Volume 6 Chapter 1 Sumeragi the God of Iron-Cutting
One of the Five Divine Gods. Sumeragi, the Iron-Cutting God.
He was a tall man with long black hair tied in a ponytail.
A sword hung at his waist. That was likely his main weapon.
"This tea tastes really good."
"You sound like an old man."
"Hey, Nou-Nou, that's too rude. Say it more nicely."
"You're thinking the same thing, though, Ms. Rangella."
Still, Sumeragi blended in well.
"Well, never mind. Sorry for dropping by without notice."
"Even if you had an appointment, I'd still faint."
"True. In most of this world's religions, the Five Divine Gods are worshiped."
"..."
"What's wrong, Ramella?"
"It's just... this sword, Master. I don't understand how it was made."
"Go ahead and touch it."
Sumeragi held out the sheathed sword to Ramella.
"...Really?"
"Of course. Like Horace's magic sword, Duran, it's indestructible. And with just my will, it will return to me."
"O-okay..."
Ramella nodded and slowly, very slowly, pulled the blade out a little.
"Ah! Uwa, aaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
"!"
Nearby, Deus screamed and fell from his chair. He had been drinking juice.
His body shook hard. Sweat ran down his face like a waterfall. His eyes, full of fear, stared at the sword.
"Deus, what's wrong?"
"My sword is made to release my full power. I'm holding back right now, but it's still closely tied to me as the Iron-Cutting God."
Sumeragi looked at the blade.
"He looks like a five-year-old child, but he's really an iron golem. Even if he copies a human body, his real self is just a block of iron. My power is pure terror to him."
"I-I see..."
Ramella returned the sword to its sheath.
"Haa, haa, huu..."
When the sword was sheathed again, Deus finally looked calm.
"...Just from drawing the sword a little, that happened... I saw the blade, but I still don't get it."
"Well, the way it's made might confuse people, Horace. It doesn't seem like a sword, after all."
"Huh?"
"Well, that's it..."
Sumeragi looked out the window at the sky.
"You see, the universe is huge. Some planets are made of special steel."
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
"The sword. I took all the magic from one of those planets, pushed it into the shape of a sword, and then used my power as a Sword God to cut away everything else. That's how this sword was made."
"What kind of crazy scale is that?"
Suddenly, it felt like he was talking about building things at a space-level scale.
Horace couldn't keep up with this madness on their first meeting.
"I also carved symbols into the blade to make it like a magic tool. But when you hear that, it doesn't sound like a normal sword, does it?"
"That's true."
Turning steel into a blade takes a lot of detailed steps.
Normally, the sword is hammered and shaped.
But Sumeragi didn't hammer it—he carved it. That method really doesn't sound like a normal sword.
"Let's stop talking about swords now. The way I carved the steel is just too strange. It won't help you."
"Yeah, probably not."
"So, let's talk about why I came."
Sumeragi looked at Horace.
"Do you know what's about to happen in the Diamante Kingdom?"
"In Diamante? ...No, nothing comes to mind."
"Before the Demon Lord showed up, a big event called the Blood Duel Cup was held every four years."
"The Blood Duel Cup?"
"It's a tournament for fighting. A battle to see who's strongest in the Bloodline Nations. A lot of people take part."
"..."
"But if people get hurt badly, they lose their fighting strength. So it's held in a special place called a spirit-body dungeon."
"Ah, I get it."
There are many kinds of dungeons.
Even if they look the same inside, what happens inside can be different.
In a spirit-body dungeon, people fight as spirit versions of themselves.
When they leave, they return to their normal bodies.
But even as spirits, they still feel pain. There's no blood, but magic leaks out, and stamina runs low.
More than dying, it's about being removed. If someone loses, they get kicked out of the dungeon.
It hurts, and they can lose limbs, but they don't die.
That's where people fight to prove they're the strongest.
Since the fighters are from the Bloodline Nations, it's called the Blood Duel Cup.
"...There was something like that?"
"I've never heard of it in Adventurer circles too, Master."
"Well, for Adventurers, what matters is how deep into a dungeon they go and what they bring back. Competing for strength isn't the goal."
"Using a dungeon for events has problems."
"Hmm? Ellie. What do you mean?"
"Dungeons keep spawning monsters, Master. To run the event, people have to constantly clear the monsters, even if it's not profitable."
"So it costs a lot to hold a big event like this."
"Exactly."
There are bets placed on who will win. Adventurers' guilds can sell goods. There are many ways to profit.
But even then, they can't beat the government when it comes to manpower.
The Adventurers' Association manages Adventurers. But they can't force people to do things.
The Bloodline Nations can treat it as a public duty.
Even if monster hunting doesn't make money, it's fine.
That's how governments work.
"But after the Demon Lord showed up, many countries went into debt. They had no money to hold events."
"So they stopped holding them, huh? But the Diamante Kingdom, which has no debt and is on the World Conference's Permanent Council, decided to bring it back."
"That's how it is."
Now Horace was...
"I see. So now brother is no longer an Adventurer, just a regular man from the Dragonstone Kingdom. That means he might get invited?"
"...Yeah, I'm just a regular guy now, Nousa."
"You only had a teacher job for two months. Now you'RE unemployed again."
"Why does Nousa always make fun of me for being jobless?"
"It's not that there's a reason. You're just easy to tease."
"That's so mean..."
Even Sumeragi's harsh jokes toward Nousa were intense. Then, Sumeragi...
"Anyway... I heard Adventurers might also be invited."
"...Adventurers too?"
In this world, under the idea of "Divine Blood Travels," nations build their own systems. They keep clear lines between themselves.
If an event meant for the Bloodline Nations also includes Adventurers, that would be strange.
"Well, there is a strict rule, but..."
"Huh?"
"Adventurers can apply to the Association headquarters to pause their official rights. Every branch keeps a record. So when they pause, they return to being citizens of that country."
"If they pause their Adventurer status for the event, and get it back after winning, they'd be known as Adventurers with Blood Duel Cup experience?"
"Yeah. For those who rank high, they can't be blocked from their future careers. That's how it works."
Of course, their Adventurer status is clearly shown at all times.
But every system has a loophole.
"...What the Association headquarters decides will matter... But anyway, why did you come here, Sumeragi?"
"Horace. Are you interested in the Blood Duel Cup?"
"Not at all."
"I thought so. But... if you get invited, don't say no. I want you to take part."
"...?"
"I'll be joining too. If you beat me there, I'll give up my seat as a god and give you my power."
"...Huh?"
Really. Truly.
Horace was completely dumbfounded.
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