Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 9: Clash of Enchanted Blades
Since there wasn’t enough space in my father’s car for everyone, we ended up heading to the swordsmith’s workshop in Renji-san’s car. Renji-san’s car, by the way, is an eight-seater with three rows of seats. My father and Renji-san sat in the front row, I sat sandwiched between them in the second row, and Irena-san sat in the third row.
We were driving through some seriously mountainous terrain. The road was so narrow that it could barely accommodate one car.
Moreover, perhaps due to the sparse traffic, the road was covered in dry leaves, and the white lines were nowhere to be seen. Without the white lines, it was hard to gauge the condition of the road surface as the tires plowed through the fallen leaves.
But the worst part was that despite the road being in such a state, there were no guardrails. So, if Renji-san made a mistake in handling the steering wheel, the car would roll off the mountain.
Just watching made me nervous, but Renji-san calmly steered the wheel back and forth. I wondered what we would do if another car came from the opposite direction. However, given the lack of any other vehicles on the road, the worry about oncoming traffic seemed unfounded when looking at the road surface, which seemed untouched by any cars.
However, just in case, it might be a good idea to weave a “Guiding Thread Silvate.” If the tires slipped off the road, the car could be supported… I thought to myself as I tried to move my right hand, only to be firmly grasped by Nina-chan.
“…Itsuki, don’t move.”
“Sorry.”
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As I said that, the car jerked.
So, when I tried to weave the thread with my left hand this time, Aya-chan touched my fingers.
“What’s wrong, Itsuki-kun?”
“Oh, it’s nothing…”
Aya-chan and Nina-chan didn’t let go of my hand, so I couldn’t weave the thread.
Is this really happening?
As I was feeling frustrated, Renji-san, who shouldn’t have been aware of my anxiety, muttered something in the car.
“It’s been a while since I came here… It’s still a mountain road, huh?”
“This will be impassable if it snows…”
Father agreed with that.
Come to think of it, does it snow in Gifu?
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Certainly, if it snowed on such a narrow road, it would be impossible to drive. As I thought about that, a few minutes passed, and suddenly, a milky-white fog or mist appeared in front of us, making me extremely uneasy.
My visibility was completely gone.
No way. Are we really going to drive in this condition?
“U-um, Renji-san. Is this okay?”
“Hmm? Oh, we’re almost out of the car zone.”
“No, not that. About the fog…”
“Fog? There’s no fog.”
Renji-san responded to my question as if to say, “What’s wrong?” which left me speechless. Well, my vision is completely white, but…
Seeing me in trouble, Irena-san, who was behind me, said as if she had just realized.
“It must be Itsuki-san’s ‘Eyes,’ right? Your eyes that can see magic energy must be seeing the energy of the ley lines.”
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“Huh…”
“I’ve heard that you could see the core of the fairy magic Nina used. So, it wouldn’t be strange if you could see the energy of the ley lines.”
“Could it be that everyone else doesn’t see the fog?”
When I asked that, everyone in the car nodded. Seriously?
Unable to do anything about it, I extended one finger of my right hand, which was still being held, and used “Thread Technique” to create a lens around both eyes, excluding magic power, to clear my vision.
At that moment, my field of vision cleared up.
It felt like wiping away fogged-up glass in a bath.
While I was doing something like that, the car entered a two-lane area. Renji-san parked the car in an open area.
“We’ll continue on foot from here.”
Everyone got out of the car, and Irena-san clapped her hands.
At that moment, a song that didn’t seem human could be heard, and suddenly, my body was filled with energy.
“If we’re going to climb the mountain from here, wouldn’t it be better to ‘strengthen’ ourselves?”
Father replied to Irena-san’s suggestion with “That would be helpful,” but I was hesitant because I couldn’t see the fairies. I guess Irena-san summoned a siren, but I couldn’t see it because of the magic-cut lens.
“I’ve just tried using it, but… thanks to the ley lines, magic feels incredibly easy to use.”
“You feel like the output has increased?”
“Yes. With this much magic power infused… it seems like we won’t lose to monsters either.”
“They’ll probably come at us with the same output.”
I was going to adjust the lens, but Father started walking, so I gave up for now.
Meanwhile, Father stepped onto a beast trail leading to the mountain. Of course, there was no pavement, and it was too narrow to walk side by side.
It couldn’t be helped, so Aya-chan went ahead, I was in the middle, and Nina-chan was behind, creating that flow.
“Do monsters appear here too?”
“No, only if they do. They hardly ever come around here because there are no people.”
Monsters tend to appear where people gather.
On the other hand, it’s also true that they rarely appear in sparsely populated areas. So, it’s not that rural areas are safer… That’s the annoying part of exorcism.
Clever monsters know that there are many exorcists in densely populated areas.
So, they avoid those places and aim for places without people.
Come to think of it, I wonder what the blacksmith, who has a workshop in such an unpopular place, does when monsters appear? Does he exorcise them himself?
Climbing the mountain while thinking about such things.
Thanks to Irena-san’s “Body Enhancement,” we were able to smoothly advance along the mountain path… when suddenly, proper mist appeared this time.
“It’s a barrier.”
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“A barrier? In the mist?”
“Yeah, it’s doing the same thing as ‘Conceal.'”
“Conceal” is a magic used by monsters of the Fourth Rank or higher to hide their presence from other exorcists. But if monsters can use it, it wouldn’t be strange for exorcists to use it too.
Actually, when you think about it, the reason other monsters haven’t noticed that I’m a Seventh Rank is because I use “Recall Technique” to retain magic energy inside my body. In a sense, that’s also a form of “Conceal.”
While thinking about such things, my father and the others advanced confidently into the mist, so I hurried to catch up with them.
The moment I entered the mist, a strange sensation enveloped my whole body, as if I had entered into water. Pushing aside that strange feeling and moving straight ahead, the mist suddenly cleared, and a mountain hut came into view.
The hut was made entirely of wood, cutting through the mountain trees. There were three such huts, and from the small hut at the back, the sound of metal being sharpened could be heard. Presumably, the blacksmith was there.
On the other hand, near the large hut in the foreground, peach-like trees were planted, and flowers were blooming.
…Peach blossoms? At this time of year?
Wondering about that, we headed towards the hut where the sound of metal sharpening could be heard.
It was small, but as we approached, there was the sound of sparks crackling and the temperature rising.
When I looked, I saw an old man with white hair at the back of the open door.
“Long time no see, Sensei.”
“…You’ve come, Soichiro.”
As soon as we entered the hut, we heard the hoarse voice.
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As we entered the hut behind, there was an old man sharpening blades with a rotating grindstone. When the old man with white hair caught a glimpse of us, he turned his gaze towards us, revealing a clouded eye. It was probably damaged.
“What do you want? A blade repair— but that’s unlikely. My forged blade wouldn’t dull within five years.”
“No, it’s not for repairs.”
My father said so, and then, he placed his hand on my shoulder.
“I want you to forge this child’s enchanted sword.”
Upon seeing that, the old man frowned and peered into my face.
“Your son, Segare, huh?”
“You knew?”
“I knew. Your son is quite famous.”
The old man, holding the sharpened blade, stood up and walked towards me.
“A ‘Seventh Rank’ born after several hundred years. At just five years old, he exorcised Raikou Douji and defeated a Sixth Rank as well… A rising star with great expectations.”
“Yes.”
My father accepted the blacksmith’s words head-on. Um, shouldn’t he be a bit more modest…?
“Oh, right. He’ll be seven this year, right? It won’t look good without a sword. Fine. I’ll forge one for you. However, there are conditions.”
The old blacksmith said so with a rough voice, pointing straight at Nina-chan, who was holding my hand.
“Leave her here.”
“…Me?”
Suddenly, Nina-chan, who was pointed at, furrowed her brows tightly.