I used it in the heat of the moment. Well, more like the momentum of the situation carried me away.
I believed her when she said it was for attack purposes. She wasn't the type to lie about something like that.
Her sincerity and purity when it came to strength — that much came through.
Then again, I couldn't deny that I only used it because she'd kissed me and I'd gone soft about it.
"..."
Relic [Viblation]: Vibrates. Grants the ability to manipulate vibrations.
"So it's not Quake, huh..."
Vibrations, huh.
I gave it a try, and— whoa. My right hand turned into a crackling mess of static.
There was no trembling or anything in particular. I tentatively brought my noise-ridden right hand close to a rock.
The rock started to vibrate. When I kept touching it, cracks spread across its surface.
"Whoa, so this is [Viblation]."
It was different from what I'd imagined, though. I still wasn't really sure what to make of it.
Either way, I'd gotten my hands on a new Relic.
Now then. What else...
"...I need to buy a knife."
One way or another, it had broken again. As usual, basically.
This time around it had been nothing but spoils of war, though.
"Oh, I almost forgot. Agaro's Modified Knife, Mark 2!"
Riv said she'd fix it for me, but she already left.
Still, by coincidence she's heading to Heisen too.
"Since I'll see her there, might as well bring that along."
Agaro's Modified Knife, Mark 2 is stashed in my room.
I need to remember to take it.
"I should get back before anyone notices me."
If I'm found, I'm definitely getting arrested.
"What's going on? What was that commotion earlier?"
"This way!"
"Someone broke in again?"
"Capture them immediately! If they resist—"
Ugh, the guards. And a whole bunch of them too.
This is bad. If this keeps up, what am I supposed to do?
"Meow."
Huh? A black cat? It suddenly appeared right in front of me.
It's staring right at me.
"Meow."
It meows again, then starts walking.
After a few steps, it looks back.
"Meow."
Perhaps it means I should follow.
"Meow."
It starts walking again.
"The villains likely have this as their hideout. Leave no stone unturned searching for them!"
Oh no. They're coming this way. Ugh, if I'm going to cling to something, even a cat's tail will do!
I follow the black cat.
Strangely, I don't encounter any guards and manage to escape the ruined arena without incident.
"Ah, thank you."
"Meow."
The black cat meows, wags its unnaturally long tail, and walks away.
"...To think I'd be saved by a cat."
Muttering that this really was a fantasy, I went home.
Night.
A mysterious white space where a pure white, enigmatic fog hung in the air.
"..."
I stood there in that space.
Ah, I knew it... Since I broke so many at once, after all.
I had a vague feeling this might happen if I fell asleep.
"Wof."
A transcendent, ethereal beauty with a gleam like a blade appeared.
It was the Goddess of Knives. I gave a bow.
"It's been a while."
"I see you've defeated Arveld von Rootbelt, the 'Ruiner of Destruction' and guardian deity of the King, [Thousand Kill Arcos]."
"Yes. I won thanks to the Goddess."
Right. I should give one to her too.
I took out the bracelet.
It was a steel-colored band with a silver gem set into it.
"Consider this a token of my gratitude."
"Oh my, is that so?"
She extended her hand smoothly. I carefully slipped the bracelet onto the Goddess of Knives' arm.
The Goddess of Knives looked at the bracelet.
"What do you think?"
"I don't dislike this sort of thing."
"I'm glad."
The Goddess of Knives let out a soft laugh.
"I should return the favor, of course. But doing anything for you when you're with everyone else wouldn't be very god-like."
"So you already knew."
"Well, yes, more or less... you know."
For some reason, her tone was vague.
"Does the bracelet's effect work on the Goddess of Knives too?"
"None at all. But I hate being the only one left out. Hmm. I've decided, Wof."
"Y-yes."
The Goddess of Knives suddenly threw both arms wide open. Wait, what was she doing?
"Kiss me wherever you like."
"Huh?"
"Kiss me on whatever part of my body you like."
"…Whichever part of your body…"
I looked over the Goddess of Knives's body.
A full chest visible through thin white cloth. A slender waist pulled tight. A generous backside.
An ideal bottle-shaped figure. Every bit as well-built as the Witch.
The Goddess of Knives's cheeks flushed red as she spoke.
"I said whichever part you like, but that doesn't mean… my chest or backside is pushing it."
"I-I wasn't—"
I panicked. I'd only been looking. Any guy would have stared.
The Goddess of Knives was that ethereally beautiful. A true Venus.
"Is that so…?"
She fixed me with a sharp, cold stare.
"It's a misunderstanding. Um, could you hold out your hand for me?"
"Like this?"
"Yes. Then, if you'll excuse me…"
I kiss the back of her hand. I try to keep it gentle and soft.
"…………"
"— Goddess of Knives?"
"……Well, I suppose it's fine."
She's clearly dissatisfied. She lets out a big sigh.
But I mean, this was the only peaceful way to do it, right?
"— Was there somewhere else you'd have preferred?"
"— That's not what I mean."
"— Would you have preferred my lips?"
"— Wof. Do you have any idea what it means to steal a goddess's lips?"
She glares at me.
I don't, but it sounds bad.
"— I'm sorry."
"— It's fine. Forget it."
"……"
"……"
"— Haa…"
The Goddess of Knives sighs. The air between us is getting kind of awkward.
Maybe I should change the subject. There's something I've been meaning to ask.
"— Um, there's something I'd like to ask the Goddess of Knives."
"What is it?"
"I heard that the Sword Goddess, who cursed me so I can't wield a sword, was shattered in a war."
"…That is true. The fragments each became daughters of the Sword Goddess."
"Only daughters?"
"Yes. Because the Sword Goddess is female. When it comes to artifact-type gods, they can produce offspring through union with a male god, but shattering can also give birth to new gods. It depends on the gender of the original god. If a male god shatters, only male gods are born. If a female god shatters, only female gods."
"Ohh…"
The Goddess of Knives looked thoughtful.
"Perhaps the daughters of the Sword Goddess might be immune to the curse."
"Really?"
"Yes. However, I don't know how much time has passed since she was shattered. And I have no idea how many daughters exist. Even if you did meet one, I can't say whether they'd cooperate. And whether you could even find one in the first place is uncertain."
So it comes down to timing and luck.
"I understand."
"I'm sorry. That's all I can really tell you."
"No, just having hope is a real win. Do the daughters of the Sword Goddess still take the form of swords?"
"There'd be nothing unusual about them taking human form. Regardless of race."
"I see… Could they be children?"
"It's possible."
"If that's the case, then descendants too…"
"Whether they'd take the form of swords — that's a difficult question to answer."
"Got it…"
Well, I guess the conclusion is just not to get your hopes up.
"Now then, let's move on to the main topic. Wof — didn't you obtain a knife in a rather unusual way?"
"Y-yes. When I was cleaning out the pouch, there was a knife inside."
I show it to her. The barnacles, shells, and coral stuck to the scabbard refused to come off no matter what I tried.
The knife goddess nods.
"That is a token of gratitude."
"A token of gratitude?"
"It is thanks for defeating that 'Death Abstract' and freeing the sahagin."
"F-from whom? The sahagin?"
Those sahagin — the ones that attacked me. Gratitude?
"Those sahagin were dungeon monsters generated by the event trigger mechanism. But even though they were dungeon monsters, she must have been pained by the pitiful state of beings made to take the form of her kin. She is, after all, deeply compassionate."
"I did defeat quite a few of them, though."
"That is precisely right. There is no other salvation left for them."
"She... is a sea goddess?"
"———"
"The Mother Who Embraces the Great Sea."
"Listen carefully, Wof. All life is born from the sea of souls and returns to the sea of souls. The gods are no exception. And you — though you haven't realized it — have a deep connection to the sea. The blue color of your hair is proof of that."
"Me...?"
My hair is indeed blue, but... so that was the reason?
"Now then, this time I will teach you how to use a knife from a different sea."
"How to use a knife?"
"Yes. It's a special knife. Once you learn how to handle it, it will definitely come in handy going forward."
"...Please, teach me."
A knife from a different sea, and "special"—what does that even mean? A wave of unease washes over me.
"Also, I will give you a special knife of my own."
"Oh, thank you. Um, I really don't want to break any more knives, so what should I do about that?"
"I don't know."
"Is it some kind of curse, or—"
"It isn't."
"Whaaaaaat..."
She answered way too quickly. The Goddess of Knives looks apologetic.
"Honestly, even I—the Goddess of Knives—don't know. It might just be a series of coincidences stacked on top of each other. Either way, please be careful. That's all I can say."
"O-Okay."
That's all she can say...? So I just have to be even more careful than before?
Is that really all there is to it? I study the Goddess of Knives' expression... and it seems like that really is all she can offer.
"Oh, and one more thing. You obtained a Relic, didn't you?"
"Y-Yes."
"The Vibrasion — it's difficult to handle, but it's a useful Relic. I'll teach you how to use it as well."
"Thank you."
"However, I can't approve of obtaining a Relic without first confirming whether you can even carry it. Why didn't you go to the Seihou Faith?"
The goddess of knives narrowed her eyes at me in reproach.
A light like that of a blade gleamed in them, and a shiver ran down my spine.
"Seihou...?"
What was she talking about?
The goddess of knives looked puzzled.
"Could it be that you don't know?"
"Yes. What exactly is Seihou?"
It was that Seihou Faith, wasn't it?
"At the Seihou Faith, it costs money, but you can have the total capacity of your soul vessel verified."
"Wait — that's actually possible?!"
That was a first for me.
"It is. Ah, right — in your current era, Relic Plates aren't commonplace, so I suppose it's understandable that you wouldn't know. Well, remember it."
"Y-yes."
"Listen well. From now on, if you ever obtain a Plate and intend to use it, make sure to have it checked at the nearest Seihou before you do. In the worst case, you could die."
The goddess of knives delivered those words with severity.
"S-sorry."
I lowered my head.
So the Seihou Faith could do something like that.
Between my past-life memories and this one, I'd never had much to do with churches. I'd been a Buddhist, after all.
Oh, but my uncle did always say I should make sure to visit a church and say a prayer at least once.
So that's how it is. But why does Uncle know about that?
What even is that guy.
"Well then, Wof. Come this way. I'll teach you how to use a knife."
"Yes. Please."
I was invited by the knife goddess.
And I learned. About knives from a different sea.
The next day.
I was summoned by the witch.
Huh? Has it finally, at long last, been completed? A gauntlet, maybe? Not a gauntlet. Am I wrong?
Then what is it?
Skair Coffin Ele?
What even is that...