Chapter 4: Our Journey: Preparation Arc ③ – The Knife Goddess
I ended up using it without much thought—caught up in the mood and momentum of that moment.
I did believe it was for offense. She wasn’t the kind of person who would lie about something like that.
I could tell she was sincere and pure when it came to strength.
Well… I can’t deny that being kissed made me a bit easy to sway.
“…………”
Relic [Vibration]: It vibrates. Allows control over vibrations.
“So it’s not Quake…”
Vibration… huh.
I tried using it, and—whoa—my right hand turned into something like static noise.
It wasn’t exactly shaking, and there was no obvious visible change.
I brought that noise-filled right hand close to a rock.
The rock began to tremble.
When I kept my hand against it, cracks formed.
“Whoa… so this is [Vibration].”
This is kind of different from what I imagined. I still don’t fully get it.
But anyway—I got a new relic.
Next thing is…
“…I need to buy knives.”
Quite a lot of them broke again.
This time, most of them were loot, though.
“Oh—right! Agaro-san’s Knife Mk. II!”
I promised Liv-san she’d fix it, but she already left.
Still, we’re coincidentally heading to the same place—Heizen.
“I’ll meet her there, so I’ll bring that along too.”
Agaro-san’s Knife Mk. II is stored in my room.
I need to remember to take it.
“…I should head back before anyone notices.”
If I get found, I’ll definitely be detained.
“What was all that commotion just now?”
“Over here!”
“Another intruder?”
“Capture them immediately! If they resist—”
Crap—it’s the guards. And there are a lot of them.
This is bad. What do I do?
“Nyaa.”
Huh? A black cat?
It suddenly appeared right in front of me, staring intently.
“Nyaa.”
It meowed again, then started walking away.
After going a short distance, it looked back.
“Nyaa.”
…Is it telling me to follow?
“Nyaa.”
It started walking again.
“There’s a high chance this was a hideout for criminals. Search every inch!”
This is bad—they’re coming this way.
Screw it—when desperate, even a cat’s tail will do!
I followed the black cat.
Strangely, I didn’t run into a single guard and managed to escape the arena ruins safely.
“Th-thank you…”
“Nyaa.”
The black cat flicked its unusually long tail and disappeared.
“…I can’t believe I was saved by a cat.”
Thinking how fantasy-like that was, I headed home.
That night.
A mysterious white space filled with thick, pure-white fog.
“……………”
I stood there, motionless.
Yeah… figures.
I broke that many knives all at once.
I had a feeling this would happen once I went to sleep.
“Wolff.”
A mysterious, transcendent beauty appeared—radiant with the glint of blades.
The Knife Goddess.
I bowed respectfully.
“It’s been a while.”
“It seems you defeated Alweld von Rutvelt—the ‘Destroyer of Ruin’ and guardian deity of the king[Thousand Kill Arcos].”
“Yes. I won thanks to you, Goddess.”
Right—this too.
I took out a bracelet.
A steel-colored band set with a silver gem.
“This is a token of my gratitude.”
“Oh? Like this?”
She extended her arm.
Carefully, I slipped the bracelet onto the Knife Goddess’s wrist.
She examined it.
“What do you think?”
“I don’t dislike things like this.”
“I’m glad.”
She chuckled softly.
“I should return the favor. But doing the same as everyone else would be dull for a goddess.”
“You already know, don’t you?”
“Yes… well, more or less.”
She hesitated slightly.
“Does the bracelet’s effect work on you too, Knife Goddess?”
“No. But I don’t want to be left out. Let’s see… I’ve decided, Wolff.”
“Y-yes?”
Suddenly, she spread her arms wide.
“Give me a kiss—anywhere you like.”
“Eh?”
“Kiss any part of my body you like.”
“…Any part…”
I glanced over her figure.
Her chest swelling beneath white cloth.
Her tight waist.
Her ample hips.
A perfect ‘pet bottle’ figure—just as well-proportioned as the Witch’s.
The Knife Goddess flushed and said:
“I said anywhere you like, but that doesn’t mean… the chest or hips, obviously…”
“N-no, that’s not—!”
I panicked.
I just looked—any guy would.
She was breathtakingly beautiful. A true Venus.
“…Is that so?”
She gave me a cold stare.
“It’s a misunderstanding. May I have your hand?”
“Like this?”
“Yes—excuse me.”
I gently kissed the back of her hand.
“….”
“Knife Goddess?”
“…Very well.”
She was clearly dissatisfied, sighing deeply.
Still, this was the safest option.
“Would you have preferred somewhere else?”
“No.”
“The lips?”
“Wof. Do you understand what it means to take a goddess’s lips?”
She glared.
I didn’t know—but it sounded dangerous.
“I’m sorry.”
“That’s enough.”
“….”
“….”
“Haa…”
The mood became awkward.
I decided to change the subject—there was something I wanted to ask.
“Um, Knife Goddess, may I ask something?”
“What is it?”
“I heard the Sword God who cursed me so I can’t wield swords was shattered in a war.”
“…That is true. The fragments became daughters of the Sword Goddess.”
“Only daughters?”
“Yes. Because the Sword God was a goddess. Artifact-type gods usually give birth through union with male gods, but being shattered can also give birth to gods. If a male god shatters, only male gods are born. If a goddess shatters, only goddesses are born.”
“Huh…”
She thought for a moment.
“It’s possible that daughters of the Sword Goddess would be unaffected by the curse.”
“Really?”
“Yes—but we don’t know how much time has passed, how many exist, or whether you’ll meet them… or whether they’d help.”
So it’s up to fate and timing.
“I understand.”
“I’m sorry. That’s all I can say.”
“No—having hope alone is enough. Do the daughters take the form of swords?”
“They may appear in human form. Any race.”
“…Even children?”
“That’s possible.”
“Then descendants too?”
“Whether they become swords is… difficult to say.”
“…I see.”
Basically—don’t expect too much.
“Now then… to the main topic. Wof. Did you obtain a knife in an unusual way?”
“Y-yes. I found it while cleaning my pouch.”
I showed it.
The barnacles, shells, and coral stuck to the sheath wouldn’t come off no matter what.
The Knife Goddess nodded.
“That is a gift.”
“A gift?”
“A thank-you for freeing the Sahagin by defeating Death Abstract.”
“F-from whom? The Sahagin?”
“Yes. They were dungeon monsters created by an event device, but still…
Seeing those pitiful creatures in the form of kin must have pained her heart.
She is deeply compassionate.”
“…I killed a lot of them.”
“That was the only salvation left.”
“She… a sea goddess?”
“—[Great Sea Embracing Mother]. Listen, Wof. All life is born from the Sea of Souls and returns to it. Even gods are no exception. And you, unknowingly, have a deep connection to the sea.
Your blue hair is proof.”
“…Me?”
So that’s why…
“Now then—I will teach you how to use that knife from a different sea.”
“The knife’s usage?”
“Yes. It is a special knife. Learn to use it properly, and it will surely help you.”
“…Please instruct me.”
A ‘knife from a different sea’… special?
I had a bad feeling.
“I will also give you a special knife of my own.”
“Th-thank you. Um… I really don’t want to break any more knives. What should I do?”
“I don’t know.”
“…Is it a curse?”
“No.”
“Eeeeh……”
That was fast.
She looked apologetic.
“Honestly, even as the Knife Goddess, I don’t know. It may just be unfortunate coincidences.
All I can say is—be careful.”
“Y-yes…”
Guess I’ll just have to be extra careful.
“There’s one more thing. You obtained a relic.”
“Yes.”
“[Vibration]—difficult to handle, but very useful. I’ll teach you how to use it as well.”
“Thank you.”
“But obtaining relics without checking capacity is reckless. Why didn’t you go to the Seihou Church?”
She narrowed her eyes—sharp like a blade.
“Seihou…?”
She looked puzzled.
“You don’t know?”
“No. What is Seihou…?”
“At Seihou, for a fee, you can measure the total capacity of your soul vessel.”
“What!? That’s possible!?”
I’d never heard that.
“It is. In your era, relic plates aren’t common knowledge—so it’s understandable. Remember this.”
“Yes.”
“From now on, whenever you obtain a plate, confirm your capacity at Seihou first.
Worst case—you die.”
Her words were harsh.
“I-I’m sorry.”
I bowed.
So that’s what Seihou does…
My past life and this one—I never had much connection with churches.
Though… my uncle did say to pray at least once.
Was that why?
What kind of person is he?
“Now then, Wolff. Come—I’ll teach you how to use knives.”
“Yes. Please.”
Thus, I was led by the Knife Goddess—
And learned of the knife from another sea.
The next day.
The Witch summoned me.
Huh? Is it finally finished?
The gauntlet?
No… not that?
Then what?
Skear Coffin Ele?
…What is that?