Chapter 2:
In the Ephemeral Hall
THAT DAY, I visited the Sword Sanctum’s training hall, though I’d heard it was called “the Ephemeral Hall” of all names.
Alec was on my right. He was smiling and didn’t give off the slightest hint of hostility. At his waist, he had the two-handed sword the Ore God himself had forged from the black stone I’d created. It didn’t have any special powers but—as you’d expect from the “god” in its maker’s name—it was a fine blade. Alec had taken a liking to the nearly two-meter blade and now carried it regularly. Orsted was on my left. He kept his black helmet on and didn’t say a word. He stood so perfectly still that you might mistake him for a photo cutout. I half-expected a fly to land on him, but he was so intimidating that even a mosquito wouldn’t have tried. The other people here besides us weren’t looking at me or Alec or Orsted. Their gazes were all fixed on the person in front of me: Eris. She was standing with a wooden practice sword in her hand. Her expression was serious, and she didn’t seem angry, but anyone could see how tightly she gripped her sword.
Eris in the center of the Ephemeral Hall. At her feet lay a Sword Saint with a broken wrist.
“I yield,” they muttered at last. Looking bitter, they got to their feet and bowed. Without waiting for Eris to respond, they went back to the side of the hall.
At the side of the training hall stood a whole row of Sword God warriors, about twenty by the looks of it. It sure was a small world when I considered that all of them were Sword Saints. Like a whole world crammed into a small space.
Across from Eris sat a young man and woman. The man was probably about the same age as me, though I didn’t know for certain. Put like that, I wasn’t quite sure whether I could call him “young” or not. Then again, lots of the Sword Saints were in their thirties and forties, so I guess he did count as young. He had his arm around the woman sitting beside him, and compared to the Sword Saints, he seemed relaxed—even with Orsted in front of him. Orsted was still Orsted, even with the helmet reducing the effect of the curse, and this guy was relaxed.
Nothing less from Sword God Gino Britz. As he radiated authority with a girl hanging on his arm, it was hard to believe we were the same age. At the very least, I could never have faced Orsted while putting my arm around my wife and running my hand down her back. I’d get punched for that—by Eris, mostly—anyway. Not that I minded the sight of Eris smacking me when I reached for her breasts now and then.
The woman’s name was Nina, and she was a friend of Eris’s who held the rank of Sword Emperor. However, she wasn’t really giving off “Sword Emperor” energy. Instead, she was leaning happily against her husband, Gino, and only smacking his hand away whenever it ventured too close to her chest. It was like they didn’t even see us. They were disgustingly in love.
Right, I should explain how we’d ended up in such a tense situation.
Previously on Mushoku Tensei!
Gather round, girls and boys! My name’s Rudeus Greyrat! Let’s have some fun!
Today, we were visiting the hottest and coolest sightseeing spot in the Northern Continent: the Sword Sanctum! Thinking about the future, I needed to have a talk with the Sword God, plus there was Eris’s history with the former Sword God to contend with! Thus, I decided to go pay my respects and set the record straight, so to speak. I didn’t get to talk to the current Sword God last time, so this was my official visit.
Along with me for the trip was—you guessed it—Eris! From what I knew about Sword God Style, its practitioners tended to be the type to slice you in two first and ask questions later. I thought it’d be best to bring as few magicians along as possible, same as last time. I was sure they were all people of good moral character, of course, but Eris had since killed Gall Falion in the Biheiril Kingdom, and he’d been the current Sword God’s father-in-law!
What do you think? After that, could I waltz in and ask him for a favor?
Admittedly, depending on the atmosphere there, I was prepared to go home without raising the subject. Anything could happen! That’s why I planned for just the two of us to go.
At least, that was my plan, but there was a shocking twist in store. When I said I was heading to the Sword Sanctum, Orsted said he’d come along with a real air of significance. That significance was probably that he was worried I’d run my mouth off and make the Sword God angry. In other words, he was coming in case I botched it. Either way, I had no reason to say no, so I agreed. Orsted was a reassuring guy to have around.
Since Orsted was going, Alec insisted on going too. You know, the guy just a bit too obsessed with becoming a hero, who’d proved he was just as bad at reading a room as Cliff had been back in the day? Yeah, that Alec!
Personally, I’d have liked to say, “Sorry, can’t have anyone who’s going to cause trouble.” I was grateful to Alec for looking after Sieg so often, but that was a whole other matter.
Sir Orsted said, “As you please.” Thus, it was decided. Eris, Orsted, Alec, and I would all go to the Sword Sanctum together.
So we went! When we arrived, the peaceful sight of a country village blanketed in snow welcomed us. I had some jitters, but I’d been here before, and this time, I had three reliable companions with me.
“What a great view. They sure have a great selection of swords for a country village. Oh, I spotted our first villager!”
Shivering beside my stoic companions, I carried on a conversation with myself right up until we arrived at the Sword God’s main training hall.
A group of smiling Sword Saints showed us to the Ephemeral Hall. Everyone was pleasant, and the atmosphere seemed friendly. Yet, for some reason, I had this prickling sensation down my spine.
It’s all in your head! I told myself. Focus on the Sword God!
Just then, one of the Sword Saints spoke. “If it’s all right, I would first like to see the sword of Berserker Sword King Eris who slayed the former Sword God.”
How’s this for “hello”?!
Before I could even turn around, the Sword God shrugged. “Whatever you like,” he said.
All hell broke loose after that.
Still smiling but radiating hostility from behind their eyes, the Sword Saints moved to challenge Eris. Oh, they looked friendly, and they were using practice swords, but I could see their ill intent. They’d use those wooden swords to beat Eris to death under the pretense of practice. It was obvious at a glance that they wouldn’t hold back.
But then, Eris was still technically a Sword God. It’d take more than a few Sword Saints to get the better of her. She easily turned the tables on her would-be attackers. As she beat down one, then another, the Sword Saints’ smiles turned into hateful snarls. They weren’t hiding their malice anymore. In the middle of all this, only one person looked totally serene—Gino. Even Nina looked a bit troubled by the murder in the Sword Saints’ eyes, but it was clear from Gino’s face that he couldn’t have cared less.
Anyway, I did my best to put on a cheerful face and explain what was going on. For all the good it did!
Haah. My stomach hurts. How did it come to this?
I had the feeling I’d screwed up right off the bat. With the vibe in here, it was a lost cause. I just wanted a chance to explain, but any chance at a conversation was totally shot now.
I didn’t have time to stop her! She’s just, you know, really fast!
Seriously, before Gino finished saying, “Whatever you like,” Eris had stepped forward without hesitation, her wooden sword in hand. More Sword Saints were waiting in the center of the training hall. In the instant it took for me to lower my weight to where I now stood, Eris had already beaten one of them. Then, another round of Sword Saints stepped forward.
“My turn!”
“It is I you shall face next!”
What was this, whack-a-mole?
I felt like it was past time to end this little farce. There were a little over twenty Sword Saints, and Eris had already taken down almost all of them. No, she was actually fighting the last one, which meant it’d be the Sword God Gino’s turn next. For now, he was sitting above it all, but if his people were taken out, he’d have no choice but to come forward himself. The Sword Saints were probably anticipating that moment when the Sword God struck the red-haired swordswoman dead. They wanted revenge against the one who’d killed the former Sword God. They’d basically declared they were itching for it. This was the prelude to an execution.
I was regretting my choices. Maybe coming here was a bad idea. Even Eris wouldn’t leave a bout with the Sword God unscathed, and there was no way I could fight him myself at this range. At least things weren’t all bad. My reflexes might be too slow, but Orsted and Alec would stop the Sword God’s blade for me. Eris might get scratched up a bit…but so long as she was alive, I wouldn’t complain. Eris was ready for whatever happened. Either way, I was grateful they had come with us.
The only thing was, if I interfered in a duel between Eris and the Sword God, negotiation would be out of the question. I wasn’t sure exactly what would happen…but whatever it was, I could already feel the stomachache coming on. I had to stop this, then figure out some way to get us into a position to talk. That was my job here.
Listen up, Rudeus. They’re a hot-headed lot, but you can make them listen if you just really try to talk to them. Give it your all, you hear? Up and at ’em!
“Urgh…I yield.”
Just then, the last Sword Saint fell. Just like the last one, he clutched his wrist. Come to think of it, they’d basically all been holding their wrists. For some, it was the left, and for some the right, but Eris hadn’t even bothered to switch up techniques. No wonder they were extra furious.