Chapter 171

Thus, I decided to leave the village together with Tia.

Really… how did it come to this?

While it’s true I wanted to leave this village, I wasn’t planning to depart so suddenly.

At least, I intended to leave after making some preparations…

And now you’re telling me you’ll smash everything? Without even knowing what kind of danger might be involved.

Well, Tia being a dragon, she probably could actually do that…

“Oy, my back… Lifting this thing after such a long time sure makes it feel all too heavy.”

After wrapping up the conversation to some extent, Priest returned to his room for a moment and came back grunting under the weight of a large chest. He opened the lid to reveal a hammer inside and showed it to us.

“Here. This hammer belonged to your mother when she was an adventurer. It was crafted by a talented dwarf.”

The massive hammer inside the box—its length was about my height, and the head of the hammer looked bigger than my own head. Is calling this a hammer even appropriate? This looks like something a giant from a story would use.

Mom really wielded something this barbaric as a weapon? Seriously?

“Ho… This is quite well-made indeed.”

Tia inspected the hammer with an intrigued gaze.

“The entire chunk of iron has been forged into one piece. Quite a lot of effort must have gone into this. Has dwarven technology advanced this much already?”

“Ho. You certainly know your stuff. This hammer is called ‘Earth Shatterer.’ A skilled dwarf spent a great deal of time crafting it. Its value is beyond measure.”

The pitch-black lump of metal known as the Earth Shatterer. Priest extended the handle toward me.

“Try lifting it.”

“Huh, but…”

Could I really lift something that looked this heavy?

I might’ve been the strongest among kids my age, but honestly, even compared to adult men like Priest, I wasn’t *that* strong. Could I possibly handle something this huge?

Reluctantly, I gripped the handle of the giant hammer Priest handed me.

“Huh?”

It felt surprisingly light. What’s going on here? I thought this would be incredibly heavy, but maybe it just looks tough while being hollow inside?

No, if it were hollow, Priest wouldn’t have struggled carrying it earlier. What is this?

“Of course. The truth is, this hammer uses a special dwarven technique. It enhances the user’s strength using their magical power.”

“Indeed. A magic weapon created using dwarven enchantments to boost physical strength. Well, swinging around a hammer this hefty would require more than ordinary muscle power.”

“Thanks to that, Ella, who was already strong, became even stronger. A single blow to the head of any monster sent them straight to the next world.”

I swung the hammer around in my hands. Hmm… it feels lighter than the axe we used to chop firewood. If it’s this manageable, I might be able to wield it.

“Of course, mastering it as a weapon will take some practice. Originally, I planned to teach you over the course of a year…”

“Well, since I’m coming along, it should be fine, right?”

Tia, confident as ever. Definitely. With a dragon by my side, what could possibly scare me?

Except the dragon herself is terrifying! She acts friendly now, but dragons in stories are always fearsome beasts. Even if Tia might be Dragon Priestess material, she still gives me the creeps!

“I may not look it, but I have considerable skill in handling weapons. I’ll teach you during our travels.”

“If you insist, thank you. But does the Dragon Priestess know how to use weapons too?”

“Of course. How could I teach someone how to use a sword if I didn’t know myself?”

That sword… Could it be the Sword of the Hero?

The legendary sword I only heard tales about… Does Tia actually possess it?

Then it’s true—Tia really is the Dragon Priestess from the stories?!

“T-Tia. By any chance… Do you have the Sword of the Hero?”

“Maybel.”

“But Priest! Who wouldn’t want to see the famous Sword of the Hero they’ve only heard about in stories since childhood!”

Even Priest, who was supposed to be scolding me, had an oddly excited look on his face—he clearly wanted to see it too!

Always preaching about honesty, yet here he is being completely hypocritical!

“Well, the Hero’s tale is the dream of every child, and it’s a story I’ve grown up hearing too.”

See? He wants to see it just as much!

“Hmm… Showing it wouldn’t hurt much anyway, since there’s no Hero around these days.”

“Really?!”

Priest, happier than me. Well, it makes sense.

The Hero was the champion who traveled on behalf of the Goddess of Life to protect the world. Naturally, a priest of the Temple of Life would be thrilled.

With Priest’s eyes gleaming brightly, Tia pulled something out from within her robes.

A small leather pouch—not big enough to fit anything resembling the Sword of the Hero.

Calmly, Tia reached inside the pouch…

“Ta-da!”

Out came a gigantic greatsword far too large to fit inside the pouch.

What is this sorcery? Incredible!

“This… Could this be subspace magic?!”

“Subspace magic? What’s that?”

“It’s said to be a legendary magic no one has successfully replicated. The only known user was the Dragon Priestess from the stories. Most considered it too fantastical to be real, so it disappeared from most tales, known only to a few researchers…”

At Priest’s words, Tia wore a smug smile.

“This isn’t something easily imitated. I spent a lot of time developing it. If anyone tried to replicate it, that’d be even more astonishing.”

“You mean… you personally created this magic?”

“Hmm. Yes, I did.”

Upon hearing this, Priest froze, his expression blank with shock.

“S-S-Sir… Excuse me… Are you saying… Are you truly the Dragon Priestess from the Hero’s story?”

“Hmm. Isn’t it obvious by now?”

“No, I… I assumed you were the reincarnation of the Dragon Priestess… No, wait… Are you really the Dragon Priestess who traveled with the Hero?”

Tia nodded slightly in response to Priest’s question.

“How…? It’s estimated to have been hundreds of years ago… How could a human from that era still be alive?…”

Ah, right… Priest doesn’t know Tia is a dragon.

He probably thought she was just a regular human—the very same Dragon Priestess from the legends.

“Let’s set aside how the story is passed down for now. And stop confirming the obvious repeatedly—it’s me.”

“My goodness… Goddess of Life…”

When Priest invoked the name of the deity, Tia flinched slightly. Was it because she was akin to a divine avatar as the Dragon Priestess?

“Anyway. Keep my identity a secret. If word gets out, it’ll only cause unnecessary trouble.”

“Understood.”

With Priest’s reply, Tia tucked the pouch back into her robes and held the greatsword horizontally.

“This is the Sword of the Hero, Chloive Solais. A blade usable only by the chosen one.”

A colossal greatsword blending silver and gold, adorned with a massive gemstone at its center. At first glance, it seemed more like a work of art than a weapon, but the eerie glow emanating from its blade revealed it was far from ordinary.

“This… This is the Sword of the Hero…”

“To think I’d get to see it in person… Truly moving.”

Having said that, Priest produced a papyrus and a piece of charcoal.

“Excuse me, may I sketch the Sword of the Hero? I’d like to record its form for posterity.”

“Hmm. Go ahead.”

“Thank you!”

Once given permission, Priest enthusiastically unfurled the papyrus on a table and began drawing diligently with the charcoal.

Hmm, Priest… I didn’t know you had this talent, but you’re surprisingly good at drawing.

The charcoal in Priest’s hand was almost perfectly replicating the shape of the Sword of the Hero.

With Priest preoccupied with his sketching…

“So, when do you plan to depart?”

“Hmm. For journeys like this, sooner is better.”

“Sooner is better…?”

That means…

“Let’s leave early tomorrow morning. If it weren’t evening right now, I’d suggest leaving immediately.”

Tia shook her head lightly as she spoke.

“Traveling at night with nothing but starlight and moonlight to guide us… Perhaps I could manage alone, but traveling with others can get troublesome.”

“Most people use torches or something similar.”

“While spatial movement allows for instantaneous travel over vast distances, doing so robs the journey of its charm. Anyway…”

Spatial movement… Is that the same magic that transported us instantly from deep within a cave to the surface?

How many spells does Tia even know? I couldn’t help but wonder.