Chapter 11

After leaving the Black Blade, I tried visiting other guilds as well.

After all, it’s not necessary to join the guild my mother was in.

I do think that a top-tier guild would have a better environment for honing my sword skills, but there’s no helping it.

"Huh? Unemployed? No way, no way. We don’t need someone like that here."

"Ha ha ha ha ha! You seriously think you can join the Swordsman Guild as an unemployed person?"

"We might consider hiring you as a handyman, though."

...However, no matter which guild I went to, I was turned away just for being unemployed.

"Hmm. This is a problem."

I couldn’t help but mutter.

I didn’t expect that just by saying I was unemployed, no one would even listen to me.

If I could at least show my sword skills, it would be different, but they wouldn’t even give me that chance.

What if I joined under a different profession, showed my true strength, and then revealed that I was unemployed?

"No, that would be a problem if they asked for a certification."

I’d be found out immediately.

"What should I do?"

"What should I do...?"

"‘Huh?’"

Our voices overlapped.

Turning my gaze, I saw the blonde woman from before.

"Ah! It’s you! Meeting you again by chance, it must be fate!"

"But I refuse."

"You haven’t even said anything yet!?"

The woman interjected, then seemed to remember my earlier words.

"Your earlier line! You were rejected from joining Black Blade, weren’t you!?"

"Yeah."

"I see, I see! Well, they do have a strict requirement of at least an Advanced Class there!"

She looked very pleased.

"But I have good news for you! Our Swordsman Guild, 'Dragon Fang,' has no such requirements! We welcome anyone! And right now, there’s no registration fee! Plus, you get a beautiful lady like me!"

Normally, one wouldn’t call oneself beautiful.

Anyway, Dragon Fang... I think I’ve heard of it, but I’m not sure.

"Why don’t you at least come and take a look? It’s right over there!"

She pointed to a rather grand building, even larger than Black Blade’s headquarters.

No, that can’t be right.

It’s probably the small, dilapidated building next to it.

"No, no, this is the right one! This is Dragon Fang’s headquarters!"

"You’re not a small guild?"

"That’s what I said! It’s a well-known guild that everyone knows!"

She had claimed that before.

In any case, this would be on par with a top-tier guild in terms of scale.

"Wait a moment, please."

"?"

Just as I was about to enter the headquarters, I was suddenly stopped by her grabbing my arm.

"To visit, you need to sign this quickly. No, it’s easy, just a signature!"

She showed me a piece of paper.

There were words written on it, but part of it was hidden by her finger.

"Here, here. Look, right here."

"..."

I quickly snatched the paper from her.

"Ah!?"

It read 'Membership Contract.'

I tore it to shreds.

"Ah! Wait! Hold on—"

Leaving the shouting woman behind, I stepped into the headquarters.

A spacious lobby greeted me, befitting the grand exterior.

But there wasn’t a single person around.

The silence was so profound that my footsteps echoed.

"I see. A well-known guild—once."

Meaning, in the past.

The headquarters still stands from those days, but it’s now so desolate that it’s almost eerie.

"In the past, we produced many top swordsmen!"

"The past is the past. Boasting about past achievements won’t change the present."

"Ugh!"

She let out a blood-curdling sound, as if hit by a critical point.

But then, she seemed to resign herself to it.

"Yes, that’s right! Our glory is a thing of the past; we’re now the weakest, bottom-of-the-barrel guild! But we haven’t given up! We will restore our golden era!"

She declared with determination.

"So, you see? We need people. That’s why I’m desperately trying to recruit, but no new members are joining... Hehe..."

She suddenly lowered her stance and pleaded in a cajoling manner.

"Then, instead of words, shouldn’t you attract people with your strength? I don’t know how skilled you are, but if you achieve results in tournaments, more people will naturally want to join."

"O-of course, I know that’s the best way... But there are circumstances..."

"Circumstances?"

"Actually... If we don’t increase our number of swordsmen by at least one within a few days, we’ll lose this headquarters."

Just as she revealed this with a regretful look, a drunk man entered from the entrance.

"Hic..."

"Dad! You’re drinking again in the middle of the day...!"

"Shut up, Lilia."

He seemed to be her father.

He was quite intoxicated, and his steps were unsteady.

But this man... he’s missing his right arm.

His sleeve flapped in the air.

Our eyes met.

"So, you’re a new recruit? As you can see, this guild is finished. It’s wiser to go elsewhere."

He said that and then stumbled off to the back.

"...He used to be one of the top swordsmen in this city..."

"He must have given up after losing his arm."

Even if you’re injured while your blessing is cut off, it will heal once the blessing returns.

But it can’t heal such a major injury as a missing limb.

"...That’s the gist of it. And he was a Dual Sword King, so losing an arm means he can’t use most of his skills..."

I see.

A Dual Sword King.

One of the highest classes, on par with a Sword Princess.

...I remember now.

The name of the top-tier guild my mother was in.

The name comes from the lethal skill that mimics a dragon’s sharp fangs—Dual Sword King’s Dragon Fang Slash.

Dragon Fang.