Chapter 3

"Listen up, kid, I believe that chosen weapons should be bought by chosen individuals."

Those were the words of the weapon merchant.

"Even the finest blade cannot perform to its full potential if wielded by a coward. That's why I choose my customers carefully."

"But I heard that just now. However, I really want that weapon. I'll pay whatever you ask, so please, let me have it."

Upon hearing this plea, the man closed his eyes and nodded.

"Alright, I'll let you have it. But there are conditions."

"Conditions?"

"Yes, if you meet these three conditions, I'll let you have it. Do you want to hear them?"

"Of course."

"Then listen carefully. One, that holy sword Excalibur is a rare find among rare finds. My grandfather left a will saying not to sell it until a man worthy of the sword appeared."

"Is it that special?"

Swallowing hard, I couldn't help but gulp.

"Two, don't sell Excalibur to anyone with less than all A stats. That was also in my grandfather's will."

"All A stats!?"

"Yes, such a monster is rare. So, if you can equip Excalibur and bring out its power, I'll sell it to you."

"Is that true?"

"A man's word is his bond."

Despite his words, the shopkeeper clearly didn't take me seriously. He didn't think I could become an adventurer with all A stats.

Of course, I didn't think so either, but I had a unique skill.

A skill that even I didn't think would be useful,

"Equip Anything."

With that skill, I should be able to equip the weapon regardless of my level or stats and bring out its power.

Thinking this, I decided to negotiate.

"Uncle, if you don't mind, could you let me hold that sword once? And let me do a test cut. Then, based on that, decide whether to let me have it."

"What, a test cut?"

The shopkeeper furrowed his brow and crossed his arms. After a few minutes of consideration, he seemed to make up his mind.

"Alright, but just once. I'm not idle, you know. If you can't handle it properly, give up. You won't touch it again until your stats are all A or better."

"I understand. Please watch."

Confidently, I took the holy sword from the shopkeeper.

"Surprisingly light. But I feel a sensation that shakes my soul."

The holy sword itself responded to this monologue.

"Of course. I'm the strongest holy sword. My material is the legendary mineral called divine stone. It was forged by the Lady of the Lake. Light and durable, that's my selling point."

I nodded and swung the sword lightly. The unique "boon" sound of a magic-imbued weapon cut through the air.

I felt like I could even cut through rock, but the shopkeeper had prepared something even harder.

He brought a heavy iron block from the back of the shop and placed it on a stand.

"Cut this in half, and I'll recognize your strength."

"Cut iron... Can I do it?"

Cutting iron is a technique to slice through iron. Any skilled swordsman can do it, but it's a heavy technique for a novice adventurer.

However, it was something I had to do, and something I had to try. Besides, I was holding a holy sword. With her power, it should be possible.

Thinking this, I swung the sword down at the iron block.

The sword fell much faster than I expected and cut the iron block beautifully.

—But only in half.

"Huh? Why?"

I couldn't help but say. Cutting it in half wasn't enough. Moreover, this holy sword should have the power to cut through such an iron block in one stroke. Why couldn't it?

Puzzled, I was about to ask the holy sword for the truth, but the shopkeeper shouted first.

"Brilliant!"

What's going on? I looked at the shopkeeper, and he removed the cloth under the stand.

Under the cloth was a cute cat.

The cat looked at us, meowed cutely, and ran away.

The shopkeeper explained the situation.

"Sorry, kid. I didn't think you could handle that holy sword, so I set up this trap."

"A trap?"

"Yes, I was sure you couldn't cut iron, so I hid a stray cat under the stand."

That's cruel, to the cat and to me.

"Don't be angry, don't be angry. Besides, this was a precaution in case you could handle the holy sword. If you were chosen by the sword, I thought the sword's movement would stop halfway. And it did."

I argued that it was the sword's power, not mine, but the shopkeeper laughed and denied it.

"You're still a novice, but on the other hand, you already have a bond of trust with the sword. If the sword disliked you, it wouldn't do such unnecessary things."

The shopkeeper continued firmly.

"Anyway, I like you. The sword seems to like you too, so I'll let you have it."

"Really?"

"Yes, really."

"That's a relief."

"However, I can't give it to you right away. After all, it cost a lot to get it. You'll have to save up the money to buy it. By the way, that's the third condition."

"By the way, how much is that sword?"

"Hmm, let's see. Originally, 1300 gold coins, but for you, 1000 will do."

"Is that okay?"

"Really. Though, it might take you over ten years to earn that much, kid. I'll wait patiently."

Saying this, the shopkeeper tried to take the sword from me. In exchange, he handed me a cloth bag hanging from my waist.

It was filled with 1000 gold coins. The shopkeeper looked as if he had been tricked by a fox.

"Hey, kid, you didn't rob a bank or something, did you?"

"No, I won the lottery. I should have exactly 1000 gold coins. So, you'll let me have the holy sword, right?"

Eyes shining, I said this, and the shopkeeper, with a resigned look, took the cloth bag.

He checked to make sure the coins were real but seemed to keep his word.

"Really, you look like a D in all stats and poor, yet you have such a fortune. You're a tough one to judge."

Saying this sarcastically, the shopkeeper handed me the scabbard for Excalibur.

"This scabbard isn't original, but it's a masterpiece made by a master craftsman. Put it on Excalibur to keep it from catching a cold."

I answered cheerfully,

"Yes!"

Bowed, and turned to leave the weapon shop.

I was so elated to have acquired the strongest weapon, the holy sword. I couldn't wait to test its power. I wanted to join a top-tier adventurer guild using the power of this holy sword. With these thoughts, I left the weapon shop.

I turned back one last time, bowed, and then left the weapon district.

††

The weapon shop owner watched the young man, Chrom, leave happily with the sword.

The shop owner's wife, who had been watching from the shadows, approached her husband and said,

"Wow, I never thought that unsold item would sell for such a high price."

"Don't call it an unsold item."

The shopkeeper said unhappily.

"But it's true, isn't it? That sword has been unsold since your father's time."

"Technically, since my grandfather's time."

"Either way, it was taking up space in the shop. To turn it into 1000 gold coins, you're a business genius."

"..."

The shopkeeper remained silent.

His wife seemed to think he had tricked the boy and made a fortune, but who really benefited? She wondered.

The weapon had indeed been unsold for decades, and there was a reason for that.

The sword could not be equipped by anyone with less than all A stats.

Usually, any weapon's power cannot be fully utilized if the user's stats are insufficient, but this sword was special. It couldn't even be equipped if the user's stats were insufficient.

It would become as heavy as lead, making it difficult to lift.

"So, that kid has all A stats? He said he had all D."

Technically, he had a C in vitality, but that was irrelevant.

The shopkeeper didn't know the true nature of Chrom's unique skill, so he didn't understand why Chrom could equip the holy sword.

He didn't know the details, but the shopkeeper did know one thing.

The one who wields that holy sword will become a hero in the future.

That boy would eventually gain the ability worthy of the holy sword.

"...Maybe I sold a weapon to someone extraordinary."

Muttering this, the shopkeeper looked at where the boy had been standing.

There was the cat from the experiment, grooming itself indifferently.