CH 5

Litty, Decided to Join the Swordsman’s Guild

A Swordsman was a vanguard position with a good balance of offense and defense, and was the formidable attacker. With its large number of moves with the sword, it boasts greater destructive power than that of a power-type heavy warrior. Many people think of swords whenever they imagine attackers, making it a popular job.

In contrast, the main weapon of the Heavy Warrior was either an axe or spear, which served as a wall for the party. They would work as a defense when needed, but when the opportunity arose, they would strike a powerful blow with an axe. They could also take advantage of the range of attack while keeping the enemy at bay.

However, since one had to wear heavy equipment, they left a negative image of being “sweaty” and “slow”.

My reason for deciding what job to choose was, as usual, simple.

“Swords! After all, it should be Swords!”

Yes, it was really not because I was influenced by Aldis’s swordsmanship. Rather, it was because my imaginary weapon when playing in the village would always be swords.

My excitement was heightened by the fact that the Swordsman’s Guild provides swords as well.

Having only owned farming tools so far, I had always longed to own a real sword. The day had finally come when I could hold a real sword. Skipping along, the only thing on my mind was swords.

From an outsider’s perspective, one might misunderstand that I was just acting my age.

“This is the Swordsman’s Guild! All right!”

Perhaps because I was overexcited, I pointed and called out to the Swordsman’s Guild, which had an exterior similar to the coliseum.

What was about to begin, and would I be able to handle it? The cheerful little monster, Litty, had no such fears.

Opening the door of the swordsman’s guild, I greeted everyone present cheerfully.

“Good morning! I’m looking forward to your guidance!”

“Here comes another energetic fellow.”

The man at the reception desk responded. The man’s reaction was a little slow, as if he thought I was strange. He looked at my adventurer’s card with a clouded expression.

This girl is from a place I never heard of and looked too young to be an adventure. The man half-heartedly considered rejecting the card.

“By the way, little girl. Why did you choose the Swordsman’s Guild?”

“Because swords are cool!”

“…Well, first, you will be required to do the Rank 6 rookie curriculum. It starts with a classroom lecture, followed by practical skills, application, and an exam. It is not uncommon for students to fail at this stage. I’ll give you a timetable for each course, so you can choose the days that are convenient for you.”

“So many?”

“That’s right, that’s also why some people fail…”

“Wow, I will work hard as an adventurer! I’ll do my best!”

By now, most of the people would have shown unwilling expressions. It had been a long time since he’d seen eyes as bright as hers.

Or, maybe she had just never experienced the cruelty of the world.

Most guild members were active adventurers or soldiers dispatched by the government. However, there were a few retired soldiers and former adventurers as well.

The man working as a receptionist was no exception. He was a former adventurer who was promoted to Rank 3, 12 years ago, got married, and enjoyed the springtime of his life.

His journey in life was smooth sailing until a few years ago when he lost his friends and got seriously injured which made him decide to retire. It was then followed by his wife running away because he could no longer make a living.

Reminiscing about his past, the man sent the girl off in the direction of the classroom.

***

Each classroom lecture lasted one hour, which in itself was not particularly difficult. On that day, about 10 people were taking [Travel Instructions, Part 1].

Knowing and understanding the distance to the destination, the terrain and facilities along the way, the climate, and characteristics of the demons that may appear was a basic requirement for adventurers to prepare for everything in an organized manner.

Instructor Toito’s training, which was based on his actual experience, was a real treat. Almost everyone was concentrating on taking notes and trying their best to learn as much as possible.

Except for about one person.

“If the streets were maintained like this, there would be no problem…”

“Fufun!”

“There are cases where the land has not been cleared…”

“That’s right!”

Not even taking notes, Litty was excited to hear what the instructor, Toito, had to say. Naturally, she stood out from the people around her. She was leaning forward and revealing her curiosity more than others.

Normally, as an instructor, he should have given her a warning, but he was not in the least bit unhappy. As an instructor, he had never received this much passion before during his class, so it was understandable that he would be influenced by it. It was also no surprise that he was a little curious about Litty.

“If you are in an unknown location and have no idea of the surrounding terrain, what would you do?” (Instructor Toito)

“Well… I would try to set up a camp before the sun goes down and rest. If I run out of stamina, that would be the end.” (Litty)

“That’s one way to go. But first, there is something else one would need to do.” (Instructor Toito)

“More than setting a camp?” (Litty)

“Right, first, look for traces of demons. If you set it in the path where the demons live, or if they live close by, it will be extremely dangerous.” (Instructor Toito)

“Aah!” (Litty)

The other participants must have found this was not very exciting, as this had turned into a one-on-one teaching session.

But, strangely enough, they remained attentive to the exchange, thanks to Litty’s curiosity, which ultimately made the course more in-depth.

For Litty, who was assaulted in the small cave where she slept in the Demon Forest, the veteran’s story was enlightening.

It was also a delight for Toito, a Rank 3 adventurer instructor who was both active and willing to train young adventurers.

“Basically, adventurers always choose a certain place to camp. So, the place where the previous people had camped before is the quickest way to go…. But this is not always the right answer. Do you know why?” (Instructor Toito)

“Because Demons would know that humans would gather in that place?” (Litty)

“Yes! Some demons have developed intelligence like that. That is why it is important to understand the distribution and habits of demons. Well, you’ll learn that in another course.” (Instructor Toito)

He added that many adventuring parties had been wiped out without knowing this, which made the participants tremble. Although it was only an hour-long course, everyone had a fascinating experience.

The person who contributed to the success of the course was unaware of it. The participants gathered around her.

“Ruiz Village? Where is that?”

“It’s a place far away from here…very far away.” (Litty)

“To come so far, from such a place, to become an adventurer? There should be other guilds nearer to the village, right?”

“It’s a very long story…” (Litty)

Among them, a girl of about the same age and build as Litty was a very passionate individual… Roma, a brown-haired, slightly tan-skinned girl, wanting to escape the restraints of her family which were put on her for being a woman.

She was revolted by her parents who frequently discussed her “marriage” and “arranged marriage”. She was tired of being forced to train on how to be a ‘proper’ bride.

Women need to be devoted to their husbands, have to do the housework, then give birth to children and take proper care of them. At night, they also need to serve their husbands. Just imagining such a future was enough to drive her crazy.

It was during this time that she heard about Yggdrasia. The presence of Bandera and Clarine, both women, was a source of inspiration and support for her.

However, Roma did not have that talent, and although she studied for a year at the Magician’s Guild, there was nothing she could do regarding her limited magic power.

Despite her parents’ opposition, she ran away from home, now completely unaware of what to do next.

“I only applied to be a swordsman because I had no other choice. I don’t want to give up on my future, so now I’m desperately trying to learn everything I can.” (Roma)

“That’s…that’s admirable! I’m rooting for you!” (Litty)

“Me too. Let’s work hard together.” (Roma)

It was not surprising that Litty, who shared similarities with her, felt a sense of kinship.

However, Litty did not mention that she was with Aldis. It was not out of concern for Roma’s longing to join a hero’s party.

It was because she could not fully process her feelings for Aldis. Yes, she was angry, but it was a fact that she had no talent of her own. If she had been more exceptionally talented, this would not have happened.

She couldn’t put these complicated feelings into words.

“My dad is an adventurer. He told me that if I were a man, I could have become an adventurer. I’m just so sick and tired of being tossed around…” (Roma)

“I want to go to the end of the world, where I had never been before…”

“I think one would need many resources to do so – Food, magic stones, ore, and so on. So, I think you should try to save up on supplies from now on.”

As Dimos said, many of the students were young. Some of them were unwilling, but most were filled with passion. Litty was pleased to communicate with like-minded people for the first time.

However, Litty was not content with being pleased, as she had to strengthen her skills as a swordsman, not to mention trying to reach Rank 5.

At Rank 6, I could only accept quests such as cleaning, searching for pets, and helping out at the store. However, it was also a good opportunity to gain experience in these areas.

It was also important to build reliable bonds with people in town and expand one’s circle with the community while one was still able to do so. In other words, there was a lot of work to be done.