The Map I Drew Myself
Actually, this was for the best. Since it was a map I had drawn myself, I had a rough idea of where everything was located. Marie pointed to a section of the map and said, "It must be here."
The cave was closer than I thought. It was near Mount Atria, the mountain north of the Valois Plains, which was the territory of the Albert family. Right, I did write a setting about a cave being here. Of course, because I hadn't fleshed out the details, I had completely forgotten about it. This world was full of settings destined to be discarded once Fran transmigrated anyway, so unless you were my co-author friend, there was no way to know the details.
"The sword might be around here. That's the only cave I know of in this area."
"I see, Marie. Thank you ever so much~"
But how on earth are we going to sneak out? If Lucien finds out I'm going somewhere dangerous, he'll absolutely blow his top... Well, it's not like there aren't plenty of ways to slip away.
"Marie, shall we go on an outing tomorrow?"
"Fufu, I'd love to."
The next day, the two of us finished preparing to head to Mount Atria. Since the terrain was bound to be rough, we dressed in comfortable, practical clothes.
"Are you ready, Marie?"
"Yes. Shall we go?"
Just as we were carefully trying to slip past the mansion's main gate—
"Where might you be heading, Milady?"
Sebastian blocked our path, standing right in front of us.
I replied as naturally as possible, putting on an air of easy confidence. "We are simply going to visit the city center."
"Your attire seems rather... wild for a simple trip to the city, if I may say so."
"Should we call it... vintage? Ohohoho!"
Sebastian pushed up his glasses with a sharp *clack*. "I shall trust that you are not, by any chance, heading out to find a legendary sword."
Busted. Well, I guess asking him about it yesterday and then dressing like this today made it blindingly obvious...
"Please keep this a secret from Papa, won't you~?"
Sebastian fell silent for a few moments before stepping aside and clearing our path.
"...Hmm. Very well. Forgive my impertinence, Milady."
Huh? He's just letting us go that easily?
"Milady is not someone who would stay put simply because she was told to. Furthermore, I place my utmost trust in your judgment."
"!"
"Should any trouble arise, please blow this small whistle. It is a magical tool designed to transmit a distress signal and your exact coordinates to the order of guard knights."
"Oh! Yes. Thank you, Sebastian."
"You are most welcome. Please travel safely."
We boarded the magic carriage and set our destination to Mount Atria. The magic carriages in this world were equipped with autonomous driving systems—essentially the fantasy equivalent of a self-driving car.
As the carriage smoothly departed toward our destination, a thought crossed my mind. It seems Fran was way more of a spoiled, free-spirited noblewoman than I realized. No one even tries to stop her, no matter what she does... Well, Lucien is bound to find out anyway once I bring the sword back, but getting my hands on Scarlet comes first.
And so, we arrived at the entrance of Mount Atria. It is a fairly high mountain, and because it is sparsely populated, the scenery is absolutely breathtaking... or so the setting went. But seeing it in person, it felt exactly like I had gone on a trip to Mount Halla. Well, of course it did! I literally used Mount Halla as my visual reference when I designed it!
"It is a truly magnificent mountain, is it not~?"
"It brings back old memories, fufu."
"Excellent~ Let us summon our strength and set off, shall we?!"
Before long, Marie spotted what looked like a cave opening.
"It should be around here... Ah, over there!"
"My, it looks rather gloomy and ominous, doesn't it~?"
As we drew closer, a strange, inexplicable energy enveloped my body. It felt as if it was calling out to me, pulling me in. I swallowed hard and took the lead.
"Let us head inside first, Marie."
"Yes...!"
The cave was raw nature at its finest. It was damp, smelled of mildew, and was covered in patches of slippery moss. I trod carefully to avoid losing my footing. Thank goodness I didn't wear a dress. If I actually manage to obtain Scarlet, I'll have to design a custom, highly mobile dress first thing.
We walked for several minutes, but this cave was way deeper than I had anticipated!
"Marie, are you holding up alright?" I asked, noticing she was looking a bit fatigued.
She offered a warm smile and shook her head. "Yes. It is all for your sake, Fran. Besides, I think it's wonderful to go on an adventure like this after so long."
In their childhood, Fran and Marie used to wander around the strangest places under the guise of "exploring"... Yes, I had written a backstory setting like that too. I was deeply touched that she had accompanied me out here just for my sake. I swore to myself right then and there: I would absolutely, without a doubt, save Marie from her tragic fate.
Just as those thoughts crossed my mind, the silhouette of a massive sword—one that looked unmistakably like Scarlet—began to loom in the darkness ahead. Just to be safe, I halted my steps.
"Th-that is..."
"Scarlet?"
Drawing closer, I saw that the sword was indeed embedded deep into the stone floor. A blunt, black hilt, a sharp, elegant handguard, and a massive crimson blade that stood as tall as I did. It was, down to the very last detail, the exact design of the Scarlet I had created.
"To think the legend was actually true...!" Marie gasped, staring in utter disbelief.
I was equally stunned. But why on earth is my Scarlet embedded in a place like this?
The mysterious pull I had felt earlier grew overwhelmingly powerful. Was it waiting for me? Seriously, there are way too many discrepancies between this world and the settings I remember. That co-author bastard... what the hell did he actually build here?!
The moment I reached out to grasp the hilt—
Hummmmm—
The entire cave began to resonate with a deep vibration. Then, out of nowhere, a strange, echoing voice rang out.
"—Stranger."
"!!"
"F-Fran, the sword just spoke!"
"Have you come to inherit the will of the blade?"
"Stranger, you say?! I am Françoise Albert de Valois, if you please~!"
"F-Fran, this is hardly the time to bicker over introductions!"
"...Very well. Françoise Albert de Valois. Will you inherit the will of the blade?"
Why on earth would I refuse? I'm taking this thing no matter what!
"Splendid! Why don't you show me your power, then?"
"The contract is sealed. Take up the blade."
The moment the voice faded, the entire cave began to violently shudder.
Rumble, rumble—!
"A-An earthquake?!"
"I don't think so... Ah, look over there!"
Following Marie's pointing finger, I saw a horde of creatures that looked suspiciously like goblins charging toward us from the cave entrance. Are they trying to test us? Or is this just a random mob encounter? Whatever it is, I need to pull Scarlet out, fast!
I gripped Scarlet's hilt with both hands and yanked with all my might.
"Hup!"
But Scarlet didn't budge.
"You literally told me to take up the blade! Why won't you come out?!"
The goblins drew closer, screeching in their grating voices.
"Intruders! Intruders are here!"
"We crush the intruders!"
Once they got close enough, the goblins brandished their wooden clubs and lunged at us.
"Watch out, Fran!"
Marie quickly conjured a solid stone wall, blocking their charge.
"I'll hold them back! Ready yourself and pull the sword, Fran!"
"Y-Yes! Thank you, Marie!"
I yanked at Scarlet with all my might once more. Damn it, brute force alone isn't going to cut it.
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. Reaching out toward the hilt, I focused entirely on that mysterious pulling sensation from earlier.
"Smash the wall!"
"Show yourselves, humans!"
The goblins hammered relentlessly at the barrier with their clubs. The stone wall Marie had conjured began to crack, rapidly reaching its limit.
"Ugh... I can't hold it much longer...!"
Please, please, answer me, Scarlet! I am absolutely not going to get game-overed by a bunch of low-level goblins!
Right then, a brilliant crimson aura erupted from Scarlet.
Whoooosh—!
The red energy swirled upward, wrapping around my outstretched fingers and forearms. Yes! The contract is sealed, Scarlet!
"Now is the time! Come to me, Scarlet!"
Scarlet slid smoothly out of the deep crevice in the stone and floated into the air. Leaping up, I snatched the hilt, gripped it firmly with a single hand, and landed gracefully. The instant my fingers closed around the grip, an incredible, surging power coursed through my entire body.
The massive, heavy-looking blade felt as light as a wooden twig in my hand. An overwhelming wave of confidence washed over me, making me feel as though I could cleave anything in two. Is this the power of Greatsword Mastery EX? ...Perfect. Now is the time to test its true might!
Just then, a goblin smashed through the cracked stone wall and lunged forward.
"Hehehe! Human wall too flimsy!"
Marie was in danger! I leaped forward, brandishing Scarlet, and cried out.
"Marie!"
"Fran!"
The moment I called her name, Marie instantly understood my intent and ducked behind me. Readjusting my grip on Scarlet's hilt with both hands, I swung the massive blade with all my might toward the crumbling stone wall.
"Take my very first swing—!!"
*BOOM—!*
With a single slash, the stone wall exploded into fine dust, and the goblins crowding behind it were sliced clean in half.
"Aaaaargh!"
"Gah! Boss is dead!"
"We kill you! No forgiveness!"
Enraged, the remaining goblins charged at us in a frenzied mob.
Pfft, you're all just low-level trash mobs. What do you mean, "boss"?
I spun on my heel and unleashed another devastating sweep.
"I am not quite finished yet, you know—!!"
*Whoosh—!*
The remaining goblins were effortlessly torn to shreds and sent flying through the air along the arc of my blade.
"Aaaaargh!"
*Clang!*
Absorbing the recoil of the swing, I smoothly recovered my stance. Ah, there's a pose I've always wanted to try.
I lightly swept back my gold drill hair with one hand, planted the massive greatsword into the ground with the other, and rested my free hand on my hip. It was the birth of the majestic, imposing Greatsword Noblewoman!
"That was a splendid little skirmish~ though it was an utterly overwhelming victory for me! Ohohoho!"
The surviving goblins scrambled and fled in sheer terror.
"So that is the power of Scarlet... Incredible." Marie stared at me, her eyes wide with awe.
Yes, this is it! This is exactly what I was talking about! This is what a Greatsword Noblewoman is supposed to be!
"Ohohoho! It seems we have already accomplished our goal for today~!"
"Fufu, you look absolutely wonderful, Fran."
"Thank you, Marie. It is entirely thanks to you that I was able to safely obtain Scarlet."
"Don't mention it. That's what sisters do." Marie offered a warm, blushing smile.
Once again, a crimson aura rose from Scarlet. The red mist began to absorb something from the fallen goblins. What is that? Is it absorbing their souls?
Immediately after, a rush of strength and a strange sense of elation washed over me. Hmm... is this like gaining experience points after defeating enemies?
Suddenly, a status window popped open with a sharp *ping!*
Your strength has slightly increased.
Ah, I knew it. It's a system that permanently increases my stats.
I walked over to the sliced-up goblin corpses and began picking up the crude accessories they were wearing.
"Um, Fran? Why are you gathering those?"
Hey, you never know when loot might come in handy. Plus, they're mementos of our very first battle.
"They are our spoils of war, of course! A fitting memento for such a monumental day!"
"I see, fufu."
"Shall we head back now?"
"Yes!"
I slung the massive greatsword over my shoulder, and hand-in-hand with Marie, we walked out of the cave.
However, upon our return to the mansion, Marie and I were greeted by the sight of a thoroughly flabbergasted Sebastian staring at my giant sword—and a very, very displeased-looking Lucien.