Chapter 29: The Girl’s Growth

The congratulatory celebration ended, and everyone’s regular daily life resumed to what it used to be. Dennis resumed training Amelia and the others. The next morning, he asked the three of them what kind of explorers they wanted to become.

It seemed that Finne wanted to become a swordswoman. Jasmine wanted to learn a lot of Mana Art and become a support member. Amelia, on the other hand, expressed her desire to become a warrior like Dennis.

While it seemed feasible to fulfill Finne and Jasmine’s wishes, Amelia faced a bit of a challenge. There was a significant difference in physique between Dennis and Amelia. Dennis believed that she would be better off wielding a weapon like a polearm (Naginata) rather than a sword.

Dennis discussed this matter with Amelia.

“What kind of weapon is a polearm (naginata)?” Amelia asked.

“Well, it’s a weapon with a long handle attached to a blade,”

“Is it different from a spear?”

“A spear is a weapon for thrusting, while a polearm is a weapon for slashing,”

Dennis drew a picture on the ground to illustrate his explanation.

“But I think it would be difficult to use with such a long handle.”

Since there were narrow spaces within the labyrinth, a weapon with a long handle would be unsuitable. Taking that into consideration, shortening the handle would transform it into a weapon more akin to a long-handled sword (Nagamaki) than a polearm (naginata).

A long-handled sword (Nagamaki) is a weapon with a handle as long as the blade itself, fashioned from the hilt of a Japanese sword. It possesses the advantage of allowing even physically weak individuals to wield a heavy blade.

When Dennis explained the concept of the long-handled sword, it piqued the interest of Finne and Jasmine as well.

“Well then, let’s have Dirk, the blacksmith, create a prototype,” Dennis proposed.

After explaining the details to Dirk, Dennis decided to have him forge the long-handled sword (Nagamaki). However, Dirk didn’t possess the necessary expertise to create a complete sword. The blade part would likely resemble a double-edged short sword.

After commissioning the weapon’s creation, they set off toward the labyrinth. They cleared out slimes from the small dome-like space on the first floor of the labyrinth.

“Big brother Dennis, what will we be doing from today onwards?” Amelia asked.

“Amelia and the others will have to acquire the true name of ‘Lightning Strike’,”

Amelia and the girls tilted their heads in confusion. Obtaining the true name of ‘Lightning Strike’ from the Carbuncle was likely challenging since it resided on the fifth floor.

“I defeated a creature akin to the King of Carbuncles and acquired the true name of ‘Summon (Carbuncle)’. Now we can summon these Carbuncle monsters right here,” Dennis explained.

“Wow!” “As expected of Sir Dennis.” “Well done, Captain!”

The last remark from Finne resulted in her receiving a light smack from Jasmine.

“But wait, aren’t the summoned Carbuncles supposed to be our allies?”

Jasmine hesitated, seemingly reluctant to attack friendly beings, even if they were monsters.

“No need to worry. Even if I summon them, they’re still monsters. If I don’t control them, they’ll charge to attack us,”

“I see. In that case, I’ll do my best,”

Once Jasmine was convinced, Dennis began the summoning of the Carbuncle. As the summoned Carbuncle materialized, Amelia and the others’ battle started.

Dennis took charge of controlling the Carbuncle, specifically instructing it to cease using Lightning ball attacks. It was crucial to prevent the girls from being overwhelmed, as they would have struggled against the Lightning ball attacks alone.

Amelia and the others relentlessly pummeled the Carbuncle with their Nail Rods.

After defeating one, he summoned the next Carbuncle and the cycle repeated itself throughout the day. While Amelia obtained the true name of ‘Crystallization’ none of the girls managed to acquire the desired ‘Lightning Strike’.

On the second day, Finne successfully acquired the true name of ‘Lightning Strike’. On the third day, both Amelia and Jasmine also managed to obtain it. From the fourth day onwards, their focus shifted towards training in the Mana Art of Lightning ball attacks.

It took ten days for Amelia and the others to master the Lightning ball attack. Dennis, too, participated in the training for Lightning balls, and he even showcased his ability to freely adjust their power. However, it seemed that Amelia and the others were unable to do the same.

Perhaps there was a difference depending on whether a person’s true power originated from magic essence or magic energy. The Lightning balls unleashed by Amelia and the others appeared to possess the same level of power as those with a true power level of 3.

During this period, their weapons were completed. They were long-handled swords but with a slight variation. Instead of a conventional sword blade, they featured double-edged swords with handles resembling those of spears.

While this design proved convenient for thrusting, it became challenging to determine the blade’s orientation when it came to slashing. To address this, the tip of the handle was shaped like a sword hilt, extending approximately 20 centimeters.

“So this is a long-handled sword (Nagamaki)?”

Masaya, who lurked within Dennis’ mind, protested that this design did not conform to a proper nagamaki. However, ultimately, this design became established as a long-handled sword (nagamaki) anyway.

With the Lightning ball attack and the long-handled sword (nagamaki) in their arsenal, Amelia and the two girls successfully defeated the Red-eyed Wolves on the third floor, obtaining the true name of ‘Sense of Smell’. Encouraged by their victory, they then bravely faced the Armored Lizards on the fourth floor in battle.

They struggled with these monsters before they devised a strategy. They started by weakening the Armored Lizards with a coordinated attack of Lightning balls and then finished them off by striking their vulnerable throats

However, after obtaining the true name of ‘Armor’ within a month, they immediately progressed to the fifth floor. For Amelia and the other two who now possessed the ‘Armor’, the fifth floor proved to be relatively easy.

Then by having finally conquered the immediate goal of the fifth floor, Amelia and the girls gained the knowledge and know-how to train aspiring labyrinth explorers. Dennis, in consultation with Egmont, decided to focus on training the soldiers of the Beneshof territory, with the core being his loyal squires.

Even within the Beneshof territory, there were squires and soldiers, although they seemed to be absent in the current state of Beneshof. This was because Egmont, prioritizing the expansion of cultivated land, had the soldiers engaged in clearing work.

There were four squires and around thirty-five soldiers involved in the clearing work. Egmont ordered them to halt the clearing work and follow Dennis’ instructions.

Dennis gathered the squires and soldiers in the courtyard of the mansion. He stood at the forefront alongside Carlos. The latter noticed the disgruntled expressions on the soldiers’ faces.

“What’s the matter? Why do you all look displeased?”

The eldest soldier among the lot, Rolf, spoke up on behalf of the group.

“For the past few years, we have been engaged in tedious land-clearing work. Despite that, we weren’t allowed to attend the recent congratulatory celebration .”

Carlos wore a look of exasperation.

“Idiots! Don’t get all bent out of shape over something like that.”

Dennis stepped forward.

“If you want to drink, I’ll make sure you have plenty to drink after the one-month training period is over.”

“We’re not complaining because we want to drink, sir. It’s just that If you’re going to hold a party for the fellows who just helped out for a few days, we just wanted you to consider us as well,” Rolf replied.

Dennis realized that the soldiers were feeling stressed and wanted to acknowledge their efforts in the clearing work before starting the training. He decided to hold an appreciation gathering for them.

The gathering included not only the squires and soldiers but also their families. After a night of revelry, the soldiers seemed to be in slightly better spirits.

From that day on, the training began. The soldiers were trained with the goal of acquiring three true names: ‘Magic Energy’, ‘Armor’, and ‘Lightning Strike’.

The training was carried out with the help of Amelia and the girls. As it was a perilous endeavor, some of the soldiers began to express their fear and dissatisfaction.

However, after witnessing firsthand how Amelia and the two girls calmly vanquished those monsters, they were left speechless. They couldn’t claim that these young girls were capable of something they themselves couldn’t do.

And as planned, the squires and soldiers obtained the desired three true names within the span of a month. To commend the soldiers for completing their training, they were treated to a hearty feast and ample drinks.

With the conclusion of the training, the soldiers underwent a remarkable transformation. Yet, unexpectedly, there emerged individuals among them who held Amelia and her friends in reverence, almost as if they were holy beings.

Furthermore, there were those who showed a keen interest in the girls’ weapons, the long-handled sword (Nagamaki), and proceeded to place orders with the town’s blacksmith.

However, amidst all of this, Egmont and Dennis had their reasons for hastening the soldiers’ training. A civil war had erupted in the neighboring territory of Darius, near the royal capital. The brothers of the noble Uldarius family were locked in a fierce struggle for the seat of the next lord.

The battle concluded with the victory of the eldest son, Hagen, but the defeated second son, Damian, gathered the remnants of his defeated forces and turned to a life of banditry. It was a troublesome situation, which prompted the king to immediately order the Duke of Uldarius to suppress these bandits.

Upon receiving the royal command, the duke assembled a punitive force under Hagen’s command and sent them towards Mt. Milos, which the bandits had chosen as their hideout. However, to their dismay, the hideout turned out to be empty, and Damian and the remaining bandits had fled westward.

News of Damian and his band, now calling themselves the “Damian Bandits”, reached the local lords in various regions; the lot were ravaging villages and towns along the main roads while heading west.

Taking cover in mountains and other remote areas as they traveled west, the Damian Bandits continued their spree. Reports of attacks on villages in the neighboring Mynmey territory, not far from the Beneshoff territory, also reached the ears of Dennis and Egomont.

During that time, Manuel, the squire of the Barras territory, along with his two subordinates, was exploring the mountainous region rumored to be the hiding place of the Damian Bandits.

Suddenly, a group of unkempt men emerged before Manuel and his companions. The men brandished their swords, pointing them toward Manuel.

“Who are you?”

Manuel looked at the men appreciatively,

“Are you men of the Damian Bandits? I have been searching for you; I come with a request,” Manuel said.