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

Chapter 41 The Seven Great Demons

“The one bestowed with a powerful artifact shall become a hero.”

From what I hear, it seems like a teaching that says, “Those who receive a powerful artifact become heroes.”

So that’s the cool “teaching” passed down in Gray Village, huh?

It feels like something straight out of the beginning of an adventure tale, getting me all excited.

But Gem-san continued somewhat sullenly.

“To put it bluntly, it means, ‘Villagers bestowed with powerful artifacts must embark on a journey to defeat the demon race.’ It seems there’s an ancient legend that says, ‘Those blessed with a powerful artifact from the gods are warriors burdened with the mission to fight the demon race.'”

“Oh, I see.”

It reminds me of a similar hero tale I read somewhere.

In a dark age where the world was threatened by demons…

There was a boy in a certain village bestowed with a powerful artifact.

He was believed to be the hero destined to pave the way through the dark times, and was sent on a journey to vanquish the demons.

As a result, the boy successfully destroyed the demons and ended the dark age.

After that, whenever people’s lives were threatened, they would send forth those bestowed with powerful artifacts from the village as heroes.

The teaching passed down in Gray Village closely resembles that heroic tale.

I wonder if Gem-san’s received artifact is also of a significantly high rank?

“So, I was basically forced into leaving the village to embark on a journey to defeat the demon race. It felt like I was almost being driven out.”

“That seems quite authoritative from today’s perspective.”

“Right?! Well, I had been thinking of leaving the village someday anyway, so it was a good opportunity. But I can’t just never return to the village, and once I safely complete my journey to defeat the demons, I do intend to go back to Gray Village.”

As Gem-san spoke, I sensed a slight happiness spreading across her cheeks.

Despite mentioning how boring the village was several times, it seems she has a fair amount of attachment to her hometown.

She must have family and friends there, and it’s natural to want to return.

But it seems she can’t go back until she finishes her journey to defeat the demon race.

Actually, what exactly constitutes the “end” of this journey to defeat the demon race? The definition seems rather ambiguous.

“What would it take for the journey to defeat the demon race to be considered finished? It’s not like it ends only when all the demons are defeated, right?”

I asked, thinking it surely couldn’t be that straightforward.

Demons are beings that suddenly appear within areas. According to one theory, they manifest from the lingering power of malevolent gods within those areas.

So, it’s clearly impossible to defeat them all.

What criteria would define the end of the journey?

“According to ‘Old Man Nickel’ in Gray Village… Oh, he’s actually the village chief. According to him, it seems completing the mission means defeating the ‘Seven Great Demons.'”

“The Seven Great Demons…”

I’ve heard of them before.

Around two hundred years ago, there was a being called the ‘Demon King,’ considered the leader of the demons. Once in history, the demons joined forces under the ‘Demon Army’ led by the Demon King.

The Demon Army invaded the human kingdoms, sparking a great war. The war ended with the victory of the human forces, but the damage was extensive, leading to what’s known as the ‘Eclipse of the End Times’ due to the despair it caused.

It’s said there were fourteen high-ranking demons who served in the Demon Army at that time.

Rumors persist that half of these seven demons are still alive and secretly plotting to become the next generation of Demon Kings.

These seven demons are known as the ‘Seven Great Demons.’

But…

“Is the existence of the Seven Great Demons just a rumor?”

There hasn’t been any concrete announcement confirming the survival of the Seven Great Demons.

Moreover, there are no longer any witnesses from that time, and even if demons are still alive, it’s unclear which among them would be the Seven Great Demons.

To think we have to search for and defeat entities whose existence isn’t even certain…

“Yeah, there’s no guarantee that the Seven Great Demons actually exist. So, Old Man Nickel said, ‘Just defeat seven strong demons for now.'”

“Oh, so it’s that kind of loose guideline.”

In that case, I guess it’s not impossible to fulfill the role of a hero.

“So, Gem-san is searching for demons…”

“Yeah. For now, I’m thinking of defeating a demon, bringing back its artifact as proof, and hoping Old Man Nickel will approve.”

Upon hearing Gem-san’s reason for searching for demons again, I felt reassured.

It seems she must defeat demons to complete her important journey.

The slight doubt I had about Gem-san seems to have been needless worry.

“In that case, we really need to find that artifact as soon as possible.”

“Yeah, that’s right. I’m counting on you. Though it’s kind of ridiculous to be chosen as a hero only to have my precious artifact taken away.”

With a wry smile, Gem-san scratched her glossy black hair.

Well, that’s probably just a personality quirk, so there’s nothing to be done about it.

“By the way, what kind of artifact do you have, Gem-san?”

Finally, I decided to ask Gem-san about her artifact.

What does it look like?

Is it a weapon or a catalyst?

If I know beforehand, I’ll recognize it immediately when I see it.

Plus, being chosen as a hero to defeat the Seven Great Demons, it must surely be a powerful artifact.

Driven by personal curiosity as well, I leaned in slightly as I asked. Gem-san opened her hands slightly wide to indicate the length of her artifact.

“It’s a pretty long ‘sword’ like this. The blade is quite substantial. As a girl, I would have preferred something cuter and more stylish, but you can’t always choose freely. Right, Dia-chan?”

“Eh!? Oh, yes…”

Dia, suddenly addressed, reacted with surprise, nearly jumping.

She seemed completely caught off guard.

Apparently, Gem-san had noticed the large shield placed beside Dia and figured they were in similar circumstances.

Dia’s shield was white and very beautiful, though admittedly not something you’d typically call girly.

In any case, I now understood the form of the artifact.

This preparation should suffice.

“Well then, let’s go search for the artifact right away. Also, um, Gem-san was asked to accompany us on the search by the guild staff in charge…”

“Oh, right! That was actually my request. It’ll be quicker to find it that way, and besides, I felt bad leaving everything to you adventurers alone. It might be a bother, but please take me along too.”

Upon hearing Gem-san’s request, I actually felt like asking her myself.

If she can detect the artifact, we’ll basically just be escorting Gem-san, which makes things easier for us.

It means we won’t need to spend several days or weeks searching through vast areas.

Plus, we have Dia with us. So, the chances of any danger reaching Gem-san are minimal.

Thus, with Gem-san’s infectious enthusiasm, it felt almost like going on an excursion as Dia and I were pushed forward, heading out on the search request.