From Serf to Swordmaster, Chapter 9
From Serf to Swordmaster, Chapter 9
It began with a picture book. Renabel carefully explained each word. Then she read it aloud again and again. It felt like shapes that had been drifting vaguely through his mind were finally settling into place.
Every time the wagon swayed, the paper on his lap bounced.
A few days ago, he had first heard the story from Martin.
Back then, he had only barely managed to follow the shapes of the pictures and letters. But now Berak's eyes caught far more on every page.
「Intelligence + 1」
It was the second day since the wagon bound for the city had left the village behind.
Today, Renabel's gentle voice rang out again.
"And so the hero's sword......."
"...cut off the dragon's head."
Berak read the sentence aloud without thinking. Renabel's finger stopped short.
"You can already read it? You only started learning yesterday."
Instead of answering that it wasn't entirely his first time, Berak gave an awkward nod.
"Then... would you like to read from here?"
Berak pulled the book toward him and looked down at the letters.
"The hero... then......."
The sounds were starting to grow familiar as they rolled around in his mouth.
"...then at last arrived before the temple doors."
Only after finishing the sentence did Berak realize how naturally he had read it.
"Impressive."
That day, Berak finished the picture book without Renabel's help.
The next day, Renabel took out a small bundle of papers.
"You read the picture book well now, so let's try this today. I can't show you the ledgers, so I wrote this out for practice."
Berak looked down at the paper. A few short lines were written on it, but there were no pictures anywhere. Some of the words were familiar. Most of them, though, were shapes he had never seen before.
Berak spoke haltingly.
"......Mal... sa... ro..."
"It's not 'saro,' it's 'saryo.'"
"...Sa... ryo... han..."
Berak drew a deep breath.
"...Bo? ...Po... da?"
"'Podae.' It's like a large sack used to hold things."
Every word was like that. Even familiar letters broke apart the moment he tried to string them together. Letters he was seeing for the first time were hard even to follow with his eyes.
The sentence wouldn't move forward, and the more he read, the more his head clouded over and throbbed.
Still, there were brief moments when his mind suddenly felt clear.
「Intelligence + 1」
After those moments, Berak would ask questions with a bit more drive.
"What's this? I've never seen a shape like this in the picture book."
They hadn't appeared in the picture book, but these squiggly things often surfaced in his mind.
"These are called numbers."
Renabel wrote '1', '2', and '3' on a blank sheet of paper. Then she pointed to each in turn with her fingertip.
"This means 'one,' this means 'two,' and this means 'three.'"
Berak nodded.
"One, two, three... they're for counting things, right?"
"That's right. They're for writing down how many of something there are."
Berak's finger stopped on '3'. Then it moved to the other numbers written in the corner of the practice ledger.
"These are the same. So this meant 'three bundles,' and that meant 'five sheets'... I see."
「Intelligence + 1」
Renabel smiled faintly, but Berak was already focused on something else.
His gaze turned toward empty air. More precisely, his eyes were recalling a form only he could see.
[Stamina: 251]
[Strength: 252]
[Intelligence: 9]
[Dignity: 0]
The fact that those numbers were exactly "quantities" flashed through his mind in an instant.
"...Ah."
A short breath. His lips trembled faintly.
"These were...... 'numbers' too."
Berak murmured quietly.
"So it meant my stamina is this much."
The numbers he had only ever seen as shapes finally began to carry meaning.
「Insight + 1」
Renabel tilted her head.
"What did you say?"
"No. Nothing."
Berak grabbed the paper again. His eyes shone with eagerness.
"Teach me more. All of the numbers, if possible."
* * *
For several days, Berak threw himself into learning the letters. His usual hunger, and the thought that this was an opportunity he couldn't miss, drove him to cram as much as possible into his head.
At times it was so grueling that he thought he'd rather be working with his body—
but at some point, it became far more manageable.
To be precise, it was from the moment [Intelligence] reached 10.
Berak could now read most ordinary letters. He had also learned simple addition and subtraction.
And at some point.
Berak gave a name of his own to the cluster of letters that surfaced in his mind.
Record Sheet.
Inside it, the 'Education' entry had also changed.
◎ Education
- Western Language (Branvalt·Valken): Intermediate
- Arithmetic: Beginner
Renabel taught him whenever she had time. When she couldn't, Berak helped out by moving the merchant company's cargo. No one stopped him; instead, they smiled and said he was admirable.
After traveling like that for several days, they finally arrived at their destination, the city of Braingard.
Berak had seen the previous village and assumed a city wouldn't be much different.
It had been a tremendous mistake. The city was on another level entirely.
People were everywhere. Buildings stretched on as far as the eye could see.
The world that had once turned him back at the gate when he was a serf now spread endlessly before his eyes.
And from the merchant company's perspective, it also meant their parting was near.
Renabel wore an especially wistful expression.
"It's already time to part ways. Rest well today, and tomorrow I'll find someone to guide you to Delmore."
Berak hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"Now that I think about it... I don't think I necessarily need to go to Delmore."
The days he had spent helping the merchant company hadn't been purely out of goodwill. Berak had observed, and he had judged. He had gained confidence in his decision to join them.
"What? Weren't you trying to go to Delmore?"
"I just thought I'd go see it once. Even if I don't go... it doesn't really matter."
In Berak's view, it was a flawless excuse. For a wanderer, thinking about going somewhere and then not going wasn't strange at all.
"Then where do you want to go now?"
Renabel's voice was cautious.
Berak's answer was already decided.
"I'm going to go to Valken."
"Valken?"
Renabel's eyes widened. The merchant company people also stopped their work and stole glances their way.
"You mean you'll come with us?"
"Yes."
Renabel spoke with a seriousness he had never seen from her before.
"This is crossing into another country. If you go and then want to come back, it could take months."
"That much doesn't matter to me."
"You don't know anyone in Branvalt? Even if it's not Delmore."
Berak paused for a moment. There were faces he could recall... but there was no place for him to return to.
"No one."
For some reason, Renabel's reply was noticeably delayed.
"......I see."
In a deliberately bright voice, Renabel called out cheerfully.
"Then you'll be able to learn double-digit addition from now on!"
"Yes!"
And so, the road traveled with the merchant company grew a little longer.
* * *
Braingard was a city situated near the border. It was also the last place to ready one's body and supplies before crossing into Valken. Beyond the border, the terrain grew rough, and it was a stretch where monster sightings became frequent.
So the rest stop had already been decided. Apart from Berak joining them.
It was a night given over to rest, but the three people in charge of the merchant company gathered to talk privately. It was a corner of the inn, a spot where people hardly ever came and went.
"Honestly, I was glad when Berak said he'd come with us."
It was right after the discussion about their schedule ended. Renabel spoke up.
"Now that it's come to this... what do you think about making Berak a member of the company outright? Even after we arrive in Ebra."
The clerk Fendel looked at her in surprise.
"My lady. Are you saying this because you feel sorry for the boy?"
"His circumstances were pitiful, yes. And I've grown fond of him. But that's not all."
She curled her hand into a fist on the table.
"That child... is clever beyond imagination. I want to teach him more. He could become one of the company's finest talents."
Fendel tilted his head.
"Is he really... that remarkable?"
"Yes. I haven't taught many people, but his speed at absorbing things is exceptional."
Renabel narrowed her brows as if recalling the process.
"I even felt... like he was getting smarter by the day. Letters and numbers that stumped him the day before, he understood immediately the next day. It startled me."
"If that's the case, he certainly has talent."
"Teach him just a little more, and he could assist a clerk right away."
Roban, who had been idly rolling his cup until then, raised his head. It was the heavy gaze of a longtime contract mercenary who had watched over Renabel since she was young.
"Miss Renabel."
He asked bluntly.
"Do you truly think Berak suits such a position?"
"I'm speaking in general terms. I don't intend to put him to work immediately. He seems to have lived a hard life in many ways, so I want him to be able to settle into the company well."
"That's not what I'm talking about."
Roban spoke quite firmly.
"Ledger work won't suit that boy."
"Why not?"
"Because of his strength."
Fendel cut in.
"Well, his strength is absurdly great. But if anything, that could be even more advantageous for company work."
"No."
Roban shook his head.
"I'm talking about fate."
Renabel blinked.
"I didn't know you could make prophecies, Roban."
Roban laughed lightly, then returned to a serious expression.
"I've lived by the sword for a long time. Berak's strength won't stop at simply being good at lifting heavy things."
Renabel lifted her head.
"Then... what is it?"
"That boy's strength is......."
Roban paused to choose his words.
"It's beyond the norm. A power that changes the course of a battlefield. A blessing any fighter would want."
Beside him, Fendel held his breath.
"To that extent?"
"A power like that...... eventually gets pulled toward places where danger gathers. Whether it's monsters, bandits, or people. The world won't leave someone with that kind of power alone."
Roban's low voice echoed through the quiet inn.
"And that boy will eventually realize it too. That with that power, he can't live an ordinary life."
Renabel let out the words like a sigh.
"......So that's why you called it fate."
A brief silence followed.
"In that case."
Renabel slowly steadied her breathing and drew a smile.
"The Ebra Merchant Company...... has forged a connection with a future great warrior."
* * *
Two days after leaving Braingard.
As the forest path opened up, a massive stone gate cast its shadow over them. It was the gateway into Valken.
An arched gate built of stone, with armed soldiers patrolling above it. On either side, makeshift barracks and inspection tents stretched out.
As the wagon drew near, three soldiers walked out.
"Purpose of passage."
"Ebra Merchant Company. We are returning."
Fendel held out the documents.
The soldiers checked the papers and peered under the horses' hooves and the wagon wheels. They picked two cargo sacks at random and opened them. They said nothing unnecessary.
While the soldiers inspected the sacks, Berak sensed a strangely tense air. The horses, too, seemed a little on edge, snorting short breaths through their noses.
But Berak's mind was filled with entirely different things. Instead of the reality of crossing a border or excitement about a new world.
These past few days, only one thing had occupied most of his thoughts.
The Record Sheet.
Those letters whose meaning he now fully understood. A clear indicator showing how he grew in this world.
'Labor. Education. Training. That's how I get stronger.'
On top of that, combat-related things like 'Axe Proficiency' could also grow through real combat.
'Anyway, the more different things I try, the more things will change.'
That wasn't a coincidence.
And then a conclusion surfaced, connecting everything he had experienced so far.
'If I could do only the things I choose, I might be able to get stronger much faster.'
Then, suddenly, a question arose.
Why was he trying so hard to become strong?
Just getting by was no longer a problem. He could hunt, or he could do manual labor. It was a fact he had realized even from his short experience.
And yet, strangely.
Every time the Record Sheet changed, every time he felt his body renew itself, something deep in his chest flared with a strange heat.
He wanted to change more.
He wanted to reach out and touch more possibilities.
And.
He wanted to see the end of it.
This might be a kind of greed Berak had never once possessed before.
But that wasn't all.
'Because I never want to be dragged around again.'
He never wanted to go through being forced to obey unwanted orders again.
To make sure of that.
He knew he would need far more power than what it took to simply get by.
"Inspection complete. You may pass."
Around the time Berak's thoughts came to an end, the wagon passed through the stone gate and crossed into Valken.
At first, he felt no particular difference.
But before long, Berak began to sense the air around him changing. The smell of earth was thicker, and the scent of trees hung heavy. The wind, too, had grown colder and rougher than before.
Renabel gazed out the window and let out a small breath.
"It'll be hard to keep teaching you here. Let's hold off for a bit. The terrain is rough, so I don't know how the situation might change."
Roban answered immediately.
"Then I'll take a look around the area."
He opened the door without a word and stepped down to the ground first. Berak immediately followed him down.
"Why are you following me?"
"It seemed... a little dangerous."
He judged that being in a position where he could respond immediately was better than sitting inside the wagon.
Roban let out a short laugh.
"There's a reason Valken people look at skill first."
As if he didn't understand, Berak looked up.
"It means there's that much work requiring strength. Even in this stretch alone, monsters appear from time to time."
Roban added in a slightly gentler voice.
"But there's no need to be overly tense. This is near the border, so the monster ecology here is almost fully mapped out."
"Is that so."
There was no further conversation. Berak walked on in silence. Then, suddenly, Roban's footsteps stopped. He drew his sword almost at the same instant.
Shing—
"Watch the flanks."
The three mercenaries following behind also drew their weapons. Berak, too, pointed his axe forward.
At first, it seemed like nothing more than leaves rustling in the wind.
But a thin, sharp whine began to seep in.
It drew closer.
It wasn't just the beating of insect wings.
It was an unpleasant vibration that scraped the inside of the ear, like metal grazing metal.
Berak gripped the axe handle tightly.
Then, black silhouettes burst out from between the shadows of the forest.
Round carapaces. Long, split jaws.
Spindly legs bunched together to form grotesque outlines.
They were large. Each was slightly smaller than Berak's upper body. A swarm of about fifteen came flying straight at the group at low altitude with a whirring sound.
It was a sight Berak had never seen before.
"Those are all mapped out too, right?"
Roban's expression as he looked up was strangely rigid.
"These aren't supposed to appear around here."