The Holy Sword Scramble -1-
Among those who wander, the one who becomes the "weak" is the person who cannot decide where to return. A life without a place to return to is bound to wander. Unable to endure the wandering, one eventually collapses and becomes the weak in any relationship.
The strongest person is not the swordsman who defeated a dragon, nor the hero who wields the Holy Sword. It is the one who has defeated themselves. For everyone, the greatest enemy is the existence called "I." If you defeat your own "self," you have essentially overcome every hardship in the world.
"Hmm..."
"What kind of nonsense is this?!"
Shuen, who was reading a philosophy book at the convenience store today as well, scratched her head and bit into a hot bar. Perhaps because it was food heated by a magic tool called a mana-stone range, the magical snack burst with juices in her mouth.
"Nom... nom..."
Shuen preferred hot bars over philosophy. Even though her family, the Tetra household, had risen to greatness through philosophy as its foundation, Shuen—who could not understand philosophy—let out a bored sigh.
"I'd have more fun serving one more customer than reading this."
"No inspiration. No fun. Why did someone even write this? It's putting me to sleep..."
Shuen was not close with philosophy. Philosophy was originally a discipline that wove together realizations gained while living life. "No wonder our family has no money." Philosophy, which only spouted boring nonsense and had long since fallen out of step with the times, walked a path completely opposite to what people wanted nowadays. Shuen thought it was hopelessly old-fashioned.
"I'm glad I pushed it onto my little sister. If I'd become the head of the house, we would've gone bankrupt for sure."
Shuen was excellent at self-objectification. The only philosophy filling her mind right now was one thing. "Money is best." Money was the greatest. Without money, you couldn't do anything. Therefore, money was the best. Deeply moved by the book's line, "If there is something you cannot do, it is because you lack money," Shuen resolved to live diligently.
[The Success Secrets of the Forest Friend Founder.]
"This person is my role model!"
Without realizing it, Shuen had made the convenience store owner her role model. With the belief that she would one day become an outstanding rich person—
-Ding-a-ling.
"Welcome! This is the happy convenience store SU!"
When the bell on the convenience store door rang, Shuen hurriedly closed her book and stood up. -Customer service begins with a greeting. Even if the person who came to your store is your enemy, in that moment, they are a king.
"...Oh. Hello."
-Bow!
They were not close. They were classmates, but students Shuen was not friendly with. She had no friends at this academy, no one to eat with. An awkward smile formed on Shuen's lips as she looked at her classmates, while a slight twitch appeared on the female student's face as she looked at Shuen. It was as if neither was happy to see the other.
As they headed toward the shelves, their conversation reached Shuen's ears.
"Hey... why is she working here?"
"Right? Finals are right around the corner and she's not studying?"
"..."
Shuen clenched her fists. "I don't like studying." It wasn't that she disliked studying; she was simply focused on something else. Of course, she knew this lazy appearance was wrong, but she studied in her spare time at the dorm. There were many things she wanted to say, but Shuen decided not to. They weren't close, after all. She was also very shy. Because of a slip of the tongue at the entrance ceremony, many people disliked her, and there had been too many times she'd been hurt trying to approach others clumsily. It was frightening.
"I'm lonely."
Shuen tightly gripped her blue uniform and lowered her head. At that moment, the students' chatter pierced her ears. The secret to becoming popular, no less.
"Hey, did you hear?"
"What?"
"About the Holy Sword."
"The Holy Sword?"
"Shh, your voice is too loud!"
Shuen lowered her head and whistled before the student could turn around, pretending she had no interest in their conversation.
-Whistle~
-...
Whether her acting worked or not, the student focused back on the conversation.
"Yeah, the Holy Sword...!"
"Oh... but what is the Holy Sword? You don't mean the one from fairy tales, do you?"
"Of course!"
"But why?"
"You idiot... if it's the Holy Sword, then what else?"
"A hero?"
"Exactly! I accidentally overheard a meeting in the student council room a few days ago, you know?"
"Uh-huh."
"The student council president found a clue to the Holy Sword and is apparently putting together an elite team from the academy to go find it."
"R-really?"
Shuen thought, 'The Holy Sword?' If she obtained the Holy Sword, maybe she could become popular too.
-This is the Holy Sword!
-Whoa!! Shuen, you're amazing! As expected of a noble!
-Hehe! Don't touch it! It'll wear out!
-Of course! Why would commoners like us touch it!
-Hehe! 'Ohoho!'
Being the first to discover the location of the Holy Sword, which only appeared in legends, was certainly intriguing information. The Holy Sword that only the chosen could wield when the world faced danger. A sword that only a hero could hold. Moreover, if she gifted that Holy Sword to that man...!
'It would make for a perfect dowry!'
Shuen grew excited at the thought of being able to prepare a dowry rather than becoming popular. Traditionally, both the man and woman were supposed to prepare betrothal gifts. Considering that man's meager income, there was a high chance she would have to prepare the gifts herself. Her rival Hanna didn't seem close with her father either. Thinking that she, the most outstanding one, should prepare it, Shuen nodded and focused on the girls' conversation.
"But isn't it strange?"
"What is?"
"The Holy Sword that's been just a legend for hundreds of years suddenly appearing. It feels like a lie made up after reading some weird book."
"You idiot! They couldn't find it for hundreds of years and only now discovered a clue. Were the scholars just playing around until now?!"
"Ah... now that you mention it, you're right."
"See? Ha... I hope Senior Mikhail gets it. Wouldn't that be so cool? A silver-haired hero wielding the Holy Sword...! Just imagining it is amazing."
"Hehe... that works too...!"
Hmm... Shuen nodded along to their words. If a red-haired butler wielded the Holy Sword and swung it with a flourish—
"Heehee!"
A smile formed on Shuen's lips.
"What... that person's weird."
"She's always been weird."
"Heehee...!"
The Holy Sword. Shuen decided to take time off soon. To obtain the Holy Sword faster than anyone else. Finders keepers, after all.
"Heehee!"
Giving it away was also up to her.
*
At the same time, in the academy's student council room.
The student council room was currently troubled by information regarding the recently discovered location of the Holy Sword.
"While looking through ancient documents this time, I found something."
"..."
"I've confirmed that the Holy Sword's location seems to be in the north."
"..."
"Yuria said there's a folk tale passed down in a specific northern region. To put it badly, it's more like a ghost story, but listen anyway."
The executives nodded as they looked at Shyartia, whose eyes were sparkling. It was the first time they'd seen Shyartia this excited. On the contrary, Shyartia was enjoying the happiness of life to the fullest since the senior director had joined and cut her workload in half.
'Ah... I'm happy.'
-Pass this matter to the general affairs team.
-But... I'm the one who has to set the budget.
-You just need to stamp the seal, don't you?
-Then I...
-Go play.
-Uh...
-Write a letter to Ricardo. He sent improvement suggestions saying you seem to have too much work.
-Why is a butler so competent...
-On top of that, Ricardo said not to try carrying everything alone, that he was worried you'd collapse.
-...Ricardo said that?
-Yes.
-Squeeze...
Shyartia smiled happily and gently pushed Yuria forward. At Shyartia's powerful gaze, Yuria took a step forward, wearing a nervous expression as she recounted the story she'd heard from her father.
"Ahem."
"..."
"In the north, there's a mountain we must not climb."
"..."
"My father told me never to go there once the sun sets—Andes Snowy Mountain."
"..."
"He said monsters appear."
"..."
"He was right. The snowy mountains in the north are indeed filled with monsters. But when I was young..."
Yuria spoke while recalling what she'd done as a child.
"When I was about nine years old, I secretly climbed that mountain without my dad knowing. The medicinal herbs that grow on Andes Snowy Mountain are of really high quality, after all."
"..."
"That day, it snowed heavily, and the sun was almost setting."
"..."
"I was so absorbed in gathering herbs that I wandered around the mountain and ended up at the summit. At some point, the blizzard gradually cleared, and I saw it."
"...Saw what?"
"A temple."
"A temple?"
"Yes. It looked like a temple going underground. I don't remember clearly, but that's what it seemed like."
"Hmm."
"And then I came down because I was hungry."
The executives wore doubtful expressions at the anticlimactic story. They thought it was too vague. However—
-Thud!
Shyartia spread the ancient document decoded by the imperial family on the desk and smiled. A meaningful smile that said she would shatter their doubts.
"This is it."
The Holy Sword is a sacred relic that only the truthful can wield. Only those with a pure heart, a snow-white heart, and the will to protect others can hold it. If someone who does not meet the conditions grasps the sword, great pain will follow. However, when a great crisis descends upon the world, if a qualified person wields the Holy Sword, they will gain great power to protect the world. The Holy Sword sleeps in a place where purity dwells.
'Purity'
Everyone nodded at the passage emphasizing purity. Then Shyartia spoke in a heavy voice.
"You know where it is now."
The executives muttered in low voices. 'The north.' The snow-covered region of purity. If it was purity, there was only the north.
Shyartia firmly added one important point.
"We'll be moving together with the imperial family this time."
"The imperial family?"
"It seems the imperial family isn't taking this matter lightly either."
"..."
"Yuria and I helped with the interpretation, so we barely got permission to accompany them. The maximum number of people who can go is around ten to fifteen."
"Still, the imperial family is a bit..."
One of the student council executives voiced their concern with an anxious tone. Their words contained various emotions—worry about what would happen if the Holy Sword was taken away, and the foolish concern that if they became the Holy Sword's owner, they might have to hand it over to the imperial family. Roughly guessing their greed, Shyartia spoke firmly.
"The senior director said it directly. If the student council acts independently, everyone will be dismissed."
"..."
"What if it's a trap set by the cult? If there's a strong cultist like last time, could you handle it?"
Having become cautious after multiple hardships, Shyartia spoke with a heavy expression.
"We need to stay sharp."
And Mikhail, who would actually become the Holy Sword's owner—
"..."
—kept her lips tightly pressed together. 'I have lectures next week...' Unable to focus on the Holy Sword.