us.
“Luna, are there any monsters around here?”
“No, there aren’t.”
Luna immediately performed a scan and relayed that information to me.
“Huh? That’s strange. It’s rare not to see any at all this far in.”
“Is that so?”
I released my Amajiki’s ability and sliced through the thin barrier that I sensed in front of me.
At the same time, a structure resembling a mansion appeared before my eyes.
“Eh!? Suddenly, I see a building!?”
“Probably some kind of recognition-blocking magic or something,”
“But I didn’t sense any presence at all.”
“I think it’s set up so that magic detection doesn’t work. I was able to tell with my five senses, after all.”
“Indeed… There are spells that negate magic. It seems they applied that to create this barrier. Ayame-san doesn’t know much about magic yet, but that’s impressive.”
“Even in the county I came from there also had some extraordinary abilities close to magic. I think magic itself is more advanced as a technique, but in terms of usage, it’s not so different.”
“Wow. That’s educational.”
There are also illusions that disrupt perception using illusion magic.
But is the Sword Saint someone who doesn’t want people close? It certainly doesn’t seem like the kind of person who openly welcomes anyone.
And now, standing before the mansion’s door, I called out.
“May I have a word!”
“Excuse me—! Is anyone there?”
There was no response, only the echo of our voices reverberating uselessly.
“I wish there was some kind of bell or something. Maybe they’re not expecting visitors, so nothing is prepared.”
“Hm. Was I mistaken?”
“Unfortunately, I think we should turn back.”
As the two of them were talking, I soon heard the sound of hurried footsteps rushing out from inside the house.
“Oh, excuse me. Since it’s rare to have visitors, I was a bit slow to respond.”
A man appeared. His hair was somewhat long, and his eyes were narrow. He had an air that seemed friendly and approachable, giving off a gentle impression.
However, I wasn’t fooled by the sword sheathed at his waist or his trained physique.
So, this is the Sword Saint—images of a burly, muscular giant come to mind, but he’s completely different from that.
“Are you the Sword Saint, by any chance?”
“Ha ha. I don’t think it’s anything that grand, but that’s what I’m called, I suppose.”
“I would like you to duel me. Would it be difficult to cross swords with a samurai who has come from the east?”
“A samurai… a swordsman who wields a katana, right? There are some complicated circumstances, but shall we discuss inside? Please, come inside.”
He gestures for me to come inside.
At that moment, his narrow eyes opened slightly. He also seems to be gauging me with his gaze.
As we proceed inside the mansion, towards the back, there is a dojo. It’s spacious, but the floor is quite dirty. Evidence of frequent cleaning can be seen, but it still must have been difficult to keep it spotless.
Even just in this place, I can tell he’s been doing immense training.
“Sensei. Who is this?”
“He’s a visitor. He said he wants to duel me.”
“Is this some sort of dojo challenge in this era?”
“Well, it doesn’t quite seem like that,”
Inside the dojo, there was a woman. She was wearing a deep hood that somewhat obscured her face, so her features weren’t very clear.
Our eyes briefly met. Her light blue eyes sparkled like gems, shining brilliantly.
This was my first encounter with Riana Grace, the young lady of the Elements—who would later become my apprentice.[TN: Here’s the thing. the kanji 魔術五属家[Majutsu Gozoku-ke] or The Five Houses of Magic as translated but, the furigana says エレメンツ [Elements] . I’ll be using each of them whichever I find is more suitable at the moment. The five magic houses, I will be cycling from what I am seeing]