After a little while, Radis sighed deeply, sweeping both hands over her face roughly.

No matter how she turned this in her head, there was no other answer.

Either way, she had to go back.

“Yeah, let’s go back…”

Radis picked up her fallen sword and rose to her feet.

But it was at that moment.

There, in the hilt of the sword where her bloody hand held it, flames slowly rose.

“Ah…?”

This fire wasn’t from her.

The fire manifested as bright red, petal-like flames that were neither hot nor ferocious.

The flames slowly rose from inside the rust coating the sword, as if they were blooming.

And the rust gradually started to crack.

Large chunks fell to the floor, and the small ones burned.

The sword thus revealed itself in Radis’ hands.

“……!”

The sword that was uncovered inside… was entirely black.

She wondered if this was what a sword made entirely from obsidian would look like.

It wasn’t like a sword that was made from ordinary steel, and neither did it look like a mana-infused blade.

Besides that, it had been trapped under that block of rust for the longest time, so its surface shouldn’t look this polished, but it seemed as if it had been freshly welded.

“Why is it like this now?”

Radis closed her eyes tightly then opened them again.

After a cursory sweep, she found that she had already expended all the strength she had in her.

Everything here was a lie.

It seemed like someone had cast a hallucination spell over her and then suddenly swapped her original sword for this one.

“I don’t think this is my sword…”

Then, something fell in front of her eyes.

[ Not trash. ]

Half-burned, she couldn’t see the ‘n’ and the ‘ash’ anymore, but it was definitely the note she had stuck on her sword before.

Radis rubbed her eyes on her forearm, then opened her eyes again to come to her senses.

It was then.

[ …tia. ]

“……?”

[ Hestia…! ]

Radis flung the sword away.

With cold eyes, she swept through her surroundings and saw the sword, the dead Arachne and the shining egg.

There was no one suspicious here.

So, she should just leave everything behind.

[ D-Did you just throw me? ]

Radis took a deep breath. Then, she turned around.

[ Hestia. ]

“……”

[ Hestiaaaa! ]

“No!”

Turning in a fit of rage, Radis yelled.

The sword should have fallen sideways on the floor… But it was standing now, all of a sudden.

“Crazy…!”

[ Hestia, you’re spiritually connected to me…! ]

“No way, that sword… It’s not moving, is it?”

Radis gulped dryly.

[ Through the throne of providence, you have awakened me with the strength of your blood… ]

Radis turned around and ran.

“A haunted sword!”

The moment she was about to crawl through the opening in the roots of the Tree of Tartarus—

Tak!

The sword flew… right into her hand.

“A-Ah, AAACK!”

[ Listen to me! ]

Radis unconsciously punched the sword with all her might.

CLANG!

“Ugh!”

[ Ahhh! ]

It hurts.

It seriously hurts.

Clearly, Radis had coated her hand with mana, but it was almost as if she really had hit a metal lump with her bare hands—as hard as she could.

Radis slid down the wall, clenched her fist and groaned.

[ Ow, oowwww. W-What wrong with you! ]

It seemed like the sword got hurt, too.

She watched it roll around on the floor.

Holding back the tears that were threatening to come out, Radis spoke.

“Got it, okay, this is Monsterwood. There’s all kinds of monsters here, sure. I gotta get out of here.”

[ Hestia! ]

“Who’s Hestia though?”

Right then, the sword quieted down a little… but then Radis watched it stand up again.

It looked kinda crooked, but, well.

[ It’s you. ]

“No way.”

[ Oh, there’s Kronos, too. ]

The sword… pointed its pommel towards the shiny egg.

Rubbing her tingling fist, Radis spoke.

“Good, okay. Sword, egg, you both stay right there. Got it?”

[ No, wait, I have nothing to do with Kronos! My master is you, Hestia! ]

“What?”

[ You, give me a name. That’ll complete the contract between me and you! ]

“No way.”

[ Huh? ]

Radis shook her head vigorously.

“A contract with a mysteriously haunted sword… Why me? No way, not gonna do it. I’m fine enough with a plain, normal sword!”

[ H-Huuuh? ]

“You’d better stay right there. Get along well with that egg you call Kronos or whatever.”

The very moment Radis turned around—

Tak.

This time, the sword flew and was stuck at her feet.

[ Wh-wh-why are you being like this, Hestia? ]

“You’ve got the wrong person. I’m not Hestia.”

[ There’s no way you’re not Hestia. You woke me up with your blood, didn’t you? ]

“No I didn’t.”

Radis pointed towards the dead Arachne.

“Over there. She’s bleeding a lot, isn’t she?”

[ That’s a monster though! ]

“Aren’t you like that, too?”

[ Y-Youuu…! ]

The sword started vibrating.

In a way, it was funny to look at. But Radis was in absolutely no mood to laugh in this situation.

After a little while, Radis sighed deeply, sweeping both hands over her face roughly.

No matter how she turned this in her head, there was no other answer.

Either way, she had to go back.

“Yeah, let’s go back…”

Radis picked up her fallen sword and rose to her feet.

But it was at that moment.

There, in the hilt of the sword where her bloody hand held it, flames slowly rose.

“Ah…?”

This fire wasn’t from her.

The fire manifested as bright red, petal-like flames that were neither hot nor ferocious.

The flames slowly rose from inside the rust coating the sword, as if they were blooming.

And the rust gradually started to crack.

Large chunks fell to the floor, and the small ones burned.

The sword thus revealed itself in Radis’ hands.

“……!”

The sword that was uncovered inside… was entirely black.

She wondered if this was what a sword made entirely from obsidian would look like.

It wasn’t like a sword that was made from ordinary steel, and neither did it look like a mana-infused blade.

Besides that, it had been trapped under that block of rust for the longest time, so its surface shouldn’t look this polished, but it seemed as if it had been freshly welded.

“Why is it like this now?”

Radis closed her eyes tightly then opened them again.

After a cursory sweep, she found that she had already expended all the strength she had in her.

Everything here was a lie.

It seemed like someone had cast a hallucination spell over her and then suddenly swapped her original sword for this one.

“I don’t think this is my sword…”

Then, something fell in front of her eyes.

[ Not trash. ]

Half-burned, she couldn’t see the ‘n’ and the ‘ash’ anymore, but it was definitely the note she had stuck on her sword before.

Radis rubbed her eyes on her forearm, then opened her eyes again to come to her senses.

It was then.

[ …tia. ]

“……?”

[ Hestia…! ]

Radis flung the sword away.

With cold eyes, she swept through her surroundings and saw the sword, the dead Arachne and the shining egg.

There was no one suspicious here.

So, she should just leave everything behind.

[ D-Did you just throw me? ]

Radis took a deep breath. Then, she turned around.

[ Hestia. ]

“……”

[ Hestiaaaa! ]

“No!”

Turning in a fit of rage, Radis yelled.

The sword should have fallen sideways on the floor… But it was standing now, all of a sudden.

“Crazy…!”

[ Hestia, you’re spiritually connected to me…! ]

“No way, that sword… It’s not moving, is it?”

Radis gulped dryly.

[ Through the throne of providence, you have awakened me with the strength of your blood… ]

Radis turned around and ran.

“A haunted sword!”

The moment she was about to crawl through the opening in the roots of the Tree of Tartarus—

Tak!

The sword flew… right into her hand.

“A-Ah, AAACK!”

[ Listen to me! ]

Radis unconsciously punched the sword with all her might.

CLANG!

“Ugh!”

[ Ahhh! ]

It hurts.

It seriously hurts.

Clearly, Radis had coated her hand with mana, but it was almost as if she really had hit a metal lump with her bare hands—as hard as she could.

Radis slid down the wall, clenched her fist and groaned.

[ Ow, oowwww. W-What wrong with you! ]

It seemed like the sword got hurt, too.

She watched it roll around on the floor.

Holding back the tears that were threatening to come out, Radis spoke.

“Got it, okay, this is Monsterwood. There’s all kinds of monsters here, sure. I gotta get out of here.”

[ Hestia! ]

“Who’s Hestia though?”

Right then, the sword quieted down a little… but then Radis watched it stand up again.

It looked kinda crooked, but, well.

[ It’s you. ]

“No way.”

[ Oh, there’s Kronos, too. ]

The sword… pointed its pommel towards the shiny egg.

Rubbing her tingling fist, Radis spoke.

“Good, okay. Sword, egg, you both stay right there. Got it?”

[ No, wait, I have nothing to do with Kronos! My master is you, Hestia! ]

“What?”

[ You, give me a name. That’ll complete the contract between me and you! ]

“No way.”

[ Huh? ]

Radis shook her head vigorously.

“A contract with a mysteriously haunted sword… Why me? No way, not gonna do it. I’m fine enough with a plain, normal sword!”

[ H-Huuuh? ]

“You’d better stay right there. Get along well with that egg you call Kronos or whatever.”

The very moment Radis turned around—

Tak.

This time, the sword flew and was stuck at her feet.

[ Wh-wh-why are you being like this, Hestia? ]

“You’ve got the wrong person. I’m not Hestia.”

[ There’s no way you’re not Hestia. You woke me up with your blood, didn’t you? ]

“No I didn’t.”

Radis pointed towards the dead Arachne.

“Over there. She’s bleeding a lot, isn’t she?”

[ That’s a monster though! ]

“Aren’t you like that, too?”

[ Y-Youuu…! ]

The sword started vibrating.

In a way, it was funny to look at. But Radis was in absolutely no mood to laugh in this situation.