Chapter 2: Temporary Stay — Sword God Gal Farion

Even though I had been born with a body capable of freely running through mountains and fields, an accursed child was still an accursed child.
Even here in this land, hailed as the holy ground of the sword where martial artists gathered, there were only a handful of people willing to speak with me. But for someone like me—who in my previous life had only ever spoken with father, mother, and a maid—that number was more than enough.

First was my mother, Eris.
Next, my master of the sword, Ghislaine.
Then Lord Auber, the tengu who claimed the title of North Emperor and wielded a strange blade.
The great Sword God Gal Farion, who ruled over this sacred land, and his daughter Lady Nina.
And finally, from the southern nation beyond the mountain range, the Water God Lord Reida and his granddaughter, Isolte.

Excluding the two who were family, all the others were people I had only begun speaking with in these past few months.
The turning point, yes… it must have been when the Sword God summoned me to his audience chamber.

"You really do love staring at swords, don’t you, young lady?"

"Edith has sharp eyes! As expected of Rudeus’s child!"

(Though the colors and designs were eccentric, no matter how many times I looked, there was no mistaking it—it was a katana [Japanese sword]. That could only mean this was the northern frontier, the unsubmissive tribes’ land. Mother and Ghislaine must be descended from those people. Their strange names and appearances, the way they exposed skin in a manner unthinkable for women… it all made sense.)

In my past life, I had heard from Mother of a land across a vast salty river called the sea—a northern territory where unsubmissive tribes dwelled, refusing to bow to Lord Ieyasu, the Divine Ruler, or to the prestige of the Imperial Family. Most likely, the art of katana forging had drifted here through frontier clans who had taken root in this land.

(To think the blood of the unsubmissive tribes could be so fearsome… Even roasted fish I could accept, but to eat beast flesh with no hesitation, laid upon the dining table as if it were nothing, and to suffer no illness at all…)

Compared to the days when I was served nothing but porridge and tofu skin, these meals were so rich and hearty they almost gave me a headache. After being dressed by Ghislaine and sternly reminded of etiquette, I was brought before the Sword God—master to both Ghislaine and Eris.

"So you’re Eris’s only daughter, huh? Hah! You really went and got yourself a green head. Oi, Eris! Don’t tell me you were also bedded by those so-called comrades of yours, the Superd tribe? Quite the extravagant woman, ain’t ya?"

"If you’re so desperate to die, just say so from the start."

"Don’t bite my head off, damn, it’s just a joke. No magic eye on your forehead, no tail—no doubt this brat’s the child of your beloved prince. Auspicious enough, ain’t it? …Wait, the hell’s this kid doing?"

Before I realized it, the knee I had raised had sunk down, and my forehead was pressed firmly against the floor.
I was certain of it—the name Sword God Gal Farion was no boast. It was the truth. That man was overwhelming, absolute, and above all… perfect.

(Lord Uesugi, called the reincarnation of Bishamonten [God of War], must have been like this. The Sword God—no, Sword God-sama—is truly the God of War.)

"Hey."

"Yes."

"Hey, I said."

"Yes!"

"…Ah, you can raise your head now."

"Yes!" snap

"What are you doing, Edith…"

"So this is that mountain monkey’s daughter…?"

"Most likely Lady Ghislaine trained her well."

"Perhaps it’s the father’s blood that made her so."

"Eris raising a child like this… how could that ever happen?"

I could hear the hushed whispers of the senior disciples, but I paid them no mind. I was before a god. The Sword God, staring intently at me, let out a deep sigh and then tossed his words like a spear.

『Her eyesight’s remarkable, but this is no good. Not even the slightest spark of will to bare her fangs against her betters. Train her up and maybe she’ll reach the rank of Sword King, but I’ve no interest in watching some brat who doesn’t even know how to use her own fangs. Take her away.』

And so I was dismissed for that day.
The very next day, I was granted audience with the Water God, and again found myself pressing my forehead against the floor.

"My, what on earth is this child doing?"

"Now that you mention it, Rudeus used to do the same thing every now and then, just like Edith!"

…It seemed that here in the frontier, the act of prostration [dogeza] was not well-known. According to Mother, Father would sometimes perform it back when he still served a noble household. Perhaps Mother herself simply lacked much knowledge of etiquette.

And yet, despite having brushed me off so curtly at first, whenever questions arose during training that even Ghislaine could not answer, the Sword God himself would teach me—through his body and his words—with great skill. After a single month, I was granted recognition in the Sword God Style: Beginner Level.

"Ah—come to think of it, why are you always walking at the edge of the road?"

"Because the middle is for Sword God-sama to pass. Without the recognition of a Sword Saint [kenshi], I cannot walk there."

"Hah?"