I take Lela and Iris to Nero’s place. I’m thinking we can talk to him about Mars and the others.
We open the door and go in, and Nero sees us from the kitchen. He smiles and tells us to come in.
“Ooh, Iris. Are you here to visit?”
“Yes. This place is relaxing.”
“I’m glad to hear it. Okay, I’m going to make something extra tasty today.”
Nero is very happy.
We sit down at a table, and say our thoughts about what just happened.
“This might be a silly question, but did they really achieve some enlightenment?”
Asks Iris with a straight face.
“What a thing to ask, Iris.”
“I was listening carefully, but it all felt like mass delusion. If there really is a heart of the sword, Sephilia should be able to use it. And I have never heard her say those words.”
“Maybe you have to wield a sword to see it?”
“I still think it’s strange that Mister Loyd doesn’t see it. You are an incredible mage that can face off against a master rank swordsman. Even if you are not a swordsman, don’t you think it’s weird for Mister Mars and Miss Isolte to be able to see it when they are below you in terms of skill?”
“Come to think of it… But how do we prove that?”
“It’s very simple. You just have to fight them. If they really are stronger, this heart of the sword is real, if not, it is a delusion.”
“I see. That would be the fastest way.”
I approve of Iris’ suggestion, and we leave after eating.
We’re heading to the last place we saw them, the adventurer guild. And we see there’s trouble.
“Eh!? Most adventurers are climbing the Minerva mountain range!?”
Says the receptionist with white fox ears that usually handles my business, with big beads of sweat on her face.
“People aren’t allowed to go there because of the fairy dragon, but they started saying something strange like ‘danger is a spice’ and took off.”
“Did the people who went crazy have anything else in common?”
“Hum, I know. They all use swords.”
She says, and I nod slowly after looking at Lela and Iris.
“That settles it. Even if they achieved some enlightenment, these people trying to fight the fairy dragon are all crazy. This is definitely mass delusion!”
“Hum, Iris. If that were the case, we would be affected too.”
It’s not strange for people to want to fight after getting a lot stronger, but only people who use swords know what this heart of the sword is, and the way they cling to it is clearly strange.
There must be some sort of brainwashing going on.
“Master Loyd, if it is brainwashing, who is the culprit?”
“I don’t know, but I suspect Mars’ book.”
“But it was director Jeru who gave it to him.”
“Lela, think about it. Did you actually see her giving it to him?”
“Ah!”
“I know her very well. She doesn’t give advice unless you yourself take action. She wouldn’t even give me a magic book, so why would she give a book to a complete stranger like Mars?”
“Come to think of it…”
“I’m sure that book has nothing to do with her. It feels like it has because his swordsmanship got better very quickly, but director Jeru really doesn’t like this sort of rapid development. After all, this is the person who is still telling me things like fire ten thousand Water Balls.”
“Then we got to stop them, or we’ll have big trouble!”
And so, the three of us head to the Minerva mountain range to stop the swordsmen who went crazy.
Join my patreon to support me and read ahead.
