Aside: Amanda

Reincarnated as a Sword — LNCrawler · All chapters

Aside:
Amanda

I SCREAMED AS I WATCHED Fran fight Gaudartha. She was so much stronger now. I couldn’t believe it. I knew that she would grow up strong and beautiful, but thought it would take at least ten years. I’d honestly thought she would lose. I certainly would’ve had trouble facing the rhino.

Her growth was abnormal. I had met talented adventurers with potential in the past, but Fran was on another level. She must have been fueled by her desire to evolve, and fought with that burning desire.

And then there was Teacher, her strange sword. I’m sure he must’ve provided Fran with guidance, as well. Teacher himself looked stronger than when I last saw him. His skills were leveled up, and I sensed the great mana inside him. I couldn’t let my guard down.

Fran showcased some strange skills during the Gaudartha fight: Timespace Magic, Thunder Magic, and the ability to rapidly cast one spell after another. And most impressive of all, Black Cat Evolution.

I found Physical Immunity to be her most surprising skill. I only noticed it because I’d fought someone who had it once. She took Gaudartha’s axe head-on without flinching, an impossible feat for even the strongest of barriers. If it wasn’t Physical Immunity, it must be something similar. A dangerous skill, but not without its weaknesses. I could tell that Fran consumed a lot of mana to activate it. Once she ran out, crushing her would be a cinch.

“Not that I think I’m in for a walk in the park…”

I needed to prepare myself. I was actually fighting her and Teacher—I didn’t know where one’s power started and the other’s stopped. The nobles around me shouted as they watched her fight.

“That girl is very impressive. Adventurer?”

“Oh, but she’s a beastman. She must be from the country.”

“I want her in my army. Such strength.”

“I won’t let you get first dibs, old chap.”

“I can think of many ways of employing her beauty.”

“Ho ho ho, like under my—”

Fran was strong and young, after all. Still, I couldn’t just let these disgusting men say whatever they wanted. Which of my spells should I use?

“She would do nicely in the Imperial Guard.”

“She could keep my daughter safe.”

At least some of these people had standards. I’d hold off on burning the entire room. Oh, but Fran had grown up so much…

A Black Cat couple happened to visit me one day over ten years ago. They were adventurers who’d been under the care of my orphanage a few years before. Their names were Kenan and Framere, and they’d come to show me their newborn baby.

We’d parted on unfriendly terms, so I was happy to see them again. It was my fault. I’d prohibited them from pursuing Evolution and becoming adventurers. They just didn’t have the talent for it. They didn’t have much mana, and possessed only an average mastery of weapons. Since they grew up around me, they thought adventuring couldn’t be too hard. But it wasn’t quite so easy that the natural talents of a beastman could get you through. The only future I saw for them was death.

I could’ve handled that conversation better. I should’ve listened to them before voicing my objections. That was why I was so happy when they introduced me to their baby: Fran.

That baby shared the same name, and would be about the same age as my Fran. I’d thought she was dead. I’d heard news that Kenan and his family had died, but baby Fran was nowhere to be found. That’s why I didn’t recognize her when I first met her in Alessa. I thought that little baby had died. But her face reminded me just as soon as I asked for her name. She looked so much like Framere when she was a little girl.

I thought of becoming her guardian. I knew her parents, after all. But I didn’t think I had any right. In the end, I hadn’t been able to protect Kenan and Framere. And, besides, Fran was doing all right by herself.

I decided to keep quiet and protect her in another way, so I sparred with her, to be her teacher and instruct her. Unfortunately, she already had Teacher to take care of her. But that was all right.

There was something only I could do. I could become the wall she had to overcome.

Fran would become one of the great adventurers in history, but there might come a day when her strength would make her complacent. I would be the wall to remind her that there were always stronger people. That she was still young. It was a mission I couldn’t entrust to anyone else.

I couldn’t remember the last time I trained so hard. I even levelled up Whip Arts for the first time in ten years. Fifty was still young for a half-elf, but I’d been using elven years to count my life, and I was slacking off. I had plateaued, and I couldn’t improve everything I wanted, but I got a lot done in those few months.

Now that I was a Whip Master, I could beat Fran. It was a Class I had pursued for years. The best way to get stronger was to have a clear goal.

Today, I stood opposite Fran in the ring. She smiled without a trace of fear. Winning was the only thing on her mind.

“I won’t hold back.”

“Hm!”

I had to put my life on the line. Fran was much faster than me—I’d gathered that much from yesterday’s fight. I also knew that Black Lightning would fry me in one strike. She had gotten even stronger since she evolved.

I had to win this match. I had to become her wall. A close shave wouldn’t cut it. I had to defeat her completely. How could I say to her “You’ve got a long way to go!” if I was half-dead when I said it? I was ready to make my sacrifice.

“Begin!”

“Hexagon Tornado.”

Fran launched multiple spells as soon as the fight started. Teacher was definitely behind most of them. How else would you explain the thunder spells when she only cast wind? She sent lightning and tornados at me—wind to disrupt my whip, and electricity to paralyze me.

Good plan, but not good enough. I used my strongest Advanced Whip Art, releasing my charged-up mana all at once. Using most of my mana in one go was a risky move. If Fran handled this attack, I might very well lose.

“Invocation: Vaisravana!”

My whip lashed all over the arena, so fast that even I couldn’t keep up with it. It blew Fran’s spells away, and I attacked too fast for Fran to dodge. But she still had Physical Immunity. I felt my attacks land, but Fran was unscathed. She was visibly losing mana, though, so I kept up my assault. I had to keep going!

I couldn’t keep this attack up forever. Advanced Whip Arts rapidly ate away at my whip’s durability. If I used it for long enough, my weapon would tear itself to shreds. I loved this whip and I’d had it for a long time, but I was prepared to lose it in this fight. I would worry about the finals after I beat Fran.

Soon, she disappeared from my sight.

“Here it comes.”

Teleportation with Timespace Magic. Easy enough to handle, as long as you knew what you were looking for. I immediately distanced myself from my starting position. I saw her look of shock when she found that I wasn’t there, but she didn’t give up. Fire burned in her eyes. She navigated the storm of whiplashes by skill and magic. She was fast, much faster than I expected. Frannie, you’re so strong!

“Haaaa!”

Claaaang!

Beloved of the Spirits triggered. I couldn’t dodge her attack in time. I was in Fran’s range now. This was bad.

“Tsch!”

Her sword was charged up with black lightning! I had to dodge it!

“Aaaaah!”

***

I was a few inches away from piercing Amanda’s eye when I broke.

Gah!

“Huh?”

Amanda’s attack, still ravaging the whole arena, had finally drained my mana. Physical Immunity deactivated.

Argh!

Receiving the full weight of Amanda’s attack, half my blade immediately shattered. Fran suffered the same fate—a crack of Amanda’s whip sent her flying.

“Oof!”

I could regenerate later. I had to heal Fran! The warmth of her blood ran down my blade. Her body was covered with deep lashes. How many strikes had she taken? Physical Immunity was out of the question, but at least I had enough mana to heal her.

Heal!

Hang in there! Just don’t die yet!

My prayers went unanswered. The Cradle of Time activated, and time reversed.

“What just happened?! Ten seconds in and the battle is over!” the commentator spat into his microphone.

Surely it had been more than ten seconds?

“Fran’s salvo of spells was dissipated with a thundering crack of Amanda’s whip! If you caught anything after that, give us a call, because this commentator couldn’t keep up!”

If our attack had landed, I was confident we would’ve won. But Amanda’s whip was far stronger than I imagined.

“I’ll tell you what I can see, though: the destruction of our beautiful arena! Ten seconds in, and the ring looks like the ruins of a war zone!” The commentator accurately described the arena. What wasn’t broken was severely damaged.

“We…lost?”

Yeah.

Fran picked me up, still dazed. It had all gone by so quickly. “Already?” she muttered, still finding it difficult to believe.

Yeah.

Amanda approached us. “Fran, are you okay?!”

She was panting. That one move exhausted her, knocking out over half her mana. But she was more worried about Fran than herself. Amanda loved children, and it had to have gone against her very nature to kill Fran. Her face was filled with sorrow.

Fran got up and flexed to prove her that she was okay.

“You’ve gotten tougher, Frannie. That was a close fight, but I guess I’m still stronger.”

“Hm.”

“I had to give up my whip, though…”

It was in tatters. The move was so powerful that even Amanda’s weapon couldn’t sustain it for long. I guess that’s what happened when your attacks left craters in the arena. I would probably break, too, if Fran attempted anything like that. Amanda’s whip didn’t look like it was coming back from this. Cradle of Time had only activated for Fran, leaving Amanda without its benefits.

The loser was consoled by being brought back from the dead, while the winner had to carry the burden of victory.

“I knew you were the better swordsman when I watched your quarterfinals. You’re faster and stronger than I am, too. I had to come up with a special tactic to beat you.”

She’d figured all that out from that one fight.

“And you’ve gotten hold of Physical Immunity, or something like it.”

“Well—”

“You don’t have to tell me. I had a hunch when you beat Colbert. You can’t use that kind of defense forever, though. I just needed to hit it enough to break through.”

We’d played right into her hands. She kept her distance and kept pressure on us to drain our mana. We weren’t outclassed in strength—Amanda had outmaneuvered us through her superior knowledge. No wonder she made it to A-Rank.

“I lost…”

“Don’t be so down on yourself.”

“I didn’t train hard enough.”

“Frannie…” Amanda looked flustered. She tried to cheer Fran up, but if she thought Fran was moping, she was mistaken. Fran wasn’t that sort of girl.

“But I’m definitely taking third place!”

She was sad and she had regrets, but she would learn from this defeat and apply it to the next fight. It was a strange kind of optimism that made her an excellent fighter. I felt her enjoyment, too. While Fran didn’t think of Amanda as her teacher or master, she clearly appreciated being stopped by this insurmountable wall.

“Good luck!” Fran said. Amanda looked relieved, and Fran shot her a smile. “You better win the final, Amanda.”

There was only one way to answer that statement.

“You can count on it!” Amanda clapped Fran’s shoulder and nodded. “By the way, are you busy after this? I would love to have dinner together. I think I can win if you pep me up…”

“I’m watching the next fight and going to bed after that.”

“Oh…well, I suppose it can’t be helped.”

They were both sad about it, but Fran needed her rest. She might be restored physically, but her mind still needed to recover.

We watched the next match from our private room. Amanda was roped in by the tournament officials in preparation for tomorrow. She wouldn’t have had time for dinner, regardless. I’m so sorry, Amanda. At least we had a clear view of the arena from here.

“I can see everything.”

Yeah.

Fran fidgeted in her seat, waiting for Forlund and Phelms. I was looking forward to this battle of the giants, too. The crowd burst open with applause. I think Forlund was slightly more popular, if we were measuring it in decibels. As the crowd’s shouting reached its peak, the match began.

It lasted a lot longer than I expected. Phelms evaded Forlund’s multitude of swords, and even managed to cut some down with his threads. With his rapid attacks, Phelms looked like he had the upper hand in the storm of spool and swords.

But Forlund turned it around in a second. He summoned about a hundred swords in an instant, and sent them flying about in the arena. Phelms struggled to find a way out of the sword hell. In the end, they proved too formidable. The swords chased the old gentleman down and ran right through his body.

I guess we’re up against Phelms for third place.

I breathed easy. They were both strong, but Forlund had the power to copy any magic sword he touched. I didn’t want to think about what would happen if he got his hands on me.

We’re in for a tough fight.

“Powerful strings.”

That was all we could say, really. We knew he was strong, but we’d never fought anyone who used wires before.

“We’ll still beat him.”

We got some hints from watching him just now. We’ll damn well try.

“Hm!”

***

Night fell over the alleys of Ulmutt. A woman screamed as if she was being pursued.

“No, no, no! This is all that girl’s fault!” the young woman shrieked.

She was dressed in mage’s robes, her cheeks were sunken, and her eyes had bags under them. A shame. She used to be beautiful. She moved like a wraith as she shuffled through the darkness.

“What now… What should I do…?! My master would never forgive me…” the woman muttered, turning her head now and then to check for pursuers. “No…! I won’t let it end like this…!”

The woman made her decision. A dark decision, specific only to those who set their sights on hell.

“I need that girl’s sword!”

***

“It’s a lovely day for a fight to the death! We open our festivities today with a match for third place!”

This was the last time I would get to hear the commentator’s excited voice.

What’s wrong, Teacher?

Today’s the last day of the tournament.

More reason to give it our all.

You’re right.

Hm!

Fran nodded enthusiastically. She was having none of my premature nostalgia. Her only concern was the immediate match against Phelms. Very reassuring.

“Coming in from the West Gate: C-Threat Adventurer, the Princess of Black Lightning, Fran! She is without a doubt this year’s breakout combatant! And it’s not about her looks, either! Beneath her cute appearance are fangs that took down an A-Rank! Will she show us her Black Lightning again today?!”

The crowd roared again. It was familiar by now. They received Fran with feverish enthusiasm. And here I thought they were just here for the finals.

What about Phelms? He’d said he only wanted to reach the semifinals the last time we talked. I hoped he hadn’t lost his motivation.

“There he is.” Fran directed her gaze towards the lean gentleman at the other end of the stadium.

I hate to admit it, but he looks like he’s in top shape.

Phelms smiled casually as he walked into the ring. He wasn’t nervous, and I knew he wasn’t about to go easy on Fran, either. His oppressive aura was more apparent when he was right in front of us. He was like a deep river, as the old cliché went—calm on the surface, with a strong current rushing underneath. I didn’t expect any less from the veteran A-Rank.

Good.

Yeah, for you.

Fran would be disappointed if Phelms wasn’t at the top of his game.

“Coming in from the East Gate: Dragon Hunter Phelms! He’s a retired adventurer, but this old dandy can still run circles around his spry juniors! He may be fighting for third place, but his old strength is alive and well!”

Phelms wore his usual light armor, if you could call it that—a white shirt and black slacks. The man looked like a butler who had taken off his suit jacket. Of course, if you looked closer, you’d see it was all made of dragon materials. Scales were even woven into the fabric of his shirt to reinforce it.

“Hello. It’s been a while.”

“Hm.”

“Would you be upset if I said that I didn’t expect to see you here?” he asked.

“I feel the same way about you.”

“Ha ha ha. You got me there.”

We’d fully expected Royce to win his earlier match, but the old man had proven his mettle. I didn’t know what to expect from his strings. How did you even fight like that, anyway? Most worrying of all was his combat experience. That was one way to overcome our superior stats. If we were more experienced, we could’ve handled Amanda’s reckless tactic yesterday.

“The young rising star versus the wise former A-Rank! Who will win this battle of extremes?!”

“Me,” said Fran.

“Ah, but you’re mistaken. I am going to win.”

Fran readied her sword and Phelms dropped into his fighting stance. He looked like a karate fighter, with his spools of thread probably hidden under his gloves. I checked the threads out, just in case.

Name: King Baleen Battle Wire

Attack: 100-489; Mana: 500; Durability: 500

Mana Conductivity: C-A

Skills: Timespace Element, Flash Element, Ocean Element, Frost Element

Name: Dragon-Eater Spider Thread

Attack: 55-455; Mana: 300; Durability: 700

Mana Conductivity: D-B+

Skills: Flame Element; Sand Element; Land Element; Storm Element; Steel Element; Thunder Element

That was a lot of elements. Could he change each thread at will? I guessed their attack power changed depending on their length and thickness.

“The combatants look ready to tear each other to pieces!”

Fran and Phelms locked eyes.

“Let the match for third place…begin!”

I immediately launched the spells I had prepared.

“Thunderbolt.”

Gale Hazard.

Blaze Wave.

Acid Venom.

Our spell salvo should work against Phelms, even if it failed against Amanda. His threads would conduct enough electricity for Thunder Magic to be effective. The wind spell was there to blow his threads away, and I threw in a flame spell just in case they were flammable. The poisonous acid was there just in case they weren’t.

Our spells mowed down the threads Phelms sent after us. The strategy worked for defense, but our spells were soon overwhelmed by the sheer multitude of wires. I felt powerful mana emanate from each thread. Magic wasn’t going to be enough.

We have to get closer.

“Hm.”

Phelms had the advantage in ranged combat and could easily dissipate any spell we threw at him. Ironically, if we had an extra couple hundred meters between us, we would have the upper hand. Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough space. We couldn’t retreat far enough to escape his threads.

The only thing left to do was get into close quarters. We decided to forego Physical Immunity this time, Amanda’s million lashes still fresh in our minds.

We need to get closer.

Yeah.

We needed speed. Speed enough to break through the threads unscathed.

“Flashing Thunderclap!”

“Hrm!”

Black Lightning accelerated Fran forwards, the sudden boost in speed startling the veteran. He should’ve anticipated Flashing Thunderclap after watching Fran’s fight with Gaudartha, but there was a difference between watching it and seeing it activate in front of your eyes.

He sent more threads after her, but there was no stopping us. Besides, speed wasn’t the only way to avoid his wires.

Teacher, the plan!

Got it! Dimension Shift!

Short Jump!

He could tell where would go, so I used Dimension Shift to cover our tracks. The Timespace spell allowed attacks to go right through us. Activating it took a few seconds, but I just needed it to cover the gap that teleportation left in our defense.

Phelms looked up, read our move, and surrounded the space above him with threads, but Fran slipped through all of them unscathed.

“Hrm! Timespace Magic…! Dimension Shift, I see!”

He’d figured it out?! I hated dealing with veterans. They had ways of dealing with everything, even Timespace manipulation!

“Haaa!”

Fran brought me down from the sky, but Phelms had taken this into account. A barrier of threads encased the old man, stopping us mid-plunge. Each individual wire was reinforced with mana, dissipating the force of Fran’s sword. Despite our advantage in skills, we didn’t know how to deal with these threads. Fran couldn’t see what he would do, even with her Sword King Mastery.

Well, we’re just getting started!

The black lightning covering Fran’s body ran down my blade. I hoped the current would run through the threads and electrocute Phelms. It was a noble wish.

“That’s not going to work.”

“Hrmph!”

The power of the black lightning faded instead of shocking the old man. He had spun enough threads to disperse the electrical current. Fran began hacking away at the barrier, dishing out more electricity with every slash. However, the barrier held. How did he handle this so well?!

One more time!

Dimension Shift.

Short Jump.

Create Clones!

I repeated the teleport strategy, but this time I made clones to provide a distraction. They would be destroyed in a second, but that was okay. Phelms wouldn’t ignore them, even if he knew they were clones, especially since they had physical bodies. Watching copies of myself die was unsettling, but I was getting used to it. Still, I didn’t expect the shape my three copies took this time.

“Hm?”

What?

Name: Clone

Attack: 100; Mana: 50; Durability: 100

Mana Conductivity: C

Instead of creating human bodies that reflected my past life, I made swords. They were exact replicas, and Phelms became more wary of them than I expected. His concentration was split between the multiple swords that suddenly surrounded him. I could ponder why I’d made swords instead of bodies later. We had a battle to win.

Go!

I sent my replicas flying into Phelms. Well really, I just let them fall. I didn’t expect any of them to do significant damage. He destroyed them with his threads in one flick. They didn’t have the durability to last, but they made for a good distraction. We were lucky that Phelms had just lost to Hundred Blades Forlund. He was really scared of our replicas. In fact, he paid more attention to them than he did to us.

“Tsch!”

Eat this!

Fran accelerated with Flashing Thunderclap, amplified with myriad other spells. It was her fastest attack so far today. She broke through the thread barrier and charged Phelms. He didn’t see it coming, and we took advantage of his surprise.

“What?!”

Phelms dodged the bulk of our blow, but a thin line of blood flowed from his arm. Nothing much, but I had coated my blade with Venomfang. I doubted it would do significant damage, considering his Abnormal Status Resistance. Still, I was hoping that the poison would throw him off a little bit. Manipulating that many threads must require his whole attention.

Fran pressed the advantage and went on the offense. She was doing a lot better now that we were at close quarters. Wounds began to pile up on Phelms’ body, and he jumped back to give himself more distance. Was he really that bad at melee? As we were about to give chase, however…

Fran, wait!

“Hrmph!”

A geyser of threads erupted from under Fran’s feet. They moved like tentacles, tracking her down to tie her up. Phelms must’ve set this up in case he got drawn into melee combat. We’d played right into his hands. Fran managed to dodge, thanks to her Trap Sense, but we needed to be more careful. Phelms’ Lay Trap level was pretty high, and there was no telling where his tripwires might be. Even worse, the old man had managed to escape. This left us in the red—Flashing Thunderclap had eaten away at Fran’s life while I spent mana on the Timespace spell. These wires were a lot more dangerous than I thought!

“One more!”

Yeah!

We charged forward with Dimension Shift. Phelms started to move away, but we were prepared for it this time.

Jet!

“Grrr!”

“What?!”

Jet stuck his face out of Phelms’ shadow and clamped his jaw around his ankle. We told Jet to wait for our signal, since we knew he couldn’t keep dodging Phelms’ innumerable threads. Phelms must’ve known about our direwolf, but had probably forgotten about him. Fran moved in for the kill, but Phelms’ defense proved too formidable.

“Grargh!”

“Jet!”

Blood dripped from Jet’s face as wounds opened up on his muzzle from the multitude of invisible threads. Jet yelped in pain and let go.

Jet, get back in the shadows!

“Arf…”

Phelms was a tough opponent for Jet, who focused on evasion more than defense. We should probably keep our distance if a single thread did him that much damage.

“Hmph!” Phelms made a large gesture as Fran continued her advance, creating a wall of wires.

Teacher!

On it!

We were ready to teleport and continue our charge, until we were suddenly thrown into the air.

“Gah!”

Another trap?!

It happened again. Tentacle-like threads chased after Fran as she tripped another wire. Phelms didn’t attack with his left hand, but that didn’t mean it was idle. The fingers moved intricately, unlike the grand gestures of his right. I had no way to be sure, but I assumed his left hand was the reason my Trap Sense going crazy.

We have to get rid of these threads!

Hm!

Burning them would be better than just dodging them.

“Inferno Burst.”

Inferno Burst!

We focused our flame spells on a single point. The move was similar to when the P.A. focused her spells on one point during the Lich fight. It wasn’t perfect, but it was far more powerful now that synergy gave it a penetrating property. The flaming snake chased him down, burning everything in its path. This should work!

To our surprise, Phelms managed to handle it. He whipped his threads around the flame to weaken it, which made sense. But then he threw himself into the fire.

“Hiiiiyaaa!”

He punched the roaring flames with his right hand. It was weaker now, sure, but it was still a blazing inferno! Was he going to sacrifice his own arm?

Before our shock could wear off, Phelms extinguished the flames entirely. His arms were now encased in woven mana threads. Paired with his high-level Flame Resistance, he was pretty much flameproof.

“They call me the Dragon Hunter for a reason, you know. Their breath tends to be quite fiery.”

Phelms had fought dragons all his life, and our spells did resemble a dragon’s breath attack. No wonder he handled them so easily.

We switched gears and turned to the wind element.

“Wind Cutter.”

Tornado Lance.

Gale Hazard.

Hexagon Tornado.

But Phelms took our wind spells in stride, too. He broke up the gusts of wind with his threads, even forming walls to divert them away from his body. I guess there were dragons who produced hurricanes with their wings and breath, too. He handled the attack with ease, as though he had seen it a thousand times.

With fire and wind out of the question, we were forced to resort to thunder and Timespace.

Let’s start with Timespace.

Not that Timespace Magic offered many offensive spells to begin with. Dimension Sword was the only one that fit the bill, and even that could only be used up close. We warped in and fired one off. The spell moved through physical objects to cut a specific point in space. In exchange for this extraordinary penetrative capability, it had a very short range. You also couldn’t change the spell’s trajectory, and moving even an inch would cause it to miss. Given that Phelms was mostly stationary, I hoped it would land.

“I’ve seen that before.”

“Tch!”

Earth Digger!

“That one, too.”

But the veteran proved his experience. He knew Dimension Sword and dodged it completely. I thought taking the ground from under him would prevent him from moving, but he predicted this move and formed a web over the pitfall.

“Now it’s my turn!” he said.

“These threads…!”

Some of the threads formed sickles and whipped into Fran. The smaller threads formed spears and launched at her from all sides. Each point was strong enough to pierce plate armor. The hidden threads were even more dangerous. On top of being practically invisible, these thin wires were charged with Phelms’ mana and sharp enough to lop off an arm or two. Our barrier managed to hold them off, but we couldn’t let our guard down.

Fran, things are only going to get worse for us the longer this drags out. He can probably keep making threads indefinitely. There’s no end to them!

Hm! Got it.

Phelms continued weaving, despite all our attempts at burning, cutting, and destroying them. I didn’t know if it was his Create Mana Thread skill or something about his equipment, but the wires kept on coming. He was even able to control the threads after they were cut off, further adding to his web.

Teacher, use Thunder Magic.

Sure.

He’d dispersed our thunder spells earlier, but there had to be a limit to that. A spell like Thunderbolt should be able to overload him. Black Thunderfall would immediately kick Fran out of her awakened state, so we held off on using that for now. Its area of effect was far too focused. We needed something that would prevent Phelms from running away.

Thor’s Hammer!

The Level 8 thunder spell covered a sufficient amount of ground—not enough to set the plains on fire, but good enough for the purposes of this arena.

“Hrmph!”

Get those threads out of here!

A giant magic circle formed over the arena, and large pillar of lightning shot out, crushing everything like the hammer of an angry god. We could mitigate its wrath with Fran’s Thunder Resistance and my Dimension Shift. Phelms should be the only one fried to a crisp.

“…!”

Seriously?!

But it was not to be. I lost count of how many times our expectations had been subverted today. The thick bolt of lightning disintegrated upon touching a single thread. I couldn’t believe my eyes.

But that was a high-level thunder spell!

“This is a barrier I prepared specifically for thunder dragons. It’s served me well, even after all these years.”

There goes lightning! His weave must be strong if it could fend off thunder dragons. I realized there must be a dragon for every element, and started having second thoughts about using magic.

“Tidal Weave!”

Fran’s shock at seeing our attack fail hadn’t worn off, and Phelms exploited this chance by sending a wall of threads that looked like a tsunami. Should I teleport us away, or break through it with sword and spell?

I’m going in!

Got it. Dimension Gate!

It was Phelms’ turn to be shocked as he saw us charge through his wall. Dimension Gate was much easier to control than Short Jump. He tried to get away from Fran as she stepped out of the gate, but it was too late.

“Haaa!”

Fran slashed right across Phelms’ body. I gasped in surprise, startled at the odd sensation of cutting through his flesh. It was a lot more brittle than I remember.

This is…!

“Hm…?”

A dummy!

Threads burst out of the body instead of blood. He had crafted a puppet of himself, even casting a spell on it to make it look like him—all in the time it took us to break through his wire wall. Fran shook off the threads and looked for him. He was right behind us!

Swoop! Wires shot from Phelms’ hand and looped around Fran’s neck. It was only a few strands, but they could easily chop off her head.

“Ha!” Fran dodged and pivoted. She tossed me into her free hand and stabbed Phelms’ right side.

“What?!” Phelms contorted his body, evading our counterattack. He whirled and launched more threads from the back of his hand.

Fran pressed on, cutting through the threads that were reaching for her neck, but Phelms was persistent. He set tripwires around Fran’s feet to disrupt her. She only managed to keep her feet attached thanks to her barrier. She made another attempt at stabbing him, but he leaned back like a limbo dancer. However, that was the limit of his movement. She immediately brought her sword down on him. He shouldn’t be able to dodge that.

And yet, just as I was about to cut through him, his body moved at an impossible angle. It jolted to the right while he was still leaning back. As I looked closer, I found that there were threads attached to his body. He must’ve used them to yank himself to the right.

We got him, though.

“Hm!”

I felt my blade reach his organs, despite not cutting him straight through. His threads nullified my Elemental Blade, but not my physical one.

“Gah…Weave Bandage.”

Come on, how many tricks does he have left?

His threads wrapped around the gushing wound. It didn’t seal the cut completely, but it was good enough to stop the bleeding. Slight blood loss wouldn’t impair him in battle, thanks to his Pain Immunity. He was also wearing a Bracelet of Life Regeneration instead of his Bracelet of Poison Immunity today. He’d soon be back to full health.

He jumped backwards, realizing the dangers of being in close. “You’re pretty good.”

“You too!” Fran prepared to charge again.

“I’ll have you stay there, if you don’t mind.” Mana gathered in Phelms’ fingers. So far, it had been distributed all over the arena via his threads. This was the first time he was focusing it on a singular point.

Get ready! It’s a big one!

“Hm!”

“Thread Manipulation! Formation of the Four Spirits!”

Phelms crossed his arms over his chest, then flung them open. Every thread stretched out over the arena obeyed his command and launched at Fran. Each one was also slightly elementally charged, making for a rainbow display of slaughter. We couldn’t fend off the swarm of spools for long.

“Kaah!”

Heal!

“Haaa!”

Short Jump!

We cut them down as they came, burning them with spells, dodging them with warps, and healing through the damage. None of the hits had been lethal so far, but our mana was constantly draining. We weren’t the only ones with a mana upkeep, though. Phelms was feeling it, too.

Should we turn on Flashing Thunderclap and go into overtime? I could easily heal through Phelms’ attacks, and it seemed like the older man would run out of mana before we did.

“Augh!”

What the—?! Greater Heal!

A gash appeared on Fran’s leg. I quickly healed it, but she was hit with another that took off her arm.

“What is—argh!”

Greater Heal!

What was going on? Why wasn’t our barrier working? Did Phelms have an attack that can go through barriers? This was bad!

Dimension Shift!

I used a Timespace spell to get us out of there, but the strange attack kept happening.

“Ungh!”

Heal!

A wound formed over Fran’s cheek, despite the fact that we were mid-Dimension Shift. The attack didn’t just go through barriers! I wracked my brain, trying to figure out what would be capable of such a feat, and noticed then that some threads were passing through others, and right through our barrier. They had the same attribute as my Dimension Sword.

I remembered the skills on one of the threads. King Baleen Battle Wire’s Timespace Element! That was what gave them the ability to pass through barriers.

“Our barrier’s useless.”

Pretty much.

We couldn’t keep dodging like this. Dimension Shift was rendered useless, too. But his Timespace threads might be difficult to weave, since he hadn’t used them right away. Maybe I was looking at things wrong. His Timespace threads would soon overwhelm us, leaving us with no way of defending ourselves. Even teleportation was useless.

There was no more room for doubt.

Teacher, I’m using our trump card!

Yeah, let’s finish this fight!

The longer this fight dragged on, the worse it was for us. We had to finish it. We charged up our mana while desperately dealing with Phelms’ intense assault. We managed to avoid any fatal blows, thanks to Sword King Mastery and the training of our Sense skills, but we were losing mana fast.

Phelms’ barrier would block any light attacks we made. His threads had high mana conductivity on top of being plain strong. It would take a powerful attack to break through. Well, we would just have to hit his barrier with our most powerful attack.

Fran!

Is it ready, Teacher?

Yeah, sorry it took so long.

Fran grinned with a satisfied smile, even though her body was covered with wounds. Her aura even gave Phelms cause for concern. We would definitely lose if this attack failed, but Fran was happy to unleash all our strength for once. She was smiling in the heat of battle, thankful for such an opportunity.

Jet, start running.

Woof.

Do it.

You got it!

I cast the spell, putting every bit of my mana into it.

Haaaa! Kanna Kamuy!

Collateral damage was inevitable. This move was almost impossible to control. The only reason why I was comfortable using it was because I could prevent it from going completely berserk by using Double Mind. This was a spell unlocked only at the highest level of Thunder Magic—the most powerful thunder spell in the world.

It came to fulfillment as I unleashed the concentrated mana.

Grooooar!

The thunder dragon descended with a roar, striking the arena with a pillar of light. Kanna Kamuy, the pinnacle of Thunder Magic, looked more like a natural disaster than a spell. I had doubts about whether a human could cast this, even if they had maxed-out Thunder Magic—the mana cost was just that high. They would either run out of mana, or their brains would fry. Even Fran couldn’t use this spell.

I could cast it, but controlling its force was so difficult that it made me uncomfortable. It came with a nasty headache too, preventing me from moving afterwards. I couldn’t use it in the heat of battle, at least for now.

“Gaaah!” Phelms screamed as he watched his precious thread barrier scatter and burn.

“Black Thunderfall!” Fran unleashed her Black Lightning, piercing through his damaged barrier. With Kanna Kamuy having consumed his threads, Phelms had no way of defending himself.

“Uraaaagh…” White and black electricity snaked around Phelms’ body. Just as with Gaudartha, we were immediately blown away by it. Fran coughed up blood as she smacked into the barrier protecting the audience from the arena.

Long Jump!

I focused my remaining energy and warped us out, all the way above the arena.

“Urgh…Heal!”

You okay?

“I think…?”

Black Lightning wasn’t something we could use in this kind of enclosed space. It caused too much damage. We looked down on the arena and saw that the black and white lightning had joined together in a marbled pattern. The electric chaos prevented us from seeing what was inside.

That was close.

Yeah. We’d be dead if we’d stayed in there.

I’d thought about using both Kanna Kamuy and Black Lightning even before the Gaudartha fight, but decided against it. It was too dangerous, even for us. But I had an idea after seeing Jet escape out of the dome during the Gaudartha fight. I checked the rules, and found that we wouldn’t be disqualified for leaving the ring, as long as we didn’t touch the ground. Thanks to the barrier, we could escape the wrath of our own spells.

Or so I thought.

“Teacher, look!”

Oh no…the barrier…!

The dome expanded like a balloon. We could feel the electricity, even from outside. This might be bad.

Can’t you do something about this?

Jeez, I dunno…let me think…okay. Dimension Gate!

I created a gate linking the inside of the barrier to the outside. Once it found a hole to escape from, the pent-up storm exploded in a backdraft. But that didn’t stop the dome from expanding. It slowed its rate down…but only slightly. Then, my worst fears came true.

Kabooom!

The dome exploded. Violent winds tore through the stands.

“Kyaaaa!”

“Eeeek!”

“H-help!”

I saw pandemonium for the first time. With no time to run, the audience could only panic in their seats. Fortunately, they didn’t have to deal with lightning bolts, since they had already been discharged. They only had to deal with the typhoon. Granted, it was still strong enough to blow away little children. We heard later that it looked like a giant tree of light had grown out of the stadium.

The manatech activated soon after the barrier disappeared, instantly fixing the damage. At least there was no mess to clean up, and mass casualties were averted.

That…was too close.

“Hm. Not doing that again.”

We definitely went too far. Now, how do we get back down?

“Any ideas?”

I don’t have much mana left. The most I can do is cancel the momentum of your freefall with telekinesis.

“That works.”

I didn’t have enough left to telekinetically glide Fran down to safety. She was practically out of mana, too, having been kicked out of Awaken. I let her fall, then stopped her with wind spells and telekinesis just as she was about to hit the newly erected dome. It worked, and she got away with only a mild shock.

“Phew.”

How’s Phelms doing?

Did he survive? The ring was completely destroyed. It looked like someone had a field day with an excavator.

“Wow wow wow! Did she really just do that?! I’ve been in this commentator box for a long time, but that was the first time I’ve seen my life flash before my eyes! The barrier was destroyed from the inside out!”

Good thing the commentator was still alive. He proceeded to describe the situation, while most of the audience were still in a panic.

“And our beautiful stadium has been reduced to rubble! Who would’ve thought a twelve-year-old girl could do such a thing!”

We got a better look at the stands now. Things were quite awful—some people were crying, some frozen in place, and some were still frantically trying to escape. But the commentator’s voice reassured them. Their sanity restored, people returned their attention to the ring, anxious to know what had happened, and what would happen next.

“And would you look at the crater inside the ring! Phelms has been raised by the Cradle of Time! The dragon of pure lightning was too much for the Dragon Hunter! With the spectacular display of her namesake, third place goes to the Princess of Black Lightning: Fran!”

The crowd roared with applause. These folks sure took things in stride. They had almost lost their lives. It must’ve felt more like a roller coaster ride than a plane crash.

Let’s get to the ground.

“Hm. Jet.”

“Woof!”

Jet popped out of the shadows and hunkered down in front of Fran. He wasn’t much use in the fight, so the least he could do was give her a ride. The applause rose when everyone saw Fran riding her direwolf. It all got to Jet’s head, and he started to make a victory lap around the arena. The audience lapped it up. Admittedly, it made for a pretty picture.

Fran, wave to the people.

“Hm? Like this?”

The crowd roared with appreciation as Fran waved in a random direction. She was like a rock star.

“Fraaaaaan!”

“Black Lightning Princess!”

“I want you to be my sister!”

Indeed, my little girl shone brighter than all the idols back on Earth. No, you cannot have her as your sister.

We wandered around for a bit, unsure where to land now there was nothing left to land on.

Oh no. What are they gonna do for the finals?

The finals were delayed for three hours because of Fran. The giant crater we left behind took a lot of time to fix. We watched from above as the Land Mages and dwarven craftsmen repaired it.

“Looks like they’re almost done,” Rigdith said.

“Hrm.”

“You’re still eating?”

“Urmph. Mmm.”

“Okay, got it. Enjoy your meal.”

We had been invited to the Beast King’s private room. I thought that we might say a quick hello…but they seemed to have figured out Fran’s weakness for food, and a scrumptious buffet was waiting for her when she entered. Fran was helpless against this temptation. She agreed to watch the finals from the Beast King’s room, having been roped into his plot. Rigdith seemed like a nice guy, and Fran could actually make conversation with him. He probably set this whole thing up.

Fran was the girl of the hour in Ulmutt, especially among the beastmen. All of them were quiet the day before, but everyone wanted to talk to her now. Some of them were forceful, and some of the nobles used their position to be rude to her. You could never quite avoid those idiots completely.

But what if she was sat right next to the Beast King? No one would dare pull any weird stunts. The only thing abusers feared was someone more powerful than them. Even if Rigdith was interested in Fran, he knew she had the tremendous value of being the first Black Cat to evolve in centuries. He wasn’t going to let idiot nobles give the Beastman Nation a bad name. In fact, he might gain their admiration by winning her over. It was a win-win deal, so we played along.

Fran was the most famous Black Cat in the world. She had achieved something denied to her tribe for five hundred years. I wondered if she knew the trouble her popularity would bring. She had wanted to display her Evolution during the tournament and change how people saw her tribe. She was aware that nothing would be the same afterwards, but she wanted to better the lives of her tribesmen.

Fortunately, her acquaintance with the Beast King should ward off anyone that might take advantage of her. It helped to have friends in high places.

“Here’s your food.”

“Hm. Thanks.”

For some reason, Gaudartha was serving her faithfully. He patiently got her another plate of roast beef when she asked, and even got Jet some raw meat. The burly bodyguard was acting like a butler. When we asked why, he said it wasn’t only because she’d beaten him, but because she was a member of the Ten Tribes. He was also used to the inherent laziness of Black Cats, thanks to the long years he spent under Kiara’s tutelage. Serving Fran came naturally to him.

The Beast King called out as she was eating. “Hey, they’re making their way in.”

“Hm.” Fran sat on the couch next to Rigdith with her extra-large plate of meat. The small couch looked like it was prepared specifically for her. Not that the Beast King would be so considerate. Apparently, Royce had gone around all the shops in Ulmutt looking for a suitable couch for her. Sorry about that, Royce.

Fran and Rigdith watched as Amanda and Forlund entered the arena. I felt bad for having delayed them.

The crowd exploded with so much applause that the stadium shook. Even the Beast King had to cover his ears, and his room came equipped with soundproofing manatech. Fran’s flopped ears looked cute as always, but seeing Rigdith and his vassals do the same was kind of disquieting. The commentator began introducing the fighters.

“Coming in from the West Gate is Amanda the Hariti! She seems to have lost her weapon in her last match, so we’re very curious to see how she will fight today! But look at that invincible smile, ladies and gentlemen! No wonder the girls like her more than the guys do! What a manly grin!”

Amanda had a different whip strapped to her waist today. While it was a strong enchanted weapon in its own right, it couldn’t compare to the whip Amanda had used for years. I wondered if she could handle Forlund with it.

“Making his way in from the East Gate is the man who is closest to S-Rank: Hundred Blades Forlund! No smiles here, folks, just the cool look of a calculating fighter! Can he keep his cold mask until the end of the match?!”

They slowly walked to the center of the arena.

They chatted casually, already acquainted with each other. However, their conversation was drowned out in the noise. One thing was for sure; they weren’t going to go easy. They knew each other too well for that. Their desire for battle was building. They went to their starting positions, and began.

“Hrm!”

“Ho ho! That’s good!”

You know you had a good fight on your hands when Fran and the Beast King interrupted their meals to watch. Amanda kept her distance and pelted Forlund with wind spells and whip cracks. The newly repaired ring was immediately destroyed again, and Amanda fired the rubble towards him with more wind spells. She wasn’t a former Storm Warrior for nothing.

Meanwhile, Forlund produced swords and launched them at her, trying to close the distance. He was good at ranged combat, but he was no match for Amanda. They moved about for a good ten minutes before Amanda decided to end the match with a powerful attack. She couldn’t keep this pace up for long. She was taking a beating from Forlund’s mana swords. She readied her whip for a match-ending comeback.

“Ultimate: Skanda Killer!”

This wasn’t the move that beat us. She placed her whip at her waist as if to quickly draw it like a sword. The attack was so fast that we could only see streaks from this distance. We didn’t know what kind of attack it was, but could at least tell that Amanda was the source. Unfortunately, she missed.

“Dang it…I was going for your neck!”

“Close.” Forlund managed to dodge Amanda’s attempted decapitation. It highlighted the difference of power between us and them. It hurt to know that we still had to master the basics, despite already obtaining great destructive power.

“I won’t go easy on you.”

“I’ll show you how to fight without a weapon!”

Amanda’s whip was destroyed in her last attack, leaving her weaponless. The spare couldn’t handle her full power. Amanda fought hard, but the match ended with Forlund’s victory.

“Ugh…I can’t believe the emotionless jerk beat me…”

“Equip yourself next time.”

“With over a thousand combatants in the tournament, your champion this year is Hundred Blades Forlund! The man so strong he might as well be S-Rank!”

Fran watched as Forlund was declared the winner.

He’s strong.

Hm! But I’ll get stronger than him. And Amanda, too!

Of course.

The Beast King looked down at the arena with the eyes of a carnivore. His fighting spirit boiled over into murderous intent. “Forlund…I’d love to fight him one day.”

“Your Majesty, restrain yourself.”

“Don’t go attacking him out of nowhere, Lord Rig.”

“I won’t! What do you take me for?!”

“A meathead?”

“A battle junkie?”

“Urk…” Even the proud King Rigdith was no match for his vassals Rosch and Royce. He sulked quietly at their reproach.

“Well, it’s almost time for the award ceremony. You should get ready,” Royce said.

I had completely forgotten about that. Fran did win third place, after all. I hoped she would be able to stand a boring ceremony. If worse came to worst, I could move her around with telekinesis.

You can sleep if you want to, but just don’t snore.

“Hm?”

Just stay awake while you’re on stage.

Chapter 7:
The Truth About Godswords

WE LEARNED A LOT from participating in the tournament.

First and foremost, Fran had evolved. We probably wouldn’t have found any leads on Evolution if we hadn’t come here. Not only that, but we learned the conditions of breaking the personal and collective curse of the Black Cat tribe—the most vital piece of information Fran needed to accomplish her grand goal of lifting them all up.

And the experience gained from our battles was invaluable. This was the first time Fran could go all out against powerful opponents without worrying about losing her life. Even if we lost to Amanda in the end, we learned valuable lessons about our strengths and weaknesses.

More importantly, we didn’t lose when our lives were on the line. We got acquainted with the Beast King, and learned about the current state of Black Cats in the Beastman nation. That was all pretty good.

Personally, Fran’s new nickname was of the utmost importance to me. “The Princess of Black Lightning” was so much cooler than “Swordceress.”

Fran, wake up!

“Hrm…I’m…awake.”

We’re almost done. Come on, it’s your turn.

“Hm…”

Fran was half-asleep, but I couldn’t drag her all the way to the podium with telekinesis. Hang in there, Fran!

There’s a present for you if you can stay awake!

“Hm. New and improved curry.”

I’ll cook a batch up just for you.

Fran’s eyes lit up at the mention of it, her appetite blowing away her sleepiness. The effects were even more potent now that her beloved curry was involved. This buff wouldn’t last forever, but it should keep her awake long enough for her to receive her medal.

“Fran? Black Cat Fran? Please make your way to the podium.”

Go on.

“Hm.”

Fran walked up to the podium and received a medal from the viscount of Ulmutt. This was our first time meeting him. Apparently, Dias was the de facto ruler, and the viscount was only there as a formality. The man was lean, and didn’t seem disposed towards interfering in other people’s business. His meekness made him perfect for the position.

Fran’s medal had the Ulmutt crest on it, as well as the words “Third Place.” The prize money of one hundred thousand gold would come tomorrow.

“They were spectacular battles.”

“Hm.”

Fran was curt as usual, but I told her to give him an elegant bow, made possible by Royal Etiquette. There was quite a stir when the crowd saw the young star had impeccable bearing. It always paid to have good manners.

With the award ceremony over, we were summoned to see the Beast King again. He had taken up residence at the most expensive inn in town, going so far as to rent out the entire floor. The Adventurers’ Guild had called for her too, but Fran had questions to ask Rigdith first.

There were a number of beastmen outside his residence. I listened to their conversations, and gathered that they were nobles who had come to greet their king. However, he wasn’t one for such stuffy formalities, and they were all turned away at the door. They knew His Majesty’s ways. He probably did the same thing back home, which meant they’d visited despite knowing they would be turned away. I suppose ignoring your king was in bad taste, even if he didn’t feel like seeing you.

Of course, all of them knew Fran. She caused a commotion just by showing up. They gathered around her, though no one dared to say anything. Jet was back to his original size, and glared at anyone trying to approach. A low growl was all it took to give them second thoughts.

Fran passed through the crowd and entered the inn. Jet retreated back into her shadow as soon as they passed through the gates. I didn’t think we could see the Beast King without an appointment, but it turned out that Fran’s name was already on his guest list. He must’ve told reception to let her up. Rigdith was more considerate than I thought.

“Hey. You’re early.”

The Beast King was lying on his grand sofa. He had taken off his gear and was only wearing a plain white shirt and pants, giving him a wild look. Still, the gold ornaments decorating his clothes suggested that they weren’t cheap. The man looked like he belonged in a painting. He was like a lion lazing about in the savannah, while somehow managing to retain his royal aura. But Fran wasn’t interested in his appearance, and got closer so she could talk. “Tell me about Kiara.”

Yep, that’s my girl!

“I’m about to. Have a seat.”

“Hm.”

Fran sat in front of the Beast King, and Rosch got up to make tea. Rigdith slowly rubbed his chin, thinking about how to start. “I’ll have to talk about my old man first—the previous Beast King.”

“Sure.”

Fran straightened up and listened. The previous Beast King was called Velthus Narasimha, a paranoid man who was feared by his servants. His Evolution into a Golden Lion was only made possible with the help of other members of the royal family. He wasn’t a capable warrior, and he was just as bad at commanding his army. Physically and strategically, he was the weakest of all the Beast Kings.

His mad paranoia, coupled with his nonexistent talent, made him fear other members of his race. He exiled many of his subjects, weakening the Beastman Nation’s army in the process.

Velthus’ paranoid delusions reached their peak in his persecution of the Black Cats. Prejudice was decreasing before he came along, and beast tribes mostly left them to their own devices. But the paranoid king ordered the Blue Cats, both within and without the Beastman Nation, to capture and enslave the Black Cats. He was afraid of an uprising should one of the Black Cats ever evolve. Like him, they were of the Ten Tribes. Like him, they were feline. The king couldn’t afford to let sleeping tigers lie.

“In the end, it was my old man’s cowardice that made him stop at slavery.”

If Velthus wanted to stamp out the Black Cats for good, he should’ve ordered their genocide. But he was too afraid of incurring the wrath of the gods—or worse, the wrath of his fellow tribes. And he couldn’t shake off the feeling that one of them would survive and rise up to kill him.

“It prevented him from killing Kiara, at least.”

The king ordered her capture after receiving news from his Blue Cats outside the country. He hesitated to kill her, and besides, he could use her to set an example. He could nip their rebellious tendencies in the bud by showing that no one could oppose him—not even the strongest Black Cat of their tribe. Velthus could’ve employed the powerful Black Cat as his own servant, highlighting his influence. Instead, he made her clean drains.

Rigdith then repeated the part of the story we knew already.

“The Beast King held the other Black Cats hostage, and made Kiara into a slave.”

The incident with the enemy summoner happened when Kiara was in charge of waste disposal. That was where she met Rigdith, Gaudartha, and Royce. She hadn’t lost an ounce of her spirit, despite the long years of slavery. In fact, the scent of royal waste was far less pungent than the depths of a dungeon.

Slavery had forced the Black Cats to be more hardened to suffering than the other races. I remembered Fran’s excitement during her first stay at a cheap inn.

“Meeting Kiara made us question the awful conditions the Black Cats were in. To begin with, why were we enslaving members of our own race?”

Kiara’s strength showed Rigdith that Black Cats were not inferior. He began looking into historical records and discovered the sins the tribe had committed, strengthening his conviction that prejudice against them was wrong. Even if they had committed a great crime, the gods had already punished them for it. There was no need to enslave them. Young Rigdith even thought it was the king’s responsibility to help the tribe undo their curse. The straw that broke the camel’s back came when he found out that his father had burned all records of the curse.

“I was the first generation of the royal family to have never heard about it. My old man destroyed everything.”

“I already know how to undo the curse.”

“What? You do?!”

“Hm.”

The Beast King bowed his head. He brought it down so fast that it hit the table with an audible thud. “Tell me,” he said. “Please! Just name your price!”

“I’ll tell you for free.”

“Are you sure? I doubt that information came cheap.”

“Yeah, but I don’t mind. Make sure this information gets to every Black Cat and we’ll call it even.” It was Fran’s turn to bow her head. She needed his help getting the word out.

A confident look came to the Beast King’s face. He grinned, knowing that his network of merchants would be able to spread the word. “I’ll get the Adventurers’ Guild on it, too. The entire world will know.”

“You sure?”

“Count on it. You’re talking to an S-Rank, remember?” The king puffed out his chest.

“Why is a king an adventurer?” Fran wondered out loud.

“Why? To get stronger, of course.” Rigdith was talking about raw physical strength. “I didn’t like the way my father did things, so I became an adventurer, along with Kiara’s other pupils. We got stronger, accumulated more and more supporters, and eventually overthrew the old man.”

Rigdith would never admit it, but he was willing to bear being called “Patricide” and “Usurper” for the sake of helping Kiara and her tribe.

“Thank you.” Fran bowed her head, understanding his motives.

“Cut that out. Don’t you thank me for being selfish. You’re giving me the creeps!”

“Hm. Got it,” Fran said, still bowing her head.

“Okay! We’re done here! Away with you; I’m busy!”

I doubted that very much, considering Rigdith’s state when Fran entered. Still, we excused ourselves, leaving him to his duties.

Come on, Fran.

“Hm.”

Next stop, the Adventurers’ Guild.

“Bye.”

“Yep! See you around!”

Fran raised her hand and the Beast King waved her off. He displayed such unkingly levity, which was probably what made him popular.

Having said our goodbyes, we made our way to the Adventurers’ Guild. It was right next door, and I expected our interview with Dias would take more time than our walk there.

“Why hello, Fran. Congratulations on getting third place,” Dias said as soon as she walked into his office.

“Hrm.”

“Heh heh. What’s the matter? You don’t seem too happy.” The facetious old man knew what he was talking about.

“Because I lost to Amanda.”

“An average C-Rank would give his head to place third in our tournament.” Dias grinned. He knew Fran was not your average C-Rank. The fact that a C-Rank could beat an A-Rank was downright miraculous. I daresay anyone capable of such a feat had a right to let the victory get to their head. Still, the Guildmaster didn’t need to warn Fran about such a thing.

“I couldn’t beat the Beast King, either…” she continued, still disappointed in herself.

“No need to compare yourself to a monster like that. I don’t think I could do anything to him, either…”

“I’ll beat him one day.”

“You sound like you’re serious.” Dias shivered. Well, we still had Forlund and Amanda to beat before we could take on the S-Rank. “I tried pushing you into B-Rank because of your accomplishments…but it’s not happening any time soon.”

“But I just got into C-Rank.”

Isn’t she advancing too fast?

Did the tournament count towards her evaluation? It was a good measure for a professional soldier, but an adventurer?

“Even so, you beat an A-Rank. Your fighting capabilities are far beyond a C-Rank.”

I guess…so why isn’t she getting promoted?

“The other Guildmasters disagreed.”

“Other Guildmasters?”

“Yes. I was just on the manaphone with them.”

Her age was the primary issue.

“Some appealed to the lack of precedence. But most of them complained that a fighting tournament was a poor measure for an adventurer.”

“I see.”

I figured. Winning an organized fighting tournament didn’t mean you were suited to be an adventurer. That was reasonable enough. The strength of an adventurer lay in more than just combat prowess. A weaker adventurer who could sense and disarm traps, had extensive knowledge about magic and monsters, and had the calmness of mind to adapt to the situation, could be just as successful as their stronger-but-less-knowledgeable counterpart.

Still, beating an A-Rank did make Fran closer to a B-Rank than a C. In the end, an adventurer still had to know how to fight.

“Fran has also been the subject of exceptional promotions. Others were bound to speak up if she ranked up again so soon.”

I couldn’t disagree there, either. Fran had gained most of her promotions through special missions.

“They also doubted Fran’s ability to lead a party in combat.”

“What do you mean?”

“B-Ranks usually band together to take on missions. They need party leaders to deal with stampedes, disasters, and high-rank monster hunts.”

Fran’s not doing that.

“Hm. Can’t be bothered.”

“I figured,” said Dias. “That was the only point I agreed with them on.”

Her personality made it impossible for her to lead. She had no experience and didn’t really talk. Her party would be wiped out in minutes.

“Finally, Fran’s conduct made her unsuited to become a B-Rank. B-Rank adventurers have to deal with aristocrats.”

“Really?”

“Yes. You are free to accept and refuse, of course, but try telling that to a marquis or a member of the royal family. The guild looks to its stronger members to accomplish the tasks the nobility have for us.”

And that’s where B-Ranks come in.

A-Ranks were powerful, but they were few and far between. They couldn’t take all the important requests if they wanted to, so the guild would deploy its B-Ranks. They risked upsetting the aristocracy if one of them gave offense.

“Not that you have no manners, judging by your conduct at the award ceremony.”

Fran’s manners were impeccable thanks to Royal Etiquette, although the same couldn’t be said for her speech. Maybe she could play the strong and silent type? No, maybe not.

“Which is why Fran will remain a C-Rank for now. Sorry.”

“Hm. It’s okay.”

You did all you could.

A twelve-year-old B-Rank would set too strange a precedent. Fran would have to store up points and work for her promotion like everyone else. But it would make for good training.

“Still, I wanted to give you the promotion if I could, if only to thank you.”

“Thank me?”

Dias looked at her seriously. “Yes. I have you to thank for telling us of Kiara’s whereabouts. I would’ve gone on resenting the Beast King if you hadn’t come in contact with him. I would’ve been suspicious of his every move.” He bowed his head. “Thank you. Thank you so much. I kept up my end of the deal with Lumina, too, so that’s a load off my shoulders.”

I’d never seen him so earnest before.

I wondered what would happen with Lumina now. The Black Cat knew that Kiara was safe, but she’d spent a huge amount of her power helping Fran evolve. Ulmutt’s dungeons would definitely be affected until she could recover, but I was more worried that she would be disposed of now that she was no longer useful.

Speaking of, how are the dungeons doing?

“Right. There have been fewer monsters since Lady Lumina lost her powers. We’re probably going to drop its difficulty rating.”

O-oh.

“I’m sorry.”

I would have some choice words for us if I were Dias, but the old Guildmaster just shook his head and laughed. “Remember that her previous plan involved sacrificing herself to help Black Cats evolve.”

Dias had known about Lumina’s plan, though she didn’t tell him the details. She was willing to turn herself into a Fiend and die in order to help Fran evolve.

“Looking at it that way, dropping the dungeon’s difficulty is a small price to pay.”

But you can’t get as many materials and crystals from it.

“True. But now lower-rank adventurers can use it to train. The economy might experience a slight boom if beginners start flocking to our city.”

I was glad to hear that Ulmutt was going to be all right. Fran would’ve been depressed if the once-bustling city became deserted for the sake of her Evolution.

“We can finally get to talking about your quest.”

You mean the C-Rank personal quest?

“Oh yeah.”

It had been put in place to guard Fran from the wiles of the Beast King. Not that we had any use for it now, since Rigdith was our ally…

“I’ve notified the other guilds that you’ll be taking on this quest. You can’t refuse, I’m afraid.”

Okay, what’s it for?

“I’ve been thinking about it, and how would you like to go to the Beastman Nation? You’ll be able to complete the guild’s immigration inspection as you go, and you could get the support of the guild there, too.”

“What would I do when I get there?”

“Confirm the whereabouts of a missing adventurer. There are still people looking for her, and we would like to know how she’s doing.”

Dias wanted to know how Kiara was. He was really good at putting the guild to personal use.

“Uh-huh…”

That’s nice of you, Dias.

The Beastman Nation was full of fluffy ears. I would love to check it out.

“But we have an auction to go to.”

The one in the capital, right. It’s not like we have to attend, so let’s head to the Beastman Nation first.

But you could get good crystals at the auction. Fran wanted to go to the auction for my sake.

But we might not. Besides, we can get crystals just as easily in the Beastman Nation. Who knows, some of them might be interesting. Don’t worry about it.

“But…”

Dias noticed Fran’s inner conflict. “Something bothering you?”

“There’s an auction in the capital I wanted to check out. It’s in June.”

“I see. Well, you still have over a month. Going to the Beastman Nation and finishing your errands should only take about three weeks.”

There you go.

“Hm. The Beastman Nation it is.” Fran nodded happily, unable to hide her enthusiasm.

“Ha ha ha. Thank you for your cooperation. Now—”

A knock came on the door.

“I’m letting myself in. Oh, Frannie! Hey.”

“Elza.”

Elza entered the room, looking great despite Amanda’s beatdown. Her skin was bright and bouncy, and she seemed to be in a good mood.

“Hello, Elza,” said Dias. “Have you found out anything?”

“Lots. They were a lot more cooperative once I wore them down.”

“What are you talking about?” Fran asked.

“I had Elza interrogate Solus and Seldio’s accomplices.” That explained her bright smile. “They told me a lot of interesting things.”

Given their ambush in the dungeon, Seldio and Solus were definitely taking orders from someone else. This someone must’ve been crooked, judging from the strange enchanted swords in our attackers’ necks and the fact that they were able to bust Solus out of prison.

“Looks like they were working for Marquis Aschtner.”

Marquis Aschtner? Never heard of him. But it sounded like Seldio was somehow related to the man.

“Do you know why they wanted to take Fran’s sword?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Tell me.”

“It’s a really dumb reason. The marquis ordered them to look for Godswords. Seldio was a disgusting pig, but he was still an A-Rank, so he had access to all the guild’s hidden information. But you remember how crazy he was? That’s why he took everything that looked like an enchanted sword. Seldio was so far gone that he couldn’t even serve his master’s purposes. What a joke.”

“They broke their own guys?”

“Marquis Aschtner gave the order that Seldio was to be drugged to keep him in line. He looked like the leader of his own party, but the bandit and mage were the ones pulling his strings. They pushed him too far, and eventually he couldn’t tell left from right anymore.”

The drugs made him lose his mind in the end. He misinterpreted the order to find Godswords and thought any old enchanted sword would do. It was kind of funny, when you put it that way. They had only stopped by Ulmutt to get a refill, since their drug supply was running low—its primary ingredient was the venom sacs of Pandemic Leeches found in the local dungeon. Solus was gathering this material when he was captured, only adding to the comic tragedy.

Elza left to return to questioning Seldio’s accomplices. Once she was out of the room, Dias turned to us again.

“I really can’t thank you enough. You took out an entire bag of trash for the Adventurers’ Guild!”

“What do you mean?”

“Their syndicate is the cancer of Granzell’s Adventurers’ Guild, and you took care of them all in one sitting! Oh, thank you so much!”

Cancer? Folks sure hated Seldio.

“Did you get a chance to Identify Seldio?”

Yeah.

“Did you get a look at his skill list? I believe he had Sexual Attraction and Sexual Enchantment.”

Now that you mention it… They hadn’t come into play when he was fighting us, and they had no effect on Fran when he talked to her.

“One of our female Guildmasters was seduced with those skills. That was how he convinced her to promote him to A-Rank. Apparently, women bent over backwards for him.”

And that was enough to make him A-Rank?

“It was one of the reasons,” said Dias. “And the guild listened to her suggestion they admit a man forty years her junior, just because he called her pretty.”

Jeez…that easy?

“There was pressure from House Aschtner itself, of course. And bribes. Lots of bribes. He took advantage of his privileges to lobby the Guildmasters, too.”

“Is the guild okay?”

That sounds distressing. The Adventurers’ Guild was sounding more and more like your run-of-the-mill crooked corporation.

“I can only apologize. Guildmasters are human too, and some of them happen to be trash.”

I guess… Even the politicians and policemen back on Earth committed crimes. More authority brought more temptation.

“I’ve been waiting for him to slip up so I could take his rank from him.”

But I thought he shook people down on a daily basis. Isn’t that cause enough?

“As much as I hate Seldio, what he did was completely legal. He did pay the people he extorted, and no adventurer had actually filed a complaint.”

What? Why? Do they just give up on their weapons and cry themselves to sleep?

The Aschtners must have quite a collection.

“Well, you’re strong. Very strong. Strong enough to beat anyone that threatens you. But an ordinary adventurer wouldn’t dare oppose an A-Rank, let alone the son of a powerful marquis. Especially not after all the nasty rumors.”

I supposed losing your weapon was a lot more appealing than losing your life.

“What made Seldio even more dangerous was the fact that he went crazy. There is manatech that can target criminals, but the criminal needs to feel guilty for it to work.”

That item wouldn’t work against Seldio. To the bitter end, he’d been convinced he was doing the right thing.

I can’t believe that the marquis would drug his own son.

“That’s the thing with nobles, I’m afraid. Having an A-Rank adventurer as your puppet can be very convenient. A-Ranks have the authority to mobilize adventurers—a privilege denied to nobility—and the marquis could easily use Seldio to give out orders. The military power he could’ve wielded is not to be underestimated.”

Okay, but why go through the trouble of drugging him?

“Because he didn’t think Seldio would keep following orders once he became an A-Rank. Drugging him was a safer and more practical option.”

Man, these nobles didn’t play around! We should keep away from them!

“Seldio was also a bastard in the technical sense. Marquis Aschtner treated him like another disposable pawn. He probably saw it as a convenient way to clean out his family’s closet.”

Unfortunate, but I understood Dias’ point.

“I do think the Aschtners are about to get into a lot of trouble.”

“Why’s that?” Fran asked.

“Because they were looking for Godswords. Those weapons are powerful enough to take on an entire army. If word got out that the marquis was looking for them, he might be suspected of treason. His only defense would be if he said Seldio were looking for it of his own accord.”

“Really?”

“Any self-respecting veteran would want to get their hands on a Godsword. Call it the adventurer’s dream. It would be perfectly excusable if Seldio was looking for one.”

It was almost pedantic, but I saw the difference. There was nothing suspicious about an adventurer searching for a legendary weapon, as long as the marquis didn’t have anything to do with it. If Marquis Aschtner told him to look for one, it would be a different story.

“And what have we here…” said Dias as he casually filed through the papers Elza had left. He singled out a piece of parchment. “…is evidence the marquis was the one looking for them.”

“What’s that?”

“A list of the latest information about them, courtesy of Marquis Aschtner.”

Whoa, seriously? I wanted to see! I asked Fran to move to a better peeking location. The names of the Godswords were on it, all right. It even described their appearances and special powers. The list was slightly different from the one Lumina showed us, and I wondered which version was newer. A few weren’t on it at all: the First Godsword Alpha, Mad Sword Berserk, Land Sword Gaia, and Demon King Sword Diablos.

“Hmm…”

“What is it, Fran?”

Fran asked why the five swords weren’t listed, and Dias told her it was because they had already been found. Alpha and Berserk were in the northern continent of Brodin, split between the two great kingdoms of the north. Since each of the quarreling kingdoms had obtained a Godsword, there had been relative peace over the last two hundred years. They knew that going to war would lead to mutually assured destruction.

There was an incident where two Godsword-wielders descended on the battlefield about three hundred years ago. There was a mountain of casualties, to no one’s surprise, and the forest that had once stood there was now a desert.

Wow. What kind of powers do they have?

“Alpha’s is quite well known. It gives its user the Demigod skill.”

“What does it do?” Fran asked.

“Basically, it grants the user superhuman strength.”

“That’s it?”

I’m sure it’s powerful, but… Sounded kind of simple, too.

“Well, it increases your stats, enhances your physical capabilities, levels up your skills, stuff like that.”

Hmm. Sounds boring.

“Doesn’t sound strong,” said Fran. Certainly not strong enough to be called a superweapon.

“I suppose you’re right. You can say it’s the most straightforward out of all the Godswords. But it multiplies your stats by ten. Your vision is magnified, giving you the ability to see through any concealment. Your hearing can eavesdrop on any part of the country. To top it all off, all your skills get maxed out. How does that sound?”

Very…strong. Ten times the stats, the physical prowess of a god, and the ability to express the user’s full potential. No wonder it was a Godsword.

“Legend states that it can slay a hundred men with one swing, break through castle walls with two, and split a mountain in half with three.”

Sounds like a myth, but if we’re talking Godswords, I wouldn’t be surprised.

“Even more terrifying is Alpha’s effective duration. Its user can maintain that superhuman state for more than half a day.”

Half a day was enough for a monster of that scale to ruin an entire country. At the very least, it could polish off a capital or two.

“Berserk has similar properties. Increased stats, enhanced physical prowess, increased skills. The only difference is that it’s more powerful.”

More powerful than Alpha?

“In terms of raw strength, yes. But Berserk always sends its users into an insane frenzy, slaughtering friend and foe alike. When the effects wear off, its user dies.”

Jeez, that sounds rough. But can’t you just have an army escort Berserk’s user into battle? The Godsword was as powerful as it was inhumane, but you could treat its user like a suicide bomber.

“Ha ha. If only things were so simple. What happens after Berserk annihilates the enemy?”

Take the Godsword away, I guess.

“And how do you plan to get close enough?”

Let them go crazy and grab the sword when they’re done. Surely there was no danger in taking the Godsword away from a corpse.

“All right. But the enemy probably has the same idea, and there is no guarantee that you could recover it before them.”

I see. If they messed up, the enemy might get to the Godsword first.

“Not only that, but Berserk also lasts for over half a day. There are records of the user destroying the enemy’s capital, then turning on his own cities. The memory is still fresh, even though it happened a long time ago. You have to be ready to die alongside your enemy if you want to use Berserk.”

A continent locked in a stalemate of Godswords. Best to keep our distance. Now I understood why the five swords—Alpha, Berserk, Diablos, Gaia, and Ignis—weren’t on Aschtner’s list. No one would be eager to part with their Godsword, no matter how much money you gave them. Taking them away by force would be downright impossible.

So that’s why they’re looking for the missing ones.

“All the nations of the world are looking for them. I’m not sure how they got a hold of this information…”

The list contained more detail than Lumina’s:

War Carriage Sword Chariot

Said to have the shape of a baton. Produces golems of all shapes and sizes, along with the power to control them. Golems are made of metal, capable of flight, and can fire beams of light. According to stories from the Gallerian war, Chariot summoned a thousand golems the size of human heads and destroyed a hundred ships with a coordinated volley. Last known location: Continent of Capur.

Sword of Wisdom Cherubim

Known to be destroyed, but its fragments may prove valuable. Properties unknown. According to our research, the sword is decorated with the motif of a four-winged angel. Fragments are most likely located somewhere in the kingdom of Granzell.

Searching Godsword Explorer

Has the shape of a monocle. Said to be able to understand all information across the land. Further details about its power are unknown. Last known location: Continent of Capur.

Gaolgate Sword Hel

Details unknown. Said to have been used five hundred years ago in the continent of Chrome. Location where it was last used is now desolate and unfit for life. Said to have the power to control poison.

Cruel Dragon Sword Lindworm

Has the shape of a sword. Further details unknown.

Lunar Sword Moonlight

Said to grant its user the power to reflect myriad attacks.

Not much was known about the swords other than Chariot. And they didn’t know where any of them actually were.

“Very interesting,” said Dias. “If they’re collecting broken Godsword pieces, they might be in the early stages of research.”

What can they do with that research?

“Who knows? They probably think it’s worth it. Still, keeping this kind of stuff a secret from the government is a major faux pas.”

House Aschtner might be suspected of treason, even if what they were doing wasn’t illegal.

“Excellent evidence,” said Dias. An evil grin flashed over his lips. Not something I wanted Fran to imitate.

Well, it looks like Dias has a long day ahead. We should get going, Fran.

“Sure.”

“Sorry to keep you so long. I’ll call if I find anything new.”

“Hm.”

We said our goodbyes and left. Almost right away, a group of suspicious individuals approached, as if they had been waiting for Fran. It was almost like an ambush. The four figures couldn’t look any more suspicious if they tried—their faces were covered by their gray, hooded robes. They looked like mages with the sticks they held in their hands. In fact, they looked like they just stepped out of a fairy tale.

“What?”

Fran put her guard up. The four mages split up and pointed their sticks at the sky. A man came through this four-staff salute. He wore a gold-hemmed purple robe, unlike his plainly dressed associates, and the point of his staff was decorated with a beautiful jewel. His hood was down, exposing an arrogant, although admittedly handsome face. The blue-haired man looked like he was up to no good. Not that I thought all good-looking men were bad people. Honest.

“We have been waiting for you, Lady Fran!”

“Hm? Who are you?”

“My name is Glackmar. The head of the Eiworth Mage Guild.”

Glackmar bowed gracefully, like he was in a play. Admittedly, it made for a nice picture. I’d never heard of a Mage Guild before. I guess it was founded for mages to do their thing.

“You have exhibited your amazing talents in combat.”

“Hm.”

“Most impressive, however, was your control over the many magicks! I, Glackmar, was moved to tears by the display!”

Our fights would certainly be of interest to mages, if only because of the sheer number of high-level spells. I must’ve made it look like Fran fired Kanna Kamuy without a single word. However, Glackmar’s thick praise couldn’t hide his intentions. All his acting did nothing to cover his hostility and malintent.

“Now then, Archmage Fran.”

“What? I’m not a mage.”

Archmage sounded more like a title than an actual Class. Although, Fran might’ve unlocked a lot more options since the last time she changed Classes—it had been a while. Glackmar ignored Fran’s retort and took a small box from his breast pocket. He opened it, and dropped to one knee while showing her its contents. Following his gesture, the four gray-robed mages pointed their sticks forward and surrounded us. Their formation looked like the beginnings of a strange ritual. I hadn’t sensed any mana so far, but I was ready with Telekinesis should one of them make any sudden moves. The box contained a medal emitting powerful mana. It looked ominous enough to be cursed.

“Please.”

“What’s this?”

“We, of the Eiworth Mage Guild, present you, Archmage Fran, with the Medallion of the First. Please, wear it.”

“The First?”

The First what? I didn’t know what he was talking about, but Glackmar shoved the box closer.

Teacher?

Don’t even touch it.

No signs of magic so far, but the hostility coming from Glackmar and his associates was too apparent for this to be a friendly gesture.

“Take it. This medallion is only worthy of an Archmage such as you.”

“Hm. Don’t need it.”

“Wh-why?!”

“Looks fishy.”

“Please, take it! We mean you only the greatest respect!”

“You can keep that, too,” said Fran.

“But Lady Fran—”

“All right, enough of that.”

“Wh-what?!”

A figure interrupted Glackmar and his cronies as we mulled over whether to cut them down.

“Still up to your dirty tricks over at Eiworth, I see.”

“Phelms?” said Fran.

“Hello. How long has it been? A day?”

Phelms, the former A-Rank wire warrior we’d faced in fierce combat, now stood in front of Fran as if protecting her. He put himself between her and Glackmar, his gentle smile emitting a subtle pressure.

“Begone, fool adventurer!” said Glackmar. “You have nothing to do with this. We are in the middle of a very important ceremony!”

“What’s he on about?” Fran asked.

“Just one of their old tricks.”

Phelms explained that we were about to be enlisted in the Eiworth Mage Guild. The medal was enchanted with a spell to compel its user into a contract, consummated through the execution of a simple ritual.

“The magical contract is quite dangerous. Not as binding as a slave’s contract, but there’s not much difference in how they’ll treat you afterwards.”

“People fall for it?”

We knew right away that nothing good could come of the suspicious bunch. The other mages should be able to discern their ill intentions, too. The Eiworth mages weren’t so strong that they couldn’t be handled pretty easily.

“And here’s their nasty trick. They only use this method of recruitment on talented children. You fall right in their age range, Fran. They must’ve thought they could rope you in with a few pretty words.”

An ordinary child could be easily coerced into joining an association out of fear of offending them. If the ritual wasn’t enough, fear of the organization should do it. They tricked little children into joining them with a silken tongue and intimidation. Talk about poor taste.

“The Eiworth Mage Guild is the only mage guild that employs this desperate measure. They’re low on the food chain, you see. They must want your power.”

Fran stared at Glackmar, who launched into a cavalcade of excuses.

“L-Lady Fran! Who will you trust: an ignorant boor, or a mage recognizing a kindred spirit, about to induct you into the mysteries of magic?”

“Phelms, of course. You people gross me out.”

“What…?! You little…! If we didn’t need you, you’d be…!”

Wow, this guy was thin-skinned! His robes could take more damage than his ego!

Anyway, let’s hand them to the authorities.

“Hm.”

Just as we decided what to do…

“Get her!”

A woman’s voice cut through the argument. The four mages moved in concert.

“Hrm.”

They took out their daggers and came at Fran.

“Wh-what do you think you’re doing?!” Judging from his surprise, Glackmar didn’t order the attack. The one pulling the strings had probably stayed in place to cast a spell while the other three came at us with knives. It was a poorly-thought-out strategy, with even worse execution. The mages were only good for their magic, and their skill with the dagger would make an amateur feel embarrassed.

“Hmph! Tsch! Ha!”

“Urk!”

“Agh!”

“Gah!”

Even Fran felt annoyed that she had to fight such weak opponents. She settled for disarming them by knocking the knives out of their hands. Granted, they probably felt like their hands were just routed by a steel rod, but the men should be thankful they got to keep their limbs.

“Haa!”

“Kyaaa!”

She sent the final spellcaster flying with a straightforward boot to the gut.

“Urgh…damn it!”

The mage’s hood came back, revealing her face.

“Hm? She looks familiar.”

She’s one of Seldio’s friends.

The female mage from Seldio’s party. I thought she would’ve fled Ulmutt by now, but she still doggedly pursued Fran.

“You little brat…!”

I didn’t know whether she was on drugs, too, but her eyes looked crazy. Like she was being chased by someone. She lurched up, holding her stomach, and shuffled towards Fran.

“Your sword…give me your sword…!” she said, clearly losing her reason.

“You’re after my sword?” Fran asked.

“Yes! How could a little Black Cat girl be so strong? By wielding that sword, that’s how! Once I have it, I can get out of here… My master will forgive me…if only I have that sword!”

Fran didn’t respond. As angry as she was, she couldn’t help but feel pity.

“Now…give that sword to me!”

Poor thing didn’t realize that yelling wasn’t going to help.

Wait, hang on. Fran?

Hm? What’s up?

Hand me over to her.

What?

I wanted to test something. Having heard my explanation, Fran agreed.

“This sword is cursed. Anyone unworthy will be killed upon equipping it. Are you sure you still want it?”

“Aha ha ha! What foolish lies! You should’ve come up with a better story if you were going to lie. If you don’t want to give me your sword, just say so!”

Fran had no reason to lie to someone she could finish off with her bare hands. Unfortunately, the woman’s madness meant she didn’t realize that. Fran handed me over, almost with a look of pity.

“All right. It’s yours.”

“You should’ve done that from the start! Come on! Give it here!”

Fran tossed me to the woman, sheath and all. She greedily picked me up.

“Heh heh heh heh. Now I can be strong too…”

I felt her try to take me, and something stirred inside of me. Something I hadn’t felt in a while.

“Aah…whaaaah…”

Immediately, the woman started groaning. Her eyes widened with fear, but I could only guess at what she saw.

“Hyaaaaaa…”

Her entire body convulsed as her groans turned to screaming. Her screams of agony bore notes of shock and pain, dreadful enough to traumatize anyone who heard them.

“Aaaaaaah—!”

With me still in hand, she let out a terrifying wail that sent shivers down the spines of passersby. They were granted a scene of terrible horror. They must’ve heard Fran’s warning, and assumed the curse was expressing its true nature. Civilian and adventurer alike looked upon the woman with pale faces. How many seconds had gone by?

“I-I’m sorry! Forgive—eeyyaah!”

Those were the woman’s last words before blood exploded out of her eyes, ears, and mouth. She keeled over on the street.

Thud.

“…”

The ensuing silence was deafening.

“Hm. Not worthy.”

Fran walked over to the woman’s corpse, cleaned my hilt, and picked me up. The consequent murmuring was so loud the crowd might as well have been shouting. I couldn’t blame them. A woman had just died a horrifying death in front of them. The gods were ruthless in dealing out their punishment. A thunderbolt for the ignorant and death for those who knew the nature of my curse. What did the gods show her in the last moments of her life? What did they do? I was plagued with a nasty aftertaste, although I hadn’t directly caused her death.

Which reminds me… Where are the other mages?

I’d totally forgotten about them. I looked around and saw that Phelms had apprehended them. The men looked shameful as he tied them up with his threads.

“Well, what shall we do with them?”

“What do you think?”

“I suggest handing them over to the Adventurers’ Guild.”

“Yeah?”

“Yes. They are still an organization. The guild will not hold anything back to support a strong adventurer like yourself.”

I guess we should, if Phelms said so. I was going to drag the mages to their own guild and show them what would happen to them if they crossed us, but that would take too much time.

“Shall I take them to the guild for you?”

“Sure. Thanks.”

“Very well. If you’ll excuse me.”

Phelms took the hired mages away, with Glackmar complaining all the while.

“Oh, wait a second.” Fran stopped Phelms before he could get very far.

“Was there anything else?” he asked.

“Hm. They just need one more lesson.”

The pathetic mages were finally taken away after Fran administered a punch to the solar plexus to each of them. We felt a little bad for asking for Dias’ and Elza’s help again, but upon hearing the story, they were ecstatic.

“Now we can finally get rid of those scummy mages for good! I’ll show them what happens when you pick a fight with the Adventurers’ Guild!”

Dias jumped with joy as one of his subordinates took the rogue mages away. Fran bowed her head to Phelms.

“Thanks, Phelms.”

“Not a problem. I had a similar experience in the past.”

“A mage guild tried to trick you into joining them?”

“No, just the unpleasant things that fame can bring.”

Phelms had won the fighting tournament when he was younger, and he was just as popular as Fran was now. Mage and mercenary guilds came to recruit him, not to mention the nobility and mafia. He had more than his fair share of coercions, and some organizations even compelled him to join through physical force.

“I couldn’t just stand there and do nothing.”

“How’d you deal with it?”

“I ran, for the most part. I wandered through the country so I wouldn’t be roped into any commitments.”

That might be the best way of handling it. Tracking Phelms down would’ve been difficult.

“But Dias was the one who saved me in the end.”

“Dias?”

“Yes. We were about the same age, and we got along well. He was already a Guildmaster, so he took me on as one of his advisors. It prevented other organizations from recruiting me.”

Even a clueless noble wouldn’t dare poach a Guildmaster’s confidante. At the very least, Phelms no longer had to dodge invitations by himself.

“You are definitely going to attract more unwanted attention, and some of these people might prove dangerous. You can demolish any criminal organization that messes with you, but doing so to a noble will only cause unrest.” Phelms pursed his lips.

“Speaking from experience?” Fran asked.

“Ha ha ha. You guessed it. An aristocrat from another kingdom pursued me once, and they were quite persistent about it.”

“Just because you refused to pledge allegiance to them?”

That sounded like an overreaction.

“Well, they were very arrogant and ill-mannered. Really, there were only fifty of them, including the lord of the house…”

“Did you kill them?” Fran asked, her eyes alert with expectation.

“Oh, no. I just sent them to the hospital.”

“Aww.”

“The only problem was that they still had blood ties to the royal family.”

“Only”?! I was amazed at how casual he was. The related kingdom had to be angry, if only to save face.

“So how’d you take care of it?”

“I just captured everyone they sent after me until I got an audience with their king. Granted, it was done under cover of night.”

Phelms threatened him, basically. Which sounded reckless, no matter how strong he was.

“I could only do that because his nation was very small and weak. Even his strongest subject was weaker than me. If I had offended a kingdom the size and strength of Granzell, I would have had no other option but to run.”

How small that kingdom must’ve been.

“Fran, do not hesitate to ask for help if you’re ever in trouble. You can ask the guild or Amanda herself. You’re friends with her, right?”

“Hm. But why Amanda?”

“You don’t know? Most of the orphans she took in and raised have come into their own as adventurers. I believe a genuine plea for help from Amanda could rouse a powerful enough fighting force to crush a small country.”

Amanda was a lot more connected than we thought!

“Amanda’s great.”

“Indeed she is, even without her personal abilities. They say the reason Raydoss leaves Granzell alone is because they do not wish to incur Amanda’s wrath.”

Amanda had been running the orphanage for decades. I didn’t know how she raised her orphans, but I could easily imagine most of them wanting to be adventurers. With her training, their mastery of the basics should be perfect. Most of them probably grew up to be established adventurers in their own right.

“Although I think you’ll be fine with the Beastman Nation watching your back.”

“The Beastman Nation?”

“Are you not under their employment?”

“No.”

“Forgive me. I thought you worked for them, since you watched the tournament together the other day… I see. The Beast King has taken an interest in you, then.”

“You think so?”

“Yes. The other nations will think twice about making a move on you after that. Judging by the response of my beastman acquaintances, you are quite popular among them. He must want to appeal to his people by getting along with you. At the very least, he is trying to align you with his kingdom.”

Asking a favor of Fran would inevitably lead her to reciprocating, which might end with her joining the Beastman Nation. Rigdith certainly put a lot of thought into gaining Fran’s favor. Not that I thought he himself was behind this. The idea was more likely to have come from Royce and Rosch. Our relationship with the beastman royals had been strictly transactional ever since the tournament, and we would take advantage of them where it seemed appropriate.

“Ah, sorry for keeping you so long. That’s enough chat from this old man. I must be going now.”

“Thanks again.”

“Come to my shop whenever you’re in Bulbola. I’m researching a new recipe that incorporates curry into my dishes.”

“Looking forward to it.”

“I hope you’ll like it,” Phelms said, bowing graciously before making his exit.

He was so cool and manly; so reliable. What a gentleman! Dias could learn a thing or two from him!

“You really have a knack for getting in trouble, Fran,” Dias said, as if reading my mind. “The way you stand out really makes you a magnet for it, so hang in there. However, the guild thanks you on this occasion.”

It’s not like we’re going out of our way to look for it.

“Ha ha ha, you’re right. But I must warn you. This is not the last time something like this will happen.”

“What should I do, then?”

“Well, like I said, you need to go to the Beastman Nation. May I suggest you make your journey sooner rather than later? You’ll at least be out of reach of the fools of this kingdom.”

We’d love to, but how are we supposed to get to another continent?

A ship sounded like our best option, but we probably needed entry permits.

“The guild has already authorized your immigration details. Your guild card will act as identification, since you have taken on a personal quest.”

Didn’t know the guild cards had such a convenient feature.

“There will be a manatech-assisted inspection at the borders, just show them your card and they’ll let you through.”

“Thanks.”

Now we just need to find a ship.

“Hmm, that will be difficult. Bulbola’s your best bet, but there aren’t any ferries that will get you there.”

How do folks get to the Beastman Nation, then?

“Normally, adventurers hire themselves out as bodyguards for merchant ships.”

Yeah, I figured.

Fran wasn’t well-suited for that job. In fact, she was at a disadvantage. Anyone might be excused for underestimating her based on her looks. Given the decision between a kid adventurer and a burly-looking old man, even I’d pick the latter. We only got to Bulbola because we knew Fult and Satya, and we only got there as part of Salut’s plot. How were we supposed to get on a merchant ship without any connections? …Wait, we did have connections.

We’ll ask the Lucille Trade Association.

“Aah, I see.”

We got acquainted with them after the Seedrun insurrection. They were bound to have some merchant ships chartered for the continent of Chrome.

“Getting hired as a bodyguard shouldn’t be a problem,” said Dias. “Merchants have the fastest information network in the world. I’m willing to bet that your name has already been circulated throughout Bulbola.”

“So I should be a bodyguard?”

“That’s the one job that’s always hiring. But really, you shouldn’t have to bother. You have a more direct connection, don’t you?”

“Hm?”

Ahh, yeah, I guess.

Fran was slow to realize, but I’d already put some thought into Dias’ idea: the Beast King himself. The approach was valid, but problematic.

First, I didn’t think we should keep asking the king for favors—we didn’t want to owe him too much. We also didn’t know when he would return to his kingdom. He was the king, after all, and therefore had international kingly duties to attend to. Even if his royal laziness compelled him to skip out on that, Royce was there to keep him in line. Finding our own boat might be faster than waiting on Rigdith, but Dias disagreed.

“Your first point is a foregone conclusion, isn’t it? You already owe the Beast King by asking to meet Kiara.”

You’re not wrong.

“And I don’t think you’ll have to worry about him being delayed.”

Why’s that?

“Those people travel light and fast, even when they come here. Sure, they had to ride in a carriage for the purposes of ceremony, but they move a lot more like adventurers otherwise—fast and stealthy.”

Then we could certainly travel a lot faster that way. In fact, Fran might have a hard time keeping up. But I thought of another problem: how to keep my identity a secret. These were beastmen with sharp instincts as well as top-ranked adventurers. They might find me out just by being near me.

“You’ll have to work on that one yourself,” said Dias.

True.

We didn’t know whether they would agree to take Fran, anyway. Asking for a ship was within reason, though, so we should probably start with that.

“We’ll ask the Beast King for help.”

Yeah. Only one way to find out.

“Tell His Majesty I said hello.”

“Hm.”

We left Dias and headed back to the Beast King’s accommodations. The sun was setting, but I wanted to get this conversation done. Although, knowing Rigdith’s impatience, I wouldn’t be surprised if he had already left. It was a little late for a meeting, and we couldn’t just sneak into the Beast King’s rooms, but our worries came to nothing. The front desk let us in as soon as Fran said her name. Rigdith still had her on the list.

“Hey, Fran. Back so soon? What’s up?”

The Beast King greeted us with a magnanimous wave of his royal hand. Although, coming from Rigdith, the gesture was far more casual than royal—like a sloppy middle-aged man. Despite it all, he managed to keep his regal aura.

“What do you need?”

“Hm. A boat to get to the Beastman Nation.”

“Oooh, about time! You should come along with us, then. Can’t think of a faster way!”

Well, that was easy. Even if he was travelling in secret, should the king really add outsiders to his party so readily? However, Royce immediately objected.

“Have you forgotten that you have business in the Granzellian capital, Lord Rig? We must meet the king and his family before we leave.”

“Ugh. Do I have to?”

“Of course you do.”

The king had his royal chores to attend to. We had plans to go to the capital, but there was still time before the auctions started. Visiting now was out of the question, unless His Majesty employed Fran as a bodyguard.

“Okay, but how are we gonna get the little lady back home?”

“We don’t need to accompany her, you know. She’s strong enough to beat Godo. I’m sure she can take care of herself,” Royce said, praising Fran. After all, her victory against Gaudartha was a matter of historical fact.

“Point taken.”

“I do believe,” said Royce, “she was looking for a boat to get there.”

“Oh. Were you?”

“I understand your excitement,” said Royce, “since she is close to the princess in age, but please be reasonable.”

“Princess?” Fran asked.

“Yeah. I have a fifteen-year-old daughter back home. I can’t help seeing a bit of her in you!”

No wonder the king was so nice. She was almost exactly the same age as his daughter.

“I think we should help her. Master will be pleased.”

“Right?”

“She will be useful,” Royce said. “I admit.”

We’re right here, Royce! Although, he probably said it knowing Fran would hear. He was asking her indirectly if she was ready to be used as a political tool. As one of the Beast King’s advisors, Royce couldn’t leave an evolved Black Cat alone. There was bound to be a reaction from the other beastmen. As someone tasked with running the country, Royce had to take Fran into account. Even so, he managed to tell her about the consequences of her visit, and that she should refrain from going if she wasn’t ready. The dashing bunny wasn’t just a handsome intellectual; he was considerate, too! I could imagine his suitors already!

“I’ll leave if I get sick of it,” said Fran.

“Ha ha ha!” Royce laughed. “I think I’m the only one who can catch this little lady if she decides to book it!”

“Very well,” said the Beast King. “We will not ask you to become one of our vassals. Let’s make this simply transactional. A show of goodwill between Fran and the Beast King should be more than enough for our people.”

That sounded reasonable. Fran didn’t need to lie either, since she genuinely liked the Beast King. They just needed to get along in public.

“Well then, this is for you,” said Royce.

“What’s this?”

He handed her a small golden plaque. It was carved with an intricate crest, making it difficult to counterfeit.

“Identification with Lord Rig’s name on it, and my own. With it, any vessel of the Beastman Nation will be glad to take you onboard. Our merchant ships should be making port at Bulbola at the moment. You can hitch a ride.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Just look for the flags that bear the same insignia.”

Things were going perfectly so far. Did Royce see through Fran, and devise this to make her owe them a favor? That was okay, I suppose.

In any case, we could leave for the Beastman Nation. Royce went on to say that there were plenty of merchant ships making the route—one ship every three days. The vessels bearing the royal crest answered directly to the royal family, so they should welcome Fran as an esteemed guest. The plaque was a lot more powerful than I thought.

“The merchants of the Beastman Nation should have your name and description memorized by now. Even without our identification, you would be more than welcome.”

All we needed was a ride, really. There was one other matter we wanted to discuss.

“Where is the Godsmith?” Fran asked.

“Hmm,” said Rigdith. “You’ll know when you get there.”

“I will inform our officials to give you the introduction letter. Not that the Godsmith will see you, even if you have it.”

“Just promise you’ll be our middleman if you happen to get along with that character,” said the Beast King.

The mythical Godsmith was rebellious enough to refuse the requests of a king?

“Hm. Sure.”

“Good luck. You’ll need it.”

“Master is currently staying at the royal palace,” said Royce. “The capital should be your first stop.”

Night had fallen by the time we finished our discussion. It had been a busy day, despite the end of the tournament. At least we could head for the Beastman Nation now. Was there anything else we had to do before we departed?

Right, we have to go see Garrus.

His friend said he should be back in time for the tournament, so maybe he was in Ulmutt already. Then again, he said he’d tell us…

Let’s go to the blacksmith and see.

“Hm!”

Maybe he didn’t want to bother us during the tournament. The sun had only just set, so I didn’t think Zeld would be asleep yet. We should probably get the blacksmith a little present, too.

There was a bar on the way to his shop, and I thought about getting the dwarf the strongest drink there. The bartender already knew about Fran, and readily agreed to sell her a bottle of the stuff. He even gave us a discount in exchange for a handshake. Alcohol in hand, we visited Zeld’s shop.

“Little lady! Congratulations on the medal!”

“Hm. Thanks.”

Zeld had been watching the tournament. He gladly accepted our gift, raving to Fran about its quality. She asked him about Garrus, but it turned out the old dwarf hadn’t returned. “The rest of the folks who went to Bulbola with him are here, though.”

“Garrus is still in Bulbola?”

“Apparently. There are some jobs that only he could do.”

“I see.”

“He said he’d be back before the tournament, so I wonder why he didn’t tell anyone about his change of plans. Weird…”

We should look for him in Bulbola before we went to the Beastman Nation. Who knew when we would see him again? Fran excused herself, but Zeld stopped her before she could leave.

“S-so about that sword…”

Zeld was looking at me now with the same interest he had shown in Fran’s Black Cat Set. I couldn’t blame him. I was frequently the subject of the commentator’s ramblings, after all. As an experienced blacksmith, Zeld knew an enchanted sword when he saw one.

“Uh, do you mind if I take a look?”

Teacher?

Just a little bit. But tell him not to equip me. It’s very dangerous.

“Okay, sure.”

“Thanks,” said Zeld.

“But you’ll die if you equip it, so be careful.”

“What?”

“It’s cursed. Anyone other than me will die if they equip it.”

Zeld stopped reaching for me, his curiosity overwhelmed by fear. No one in their right mind would want to equip a killing sword. You wouldn’t want to touch a poison apple, even if it only killed you if you ate it. He knew I was more than an average enchanted sword.

“C-can I touch it?”

“Touching’s fine.”

“R-right…”

He wasn’t about to back out. He made up his mind and gripped my hilt. Once he had his hand on me, his training as a blacksmith took over. He inspected my blade and guard.

“Hmm. I do feel powerful mana coming from it. Symmetrical blade, and this alloy…could it be…” Zeld muttered. “Do you mind if I ask you where this sword came from?”

“What do you mean?”

“You know, who made it, which region are they from, stuff like that.”

Always the point of interest with blacksmiths. Too bad I didn’t know the answer. Should we just tell him that I woke up in the Demon Wolf’s Garden? Then again, I wasn’t sure if it was safe to do that.

“I don’t know.”

That was the safest answer.

“I see…I think this thing’s made of orichalcos…”

“Orichalcos? You’re sure?”

“No, I’m not. I’ve never seen this metal before. Hang on a sec,” Zeld said, rummaging through his shelves in the corner of his smithy. He eventually found the worn book he was looking for. “These are blacksmith orders from the previous tournaments.”

The great influx of merchants during the tournaments made finding the list easy.

“Not just any ordinary blacksmith. This guy was apparently an apprentice of the apprentice of a Godsmith. Now, in the list of materials the Godsmith used, there is something called orichalcos. I don’t know what it is, but I know it’s top-notch material that can withstand a Godsmith’s hammer.”

A legendary metal. Unfortunately, I didn’t think I was made of orichalcos. I kept breaking, almost at regular intervals. I did come with the new-and-improved self-repair feature, but I couldn’t imagine a legendary metal being so soft.

“But then,” said Zeld. “Orichalcos isn’t the only metal I’ve never seen before. Still, I feel there’s something strange about this sword. It’s top-shelf manatech, at the very least.”

Top-shelf manatech…! Thanks, Zeld! I mean, that was pretty good, right? I wasn’t a Godsword, but maybe a Godsmith cranked me out in his spare time?

No, probably not.

“Hm?”

“Nothing.”

We somehow talked Zeld out of his burning curiosity and returned to the inn. Fran still needed to eat and take a bath, but there was one last thing we needed to try.

All right, here I go.

“Hm.”

I used Create Clone to make several copies of myself. Usually, I made copies of my human self, but…

Yep, they’re swords.

“So many Teachers.”

Create Clone was now making copies of my sword self. Why? I tried the skill again, focusing on an image of my human self this time, and it worked. We had more options in battle now that I could reproduce both my sword and human forms.

However, my human form had changed slightly. There was something off about its physical proportions. It was still me, but it looked more like my hypothetical brother than myself. Was this the cost of being able to make sword copies? I didn’t mind—I had already decided to live out the rest of my life as a sword. And this form was definitely stronger!

How did I start making sword copies, though?

“Hm…”

Oh, I guess it was bedtime for Fran.

Whoops, sorry. Let’s wrap up for today.

“Hm…”

I think we’ve finished all our business in Ulmutt. We’ve said our goodbyes and prepared as much as we can.

“Hm. We can go to the Beastman Nation now…”

I wonder what kind of place it is.

“Zzz…”

Ha ha. Good night, Fran. You did good.

It was the morning of our departure, and we were in the dungeon to say our goodbyes to Lumina.

“You’re finally leaving, then. I must say I can’t wait to see what happens.”

“Hm…”

“Come now,” she said. “You shouldn’t look like that on the day of your departure. The surface is sunny today, is it not?”

While this wouldn’t be our final goodbye, it still made me misty-eyed. Lumina was special to Fran.

“I must thank you again for telling me where Kiara is,” said the Dungeon Master.

“Thanks for helping me evolve, too.”

Yeah. If anything, we owe you for expending your powers like that.

“Then I suppose we can call it even.”

Lumina laughed, but it didn’t help to lighten Fran’s mood.

“This will not be our final farewell. In fact, I would be less worried if you went off with a smile.”

“Hm…”

“Oh, what am I to do with you?”

Lumina got up and pulled her into an embrace. It was a warm and gentle hug, to which Fran responded by burying her face in Lumina’s shoulder and squeezing her arms. She didn’t know when we would see her again. Lumina patted her back and Fran finally pulled away. Her face was red with embarrassment.

“Sorry,” Fran said.

“Ha ha ha. You can still be adorable, I see. Come visit me if you ever feel lonely. I’ll hug you all you want.”

“Hm.”

There was no more doubt in Fran’s eyes. Comforting her was supposed to be my role, but even I couldn’t replace the maternal love Lumina had for her. I felt a mixture of frustration and admiration.

“I’ll be going now,” Fran said.

“Be safe.”

Lumina smiled as we left the dungeon. Before Fran teleported away, she whispered in a low voice:

“Bye-bye.”

A farewell she didn’t mean for anyone to hear.

We’ll come back.

“Hm.”

Let’s show her how much you’ve grown by then.

“Hm!”

An hour went by, and a mass of people had gathered at the city gate.

“Oh, Frannie! You’ll come again, won’t you? You’re always welcome!”

Elza came up first. She put her arms around her, crying her eyes out. Watch the snot now, Fran! The big adventurer almost suffocated her with her pecs, but Fran didn’t seem to mind. In fact, she was patting her on the back to comfort her.

“Sniff…thank you, Frannie.”

“Hm.”

“Here. A farewell gift just for you. Take it.” Elza handed her a basket. Inside it were ten bottles of liquid.

“Potions?”

“These are my specially formulated skincare lotions. Use them before going to bed and you’ll wake up with fresh and supple skin. You’re really strong and cool, but that doesn’t mean that you can skip out on being cute and girly.”

I couldn’t have put it better myself, Elza. Fran was made of excellent stuff, but I, her crude guardian, didn’t have a clue about fashion and makeup. We’d put her gift to good use starting tonight.

“I’m supposed to put it on my skin?”

“Yes, take a little bit into your hands and massage it into your skin.”

“Why?”

“You don’t have to understand. You’ll know when you grow up and fall in love.”

“Uh. Sure?” Fran nodded, still befuddled.

Okay, but hold up a moment, Elza. Fall in love? Fran? She was still twelve! It was too soon for her to fall in love! What if she became more beautiful because of that lotion? Hyenas would come circling! What if Fran fell for one of the better-looking ones? I supposed I could cut him down if he turned out to be nothing but a good-looking scumbag. But what if he was actually bright and cheerful? What would I do? What if he was reliable enough for Fran?

No. Looks and personality wouldn’t be enough to protect her. He would have to be strong enough to defeat Fran and me together. He needed to be financially strong enough to take care of her, and faithful enough to be with her all his life. If he couldn’t fulfill all of Fran’s selfish desires, I would not allow it!

“F-Frannie? Your sword’s rattling on your back…is it okay? That thing’s cursed, right?”

Teacher?

Oh no. I’d almost lost control there. I was about to Telekinesis myself out of my sheath.

It’s nothing. Just thank Elza for her present.

Well, no need to think about it so much now. Courtship was still in the distant future and might never come to pass. I was thankful for the lotions, though. Making Fran cuter was always a good thing.

“Hm. It’s fine. Thanks.”

“Come back if you ever run out. I’ll cook up a fresh batch.”

Now it was Dias and Aurel’s turn.

“What an excellent day for an adventure.”

“All the best to you, young lady.”

They bowed their heads, asking Fran to send Kiara their regards. I expected a letter, but they hadn’t prepared one.

“We remember it like it was yesterday, but we can’t say the same for her. She’s probably forgotten about us,” they said in a matter-of-fact tone, but not without sadness.

That was why they skipped on writing a letter. To Kiara, Dias and Aurel were probably acquaintances she met while she was young. They didn’t know whether she would remember.

“Just mention us in passing. Tell her these old adventurers in Ulmutt said they knew her and got nostalgic for the past.”

“More importantly, tell us how she’s doing.”

“Hm. Got it.”

Amanda came to hug Fran next. Forlund, Phelms, and Colbert stood behind her.

“Frannie, I can’t believe we have to say goodbye again! It’s too soon!”

She was crying, too. Amanda’s beautiful face was ruined with tears and snot just like Elza’s, but thanks to Elza’s Aesthetics skill, she was…hm. Let’s stop that train of thought here. Elza was a special case.

“Farewell.”

Forlund wasn’t a man of words. I always thought he was a little like Fran. That said, I didn’t think he’d come to send her off.

“Come on, boss, you can do better than that,” Colbert sighed jokingly.

“Don’t mind him, Fran. Forlund’s always like this. He doesn’t mean anything bad by it.”

“It’s fine.”

“Ha ha ha. Yeah, you two are alike, after all. The boss likes strong adventurers. This is his way of acknowledging you.”

“Yes,” Forlund said.

“Hm.”

“Until next time.”

“Sure.”

“Oh gods, there’s two of them now…” Colbert whispered with mock horror.

A conversation between Fran and Forlund would be scarier than a ghost story. But they connected well enough, for some odd reason.

“Will you head to Bulbola, Fran?”

“Hm.”

When she agreed, Phelms gave her a ticket with “Dragonhead” written on it. “For you. A meal ticket. Do come visit us.”

“Thanks.”

That was nice of him. Fran had found the Dragonhead to be particularly delicious the last time we were in town.

“I’m gonna go back to training,” Fran told Amanda. “I won’t lose next time.”

“Good.” Amanda finally let go of her. “I’m going to the Beast Nation, too,” she said.

I think she’d said something similar when we parted ways in Alessa. But going to a different continent was not in the cards for her.

“No.”

“You may not.”

“Not happening.”

The other adventurers present immediately shot her down. Amanda begged and pleaded with them, but she was already needed in Alessa. Forlund and the rest had to drag her away.

“See you again soon, Frannie!” Amanda was Amanda, even to the end.

Now it was the Beastmen’s turn.

“Make friends with my daughter if you happen to run into her, won’t you?” said Rigdith. “She’s a bit of a tomboy, but she’s a good girl, really.”

We didn’t mind…but she had to be one hell of a tomboy if Rigdith was describing her that way. Royce, Gaudartha, and Rosch took turns to say their goodbyes. Finally, the Blue Cat Zehmet stuck his hand out.

“I caused you a lot of trouble.”

“Hm.”

“I will serve the Beast King and train under him. I’ll fight your evolved form the next time we meet.”

Zehmet still had a way to go, but Rigdith might just be able to bring his potential to reality.

“Both me and the Blue Cats have a lot of learning to do. I’ll work with the Beast King to change things,” Zehmet said with a look of slight reservation.

He still remembered his dead friends. They were bad people, but his sensitivities prevented him from forgetting them.

“I’m counting on it,” she said.

“We’ll make it happen.”

Zehmet was an influential Blue Cat. If he could get his tribe to fall in line, we would certainly see fewer slavers. Fran gripped his hand and shook it.

“I’ll be going now,” she said.

“We’ll meet again.”

“Hm.” She let go of his hand and hopped onto Jet. “Jet.”

“Woof!”

She waved goodbye to everyone. “See you.”

“Bye, Frannie!”

“I’ll see you soon, Fran!”

Elza and Amanda shouted as Jet kicked off into the distance. With the blessings of everyone present, we departed from Ulmutt.