I Became a Raid Boss

“No, huh, what…?”

The blacksmith couldn’t hide his bewildered expression at the sword I presented.

“…What on earth did you do to your sword to make it look like this?”

Unable to contain himself, he said exactly that.

Hmm, so that’s when you use the phrase ‘they curse with their eyes.’

Since I had only heard curses verbally until now, it felt quite novel.

“I’ve hunted monsters and defeated aberrations…”

“Hmm, so you’re a mercenary.”

“I’ve caught thieves and rats… Nowadays, I’m doing pest control…?”

“…Pests? What exactly is your job?”

At his ridiculous question, I simply shrugged my shoulders.

“…Well, however I use it, it’s none of my concern.”

“Aren’t you angry?”

“What’s there to be angry about? Tools are ultimately made for human convenience. If the user finds it convenient, isn’t that enough?”

“Heh.”

His reaction was far more nonchalant than I expected.

“Aren’t artisans proud of such things?”

“Sure, there’s some pride. I’d like it if the strongest swordmaster used my sword. But what’s really important is that I believe the sword I made helps someone.”

“Oh… that’s impressive.”

Clap, clap.

“Impressive my foot.”

As I clapped, the blacksmith quickly turned his head.

His ears, faintly visible through his hair, were flushed red.

“However you use it, it’s your choice, but take care of it. Or bring it here. Wouldn’t it be a letdown if it broke at a crucial moment and got you killed?”

“If I die, I wouldn’t feel the letdown anyway…?”

“Not you, but the people around you would.”

“Hmm.”

People around me…

I don’t have those.

Still, I understood what he meant and readily agreed.

“I’ll put in some effort.”

“Right. Even if you’re young, you seem to be a quite skilled swordsman, so you should live long.”

“A skilled swordsman?”

His words made me tilt my head. It’s obvious I’m young by my voice, but why did he think I had skill?

“If you weren’t skilled, your sword wouldn’t be in this state. It would have broken long ago.”

“Ahaha.”

“It takes a swordsman who knows how to swing it without straining it to pull off such techniques.”

I pretended to be indifferent, but perhaps he had affection for the sword he made.

There seemed to be a hint of emotion when he mentioned “technique.”

“Can it be repaired?”

I have enough money for a new sword, but I still want to keep using the one I’m used to.

“Can it be repaired?”

Ha, the blacksmith let out a hollow laugh.

“Of course, it can be repaired.”

“Oh, then—”

“First, we’ll melt it down, filter out impurities, replenish any lacking iron… and after various processes, hammer it diligently. It’s a very simple task.”

“…Isn’t that just making a new one?”

“You know well.”

So that means it can’t be repaired.

Hmph. I puffed out my cheeks.

“Forget it. I’ll just buy a new sword.”

“Choose one you like. Oh, I can dispose of the broken one for you.”

“Um, no.”

I shook my head and put the sword back.

“I’ll use it until it breaks.”

“Suit yourself.”

Since it came to this, I might as well use it until it completely breaks.

And when I buy a new sword, I’ll tell it to be a sturdy weapon like its predecessor.

I slowly scanned the forge, searching for my future comrade.

“It feels embarrassing to say, but that one’s a yawn.”

“It should be easy to adapt since it’s similar to the one you were using.”

“That one’s rather heavy, though, so it might be a bit burdensome for you… Oh, I’ve spoken needlessly.”

With his arms crossed, the blacksmith watched me as I chose my weapon.

When I paused and looked closely, a rough voice chimed in from behind.

I remembered the times I would cling onto enthusiastic shopkeepers in my previous life, learning all about the products.

The memory of being helplessly shy, unable to ask the shop girl if I could look alone, flashed in my mind.

“Hmm.”

This time, it didn’t feel as burdensome.

Perhaps my personality had changed.

“I’ll take this one.”

I chose one sword from the array laid out before me.

It had a suitable grip, stable weight distribution, and a sharply honed edge.

It even resembled my previous sword quite closely. It was a sword I liked in many ways.

Plus, it felt sturdier.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Sure, go ahead.”

“With your skills, wouldn’t it be better to buy a better sword? It seems unnecessary to come to such a shabby forge.”

“I’ve tried enough so-called master swords. I’m tired of them.”

“Oh, is that so?”

“And…”

Though he wouldn’t see it, I tapped the sword lightly, grinning.

“If it hasn’t broken despite being handled so roughly, I think it’s definitely worthy of being called a master sword.”

“…Ha, haha! That’s quite thoughtful!”

“You can be proud. You seem to have plenty of skill in my eyes.”

“You seem like quite the skilled swordsman yourself. This girl knows how to make people feel good. But don’t think about haggling the price.”

“Oh, that’s a pity. Can I take back what I said earlier?”

“Of course not.”

We exchanged jokes as I made the payment.

He really wouldn’t budge on the price.

Well, the goods sold in a small village forge are a bit on the expensive side, but considering the quality, it was quite a bargain, so I had no complaints.

“Won’t you go out of business selling at this price?”

“I should sell cheaper to the villagers. I sell it at a higher price to outsiders like you to cover the losses.”

“Wow, is it okay to say that so boldly?”

“Just kidding.”

The blacksmith laughed heartily.

“People around here hardly buy items like this. These are typically sold to traders.”

“I see.”

So there were traders.

No wonder it felt strange.

Cradling my new sword, I recalled something I had forgotten while planning to return to Garid’s location.

“By the way, is there anything happening these days?”

“The forge? Not much going on.”

“No, I mean in the Ardina Continent.”

While he might be skilled, I didn’t think a blacksmith from a small village could know about the swarms of pests that were bothering me.

For that, I’d need to go to the information guild.

But perhaps I could catch a small clue.

Like, for example, the emperor got assassinated, or the empire collapsed.

Ah, I unintentionally revealed my wish.

“Not much. Dimensionals and monsters are running rampant, humans are fighting each other. Elves are still stuck in the woods, and dwarves are probably drowning in beer.”

“Just like usual.”

“The only peculiar thing lately is….”

The rough-bearded blacksmith slapped his palm down.

“Right, there was Liberi. How could I forget that!”

“Liberi? You’re talking about the Liberi I know?”

“If what you know is ‘Free Mercenary City Liberi,’ then yes.”

“Why is Liberi important? They’re just pests that jump into the battlefield for money.”

“I understand why you’d feel that way, but…”

“Oh, sorry.”

I must have reacted too sharply, as the blacksmith scratched his cheek, looking embarrassed.

When I quickly apologized, he waved his hand, saying it was fine.

“I feel the same way, so you don’t need to apologize. Can I keep talking?”

“Sure, please do.”

“Recently, Lady Edel has been bringing people over from across the sea.”

“From across the sea? Are you talking about Raxia?”

“No, I mean the eastern sea.”

The east… So there’s land over there too.

But she brought people from there? And that was directly done by the goddess Edel?

“During the process, Lady Edel bestowed blessings and is referred to as a ‘Messenger of the God’ or ‘Apostle.’”

“But what does that have to do with Liberi?”

“Because that’s where the apostles are located—Liberi.”

“…Not the Sedeth Kingdom? Whether it’s a messenger of God or an apostle, if they received a blessing, aren’t they supposed to belong to the Edel Church?”

“I wouldn’t know about that. They received blessings but don’t necessarily believe in the Edel Church, so maybe it’s the will of Lady Edel.”

“That’s a convenient way of saying it.”

Since the gods actually exist and have descended several times, the people of this world held absolute faith in Edel.

Even other races that worship different gods viewed their own gods as inferior to Edel.

“So, does that mean the influence of Liberi has grown because of these so-called apostles? Just that?”

Even if numbers equate to power, with the Lo Arka Empire standing firm, is that really possible?

“It’s because of the blessings.”

“Are the blessings really that great?”

“They have various effects… but if I had to pick the most significant one, it would be this.”

The blacksmith nodded gravely.

“The ability of resurrection. Only Lady Edel wields the powers of life and death.”

“…!”

“You don’t die even if you die, and you can bring back other apostles, so it’s natural that their influence would grow, right?”

Resurrection…?

If such a thing were possible, then why—

Suddenly, I felt short of breath, and my head grew hot.

Many things rushed through my vision.

But what gripped my throat the hardest was—

“Garid…”

I know I’m not deserving of the blessing.

Even if I were Edel, she wouldn’t bestow a blessing on someone who doesn’t believe in her.

But Garid isn’t like that.

What’s the difference between the so-called apostles and Garid that she only grants her blessings to them?

Are they not allowed to die, while the people of Ardina, who believe in and follow you, are allowed to perish?

Why?

Thud!

“…Hey! Are you okay?”

“…Ah.”

My vision began to clear again.

I felt a heavy weight on my shoulder.

The blacksmith, with a strong grip on my shoulder, looked down at me with concern.

Only then did I realize I had been holding my breath.

“…Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Thank goodness. I suddenly lost your reaction and got startled when I saw you weren’t breathing. Do you have a condition or something?”

“A condition… No, nothing like that.”

I shook my head.

“I was just a bit frustrated.”

“Frustrated?”

“Everyone wants to avoid death. Why do only they get special treatment?”

“Hm.”

“Aren’t you frustrated?”

It was somewhat impulsive to share my feelings with him.

Maybe I wanted to add one more person who disliked Edel, or perhaps I just wanted to vent my pent-up frustration to anyone.

…Well, I still don’t know the reason.

After hearing my grievance, the blacksmith was silent for a while.

Aside from the occasional sound of him stroking his beard, the forge was devoid of any noise.

How much time passed?

Finally, he removed his hand from his beard.

“Though I agree it’s a bit unjust, I’m not envious.”

“…Why?”

“I don’t feel blessings as a blessing.”

Noticing my questioning gaze, he continued talking.

“Not all apostles are like this, but I’ve heard that many apostles wield weapons and engage in battle. The targets can be monsters, dimensionals, or perhaps even other humans. The commonality is that once a battle ends, they head straight for the next battlefield. Regardless of wins or losses.”

“….”

“I don’t want that kind of life. It’s said that even if you are resurrected, you still feel pain. I think life spent swinging a hammer like this is far better than jumping into battle all the time.”

“But not all apostles engage in battles, right? Can’t they just live off their blessings?”

“If that’s the case, then there’s no reason to feel envious. Because it would be no different from the life they currently have.”

“…But they could suffer unexpected accidents.”

“That would indeed be unfortunate. But I believe receiving such powers is due to a significant responsibility.”

“That’s a convenient way of thinking.”

“It’s a good way to live in this world. You should adopt it too.”

He shook off the serious atmosphere and laughed heartily.

“I’m not sure what kind of life you’ve lived, but I can somewhat guess. If I had lived the same life as you, I might have thought the same way.”

“…So?”

“I’m just saying that. I’m not trying to persuade you; I’m merely sharing my thoughts, so don’t worry about it.”

“You’re foolish.”

As I shot back, he laughed again heartily.

It wasn’t even that funny, yet he kept laughing.

With neither of us intending to persuade the other, I pouted and turned away.

“I’m leaving.”

“Take care. And this time, handle it with care.”

Though my mood soured, I had gathered some clues.

The apostle who cannot die, and the endlessly arriving swarm of pests.

Even if the swarm isn’t made up of apostles, their sudden appearance would keep them linked in some way.

Ding.

As I opened the door, the clear sound of a bell tickled my ears.

I half-stepped outside and then turned my head to look at the blacksmith.

“About what I said earlier.”

“Yeah?”

“You mentioned hoping that the strongest swordsman uses the sword you made.”

“Isn’t that every artisan’s wish? But why?”

“Then, wouldn’t it be okay for you to look for a different wish now?”

“Hmm…?”

Leaving the puzzled expression of the blacksmith behind, I shut the door.

I need to hurry back before the pests make their return. Clutching the sword tightly, I began to ascend the mountain path at a brisk pace.

---