Side Story 3: Visiting a Remote Island 08

Fran and Urushi weaved through the trees while concealing their presence. We avoided moving at full speed to prioritize stealth, but even so, it took only twenty minutes to pass through the haunt’s shallow areas.

『Like I thought, the cause of the incident must be in deep inside.』

「The fight is still going. I think one of them is an earth dragon.」

『Probably. The other one seems to be a human, but whoever they are, they have an impressive presence…』

The roars echoing in the distance sounded like an earth dragon, so that much was practically certain. However, the ominous presence we sensed did not come from any dragon.

Whoever was fighting the earth dragon radiated such an aura that even we had to approach with caution. Despite being so far away that we couldn’t even see them, it felt like they were standing right in front of us.

「What do we do?」

『Let’s get a little closer. I want to check who this person is.』

「Got it.」

This mysterious person seemed immensely powerful, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they had some connection to the evil energy contamination.

We approached the battlefield as quietly as possible, but eventually, we were forced to come to a stop. After all, the raging battle came to a sudden end.

「Hm?」

『I don’t sense the earth dragon anymore.』

On the other hand, the mysterious person’s presence remained as strong as ever. In other words, the dragon had been defeated. With the battle over, going any closer might get us noticed.

What now…?

「They’re coming this way.」

「Woof!」

『I don’t sense any hostility… but don’t let your guard down.』

「Nn!」

For some reason, Fran was smiling with excitement.

「Hmm? A child? Who are you?」

After waiting a few minutes, a tall old woman appeared from the depths of the forest.

She was equipped with a black kimono-like armor enchanted with mana. The white cloak draped over her shoulders looked similar to a haori, so the style of her outfit seemed very Japanese. This was only emphasized by the katana hanging at her waist.

Not to mention the cherry blossom-colored hairpin decorating her white hair. The hair on her right side was gathered into a bun with the hairpin, leaving the left to dangle down to her waist. A very asymmetrical look.

Judging from her wrinkles and white hair, she had to be over seventy. Yet I did not find any trace of the frailty that usually comes with age.

In fact, it was the opposite. She radiated an overwhelming presence comparable to a high-rank monster. And this was without actively trying to intimidate us.

She kept her back perfectly straight with a height of over 180 centimeters. Her right eye maintained a sharp gaze, while her left was covered by a black leather eyepatch. Her entire body was well-toned, radiating the vitality of someone in their prime years.

It was obvious to tell from her flawless and dignified posture alone. This old woman possessed exceptional skill.

Actually, I can’t find a single opening in her stance. Isn’t that pretty incredible? She must be at the higher levels of Holy Sword Mastery or even at the King level.

Was she somehow involved in this incident? But I can’t sense any malice from her at all…

The woman initially tilted her head at the sight of a child in the haunt, but she quickly recognized Fran’s strength. She nodded at the realization and approached us, before stopping right at the edge of sword range.

We were both wary of each other, so she must want to avoid provoking us.

「Are you an adventurer?」

「Nn. You too?」

「No, I am no adventurer. Just a traveler trying to hone her skills.」

Well, I suppose not all strong people are adventurers. There must be others like her who travel just for training.

I wouldn’t expect to see many still training at her age, but Dimitris exists, so it’s not impossible.

「Wow, training and traveling!」

Fran exclaimed with her eyes sparkling. This was a look of pure respect. Training and traveling were probably the building blocks for Fran’s ideal way of living.

「You would admire a vagrant? What a strange child.」

「I did a lot of training and traveling too.」

「Hoh? I see. That must be the reason you gained such strength at your age.」

Now it was the old woman who looked impressed. Maybe they naturally got along as fellow training fanatics.

「I must warn you, this forest is currently in a rather abnormal state. If you intend to delve further in, then you had best be prepared.」

「We came to investigate the situation. Do you know anything?」

「Nothing. I merely sensed the evil energy and stopped by thinking it would make for a good training location.」

The woman was not lying, so she really came here by chance. I’m glad she’s not responsible since Fran seems to have taken a liking to her. She would make for a pretty formidable foe too.

『She’s not lying.』

「Nn. I’m Fran, Rank S adventurer.」

「What? Rank S? Wait, your blade, could it possibly be a divine sword?」

「Nn. That’s right. A super amazing divine sword! His name is Master!」

『Yep, I’m the divine sword Master! Nice to meet ya!』

「A divine sword wielder, as well as an Intelligence Weapon…」

The woman widened her right eye in surprise, before quickly narrowing it to glare at me. Huh? That’s not exactly the reaction I was expecting. I don’t suppose you can spare a little more shock?

「I’ve heard the rumors of a new divine sword wielder. I suppose that is you then?」

「Nn. That’s right.」

「To think I would encounter the divine sword from those rumors in a place like this.」

Her grimace and tone of voice carried obvious negative implications.

「Obaa-san, do you—」

「Call me Ouna.」

「Ouna, do you hate divine swords?」

「Indeed I do. I despise divine swords and the godsmiths who forge them.」

Ouna scoffed in irritation, but I still sensed no hostility. Even if she had a distaste for divine swords, it seemed she had no intention of taking it out on Fran.

Fran looked conflicted. It’s not like Ouna insulted me in particular, but this was someone she had developed a liking to. She wasn’t sure how to react.

「Fran, I have a suggestion.」

「What is it?」

「I can lend you a hand with your investigation. But once that is complete, allow me to speak with your sword.」

「…? You want to talk to Master? Even though you hate divine swords?」

「I may hate divine swords, but that doesn’t mean I have no interest in them. I swear not to do anything harmful. There are just a few questions I want to ask.」

「Master?」

Ouna said she hated me to my face, but she still showed no trace of hostility.

『Well, if talking a bit is all we need to borrow your help, then I don’t mind.』

「Then we have an agreement. I look forward to working with you.」

「Nn!」

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