23
Chapter 23
"...Has the Demon truly resurrected?"
Bishop Cassius of Mondak Church opened the report in his hands once more.
The Village Chief's crest was simple, but heavy desperation and fear dripped from within.
A description of a Monster and a short testimony about a red Jewel lodged in its chest.
He pulled out the Stone Fragment enclosed with the report.
Unlike the description of a red Jewel, there were cracks on its charred black surface.
Sizzle-
With a faint sound, the weak remnants of evil left inside reacted to the Divine Power.
A creepy wavelength as if something was trying to open its eyes.
'This... is unquestionable. It is definitely a Fragment of Evil recorded in the Holy Book.'
It was evidence of a Demonic Human, known only in legends.
An entity encroached upon by a Fragment of Evil, a human yet not human.
'The maneuvering of a Demonic Human means, in short, the resurrection of a Demon...'
Cassius narrowed his eyes.
This is not a simple incident.
It might be the beginning of a very large, unmanageable event.
"The resurrection of Demons... To think such a terrible thing would happen...."
Unable to believe the facts, Cassius read the report again.
The Monster appeared in an outer Village where the Church's influence did not reach, and it said a person named 'Riv' defeated it.
And completely alone without any help at that.
According to the report, the person named Riv was not ordinary either.
He doubted whether the information that he was a Bronze Token Mercenary was even correct.
He might have looked ordinary in the Village Chief's eyes, but there was no way someone who could face a Demonic Human was a Bronze Token.
But what was important right now was not Riv, but why the Fragment appeared there now.
'Could Demon Worshippers possibly remain.'
Cassius's gaze headed out the window.
Under a red sky as the sunset faded, a cold wind blew in.
Cassius slowly closed the report and leaned back against the Chair with a deep sigh.
"The era of peace is over now...."
Cassius muttered lowly as he skimmed through the Documents placed on his desk.
They were all records of anomalous phenomena that had occurred several times recently.
Eventually, Cassius rang the bell to call a Servant.
A moment later, the door quietly opened and a Servant came inside.
Cassius gave the Servant short instructions.
"Call Hemil. We must dispatch an Investigation Team."
After the Servant who received the order hurriedly left, he sighed in the quiet room and organized the Documents.
'I must send a report to the Superiors.'
Cassius reached out to the Birdcage and pulled out a Carrier Pigeon.
He untied the attached Paper and wrote the contents on a small Piece of Paper to quickly send it to the higher-ups.
[The situation is serious. We must start investigating immediately. Unexpected things are happening.]
He let the Carrier Pigeon fly out the window, praying that his expectations were wrong.
***
Opening my eyes, a dark scenery was visible.
'...Did I Level Up already?'
But for a Level Up, what grand thing had I done.
I barely defeated one Monster, was that such a big deal?
Or... was my experience basically full anyway.
Hmm. That could be it.
Well, there's no stat window and I can't see the numbers, so in the end, all I can do is guess.
Let's just accept it as it comes.
The moment I thought that, a familiar voice dug into my ears.
[You have absorbed the remnants. Choose a price.]
It was a familiar voice, but something was weird.
It wasn't talking about sections or mentioning privileges like usual.
It's even different from the enhancement I received before.
More than anything... the word price bothered me.
'...Is it because of that Monster.'
That day, the guy I faced was definitely not a simple Monster no matter who looked at it.
The red Jewel lodged in its heart, that Jewel that squirmed as if alive spread an ominous aura until it was broken.
This might not be a reward for a Level Up, but a reaction to taking care of that Monster.
'...Are they telling me to hunt Monsters.'
For a moment, that thought crossed my mind.
And, right on cue, a sound echoed as if answering.
Whir-
A heavy resonance spread, completely different in tone from the usual holy sound effects.
It felt closer to a warning than a reward.
After the sound effect ended, the Cards appeared.
___________________________________
[Fragment of Evil : Price of Power]
[Fragment of Evil : Price of Mana]
[Fragment of Evil : Price of Life]
[Fragment of Evil : Price of Speed]
[Fragment of Evil : Price of Greed]
___________________________________
There were five Cards in total.
A suspicious modifier was attached to the front of each Card.
'A Fragment of Evil?'
Could it possibly mean that stone that glowed red?
It was clearly connected to the defeat of the Monster.
Except for one, they all had a green hue indicating uncommon grade.
The nuance was consistent enough that reading just one description gave me a good idea.
[Fragment of Evil : Price of Power]
[Maximum Strength slightly increases, and maximum Mana marginally decreases.]
It raised one stat and chipped away at another.
That was it.
I guess the only fortunate part was that the increase was larger?
'Yeah, as long as it isn't a Mana decrease, it's worth picking.'
Smiling inwardly, I put the Card down and examined the rest.
A black-bordered Card floated oddly alone in the center, like an isolated island.
Captivated by its maddeningly eye-catching appearance, I read the description.
[Fragment of Evil : Price of Greed]
[Randomly select one of these Cards and enhance it by one tier.]
"Crazy...."
As soon as I read the description, a curse slipped out of my mouth.
The bastard who designed this kind of reward was out of their mind.
And maybe I was out of my mind too....
My gaze kept getting caught by that black Card.
Honestly, even judging with cold rationality, it wasn't a bad choice.
As long as it wasn't the Price of Power, it was fine, and if the Price of Mana came up, it would be a total jackpot.
It was a gamble with a nearly 75% chance of success, so I couldn't not do it.
Maybe... I had already gotten used to these kinds of choices.
Every time my survival was on the line, it was always like this.
All or nothing... there was no middle ground.
The black Card in front of me was glowing quietly, as if looking at me.
Taking a deep breath, I reached out my hand.
In the end, I couldn't help but touch that black Card.
Whir.
The Card disappeared with a momentary flash, and one of the remaining four slowly rose up.
The Card that rose was exactly.
...[Fragment of Evil : Price of Power].
"Oh, f-uuck!!"
In the end, I hit that 25% chance in just one try.
The Card I had been avoiding floated right in front of my eyes, as if mocking me.
It felt like the Card was talking to me.
"Idiot, you really are a Strength mage."
As if truly mocking me, the Card spun round and round in the air.
Slowly, very slowly, it shed its skin into a blue light.
Watching it, a thought crossed my mind.
Wait, don't tell me... the reduction amount is enhanced too?
"No, no way... surely not...?"
But ominous premonitions always hit the mark....
The Card revealed its blue form and glowed softly, as if telling me to read the description.
[Maximum Strength increases by a small margin, and maximum Mana decreases slightly.]
I'm. Screwed.
I always lacked Mana day in and day out, and promised myself I would pick Mana every time.
In the end, what I got back was a maximum Mana decrease.
If I knew this would happen, I should have just raised my Strength from the start.
Only a bitter smile escaped me.
...Is this the end of a gambling addict.
I muttered to myself like a crazy person for a long time.
The Card disappeared as if seeping into the back of my hand on its own.
Gradually, my consciousness began to fade.
Right before my consciousness sank, the last thought that crossed my mind was this.
'When I wake up... should I try learning Swordsmanship or something.'
***
I opened my eyes.
A familiar smell pierced my nose.
The smell of slightly damp cloth, and the musty scent of old dust.
Ah, I'm not dead yet.
My body is tired, but perhaps thanks to the Level Up, I was able to move quite a bit by now.
Of course, feeling the pain from the Bandage wrapped around my left arm, it seems I'll have to wait a bit longer for my arm.
I stopped trying to raise my body and lifted my arm while lying down.
My muscles are... heavy.
The feeling is different from before.
'Is this really... my Strength increasing?'
I clenched and unclenched my hand.
I can definitely feel it. The sensation of clenching much tighter than before.
Compared to my originally skinny body, it was a tremendous difference.
...But honestly, this seems to be about the level of a normal person.
In the end, the increased stats... were practically closer to a healing effect.
"Still, if it's this much, isn't it not bad?"
I muttered while dropping my squishy arm.
Before, I panted just lifting a Bucket of water, but now it seems I can do that much lightly.
I should be able to function somewhat like a human now.
So far, so good.
The problem was the Mana that blew away.
I slowly lifted my finger and tried to pull out my Magic Power.
However, the flow of Mana reaching my fingertips was fainter than before.
'...Damn it, it really decreased.'
I pulled out a Water Bullet to check.
[Water Bullet]
Comparing it directly, it was no joke.
Originally, I could shoot four without water, but now two, three?
And even that decreased to the point of barely managing.
"At this rate, I really won't be able to use Magic without water."
I put my arm down again.
It was clearly a gain in terms of overall stats.
At the very least, my physical power definitely went up.
Didn't they say a strong mind resides in a strong body?
...No, only weak Mana existed in a strong body.
What on earth did I just do... Do I really have to be a Strength mage?
Well, maybe... it's not as bad as I think.
"Right. My body got stronger anyway, and I just have to use Magic less, right?"
I even had defensive Magic, and I was a crazy bastard who even enhanced it.
Sword and Shield. It was the most basic combat combo.
I raised my body from the Bed.
It was time to swing a sword now.
***
I left the Inn blindly, but honestly, I was at a loss about who to learn from.
Would there be anyone who wields Swordsmanship that I could learn?
The only ones that came to mind were the people of Barret's Mercenary Group, but they were nowhere to be seen, perhaps not having returned yet.
Was the forest farther than I thought? Or did they fight a horde of Goblins?
Since only a day or so had passed to start worrying, I decided to think about that later.
'Can I find someone who wields Swordsmanship in a small Village like this?'
Looking at the people Milek brought last time, there didn't seem to be any professional Soldiers.
Someone skilled in Swordsmanship might be hard to find in the Village.
I observed the Village people, but there was no one who looked like they could handle Swordsmanship.
It was all just people farming and taking care of livestock.
"I don't think I'll be able to find someone today."
I muttered, looking around the Village once more.
There probably wasn't a single person among the Village people who had learned Swordsmanship.
At best, a Hunter might be used to combat, but there were no longer any Hunters in this Village.
Hmm, I wonder if there's someone who knows how to handle a sword among the Outsiders passing through.
Even so, it wouldn't be easy to find such a person.
I looked around as I passed the edge of the Village.
Unlike the middle of the Village where people came and went, there was hardly anyone noticeable or walking around here.
Walking a few more steps like that, I finally stopped walking again after circling the Village once.
"...There's really no one."
I sighed and started walking again.
The day was passing by with still no results.
"It'll take too much time if I try to find someone like this...."
Eventually, I decided to investigate the people around me a bit more.
The Village people didn't seem to have any information about the person I was looking for.
'Maybe the people from the Merchant Guild would know...?'
The Merchant Guild's Merchants were still staying in the Village.
I thought they might know, since they often interacted with Outsiders for purchasing goods and maintenance.
Deciding it would be better to ask the Merchants today, I turned my steps back toward the Inn.
***
"Swordsmanship?"
The middle-aged man made a slightly surprised expression.
He was Doroen, the Representative of the Merchant Guild we had escorted.
We had gotten somewhat acquainted while staying in the Village.
I heard he frequented this Village, so he should be quite knowledgeable about the Village's affairs.
"By any chance, is there anyone who could teach me Swordsmanship?"
"Um... weren't you a Magician?"
Doroen couldn't hide his flustered look.
Come to think of it, he saw me fight with Magic, but suddenly I'm asking about Swordsmanship.
It makes sense he'd be puzzled.
"Yes, well... I just want to learn a little for self-defense."
"Ah, if that's the case... Swordsmanship, huh..."
Doroen slightly furrowed his brow and fell into thought for a moment.
"Hmm... honestly, there's hardly anyone in this Village who has properly learned Swordsmanship. Even if a Mercenary stops by occasionally, most of them leave quickly without staying."
I nodded at those words. I expected it, but hearing it confirmed made me feel lost again.
"Still... well. Ah, right. There's an old man living alone on the outskirts of this Village. They say he was a Knight back in the day. I heard he's retired now, though."
"A Knight? His name...?"
A Knight.
The powerhouses that always appear in medieval fantasies.
But perhaps Knights were rarer than I thought, because I had actually never seen one since coming to this world.
To think I'd hear such a story here of all places.
"Bragan de Bartino. Everyone called him Grandpa Bragan. They say he was quite a renowned Knight in the past. He wasn't affiliated with the Kingdom, but I heard he's even fought with people from there... He doesn't really get along with anyone these days, though."
I mulled over Doroen's words.
An old man, secluded, former Knight. A typical Master position.
However, with these types of people, even approaching them was usually a problem.
"Do you happen to know where he lives?"
"At the southern end of the Village. There's a small house on the edge of the forest. It might be hard to find since it's a small, old Cabin."
"Thank you. I'll go take a look."
"Wait a moment. You never know who Grandpa Bragan will accept. He's so eccentric that he might not even open the door if you just go."
Doroen went inside, telling me to wait a moment, and soon reappeared holding a bundle the size of a palm.
The bundle, tied tightly with cloth, looked like it had some weight to it.
"Could you deliver this for me instead? It's Dried Meat and bread. I sometimes bring it to him. He saved my Father's life in the past."
He added as he handed the bundle to me.
"If you give him this while mentioning my name, he might at least listen to what you have to say."
I carefully accepted it.
The smell of dried grass leaves permeated the cloth.
"...Thank you, Mr. Doroen."
"Haha, don't mention it. Thanks to you, Riv, this merchant trip ended well."
He smiled.
I bowed my head to express my gratitude once more, and left the Inn.
The Cabin in the southern forest, the retired Knight Bragan.
Would the opportunity to learn Swordsmanship really be there?
...Still, it seems worth a try.