Kays Translations

Chapter 63: Grade V Explorer ③

I could faintly hear someone calling in the distance.

(Wof. Wof… Wof.)

Who…?

(Wof… awaken… Now is the time to awaken…)

“Huh? Eh? Wha—what?”

When I opened my eyes, I was… where?
Some kind of pure white… space?

Where was I? Was this a dream?

(Wof. You’re awake now.)

“W-Who are you? Huh? Who?”

Standing there all alone was… well, what could I even say?

A mystical beauty that seemed like the very embodiment of something divine stood before me.

Her hair shimmered with light. Her eyes were silver.
She wore layers upon layers of strange robes.

Somehow… she reminded me of a blade. Just a bit.

(Wof. I am the Goddess of Knives.)

“…Eh. What?”

(I am the Goddess of Knives.)

“…………”

Wait, what?

(I am the Knife Goddess. I appear before those who break ten knives.)

“Did you just say… ten?”

Hold on. A knife goddess?
I mean, I figured gods existed in this world… but a knife goddess is kind of… out of nowhere?

(Correct. Wof. You broke ten knives in record time.)

“Record time…?”

(There are many who have broken ten knives before.
However, none have done so as quickly as you have.)

“Seriously?”

Wait, hold on—have I really broken that many?

(Normally it takes twenty or thirty years to wear down that many. Most who do are assassins or knife-throwers by trade. Others include hunters, thieves, or shady bar guys who dramatically throw knives into wooden beams beside the hero’s face to intimidate them… or wannabes practicing that move. Oh, and hobbyists who just love throwing knives, I guess.)

Wow, that got weirdly specific near the end.

Wait—“the hero”?

(Woof. So—why is it that you use knives?)

“Well, um… they’re lighter than swords.”

To be honest, I actually prefer swords over knives.

Swords are the ultimate classic in fantasy.
Swords. Blades. And even KATANA.

I’m kind of jealous of guys like Axe-san or Agaro-san.

But the first time I held a sword, I was shocked by how heavy it was.

That was what did it—I was so thrown off, I decided to use knives instead.

(I understand. Still, the fact remains: you have broken ten knives.)

The Knife Goddess said this as she pulled out a stone tablet.

Displayed there were the ten knives I had supposedly broken… Wait a second—

“Um, Goddess?”

(Yes?)

“This ninth one… it says ‘In the junkyard, Mineha broke the knife with 【Spiral】 because it was in the way’… Am I getting blamed for that too?”

(…Huh?)

The Knife Goddess looked at the stone tablet. Then let out a small, “Ah,” and smiled at me.

It was a gentle, divine smile—a true Archaic Smile, full of maternal affection.

(—Well then, I shall return when you’ve broken your tenth knife. May your knives serve you well.)

“Wait, hold on a sec—!”

I bolted upright.

“…Haa… haa… haa… haa… Just a dream.”

What a weird dream.

The Knife Goddess… well, it was just a dream after all.

There’s no way she could be real.

Gods did exist in this world.
Not “do”—did. At least, that’s what I believe.

But most people in this world still believe gods exist today.

“But a Knife Goddess? That’s a bit much… haha.”

Come on. It’s got to be a dream. Just a dream.
And ten knives? No way I broke that many.

Phew… what a crappy dream.

A really crappy dream… It even made me remember why I chose knives in the first place.
Swords, huh…

“…Swords.”

Swords, huh. Yeah… it’s been two years since then.

Maybe it’s time I picked one up again.

As I thought that, I let out a long yawn.

It was still dark out.
I rolled over… and went back to sleep.

Morning.

I groggily got up, washed my face, and started preparing breakfast.

“Na?”

“Good morning. Where’s Mineha-san?”

Dagaa wandered over, still half-asleep, and fluttered down onto the table beside the kitchen.

“Na?”

When Mineha-san is around, Dagaa sleeps with her—probably using her like a blanket.

When she’s not around, he sleeps with me.

“Could you go call her for me?”

“Na!”

Dagaa wobbled off and flew toward the tower.

I struck a firestone, lit the fire, and placed the frying pan on it to warm up.

Firestones—also called elemental stones—are single-use legacies.

They’re red in color and easily obtained in large amounts from dungeons, making them a friend to all commoners.

Using an elemental stone is simple.

Just crack it and the fragments turn into that element and disappear. That’s it.

Plus, since they’re stones, they don’t break too easily—which is convenient.

While waiting, I pulled some bacon from the storage jar and sliced a few thin pieces.

I checked the oil jar—it was pitch black. Damn. I forgot to buy more.

“This is no good anymore.”

I erased the waste oil using 【Vanish】, and decided to use the bacon fat instead.

I put the bacon fat in the warmed pan, then added bacon and two eggs.

With a gentle shake, I cooked the bacon and fried eggs.

Next, I pulled out some bread beans and sliced them.

I tossed them into the pan and sautéed them in the bacon fat.

Once they turned golden brown, I took them out.

I split the bread beans and sandwiched the bacon and fried eggs inside.

I plated two of them and wondered—Mineha-san still isn’t awake?

I grilled a thick slice of bacon for Dagaa, and in the meantime, started making tea.

There’s a small shelf on the table with little jars just for tea leaves.

It’s a new addition.

I took out a few leaves, mixed them, and ground them into powder.

I added water and placed the mixture in a crescent-shaped vessel to steep.

The tea leaves were either bought or gifted by the witch.

I plated Dagaa’s thick bacon and placed it in his special dish.

Then I poured the finished tea into cups for Mineha-san and myself.

Today’s tea is black soybean tea. I picked up a mixed-bean pack during a sale.

Maybe I should try brewing coffee next time.

“Good morning… Something smells good…”

Mineha-san floated in, still in her pajamas.

Dagaa followed right behind her.

“Good morning, Mineha-san.”

Dagaa chomped down on his thick bacon. Mineha-san dug into her egg and bacon.

As she ate, she finally woke up enough to ask me:

“So, what are you doing today?”

“I thought I’d head to the guild and maybe try picking up a request.”

It’s true—I did consider early retirement (FIRE) for a second.

But after everything—thanks to the support of so many people and the witches—I finally became an explorer.

Throwing that all away without even trying wouldn’t be like me.

So I figured… I might as well try living the explorer life for a bit.

I’m a guy, after all. Dungeon diving is every man’s dream.

That said, can I even FIRE with just 1.45 million Ouro?

Realistically, that’s not enough to live off of in leisure.

At best, it lets you live frugally without working.

To FIRE comfortably, I’d probably need 10 million Ouro… no, maybe 5 million?

If I want to live lavishly, I’d need even more.

So yeah—FIRE got pushed out of my head.

Anyway, I am an explorer now.

So I’ve decided to take on a simple quest and dive into the dungeon.

That’s the plan.

“Hmm. Sounds good to me.”

“What about you, Mineha-san?”

“Hmm… I think I’ll take it easy for a little longer. Oh—and if you ever get a request from the Grand Guildmaster, you must call me. Got it?”

“I understand.”

One companion secured.

Yesterday, when we got home, it was just the two of us and Dagaa.
We had a small celebration.

Honestly, I wish I could’ve shared it with Pakira-san and the others too.

But since they said they’d be returning late, I figured I’d let them know another day.

So I haven’t told Liv-san yet either.

Well, it’s not that big a deal—I’ve only just become an explorer, after all.

During the small celebration, I explained the full details, and Mineha-san offered to help.

I had no reason to refuse, so I asked her as well. That makes two more people to go.

Though, I don’t actually plan on tackling that request just yet.

The Grand Guildmaster’s exploration request, huh?

It’s a request that has zero urgency.

For one, there’s no deadline at all. And more importantly, he already failed.

Most likely, Alhazard Abrahamlin doesn’t actually expect me to complete the request.

I can tell—this is a request meant to span years of effort.

Maybe even one that can’t be solved in a lifetime.

No one knows when exactly he failed.

But if even a First-Class Explorer who became the Grand Guildmaster couldn’t fulfill it…

That means there’s something almost impossibly difficult about this request.

It’s likely that there’s a riddle here no one could solve, not in years, not in decades, maybe not ever.

With that in mind, I don’t intend to complete it on my first attempt.

But still, I’ll go as far as I can.

That means: preparations and gathering companions.

But for today, I’m taking on my first request as a newly registered explorer.

After breakfast, Mineha-san went back up the tower, and I got dressed.

“Na!”

“You’re staying behind?”

“Na!”

“Hey now… not again.”

I sighed and unsheathed the modified version of Agaro-san’s knife.

The blade glowed with a fiery blue light. Dagaa tapped it with his front paw.

Every time he tapped it, the glow rippled—almost like waves.

“……”

This rippling effect… feels a lot like a liquid crystal display.

Well, I mean, of course it’s not actually an LCD, but still.

Ever since I showed this knife to Dagaa, he’s taken a liking to stepping on it.

I have no idea what he finds so entertaining. Then again, I don’t even know what he is to begin with.

By the way, on the way back from the mansion, I stopped by Cider Pavilion for a bite.

Agaro-san happened to be there, so I showed him the knife right away.

He examined it curiously while drinking, and I explained the situation and apologized.

To my surprise, Agaro-san burst out laughing.

He told me his Flame Tongue had actually broken multiple times and had been repaired again and again until it became what it is now.

He said maybe this knife would turn out the same. I could only smile wryly at that.

He also tried to make me drink in celebration of becoming an explorer—now that was a problem.

But honestly, it made me really happy.

“Alright. I’m heading out. What about you?”

“Na!”

Dagaa transformed into a knife.

Guess that means he wants to come along.

I sheathed the modified Agaro-san knife, then sheathed the Dagaa-knife as well.

Alright. Time to head out.

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