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111 Entering
the Duke's Territory
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Translator : PolterGlast
We arrived at Viscount
Bacchus's mansion on the fifth day.
"Oh, it's been a
while! How about a drink?!"
The moment we arrived,
a feast began.
I changed my main job
to Heavy Drinker and drank the liquor Viscount Bacchus poured for me.
"This is strong
liquor, as usual."
"Gahahaha! This
is just right for a Dwarf! Come on, drink up!"
"You drink too,
Viscount Bacchus."
"Gahahaha. You're
trying to get me drunk! You're naive, Toi!"
I don't care, just
drink!
Drinking Bacchus's
liquor right after a five-day forced march was tough.
I finally collapsed
after about two hours of feasting.
When I woke up in the
morning, my Heavy Drinker job had reached Level 23. My level went up by three
just last night. How strong was the liquor they made me drink?
"You're up! This
is your sword!"
He handed me a sword
about 130 centimeters long. When I swung it, it felt strangely familiar, like
something I had used for a long time.
The jet-black sword
was wide and thick. It seemed durable, but what I sought in a sword was its
sharpness.
"Can I try
cutting something with it?"
"Ooh, there are
logs for test cutting in the courtyard. This way."
There were several
logs in the courtyard, ranging from thin to thick.
I readied my sword in
front of a log about 30 centimeters in diameter.
I steadied my breath
and swung it down in a diagonal cut.
I felt nothing. But I
must have cut the log.
A faint line appeared,
and the log slid off, falling with a dull thump.
"The sharpness is
incredible. I love it."
"Gahahaha! This
is a sword I forged with great care. It couldn't possibly not cut!"
I haven't used
Detailed Appraisal on it yet, but it must be a great sword.
"May I ask for
the name of this sword?"
"It's
Kokuzan."
"Kokuzan... a
good name. I like it."
I thanked Viscount
Bacchus and asked for the price of Kokuzan.
"I forged it
because I wanted to. Besides, the materials were yours. I don't need any
money."
"No, I can't
accept that. It wouldn't feel right."
"Gahahaha. Then,
if you get some more good metal, let me forge it for you!"
So that's how it is.
Then...
I took out some lumps
of metal from my Item Box.
"W-w-w-w-w-what
the heck?!"
50 kilograms of
bluish-silver mithril, 50 kilograms of scarlet hihirokane, and 50 kilograms of
jet-black Gormodia.
"This is mithril!
This is hihirokane! And Gormodia! Grwah! I... I am intensely moved right
now!"
He rubbed his cheek
against the lumps of metal, shedding both tears and snot.
"You'll let me
forge these for you?!"
"I'll give you
the mithril in place of payment. I'd like you to use the hihirokane and Gormodia
to make weapons for my retainers."
"Leave it all to
me! I'll forge some excellent weapons for you!"
He was intense but
reliable. I handed Viscount Bacchus a list of the weapons I wanted.
"Well then, I'm
counting on you."
"Ooh, you can
count on me!"
I left Viscount
Bacchus's mansion and headed to Kerniff.
By the way, Kokuzan's
stats are as follows:
Kokuzan: ATK +130, STR
+20, AGI -10, Slashing Enhancement (High), Thrusting Enhancement (High),
Indestructible. (Value: 200,000,000 Grill)
For comparison, here
are the stats for the magic sword Salman:
Magic Sword Salman:
ATK +97, AGI +20, Magic Absorption (High), Indestructible. (Value: 250,000,000
Grill)
The magic sword Salman
has a higher value. I think it's because the Magic Absorption effect is a rare
one, but Kokuzan also has fantastic stats and effects.
Both have the
Indestructible effect, so they won't break. Thus, durability doesn't exist for
them.
Both are excellent
swords, so I'm torn about which to use. It's a luxury to have one as a spare.
Upon arriving in Kerniff,
we immediately entered the mansion.
***
"Welcome home,
Master."
" "Welcome
home, Master." "
Mondark and the others
greeted me.
I went into the living
room and had some tea brewed for me.
"Jojok, I know
you just arrived, but I'm sorry. After you rest, please go to the castle and
request an audience with the Duke."
"Understood."
I saw Jojok off and
then gathered Mondark and the others.
"First of all,
I'm sorry for being away for so long."
Mondark and the others
replied that it was nothing. I didn't intend to be away for so long either. It
was completely unexpected.
"As I informed
you in my letter, I've been promoted to viscount and have been granted a
territory."
" "
"Congratulations!" " "
Whether it's a cause
for celebration remains to be seen until I actually start managing the
territory. I haven't even checked what kind of land it is yet.
"I plan to leave
this mansion with a caretaker and would like for all of you to come to the
territory with me. Is that a problem for anyone?"
"Thank you. We
would be honored to accompany you."
Mondark and his wife,
Zoppa, and Kenny agreed to move to the territory.
Mondark's son, Jewel,
is with the capital group, so he's already agreed.
I got this mansion
from the Ducal family, so I'm thinking of buying it.
After all, Kerniff has
a dungeon. This mansion is very convenient to have.
The next day, I was
able to meet with the Duke and offered to buy the mansion.
"The mansion is
already in Viscount Footscythel's name. I won't ask for it back now. More
importantly, it seems you've finished subjugating the 10th-floor monsters in
the royal capital dungeon?"
The Duke asked for a report
on the events in the capital.
I reported on the 9th
and 10th floors of the dungeon and my interactions with the Princess.
"From now on, you
must not only protect your territory but also develop it. That is your duty as
a lord. Do your best."
"Thank you."
I was thinking of
buying the mansion, but since he said it was fine, I decided to give him a
gift.
"Please accept
this. It's a drop item from the 9th-floor boss."
I gave him a
hihirokane armor.
"This is..."
"A hihirokane
armor. It's a magical armament."
"Is it really
alright?"
"It's fine. I
have several others."
"You have
several?"
"Yes, I have
several."
When I smiled, the
Duke's face twitched as if he had seen a monster. That kind of reaction hurts
my feelings.
As I was leaving, Barukan
stopped me.
"It seems you're
now far beyond my reach. I'd like to ask for your guidance in a match."
Before, he had
kidnapped me without question, but now he lowered his head politely.
When someone asks you
like this, you can't say no.
I faced Barukan in the
training grounds.
Barukan, who had
seemed so big before, didn't feel that way now. It must be because I've gotten
stronger.
We both took a stance
with our training swords. Both Barukan and I chose large swords. I'm a greatsword
enthusiast, after all.
Barukan is a big man,
so a normal sword probably wouldn't feel satisfying to him.
We stepped forward in
unison.
The swords clashed
with a high-pitched ring.
There's a considerable
difference in our levels. Still, Barukan's swordsmanship is a magnificent art,
honed by years of dedication.
Before, I was barely
able to keep up, but now, seeing Barukan's swordsmanship is a learning
experience.
"Huff, huff."
Barukan, who had been
in constant motion for about 10 minutes, caught his breath.
He was just that
slightly out of breath after such an intense exchange? Impressive.
"Today was a good
training session. I'm grateful."
Barukan lowered his
head. I'm the one who should be bowing my head. I feel I became much stronger in
those 10 minutes.
"The learning was
all mine. Thank you."
If we were at the same
level and I didn't have sub-jobs or status points, I might never be able to
beat Barukan.
He must have trained
rigorously in swordsmanship since he was a child.
I need to keep
training hard, too, so I don't lose.
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