[??? PoV]
I could hear voices around me. It’s a conversation between a middle-aged man and a young woman.
“Robert-sama, here it is. This is the Demon King’s magic sword, “Catastrophe”, right?” (Liliana)
“Well done, Liliana. It’s just as rumored, a magic sword as red as blood. This sword used to belong to the Demon King, but now it’s a national treasure. Just to be safe, I’ll hold onto it.” (Robert)
I am—the magic sword, Catastrophe. It seems like they are discussing me.
Where could this be? It’s quite a dark place…
Since it’s been a while since I woke up, my cognitive abilities are a bit fuzzy. I suppose this might be some kind of warehouse. Was I stored in this warehouse? I wonder how many years has it been since the Demon King passed away.
“That sword was a failure, wasn’t it?” (Liliana)
“Yes. I’ve heard that even the Demon King had trouble handling the magic sword itself.” (Robert)
How rude. I am a masterpiece among masterpieces among magic swords.
I absorb the magic from the middle-aged man holding the sword. As a result, magic began to accumulate within me, and my vision gradually cleared.
The one holding the sword is likely a nobleman. The woman seems to be a civil servant. Although the design of their uniforms is different from the era of the Demon King, there is still a lingering resemblance.
“I’ve heard that just by holding the hilt of that sword, strong malice begins to sprout. Is that really okay, Robert-sama?” (Liliana)
“I’m fine. It’s probably just a legend embellished with exaggerations.” (Robert)
“That’s good. In that case, it seems that there won’t be any problems with exhibiting it in the museum.” (Liliana)
“That’s right. It would be good if it could also serve as a good source of funds for our neighboring country.” (Robert)
I see. I understand the situation now. There will be an exhibition of the magic sword, Catastrophe, in the museum soon. And it will be used as a means to earn money.
It’s terrible to just put me on display like this. After all, a magic sword is meant to be used.
By the way, what these people were saying about “holding the magic sword, Catastrophe, awakens malice” is true. The reason they aren’t affected by malice is simply because my magic is lacking. Once I have enough magic, I’ll make sure to awaken intense malice within them.
“Doesn’t this magic sword seem fitting for someone who was once my son?” (Robert)
“You mean Wilhelm-kun? He’s still Robert-sama’s son. Please don’t deny his family ties.” (Liliana)
“Well, I’ve been thinking for a while, but Liliana, could it be that you like him?” (Robert)
“That’s clearly sexual harassment.” (Liliana)
“You get angry so quickly. Suspicious indeed. Hahaha!” (Robert)
Oh, the sun is dazzling today. Is it summer already? It reminds me of the days when I adventured with the Demon King.
Now then, do I fit into this era? Is there a new Demon King who can wield me—? I long to rampage alongside them. I want to slaughter as many people as possible with them.
◇
[Wilhelm’s PoV]
I gaze up at the guild, [Grand Bahamut]. It’s a weathered1 building, but perhaps due to the bright summer sunlight, it seems a bit cleaner. I’ve returned once again.
With Anya by my side, we enter through the front door, feeling cheerful.
“Welcome!” (Eva)
At the reception desk is a girl with beautiful black hair and one side of her eye hidden. Her clothes bear distinctive marks as if they had been torn by blades.
This slightly suspicious girl’s name is Evabloom Snowmoon. Her pet black cat, Blacky-chan, is with her. Blacky-chan greeted me with a “Nya”.
Eva happily approaches and dives into my chest.
“Ahhhhh! Eva-chan, that’s so sneaky!” (Anya)
I could hear the intense jealousy in Anya’s voice. Oh well, it’s fine.
I patted Eva’s head. Her hair grew a bit with each pat, but I don’t mind it. It’s pointless to worry about it anymore. This is just how Eva is.
“It’s been a while. I’ve decided to say goodbye to paradise for the time being because I heard [Grand Bahamut] was in trouble. Were you the one handling reception, Eva?” (Wilhelm)
“Yeah, Ana-chan seemed really busy, so I wanted to help out.” (Eva)
“I see. Thank you for your hard work.” (Wilhelm)
“I’m glad that Wil-onii-san praised me, hehe.” (Eva)
Eva’s cheeks turned pink. How cute.
Oh, the door to the guild entrance slammed opened energetically. You can tell just from the atmosphere that a lively woman has arrived.
“I’m back~! I managed to clear two quests!” (Sofia)
It’s Sofia Barrett-san. Her ponytail and her overly large bust bounce energetically. She’s always cheerful, so just watching her fills you with energy.
“Man, catching those energetic green onion-shaped magical beasts is really tough. I was so focused on catching them that I ended up crashing into a tree.” (Sofia)
As she speaks, she tries to take out the onion-shaped magical beast.
“So, Anya-chan, I want to deliver the captured onion-shaped magical beast, but where should I put it… Huh? Oh, Wil-kun is here!” (Sofia)
“I wish you had noticed me as soon as you came in…” (Wilhelm)
Sofia happily approached me. She grabbed my shoulders with both hands.
“I didn’t expect you to get out of bed so quickly. Well then, now that you’re up, let’s work hard like horses!” (Sofia)
“Huh, right now?” (Wilhelm)
“Yeah, right now. Look at that. There’s no time to laze around.” (Sofia)
Sofia-san turned her palm towards the bulletin board. There, numerous job requests, in other words, quests, can be seen. Well, “numerous” is an understatement. There are so many that the board is completely hidden. Some quests are even stacked on top of each other. Just how many quests are there?
“That seems quite challenging.” (Wilhelm)
“Right? There’s plenty of challenge over there too.” (Sofia)
“Huh?” (Wilhelm)
Sofia-san turned her hand towards my back. There, a new bulletin board has been set up. That one wasn’t there before. And there are numerous quests posted on it. It’s an overwhelming amount, enough to make me dizzy. It’s not just a hundred or two hundred. There might even be a thousand.
“I want Wil-kun to do all of these.” (Sofia)
“Huh, all of them? By myself?” (Wilhelm)
“With your skills, Wil-kun, I’m sure you can handle it.” (Sofia)
“Well, that’s a bit…” (Wilhelm)
“Really? Onee-san thinks Wil-kun can definitely do it.” (Sofia)
“But…” (Wilhelm)
“A hardworking Wil-kun is wonderful, isn’t it?” (Sofia)
“Ugh…” (Wilhelm)
“Onee-san wants to see Wil-kun’s cool side.” (Sofia)
“Uh, well, yes, that’s right. I am a talented man, after all. …I could manage about eighty percent of them.” (Wilhelm)
“Yay! Anya-chan, Wil-kun said he will do ninety percent!” (Sofia)
“As expected of Wil-sama! You’re reliable!” (Anya)
“S-Sofia-san, you increased it by ten percent!” (Wilhelm)
Suddenly, the door behind me was swung open with a loud bang.
As the door opened, a stifling atmosphere filled the room. It wasn’t just because of the summer air, but because the person who entered exuded an oppressive aura. There stood a fluffy magical beast covered in white fur.
“Dah! No matter how much I work, the work never gets done, myu. I brought back plenty of honey, myu. Off to the next job right away, mew!”
It’s the guild’s pet, Mew-chan. The species of this magical beast is called Sodane Mew, and they can only say either “sodane” or “mew”, but Mew-chan is a special one who can talk in human language. However, only those with impure hearts can hear it. By the way, I can hear it clearly because my heart is impure.
“Hey, Mew-chan, it’s been a while.” (Wilhelm)
When I greeted Mew-chan, its expression turned displeased.
“Ugh, the neet is back mew.” (Mew-chan)
“Oioi, Mew-chan. Don’t make that unpleasant face. Smile, smile.” (Wilhelm)
“Who’s gonna smile mew? It would be better if you were a shut-in forever. Ah, damn it, do I have to keep thanking this guy for his contributions again mew? It’s hell, mew.” (Mew-chan)
I wonder if he’s complaining or praising. He’s emotions are all over the place.
“Mew-chan, Mew-chan, shake hands and welcome Wil-sama back.” (Anya)
“O-Ojou, what a cruel suggestion mew.” (Mew-chan)
“Mew-chan, you must be happy to be able to shake hands with Wil-sama, right?” (Anya)
“Sodane! Wait, no! Who would shake hands with a neet like him, mew?” (Mew-chan)
I’m not thrilled about it either, but I decide to extend my hand in a gentlemanly manner.
Mew-chan shudders. He gave me a look like, “Are you out of your mind?” Nevertheless, with closed eyes and a reluctant motion, he accepted my hand.
I grip Mew-chan’s hand in return. He starts squeezing my hand aggressively so I squeeze back even harder. Mew-chan squeezes even harder.
Our gazes clash fiercely.
“Welcome back, you neet.” (Mew-chan)
“I’m back. I’ll be relying on you again.” (Wilhelm)
Sparks fly between Mew-chan and me. It’s intense.
“Hehehe. You two are really good friends, aren’t you? It’s heartwarming.” (Anya)
“Sodane… Not!! Why does Ojou make such nonsensical misunderstandings mew? Ahh, I shook a really unpleasant hand mew. I should wash my hands with soap before we go on the next quest!” (Mew-chan)
What a rude creature. My hands are always clean and shining, you know.
“Now then, Wil-kun.” (Sofia)
Sofia-san picked up several quest papers.
“Now that we’ve greeted everyone, let’s go on a quest together!” (Sofia)
There are some quests with approaching deadlines and high difficulty levels that she hasn’t been able to tackle. It seems that she wants me to help handle those kinds of quests.
So, I ended up going with Sofia-san to tackle those quests together.
Illustration of Eva & Blacky
“Ah, it’s Wil-onii-san! Are you finally out of Paradise? Did you manage to leave your parent’s bed?”
TL Notes:
Thanks for reading!
We going back to adventures with Sofia, huh? I wonder what kind of quests is it going to be this time.
Also, a magic sword that needs a Demon King host… hmmm, I wonder who.
I’ve been having WordPress issues lately which causes it to become very slow. I think my website might have also been broken so I’m sorry if you encounter any issues. Worst of all, I have no idea how to fix it.
I might have to reinstall WordPress again, but I don’t really have the time to deal with that since I’m going overseas in like a day… so yeh. I’ll be overseas for a week, so definitely no chapter during this time.