The next morning, Licia visited the guest room after finishing her training.
"Listen, Ren! Why don’t you join me starting tomorrow?"
With a beaming smile and a voice full of energy, she invited him to train together. Ren looked at her as she made her pitch with such delight and feigned his usual composure.
"Yes. My body is almost back to full strength, so I’ll give it some thought."
Then—
"……?"
Licia looked at Ren with strangely suspicious eyes and approached the desk where he was sitting. She stood beside him and reached out as he tried to avoid her gaze. Taking his cheeks in both hands, she forced him to face her.
"Are you hiding something from me?"
(—!?)
"Ah, your eyes wavered."
He had to hand it to her; her intuition was terrifyingly sharp. However, he still couldn't tell her about the job Lezard had requested. After a moment of hesitation, Ren decided to tell a lie, even though it pained his heart.
"To be honest, I’ve been having some second thoughts about the Holy Sword Arts from the other day."
"……Like what?"
"I was wondering… what if my presence ends up having a negative impact on your future, Lady Licia?"
In any case, it wasn't a total lie. He really had considered that possibility at least once.
"Oh, honestly! Forget about that! I’m the one who made the decision, so Ren, stop worrying!"
Licia believed his words and spoke to encourage him. Ren felt a prickle of guilt and slightly averted his eyes. Perhaps this only highlighted his apparent solemnity, as Licia told him not to worry once more, emphasizing that her choice hadn't been a mistake.
"We just have to find a style that actually suits us together someday. The Holy Sword Arts aren’t the only way to fight."
With that, Licia finally released him. Having reaffirmed his feelings through this unexpected exchange, Ren stood up as she took his hand. He let her pull him along as they left the room.
"Where are we going?"
"Breakfast. It looks like you haven't eaten yet, so let's eat together."
She was clearly acting this way to comfort him, thinking he was still troubled. That, in turn, only made Ren’s heart ache more.
(Gu—Guilt… the guilt is real…)
Since the schedule hadn't been finalized yet, he kept quiet about the guild registration. However, in the face of Licia’s innocence and straightforwardness, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was doing something wicked.
As they were walking toward the dining hall, they were suddenly interrupted.
"Oh, if it isn't Licia."
Lezard appeared and called out to his daughter as she marched forward triumphantly. He didn't seem to mind that she was leading Ren around; he simply offered the boy an apologetic smile.
"It is already time to depart. What are you doing?" Lezard asked.
(Depart?)
"Father, I thought departure was scheduled for after breakfast."
"Yes. I did say that, but it seems you worked a bit too hard during your morning training. We’re nearing the scheduled time, so you'll have to have your breakfast inside the carriage."
Ren tilted his head, not following the conversation, so Licia turned back to him with a look of apology.
"I'm sorry. We were scheduled to go out of town for work today. Since the departure was supposed to be after breakfast, I thought I still had plenty of time, but…"
It seemed they were running behind because she had over-exerted herself during her morning training.
"Please don't worry about me. I'll have a light breakfast and then perhaps borrow another book."
"……Even though I was the one who invited you, I’m truly sorry."
Licia let go of Ren’s hand. She stepped away with a lingering look of regret and hurried toward her room with quick, light footsteps.
"Forgive my daughter for being so boisterous so early in the morning," Lezard said once Licia was out of sight.
"Not at all. I always find Lady Licia’s bright personality to be quite energizing."
"Heh, that sounds like something you would say. …Now then, as I mentioned, Licia and I are heading outside the town. We plan to return late tonight, so I would like to request that you conduct the investigation today."
Accepting the job while taking advantage of Licia’s absence made him feel somewhat nervous. But at the same time, the prospect of fighting monsters for the first time in a while made him feel a spark of excitement.
"I’m looking forward to tonight. I wonder what kind of results you'll achieve on your first day to surprise us, Ren."
"……Since it’s the first day, I don’t think I'll have anything noteworthy to report."
For now, he planned to spend the day feeling things out. Since he didn't know the terrain, any monsters he encountered would be new to him. For that reason, he didn't intend to do anything too flamboyant from the start. His plan was to stop by the guild to gather information and limit himself to scouting using the map Weiss had given him.
That being said, he would certainly defend himself if monsters appeared.
"Weiss is coming with us, so he won't be around, but if anything happens, tell the staff at the manor."
With those final instructions, Lezard departed. Ren didn't head for the dining hall; instead, he walked toward his own room to eat breakfast there. A sense of duty, different from what he usually felt, took root in his heart.
"Alright—let's do this."
He was being entrusted with a task similar to the work he had done in the village in his father's stead, but this time it was a request from Lezard himself. That thought made him feel more focused than ever.
Three hours after leaving the town.
If one headed in the opposite direction of the hills where he had fought Jelququ, they would arrive at a vast forest. It was known as the Eastern Forest—a straightforward name, considering it sat to the east of the town.
(Ah.)
As he walked through the woods where the trees grew thick and lush, he realized something.
(It’s not like it’s completely the first time.)
He was referring to the monsters that inhabited this area. Even if it was the first time seeing them with his own eyes, their ecology was already stored in his head—provided they were the same monsters from the game world.
"Alright."
Time to get to work.
As he moved forward with a vigorous stride, he spotted a figure peeking out at him from the shadow of a tree. Straining his eyes, he could tell it was a beast resembling a rabbit. The only difference was that it had three eyes and twice the number of limbs.
Naturally, it was a monster.
Specifically, it was an F-rank monster called a Mitsume. In terms of ranking, it sat one level above the Little Boars Ren had hunted countless times.
"Kiki!"
The Mitsume’s movements were more agile than a Little Boar’s. With a sudden kick of the earth, it closed the distance in an instant.
However, Ren was more than capable of reacting. He calmly met the attack with the Iron Magic Sword he had already summoned. With the tip extended slightly, he pierced the Mitsume’s neck with a light, precise thrust.
"Ki—!"
"……Well, that’s that, I guess."
He felt ten percent anticlimax and thirty percent exhilaration. The remaining sixty percent was pure relief at being able to maintain an overwhelming advantage in his first monster battle in a long time.
Ren approached the Mitsume, which had died instantly. He summoned his Wooden Magic Sword and gave it a light swing, using the vines it produced to bind the carcass and hoist it over his shoulder.
"Wow… this is incredibly convenient…"
The Iron Magic Sword was in his right hand, while the recently summoned Wooden Magic Sword hung at his waist. This was the fruit of his growth from the battle with Jelququ; he could now summon two magic swords at once.
He had considered using the Thief's Magic Sword as his second blade, but today he chose a combination that prioritized transportation. Before long, Ren absorbed the mana stone and checked the crystal on his bracelet.
Ren Ashton Job: Ashton Family Eldest Son
Skill: - Magic Sword Summoning (Level 1: 0/0) - Magic Sword Summoning Arts (Level 3: 241/2000) Level 1: Can summon [one] magic sword. Level 2: Gains [Physical Ability Boost (Small)] effect while summoning. Level 3: Can summon [two] magic swords. Level 4: Gains [Physical Ability Boost (Medium)] effect while summoning. Level 5: ***.
Acquired Magic Swords: - Wooden Magic Sword (Level 2: 990/1000) Allows for attacks on the level of [Nature Magic (Small)]. Attack Effect Range expands as the level increases. - Iron Magic Sword (Level 1: 990/1000) Sharpness increases as the level increases. - Thief's Magic Sword (Level 1: 0/3) Steals a random item from the target at a fixed probability.
He was successfully gaining proficiency bit by bit. Not to be outdone by his Magic Sword Summoning Arts, both the Wooden and Iron Magic Swords were closing in on a level up. It looked like they might even hit it today.
"I wonder how many are out here."
He was thinking about the encounter rate. How many monsters inhabited the forest, and how many would he run into in a single day? Ultimately, his leveling speed depended on those odds.
However, after Ren resumed his walk and about ten minutes had passed, he heard a faint sound of breathing coming from the shadows.
(There seem to be quite a few.)
He nodded silently and focused his attention on the source of the presence.
And then—
"Gya!?"
He moved before the monster could, closing the distance in the blink of an eye and swinging the Iron Magic Sword. The second Mitsume, which had been about to pounce, died before it even knew he was there.
He achieved one of his goals shortly after finishing a late lunch. By subjugating four more Mitsume, the level of his Iron Magic Sword increased… but then, he noticed it.
- Wooden Magic Sword (Level 2: 1000/1000)
- Iron Magic Sword (Level 2: 0/2500)
It was a familiar sense of unease.
Unlike the Iron Magic Sword, which had leveled up without issue, the number for the Wooden Magic Sword was stuck at the cap—a "Counterstop" situation. His proficiency had reached the maximum value, yet the sword wouldn't level up.
"Are you kidding me…"
Surely this couldn't be the limit. If it were truly the end of the line, he felt the notation would have changed to something like the 0/0 of Magic Sword Summoning.
"In that case, there must be a specific condition to raise the level… but I have no idea what it is."
He would have to search for those conditions in various ways.
In the end, he continued his investigation and hunting until evening, though he didn't let the mystery of the Wooden Magic Sword bother him too much. He stayed busy taking notes on the monster population, their habitats, and other observations.
The investigation was going well. The incidental hunting was a success. As Ren returned to the town, weighed down by the monsters he carried, a smile played on his lips as he remembered his life back in the village.