Chapter 89

Farewell, Valdorf

“It’s been a hectic four days here, huh?”

“It has. We have already paid the inn, so we need only gather our belongings and leave.”

We had arrived in the afternoon, and the day after that was spent replacing my assault kobold equipment. This continued into the third day, and I also had to retrieve the immobile Daniela from the park. And that brings us to today.

It would have been nice to have spent the time relaxing and doing some sightseeing…but trouble really did come unexpectedly. In this case, from right under my feet. Damn it, I could never let my guard down.

“At least you were able to buy some nice equipment because of it.”

Well, I guess. I’m definitely relieved that it worked out.”

The greatsword hung on my shoulder and the shortsword was attached to my belt. I lifted up my leg and flashed the black boots as well. Daniela folded her arms and inspected them.

“It all looks good to me. But can you really wield that greatsword?”

“I intend to. Don’t worry.”

I make a confident fist. Buying new weapons always got me a little pumped up. I would fight the first monster I see after leaving this town.

We restocked on some food and that was it. There was nothing else to do for preparations. Food was all you needed. We hadn’t used our other camping equipment that much, and they were in good condition. There was also nowhere else to visit. Normally I would go around and say goodbye to everyone, but there was no point in doing it here. Dorothea wasn’t even at the inn, so we never even got started. Well, maybe we should at least say something to Kasil. No need to check on the little shit, though.

“We’ll leave as soon as we say goodbye to Kasil. Is that fine with you?”

“Ah, the blacksmith. His shop was on the side of the empire, so it is on the way.”

And so we went to see Kasil.

“Hello.”

“Ah, here you are again. What is it this time?”

Kasil was sitting on a chair behind the counter as he polished a shortsword. He looked up at me and sighed.

“Just thought I’d say something before leaving town. Thanks for everything.”

“Ah, is that what it is. Aye, travel safely then!”

He sheathed the shortsword and stood up to extend his hand. I accepted it with a tight grip. This was was followed by a suffocating embrace and a series of painful slaps.

“But really, I’m lucky to have been able to acquire such good weapons. Why is such a skilled blacksmith like you in a place like this?”

I couldn’t help but find it odd. He would make much more money if he moved his business away from this post town, and to a more lively city.

“Ahh, about that. I am asked this constantly. But it is my desire to give good weapons to people who come to the empire, and to people who leave it. By giving them the blade that will protect them, I am praying for their safety. Well, that was what my master believed, and I am just following him!”

He said with an embarrassed chuckle. What a nice guy.

“I hope that you continue to pray for the safety of such travelers.”

“Aye, and you two be careful. I’ll be praying for you!”

Kasil’s Arms Shop. I would recommend it to anyone who was traveling to the empire. The good-natured owner is guaranteed to give you the finest weapon. Well, in exchange for money.

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There was a large town that could be reached after a two days travel from Valdorf’s eastern gate and passing through a small village.

It was called the Adventurer’s Town. A town that had given birth to numerous renowned Adventurers. Dragonslayers. Dungeon Crawlers. World Travelers. I didn’t know much about it all, but they were famous. And it was this bustling town, that would be our next destination.

We had just passed the eastern gate now, and I was asking Daniela about this town as we walked.

“We should be able to get precise information there. Knowledge about the empire and its monsters.”

“I see… I guess we have to go too, since Valdorf didn’t have a guild.”

Apparently, it was the guards of Valdorf that took care of exterminating the monsters. It just wasn’t a town that suffered from monsters too much, to begin with, and so they didn’t require a guild. We had been quite disappointed about this when we found out.

When it was slightly past midday, Daniela detected the presence of grass wolves. The yellowish green wolves inhabited this country as well, and they were now coming straight at us. I pulled out my greatsword as soon as I was able to detect them myself. Schwarz Tempest. Indigo bone that had been reinforced by the blacksmith to the point that it looked black. It was only when the sunlight hit the blade, that you remembered that it was actually blue.

“It is a beautiful sword.”

“Yeah. The finest sword made by Kasil’s master.”

I heave it up in front of me. It was heavy, but ‘Jack of all Trades, Master of None’ showed me how to hold it, and how to stay balanced. I would not have been able to use such an unfamiliar weapon without it. I would be forced to practice with a wooden one first. This really was a cheat skill. Still, being only a little better than average was not enough to become unbeatable. It was ‘Master of None’ after all. But it was all I had, and so I would make the most of it. You just had to use it right, and you would be able to do anything well.

“Here they come.”

Daniela glared at the bushes ahead of us. Judging by their presence and movements, it was obvious that they would jump out of there. I take it all in, then run forward as I raise the greatsword into the air.

“RWAARGH!”

With a howl, the grass wolf jumps out of the bushes, just as my sword swings mercilessly down. The sword draws a black arch in the air as it falls to the earth. The grass wolf splits into two without any resistance at all.

“Woah.”

I had swung so hard that it slammed into the ground and kicked up a storm of dust into the air. Thankfully, a wind blew from behind and carried it away. It was Daniela.

Presence Detection was telling me that there was one more grass wolf. It was spying on us now that the first wolf had been killed, but it quickly turned around and ran away. It must have understood that it was no match for us. I put the sword back into its sheath and hang it over my shoulder.

“Huh…”

“How was it? Your new weapon.”

“Ahh, thanks. It’s good. A bit heavy, but it packs a punch because of it. I’m really looking forward to seeing what happens when it has got some magic flowing through it.”

Blue magic into the blue sword. It would likely activate water-based magic. I couldn’t wait, and so I used ‘Jack of all Trades, Master of None’ to play it in my head. The sword was covered in water. The water itself was sharp like a blade, and it extended further than the original sword. The simulation showed the greatsword cutting through a large tree. It was kind of frightening to watch.

I shook my head and turned the footage off with a sigh. That Kasil…he gave me quite the weapon.

“What is it? You look very pleased with yourself.”

“Oh, I was just thinking about how awesome this is.”

“Hehe. I see.”

She smiled happily next to me. We walked together, smiling under the bright sun. It was peace itself.

It was nearing evening, so we decided to search for a campsite. A decently open area that would not get in anyone’s way. That was what we wanted. Around us was open prairie with a few secluded trees. We had been walking for seven hours since leaving Valdorf, but the scenery had yet to change. Seven hours huh…I was definitely stronger than I used to be. It was quite a change from the pale guy who worked the night shift. I doubt that Matsumoto had that much of a dramatic change, since he was an athletic student. I was thinking such pointless thoughts when Daniela called out to me.

“Asagi, there are signs of someone camping over there. Let us do the same.”

“That’s great. It shouldn’t be dangerous if others were there.”

There were signs of a bonfire too. Though there was no heat, so it would have been from a while ago. The grass in the area had been cut, and there was only dirt there, so there was no chance of causing a fire. There were also perfectly convenient flat rocks around where the bonfire had been. They were clearly to be used as chairs. There were three of them. A party of three.

In any case, this would be our campsite.

“Daniela, you make the fire with this wood.”

“Aye.”

We quickly prepared to set camp. Daniela did the fire. I did the tent. We used a magic tool(priced at sixty silver pieces) to light the mountain of firewood. It would burn really well, as long as you were careful to maintain it.

Making the tent just involved putting the frame together and throwing the cover over it. Then you just hammered in some stakes to keep it grounded. Setting up a campsite should be swift.

“Now, we just have to do the food.”

“Asagi, I think I may die from starvation.”

“Stop acting stupid and go set up the magic barrier.”

“Grrr…”

Daniela gave me a begrudging look as she picked up the four barrier tools from the bag(fifty gold pieces per device) and disappeared into the field. She would be back soon enough, and so I pulled out the pot and filled it with cut vegetables and magic water. Then I put the lid on and set it over the fire.

Daniela returned and sat down in order to stare vacantly at the pot. Her unfocused eyes seemed to be thinking about something else. Once the pot was boiling, I removed the lid and added some salt and spices. Then I put the lid back on and placed some meat skewers around the fire. Dinner would be ready as soon as these were.

“Here, it’s done.”

“Hmm, thank you.”

I passed her a meat skewer and drank some soup. Ahh, it was good. My cooking skills were improving…

With a sigh, I look up and gaze at the sky. There was a gradation of orange and deep blue and stars that were slowly becoming visible.

How many days had passed since I came to this world? Did they catch that thief? How was the manager doing? My mom and dad must be so worried. Up until now, I had been too preoccupied to even think back on these things. I would want to return if I could, but I would never go and leave Daniela behind. I now believed that this world would be my final resting place.

It was as I considered such whimsical ideas, that the sky became full of stars, and the orange hues disappeared passed the horizon.