Chapter 502
Chapter 502
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 502
Chapter Title: Junior Priest Kim Katt
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The lady was surprisingly easy to talk to.
Her laughter was hearty, and above all, they shared a common ground as fellow warriors, which made conversations flow naturally. On top of that, when I showered her with nonstop, exaggerated flattery, her face bloomed into smiles in no time, and the tension melted away.
It seemed Andromalius Jwapseol had hit the mark perfectly with the lady. She kept asking about this and that heroic tale.
Time flew by before I knew it.
"Even coming from a barbarian background, you speak so eloquently! Most warriors lack the gift of gab! Your eloquence makes your heroic tales come alive—excellent!"
"It's all thanks to the beauty of the civilized tongue!"
In any case, I responded with full sincerity, playing the role of a barbarian who had adapted to city life.
"There were so many words here that didn't exist in my tribe! I got completely hooked! Kuhuhu! Leaving the tribe was the best decision I ever made! There's so much to learn in this place!"
The lady seemed especially pleased with the part about the barbarian being inspired by urban civilization.
"Thirsty for knowledge, you left your tribe for the city? A splendid attitude! Stagnation leads only to extinction!"
But seriously, how long did I have to keep this up?
The lady must have been terribly bored, as she kept the high-energy chatter going without pause.
From the conversation, I learned she was the only daughter of House Isvant. The moment she picked up a sword, she had led the house's private soldiers to tackle problems near the city, building her experience and skill that way.
She and her soldiers were constantly on the move.
Come to think of it, during the killer hornet uproar last time—not honeybees—she'd smashed multiple hives. That said it all. And she'd commanded the extermination during this demon mess too.
Even nobles didn't live carefree lives.
The lord's army was always busy handling issues adventurers couldn't touch. With such a vast territory, problems cropped up constantly.
As the mood warmed up during this exchange...
"Oh my, it's gotten so late! It'd be great if we could chat like this again sometime! I hope you rack up more achievements!"
"Understood!"
Was she finally going to let me go?
As I prepared my farewell, the lady suddenly said this.
"Hmm... But before we part, I'd like to see your skills firsthand. Care to show me what you've got?"
"My skills, milady?"
"Witnessing a warrior's prowess is one of my joys! There, swords are stored in the wardrobe—fetch one!"
"Ah, right away!"
She wanted to see my skills.
I opened the wardrobe as instructed and pulled out a rugged-looking blade, gripping it tight. No clothes in there—just swords.
And since it was a massive wardrobe, there were a ton of them.
What, was this an armory?
"Then allow me to demonstrate my sword dance! It may pale in comparison to your own prowess, milady, but I'll give it my all!"
"Fine spirit! I'm impressed!"
The lady watched me intently from her seat on the sofa, like an adult enjoying a child's performance. Anyway, I gripped the sword and assumed position.
—Roooar.
I pulled up mana as quickly as possible. After entering a state of ultimate focus, the stirring mana gathered in my hand.
—Tsspt!
Sword aura flared up in an instant.
The speed at which I drew it had clearly improved. If I shaved off a bit more, instant release would be possible. With the aura up, I launched into the sword dance.
"Aura Sword Dance, here we goooo!!!"
—Screeeee!
—Whoosh whoosh!
It was just my daily morning routine in the backyard. I performed it with fierce, relentless intensity. The key was keeping the sword aura steady. Karin had said it could cut out midway if concentration lapsed.
Of course, that was a mistake I, who could freely manipulate mana in my body, wouldn't make. I kept it up until my mana dipped below half.
—Snap.
"That's it!"
"Ho! A flawless sword dance—brilliantly executed! You've reached a high level in both swordsmanship and aura control! Not a single flaw!"
The lady clapped as she gave her assessment.
"No, such high praise! I'm truly grateful!"
"The more I see, the more intrigued I am! Very well, I'll show you my skills in return!"
She was going to show her skills?
A scream escaped my lips.
"Aaaah!!! To witness your swordsmanship, milady—me?! I'm overjoyed beyond belief! Thank you!"
"Ohohohoho! So thrilled! I love your honest emotions!"
—Clap.
Casually hefting a greatsword, the lady swung it around.
—Whoom!
The sheer violence pouring from that massive blade was extraordinary from the get-go.
The power that could split an ogre's thick hide in one go.
I watched her sword dance with rapt attention. It was destructive swordplay utterly unlike Cloude's or Karin's. Blocking or parrying those strikes would be impossible—one hit, and you'd be straight to the afterlife.
Above all, her free handling of such a heavy weapon terrified me most. Mana reinforced the body, after all. Her vast reserves and masterful control meant she could unleash that monstrous strength at will.
"This is my skill! What do you think?"
Once her dance ended, she asked me. I screamed in admiration again.
"I-I can't believe it!!! Such overwhelming skill—I nearly fainted!! How is this swordsmanship possible?! It's the sword of the gods!!!"
"Ohohohoho! You've got a good eye!"
Delighted by my extreme flattery, she covered her mouth with the back of her hand and laughed heartily. People really should laugh more. Laughter brings fortune.
"Heh, heheheheh! A perfectly reasonable perspective!"
In any case, I kept the conversation going with flattery tailored to avoid offending her.
To sum up the lady's personality: she seemed to revere martial prowess, favored valiant warriors, and was the forthright type. Straightforward herself, she didn't seem to care much about status or origins as long as you wielded a blade well. And she loved flattery.
No wonder Kobson raved about her being the flower of Isvant.
With her stunning looks, it was natural for the city's men to admire her. And her personality had no rough edges.
Welcome to livable Isvant City.
"Your heroic tales were a delight! But I have other matters now, so I can't hear more. Farewell! I hope you catch my eye again soon!"
"The honor was all mine, getting this private audience with you, milady!"
With that, I stepped out of her room.
The maid from earlier was waiting outside the door.
"I'll guide you out."
"Ah, thank you."
She was escorting me all the way.
Under her guidance, I exited the mansion. I collected my surrendered weapons on the way out. It was around two or three in the afternoon? I'd left early morning, but it had taken quite a while.
"Ugh, I'm beat."
Tired from all the nonstop yapping under tension, my mental energy was drained. Exhaustion hit hard. Once home, I'd whine to the wives for some milk and crash.
But I hadn't gotten any real reward from the lady.
Whatever. I wasn't Clown Kim Katt; no need to play jester for cash. It didn't matter. Good things could come from today's chat unexpectantly. Leaving a good impression on her was what counted more than money.
Though... what was her name again?
I never asked.
I was about to head home, but I didn't frequent this route, so I pondered the way. I'd been too tense riding with the group on the way in; the path was fuzzy in my memory.
Anyway, I oriented myself and walked roughly in the right direction.
Maybe swing by the Adventurer's Guild for old times' sake?
Though we'd crushed Andromalius, the other demons were a question mark. Worth checking the situation.
"..."
Andromalius managed the gate, so... maybe the demon gate crisis was over. Just a hunch.
Pure speculation.
If only Hildegaard could fetch some intel right now.
That's the only use for her.
I wandered a bit and arrived at the guild a tad later than planned. Stepping in, it was fairly quiet. No Kobson in sight.
I headed to the board first to scan for news. Nothing new—same old material requests and party calls.
No need to check the board at my level.
Straight to the counter to ask about work.
"Kim Katt, D-rank. Any jobs or news?"
"Welcome, Katt. D-rank quests?"
"Just tell me what's available."
"Got it."
The clerk rummaged through documents and explained a few. All demon-related: a mage seeking demon parts, an alchemist buying blood at premium prices.
Since the holy knights and soldiers had scoured the forest slaying every monster they met while hunting demons, normal requests had dipped. Monsters always respawned eventually, no matter how many you wiped.
Guess I'd skip today and come back with Winia later.
As I stood to leave, the clerk added one last thing.
"Oh, and there was a suspicious incident recently."
"Suspicious?"
"Reports of serial killings or disappearances in a village a bit outside the city."
Se-serial killings?!
"Th-that atrocious...! What the hell is going on?!"
I was so shocked I clutched my head in horror! Serial killings—such horror! Happening near me! This was unacceptable!
"Nothing confirmed yet, no official request. Info's sparse. If you're interested, investigate yourself. Could be a mid-size monster that got a taste for human flesh wandering in from outside."
"Like a troll or something?"
"Possibly."
"Hmm..."
Worth keeping in mind.
If a serial-killing bastard was prowling near the city, no forgiveness. Wait—could it be another lunatic summoner like the spirit user?
Or a monster.
Or escaped lesser demons. Tons must have slipped through. Even if most got slaughtered by adventurers, knights, and soldiers, total extermination was impossible.
Could be lesser demons who broke the encirclement.
Lesser demons my ass—they'd go on a rampage against civilians.
Mulling that, I walked home. Days were shortening; sunset loomed. End of autumn meant winter... time flies.
"I'm home!"
Soon, I arrived.
Karin greeted me the moment I opened the door.
"Oh, back? Good work. Winia was bitching about you doing something weird. What bullshit did you pull?"
"Just flattered the lord a bit. She loved it."
"Flattery? Kyahaha, you're such a cute little shit. Hungry? Cloude and Lisha are prepping dinner."
"Exhausted."
Time to rest.
Serial killer, huh... smells like trouble brewing.