The Sword That Was Eaten
“Tenebra, was it? You really don’t care if you never see that beautiful sword again?”
Since it was a sword, was this a hostage situation or more like a material extortion?
I was threatening him with an object that had already been effectively destroyed. First things first, I needed to get out of this damn grip.
“Even though it’s your family’s treasure, you brought it out because it’s the fated blade you’ll never find again, right? They say swordsmen cherish their blades more than their lovers. So? Is it true?”
“……”
“If you want your precious thing back, you’d better do exactly as I say. Starting with gently setting me down.”
Robenin’s eyes looked like he wanted to tear me apart right then and there. He tightened his grip on my collar even harder. He was only using one hand to hold me up by the scruff, yet the fabric made a loud ripping sound, as if it were about to tear completely. With that kind of grip strength, snapping my neck would probably be child’s play.
I was now painfully aware that I had chosen the absolute worst natural enemy.
The difference in physical ability was so overwhelming that the moment I got caught, this was the result.
It was utterly despairing that even Rai, who could deflect incoming arrows, couldn’t stop this hand. And the grip was merciless.
He shook me so violently and without restraint that my already loose collar was completely ripped away.
The tear exposed my collarbone clearly, but neither Robenin nor I paid it any attention as we were too busy in our staring contest. Ash, however, was a different story.
“Stop! Stop it, stop!”
The gentlest person I knew had finally exploded.
He was practically screaming, so both Robenin and I stopped our snarling in surprise, wondering if that sound had really come from Ash. We turned to look.
Only then did I realize just how much of my hair had been sliced off.
“Seriously, isn’t this going way too far? Why do all of you only ever think about yourselves! Why! What the hell is going on in your heads! When someone speaks, you should listen!”
“This guy started it—”
“You ignore everyone who’s worried about you! You only cause accidents! You act first, get hurt, then fight again! Every single time you cause trouble you pretend it has nothing to do with you! Instead of cleaning up your messes, you just stand by and watch! Why do you live like that? Both of you are exactly the same!”
Who was this? Who had made Ash this angry?
I was still dangling in midair, glaring at Robenin as if scolding him.
“Why do you have such great power and only use it to do things like this! Even if you can’t use it for others, you shouldn’t use it wrongly! You people! Did you become strong just for this? Is this why you pursue power, why you train so hard… What exactly are you doing it for? You’re worse than beasts! When a person speaks, you should listen! Is the concept of respect completely absent from your heads?”
The hand gripping my collar was slowly losing strength.
“This is all because of you, you stupid fighting dog.”
“It’s because of you. I even handed over the sword.”
“Who started it again?”
“Tenebra.”
“……Fine. Truce for now.”
At some point I had been set back on the ground and was free again.
I rubbed my tingling neck and watched the sword aura disappear from Robenin’s other hand.
Then I casually kicked him. Whether it was because he no longer had any killing intent, or because Ash looked like a parent who had failed at raising his child, Robenin didn’t dodge. He simply looked down at me with clear irritation on his face.
“What are you doing?”
“I said truce. I don’t want to see Ash cry, so let’s stop here.”
“……And the sword?”
“Be grateful to Ash.”
“The sword……”
I had acted generous, but the truth was that the moment the blade had pressed against my throat, I had realized something like a lightning strike. My chances of winning weren’t just low—they were close to zero percent.
It wasn’t that I was pulling back because I was afraid of him. It was more like a strategic retreat.
[Master…… You can fool yourself, but you can’t fool me, you know?]
[Hey! I even survived a dragon’s lair! Who would be afraid of someone like Robenin?]
[……Right! You have to at least claim mental victory!]
[I told you it’s not like that!]
[Congratulations on your victory! Master!]
I had overcome a life-threatening crisis, yet I only felt worse.
Even when I had to flatter Magi to survive, it hadn’t felt this humiliating.
Why did the existence of someone overwhelmingly stronger than me among humans bother me so much?
[I understand that Master values life. Your own life, that is.]
[I don’t care about anyone else’s life.]
While I was grinding my teeth, I felt Rai, who had quickly crawled over, cling tightly to my waist.
[But Master, weren’t you supposed to be a corpse without your pride?]
[If I die, I really will be a corpse. I have to survive first if I want to plan for the future. Do you have a problem with me wanting to live?]
[No way! You’re misunderstanding. What do you take my love for…… I want to see you smear shit on the wall too, Master.]
[I have no intention of showing you anything like that.]
[Anyway, I get that that red-haired guy is interfering with Master’s longevity plan!]
[In more ways than one.]
Not only was he harmful to my mental health, the physical threat he posed was enormous.
I rubbed the area around my neck that felt like it might bruise a few times, then slipped my hand into my disheveled hair and pulled it back out.
A handful of cut hair came away with it. After repeating the motion several times, a pile of sparkling golden hair had accumulated at my feet.
Hair that had grown past my waist would form a clump even if only a little was pulled out. Since it had been sliced clean off with sword aura, it wasn’t surprising.
The spot where Robenin had pressed his sword aura while threatening me had been right near my carotid artery. Since it had been cut from there, it looked like I would have no choice but to trim it into a short bob.
As I felt the cut ends, strangely enough, I didn’t feel a surge of anger.
Because in that situation, it should have been my carotid artery right next to the hair that got severed.
Honestly, if Ash hadn’t been there, I would have been done for. Against a madman, a prince was the answer.
“Jeanie! Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?”
“I’m fine.”
Ash came rushing over as if separating two fiercely tangled dogs. Since it was my neck that had been bitten, his eyes were busy worrying about my safety.
He seemed concerned about the area around my neck that I was touching and looked like he wanted to examine it.
“See? It’s fine.”
When I moved my hand away to show him, he looked relieved that there was no blood, but his face showed even more regret than mine at the clump of hair that had been cut off.
I saw my chance and my eyes sparkled.
“My hair……”
“Ash, can’t you just execute him?”
“……Jeanie.”
“I grew this hair for ten years and look what happened. Do you know how annoying it is to comb and take care of it every day? Well? Isn’t that enough of a crime?”
“Not at all.”
“Can’t you do something with the power of love?”
“……No, I can’t.”
“Tch.”
“Please don’t make such scary jokes.”
Since my opponent was such a monster, borrowing the power of authority seemed faster than trying to kill him myself.
There were times when I regretted that Ash wasn’t a tyrant blinded by women.
Although it was a shame about the cut hair, I honestly wasn’t that upset.
Ever since I started traveling, long hair had been too cumbersome, and I had seriously considered cutting it several times. Even when I was at the academy, I had often wanted to cut it, but Mia and Iruse had stopped me.
It had been too aristocratic a habit.
I didn’t particularly cherish my hair. It would be more accurate to say I found it bothersome.
Hair that was long enough to be heavy had no use whatsoever except as a fancy decoration when attending parties.
The only truly filthy part was that it had happened because of Robenin, not by my own choice.
“But Jeanie. Is it really true?”
“What is?”
“That you can really restore Tenebra?”
“Uh…… well, probably?”
Even though my answer wasn’t very convincing, Ash’s complexion brightened noticeably.
In the meantime, Robenin, who had been pushed far away by Ash, glared at me suspiciously.
[Master, why are you selling fake medicine! You know it can’t be restored!]
[I thought so too…… but if it’s just the ingredients, it should be possible, right?]
[Well…… I suppose?]
[See? There’s no such thing as impossible in my dictionary.]
[If it’s just the materials, it’s entirely possible. The problem is that the forging and smelting techniques required to turn metal into a sword are beyond my ability. No matter how similarly I spit it out, it would only be a long metal lump compared to the original sword, you know? It couldn’t be the same sword!]
Rai often whined that he wasn’t a crafting spirit.
I knew that much by now.
[That’s fine. I know a decent blacksmith.]
[Not just anyone could handle this, though? Since it contains dragon bone, it doesn’t melt easily, so humans probably can’t handle it at all. Only races with heat resistance strong enough to put their hands in lava could work it. At the very least, a dwarf chieftain……]
[Or a dragon.]
[Ah, that idiot! Right. He could definitely do it. He’s a dragon, after all.]
The one dragon I knew, Magikos, happened to have a hobby of making weapons. His specialty was crafting swords.
[But will Magi help?]
[If he won’t, then there’s nothing we can do. I’ll just have to become a liar…… Hey, but why is dragon bone considered metal? Now that I think about it, that’s strange? Shouldn’t it have been impossible for you to absorb it in the first place?]
If that were the case, none of this mess would have happened.
[Did you forget? I can absorb Dragon Hearts too. In truth, the bones, claws, and hearts of those dragon bastards are closer to metal than to living tissue. That’s why they’re often used to make weapons. Their shells too…… Dragons are like incarnations of nature, so their entire bodies are made of nature’s strongest components.]
[Incarnations of nature?]
[Simply put. The reason their bones are metal is the same reason metal comes from nature.]
[You’re using difficult words for the first time in a while.]
[Their flesh and blood are pure mana itself, so eating them increases your mana. Did you know? It’s like mana herbs!]
[……They have that kind of effect? I didn’t know.]
My neck, which had been squeezed along with the collar, was slowly starting to swell. If I was unlucky, I might not be able to speak properly by nightfall.
I rubbed my neck and listened to Rai’s chatter for a moment.
What a body with nothing to waste.
[That’s because there is no species that can prey on dragons, the strongest creatures in the middle realm. In ancient times, the demon race used to hunt them, but…… that would be impossible now, right? Dragon meat is great for mana amplification! Next time you see Magi, ask him to cut off his tail for you.]
[What? That’s disgusting!]
[The tail grows back. And you like meat, don’t you?]
[Hmm. Magi isn’t some kind of salamander……]
It was a little tempting since it was good for mana, but I couldn’t eat a friend…… though that bastard had tried to eat me, hadn’t he?
Maybe I should just eat his tail.
If it would let me defeat Robenin, there was nothing I couldn’t eat.
[But if humans eat dragon meat incorrectly, their mana explodes and they die. It’s important to consume the right amount, you know?]
[……You always say the important things at the end.]
[Dragon Hearts also go out of control and drive humans insane, don’t they? The reason Master can safely use mana is because I, a metal spirit, refine the Dragon Heart properly. I’m like a magical staff called Rai.]
[Can I get a refund on that staff?]
“……Jeanie? What are you thinking about so deeply?”