Tier V Seeker ⑩
I was bewildered. No way. Seriously, no way.
“So I finally broke the tenth one.”
A near-hollow smile spread across my face.
But I had absolutely no memory of doing it. None at all. Not even the slightest bit.
(No. That’s incorrect.)
The Goddess of Knives immediately denied it.
“It’s incorrect?”
(Yes. This time, it’s a separate matter.)
“A separate matter?”
(…Woff. You cannot wield swords.)
The moment she said it, my heart skipped a beat.
So there was a reason I couldn’t hold one after all.
“Why is that?”
(Because you are cursed.)
“Cursed?! No, but if that were the case, I should know!”
A curse is a Debuff Relic. If it’s a Relic, it’s engraved on the vessel of the soul, so I should definitely feel it.
In fact, I recognized the Debuff Relic from the Dungeon of Death.
(Strictly speaking, it is a Relic.)
“A Relic…?”
(Yes. It is the effect of a Relic.)
“…Is it?”
(It is a Relic whose effect applies only to you.)
“Eh? W-What’s that…? Huh, what do you mean?”
(It is a Relic whose effect applies only to you in the entire world.)
Huh? W-What is that?
“Huh?……… S-So, what kind of effect does it have…?”
(The effect is simply that you become unable to wield any and all swords. That is all.)
“…Unable to wield swords…? J-Just that…?”
(Yes. Because the target is a single individual, and furthermore, the effect is not severe, combined with the user’s power, it has become the most effective Relic in the world, transcending all space-time.)
“What is that?”
What the heck is that? No, seriously, what the heck is that?!
What do you mean, all space-time? A Relic that affects the past and future, seriously, what is that?!
(That is how much she does not want you, Generous-sama, to hold another woman.)
“A-Another… woman…? Also, I am not Generous.”
(Yes. I am aware that you are the possessor of the Pseudo-Deification Relic. And the one closest to Generous-sama.)
“Because I’m close, that’s why the Relic affects me?”
(Yes. She, that esteemed person, does not want you to use another woman.)
“Hold on, what do you mean, another woman?!”
That phrasing is way too misleading!
(Swords. To that esteemed person, swords are women. Because that esteemed person is a sword.)
“? Swords are women? Who is this ‘esteemed person’?”
(The chief god of all weapons. The Divine Sword. A Gigantic OOPArts. Ikusagatsurugi—the War Sword. Generous’s Favorite Sword, ■■■■■■■-sama.)
“Eh? What was the name?”
(■■■■■■■-sama.)
“Um, I couldn’t quite hear it.”
(Ah, I see. Your divinity isn’t high enough yet.)
“I don’t have any to begin with.”
(Very well. For now, please refer to her as the Divine Sword.)
“The Divine Sword… S-So, that’s what’s cursing me… preventing me from holding other swords…”
(Yes. That is correct.)
“Does that mean the Divine Sword is female?”
(Yes. That is correct.)
Because she thinks I’m Generous, she’s preventing me from holding other women = swords.
She’s jealous. Whoa… That’s heavy… Scary. A chill ran down my spine.
“…Are other weapons okay?”
(Yes. Only swords. Knives are also women, but those are permitted.)
“Could it be that me breaking knives is also because of that Relic?”
I see. So that was it.
It wasn’t my fault.
(No. That is undoubtedly your fault.)
The Goddess of Knives denied it flatly.
She had an archaic smile, but her eyes weren’t smiling.
“S-Sorry. Um, does this mean I’ll never be able to hold a sword for the rest of my life?”
(Yes. That is correct.)
“…W-What should I do?”
(I do not know.)
“N-No way.”
I can never hold a sword as long as I live?
(…There is one thing, just one single… glimmer of hope.)
“Th-There is?”
(Yes. You must find that esteemed person.)
“Find her?”
(Yes. That esteemed person exists somewhere in this world.)
“Do you not know where she is?”
(I do not know. No one knows anything.)
“…So first, I have to search for that?”
(That is how it is. If you wish to wield a sword, that is your only option. Please find your Favorite Sword.)
“…’Favorite Sword’? But I’m not Generous or a god.”
So why me?
(Yes. You are human. However, the possessor of a Pseudo-Deification Relic is recognized as being both human and god. Close to a demigod or half-god. Moreover, you are [Generous]-sama. That carries a very strong meaning.)
“…But there’s someone else who is his Reappearance.”
(Reappearance? My apologies. I know nothing further. I am the Goddess of Knives.)
“Ah, sorry.”
(It seems our time is almost up.)
“Thank you for everything, um.”
(Woff. Let us meet again when you break the tenth knife. I pray that time never comes.)
“Y-Yes. I’ll do my best not to break them either.”
(Though it will likely be futile.)
“Eh?”
(Well then, may you have a good My Knife.)
After the Goddess of Knives’ benevolent, divine smile, my consciousness faded.
And then I woke up.
“Haaah… Seriously…?”
I sat up and let out a huge sigh.
It was still dark, so I yawned and went back to sleep.
Something shocking had happened, but sleeping on it again helped me calm down.
Searching for some Divine Sword whose location is completely unknown isn’t realistic.
Besides, humans can live even if they can’t use swords.
Yes, they can live.
Sure, I admire swords.
The royal road of fantasy might be magic, but the royal road of royal roads is definitely the sword.
Swords… Of course, I have lingering attachments. I want to use one.
But I don’t want to go meet the Divine Sword woman who’s preventing me from using swords across all space-time.
I feel like it goes beyond mere jealousy. The passion is too heavy, too terrifying.
That kind of thing is way too much for a 13-year-old boy to handle.
I haven’t even experienced childhood romance, yet dealing with the deep, messy parts of adult love is impossible.
“What a mess.”
I felt like I’d learned something I didn’t want to know.
Feeling like that, I found myself in front of the mansion.
Torquetum’s base. When I knocked, the one who opened the door was…
“Woff.”
Ms. Pachira. She stared intently at me with her blue cat eyes.
“Hello, Ms. Pachira.”
“Mmm. Bid told us you were coming. Said you had something to discuss with us.”
When we parted yesterday, Bid-san had told me, ‘I’ll pass on the message that you have something to talk about, so come tomorrow,’ which is why I was here.
“Yes. I thought it would be best to tell you.”
“Hmm. You may enter.”
“Excuse me.”
I was led straight into the living room.
Liv-san and Lupinus-san were already there.
Both were sitting on the sofa, drinking tea.
I knew Bid-san wouldn’t be here. He went out on a request with Mineha-san this morning.
Dagaa went with them too. He’s probably practicing his [Swiftfoot].
“Hello, Woff-san.”
Lupinus-san put down her tea and greeted me.
“Hello, Lupinus-san.”
“Nn… Yo.”
“Hey there, Liv-san.”
I sat on the sofa as prompted.
Ms. Pachira sat down too. All of Torquetum gathered on the sofa.
It felt like this had happened before.
“So, you have something to tell us?”
“Yes. Um, I became a Seeker under special circumstances.”
“Ooh, so you finally did it.”
Ms. Pachira perked up her cat ears and twitched her two white tails, one long and one short.
“Yes.”
“Nn… Congrats.”
Liv-san clapped.
Lupinus-san smiled.
“Congratulations. Special circumstances means you are the same tier as us, I presume?”
“Ah, that’s not quite right. I’m Tier V.”
“Hmm?”
“Oh my.”
“Nn…”
“It was the Witch’s decision.”
“That makes perfect sense, doesn’t it?”
“I see.”
“Also, about the Tower.”
“Right. Did you find anything out?”
“Yes. Actually—”
I explained in detail.
When I mentioned Alhazardo Abramelin, everyone reacted like a cosmic cat meme.
Especially Ms. Pachira, being a cat person, looked exactly like a space cat.
When I finished explaining, Ms. Pachira sighed deeply.
“I see…”
“I had no idea such a thing was happening with the courtyard Tower.”
“Nn… Wonderho.”
“So, what will you do?”
“I’m going to try challenging it once. I want to see how far I can get.”
I’m sure I’ll hit some impossible obstacle in my current state.
Even so, I want to try doing what I can right now.
“That’s the spirit of a Seeker.”
“Nn… So… the members?”
“They’re not all gathered yet. I need at least two more.”
“In that case, Liv. How about it?”
“That’s true. As it happens, due to certain circumstances, Pachira and I must go to the Tasan Territory.”
“To Tasan?”
Tasan. Juicy-san and Rell-san’s homeland.
Come to think of it, I haven’t seen Juicy-san recently.
“Mmm. Liv will be staying behind, so it’s perfect timing, wouldn’t you say?”
“Nn… Is it okay?”
Liv-san asked the other two somewhat hesitantly.
“It is. Woff. Take care of Liv.”
“Please look after her.”
“Y-Yes. Understood.”
“Somehow… different. Nn. But… looking forward… to working with you… boy.”
Liv-san turned to me and gave a faint smile.
“Yes, Liv-san.”
That makes two. Just one more person needed.
And so, the day of the Alhazardo Abramelin designated request challenge arrived.
“—Never thought I’d be going to the Junkyard at this age.”
“You’ve been to the Junkyard before?”
“Nah, there aren’t any Dungeons around where I live. I became a Seeker right after coming of age, so this is my first time at a Junkyard.”
“Nn… Liv too… same.”
“Come to think of it, you were a rich kid, weren’t you?”
“Pretty much. I’ve heard Hydrangea is the biggest Junkyard in the frontier.”
“Hmph. This is actually my second time here.”
“Ahaha… Mineha-san. Thanks for having me again.”
“Leave it to me.”
“Na!”
“Woff. Did your knife just make a sound?”
“Huh, you didn’t know?”
“Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve told him yet.”
“Nn… Interesting… lifeform.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Na?”
I’ll explain it to him later.
“W-Well then, let’s go.”
“Hey, say it properly.”
“Yeah. That’s right, Captain.”
“Mmm… Captain.”
“Na!”
“…W-Well then, the ‘Makeshift Wolf Brigade’ is heading out!”
And so, we, the ‘Makeshift Wolf Brigade’, headed for the Junkyard.
Towards the Sacred Chamber.