I Was a Sword When I Reincarnated (LN) - Volume 14 - Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

Lake Vivian

“THIS THE PLACE?”

I think so. You picking up anything, Jet?

“Arf?”

I guess detecting plants is gonna be hard.

“Ruff…”

We had accepted a quest from the Guildmaster of Kierlazen to gather necroweed.

The Adventurers’ Guild here had a special system in place. Quests put up by one branch could be picked up at another, and the quest could be fulfilled at other guilds too. This was limited to collection quests and the like, but still—convenient!

We had the Trade Fleet to thank for this novelty. They’d pick up the items and ferry them over to the original branch, apparently with smaller vessels from their sub fleet.

The necroweed grew on the lakebed. Collecting it was quite difficult because of the surrounding monsters. Once we gathered the necroweed, all we needed to do was to turn it in at the nearest town and they’d transport it to Kierlazen.

We’ll get a better picture once we get in. I’ll put up a wind barrier. You two watch out for monsters.

“Got it.”

“Woof!”

Here goes.

We dove into the lake and were greeted by a stunningly beautiful sight.

The great lake had excellent visibility due to the sheer clarity of the water, maybe because it was from a fantasy world untouched by the pollution of modern-day civilization. Green seaweed grew on the lakebed, dancing slowly in the current. Colorful flowers surrounded us.

In my past life, I had once seen the white water-crowfoot, a plant whose white flowers bloomed underwater. These were similar, but the flowers were so much larger that they looked like the plants you’d find on the surface.

Schools of fish swam over the green carpet; shrimp and turtles peeked out from between the flowers along with unfamiliar creatures that must’ve been unique to this world. Sunlight refracted through the water’s surface, casting a swaying, gentle light over everything. The flickering light gave the scene a dreamlike quality.

We were so taken by the lake’s beauty that for a moment we forgot it was still home to dangerous monsters.

This is amazing.

Hm.

Woof.

It was beautiful indeed if it could take Fran’s breath away…but our reverie didn’t last long.

“Kyaaaar!”

Tsk. Looks like we have a guest.

The lake’s high visibility meant that we could see the local predators.

It’s a huge lizard.

It’s called a crocodile! 

I said that pretty confidently, but it wasn’t quite a crocodile. Its face resembled one, and its body was covered in hard scales—but that body was shaped more like a seal or sea lion. It had four pairs of fins specialized for swimming, two pairs on each side. For you dinosaur fans out there, imagine an eight-finned mosasaurus. That said, it was only three meters in length, about the size of a crocodile.

Is that a Lake Murder?

Probably.

This nastily named monster got in the way of anyone attempting to harvest necroweed. It was an E-Threat, though most aquatic monsters were usually placed higher on the threat scale than land-dwellers.

With a quick Identify, I found that its stats were actually on par with an F-Threat. It had a high Swim Skill, like most aquatic monsters. But honestly, a low-rank adventurer should’ve been able to take care of this thing with proper knowhow.

At least, they’d be able to take care of one Lake Murder. But these guys hunted in packs of ten and over. When they sensed danger, they scattered, making extermination difficult. Currently, we were dealing with a pack of over thirty Lake Murders.

What’s more, they could attack from afar thanks to their (low-level) water magic, making them the most hated monsters in Lake Vivian. The things had a heck of a kill count.

Like goblins and orcs, Lake Murders were classic targets for extermination quests.

Guess we’ll have to deal with them first.

Hm. We’ll have to be careful not to harm the necroweed and flowers.

No fancy moves, then.

Yeah.

Woof!

W-whoa. I couldn’t believe Fran actually wanted to protect the flowers…! I was so touched! Hearing her say that alone was worth this whole trip!

Come on, Jet!

Awooo!

Fran released a flash of light magic. It was meant to blind targets or act as a long-distance signal. This time, she used the flash to instantly create shadows.

Jet followed up with his dark magic, a binding spell that drew darkness from shadows to truss up our foes. The technique was often called “shadow wrap” or “shadow bind.” I’d been surprised when Fran started casting that light spell, but this actually synergized very well with Jet’s dark magic. The ability to create shadows at-will was a huge advantage. It took me some thought to realize how well it worked, and it honestly made me feel like my Fran was a genius.

I’ll take care of the rest!

The Lake Murders struggled to break the lake’s surface once they were bound by Jet’s magic. I transmogrified my blade into several pieces and rushed through them, piercing every one of their crystals.

We then immediately stored away their bodies, and that was that.

Lake Murder meat had a nasty odor and couldn’t be eaten, but its skin could be used for armor and its stuffed head was highly prized among collectors. We’d also cleared an extermination quest by hunting down the most hated monsters in the region, which would definitely win us extra points. Either way, this was a win.

All right, now let’s get that medicinal necroweed. We’re looking for red with thorns.

Is it…that one?

It is red…thorny, too. That’s our plant, yep. We’ll harvest it up to its roots.

Got it.

Jet, you’re on guard duty.

Woof!

A short distance away from Fran was a deeper section of the lake where the red necroweed grew. Rather than picking it up with telekinesis, I split my blade to surround the stuff and stored it that way; it was much easier.

Fran was working hard at gathering it, too. She was crouched next to Jet, who kicked and floated around the lakebed, keeping his eye out for monsters. The water was so clear that it looked like they were above the surface…which made the schools of small fish swimming next to her look downright hallucinatory.

Time to strike a harvest! I thought. But then I sensed that we weren’t alone. I looked up and saw a dinghy approaching us. Someone else had come for the necroweed, and one of those someones dove from the boat.

It was a child, a boy with brown hair around the same age as Fran. Had he really come alone to known Lake Murder territory?

As we watched him, he noticed Fran and Jet despite their concealed presence. His eyes widened with shock—literally as wide as saucers, which seemed like a bit much.

“Bloop!” he burbled.

“Bloop?”

“Bloorp!” His shock faded and he regained his composure. Now he was glaring at Fran. She only tilted her head at his open hostility.

I thought he was angry because Fran had made a mess of the field. She pensively gave the boy the necroweed she was holding. They were quite far away, but I was sure Fran’s message got through.

That didn’t calm the boy at all. If anything, it only made him more hostile. His glare intensified to murderous levels.

I wondered if Fran had beaten him before. If so, she clearly didn’t remember.

He’s looking at you like you killed his parents, Fran.

Don’t know anything about that.

We don’t know what he’s thinking, so we’ll just have to be careful.

Hm.

What, did Black Cats murder his parents? Was he the child of someone Fran killed? Either way, his hostility wasn’t something you showed to someone you just met.

Still, a glare wasn’t a good enough reason to take somebody out, and the boy wasn’t planning to start fighting us down here either.

He brought himself under control, nodded to Fran, and started collecting necroweed. He’d surely seen Jet by now, but he didn’t seem scared of him at all. Did he know something about us?

Well, as long as he wasn’t getting in our way, we’d continue our gathering quest. But of course…things didn’t pan out that way. 

We stopped what we were doing and braced ourselves. Something was headed our way, and fast.

Organic lifeform approaching at high speed, said P.A.

It’s here after all!

No kidding—a Lake Killer!

There’d been reports of a Lake Killer, the advanced form of Lake Murders, in the area recently. It was never confirmed for sure, though—the creature was always too far away to identify clearly. We chalked it up to the rumor mill spinning along, as it did, but…

We didn’t have a visual yet, but already we could feel that the mana of the creature approaching us was of a different level from the Lake Murders. We’re talking the difference between a goblin and a high orc.

It was five times larger than its littler cousins, but at least ten times stronger. Its scales were thicker, and its subcutaneous blubber provided an extra layer of protection against physical attacks, while a magical water shield protected it from magic ones. Its large fangs could easily rip a man to shreds and its water magic was strong enough to capsize a small boat. Although it should’ve gained more water resistance due to its increased size, it was still faster than its unevolved form, owing to its better usage of water magic.

This C-Threat monster was the apex predator of Lake Vivian. Every time it showed up, a dedicated party had to be dispatched. And now it was going after Fran, ignoring the boy. Maybe she looked tastier?

It’s fast!

Much faster than we expected. The Lake Killer launched through the water like a torpedo and reached Fran in a matter of moments. It opened its mouth, a gaping maw large enough to swallow a man whole. Even I was creeped out.

But Fran remained calm and struck back.

“Goooorgh!”

Ha!

CLANG!

As she dodged the Lake Killer’s attack, she swung me in retaliation to finish it off.

That won’t do it! It’s still going!

Hm!

Fran had aimed at the creature’s neck for a fatal blow. But the combination of the Lake Killer’s water shield and its scales deflected the hit. In the end, it only sustained a small cut right above its fin. Fran wasn’t used to underwater combat, after all.

But now the Lake Killer knew how strong she was and turned its attention to the boy, who had yet to escape. It opened its crocodile jaw and twisted its tongue as if to suck him in.

Damn it, we should’ve gotten him out of here! Now there wasn’t enough time to save him!

But as I worried for the boy’s safety, he dug his heels and prepared himself. He set his feet on the lakebed and reached for the sword on his hip.

Wait, he was actually going to fight?! But I could tell from his movements that he was still low-rank. There was no way for him to win. He’d come here alone, glared at Fran threateningly, and now this? How reckless could he get?!

But before he could draw his sword, Jet grabbed him by the collar and rushed him to the surface.

“Bloop?!”

That took him aback, but it was better than dying. And while Jet was at it, it wouldn’t hurt to give the kid a good scare.

“Gooorgh!” Having given up on the boy, the Lake Killer once again turned its attention to us. It looked frustrated at losing easy prey.

Here it comes!

“Hm!” Fran readied me again. She was going to take it down without magic to avoid harming the necroweed.

“Groooorgh!”

It’s spinning.

Yeah, it’s trying to build momentum for an attack!

The Lake Killer spun its whole body into a crocodilian death roll. It created a vortex so great that it sucked the sand and seaweed into itself.

The necroweed is going to be ruined if this keeps up!

I’ll kill it in the next spin.

The Lake Killer’s centrifugal force increased its attack and defense…but Fran was going to take it head on.

She let herself relax as the Lake Killer approached. For a moment, she appeared completely defenseless. The Lake Killer opened its jaws, ready to tear into Fran’s agile body, polluting the river with her blood.

And then Fran quietly drew me.

The cut was as silent as it was elegant, a flash of metal and speed. This one swift movement was the pinnacle of perfect motion and perfect silence, a beautiful attack that exemplified the art of swordplay at its finest.

I only noticed that Fran had drawn me at all after the attack landed. And she did it all underwater. Fran’s training had paid off. She’d realized her potential.

She cut through the water, through the Lake Killer, and left a deep mark in the lakebed.

Water pressure took over, splitting the Lake Killer’s body into perfect halves. The bloody lump of meat that used to be Lake Vivian’s apex predator floated past Fran.

Hm. Nailed it.

That was great! Good job, Fran.

Heh heh. Fran looked smug, but it was such a complete win that I didn’t mind. She could be as smug as she wanted to be for the moment.

Anyway, it was time we headed back to the surface. I wanted to see what happened to the boy.

“Jet, are you okay?”

“Woof!”

“…”

On the boat, Jet, now puppy-sized, was sitting with a very cross-looking boy. He was still glaring at Fran as if to say he hadn’t needed her help at all.

“Come on…” muttered Fran.

“Hmph.”

This little punk! Not even a thank you?! As I was raging in my heart, Fran left the boat without saying a word. She skipped over the lake’s surface with Air Hop.

That sword on his hip…something’s weird about it, thought Fran.

The sword on his hip?

That was probably the sword he’d been about to use. It must’ve been enchanted. I’d sensed some mana coming out of it, but hadn’t Identified anything particularly strong…

Still, it unsettled Fran. Maybe the sword could disguise itself to the point of it fooling Identify. That would make it a powerful sword, indeed.

Maybe he actually could’ve taken down the Lake Killer himself. I guess we overstepped our bounds.

“I wonder what kind of sword it is.” There was excitement in Fran’s voice. Instead of being angry at the boy, she was plainly interested in his weapon. I’d made a real combat junkie out of her.

***

The next day…

We’re in luck!

“Hm!”

Who would’ve thought that we’d actually get to see the Trade Fleet make port?

As we were riding Jet by the lakeside, we saw several gigantic ships docked at the shore. The harbor couldn’t possibly fit all of them and so they had to each wait their turn. As mentioned by Kierlazen’s dingus receptionist (we never did get her name), there were over fifty ships of all shapes and sizes. What amazed me was that all these ships somehow managed not to crash into each other.

We saw them dock in a town called Seftent, one of the bigger towns on the shores of Lake Vivian. I’d heard that the Trade Fleet was going to be docking soon, so I’d been hoping we’d get to see it, but hadn’t expected it to happen so quickly.

“Let’s look at it from above, Jet.”

“Woof, woof!” Jet quickly traversed the air by using Air Hop.

It looks like a scrambled mess from up here.

“Hm.”

The spectacle looked more like a shipwreck from above. Still, one ship stood above all the rest…the flagship. It was the biggest among the large vessels and was built like a fortress.

It must’ve been over a hundred fifty meters in length with a width of about thirty meters. It hummed with magical energy, probably from its manatech propulsion system. As a matter of fact, I could sense mana coming from the entire ship. Was it reinforced with magic? Maybe it used specialized magic timber.

It wasn’t quite a luxury cruise liner, but it was much bigger than a car ferry.

Fran and Jet sped through the air, excited by the multitude and size of the ships. They wanted a closer look. Of course, if we approached from above, people might think that a monster was coming down to attack them.

“We’ll head to town first.”

“Woof!”

We’ll turn in our quests at the Seftent guild and ask about the Trade Fleet there.

“Hm.”

Seftent was packed with people by the time we got there. It was bigger than Kierlazen, but not by much—it was just crowded at the moment, probably because of the Trade Fleet. The number of people present rivaled the line to get into Granzell’s capital. It was like there was a festival going on.

Straight ahead from here.

I guided Fran through the crowd, since she couldn’t see anything past it. Luckily, the Adventurers’ Guild was one of the tallest buildings in town and all we needed to do was keep our eyes on its roof.

After making our way through the crowd, interrupted by the delectable aroma of food stalls and hawkers shilling their wares (along with people munching on said foods), we somehow reached the Adventurers’ Guild. But it was just as packed inside.

“So many people.”

These must be the adventurers on board the Trade Fleet.

The Trade Fleet adventurers took stock of their quests every time the fleet made port. There were a lot of young adventurers among them, matching what we heard in Kierlazen.

They’re all lining up…

There weren’t enough counters to serve this many people, even after the guild had set up some extra temporary ones. Still, this kind of crowd only gathered a few times every year, so they didn’t see a reason to expand.

It can’t be helped. Let’s line up.

“Hm.”

It was a good thing that Jet could hide in the shadows. He didn’t take up extra space.

Still, Fran was getting stares from everyone in our vicinity—maybe even from everyone in the building. We were used to drawing attention, but it wasn’t every day that she got it as soon as she walked through the door.

What gives? she wondered.

Now that I think about it, everyone here knows each other except for us.

She was bound to stand out. Still, it wasn’t like we were doing anything bad. Nothing to do but confidently walk inside. Being an outsider wasn’t a crime, and if anyone wanted to pick a fight with her, we were ready to have one. Fortunately, no one did.

Eventually, it was Fran’s turn to go to the counter. The Trade Fleet adventurers were more well-mannered than I expected. Being such a closely knit community, they must have weeded out the bad eggs or disciplined them whenever they got out of hand.

The receptionist was perplexed when she saw Fran.

“Um, is this your first time here?”

“Hm. How’d you know?”

“The Trade Fleet adventurers have an emblem to set them apart.”

I looked around and finally noticed that everyone around us was wearing this silver badge. That must have been the emblem she was talking about. No wonder she could tell that Fran wasn’t a local.

“Hm. I just got here.”

“I see. How may I help you today?”

“I’m turning in quests. Collection and extermination. Here are the goods.” Fran handed the Kierlazen quest papers over to the receptionist.

“Oh, the quest for scarlet seaweed,” she said, looking surprised. “We’ve been going through a shortage of it lately, so every little bit helps. Please place your collection here.”

“All of it?”

“Yes.”

Fran, wai—

“Sure.”

Brrrssh!

She hadn’t done this in a while. The receptionist probably thought Fran was a rookie who only had one or two strands of the seaweed in her item pouch. Low-rank adventurers would sometimes find scarlet seaweed in the shallows and submit it. She probably thought Fran was one of them.

“H-huh?”

“This is all of it.”

“H-how…? What?!”

“Around two hundred?”

Two hundred and eight, to be exact.

I was beginning to wonder whether we’d taken too much. But there was a lot at the lakebed and the receptionist did say they were going through a shortage. The scarlet seaweed in that area had been cut off from them.

The place was known to be home to packs of Lake Murders, and the waters were quite deep. Gathering was difficult, to say the least.

“H-hang on!”

The receptionist was now panicking, the adventurers now staring. Shock, jealousy, calculation…a dark cloud now hung over the guild.

What now? Were we in trouble?

As the receptionist continued flapping about, an old, seasoned adventurer with a dandy air to him called out from behind us.

“Lulu, just count it all and clear her. Scarlet seaweed is unique in appearance; I think it’s legit.”

“R-right!”

“Processing all this necroweed takes priority because of the shortage. We’ll wait until you’re done. Isn’t that right, fellas?”

The dandy adventurer seemed to have some clout, since the adventurers around him nodded.

“Y-yeah, of course.”

“No problem.”

Looks like we were going to be okay. Thank you, Mr. Dandy! But just as I thought we were out of the woods, the dandy addressed Fran. He looked so grave that I thought he was mad.

“You’re not from around here, are you?”

“Hm. I just happened to be in town.”

“I see…I know it’s bad manners, but I have to ask. Where did you get all that seaweed? I’ll pay you for the tip.”

“You want the location?”

“Yeah. Scarlet seaweed shortages are a constant worry for us locals. A new gathering spot would be huge.”

I understood. He thought that if a rookie like Fran could gather it, it must be an easy farming spot.

“You don’t have to pay me.”

“A-are you sure?”

“Hm. I’m not going back there anyway.”

“We owe you big time!” The man bowed his head and quickly produced a map. It was a detailed diagram of Lake Vivian with the lake and all its surrounding towns.

Unfortunately, we weren’t going to tell him anything new.

“Can you point out where you found it?”

“Hm. Right here.”

Fran pointed to an area slightly west of a small island between Kierlazen and Seftent. We’d been told at Kierlazen that we would find the seaweed one hundred meters west of the star-shaped island. The Guildmaster had known that Fran would be able to handle the dangerous farming spot.

“Huh? But I thought there was a nest of Lake Murders there…”

“There used to be one.”

“What? You killed them?”

“Hm.” Fran nodded and murmurs broke out among the adventurers. The mood was even worse than before.

“Look, if you don’t wanna tell us, just say so. Everyone can tell when you’re lying.”

“Hm? I’m not lying.”

“There’s rumors of a Lake Killer out there lately, too.”

“Dead, just like the rest.”

“What? A Black Cat like you destroyed a whole pack of Lake Murders?”

“Hm.” Fran’s tone dropped. Yet again, people were looking down their noses at her because of her race.

“Th-then you should have the materials from the Lake Murder, right? And the Lake Killer’s too! If you killed them, where are they?”

The dandy was mad now. I was impressed by the fact he wasn’t outright yelling, but Fran was even madder than he was. If he didn’t pick his next words carefully, there could be blood.

Oblivious to the fact that Fran held his life in her hands, the dandy made further demands. “Can you show them? You should be able to if you weren’t lying.”

“Here?”

“Where else?”

Fran looked around to see all the adventurers judging her harshly. Well, now they definitely thought she was lying.

Yeah, I take back anything nice I said about that dandy. Sure, he was polite on the surface, but given we were surrounded, he might as well be barking orders at us. As far as adventurers go, these guys were on the nastier side. They clearly scorned Fran for what they thought was her low rank and thought it was okay for them to rake her over the coals.

And they scorned her for being a Black Cat. This realization only worsened Fran’s mood.

“…”

“Don’t just stand there. Don’t you have anything to say?”

I was getting pissed off, too. If Fran wanted to give them a wallop, I wasn’t going to stop her.

“Fine.”

The adventurers screamed even louder than the receptionist did. A mountain of Lake Murders suddenly appeared in the middle of the guild hall. The remains of the Lake Killer were also placed on top, and they were still substantial even if the body was cut in two.

We’d gutted and removed the meat from the monsters last night, leaving their skins intact. Their heads were still whole, making them look quite intimidating. The sight of a giant Killer placed atop thirty Murders was quite terrifying.

“Gyaaa!”

“Whoa!”

And then the mountain toppled over. Adventurers screamed as the skin of the giant Killer fell on them.

“Good enough?”

“H-huh…?”

Panic and the stench of raw meat spread over the guild. They were still raw even after we processed them, after all. Besides, we had Mr. Dandy to thank for this whole mess!

“Now do you believe me?”

“N-no way…”

“Yes way.”

“Uhh…” The receptionist was at a loss for words.

But the adventurers were just getting started.

“You probably bought these!”

“Why the hell would she do that?!”

“I mean, look at it!”

They weren’t taking it well, to say the least. Maybe I should’ve stopped her after all. The receptionists sure didn’t know what to do. Everyone was panicking now.

Should we just beat them all up? Fran mused.

Huh?

If that doesn’t shut them up, I don’t know what will.

So assertive! But perhaps a bit too violent. Whoever was in charge would definitely tell her she went overboard. Then again, Fran was getting tired of the whole thing. Maybe the guild could do with some light electric shock therapy.

As I considered my options, a little old lady appeared from inside the guild. She was hunched over. Deep wrinkles covered her face. She really looked her age, but I could tell at a glance that she wasn’t your ordinary senior citizen. 

This was definitely the Guildmaster. The robe she wore was powerful manatech and there was also her mana itself. The quality of that mana flowing within her told me that she was a first-rate mage.

“What’s all this then? Lulu, what the hell is going on here?!”

“G-Guildmaster! You see, this girl…”

“Well, well…what’s a nickname bearer doing here?”

The old woman looked at Fran. She immediately discerned her identity.

“Just making a stop.”

“Well, thanks for dropping by. But I have to ask ya to calm down.”

“They started it.”

“I know, I can tell. I’m just sayin’.”

The Guildmaster could guess what had transpired, but she asked the receptionists for more details. She then let out a deep sigh.

“This is a guild of fools and outright dumbasses! Makes me sick to my stomach, to tell the truth. The lot of you shoulda known that she was outta your league when you first set eyes on her.”

“I-I’m sorry…”

“Forget it! Why don’t you go clean up this mess, huh? Swift, you’re helping out, too. This whole mess is on you for being too weak to get a read on her.”

“Y-yes.”

“As for the rest of you idiots…” The adventurers twitched when the old woman glared at them. Her shrunken body sent out waves of intimidation. “You were actually lucky that this kid was stronger than all of you! You were one step away from lynching her, weren’t you? You’re all paying a fine for that!”

“B-but…!”

“W-we thought she was lying…”

“Shut your fool mouths! You lot’re thicker than a milkin’ cow’s ass! You’re in for a hell of a time, I’ll tell you that! And Swift, you’re gonna get it worse than them. You might even be in for a demotion!”

“Y-yes, Ma’am…”

“And if I catch you idiots doing something as stupid as this again in the future… Hmph! Just you wait.”

Th-that’s all she’s going to tell them? What was she gonna do? The adventurers took a collective gulp and trembled. As annoyed as I was with them, I couldn’t help but pity them a little. This old lady was not one to be trifled with.

“Black Lightning Princess, you’re with me.”

“Hm.”

When she called Fran by her nickname, a different kind of murmuring started to spread…one of astonishment. Fran’s nickname had spread as far as Belioth.

When Fran and the Guildmaster entered the back rooms, shouts erupted inside the guild hall. They were loud enough that we could hear what they were saying about Fran without trying.

Many said there was no way that a kid like that could be that strong. Others calmly stated that the Guildmaster couldn’t be wrong. Still, the youngsters laughed and said that they could probably take Fran in a fight.

“You’ll have to excuse those idiots. And my thanks again for not beating the ever-loving crap out of them.”

“It’s fine.”

“I’m the Guildmaster here. The adventurers call me Old Jill.”

“I’m Fran. B-Rank adventurer.”

Fran produced her adventurer card, but Jill only took one look at it.

“I know. You’re the only Black Cat who’s made it this far. You look exactly like they described you, too. Where you headed?”

“Magic Macad…Magic Academy.” Fran was cute when she fumbled her words. She’d be even cuter if she were embarrassed about it. But it was nothing to be ashamed about for her and so she just said it again properly.

The Guildmaster didn’t pay any attention to it, either.

“The Magic Academy? Don’t tell me you’re enrolling.”

“I’m not. I have a quest there.”

“I see. Combat isn’t all they teach there. At your age, enrolling might be a good idea.”

“I can get stronger by adventuring.”

“Well, don’t let me stop you either way. We’ll ship the scarlet seaweed over to Kierlazen. But see, we’ve been having a shortage of the stuff here, too—all of us lake-dwellers, really. Would you mind if we shared it with the other guilds? I’ll make sure that you’re credited with clearing multiple quests.”

“Hm. Share it with the places that need it.”

“Thanks. We really appreciate it.” Old Jill sighed with relief. The shortage must’ve been killing them. “Can we buy the Lake Killer and Murder skins off you, too?”

“Sure.”

“You don’t often see such clean skins. We’ll throw in something extra for you.”

“Thanks.”

“Now, that’s enough chitchat. I’d like to discuss some pressing matters with you.”

There must have been a reason why Jill brought Fran into her office.

“I have a quest for you,” she continued, “and it’s something that only a B-Rank like you can accomplish.”

“A quest?”

“Don’t worry,” she said with a chuckle, “it shouldn’t be a problem for you.”

Fran was all for it, but what kind of quest was this? I was starting to freak out a bit.

It’s huge.

Yeah, you can really see how big it is up close.

It was the day after we accepted Old Jill’s quest. Fran was on a boat now, and beside her was Old Jill the Guildmaster. They were headed to a medium-sized ship referred to as the Adventurers’ Ship, a hundred meters away from port.

Even if it was a medium-sized vessel, it was still bigger than a house. The sheer size of it really sank in when we compared it to the small boat we were on.

At first, Fran offered to ride Jet in there, but Jill decided against it. She didn’t want to alarm people. There was no way to inform all the crew members in advance, after all, and they might mistake Jet for a monster attacking them. If panic broke out among the fleet, it would have repercussions beyond the town. Ships might even crash into each other and sink trying to escape.

“They have an Adventurers’ Guild there?”

“That’s right. It’s smaller, for better maneuverability.”

“And the whole branch is on it?”

“Yep. There’s accommodations, training grounds, carving spots, and weapon stores. She has everything an adventurer needs.”

“So I’ll be sparring there, too?”

“That’s right.”

Old Jill had tasked Fran with sparring with the local adventurers. Most of the adventurers of Lake Vivian were born and raised in the region. Usually, they’d travel from region to region, whether that was to get stronger, because of the allure of a dungeon, or just plain wanderlust. Most of them would set up their base of operations near a dungeon or haunt they’d wanted to conquer from a young age.

But with the Trade Fleet at its center, most of the lake adventurers remained in the lake. I guess you could say the guild there was heavily community-oriented. Having come from the same place, they were well-mannered and knew all the unwritten laws of Lake Vivian.

So far, so good. But they were under constant threat of becoming complacent. The low-ranks, especially, lacked an adventurer’s danger sensor and competitiveness. Most of the adventurers there knew each other and the senior adventurers were usually everyone’s childhood heroes. When they lost a match, they’d just shrug and think, “Well, of course I lost to so-and-so,” thinking nothing of it.

Competitiveness may turn into hostility, but on the flip side, it can become a case of iron sharpening iron. Lake Vivian lacked this kind of competitiveness.

“I want you to beat the tar out of our boys,” said Old Jill. “Good thing they still don’t want outsiders to show them up.”

“Hm. I get it.”

“You do?”

“I don’t want people looking down on Black Cats, either.”

“Yeah, I guess it is similar to that.” Jill chuckled, “I can’t wait to see the looks on their faces when they see what you’re made of. Feel free to trash them, body and soul.”

Old Jill was not a nice little old lady. But I was in complete agreement. The adventurers would get a shock from losing to Fran. She was a girl, and a Black Cat to boot. Not exactly your stereotypical champion.

I mean, I would cry in that case too. But if the adventurers were going to resent anyone, then let it be Jill, who put Fran up to it in the first place. Should I tell Fran to hold back? Nah, she wouldn’t dare to do so, even if I asked.

We reached the Adventurers’ Ship as we talked. We came alongside the vessel and took the staircase made specifically for adventurers. They’d probably set it up because adventurer traffic was so common around here.

Still, it looks pretty much like a normal ship.

“Hm.”

“Woof.”

Aside from the flag bearing the guild’s emblem, it looked more or less the same as the other medium-sized ships nearby. The real differences announced themselves when we stepped inside. It was as if they took a standard guild lobby and placed it inside the ship. Adventurers did their business here and the place was buzzing with activity.

Even with most of the adventurers disembarking at Seftent, there were still many on board.

Their gaze immediately darted to Old Jill when she and Fran entered the room. The stronger among them started calculating her power level at once. A lot of them seemed skeptical. They looked at Jill, then at Fran, then turned away…though they still stole glances from time to time.

They must’ve known Old Jill was bringing in an outsider for a sparring match. The guild’s finest would go up against them and the outsider would have to be an excellent adventurer in their own right. But they couldn’t work out why a little girl was with Old Jill.

This was especially true for the weaker adventurers. I heard people mutter among themselves, “What’s this girl doing here?” Knowing Old Jill, they figured that she must’ve brought her here on purpose.

“I see you made it, old hag.” A wrinkled old man about the size of Old Jill greeted us at the reception.

“Good to see you, old coot.”

Although he was as small as Old Jill, I could tell that he wasn’t as he seemed. His bent back looked like he might have movement problems, but the old man was very strong. He must’ve been quite the fighter when he was younger.

This old man was definitely the Guildmaster here.

“The name’s Barfillan. Call me Old Bar.” He was a bit rough with his words but his handshake was polite.

“Okay.”

“Come on, I’ll fill you in on what you’ll be up to today. We’re pleased to have you.”

“Thanks.”

Now that Barfillan had welcomed her, everyone knew that Fran was going to be their sparring partner. The high-rank adventurers nodded and the low-ranks gasped.

Suddenly, a young man who didn’t seem to agree with the arrangement stood in our way. “Old Bar, is she the—”

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?!”

“Eep.”

“Is that how you treat an adventurer on a quest?! Where are your manners?!”

The young man fell on his haunches after Old Bar chewed him out. His friends had to help him to his feet.

“I’ll introduce you later. And until you can properly gauge somebody’s strength, I suggest you shut your damn trap!”

“B-but…”

“Really, the fact that I went out of my way to welcome her should be enough to tell you how important she is. If you can’t even read basic social cues, back off!”

This must’ve been the plague of complacency Old Jill was talking about. I thought he got off easy, given the fact that he interrupted the Guildmaster and looked down on his guest. If we were back in Granzell’s capital, Erianthe would’ve cut the offender down. Hopefully his big head would get cracked after seeing how strong Fran was.

As we descended the stairs, Old Bar gave us the details of the quest.

“I just have to fight them once?” asked Fran.

“That’s right. Mow the lawn with them. Break their spirits. Just beat the living tar out of them.”

“It’ll be good medicine for these chumps.” Old Jill chuckled.

Old Bar swung his arms to emphasize what he was saying. Old Jill just sat back, clearly enjoying herself.

“You sure?” Fran asked, tilting her head. The senior citizens might not have been able to tell, but she was more than up for it.

“You saw what they just did. They’ve got no respect.”

“You’ve been spoiling them, haven’t you?” mused Fran.

“I won’t deny that. There aren’t that many life-threatening quests here to begin with.”

“And words can only do so much.”

“Indeed. You know, adventurers have been disappearing lately. Did you hear that?”

“At the last town, yeah.”

“I think they’re too relaxed, you see. They take a quest, assume everything’s going to be business as usual, let their guard down, and…”

“That worries me, too. More and more people have been getting complacent at my guild.”

The adventurers ganging up on Fran was a manifestation of that complacency. They were imposing their unspoken rules on outsiders without a thought. It really was cause for concern.

“So, let them know who’s boss.”

“Heh heh heh. We’re counting on you.”

Us beating the snot out of the guild’s elite would get the rest of the guild to straighten their backs. There had to be other ways to illustrate the gulf in our abilities…but when it came to adventurers, this was the best method.

“But before you do, I’ll have to lay some ground rules. You’re gonna have to hold back.”

“I just have to not kill them, right?”

“You can’t injure them to the point of disability, either! Y-you’re joking, right?” Old Bar stammered.

“Hm?”

“Old hag…” I saw a bead of sweat trail down Old Bar’s chin. It finally dawned on him that Fran was more dangerous than he’d thought.

“She took the quest,” said Old Jill.

“Y-you’re right. Look, these are promising adventurers. Don’t do anything that will leave a permanent injury.”

“Okay. I’ll try to be careful.”

“Please! Promise me you’ll be careful!”

“Hm. I’ve got it covered.”

“I’m…counting on you.”

Don’t worry, I thought to myself. I’ll stop Fran if she gets out of hand. I’ll try, anyway.

“And no flashy magic.”

“Why not? You have barriers set up.”

“Yeah, well, we’re still inside a ship. You’ll blow the whole place up if you use fire and thunder spells.”

“I see.”

Given Fran’s nickname, this detail was crucial.

“We’ve reinforced the barriers, sure, but I guarantee they won’t last if you hit them with one of your fully charged spells.”

Fran, do NOT damage the ship!

Okay, I’ll try to be careful.

Promise me!

This was still a ship with manatech parts, and those didn’t come cheap. Jeez, I really did not want Fran to go overboard on this.

“And I hear you have a familiar. Can we see him?”

“Jet.”

“Woof!”

“I didn’t even notice him there! Dark Magic! And he’s a…”

“A Darkness Wolf? No, not quite. I can tell that he’s strong, though…”

People with years of experience could surely detect Jet’s might. The steady flow of mana in his body, his firm stance, his eyes…there was a lot to go on. If you could gauge Fran’s strength even when she was holding back, then you could do the same with Jet. Call it adventurer instinct.

But these two didn’t seem to know much about wolf monsters. As they evolved, wolves got better at concealing their mana, making their strength even more difficult to gauge.

“Jet’s really strong.”

“Really? If you say that, it must be true. Good. We want him to fight, too.”

“Woof!”

“Jet said he’ll do it.”

“Thanks. There aren’t many strong beast monsters in these parts, and I’d like our boys to see how terrifying they can be. An adventurer’s blind spots can get him killed, you know.”

“Blind spots?”

“That’s right. Our adventurers are all Lake Vivian professionals. But they’re specialized to a fault.”

While they had mastered all the skills necessary to handle the lake’s quests, they couldn’t begin to conquer dungeons in other regions. A newly promoted C-Rank had actually died in a Level-E dungeon recently. That death had only made the Lake Vivian adventurers more insulated, and no one saw that as a problem. After all, most adventurers stuck to Lake Vivian.

Still, the people of Belioth had begun to mock the adventurers of Lake Vivian. They’re your go-to guys on the lake, they would say, but everywhere else they’re all fish out of water.

“It’s all very frustrating. We’ve tried to change their minds but nothing’s worked.”

“That’s why we really appreciate your cooperation, Jet,” said Old Jill, petting Jet. “But what a beautiful beast you are. I bet you’re a truly ridiculous threat level, ehh?”

“Who knows?” said Fran.

“Well…just don’t destroy the boat.”

“We’ll be fine. Right, Jet?”

“Bark, bark!”

“Let’s head to the training grounds,” said Old Bar.

“Hm.”

“Woof!”

The training grounds were located at the ship’s lower levels and were quite spacious. About the size of an auditorium. They had low ceilings, but there was more than enough room to move around.

A large crowd of adventurers had already gathered. Over fifty, at least. Fran would only be fighting one of them, but she had attracted a lot of onlookers.

Not enough to satisfy Old Jill, though. “This it?”

“Can’t be helped, with the emergency quest going on. Most of our adventurers are away.”

“I guess. It’s a quest from them, after all…”

As we scanned the onlookers, a single adventurer came forth from the crowd. The man seemed to be head and shoulders above the rest.

He’s strong. His stats placed him above C-Rank. Much weaker than Colbert, but he had Water Magic and Trap Sense, along with some Skills which helped with aquatic movement. The guy was a balanced all-rounder who could do a lot of damage.

“Hello. I’m Lovren, a B-Rank adventurer.”

“Hm. I’m—”

“Ah! Before you introduce yourself, please give me your name.”

Fran looked puzzled, “Okay. I’m Fran.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Fran. I think we have a lot to learn from you today.”

“Hm.”

Lovren extended his hand and Fran shook it. This black-haired man with good looks and a real polite air seemed like a nice enough guy.

“But really, Guildmaster,” he said, “do you actually need to hide her identity? I’m not the only one here who’s worked out who she is.”

“Yeah, well, there are a lot more blockheads who haven’t. Not only are they ignorant, but they can’t even see well enough to figure her out!”

Lovren chuckled. “Harsh as always.”

“This is no laughing matter, sonny! Never mind the low-ranks, I can’t even expect those punks to wipe their own behinds! The problem is that even the D- and C-Ranks can’t figure out who Fran is! They’ve been too comfy for too long! They’ve gone soft!”

“It’s not like there’ve been any major incidents for the last twenty years or so. The closest thing we had was that whole fuss about the bounty. Never did know how that ended up.”

“Quit laughing, ace! You’re the reason why people talk smack about Lake Vivian’s adventurers! The folks at the capital say we’re nothing but a bunch of water striders!”

“I don’t even know what that means.”

“Urgh…”

“Look, don’t worry about it too much. It’s just a matter of work distribution.” Lovren genuinely looked like he didn’t mind one bit. Where Old Bar was testy, Lovren was magnanimous.

Not a great match. Actually, it looked like the old Guildmaster was about to pop a blood vessel. Either way, there was one more thing we needed to clarify.

“Is he the one I’m fighting?”

“No. He’s our ace, after all.”

If Lovren lost, the shock to the guild would be too great. For a moment, I felt sorry for whoever got chosen to be sacrificed to Fran. But then I learned that our opponent had cheerfully volunteered. I guess he deserved whatever was about to come.

“All right, clear out, you idiots! The fight’s about to start!”

“Don’t just stand there! Move it!”

The Guildmasters scattered the crowd until a lone man was left standing in the arena.

He was a stern, manly individual with orange hair in a crew cut. He looked like a genuine man of the sea. Or, y’know, of the lake.

“I am Dagor. A C-Rank adventurer. I look forward to this duel, Lady Fran.”

“Hm. Let’s have a good one.”

“I am honored to be able to fight such a powerful warrior. I will do my best not to disappoint you!” 

He was as earnest as he looked, his sincerity evident even in how deep he bowed.

I Identified him and found that he was an expert with the spear. High levels of Spear Mastery and Arts, Harpoon Mastery, and Throw. He also had a strange Skill called Water Cutter that allowed him to cleave through water resistance when attacking underwater. He was a lake specialist, too.

“To a good fight!” he boomed.

“Hm!”

“Ready? Begin!”

“Haah!” Dagor made his move on Old Bar’s mark. He wanted to finish this battle in one stroke.

Fran smiled as she used me to block the strike.

Dagor was smiling, too. “Hahaha! Such power!”

“That was good.”

Their first clash was an exchange of offense and defense. Dagor came at Fran with all he had while she hung back to observe him. Both were enjoying themselves.

The duel wasn’t without its close calls, most of them owing to Dagor’s spear. It had a big hook like a harpoon at the end of it which he could use to pull his target in once he’d stabbed them. I’d never seen a weapon move quite like it, and it came close to grazing Fran multiple times.

“Interesting.”

“Ah! I am honored that you would think so, Black Lightning Princess!” 

Dagor started casting spells in the middle of his attacks. He was quite the combatant to pull off this kind of multitasking! He wasn’t at B-Rank yet, but he must’ve trained every day. You could see the results right in front of us.

Still, it wasn’t going to be enough to beat Fran. She knocked his spear out of his hand with her sword and that was the end of it. Dagor beamed with a satisfied smile, but our audience was in shock. The only people who were unsurprised were those who’d recognized Fran’s strength from the start.

Was that a quest completion? No, Jet hadn’t fought yet.

As silence fell over the training grounds, one man stepped into the ring. “I guess I’m going next. May I fight that wolf of yours, please?”

“Arf?”

The B-Rank adventurer Lovren had volunteered himself to spar with Jet.

“You wanna fight Jet?” asked Fran.

“Yes.”

“Lovren, wait!” Old Bar shouted frantically. “What do you think you’re doing? Get back here!”

“But someone has to fight the wolf. Might as well be me.”

“No!” cried Old Bar.

The adventurers were still in stunned silence. If Lovren lost, I couldn’t imagine what would happen to them.

But Lovren didn’t have any intention of backing down. “I lack experience fighting beasts, so this would be good practice for me. Also, it’ll shake things up a lot more if I lose.”

Now a look of surprise fell upon Dagor. He couldn’t believe that the guild’s strongest could actually lose. Would actually lose.

“S-sir Lovren, you don’t think you can win?”

“That wolf looks like he’s pretty strong,” said Lovren.

Fran nodded. “Hm. Very strong.”

“Woof!”

Old Bar had told Lovren off for not being more self-aware as the guild’s ace. Was that why he’d volunteered? Did he want to show himself losing to snap the others out of their complacency?

“If you lose…what about your reputation?” Old Bar didn’t agree with him.

Meanwhile, Lovren was as relaxed as ever. “Everyone loses to someone stronger than them sooner or later. Besides, you know I never had much of a reputation to lose.”

He laughed and readied his spear. Jet stepped forward, ready to fight.

“Let’s have a good one.”

“Woof!”

The fight now captured the attention of everyone, both veteran and greenhorn alike. There was great expectation in the young rookies’ eyes. Lovren should be able to avenge Dagor, they thought.

“Lovren, listen to me!”

“Can it, old coot! When a man says he wants to fight, you let him!”

“But…!”

“Hmph. Never mind him,” said Old Jill. “I suppose you’re both ready. Let the fight begin!”

“Hyaaa!” Lovren opened the fight with a stab the moment Old Jill said go. Knowing Jet’s strength, he didn’t pull his punches. He aimed for his jugular, but missed. Jet had twisted his body in order to avoid it.

“Grr!”

“A graceful dodge! How about this!”

“Woof!”

“Yaaaah!”

Jet and Lovren were both agile fighters. They moved on the field of battle so fast that it was hard to keep up. I don’t even think the low-ranks knew what was going on.

Neither used magic because they didn’t want the audience to get hit by stray spells. They were moving way too fast for the adventurers to be able to dodge any bursts of magic.

Lovren began to slow down. He was pushing himself to keep up with Jet, but now he took a deep breath.

“Huff…” He readied his spear and gathered his mana. He’d risk it all and end the fight before exhaustion got to him.

Jet leapt from floor to ceiling before finally turning around to jump at Lovren.

Stillness and movement. Two different strategies leading to the same conclusion. The end of the duel.

The tension in the room was palpable.

“Sssh…! Sharp Thrust!”

“Groooaar!”

Lovren turned to face Jet and launched his Weapon Art. It was a strike of speed and precision.

Even though he knew he would lose, he wasn’t going to just let it happen. The others would see through that. No, he was going to instill alertness into his adventurers by losing with all he had.

The attack struck Jet in a flash. Lovren’s spear rushed through the air and into Jet’s mouth—but never pierced his head. Jet had seen through Lovren’s attack. He bit down on the spear with his mana-charged teeth, shook his head, and flung it away.

The sudden shift in momentum caused Lovren to lose his footing. It happened for a split second, but that was enough to cost him the match.

Jet wasted no time in tackling him.

“Gah!” Lovren was blown back, sent rolling across the deck. It wasn’t a lot of damage, but he wasn’t going to pick up his spear again.

Instead, he raised his hands in defeat. “That was great. I lost.”

“Woof!”

The adventurers murmured when they saw Lovren easily declare defeat. The low-ranks were howling.

“I’ve been getting lazy lately. Guess it’s time I got training again.”

Lovren wanted the truth of his words to sink in. He wasn’t hungry enough for combat to keep fighting a losing battle. But unlike his fellow adventurers, he was all smiles.

Old Jill turned to the restless adventurers. “You heard him. That’s the end of the match. Now get going!”

But most of the adventurers remained on the training ground, chattering among themselves. They were excited by the intense matches they’d just witnessed. Eventually, the higher-ranked ones gathered around Fran.

“That was amazing! Absolutely splendid!”

“You can say that again. I’m embarrassed to call myself a B-rank.”

Fran was surrounded from all sides, but she looked happy. This kind of communication was new to her. It was very adventurer-esque.

The veterans’ mood inevitably affected the low-ranks. Their gloom faded and was replaced with motivation as they started to discuss how to get stronger. These training grounds would probably get busy over the coming weeks.

Excited, the adventurers stood shoulder to shoulder and started singing. It was a song about the spirit of the lake, called “Ballad of the Maiden by the Lake.”

From what I gathered, this Maiden was a blonde, fair-skinned lady with strangely colored eyes—the right amethyst, the left emerald. The lyrics claimed she protected the lake, for which the adventurers offered her their thanks.

Riled up by the singing, Old Bar shouted, “Right! Time for a celeb—”

“Don’t go senile on me yet, old man!” Old Jill, arms crossed, broke up the festivities. “And one song is all you’re gettin’! Back to work, all of you!”

The loud little lady commanded the whole room. The adventurers dispersed under her glare.

“Fran, you’re with me,” said Old Jill.

“Hm.”

“Fran! You really helped us out today,” said Old Bar. “Feel free to hit me up if you run into trouble. I’ll lend you a hand personally!”

“Thanks, Old Bar.”

Fran looked a little sad to have missed the celebration, and Old Jill noticed as they entered the meeting room.

“What’s up with you? Don’t tell me you wanted to party with those morons?”

“Hm…”

Old Jill sighed. “And here I thought you weren’t going to get along. Guess you’re just a high-rank like the rest of them.” She shook her head, exasperated.

Fran was a weirdo, like all the high-ranked adventurers in the world. Old Jill gave her a wry smile, but there was kindness in her eyes. She was ultimately fond of the morons under her care, too.

“Anyway, good job on the quest,” she said. “I’m a satisfied client.”

“Hm.”

Despite their local ace getting beat up, the Guildmaster looked content. They worked out Fran’s reward and marked her quest as cleared. Now we were just waiting for the payment to go through.

Before we go, I told Fran, there’s something I wanted to ask.

We asked Old Jill about the boy we ran into while gathering necroweed. She didn’t know who we were talking about at first, but then realized who it was after we described him.

“That boy? He’s a prodigy. Going to be our youngest E-Rank yet, I wager. I believe he’s thirteen this year.”

Which made him much younger than the average sixteen-year-old E-Rank. Still, I couldn’t work out why he wanted to kill Fran. I understood why you might hate someone who was better than you. Resentment, envy, anger—all were within the realm of possibility, and yet…

“He wanted to kill me.”

“Hmm…and yet you’ve never met him before?”

“Hm.”

“Beats me. I’ve never heard a thing about that boy’s past. You might have better luck just asking him if you run into him again. He works in the area.”

I guessed we’d just have to see him again.

“What’s his name?”

“Sierra. Probably an alias.”

“An…alias?”

“We all have our reasons, kid. Adventurers, especially.”

“True.”

Sierra, the boy with the murderous aura. Who was he?