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

Chapter 8 Awakening

“Nh….”

Light shone on my eyelids, and I woke up feeling the brightness.

Looking up, I saw the familiar wooden ceiling.

The ultimate confirmation was the sensation of the futon fitting against my back.

“Where is this…?”

There was no mistaking it. This was my room.

Morning sunlight streamed in through the window, illuminating my face.

It was morning.

Which means, from yesterday evening until now, I must have been sleeping.

Ever since I fought against the demon…

“Oh, Rust. You’re awake.”

“…Mom.”

As if on cue, my mother entered the room.

Judging by her calculated actions, she must have brought the cut fruit on the plate to my room.

Perhaps as a substitute for breakfast.

Well, that’s fine, but there are so many things I want to ask now.

So, I tried to quickly ask my mother, who was placing the plate on the table.

However…

“You were found collapsed in the forest and helped by a guard, dear.”

“Eh…? Is that so?”

My mother explained it to me beforehand.

So, I was helped by a guard. Did the lumberjack brothers call for help?

That’s how I ended up being brought here.

However, that’s not the thing I wanted to ask about the most.

“T-The girl who was with me, what about her…?”

“Don’t worry, she’s fine. She was crying near where you collapsed, but she was safely protected without any injuries.”

“I see…”

…In that case, that’s a relief.

After that, I was able to return to the village without any further trouble.

It seems there was a meaningful reason for me to confront the demon.

“You helped her, right, Rust?”

“Eh?”

“I heard the story from that girl. You protected her from the scary demon. She said to tell you ‘thank you’ when you wake up. Good job, Rust.”

“…”

Unexpectedly, I was taken aback and frozen by this report.

…Thank you, huh?

Just receiving those words made it feel worthwhile to confront the demon.

It was scary, painful, and difficult.

But more than that, it now feels comforting.

I defeated the demon and protected the girl. The fact is slowly seeping into the core of my being.

“Nevertheless, Rust, facing a demon… I was really happy when I heard that story.”

“Eh? Why?”

“Because whenever you go to the forest to exterminate monsters, you always come back tattered like an old rag. Even a layperson like me can easily see that Rust is weak.”

“A rag…?”

That’s too harsh.

But I can’t completely deny it.

Even against weak monsters in the forest, I end up battered and bruised.

Having received the weakest F-rank sacred treasure, it’s only natural.

For my mother, who has been watching over me, even against weak monsters in the forest, it must be a surprising turn of events that I, who could barely handle that, managed to defeat a demon and protect a girl.

Well, I’m still surprised myself.

“You’ve become stronger, Rust.”

“…Ehehe.”

“And, the guards and the village chief were grateful too. If the demon had attacked Red Village, it would have put the villagers in danger. You’ve become the hero of the village, Rust.”

“…A hero?”

It’s not entirely unappealing.

Not just a hero to the girl but a hero who protected the village.

In a way, have I gotten a little closer to the admired hero?

Well, either way, I’m still a novice, not even an adventurer.

So, I want to become an adventurer and, even more…

“Um, Mom. I was thinking that I…”

But once again, I was beaten to the punch by my mother.

“You want to become an adventurer, right?”

“Eh?”

“You’ve always wanted to be an adventurer. Once you became strong, I thought you’d want to fulfill your dream right away.”

“…”

It seems my mother saw through me.

Yes, I want to set out on a journey right away.

I want to use the power that allowed me to defeat the demon to become the adventurer I’ve admired.

But…

“I… I do want to become an adventurer. But, you know, I’ve been relying on you for so long, and suddenly saying goodbye is just too…”

“It’s fine. Really, go.”

“…Is it okay?”

“Well, it does feel a bit lonely, and I might think you’re a heartless son for leaving so suddenly…”

“Ugh…”

My ears started to ache, and I unintentionally frowned, but hearing my mother’s next words made my eyes well up with warmth.

“My son wants to do something. It’s a mother’s duty to give him a hearty kick forward. Do as you like, Rust.”

“Mom…”

Why does she always say the words I long to hear so accurately?

I’m truly blessed to have a mother like her.

Being my mother’s son is a great thing.

“You’ve always liked adventure stories with adventurers. Finally, Rust’s dream is coming true, huh? Especially, ‘Hero Krista’… right? The hero you admire.”

“Yeah, that’s right. You remember it well.”

Hero Krista.

One of the heroes passed down through the ages.

While there are no particularly standout stories compared to other heroes, it is said that during childhood, Krista endured bullying from other children in the neighborhood.

Krista’s sacred treasure wasn’t notably powerful, but Krista became an adventurer to stand up to the bullies, and rapidly gained strength.

Eventually, Krista became strong enough to be remembered as a hero and turned the tables on the bullies, saying, ‘How about that?’

That’s the story of Hero Krista. Compared to other glorious hero tales, it leaves a somewhat subtle or plain impression, but I was deeply moved by Krista’s story.

“I want to help more and more people. I want to protect those attacked by the demons. Even if I’m bullied, like Hero Krista… And this time, I’ll catch up to Ruby for sure.”

Saying that, my mother smiled with a knowing look.

“If that’s what Rust has decided, then I won’t stop you. Go ahead and rampage to your heart’s content. It seems you’ve gained enough strength to defeat demons, so you should be fine.”

“Yeah. Thanks, Mom.”

With that, I finally took the first step toward my dream.

“Oh, by the way, Mom, do you know about my sacred treasure?”

“Huh? sacred treasure? Ah, if you mean that, it’s leaning over there.”

Mom pointed to the corner of the room.

When I shifted my gaze there, indeed, my sacred treasure was leaning against the wall.

Did the guards pick it up for me?

I was relieved at the thought, but as I looked into the corner of the room, my eyes widened, and I inadvertently froze.

Because there, not only was my ‘Rusty Sword,’ but also another one – the Pitch-Black Greatsword was leaning.

Why…?

It wasn’t just my 【Rusty Sword】, but another one – the ‘Black Greatsword,’ the demon’s weapon.

And my sacred treasure has returned to its original form!