I felt as if Ritta’s Black Spear glimmered for just a moment. The others were left speechless at Ritta’s playful demeanor, but Kirkton soon stepped forward to stand in front of her.
“Ritta, where did you get that spear?”
“Huh? Does it really matter where?”
“Answer me.”
“I forgot.”
She rubbed her cheek against the spear, seemingly indifferent to Kirkton’s question. Irene and Shuri watched the scene with expressions that suggested they wanted to say something. Was there something special about that spear? And why did Kirkton notice it?
“Hand that spear over to me.”
“No way.”
“Give it to me, that’s an order.”
Kirkton extended his hand, but Ritta stuck out her tongue, adopting a mocking attitude and refusing to comply. When Kirkton took a step closer, Ritta’s expression changed dramatically, and she assumed a defensive stance with the spear as her shield. Her eyes, devoid of light, gave off an unsettling aura. Just moments ago, she had been laughing, but now her face was devoid of life, as if her soul had been drained, and she glared at Kirkton.
“Ritta, what are you planning?”
“What do you intend to do, Captain Kirkton? Are you going to force me to become weak little Ritta again?”
“You know there are weapons that grant power to their wielder while slowly eroding their body. You may not realize it, but you’ve been looking more haggard since yesterday. At this rate, you’ll die. Hand over that spear.”
“You just don’t like me, do you, Captain Kirkton? That’s why you hit me so hard yesterday.”
It was only then that I noticed my cheeks felt slightly thinner. Had Kirkton really noticed such a subtle change? Shuri adjusted her glasses and stared intently at Ritta.
“Ritta, you should listen to Captain Kirkton…”
“Shut up! You all just mock me!”
Roel spoke up hesitantly, but was swiftly dismissed. Ritta directed her lifeless gaze towards me, Kirkton, and all the soldiers. She spun the spear in her hand, wielding it like an extension of her body, ready to strike at any moment. After a resigned sigh, Kirkton drew two swords from his waist.
“If you insist on being stubborn, I’ll take it by force.”
“So you really do hate me, Captain. I’ve tried so hard, yet no one acknowledges me. Everyone laughs at me; I’m not so foolish as to be unaware of what they say behind my back. You don’t see any potential in me, so you’re trying to kill me here, aren’t you?”
The atmosphere in the mine shifted. A dark aura seemed to be drawn from Ritta’s body into the spear. I could sense the fear radiating from those who stepped back or murmured in protest. Roel and the other two friends rushed forward with worried expressions, but Kirkton held up a hand to stop them.
Ritta was not herself; she could easily kill even those close to her. I could feel her murderous intent swelling.
“Without power, you can’t protect anything or do anything. Do you understand how I feel?”
“I’ll listen to your story later. Hand over that spear, or you’ll truly die.”
“That’s all lies!”
With a voice that sounded like a different person, Ritta lunged at Kirkton, aiming to stab him. Kirkton easily dodged and countered by deflecting the spear. Taking advantage of the opening, he tried to close the distance, but Ritta swung the spear to keep him at bay.
Kirkton retreated with a backstep, while Ritta slowly closed the distance between them. That dark aura felt eerily familiar. More than that, I couldn’t bear to watch any longer. Ritta’s transformation was alarming, but more than anything, I was worried about her two friends, who looked on with concern. Irene was on the verge of tears but couldn’t tear her gaze away from Ritta.
From Kirkton’s words, it was clear that the spear was driving Ritta to madness. I had to stop this; I needed to take that spear away from her.
“Kirkton, stay back.”
“I don’t need your help.”
“Just do it.”
As I refused to budge, Kirkton seemed to relent, sheathing his swords and stepping back. Ritta’s expression remained unchanged, her dead eyes fixed on me.
“Ritta, please stop. Your friends are worried about you.”
“Are you mocking me too, Rua? I thought I could trust you above all else.”
“Then please trust me.”
I knew it was futile to talk, but as I took a step closer, Ritta continued to back away, spear still poised. In an instant, I closed the distance and grasped the Black Spear. Ritta flinched, her body trembling, unable to attack as I appeared right in front of her.
She struggled to move the spear, but I had no intention of letting go.
“Rua, let go! Why are you doing this to me?”
“This won’t make you stronger.”
“I’m not strong like you, Rua. Because I’m weak, everyone looks down on me. I couldn’t even fight off a single monster. That day, when the Demon Lord’s army sent a monster after me, I was completely helpless. If my brother hadn’t come to save me, I don’t know what would have happened. You have no idea what I’ve been through, so how could you possibly understand my feelings? And yet, you keep getting in my way! I don’t know what to do anymore! I’m just a worthless girl!”
Tears welled up in Ritta’s eyes as she tried to wrench the spear from my grip. I had so much I wanted to say, but there was only one thing I needed her to understand. To teach her that, I first had to get rid of this spear.
“You can become strong without this. That spear doesn’t support you at all. But the two friends behind me are different; they care for you so much that they cry for you.”
I focused my strength into the spear. With a crack, it bent and shattered in my grasp. The blade’s tip rolled onto the ground of the mine. From Ritta, a dark aura radiated outwards, creating a gust of wind that nearly knocked the armed soldiers off their feet. But it was only for a moment; as if freed from something, light returned to Ritta’s eyes.
Then, as if the strings binding her had been cut, she collapsed to the ground.
“R-Ritta!”
As Irene and Shuri rushed over, Ritta weakly attempted to stand. We three supported her before she could fall again. The ominous atmosphere that had surrounded her vanished, and the Ritta I knew was back.
“I-I…”
“I’m sorry, Ritta. From now on, we’ll face this together.”
“Focusing solely on analysis makes you lose sight of what truly matters. I apologize too, Ritta.”
“I’ve caused everyone so much trouble…”
With large tears streaming down her face, Ritta was supported by her two friends. No one mocked her as she cried.
◆ Infirmary of the Kingdom of Avangarde ◆
“As long as you rest for a while, there shouldn’t be any issues.”
Thanks to being freed from the spear early, it seemed Ritta’s condition wasn’t a cause for major concern. I had expected Yuyu to use healing magic, but she did nothing. It appeared that simply eating three meals and sleeping was enough for recovery, and it was likely due to Ritta’s regular training that it was sufficient.
Irene and Shuri stayed by Ritta’s side as she lay on the infirmary bed; with these two around, she should feel safe.
“Is Ritta awake?”
Kirkton entered the infirmary. I was worried he might scold her here, but I felt a bit relieved.
“Captain… I’m sorry, I’m going to be fired, aren’t I?”
“Normally, you would face disciplinary action for insubordination, but I will overlook it this time. I didn’t see anything.”
“Is that really okay…? For someone like me…”
“Focus on your recovery for now. That’s all I have to say.”
With just that, Kirkton turned to leave, placing his hand on the doorknob.
“Once you’re fully recovered, don’t push yourself too hard. Especially avoid personal training for a while.”
“C-Captain… did you know?”
Kirkton left without answering Ritta’s question. He wasn’t angry at all; if anything, it seemed to me that he recognized Ritta’s potential.
“Captain is usually super strict, but he really does watch over us.”
“If my analysis is correct, if Ritta truly lacked talent, she would have been expelled long ago.”
“R-Really…? And yet I said such terrible things…”
Ritta blushed, wiping away the tears that flowed once more. Irene gently patted Ritta’s head, and in that moment, I truly felt that the bond of friendship was something wonderful. If I had someone to call a friend, it would probably be Roel, who was beside me, on the verge of tears herself.
“Fwegg, I’m so glad! Really, I’m so glad!”
“You don’t have to cry that much…”
She was even sniffling.
“If my analysis is correct, the captain should know the preferences of all his subordinates’ underwear.”
“Yikes! That’s gross! Maybe I should stop!”
Setting aside the antics of these two, I couldn’t shake the feeling that Kirkton seemed somewhat anxious today. Even without considering the Floor Monsters, given the disparity in individual abilities, that dungeon still felt dangerous.
From what I observed, the people lacked sufficient real combat experience against monsters. It wasn’t the same for the monsters around the castle.
“Shall we go?”
“Yeah. Oh, by the way, what are we going to do about the training from now on?”
“The request form didn’t mention a duration. It seems like an important detail was overlooked.”
“Seriously, if you can talk about your subordinates’ underwear, I wish you’d pay attention to those kinds of things too.”
“Th-that’s definitely a lie…”
Roel, for some reason, shyly clutched her robe. If she just left the infirmary, she should still be around here. We decided to leave this place to search for Kirkton.
◆ Kingdom of Avangarde, Prime Minister’s Room ◆
“Hmm, so this is the spear. Very well, I shall take it.”
Belmund pinched a shard of the spear and examined it from every angle. It was questionable whether he had any expertise in such matters, but there were certainly things that needed to be reported to Prime Minister Belmund rather than the King. Kirkton followed along, albeit with some doubts about the reasoning behind it.
“We should pass this on to the analysis team. However, Kirkton, you must have sensed it too. There is only one person in the world capable of crafting such a highly accurate cursed weapon and handling it with skill…”
“But there are plenty of weapons with such reputations… It might be premature to assume it’s the work of the Death Weapon Merchant.”
“You heard Ritta’s story, didn’t you? After disappearing without a trace over ten years ago, they suddenly reappeared today. And then there was the recent attack. Doesn’t it smell suspicious?”
“So, you mean to say that the Death Weapon Merchant is connected to them?”
Without answering the question, Belmund toyed with the spear shard in one hand, tilting his head. While he called it premature, Kirkton himself was almost certain. The sword wielded by Queed, a participant in the Combat Tournament, had been confirmed through analysis to be crafted by the Death Weapon Merchant. This mysterious figure had been spreading dangerously cursed weapons like the one we faced today until ten years ago. Their motives and identity remained completely unknown. Even those who had received weapons from this person provided conflicting descriptions—some claimed it was a man, while others insisted it was a woman, leaving no solid leads. Moreover, the number of lives lost due to cursed weapons far outweighed those who survived. Kirkton was frustrated with himself for letting his guard down, especially with the possibility of this figure resurfacing.
“You bear no responsibility.”
Belmund spoke as if he could see right through Kirkton’s thoughts. The wrinkles on his face were something Kirkton found difficult to endure. Even a seasoned warrior like him couldn’t hold his head high in front of this Prime Minister.
“Good grief, it seems like peace in this country is still a long way off. Truly…”
Kirkton simply conveyed his apologies for the Prime Minister’s resentful expression and exited the room.
◆ Kingdom of Avangarde, Castle Interior ◆
“Oh, there you are!”
After searching high and low, I finally found him. I tried to call out to Kirkton as he emerged from a room, but hesitated for a moment. He wore a tense expression that I hadn’t seen during training. Had something unpleasant happened?
“Huh, y-you guys. What are you doing here? Since when have you been here?!”
“J-just now. What’s wrong?”
“N-no, it’s fine…”
Kirkton seemed oddly flustered. Roel and I exchanged glances, puzzled, but I pressed on with my questions about the request form.
“I’m sorry, I completely forgot. Training ends today; it was originally meant to motivate my subordinates. I’ll report to the Guild. More importantly, I apologize for today. I didn’t mean to rely on you again…”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“Is that so? I’m glad to hear that…”
His tone was unusually hurried, and he seemed relieved over trivial matters, which felt off. Maybe he was just tired. If that was the case, I felt it would be rude to press him further. We thanked him and decided to leave.
“Kirkton, didn’t he seem a bit off?”
“Yeah, but I think he’s just tired. I’m feeling worn out too after dealing with Ritta’s situation.”
“Shall we head back to the inn? I hope the ship repairs are finished soon.”
The black spear that Ritta possessed, and Kirkton’s demeanor today—something felt off, but I quickly pushed those thoughts aside. I needed to get to the Wizard Kingdom as soon as possible. I still had no leads on the information I wanted to uncover. Would meeting Sage Hast provide any answers? I wondered how Truppo was doing. With thoughts of the unknown land in my heart, I decided to rest in a warm bed tonight.
◆ Shin Report ◆
Abbreviated as Shin Repo!
Shin Report: Rua’s Profile ← Kanji Unknown
Part 1
Name: Rua
Name of companion: Roel
Roel calls her Rua-chan. Older men often refer to her as “you” or just by her name.
I don’t know her favorite food; she eats everything deliciously.
Her least favorite food seems to be vegetables. When I tried to put some on Roel’s plate, she got mad.
She told me to eat properly, and I felt a bit down about it.
Today, we were doing soldier training.
They were teaching with silly words like “whoosh” and “shwoosh.”
I don’t think their intelligence is very high.
I saw a female soldier getting scolded, and Rua was angry about it.
She should just leave it alone, but I guess she’s too kind-hearted.
Today, we were buying weapons.
She was choosing cheap ones.
It seems she doesn’t have much money.
She gets along well with the female soldiers; they seem to like Rua too.
Human relationships are good.
Today, we went to the Mithril Mine.
We took a large number of soldiers with us.
The long-headed captain was as angry as ever.
Rua doesn’t seem to like that atmosphere.
Her face looks sulky when she sees it.
A female soldier she gets along with defeated a Brawling Monster.
That spear was probably made by that person.
I thought they were gone, but here they are wandering around.
Rua stopped a crazy female soldier.
She crushed that spear, which could withstand a hundred King Elephants, with her bare hands.
Her intelligence may be low, but her strength is insane.
I can understand why those three would be defeated.
“Ah, is this good enough? Honestly, why am I, a loyal aide to the great Demon Lord, doing this… I could have just let that old man Marionetter handle it.
Ugh, I’m so tired. Good night.”
Monster Compendium
【Mighty Cave King HP 2850】
A Vengeful Spirit resides within the rocks of the cave, or the rocks have been imbued with magical power and transformed into a monster. Its true identity remains unknown.
It has a simple combat pattern focused on physical attacks, but it possesses high resistance to both physical and magical attacks, so careless Adventurers either have their skulls crushed or are forced to retreat in exhaustion.