An active hunter from Hokkaido was thrown into another world - Chapter 89

An active hunter from Hokkaido was thrown into another world

Chapter 89   Hero, Strikes Again

“Hey there! You two, doing well?”

…

What are you doing in front of our house, Blanversh-san?

Aren’t you the hero?

Saran has a half-lidded gaze. She’s quite an intimidating expression, isn’t she?

“Hero, didn’t you promise not to get involved with Shin anymore?”

“Huh, when did I make such a promise?”

“…Well, come on in. You’re already here, might as well.”

“Shin!”

“Alright, alright, you’ve come from afar.”

“Can’t this guy use teleportation magic to go anywhere?”

I know, but what can you do? It’s unavoidable. Well, come on in.

“Thank you!”

Saying that, the hero entered with a surprisingly refreshing demeanor.

Oh well…

It’s been only two weeks since the hero came to Kopori Village.

Already causing a fuss in just two weeks. What’s the deal, seriously?

“Hey, about that promise not to get involved with me?”

“Well, you see, when I was leaving last time, Saran-san challenged me to a duel.”

“You did that kind of thing――――!!”

Is that about that night? Is it when I climbed up the tower to monitor?

“It’s like, ‘If I win, I’ll never have anything to do with Shin again!’ Of course, I never intended that, and I don’t want to fight with Saran either. But I couldn’t just back down from the challenge, so we clashed swords a few times. I thought if we ended in a draw or if I lost at a suitable moment, that would be fine.”

“… Saran, there’s no way you can beat the hero. Why would you even think that?”

“No, I lost. I lost, I lost. It’s unbelievable. Look at this.”

With those words, Blanversh drew his sword from its sheath at his waist and placed it on the table.

It was the Hero Sword, marked with the royal emblem.

“Just from a single clash…”

When the hero drew the sword from its sheath, it snapped in two.

“Oh no…”

“Elven swords are amazing, aren’t they? Even though this was a specially crafted sword made by the kingdom’s top blacksmith, it just snapped like that. It’s astonishing.”

“Saran…”

“Sorry. But if the hero plans to drag Shin into danger again, I want to stop it.”

“What are you doing to the person who saved the village from orcs?”

“Sorry…”

Saran looked disheartened.

Saran always reflects properly when I’m angry.

She’s cute. I love her so much.

“I keep my promises. So today’s request isn’t for Shin, it’s for Saran.”

“A request?”

“I want you to lend me your sword. No, I want you to forge a sword for me. Somehow, I want to get my hands on that sword too. Can’t you ask the blacksmith who made it?”

“No. My sword is shmmmmmmmm!”

To prevent things from getting complicated, I cover Saran’s mouth.

It’s a sword made from a crowbar, which is a bit…

“Shin? Did Shin make it?”

“No.”

“Tell me.”

“Why not just have the kingdom’s blacksmith make another one?”

“There’s no better sword left in the kingdom. There’s no time to have another one made.”

“Time? For what?”

“Actually, I have to fight the Dino-Dragon again.”

“What on earth is that?!”

… It’s just one thing after another. Being a hero really is tough.

From what I heard, well, in the final match, rather than saying he lost, it was more like the summoner, Keyris, who brought out the Triceratops and Tyrannosaurus and caused a huge disaster, hailing from the Raltran Orthodox Kingdom.

So, the Orthodox Kingdom sent him as the next hero candidate.

But this hero candidate lost in the final match and, on top of that, got into a scandal and was executed. The Orthodox Kingdom was furious about this and strongly protested, claiming that it was a conspiracy by the Julliard Kingdom, a fraud, and foul play.

“Why would they call themselves the ‘Orthodox Kingdom’? What does that even mean?”

“They claim to be the homeland of the self-proclaimed first hero.”

“Self-proclaimed?”

“In other words, before the first hero mentioned in the scriptures, they believe there was a true hero who defeated the Demon King. According to them, that very first hero emerged from their own country, making their nation the legitimate origin of heroes. They’ve been asserting this for a long time.”

Ah… I see. Similar stories seem to exist in various worlds. People always want to be seen as the original, the origin.

“The nation couldn’t possibly send a hero who would lose in order to prove its legitimacy. They are alleging that the victory was manipulated unfairly, and after covering up the truth, their country’s hero was killed. That’s the grudge they hold against us.”

Hmm, well, since the arena battles aren’t being globally televised via satellite or recorded on video, they can make as many baseless claims as they want.

“If I recall, the summoner you mentioned, Keyris, got eaten by the Tyra… I mean, Dino-Dragon that he summoned, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Even when presented with the facts, they use the confusion around the incident to deny everything and keep insisting that it’s all lies, fabrications, tampering, and misconduct.”

“Well, you’re right on the mark. You understand it well, Shin.”

Hmm… It seems this kind of thing happens in various worlds. Even after events like the Olympics or the World Cup are over, people keep protesting.

“So, what have they been saying to the hero?”

“Fight again.”

“Ah…”

“In the name of the Raltran Orthodox Kingdom.”

“An away match, huh…”

“They’re demanding that I defeat the Dino-Dragon.”

“Isn’t that a higher hurdle than the Mid Dragon?”

“If I can’t do that, they won’t recognize me as a true hero, and they’ll consider it an act of hostility toward the Raltran Orthodox Kingdom of the Julliard Kingdom.”

Oh dear… This is getting absurd.

“Could this escalate into a war?”

“Well, in a war, the Julliard Kingdom would undoubtedly have the upper hand. They probably don’t want to go that far. But now that those guys can summon the Dino-Dragon, if it did come to that, we can’t even imagine how many casualties there would be.”

Hmm, that’s not good at all. It seems that everywhere you go, the story is the same: they successfully develop a powerful weapon and become excessively arrogant.

“Can’t we just leave it alone?”

“That’s not an option. A hero should accept challenges.”

“They’re really out to kill you, aren’t they?”

“A true hero has to repel such determination.”

“Can you win?”

“I taught you how to win. The weak point is its legs.”

“But even if you say ‘legs’…”

“I was present during the dissection of the Dyno-Dragon’s corpse, so I know how to strike. But I lack a sword that can cut through it. I know this is audacious, but I want Saran’s sword.”

…

“…I received this sword from Shin. It’s my treasure. I protect Shin with this. I won’t let go of it until I die because I couldn’t protect Shin anymore.”

“…That’s true.”

Blanversh, even so, you can’t seem to give up, can you?

“There should be another sword like that. I had an Elven blacksmith in Tokor forge it for me. The blacksmith must have made one for himself too.”

“Is that true?”

“Shin!”

“…Saran. This person is going alone into enemy territory. He’s going to fight that thing alone.”

Saran lowered her gaze and fell silent…

She said it as if she had given up.

“The blacksmith’s name is Doul, from Tokor Village, just before Kopori. I’ll guide you there.”

“Thank you!”

Afterward, we got on the river dolphin’s canoe and headed for Tokor Village.

Blanversh, from some mysterious space, produced a wooden canoe covered in hides and paddled alongside on his own.

Apparently, teleportation magic can’t take you to places you’ve never been before, so when he first came to Kopori Village, he paddled here with this canoe.

He traveled up the river, back to its source. Incredible stamina. Truly a hero.

It would have been nice if he had stopped by Tokor Village as well. What a missed opportunity.

With the river dolphin accompanying us, we arrived at Tokor Village at night.

First, we paid a visit to the village chief and greeted him. Then we headed to Doul’s workshop. When we explained the situation, he had a pretty grim expression…

“You know, Elves sometimes have to fight alongside humans. How many times do you think women from the Elven village have been abducted by humans? There’s no way I’m lending the finest Elven sword to a human like that.”

“I apologize…”

Blanversh bowed his head graciously.

He’s quite straightforward. He must really need that sword…

“When Kopori Village was about to be attacked by orcs, Blanversh fought alongside us. You could even say he fought alone. We owe him a debt of gratitude. Could you please help us?”

I’ll give it a shot and ask as well.

Doul seems a bit surprised.

“So, you’re the hero?”

“Yes.”

“Your job is to protect the world, right?”

“Yes.”

“And will you protect the Elves too?”

“That’s why I need the sword. Without the sword, in the next battle, I will die. Once I’m dead, I won’t be able to protect anything.”

“Show me that sword.”

Blanversh draws the broken hero’s sword that Saran snapped and turns the blade to offer the hilt to Doul.

“It got broken when Saran challenged me.”

Doul, upon receiving it, looks at it and lets out a smirk.

“A flimsy sword like this can’t compare to Saran’s sword.”

“Exactly.”

Doul retreats into the back and returns with a sword adorned in Elven style.

“Here it is. My sword. I’m just lending it.”

“Are you serious?!”

“Only if you can follow my instructions.”

Doul hangs the broken hero’s sword from the ceiling.

It’s been snapped in half and is now half its original length.

“Now, let’s see you try to snap your sword in half with mine.”

This is a bit mean!

It’s hanging straight down, so it won’t cut easily unless you swing it sideways.

And it’s only half the length. It’s even harder to cut than its regular size.

It looks much more difficult than when Saran did it.

Blanversh draws Doul’s sword.

“…Impressive. It’s heavy. But it feels right. The balance is perfect.”

Well, originally, it was a crowbar.

“Flattery won’t do.”

“No hard feelings either way.”

“Go for it.”

“Hmph!”

As he turns around, he adds a spin to his movement and strikes swiftly!

Kakiiin!

The hero’s sword, already broken in half, now splits into two with that motion!

“…As expected of a hero, you’re impressive.”

They both look at the crowbar sword. A layer of steel has been placed over the extended crowbar.

The edge where it hit is a bit crushed.

Wait, is it okay that it only got slightly damaged with all that sharpening!?

Doul, did you mess with this in some way?

“It’s a bit crushed indeed. I’ll sharpen it. Wait a moment. Saran, come here.”

They both retreated to the back.

“…Does that mean he acknowledged it?”

“Probably.”

“That’s a relief.”

The hero’s expression turned into a smile.