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

Chapter 60 Treatment

The day after the incident.

I followed Charm-san’s instructions and stayed quietly in town. Without accepting any requests as an adventurer or going shopping, I curled up in my inn bed. Though I wasn’t forbidden from going out, I didn’t feel like it. Charm-san had told me to come to the adventurer’s guild at noon, so I planned to go out then, but until that time, I just wanted to stay in my room.

“…Sigh.”

Thinking about yesterday, I let out a regretful sigh. Perhaps I had made a grave mistake. I had aimed my artifact at another adventurer, my childhood friend Helio. I had defended a demon, an enemy of humanity. This made me feel like I wasn’t just a failed adventurer but a failed human being.

Lost in these thoughts, time slipped by, and it was suddenly time to go. I reluctantly got up and left the inn, heading towards the adventurer’s guild. As I walked, I thought about the demon girl.

“I wonder what happened to her…”

After the incident, Charm-san had taken her into the guild’s custody, saying they needed to question her about her involvement in the adventurer kidnapping case. While I doubted they would torture or harshly interrogate her, I couldn’t help but worry a bit.

Helio had handed over his divine weapon to Charm-san and then left town with his two companions. The adventurer party that had come to help also left, saying they had another mission. As for Dia, since she only defended the demon girl, she wasn’t reprimanded and had no orders to stay in town. We hadn’t planned to meet today. What might she be doing now? Exploring the area alone? The pet search request from yesterday had been completed, and we received our reward money, so maybe she was out shopping.

Lost in these thoughts, I arrived at the guild, surprised to see a familiar girl there.

“Ah, you’re late, Rust.”

“…Dia?”

Since I had just been thinking about her, seeing her there caught me even more off guard.

“W-Why are you here, Dia? I was the only one who was called.”

More than anything, I was expecting to be reprimanded for my big fight with Helio. If Dia came along, she might get dragged into it too. Yet…

“I also protected the demon girl back then. If you are to be punished, then I am equally guilty.”

“Equally guilty?”

Is that… how it works?

From the way Charm-san spoke, it didn’t seem like siding with the demon girl was inherently wrong. The real issue was that I had pointed a artifact at a person. So I didn’t think Dia needed to be punished.

“Come on, let’s go, Rust.”

“Ah, okay…”

With Dia eagerly entering the guild, I didn’t have a chance to argue. Reluctantly, I followed her inside. Whatever punishment I might face, it was unlikely Dia would be blamed too. I was being reprimanded for aiming a divine weapon at a person, so I was sure she wouldn’t be punished.

Entering the guild with that thought, I immediately met Charm-san’s eyes at the reception. She waved us over cheerfully, and Dia and I complied.

“Oh, silver-haired girl is here too.”

“Y-Yes. I just happened to meet Rust…”

As usual, Dia timidly responded, showing her shyness. Why would she lie about that? It didn’t seem like a coincidence at all to me. But I decided not to bring it up and let it pass.

“In that case, it’s perfect. I have a ‘favor’ to ask of the silver-haired girl too.”

“A favor?”

What could she possibly want from Dia? I was curious, but first, I needed to address my own issue.

“So, why was I called here?”

Half-knowing the answer, I still asked. Surely it was about the fight with Helio and the punishment for it. I came prepared to accept whatever punishment awaited me. As I stood there tense, Charm-san smiled gently at me.

“Before we get to that, I want to share what we’ve learned about the ‘demon girl.’”

“What did you find out?”

“First, it seems unlikely that the demon girl was directly involved in the ‘adventurer kidnapping’ case. That’s good news, right?”

“I see…”

To be honest, I didn’t know much about the case, so it didn’t fully sink in. Nonetheless, it was a relief to hear that she wouldn’t be punished for anything. But how did they get that information from her? She seemed like a girl of few words, so it must have been challenging to get her to talk. Did they take their time and gradually gain her trust? Or perhaps they had some special artifact for interrogation? Well, no point in overthinking it.

“Additionally, it appears the demon girl came from an area called ‘Obsidian Mountain’ and made her way to the Seven Colored Forest.”

“Obsidian Mountain?”

“It’s an area a bit to the east from here. Apparently, she lived there but was persecuted by other demons and fled to the Seven Colored Forest. She was nearly exterminated by adventurers but was saved by Rusty-kun.”

“…I see.”

So that’s what happened. Knowing this, I felt even more sympathy for her. She wasn’t only persecuted by adventurers but also by her fellow demons, leaving her feeling incredibly lonely. It made sense now why she said she had no ‘place.’ She probably couldn’t get along with other more aggressive demons because of her gentle nature.

“Now, to the main point. Rusty-kun, I want you to take the demon girl to the ‘Guild Headquarters.’”

“The Guild Headquarters? Why would we go there…?”

I was taken aback by this sudden request. The Guild Headquarters oversees all the branches of the adventurers’ guild. It’s located in ‘Clearland,’ the largest city in the world, known for housing the most adventurers. Why would I need to take the demon girl there? Charm-san crossed her arms and put on a thoughtful expression as if to emphasize the importance of what she was about to say.

“After a brief investigation, we determined that the demon girl poses no significant threat. However, we cannot allow her to stay in town without proper authorization. That’s why I need you to go to the Guild Headquarters and get a direct decision from the Guild Master.”

“The Guild Master…”

A very important person. Someone so high-ranking that I can’t even properly describe it. If the Guild Master decides her fate, it would be final. As an adventurer belonging to the guild, I’d have no choice but to follow their orders, even if it meant killing the demon girl. The thought made me hesitate.

“Do you really think they’ll allow her to stay in town?”

I recalled the reactions of Helio and the other adventurers when they first saw the demon girl. Their wariness was understandable. Ordinary people would have an even worse impression of demons. I couldn’t imagine them allowing a demon girl to stay in a human town. Expressing my concern, Charm-san responded with her usual smile.

“It’s an old story, but apparently there was a plan led by the guild to establish a ‘protected zone’ for demons.”