A true sword, even as time passes, will shine anew when it meets fire.
*Whoosh.*
'Just like this one.'
As I placed the rusted sword bought from the weapon merchant into the fire, the blade absorbed the flames, glowing brightly and returning to its original form.
Just moments ago, it seemed unusable with its chipped edge, but it recovered so quickly.
"How is it, master?"
Siegfried gave a thumbs-up, looking satisfied. The smile on his face showed how remarkable this sword was.
"Do you know how incredible that sword is?"
"Not really."
"It's one of the seven legendary swords made by humans to kill gods. It harbors a curse so strong that ordinary people can't handle it."
"A curse?"
"Yes, they say anyone who uses that sword gets their life force drained and dies. But... you don't seem to have any problems?"
I gazed at the sword's brilliant blade and replied.
"That's right. By the way, did you say this sword was made to kill gods?"
"Yes, its name is 'Misteltein'. It's considered the greatest of the legendary swords."
I knew this.
I had heard about it in my previous life. But I acted as if I was hearing it for the first time.
"That's incredible. But why was such a sword here?"
"Misteltein wanders the continent by itself, searching for its master."
"A sword?"
"Yes, just as it was created to kill gods, it continues to roam in search of its master."
"Ah..."
"But how did you know this sword was here?"
"I just had a feeling."
"A feeling?"
"Yes, like there might be a good sword here, and that you would find it. That kind of feeling."
This intuition had manifested in my previous life as well.
Back then, I had a similar conversation with Siegfried, and his reaction was the same.
"You're the incredible one, not me."
Of course, back then, I didn't become the sword's owner.
I had come here at the age of fifteen to buy a sword as a gift for my brother, Gunter.
'I regretted it.'
Why did I give this sword to Gunter? I was so foolish back then.
If I had known he was planning to kill me, I would never have shown him any kindness.
'Well, it's all in the past. No point dwelling on it.'
In this life, I have become the master of Misteltein.
I smiled brightly and replied.
"I'll take that as a compliment."
"Do that. By the way, this is your first time handling such a large sword, isn't it? Let me see you swing it."
"Yes, master."
I swung the long sword, which was as tall as I was, through the air.
*Whoosh—whoosh—*
The blade was so long that it was hard to wield properly.
While it wasn't too difficult to handle for a two-handed sword, it was still challenging for my current body, which wasn't yet suited to wield such an adult-sized weapon.
"It's uncomfortable."
"It has to be. The blade alone is much longer than your arm."
"But it's not heavy, so that's a relief."
"Not heavy?"
"Yes, it's much lighter than a training sword."
I wasn't joking. It felt as light as if I was swinging a bamboo sword. It even felt lighter than the dagger I received from Valentine.
"That's impossible."
"It's true."
"…Then that sword must have chosen you as its master."
"Chosen me?"
"Yes, though it's not like you can talk to it, I can't say for sure. But if it feels light, it means the sword and its master are in sync."
I lifted Misteltein above my head. Even in this position, it didn't feel heavy.
'Legendary sword Misteltein.'
Did it really choose me as its master?
*Whoosh.*
I swung the sword once more, then sheathed it.
"Master, would you like to spar with me for old time's sake?"
* * *
*—Roaaaaar!*
The arena was filled with cheers.
The spectators held green flags above their heads, waving them vigorously.
"Ferreira! Ferreira! Ferreira!"
Everyone was cheering for the same person.
As the crowd's voices grew louder, five men wearing black cloaks appeared from an entrance on one side of the arena.
*Thud, thud, thud.*
"It's noisy."
One of them pulled back his hood. It was Ferreira, a knight directly under the Bourbon family, with green hair. He pressed his finger to his lips, signaling for silence.
*—Roaaar!*
The crowd cheered even louder.
"Ha ha ha!"
The person next to Ferreira pulled back her hood. A plump woman with long green hair laughed heartily, holding her stomach.
"Why do they like you so much? All you can do is fight, you blockhead."
"Shut up, Nunes. I'm smarter than you."
"Oh, really? So you were saying the Arctic is colder than the Antarctic?"
"That's right. The Arctic is colder than the Antarctic."
"No, it's not, you blockhead knight. The Antarctic is colder."
"It's the Arctic!"
"It's the Antarctic!"
*Thud, thud, thud.*
A giant in a black cloak approached and whispered.
"Shut up, you idiots. If you're so curious, why don't you both go and find out?!"
Ferreira and Nunes responded simultaneously.
"Sorry."
"Sorry."
"Idiots."
*Toot-toot!*
The man in the center of the arena blew a horn, summoning the five men in black cloaks to the center.
There, another group of five knights, who had arrived earlier, waited and bowed courteously.
"I am Orca of the Foxtail Knights."
"I am Ferreira."
"Nice to meet you, Sir Ferreira. It's an honor to face someone in the Gold Class."
"Really? Not for me."
"…Pardon?"
"Aren't you in the Silver Class?"
"Yes."
"Ha! Bad luck... Why am I matched up with such trash this week?"
"Your words are too harsh."
Ferreira raised an eyebrow.
"The harsh thing isn't what I'm saying, but the person who set up the match between you and me."
"...."
"Which idiot paired a Silver Class with a Gold Class? Hmm?"
As the conversation dragged on, the referee stepped between them.
"Now, now, both of you calm down. Orca, if you win, you'll move up to the Gold Class. And Ferreira, if you win this match, you'll get a chance to challenge the Diamond Class, right?"
There was no response.
Ferreira and Orca continued to glare at each other.
Fearing things might escalate, the referee quickly started the match.
"Then, the match between the Foxtail Knights and the Bourbon Second Knights will now begin!"
A beacon flared up in the center of the arena.
*Whoosh!*
Simultaneously, the Foxtail Knights, armed with swords, shields, spears, and axes, charged at their opponents.
*Dudududu.*
"Take them down one by one!"
Orca shouted, raising his voice.
"Yes!"
The knights following him responded.
In contrast, the Bourbon Knights didn't even prepare for battle. Ferreira alone stepped forward to face them barehanded.
Not using weapons in an arena where aura and mana couldn't be used? It was like asking to be killed.
Those who had never seen Ferreira fight might think this. But those who had witnessed his skills said otherwise.
'His fists are like steel.'
*Bang!*
Ferreira's fist struck the abdomen of one of the Foxtail Knights. The impact dented the armor, and the knight's body flew into the air.
*Thud.*
He took down a knight with one blow.
Ferreira, with a smile on his face, gestured to the remaining knights.
"Get lost, you're not ready for the Gold Class yet."
* * *
Lily, the pink-haired employee of the Legion Arena, smiled brightly.
"Then I'll find you three adventurers who haven't found a party yet."
We had no choice.
In the arena, five people formed a party to compete, but right now, it was just me and Roks.
"Please find capable ones."
"Yes, then…."
Lily looked through the list of Bronze Class participants in the arena.
She frowned slightly as she slowly ran her pen down the list, then circled the names at the bottom and showed them to me.
"Chihuahua... Collie... Bichon? Aren't those dog names?"
"They do sound like it, but I hear they're quite skilled knights in the western Gerard County."
"Count Gerard? Never heard of it."
"I hadn't either, so I asked a merchant from the west, and they said he's quite renowned there."
"I see."
Though the names are odd, it seems their skills aren't bad. Since they're listed as four-star knights, they should be above average.
"Then please form a party with these individuals."
"Just a moment, please. Even if we want to, they might not want to..."
"Yes."
I waited in the lounge for the three knights she recommended. We just needed the numbers to start the match, so unless there was something really wrong, they should join us.
If we want to get to the tower as soon as possible, that is.
*Knock, knock, knock.*
Someone knocked on our lounge door.
Roks cautiously approached, peeking through the gap, then suddenly frowned deeply.
It was clear from his reaction that it wasn't a good sign.
"Don't be shocked."
"Why?"
"You'll see."
Roks took a deep breath and slowly pulled the door handle.
*Creak—*
Three knights stood outside the lounge. Their chain mail, which was quite expensive for four-star knights, and their weapons, which looked to be of intermediate quality or better, indicated they were well-equipped.
Judging by their proper armaments, they seemed more than qualified to join as party members.
*Thud, thud, thud.*
"Nice to meet you, I'm Baron Bichon, a guard knight of Count Gerard."
Bichon. He was really Bichon.
He resembled the dog Bichon so much that anyone would say he looked just like one.
I could understand why his parents named him that.
"I'm Verdin."
Bichon walked in with a bright smile and extended his hand to me.
I stood up and shook his hand lightly.
"Verdin! What a nice name. My young knights wanted to join your party, so I came by. They're really great guys, you know?"
Bichon looked back and forth between me and Roks.
He seemed pleased, wearing a satisfied expression.
"I heard from Lily that you're from Strange?"
"That's right."
"Oh, it's an honor. To compete alongside someone from Strange!"
"Can I take that as you agreeing to join us?"
"Of course! Thank you, thank you. Actually, I couldn't find party members and couldn't compete."
"No need to thank us, we also lacked members."
And so, we formed a party, and Lily registered us for today's Bronze Class match.
"Today's match is at 5:30 PM. If you're even a little late, you'll be disqualified, so please be on time."