Chapter 53
Chapter 53
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>Translator: Vine
>Chapter: 53
>Chapter Title: The Demonic Sword's Recital
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As soon as she realized Rian was gone, Jess had tried to bolt from Mia's mansion to find him. Noah had stopped her. But Jess didn't give up; she kept looking for an opening.
An opportunity soon presented itself. The moment they were kicked out of the mansion and abandoned in the Forest of Death, while Noah was unable to hide her confusion, Jess took her chance and ran off to find her master.
*Master, Master...!*
From the moment Jess acknowledged Rian as her master, the two were bound by an invisible connection. Rian didn't know it, but Jess could feel it.
She could instinctively sense which direction she had to go to find Rian. However, she only knew the direction, not how far away he was.
Using her keen senses to avoid monsters, Jess quenched her thirst at a clear river and ate insects or weak monsters, running nonstop.
After a cycle of running and resting, she escaped the Forest of Death even before Noah. Still, Jess didn't stop.
*Master!*
Jess's mind was filled with nothing but thoughts of Rian. How long had she run and run? It surely wasn't just a day or two.
By the time blisters had formed and faded on her hands and feet, replaced by calluses, Jess managed to reach Jiso's territory.
It was a result born from a frightening level of obsession.
*Ah... I'm almost there...*
Feeling the once-distant connection growing closer, Jess pushed forward even faster.
But her luck ran out there.
"Got her!"
"Khahaha, we'll get a hefty sum for this one."
"Let me go!"
Jess was caught by professional beastkin hunters and thrown into an iron cage. Having only eaten and drunk just enough to survive on her long run, her body had no more strength than a child's.
The hunters immediately sold Jess to a slave trader. She tried to escape several times, but it was no use.
"Grrrr..."
Even after being caught trying to escape, Jess bared her teeth and growled, prompting the slave trader to snicker.
"This one looks quite useful."
The next day, the slave trader sold Jess to an arena for beasts. While the arena Rian was at mainly featured matches between monsters or humans, the one Jess was sold to focused on beastkin-versus-beastkin fights.
Monster versus monster, or beastkin versus beastkin.
The beast arena was infamous for treating beastkin like animals, forcibly injecting them with stimulants to stage brutal matches.
That was where Jess had been sold.
"This match is between the red-haired whelp and Tuo!"
Facing a beast drugged and drooling, Jess bared her fangs.
*I have to survive. I have to survive and... go see my master.*
The moment Jess steeled herself for a fight to the death, her noble bloodline awakened. The sharp cries of beasts echoed, and the thick scent of blood spread through the air.
***
I stood in the training grounds for the first time in a while, holding the demonic sword.
[Now then, give it a light toss.]
*Do I really have to do this?*
[Of course! This is necessary to overwhelm the enemy from the start!]
Sighing at the demonic sword's whining voice, I looked down at my hands. A spear, with its long shaft and sharp, glittering blade, was in my grasp.
[Alright, throw it now!]
At the demonic sword's command, I threw the spear in my hands upward. Despite the light toss, the spear soared three meters into the air.
*Whoosh!*
The spear, now airborne, did a flip like something out of a comic before landing neatly back in my hand.
[Hey! You have to catch it without looking!]
*Is this really eighth-grade syndrome?*
That turbulent time when you feel like everyone is watching you, that you're the center of the world.
The demonic sword would have thrown a fit if it heard me, but I'd learned how to control which thoughts I transmitted, so I wasn't worried.
[Okay, throw it again!]
Listening to the demonic sword's excited voice, I casually tossed the spear into the air. It spun as if performing a trick, its blade taking on a crimson-black aura that created a brilliant arc.
"Hah..."
"Huh..."
The training grounds weren't for my exclusive use, so there were other people around. They gasped as they watched the demonic sword's little recital.
*It certainly is a spectacle.*
A sword twisting and flipping in mid-air—it was a sight you wouldn't see just anywhere.
[This time, let's try spinning it in your hand!]
*How am I supposed to do that?*
[Hmph, the great me has a plan, so just follow my lead without any backtalk!]
The demonic sword's movements were so flashy that it was actually fun to watch, and my annoyance began to fade. Wondering what trick it would pull this time, I gave the spear a light twirl. It then lifted slightly from my hand and began to spin in the air.
As the demonic sword spun, a wind picked up.
*You're just floating and spinning on your own.*
[But to an onlooker, it looks like you're spinning it with incredible power! Now, catch it!]
The demonic sword and I were intimately connected, so I knew exactly when to catch it. I snatched it mid-spin with a *thwack*, and it hummed contentedly.
[You're the best partner!]
The demonic sword seemed incredibly excited. Hearing its praise, I started to get a little excited myself.
*But I don't know how to use a spear. Is that okay?*
[Hah...! I hadn't thought of that.]
The demonic sword spoke in a grave tone, as if it had overlooked something crucial.
[Hmm, try giving it a light swing.]
*Like this?*
As I tried to swing the spear through the air, the demonic sword stopped abruptly. I was left holding the spear aloft, looking like I was just hanging onto it.
[This isn't it! This isn't cool at all!]
I sighed at its childishly petulant voice.
*Of course not. I've never properly wielded a spear or a sword before.*
[Ngh... In that case... Ah!]
The demonic sword let out a cry of realization and began to shrink. Instantly transforming into a round, crimson-black crystal orb, it moved onto the back of my hand and spoke.
[Once I'm inside, call me out and summon me right away. Got it?]
Its excited voice suggested it had come up with a great idea. Curious about what it was planning this time, I waited for it to be absorbed into the back of my hand, then mentally called out, *Gargandoa*. And then.
*Vwoom.*
The sigil on the back of my hand glowed like a neon sign, and blood welled up over the pattern. The slowly rising blood began to creep up my wrist and arm. My body flinched at the speed, which felt like an oncoming wave.
In an instant, the crimson-black blood engulfed my body, and my clothes changed as if I were a magical girl transforming. I was now dressed in a magnificent uniform, the kind a noble might wear.
As the uniform took shape, the blood that had been welling from the back of my hand began to flow downward as if gravity had returned. The blood dripped from my fingertips, gathering below my palm before finally reforming into the shape of the demonic sword.
[Hmph hmph, how was my spectacular entrance!]
It had been whining about wanting to change my clothes for a while now, and it seemed to have finally succeeded. I looked down at my new outfit and thought to myself.
*Isn't this a bit too flashy? There are so many decorations.*
As I muttered inwardly, dumbfounded by the ornate uniform, the demonic sword retorted.
[You need to look at least this good to go around proudly calling yourself my partner!]
It seemed this was the demonic sword's taste.
[Now, try swinging the spear again.]
Wondering if anything had changed, I lifted the spear to swing it, but my body began to move on its own, taking a stance.
[Khehehe, it works, it works!]
"Wh-what?"
[The clothes my partner is wearing were made using a part of my power, so I can control them as much as I want!]
"What?"
It was a fact that was both baffling and chilling. I had just barely managed to start using the demonic sword freely, and now I was going to be controlled by it?
*You, aren't you going to undo this?*
[Hm? Is it uncomfortable? I'm sure the size is a perfect fit.]
At the demonic sword's bewildered voice, which sounded like it had no idea what the problem was, I sighed internally.
*This makes you no different from all the other contractors you've had until now.*
[What are you talking about! My partner is on a completely different level from those contractors!]
*Controlling me is the same thing. It's really unpleasant.*
[Nngh, but this is the fastest and coolest way to swing a spear...]
The demonic sword muttered something to itself before speaking in a bright voice.
[Then let's do this! I, the Demonic Sword Gargandoa, will only control Partner Rian's body when he wishes it, and I will cede control of his body whenever Partner Rian desires! So, how about it!?]
Hearing its incredibly excited voice, I felt my tension drain away. The demonic sword seemed completely engrossed in the idea of being wielded with style.
*Tsk, tsk. If this guy were human, he'd have his family registry, parents, and friends stolen from him in a heartbeat.*
In a gag world, a sucker doesn't get his organs stolen, but his girlfriend, parents, friends, clothes, and wallet. In severe cases, even their underwear gets taken.
I bet if the demonic sword went to a gag world, even its blade would get swindled.
*Fine, do what you want.*
[Eheheh, an excellent decision!]
Honestly, I'd said it without much thought, but the result was anything but light.
*CRUUUMBLE!*
With a single swing, the wall of the training grounds came crashing down.