Published at 26th of July 2023 05:00:04 AM

I didn't know a world like this existed west of that mountain rangethe many gigantic walls and buildings, the clean people and streetsthe splendid fields, the delicious foodthe outstanding medicines and weaponsjust about everything here is superior to what could be found in my own country

After I gave a quick tour around the village to Akane-san, she had a look of astonishment on her face.

There's just no other explanation: I must be dreaming! The me in reality is probably in the dragon's nest after it carried me off there! I have to wake up quickly!

Another dagger!?

Didn't I already say enough with the disemboweling!? This isn't a dream! If you cut yourself, you won't wake up, you'll die for real!

How did this person live this longif left to her devices, she'll die before long, by her own hands no less.

The most people will do to prove they're not dreaming is hit themselves, you know

Then, please hit me!

Eehh!?

Fine, grit your teeth then.

Selen clenched her fist and then brought it toward Akane-san's face.

Aaack!

You really hit her!?

That's better than her cutting herself, isn't it?

Selen replied nonchalantly.

Meanwhile, after tumbling for a bit, Akane-san stood back up while pressing a hand on her cheek.

I can certainly feel pain! So then, I'm not dreaming

It looks like she's finally accepting that this is reality.

At any rate, you are Selen-dono, correct? You have quite the fist. And come to think of it, from the skill you exhibited in the many times you knocked off my daggers, I could tell you're better with the sword than the average person.

Yup, I'm really confident with my swordsmanship!

If only I had my katana, I would have absolutely asked for a match already

Akane-san said so dejectedly.

Mhm, there might be something similar to one in the village.

Truly?

And so, we went to the dwarves' smithing workshop built within the dungeon.

Doran-san, you make many kinds of swords here in your workshop, right?

Yep. Failures, experimental stuff, and even weird things that we can't sell, we've got lots here.

Then, among those you mentioned, do you have a sword that's like this but longer?

I said so and then showed him one of the daggers Akane-san had hidden in her breast pocket.

It had the same kind of shape as katana, so I thought this would make things easier to understand.

If you mean single-edged swords, I think I've seen a few of them. Their blades' slightly curved like that too.

Really?

We were guided to a corner of the workshop that acted as its storage space, likely where they put the duds and the experimental weapons Doran-san mentioned earlier.

There were a lot of swords which one could tell was strange with just a glance. Swords which had two blades, swords whose blades were long and thin, swords whose blade part spiraled, and many others.

Ah, there it is. A blade like this one.

At the place Doran-san pointed were many swords that certainly fit the bill.

Ahh! Those are indubitably katana!

If Akanewho knew what a real katana was likesays these swords were katana, then there was no mistaking it.

I think they're made by the same smith.

Maybe there was a dwarf among the village's smiths that loved to make this particular kind of sword.

Heavens, this is an unmistakably sharp sword!

Take whichever one you like. They're all free of charge, of course.

Wha!? You're giving away a katana like this for free!?

Yep. We can't sell those anyway.

While Akane-san huffed with excitement, she picked up a certain sword.

amazing! I'll take this one!

With her weapon in tow, we relocated to the village's training ground.

Now that you have your weapon, we can have a match! I'm really excited to see how a swordsman of the east fights!

Similarly, I am deeply honored to compete against a swordsman of the west.

Selen and Akane-san stood opposite each other in the center of the training ground and readied their swords.

As representatives of the samurai, victory is my only option.

Akane-san proudly declared so.

ah, but doesn'tfeellike she'll try to disembowel herself again if she loses?