Prologue

“Heads up, we’re reaching the end of the pavement,” the man at the reins said to the two passengers sitting in the carriage. “It’ll be bumpy from here on out.”

The horses objected to the unpaved path ahead, but the driver soothed them. He was a brick of a man with a square jaw, a former royal guard currently teaching at the military school. His name was Colonel Chrome Molybdenum.

Inside the carriage were a boy staring out the window like an excited child and a woman dressed like a typical witch, complete with a pointy hat and black robes.

The woman leaned forward to speak to Chrome, taking in the view of the sunset as she did. “We’re about halfway there.”

“And why are we going to a place like this again, Your Highness?”

“Chrome. No titles—not while Lloyd’s around.”

“Pardon me… Marie.”

“Much better.”

This exotic-looking witch called herself Marie. She ran a small shop on the East Side of the royal capital, but she was really Princess Maria Azami of the Kingdom of Azami.

When her father was possessed by a usurper of a demon lord, she had disguised herself, fighting to save her kingdom—a situation that had been neatly wrapped up recently, all thanks to the timely intervention of a certain someone.

Now she was finally able to enjoy life again. Perhaps things weren’t that easy, though; they weren’t in a carriage this late for nothing, after all.

“Again, why do you need to go all the way out here?” Chrome pulled something out of his pocket—a leaflet. He frowned at the lettering, which was quite flashy—sort of like a flyer advertising a sale at your local grocer. “To Nandin Village, aka the Village of the Holy Sword. So named because of the Holy Sword stuck in a mound nearby.”

Marie sighed, clearly well aware of his concern. “Basically, there are plans to have the cross-continental railroad run past the place. One thing after another has made that railroad a symbol of our alliance with the Jiou Empire, so improving international relations, blah-blah-blah…”

“A good thing, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, and right as they’d bought up nearly all the property needed to lay the tracks, they got to the woods near this village, and…”

At this point, Chrome remembered just how touchy the villages around here could be.

The woodlands and marshes to the north of Azami were pioneered late, and many areas remained untouched by human hands.

The Jiou Empire was located across the northern border, and as relations between the two countries worsened, pioneering efforts slowed even further. Meanwhile, as trade boomed with Rokujou (which was the kingdom to the west), trade roads and sea routes sprang up, bringing money into the kingdom.

This left the residents here with a strong tendency toward self-reliant, “expect nothing from the government” attitudes, and many villagers were exceedingly hostile to outsiders or focused on the bottom line.

Chrome scowled, jumping ahead of Marie. “They started driving a hard bargain?”

“Yeah, and their argument was a strange one. ‘We can’t allow the woods where the Holy Sword lies to be cut down for a railroad.’ Even though we deliberately planned things so that the railroad would go nowhere near the location of the sword itself.”

“Greed can make people do the silliest things.”

“Yeah,” Marie said, scratching her cheek. “So my fa— I mean, the king foisted the problem on me, hoping I could negotiate a peaceful resolution. When I protested, you know what he said? ‘You’ve got to get it done, Maria! Otherwise, the only way we can improve relations with Jiou is by forcing you into a political marriage!’ So, well, desperate measures.”

“Ah…hence, Lloyd?”

They both looked back at the boy with a gentle disposition staring happily out the window.

Lloyd Belladonna. A boy with physical abilities you would never imagine from looking at him.

He hailed from the legendary village of Kunlun, where he’d been the weakest kid in town. Growing up there had left him prone to severely underestimating his own talents and extremely lacking in common sense. Both of these caused no end of headaches for those around him.

For example, he tended to act like all monsters were just normal animals. He believed broken bones could be healed in a day and thought that holding your breath underwater for an hour was totally normal—the list could go on and on. Oh, right—he’d also resolved the threat from the demon lord without ever realizing what was actually going on.

If anyone tried to explain that he was strong, he would pass it off either as a joke or as an attempt to make him feel better… He was both friendly and modest.

Marie smiled in his direction and then sighed.

“My father’s idea is that if we take the Holy Sword out of the Village of the Holy Sword, it’ll just become your average village, and they won’t be able to use that sword as a bargaining chip.”

The leaflet from earlier had headlines on the front like, “Try your hand at the legend!” and “Whoever pulls the Holy Sword is the rightful owner!” And the back was packed with ads for inns and restaurants and assorted leisure facilities.

The village sounded perfectly developed, really, but Chrome decided to focus on a different concern. “But if you use him for this, won’t your master object?”

Chrome pictured an itty-bitty girl in a white robe with twin black pigtails—who looked to be in middle school.

Her name was Alka. She was the chief of Kunlun, village of living legends, and despite her youthful appearance, her actual age was well over a hundred—a phenom known as the loli grandma. But if you called her that, she might well teleport directly to your location and place all manner of terrible curses upon you using the power of ancient runes.

Body of a child, age of a tree, mind-set of a pubescent boy—all her worldly desires focused squarely on Lloyd. So, well, no need to mince words about it. She was a monster.

She had told Marie time and time again that Kunlun villagers were never to interfere with human affairs, only with demon lords and natural disasters—but this time they had an excuse.

“Thing is, she’s actually under house arrest back in Kunlun.”

“She is?” Chrome balked.

That sounded like a pretty big deal.

“Heh-heh-heh,” Marie said, grinning. “Apparently, the villagers figured out she was skipping out on work to teleport to the capital and see Lloyd, so they’re pissed.”

“…Teleport, huh.”

She had used a skill beyond mortal man like anyone else would a bicycle. Chrome rubbed his temples.

“Yeah, so to make up for what she skipped out on, she’s stuck in the field until the harvest is done. Serves her right! Hyuck-gweh-heh! And in the meantime…”

Years of pent-up resentment were written on her face. Chrome wisely decided not to prod any further and focused on the horses.

Meanwhile, Lloyd finally thought to ask about the purpose of their journey. “Marie, why the excursion?”

“Just a little volunteer work! Gathering a little trash.”

This was, of course, a lie. All Marie wanted to do was put some tears in some miserly villagers’ eyes.

“Trash?”

“Yeah, some stones and things in the way of the railroad.”

There was a note of sarcasm in her voice, but with no knowledge of the circumstances, Lloyd remained completely oblivious to it. His eyes sparkling, he gave her a look of great respect.

“You’re amazing, Marie! Good deeds for no rewards! I see, that’s why we’re going so late! It’s all so no one will know! You really are a hero—Oh, wait, right, you hate when I say that, sorry.”

“R-right…” Marie managed a strained smile.

An earlier misunderstanding had forced her to claim she was the hero of the realm, and she had yet to find an opportunity to clear that up. The pure sincerity in his eyes brought only pangs of guilt. It was like she was a boy who’d found himself in a web of lies about being a total player—when he’d never even gone out with a girl before.

Overhearing this, Chrome grimaced, then called back, “We’re still a ways out, so you two should get some rest.”

Marie settled herself into a more comfortable position, closed her eyes, and thought:

With that sword gone, they’ll have no leg to stand on, and the railway plans can proceed. I won’t be forced into a political marriage. I do hate to use Lloyd like this, but… Well, we don’t know if he can pull the sword yet anyway.

The light of the setting sun on her eyelids turned everything orange. By the time they got there, it would be late at night—the perfect moment.

Meanwhile, Lloyd perused the leaflet, looking baffled. “So…why are we traveling by this really slow carriage? If we just run across the treetops, we could be there in like twenty minutes, tops.”

“…Who am I kidding? He’ll absolutely pull the thing out.”

Lloyd had a different way of looking at the world, and it wiped the smiles off both Marie’s and Chrome’s faces.

WELCOME TO THE VILLAGE OF THE HOLY SWORD!

FAMOUS FRIED SWORDS! EARN BONUS POINTS!

EARN TRIPLE SWORD POINTS EVERY WEDNESDAY!

The party stared at the signs and banners pushing mystery points. They’d arrived after midnight, but even at this hour, the town was obnoxious. Lord knows what it was like in daylight.

The village, named Nandin Village for the sacred bamboo that was their original main source of income, was located in a clearing in the forest. But several decades ago, they’d found a mound with a sword stuck in it that no one could remove, which had led to a bump in tourism—and they’d started calling themselves the Village of the Holy Sword instead.

An extremely literal name—hardly a good one—but, given how hard they were pushing the thing, clearly appropriate.

“It’s neither clear what you get for earning points or even what gets you points, which is inherently suspicious.”

Shaking her head at the point scam, Marie moved forward, Lloyd and Chrome behind her.

It wasn’t long before they spied the mound with the sword in it, surrounded by even more banners.

It was a stone dais, like a moss-covered grave, with an equally moss-covered sword sticking out of it. Only the hilt was bare from all the people who had tried extracting it.

In the moonlight, the sword certainly gave off a sacred air.

But the banners declaring 5 POINTS FOR A CHANCE TO PULL! totally killed the vibe.

“Hmm, the village economy seems to revolve around the point system.”

“Chrome, don’t sound so impressed,” Marie reprimanded gently.

The villagers’ efforts were hardly admirable.

“Sorry, I just thought they’d clearly put a lot of work into it.”

“Heh…and those efforts are causing us problems. Threaten me with political marriages, and I’ll make sure you feel it.”

“Remind me not to cross you…”

Marie’s sinister grin only deepened.

“By the way, Marie,” Lloyd said, waving a trash picker, “what should I be doing here?”

“Oh, Lloyd, can you start gathering trash around here? Start with that mound.”

“Roger that!” He shook the bag in his other hand open and started picking up trash around the mound. Even from a distance, they’d seen plenty of empty bottles, cans, and discarded leaflets and brochures all around it, left behind by tourists.

Lloyd diligently filled his bag with them.

“Heave-ho…heave-ho…”

Toss… Rattle. (The sound of an empty can.)

Toss… Rustle. (The sound of a magazine.)

Shnk… Schiing. (The sound of the Holy Sword pulled out and put in the bag.)

Toss… Clnk. (The sound of an empty bottle.)

““………………””

They’d expected it, but still… Marie’s and Chrome’s faces when he just picked up the Holy Sword along with the garbage were a sight to behold.

They both sort of deflated. Like, think about it. He’d drawn a sword that no one could draw as if…it was just another empty bottle or discarded magazine. If the challengers of years past had seen this, they’d have shrieked in horror.

“Sorry, Marie! What do we do with sharp objects? This sword’s ancient but still technically a weapon? Is there a special holding place for dangerous trash?”

Both pairs of eyes clearly considered Lloyd the greater threat.

“Right, well…can’t leave something like that lying around! Better take it home with us.”

Just then, a middle-aged man with even less hair than you’d expect at his age came striding toward them, clearly on patrol.

“What are you doing?! It’s outside Holy Sword business hours!”

“Oh dear. The village mayor.”

It seemed this man was actually in charge here. He was so mad there was steam rising off him.

“Who do you think you…? Wait, you’re the Witch of the East Side!” he shrieked. “I don’t know if the castle sent you, but you oughtta know right from wrong! How many times do I have to tell you the railroad isn’t welcome here?”

At this point, Lloyd stepped between Marie and the furious mayor, bowing low.

“Sorry! We were just trying to help! We’ve been cleaning the area for you!”

“C-cleaning…? I don’t care what the reason is; entering the mound vicinity at this hour is sacrilege! You defile the Holy Sword! Shame on you!”

“W-we do? I’m so sorry!”

“I bet you just came to scatter more trash here out of spite! What is that rusty blade you have there? We don’t leave any tetanus hazards lying around! Good lord! Where do you think you are? This is a scared village, built to honor the sacred sword! Blasphemers!”

“…Pot calling the kettle…,” Marie muttered. For all his talk of the sanctity of the sword, he’d just dismissed the thing as a rusty tetanus hazard.

And he’d utterly failed to notice that the sword in question wasn’t there. Yet he was foaming at the mouth anyway. It was downright comic.

“…Well, if you don’t grasp the situation, we can’t really negotiate. Mayor, notice anything different?” Marie gently nudged him toward a eureka moment.

“Yes, people like you don’t belong anywhere near the Holy Forest! This is the Holy Forest of the Holy Sword! The very trees are scared! The river brings blessings! And since ancient times, one thing has watched over us like a mother—the Holy Sword that’s…gone?! You’re KIDDING!”

Having finally spotted the difference, the mayor did a really dated-looking pratfall.

Relieved that he’d finally caught up, Marie immediately launched into negotiations—negotiations primarily fueled by a personal grudge.

“It is gone, isn’t it? I wonder why.”

“…I—I know! The Holy Sword is now invisible to unscrupulous people at night! How holy of it!”

“So why can’t you see it, either? Aren’t you the mayor of holy town?”

“Hngg.”

Looking aghast, the mayor lunged up onto the mound. He crawled around, making sure it hadn’t fallen behind any signs or into any cracks in the stone, like someone checking for lost change under a vending machine.

“It’s gone… It’s gone! It’s gooooone! The ancient, noble, historically significant Holy Sword’s hilt! The blade, only half visible, was somewhat worse for wear but bestowed such dignity!”

“Totally different from this rusty lump of tetanus.”

“Of course! How dare you even compare it to that traaa—aiiiieee!”

He seemed to have worked it out at last. His eyes nearly bugged out of his head.

“Don’t touch it! You’ll get tetanus.”

“G-give it back! It belongs here! You can’t just yank it out; it’ll cause damage to—!”

“Damage to what?”

The mayor was starting to sound like the warnings on an NES cartridge.

“J-just give it back! Without that, the village…isn’t the Village of the Holy Sword anymore!”

“Don’t be silly! You used to be Nandin Village, famous for sacred bamboo. You can just go back to that way of life! And the Holy Sword belongs to whoever pulled it out. You get what you get, and don’t get upset.”

“But! But if we lose the sword now, all our projects go kaput! No more Holy Sword Forest Camp! No more Holy Sword Forest Golf Course! No more Holy Sword Forest Art Museum! No more Holy Sword Forest Park! Hotel Holy Sword! The breach of contracts alone will wipe the village out!”

“Serves you right.”

For all their talk of not disturbing the sacred forest, this was the reason they didn’t want to forfeit the land? This only deepened Marie’s scowl.

Faced with certain doom, the mayor’s eyes grew unfocused, and he started making strange noises. “Ababababa…”

“And there’s the damage. Whatever! We’re looking forward to your answer on the cross-continental railroad situation. Just be grateful we’re paying decent prices for this non–Holy Forest.”

Leaving him foaming at the mouth, the party turned to leave.

Lloyd had stood there looking confused the whole time.

“Um, what Holy Sword was he talking about?” he asked.

“Don’t worry about it, Lloyd,” Marie said, looking like her personal worries were at an end. “This will help the railway negotiations move forward. A weight off my shoulders.”

Chrome took the sword from Lloyd, then leaned in to whisper, “Your Highness, what do we do with this sword?”

Marie put a hand to her chin, thinking. Then she smiled and slapped Chrome on the back.

“Make good use of it, Chrome!”

“Huh?”

“I didn’t actually think that far ahead. Hmm, that greedy mayor may get a fake sword ready and try and keep the scam going… We’d better publicly announce the sword has been pulled through the proper channels.” Marie stretched and got ready to board the carriage.

“Hmm… For a place called the Village of the Holy Sword, I sure didn’t see any Holy Swords,” Lloyd commented. “Unless it was that dirty thing? Nah, no way. I pulled it out no problem!”

Lloyd’s self-deprecation was puttering right along, certain he was hardly strong enough to extract a Holy Sword. Would anything ever make him see the light?

Meanwhile, Chrome had been saddled with quite a burden. He looked down at the ancient sword in his hands, muttering, “Sigh… What next?”

But his sigh was swallowed up by the starry sky above.