——The magic sword Caladbolg.
That is the name of the sword I newly made.
…Well, in reality, it is just a wooden sword, but I made a sword with that name.
During the second world journey, I started sword training with Jisrare-san, and every morning I got completely beaten down.
Beaten down by some random stick I picked up. My tiny pride got beaten down every day as well.
Wanting to change that situation somehow, I decided to make a proper wooden sword and give it to Jisrare-san.
I will probably still get beaten down, but if it is with a proper wooden sword, then my pride might not take as much of a beating.
So after returning from the second world journey, I worked on making a wooden sword for the first time in a while, and named the finished sword 『Magic Sword Caladbolg』.
…For some reason, 『Heshikiri Hasebe*』 was also a candidate, but imagining myself getting hit by a sword with that name every time was a bit unsettling. Rejected.
TN: Oda Nobunaga’s sword
Anyway, with that background, I made the wooden sword and gave it a cool name.
Then, on the morning of the second day of the third world journey, I handed Caladbolg to Jisrare-san and was about to begin morning training——when…
「To think I forgot it at home…」
「It cannot be helped. Everyone forgets things」
「…Sigh」
No matter how much I searched through my magic bag, I could not find it… and I realized I had accidentally left Caladbolg at home.
I usually do not keep it in the magic bag, so that is probably why.
I sometimes mix it up with Balmung… since both are just wooden swords, there were many times I pulled one out of the bag only to find it was Caladbolg instead.
It was meant as a gift, so I thought it would be wrong to use it before giving it——so I kept it at home instead of in the bag, but that seems to have backfired.
「I am sorry. Because of me, we have to go back」
「It cannot be helped. Everyone forgets things」
「…Sigh」
I was thinking that, since it could not be helped, I would just make another wooden sword during the journey… but at Jisrare-san’s suggestion, we ended up returning to Meiyu Village.
And just like that, the third world journey came to an end. Just like the first one, it ended in only two days…
I quietly returned to the village, received some lukewarm looks from my family, and stayed at home for a night.
Then the next day, so I would not get spotted by the villagers and have another send-off party thrown, I snuck out and set off on my journey again.
——And so, this marks the beginning of the fourth world journey.
In fact, I am already in the middle of setting out again.
「This makes it the fourth time departing on a world journey. I am sorry for the trouble」
「Everyone forgets things」
「…Sigh」
Jisrare-san keeps repeating 『Everyone forgets things』 with a cheerful smile.
…She is probably thinking about the first world journey, when she forgot her bow.
She seemed to feel quite bad about that at the time, but now that I made the same mistake, she seems a bit more at ease.
Well, if that is the case… then maybe it is not so bad.
It is embarrassing and I feel sorry about it, but if it helps Jisrare-san feel better during the journey, then perhaps it was not entirely a bad thing…
「So, Jisrare-san, our first destination will be——」
「Kirk Village」
Kirk Village. A human village said to be located to the northeast from here.
…This line again. That makes four times now.
Repeating it this much almost makes it feel like I am stuck in a loop, which is honestly a bit unsettling.
◇
The fourth world journey is progressing mostly smoothly.
Aside from the fact that our travel speed has not increased, everything is going well.
Unfortunately, our speed has not improved.
Even though Hezrat-kun leveled up and his 『Agility』 increased, our pace remains the same… but that cannot be helped.
Winter is approaching, the sun rises later and sets earlier.
With fewer daylight hours, the time we can spend traveling has naturally decreased.
Other than that, things are going smoothly… ah, right, there is one more issue.
Every morning, getting struck by the magic sword Caladbolg in training with Jisrare-san is quite a challenge.
I realized that getting smacked with a properly made wooden sword hurts far more than being lightly tapped with some random stick picked up off the ground.
…Actually, why did I not realize that until I got hit? Thinking about it normally, of course it would hurt.
Well, Jisrare-san does hold back, and she heals me right away. And with a proper wooden sword, it feels like I can take the training more seriously, so in that sense, it is not a bad situation…
Still, I am a little worried I might awaken to some strange new world.
…Thinking back on it, I am starting to feel like this is not such a smooth journey after all.
At this point, just not returning home after two days is enough for me to mistake it as going well…
「Is something wrong?」
「Hm?」
「You looked spaced out」
「Oh, really?」
Jisrare-san, who had been reading inside the tent, spoke to me.
The sun had set, so we set up the tent and went inside, but it was still too early to sleep. So Jisrare-san was reading, and I was doing some woodworking.
While I was lost in thought, it seems my hands had stopped moving.
「I was just thinking about something」
「Thinking?」
「Well, about this journey… I was wondering if, overall, it is actually going smoothly」
「Really?」
「That is the feeling I get」
There have been various small issues, but overall, it has been going well.
After all, it has already been a week since we departed. A whole week. That makes it the second-longest journey so far.
「That aside, it is dangerous to think about other things while holding a blade」
「Ah, you are right. Thank you. I will be careful」
「Well, you have skills, so maybe you would not get injured anyway」
「…Hmm」
Now that I think about it, I have never gotten injured while doing woodworking.
Even though I shave wood almost every day, I have never once cut my hand. Not once in over ten years… that is almost abnormal.
「But still, it is better to be careful. Especially since the wood I am working with now is difficult to handle」
「That is from the World Tree?」
「Yes. It is a branch from the World Tree」
What I am carving right now is a branch from the World Tree that I received from Yggdrasil-san. It is extremely hard and difficult to process. In a way, it is the perfect material to pass the time.
「…Come to think of it, I consulted you about this branch before, Jisrare-san. About making a 『World Tree Staff』」
「…Ah, that thing about magic and staffs?」
「Yes. The idea that a staff would assist with magic skills…」
Based on my previous life, I had assumed that staffs had such an effect.
If Mother and Jisrare-san had not stopped me back then, this branch would have become a World Tree Staff. A completely ordinary staff with no effect…
「That really surprised me at the time. I had no idea what you were talking about」
「…I see」
What is it with that… I feel like 『I have no idea what Alec is talking about』 is something I hear fairly often…
Anyway, now that I think about it, Diana-chan also said 『I do not get it』.
It seems the idea of a 『magic staff』 is just that absurd and hard to understand.
…Hmm. Hard to understand, impossible to grasp, completely absurd, huh.
「Let me ask again… have you ever tried it?」
「Tried?」
「Have you ever used a staff when casting magic?」
「No, I have not…」
I see. You have never even tried…
Well, that makes sense. No one thinks there is any connection between magic and staffs. It sounds too absurd to even test.
「Maybe… I will try making one」
「Eh…?」
Maybe I will try making a magic staff…
I will not use a World Tree branch, but I could use some good wood and make something that looks like it would enhance magic power.
I feel like the image is important. I will try making it while imagining it increasing magic power from the very beginning.
Until now, no one has made a staff with that kind of intention. And no one has used such a staff to cast magic.
Or… just maybe…
What if no one has tried it before, and just maybe…
next chapter: Countermeasures for a Handsome Face
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