Side Story 3: Visiting a Remote Island 17 (End)

「Thanks for everything, Fran. I’ve learned a lot.」

「Nn. Me too.」

「Is Master alright? If necessary, I can fix him.」

I guess Ouna felt awkward about snapping me in half despite her hatred for divine swords. But even someone of her skill would have trouble repairing a divine sword, right? Or maybe this was just an excuse to get a closer look so she can analyze me?

Well, either way, I was fine without her help.

『Don’t worry about me, I have Self-Repair. The healing is a bit slower than usual due to the divine energy in your strike, but it’s not an issue. The repair has already started.』

「I see.」

It was extraordinarily difficult to repair weapons damaged by divine energy. Any normal blacksmith would probably deem it impossible.

But in my case, I just need to put in a little divine energy for the repair process. I’ll be back to normal in no time. Though it might take a bit longer than usual.

「Indeed, the broken edge of your blade is already starting to mend itself. And that was my strongest strike too… This is exactly why divine swords are such a pain.」

The clash between Fran and Ouna was practically a tie, if not for the difference in the quality of their weapons.

Ouna lost her strongest weapon, while my auto-repair meant I could be used again after a short wait. If they continued the match beyond the initial clash, Fran would have a huge advantage. It’s only fair to call her the victor.

「You said you were using the Ouka Style? What’s that?」

「Ah, the Ouka Style is one of the original schools recognized by the gods. Have you heard of them?」

「Like the Dimitris Style?」

「Yes, exactly. There are three of them: the Ouka Style, the Dimitris Style, and the Toelunage Style.」

The Ouka Style was a school of swordsmanship based around using magically-enhanced katana arts. They tended to minimize the use of physical strength, instead channeling all of their mana into their blades.

Many of its techniques seemed to involve elemental sword arts and maximizing mana conductivity.

As Ouna was in the middle of explaining the Ouka Style, I sensed a group of people approaching us from a distance.

They seemed to be mounted and moving in an orderly formation. This meant they could not be bandits or adventurers. Probably a patrol of knights or soldiers.

The clash between Fran and Ouna had been pretty flashy. It was only natural to investigate if they happened to be nearby.

「I’ll be heading out now, as I don’t have time to sit through their questions. What about you, Fran?」

「I’ll go with—」

『We’re staying here. No way we can ignore them after causing so much commotion in the middle of a request.』

「…Nevermind.」

Fran drooped her shoulders in disappointment. Well, I can understand how she feels. Getting questioned by knights is usually a pain in the ass.

「I see. Then this is where we part ways. I’d appreciate it if you don’t mention me, if possible. I don’t want to get dragged into any more trouble.」

「Got it.」

『We’ll keep your involvement a secret.』

「Let’s have another spar the next time we meet.」

「Nn!」

A very short and simple farewell. Fran and Ouna seemed to stay in different continents most of the time, so there was no guarantee they would ever see each other again. Even so, they merely turned their backs on each other after a light wave of the hand.

Well, I suppose that was most fitting for those two.

『Now then, we have to stay here and explain things.』

「Nn.」

「Woof.」

After waiting about ten minutes, the squad of around ten cavalry finally came into view. The reason it took them so long on horseback was because they paused for a bit along the way.

Apparently, they were trying to gather information on us using skills like Presence Detection. It would be foolhardy to charge in blindly after witnessing such a huge clash of mana.

The wait worked out well for us too. We had time to rest, as well as think about how we were going to answer their questions.

『Fran, they may be rude, but make sure you don’t hit them first.』

「Munch munch.」

Fran nodded while stuffing curry into her mouth. But honestly, these sorts of things stopped being much of a problem after we reached Rank S. Most soldiers and knights treated her with a considerably different attitude now.

Everyone tended to approach us with utmost caution. Hardly anyone tried to order us around from a position of superiority anymore.

The soldiers should be able to see us by now, but Fran and Urushi continued stuffing their mouths.

This was intentional. Anyone would relax after seeing a young girl and puppy eating a meal. What a highly advanced psychological tactic! Though in reality, Fran and Urushi probably didn’t care. They were just happy to keep eating.

「Huh? A child and a puppy?」

「What in the world happened here…?」

The soldiers who arrived looked serious and well-disciplined. If they act the same way, then we should be fine dealing with them.

「Miss, I’d like to ask you a few questions, if that’s alright.」

「Nn. I was the one fighting here.」

「Oh? So you saw us coming! That makes things easier. Would you mind telling us what happened?」

The man who appeared to be the captain asked politely. Excellent. He behaved like a gentleman even before learning Fran’s identity! I like you!

『Of course! Allow me to explain everything!』

「Huh? What was that? Where did it come from…?」

『Over here! I’m Master! Fran’s divine sword!』

I floated up and introduced myself, causing every single one of them to freeze in shock. Ah, what a perfect reaction! A few seconds later, the captain dropped to one knee. His subordinates hurriedly followed him in kneeling.

Hmm, I feel kinda bad for surprising them this much, but not being able to talk also feels a bit lonely. It’s hard to find a balance. Either way, this reaction means everything should proceed smoothly.

「Please forgive our ignorance. We had no idea we were in the presence of the new Rank S Adventurer and her divine sword. I humbly apologize for our disrespect…」

『Oh, there’s no need to be so formal. Let’s just have a friendly chat.』

After calming down the pale-faced soldiers, I explained what happened here while omitting Ouna’s involvement. But honestly, I just pinned all the blame on the Evil Extermination Society!

Before, I had to struggle in order to explain everything through the taciturn Fran. This became much easier now that I could speak openly on my own.

「Thank you very much for your cooperation.」

「Nn.」

「Please tell the Adventurers Guild to submit a report to the kingdom as soon as possible.」

After parting with the captain and his men, who had remained courteous from beginning to end, we started our journey back. I’m sure those guys wanted the documents and other materials we confiscated, but they didn’t dare try to take them from a Rank S adventurer.

When we returned to the guild, our request was deemed completed without issue. The documents probably helped, but more importantly, a Rank S adventurer said it was resolved. Apparently, no one dared to doubt our claim.

We might have to be more careful when reporting completed requests from now on. As they say, with great power comes great responsibility.

To wrap things up, we led an investigation team of adventurers to the underground cavern. But as Urushi carried us back to town, Fran had an unusually serious expression on her face. What happened?

「Master.」

『What is it?』

「Does the Evil God have a lot of servants like that one?」

『Hmm… I wonder.』

Even the Evil God’s Innocence didn’t seem to know much about that subject. Still, you would need someone of incredible strength to annihilate a servant of the Evil God completely. I can imagine that some were sealed away as a temporary solution.

『I assume there are probably some sealed away. Why do you ask?』

「We can beat them.」

『I guess, but… Wait, don’t tell me you want to go looking for them?』

「Nn.」

Fran nodded. However, there was still a trace of hesitation, as though she hadn’t quite managed to put her thoughts into words yet. I quietly waited for her to continue.

「…Amanda runs an orphanage. Izario fights antidemons.」

To Fran, adventurers at Rank A or higher were not merely people with strength. Each of them contributed something to society and left their mark on the world.

There was no rule requiring them to do so. Nor was there any obligation. This was simply Fran’s image of the ideal adventurer.

An adventurer should be someone who travels freely, sometimes defeating evil and saving people. That was the kind of adventurer Fran aspired to be.

Fran was automatically elevated to Rank S since I became a divine sword, so she must be bothered by the feeling that she didn’t accomplish a feat worthy of her rank. Thus, she wanted to find something she could do.

「Even Dimitris helps people.」

『Y-Yeah, I guess.』

Her statement definitely carried the nuance of “even that overbearing Dimitris,” didn’t it? Poor Dimitris. Even Fran thinks of him that way.

「So… let’s travel around and look for the Evil God’s servants.」

I may possess an advantage against evil, but that doesn’t mean we can beat them risk-free. I doubt I could beat an Evil God Fragment by myself.

That said, I want to respect Fran’s wishes. This was the first time she found a goal as an adventurer other than lifting the curse on the black cats.

『Yeah. That sounds like the perfect job for us.』

「Nn! Urushi, time to search for other servants.」

「Woof woof!」

『W-Wait, what?! Did you forget that we left Rengill waiting back at the city…!?』

「Let’s go.」

「Woof woof wooooof!」

『Listen to meeee…!!』

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