When I Tried Strengthening 【Rusted Sword】, It Evolved Into An Overpowered Magic Sword

Chapter 24 The best…

“Eh…”

Between Amethyst and the demon, turbulent black flames intruded.

The cat demon, approaching here, widened its eyes and hastily leaped backward.

The black flames looked undeniably powerful, emitting a heat that felt like it could pierce the skin.

The fact that the cat demon was cautious and retreated indicated the impact of the attack.

What on earth…

“Are you okay, Amethyst?”

As she stood there in shock, someone eventually appeared before her.

Lowering a sword imbued with black flames in his right hand and facing towards her, he wore plain, rough clothes. From the appearance of the rough clothing and the ominous sword, it was immediately apparent that the “boy” from earlier was standing in front of her.

Understanding this, Amethyst couldn’t help but doubt her own eyes.

(Why…)

Why is this person here?

Is it an illusion? A mistake? Or perhaps a dream?

That’s the only way it can be understood.

Because, until a moment ago, they were adversaries.

Trying to take the test doll, shooting magic without mercy.

And yet, why would this person come to help?

Unconsciously, those doubts spilled out of her mouth.

“Why… are you here?”

The boy glanced briefly in her direction. Then, turning his gaze back to the demon, he confirmed that the demon was frozen in surprise.

Being wary of the boy, there was no sign of an imminent attack now. Perhaps judging that, the boy returned his artifact to a rusty sword.

Finally, he answered Amethyst’s question.

“Just now, I saw a tremendous lightning around here, so I thought something happened to you guys… Oh, and Dia.”

“…Dia?”

Then, belatedly, footsteps could be heard from behind.

It was indeed Dia Carat.

A crybaby, a bullied and clumsy girl, and the pitiful girl whom Amethyst had rejected numerous times.

Yet, despite that, she seemed genuinely worried and rushed to Amethyst’s side.

“A-Amethyst-san, are you okay!? Something happened… and there’s blood from your left arm! We need to stop the bleeding quickly!”

“…”

The silver-haired girl panicked and fretted upon seeing Amethyst’s wounds. Witnessing such a sight, Amethyst felt a twinge in her chest.

For her sake, had she rushed over? Worried about her while she was injured?

Why… why…

“Why you!”

“…?”

“Why do you care about me?! Why did you come to help me?! I never asked for your help!”

Amethyst became bewildered and, before she knew it, she was shouting.

Why would someone worry about her?

Was it because they saw the lightning and hurriedly came over?

Even though she had rejected so vehemently. Even though she deliberately kept her distance.

Even so, why…

To that question, the silver-haired girl promptly answered.

“Because we’re ‘friends.'”

“Eh…”

“I don’t know how Amethyst-san feels. Perhaps you dislike me to the point of wishing I would disappear. Even so…”

Under the straightforward gaze of the girl in front of her, Amethyst was left dumbfounded.

She had always believed that becoming the best was the best way to make friends.

Therefore, with the girl who had taken that title from her, she thought they could never become friends.

The top-ranked person wouldn’t have any interest in the second-ranked person. Above all, this girl had always been chasing after her.

Despite that, she felt as if she had been left behind during the ceremony of blessings, and it seemed like she was no longer needed.

If she knew they couldn’t become friends, it would be better not to get involved at all.

That’s why she kept pushing Dia away.

(Still, does this girl really consider me a friend? Despite being mean, jealous, and unable to become the best…)

Dia gazed at Amethyst with pure eyes.

“Amethyst-san is my friend!”

“…!”

A shock that felt like a slap on the cheek. The hazy vision cleared up as if the sky had suddenly become clear.

She had always thought she was a reliable older sister figure for Dia. So when she lost to Dia in the rank of their artifacts, she thought their sister-like relationship had come to an end.

But that wasn’t the case. Even if their sister-like relationship ended, she was still the best for Dia

Amethyst belatedly realized that she had been wrong all along.

“Nya-haha, if you had just listened quietly from earlier, you could have completely ignored me. If you think you’re safe now, you’re completely mistaken.”

The cat demon, irritated by the interruption, brandished its claws and glared at them. Amethyst, as if reminded, tensed her body.

Yes, the battle was not over yet. Feeling the intense killing intent emitted by the demon, Amethyst once again felt fear.

However, as if to block that killing intent and gaze, the rusty sword-wielding boy stepped forward.

“Do you think I’ll allow it?”

“…”

The boy and the demon exchanged glances, creating sparks. Both sides were calmly observing each other, but there was a palpable tension as if the fuse could be lit at any moment.

In the midst of this, Dia asked Amethyst in a soft voice.

“By the way, where are Spinel-san and Lapis-san?”

“Huh?”

“I haven’t seen them since earlier…”

Upon hearing that, Amethyst snapped back to attention.

“Oh, those two, I let them go. I thought it would be safer for them to be away from here…”

“If that’s the case, let’s go search for the two of them quickly. Wandering through the forest without their artifacts is dangerous.”

Upon hearing Dia’s calm suggestion, Amethyst’s mind gradually cleared.

That’s right. Those two are currently without their artifacts. It would be quite dangerous for them to run around the area like this.

While Amethyst had received help from them, there was a low possibility that the two of them had received similar help.

They needed to go help them quickly.

“In that case, Dia and Amethyst, go after those two. You need to hurry; they might be attacked by forest creatures if you don’t.”

“What…!”

The boy, who seemed to have been listening to the conversation, proposed a plan. Amethyst felt an instinctual urge to protest.

Why did she have to take orders from this guy? Besides, she could handle this alone. She could go search for them on her own.

As she was about to stand up with these thoughts in mind…

“Ugh…”

Her body wouldn’t respond properly. Because of that, her legs wobbled dangerously. Just as she was about to collapse, Dia supported her.

Perhaps it would be better to obediently follow the boy’s suggestion. Wandering through the forest with her current physical condition and injuries could be even more dangerous than for Spinel and Lapis. Besides, her magical power was running low. Honestly, she didn’t have the confidence to go and help those two on her own.

Grateful for the suggestion, Amethyst decided to go with Dia to search for Spinel and Lapis. However, this decision raised a question.

“In that case, what about you…?”

Amethyst asked the boy, who had turned his back to her. In response, the boy pointed the tip of his sword toward the approaching monster and answered.

“I’ll take care of this monster…”

Amethyst fell silent. The boy was proposing to face the monster alone. Although she thought it would be better to face it as a group of three, she couldn’t voice that suggestion. The power of that monster was an unknown quantity. Even if they fought together, it was uncertain if they could win. That’s why she believed they should prioritize saving Spinel and Lapis.

Moreover, at this moment, she felt like she was the biggest burden. It seemed ruthless to receive help and then not contribute. Yet, in this situation, she had no choice but to rely on this boy. With that in mind, Amethyst spoke to the boy with a hint of gratitude.

“…That monster has the power to disappear. It seems like a power you can’t use while fighting, but be careful.”

“Yeah.”

Finally, Amethyst and Dia left the scene.

***

・Rust

After Dia and Amethyst left, the monster and I were left alone. A strong tension circulated through my whole body. I never thought there would be a demon in this area. But this was reality. Once again, I found myself confronting a terrifying demon.

“Hey, you…”

“…?”

The demon, who had been silently observing our exchange, slowly opened its closed mouth. However, the words that came out were something completely unexpected.

“Before we fight, there’s something I want to ask you, is that okay?”

“…Something you want to ask?”

What on earth is the intention here? Does it really have something it formally wants to ask me, someone it just met?

“Regardless of the content, do you think I’ll answer honestly?”

“Haha, I hope you won’t say such evasive things. I’ve been patiently waiting for your long conversation to end because I have something I want to ask.”

A throaty laughter echoed through the air.

Waited patiently, huh? Certainly, if it wanted, it could have taken advantage of the opportunity when we were talking and launched an attack. Moreover, it could have pursued Dia and Amethyst who left this place from behind. However, the reason it didn’t do that…

With a touch of irony, I responded, “Weren’t you just too scared to approach?”

“Wow, that’s harsh~. You say quite nasty things despite your cute face. Well, I don’t mind being seen that way. After all, I let your companions escape right under my nose, nya~.”

Deliberately, it drooped its cat ears and let out a disappointed sigh. However, it quickly wore a mocking smile, truly detestable.

“Well, it’s a fact that I was waiting for you to finish your conversation since it’s more convenient for me than facing a three-on-one situation. But when I said I had something to ask, that was also true. If we can calmly talk about it, I thought I could let the two go.”

“…It’s hard to believe that a demon would let weakened individuals go.”

The idea of a demon letting someone go is quite extraordinary. Especially the cat demon before me, watching Dia and Amethyst leave in bewilderment; it’s still hard to believe. I can’t fathom what could be so crucial that I would be compelled to speak.

When I expressed my disbelief once again, the cat demon smiled eerily.

“No, you should be able to. No, I need you to. Otherwise, letting them go would be pointless. Moreover, the ‘power’ you used earlier is the most significant proof.”

“…?”

What does it mean?

The power I used earlier?

How is that proving anything?

Confused and bewildered, the cat demon pointed at me and pressed further.

“Why are you using the exact same power as ‘Kuroinu’?”

“…Kuroinu?”

I furrowed my brows at a name I had never heard before.