Chapter 35 - The Dragon Slayer's Sword
With my beloved sword held in my right hand, I leaped out of the house and sprinted down the single path leading to the flower field.
I kicked the earth powerfully, moving forward, forward. Leaving behind the passing scenery and the startled villagers, I headed toward Flora.
Perhaps because it was the first time I had sprinted at full speed since coming to this village, I felt a sense of discomfort in my body. Even though I should have been able to run much faster when I was an adventurer. Now, I felt a weight as if lead were attached to my legs.
I had been running around the mountains to hunt, but compared to the special training of my adventurer days, it was indeed lukewarm. My body was terribly dull.
Now that time was precious, the dullness of my body felt terribly frustrating.
While irritated by my legs that wouldn't move as I wished, I continued to run, and the single path eventually became a tree-lined road, and the surrounding scenery took on an atmosphere like a dense forest.
By that time, my body had loosened up, and the area around my legs felt a bit lighter. Stepping firmly as if to regain my old sensations, I burst through the tree-lined road all at once.
And then, I arrived at the vast flower field where colorful flowers bloomed.
Normally, I would have stood still, my eyes and heart stolen by that beautiful sight, but this time I continued to run without even a glance.
Without even the time to run so as not to trample my beloved flowers, I moved my feet haphazardly.
With every step I took cutting through the wind, a sweet fragrance wafted up along with the petals of vivid hues.
Perhaps because I was stepping in haphazardly, leaves and vines got tangled in my legs along the way, but I moved my feet with brute force and tore them away.
I heard several snapping sensations and reflexively grimaced.
Guilt welled up at the thought of hurting the flowers without caring for them, but it couldn't be helped for the sake of Flora's life.
However, as a minimum of consideration for the flowers, instead of running mindlessly, I decided to engrave the colors flashing at the edge of my vision into my mind.
The sight of the petals dancing and fluttering around me was very beautiful.
If possible, I didn't want to fight monsters. I came here because I wanted to distance myself from the blood-smelling killing of monsters, but no matter where one lives, monsters exist and threats remain, so one cannot escape from battle.
In the past, I fought according to human instincts and desires, such as wanting to live, wanting to eat delicious food, and wanting strength so as not to experience the same misery as before.
And having gained ability and fame, I satisfied all of those and lost my reason to fight.
The weakness of my driving force and will robbed me of my strength, and I became convinced that it was no longer possible to fight strong monsters.
For that reason, I had distanced myself from battle and was living in Nordende, yet I was taking up the sword again. And with a firm will, just like before.
Was it because I wanted money like before? Because I wanted to eat delicious food? Because I wanted strength?
—No. This warm feeling is completely different from the feelings I had before.
It's because I want to protect an irreplaceable place and friends—no, the person I love, Flora.
When I thought that in my heart, the blockage in my chest that had been feeling hazy cleared up as if the clouds had vanished.
When I met her under this tree, my heart was stolen.
By that gentle smile, those words, that heart, that cooking. From the moment I met her, my heart, which had become empty, was vividly colored.
It's fine if my feelings aren't reciprocated. I want to protect that smile that enveloped me in a warm smile.
Just thinking that was enough of a driving force to fight monsters.
Even though my body is dull and I'm in a situation without even reliable companions, right now I feel like I could defeat even a dragon alone.
Yes, just by thinking that she is by my side...
Eventually, I passed under the tree where I met Flora and ran north.
Once I passed under the tree, the flower field ended, and ahead was a forest overgrown with deep greenery.
I hesitated for a moment at the forest I had never entered, but if a dangerous monster appeared, I just had to cut it down.
I stepped into the forest without hesitation. Then, I scanned my vision to grasp the direction Flora had taken. Faint changes in the trees, trampled grass, traces of scraped earth. I made sure not to miss them.
However, it seemed the path Flora and I took were different, as I couldn't find any such traces at all.
I started to feel irritated at that, but I rebuked myself in my heart and calmed down.
If visual information was no good, I would just search using the flow of air and sound, like in my usual hunting.
I stopped my advancing feet and strained my ears.
I concentrated my nerves to hear the sounds in the surroundings, the subtle flow of air, and even vibrations without missing anything. My mind suddenly became quiet, and I could feel even my own heartbeat in the distance.
The trees making leaf sounds in the gentle wind, the voices of birds in the distance...
And then, I felt a strong vibration of air from the far west.
Following my intuition, I immediately started running toward the west, weaving through the haphazardly growing trees.
"GOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"
Then, a roar that resonated in the gut and vibrated the air echoed out.
At the same time I became certain that it was the Red Bear, a single scream faintly reached my ears.
"Kyaaaaaaaaaah!?"
"Flora!?"
That scream just now was Flora! I shouted as I headed toward the direction where Flora likely was.
When I leaped over the branches and thickets obstructing my view, there was Flora running, clutching a single pink-glowing flower to her chest.
Behind her, the Red Bear, clad in burning red fur, was running on all fours.
"Hyah!?"
As I started running, as if even calling out was a waste of time, Flora, who was clutching the flower to her chest, tripped and fell.
Rejoicing that its opponent had shown an opening, the Red Bear raised its upper body high and let out a thundering roar.
"Hyaaaaaah!?"
As Flora let out a scream of panic while sitting flat on the ground, the Red Bear slowly approached, extending sharp claws from its log-like arms.
And at the moment it swung down that thick arm toward Flora, who had swung her own arms up, I slid my body between Flora and the Red Bear.
"GRUOOOO!?"
When I parried the swung-down claws with the Mithril blade, the Red Bear let out a cry of shock and recoiled.
"Flora, are you okay?"
"Eh...? Aldo-san?"
While casting a quick glance at the cowering Flora, I called out to her, and Flora timidly opened her eyes and murmured dazed.
Thank goodness. There seemed to be scratches here and there, but she didn't seem to have any major injuries.
Observing Flora as she looked up at me and confirming there were no abnormalities, I felt relieved from the bottom of my heart.
Looking at Flora as she gazed up with teary eyes, a faint memory from nine years ago was resurrected.
It was a girl with blonde hair and jade eyes just like Flora, whom I had saved when she was being attacked by a Red Bear, just like now.
—Thank you for saving me!
That girl loved flowers, and she had taken me, who had no interest in them, out to the flower field and talked about them proudly.
—The flowers here change color every time the season changes! Isn't it amazing!?
The figure of the girl I met nine years ago and Flora overlapped.
...Could it be that the girl I met nine years ago... was Flora?
"It's dangerous!"
Returning to my senses at Flora's sharp voice, I swung my sword as I turned around.
The Red Bear's black claws and my sword scattered sparks.
"Flora, please get back!"
"B-But!"
"You've known since nine years ago that I won't lose to something like a Red Bear, right?"
When I declared that to the hesitating Flora, Flora moved further away while tears overflowed from her eyes.
Having confirmed that Flora had moved away, I parried the Red Bear's claws that had been pushing with force since a moment ago.
Then I backstepped to escape the Red Bear's fangs as it approached with snorting breath.
With this, I can finally swing my sword.
"GRUOOOOO"
Perhaps because an intruder had entered before its perfect prey, the Red Bear let out a growl of irritation.
Whether nine years ago or now. Flora and I certainly have a connection with Red Bears.
While laughing at the strange encounter between monster and human, I swung my sword as if to provoke it.
Then, the Red Bear let out a cry of anger and charged.
The Red Bear, which is fiercely territorial and ferocious, is easy because it charges immediately if you provoke it.
When I dodged the tackle intended to crush me to the side, the opponent immediately turned around and swung its powerful arm. I parried the approaching left and right attacks with my sword, or dodged them with minimal movement.
Every time I parried, dodged, and swung a feinting blow at the Red Bear's attacks, my combat senses returned.
The movements of my arms and legs became smooth, and I could understand the opponent's movements as if I were holding them in my hand.
If it were the old me, I would have prolonged the battle as if intoxicated by the combat senses, but now is different. I am not an adventurer now, and Flora is watching from behind with worry.
It was painful to make her worry any more than this.
"...It's about time to end this."
I channeled mana into the hilt of the sword I was gripping. Then, the silver blade began to glow, enveloped in a faint light-blue light.
The Red Bear was startled by the sudden light and mana, but perhaps deciding not to care, it swung its arm wide. It probably thought it could win if it pushed with its overwhelming advantage, strength.
Against the ferocious claws filled with the Red Bear's strength, I clashed the glowing blade in an upward slash.
The glowing blade and the claws clashed and scattered sparks—no, that didn't happen; it easily sliced off the Red Bear's claws.
"GRUOOOO!?"
The Red Bear let out a voice of confusion as its claws, which had been clashing until just now, were cleanly sliced off.
There was no way I would miss the moment it was confused and exposing an opening, so I gave it a horizontal strike to its wide-open torso. It easily cut through the log-like thickness and hard muscle, and the Red Bear's body split in two and collapsed.
Seeing the Red Bear had become a motionless corpse, I stopped channeling mana.
Then, the light gradually faded from the glowing blade.
This is the true form of the sword that sliced through that dragon's hard scales.
This sword, made of high-purity Mithril, has the effect of greatly increasing its sharpness when mana is channeled into it. Even I, who only have average mana, can produce considerable sharpness if I use this sword.
If I permeate it with mana and make it extend thinly, it's possible to lengthen the blade, and if I feel like it, I can even mow down a range with a thirty-meter diameter.
No matter what techniques or tactics there are, one cannot win against an opponent whom no blade can pierce. This was made to defeat such an opponent.
Of course, such a sword is expensive, and its price apparently blows away quite a bit of the national budget. Honestly, I thought about returning just the sword to the country, but since I killed a dragon that was harming the country, I decided to keep it as a reward.
In exchange, please forgive me since I've donated the excess fortune to the country through Keel.
"Aldo-san! Are you safe!?"
When I wiped off the bloodstains on the blade and returned the sword to its scabbard, Flora came and hugged me.
"I'm fine. Flora, are your wounds okay?"
"Yes, I'm fine with just a few scratches. ...Once again, Aldo-san saved me."
When I caught her and replied, Flora looked up and smiled bashfully.
While my heart pounded at Flora's warmth and smile being so close, I opened my mouth.
"...Shall we go back?"
"...Yes."
The strength of the sword stands out a bit, but Aldo is quite strange, provoking the Red Bear and using it as a training partner.
And above all, the fact that the erotic stuff is close is crazy. I wonder if we'll get there in two more chapters?