Inheriting the Novel

Credentials (1)

As I watched Teo looking up at me with a hollow expression, I couldn't help but feel a slight thrill.

[What a cowardly guy.]

'I'm just putting my abilities to good use.'

When I approached Epion, which Teo had stuck into the ground, Grancesia clicked her tongue briefly.

[You'd probably make a good actor on a stage.]

'No way, that's not for me.'

I just happened to be good at a bit of sly thinking, and I was skilled at keeping a straight face. Acting simply didn't suit me.

"Well, then."

Sreung!

I drew Epion, which had been embedded in the ground, and held it horizontally.

Then, raising Genova high, I aimed it at Epion.

"Wh-what do you think you're doing?!"

Teo writhed and shouted frantically, but I didn't answer. Rather than explaining, it was enough to show him directly.

"W-wait! Don't!"

As Genova fell vertically, Teo let out a scream, and at the same time, the blades of Genova and Epion met.

Kwa-chang!

With a sound like shattering glass, Epion's blade broke into pieces, scattering into tiny grains of light.

Those that had turned into light were cleanly absorbed by Genova, glowing briefly before vanishing.

"Ah..."

Teo gazed at the scene with a vacant face.

It was only natural, as the Seven Swords Under Heaven, which he had longed for, had been utterly shattered.

"You never had the right to wield it in the first place."

"No, that can't be. I am the mightiest among the beastkin..."

"Which is why you got beaten to a pulp barehanded by a human like me?"

"......"

The beastkin followed the law of the jungle.

From the moment he was beaten so thoroughly with bare fists, there was no trace left of the bravado he had once displayed.

His drooping ears and tail, hanging like a rain-soaked dog, stood out.

"A beast who abandoned responsibility and ran away has no right to hold a sword. Go back to your village and spend your life atoning."

"Grrr...!"

He grit his teeth, evidently frustrated.

"I... I just wanted to see a bigger world. I didn't want to spend my whole life staying in such a small mountain."

He lifted himself up, staggering as he spoke.

His words were full of frustration, but it wasn't like he was trying to be unreasonable or refusing to admit defeat.

"A bigger world, huh."

I couldn't approve of abandoning his responsibility and stealing the sword, but truthfully, it would have been a waste for the son of the beastkin chief to end up that way.

"Well then, let me make you a proposal."

"... A proposal?"

"There's a merchant guild called Timmons. They've been trading actively with Lavantara recently. If you travel with them on their trade journeys, you'll gain much broader experiences. The Timmons merchant guild doesn't just operate in Lavantara, but across the continent—you could go anywhere."

He frowned at the mention of "trade journey," but seemed to be considering it as I continued.

'It'd be a shame to just crush him and send him back to the village.'

He was a slightly annoying guy, but if his character could be adjusted, he might be useful.

"I'll make sure to inform both the king of Lavantara and the chief of the beastkin."

"... You mean you want me to serve as a guard for the merchant guild?"

"That's right. If you refuse, you'll have no choice but to return to your village."

"Tch."

It was little more than a threat.

Still, once utterly defeated, the beastkin's temperament to surrender meekly was rather convenient.

"But it's impossible. I am the beastkin chief's son. Unless someone at least among the Seven Heroes steps up, I must follow in my father's place and lead the beastkin."

"That's why I said I'd persuade them."

I slowly raised my arm and rolled up my sleeve.

A splendidly adorned bracelet on my arm was revealed.

Recognizing what it was instantly, Teo's eyes went round.

"H-how did you get that...?!"

"So, do you believe what I'm saying now?"

He could only nod blankly.

After all, what was clasped around my wrist was the bracelet symbolizing the prestige of the king of Lavantara.

"Uhm... so, is it all over?"

As Teo fell silent, a thin voice rang out.

When I looked over, I saw Kisea shyly stepping forward.

"As you can see."

"Of course, it's Clay! I knew you'd win easily!"

"... What did you say?"

Seeing Kisea speak with a bright smile, Teo growled and ground his teeth.

Kisea flinched for a moment under Teo's menacing presence, but soon grinned, waving a flag at me.

"Look! I even found the flag!"

Who knew what sort of fight had occurred, but the flag was stained crimson with blood.

Of course, it wasn't Kisea's blood. She was spotless, without a single scratch.

"That's impossible..."

Teo seemed to realize this, blinking in disbelief.

He must have understood just how absurdly skilled Kisea was.

His partner had been a little weaker than Teo, but by no means an easy opponent.

In other words, there was no way someone could win so easily and unscathed like Kisea had.

Tap.

I placed my hand on Teo's shoulder.

He glanced back and forth between me and Kisea, unable to find words.

"The world is wide, you know. If you follow me, I'll let you experience that bigger world."

Watching Teo dazedly nod, I smiled with satisfaction.

With the Seven Swords Under Heaven obtained and a decent recruit to boot, it was truly killing two birds with one stone.

* * *

The ones who passed the second trial were me, Kisea, and the team of Rascal and Jerta.

Ian seemed to have put up a good fight, but since Jerta had quickly taken down the mage, it ended up being more or less a two-on-one battle.

Ian might well have felt it was quite unfair, but there was little change in his expression.

[Well, the kid's destined to become one of the Seven Heroes anyway. Kisea is impressive, but his talent is peerless too.]

'Of course.'

There was no way someone who used to be a companion of Fabian could be weak.

"A splendid fight. As expected, only the ones I predicted remain."

Marvin crossed his arms as he looked at us.

His thick muscles looked almost like armor.

"Especially you, Clay Vanhart."

"Yes?"

"I thought you were a swordsman, but are you a martial artist?"

"Well, my master used both styles, and I ended up like this."

"You can use both?"

Apparently, Marvin, who had been observing my performance, was impressed by my martial arts.

No wonder—Marvin Dreistler held the title of 'Fist God.'

[Ah, just looking at his build I figured he'd be the type who uses his fists.]

'Why, is that so fascinating?'

[There aren't that many who train in body techniques like me. Did you say he was second in rank among the Seven Heroes? Impressive.]

I could really sense Grancesia's pride.

It was almost as if she was praising a child, but considering her age... it wasn't completely off the mark.

"I'm sure that martial art was Heaven's Holy Ultimate Art, right...?"

"Yes?"

[Eh?]

How does he know about Heaven's Holy Ultimate Art?

'Wait, maybe there are still records somewhere, since the Saintess went around raising hell under her name.'

[Hey! Raising hell?!]

'You're always talking about how you went around beating people up.'

[I—I'm a Saintess, you know.]

'And that only comes up when it's convenient for you.'

Grancesia went quiet, as if she couldn't find anything to say.

"Judging by your reaction, I must be correct. In that case, I should tell you a story."

"A story, you say...?"

"I'll tell you after this Seven Heroes Convocation is over."

"... Understood."

So nothing new in Marvin's profile, huh?

It was a bit odd, but since he said he'd tell me later, I could only nod.

"There's nothing particularly grand about the third trial either, so there's no need to worry."

With those words, Marvin turned around.

Someone was walking over, their footsteps echoing.

Ban Sylvest.

The continent's first-ranked among the Seven Heroes, hailed as the strongest man on the continent.

'... Good grief.'

I'd heard the stories.

Ban Sylvest, known as the 'Twin Poles Sword,' was a master of twin swords and the continent's sole Grand Swordmaster.

[Not quite on Damian's level... but certainly impressive.]

Since I'd seen Damian Viet with my own eyes, I couldn't help but be startled.

The word 'not yet' meant he could potentially reach that level.

"The Seven Heroes, by default, earn the title 'Hero'. You probably already know the reason for that now."

Ban Sylvest swept his gaze over the four who would undergo the third trial and continued.

"This is the third and final trial."

At the mention of the final trial, all eyes turned to him. They hadn't taken the earlier trials too seriously, so there wasn't much tension.

"The Seven Heroes typically face those considered 'enemies of humanity.' For example, those called a 'calamity'."

As expected from someone from the empire, Ban was aware of calamities.

His sharp eyes scanned over me.

"Count Ribina also fulfilled that duty. If you were nearby, you surely saw it."

"Yes, I know."

Aldred Ribina put his own life on the line to fight the Calamity of Madness. Even now, my chest grew tight whenever I thought of his last moments.

Still, that was as it was, and another uneasy feeling crept in.

'Don't tell me he wants us to hunt a calamity?'

It is assumed that there are about ten calamities in total.

I'd taken down a few so far, but there were still quite a number remaining.

"Of course, we are not asking you to subdue a calamity. In the first place, we don't even know where they are."

His words brought a wave of relief.

Calamities weren't opponents I ever wished to face again, and I also wanted to avoid any events that might change the original story.

"Then, what kind of foe do you mean by one that a hero would face?"

Jerta asked sharply. For some reason, his mood seemed quite sour.

'What's wrong with him?'

[Probably because of the calamities. The Altair Order wouldn't acknowledge them.]

'What do you mean by that?'

[The Altair Order worships Altair as their only god. So if the legend says that a 'god' other than Altair sent down the Seven Swords Under Heaven for humans to fight calamities, then by denying the calamities, they also deny the existence of another god.]

'I see...'

[For the same reason, there's a high chance they're watching you, considering you a heretic.]

I'd already heard how harsh the New Star Kingdom Setram and the Altair Order could be to heretics.

'I'd better be careful.'

I was glad I'd sent Teo off to the Timmons merchant guild earlier.

Such skilled members weren't easy to come by, so gathering as many as possible was advantageous.

"Setram seems to have looked down on the Seven Heroes quite a bit. If they had sent that person instead of you..."

Ban seemed rather indifferent to Jerta's response, almost mocking him.

"You're quite pointed with your words."

"Don't overthink it. The results will tell all anyway."

He smiled at us.

We smiled back at him.

"It's a dragon."

"... Excuse me?"

"I heard there's a dragon rampaging in Darsha these days. I don't know if something went wrong during its frolicking..."

Looking rather troubled, he clicked his tongue, and we were all left speechless.

"That can't be... Duke Sylvest, are you saying you want us to slay a dragon?"

Rascal, speaking as our representative, asked.

He was among the strongest of humans, but even he hadn't expected a dragon.

"That much, you should be able to handle. Of course, since you aren't yet formal Seven Heroes, you'll have an assistant, so don't worry."

Since when did having just a helper make facing a dragon something not to worry about?

"I'll explain again briefly. The third trial is to bring back a dragon's heart."

Ban spoke calmly to us, as if it were nothing.

"Whoever brings back the dragon's heart will become the next of the Seven Heroes."

At those words, I felt an urge to curse my past self for ever thinking the trials were easy.