Chapter: 171
And so, it was decided that I would leave the village with Tia.
Really… how did it come to this?
It’s true I wanted to leave this village, but I didn’t plan on leaving suddenly like this.
At the very least, I was thinking about making some preparations before dipping out…
And now she wants to smash everything? Without even considering what kind of danger we might face?
Well, I guess if Tia is a dragon, she could probably pull that off.
“Oh dear, my back… It’s been forever since I lifted anything this heavy.”
After wrapping up the conversation to a certain point, the priest went back to his room for a bit, and then returned struggling with a massive box, which he opened to reveal a hammer inside.
“Here. This hammer was the weapon your mother used. It was made by a dwarf who helped her when she was an adventurer.”
A gigantic hammer inside the box. Its length was about as tall as me, and the head looked bigger than my own head… Can we really call this a hammer?
Honestly, this looks like something that wasn’t made for humans. It resembles a hammer a giant from folk tales would use.
My mom… used this ridiculous thing as a weapon? Seriously?
“Hoh… this is quite a well-crafted piece.”
Tia began inspecting the hammer with excited eyes.
“Did they forge this from a single lump of iron? Must have taken a lot of effort. Have the dwarves’ skills really advanced this much?”
“Hoh. You can tell right away. This hammer is called the Earth Smasher. A skilled dwarf spent a long time making it. Its worth is beyond measure.”
The pitch-black iron hammer. The Earth Smasher. The priest held out the handle toward me.
“Go on, give it a try.”
“But…”
Can I really lift something that looks so heavy?
Among my peers, there’s no one stronger than me… Honestly, I’m stronger than the priest, who’s an adult male…
But could I lift something this massive?
Reluctantly, I grabbed the handle of the huge hammer the priest handed me.
“Huh?”
I lifted it with surprising ease.
What’s going on? I expected this to be extremely heavy… Is the outside just for show with the inside being hollow?
No, if that were the case, the priest wouldn’t have struggled earlier. What in the world is this?
“As I expected, you lifted it effortlessly. That hammer has a special dwarven technique applied to it. It enhances your physical strength using your innate magic.”
“Wow, a magical weapon made with dwarven blessings to boost physical strength! Well, to wield such a hefty hammer as a weapon, you would need more than just ordinary strength.”
“Thanks to that, Ella, who was already pretty strong, got even stronger. Any monster getting hit on the head would be sent straight to the afterlife.”
I swung the hammer around a little. Hmm… It’s lighter than the axe I used for chopping firewood.
At this rate… I might actually be able to swing it.
“Of course, it would take some practice to properly use it as a weapon. Originally, I planned to train you slowly over about a year…”
“Well, with me along as company, I think you’ll be just fine.”
Tia said this with confidence. I mean, if I’m traveling with a dragon, what’s there to be scared of?
But you know, Tia the dragon is kind of terrifying! Sure, she’s being friendly to me right now, but!
Dragons in stories are supposed to be fearsome monsters, so even if Tia is the Dragon’s Priestess, that doesn’t mean I’m not scared!
“Believe it or not, I’m quite skilled at handling weapons. I’ll teach you how to use them during our travels.”
“I appreciate that, but… do priestesses really know how to use weapons?”
“Of course. If I didn’t know how to wield that sword, how could I teach you anything about it?”
That sword…? It can’t be the hero’s sword, can it?
The sword I’ve only heard about in stories… Tia has it?
Does that mean Tia is really the Dragon’s Priestess from the tales?!
“T-Tia. Do you, by chance, have the hero’s sword?”
“Maybelle.”
“But priest! The legendary hero’s sword! Wouldn’t anyone who grew up hearing the hero’s tales want to see it?”
Even the priest scolding me had a strangely excited expression! He wants to see the hero’s sword too!!
The priest who usually tells me to be honest with myself! Is being evasive now!!!
“Well, the hero’s story is the dream for all children, after all. I heard those stories too when I was small.”
See! He wants to see it as well!
“Um… Well, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to show it. After all, there’s no hero around anymore.”
“Really?!”
The priest is more excited than I am. But hey, that’s understandable.
The hero is the one who traveled the world for the Goddess of Life, so of course the priest from the Temple of Life would be all hyped about it.
With the priest’s eyes sparkling, Tia pulled something out of her robe.
A tiny leather pouch. No matter how you look at it, it’s way too small to hold the hero’s sword.
Tia calmly plunged her hand into the pouch and…
“Ta-da.”
An enormous greatsword emerged from the pouch.
What the heck? Is this also magic? How cool!
“This is… No way, spatial magic?!”
“Spatial magic? What’s that?”
“It’s a legendary magic said to have never been successfully replicated. The only one known to use it is… the Dragon’s Priestess from the stories. It’s such a fantastical magic that most assume it’s just an exaggeration in the tales, and only a few researchers even know about it.”
At the priest’s words, Tia wore a smug grin.
“It’s not something that can easily be replicated. I worked hard to create this magic, to be honest. If you claim you can follow my lead, now that would be something impressive.”
“This magic is actually possible? Wait a second, did you say you created this magic?”
“Yeah. I made it myself.”
With Tia’s words, the priest was left speechless, his expression frozen in shock.
“W-wait, um… Excuse me, but… did the Dragon’s Priestess come from the hero’s tale?”
“Yeah, that’s right. Didn’t you figure it out already?”
“No, I thought you were a newly appointed Dragon’s Priestess… Well, I mean… Were you actually the Dragon’s Priestess who journeyed with the hero?”
Tia responded with a small nod.
“How… It’s estimated that was hundreds of years ago… How can a human from that time still be alive…?”
Oh, I see. The priest didn’t realize Tia was a dragon.
He must have thought she was just a human, even a legendary Dragon’s Priestess from the tale.
“I’m a little curious about how the story has been passed down, but let’s move on. And since you’ve confirmed it, please don’t keep asking.”
“Oh my goodness… Goddess of Life…”
As the priest called upon the goddess’s name, Tia flinched somewhat. I guess it’s because she’s the Dragon’s Priestess, kind of like a manifestation of the Goddess of Life.
“Anyway, my identity isn’t really important, so let’s keep it under wraps. If this gets out, it might cause me some headaches.”
“Understood.”
After hearing the priest’s reply, Tia held the greatsword horizontally.
“This is the hero’s sword, Clouive Solais. Only the chosen one can wield it.”
A massive greatsword, a mix of silver and gold, with a large gem at its center. At first glance, it looks more like a piece of art than a weapon, but the eerie glow from the blade shows this is anything but ordinary.
“This is… the hero’s sword…”
“The fact I get to see the real thing is just overwhelming.”
After saying this, the priest produced some papyrus and a piece of charcoal and asked,
“If it’s okay, may I sketch the hero’s sword? I’d like to make a record of its appearance.”
“Sure, go ahead.”
“Thank you!”
Once Tia gave the okay, the priest was overjoyed, spreading the papyrus he was holding on the table, and started drawing with the charcoal.
Hmm… I didn’t know the priest had this talent, but he’s quite a decent artist.
The charcoal in the priest’s hand was almost perfectly capturing the shape of the hero’s sword.
Hmm… I’ll just let the priest get lost in his drawing.
“So, when do you plan to set off?”
“Hmm. The sooner we begin this journey, the better.”
The sooner, huh…?
Does that mean…?
“Let’s leave tomorrow morning. If it weren’t evening already, I would have left right now.”
Tia shook her head slightly.
“Traveling at night with nothing shining except starlight and moonlight… It’s no problem for me alone, but going with someone else could be a bit of a bother.”
“Usually, you’d light the way with torches or something.”
“While you can teleport long distances in an instant with spatial magic, you’d miss out on fully enjoying the journey vibe. Anyway.”
Teleportation…? Is that like magic that can whisk you up from the depths of a cave in a blink of an eye?
Just how many kinds of magic does Tia know? I was starting to feel a bit curious about that.
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