Volume 17 Chapter 8 Victor And The 'Roselia Sword' I
SIDE Victor
Before he knew it, he was in an unfamiliar place.
"Where is this...?"
Victor looked around.
It was a dungeon made of reddish-brown rocks.
It was clearly different from the forest they had just been in.
Right next to him were Mirabell, Bernard, Rath, and Rosa.
Also, the high-ranking demon (mazoku) Ziredurzo was there too.
But,
"Where's Rain...?"
It seemed he had gotten separated from them.
"Where could he be...?"
"Rain is missing."
Mirabell was looking around nervously.
"Could it be... lost?"
"No, it's not like Victor-san is that kind of person."
Rosa chimed in with a joke.
"Well... I don't get lost that often, you know."
Victor couldn't help but respond back.
"Eh?"
"Eh?"
"Eh?"
"Eh?"
Everyone was giving him a side-eye.
"──What, is he bad with directions?"
Even Ziredurzo was giving him a side-eye.
Victor couldn't help but smile wryly.
Then, at that moment.
'Anyone is fine... The first one to reach me, the one who can reach me. The one with the power and qualities to reach me──I will grant that person the power to fulfill any wish...'
He heard a voice.
'But in return, please save me... I will be waiting. It doesn't matter what race or if you're good or evil. This is──a race for fate──a battle for the fate of the stars...!'
In the next moment, the surroundings were enveloped in rainbow-colored light, and then──
"Where is this...?"
It had changed to another place.
This time, it was a maze surrounded by light red walls.
"Did we get separated from everyone else this time...?"
It seemed like no one was here except for Victor.
──No.
"Hey, Victor-san?"
A tall woman was walking towards them from the other side of the hallway.
It was Rosa.
"It looks like it's just the two of us who got separated~."
As she pushed up the brim of her trademark witch hat, Rosa looked around.
"Ah. It seems like we got lost without realizing it."
"No, this isn't just 'getting lost.'."
Rosa calmly pointed that out.
"Did we get teleported somewhere else...? It's rare, but maybe it's some kind of [Movement] magic."
"[Movement], huh..."
Victor groaned.
He remembered that there was someone with a [Movement] 'Relic Holder' when they fought the Light Dragon King.
The two women who attacked them were a pair, one with a [Destruction] 'Relic Holder.'
"Are they attacking us again, or...?"
Still, it seemed like Victor and the others were 'just moved by Movement.'
For example, if their lives were the target, it wouldn't be strange to have a pursuit.
Was there some other aim, or...?
"By the way, I heard a strange voice right before the Movement. Could this Movement itself be the work of the voice's owner...?"
In any case, there was too little information to be certain.
They had to keep in mind the possibility that Deeta and Cyril might have attacked, along with other possibilities.
"Hey, Mirabell-chan and Bernard-san are missing."
Said Rosa.
"Hmm..."
Victor looked around again.
"Does that mean the other members were sent to a different place?"
"Maybe... I'll try to find out. I need to concentrate, so please be quiet for a bit."
Rosa closed her eyes and activated her magic.
"[Detection III]!"
A green glow surrounded Rosa and spread out in ripples.
"Hmm... There's weird noise all over this dungeon, so I can't detect anything well..."
Rosa sighed. Then,
Hummmmm...!
Suddenly, Victor's sword started to vibrate slightly.
Green light shot straight out from the entire sword.
"My sword is reacting. It's probably resonating with the 'Refaid Sword.'."
He had seen a similar phenomenon before.
"With this, at least we might be able to find Rain. Let's go in the direction the sword is pointing."
Victor said this and started walking.
"This way."
"Hey, isn't that the opposite direction of the light from the sword?"
Rosa interjected.
"Huh? Oh, I wasn't paying attention."
"Is it really just a simple mistake...?"
"Let's focus again."
"That's still the wrong way."
Rosa pointed it out again.
"Thanks for the correction."
Victor smiled and looked down at his sword.
"Guide us, 'Roselia of The Emerald Gale Claw Sword'..."
As he stared at his sword, he remembered the time he first met it.
* * *
Victor Zeora was born as the third son of a merchant family.
His family was, he thought, fairly well-off.
However, he wasn't particularly smart, and he lacked business skills, so his father had no expectations of him.
He thought he was decent with a sword, but that wasn't the ability needed for a merchant.
Moreover, he had a terrible sense of direction since he was a child, and he couldn't even go out alone, so it was fair to say he was seen as a nuisance.
In contrast, his 2 older brothers were very smart. They helped their father with his work since they were kids, and their father doted on them.
Victor grew up feeling left out and gradually started to distance himself from his family.
By the time he was over 20, he naturally found himself on the path of an adventurer.
It wasn't that he was forced into it.
Though his father and brothers looked down on him, Victor liked his family and didn't want to avoid them.
He just lived his life, going with the flow.
He realized he wasn't someone who would succeed as a merchant, so he chose a different path.
That said, it was also difficult to rise as an adventurer.
Victor's sword skills were just "decent."
He didn't have any magic abilities, nor did he have any powerful skills.
When he first became an adventurer, he was in an E-rank party with a guy named Maize Zollreiber, who quickly stood out and eventually moved to a prestigious guild called "Shield of the Holy Emperor."
There, he continued to achieve success and eventually rose to become an S-rank adventurer, earning the nickname "Raging Wave Great Axe."
Victor felt that those with talent were like someone such as Maize.
He considered himself ordinary.
As a merchant and an adventurer.
Without lamenting about it, Victor just lived his life as it flowed.
He was completely natural.
He spent over ten years as an adventurer like that.
His rank didn't rise much, but he thought he was able to live somewhat happily and enjoyably.
He had nothing to do with flashy achievements or a wealthy life—but Victor thought that such a 'somewhat' life suited him.
A turning point came for him a few months ago──during a quest to explore a certain ruin.
The 'Ruins of Light Scales.'
It was said that an ancient magic sword was sleeping in the ruins near a place called the Dragon Kingdom, Gadreza.
Obtaining that sword was the condition for this quest.
The main party was a select group of S-rank and A-rank adventurers from the prestigious guild 'Wings of the Overlord Dragon.'
Victor's party was hired as support.
They were completely just doing the chores.
"I'm the leader, Deorus Gray. My rank is S-rank. You've heard of the nickname 'Blade of Purple Lightning,' right? It means my sword skills are as fast as lightning, hehehe."
Honestly, it was the first time Victor had heard that nickname, but he kept quiet to avoid causing any trouble.
"Your job is only to do the chores. I think the danger is low, but don't let your guard down. Also, take care of everything around us. Got it?"
Deorus was an overbearing man.
He was probably in his early twenties.
His handsome face had an arrogant expression.
From Victor's perspective as a middle-aged C-rank adventurer who hadn't achieved much, he could be called an elite among elites.
"I'm Victor. Nice to meet you."
So, when he greeted him, it was undeniable that he felt a bit intimidated.
"Hey? Are you nervous? Like I said before, you're only here for the chores. We're the ones who fight. Don't worry, we won't push any dangerous roles onto you weaklings."
Deorus laughed mockingly.
"Understood. I will give my all to the chores."
Victor replied politely.
It's not that he wasn't a little annoyed at being mocked, but he could brush it off lightly, probably thanks to his experience.
"The item we need to get in this quest is a magic sword, right?"
"Yeah. It's an ancient sword, said to have wind attributes. It's related to some legendary dragon or something, but... I don't have any detailed info on that."
Deorus said.
"The name is 'Roselia of The Emerald Gale Claw Sword.' A certain rich person is asking an outrageous price for it. If we get it, we'll be rich!"
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