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

Chapter 51 The girl in the forest

The day after finishing the quest to find the sacred artifact, Dia and I visited the Adventurers Guild. As usual, we were diligent in our adventuring activities. Charm had promised to have another ‘perfect quest’ ready for us, so we went to see her.

“A pet search?”

“Yes, that’s correct~.”

Charm nodded cheerfully. The quest she introduced us to this time was another search mission. However, instead of a sacred artifact, it was a family’s pet.

“It seems that the client’s dog ran away from home~. They tried desperately to chase it, but they couldn’t catch it, so they put out a search request with the Adventurers Guild~. Apparently, the dog went outside the town and entered the Seven-Colored Forest~.”

“That’s, well…”

What an unfortunate incident. The Seven-Colored Forest is known for its beauty and is a popular tourist destination with many visitors from afar. However, it is still a danger zone, filled with ferocious monsters, and there are warnings about entering. It’s not a place for ordinary people to wander into recklessly. I’m concerned about the dog’s safety and equally worried that its owner might get desperate and rush into the forest.

“So, we want you to find the lost dog~. It escaped early this morning, so it shouldn’t have gone too far~.”

“Understood.”

Thus, Dia and I accepted the pet search quest. Once again, we were heading to the Seven-Colored Forest. It felt like we had been working there non-stop lately. More than that, I hoped the dog hadn’t been attacked by monsters. I didn’t want to think about it, but we might end up bringing back its remains. It wasn’t a quest I was particularly eager to undertake.

One hour into the search for the dog, Dia and I wandered through the Seven-Colored Forest, scanning our surroundings. Both of us were furrowing our brows.

“Hmm, we haven’t found the dog at all.”

“Indeed…”

I didn’t expect to find it immediately, but I never thought we’d spend an entire hour without even a clue. This is turning out to be a longer ordeal than anticipated.

“When we were searching for the artifact, Gem guided us to its location, so it wasn’t as hard. But searching for something without any leads is really challenging.”

“Even if it’s just a pet search, it shows how demanding search quests can be.”

We adjusted our expectations accordingly. Without any clues or starting points, our search was completely blind. We were just now realizing the difficulty of such a task.

Of course, Charm had given us a description of the dog when we took on the quest. However, those were only visual characteristics, not enough to pinpoint its location. How should we go about this search? Should we look for tracks? Listen for barking?

The more difficult the search became, the more danger the dog might be in. Internally, we were feeling increasingly anxious, and this frustration was hindering our progress.

“I wish there were a sacred artifact that could make searches more efficient.”

“More efficient? What kind of artifact would that be?”

“Like, maybe a ‘pair of glasses’ that lets you see through anything?”

I suggested lightly, peering under a bush. I intended to lighten the heavy mood with some whimsical banter, but Dia frowned at me in confusion.

“That sounds like an artifact that would be a nightmare for women. Is that what you want, Rust?”

“No, no, that’s not what I meant! I just thought it would be great to quickly finish the search quest… And besides, I can’t use someone else’s artifact, so it wouldn’t work for me anyway.”

It seemed I was misunderstood. I didn’t actually want such an artifact. I was just thinking that such a thing would make search quests easier. Although, some boys might want an artifact like that for less noble reasons.

“Artifacts are meant to be ‘weapons’ to defeat demons, so there wouldn’t be any convenient tools like that. Even the artifacts demons wield are meant to kill humans.”

“I understand that. I just felt a bit relieved to know you have such impure thoughts, Rust.”

“I’m telling you, I’m not thinking anything impure! And why would that make you feel relieved?”

Dia had a slightly mischievous smile on her face.

…Really now.

Even if it was a conversation to ease the tension, she could have been a bit more considerate of me. At this moment, she seemed to be mimicking Gem’s playful nature just a bit.

As we continued our search, we eventually reached the depths of the Seven-Colored Forest. This area was near the underground cave we had heard about. Before I knew it, we had wandered this far.

“Hm?”

As I scanned the surroundings, I thought I saw a glimmer of “light” through a gap in the trees ahead. It was a tiny flicker, almost small enough to be a figment of my imagination. But I didn’t miss it. I strained my eyes, and sure enough, a faint light was visible through the trees in the distance.

It wasn’t sunlight. It wasn’t a candle. It was an indescribable, gentle glow.

“What’s that…?”

Like a moth drawn to a flame, I began walking towards the light. Though I moved on a whim, Dia followed me without question.

We soon reached the cluster of trees and peeked through the gap. What we saw made us gasp.

It was a small clearing surrounded by trees. You could call it a small plaza, though it wasn’t very large. In the center of this small space was a tree stump about waist-high. Sunlight shone brightly upon it, illuminating it like a stage for a performer.

The scene alone was breathtaking, but more striking was the “fairy-like girl” sitting on the stump. Her long golden hair gleamed, and she had a delicate, ethereal expression with her eyes cast downward.

It was like witnessing a scene straight out of a painting, and I found myself unintentionally mesmerized by the beauty before me.