Once upon a time, there was a hero in this kingdom named Pedro Rodman. He slew tens of thousands of enemies in his lifetime, among them was his son. The weapon that symbolizes the hero Pedro is the magic steel sword. The sword, which has a mysterious red glow, is said to be a magic sword that has swallowed the blood of tens of thousands of enemies.
And then, from the Rodman family, a hero was born once again.
“Hey Reina. Are you really listening to me?”
“Ah-, yes. I’m listening. But to say that this is a magic sword….it seems like a lie you know.”
“Don’t be fooled by its appearance. It is the embodiment of murderous intent. It’s a sword of death that invites those who wield it to kill.”
“Hmmm.”
To be honest, I don’t believe in that kind of story. How to say…. It was more shocking to me that I had the weapon of the hero Pedro in front of me. I immediately pulled the sword out of its scabbard.
“As expected of a hero’s sword. It has a different aura.”
“Never lose it. It’s one of the treasures of the Rodman family.”
“I know. I’ll give it back to you after a little use.”
I’m the hero, Reina Rodman. I am the first female hero in the history of the Kingdom of Logas.
I quickly equipped the sword at my waist and check my whole body in the mirror. Short red hair, big almond-like eyes and long eyelashes. Although there’s no bulgy breasts, my slender figure has feminine lines and it exudes a kind of sex appeal in its own way.
In addition, my custom-made armor conveys dignity and status while still fitting the body. I’m a little concerned as I look masculine but as the first female hero, this might be just right.
“Neechan, you’ve become a hero! Give me some pocket money!”
My younger brother comes into the room and puts out his hand and begs for money. I don’t want to say this to my blood-related family, but my brother is as ugly as an orc child. Well, I love him because he has a good personality.
I gave him five copper coins and warns him.
“You’d better learn how to be a proper blacksmith as soon as possible. After all, you’re going to be the third-generation owner of the Rodman Weapon Store which grandpa made.”
“Yes! I’m going to make a great weapons store here in Mana! I’ll definitely make it a store that will never lose to the main family! Thank you Neechan!”
My younger brother grabbed the coins and left the room. The main family is the main line of the Rodman family in the Royal Capital. Originally, my family was doing business in the Royal Capital, but my grandfather had no choice but to move to the countryside because he had a bad relationship with the Family head.
And that’s when the current Rodman Weapons Store opened. Now my grandfather has retired and my father runs the business, but sometimes people from the main family in the Royal Capital comes here and smears our reputation bad.
“Nevertheless, my grandchild is a hero. There’s no hope for the future huh.”
“What are you talking about, Grandpa? Even though we’re a branch family, the Rodman family has produced a hero again. Why can’t you just be happier about it?”
“Having it come from the branch family is pointless. Besides, a hero should be a man. For Reina, who is a woman, to become a hero is just absurd. Has this kingdom become senile due to continued peace?”
“Grandpa! You’ll be charged guilty of insulting His Majesty if you say that.”
“Tsk-, pretend I didn’t say it then.”
It’s not like it’s that easy. I stand in a position similar to that of general in this kingdom. Even though he is a relative, I cannot forgive remarks that insult His Majesty.
Just then, three people came into the room.
“We’re aiming for the thirtieth level from today. Let’s keep our spirits up.”
One of my companion smiles.
They’re my comrades. Myne, Coby and Dedel. We are a party of four that started adventuring together a few years ago and has only recently been promoted to the rank of senior adventurers. Even now that I am a hero, I still find time to spend my days adventuring with them.
“Oops, it’s bad to make a visit without any souvenirs. I’m going to give this to grandfather.”
“Hoho. Isn’t this the Dragon Slayer which is said to be a phantom liquor? Are you sure you’re giving such expensive item to me?”
“I’m indebted to Reina. It’s a little thank you gift.”
“I won’t be modest then. Kuu~, this is delicious!”
Grandpa is in a good mood after a sip of Dragon Slayer. When I told him I wanted to use Pedro’s sword, he was very much against it, but when alcohol is involved, he forgets about it.
“Are you worried?”
“Mmm, I just felt like I would never see this sight again.”
“Hey, that’s not a good omen. I’m sure we will come home safely.”
“….That’s right. My bad.”
I apologized to Coby. After that, when we were ready, we decided to head to Mohed Great Dungeon.
◇◇◇
This request also doubles as a hero’s mission. This is because I am supposed to investigate a missing case in which a party who dived into the Mohed Great Dungeon disappeared between the 25th and 30th floors. And now we are at the 30th floor.
We had reached our destination without finding any of the rumored phenomena or enemies.
“This time it’s hobgoblins and gremlins. It would have been great if we could hunt a lich.”
Dedel, a martial artist, mumbled out as he checks his backpack. Myne, the mage, replied as he rested his back against the wall.
“If you’re talking about the ones in the twenty-sixth or twenty-eighth level, I’m against it. It’s a dangerous area where the undead are rampant. If there is a cause for the incident, it will be those three layers, but if we do it poorly, we will be wiped out for sure.”
“I agree with Myne. Even if Reina is here, I don’t think it’s a good idea to get too deep into it.”
Coby, who specializes in theft and assassination, is smoking a cigarette as he said that.
I leaned against the wall with my arms crossed as I listened to them. If this continues, we will return without completing our mission. In that case, I would not be able to maintain my dignity as a hero. I swore to His Majesty that I would accomplish any task after all.
As the pinnacle of martial arts, I must solve this case at all costs.
“After finding the Temple of Teleportation, I plan to return to the twenty-eighth level. As long as we secure a way back, we should be able to continue the mission.”
“You’ll go back from here!? That’s too dangerous! We… especially you Reina, we have fought so hard to reach here!”
“I know. But now that I’ve accepted this mission, I can’t go home empty-handed. I also have a sense of pride as a hero you see.”
At my discretion as the leader, the party decided to return to the twenty-eighth level. However, without warning, the devil’s hand turned on us.
“My~, my~, that was a close call. I almost let my prey escape.”
Hearing those words, I turned around at the source of voice and saw a strange man standing at the end of the dimly lit aisle. I wonder how long he was there. I didn’t feel his presence at all.
The man had pale skin and bloodshot eyes. His dark hair was in a slicked back style and abnormally sharp canine teeth were visible from his purple lips. In addition to that, as that man breath, the smell of blood fills the air. The clothes he wore accentuated his foreignness.
“Who!? Why are you he—”
Immediately after I tried to call out, the man’s figure disappeared in an instant.
“Gyaaa!!!”
Turning to Myne’s screams, I saw the man biting my companion’s neck. Dedel and I reflexively raised our weapons.
Myne who was drained off blood was thrown away with a thud.
“Fuhahahaha. Do you really think you, a mere human, can beat me?”
Beads of sweat fell from my forehead. 9 out of 10 he should be a vampire. And he is probably the culprit of the series of missing persons. I didn’t expect that the other party was a demon.
“Coby, maybe I won’t win, so at least give this to my family.”
I tossed Pedro’s sword to Coby, who is behind me. But he didn’t try to pick it up right away.
“If it’s meant to be a keepsake, I won’t do it. The four of us talked about coming back alive.”
“I’m sorry. That probably won’t happen. I feel bad but please apologize to my family on my behalf.”
“That’s unfair! Am I the only one to survive? Let me fight with you guys!”
“Stop dilly dallying and go! Go on before that guy preys on you!”
Coby gritted his teeth, picked up my sword and ran down the aisle. Perhaps he is the only one who can get away from here. This is because he possesses a skill that has a stealth effect. I want him to use the Temple of Teleportation to return to the ground safely.
“Kuhahaha, that little man escaped huh. Well, his blood seemed to taste bad so it doesn’t matter to me. As long as you guys don’t escape, I’ll be satisfied.”
It seems that from the very beginning, this vampire didn’t look at Coby. On the contrary, that’s convenient. If he comes to the ground, I’m sure he’ll report the vampire to the kingdom. If that happens, the upper management will come up with some kind of countermeasure.
I draw my other sword and face the enemy.
“Reina, I’m going to accompany you to the bottom of hell.”
“Stop joking. With a muscular and oppressively hot guy like you, it’s already hell you know.”
“Haha, I guess you can say that.”
Dedel and I faced the vampire with a smile on our faces.
◇◇◇
I woke up there.
I just saw the memories of someone else. Or perhaps, it was me when I was alive.
—However, I’m now master’s faithful servant.
“Suketarou, I’ll ask for ten more sauce.”
Master orders yakitori from me. I had started a yakitori food stall in the city as a secret side job, but Master had recently found out about it. As a result, sales have increased dramatically. No matter what I say, Master insisted on paying for his food and drink.
“It looks like you were sleeping which is rare. Come to think of it, do skeletons get tired too?”
I was asked a question out of the blue.
I told him that I did not fell asleep. Rather than saying that I was sleeping, I could say that my memory suddenly came back. While thinking about it, I put sauce on the skewers and grill them again.
It doesn’t matter who I was before. I’m now Suketarou. Living as an undead.
“But I’ve been wondering for a long time, does the Soul Eating skill really eat souls?”
I shook my head at my Master’s question. To be honest, I don’t know how to answer. This is because I have no memory of the time before I was born as an undead. It seems that the undead themselves, including myself, do not know exactly what kind of skill it is. However, when I use that skill, I felt like I’m eating something. It’s unclear whether it’s a soul or a memory though.
“Well, there’s no point in thinking about it. I’ll have another drink.”
In response to my Master’s order, I hold a bottle of sake and pours it into a cup. If this is hell, Reina may be surprisingly happy. With that in mind, I continue to work today.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
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