Chapter 22

In the family garden, Rio pulled the sword out of its sheath.

The blade was more gray than white, a double-edged sword with an isosceles triangular shape, its center of gravity biased toward the hilt.

The handle was wrapped in tanned evil beast leather, dyed white. Although evil beast leather is tough and difficult to dye, it seemed to have been dyed intentionally.

He gripped the handle. The handle was a bit thick for Rio's hand, but it would fit better as he grew. Thanks to the evil beast leather, it didn't slip, and the grip was stable.

He assumed a low stance and swung the sword, stepping forward with his left foot.

It sliced through the air silently, coming to an abrupt stop at the position where Rio wanted it to stop.

It felt as if the sword and his will were in perfect sync. As expected of a sword made specifically for Rio, the compatibility was excellent.

The center of gravity being near the hilt made it easy to handle, but it lacked the weight for a powerful strike. However, it was the perfect sword for Rio's self-taught swordsmanship, which relied on speed, as it would maintain a sharp edge if properly maintained.

"That must have cost a fortune..."

Baldur, who had been watching from the window, looked at Rio.

Baldur stood with his arms crossed, trying to maintain his dignity, but his lips were slightly relaxed at the sight of his son wielding the sword confidently.

"It did. It's not as expensive as a divine or evil artifact, but it costs about the same as Caril's weapon. The village chief, Caril, and of course, your father, all contributed to buy it. Don't treat it carelessly."

"I know. But, I might have to keep it in storage except when I'm maintaining it. It's too expensive to use recklessly."

"You're such a cheapskate. I won't allow you to keep it in storage. Use it for training. No one will complain if you wear it out!"

"But, we're poor."

"What did you say, boy?"

Despite his words, Baldur continued with a smile.

"Go and clean up now. Your mother is preparing a special dinner to celebrate your coming of age today."

Even though it was early for dinner, the good smell had been wafting through the house because she had started early due to the variety of dishes.

Rio sheathed the sword. The wooden scabbard, lined with beast leather, bore a unique pattern that represented his family. This pattern indicated that the sword was made specifically for Rio.

Rio placed the sword in the corner of his room and went downstairs with a change of clothes.

He saw his mother peeking out from the kitchen, looking around the living room.

"Mom, is something wrong?"

"I sent Shiraha to get some cheese... but she hasn't returned yet. Did she get lost?"

"I don't think she would get lost in the village. Should I go look for her?"

"Please do."

He learned that the destination was the village dairy farm, which handled eggs and cheese. Although the village didn't have cows, it regularly received cheese from a daughter who had married into another village. Rio walked, looking around, and passed about ten fluffy sheep, which were close to shearing time. He knocked on the door of the dairy farm.

"Excuse me, I think Shiraha came to exchange cheese."

"Shiraha? She returned a while ago. It's Rio's special day today, right? I added a rare cheese as a bonus, so let me know what you think after you try it."

The dairy farmer's aunt smiled, unaware of the situation.

Rio hadn't seen Shiraha on his way there, so it seemed she had gotten lost.

Thinking it was odd, he considered the possibility that they had passed each other and headed home.

While looking for traces instead of Shiraha, Rio suddenly stopped.

"What's this?"

There was mud on part of the fence surrounding the sheep. The amount of mud was too much to have been splattered and was still not completely dry.

Imagining what could have caused such a mud stain, Rio immediately ran off.

It was in the opposite direction of home, but he was certain Shiraha was there. The mud stains, which had been scattered, were now accompanied by marks that looked like the ground had been dug up by hand.

Running and running, Rio finally arrived at the river near the village. At a spot downstream from the river behind the house, he finally found Shiraha.

"Shiraha, are you hurt?"

Hearing his voice from behind, Shiraha stopped wiping the mud off her clothes with a handkerchief and turned to Rio with an unreadable expression.

"...No. The cheese is fine too."

"Okay. Just checking, but what about the mud stains?"

"...I was hit with mud by Yood and his friends."

"I see. Let's go home."

"I haven't cleaned off all the mud yet. Dad and Mom will worry."

"That's not your concern. Besides, I'll tell them, so there's no point in cleaning it off here."

"...Alright."

Instead of Shiraha, Rio picked up the basket containing the cheese. Seeing the basket, which was completely free of mud, Rio gritted his teeth.

They walked home in silence. As the sun set, the temperature gradually dropped.

Leaving the river, where there were many insects, they walked down a small path when a group of three people blocked their way.

In the middle, Yood saw Rio and Shiraha, grinned, and called out.

"This time, Rio is here. Your fake sister didn't cry, so it was boring—"

Before he could finish, Rio's fist forcibly closed Yood's mouth.

The lackeys, taken aback by the sudden, no-questions-asked punch, came to their senses when they saw Yood rolling on the ground and opened their mouths.

"You bastard!"

"What the hell are you doing?!"

Without a word, Rio silently punched them.

He hit them with full force, kicked the one who rolled on the ground, and continued to counterattack even after being hit by Yood, who had returned.

Yood, intimidated by Rio's relentless fighting even when outnumbered three to one, looked around for help.

What caught his eye was Shiraha, who was holding the cheese basket carefully. However, it wouldn't help him.

—Shiraha had calmly run to a nearby house.