Tier V Seeker ③
I heard someone calling from far away.
(Wof. Wof… Wof)
Who?
(Wof… Wake up… Now is the time to awaken…)
“Eh, eh? Ngh, wh-what?”
When I opened my eyes, where was I? Some kind of pure white… space?
Eh, where? A dream?
(Wof. You have awakened.)
“Wh-who are you? Eh? Who?”
Standing there all alone was, how should I put it…
There was a mystical beauty, like some kind of culmination of sorts.
Sparkling hair. Silver eyes. She wore layers upon layers of strange garments.
Somehow, they looked like blades. Just a feeling, though.
(Wof. I am the Goddess of Knives.)
“Huh. Eh?”
(I am the Goddess of Knives.)
“……”
What did she say?
(I am the Goddess of Knives. I appear before those who have broken ten knives.)
“What… ten knives?”
Wait, the Goddess of Knives? What even is that?
I think gods existed in this world, but isn’t a Goddess of Knives a bit too sudden?
(Yes. Wof. You have broken ten knives faster than anyone else.)
“The fastest…?”
(Many have broken ten knives before. However, none have ever reached ten this quickly.)
“Really?”
Eh, wait. Have I really broken that many?
(—Normally, it takes about 20 or 30 years to go through that many. Moreover, the ones who usually break them are assassins or knife throwers whose profession involves throwing knives. Others include hunters, thieves, thugs in taverns who throw knives at wooden pillars near the protagonist’s nose while pointlessly telling them to wait, or thugs practicing that. After that, it’s mostly just hobbyists who simply want to throw lots of knives.)
The latter half got really sloppy all of a sudden.
What’s this about a protagonist?
(—Wof. Why do you wield knives?—)
“That’s because, well, they aren’t as heavy as swords.”
To be honest, I like swords more than knives too.
The absolute classic of fantasy. That’s the sword. Sword. Blade. And KATNA.
I envy Ax-san and Mr. Agaro.
But when I first held a sword, I was shocked by how heavy it was.
It’s this heavy? I was shocked, and that’s why I use knives as weapons.
(I understand. However, it is a fact that you have broken ten knives.)
Saying that, the Lady Goddess of Knives picked up a stone tablet.
Lined up there were all the knives I had broken… huh?
“Um, Lady Goddess of Knives.”
(What is it?)
“About this ninth one, ‘Mineha destroyed an obstructive knife in the Junkyard using 【Spiral】’… does this count as my fault too?”
(…Eh?)
The Lady Goddess of Knives looked at the stone tablet. She let out a small “(Ah)” and smiled at me.
It was truly a goddess’s smile, full of affection (an archaic smile).
(—Well then, let us meet again when you have broken ten knives. May you have a good My Knife.)
“Eh, wai-!?”
I shot upright.
“…Hah… hah… Hah… hah… A dream?”
What a dream. The Goddess of Knives… well, it was just a dream.
There’s no way she actually exists.
Gods existed in this world. Not ‘exist’, but ‘existed’. That’s what I believe.
But many people in this world still believe that gods exist even now.
“But still, a Goddess of Knives… haha.”
That’s just too much. Well, it’s a dream. A dream. Besides, nine knives?
There’s no way I’ve broken that many. Hah, what an unpleasant dream.
A really unpleasant dream. It made me remember why I use knives. Swords, huh.
“…Swords, huh.”
Swords. Right… It’s been two years since then. Maybe I could try holding one again.
Thinking that, I let out a soft yawn.
It was still dark. I went back to sleep.
Morning.
I sluggishly got up, washed my face, and started preparing breakfast.
“Na?”
“Morning. Where’s Mineha-san?”
Dagaa came over, still sleepy and unsteady.
It landed on the table next to the kitchen counter.
“Na?”
When Mineha-san is here, Dagaa sleeps with her.
It probably uses her as a blanket substitute.
When she’s not here, it sleeps with me.
“Can you go get her?”
“Na!”
Dagaa flew unsteadily towards the Tower.
I broke a firestone to light a fire, then placed a frying pan on it to heat up.
Firestones. They’re disposable Legacies called Attribute Stones.
They’re red. You can get loads of them in Dungeons, so they’re cheap and a commoner’s best friend.
Using Attribute Stones is simple.
When you break one, the fragments take on its attribute and disappear. That’s it.
Plus, since they’re stones, it’s nice that they don’t break that easily.
Meanwhile, I took some bacon out of the storage pot and sliced a few thin pieces.
I checked the oil pot, but it was pitch black. Damn it. I forgot to replace it.
“Can’t use this anymore.”
I erased the waste oil with 【Vanish】 and decided to use the bacon fat instead.
First, I rendered some bacon fat, then put the bacon and two eggs into the heated pan.
With just a light shake, I made bacon and fried eggs. Next, I took out some bean bread and sliced it.
I tossed them into the pan, coating them in bacon fat as they fried.
Once they were golden brown, I took them out.
I sliced the bean bread and sandwiched the bacon and fried eggs inside.
I placed two of these on plates. Is Mineha-san still not up?
I fried a thick slice of bacon for Dagaa and made tea in the meantime.
On the table, there’s a small shelf holding small pots specifically for tea leaves.
It’s something I set up recently. I took out a few types, mixed them, and ground them into powder.
Then, I put them into the Crescent Vessel with water and Compounded them.
The tea leaves are ones I bought or received from the Witch.
I took out Dagaa’s bacon and placed it on its dedicated plate.
I also poured the finished tea into cups for myself and Mineha-san.
This time, it’s black bean tea. I bought a bag of mixed beans on sale.
Maybe I should try making coffee soon.
“Mornin’~ Smells good…”
Mineha-san drifted over in her sleepwear.
Dagaa followed her.
“Morning, Mineha-san.”
Dagaa chomped down on the thick bacon. Mineha-san also ate her fried egg and bacon.
As she ate, seeming to wake up more, she asked me.
“Hey. What are you doing today?”
“I thought I’d go to the Guild and try taking on a request.”
It’s true that FIRE crossed my mind.
But thanks to the help of various people and the Witch, I managed to become a Seeker.
It wouldn’t be like me to let all that go to waste.
So, I thought maybe trying out the Seeker life would be good.
I’m a man, too. Dungeon Exploration is a man’s romance.
Although, there’s also the question of whether 1,450,000 Oro is enough to FIRE.
Thinking calmly, it’s not enough to live idly.
It’s only enough to live frugally without working.
To FIRE comfortably, I’d need around 10 million Oro… no, maybe 5 million Oro?
If I wanted to live idly, I feel like I’d need a bit more. So, FIRE disappeared from my thoughts.
Well, that aside, I became a Seeker.
That’s why I decided to take on a simple request and try diving into a Dungeon.
That’s basically it.
“Hmm. Sounds fine.”
“What about you, Mineha-san?”
“Mmm, I’ll relax a bit more. Ah, if you’re going to do the Grand Guild Master’s request, make sure you call me. Got it?”
“I know.”
Got one person first.
Yesterday, after coming back, the two of us and one animal had a small celebration.
I actually wanted to tell Ms. Pachira and the others too.
But they said they’d be back late, so I decided to tell them another day.
So I haven’t told Liv-san either.
Well, it’s not a huge deal, just becoming a Seeker.
During that celebration, when I explained the details, Mineha-san offered her help.
I had no reason to refuse, so I asked her myself. Two more to go?
Well, I don’t plan on doing that request just yet.
The Grand Guild Master’s exploration request, huh.
This is a request there’s absolutely no need to rush.
First off, this exploration request has no time limit at all. Plus, he failed it.
Alhazardo Abramelin probably doesn’t expect me to solve the exploration request.
I can somehow tell. This is the kind of request that’s expected to take years to tackle.
Or perhaps it’s a request that might never be solved, even in a lifetime.
I don’t know when he failed.
But a Tier I Seeker who became the Grand Guild Master couldn’t accomplish it.
There must be something fundamentally close to impossible somewhere in this request.
Something that won’t be solved in years, decades, no, even a lifetime.
Keeping that in mind, I don’t intend to clear it on the first attempt for now.
But I’ll do what I can.
Which means preparation and finding companions.
But today, I’ll take my first request as a newly minted Seeker.
After finishing breakfast, Mineha-san went to the Tower. I got changed.
“Na!”
“Are you staying behind?”
“Na!”
“Hey, hey. Again?”
I sighed, drew Agaro’s Knife Modified, and placed it down.
The blade glowed as if burning blue. Dagaa poked the blade with its front paw.
Each time it poked, it burned blue. Or rather, ripples formed.
“……”
This feeling of ripples forming… it’s like an LCD panel.
Well, there’s no way it’s actually an LCD panel, though.
Ever since I showed Dagaa this knife, it seems to have taken a liking to stepping on it and does it often.
I have no idea what’s fun about it. I don’t even know what this creature is in the first place.
By the way, on the way back from the mansion, I got hungry, so I stopped by the Cidre Tavern.
Mr. Agaro was there, so I immediately showed him that knife.
While drinking, Mr. Agaro looked at it with great interest.
I explained what happened and apologized. In response, Mr. Agaro roared with laughter.
He told me that Flame Tongue had actually broken many times, and it only became what it is now after being repaired each time.
He told me my knife might end up like Flame Tongue too, which made me give a wry smile.
Also, it was a bit awkward when he tried to get me to drink alcohol as a celebration for becoming a Seeker.
But I was happy.
“Alright. I’m heading out, but what about you?”
“Na!”
Dagaa turned into a knife. That must mean he wants me to take him along.
I put away Mr. Agaro’s Knife Modified and sheathed the Dagaa Knife.
Alright. I’m off.