Chapter 13
『Calm down . First, let's confirm the situation . 』
「I am calm . 」
『You're too calm . 』
This girl is more self-paced than I thought . I have a premonition she'll be very successful .
『You have now become my wielder . 』
「Yes . 」
『ーAnyways, I'm a Magic Sword more or less . I should be quite strong...... Or so I believe . 』
「Yes . 」
『That's why, I want you to use me as your sword . Even if you want to stow me away, it's alright . But you... Do you intend to use me? In other words, will you use me to slay Demonic Beasts?』
Indeed, a girl shouldn't simply be forced to live such a life .
Because I've been equipped for the first time, I have the feeling of wanting this girl to use me, but if she says she doesn't want to, I'll give up .
「I want to use you . Definitely want to use you . 」
An immediate response . That figure which grasped onto my hilt tightly was as dignified as they come .
「I will become stronger . Absolutely . 」
What circumstances would motivate her to this extent?
『What is your goal?』
「Break through the wall . 」
『The wall? What's that?』
While listening to her story, I discover that Beastmen seem to be a species that evolves, much like Demonic Beasts . There're various conditions depending on the Race, but all evolved Beastmen receive respect from their people .
However, the vast majority of Beastmen die without being able to evolve . There seems to be a great difference between Beastmen who have evolved, and those who have not too .
The Black Cats, which is the Race of the girl, have had no one who has evolved throughout all of history . Because of this, they're treated like underlings among the Beastmen . Her parents also pursued evolution, but ran out of strength in the middle of their adventure . The girl caught the eyes of Slave Traders, and was captured .
The girl has inherited the will of her deceased parents, thus her drive for achieving evolution .
『Mh, mh! What a story! A worthy reason! I'll make certain that you'll evolve!』
「Really?」
『Of course! I'll forge you without holding back, right from the start; then, we'll go into a Dungeon to level up! And then, evolution!』
「Thank you very much . 」
『It's fine! I wouldn't pick just anyone to equip me! ーEr... That reminds me, what about your name?』
I still haven't heard her name yet, even though she's my important wielder . But the answer that the girl gave was unexpected .
「Don't have one . 」
『Eh? You don't have a name?』
「No . 」
Certainly, she had no name in Appraisal, but to really have no name...
『Why?』
「Name disappears once you enter a Slave contract . 」
『Hmm? What do you mean?』
「New masters usually want to decide on a name, so your name is erased . 」
I see; so perhaps after using Contract Magic it's forbidden to use their name? It's like they're Chihiro who had their name stolen by Yu**ba[1] .
「My name was erased when I was 8 . 」
That means that she's lived 4 years as a Slave without losing the determination to achieve her goal . It was surely a life wrought with troubles . She's gained a little of my respect .
『Is that so...... Then, what was your original name?』
「Fran . 」
It's the same name as a dog which I kept a long time ago, but oh well . It's easy to say, at least .
『Hmーm . Then your name is Fran . 』
「Is that alright?」
『Is that no good?』
「No, it's not no good . I'm Fran . 」
She seems to be happy . She nods her head again and again . With this, it's become easier to call out to her . But, from the words given from Fran next, I became perplexed .
「Your name?」
『Eh? Me?』
「Yes . 」
In the past month I never talked to anyone, so I didn't have to worry about it, but... I've never had a name, huh . How foolish, to have never noticed .
I have the name that I used during my last life, so I could claim that as my name . But that would be a person's name, so it would be quite an odd name for a Sword .
But... Looking at my Status, my name is Unknown . Shit! If I had thought about it earlier, I would have been able to think of a cool name!
Something like "Cursed Sword Ch**s" or "Derfl**ger"! [2]
『Well......』
「No name?」
『That's correct . 』
「Then, I'll name you . 」
Well, that's fine too . She is my wielder, after all . If Fran gives me a name she likes, then I will receive that affection . Besides, I'm apathetic towards what name I'm given, so she should call me what she'd like .
「Uuーn......」
『*Dokidoki*』 [3]
「Fuーmu......?」
『*Wakuwaku*』 [4]
「Mumuー...... I've decided . 」
『Oh! I see! So? What is it?』
「Teacher . 」[5]
『Ha?』
「Teacher . 」
『Why?』
「You've said that you'll train me . Therefore: Teacher . 」
『Ahー . There're no other contenders? Just that one?』
「There isn't . Best regards, Teacher . 」
〈 Name has been temporarily set to Teacher 〉
Uwaahー! An announcement came?! It's a lie, right? My name isn't seriously Teacher, right?
「Disliked?」
She's as expressionless as before, but there's a subtle anxiety showing on her face . Just a little . I can't say that I hate it if you look at me like that!
『It's not bad! It's a good nameー!』
「Yes . 」
And so, Teacher was decided as my name . I can't help but think that it's not a proper name for a sword, but it's fine so long as Fran likes it . Or so I persuaded myself .
『So, what shall we do from now on? Seeing as the Slave Trader is dead, what happened to the contract? Was it dispelled?』
「It's not . Collar didn't fall off . 」
Fran points towards her collar .
「The Contract should be at a Slave Firm . 」
『So even if a Slave Trader dies, there's no meaning so long as the contract remains?』
「Go to town: get caught . 」
It seems I'll have to deal with this collar somehow .
『Is breaking it no good?』
「Mn . If broken: I die . 」
『Eh? Seriously?』
「Seriously . 」
Ohh . Dangerous . I was thinking of just cutting it off .
『How should I deal with it......?』
Perhaps a Skill of some sort? When I thought so, I found some Skills I wanted to try .
However, because I can't use Skills in this place, I have to leave the Magic Power absorption zone .
「Then, leaving the forest should be fine . 」
I receive something valuable from the carriage, and we start moving . Of course, the Bear was also collected .
I have my blade wrapped in the carriage's cover as a makeshift sheath, using the small man's belt to fasten it to Fran's back . Because she's quite small I almost drag against the ground, but I don't really mind .
Just by equipping me, her physical abilities are considerably strengthened . Fran seems quite surprised from that .
In less than 30 minutes we were able to pass through the forest, it was surprising indeed . Incidentally, because of Conceal Presence, we didn't encounter any Demonic Beasts .
「Amazing . Teacher is amazing . 」
『Ahahaha, you think so?』
「Yes . 」
『Now then, I'll try out a Skill . 』
First, Recovery Magic . I used Magic to try and cure her abnormal condition . There was no effect .
『Then, next is this . 』
Next would be using Purification Magic, treating her status as a curse .
『Lv2 should be enough . 』
It, too, was no good . I have hope in the next one, however .
Contract Magic . As its name might have suggested, my aim is to override the Slave Contract with my own contract .
Contract Magic allows its user to make a contract between the user and the target via Magic . Depending on its Level and the amount of MP used, I can choose from several contract contents . However... I cannot make a contract if the target doesn't consent . I can only make a contract with one target at a time; attempting to making multiple contracts at the same time will result in failure .
So are the details of Contract Magic .
If the Slave Contract is using Contract Magic, I think it's possible to overwrite it .
And so, I used Contract Magic with the image of dispelling prior Magic while making sure to also call the Magic within the collar out .
*pachi*
A small snapping sound resounded . I certainly felt that the Contract Magics had interfered with one another . However, my Contract Magic is too low, so it's been repelled .
『Alright, this means that it's possible to overwrite it . 』
One by one, I use Self-Evolution Points to level up Contract Magic . Finally, at Lv7, I was able to overwrite the contract . As for the amount of Points used: it was 12 .
For the contents of the Contract, it was 『Range :None ・Bestow Name :Fran』[6] . It seems giving other false names would also be possible using this method .
*pakin*
The Slave collar comes off naturally, due to the overwrite .
『Is your body alright?』
「It's alright . No problems . 」
I watch the flow of Magic Power inside of Fran, but as she said, there're no problems . Also, the Magic Power from the Contract Magic that bound Fran until recently was mainly based in the collar, so it it completely disperses within a couple of seconds .
「Thank you . 」
Mmh . The sight of a cat-eared girl being bashful! Beautiful things are beautiful! It was really cute! When you look carefully, it's easy to see that she's quite beautiful . When she grows up, others won't be able to leave her alone .
That's no good . I won't allow it . You'll have to defeat me if you want to go out with Fran!
「This . 」
While my passion burnt by myself, Fran removed something from her waist . It' the wallet that the Slave Trader had .
『What's inside?』
I peer inside, only to find it having numerous contents .
There're several pieces of money . Well, I don't understand this world's currency, so I don't really know how much these're worth . There're Silver, Copper, and other such things, so it's likely not a huge amount at least .
Besides that, there're a couple of tools . They seem to be Magic Tools . Fran demonstrated each .
There's a Torch which can be lit using Magic, a small pitcher which produces drinking water, and a Bracelet which has the effect of STR +1 .
It's not all that great, but it's interesting in its own way . The Bracelet with STR +1, that is .
『Alright, what shall we do now? Other than your main objective, are there any prospects for right now?』
「Hmーm . A town . 」
『Around here?』
「Over there . 」
『Over there, you say...... About how far?』
「Don't know . 」
Apparently, she had heard the Slave Trader speaking of a city to the East by chance . Because the Sense Of Direction Skill that Fran possesses, we'll be able to advance in that direction somehow or another . As a result, her response wouldn't go beyond a carefree 「There . 」 .
『Well, let's head there then . 』
And so, that marked the start of our journey .
This is roughly the current Status:
Name :Teacher Equipment Registration :Fran Race :Intelligent Weapon ATK :392 MP :1650/1650 Durability :1450/1450 Magic Power Conductivity ・A Skills:Appraisal :Lv7, Appraisal Concealment, High-Speed Self-Repair, Self-Evolution〈 Rank :7・Magic Stone Status :2109/2800・Memory :62・Points :18 〉, Self-Modification, Telekinesis, Telekinesis ↑ Low, Telepathy, ATK ↑ Low, Owner ALL Stats ↑,Owner HP Recovery ↑ Low, MP ↑ Low, Memory ↑, Demonic Beast Knowledge, Skill Sharing, Sorcery Set Skills: Sword Arts :Lv7, Pugilist Arts :Lv3 Sword Techniques:Lv7, Pugilist Techniques :Lv1 HP Recovery Rate ↑ :Lv1, Evasion :Lv2, Evasion ↑ :Lv1, Leg Strength ↑ :Lv2, Instant Recovery :Lv1 Recovery Magic :Lv1, Flame Magic :Lv1, Purification Magic :Lv3, Soil Magic :Lv4, Fire Magic :LvMax, Support Magic :Lv3 Danger Perception :Lv1, Vigilance :Lv4, Presence Perception :Lv2, Harvesting :Lv2, Echolocation :Lv1, Magic Perception :Lv3 Stealth :Lv3, Conceal Presence :Lv3, Escape :Lv1 Intimidation :Lv2, Ambition :Lv1 Fire Resistance :Lv1, Fear Resistance :Lv1, Impact Resistance :Lv1, Abnormal Status Resistance :Lv1, Mental Resistance :Lv1, Poison Resistance :Lv3, Drowsiness Resistance :Lv1, Disease Resistance :Lv3, Physical Attack Resistance :Lv1, Paralysis Resistance :Lv2 Dismantling :LvMax, Throwing :LV3, Cooking :LvMax Aerial Jump :Lv2 Mineralogy :Lv1, Medicine Manufacturing :Lv1, Herbalism :Lv3 Poison Breath :Lv1, Fission Creation :Lv1 Vigor Manipulation, Dimensional Storage, Vibration Fang, Floating, Parallel Thought, Magic Manipulation Night Vision, Absorption Enhancement, Sight Enhancement, Digestion Enhancement, Bird's Eye View, Hearing Enhancement, Vitals Enhancement, AGI ↑ Low, MGC ↑ Low, Taste Enhancement, STR ↑ LowMemory Skills:Weapon Skills: Archery :Lv1, Sword Dancing :Lv1, Sword Arts :Lv7, Pugilist Arts :Lv3, Club Arts :LV3, Shield Arts :Lv3, Staff Arts :Lv1, Small Axe Arts :Lv1, Quarterstaff Arts :Lv1, Warhammer Arts :Lv1, Dual Sword Arts :Lv2, Spear Arts :Lv4, Halberd Arts :L2, Greatsword Arts :Lv1, Martial Arts :Lv3, Shortbow Arts :Lv1, Dagger Arts :Lv3, Longbow Arts :Lv1, Katana Arts :Lv1, Claw Arts :Lv1, Viscous Body Arts :Lv1, Axe Arts :Lv3, Whip Arts :Lv1, Stick Arts :Lv1, Pike Arts :Lv1Technique Skills: Sword Techniques :Lv7, Pugilist Techniques :Lv1, Shield Techniques :Lv1, Warhammer Techniques :Lv1, Spear Techniques :Lv2, Halberd Techniques :L1, Viscous Body Techniques :Lv1Physical Skills: HP Recovery Rate ↑ :Lv1, Evasion :Lv2, Evasion ↑ :Lv1, Leg Strength ↑ :Lv2, Hardening :Lv1, Acidic Saliva :Lv1, Flexibility :Lv1, Instant Recovery :Lv1, Instantaneous Movement :Lv1, Molting :Lv1, Softening :Lv1Magic Skills: Recovery Magic :Lv1, Flame Magic :Lv1, Wind Magic :Lv1, Contract Magic :Lv7, Summon Kin :Lv1, Purification Magic :Lv3, Oath Magic :Lv1, Soil Magic :Lv4, Fire Magic :LvMax, Support Magic :Lv3, Water Magic :Lv2Detection Skills Footstep Perception :Lv1, Danger Perception :Lv1, Airflow Vision :LV1, Vigilance :Lv4, Presence Perception :Lv2, Harvesting :Lv2, Hunting :Lv1, Vibration Perception :LV1, Electromagnetic Perception :Lv1, Heat Perception :Lv1, Echolocation :Lv1, Magic Perception :Lv3Concealment Skills: Stealth :Lv3, Mimicry :Lv1, Conceal Presence :Lv3, Silent Flight :Lv1, Survival Arts :Lv1, Escape :Lv1, Tunneling :Lv1, Night Cover :Lv1Influence Skills: Coercion :Lv1, Intimidation :Lv2, Leadership :Lv1, Raise Morale :Lv1, Ambition :Lv1, Roar :Lv1Resistance Skills: Fire Resistance :Lv1, Fear Resistance :Lv1, Impact Resistance :Lv1, Abnormal Status Resistance :Lv1, Mental Resistance :Lv1, Poison Resistance :Lv3, Drowsiness Resistance :Lv1, Disease Resistance :Lv3, Physical Attack Resistance :Lv1, Paralysis Resistance :Lv2Technical Skills: Digging :Lv3, Transportation :Lv4, Dismantling :LvMax, Blacksmithing :Lv1, Singing :Lv1, Acrobatics :Lv1, Craftsmanship :Lv1, Sewing :Lv1, Pickpocket :Lv1, Leap :Lv1, Throwing Arts :LV3, Climbing :Lv1, Engineering :Lv1, Belly Crawl :Lv1, Carpentry :Lv1, Cooking :LvMax, Trap Creation :Lv1Art/Science Skills: Mineralogy :Lv1, Medicine Manufacturing :Lv1, Herbalism :Lv3Magical Ability Skills Absorption :Lv1, Airflow Manipulation :Lv1, Air Compression :Lv1, Air Bullet Discharge :Lv1, Aerial Jump :Lv2, Vibration Impact :Lv1, Chastisement Thread:Lv1, Provocation :Lv1, Weather Prediction :Lv1, Ultrasonic Impact :Lv1, Poison Breath :Lv1, Fission Creation :Lv1, Magic Absorption :Lv1Special Ability Skills Scale Regeneration, Orc Slayer, Vigor Manipulation, Phantom Body, Goblin Slayer, Kobold Slayer, Narcotic Fang, Dimensional Storage, Vibration Fang, Floating, Parallel Thought, Magic Manipulation, Demonic Thread Creation, Demonic Poison FangPassive Skills: Night Vision, Scale Hardening, Smell Enhancement, Absorption Enhancement, Strongly Acidic Viscous Body, Shell Enhancement, Shell Weight Lightening, Sight Enhancement, Digestion Enhancement, Hair Enhancement, Hair Hardening, Bird's Eye View, Hearing Enhancement, Pain Reduction, Vitals Enhancement, AGI ↑ Low, Predation, MGC ↑ Low, Taste Enhancement, Eggshell Camouflage, STR ↑ LowSynthesized Skills: Vibration Bullet Discharge
[1] Reference to Yubaba from Spirited Away .
[2] Both are references to swords of some sort . The first is a reference to Demonic Sword Chaos — or, Kaosu (魔剣カ〇ス = 魔剣カオス) — from the Rance Series . Thanks to Mesaphrom for pointing that out!
The second is a reference to Derflinger — or Derufuringa (デルフリ〇ガー = デルフリンガー) — from the Zero no Tsukaima Series . Thanks to Mystletainn for pointing that out!
[3] The sound of Sword-bro's (nonexistent) heart palpitating .
[4] The sound of Sword-bro's excitement building .
[5] It's "Shisho" (師匠), so technically it could also be "Master" . Not the 'Goshujin-sama~" type, though .
[6] The contents are actually 不都合のない範囲で,フランと名乗ること, but I essentially compounded the information . The bit pre-comma is saying "A range with no inconvenience" which, when separated into compounded characters = No Range — thus the translation . The second half is just as it appears; declaring Fran's name .