The next day, when we went to the outpost, one of the state soldiers called out to me.
It seemed the spear I had ordered was ready. They told us to come to the blacksmith.
I had kept the spear order a secret from Kimishima. I wanted to surprise her with a gift.
Kimishima and the others wanted to come with me, but I told them to go ahead without me. We had planned to hunt nearby today to feed Mera, so I told them to go on their own.
As I walked alone to the blacksmith, I ran into Miree talking to some villagers in the central square.
“Ah, Shigeto-san. Good morning.”
“Good morning. Are you planning to build a church here?”
“That’s right. I thought this would be a good place for the villagers to gather.”
“I see. I hope the village can gradually recover.”
“Me too… By the way, Shigeto-san, where are you headed?”
“Ah, I was planning to go to the blacksmith.”
“The blacksmith? Oh, can I come with you?”
“Huh? Sure, but I’m just picking up a weapon.”
“Yes, I’ve mostly finished scouting locations, and I’d like to take a walk around town.”
“Got it. It’s this way.”
The blacksmith is a bit away from the center of town. We walk leisurely, chatting as we go.
According to Miree, in this world, magical tools that can send messages over long distances are a technology only the church possesses. Nations borrow these tools from the church to communicate with distant places, so the church might be considered part of the infrastructure.
We continue walking through the town for a while. As we head down a less crowded path, I notice a man walking toward us from the front. I recognize him as one of the guards for the traveling merchant.
I give a slight nod and try to pass by him. However, the man stares intently at my face, his lips twisting into a sneer.
“Well, well. Taking a stroll with a woman in broad daylight, huh?”
“Huh? No, that’s not—”
“Once you reach the Celestial rank, you can surround yourself with women and live in paradise. That’s how it goes, right?”
What’s his deal? The man glares at me as if trying to pick a fight.
No, he is trying to pick a fight. A chilling, malevolent killing intent radiates from him. I feel anger rising at his words and glare back.
“Shigeto-san, don’t engage with him.”
Miree notices the tension and warns me. Right. The “Heavenly Fall” only happens if both parties agree to fight. If I don’t engage, the man can’t do anything.
“…You want a Celestial rank fight? I’m not doing it.”
“Hmph. You’re a clever one, aren’t you?”
“You’re the merchant’s guard, right? Let’s stop this. I won’t say anything about it.”
“I do want to take back my brother’s Celestial rank.”
“Huh?”
“But first, I’ll avenge my brother…”
The man suddenly draws his sword and swings at me. I hurriedly reach for my kodachi, but I can’t focus in time. I manage to draw it and deflect his blade.
“Avenge your brother?!”
“…Disaster.”
“What?!”
The man swings his sword down at me, catching me off guard. Unable to focus or properly draw my blade, I desperately parry his strikes. My Kikusui Keikōryū style includes kodachi techniques. In my school, the kodachi is more of a defensive weapon than an offensive one. I use a technique called “Cloud and Mist” to deflect his attacks.
It’s said to be like mist enveloping the clouds—using the kodachi’s agility to deflect the opponent’s strikes and disrupt their sense of distance with unconventional footwork.
Sounds impressive, but… without drawing my blade, my focus is weak. The man is stronger and faster by a wide margin.
With each clash, his sword’s force overwhelms my kodachi. The difference in strength is too much. Meanwhile, the man, initially confused by my movements, starts to look surprised as he sees me struggling to maintain my stance after each parry.
“How… how did a guy like you take down Carton and Focal?!”
His anger grows, and his attacks become more forceful and reckless. The wild swings only make things harder for me.
“Shigeto-san!”
“Die!”
Unable to deflect his sword, my kodachi is knocked away. The man charges at me with a demonic expression. I desperately reach for the scabbard at my waist, trying to block his strike. At that moment, a streak of magic flies toward the man.
“Geas!”
“Ugh… what the…?!”
Miree, who had pulled out a short wand from her pocket, restrains the man with magic, just like she did with Sid. This is the same magic that restrained Sid, who holds a three-digit rank. I don’t know this man’s rank, but his movements are severely limited.
“S-sorry.”
“No, are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine.”
I hurriedly pick up my kodachi and sheathe it.
“Grr… damn it…!”
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.PAGES.DEV
The man struggles to move, but the magic restricts him to only slight movements. I take a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart after facing death.
The danger seems to have passed. I glance at the man, now somewhat composed.
“Let’s hand him over to the State Army.”
“…The State Army?”
When I say this, Miree hesitates before responding. The man, overhearing, forces out some words.
“We… never… abandon… our comrades…”
This is a brutal world. Valuing your comrades might be one way to survive. I falter slightly under his murderous gaze.
“Shigeto-san…”
“That’s right… if you don’t… kill me… your comrades… will all… die…”
“I won’t let that happen!”
“Four… Celestial ranks… in one country… not… scary…”
The man’s right hand slowly moves toward his left. Trembling, he pushes through with sheer willpower. His determination sends a chill down my spine.
At that moment, I catch a glimpse of something resembling a bracelet on his left wrist. Miree notices it too and shouts.
“Stop him! It’s a curse-breaking bracelet!”
“Uooooh!”
The man touches the bracelet on his left hand. Crack. In an instant, something spreads out from him.
“The restraint is broken!”
I understand Miree’s words. The bracelet must have nullified her magic. But I’m not letting my guard down this time. I grip the hilt of my kodachi with my right hand and focus.
The energy spreading from the man reaches us. Within that space, I feel the gathered magical energy being blown away. Looking at the man, I can’t sense any magic around him either. It must be a magical tool that disperses magic.
…But my focus remains unbroken.
I cut through the opening movement with my focus intact. The man slowly starts running toward me. He raises his sword with one hand, then grips it with both. Without magic, we’re on equal footing. No problem. I push off the ground with my left foot and step forward. At the same time, I draw and swing my kodachi.
……
“Ah… guh…”
The man falls onto his back, his chest slashed open, blood spilling from his mouth as he stares at me.
“I see… cough… you’re fast… but… you can’t… defeat… Gordon…”
“Gordon’s coming too?”
“Kuh… kuh… you… cough… can’t… beat… Gordon…”
With those words, the man closes his eyes for the last time.
I stand there, breathing heavily, staring at his lifeless body for a while…
We abandon our plan to visit the blacksmith and immediately head to the State Army’s outpost to report the incident. Yarzak’s face turns pale upon hearing that a member of Disaster had infiltrated the village unnoticed, but there was little that could have been done since the man had come as part of the merchant’s guard.
“At any rate, I’m glad you’re safe, Shigeto-san.”
“…If Miree hadn’t been there, I probably…”
“It’s a matter of luck. Let’s use this as a reminder to stay vigilant.”
“Right…”
Yarzak shows concern for me and tells me to leave the rest to the State Army and get some rest. While I wasn’t as shaken as before, the fact that I had taken another life weighed heavily on me. I reluctantly accept his advice.
The man’s name was Sigit. He was undoubtedly the fifth seat of Disaster.
The merchant was also in shock, never imagining that the guard he had brought with him was part of Disaster. Moving forward, it seems they’ll assign State Army soldiers as guards to prevent such incidents.
Kimijima and the others were also shocked by the incident that occurred while they were away. However, they steeled themselves, determined to focus even more on raising their ranks in preparation for the possible arrival of Disaster.
And then there was Sigit’s final words: “You can’t cut him.” Those words were deeply etched into my mind. I have a technique called “Rock Splitter,” which can cut through stone. But is that enough?
Gordon is famous, but there’s no information about his techniques. Raising my rank is essential, but perhaps I need to think of other strategies as well.
It’s a restless night. I lie awake, troubled by my thoughts.
Visit the request page If there’s a Japanese Light Novel (LN) or Web Novel (WN) you’d like me to translate
When the donation goal progress bar above hit 100% one novel will be chosen for translation
| Table of Contents | Next* |
Support the Author by Buying the Original Books!
