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Translator’s Note: The title is a Doraemon ‘Anywhere Door’ reference as you might have guessed, but based on the number of letters censored in Japanese, the censored word isn’t door but m̲a̲s̲t̲u̲r̲b̲a̲t̲i̲o̲n̲, so basically, Anywhere Shlick 😉

Err, I handed the magic sword over to Rad and returned home, and currently, I was in the middle of a lecture. No no, I’m the one giving it, not receiving it.

Now, let me explain how this all happened. When I got back home, it was getting close to evening, and in the living room, I found something quite unexpected. What was it, you ask? Well, it was all the breakfast I had made in the morning, completely untouched.

I mean, I could kind of understand what happened. You know, I couldn’t really criticize them too much, considering my own track record. But this… it was a bit much, you know?

So, I knocked on their door and got them out of their beds with quite the lecture.

“…Well, you’re both at that age, and being adventurers, I get that you’re backed up in various ways. I understand that sometimes you need to let off steam, and it’s natural for things to get a bit carried away. But not eating your meals? That’s a bit much, don’t you think?”
“I’m sorry…”
“Sorry…”
“At the very least, please remember to stay hydrated. Dehydration can be quite dangerous.”
“Yes…”
“We’re really sorry…”

I mean, seriously, what am I lecturing them about?

“This time, our plans for the day were canceled suddenly, but from now on, let’s make sure to set aside some recovery time after activities.”
“Yes… Let’s do that…”

But seriously, why am I the one giving this lecture? I can’t act all high and mighty about this topic, can I?

…Well, I did use potions to supplement my nutrition, and I was careful about the timing to not inconvenience others, but when I find myself in a situation where I can reflect on my past actions, even I realize I need to be more cautious in the future. How did this even happen?

By the way, during my lecture, the two of them had this oddly contrasting appearance: their skin was unusually radiant and glossy, yet they seemed oddly fatigued and worn out.

After the lecture, they prepared dinner, somewhat like a punishment, I guess? Well, since there was still the soup and bread I made, it didn’t take too long.

After dinner, we discussed our future plans. As a result, the overprotectiveness towards me was lifted.

Well, to be honest, it was a proposal from the two of them who felt guilty for not being able to manage themselves and causing trouble for their party members. They felt they had no right to criticize me in their current state.

But there were valid reasons for this decision. We decided that we needed to gain more combat experience, especially Arisa and me.

They argued that if I kept being overprotected without gaining experience, I wouldn’t develop the necessary caution and coping skills.

Currently, we were in a party together, and we judged that some level of danger was inevitable to gain experience. Besides, I always had Norn or Bell, or both, with me, so not allowing me to move independently more than necessary was far too silly.

As for Arisa, she wanted to become stronger. It turns out she secretly dreamt of becoming a skilled swordsman. She didn’t want to miss opportunities to fight opponents stronger than her, like during the recent battle with the Goblin Lord.

She wanted to gain extreme combat experience to become stronger, but at that time, she apparently held back because of Rad’s party. I see now.

“I… I want to become a Swordmaster,”

Swordmasters, the pinnacle of swordsmen, often mentioned in heroic tales. I wasn’t very knowledgeable about this, but according to Arisa, it referred to the thirteen swordsmen, considered the pinnacle, that were present throughout history.

At the top was the Sword God, followed by the Sword Emperor and Sword King, each held by one person. Beneath them, there could be up to ten Sword Saints. To become a Sword Saint, you need to gain recognition from one of the top three or defeat another Sword Saint. Becoming a Sword King or Sword Emperor also worked on a similar system of replacing the previous holder.

However, Sword Saints weren’t always a constant ten in number; there were fluctuations due to various reasons like replacements or deaths.

These elite swordsmen were recognized by a sword-shaped birthmark somewhere on their body. Most of the time, it’s on their hand, palm, or somewhere visible. Apparently, this birthmark just showed up on their bodies once they earned their title. Creepy, right?

And as for the desire to become a Swordmaster, it seems that most warriors who wield swords have that aspiration to some degree. Arisa mentioned that she’s not particularly unique in having such aspirations; it’s apparently just not something people usually shout about or proudly declare, as it can be a bit embarrassing. I can kinda understand that sentiment.

And so, the policy shifted towards less overprotectiveness towards me and, in turn, I decided to be less overprotective towards the two of them. However, I would still employ my tactics when the situation or the opponent called for it. Effective strategies should always be utilized, after all!