Chapter 16
Chapter 16
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: Unexpected Talent
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'Spirits are pretty amazing beings, huh.'
I was basically clueless about spirits to begin with.
That was because the original story barely mentioned anything about them.
The protagonist himself was a straight-laced swordsman who purely wielded the blade.
None of his party members dealt with spirits either.
Aside from briefly acquiring a sword called the Spirit Sword and using it, there was no real connection to spirits.
Even when the protagonist used it, there was no mention of the spirit appearing.
So I hadn't thought they were anything special.
But now I realized spirits were far more incredible than I'd imagined.
'Why did such a being reveal itself to me, though?'
And that brought up a question.
Dipne had said spirits were mysterious entities that only showed themselves to equally mysterious beings.
In that sense, why had it appeared to someone as unremarkable as me?
"I've heard it's hard to even catch a glimpse of a spirit."
[That's right. They usually don't reveal themselves.]
"Then why did you show yourself to me?"
I had no choice but to ask the Spirit Sword about it, and after a moment's thought,
she gave me the reason.
[Because you're a mysterious being.]
The reason was simple enough.
The Spirit Sword was saying it because I was a mysterious being.
"Me?"
Of course, I didn't quite get it.
To reiterate, Davian was by no means special.
He was just an utterly ordinary person, so what part of me was special?
I still looked puzzled, but the answer lay elsewhere.
[Yeah. I don't know the exact details, but you're just so mysterious.]
"Is it because I cleared the dungeon in one go?"
[No, that's different.]
"What do you mean?"
[It's like you're from another world? Or like you didn't originally exist in this one? Like an irregularity in this world. That's the vibe. It's fascinating.]
Her words made me feel inexplicably guilty.
From another world, huh.
I didn't think the Spirit Sword knew I was a possessor, but she'd hit the nail on the head.
I really wasn't from this world, after all.
'Is that it?'
If I was a possessor, it made sense.
Why she called me mysterious.
What could be more wondrous than someone from another world possessing a body in this one?
Come to think of it, I might be the most bizarre existence in this world.
"I see."
I accepted it immediately.
And then I recalled what the Spirit Sword had told me before.
"Could this be my talent?"
She'd said I had exceptional talent.
Wondering if this was related, I asked her.
Sure enough, the Spirit Sword confirmed it.
[Exactly. Like it or not, spirits are going to take a lot of interest in you. They can't help but be intrigued by things more mysterious than themselves.]
"Hmm."
A constitution that draws a lot of attention from spirits, huh?
Because I'm a possessor?
Both Dipne's words and the Spirit Sword's suggested this was an outstanding talent.
Even the protagonist never got the Spirit Sword to talk to him or reveal herself until the end.
But I'd gotten her talking within ten seconds of meeting?
And she'd even personally healed me—something she never did in the original story.
[This is something you can take pride in. Spirits don't reveal themselves unless it's something truly extraordinary. Especially not top-tier ones like me.]
This was highly unusual.
Contacting spirits in the first place was difficult.
Considering their indifference to humans,
the fact that they were stepping forward to show themselves to me implied tremendous potential.
[Depending on how you play your cards, you might even harness their power. You could get ridiculously strong.]
Ridiculously strong...
It sounded like an incredible talent.
I'd thought I had no talents at all, but to think I had something like this.
My chest swelled a bit,
but I still had no idea how to make use of this ability.
'The original story had no one handling spirits, though?'
To repeat, there was zero info on spirits in the original.
I hadn't expected to delve this deeply into them myself.
So the situation felt a bit frustrating.
What was I supposed to do now?
I'd have to rely on the Spirit Sword for this,
so I asked,
"So what should I do? What kind of training?"
[I don't know.]
"You don't know? Why not?"
[Well... I'm a sword spirit, not a spirit spirit. I can teach swordsmanship, but not spirits. And I don't really care about that stuff.]
The Spirit Sword didn't know much either.
"Hmm..."
What to do?
It was like getting the most delicious ingredients but not knowing how to cook them.
I felt a bit stifled,
but then,
[It'll be fine, though.]
"Huh?"
[It'll work out somehow. And I feel like something's coming soon.]
"What's coming?"
[Another spirit.]
The Spirit Sword dropped another cryptic remark.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ A week had passed since the Spirit Sword mentioned another spirit coming.
'It's so peaceful.'
But nothing had happened.
Kailin and the Magic Tower folks were still at the church, keeping the magic circle active.
Just the peaceful daily routine repeating.
Is it really coming?
'Guess I should just focus on training.'
I felt a little let down, but I was diligently training today as well.
At this point, physical conditioning didn't mean much,
but it was habit, and with nothing else to do, what choice did I have?
'Truth is, I'd love to watch Eleana too...'
Honestly, I wanted to play with Eleana.
It's not like I enjoyed training.
Playing with Eleana was the most relaxing thing in the world.
But I couldn't, usually.
'Levia told me not to watch her if possible, right?'
Because Levia had warned me.
Regrettably, I had no talent for housework.
Last time I'd tried helping and nearly wrecked everything, Levia had freaked out.
Not making excuses, but it couldn't be helped.
I'd always been hopeless at chores, in my past life and now.
No one excels at something they've never tried.
So Levia usually watched Eleana,
and I agreed that was best.
With someone as capable as Levia around, why should I step in?
For Eleana's sake too, Levia looking after her was far more reassuring than me.
This was all for Eleana's benefit—that's why I didn't watch her.
'Gotta train hard.'
Besides, I had responsibilities beyond childcare.
The Spirit Sword was meant to be the protagonist's weapon.
I'd taken it from him.
I hadn't done that lightly.
The world could literally end if I messed up.
No point raising Eleana perfectly if the world perishes.
I had no intention of letting that happen.
That was the responsibility of stealing the protagonist's weapon.
At least until he got his next one, the holy sword, I'd help him out.
For those reasons, I couldn't slack on training.
Today, I had to give it my all.
I was about to swing my sword again when,
something unexpected happened.
"Brother...! Big trouble!!!"
Levia was suddenly sprinting toward me from afar.
I'd never seen her running like that in such a panic.
Clearly, something serious was up.
What could make her act like this?
"What's wrong, Sister Levia?"
I calmly asked Levia, who finally reached me, what was going on.
She caught her breath and explained.
"Brother... it's... a spirit has appeared at the church... and it's attacking the Magic Tower people!!!"
Kailin, Dipne, and the others from the Magic Tower were in danger.