Chapter 4: Cursed Sorcerer Yamada
“Arrived!”
In front of me, ten meters away, was the energetic girl, Milan.
“Come on, Row! Hurry up! Run, run!”
She urged me on, bouncing on the spot as if she were running in place.
“Oh wow, this is it!”
Finally arriving in front of the Guild, I was greeted by a massive stone building. As I reached for the entrance, I noticed the doors were the swinging kind you’d see in a Western movie—this was the kind of Guild structure I often saw in anime and manga back when I was in Japan, themed around otherworldly transfers.
It made me wonder if other transfer students or reincarnators like me had a hand in building this place, considering how similar it was to the fictional structures I had seen back home.
With those thoughts in mind, I pushed the doors open.
“Excuse me!”
The moment I stepped inside, I was hit with a wave of déjà vu.
This was it. This felt just like home.
Inside the Guild, there was a dining area that resembled a tavern, which was quite unexpected. I could see people with flushed faces raising their glasses and shouting “Cheers!” even though it was still daytime—yep, just as I imagined! This was the Guild I had been looking for!
As I reveled in the sights, I felt a gentle tap on my shoulder from Milan behind me.
“Hey, don’t stare too much, okay? You might start a fight.”
She was right. I might have been a bit too rude with my gaze.
“Yeah, I’ll be careful.”
Even as I said that, my super-sensitive Yamada ears couldn’t help but pick up on their conversation.
“By the way—”
“What is it?”
“The town’s doing well, thanks to the heroes.”
“Yeah.”
“This is just between us, but—”
“Here we go, just between us, huh?”
“Go ahead, spill it.”
“Recently, the Hero Party started exploring a new Labyrinth, right? Didn’t you think that was strange?”
“What do you mean?”
“The previous Labyrinth was cleared in a single expedition, yet they returned after just checking the first floor. How does that make sense?”
“Ah, that’s true. But the dungeon they entered is different from the A-class dungeon we’re tackling, so it’s not too surprising.”
“That’s not it. Remember when we went together? We took down the Flame Dragon that came down from the Hidden Mountain with a party from the S-rank Clan, Old Capital (Bienetta).”
“Yeah, I remember.”
“What I’m about to tell you is something I heard back then. Apparently, the Sword Saint was holding back the Hero Party.”
○○○
I took a seat behind them and waved Milan over. I ordered a pint of ale for myself and hot milk with honey and cookies for her. I signaled Milan to wait a moment as she looked at me curiously, then turned my attention back to their conversation.
“That’s not what I heard.”
“Isn’t that the story you got from your friend at the Wandering Something-or-other? Just hear me out. There’s no contradiction here. What you heard is probably along the lines of this: They returned without casualties from the boss monster on the first floor thanks to the Sword Saint. She fought valiantly in the front lines. Am I right?”
“That’s correct.”
“That part isn’t wrong. But if the Sword Saint had been at full strength, taking down a first-floor boss would be a piece of cake. In fact, it seems she was the one who defeated the final boss last time.”
“Wait a minute, are you saying the Sword Saint was holding back? I’ve seen her fight, and she didn’t look like someone who would hold back at all!”
“Exactly. Both of you are right. She gave it her all. However, for some reason, she couldn’t unleash her full power.”
“What do you mean by ‘some reason’?”
“Here’s where my story comes in. Apparently, there was a meeting with the leaders of the major clans and the famous Guild Master Balen from Lemone Guild, along with the Hero Party.”
“I’ve heard about that.”
“During that meeting, it seems the Sword Saint was criticized. They asked her, ‘Why are you ignoring the Hero’s commands?’ and ‘Why aren’t you giving it your all?'”
“In front of everyone?”
“Yep, right in front of everyone. She was made to apologize. But no matter how much she apologized, that wouldn’t explain the reason behind it. So, why was it judged that she wasn’t giving it her all?”
“Stop dragging it out!”
“—It seems she didn’t use the Holy Sword.”
“Why not?”
“Well, it’s not that she didn’t want to use it; it’s more like she couldn’t.”
“That’s just speculation, isn’t it?”
“No, there are rumors that when she drew her sword, she started bleeding from her nose and quickly sheathed it.”
“So what if she had a nosebleed? What does that mean?”
“Can’t you figure it out? At this point, it should be obvious! Either the Holy Sword or the Sword Saint herself is cursed!”
A curse?
Eris is cursed?
Damn it! Who would curse Eris—
“Alright, I get it. Assuming she is cursed, who would have cast such a curse?”
“The Hero Party, remember? The one we talked about?”
“Huh?”
“Oh, you mean the Fugitive Holy Knight Yamada?”
“Wait, me?”
“Yep. Apparently, that Fugitive Holy Knight is the one who cast the curse on the Holy Sword.”
“Meeeeee?!”
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