Chapter 155 -- The Demon Sword Caladbolg

“Weeeell," I continued, "I didn't put this particular item in the list I gave you earlier because it looked like the sort of thing that was going to be troublesome, you see and..." I stopped delaying the inevitable and reached into my Item Box. "Heave-ho..." I pulled out the Demon Sword Caladbolg.

“This was the drop from the dungeon boss Behemoth we defeated. It's called the Demon Sword Caladbolg, apparently..."

"Wha..." the handsome elf Elland-san sitting across from me broke into a loud coughing fit. "Cough, cough, cough." I waited politely until he had recovered and wiped his streaming eyes.

"De-, De-, Demon Sword?" He coughed again but his eye stayed fixed on the sword I held in my hand like I was holding a poisonous snake. I might have laughed at his over-reaction but it just confirmed to me this sword was going to be troublesome, or perhaps even dangerous. A moment or two later he had composed himself somewhat and continued.

"You see, cursed swords..." he said, his eyes still concentrating on the sword I held. "Given that Doran's dungeon has a high difficulty rating some people, including myself, thought there was a chance that there might be a cursed sword drop if it was defeated..."

As Elland-san went on to explain to me only four cursed swords were known to exist. The first, “Demon Sword Joyeuse” was said to have been brought back from a dungeon by a Hero chosen by a God 700 years ago. It was kept securely in the main Temple of the Holy Kingdom of Lubanov.

The second cursed sword, "Demon Sword Blutgang" was in the possession of the Geisler Empire. They took it from a dungeon in their territory about 400 years ago. It is said they sent 30,000 soldiers into the dungeon to acquire it.

The third cursed sword was the “Demon Sword Balisarda” owned by the Marbella Kingdom. The story is that about 300 years ago a party of S-rank Adventurers brought it back from some unknown dungeon and the Kingdom of Marbella bought it. The rumour is that it cost the Kingdom its entire annual budget to purchase it.

The fourth cursed sword was the “Demon Sword Arondight” which was in the possession of the Leonhart Kingdom. According to legend it was recovered from a dungeon in this country by Leonhart's first king (by the way, that wasn't the dungeon here in Doran, apparently).

I wondered who was the first king who had the ability to bring back a magic sword back from a dungeon. It sounded like quite a story which I wanted to hear when I had the time, I thought to myself, as Elland-san sat back and spread his hands. However I had my own problems to deal with first. This “Demon Sword Caladbolg” that I brought back from Doran's dungeon was going to be only the fifth cursed sword known to exist? "Troublesome" didn't begin to describe it, I decided.

"You said that all four of the magical swords I you told me about, they all belong to countries...?" Elland-san had been clear the cursed swords he had told me about were in the possession, not of Adventurers or Heroes, but various nations.

"That's right." he went on. "A cursed sword is a symbol of national power so any country that can get one will keep it in their possession.'' Oh. I looked down at the heavy sword in my hand. So what I'm holding right now is something any country, any ruler would desire, would pay any price to obtain. Oh dear.

“Oh, so would you be willing to buy it?” I asked desperately. If I sold it to the Guild then it wouldn't be my problem any more, right?

“Don’t be stupid." Elland-san blurted, his eyes wide in shock, then he shook his head. "Sorry, but we can't buy a Demon Sword. Its price, like I said, matches a country's national budget." Of course, you're totally right. Forget I even asked you, Elland-san.

"We can't buy it," he went on, "but perhaps you should think about trying to use it yourself? Any swordsman could only dream of wielding such a weapon." No, Elland-san, I'm not a swordsman. I looked down at the sword again. It was really too heavy for me to use comfortably as a weapon -- the Mithril shortsword Sui-chan had made for me was my limit, just about, and for some reason I didn't want some country or other to have the Demon Sword Caladbolg as a symbol of their power and prestige. I'd let it sleep forever in my Item Box, I decided.

“Well no, Elland-san." I explained. "This sword is really too heavy for me to use properly.”

"Oh, is that so?" Elland-san mused. "Could I hold it for a moment?"

"Yeah, that's OK." I said, handing the sword over to him. Elland-san hefted it then pulled Caladbolg out of its scabbard.

“It's certainly a heavy sword but that doesn't necessarily mean you couldn't wield it." Elland-san stood up and swung Caladbolg experimentally. Of course he was a former S rank adventurer and swordsman so he made it look effortless. Me, on the other hand, I'd probably drop it on my foot or cut my own leg off if I tried.

“I think it's made of Adamantite.” I said off-handedly as he admired the dark blade.

"Cough, cough, cough!!!" Elland-san suffered his second coughing fit of the day. Remarkably he didn't drop Caladbolg as he did so. I attributed this to his expertise as a swordsman.

"A-, A-, A-, Adamantite, it's made of....?" he stuttered, staring at the blade again.

“That’s what the Appraisal said.” I confirmed. Was it so surprising that Caladbolg was made of Adamantite? Mithril was, if not common at least something people in this world were familiar with. I thought that Adamantite would also be rarer and more expensive than Mithril but was it THAT uncommon?

After Elland-san regained his composure (again) he explained. “Adamantite, they say, is a legendary metal that no-one can damage or deform..." He stared again at the sword in his hand, awe and wonder in his eyes. Ah, that's how it is in this world. That just confirmed my earlier decision to keep this sword in my Item Box forever.

“Well, it's no use to me so I'll just put it away in my Item Box for now." I said to Elland-san who handed the Demon Sword Caladbolg back to me (a trifle reluctantly, perhaps) but he nodded approvingly as I put it into its sheath and deposited it in my Item Box again, muttering "Maybe it's for the best." as I did so. Sleep well, Caladbolg-san. There might come a time when I could do something with it but for now I was in no hurry to ever take it out again.

I thought we were finished but Elland-san raised a finger as I got up to leave. “Oh, yes, there was something else I had to tell you. You have been promoted to rank A, Mukouda-san." I sat down again, rather abruptly. What? Surely I was C-ranked, it said so on my Guild card didn't it? Why had I been suddenly promoted?

"Eh, now I'm an A-rank?"

"Yes, you can't remain as a C-ranked Adventurer after conquering the dungeon here in Doran." Elland-san explained. Oh, so that's why. Elland-san confiscated my C-rank Guild card and handed me a shiny new gold card which confirmed my new A-rank to anyone who might see it. I accepted it with some reluctance knowing that the conquest of Doran's dungeon was not due to my own minimal efforts over the past couple of weeks. I had left all the real fighting in the dungeon to my contracted monsters, after all.

“So, how long will it take for you to decide which items to buy from me?” I asked Elland-san as I tucked my new Guild card away.

“I’m going to consult with the Deputy Guild Master and we should be able to let you know what we will be purchasing by the day after tomorrow." Elland-san shrugged. "I have to prepare to visit the Adventurers Guild headquarters, and the Royal Palace too, in the capital to report on what has happened as soon as possible, you see. It's really troublesome..." Elland-san muttered. "The senior officers in the Guild and the King as well want to hear all the details of the conquest of Doran's dungeon, the specific changes to the later levels and so on and I've been summoned to personally provide them with that information." He looked at me questioningly. "Of course, it would be a great help for me to have the Adventurer in question and his contracted monsters accompanying me on such a trip.”

I immediately shook my head. Nope nope nope. “No, I don't agree, Elland-san. Pardon me but I respectfully decline." Meeting with the higher-ups of the Adventurers Guild would be bad enough but I most definitely didn't want to go to the Royal palace. It wasn't just the stress involved in dealing with such important and high-ranking people, I was also worried that the secret of my Summoning from another world might leak out.

"Ah well, I understand." Elland-san nodded. "We were told that you prefer to keep to yourself, Mukouda-san and of course we have the order from the Royal palace instructing us not to try to compel you to do anything you don't want to."

Thank you, thank you, I was really glad the ruler of this country was someone who could be reasonable. Of course he didn't want to anger Fer and perhaps have his nation destroyed but someone less sensible and more demanding could have made things more difficult for me.

Elland-san didn't give up though. "Is there nothing I could say or do that might persuade you to change your mind?" he asked. "I don't want to travel to the capital by myself. If we were travelling together, Mukouda-san then that would mean Dora-chan would be with us and I'd really like that." Uh-oh, Elland-san's Dragon obsession was leaking out again as his eyes took on a faraway look.

"I wrote out a request for a long vacation, you know, I wanted to follow you and Dora-chan and the others into the dungeon..." He shook himself. "However the Deputy Guild Master tore up my vacation request form. Don't you think that's a terrible thing for him to do? He even threatened me with going on strike! ‘So, Guild Master, if you're not going to take your job seriously then don't expect me to cover for you' is what he said."

No, Elland-san, the terrible thing is you not doing your job. I think you have a hard time dealing with your boss, Deputy Guild Master. Still, Elland-san had been helpful and supportive, at least when he didn't have visions of Dragons dancing through his head so I decided to make him an offer he would appreciate.

“Well, we're going to be staying in Doran for another day or two since the purchase of drop items has to be finalised but then we'll be leaving." I said. "However, if we come across another Dragon then we'll bring it back to this city."

At my words Elland-san slammed his hands on the table and leaned over it, his face uncomfortable close to my own.

"Really? Is that a promise?" he exclaimed, his eyes lighting up in excitement.

"Yes, that's a promise, Elland-san." I answered, wishing the handsome but mercurial Elf was more familiar with the concept of personal space. Making a promise like that was easy, really, since Elland-san had proven he could successfully dismantle a Dragon, a rare skill. The alternative to returning to Doran to have this exacting task carried out would be to leave any Dragon Fer subjugated in the future in my Item Box forever like the other permanent residents resting there.

"You promised!" Elland-san grasped my shoulders and I think he would have hugged me or worse if the table hadn't been in the way.

"Yes, yes, Elland-san, it's a promise." I agreed. I broke his grip with some difficulty and stood up as he sat back in his chair, a goofy expression on his face. "So, I'll come back to the Guild some time the day after tomorrow when the purchases have been decided. Until then..." I closed the door behind me quietly but Elland-san didn't notice, his mind clearly on other things. I made a mental note to myself, don't discuss Dragons with Elland-san again if I didn't want to spend a long time helplessly trapped in his presence.

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