ALL NOVEL It was definitely a larger village than the one I visited before, so there were various sights to see.
I tugged on the hand of Nameless and pointed at a restaurant.
“Oh wow, Nameless, they say they put strawberry jam on fried fish here!”
Nameless looked at the restaurant I pointed to with a dumbfounded expression.
“…Huh? Why on earth is there such a thing?”
“What do you mean ‘why’?”
Why is he so stingy with his words?
I puffed out my lips in a sulk, feeling a bit hurt, and Nameless swept his face with his hand and told me to wait here while he entered the shop.
Did he want to know as well, after all?
I mean, fried fish with strawberry jam is something anyone would be curious about.
Ugh, I salivated.
I watched as Nameless emerged from the shop, rubbing his lips on the back of his hand.
In his hand was a small pouch, and from it, I could definitely smell the faint aroma of fish mixed with strawberries; it seemed he really did bring back the fried fish with strawberry jam.
But why did he only buy that?
No way.
Is he planning to eat it all by himself?
I always thought of Nameless first, but it seems I raised a disciple wrong after all.
I frowned, feeling a bit resentful that Nameless wanted to enjoy something delicious all by himself.
Just as I was lamenting my poor disciple training, Nameless came over and shyly extended the pouch towards me.
“What’s this?”
“I bought it for you, Master.”
I suppose I should take back what I just thought.
My disciple training is indeed excellent.
“Really?!”
“Would I lie?”
“Thank you!”
I accepted the pouch from Nameless and lifted it high into the air.
“Oh wow, I should eat this later when we get back to the inn!”
“…Yes.”
Nameless’s expression seemed a bit complicated, but I knew the reason.
“Hehe, I’ll save some for you, so don’t look so gloomy!”
“Pardon? What do you mean by that? I’m really fine.”
“No, no! You don’t have to be so polite!”
Nameless’s complexion turned pale.
As we transitioned out of the food district, I noticed a girl and what seemed to be her mother having a little spat on the street.
My curiosity piqued, and I listened in on their conversation.
“Look! You already have a bunch of those at home!”
“No! That one is different from the one at home!”
Are kids the same no matter the era, huh?
I couldn’t help but grin at the familiar exchange.
“How cute.”
“Do you like children, Master?”
Hmm, is there anyone who dislikes kids?
Sure, there might be such people, but I’m not one of them.
If I had disliked children from the start, I wouldn’t have accepted Nameless in the past.
I nodded my head.
“Of course I do. How about you? Dislike them?”
“I like them too.”
Hmm, why would he ask me that?
I felt a fleeting curiosity but quickly shelved those thoughts.
After our brief conversation, I looked back at the still-feuding mother and child.
“Waaah, buy it for me!”
“Why are you being so stubborn today…?”
What could she be whining about?
I suddenly got curious and glanced at the shop behind the girl, where various cute dolls were on display.
“So you wanted a doll.”
I couldn’t help but smile at the childlike innocence.
I briefly thought about gifting a doll to the girl, but quickly dismissed the idea.
If the kid learns that throwing a tantrum gets her what she wants, it’s not exactly a great lesson, and it feels weird for an outsider to interfere in a parent-child matter.
So, with a pleasantly warm smile, I tried to pass by the girl when suddenly the doll shop caught my eye.
“What’s this…?”
I didn’t know why such a thing existed, but there was a plush strawberry doll.
Hmm, is there really a demand for that?
An inedible strawberry? Talk about a strawberry failure.
As I was staring at the doll, Nameless jangled the pouch filled with money.
“Do you want it?”
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
I’m well over 300 years old; I’m not some child. Why would I want a doll?
I shot him a disapproving glance, and noticing that I was displeased, Nameless scratched his head awkwardly.
“Tsk, how do you even see your master?”
What a world we live in.
Shaking my head in disbelief while walking down the street, I suddenly remembered something I had forgotten.
Traditionally, a disciple’s sword is bestowed by the master.
If he wanted to challenge that tradition, I wouldn’t mind, but to me, it’s part of the charm and romance of it all.
Until now, I hadn’t had a sword myself and hadn’t been out of the mountains, so aside from wooden swords, I had nothing to give, but now I thought it was time to gift Nameless a sword.
It was shameful that I had forgotten something so important, but watching Nameless try to surprise me with a doll reminded me.
Coincidentally, the area where Nameless and I were walking was filled with weapons vendors.
Given that we were working alongside the Demon King, one never knows what dangers might arise in the future, and Nameless couldn’t just be using a wooden sword forever.
“Nameless, it looks like you’ll need a real sword soon.”
Was that what I shouldn’t have said?
Upon hearing my words, Nameless’s eyes went wide with genuine surprise.
“A real sword? But I’m not ready for that yet, am I?”
Hmm, why does he think that?
Before we came to this village, Lili seemed weak enough for Nameless to easily deal with, and the adventurers I saw in the guild lacked the strength to face someone like Nameless.
Nameless might not be overwhelmingly powerful, but he should be more than capable of handling a real sword.
“Hmm? Why do you think that? You’re more than ready.”
“I thought I lacked the training because you never gave me a sword, Master.”
“Huh?”
Is there even a culture here where a master gives a disciple a sword?
I felt a strange surge of guilt for not having given him one yet, and I pouted my lips.
“Hmm, it’s just that I haven’t gone out of the mountains to get one.”
I wiggled my fingers.
“You are more than enough, and a wonderful disciple. I’m sorry if I gave you a misunderstanding.”
“It’s fine.”
Nameless shook his head and smiled.
“Now that I’ve learned I’m recognized by you, I’m actually quite happy.”
“Hmm.”
The delight on Nameless’s face as he squeezed my hand tightly and beamed was almost contagious.
If I had known he would be this happy, I should have told him sooner.
We spent some time wandering around the weapon shops hand in hand.
Nameless was checking out the beautifully displayed swords when he suddenly waved our hands.
Thinking he was calling me, I looked up, only to find Nameless with a puzzled expression, asking, “By the way, Master, aren’t you buying a sword for yourself?”
“A sword…?”
I pressed a finger against my lips, pondering.
‘How do I even explain this?’
If I said honestly, I was afraid of cutting someone, so I intentionally stuck to unsharpened wooden swords, it would sound ridiculous.
The thought of me actually killing someone? Impossible to imagine.
The fact that someone wielding a sword might kill is terrifying.
How unheroic is that?
As I leaned my head, trying to find the right words to answer Nameless, he seemed to have misunderstood something and gleamed with excitement, nodding.
“Of course, you’re my master.”
I couldn’t hold back a sigh and ran a hand over my face.
“…What are you thinking about again?”
“Could it be that you’re trying to hold back because the opponents you face are too weak?”
What the heck…?
‘Isn’t it cool?’
I turned my head slightly, making a sad face as though I had been caught hiding something.
“Looks like you really can’t be fooled.”
One corner of my mouth twitched.
Glancing back at Nameless, I saw him bowing his head, seemingly deeply impressed.
“Truly, you are my master. As your disciple, I want to carry on your legacy and use a wooden sword, but I’m really just embarrassed for being so lacking…”
I kept a shaky smile while trying to maintain my facade.
“Alright, continue to work hard from now on.”
“Yes, Master.”
My conscience pricked a bit, but I managed to maintain my dignity as a master.
I nodded solemnly.
Yes, this is it.
We visited several weapon shops together, but Nameless was still struggling to find a sword he liked.
I poked him in the side, noticing his downcast expression.
“Can’t find anything you like?”
“No… nothing seems to catch my eye.”
“Well, it’s a sword you’ll carry for a long time, so I didn’t expect you to find it quickly.”
To reassure him, I gently patted his back and looked at the displayed swords.
Definitely.
Even I, who can’t tell a good sword from a bad one, could see none of them seemed useful.
Hmm, it can’t be helped.
“I guess we’ll have to request one personally.”
Nameless’s eyes sparkled for a moment before quickly looking gloomy.
“…Will that be alright? Finding a craftsman and gathering materials— isn’t that a hassle?”
Seeing how informed he was about the process, he must really want his own weapon.
I couldn’t help but smile as I thought about the girl earlier clamoring for a doll.
“Come on, it’s a sword I’m giving to my disciple, so of course I have to do at least this much!”