CH 66

Chapter 66

When Peaceful Times Cease To Exist : In The Beginner's Dungeon, Part 14 — Rhine And The Magic Sword

Translated by KaiesV

Edited by KaiesV

「A magic sword… you say?」

「Indeed, many people have fought over my ownership…」

「No, I don’t care about that, just show me the proof that you are a magic sword.」

「Kuh, people like you never listens to me… fine then.」

As Dance Slave closes her eyes and concentrates, her body is sucked into her own shadow and the sword surfaces instead. The shape of the sword was indeed that of the sword he had seen in the dungeon basement.

「I see, you’re really true.」

「Do you believe my words now?」

「Ahh… but.」

「Guahh!?」

Again, Rhine suddenly kicked the Dance Slave.

「If you can get back to that look, you’re all set!」

「You bastard, knowingly kicked my womanly appearance?」

「Swords have no gender! Who the hell do you think you are master of? Don’t decide who’s master when you’re a magic sword!」

「That’s usually the part that makes me cry, you know? Lord of the Magic Sword and all that cool stuff, right?」

「Don’t lump me in with the rest of those pimps.」

「You… are you abnormal, then?」

「Don’t you dare mislead me!」

The magic sword and human are in serious dispute. Please wait a while.

…………Somewhat.

「Shit, I am not in the care of a cursed sword.」

「Don’t be so sure, this me is useful, you know? You don’t have to use me, you can just use the knowledge. I’ve been alive for 500 years, after all.」

「And you’re going to curse me for being good at something, aren’t you? I’ll throw you into the sea! I hope the salt water slowly rusts you out.」

「Hmph, I wouldn’t be called a magic sword if it could rust in seawater.」

「Then I’ll put you in a volcano’s magma.」

「That’s… don’t try to melt me!」

「Great, it’s been decided!」

As soon as Rhine puts his hand on the sword, the sword begins to make noise.

「Y–You bastard! Where are you touching me?」

「Tell me, is it your face?」

「Don’t grab me by the chest!」

「Like I know!!」

Rhine thought that there was no way there could be such a troublesome magic sword, but he reacted with a jerk to the presence of something, and his body naturally hid in the shadow of a tree.

「What the? What’s this sign?」

「As expected of Master. Sensitive for a human.」

「I’m not your Master. But, where did this come from… the ruins!」

When Rhine looked at the ruins, the entrance to the ruins was broken, and out from inside was Man Eater that had once again taken on the appearance of a crab.

「My stomach is…… so eeemmmppptyyyyy!!!!!!」

「That monster is still there! She’s being a little persistent, aren’t she?」

「They are persistent, but evil spirits are like that. Most of them are a mass of negative emotions such as regret, resentment, and bitterness. I thought it was an old truism that as long as the unfulfilled is not fulfilled, it will never stop?」

「Tch, for God’s sake, don’t even notice me.」

Rhine was breathless, but apparently Man Eater did not seem to notice him. Instead, it was sniffing something. And the direction it headed was in the direction of the city, which is the complete opposite of Rhine.

「Hey–hey, looks like it’s going after Alfiris and the others, huh?」

「Is that so? Well, it went for the one with more food. That’s convenient. Why don’t you run while you still can?」

「That’s true. But,」

Rhine stands up and begins to draw his sword.

「Hey, Master. I kind of get it, but let me ask just to be sure. What are you going to do?」

「We’re gonna beat it. I won’t let it get to them.」

「Doesn’t it suit you to act like such a righteous person?」

「You’re right. But what looks good on me and what doesn’t is another story.」

「You can’t win, you know?」

「That’s another matter.」

「Oh dear.」

Dance Slave sighed.

「I didn’t think you were such a righteous man, though. Is there a girl you’re in love with?」

「I guess? I’m not sure if I’m in love with myself or not. But I’m sure I care. I’m just not sure if I’m in danger.」

「Fuh, I see. Master, if you insist on doing this, use me.」

「I told you, I don’t care about magic swords. I’ve heard that a magic sword demands a price from its user. I will not give up my humanity and soul in exchange for power.」

「I’m not asking for a price, though. And I’m not asking you to give up your soul for anything. It’s just a recoil, to be precise.」

「A recoil? What kind of magic sword are you? What are your powers?」

「Listen to me, human, for I am capable of — — — —.」

Rhine listened intently to the words of Dance Slave. After listening, he often looked as if he was troubled.

「I see… So that’s the recoil. You’re a dangerous fellow.」

「I knew it, Master was smart. You understand quickly and knew the dangers. Anyone who doesn’t understand the danger they’re in will die after one use.」

「So, can we win?」

「It is impossible not to win using me. The rest depends on Master’s skill.」

「You say. I’ll use it to my advantage, Magic Sword.」

「Call me by my name.」

「I could if we win first.」

Rhine grips the Magic Sword and barks at Man Eater.

「Over here, you monster!」

As expected, Man Eater turns to Rhine, perhaps in response to his voice.

「I’m huuuunnnnggggrrrrryyyy!!!」

「That’s all you’ve got, isn’t it? Then I’ll give you a belly full of my slashes!」

Rhine rushes at Man Eater with his magic sword at the ready. It was already out of Lisa’s sensor area, and with no support from Alfiris and the others, Rhine alone had begun the battle.

＊＊＊

And then ten minutes have passed. The winner of the battle is—— Rhine. The wreckage of Man Eater, completely dismembered, was lying on the ground. It is completely out of frame, and he can no longer tell which part is which. If this were a puzzle, he would have to say that it is the most difficult.

Rhine is finally standing beside it, supported by a sword.

「That was… tough for sure.」

「But I’d be surprised if you could end up with that level of recoil. I am also impressed with your skill. Looks like you’ve been training out a lot.」

「Maybe it’s more than it looks. But I understand what you’re saying. Surely, if you have this kind of power, there could be a war over you.」

「Have you finally understood my greatness?」

「And the dangers. I knew it, the magma…」

「Please stop!!」

「It’s a joke.」

In the midst of this exchange, the spirit of Man Eater emerged in the form of a child.

「We’re doing it again!?」

「No, this child does not have the power to do anything with a spirit body. A spirit body can’t directly interfere with a living person. They either possess organic matter or move inorganic matter. There have been only a few evil spirits in history that have been able to interfere with inorganic objects at will.」

Man Eater mumbled sadly as Dance Slave gave her commentary.

「I’m just hungry… why are you bothering me?」

「I don’t know, don’t ask me.」

「Master, we cannot let the spirits stay. We will have to leave it alone. Even evil spirits will disappear if they have no basis for existence. It would be better to send an appropriate person to purify them later.」

「Ahh……」

Rhine obeys Dance Slave’s words, puts away the sword, and leaves. Once he looked back at Man Eater, Rhine had a neat distinction between what she could do and what she could not do.

And after Rhine left, only the spirit of Man Eater remained. Rhine was staring at Dance Slave on the road, as if to see what he could do with her.

「Well. I’m going to dump the magic sword here, and…」

「You bastard, are you still saying that?」

「I’m just joking.」

「Guh, kuhh!」

Dance Slave is fainting in agony after being beaten to a pulp. Apparently, Rhine is more to blame. No, that’s not the case. At any rate, for Rhine, it was the Magic Sword that is worth teasing.

「Either way, if you can get into a human body, you’re coming with me, right? If that’s the case, you’ll go with me because I can’t help it. It’s just a pain in the ass to carry on my back, so go ahead and walk around in your human form.」

「……It can’t be helped then.」

Dance Slave transforms into a female form.

「It’s the law. But first one thing—— May I ask your true name, Master?」

「My true name?」

「It was alias, right? If Rhine was your true name, you would have shown more power when you used me earlier. The true name is important in the contract with the magic sword, even from a verbal point of view.」

「Okay, so it’s not so much a pseudonym as it is a… well, fine, my name is — — — —.」

「Hmm, that was a good name. Why not go by your real name?」

「Back home, I’m a wanted man. Well, we’ll talk about that on the road. And no, I’m not a Master or You. Call me Rhine properly, Dance Slave.」

「Fufu, understood, Rhine. I may be called Dancer as well」

「Alright, then. In the meantime, I’ll just get some clothes for our trip. You don’t want to stand out.」

「Men like these things, don’t they? Here, here. I’m not wearing it, and I’m not wearing it, you know?」

「Don’t show me every single thing!」

Then the two, or rather one person and one sword, walked off into the woods. There is no way for Alfiris and the others to know that his success saved their own lives.