Translator: Rihn
Editor: Zioming
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Chapter 95 – A Holy Sword and a Serial Killer
Author’s Note: The story doesn’t progress much, despite the usual word count.
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“*munch munch* …What the heck? This is seriously delicious. It’s way better than our store’s udon…”
“It’s great, right? The 8-year-old girl who was with us last time made this.”
“Amazing… But still, haah…”
We were outside Gnome Cave, eating dinner, a little while after we secured Hanna (Atri) inside. And, of course, she was with us too.
When I first asked her to join us, she turned me down quite strongly, but after listening to her reasons and breaking them down one by one, she finally gave up and agreed to eat with us. What worked best was when I said: “If you’re not a ninja, then there’s no problem if you have dinner with us, right?”
And thus, the ninja, who was supposed to keep an eye on us, was found by the targets of her surveillance and forced to eat a meal prepared by them, tasting humiliation alongside the dishes. Honestly, her tailing us all the time was starting to get annoying, so I thought I’d return the favour a bit, and at the same time, let her know we have a good spotting ability. Hanna, who was easily discovered and secured, was surprisingly depressed. Incidentally, Kaoru did not seem to know about the ninjas’ existence, seeing as she didn’t recognize her face. Apparently, even though she’s the crown prince, she hadn’t been told about them yet.
“If you want seconds, just let me know. There’s still plenty left.”
“Thanks, I’m fine. I’m a small eater.”
“Oh yeah; you’re a ninja, so training to go without food is- …No, never mind.”
“…”
Oh? Hanna’s trembling. It’s fun to watch, so let’s keep teasing her with ninja stuff from time to time.
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After we finished eating, Hanna turned down our invitation to camp with us with all her might, and went back into the cave. According to her: “I want to collect some more gems today, if possible.” Hearing that, we offered to help her, out of the goodness of our hearts, but sadly, she turned that down as well.
“Hmm, it looks like she really is mining for gems.”
“I think it might be what Jin-sama refers to as ‘creating an alibi’, since she cannot act out of character, now that she’s been discovered.”
As I was looking at the ‘Map’ and trying to figure out what Hanna was up to, Maria, who was standing beside me, made a guess.
“Hmm, I wonder what kind of face Hanna would make if we returned with the carriages while she was at it?”
“Jin-kun, toying with her like that, does that mean you’ve taken a liking to Atri-chan…?”
“Master will make Hanna a slave~?”
Hearing my mutterings, Sakura and Dora asked.
“No, it’s fine to tease her a bit, but I don’t plan to enslave her or anything.”
I always say that I don’t want to enslave anyone, unless they are an enemy, or I have a good reason to do so. And I wouldn’t exactly call someone who’s only slightly annoying, like Hanna here, an enemy. Plus, I’m sure she’s only doing her job, as ordered by her superiors. …Still, that does not mean that I’m fine with it, and so, I am going to return the favour somewhat.
“Besides, if I really wanted to tease someone, Aisha and Kaoru are also here.”
“Eh!? Are we slaves only there for Master to toy with!?”
“I’m shocked! …Though, I don’t mind, if it’s physical.”
Aisha was surprised, while Kaoru looked at me with anticipation.
“No, I wouldn’t go that far. But there are a surprising number of people around me who are easy to tease, and if someone gives me good reactions, then it’s only natural that I would want to tease them more often, right?”
“I can’t say that I’m happy with that assessment.”
“Please spank me more often, Jin-dono.”
Then again, I have to be careful not to go too far, and turn teasing into bullying. And that’s why I don’t really tease Sakura. Why? Because I’m not so reckless as to take a stroll through that particular minefield.
“Kaoru, if you want someone to spank you that badly, you can always just do it yourself.”
“Ah, that was also an option!”
Kaoru clapped her hands together, as if it was a brilliant idea.
“She’s already this far gone, eh…? Oh? It looks like they’re done setting up camp, so I guess it’s time to rest.”
As I was feeling appalled by Kaoru’s preferences, the SPs approached from a short distance away. It seemed they had finished making camp, as ordered by Kaoru.
Still, my first choice would have been to return to the mansion and rest there, but since Hanna was still nearby, we were going to camp by the carriages, near the entrance to Gnome Cave, in order to create an alibi for ourselves. What surprised me a little though, was that Kaoru didn’t seem to have any problem camping out. Well, she must have gone on multiple sword-related expeditions as ‘Prince Tooru’ in the past, so she’s probably used to it by now. Quite a wild princess we have here.
Nothing unusual happened after that, so after the usual Mofumofu (as I decided to call it) with Tokoyo and Tsukiyo on a bed inside a ‘Room’, I hugged Dora and slept soundly until morning (it’s hardly even camping at this point). In the end, it looked like Hanna was up until late at night, mining for gems. As expected of a ninja; they do their best work at night. (ED: ‘Mofumofu’ generally means ‘soft to the touch; fluffy’ in Japanese, but it can also mean ‘to stroke (something fluffy); to rub; to pat’ in internet slang. ~Jisho)
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The next day, we retrieved Hanna from where she was hiding and had breakfast together.
“Thanks for the food…”
“How was it, today’s breakfast?”
“It was delicious, Onii-san…”
Is what she said, but the light in her eyes was already gone. This morning, even though she had doubled the distance from her targets, she was still easily discovered by Maria, so her pride as a ninja must have completely crumbled by now. And of course, it was all intentional.
“I think we’ll be heading back today, but what about you? Do you want to accompany us?”
“No, I’ll keep mining for a while longer. Please don’t mind me.”
Unfortunately, it seemed like Hanna would continue to mine, so we’d be returning on our own.
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Naturally, before long, I decided to let Aisha and the SPs take care of the carriages again, while the rest of us would return to the mansion ahead of them. Plus, Aisha said that she wanted to tame some monsters while in Izumo, so this would work out quite nicely, all things considered. And, of course, Hanna was still following us. She never learns, does she?
“Well then, sorry, but I’ll be leaving it to you today as well.”
“Got it. But I’m free to tame as much as I want on the way there, right?”
“As long as it doesn’t take too long. It would be troublesome if she felt something was off, from us not coming out of the carriages at all.”
“Understood. I’ll be careful.”
I mean, a two-hours-long trip would be fine, but not coming out of the carriages for four or five hours straight would be plain unnatural. And so, I made sure to point that out to Aisha, lest she becomes too absorbed in all the taming.
“Can I go home first then?”
“Right, last night, before I went to bed, I got a message that Mimi finished making the Holy Sword.”
“Oh! I want to see!”
Kaoru said with sparkling eyes.
“I thought you might say that… And, of course, I intend to show it to you too.”
“Yahoo! I’m so happy! Thank you! …I’m a little sorry for Tooru though. I feel like I’m the only one getting so many good things from Jin-dono…”
“Then, do you want to switch before we look at the Holy Sword?”
Kaoru, who was making an apologetic face, shook her head when I asked her.
“Nope, that’s for me to see.”
“So, you’re not going to yield on that…?”
“I thought you were about to, given how the talk was going…”
“Until the Holy Sword! It’s my turn until the completion of the Holy Sword!”
It seemed she had no intention of giving up on this, making both Sakura and me be taken aback. Well, when an enthusiast gets a chance, they never miss it, so I guess it can’t be helped.
Leaving Aisha and the SPs to take care of the rest (Kaoru was coming with us, even though they were supposed to be escorting her), we returned to the mansion with ‘Portal’.
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Once there, I found Mimi kneeling before me, presenting a sword in its scabbard, as if it were only natural. Oh, and to be more specific, she was holding it up as if she were offering it to God.
“Jin-sama… please… accept this…”
“…Y-yeah.”
I received the sword from her with mixed feelings.
For whatever reason, it seemed to be a western-style sword with no curve. Mimi was supposed to be a katana blacksmith, so why did she intentionally make it straight? (ED: Japanese swords, or, katanas (‘katana’ just means ‘sword’ in Japanese) are usually curved, as they are designed for cutting, unlike western swords, which are geared more towards stabbing and hacking at your opponent)
The sword was not decorated with any excessive ornaments. It was simply white. The handle, the guard, the scabbard; they were all pure white.
“I want you to draw it now!”
“Calm down.”
Kaoru was becoming impatient, but I was getting curious too, so I pulled the blade out of its scabbard. …It is pure-white after all. Or rather, there is no colour on it but white. How surprising. Still, its presence is quite remarkable. It’s beautiful, …even divine, in a sense. Despite there being no decorations, you can tell at a glance that it also has considerable value as a work of art, and even without bothering to check its status, you just know it’s a powerful blade.
“It’s beautiful…”
“So pretty~”
Sakura and Dora also exclaimed in admiration.
“Yeah, this is indeed worthy of being called a ‘Holy Sword’. You did well, Mimi.”
“Such words… are wasted on me…”
Mimi kneeled reverently. Oi, don’t fold your hands as if you were praying.
Well, I guess it’s time to check its status. …No, I mean, ‘knowing it’s strong’ and ‘checking if it’s strong’ are two different things, right? There’s not a single good reason not to check its status, just because you know it’s strong.
Holy Sword – Messiah
Class: Sword
Rarity: Legendary
Notes: Set owner. Strengthens heroes. Increased damage against demons. Removes miasma. Auto-repair. HP Auto-Recovery. Grants resistance to abnormal conditions.
Yep, it’s super strong, just as expected. She really did make a legendary-grade item in a single night. …Wait, wasn’t it the case that she couldn’t make legendary-grade items yet?
A: That is only the case when using the regular ‘Blacksmithing’ skill. It does not apply to ‘Holy Cursed Blacksmithing’.
Oh, is that how it works…? Or rather, what’s with this pointlessly ostentatious name? ‘Messiah’ is not something you would name a sword, right?
Then again, its effects are well worthy of it being called a ‘Holy Sword’. The conditions for ‘Set owner’ are the owner themself, or their subordinates; if anyone else uses it, all the beneficial effects will apparently be nullified. And, as the name implies, ‘Strengthens heroes’ increases the status of those with the title of ‘Hero’. So far, Maria and Cynthia of the explorer group are the only ones who meet both criteria. ‘Increased damage against demons’ is probably a characteristic of Holy Swords; perhaps the same is true for ‘Strengthens heroes’ and ‘Miasma removal’. In other words, a hero fighting against demons while dispelling miasma with a Holy Sword is likely the way it’s intended to work. The effects after that are mostly defence-oriented: it’s hard to break, and it protects its user at the same time. Yep, it holds power befitting of a ‘Holy Sword’, and it is well worthy of the name ‘Messiah’ after all.
“It’s amazing! I want to touch it!”
“Sure. Here you go.”
“Yay~! Awawah!”
I handed Messiah over to Kaoru, and she started screaming while rubbing her cheeks against it. Looks like she’s already too far gone… No, her reaction is weaker than when she saw ‘Heroic Soul Blade – Unfinished’, so I guess this is still a little better… Wait, this is still better!?
“So, how is it; the feeling of striking a Holy Sword for the first time?”
Putting Kaoru aside for the moment, I asked Mimi.
“I feel… very… refreshed… But I feel like… I can… keep going… One day… I’ll be able to reach… the Phantasmal grade… I think…”
“Oh? That’s amazing.”
The Phantasmal grade of item rarity that no ordinary person with a ‘Blacksmithing’ skill could ever hope to achieve. But can ‘Holy Cursed Blacksmithing’ really reach such a level? If so, I would like her to make Phantasmal-grade equipment for a number of people. …I won’t say it out loud though. I mean, if I do, she will try to make it happen at all cost, and that would be way too much to ask of her.
“By the way, what materials did you use to make this Holy Sword? It looks awfully white…”
“It’s… mithril… Maria-san… gave it to me…”
“Yes, we used the materials collected by the dungeon explorers group.”
Maria added. Well, if it’s mithril, then it can be mined inside the dungeon, so we have it available in large quantities. Honestly, it’s even possible for me to create it at will, using my authority as the dungeon master, so there isn’t really a need for the explorers to gather it in the first place. …Not that I intended to do so, unless we start running into some serious shortage issues, or something. Precisely because I’m the dungeon master, restraint is a must.
“You were able to make this Holy Sword with just that? Then, if you use orichalcum, you might be able to make something even more incredible.”
Mithril is already considered a rare metal, even if it is relatively easy for us to obtain, but if she was able to make equipment of this level with it, then wouldn’t it come out even stronger if she were to use an even higher-grade metal, like orichalcum? Honestly, I’m already looking forward to it.
“Yes… I will try… However… it seems to be more… exhausting… than I thought it would be… It’s going to be… hard… to make multiple in a row…”
When I checked, Mimi’s HP and MP have both decreased by a lot. It seems that making Holy Swords is quite taxing on one’s body. It wouldn’t even be an exaggeration to say that she is literally putting her life on the line whenever she makes one.
“But don’t push yourself too hard, okay? I don’t mind if you only strike one whenever you feel like you’re able to do so.”
It’s not a skill one should use lightly, and so, it is not something which ought to be verified in a hurry. Quite the opposite; she should only do it when the time is right, while also paying attention not to overexert herself while she’s at it.
“Also, your HP is low, so drink a potion or something.”
“Yes… Thank you… for your concern…”
I handed Mimi a potion I took out of the ‘Inventory’.
As a side note, there are a ridiculous amount of potions stored inside, many of them sub-standard products made by the Maids. The Chamber of Advanced Commerce sells these, but the quality of finished potions varies much more than one might expect, and so, they decided on a 10% acceptable efficiency range for the items they offer in their stores, and all the ones that fall short (or exceed it) end up in the ‘Inventory’. Or, to be more specific, they are thrown into the shared, ‘Please feel free to take these’ portion of it.
And by the way, these also include the ‘Special Potions’ made by Dora.
Ever since we’ve tried our hands at ‘Compounding’ back in Kastal, she’s been coming to show me her finished potions every now and then. Somehow, it seems like a positive reinforcement loop has been set up, where she makes a high-quality potion, I praise her for it, she gets happy and motivated, and then makes an even-higher-quality one, and so on. As a result, the efficiency of her potions has already reached 200% of the store-bought average. Obviously, these cannot be sold in stores, as it might even be fitting to call them an entirely different item at this point. Still, Dora herself doesn’t seem to be overly attached to the potions she has already received praise for, as she simply throws them into the shared space of the ‘Inventory’ to be used freely.
Well, that was a rather long digression, but what I was getting at was that what I just gave to Mimi was one of Dora’s ‘Special Potions’, so, of course, it was an instantaneous complete recovery. Also, Dora noticed that I had used one of hers, and looked up at me with expectant eyes, so I patted her on the head.
“Ehehe~”
Ah, so healing.
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“And so, Jin-sama, please decide who is going to use this Holy Sword. If the effect of strengthening heroes is to be considered, then it should be either me or Cynthia-chan, but personally I’d prefer to keep using the dual swords Jin-sama gave me, while Cynthia-chan doesn’t use swords in general.”
As I was being healed by Dora, Maria, who was beside me, asked. As she said, Cynthia’s weapon of choice is a staff, not to mention, she mostly uses it for bludgeoning.
Cynthia, who is not satisfied unless she directly feels the blow connect, has no intention of using a sword in the slightest, and Kate, who’s a member of the same explorer party, even told me that she has recently switched to using gauntlets to try and learn the ‘Hand-To-Hand Combat Mastery’ skill, as it would let her go even more close and personal. It is pretty ironic then, that her ‘Sword Mastery’ skill rises by itself, thanks to her ‘Hero’ skill. (ED: Each level of ‘Hero’ skill grants new skills and increases the level of previously granted ones)
And while Maria’s fighting style does rely on ‘Sword Mastery’, she does not seem to have any intention of using the Holy Sword either. Apparently, to her, the twin swords I gave her are far more preferable than the Holy Sword intended for heroes, even if she would get strengthened by it. …Then again, it’s not just about the strength of one’s weapon, but also about how compatible they are with it. There would be no point in forcing her to use a sword she isn’t comfortable with.
Still, it is pretty weird that there are two heroes among my subordinates, and yet, there is zero demand for a Holy Sword.
“Well, it’s not like we can’t have someone beside a hero use it, …even if it would be a bit of a waste. What do you think, Mimi?”
I would also like to hear from its creator, so I tried asking her.
“I… don’t mind… either way… The sword already… belongs… to Jin-sama… Whatever you do with it… is up to you…”
Her stance was surprisingly neutral.
A: It would seem she does not wish to meddle in how her offering made to God is handled.
…
“But… I do have one favour… to ask…”
“Oh? Let’s hear it.”
“Even if… just once… would it be possible… for Jin-sama… to use that sword first…? If you did… I… and that sword… would be very happy…”
“Well, it’s not like I mind, but…”
Honestly, I’ve always wanted to try test-cutting a new sword, so there’s no problem there, but when it comes to testing a Holy Sword, you can’t use just any random opponent for it. I mean, it is a Holy Sword at the end of the day, so I’d at least want to prepare a suitable one for its first use, if at all possible. And so, Alta, is there a suitable opponent available?
A: If it is within Izumo, there are several candidates: the Ancient Oni God sealed under Endo Castle; a serial killer with a cursed weapon and a bounty on his head; and a vampire who wanders around the country. I can name about 5 more, but they are all small-scale.
As expected of Izumo, the strongest one is an Oni… They all look interesting, but the one I’m most interested in is probably the Ancient Oni God. …No, I mean, I’ve already confirmed its existence when I first entered Endo. Lately, I’ve been missing more and more things underground, so I started to also check below whenever I look at the ‘Map’. And this time I found a super-high-level monster sealed in the basement of Endo Castle. But it looks like it will still be a while before the seal breaks.
A: It will not come undone on its own for another 500 years, but it can be broken right away if Master wishes for it.
No, as you might expect, doing something so dangerous just for the sake of test-cutting a sword would be putting the cart before the horse. Plus, it’s the first battle of the Holy Sword, so it would be preferable to use an opponent getting rid of whom could be considered a good deed. Therefore, let’s pass on the Ancient Oni God, and choose from the other candidates. …Let’s see. Which one of them is the most urgent or the most evil?
A: That would be the serial killer with a cursed weapon. He has already claimed over 50 victims. As it is not a regular subjugation request, but a standing bounty, anyone is allowed to claim it, as long as they provide evidence to the Adventurers’ Guild.
As a side note, it seems that the Adventurers’ Guild, which also operates in this country, uses the more common Japanese-style buildings here. For some reason, whenever I think of an Adventurers’ Guild, I tend to imagine a western-style building, but there doesn’t seem to be a rule to it or anything.
Well, the good news is that, unlike with regular requests, bounties can be claimed by anyone. I wouldn’t want to steal bread from the local adventurers, after all…
Plus, the fact that he uses a cursed weapon is also a perfect match. …Wait a moment. That cursed weapon; it wouldn’t be a Cursed Sword, right? (ED: They use two different words for ‘cursed’ in Japanese)
A: It is a Cursed Sword.
As I thought; He really is a perfect match…
“I’ve discussed it with Alta, and we’re going to use a local serial killer to test-cut the Holy Sword. I hear that he has already killed over 50 people.”
“Haa, Haa… I’ve heard of him!”
It seemed that Kaoru, who was still rubbing her cheeks against ‘Messiah’, also knew something. At any rate, I will have to confiscate it from her for the time being.
“Ah, I still wanted to hold it for a bit longer!”
“Maybe later.”
Eyeing the Holy Sword regretfully, Kaoru continued speaking.
“Uu… Well, he is a murderer who is currently causing quite a stir in Izumo. He is said to be a despicable fiend who only targets women, but even then, he seems to be a skilled fighter. Even high-ranked adventurers have had the tables turned on them by him in the past. Also, he goes by the nickname of ‘Jack the Ripper’.”
I’m pretty sure I’ve heard of a similar story before… Like, the one set in 19th century London kind of similar.
“Ah, that sounds like a story I’ve heard in our original world…”
“Yeah, I remember it too.”
As expected, Sakura seemed to know it too. And If Mio had been here, she likely would have said the same.
“I don’t remember any details though…”
“Yeah, me neither.”
Maybe Mio would know more. Or, if it had been the bizarre crime enthusiast, Sano, the hero (lol) whom we subjugated in the Atto Union the other day. He certainly would have known all about it.
“How much is known about the culprit? For example: the motive for the crimes; or where he operates…”
“Sadly, we know very little. All we have to work with are several sightings in the villages to the east of the capital. …But since the damage is also concentrated there, it is quite likely that he is hiding somewhere in that area.”
“…Won’t it take us a while to find him then?”
It seems we have much less to go on than I thought we would. He would have been a suitable opponent for test-cutting the Holy Sword, but if it’s like this, it might take us a while to actually find the guy. …Well, I can always just fly around on Blue until I do.
A: That won’t be necessary. In fact, we have already spotted the serial killer once in an adjacent area, so one of the (Spy) Maids is currently following him. As such, we already know his exact status, current location, etc.
…Ah, I see. So you’ve already set it up to the point where all I have left to do is to go and take him down.
“Alta says they have already found where he lives. All I have to do now is to go there and beat him.”
“Jin-dono, you treat our country’s major events much too lightly…”
“That’s because it’s Jin-kun…”
“Because~”
Do Sakura and Dora really like this phrase that much?
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Now then, since we’ve decided to go and subjugate the serial killer, the obvious next step is to prepare for it. First, it’s letting Mio and Sera know about it via telepathy.
“…and that’s why we’re going to test-cut the Holy Sword on a serial killer next.”
“Yeah, it sounds crazy no matter which way you think about it.”
I guess so.
“What about you two? Do you want to come with us?”
“That seems a bit impossible at the moment. There’s a ramen shop in a town a little ways away from here-”
“Come on, Mio, Let’s go!”
“Wait, what did you say!?”
As expected, if it’s between ramen and a serial killer, ramen wins every time (this comparison makes no sense), so I really want Mio to learn the recipe for it. I’m even going to skip the ‘Isn’t this a Japanese style country though?’ tsukkomi this time. Honestly, I would have preferred to go with them too, but I really hate changing plans once I’ve made them. (ED: Ramen is a Japanese adaptation of Chinese wheat noodle soups. ~wiki)
“Master is using the carriage, so we’re going to have to rent some horses. And so, sorry Sera, but you’re going to have to wait for a bit longer.”
“Ah, it’s finally ramen… I can’t wait to eat the food that both Mio-san and Master spoke so highly of!”
Sera also seems really hyped to try it. Seriously, I’m getting jealous of her.
“Got it. I’ll leave it to the two of you to take care of then. And Mio, absolutely make sure to reproduce it for me later, you hear me?”
“Sure thing!”
“Please leave it to us, Master!”
I made doubly sure to remind them to recreate the ramen, before ending the conversation. I will have to ask the head maid, Lucia, to prepare all the toppings I can think of. With this, if all goes well, we might even be having ramen this evening.
“Next, Kaoru and Tooru will switch places.”
“Ah, a bit longer! Please let me stay a bit longer…”
“Well, I don’t really mind, but there’s a good chance I won’t be using the Holy Sword again after this time, so, if you think you can convince Tooru, be my guest.”
The promise I made to Mimi was to ‘use it once’, so it’s still undecided as to what we will do with it once I’ve dealt with the serial killer. There’s even a possibility that we’ll continue our sightseeing, and that I won’t use it ever again.
“Ah, that’s impossible… If that happens, it’ll become a serious fight… Very well, I will switch places with Tooru.”
After that, we returned Kaoru to Endo Castle, and took Tooru with us instead. Incidentally, Kaoru was supposed to go on an official inspection of another city as ‘Princess Kaoru’ after this, so if Tooru ever learned that her twin sister got to see me use the Holy Sword, while she got stuck doing her work in her stead, it would surely result in a major fight.
“And so, I will be in your care from now on.”
“…Yeah, the two of you have the exact same tone and appearance, so it doesn’t really feel like anything has changed.”
Since ‘Prince Tooru’ is the one officially accompanying us, they just swapped clothes; and since both of them use the same tone when in character, it was hard to even notice the switch. No, I mean, that’s how it should be whenever twins trade places…
“Please rest assured that we have properly switched. I don’t like pain, but I do not mind if you insult me.”
“Ah. Now it does feel like you’ve switched.”
I’m not really sure how to feel about ‘that’ being the sole differentiating factor though.
“I should also mention that Kaoru explained to me what had happened so far, so you don’t really have to mind the fact we have switched.”
“By ‘explained’, you mean… Didn’t the swap barely take half an hour?”
“That is enough. I heard about how you enjoyed messing with the ninja girl, and about how her eyes looked hollow during breakfast this morning. I also heard about how the Holy Sword is a straight, white, unadorned sword.”
Looks like they really did exchange all the meaningful information during that short period. How in the world did they manage to cram all that in just under 30 minutes?
“I do feel like there’s less and less difference… It really might come down to the only thing being whether they like to be hurt or insulted.”
Well, that, and, obviously, I can check their status with the ‘Map’. That thing is such a cheat.
“Please feel free to insult me, if you wish to verify.”
“How annoying. Shut up, you masochist!”
“Aaah♡”
I tried insulting her, and this was what happened.
“Well, if you’ve heard what we’ve been up to, then that speeds things up. Next, I’m going to test-cut the Holy Sword on a serial killer who’s been terrorising this country. You’re sure it’s fine for ‘Prince Tooru’ to come along with us?”
“Of course! Also, I want you to show me the Holy Sword before you use it, if possible!”
“Nah, we’ve already done that with Kaoru. Like you said, I’m not going to worry about the fact you two have switched.”
“W-what!? But…”
I mean, it was Tooru herself who told me not to pay it any mind, so there’s no need to repeat things we’ve already done with Kaoru, right? Still, it must have been quite a shock, given how she kept muttering ‘But…’ over and over again. Yeah, let’s just ignore her for now.
“Naturally, Mimi will come too, right?”
“If it’s not… too much… trouble… I’d be happy to… join you…”
“Oh, it’s no trouble at all. Plus, the opponent seems to be using a Cursed Sword, so there’s a direct connection to Mimi no matter how you look at it.”
Making Holy Swords, and making Cursed Swords, are two sides of the same coin, after all.
“Thank you… very much…”
Now then; Tooru and Mimi have both decided to come with me. As for Maria… I don’t even need to ask, right? She will absolutely come.
“I will accompany Jin-sama.”
“Dora will go with Master too~!”
Setting Maria aside, I was about to ask Dora and Sakura, but the former declared like so, before I even could.
“I will go too…”
“Are you sure? You might end up seeing some things you’d rather not see.”
Sakura still has a strong aversion to grotesque things (mostly the people I slaughtered, since she’s actually fine with monsters as of late). Even in the recent battle against heroes, her complexion had visibly worsened by the end of it.
“That’s exactly why I think I need to get used to it…”
“There’s nothing good about getting used to it though…”
“That’s… It’s true, but still, I don’t want to keep bothering Jin-kun with it forever…!”
I sensed a strong will in Sakura’s eyes.
Opinions may vary on whether getting used to seeing people die can be even called growth, but it is also true that as long as she is with me, she likely cannot escape seeing it every now and then. Maybe there really is nothing to do, but get used to it… I mean, I know I’m the last person who should be saying this, but I do think it’s a problem when people get too desensitised to others dying around them.
“Very well. I don’t mind if you come with me, but please don’t overdo it. You don’t have to force yourself to get used to seeing death and other grotesque things.”
“Yes…!”
So then, there are five people who will be accompanying me. Sakura, Maria, Dora, Tooru, and Mimi.
“…”
Ah, sorry, sorry. Tamo-san is coming too, as per usual.
**************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
Author’s Note: Not sure if it’s necessary, but here’s the list of item rarities again:
Genesis
Godly
Phantasmal
Legendary
Artefact
Rare
Common
Due to the fact that Soul Blade – Unfinished skipped one rank, the Phantasmal class missed its debut. There are no plans for it to appear in the future. Genesis will appear, …at some point.
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