Chapter 11: Let’s Explore the Royal Capital!
One week after departing from the Renford territory, we safely arrived at Celestiali, the royal capital of the Solstia Kingdom.
The city was brimming with the vibrant energy befitting a capital, incomparable to the modest Renford territory.
But the thought of my audience with the king tomorrow dampened my mood slightly.
As I mulled this over, Sardis and Laura spoke up.
“Well then, I’ll head to the royal castle to report my return. Viscount Renford, please come at the appointed time tomorrow as planned.”
“We must deliver the coffin containing Flect, so we’ll part ways here for now. Farewell.”
With that, they headed toward the castle, leaving just me and Marie behind.
…Now what?
“We arrived a day earlier than planned, which is good, but now we need to kill some time.”
“Y-Yes, you’re right, Goshujin-sama…”
Marie responded, but she seemed restless, her eyes darting around.
Was something catching her attention?
Curious, I followed her gaze and saw a pharmacy, an armory, and a clothing store lined up along the street.
Then it hit me—her true intentions.
(Of course! The capital is a hub for adventurers and dungeon explorers, so it’s at the forefront of handling poisons and hidden weapons. She wants to check out the stores but is trying not to let me, her assassination target, catch on!)
If that’s the case, I’ll throw her a lifeline.
I pulled some money from my pocket and handed it to Marie.
“Take this, Marie.”
“Master? What’s this for…?”
“I have some business to attend to, so we’ll split up here. Wander around and buy whatever you want with this.”
“! Master..!”
Her eyes widened slightly before she broke into a delighted smile.
She probably never expected me to make such a convenient suggestion.
Well, it doesn’t matter either way.
I told her the meeting time and place, then turned and walked away.
Behind me, I heard…
“Thank you, Master. I was worried about people staring at my black hair and was looking at the clothing store for a hooded outfit. To think you’d notice and suggest we split up so I wouldn’t feel guilty… Once again, this Marie has realized how wonderful you are.”
Marie was muttering something, but it didn’t reach my ears.
After putting enough distance between us, I took another look at the capital’s streets.
My suggestion had another motive—I wanted to be alone.
The reason, of course, was—
“I’m in awe all over again. To think I’d get to walk through the very place I saw so many times on the game screen…!”
That’s right, «Altena Fantasia» is set in the Royal Academy here in the capital.
This is literally a «Holy Land»!
“This is an experience I couldn’t have in the Renford territory, which never appeared in the game. I’m going to savor every second of this!”
Even better, unlike in Renford, no one here would recognize me unless I revealed my name.
That meant I could cut loose as much as I wanted!
“For now, I’ll stop thinking about being a villainous mastermind!”
With that decision, I dove into exploring the capital’s streets.
I visited the item and weapon shops from the game, and in my excitement, I even bought some utterly useless items. It felt like I was on a school trip.
Carrying a pile of purchases, I pulled out a sword and gripped it tightly.
This dull-looking blade was the «Rusted Sword», straight out of «Altena Fantasia».
When I found it in the armory, I nearly burst out laughing.
“In the game, it was just the weakest starting weapon sold at the shop, so it didn’t feel out of place. But in reality, who would sell something like this? Who’d even buy it?”
…Says the guy who bought it.
It’s like buying a wooden sword on a school trip—impulse purchase vibes.
“No regrets! Though it’s a bit disappointing the shopkeeper from the game wasn’t here… Oh, it’s already this late?”
As I mused, I realized the meeting time I’d given Marie was approaching.
Just as I started heading to the rendezvous point, a shrill cry rang out, followed by a sharp slap!
Everyone in the area, including me, turned toward the sound.
Two figures came into view.
One was a portly man dressed in lavish clothing, looking every bit like a noble.
The other was a girl with flaxen hair and gentle eyes, combining cuteness and beauty.
It seemed she’d just swatted away the man’s hand from her arm.
Wait a second.
More importantly, could she be—
“…Who?”
—Sadly, she wasn’t anyone I recognized.
Hmm, I could’ve sworn I’d seen her somewhere. Weird.
Chalking it up to my imagination, I focused on observing the situation.
The nobleman raised his voice angrily at the girl.
“You! How dare you not only reject my invitation but strike me! What are you thinking!?”
“I told you multiple times I can’t accept your offer, no matter how high-ranking a noble you are! You grabbed my arm, so I brushed it off—what’s the problem!?”
“Of course it’s a problem! To reject my gracious offer to buy you is a grave offense! I thought you had some looks, but to not even understand that much—commoners are truly foolish!”
…Hmph.
Their exchange made the situation clear.
As expected, it’s a classic case of an arrogant noble trying to force himself on her, only to be rejected and throw a tantrum.
Their argument was drawing a crowd.
“He’s spouting nonsense again.”
“That poor girl he’s targeting…”
“I’d love to help, but defying a noble could ruin us…”
From the crowd’s reactions, this guy seemed to be a repeat offender.
The townsfolk were clearly fed up with his tyranny, glaring at him like he was their mortal enemy.
At that moment, a single emotion welled up from the depths of my heart.
“I can’t forgive that guy…!”
The feeling bubbling up wasn’t anger at him preying on an innocent girl—no, it was—
(Another noble gathering the people’s hatred besides me? Absolutely unforgivable!)
A surge of intense jealousy toward this rival candidate for villainous charisma.
(This is the royal capital, the heart of the story. If someone else commits evil here, it could hinder my plans to spread infamy later. I have to stop him!)
With that thought, I approached the two.
Then—
“Enough! I’ll punish an insolent wretch like you right here!”
“Kyaa!”
Unbelievably, the man drew his sword and swung it down at the girl.
As screams erupted from the crowd and the girl shut her eyes, I raised the «Rusted Sword» I’d just bought.
With a dull clang!, I managed to block his blade.
“You…”
The girl behind me muttered in confusion, but that didn’t matter.
Right now, my hatred was directed solely at the man in front of me.
“Sorry, but I can’t let this slide.”
Because if you go as far as murder, you’ll rack up like 100 evil points!
As I thought this, the noble’s face twisted with rage.
“You! Do you know who I am!? My name is Braze—”
“Not interested, so shut up. Just get out of here.”
“! How dare you mock me, whoever you are!”
The man pushed his sword forward with surprising strength, forcing me to leap back in surprise.
It’s like thinking you’re facing a small dog, only to find it’s a big one.
He pointed his sword at me.
“Kuhaha, too bad for you! I’m skilled enough to defeat a B-rank monster single-handedly! I’ll carve you up and make you regret defying me!”
“…Oh?”
His words surprised me, but I deepened my smirk.
This was turning into an unexpectedly fun development.
I gripped the «Rusted Sword» tightly.
(Come to think of it, it’s been a while since I used a sword in actual combat…)
When leveling up by defeating monsters, store-bought swords broke quickly due to their low durability.
Plus, magic was more efficient for taking out large groups of monsters, so I hadn’t used a sword in a while.
Of course, I’d been practicing forms to improve my swordsmanship skill proficiency, but…
The thought of using a sword in real combat again got me excited.
That said, there was one concern.
I glanced at the blade of the «Rusted Sword».
(I bought it cheap, so it’ll probably break after one or two swings… but that should be enough for now.)
After assessing the situation, I pointed my sword at the noble and nodded decisively.
(Alright! Let’s use this noble as a test dummy until this sword breaks!)
◇◆◇
—Meanwhile, at the armory where Klaus bought the «Rusted Sword».
The shop’s owner, a dwarf named Gold who also appeared in «Altena Fantasia», stormed back into the store and shouted at his apprentice manning the counter.
“Hey! Where’s the sword I left in the workshop!?”
Startled by the anger surpassing even when Gold lost focus during forging, the apprentice answered.
“The, uh, rusted sword, right? I put it on display with the others—”
“You idiot! That was an ancient blade excavated from the Great Labyrinth, still being polished!”
“W-What!?”
“Realize what you’ve done and go find whoever bought it to get it back—”
Gold paused, sensing something off.
“Wait, I was only gone for an hour. It sold that quickly?”
“Y-Yes. Right after I put it out, a man came in and bought it…”
“What was he like?”
“Well, he walked in, looked around, then froze when he saw the rusted sword section. Without hesitation, he said he’d buy one…”
“…Hmph.”
Gold was stunned.
As his apprentice’s mistake showed, the unpolished sword looked identical to other rusted swords. Yet this man chose that one without hesitation?
Rusted swords were practically joke items, rarely sold, so it couldn’t be a coincidence.
After much thought, Gold reached a conclusion.
“Maybe that man was chosen by the sword.”
“Chosen?”
“Some ancient weapons from the labyrinth choose their wielders. If that’s the case, there’s no need to chase him down.”
As a blacksmith, Gold’s pride was in bringing out a weapon’s full potential.
If the sword chose its owner, that was for the best.
At that moment, the apprentice asked something that piqued his curiosity.
“By the way, labyrinth weapons often have special abilities, right? Did that sword have any?”
“It was still unpolished, so I’m not sure. But one thing was clear.”
Gold paused, then declared with a serious expression.
“That sword is of the highest quality, unbreakable no matter how much impact it takes—it’s indestructible!”
◇◆◇
The impromptu battle between me and the noble began.
He moved first.
“With my magnificent swordsmanship, I’ll carve you to pieces!”
Shouting, he raised his sword and charged.
Watching him, I calmly began planning my response in my head.
(Normally, I’d block with my sword, but if it breaks, I won’t get to test my techniques.)
No choice—I’d have to strike first.
Deciding this, I readied my «Rusted Sword» a second behind him.
I recalled the swordsmanship technique I was about to use.
While I studied magic broadly without focusing on a specific type, I had a clear ideal for swordsmanship.
That ideal was the Cobalt Leaf Style, used by the swordswoman heroine in «Altena Fantasia».
For this fight, I’d use a technique specialized for one-on-one combat.
In an instant, I finalized my plan and swung my rusted sword horizontally before the noble could complete his swing.
“Cobalt Leaf Style—«Purple Lightning»”
In a flash, the rusted blade, moving at near-sonic speed, sank into the noble’s stomach with a thud.
“Guh, goeee!”
The dull blade, more bludgeon than sword, delivered a heavy blow, and the noble collapsed with a groan.
He glared at me with hatred.
“Cough! Y-You, what did you do!?”
“I tried hard.”
“That’s no answer! Enough messing around—I don’t know what trick you used, but I won’t hold back anymore!”
Clutching his stomach, the noble slowly stood.
I’d held back considerably, but he was surprisingly durable.
Or maybe his plump belly cushioned the blow nicely?
“Whatever. The longer you last, the better for me—«Twin Flash»”
“Goh, gugeee!”
Using a technique that unleashed two slashes with one swing, I dealt more damage.
The noble, taking the full brunt of the attack, collapsed again.
I glanced at the «Rusted Sword».
“I thought it’d break right away, but it’s more durable than I expected…”
This was a pleasant surprise. I still had plenty of techniques to test!
But then a new problem arose.
“Haa, haa… You’re cheating! There’s no way I’d lose otherwise!”
The noble was still raring to go, but the damage had left him barely able to stand. Practicing on such an opponent wouldn’t be much use.
“Wait a second…”
Just then, my genius intellect hatched a brilliant idea.
Grinning, I looked down at the noble.
“Still got some fight in you?”
“Of course! I’ll kill you with my own hands!”
“Interesting. I respect that spirit.”
After saying that, I muttered under my breath so he couldn’t hear.
“«High-Speed Regeneration», «Magic Barrier»”
I cast two spells on the noble.
As the names suggest, they provided rapid healing and a magical barrier to protect his body.
The noble, shocked as his injuries suddenly healed, stood slowly.
“Suddenly, I feel great, power surging from within… Kuhaha, my true talent must have awakened just now!”
He declared triumphantly.
I deepened my smirk.
Why did I cast those spells? The reason was obvious—
(Perfect! Now I can test my swordsmanship without holding back!)
—Let the fun continue!
Riding my high, I swung my sword at the noble, who was reveling in his sudden power-up.
“Here’s where the real fight begins! Now you’ll see my true—!”
“Cobalt Leaf Style—«Cherry Blossom»”
“Gahhh! It hurts, but I can still move! My turn—!”
“«Crescent Moon»”
“Guboe! B-But I’m not down yet! If it’s come to this, I’ll use my ultimate—!”
“«Dragon Tiger»”
“Gufu! W-Wait, something’s off! Your speed keeps—!”
“«Heaven and Earth»«Divine Might»«Hurricane»«God Slash»—Final Secret Technique «Starlight Sword Dance»!”
“Gwaaaaaaaaah!”
Come on, keep going! The Cobalt Leaf Style has thirteen final secret techniques!
I won’t stop until I’ve unleashed them all!
I kept swinging, but—
“Um, maybe you should stop…”
A voice from behind made me halt my sword mid-swing.
Looking down, I saw the noble had passed out, eyes rolled back.
Only then did I realize my mistake.
(Damn! Even with a barrier, he still feels pain! He gave up from that before becoming incapacitated by damage…)
I should’ve held back more.
Regretting my overzealousness, I was interrupted by a sudden uproar from the crowd.
“Uooooh! That kid took down the hated noble!”
“That felt so satisfying!”
“Standing up to power with such courage—what a splendid young man!”
This is bad. This is a terrible turn of events.
I need to leave before my identity is revealed.
“Wait, please! At least tell me your name!”
The girl I saved called out, but of course, I had no intention of complying.
“Sorry, I’m not worth naming.”
Leaving only that, I prepared to sprint away.
But then—
“Wait! At least let me thank you for saving my precious family—”
…Huh?
My ears perked up at the voice.
Unlike the flaxen-haired girl’s voice, this one felt familiar.
If I wasn’t mistaken, it sounded like a heroine from «Altena Fantasia»—
“Nah, must be my imagination!”
Deciding that, I dashed away without looking back.
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