Chapter 8: The Legendary Sword
Trao and his companions headed to an island nation called [Yamato] in the east.
This country had a unique culture and was known among adventurers as the birthplace of the single-edged sword called katana.
It was also famous for enshrining the god Kusanagi.
“Since we’ve come to Yamato, does that mean we’re going to see the god Kusanagi?”
Rio asked Trao as the members of Garnet disembarked from the ship.
The environment of Yamato was vastly different from Rio’s country, and everything seemed unusual. The houses were made of wood, with hardly any stone buildings in sight. The climate was humid, and even the air smelled different.
Everyone walking on the streets had black hair and black eyes, with less pronounced facial features.
“That’s right. We came here because we have business with the god Kusanagi,”
(As I thought)
The members of Garnet nodded in understanding. The god Kusanagi was famous for his legendary tales and was said to grant power to heroes he deemed worthy.
Before the god stood a rock with a sword embedded in it. The sword was said to be a mythical masterpiece with the power to vanquish evil. However, it was said that no hero had ever been able to pull out that sword.
In a sense, it could be considered an essential weapon for defeating the Demon King.
However, upon arriving in Yamato, Trao didn’t immediately head to the shrine where the god Kusanagi resided. Instead, he first went to meet the king of Yamato.
Trao had obtained a letter of introduction from a merchant who had connections with Yamato and brought a mountain of tribute gifts.
Moreover, instead of putting the massive amount of tribute in his item bag, he deliberately hired people to carry it, showcasing his generosity to the people of Yamato.
(Why is he doing this?)
The members of Garnet were puzzled but followed Trao as instructed.
The castle of the Yamato king they arrived at was, as expected, made of wood and resembled a shrine.
The king of Yamato was delighted with Trao’s tribute and welcomed Trao and his companions with the utmost hospitality. A feast was immediately held in their honor.
While Rio and the others felt awkward in this unfamiliar setting, Trao naturally engaged in friendly conversation with the king.
“How is the economic situation in Yamato? I’ve heard that times are tough everywhere due to the ongoing war with the Demon King’s army…”
The king of Yamato was a middle-aged man with a sturdy build, wearing white robes with a golden crown and a magatama necklace. However, his appearance was rather modest for a king.
Even the food prepared for the feast was relatively simple.
“Indeed. While the Demon King’s army has had an impact, our country has always lacked trade goods, making it difficult to generate revenue through trade. Yet, we don’t have any other special products or tourist attractions, so we face many challenges.”
“But Your Majesty, doesn’t Yamato have the famous god Kusanagi? If you were to enshrine the god more grandly and promote him as a god of martial arts, wouldn’t that increase visitors from other countries?”
(What kind of conversation is he starting?)
Rio and the others were puzzled.
“No, the god Kusanagi is difficult to please. He only favors heroes. That’s why his shrine is located in such a remote, treacherous mountain area. This is no joke. Truly, no one can reach it. Only the most experienced adventurers can even attempt to enter, and even if they do, they can’t pull out the sword, and the god rarely grants his blessing. It’s impossible to turn that into a tourist attraction.”
The king’s expression turned grim as he spoke of the difficulties.
“I see. I understand, Your Majesty. Would you allow us to handle this matter? As you can see, we are adventurers of A-rank or higher. If I speak with the god Kusanagi, perhaps we could improve the path to the shrine and rebuild it to be more presentable. What do you think?”
“What? Is that true?”
For a moment, the king’s face lit up, but he quickly became pensive.
“No, with the current state of our national treasury, we can’t afford that much. At most, we could only cover half the cost…”
“I understand. I will provide half of the funds,”
Trao offered, placing his hand on his chest.
“What! But wouldn’t that leave you with no benefit?”
“Not at all. If you grant me half the rights to the newly built shrine, I believe I can recover the costs in the long term.”
“I see… hmm…”
After thinking for a moment, the king replied,
“Very well! I accept your proposal! Thank you, Trao!”
The king remained in high spirits as he continued to converse with Trao throughout the feast.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.PAGES.DEV
──
The next morning, Trao and his companions set off, bid farewell by the king of Yamato and his retainers.
They were provided with maps to the god Kusanagi’s shrine, information about the route, and necessary items. Everything was thoroughly prepared.
“Our travel preparations are perfect,”
Trao said cheerfully as they began walking. He seemed pleased to have obtained the necessary supplies for free.
Although Trao had given tribute to the king of Yamato, for him, it was like an upfront investment, so he didn’t mind such expenses.
On the other hand, Trao felt immense joy when he could get things cheaply or for free. Even now, with more money than he could spend, Trao still checked the cheapest items on the menu first when dining out.
Rio and the others had gradually come to understand Trao’s personality, so they had recently started ordering the food they liked. At such times, Trao would glance at them briefly but say nothing.
Watching Trao like this, Rio felt that their sense of camaraderie as a party was growing stronger. After all, they couldn’t really be called comrades if they were always holding back around each other.
“The goal of this journey is to obtain the sword of the god Kusanagi, but…”
Trao began to say what Rio and the others had already figured out.
However, they hadn’t been told how they would acquire it.
Rio was an excellent A-rank warrior, but she wasn’t yet at the level to reach S-rank. she didn’t think she could pull out a sword that even legendary heroes had failed to extract.
Although Trao was an S-rank adventurer, his profession as a merchant made it a bit of a stretch to call himself a hero.
“I want Rio to receive the blessing of the god Kusanagi. So, I plan to leave the fighting mostly to Rio to help level up.”
“What?”
Rio was surprised by this unexpected nomination.
It’s true that the god Kusanagi is said to bless warriors. The blessing is supposed to be quite powerful, allowing warriors to become several times stronger.
However, to receive the blessing, one must already be an exceptional warrior. As the king of Yamato had said, otherwise, the god Kusanagi wouldn’t take a liking to them. Rio didn’t have that kind of confidence yet.
“Senpai, with all due respect, I don’t think I’m a warrior worthy of receiving the god Kusanagi’s blessing yet,”
Rio said nervously. Rio felt pathetic even as she said it. But she couldn’t evaluate herself so highly when she knew she didn’t measure up to the warriors who had fallen in the Demon King’s territory.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of everything,”
Trao said nonchalantly.
It sounds very reassuring to hear, but the problem is how he plans to “take care of everything.” It’s usually not a good method.
“But you know, to increase our chances, it’s essential for Rio to level up. So, well, do your best as if your life depends on it, okay?”
The color drained from Rio’s face.
Trao doesn’t lie. When he says to do your best as if your life depends on it, it means he’s really going to push Rio to the brink of death.
“It’s okay, Rio-chan! I won’t let you die! I’ll cast healing magic with all my might!”
Lilith said with a grim expression.
“I’ll do my best too! I’ll cast lots of support magic to keep Rio-chan from dying!”
Dominique also seemed to be growing concerned for Rio’s life after hearing Trao’s words.
“You guys really get along well, don’t you?”
Trao was the only one smiling as usual.
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!
