Translator: Rihn
Editor: Zioming
ED: And with that, I finally went through all the chapters I got from Rihn a year ago, so I’ll be using MTL going forward, unless I hear from them about some more.
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Chapter 93 – Awakening and a Cursed Sword Smith
Author’s Note: I noticed after posting the last chapter that it would also have worked for April Fool’s Day. What’s with this guy and April Fool’s day, am I right?
The ‘Awakening’ in the title does not have to do with Jin’s special powers.
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Now then, shall I explain about Tooru and Kaoru’s farce?
The two of them are twin sisters; they are the only children of their father, the current king of Izumo; and their mother died during childbirth.
The king deeply loved the queen, who had sadly passed away, and could not think of having another wife. However, since both of his children were girls, he knew he would soon be put under pressure to remarry for the sake of producing a male heir. The king was worried about this, and so, after mulling over it for a bit, he finally had an idea: “That’s it! Wouldn’t it be fine if I just pretended one of them was a boy?” …The king is way too frivolous if you ask me.
And so, the king put a gag order on everyone who already knew about this, and announced that the twins had been born as 1 boy and 1 girl: the older brother Tooru, and the younger sister Kaoru. Obviously, even he didn’t expect to be able to continue deceiving everyone forever. Apparently, he intended to announce that they were actually both girls once they came of age. At that point, he figured there wouldn’t be as much pressure for him to remarry. What’s more, Tooru and Kaoru are both names that can be given to both males and females, so it seems he did at least consider how it would affect them once he finally revealed the truth.
The two of them quickly grew up. The people who could be trusted within Endo Castle have been told the truth, that while they acted as though they were brother and sister when in public, there were actually two sisters living there. And when people grow up together, it’s common for them to share their hobbies. Among the items decorating Endo Castle, there was a katana that was considered a national treasure, and it was that very blade that first got the two interested in collecting and appreciating Japanese swords, a hobby they have already become fully immersed in by now.
However, while it was fine for the (one treated as a) boy, Tooru, it wouldn’t be a good image for the girl, Kaoru, if it ever became known that she had such a hobby. Kaoru was worried about this, and so, after mulling over it for a bit, she finally had an idea: “That’s it! We look exactly the same, so can’t we just trade places at times?” …Talk about taking after her father.
Tooru also had times when she wanted to act like a girl, so she readily agreed, and like this, the two of them immersed themselves in collecting Japanese swords without having to worry about what others might think. The reason why Tooru had gone to the clothing store earlier today was ostensibly to buy a present for Kaoru, while in truth, it was to buy female outfits for herself. Likewise, Kaoru would sometimes go to the weapon store for similar reasons. Also, it seems like the reason why the two of them intentionally used the boyish ‘-nanodazo’ and the girlish ‘-desuno’ endings was so that they could easily trade places just by swapping their outfits and the way they spoke.
Additionally, they decided that if either of them ever spotted someone carrying a rare katana, like Tooru did this time, they would bring that person along to the castle, so that the two of them can swap places halfway through, letting both of them appreciate it in turns. Kaoru’s purpose in calling out to Tooru when we met her in the hallway was to remind her of that promise. And on that topic, the reason why we met Kaoru near the collection room to begin with was because she was returning from appreciating the Japanese swords inside.
Finally, I would have pretended not to notice Tooru’s blunder when she became a little overzealous under the charm of ‘Heroic Soul Blade – Incomplete’ and messed up her speech pattern, …Ah, of course, I immediately noticed that they had swapped places. To begin with, identical twins trading places is a pretty common trope, isn’t it? The twins among my Estian subordinates, Karen and Sora, have similar faces, and can synchronise their speech and movements, but sadly their hair colour is completely different so they can’t really do this. Too bad.
Anyway, the polite thing to do would have been to quietly watch all the way through the farce of these identical twins, who are a rarity in the world after all, …that is, if they didn’t self-destruct halfway through…
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“Well, I understand that Tooru being a girl is a state secret, but how exactly am I supposed to feel when you suddenly try to kill me?”
““We’re very sorry!””
I said while looking down at Tooru and Kaoru after I heard the aforementioned story from them. Currently, the twin sisters are doing dogeza while completely naked in front of us. (ED: Dogeza: A Japanese custom of kneeling on the ground with your forehead touching the floor as a form of showing submission to someone, making deep apology for something, or expressing sincerity when asking for a huge favour, forgiveness, etc)
Why are the two of them naked, you ask? Well, there’s a simple reason for that. When the secret of Tooru being a girl was spilled, Kaoru blurted out:
“Kill them to prevent this from getting out!”
In an instant, the surrounding male and female SPs drew their blades and attacked us. To be fair, Tooru did try to stop them, so it was only Kaoru who was running wild. Opinions may vary on whether it was fortunate or not, but she was still holding my weapon at that time, so it likely made her underestimate us somewhat. She probably thought that, since I was unarmed, they would be able to kill me with ease.
While I was watching the SPs come at me with weapons drawn, I grew worried. I don’t have a habit of holding back against opponents who attack me with the intention to kill, and taking care of them here would be less than trivial, however, no matter how I go about it, It will surely become annoying afterwards. At the very least, it’s certain that we will have to give up on any further thoughts of sightseeing in this country.
So then, is there some way I can solve this whole thing peacefully and pacify them without having to kill anyone? After mulling over it for a bit, I suddenly recalled what happened in the Dragon Newts’ Hidden Area the other day, and so, I had an idea: “That’s it! If I just put the other party under my control, no matter how I do it (forcibly, in this case), it will end peacefully, right?”
Only around 0.2 seconds had passed since the SPs drew their blades. Now then, since I already decided on what to do next, it’s only right that I put it into action. I gave each of the SPs coming at me a belly punch using the ‘Show Mercy’ skill to knock them all out, and then, Tooru and Kaoru, who were staring dumbfounded at what had just happened, also got a serving. (ED: ‘punch’ is written as ‘パン (pan)’ which can also mean bread or a sweet pastry from the Portuguese word ‘pão’ ~Jisho)
And with that taken care of, I used ‘Slave Arts’ on each one of them in turn to seal the deal. By the way, forcing someone to become a slave without their consent requires the use of a high level ‘Slave Arts’ skill, but I just raised mine to level 10 which easily took care of it.
So yeah, all of them have safely become my slaves. This way, they won’t be able to testify to anything that would be of a disadvantage to me, and since the slave crests are hidden, to everyone else, it will be as if nothing had ever happened. I wouldn’t usually do this to an opponent, but they did come at me with the intention to kill, so it’s a different story this time around (Tooru got caught in the crossfire). Sorry, but let’s make them think it’s better to still be alive for now.
Also, the reason why the twins are naked is because their clothes were in the way when I was going to use ‘Slave Arts’ on them, so we took them off. The female SPs also had their kimonos removed. Still, the male SPs would have been hard on the eyes, so we only removed the clothes from their upper halves. And as for the main offender, Kaoru (and Tooru, who got mixed in with her), I even went as far as to remove their underwear as an extra punishment. Beside me, Mio muttered: “How merciless…”; but I didn’t pay it any mind.
Also also, the one currently wearing the boy’s clothes would wrap her chest in order to hide her breasts. The two of them are already 14, and they seem to have grown quite well, so it looked rather tightly packed.
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Once the twins woke up, it seemed they couldn’t fully grasp the situation they had come to be in, so I politely explained it to them, and when they finally understood, they immediately burst out crying. And so, I was only able to confirm the details of this whole charade once I finally got them to stop. By the way, I had given explicit orders to the SPs, so they aren’t able to act in any way for now, plus, I had all the men keep their eyes shut for the time being.
“Um, what’s going to happen to us from now on?”
“Are you going to do this and that to us…?” *Doki doki* (ED: Heart pounding)
On yet another side note, once the two of them realised they were naked, they started talking like ordinary girls. Somehow, it seems that they’ve made it a habit to change their manner of speaking depending on the clothes they wore, and so, they become like this when they weren’t wearing anything at all.
Basically, the personalities they showed while in public were slightly different from their original ones, and so, they would carefully adjust their own behavioural patterns to better match the public personas they were putting on, to ensure that there would be no discrepancies between them. And since they associated each persona with the type of clothing they would usually wear, their own way of speaking and personality would be directly affected by what they wore at any given time. …Ah, it seems like the reason why Tooru made such a blunder earlier, was because she was so fascinated by my katana that she totally lost her composure.
“Oh? If you listen carefully, aren’t your reactions slightly different?”
“That’s right. Tooru-san sounded a little happy even.”
Mio, who was standing next to me, tilted her head.
“…Tooru, do you want me to do this and that to you?”
“N-no, there’s no way I would want that! …Is not something I can really say.”
“T-Tooru, what are you saying!?”
When I asked, Tooru seemed like she wanted to deny it, but didn’t. Somehow, it seems like she actually wants me to do things to her. And next to her, Kaoru was just as surprised as we were.
“…I mean, being royals, until now, there has never been anyone who would look down on us, has there?”
“W-well, that is true.”
“And now, we’ve been enslaved, stripped of our clothes, and made to prostrate on the ground. We’ve been completely humiliated and have no dignity left to speak of… That, …for some reason, it somehow feels fresh and pleasant.”
“Eeeeh…?”
Kaoru was taken aback by Tooru’s sudden coming out. Naturally, so were we.
“I never thought that pleasure would come before humiliation after being subjected to such a treatment. What has happened to me…?”
“Something went seriously wrong with your head, is what happened.”
I tsukkomi-d Tooru who muttered with a look of ecstasy on her face. (ED: Manzai is a traditional Japanese style of comedy played out by two actors, where a ‘straight man’ (tsukkomi) retorts to outlandish comments and actions of the ‘funny man’ (boke). It’s often accompanied by the ‘straight man’ hitting the ‘funny man’ on the head with a huge paper fan (harisen) which makes noise, for extra comedic effect)
Then I began to wonder about Kaoru, who had similar interests to her (at least, when it came to swords).
“And what do you think about this situation, Kaoru? Does it also make you feel good?”
“I-I don’t think it feels good!”
Saying so, Kaoru denied it with all her might while holding onto her stomach. Oh? At that moment, I recalled something, so I went up to Kaoru and reached out my hand towards her forehead, in order to confirm it.
-Peshin!-
“W-what are you… Aaah!”
I gave Kaoru a finger flick on her forehead, and just as I expected, what came out of her mouth was not a scream, but an erotic moan.
“Kaoru, pain gives you pleasure, doesn’t it?”
“Wha~!? T-There’s no way that’s true!”
Kaoru’s eyes widened in astonishment, but she quickly regained her composure and refuted.
“Just now, you were holding your stomach. There’s no reason for you to be in pain since we already healed you. But did you know? Recovery Magic can’t erase the feeling of pleasure.”
“Wha~…? Eh…? N-no way… B-but, if I think about it…”
Kaoru was confused, as if she could not come to terms with her own feelings. Only after letting her be for a while, did she finally droop her shoulders and continue talking.
“That indeed seems to be the case… Earlier, when I was punched in the stomach, the moment before my consciousness faded, it did feel really good.”
“How about the finger flick just now?”
“That too, felt good. Just like with Tooru, something seems to have gone wrong with my head…”
Kaoru mumbled dejectedly.
“Kaoru, …It’s so weird that pain makes you feel good.”
“T-Tooru! I don’t want to hear that from you of all people!”
Apparently, both sisters, Tooru and Kaoru, were serious masochists. Moreover, their tendencies were somehow the polar opposites of each other.
– Tooru: Mental pain is pleasurable. Physical pain is not.
– Kaoru: Physical pain is pleasurable. Mental pain is not.
“It looks like Master opened some new doors to them…”
“That does seem to be the case. Did you foresee this, Master?”
Mio and Sera smiled wryly.
“No, I didn’t expect this at all.”
I had no idea that the twin princesses would turn out to both be masochists, either. If anything, I would expect them to take a more balanced approach, with one being a masochist and the other being a sadist. …Ah, that’s not the point here, is it?
“If Jin-sama wishes, he can hurt me all he wants.”
Maria was the same as usual. Honestly, I’m not even going to bother replying to that.
“Dora wants to try it too~!”
“I… I’m used to pain and suffering, but it doesn’t make me feel good…”
Light disappeared from Sakura’s eyes. Well, in her case, it would be more like re-enacting a serious psychological trauma…
Okay, let’s get back to the main topic.
“Then, going back to our earlier conversation, I don’t especially intend to harm or abuse the two of you.”
““Eeh~…?””
“Hey, don’t act so disappointed now, will you!?”
Tooru reacted with dejection to the ‘no abuse’, while Kaoru did to the ‘no harm’ part.
Once the two of them became aware of their own preferences, they seem to have adapted in an instant. No matter how you look at it, it’s something that can’t be made public, but since I already became their master, albeit by force, the two of them seem to have decided that it’s not a problem as long as I’m the one doing it, and so, they started clinging to me with ‘Please abuse me!’ and ‘Please insult me!’ written all over their faces. Now, if I push them away, Kaoru will be pleased with the physical pain, but if I order them to stop, it will make Tooru pleased instead. …How troublesome.
“Anyway! Our current purpose for visiting this country is sightseeing, so don’t get in the way of that.”
““Y-Yes!””
The two of them nodded obediently once I sent out a light killing intent their way.
They may be masochists, but it’s not like they want to die, after all. Even if you’re fine with verbal abuse, the threat of death is still scary, same if you’re fine with pain. It’s only natural, really.
“And on that point, tell me about any good sightseeing spots that you recommend, and any people with unique skills that you know of. You two are technically still royalty, so you should know what’s going on in your own country, right?” (ED: He doesn’t mean actual <skills> here, as regular people don’t know about them; just skills in general)
“‘Technically’…”
“Saying we’re ‘technically still royalty’… Being mistreated like this… Aaah!”
Kaoru became dejected when I said that to them, while Tooru writhed with pleasure at being treated in such a way. That’s precisely why it’s only ‘technically’, you know…
“That is not something one would usually ask of a princess though…”
“Well, it is Master after all.”
Sera and Mio became dumbfounded, though I don’t really know why. If there’s something you don’t know about, it’s only natural to ask someone who knows more about it, right?
“Haa… Haa… *cough* Then, I’ve got just the person for you. If it’s someone with unique skills… then it has to be the blacksmith with the ability to make cursed swords.”
Tooru, who was writhing around with her cheeks still red, regained her breath for long enough to answer my question. Cursed swords, huh? I have had quite a few run-ins with them since I came to this world. In a bad way, of course.
“I have met and talked with her myself, and it seems she can strike swords with special abilities; cursed swords, if you will.”
“It seems? You’ve never actually seen her do it?”
Not that it matters, but since Tooru said ‘she’, the blacksmith in question appears to be a woman.
“Yes. Apparently, she has only been able to successfully strike a cursed sword once so far.” (ED: It’s a cultural thing, but Japanese people will usually respond positively to negative questions, like: “You didn’t?” “Yes, I didn’t”, instead of “No, I didn’t” you would usually hear among English speakers)
“Is there some condition, perhaps? …Well, she certainly does sound interesting. I’d like to meet her, but where does she live? Is it far from here?”
“Somewhat far, yes. It would be about three days by carriage, to the south of here.”
Hmm, that’s longer than I thought. No, we can get there a lot faster if we fly. We’re going to attack Eludia in three days, so I’d like to finish sightseeing in this country by then.
“Then, tell me where this blacksmith lives. We’ll be able to go there on our own then.”
“Eh!? Please take us with you!”
“That’s right! I’m sure something interesting will happen! I want to see it too!”
Hearing my response, the two clung onto me once more with all their strength. …Well, something probably will happen if we do go there.
“Even if you say so, it’s going to be troublesome to take both of you along. To begin with, can you even go out with people from other countries so easily?”
“No problem. ‘Tooru’ is already thought to be a person who is unreasonable when it comes to swords.”
Whether that’s good or bad, is another thing entirely.
“Then, that means I can only take one of you with us. ‘Kaoru’ isn’t interested in swords after all.”
““Ah…””
The two sisters looked at each other upon this sudden realisation. To the outside, ‘Tooru’ is the only one who’s passionate about swords, so naturally, ‘Kaoru’ would usually stay behind.
“Last time, when Tooru met with the Cursed Sword Smith, you promised that I would get the next chance to meet her, didn’t you!?”
“I-I certainly did promise something like that. But, since I have to guide them, I think it’s more appropriate for me, who has been there before, to go!”
Sparks started flying between them.
“How did it suddenly get so heated…?”
“Even if we are twins, some things are non-negotiable.”
“The ownership of these swords is also clearly divided between us.”
The two answered Mio’s question. It seems that even their beloved sword collection was not considered shared property.
“Either way, just hurry it up.”
““Y-Yes!””
When I urged them so, the two started playing rock-paper-scissors in a panic. As a result, it was decided that Kaoru would be the one accompanying us.
“Aww, how unfortunate…”
“Ahh, I’m so glad I won…”
Kaoru happily raised her winning ‘paper’ above her head, while Tooru collapsed to all fours in disappointment.
“Now then, since we’ve decided on a guide, it’s time to get going.”
“Ah, Master, may I have a moment?”
“Hmm? What’s wrong, Mio?”
Just as I was about to end the conversation, while enjoying the reactions of the twin princesses, Mio interrupted me.
“The two of us, Sera-chan and I, would like to do some research on the food in this country. Master doesn’t actually have a specific goal in mind for meeting this blacksmith person, right? Plus, we only have three days left until the war with Eludia, and there are a lot of things we want to investigate while we’re here.”
“We would like to ask your permission to act separately.”
“Ah. Sure, I don’t mind. Going to meet the blacksmith this time is just because I’m genuinely interested in her. And if there’s a chance that the quality of our meals will further improve, is there any real reason for me to stop you?”
Especially given that researching this country’s cuisine means expanding the variety of Japanese foods available at my mansion. Plus, it’s Mio we’re talking about, so I’m sure she’ll be able to turn our recently acquired udon into something delicious. Honestly, I’m already looking forward to it. (ED: They got udon in the Dragon Newts’ Hidden Area)
“Nice! I thought Master would say that. I’m going to increase my repertoire, so please wait for it with anticipation!”
“Yeah, I’ll leave it to you.”
“Dora will wait for it too~!”
Saying it like that, it sounded like they were going to split off immediately, but actually, they will still accompany us until we leave the castle.
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“Speaking of which, what happened to Aisha? She said she would follow after us once she parked the carriage, right?”
“She certainly is late… According to the map, she is in the stable, surrounded by horses.”
We had parted ways with Tooru (in her princess form), who looked dejected as she saw us off, and as we were on our way out of the castle, I mentioned something that suddenly occurred to me. Maria, who heard me, checked the map and reported back to me. After a momentary consternation, I checked the map as well, and saw that she really was surrounded by horses. It looked something like this:
Horse Horse Horse Horse Horse Cow Horse
Horse Horse Horse Horse Horse Horse Horse
Horse Horse Horse Aisha Horse Horse Horse <– In the middle
Horse Horse Horse Horse Horse Sheep Horse
Kudan Horse Horse Horse Horse Horse Horse
“That’s terrible.”
“What could have caused this?”
A: Aisha appears to be well liked by animals. Once she entered the stables, it quickly became like this.
As expected of an expert in monsters and beasts handling. Not only does she know a lot about them, but she also seems to have a natural predisposition for getting friendly with them. For now, let’s contact her via telepathy.
“You okay?”
“I can’t really say that I am… Master probably already knows what’s going on if you’re asking, right?”
“Pretty much. We’re going to leave the town now, so I’d like you to prepare the carriage… Can you do it?”
To be honest, I don’t really see how she would be able to in this situation.
“It’s fine. All these horses are trained, so they’ll move out of the way if I ask.”
“Seriously, as expected…”
If you examine the horses’ status, there indeed is an additional line that reads ‘Trained (Aisha)’. So that’s what happens when you use the ‘Beast Training’ skill… It’s my first time seeing it.
“Then, I’ll move the carriage to the gate.”
“Yeah, I’ll leave that to you.”
I ended the connection and proceeded towards the castle gate, where I found Aisha already waiting for us in the carriage, just as I had asked of her. Next to her was a carriage that had been prepared for Kaoru (dressed as Tooru). Officially, we will be accompanying ‘Tooru’ in his hobby, so we will need two carriages for Kaoru’s and our group respectively. Oh, the SPs (male) are also coming.
“Have a safe trip!”
“Please take care of yourselves.”
“Then, let us be off!”
Leaving Mio and Sera behind, we got into the carriage and departed from the castle gate at Kaoru’s command.
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After we left the capital, we snuck out of the carriages, and headed toward our destination, the blacksmith’s dwelling, riding on Blue, Leaf, and Mikazuki, whom we have summoned.
“Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!”
It was naturally Kaoru, who raised such a strange cry. It would seem that her first ever flight on a Sky Dragon was a bit too stimulating.
And not that it matters, but the reason why we had to sneak out of the carriages, was that the ninja, Hanna, was still following us. We had originally planned to only drive until a suitable place, and then take to the skies for the rest of the trip, but that wouldn’t really work out any more. As such, we had no choice but to have Aisha and the SPs drive the carriages to one of the nearby sightseeing spots, in order to create an alibi for ourselves. That particular one is not that far away from the capital, so I asked them to travel at a pace that would give us enough time to meet with the Cursed Sword Smith before they get there. This way, once they arrive, we’ll be able to get out of the carriages like normal (after transferring back inside them, with ‘Portal’).
When I asked Kaoru for directions, she said that if we follow the road going south from Endo for about three-days-worth of travel time by carriage, we should arrive at a certain town, and from there, around an hour to the east, is a forest called ‘Sylph Forest’, where the blacksmith lives alone. But since we were flying in the sky, there was no need to follow any roads, and so, by going straight to our destination, we were able to shorten the three-day journey by carriage to just one hour.
“It looks to be just where Kaoru said it would, so it should only be another minute or so.”
“You’re going way too fast! It’s too absuuuuurd!”
Kaoru exclaimed with teary eyes and snot running from her nose. Sorry. I’m always absurd. You’ll just have to get used to it.
The Sylph Forest became visible on the map, so it seems we have crossed into the area adjacent to it. Thinking that it should soon come into view, I looked toward it and saw a large plume of black smoke rising from where it should have been. What’s going on here?
A: It would appear that Master’s destination, the Sylph Forest, is on fire.
When I checked the map, I found that the forest was indeed burning, just as Alta said. And I don’t mean a small fire, but a massive wildfire instead. Heh, I came here to meet a blacksmith, and now the whole forest is ablaze. That’s funny… Not really though.
While I was thinking about such things, we approached the burning Sylph Forest. For the time being, I asked Blue and the others to land at a somewhat remote location, out of the reach of the flames.
“Then, we will return home.”
“Please excuse us.”
“Call us agaiiin.”
“Ah. Sure, I’ll rely on you in the future.”
I wouldn’t have minded if they stayed, but it seemed the three of them: Blue, Mikazuki, and Leaf; already had plans for after this, and so, they returned first. Still, the fact that they would prioritise serving as our transport over everything else, makes them a role model for all the monster followers out there. Plus, there’s actually no need for them to stick around, as we can instantly return to any ‘Portal’ that we have placed before.
“Jin-sama, is there anything I can do? I would rather you didn’t go anywhere dangerous, if I can help it…”
“Well, even if you say so, the Cursed Sword Smith whom we came here to meet is still inside that forest.”
It would appear that the female blacksmith was living in a hut within the Sylph Forest. However, that very hut is now in a state that could hardly be called anything but totally burned down. Also, it would appear that the fire originated from the hut, as it is spreading in a circle around it.
Come to think of it, there’s no way the forest would spontaneously catch on fire like that, unless it was struck by lightning or something. …No, if I think back, the Goblin Sorcerer in the Goblin Forest did use the Fire Magic spell ‘Fireball’. That was a total fire hazard, wasn’t it? (ED: Not really. All you need for combustion is oxygen, fuel (dry leaves), and enough heat to start the process. If the forest floor is dry enough, any random concave piece of discarded glass, acting as a lens to focus sunlight into a concentrated beam, will do)
But let’s get back to the topic at hand. Currently, the Cursed Sword Smith is desperately trying to escape from the flames engulfing the forest. After checking her status, it seems that her legs have been badly burned and she’s no longer able to run away. Therefore, she is in a rather desperate situation, crawling to escape from the blazing heat behind her.
Oh, and by the way, here’s her status:
Name: Mimi
Level: 38
Gender: Female
Age: 19
Race: Dwarf
Skills: <Sword Mastery LV6> <Spear Mastery LV5> <Appraisal LV8> <Blacksmithing LV7> <Holy Cursed Blacksmithing LV-> <Walking Disaster [Trigger Happy] LV-> <Bad Luck LV10>
Titles: Formerly Noble’s Daughter
<Holy Cursed Blacksmithing>
Able to grant special effects to weapons one creates. The condition for activation is an outburst of strong wishes/emotions at the time of crafting. Weapons created with strong positive wishes/emotions will bear the prefix of ‘Holy’, while weapons created with strong negative wishes/emotions will be granted the prefix of ‘Cursed’. In the case of ‘Cursed’ weapons, the effects granted do not reflect the triggering wishes/emotions. (ED: The ‘Cursed’ prefix can also be translated as ‘Demonic’, or simply ‘Magic’, which is why the previous translator translated them as ‘Magic Sword – Eternal Pain’ and ‘Magic Sword – Blood Heart’ (plus, there was a bunch of unnamed ones), but since the term ‘Cursed Swords’ has already been established, I’ll just stick with that. I could also go with ‘Sacred’ or ‘Blessed’ in place of ‘Holy’ to match it, but somehow, it doesn’t have the same ring to it)
<Walking Disaster [Trigger Happy]>
Causes a loss of concentration and suppression of emotions and other mental functions in oneself and one’s surrounding. The effect increases the closer one gets to the owner.
Hmm, her skill levels are unusually high, but the skill composition is just the worst. Particularly problematic is the ‘Walking Disaster [Trigger Happy]’ skill. If you often become unfocused and unable to control your emotions, that’s bound to cause a tragedy or two to happen. And to top it all off, she has the ‘Bad Luck’ skill at level 10. It’s no wonder that disaster strikes wherever she goes. See? You can tell that just by looking at her ‘Titles’ column.
And all those bad occurrences will keep triggering the ‘Holy Cursed Blacksmithing’ skill. Well, contrary to her nickname of a Cursed Sword Smith, it seems she can also make ‘Holy’ weapons, though, can a person who had so many bad things happen to her all her life, as mentioned above, actually be able to create weapons imbued with positive emotions? Probably not. Therefore, even if it’s called ‘Holy Cursed Blacksmithing’, she can effectively only make Cursed Swords as she is now.
Also, it’s just my guess at this point, but I bet that the ‘Holy Cursed Blacksmithing’ comes in a set with the ‘Walking Disaster’ and ‘Bad Luck’ skills, similar to how Maria and Cynthia, who were born with the ‘Hero’ skill, both also had the ‘Seal’ skill. …I guess that explains why we haven’t seen a single ‘Holy’ sword, despite running into plenty of ‘Cursed’ ones. It’s almost as if this skill structure was specifically designed to prevent ‘Holy’ swords from existing in this world.
Now, this only serves to make me even more curious about these ‘Holy’ swords. I’m sure Alta would tell me if I asked, but I’d like to see the actual thing instead, if possible.
A: …
“I don’t think we can really abandon her after coming all this way. Okay, let’s save her.”
“Naturally, I will accompany Jin-sama. If I use my ‘Barrier Magic’ I can shield us from the heat.”
Maria, who knew that once I say ‘I’m going’, there would be no stopping me, tried to at least protect me by offering so. Her ‘Barrier Magic’ sure is convenient though. I wonder what she will learn next time she levels up her ‘Hero’ skill?
“Actually, even without ‘Barrier Magic’, this level of fire won’t deal us any damage thanks to our high stats and ‘Fire Attribute Resistance’.”
“Our clothes will still burn, though…”
“Dora doesn’t want the clothes Master bought for her to burn~!”
“It will kill me, you know!”
Since Kaoru hasn’t been given any stats, she really will just die, like any normal person would, if caught in a fire. As a side note, all the members except Kaoru are dressed in their usual clothes. It’s pretty difficult to ride a dragon while wearing a kimono, after all. Or, to be more precise, the hem rolls up and you can see their underwear flashing.
“Oops, the Cursed Sword Smith will die at this rate. Let’s help her out first.”
“That’s right… Let’s hurry…”
The distance between the spreading flames and the Cursed Sword Smith was shrinking as we spoke, so there wasn’t much time to spare. Hmm, now that I think about it, is it even necessary for us to enter the burning forest to begin with?
“‘Aqua Javelin’, ‘Wind Javelin’, ‘Aqua Javelin’, ‘Wind Javelin’, ‘Aqua Javelin’, ‘Wind Javelin’, ‘Aqua Javelin’, ‘Wind Javelin’.”
I used Water Magic’s ‘Aqua Javelin’ followed by a Wind Magic’s ‘Wind Javelin’ four times in quick succession.
“Jin-kun, what are you doing all of a sudden…?”
“It’s a trick to help the Cursed Sword Smith.”
I looked up at the sky while answering Sakura’s question. Just then, each ‘Aqua Javelin’ collided with a ‘Wind Javelin’, causing them to burst mid-air.
“I see. As expected of Jin-sama. ‘Barrier Magic’!”
A large amount of rain poured down over the whole forest, extinguishing the flames. Also, Maria’s ‘Barrier Magic’ shielded us from the rain. It really is convenient.
By the way, it’s the same technique that Maple, the Sea Serpent, and Chocolate, the Harpy Queen, previously used in Atto Union. There’s also a Water Magic spell that causes rain to fall over a wide area, but I can’t really use it here since it’s technically classified as an attack magic. If I do it this way, harmless water will pour down, making it ideal for firefighting activities. …I need to get a patent for this.
“Now then, the fire is out, so let’s go see the blacksmith.”
“The scale of your actions is way too great…”
“It’s because it’s Jin-kun…”
“Because~”
This was the difference in reaction between Kaoru, with her eyes wide open and mouth gaping, and Sakura and Dora, who have already gotten used to it.
*****************************************************************************************
Author’s Note: Two newcomers were added to Jin’s ‘princesses collection’ (kind of like in a gacha game). However, details were omitted. (ED: Not sure what he meant here)
Also, it were the sexual preferences of those two that they have awakened to.
ED: Kudan is a Yokai, a spirit from Japanese folklore. It looks like a cow with a human face. I put it here in case you missed it.
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