第４５１堀：天下五剣と島津一文字 (Part1)
### Chapter 451: The Five Swords Under Heaven and the Shimazu Ichimonji
**Side: Yuki**
"Phew, that was quite a racket."
The so-called "True Hero," a guy named Ray, had been dragged away by the soldiers while still wrapped up like a mummy. Naturally, his noisy mouth had been sealed shut once again.
"So, are you really going to execute him?"
"We can't exactly keep someone like that inside or outside our borders, can we?"
"That’s true. What do you think, Brother Teague?"
"I agree with Taiki-kun. It’s better to dispose of such things quickly. As Taiki-kun said, no matter how you handle him, he’ll only ever be a poison to us. If we keep him captured, he’ll just whisper nonsense to those dissatisfied with us and cause instability. Dealing with rescue attempts from the enemy side would be a hassle, too. And the same goes for letting him go outside. I don’t want to give the enemy any unnecessary information. Especially if there’s a possibility he’s a Dungeon Master."
Well, that’s a reasonable opinion.
"Besides, if this incident spreads any further, the name of Gartz will be dragged through the mud. We were the ones who invited that princess from Ranks to Weed. If this causes a stagnation in Weed’s distribution, it’ll be… absolutely terrifying."
" "Ah..." "
Exactly. That’s probably their real concern.
If the distribution lines were cut, they’d be facing immense pressure from every other nation. So, as the Gartz side that brought Ranks here, they want to dispose of the problem as quickly as possible…
"Yuki-dono. In any case, that Ray is a piece of trash who used his position as Vice Captain of the Royal Guard to repeatedly commit heinous acts against women. Please rest assured, this is not an unjust punishment."
Oh, he was *that* much of a scumbag? Since he called himself a Royal Guard, I thought he was just blindly loyal to the princess. It’s a miracle the country held together until Taiki-kun arrived.
As I was thinking that, the conference room door suddenly swung open. Taizo-san walked in, and for some reason, Luna was with him.
"Huh? Taizo-san, weren't you supposed to be on break?"
"I thought so too. And Luna, why are you here?"
"Uh, judging by the conversation, Taizo-san is a distant relative of Taiki-kun, right? And that woman over there is… Luna?"
Perhaps remembering the name, Teague’s face went pale. During the unofficial summit of the three major powers, he had learned of the existence of gods—and even higher-ranking deities—so he must have known who Luna was. As a king, he would have been taught not to be disrespectful to gods, especially those above the standard ones. Even Aria-nee had gone out of her way to greet Lilishe. In this era, the gods seemed to have a massive influence on this world.
To me, though, she’s just a useless, good-for-nothing goddess.
Realizing his slip of the tongue, Teague knelt on the spot and bowed his head.
"I have been terribly rude!! To address a High God by name without honorifics… what an act of blasphemy!! Please, take my head as an offering, just please do not bring any retribution upon my country…"
Teague apologized grandiosely, but Luna didn't seem to care in the slightest.
"Huh? I’m not going to do anything just because someone said my name. Don’t worry about it. More importantly, Yuki!! I have something to ask you!!"
"Hah? Me?"
I wondered why Luna had bothered to show up, and it turns out she has business with me?
"That’s right. This is an emergency. Yuki-kun, answer me honestly."
"H-huh?"
Taizo-san spoke with an unusual intensity.
"The Dojigiri Yasunaka. You have it, don't you? That’s an original. Give it back."
He gestured with his hand, signaling me to hand it over.
"No. I don't remember ordering anything like that. Isn't that the most troublesome, cursed blade among the Five Swords Under Heaven?"
The "Five Swords Under Heaven" are the five most prestigious blades in Japan. Literally, there are only five in the entire world, and every single one is a national treasure-level item. The first sword mentioned in that group is the one he just named…
*Dojigiri Yasunaka.*
It is famously known as the sword that cut down Shuten-doji, the great boss of the oni living on Mt. Ooe. Hearing just that, you might think it was a simple oni-slaying, but it was far from a trivial affair.
The warriors who went to exterminate Shuten-doji were all legendary figures: Minamoto no Yorimitsu, who wielded this sword (also called the "Blood-Sucker"); Sakata Kintoki, the super-strong hero of folklore; Usui Sadamitsu, the hero who slew the great serpent; Urabe no Suetake, who appears in countless tales; and Watanabe no Tsuna, another oni-slayer who defeated Ibaraki-doji with the Higekiri-maru.
Even these five legendary figures could only win by getting the oni drunk and cutting off his head while he was incapacitated. He was a Great Yokai, on par with the Yamata no Orochi or Tamamo-no-Mae. In short, a terrifying monster.
Why on earth would I order a sword that clearly carries such deep-seated resentment?
"Hah? But since the Dojigiri has arrived in this world, it has to be someone connected to you, right, Yuki?"
"No. I’ve been having Narjia-san make me 'safer' swords. I haven't ordered anything like that. They’re insanely expensive, too."
True, I’d love to see the Five Swords Under Heaven, but the price is astronomical. Well, with my current income, it’s not impossible, but spending 500,000 DP on one would be a waste when I could just craft something better. Plus, who would want something that might be cursed?
"When you put it that way, I guess you're right. Then, who…"
"Wait, if you know it flew into this world, you should know who ordered it, right?"
"Ah, right. I just assumed it was you, Yuki. Let’s look it up quickly. That’s an original, so if we don't return it soon, the person will be possessed by the *Aratama* (rough spirit) of Shuten-doji."
"Hey, hold on a second. I’ve been hearing some unsettling words, but what do you mean by 'original'? And what’s this about being possessed by a rough spirit?"
I asked Luna, who had started searching, while a bad premonition washed over me.
"Exactly what I said. That sword was forged in a sacred place by a master swordsmith, blessed by the eight million gods, and finally infused with the *Aratama* of Shuten-doji. It couldn't be copied easily. So, I transferred the real one from the museum and put a fake in its place. If people find out, the eight million gods in Japan will get noisy, so I wanted to swap it with a copy I finally managed to make… wait, when was the order placed again?"
"Wait a minute!! It’s not just the eight million gods!! Japan would be in total chaos!! People at the museum would be fired!! And what was that about being possessed by a rough spirit!?"
I finally understood why Taizo-san had come over in such a panic. This isn't just "bad"—this is a catastrophe. Some kind of insane bomb has rolled in from Japan!?
Ignoring my shouting, Luna continued to search…
"Oh, I found it."
"Who is it!! Let’s go get it back, now!!"