CHAPTER 305: CH 304: THAT THING WILL ONLY BRING YOU TROUBLE

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"I was expecting your visit. But I didn’t think it would take you this long... You’ve come to get even for what I said to your girls, haven’t you?" says the old man, as if on guard against me.

That puzzles me for a moment, as I don’t remember what he is referring to, but quickly the information about what happened the last time the old man talked to my girls comes to me.

He let slip the information about the special circumstances by which I had ’seduced’ Melisa.

Then I realize what the other emotion might be that is visible in the old man’s expression.

Concern, embarrassment, or maybe...

Fear?

"What? No... but now that you mention it, you owe me big time for that. I was actually coming to get your professional opinion on something," I say and pull Zariche out of my inventory and set it on the counter.

"Look, kid, I thought you already understood it... all these weapons I have for sale are just a facade... I know something about blacksmithing, it’s true, but I’m far from being a professional in the field," says Gerald, with apparent irritation.

But I already know the old git, and I know that’s simply the usual way he treats customers who aren’t women.

"I know that, old man. You’re a magic refiner, and that’s just the kind of professional I need..." I say, motioning for him to inspect the sword.

’I can use the old man to see if my theory is correct...

If old Gerald touches the sheath and the sword attempts to control him, it will take me less than a second to return it to my inventory...

And if, for whatever reason, I can’t do it, well...

How hard can it be to knock this old man out and take the sword from him?’

"... That thing has magic, but I don’t know exactly what its capabilities are."

"Have you used it?..." asks the old man, looking at the sword with a hint of ill-concealed curiosity.

"... I imagine you have, since you know it has magical properties."

"I only used it once. But it was only for a few moments, and it didn’t work very well. That’s why I decided to look for an expert," I say evasively, as my memories of yesterday are extremely vague.

"Hmm... Likewise, it’s very likely that a blacksmith would be a better choice for you. I can try to identify its runes for you, but that’s all I can do. I can’t change its runes or anything like that..." says Gerald as he picks up the sheathed sword and begins to examine it from different angles.

’Looks like my theory was correct...

Come to think of it...

It’s interesting, the fact that I can’t hear the voice of the sword if it’s not in contact with me...

And...

Judging by his expression, Gerald is not hearing it either...

It appears that Zariche’s mental connection is different from the connection Delia has with Blue Wind...

But that’s not his only difference with the talking spear.’

"... No... I don’t think even a blacksmith could change its runes. Judging by the sheath on this thing, I imagine this sword came from some labyrinth, right?"

"Yeah, how do you know that?" I ask curiously.

I was a little curious that he didn’t ask me more about the one time I used the weapon, but I guess the old man doesn’t need to.

Thanks to his class, he must be able to see things in the weapon that I can’t see.

"Because the objects that come from the labyrinths have very rare effects... sometimes even unique... And that’s why usually they can’t be effectively identified. The sheath of this sword is definitely magical, but I fail to understand what runes and materials were used for its manufacture," says the old man while slowly sliding his fingers over the surface of the dark sheath.

"Ahh, then I guess you’re not going to be able to help me," I say, slightly discouraged.

’If what he says is true, I doubt anyone can correctly identify its effects...

And if no one can identify its effects...

It seems impossible that anyone is going to know of any means of counteracting them...

It’s a pity...

But I guess I’ll have to look for another sword to replace my lost great sword...

Come to think of it...

I could never identify the runes of the great sword that I lost fighting that damn zombie dragon...

Could it be because it was a weapon that came from a labyrinth?...

But then...

I shouldn’t be able to identify Zariche’s runes...

Hmm...

I imagine Zariche is special in many ways...

In fact...

I’m not even entirely sure that the information I see about the weapon is correct.’

"I didn’t say that! I can faintly intuit the intent behind its existence, so to speak. The intent of this sheath is to contain. I don’t know what that’s supposed to mean, since that motive wouldn’t require the object to be magical, but that’s what I feel. I imagine that the sword has some powerful effect, which destroys or deteriorates ordinary sheaths, and that’s why it needs a magical sheath..." says Gerald, after which he slowly and cautiously unsheathes the sword and leaves the dark sheath on the counter.

Right now Zariche is taking on the appearance of an innocent one-handed sword made of iron.

I don’t know what he hopes to accomplish with that, considering I already explained to Gerald that the weapon is magical, but we’ll see.

The old magic refiner takes his time to thoroughly examine the weapon’s blade from a safe distance.

’Really, the old man is being very, very thorough in doing what I asked of him...

I would never have said it of him...

It’s almost as if...

Ahh...

Maybe he’s doing it as compensation for saying things he shouldn’t have in front of my girls...

Or maybe it’s because of some trick the sword is playing with the old man’s mind...

It’s strange that it hasn’t reacted in any way, despite being unsheathed...

Was I wrong in my theory about the limitations of the sword’s control abilities?...

But...

If it’s not because of the sheath...’

While I’m thinking those things, the old man continues to examine the weapon’s blade.

"... Hmm... It hasn’t burst into flames or anything... How strange... And what’s weirder... It looks and feels too simple to have the sheath it has," says Gerald, after which he slowly rests a hand curiously on the blade of the sword.

Instantly the old man’s eyes become slightly glazed and unfocused at the same time as a dark mist with red lightning bolts begins to pour out of the sword, expanding at full speed.

As soon as the mist reaches where I am, I begin to hear the deep voice of the sword speaking to Gerald, asking the old man to kill me and keep the weapon to himself while promising him power, women, money, fame and glory.

A second after the sword starts emitting the mist, the appearance of the weapon changes to take on the look I already know.

’So...

Is touching the blade the condition for the sword to use its control abilities?...

No, it doesn’t make sense for it to be so...

Hmm...

I don’t remember if I touched the blade when I pulled it out of that stone it was stuck in...

Haa... never mind...

I’ll look into it later.’

While I think the slightly curved single-edged great sword keeps inciting the old man against me, and I already start to see how old Gerald flexes his arthritic knees to throw himself into a suicidal attack against me.

’Well...

Enough experimentation for today.’

Needing only my intention for this to happen, the sword disappears from the old man’s hands, as does the dark sheath on the counter, and reappears in my hands.

Only now, the sword is sheathed again.

The instant the sword disappeared from the old man’s hands, so did the unnatural dark mist.

’I can store in my inventory anything that has ever come into it...

And, with the exception of the first time, I don’t need to touch things to do so...

Do you understand now who is superior to whom?’

I direct these thoughts towards the sword as a smirk appears on my face.

’You damned waste in human form, you disgusting worm, you filthy piece of shit. I’m going to destroy you. No matter how long it takes, I will get rid of you. I am eternal, and I am going to enjoy myself immensely when I finally drink your blood... And that of those whores you like so much.’

’Silence! Or I’ll return you back to my inventory... ’ I mentally communicate to him, as I feel slightly disturbed by the intensity of the hatred the sword transmits to me.

’... Whether you like it or not, you are bound to me.’

Quickly the eloquent speech of the sword, in which he describes in detail the ways in which he will kill me and my girls, stops.

Now I only perceive a slight sensation coming from the weapon.

But it’s just a vague notion of the weapon’s thoughts, which are mostly beyond my grasp.

’I guess you hate being in my inventory quite a bit more than you had previously let on,’ I think with a smug grin.

I then turn my gaze back to old Gerald, who has collapsed into a chair and is looking at the sword with a horrified look.

"You need to get rid of that thing, boy. That thing will only bring you trouble. You got it from a labyrinth, didn’t you? Well, throw it somewhere in the labyrinth where no one passes through and let the labyrinth deal with it," says Gerald, looking me straight in the eye with a seriousness I’ve never noticed in him before.

"You’re overreacting, man. I’ve got it under control." I say, a little surprised by the old man’s reaction.

But then I realize that, from a normal person’s perspective, there’s no way to break free of the weapon’s grip.

"That’s why I’m telling you, damn it! I see that somehow you were able to get that thing out of my hands without even touching it. I imagine that’s how you got rid of it the first time you used it. You were really lucky..."

’Luck? Me?...

You’ve got the wrong guy, man...

Luck and I are mortal enemies...

But I’m not going to contradict you...

Age must have begun to take its toll on your mind, judging by the fact that you don’t seem to have noticed that I’ve used you as a guinea pig...

That being the case... You can think whatever you want for all I care.’

"... That’s good, because you’re probably the only person in this town who can control it. But, precisely because of that, it is your responsibility to make sure that sword is never wielded by anyone..." says the old man, trembling slightly as he looks at the sword in my hands again.

"... Now I understand why the sheath is magic. The sheath serves to contain the intent of that sword-shaped thing. I didn’t feel it until I touched the blade; in all my years of experience, I have never felt anything like that. I can only describe the intent behind that sword as an endless hunger for destruction and death..."

’Aren’t all weapons created with that intention?...

I mean... It’s not as if a weapon can be used for much more than killing or damaging things."

"... You... you didn’t kill any innocent people with that thing, did you?"

The old man looks at me with sudden wariness, probably doubting if he might not be talking to a murderer.

"No. I put it away in my inventory as soon as I noticed something strange going on," I say, lying shamelessly.

The reality is that he is indeed talking to a murderer, since I have killed many people.

Many of whom probably weren’t bad people.

But I can say that I have never killed anyone without a good reason.

The proof of that is that I don’t have, among my available classes, the Assassin class which is obtained by killing people just for the sake of killing.

At my words the old man sighs in relief and continues speaking "You did well. If you hadn’t taken the sword out of my hands, I would have tried to assassinate you. I was ready to do anything to achieve it. My ability to think was still there, somehow, but it wasn’t doing me much good. I had my hands tied to that thing, and I needed to cut you with it because that was precisely what the fucking sword ordered me to do."

"Okay, I believe you..." I say, once again deliberately omitting the fact that I already knew firsthand the effects of the weapon.

"... But I’d still like to be able to use it. Is there any way to mitigate the negative effects of the sword?"

"Aren’t you listening to me, boy?! Nothing positive will ever come of that thing! All its effects are negative!" says the old man, pulling the white hairs on his head in a momentary fit of despair.

Then, seeing that my visit to Gerald won’t bring me much more, I sigh and say, "Okay, old man, but I’m going to try anyway. If it turns out that there’s really no way... then I’ll do as you say."

After my words, I equip Zariche on my belt, turn around, and get ready to leave the place.

’At least now I know for sure which sheath is indeed the one preventing the cursed sword from using its control abilities...

Maybe, if I keep it equipped, I will become resistant to its effects...

Or maybe I can come to some sort of agreement with it...

Anyway, it’s not really a must-have for me...

For the moment I’m going to try to control it...

If I get tired of trying and it turns out I can’t do it, then it will go back into my inventory permanently.’

However, before I get to the door, I hear the old man’s voice again, so I turn to look at him.

"Got some spare time, kid?" he says, after which he sighs and seems to regain his composure a bit.

"Yeah, I guess... Why do you ask?" I say, suddenly curious.

"I need to go somewhere, and since you’re here, I thought you might accompany me. It’s... an apology for what happened with your girls and a thank you for saving me from that thing’s control," he says, with an enigmatic smile, making obvious efforts to regain his cool as he deliberately avoids looking at the weapon now dangling from my waist.

I feel a little guilty about being rewarded for saving him from a danger I put him in myself.

But that fleeting feeling lasts me only a few moments, overcome by curiosity.

Besides, I still don’t know what kind of reward the old man is thinking of.

"What place?" I ask, somewhat cautiously, for I know perfectly well the tastes of this old curmudgeon.

"Ohh... You’ll see. It’s a surprise. But I’m sure you’ll like it." He says and stands up.