I Was a Sword When I Reincarnated (LN) - Volume 11 - Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

Granzell Homecoming

OCTOBER 3587

“SO THIS IS THE BLADE excavated from the ruins… It appears broken, but—”

Heh heh heh…

“What? Who’s there?”

Mwa ha ha! It’s us!

“Arghhhhh! M-my head…! Who are you?! Show yourself…!”

Boy, you’re thick. I’m right here, buddy. We’re right in your hands!

“Th-the sword…? Aaargh! Stop! What are you?!”

Me? Us? Good question… I was hoping you could tell us who we are.

“I don’t know…! Stooooop!”

Dammit, you’re still awake? We’ve gotten weaker… I guess that would happen after getting destroyed, after all. So much for being a mighty Godsword.

“A Godsword…?”

That’s right! Our name is… Huh? What was it again? Last thing I remember was beating the crap out of Holy Order…

“Why can’t I let go?!”

Ha ha ha! That’s because I’m not letting you go! We’ll be commandeering that body of yours!

“Gaaaaah!”

Heh heh heh! Hey, this guy’s a noble! And a marquis, too? This is great!

“…”

First, we’ll have to fix our broken body.

“Fix.”

That’s right! We’ll need to feed on other Godswords to do that, which means we need those Godswords!

“Other Godswords.”

Ha ha ha! You barely seem human at this point. We’ll have to adjust to this body before your people catch on. I’ll have to modify it otherwise!

“Modify.”

Quiet now.

“…”

All you need to do is sit back and enjoy the ride! We are the many made one. The one made many. Now, you are part of us! Not to worry, I’ll put your authority as marquis to good use! Mwa ha ha!

Our return from Chrome was uneventful. We didn’t have much to do on the boat because they treated us like guests, and we were moving so fast that it kept us safe from monsters. A few days of relaxation and we would be back in Jillbird.

I wondered why all of their ships couldn’t go this fast, and it basically came down to cost. This vessel was equipped with the latest propulsion manatech, and running it required over ten high-rank magicite each day.

The whole system also took up more than half of the ship’s mass, leaving it with only a fifth of the carrying capacity of a regular vessel. It was very handy for transporting very important items and people, but it was commercially unviable.

We landed in Bulbola without much resistance. It felt weird, considering how much trouble Fran seemed to attract every time she got on a boat. We had been boarded by pirates, attacked by a Midgardsormr, and even encountered the Leviathan. I kept my guard up throughout the whole trip just in case, but my worries were unfounded. I guess we were just unlucky the last few times.

“Anything else you need?”

“Hm. Thanks for the ride.”

“Give us a call if you ever stop being an adventurer. We’ll have a seat ready for you at the trade association.”

I don’t think the captain was just making conversation. He really liked us after we caught a fish monster on the way to feed everyone, but I think the core of our appeal was our Pocket Dimension. It was the dream skill for all merchants, considering its ability to solve storage problems once and for all. There was a limit to how much item pouches could store, and they were priced according to their capacity.

I guess Fran was settled as far as job security went. I couldn’t imagine her being a merchant, though. Fran doing accounting? I don’t think so. She would probably solve her negotiations by physically beating up her clients, too.

We got off the boat and walked down the familiar streets of Bulbola.

So, where to first? I’m thinking we should check in at the Adventurers’ Guild.

“Hm. They might know where Garrus is.”

Good point. We might as well drop by the Blacksmith’s Guild while we’re at it.

“And then the orphanage.”

We had quite a few friends in Bulbola. One of them was the former A-Rank adventurer and owner of the Dragonhead restaurant, the thread user Phelms. There was also Colbert and the three girls who helped us run our food stall. I figured we ought to say hi to them if we saw them in the guild, unless they were out on a quest at the moment.

We should get some spices at the Lucille Trade Association, too.

“Hm. Very important.”

“Woof!”

Fran and Jet were both in agreement. Curry was like fuel to them, and it was an ingredient to their success in battle. I’m not kidding. If we ran out of the stuff, Fran and Jet’s motivation would go through the floor and leave them at half their fighting capacity. We definitely needed to top up our spice reserves.

And the Dragonhead?

“We’ll go there after we check in.”

Of course.

Fran wasn’t about to pass up a delicious meal.

She set her course for the Adventurers’ Guild and we began walking down the streets of Bulbola. We didn’t stay there for long, but seeing the ruins couldn’t help but remind me of the things that happened here. I guess returning to a town you haven’t been to in a while might make anyone nostalgic.

I noticed that people were staring at Fran, which was odd considering they were civilians and not adventurers. Was it because they finally saw how beautiful she was? Did Jet’s scarred eye possess a menacing attraction? Was I oozing the powerful aura of a discarded Godsword?

The answer to all three of those questions was a resounding no.

“Oh, are you the girl from the Black Tail?”

“Hm?”

“I knew it! That curry bread you sold was so delicious, I still dream about it!”

I had heard about how the love for curry was spreading throughout Bulbola. It seemed to have developed into a full-blown obsession by now. Our curry bread had won the cooking contest, and news spread quickly after we sold the recipe to the Lucille Trade Association. People began buying the recipe, and those who couldn’t buy it recreated the dish by taste. The city of chefs managed to create curry that could rival the original.

All this served to popularize curry, and now you could have it just about anywhere. The originator of the recipe—the “Master of Curry”—became the talk of the town.

“Master of Curry”… Wait, that’s me!

Colbert was definitely to blame for the nickname. People also began talking about the Disciple of Curry and the Beauty of the Black Tail—Fran. A lot of people still remembered her from the contest.

I didn’t know that curry could cause this much of a commotion. But I didn’t sense any malice in their gazes; if anything, they were filled with respect and gratitude. Fran was also magnanimous enough to see that her popularity did no harm and resumed her walk through the town. The only thing she would say to any random admirer was “The Master of Curry is the best.”

They love you, Teacher.

They love curry, actually. I mean, look at all this.

Curry flags were flying above every food stall we passed. Entire rows of food stalls sold curry-flavored foods and nothing more. It all reminded me of the al fresco food courts we had on Earth.

Honestly, I was a little worried. It felt like they were focusing too much on one spice.

Won’t people get bored of this trend…?

This is a dream come true!

Woof!

I guess to you it would be.

We weren’t going to reach the guild any time soon.

I see some curry kebabs over there.

It smells good!

Arf!

Fran immediately bought five sticks (to start). The meat looked like tandoori chicken with yellow curry powder spread on it.

“Yum, yum.”

“Munch, munch.”

How is it?

“It’s…okay.”

“…Ruff.”

Meaning it wasn’t great. It was basically a grilled kebab with fish sauce and curry powder thrown over it. There was no recipe development here. Just a quick hop on the curry bandwagon.

There were a lot of solid chefs in Bulbola, but the port city was also home to trend-hoppers out to make a quick buck. The cost of spices in general was also much higher because of the curry boom. I had seen this dark side of trends back on Earth, too. People paid a premium for items in high demand, which resulted in a crash once the prices got too steep. Then they would then move on to the next big thing, leaving the old trend in the past.

It would be really nice if the people of this world could develop their own takes on curry… But then would curry suffer the same fate?

“Give me three.”

“Coming right up!”

How’s the soup?

“…Hm.”

“…Woof.”

And another miss. Their spirits were beginning to be dampened, but they couldn’t help but be attracted by the powerful aroma of curry. Fran carried on to the next stall and bought another portion, just a single serving this time.

“One.”

“Sure thing!”

“…”

“…Arf.”

Not a word was uttered. Fran never lost her spirit in her days as a slave, but now she wore the glazed eyes of a dead fish. Jet had curled up, expecting nothing from the next stall.

“One.”

“Here you go.”

“…!”

The final stall sold steamed meat buns with curry filling. Fran broke it open, but it wasn’t quite like the curry buns I had seen on Earth. The Terran varieties were mostly filled with minced meat. The meat in this bun was chunky. It appeared to be sprinkled with curry powder before being haphazardly wrapped in dough. It wasn’t exactly a curry bun…it was a curry-inspired meat bun.

Fran’s hopeless expression changed after a single bite. The light came back to her eyes as she devoured the bun in three bites. She then proceeded to order more, as if lashing out against the mediocre curry foods she had to eat before this one.

“I’ll take thirty!”

“Uhh…thirty? Three zero?”

“Hm!”

The girl at the food stall was shocked at first, but proceeded to cook up thirty steamed buns after Fran paid for them. She stacked one on top of another on a plate before finally creating a mountain of curry buns.

“Yum.”

Fran was deeply satisfied with the buns.

Teacher, you need to learn how to make these!

Arf, arf, arf!

She liked them so much that she asked me to learn the recipe. I made a note to experiment later on.

Once Fran was a good distance away from the stall, people immediately flocked to it. That was its prize for being approved by the great curry evangelist. Curry would never die as long as there were stalls like these crafting delicious dishes. I wished the honest chefs of Bulbola the best of luck.

Okay, we need to get to the guild.

“Munch, munch, munch!”

“Yum, yum, yum!”

Fran was in a good mood by the time we reached the guild. Which was good, because otherwise there could’ve been a bloodbath if someone picked a fight. She was a lot more famous now, and there were fewer idiots who would knowingly annoy her, but there were still some more hapless individuals.

Fortunately, we didn’t need to worry about ignorant adversaries. The Black Lightning Princess was now famous for easily defeating an A-Rank adventurer. The Disciple of Curry was also famous for taking in Colbert as an apprentice, and anyone who offended her would be banned from all the curry houses in Bulbola.

So the rumor went. A rumor which perhaps became exaggerated with time, but it helped our case nonetheless. I wasn’t going to go out of my way to disprove it, that’s for sure.

We went up to Gammod, the Guildmaster who fought against Linford with us.

“It’s been a while.”

“Hm.”

“So how have you been?”

“I made a new friend.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Her name is Mea…”

We talked with him for a while before getting into the meat and potatoes of why we came here. I was hoping the Guildmaster would know where Garrus was, considering his influence.

“We’ve been trying to dig up information on his whereabouts since you left. Unfortunately, it hasn’t gone too well.”

“Oh…” So, the dwarven network didn’t know where he was.

We then hit up informant/adventurer Reggs to compare notes, but even he came up dry.

“If nothing else, we know he hasn’t returned to Bulbola.”

Reggs’ vast urban network was not to be scoffed at. If he said Garrus hadn’t come back to Bulbola, then that was the truth.

We went to the Blacksmith’s Guild, but nothing surfaced. There was one bit of information which piqued our interest, however.

“Marquis Aschtner’s been buying up smithing materials lately. He’s the one we suspect of taking Garrus away.”

Apparently, the marquis started collecting smithing metals soon after Garrus disappeared. That certainly raised eyebrows.

“He can keep it on the down-low all he wants, use all the fake names and middlemen… That won’t be enough to trick us.”

It was vital that we attended the auction at the capital now. Hopefully we could just meet Garrus there. Otherwise, Marquis Aschtner might be holding him prisoner.

It’s a shame we can’t figure anything out about Garrus. Let’s head to the orphanage for a change of pace.

“Hm.”

The suggestion cheered Fran up. It had been a long time since we last saw the orphans, and they probably missed her and Jet as much as we missed them.

The orphanage now had a proper gate at the entrance. The place was looking a lot better since coming under Amanda’s care. The gate was guarded by a former adventurer, and it looked like this beastman knew about Fran. He gladly let her in, and the children warmly welcomed her.

“Hey, it’s Fran!”

“Fran’s back!”

“And Jet’s with her, too!”

They immediately swarmed us, fluffing Jet’s fur despite the new scar on his face. He expanded to his original size, lay down, and wagged his fluffy tail. The kids loved how affectionate the direwolf was. It was a nice change of pace for him, since people were usually too scared to approach, and he was very happy to play the part of the lovable giant canine. I was afraid that some of the kids would be frightened by his sheer size, but everyone was all smiles. The children of this world were built different, that’s for sure.

The clamor soon attracted the adults at the orphanage. They feared the worst as they stepped out, weapons in hand. Io was an amazing cook, famous for her exquisite Garbage Soup. Charlotte was an adventurer who used a special dance in battle. She played an important role in the fight against Linford.

“Fran, is that you? And Jet! It’s been so long!”

“Woof!”

Charlotte had returned to the orphanage after she lost the tournament in Ulmutt. Amanda contacted her after Fran told her about the sorry state the orphanage was in. She and Io couldn’t be thankful enough for that.

Charlotte then breathed a sigh of relief. “I’m glad it was you.”

“Why?”

“Well, you see…”

Charlotte’s alarm had not been without reason. Two days ago, a wanted man had appeared on their doorstep.

“He was wearing a disguise, but I knew it was him. He was tall, with scars all over his body. What’s more, I saw him up close when we fought that giant Fiend. I’ll never forget the look in his eyes.”

A hulking wanted man with scars on his body who fought Linford with us? Only one person fit that bill.

“Theraclede…?”

“Yes.”

“Why did he come here?”

Theraclede had brought a three-year-old boy with him, undoubtedly to drop him off. The man was still intimidating, but he wasn’t quite as menacing as the bounty on his head made him out to be.

“He said an acquaintance had entrusted that boy to him, but he wasn’t equipped to raise him. He said he couldn’t stand kids. He was even willing to pay us to take the boy away from him…”

“The boy looked so tired. They must have had a rough journey.”

“What was his name?”

“I think it was Romeo.”

I knew it! But why would Theraclede fulfill Murelia’s dying wish? Especially after he betrayed her?

“Where is he now?”

“We didn’t end up taking him in.”

“Why not?”

Theraclede had come in when Charlotte was away, and was greeted by one of the orphanage directors. When Theraclede gave Romeo to them, the boy immediately started crying. They gave the boy to Io, but he wouldn’t stop crying until she finally returned him to Theraclede. Then, Romeo’s cries turned to smiles and laughs.

Theraclede tried to sneak away, but still the boy wailed. The director suggested to him that he might as well try to care for him a little while longer, since sneaking away wasn’t going to work. If things didn’t work out, he could feel free to leave Romeo in their care.

Having failed to leave the toddler, Theraclede departed with Romeo in his arms. Charlotte happened to come across them as she returned to the orphanage.

“He was nothing like I remembered him. He’s so much calmer now.”

“Theraclede?”

“Yeah.”

It was an unbelievable tale. Theraclede, the man whose very life was founded on violence, had saved a three-year-old after presumably rescuing him from his captors. He took Romeo to the orphanage in Bulbola, planning to leave him under its care. But the most surprising thing of all was that the three-year-old seemed to enjoy being under Theraclede’s care.

“We couldn’t just leave him be, of course…”

They had reported Theraclede, but he managed to escape. I doubted if regular guardsmen could even touch him. Any conflict with him would only result in casualties on their side.

“What is he plotting?”

Maybe he just wants to fulfill Murelia’s last wishes after betraying her.

There’s no way he’s dragging that kid around for nothing. What if he wants to sacrifice him?

I thought he had just gotten attached to the boy after having him around for a while. The boy certainly was attached to him, if nothing else.

I looked at Fran and remembered our first meeting. What if Theraclede and Romeo had a similar moment? Maybe that’s why Romeo refused to be left at the orphanage.

But that was pure speculation on my part. Maybe we should look into Theraclede’s whereabouts as well. Fran was my top priority, but a child dying out of negligence wouldn’t sit well with me, either.

Where could he be…?

The somber mood didn’t last long. The faint aroma of curry caught Fran and Jet’s attention and they immediately whipped their heads toward the kitchen. Io noticed her drooling guests.

“We’ll have food ready in a minute.”

“Hm!”

“Woof!”

They nodded vigorously. Curry was on the menu today, and the children lined up to get their fill. They sat down and waited for the rest of their friends to join them at the table. Even Fran knew that it was good manners to wait for everyone before she started eating, and they all spent about five minutes just talking and laughing with each other.

“Please, help yourselves.”

Fran took a spoonful of curry before Io could finish her sentence.

“Yum, yum. Delicious.”

“Woof!”

She instantly smiled. “The aroma is rich and slightly sweet. Rice and roux become one to deliver an exquisite dish.”

Io’s curry was so delicious that it made Fran talk like a food critic. And she had only used two spices! How did she do it? If Io developed her recipe further, she could give me a run for my money. I couldn’t fall behind!

“Thanks to you, we have so much to eat now that we can have seconds. Would you like some?”

“Yes!”

“Woof!”

“Hey, no fair!”

“I want seconds, too!”

The rest of the children followed suit. They laughed and said, “More!” The fact that they weren’t shy about asking for more meant that there were always seconds for those who wanted it.

Before we left the orphanage, we gave the orphanage a gift of the ingredients we’d collected along the way.

Everyone looked really happy.

“Hm!”

Fran was smiling too, and there was now enough pep in her step to make her skip every now and again. As an orphan herself, she was very happy about how the children were doing. I had given Io ten extra spices to cook with. She might end up outshining my curry, but Fran would be able to enjoy a delicious meal the next time we visited.

Next stop, the Dragonhead.

“I can’t wait.”

We soon reached the restaurant and it looked pretty much the same as last time. The old gentleman welcomed us as we went inside. I say “old,” but he really didn’t look his age. The adventurer-turned-chef was still dashing enough to make the ladies swoon.

“Hello, Fran. It’s been a while.”

“Hm. How are you?”

Phelms stepped out of the kitchen, and the ladies who were eating let out cries of admiration. The old man still had it. His cooking wasn’t the only thing that attracted diners to his establishment.

“Are you eating in today?”

“Hm!”

Phelms chuckled. “Allow me to cook for you, to make up for the last time you came when I wasn’t around. Is your familiar with you?”

“He’s in the shadows.”

“You can call him out if you want. We all fought that Fiend together.”

“Arf!”

“Yes, yes, it’s been a while.”

Fran didn’t even get a chance to summon Jet. He had missed out on eating in the Dragonhead the last time we came here, and he wasn’t going to let that happen again.

“So, what will you have?”

“One of everything.”

“Ha ha ha. Very well.”

Phelms knew about Fran’s voracious appetite and returned to the kitchen without a word. His apprentice cooked for us last time, but today we were going to taste the master’s delicacy.

The waitress from last time served us the Dragonhead’s signature dish, Dragon Bone soup. However, the broth had a yellow tinge to it this time.

Fran sniffed it. “Smells good.”

“This is Dragon Bone Curry Soup. Our latest dish.”

“Wow.”

Phelms had incorporated curry into his cooking. The old man was already exploring the possibilities of the spice! He must have been confident with his recipe if he was willing to incorporate it into the Dragonhead’s signature dish.

How is it?

“Munch, munch, munch.”

Very good, apparently.

“What do you think?”

“It’s great. The acidity is a nice touch.”

“Woof, woof!”

“I see. Well, I’m very glad to know that you like it!”

Phelms’ curry was more Thai than Indian. I was amazed he could make his way to Thai curry just from using my Indian curry as a base. He was as formidable a cook as he was an adventurer!

Fran was in high spirits up until the tenth course; it was the monster meat she had tasted before. She took a bite out of it, nodded, then tilted her head.

What’s wrong?

It’s good, but not as good as Phelms’.

Something was off with the flavor. She kept chewing with her head tilted.

And what do you think of it, Jet?

“Urf?”

Jet felt much the same way. He couldn’t help shake the feeling that something was different about this dish.

“Umm…is it to your liking?” Phelms’ apprentice asked. He had cooked this dish. I couldn’t help but admire Fran’s and Jet’s palates for being able to tell the difference.

“I would like to hear your honest feedback, if possible.”

“Okay.”

Fran let him have it, as I feared. She mentioned how his cooking had gotten better since her last visit, but also pointed out everything that prevented his dish from tasting like Phelms’. Fran was a straightforward girl, and if you asked her how she felt about something, then she would hold nothing back. Still, the man diligently took notes as he bit back his tears. He had what it took to be a chef.

We left the restaurant after the huge meal.

“That was great.”

Can you move? You look stuffed.

“I’ll be fine.”

“Woof.”

Jet had retreated to the shadows, his bloated stomach restricting his movement. Fran could still walk, but I wasn’t sure if she could run. Fortunately, we were in no hurry to reach our final destination: the Lucille Trade Association.

The trade association immediately let Fran through the door. She was probably important enough to be recognized. Then again, this wasn’t our first time visiting. The receptionist bowed her head to greet her.

“Hello, Miss Fran. How may we help you today?”

“Is Rengill here?”

“Let us check for you. Please wait,” the receptionist said, and the courier boy behind her immediately left, presumably to inform Rengill of Fran’s visit.

“Right this way.”

The receptionist led us to a sofa in the center of the lobby, where a maid brought us tea and cakes. They worked fast. Fran had only been in the building for a few minutes!

These weren’t your run-of-the-mill refreshments, either. The tea was served in an actual teacup resting on a saucer, and the cake had rare decorations on it. There were other merchants sitting in the room, and their teacups were much simpler. The association really rolled out the red carpet for Fran.

Fancy as they were, tea and cakes were a welcome familiarity after our trip to the Beastman Nation. I just couldn’t get my head around steak as a snack…

Do you still have room, Fran? You’ve had a lot to eat today.

Hm? Of course.

Fran happily spooned cake into her mouth. And here I was about to store it in the Pocket Dimension for later consumption.

You don’t have to force yourself.

There’s always room for dessert.

At least she was enjoying herself. I was a little worried because of how much Fran had indulged herself lately, but all that activity prevented her from putting on any extra weight. I would have to intervene otherwise.

Our guide came to us as Fran was enjoying the delicious cake, and she led us to Rengill’s office as soon as she took her last bite.

“Ah, I see you’re back in Bulbola.”

“Hm. I just came to say hello since I need to get going soon. Also, I want to buy some spices.”

Spice prices might be inflated at the moment, but we were filthy rich. We could buy anything we wanted after that prize from the Beastman Nation.

“We’ll hand you the goods on the way out.”

“Hm.”

Captain Rengill knew about Fran’s Pocket Dimension, so he didn’t need to worry about transport. We ended up asking him about Garrus and Theraclede, but he didn’t seem to know the whereabouts of either.

What Rengill did know was the current circumstances of a certain Marquis Aschtner.

“I hear the marquis is going through dire straits.”

“Why’s that?”

“Does the name Seldio Lesseps ring a bell?”

“A little.”

“Good. Seldio was Aschtner’s bastard, in the technical sense of the word, and the Adventurers’ Guild issued a warning against him. There were rumors that he was involved in some shady activity—rumors which were confirmed upon the man’s death.”

We were the ones who killed Seldio back in Ulmutt. Marquis Aschtner’s illegitimate son had been tasked with finding Godswords, and Fran was forced to put him down after he went berserk in a dungeon. The episode was triggered by a drug given to him and his party…by his own father.

The drug, if you could call it that, was administered through a sword stuck into their backs. The guard suggested that the weapon was an estoc. Both Seldio and Solus had gone crazy because of it. I didn’t know how it drove them insane, but I was pretty sure that it was the cause of their madness. I just hoped we would never encounter it again. Still, I feared that there were more of those swords if there was enough to go around for Seldio and his party.

Old man Dias actually did his job. He must have been the one who reported Seldio’s activities and exposed Aschtner’s sketchy dealings after taking down Seldio’s supporters.

“Wouldn’t that worsen relations between the guild and the marquis?”

“And so it has. But the state has sided with the guild on this matter, and the marquis now has to make restitutions.”

The state definitely wanted to avoid souring its relationship with the guild, so it opted to shift all the blame on Seldio. What’s more, there was the eyewitness testimony of a trustworthy A-Rank adventurer and the hard evidence of the drugs.

Seldio’s attendant had also admitted to being assigned to search for Godswords by Marquis Aschtner. This was no longer a matter of private scandal, but an offense that was grave enough to warrant an investigation by the state.

“Their finances have not been doing well as of late. We have some deals, and all of their payments are sufficiently delayed.”

“I see.”

We prodded further, but Rengill didn’t seem to know that Fran was Seldio’s immediate cause of death. Dias really kept a tight lid on the flow of information. Still, people were bound to talk, and it was difficult to keep her involvement completely under wraps. Maybe Marquis Aschtner knew already. We had a hunch he was responsible for Garrus’ disappearance, but we might also be dealing with a man who hated Fran. We would have to be careful. 

Our next stop was Ulmutt. We could probably find out more about Seldio there. Now that I think about it, our trip to the Beastman Nation was arranged by Ulmutt’s Guildmaster, Dias. We were to look into the details of a missing Black Cat adventurer, Kiara.

That was the pretense, at least, but we’d actually managed to find her. The least we could do was inform him about her passing.

We’ll get Dias to fill us in on the details.

Hm.

We collected our spice purchase from the Lucille Trade Association, and made haste for the city of Ulmutt.

They’re staring at us.

Hm.

We arrived in Ulmutt on schedule thanks to Jet’s efforts and were heading toward the Adventurers’ Guild when we realized that Fran had become the center of attention. People stopped in their tracks when they noticed her walking by. Most of them were adventurers. Apparently, they still remembered her tournament record. 

But new adventurers had come to the town since then.

“Why is everyone staring at that girl?”

“What, you don’t know?”

“Uhh, know what?”

“That right there is the Black Lightning Princess.”

“What?! R-really? But she’s just an ordinary beastgirl!”

“This is the problem with you damn rookies…”

I overheard several exchanges like that one. Greenhorn adventurers had trouble believing that Fran was all she was hyped up to be, because they weren’t strong enough to gauge her powers. 

We were hit with a nostalgic scene when we reached the guild.

“That’s a real good sword you have there, girl.”

“Come here for a sec.”

Crooked adventurers waited outside the guild to shake down unsuspecting rookies. Honestly, they looked more like bandits than adventurers. One of them had a skinned head and the other two had mohawks. All wore fur vests. Why would they wear fur? As protection against the cold? In this weather? Either way, they definitely weren’t about to offer friendly advice.

They were in their forties, and very weak, despite their age. They probably spent most of their years on gathering quests and small extermination quests to make a living. If they were adventurers, they weren’t the adventurous type.

There was nothing wrong with making a living from simple quests as an adventurer, of course. There were a lot of good and decent people who did just that. Unfortunately, these three were neither good nor decent.

“We’re talking to you. Over here.”

“Come on now!”

The men surrounded Fran to edge her toward an alley to the side of the guild. They looked like they knew what they were doing. This must have been how the burly men intimidated rookies into doing their bidding.

“Heh heh. Ulmutt’s filled with kids nowadays.”

“You can say that again. Hey, what are you just standing there for?”

“Get going!”

Ulmutt’s dungeons were much weaker after the dungeon master Lumina used their resources to help Fran evolve. Their monsters were weaker now and ended up as lower-quality materials. Guild income was down, but they’d set up a rookie training center to make up for their losses.

And with rookies came stupid thugs who were all too eager to prey on them.

“What are you, deaf?! Get—Hurk!”

“The hell are you—Gah!”

“Wha—Blargh!”

Fortunately, Fran was in a good mood after lunch and took them out with a single punch each. She would’ve pulled me out if she were annoyed. Regardless, they were all coughing blood on the ground.

I think you misjudged your skill output a bit.

Hm. That was a bit too strong.

Fran had intended to leave them with only a few broken bones at most, but they had at least five broken ribs and were suffering from internal bleeding. Their pestering had broken her focus.

Still, the third thug was doing slightly better compared to the first two, so Fran must have gotten a handle on her skill usage by then. The first man was about eighty percent dead, while the third was only seventy percent of the way there. Still, the fact remained that they were all gravely injured when all she wanted to do was knock them out. But I believed in the power of positive reinforcement.

I think you did a good job on the third one.

Hm. I’m getting the hang of this.

It was much more important to celebrate Fran’s accomplishments than criticize her failures. A hundred more of these encounters, and she would be a pro at knocking out dumbasses. I hoped we would run into more of them so she could practice. It probably wouldn’t happen any time soon—not in Ulmutt, at least. There were several witnesses, and rumors tend to spread faster than light.

Eventually, the men’s groaning attracted someone from inside the guild.

“What is all this ruckus?”

“Elza?”

“Frannie? You’re back! It’s been forever!”

The muscular adventurer sported her signature red afro and thick makeup. Her clothes were as loud as ever. This was the B-Rank adventurer Bardische—Elza, I should say.

She squirmed and wiggled like a woman but her strength was the real deal. If A-Ranks were as powerful as heroes of yore, B-Ranks were the cream of the crop of average adventurers.

As out of the norm as her behavior might be, Elza was actually a nice person deep down. She was a salacious masochistic drag queen who would tag anything that moved, but she took good care of Fran when she came to Ulmutt the first time. That being said, I didn’t trust her to babysit her for a single day.

“I’m so happy to see you again!”

“Hm. Long time no see. Is Dias in?”

“Oh, sure he’s in. By the way, are you the one who beat these boys up?”

“Hm.”

“Ugh, this is what happens when you can’t gauge someone’s strength… Well, you reap what you sow! Eric! Cain!”

“Ma’am!”

“What do you need?”

“Could you take these boys to the infirmary for me? Get some of the others to help you. I need to talk to Fran.”

“Right away!”

“You got it!”

Elza commanded respect from the adventurers of the city. They knew they were helpless to resist her. Adventurers swarmed in to carry the idiots away.

“Anyway. You said you wanted to meet the Guildmaster?”

“Hm.”

“I’m afraid he’s in a meeting with Old Aurel at the moment. Do you mind waiting?”

“That’s perfect, actually. I want to see him, too.”

“Oh, that’s great. I’ll go tell them that you’re here.”

“Thanks.”

“Oh, anything for you, sweetheart!”

Elza winked as she went away. I could feel the cold steel of my blade shiver in response.

What’s wrong, Teacher?

N-nothing. Are you okay after that?

After what?

…Forget I said anything.

…?

I fought the urge to rattle in my scabbard for the next five minutes. I just couldn’t handle Elza’s big presence.

We were led to the Guildmaster’s office, where two old men were having tea. One of them looked like an old noble with slicked-back white hair. He was up there in years, but he still cared how he looked, as shown by his neatly trimmed beard.

The other man was also crowned with white hair, but he was better built than his friend. You could tell that a muscular body was hidden beneath his coat. His eyes were as sharp as a mafia don’s.

“It’s been a while, Fran,” Dias grinned.

“Good to see you back in Ulmutt, Fran,” Aurel laughed.

The human and White Dog had known Kiara when they were all adventurers in Ulmutt. These two had sent Fran on a quest to locate their missing friend in the Beastman Nation.

They weren’t the only ones in the room, however.

“Fran! You’ve returned!”

“Did the doll just talk?”

A figurine was placed on the table where the two men sat. It was well-detailed and stood at a height of twenty centimeters. I recognized the voice that came out of it.

“Is that Lumina?”

“Indeed. She is possessing the doll at the moment.”

Lumina was Ulmutt’s dungeon master. Dungeon masters couldn’t leave their dungeons, but apparently there was a loophole that could be exploited. Looking at it now, the doll looked a lot like Lumina, too.

“What are you guys up to?”

“Oh, we were just talking about how to manage the dungeon going forward.”

Dias, Aurel, and Lumina were the three heads of this town, and they were all gathered here today. That was great for us. We didn’t need to tell them about Kiara separately. 

Lumina’s figurine walked over to us.

“And how have you been doing?”

“Hm. I’m here to report the results of my Personal Quest.”

Dias immediately stiffened. He could already tell that something happened while Fran was in the Beastman Nation.

“So you have information?”

“Hm. I met Kiara.”

“What?!”

“R-really?!”

“G-go on.”

Everyone was on the edge of their seats, grim anticipation on their faces. I took it as a sign that Fran could make her full report to Aurel and Lumina, since Dias hadn’t dismissed them.

“She was in the Beastman Nation.”

“As we expected.”

“Specifically, she was in the capital…”

Fran told the three about meeting Kiara and the battle that had ensued. Dias, Aurel, and Lumina made for a wonderful audience. They cheered when Fran told of how she met Kiara, clenched their fists with anticipation at the coming of the monster army, and cheered again when Kiara came to save Fran.

Fran didn’t tell them everything, of course. She kept quiet about my existence and meeting Aristea, just to name a couple. Dias and the others probably noticed that she was hiding something. Still, none of them pressed her on the matter because she was telling them the truth.

Fran grew more somber as she got to the end of the dungeon arc. It was enough to tell her audience that something bad had happened. She told them of Kiara’s death, and each felt differently about it.

“Kiara…”

Dias was restless. He stood up, sat down. Finally, he sunk into his chair and sighed deeply as he looked up at nothing. He continued folding his hands, but he was clenching them so tight that his knuckles turned white.

“I see… She didn’t change a bit… Even to the end.”

Aurel looked similarly defeated. He sniffed and wiped the tears from his eyes. But he looked more satisfied compared to Dias. As a fellow beastman, he knew that Kiara had gone out the way she’d wanted to.

Lumina clenched her teeth, but she still looked happy somehow. “So she managed to evolve… And into a Black Sky Tiger, at that.”

She was the one who understood Kiara most. Although she had lost her friend, she was ultimately happy that Kiara had spent most of her years in peace before finally evolving.

Silence reigned the room until Aurel looked up and broke it.

“You said…Kiara smiled at the end of her life.”

“Hm.”

“Do you think that smile was real?”

Fran nodded. “Yes.”

“That’s good enough for me.”

It was difficult for anyone to accept that their long-lost friend had finally been found, only to die in a distant land. But Aurel only nodded as if to repeat his last statement to himself.

“Theraclede…” Dias muttered. He was filled with rage despite his quiet expression.

“Stop it, Dias. Kiara said not to take vengeance for her.”

“You’re right. I know it’s stupid, and I’ve been a Guildmaster long enough to see adventurers die over the years. I know how people like you like to go out.”

He knew that not everyone wanted a peaceful death. Kiara and Aurel both lived for the thrill of the fight, and their ideal death was one on the battlefield.

“But I…am not a nice person. I’m shallow, underhanded, resentful, and I definitely bear grudges…” Dias said powerlessly. Yet there was a dark strength behind his eyes that I couldn’t help but notice. I didn’t know what he was planning, but he wasn’t going to forget about Theraclede any time soon. Still, he forced his lips into a smile, mainly because he didn’t want to worry Fran.

“Anyway, I thought that Kiara lived through hell in the Beastman Nation. The fact that she was comfortable for many years is consolation enough for me.”

I didn’t need to use my skills to know that he didn’t quite mean what he said, but no one said anything about it. Fran knew that nothing she said could cheer him up.

“I would’ve liked to see her one last time… But at my age, you start getting used to seeing all your friends die.”

“Ha ha ha! You said it! Besides, you were with her during her final moments when we couldn’t be. Thanks for that.”

“He’s right. You managed to spread the requirements to Black Cat evolution, as well. Thank you.”

The three urged Fran to talk more about her time with Kiara, and she was more than happy to oblige. She had loved and respected the old Black Cat, and she was around people who would listen to what she had to say about her. She went on talking for quite some time, even gesturing with her hands in her excitement.

Eventually, Aurel and Lumina left, leaving Fran alone with Dias. She had some questions for him.

“Tell me about this man named Seldio.”

“You sound like you don’t remember meeting him.”

She really didn’t. Her only memory of him was fighting someone nasty in the dungeon. His name and face were completely forgotten. Seldio just wasn’t worth remembering for Fran.

“Have you ever met Aschtner?”

“No.”

But we’ll be going to the capital after we leave Ulmutt. For the auction. 

“Hm.”

We asked Dias what he thought about Garrus’ disappearance. The blacksmith had gone missing shortly after taking on a top-secret assignment from Marquis Aschtner.

“I didn’t think he’d gone missing. Last I heard, he was headed for Bulbola.”

Apparently, the marquis is gathering smithing materials.

“Is he now? And you say he put Garrus on the job? My, that is suspicious.”

Marquis Aschtner was collecting rare metals, searching for Godswords, and had commissioned Garrus for…something. It had to be related somehow. We still didn’t know what to make of the sword in the back of Seldio’s neck, so the situation was quite concerning.

We promised to meet Garrus in the capital. I don’t know whether that’s possible now, but we’ll probably run into the marquis sooner or later. If you have anything on Seldio that would help, we’d love to hear it.

“I see.”

Dias had finished interrogating Seldio’s servant. She was sure to know something we didn’t.

“Oh, she was very cooperative. Told us everything we wanted her to say.”

That was a gruesome way of putting it. Fran didn’t understand what he meant, but I had a feeling Dias was an expert at leading suspects during interrogations. He must have used her testimony to blow the whistle on Seldio.

“Things wouldn’t have worked out so smoothly in the past.”

“Why not?”

“There is a certain Count Olmes who is a part of the marquis’ faction. His son was a living lie detector, and he made use of him every chance he got.”

A skill that could see through lies? That sounded familiar.

“His name is Baron Allsand and he was based in Alessa. You came from there. Ever heard of him?”

So it was that idiot baron! He’s the one we stole Essence of Falsehood from! Count Olmes was August Allsand’s father, if I remembered correctly.

“He had a skill that could detect lies a hundred percent of the time. What do you think would happen if he abused such a skill?”

He’d be free to commit perjury whenever he wanted.

“Correct. If he heard the true testimony of Seldio’s servant and declared it a lie, everyone would take his word for it.”

August had used the same trick to entrap Fran once.

“But one day, the baron lost that skill of his. He was nothing but a spoiled brat without it, and Count Olmes never let him see the light of day after that. Without the baron, he no longer has a way of dismissing testimonies against himself.”

I was only thinking of protecting Fran when I stole Baron Allsand’s Essence of Falsehood. I didn’t think it would come up now.

“Combined with the hard evidence of the drugs he used on Seldio, he has nowhere to run. Seldio held the title of a baron, so House Lesseps will have to bear the weight of his crimes.”

House Lesseps was a branch family of the Aschtners. Its downfall would severely affect the marquis’ power.

“While we can’t pin everything Seldio did on the marquis, it will certainly raise eyebrows. Their guild conspirators are a different matter. Let’s just say that you get axed if you cooperate with Seldio.”

Here Dias ran his thumb across his neck. He was definitely using the phrase in its literal sense. The man might look like any other old dandy, but he had been running the guild for years. He knew how to be ruthless when guild politics got out of hand.

“We did our best to hide your involvement with his death. Elza made sure to tell everyone present that you didn’t do it. That being said, it’s hard to keep this kind of thing under wraps for long.”

“Can’t be helped.”

“Which is why we started spreading rumors.”

What kind of rumors?

“That Seldio’s killer is actually a male human. Or that I was the one who had him assassinated. Or Forlund was the one who killed him. And so on and so forth. Of course, we planted the obvious rumor of the Black Lightning Princess being involved with his death somehow, but you’re a celebrity around these parts. People tell tall tales about celebrities, and those tall tales are just that.”

Dias was hiding a tree in the middle of a forest.

“The subsequent investigation and interrogation garnered more attention than Seldio’s death, probably because Forlund and I were directly involved with it.”

Will you two be all right?

“Ha ha ha. We’ll be fine. We’re A-Ranks, remember? We have enough clout with adventurers and governments. Messing with us means picking a fight with the whole guild. The marquis isn’t stupid enough to do that.”

I hope you’re right…

“In any case, it’s difficult to keep Fran’s involvement completely under wraps, so do be careful when you run into Aschtner.”

“Hm. Got it.”

We left Dias and made our way to our final stop in Ulmutt: Lumina’s dungeon. Fortunately, we could teleport to her to save time. We had informed her of our impending visit before she left Dias’ office, so she was prepared to welcome us.

Our first subject was the details of the Murelia incident. We already told her everything we could about Kiara, and we figured she would want to know our encounter with the other Black Cat.

Lumina’s reaction was more subdued than we expected—she looked nostalgic and filled with remorse as we told her the story. She had expected Murelia to have died a long time ago. Five hundred years was nothing to scoff at. She was also aware that her former master was driven insane by the Evil One.

“Oh, Lady Murelia…”

Lumina shed quiet tears as an emotional whirlwind tore through her. Once she had regained her composure, we left Fran and Jet to their steak and tea so we could talk in private. I hovered over the table since I couldn’t sit down.

Sorry, but there’s something I wanted to ask you.

“Something you couldn’t share with Fran?”

Not exactly…

I told her about my conversation with Murelia about the dungeon. Apparently, I wasn’t affected by the seal placed upon her by the dungeon master because I was a servant of the Goddess of Chaos.

Do you remember how you couldn’t tell Fran about the evolution requirements? Maybe you’re free to talk if I’m the only one here.

“I see.”

You might be able to share information if Fran isn’t around. Do you mind if I ask a few questions?

“Very well. Go ahead.”

What is a servant of the Goddess of Chaos?

That’s what the goddess and Murelia called me, and I still didn’t know what it meant. All I knew was that I was now involved with the Goddess of Chaos somehow.

“Well…a servant of the gods is a creature which the gods create and then imbue their power into.”

Does that sound like me to you?

“I do not know… But if you are such a servant, then it is very likely that you are involved with the dungeon somehow.”

You think so?

“Unlike the other gods, the Goddess of Chaos is only involved with this world through the dungeons. Dungeon masters possess Chaos Magic to operate the dungeons, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard of the Goddess of Chaos creating anything on her own. As far as I know, her servants are the dungeon masters, along with all the creatures under them.”

So I was either a dungeon master or something created using the power of a dungeon. I definitely wasn’t the former. Maybe the mysterious soul inside me was one who was a servant of the Goddess of Chaos.

So we’re back to square one…

I thought for sure that I would learn something from Lumina, but the dungeon master didn’t know, either.

Isn’t there anyone else I can ask about the goddess…?

It would be really nice to just ask her in person, but I didn’t think you could invoke the gods for a simple chat.