Curse Return: Swordsmith Start

After all, this has already been proven in the village of the Migrud. Heroic legends are just topics of conversation after dinner; the real source of everyone's troubles are the small things around them. Therefore, the focus should not be on defeating monsters, but on helping others. One should approach others without preconceived notions, leave a good impression, and then receive their gratitude.

Given Rachel Rudd's character, this should be enough.

As a result, everyone agreed with the idea, and Rachel Rudd said that it was no problem, as long as it was not for evil, he was willing to try it.

So next, it's time to restore Rachel Rudd's face.

On a deserted path, Yue Ren stepped forward and patted the demon man on the shoulder as before. The terrifying scar on his face disappeared instantly, but his hair remained black.

"Wow... It's like a very powerful healing spell, amazing!"

"Mr. Rachel Rudd, how are you feeling?"

"My face feels hot, just like before."

Rudius found it incredible, after all, the performance was too special. It seemed that Rudius hadn't done anything, just placed his hand on Rijrud, and the latter's face moved back to normal on its own.

"Mr. Yue, is this ability truly capable of bringing about change?"

"Yes, it is one of my healing techniques. Even if someone is cut in half, I can heal them as long as I am by their side."

"......!!??"

"Oh, really?"

This time everyone was shocked. After all, this was a fatal wound, and it could actually be healed. Even if it was magic, it would have to be at the god level, right?

"Want to try? No need for a fatal wound, just cut off one of your arms and see if I can reattach it."

"No, no..."

Seeing Yue Ren's wicked grin, Rudy was truly scared. He didn't want to try it; even if he could fix it, it would probably still hurt.

However, seeing Alice's eager expression, Rudy quickly coughed a few times to stop the conversation.

"Ahem... Let's continue with our plan."

"Okay... but what exactly should we do next?"

Everyone's eyes were on Rudius's face, including Yue Ren's. He had no intention of vying for leadership of the team; he saw himself as a tourist and team member, and his focus was on enjoying himself.

Rudius fell into deep thought. Improving one's reputation is essentially about changing public perception, and to change others' perceptions, one must first be someone important.

Even if you do a lot of good deeds, it's meaningless to be treated as an unknown youth. The effects of a great hero doing good deeds are completely different from those of an ordinary person doing good deeds, aren't they?

Indeed, in order to make others remember his name, perhaps he should first make a big show of defeating some kind of monster to make everyone aware that he is such a person.

In this world, there is a tendency for the strong to be more easily accepted by the public. After defeating a monster with high profile, there is also a chance to improve one's status to some extent.

The problem is that everyone knows the Spelud race is very strong, so it could very well backfire.

Wait a minute, but... what if it's about repelling a crisis that's closing in on the town?

In a desperate situation, the music used for punitive events plays first, then the handsome young demon, Rijrud, makes a dashing entrance and defeats his opponent with a single blow! If it were a scene like this...

Wow...that feels good.

The problem is, what opponent should I choose? But I just heard the name of an opponent that I could use.

"Mr. Rachel Rudd, do you know what 'Dead End' means?"

The boy suddenly remembered the disaster the gatekeeper had mentioned, and a flash of inspiration struck him.

The monster called "Dead End" is lured near the town, causing panic among the residents. Then, Rigdell steps in to defeat it. Although it's somewhat immoral, it's a story of promoting good and punishing evil, which is perfect.

However, the man's next words stunned him once again.

"it's me."

"...What do you mean?"

"Some people call me that."

The result seems to refer to Rachel Rudd—"Dead End".

"..."

"...Phew...Another question, you're not a bounty target, are you?"

"Yes, there's no problem with that."

With his hopes dashed, Rudius sighed in resignation.

In short, let's make some slight changes to the plan that we just finalized.

Before heading to the Adventurers' Guild, the group visited various stalls.

Although the stalls near the entrance may look similar in any town, the goods they sell can vary greatly.

For example, the stables in Licaris sell lizard-like creatures, which should be more useful than horses on the magical continent, where the terrain is full of ups and downs and rocks.

In addition, although there were no public carriages, merchants would send out their own carriages.

Since we are about to embark on a long journey and will need many things, we must buy them little by little.

The experienced Rudius roughly surveyed prices while looking for the cheapest stalls possible.

I want to buy some small items and hoods, and if I can find them, I'd also like to buy some fruit similar to lemons.

These things are all

"Uncle, isn't this hood a bit too expensive? Are you trying to inflate the price?"

"What nonsense! That's a reasonable price!"

The shopkeeper, who had a sheep's head, spoke fluent and authentic demonic language. Yue Ren listened attentively and learned as he browsed the novel items on his stall.

"Really?"

"Of course!"

"But the same thing is only half price over there."

"What?!"

"The quality might vary... Ah, this hood is nice. I bought this together with that lemon-shaped thing over there, could you give me a discount?"

"Kid, you're quite the bargainer. Fine, take it."

"Oh, by the way, you can buy these while you're at it. I have Parks coyote pelts and acid wolf teeth."

The boss was taken aback for a moment, while Rijkaard, at Rudy's call, took off his backpack and pulled out the materials.

After handing it to the other party, the boss counted it.

"There are quite a few. Wait a moment... one, two, three... how about three scrap iron coins?"

"That's too few, at least six."

"It's really not worth the price; I'd only offer four at most."

"make a deal!"

After some negotiation, the shopping and sale were completed.

Since he was unfamiliar with the market, this was all he could do. He still felt a bit intimidated, but there was nothing he could do. He was in an unfamiliar place, and as long as he wasn't forced to, Rudy had done his best.

Yue Ren didn't have any particularly impressive bargaining skills, otherwise he wouldn't mind saving the team some money.

The remaining money consists of one iron coin, four scrap iron coins, and ten stone coins, which is not much, so it must be used carefully.

Thieves are most likely to be encountered in such crowded places, but Rudy is not worried, and is even looking forward to it, since this way he can legitimately increase his wealth.

At the same time, Rudius gave the cat-ear hood to Alice.

"Alice, about this hood..."

Rudy hesitated, because he remembered that although Alice wasn't particular about clothing, she seemed reluctant to dress and act like an orc.

"That...that thing! What...what do you want it to do with it?"

"I...I want to give it to you, Alice...what do you think...?"

"Really!"

Rudius's worries were unnecessary; Alice was overjoyed to receive a gift from Rudius.

He immediately put on his hood, smiled broadly, and twirled around for Rudy's evaluation.

Seeing this, Yue Ren felt inexplicably envious. His future "Red Mother" only had eyes for him the whole time. He wanted a childhood sweetheart like that too.

Now, let's head to the Adventurers' Guild!

......

Adventurers' Guild.

This is a place where many powerful people gather, and it's also a place where all sorts of people mingle, as you can imagine.

People come here with different ideas: to pursue their dreams, to make a living, and to seek convenience.

Some people use swords, some wield axes, some carry magic wands, and some rely on their fists. Their equipment and personalities vary, but they have one thing in common: they are driven by fame and fortune.

A man who looks like a pig, a woman whose lower body is that of a snake; a man with wings, a woman with the hooves of a horse.

All sorts of races gather here, making it noisy and crowded.

This is the adventurers' guild in the Demon Continent, a veritable chaotic mess of demons.

With a loud "bang!"

The massive double doors of the Adventurers' Guild in Licaris Town were suddenly pushed open with force.

The crowd, unaware of what was happening, focused their attention on the doorway, as it was rare for someone to open the Adventurers' Guild's door so roughly.

Which team is returning? Or have monsters attacked, and the guards at the gate have come to request support? Or is it just the wind playing a trick? Speaking of which, I heard that "Dead End" has been appearing around here lately. Could something have happened to them...?

Four people appeared before the group, who were filled with questions.

Standing at the front was a boy who looked very young, but his face was full of confidence.

The cane he was holding was wrapped in cloth, and although his clothes were dirty, they seemed quite high-class.

He seemed very bold; even in a place full of fierce adults, he wasn't intimidated by the atmosphere at all, and instead swaggered in.

Several people were curious about who the boy was, because they felt the situation was too incongruous.

Or perhaps he belongs to a race where his appearance doesn't match his actual age?

The figure behind the boy, who appears to be hiding behind him, is probably a girl.

Her face was obscured by her hood, but contrary to her age, her demeanor and eyesight were sharp. The sword tucked into her waistband was clearly well-used, and several experienced people present recognized her as a skilled swordswoman.

There was also a young man in a gray-black robe. He was handsome, but that was about it. He didn't exude any aura of a strong person. He was holding a book and looked like a frail scholar.

Could such people survive on this continent? This question unconsciously arose in everyone's mind.

The last person was a tall, burly man with a red gem on his forehead and a scar running across his face. This feature was very similar to "Dead End," and some people almost screamed out loud.

However, the man had black hair, so everyone immediately realized they had mistaken him for someone else; he was just another person who looked very similar.

The unusual trio exuded an eerie atmosphere, leaving no one at the scene able to guess their purpose for being there. For a moment, the once noisy adventurers' guild hall fell silent.

Suddenly, the boy started shouting and pointing at the guy with the gem on his forehead.

"Hey! Why is everyone so lifeless?! Do you even know who this person is?!"

Huh? Who is this guy? Who knows!

"This is the demon of the Spelud race! Lord 'Dead End' Rigdl! How about that, scared out of your wits? Don't keep quiet, see if you're scared or running away!"

No, no, that's impossible!

Everyone was internally complaining.

The Spelud people have bright green hair, not a dark, glossy black.

"Brother, people in this rural area don't seem to know what 'Dead End' looks like! Honestly, I only came over to take a look and realized that although the rumors have spread, no one has recognized you!"

It seems the boy wants to insist that the young man is "Dead End" himself.

Once they understood this, the boy's high-pitched voice seemed comical to everyone, and the original eerie atmosphere quickly dissipated.

The young man whom the boy called "Big Brother"... I see, indeed the red eyes on his forehead and the wounds on his face look quite similar.

However, the most crucial part was foolishly wrong.

Seriously, are scammers these days so unprofessional? It's laughable.

"puff--."

Someone couldn't help but laugh.

"That guy's laughing! I heard him, what the hell is he laughing at!"

The boy, with his keen ears, heard the laughter and turned his angry face toward the direction from which it came.

This move was so stupid that it only fueled the growing murmurs of laughter within the guild.

Someone spoke up: "Pfft... Hahaha... Because... because the hair color of the Spelud tribe... is green."

The next instant, the Adventurers' Guild hall erupted in uproarious laughter.

Seeing the crowd erupting in laughter, Rudius gave his teammates a wink.

The first step of the plan was to dispel the fear in the public's mind—and that was a success!

Keep up the good work! Keep it up!

"You...you dare to look down on our eldest brother! You should know that it was our eldest brother who saved us when we were attacked by monsters in the wilderness!"

Rudius, like an actor fully displaying his talent, walked into the hall while acting out the situation.

"Did you hear that?! He... he said Dead End saved people!"

"Hahaha! What a... truly wonderful person!"

"Really?! I wish he could save me too! Hahahaha!"

Yue Ren glanced at the people around him and lost interest in watching them. Instead, he looked at Rudeus, who resembled a clown.

Despite the ridicule from the crowd, he continued to perform with great enthusiasm, but Yue Ren noticed that his calves were trembling slightly.

Upon seeing this, the Yue man's lips curled into a smile.