Witches.

Veiled magical beings who lived in the Heavenly Empire. As befitted beings who dwelled amid the arcane, their visit was anything but ordinary. For one thing, the witches did not visit me in reality.

"... You brought me here without a word. If I say I don't want to be here, will you let me leave?"

My meeting with the witches took place very late at night, just after I had finally settled my troubled thoughts and fallen asleep after tossing and turning in my uncomfortable bed. I closed my eyes, and before I could begin dreaming, I opened them in some dreamlike space. By now, I had experienced it enough to recognize where I was. The spirit world.

"Yes, if you wish to leave, we will let you out."

"Will you?"

"But if you leave now, you will find it difficult to speak with our sisters again. Tomorrow, we leave the Iron Kingdom and return to the Heavenly Empire."

"... Then why not visit me in person?"

"That would be difficult as well. How could a married woman visit a man's bedchamber at such a late hour? Our husband might be angry with us."

What was she talking about?

I wanted to say it, but forced myself to hold my tongue. The witches giggled at the sight of me.

"Well, perhaps such a warning means little to a descendant of steel. You are protected by the master of all swords, after all."

"..."

"Ah, it was positively intoxicating to move your mind into the spirit world at the Arena's request. The presence of the one dwelling within your mind was truly extraordinary."

It was getting awfully hard not to ask what the fuck they kept going on about.

There was a reason people on the continent said, 'You're talking like a witch,' whenever someone spouted incomprehensible bullshit without context. The witches babbled about things only they understood, offering no explanation, then snickered among themselves as though it were terribly amusing. For the person listening, it was pretty damned irritating.

As I clicked my tongue and glared at them, Liam spoke.

「That's what witches are like. Their faces look perfectly normal, but they're all cracked in the head.」

"..."

「It's all because a certain idiot who loses his senses at the sight of a pretty woman keeps shielding them. Those spell-slingers need a beating to knock some sense into them as it is, but some dark fellow keeps anyone from doing it. No wonder they've grown ill-mannered.」

Liam chattered away, clicking his tongue as usual.

But then...

"Thank you. We have often been called beautiful, but praise from the master of all swords leaves us quite overwhelmed."

"We shall devote ourselves more diligently to our studies to correct our bad manners."

Strangely enough, the witches answered everything Liam said, as though they could see him and hear his voice.

At their response, his presence grew rather menacing.

「Women of the sky, who gave you leave to eavesdrop on my voice without permission?」

At the same time, a chill settled over the dreamlike space, as though winter had arrived. The witches' chatter stopped abruptly.

「Did you think I would dote on you simply because that idiot cherishes you? Spell-slingers truly have no manners. Remember this well. I am generous only to my descendants. Only my children, through whose veins the blood of steel flows, may stand as my equals.」

"..."

「Lower your eyes from me and close your ears. Do not displease me in the slightest. Do you understand?」

"... Yes, we understand."

Liam's voice completely dominated the space.

The sight of those chattering witches shutting their mouths and bowing their heads was magnificent. Honestly, I was impressed. It felt as though Master's dignity, which had been slipping by the day, had finally been restored. Yes, that was my master. The greatest swordmaster, the pride of Caravan...

Pride in Caravan surged through my chest.

Yes.

「Well? To borrow an expression from today's youngsters, wasn't that fucking awesome?」

"... Please, please, once you've done something impressive, just keep your mouth shut."

「Now, now. There's nothing this descendant won't say to his exalted ancestor—」

"Every day, you ruin your dignity with whatever you say afterward..."

As always, it lasted only until he added one more remark...

「Ho ho, that's part of my charm. Don't you know? When I was young, women would fall head over heels after discovering this hidden side of me—」

"Please."

As Liam went on and on, I could see the witches bowing their heads and struggling to suppress their laughter. They were desperately pretending not to hear, despite hearing every word. While my newly soaring pride in Caravan plummeted in real time, I cleared my throat and changed the subject to shut Master up.

"So... didn't you say you came because you had something to ask me?"

The witches nodded.

"Let's talk, then. To be honest, I was a little curious."

* * *

Before we began our conversation, the witches snapped their fingers. Warm black tea and refreshments appeared and arranged themselves neatly before me. It was a wonderfully mysterious and convenient talent.

"First, we would like to say what an honor it is to meet a descendant of steel, whom we believed had vanished entirely from the continent. We never expected to encounter you in a place like this, and thought greeting you where everyone could see might draw far too much attention, so we could not acknowledge you earlier. That was terribly discourteous, and we wish to apologize—"

"Please, enough with the unnecessary details. Just get to the point."

Sipping my tea, I shook my head in dismay as the witches launched into another long-winded speech. Why did they talk so much? Orc shamans practiced magic too, but they always went straight to the point, so conversations with them moved along very quickly.

'... Though the problem was that they had nothing in their heads.'

Well, anyway, the witches tilted their heads at my words, then clapped their hands and said they understood. By the time I had eaten about three cookies, they finally reached the point.

"Have you ever fought a mage, descendant of steel?"

"I once defeated a dark mage who had fled the Heavenly Empire."

"A dark mage... Ah, Jerry Selpit. We had been wondering why his life signal had ceased. We never imagined the descendant of steel had personally passed judgment on him."

Jerry Selpit.

I hadn't expected to hear that name from the witches themselves. Had he been a better-known mage than I thought?

"Then that's excellent. You have experience fighting mages."

"Why would you call that excellent—"

"We witches would like to ask a favor of the descendant of steel."

A favor?

That was a word I hadn't expected.

Witches were honored guests in the Heavenly Empire, counted among the continent's most powerful mages, and had even established a force of their own... What could they possibly ask of an insignificant 「sword walker」 from a remote territory in the Iron Kingdom?

As I turned it over in my head, an inexplicable unease came over me. Was I about to get dragged into something unnecessarily huge again? My life was complicated enough already.

So I spoke before the witches could.

"Well, I don't know whether you're aware, but I'm still only a novice 「sword walker」. So if you want me to deal with a dark mage even you find difficult to handle, or help fight your war, I'm afraid—"

"Pardon?"

One of the witches answered me.

"Why would we ask you to do something like that? You may possess limitless potential, descendant of steel, but compared to our sisters, aren't you quite insignificant? Besides, mages are best dealt with by other mages. Since all you can do is swing a sword, you would be of no help at all."

"..."

"Perhaps you are a little too generous in your assessment of yourself? Sadly, that is not a healthy attitude. Only by judging yourself harshly and seeing yourself objectively can you become a proper adult. You are still an adolescent male, descendant of steel, at an age when the ego grows oversized, so that may explain it, but it is neither good for you nor pleasant for others to see. If you aren't careful, you might hear the unfortunate word 'unseemly'—"

As the words poured out in rapid succession, I made a decision.

Hmm. I'd better shut up.

At the same time, I made another decision.

'I'm staying away from witches from now on.'

These women had a gift for getting on people's nerves.

So much so that it felt like a kind of magic.

「Young descendant, are you sulking?」

"..."

Well.

Even so, they were still amateurs compared with Master, who could infuriate someone with a single remark.

「I asked if you're sulking.」

"I-I'm not sulking!"

While I kept my mouth shut, the witches explained their request. As before, their speech was so long-winded and laden with flowery language that it was difficult to understand. But I didn't ask what they meant. If I did, I suspected they would give me an elegant version of: 'You have potential, but you're still fucking ignorant. Since you didn't understand, we older ladies will kindly explain it for your stupid, dim-witted benefit. It's dreadful, but since you're a descendant of steel, we have no choice.'

So, to organize what I had just heard in my head—

「They've found a map to a treasure precious to the witches, but they must crack a cipher to read it, and the cipher is too complicated to solve.」

"..."

「Fortunately, however, they found a blade with the map... and want to borrow the power in Caravan's bloodline. Caravan can consume the souls and memories held within blades, after all.」

This was something only 「Caravan」 could resolve.

"It is a treasure our sisters have sought for many years. Yet despite pouring all our efforts into it, we could not solve the cipher. We discovered only one thing: it was designed by a legendary adventurer of the past... and the blade we found with the map was the sword that adventurer always carried."

A legendary adventurer.

Those words caught my interest.

"If it is beyond your abilities, please tell us. There is no need to overexert yourself. We tried as well, and could not resolve it. We do not expect the descendant of steel to solve it in a flash. Truly, we have no expectations whatsoever. If even witches could not solve it, how could someone who swings a sword a little and knows absolutely nothing of the arcane manage it? So if you cannot do it, feel free to say—"

"I'll do it."

I answered in a flare of irritation at the witch's constant needling. Her voice sounded so utterly sincere and free of malice that it only made her more infuriating. No wonder Master hated mages. Where on earth had she learned to talk like that? It was astonishing that she could go around speaking to people that way and still be alive. In the Iron Kingdom, where only the strong survived, talking like that would surely get her found dead under suspicious circumstances within a week...

"... Really?"

"Yes. I can do it."

"You mustn't say that if you cannot. I don't know if you realize this, but that blade is important to us, as it is our only remaining clue. It is perfectly all right to say you cannot do it. As we mentioned earlier, adolescent males with inflated egos tend to try to impress women. If you are merely showing off because you are in front of beautiful women like our sisters, we already have a husband—"

"I think I understand why Master dislikes you, so stop needling me."

"..."

Anyway.

That was how I agreed to grant the witches' request.

"One of our sisters will visit you within three days, descendant of steel. She is a clever sister. She will help with anything you need. The item itself will take some time. We must remove all the magic we placed on it and follow the proper procedures. Our sister will contact you as soon as it arrives."

"Ah, yes."

"And however beautiful our sister may be, sexual demands are out of the question. Ah, when we said she would help with anything you need, naturally we meant the process of deciphering the code. They say adolescent males have a tendency to interpret everything in strange ways, so perhaps—"

"One more word, and the moment I become a swordmaster, I'm coming to challenge you all to a duel."

That was how our meeting in the spirit world ended.

"Oh, may I ask one thing?"

"Yes."

"What is the blade's name?"

The answer soon came.

"「Soaring」... I believe that was its name."

* * *

The events that had swept in like a maelstrom after the War Duels soon passed. After telling me he was looking forward to it and departing, the Iron Prince never appeared again. I stayed on guard in case Carlos, the swordmaster who served him, showed up, but he never did. That was a relief. Carlos might recognize me even with my helmet on. And taking it off would be a problem too. That monster would certainly recognize my face. I was not yet eighteen, but even so, encountering him would be no good. He was the bastard who had taken everything from me. There was no telling what whim might strike him; he was not someone to approach with ordinary logic.

Since I never ran into him on the street or anywhere else, I felt safe for the moment, but what came next worried me. The Iron Prince had said he looked forward to watching me in the Endless Duel. And he would never come to the stands alone. Carlos would be there as his most reliable bodyguard knight. Whether I concealed my face or not, that monstrous swordmaster would recognize me. I knew it instinctively.

Then should I enter the Endless Duel, or should I stop here and return to my territory, saving my chance for another day? I didn't know. Choosing the latter would not make me completely safe either. If I failed to appear, the enraged Iron Prince might find me by whatever means necessary. And if he acted, my capture would be only a matter of time. Within this kingdom, the Iron Prince could do anything. Truly, anything.

「Enter.」

"... Is that really all right?"

「Yes. Whatever you choose, there will be danger. In that case, don't run. Face it head-on. If he had meant to kill you, you would have died when you first met him in your territory.」

"..."

「So choose to face him rather than flee.」

Master settled that dilemma for me.

「Didn't you say before that you would no longer run away?」

I would enter the final event, the 「Endless Duel」.

That was my decision.

"A fine transaction. Thank you."

"Yes, I'm the one who should be thanking you."

I decided to sell the Dragon Sword, now nothing but an empty shell, to the 「Red Bank」. However I looked at it, their terms were the most straightforward. A foreign noble title or the magical items offered by the Machine Empire would certainly have been valuable, but they fell short of the 「Red Bank」's offer.

"Please make use of our services whenever you wish."

The 「Red Bank」 offered me the opportunity to become a gold member, along with an enormous quantity of gold coins. There was one reason their offer appealed to me most.

"You won't regret it. Whatever the others offered, all of it can be bought with money. And from now on, as a gold member, Sword Demon Liam, you will have our assistance in purchasing anything you desire."

Membership in the Red Bank granted access to the black market, where money could buy anything. The magical items and noble titles I had been offered... all of them were available there at appropriate prices. In other words, I had effectively gained the right to buy whatever I needed, provided I had enough money. Along with quite a substantial amount of that 'money' itself.

"You said you wished to keep the gold coins with the 「Red Bank」, correct? Then we will record the amount and provide you with a document. Visit any of our branches throughout the continent and present your token, and you may withdraw actual gold coins at any time. If you specify a country when withdrawing, we can also exchange them for that country's currency."

"Ah, yes."

"We look forward to serving you. Ha ha ha!"

I shook hands with the 「Red Bank」 representative as he smiled in satisfaction.

I had no regrets about choosing them.

Banks were generally regarded as unreliable on the continent. In a land where anything could happen, a bank might disappear overnight or be wiped off the map entirely. That was why people preferred piling gold coins in their own storehouses or keeping gold bars at home. Somewhere they could see them.

Yet throughout that history of banking, the 「Red Bank」 had survived to the very end. Becoming a member was difficult, and the procedures were complicated, but once you became one, you could trust them.

After all, the 「Red Bank」 was the oldest bank on the continent, dating back to the Age of War. And it would not disappear in the future either.

Because...

「Is that fellow still playing money games in the mortal world?」

The owner of the Red Bank was a swordmaster.

An immensely powerful swordmaster who had been around since the Age of War.

「Don't trust him too much. He's a bit dim-witted.」

"... Ha ha."

「Almost like you, young descendant.」

"...?"

Anyway, that concluded the transaction.

Afterward, the attention focused on me died down somewhat. The Arena's auction of the dragon artifacts drew interest elsewhere, and above all, I wasn't a subject that could hold people's attention for very long. With things a little quieter, I waited for the witch who was supposed to arrive within three days. I hadn't even told them where I was, so I didn't know how she intended to find me, but I figured those lovers of the arcane would manage it in some outlandish fashion.

And then...

"I'm sure you've all been waiting a long time!"

Before the witches arrived...

"Now, at last, the Arena's crowning glory! The greatest event everyone gathered here has been waiting for! The true Endless Duel begins!"

The curtain rose on the final act of the long 「Endless Duel」.

With this enormous event ahead of me, what I needed to do was clear.

"Hup—!"

「Hold on longer. Longer.」

「Lantern」.

I had to make the Dragon Sword completely my own.

「Now, just three more times. The last ones, truly.」

"You've said they were the last ones more than ten times now!"