by Hiro Ainana
“Sure, leave it to me.”
The cut they brought over was fairly lean, so I sliced off some fat from the partially butchered fortress tiger.
It seemed like it might get tough when cooked, so I cut it along the sinew and soaked it in a tray of sake.
Next I fried the heart and liver quickly, using seasonings from my Garage Bag. It was a little bit gamey, so I threw in some fragrant herbs to eliminate the smell.
“Oh man, that smells amazing!”
“W-watch it, Hayato. The first piece is mine!”
“And I’m second!”
“Wait, so I have to be third?”
“No, I’m afraid I’m third, so that makes you fourth, Hayato.”
This hastily decided order didn’t last long. Soon, the four vanguard members were pushing and shoving one another to get each piece as it was cooked.
There was plenty of meat, so I resolved to keep cooking until all of them were satisfied.
“My, that’s delicious. Now I understand why you buffoons made such a disgraceful display.”
“Right? I told you Satou’s cooking is amazing!”
Princess Meriest nodded approvingly when she finally got to taste the steak, and Miss Ringrande puffed up her chest with pride.
“Indeed. Now, if only I had a glass of red wine to go with it…”
“You’ve had enough to drink for one day, Loleiya.”
Miss Weeyari quickly shot down the priestess, who had just recovered from her drunken state.
“…Fortress tiger is quite delicious, isn’t it? I didn’t expect monster meat to taste this good.”
“N-no, Your Highness. I once ate the meat of a fortress tiger when I worked at a fort, but it was like chewing on a boiled old shoe. This doesn’t even compare.”
Princess Menea’s escort knight shook his head in amazement.
I’d done a lot of experimenting with cooking monster meat on my journey. At this point, I could make just about any kind of meat into a delicious meal.
Maybe someday I could try making the infamously disgusting wyvern meat taste good.
Once the meal was winding down, Princess Menea stood up.
“Sir Hero… Everyone. Allow me to thank you on behalf of my kingdom for saving our people from danger.”
She gave an elegant curtsy to the hero, then went around to each person to take their hands and thank them one by one, even me.
“Could I persuade you to come to Lumork Castle? We would love to express our gratitude for your great deeds.”
“Sorry, but I’m not really into that kind of thing. If King Lumork wants to thank us, tell him to just send a thank-you letter to the Saga Empire or something, please.”
The hero waved at the princess to have a seat, as if signaling an end to the whole affair.
Then, with perfect timing, Priestess Loleiya brought out some after-dinner coffee.
Damn, did I ever miss coffee.
“That was delicious! We never get to eat that well on the road.”
“I agree. You should join our party, too, Satou!”
Rusus and Fifi sat on either side of me, pounding my shoulders encouragingly.
It didn’t help that their chests were pushing against my arms, too.
“Don’t harass Satou, you two.”
Miss Weeyari’s cheeks were slightly pink as she pulled her companions away.
For a second, I caught myself conceitedly wondering whether she’d fallen for me, but then I realized it was probably because of the ale she’d been drinking.
“However, I agree with your suggestion. It would be a big help to have someone else who can assist with repairs for the ship besides me.”
Wee, reeking of alcohol, leaned against my back.
“I should think he would have a hard time with us at level thirty, though.”
“Yes, maybe we’ll talk if you gain another fifteen levels or so in Labyrinth City.”
Priestess Loleiya and Princess Meriest agreed that my level was too low.
I had no intention of joining the hero’s party, of course, but I did feel proud that they thought of me so highly.
“I dunno, guys. What if Satou just goes off and gets the Hero title for himself?”
The hero grinned jokingly, unaware that I actually had it already.
“Ha-ha, Hayato, you’re a riot!”
“That’s so like you, Hayato.”
Rusus and Fifi laughed. Apparently, it was rare for anyone to get the Hero title on their own.
“No, I mean it. Earlier today, if it weren’t for Satou, that black dragon’s breath would’ve blown me right off the Jules Verne.”
“Not at all, Sir Hero. I was simply holding on to you and the railing for safety.”
“You can just call me Hayato. Besides, you were backing me up with scrolls, weren’t you? We might not all be sitting here safely without your help. I owe you one, Satou.”
Without getting out of his chair, Hayato bowed his head deeply and thanked me.
> Title Acquired: Friend of the Hero
Humbly deflecting his flattery, I tried to change the subject by bringing up Holy Swords.
“Sir Hero?”
“Just Hayato.”
The hero scowled, but I couldn’t quite bring myself to get that casual.
“Sir Hayato, then.”
“That’ll do, I guess.”
We compromised with “Sir Hayato” and moved on.
“Do all Holy Swords have a special key word, like the word
“Oh, the scriptures? Rin would know more about that than I would.”
“Let’s see… The Holy Sword Durandal, which was used by a hero in the era of the ancestral king, has
Nice!
I had just learned the “scripture” word for Durandal, one of the Holy Swords I got in my initial windfall.
“If you want to know more, you should read Uncle Leon’s book Holy Swords and Scriptures. Since you’re his vassal and all, I’m sure he’d be happy to answer any of your questions on the matter.”
…Oh, right. Baron Muno used to be a hero researcher.
The Muno Barony was pretty far away, so maybe I could find out whether Mr. Kikinu’s magic shop in the old capital had a copy. He was a big hero fan himself, after all.
I thanked Ringrande appreciatively for the useful information, and soon our after-dinner tea was over.
“Satou, how would you like to do some training with me to work off the meal?”
Miss Ringrande grinned and pulled me up by the hand, so I crossed swords with her for a while.
After that, Rusus and Fifi wanted to try a round, too.
It was hard to go easy on them when they seemed to fight on pure instinct, but I was able to hold my own and lose to them gracefully enough.
“You’re pretty good, huh? Let me have a go, too.”
For some reason, the hero wanted a match, too.
His speed and power were considerably higher than that of his followers.
“You’re not half-bad.”
“Sir Hayato, perhaps you could go a bit easier on me.”
I had to be extra careful with him; if I wasn’t, I risked miscalculating the amount of magic I was using to protect the fairy sword and invoking Spellblade by accident.
And if I caught a blow head-on, it could damage the fairy sword, so I had to watch my parrying angles, too.
“You really are quite strong, Sir Hayato.”
“Ha! It’s been a long time since I fought anyone who could hold a conversation while sparring with me.”
The hero had a lot of battle-related skills, so he made for a pretty fun opponent.
He made use of skills even I didn’t have, like “Blink” and “Predictive Evasion.”
Impressively, even though from his point of view I was a much less skilled opponent, he didn’t s
eem to be playing around in the slightest.
“That’s enough!”
As the referee, Miss Ringrande ruled Hayato the victor, and our mock battle ended.
Like when I’d fought Miss Ringrande, he came at me from the blind spot where my radar was usually displayed, so I couldn’t quite avoid his attack.
“What’s wrong, Hayato?”
“…No, it’s nothing.”
The hero was tilting his head from side to side and flexing his hands.
I paid no attention to his behavior, instead replaying in my mind his movements from the battle and trying to commit them to my muscle memory.
The next morning, the ship’s automatic repair was completed as planned, and we were able to get back to the old capital by evening.
For someone who was so uncivil on the way there, Princess Menea was strangely talkative with me on our return journey.
“…or so I believe. What do you think, Sir Satou?”
She was probably in a good mood now that her homeland wasn’t in such dire straits.
“…Yes, I agree.”
However, I had stayed up all night reading the advanced spell books I’d borrowed from Miss Ringrande, so I was completely exhausted.
“Really, Sir Satou, are you even listening to me?”
“Yes, of course.”
I continued to absentmindedly nod along to Princess Menea’s stories for the rest of the trip.
Ringrande had to wake me up when we got back to the old capital, and Princess Menea looked so cross that she was practically harrumphing out loud.
I must have fallen asleep in the middle of our conversation.
I apologized to her for my rudeness and wound up having to promise to take her sightseeing in the old capital to make it up to her.
I didn’t want to spend a day babysitting, but you reap what you sow, I suppose.
The Wedding and the Lulu Fruit
Satou here. Whenever I had to go to a lot of weddings, all the wedding gifts were like a tornado sweeping through my bank account. But since it was a great way to meet women, I was willing to endure the frugal life until my next payday.
When I returned to the capital, I enjoyed a fun dinnertime with my friends that healed my exhaustion.
Then, that night…
“Nanashi the Hero?”
“Mm.”
I entered the duke’s private room in his castle, and he greeted me as a friend.
As I spoke, I kept in mind the simple sentences I’d used last time we met.
“A strange hero, to enter through the window like that.”
Sitting across from the duke was the king of Shiga—or rather, his body double.
His tone was like a grandfather scolding a naughty grandchild.
When I landed on the floor and came to the center of the room, the homely atmosphere changed slightly, and the expression of the king’s body double tightened.
“Mr. Nanashi the Hero, as the ruler of the Shiga Kingdom, I thank you for saving our land from destruction.”
The man bowed his head deeply.
Even in an unofficial setting like this, it seemed improper for a king to lower his head to anyone.
“Don’t bow.”
“I would like to reward you and grant you peerage in a public ceremony. Won’t you come with me to the royal capital in my private airship?”
When he looked up, the king said something even more troublesome.
If I accepted a high rank, I’d probably get dragged into all kinds of political struggles with other aristocrats.
“No need.”
“But on top of defeating a demon lord, you brought down a senior greater demon and even the seven giant monster fish it summoned. These are deeds comparable to the ancestral king! To let it go without a single repayment would be—”
I shook my head, interrupting the body double king’s words.
Better wrap up my business here quickly and make myself scarce.
“The prince forgot this.”
“The Holy Sword Claidheamh Soluis…”
I held out the sword to the king, its blade wrapped in cloth.
However, the body double simply stared at it, making no attempt to accept it.
“Mr. Nanashi, I heard from my soldiers that you can produce the true form of this sword. Did I hear correctly?”
I nodded silently at the duke’s question.
Did they think this sword was a fake or something?
“Would you mind showing us?”
Drawing a sword in the duke’s private room seemed like asking to get arrested on the spot, but since he was requesting it himself, I didn’t have much of a choice.
I unraveled the cloth around Claidheamh Soluis’s blade, poured some magic power into it, and recited the scripture.
“
Just like in the battle with the yellow demon, the sword broke into thirteen smaller blades and floated around my body.
“Incredible!! So the legends were true!”
“Beautiful… The tapestry doesn’t even come close to reproducing it!”
All right, calm down already.
The duke and even the king’s body double looked like they were about to start foaming at the mouth. I wished they’d rein in their fanboying a little.
It seemed to me that they’d seen enough, so I transitioned the sword back into its regular state.
“A number of people have been able to use the scripture to make the sword ‘dance,’ but not since the ancestral king has anyone managed to release its true form…!”
I recovered the MP I’d charged the sword with, wrapped the blade again, and held it out to the king.
However, he still wouldn’t accept it.
“…No, keep it. I wish to entrust it to the one who can bring out its true power.”
Hang on, Mr. Body Double… Should you really be making that decision?
“You sure?”
With those few words, I tried to feel out whether he needed the real king’s permission.
But neither the body double king nor the duke seemed willing to change their minds.
“Of course. Then you must bring the Holy Sword Claidheamh Soluis to the Great Audience Ceremony on New Year’s Day…”
“Not sure I can make it.”
I was trying to indicate that I definitely didn’t want to go, but it didn’t seem to come across.
“…and there I shall declare you the hero of the Shiga Kingdom.”
So if I don’t go, the whole ceremony will be canceled?
Putting that aside for the moment, would the royal capital even be able to defend itself without Claidheamh Soluis?
It was a handy sword and all, but honestly, I could get by just fine without it.
“What about the capital?”
“Hmm. The capital has the Eight Swordsmen of Shiga and their Magic Swords.”
The body double king responded with confidence, but I’d met one of the Eight Swordsmen of Shiga. He was a bodyguard for the prince, and he had been virtually useless in the battle against the yellow-skinned demon.
If the other seven swordsmen were on the same level, could they defeat a greater demon without a Holy Sword?
“Besides, a Holy Sword chooses its wielder. As long as you are around, it likely won’t allow anyone else to use it. Unless the ancestral king Yamato were to be resurrected from the legendary Dreamcrystal Mausoleum, of course.”
I see… Well, I guess there’s no point returning it if they can’t use it.
Oh, I know. Maybe they can use the Holy Sword Gjallarhorn to defend the capital instead?
Unlike most of the other swords, which were said to be gifts from the gods, I thought this one was supposed to have been made by the ancestral king Yamato himself.
“Trade.”
“Wh-why, this is the Holy Sword Gjallarhorn!”
“The Holy Sword that was stolen by the evil lord seventeen years ago!”
Looking at the Holy Sword I held out, the bod
y double king and the duke leaped to their feet in surprise.
“Ooh! Dear God! The sword forged by our great ancestral king Yamato has returned to the Shiga Kingdom at last!”
“Thank you, Nanashi the Hero, thank you!”
I wasn’t expecting them to get this excited.
Maybe I should have returned it sooner.
I thought the “evil lord” the double had mentioned was probably the Undead King Zen, who had given me this Holy Sword in the first place.
Unlike Holy Swords from gods, this one had no limits to who could use it, as evidenced by the fact that the undead Zen was able to do so.
Just in case, I kept my Healing Magic at the ready when I handed the sword over to the body double king, but nothing happened, just as I’d expected.
Incidentally, the third prince, who had rapidly aged in the battle against the yellow demon, had been sent back to the royal capital for rest and treatment.
With my business in the duke’s castle finished, I used the Return spell to teleport to the labyrinth ruins under the old capital.
My plan was to make dragon powder from the black dragon scales I’d acquired the day before.
“…Damn, that’s hard.”
The blue steel tool I got from the kobolds couldn’t even make a scratch.
If I pushed it much harder, the tool itself would probably get chipped instead.
“
I removed the Holy Sword Durandal from Storage and spoke the scripture Ringrande had told me about, and its chipped blade instantly restored itself.
It used up the magic power I’d charged it with in the process, but that was a small price to pay.
I didn’t know whether it would work if the blade was completely broken, but either way, that was a pretty handy power.
Guess I’ll start using the Holy Sword Durandal as my main weapon from now on.
“This thing always cuts so well.”
I chopped the scales into small pieces with the Holy Sword Durandal, then rubbed them together to make them into powder.
It started getting pretty tiresome partway through, so I used a small amount of powder as an agent for the Polish spell, which turned the rest of it into powder all at once.
“…Highest quality?”
The completed powder had the status Highest Quality.
