ALL NOVEL chapter 5
5. Demon Sword Durandal
“Looks like you’ve had a lot to drink, Master. Are you feeling okay?”
“I’m a bit tipsy, but I’m not drunk.”
“You said you’d only have one cup, but you ended up drinking that much! Does that woman not know her limits?”
Durandal’s anger was palpable, and they trembled with rage.
In the end, I had to keep drinking until Sasha was satisfied. Thanks to the cheat ability I got from Mirabel, I don’t get drunk, but I still felt uncomfortable from drinking too much.
I managed to hold back my nausea and finally returned to my room.
Durandal, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up as soon as we got back to the room. I was impressed that they had managed to hold back their anger for so long.
Their voice was filled with indignation towards Sasha.
“Don’t be so angry. I’m the one who asked for your help.”
“But!”
“I appreciate that you’re angry on my behalf, but I’m fine. Thank you, Durandal.”
“Yes…”
I couldn’t help but laugh at Durandal’s unchanged demeanor, which reminded me of the past.
It’s been five years since I found and pulled out Durandal from the depths of a certain ancient ruin. Durandal awakened immediately after absorbing the magical power, and our bond has been longer than my time with the hero party.
“It’s still too early to sleep.”
“Yes, it’s still early afternoon, isn’t it? I think we still have some time before nightfall.”
I felt a bit uncomfortable from drinking too much and thought about sleeping, but I didn’t want to sleep now and risk affecting my night.
Come to think of it, I had been drinking since morning… and Sasha was still drinking when I left, going back to the first floor to continue their drinking competition.
They really can drink a lot.
I won’t sleep. I don’t want to change my daily habits.
It’s not because of an injury or illness, and this discomfort will pass with time.
Let’s take it slow.
I carried the chair to the built-in table in the room and placed Durandal on it.
There was already a chair on the opposite side of the table, so I sat down facing Durandal.
We had talked a bit in the morning, but creating time to talk like this was also important.
Durandal was different from ordinary weapons; it could speak.
It had emotions and intelligence. I had been helped by its wisdom many times.
Currently, it was friendly, but if it got upset and turned hostile, I’d be in trouble. Since I didn’t have a spare weapon, there was nothing I could do.
Should I prepare for the worst? No, that would make Durandal sulk.
Besides, as a sword, Durandal was a top-notch item. Any other sword would pale in comparison.
“Durandal, I have something I want to ask you. May I ask?”
“Yes! I’ll answer any question from Master!”
From preferences to… ah, three sizes?
I almost made a sarcastic comment, but refrained. That would be too rude.
Was it about the size of the hilt or the blade?
I wasn’t interested in such trivial matters.
Now, about what I wanted to ask Durandal.
We had been together for about five years, but there were things I had always put off asking.
Considering our future together, it was better to ask now.
“The three sizes thing, I don’t really get it…
Ah, I see. Is Durandal’s gender female?”
It was a bit too late to ask now.
Was it even possible for a sword to have a gender? Durandal, as a sword, had a strong sense of self.
Then, it was possible that it had a concept of gender.
But asking now might have been a failure.
The Durandal placed on the chair was shaking and making a rattling sound.
This was how Durandal reacted when it got angry.
“I’m sorry, Durandal! I asked an impolite question.”
“It’s true! If you weren’t Master, I’d be in a world of trouble!”
If it were human, it would probably say “huff” or something. Durandal was still shaking.
“Look! This flawless silver blade (body) without a single wound! There’s no sword with a more beautiful blade (body) than mine!”
I couldn’t say that I couldn’t see the blade because it was sheathed.
Durandal’s protesting voice continued.
“A design without any unnecessary elements, crafted by a skilled artisan.
Each and every decorated gemstone highlights me!
And above all, this heavenly beautiful voice!
To ask if I’m female up to this point is an ungentlemanly act, Master!”
“I’m really sorry! I lacked consideration.”
It seemed I was unfit to be a gentleman.
I was completely caught off guard when I asked her about her gender.
Let’s change the subject. If we continue like this, Durandal will keep scolding me.
“Durandal, I have one more thing I want to ask…”
“Yes? I’ll prioritize answering Master’s questions, even if I have more to say!
You’re a great sword, aren’t you, I?”
“Thank you, Durandal.
It’s not a big deal, but why do you call me Master?”
“Ah, about Master’s title!
Let me answer! There’s no particular reason, but the previous Master wanted to be called that, so I’ve continued to do so!”
“Previous Master?”
“Yes! The previous Master was a bit more…fluffy!
I remember they would often sweat a lot, making me feel uneasy and sticky!”
I was surprised to hear that there was a previous Master.
It makes sense, considering Durandal has been stuck in the ruins for a long time.
It’s not surprising, even if it’s a high-ranking magic sword like Durandal. The previous Master wouldn’t be ridiculous.
…………Am I okay with sweat? I’m getting worried.
“Sorry, I’ve become interested in the previous Master.
If it’s okay with you, Durandal, would you tell me more?”
“About the previous Master?
It’s fine, but it might take a while. Is that okay?”
“Yeah”
Durandal started talking with a hint of amusement. It seemed the previous Master wasn’t a bad person.
“Their personality wasn’t bad, so I think they would have been popular if they just fixed their appearance a bit!
They would complain about not being popular, but it’s a matter of putting in some effort!”
“Yeah, that’s true”
“Even their eating habits were like that! They only ate meat and hardly touched vegetables, which was a problem.
It affected their body odor and health! But they just wouldn’t eat vegetables because they didn’t like them.”
“Eating habits are important. You need to maintain a balance.”
“I want Master to learn from me!
And they had a bad habit of being too forward with women, which was a minus.
Especially how they would leer at women’s breasts and make a fool of themselves! It was embarrassing, even when I was right next to them!
They were far from being a gentleman!”
“Yeah…”
Durandal was spewing out all the complaints they had been holding back, one after another, like a dam had burst.
Sometimes they would even tremble with anger, saying “I’m so angry!”
It felt like I had been listening to Durandal’s complaints for about an hour. Almost all of it was just venting.
“Can I hear the previous Master’s name?”
“Ah! I forgot to mention it, didn’t I!”
Despite all the complaints, the name never came up.
It’s because Durandal talks about her “previous Master” in a casual tone.
For her, the term “Master” seems to be more established.
“The name of my previous Master was Takeshi!”
“Takeshi?”
A name unheard of in this world.
In my previous life, it was a familiar Japanese name.
“Ah, I remember! Takeshi Gōda Takeru.”
She seemed to recall it with great effort.
“He didn’t like his full name, saying he was teased about it. Indeed, it’s an unusual name!”
Who knows?
It resembled the real name of the main character in a national anime.
It’s undoubtedly a Japanese name.
So, Durandal’s previous Master was a Japanese person, just like me…
“Durandal, can you tell me more about that Takeshi person…?”
I heard footsteps approaching my room, light and quick, likely a woman.
Durandal, who had been chatting fluently until now, suddenly fell silent. She wouldn’t talk in front of others.
The footsteps stopped, and then there was a knock on the door. It seemed like someone wanted to see me.
“I’ll open it now.”
I grasped Durandal, prepared for any unexpected demonic attack.
As I slowly opened the door, I saw…
“I’m here to serve!”
A woman with her hand on her waist, laughing “Hah hah hah” stood before me.
It was Daru, a member of our brave party and a thief.