I used the venerable elven sword of ancient origin as a walking stick as I made my way to the city of Spiris . The sun had completely fallen now and I couldn’t help but sigh when I saw the stars hanging in the sky . I hadn’t even been walking very long either . The plains out here were dangerous at night . I couldn’t stop . I didn’t know how long this scab of ice would last . I was maintaining it with small amounts of magic, but it still had its limits . I had used too much magic already .

I continued to use Presence Detection and cautiously moved on . The night wind flowed through the gra.s.s like ocean waves . It was beautiful, but I don’t stop . Though, there were no gra.s.s wolves here . The scene was peace itself . But such moments had a way of turning into something very unfortunate, or so had been the trend for me recently . It’s almost like I was the protagonist of a story; but I wasn’t . There was no point in thinking about that .

I had been stabbed by a robber, awoken in another world, ended up traveling with an elf partner, and just happened to have killed a wyvern by myself . A normal adventurer . Huh…saying it like that does make it sound a bit like a protagonist…?

I was thinking such nonsensical thoughts when Presence Detection caught something approaching me . There were several of them coming toward me from a 5 o’clock position . Well, it was probably monsters .

I stop and unsheath my sword before turning around . Some bushes shook ahead of me, and in the next instant, a goblin jumped out . It wielded a rusted weapon that could hardly be called a sword . In any case, a goblin couldn’t kill me . All I did was swing my sword down diagonally at the approaching goblin, and its upper half slid cleanly off its lower half . Now, I swing vertically, the next one splits into left and right pieces, and then it is finished . This was the power of the ancient elven sword . A real cheat weapon .

But I had decided to use this sword only after I had mastered swordsmans.h.i.+p . Even if my life had been hanging on the line, I didn’t like the idea of using it when I was still a novice .

“You have to make sacrifices to get out of desperate situations, but this sucks…”

I say as I look at the blade with its jade glow . Oh, this was quite pathetic . I was filled with regret and disgust as I stored the goblin weapons in the hollow bag and began to walk again . I would buy a new sword once I reached the city . A sword that was just as good as the one Chief made me . I promised to myself as looked at the broken sword that hung on my belt .

An hour pa.s.sed since I had first started walking . It looked so bright in the night’s darkness . Spiris . I was now close enough that the city was clearly visible . There were several more goblin attacks on the way here, but with a quick Negative Slash, they were split open . My mood darkened with every goblin sword I had to add to the hollow bag .

I could see a guard with a torch patrolling the outer walls . I couldn’t make out his face, but just seeing another person was enough to make my feet feel lighter . I was almost running as I neared the gate .

And then, at last, finally, from so far away, the long-awaited western gate of Spiris was before me . The gatekeeper sees me . Just as I am about to greet him…

“Ahh!”

He recoils . Was there a monster behind me!? I look, but there is nothing there . Woah, freaky .

“Ahh, I am looking at you!!”

“Eh?”

Now, this was just weird . What was so scary about me?

“Yo-you’re covered in blood…!”

“Oh . ”

Right . I was covered head to toe after slas.h.i.+ng the wyvern’s stomach open . Ahh, I see . That’s why so many goblins were attacking me! Those guys were really sensitive to the smell of blood…

“It’s fine . Don’t worry . ”

“No-no-no-no-no-no! Stay away, you ghastly fiend!”

He thrust his spear towards me . This b.a.s.t.a.r.d… If he had any idea what I’ve been through…

“Let me in the city…I’m injured . This blood isn’t mine . ”

“Not yours!? Did you, murder someone…!?”

The guard interrogates me with the spear still fixed in my direction .

“No, it’s from a wyvern . It’s dead in the forest over there . ”

“What…? A wyvern…?”

The guard was scared at first, but now he was stunned . This was becoming unbearable . I didn’t have time for this .

“Just call Harold . He will come if you tell him that Asagi is calling . ”

“Uh, ah…f-fine . However, you will wait here!”

He returned to himself with a jolt before opening a small window to the side of the gate and relaying what I had just said . It only took several minutes for the gate to open and for Harold, the captain of the western district guard, to come out .

“Asagi!! What happened!?”

“Ahh, Harold . Thank G.o.d . There was a wyvern in the forest…”

“I heard the story . I was just preparing our men to leave . But come inside now, then we can talk…”

So Harold said, as he lent me his shoulder . And just like that, I was taken through the gate . We went into the guardhouse and I was shown to a small sleeping room . I was allowed to lie on one of the beds, however, I was very confident that I would fall asleep the moment I did that, so I rejected Harold’s offer and sat up .

So Harold said, as he lent me his shoulder . And just like that, I was taken through the gate . We went into the guardhouse and I was shown to a small sleeping room . I was allowed to lie on one of the beds, however, I was very confident that I would fall asleep the moment I did that, so I rejected Harold’s offer and sat up .

“There was a report about the other wyvern being sighted . And so some adventurers set out to challenge it…”

“Yes . I went in just as their s.h.i.+eld-bearer had been dealt a heavy wound . And once the adventurers fled, I fought it alone . ”

“And what happened to the wyvern…?”

Harold looked at me intently .

“I just killed it . ”

I made a forced triumphant smile, even though I probably just looked tired .

“…! So you…! Really…!”

He was practically shaking with uncontainable excitement as he looked at me . Seeing him, I couldn’t help but laugh . He immediately followed, and our boisterous laughter echoed in what should have been a quiet sleeping room .

“Ahhh… My stomach hurts for more than one reason…!”

“d.a.m.n it, you really do push yourself too hard!”

“But, it’s not like I had a choice . It wouldn’t let me go . It had a look that said ‘I will kill you at any cost . ’”

“But even so, it is hardly normal to go and kill it! However, I do like that about you . ”

“Hehe… Thank you very much . By the way, what happened to the adventurers?”

“But even so, it is hardly normal to go and kill it! However, I do like that about you . ”

“Hehe… Thank you very much . By the way, what happened to the adventurers?”

I had forgotten to ask about them . I hoped that Rex and Danny were okay .

“Yes, they are being treated at the infirmary in the central guardhouse . The wounds on the s.h.i.+eld-bearer were especially deep . But Spiris has very gifted medical magicians . He will not die . ”

“That’s a relief . Really…”

It made me feel better about risking my neck to help them . Standing my ground there had given them enough time to escape . I was glad .

“Well then, I will retrieve this wyvern with the men I have gathered . It would be a waste for it to decompose into the soil!”

“Ah, of course . Oh, it would be of great help if you could also inform my partner, Daniela, that I’m here . ”

“Yes, that is easily done! And now, you should get treated in our infirmary and get some sleep!”

I guess that settled matters . Harold had helped me once again . We walked together to the infirmary and the magician there used magic to heal the wound on my right thigh . It was the first time that magic had been used to heal me . It felt kind of strange . As someone used to western medicine, it was like getting st.i.tches that left no mark .

Now that I was all healed up, I lay down on the infirmary bed . Ahh, what an awful day . A real adventure . I played back the events of the day in my head as I lay there . I got down from the tree, killed some gra.s.s wolves, sensed something big, it was a wyvern…

“I’m happy that I was able to help them…”

My consciousness began to fade . I would rest a little . I couldn’t think of anything once I closed my eyes . And just like that, my mind journeyed off to the world of dreams .