Return Through Magic

Chapter 4: Who??

“Where are we going, Master?” Seira looked at Yuki, who was walking but had a confused expression on his face.

Truthfully, Yuki himself didn’t know the direction and was confused about where to go. “Wait a moment, Seira.” Yuki decided to choose a direction using a luck formula by counting the petals of a wildflower on the hill. Seira remained silent, not commenting, watching what her new master was doing.

“North, south, west, east, north, south, west, east…” Yuki continued plucking the petals of the wildflower in his hand until only the last petal remained. “South! We’re heading south, Seira!” Yuki had made up his mind to go south.

“Yes, Master.” Seira obediently followed Yuki’s decision.

With determination, Yuki stepped forward. Throughout the journey, Yuki does not encounter a single person; not even an old house or a hut can be seen. Yuki was now truly in a vast expanse of green grass, uninhabited and silent. “Seira! This is a magical world, right?” Yuki asked as they descended the grassy hill.

“Yes, Master. This is a magical world,” Seira answered while skipping playfully like a child. It was truly adorable. Anyone seeing Seira wouldn’t guess that this little girl was the incarnation of a sword with terrifying power. It seemed the sword Seiryū no Inazuma preferred to take a human form rather than remaining a weapon.

“Does that mean I should be able to use magic?” Yuki continued his questioning.

“Of course, Master can use magic because all humans and creatures here live thanks to the magic within their bodies. If someone runs out of magical energy, they will die,” Seira explained while crouching, seemingly picking a yellow wildflower.

“How do I use magic, Seira? Teach me.” Yuki stood beside Seira, who was busy gathering wildflowers.

“I cannot teach Master magic. I am merely a sword,” Seira smiled at Yuki.

“Why not? Aren’t you a magical sword?” Yuki crouched beside Seira.

“Indeed, Master. I am merely a sword and a tool for combat. I cannot teach Master magic or how to control Master’s untamed power,” Seira reiterated, smiling until her eyes slightly squinted.

“What do you mean by controlling my power?” Yuki shifted to sit cross-legged, feeling somewhat exhausted despite only covering a short distance from where he fell into this world.

“Master, when you swung me in sword form, didn’t it unleash lightning? If that had hit an ordinary person, their body would have turned to dust and scattered with the wind,” Seira elaborated. Now, Seira, sitting beside Yuki, began weaving the flowers she had collected.

Yuki swallowed hard, terrified by Seira’s words. The little girl was right. Fortunately, no one was around earlier. What if someone had been there?

“Then, what should I do?” Yuki sought advice.

“Master must reach the nearest town. There, you can find a place where magic experts gather and exchange information. Typically, these magic experts have an organization that protects and provides them with work. This organization is called a guild. Master can seek help there, including how to earn money for food and survival,” Seira explained with a smile, placing a flower crown she had finished weaving on Yuki’s head.

“Guild, huh,” Yuki muttered softly, touching the flower crown Seira had placed on his head, making him look quite charming. Hearing the words ‘food’ and ‘survival,’ Yuki’s stomach immediately growled. “I’m hungry…” Yuki held his stomach. This was the first time he struggled to find food. In his previous world, he could easily find decent food.

“Hey, Seira! Can’t you create food?” Yuki looked at Seira, full of hope.

“I’m sorry, Master. But I’m just a sword. I don’t eat and can’t create food. But Master can use me to hunt animals,” Seira said while fitting a flower bracelet on Yuki’s right wrist, her second creation from the flowers.

“Pretty,” Yuki admired his hand adorned with Seira’s flower bracelet. But again, his stomach growled, and Yuki couldn’t hold back his hunger any longer. As Yuki complained about his hunger, Seira sharply looked in a direction.

“Master, someone is coming. Be careful,” Seira warned her master.

However, before Yuki could react, a huge bull emerged from the six o’clock direction, charging rapidly toward Yuki with its horns pointed forward as if challenging Koga.

“Huw…!” Yuki jumped up from his seat and ran frantically.

But the bull seemed reluctant to let Yuki go. The muscular beast followed Yuki wherever he went.

“Seira…! Help me…!” Yuki screamed hysterically, trying to escape the bull’s attack.

“Call me, Master!” Seira cupped her hands around her mouth, shouting to her struggling master.

“Seira! Seira! Seira!” Yuki kept calling Seira repeatedly, running as fast as he could to avoid the monster bull chasing him.

“Not that, Master. Say the keyword!” Seira shouted again.

“Seira! Sword mode!” Yuki shouted, pointing his hand towards Seira, who stood a bit far from him.

Without waiting long, Seira’s body emitted blue lightning. Her eyes glowed blue before the little girl transformed completely into a sword.

“Come here! Seira!” Yuki called his sword.

Seira, now in sword form, flew straight into Yuki’s grasp. Yuki immediately used Seira to shield himself from the bull’s horns.

The bull’s power was immense, forcing Yuki to brace his legs to bear the weight. Yuki, who had not yet mastered the death god’s sword, struggled. He found it hard to lift the sword in his hands.

“Aargh…!” Yuki groaned as his hands felt crushed under the bull’s attack. Yuki wanted to unleash lightning from his sword, but he didn’t know how, as had happened by chance before.

At this moment, Yuki could only hold off the bull’s horns with his sword. His strength was waning, his body was pushed backward, and the ground beneath him left deep footprints from his struggle.

Every push from the bull sent shockwaves through Yuki’s entire body. With each increasing shove, it felt like his bones were starting to crack. His eyes watered from the intense pain, but he knew he couldn’t just give up. The pain clouded his thoughts, making it harder to focus on any technique or strategy.

Yuki was at his limit. Just as he was about to give up, a woman’s voice shouted. “Duck!” A beautiful blonde girl with wavy waist-length hair, dressed in typical adventurer attire, leaped towards Yuki. Yuki ducked as the girl flew over his head.

“Who???” Yuki exclaimed in surprise as the girl landed gracefully behind the charging bull.

Without missing a beat, she drew a gleaming sword from her back and charged at the bull. Her movements were swift and precise as if she had done this countless times. With one powerful strike, she slashed at the bull’s leg, causing it to stumble.

The bull roared in pain, momentarily distracted from Yuki. Seizing the opportunity, the girl continued her assault, targeting the bull’s weak spots with remarkable accuracy. Despite the beast's size and strength, her agility and skill kept her a step ahead.

Yuki watched in awe, still holding Seira in sword form, his exhaustion momentarily forgotten. The girl’s confidence and grace were mesmerizing, and it was clear she was a seasoned fighter.

“Master, help her!” Seira’s voice echoed in Yuki’s mind, snapping him out of his daze.

Gathering his remaining strength, Yuki rose to his feet. “Right!” He charged at the bull, aiming to assist the mysterious girl. Together, they fought with coordinated strikes, slowly wearing down the beast.

As Yuki swung Seira, he felt a surge of power coursing through him. Blue lightning crackled along the blade, and with a mighty roar, he unleashed a powerful strike. The lightning-infused attack hit the bull, sending it reeling back.

Taking advantage of the bull’s weakened state, the girl delivered a final, decisive blow. The beast let out a final cry before collapsing to the ground, defeated.

Breathing heavily, Yuki takes down Seira who is in sword mode, his body trembling from exertion. The girl sheathed her sword and approached him, a smile on her face.

“Are you alright?” she asked, her voice calm and reassuring.

“Yeah, thanks to you,” Yuki replied, panting. “Who are you?”

The girl chuckled softly. “I’m Aria, an adventurer. I heard there was a commotion and came to help. You must be new around here.”

Yuki nodded. “Yeah, I just… arrived here. Thanks for saving me, Aria.”

“No problem. It’s what we adventurers do,” Aria said with a wink. “You handled yourself well for someone new. That sword of yours is something special.”

“This is Seira,” Yuki said, holding up the sword. “She’s… well, she’s more than just a sword.”

Aria raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “I can see that. It’s not every day you see a sword that can turn into a person.”

Yuki smiled, feeling a bit more at ease. “We’re trying to find a guild. Do you know where we could find one?”

“Sure, there’s a guild in the next town over