Another World Reincarnation Chronicle

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“Ah!”

A scream naturally escaped as a violent pain radiated from the top of my head.

Celyon looked at me and chuckled lightly.

With tears in my eyes, I attempted to counterattack.

However, my swordsmanship skills were limited to just slashes and thrusts.

With no follow-up attack after my thrust, it took a considerable amount of time to regain my stance.

It was a moment that highlighted my shortcomings, which I hadn’t recognized while just fighting monsters.

It felt like fighting the old gatekeeper in the village.

Naturally drawing out my inadequate weaknesses and persistently attacking them, forcing me to realize—this was the method.

If my attack failed, there would undeniably be a counterattack that would strike my head.

That’s why I had no choice but to be more cautious.

“Hmm…”

As the sparring dragged on, a question arose on Celyon’s face.

I wanted to ask the reason, but right now, I was too busy dodging her sword to spare any time.

Clang!

It was as if she could read my movements in advance; her sword flew in the direction I was retreating.

In a panic, I lifted my sword to block her attack, but I was overpowered in strength, causing my stance to crumble.

I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing for the impending pain.

However, the awaited attack did not come.

When I opened my eyes slightly to look at Celyon, she was crossing her arms with a strange expression.

“Is, is it over?”

“If you’ve shown me everything you can do, then yes, it’s over.”

“Whew…”

I sighed in relief and lowered my sword.

Maybe it was because I had been moving frantically for a short time, but my whole body was drenched in sweat.

I sheathed my sword behind me and waited for Celyon to speak.

“How was it?”

“Well, you passed the Bronze rank. But…”

Celyon looked down at my face, trailing off at the end of her sentence.

Then she started to express what she felt.

“Your stance is good. You must have learned from a good master, right? There was hesitation in your attacks, but that’s a good sign. At least it means you understand how terrifying a sharp sword can be.”

Celyon spoke lightly as she sheathed her own sword.

Then she continued, “But… your attacks tend to stop midway, especially after a thrust.”

“Ah, that’s…”

“Did you perhaps not learn the next moves?”

I quietly nodded at Celyon’s question.

In truth, I had learned them. It was just that I didn’t use those movements in real combat because I thought they weren’t proper.

I might have felt that the transitions between movements were a bit awkward even while practicing swordsmanship in the village.

“That’s unfortunate. If you had learned those moves completely, you could have easily received a rank above Bronze.”

“Is this swordsmanship really that impressive?”

“Well, I can’t make an accurate judgment since I haven’t seen everything… But judging by how you seem to not even know the name of the swordsmanship, it looks like you don’t.”

I nodded and began to tell Celyon my story.

How I came to learn swordsmanship and even the demeanor of the uncle who taught me.

Of course, I didn’t mention that I had run away from home.

“Hmm… Was there a reason he had to teach you like that?”

Celyon muttered and then started leading me away.

She seemed to have taken a liking to me, handling everything from writing the passing certificate to issuing the rank badge.

“Here.”

“Ah, thank you.”

I received the rank badge from Celyon and bowed my head in gratitude.

She glanced at me for a moment before returning to her original room.

A woman with striking red hair.

As I softly mumbled Celyon’s name to myself, I headed to the library on the second floor.

Upon arriving at the library, I looked around inside and couldn’t help but feel disappointed.

The state of the swordsmanship books on the shelves was very poor.

Some had only pictures without any text, and others were written in illegible handwriting.

In fact, there was only one other visitor besides me.

That person also checked the state of the swordsmanship books a few times before clicking their tongue and leaving.

“Hmm…”

The security state didn’t seem that great either.

I shook my head while looking at the librarian, who was dozing off.

Although my hopes had been significantly lowered due to the state of the library, I decided to search nonetheless.

I grabbed a small wooden ladder from the corner of the library and began to take out books to read.

The first book I picked up was one that looked relatively well-preserved.

The opening line of the book was some vague story about feeling nature.

Feeling somewhat hopeful that I had chosen a decent book, I started reading it for quite a while.

However, this book turned out not to be a swordsmanship book but rather the diary of a swordsman.

A diary that exaggerated his own exploits.

I sighed and picked up the next book.

*

Early morning.

I opened my eyes in the inn’s bed.

Maybe it was because I had read until late last night? My eyes felt gritty.

I sat on the bed, resting my chin in my hand, and sighed.

The condition of the Swordsmanship Guild’s library was truly dismal.

There was no way I could find the origins of the swordsmanship I used in that library.

It was a rather premature judgment since I hadn’t looked through all the books yet, but the wretched state of the library justified my conclusion.

Yeah. Let’s not go there.

It would just be a waste of time.

I got dressed and headed down to the inn’s first floor.

Despite it being early morning, breakfast preparations were in full swing.

The savory smell wafting through suggested that warm soup was being prepared.

I found a suitable seat and ordered food.

As I expected, what was served for breakfast was bubbling soup, mashed potatoes, and a single sausage.

The mashed potatoes were topped with mayonnaise.

I stirred the mashed potatoes around with my fork and chuckled lightly.

That was when the memories of my past life came flooding back.

At that time, I was thinking of making soap or mayonnaise to earn money.

Before realizing the existence of those two items at the village chief’s house, that is.

Looking back now, those memories just make me laugh.

I moved my fork to dip into the sausage.

After finishing breakfast, my destination was, of course, the Adventurer’s Guild.

Before entering the guild, I glanced briefly at the Swordsmanship Guild but quickly shook my head.

I had no desire to spend more time in that dreadful library.

Although it was the same scene I encountered when I sent the letter, the inside of the guild was very spacious.

Perhaps because the country was large, there were many adventurers around?

I scanned my surroundings and approached the bulletin board.

The bulletin board was just as massive as the guild building itself, with requests pinned high enough that I couldn’t reach.

As I was looking over the bulletin board for a suitable request, I spotted one that caught my eye.

[Recruitment for Dungeon Exploration Team]

Would you like to explore a dungeon that may hide forgotten knowledge from ancient times and immense treasures? We are recruiting great adventurers with courage and determination.

Recruitment Requirements

5 Swordsmen with robust bodies

1 Wizard who can provide long-range support with powerful magic

1 Priestess from the holy order who can defend against evil curses and restore health

2 Rangers who can detect and disarm traps

Recruitment Conditions

Any adventurer with a history of discord with party members cannot participate.

Except for wizards and priestesses, all members must possess a rank badge of at least Bronze level.

You must possess the mental strength to maintain courage even in dangerous situations and to push forward until the end.

Compensation and Benefits

Basic compensation of 5 gold

You may claim ownership of one item from the treasures obtained through dungeon exploration, excluding specific items.

Various potions and warm meals will be provided.

※ The location of the dungeon and the duration of the exploration will need to be discussed with the client.

This is it.

I immediately tore down the request and headed to the receptionist.

The receptionist looked quite tired from the arduous work, but when I approached, she offered a light smile.

“What’s up?”

“I’m going to take this.”

“Dungeon exploration request…?”

The receptionist examined the request I was holding out.

I showcased my rank badge, which sparkled as if it were brand new, having been issued only yesterday.

“I’m applying as a swordsman. I have a rank badge.”

“Hmm. The rank is confirmed. Clean past history, too?”

“I just got it yesterday.”

“Hmm… I guess that should be fine. Here, take this.”

The receptionist handed me a small piece of paper.

The paper contained the location of the inn where the client was staying and their room number.

Without a moment’s hesitation, I headed straight to the inn where the client was waiting.

In front of that door stood another adventurer besides me, who seemed to be there for the same dungeon exploration request.

I approached him and struck up a conversation.

“Is no one inside?”

“Uh? Are you the client…?”

He gestured at the paper in his hand in response to my question.

I shook my head.

“I’m here for the request too.”

“Oh, for dungeon exploration… Hmm, looks like nobody’s in the room.”

“Really…?”

“Yeah. I think I’ve been waiting for about 20 minutes…”

The male adventurer sighed deeply as he spoke.

He looked quite worn out; I wondered if he could fight properly.

He sat beside the door and spoke to me.

“Are you a priestess? Or a wizard?”

“I’m a swordsman.”

“A swordsman…? Bronze?”

“Yes. What about you?”

“Uh, uhh…”

The adventurer turned away at my question and showed me his bronze badge.

He was still looking at me with a sense of wonder.

It wasn’t an incomprehensible reaction. Who would easily believe that a girl who looked much younger than him was also a Bronze-ranked swordsman?

I waited for the client alongside the male adventurer without saying anything else.

How much time had passed like that?

A woman walked up the stairs from the bottom.

The woman, dressed in a white leather coat that looked like snow, was surprised to see us sitting in the hallway.

“What, what’s going on…?”

“Ah, are you the owner of this room?”

The male adventurer quickly got up as the woman appeared.

He showed her the paper in his hand and spoke.

“I’m here for the dungeon exploration request.”

“Ah…”

The woman nodded as the man explained.

She then looked at me and asked, “Are you…?”

“Yes.”

“Are you a wizard? Or a priestess?”

The woman asked eagerly with sparkling eyes.

Why does everyone seem to think that way?

I wasn’t dressed like a wizard or a priestess.

I could fulfill her expectations, though. I could indeed use magic as a wizard.

However, if I continued to operate as a wizard, I would undoubtedly get embroiled in annoying matters.

Like wizards from the Mage Tower coming to visit, for example.

“No, I’m a swordsman.”

So I showed my Bronze rank badge issued by the Swordsmanship Guild.